"Yes. We have agreed that Lorelli is inclined to get fl.u.s.tered. I want to be sure that she has handled the a.s.signment well. Very soon I shall have a special job for her. Crantor has a large amount of sterling that should be brought here. I want Lorelli to go to London and bring this money back." Alsconi played a soundless tune on the edge of his desk.
"You are satisfied that she is still reliable? The money is in cash, and there is a lot of it. I wouldn"t want her to run off with it."
"She wouldn"t do that," Felix said. He had to make an effort to meet Alsconi"s probing eyes. "Of course she is reliable, but we can"t send her on that job. The London police have a description of her. It would be risky to send her to London again."
"Ah, yes. I had forgotten that. Well, someone must get the money. I need it. Would you trust Willie to do it?"
Felix shook his head.
"No. Willie"s all right for the day-to-day work, but I wouldn"t trust him with money."
"Then I"ll have to see if Crantor can suggest anyone," Alsconi said. "We had better find some other work for Lorelli to do. She is rather lost here, I feel. No scope for her." He paused, then went on, looking fixedly at Felix. "I have been thinking that we might begin limited operations in South America: Buenos Aires, for instance. Would she mind going there, do you think?"
Felix very nearly betrayed himself. He covered his confusion by taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Was this a coincidence or had Alsconi somehow overheard their conversation?
"Buenos Aires? I don"t know. I can ask her."
Alsconi smiled.
"Leave it for a moment. When I have more time I will talk to her myself. It is a long time now since I have had a chat with her. Sometimes I wonder if it is wise to employ women in the organization. They have their uses, of course, but they can be unpredictable. I don"t like unpredictable people."
"You can"t say Lorelli is unpredictable," Felix said hurriedly. "You seem to have lost faith in her, but you have no reason for it. After all she is one of the original members of the organization. She deserves better treatment. I have always found her reliable when it comes to carrying out orders."
"You are in a better position to judge her than I am," Alsconi said. "But I think a change would be good for her: new faces, new routines. Would you be interested in going with her to Buenos Aires and handling my business there?"
"If you told me to go, I"d go," Felix said, aware that he was beginning to sweat. "But I should have thought I was more useful to you here. I"ve handled the set-up for you for two years now. It isn"t an easy set-up to run. If I had the choice I would stay here."
Alsconi lifted his eyebrows.
"That would mean losing Lorelli. I thought you were attached to her."
"No woman has her hooks that deep into me," Felix said. "Do you intend sending her to Buenos Aires?"
"Perhaps not. It"s an idea that occurred to me." Alsconi shrugged his shoulders. "I"m still thinking about it. I should have to be very sure that Lorelli could do the work and wanted to do it. Let us continue to think about it." He waved his hand the gesture of dismissal.
Felix was glad to escape from the staring, probing eyes.
He was badly rattled and he went to his room took from a cupboard a bottle of whisky and poured himself liberal shot.
Then he sat down, holding the gla.s.s in his hand while he considered the situation.
After some thought, he told himself that Alsconi"s reference to Buenos Aires must have been a coincidence. It went only to show how crazy and irresponsible Lorelli"s ideas. If he had thought, it was obvious that a town with so much money as Buenos Aires would eventually come on Alsconi"s schedule. Besides, if Alsconi had overheard Lorelli trying to persuade him to clear out, he wouldn"t have put him on his guard to this. He would have struck. He knew how Alsconi worked, he was quick and ruthless.
He finished his drink and set down the gla.s.s. He decided the situation warranted careful watching, but it wasn"t dangerous.
The great point in his favour was there was no one to take his place. The organization didn"t run itself and he had purpose underlined that to Alsconi. There were a hundred and one details to be watched and Felix had all these details at his fingers" end.
Alsconi wouldn"t be so stupid as to get rid of him, he told himself. He would only saddle himself with all the dirty work that Felix now shouldered. But from now on, he would be on his guard. He would watch Carlos who carried out Alsconi"s instructions.
His hand went inside his coat and his fingers touched the b.u.t.t of his .45. Carlos was quick and big, but a .45 slug would stop him.
He had another drink and then got to his feet. He would go along and talk to Lorelli. He"d throw a h.e.l.l of a scare into her.
She must stop this yammering about leaving the organization once and for all. That kind of talk could be fatal.
He went over to the mirror and straightened his tie. He grinned at his reflection. The whisky gave him a feeling of security. He was still smiling as he went out of the room.
But he wouldn"t have felt so secure if he had known that at that moment Alsconi was talking to Crantor who sat in his hotel bedroom straining to hear Alsconi"s voice that came to him over the crackling telephone line.
"I want you to fly out here at once," Alsconi said. "Take route 3 and bring the goods with you. You know what I mean?"
"Yes," Crantor said, scarcely believing his ears. This was the first time he had heard Alsconi"s voice. It was a big moment for him.
"Be here by midnight tonight," Alsconi went on. "I am making changes here. I may find a better job for you."
"I"ll be there," Crantor said, his nightmare of a face lighting up.
"Good," Alsconi said and replaced the receiver. He reached for the house telephone. "Carlos? Who is down there with you?"
"There"s Menotto, Mr Felix and Miss Lorelli," Carlos said. "Jacopo has gone to get Willie."
"Send Menotto to me, then turn the current off," Alsconi said. "No one is to leave. Do you understand? Let me know if anyone does try to leave."
"Yes, boss," Carlos said; the surprise in his voice made Alsconi grin evilly.
A faint sound behind him as he sat with his back to the tree, made Willie"s hand fly to the inside of his coat and jerk out his .38. He rolled over, bringing the gun into a firing position.
Jacopo who had come out from behind the shrubs came to an abrupt standstill.
"That"s the way numbskulls get shot," Willie snarled. "Why didn"t you call out, you dimwit?"
"I didn"t see you," Jacopo said, moving forward again. "What"s the matter with you - jumpy?"
Willie slid the gun back into its holster that was strapped under his armpit. He got to his feet.
"Nothing"s the matter with me. You taking over now? You"re early for a change, aren"t you?"
"The old man wants you," Jacopo said; his eyes showed his curiosity. "Rather you than me. What have you been up to?"
Willie stared at him, his thin, rat-like face questioning. "You mean Alsconi wants me?"
"Who else? You"d better get moving. He said he wanted to see you at once, and he"s waiting."
Willie wiped his sweating face with his dirty handkerchief. He had only spoken to Alsconi once in two years.
Excitement and fear jostled his mind. Here was his chance to get his bonus. He wouldn"t have to rely on Felix. He could give Alsconi the dope about Lorelli direct. He felt a twinge of fear. But what did the old man want him for? Had he done something wrong?
Jacopo, who took a pride in his appearance, regarded Willie with contempt and disgust. Willie hadn"t shaved that morning. His shirt was filthy and his shabby black suit was stained and creased.
"You"d better clean up before you see him," he said. "You look like a tramp."
"Never mind what I look like," Willie snarled. "Did he say what he wanted me for?"
"Is it likely; but you can guess, can"t you? He wants to kick your teeth in for doing nothing for the past months," Jacopo said. "Or maybe Englemann"s persuaded him to let him have you."
Willie cursed him.
"You"d better not keep him waiting," Jacopo said, grinning. "He said at once and that means at once."
"I"m not scared of him," Willie said untruthfully. "I"ve got something to tell him that"ll get me a sack of dough. You"ll stop grinning like an ape when you see the car I"m going to buy."
"Got a touch of the sun?" Jacopo asked blankly.
"You wait and see," Willie said darkly. "I keep my eyes and ears open. I"ve got information that the old man will pay big money for."
"What information?" Jacopo demanded.
"He"ll tell you if he wants you to know," Willie said. "Where"s the car?"
"Down the lane. What have you got to tell him?"
"Go jump in a lake," Willie said and set off at a run through the trees.
For the first time in his life Willie did not obey an order, and it was to prove fatal to him. Jacopo had said that Alsconi wanted to see him at once. Willie was anxious to make a good impression on Alsconi. He decided to sneak back to his room, have a shave and a wash and put on his best suit. The old man wouldn"t know he had spent ten minutes sprucing himself up before reporting to him, and the effect of his new suit might have good results, Willie told himself.
He left the Citroen at the bottom of the drive and made his way through the shrubbery to the back entrance of the palazza. He entered the underground quarters by the concealed door a few seconds before Carlos threw the switch that put the door out of operation. Unaware that the exit was now sealed off, Willie scuttled quickly along the corridor to his room. He was opening the door when Felix appeared.
"The old man wants you," Felix said. "Have you seen him?"
"Not yet," Willie said uneasily. "Thought I"d have a wash first. What"s up?"
"You"d better get a jerk into it. He wants to see you right away."
"I can"t go looking like this," Willie whined. "What"s he want?"
Felix crowded him into the small, fusty room Willie regarded as his home.
"Nothing to get excited about," Felix said, grimacing at the smell in the room. "It smells like a pigsty in here."
"I can"t smell anything," Willie said, stripping off his coat. He hung his gun holster over the back of a chair, then pulled off his shirt. He ran hot water into the toilet basin. "I"m not in trouble, am I?" He looked anxiously over his skinny shoulder at Felix.
"No. He only wants to know what happened at the villa when Lorelli delivered the letter."
Willie stiffened and the cake of soap slipped out of his hand. The old man was smart, he thought, as he bent to pick up the soap; nothing seemed to escape him.
Felix watching him, saw his start, saw the startled look on his rat-like face and suddenly felt an ice-cold chill creep up his spine.
"You saw Lorelli?" he said, making his voice sound casual.
"I saw and heard her," Willie said and tried unsuccessfully to conceal a leer. He splashed his face with water, and began to lather his p.r.i.c.kly stubble.
"She didn"t see you?"
"No." Willie hesitated. He was undecided whether to tell Felix what he had overheard. He didn"t want to make an enemy of Felix. He would have to work with him long after Lorelli was forgotten, and Felix wouldn"t be pleased if Willie told Alsconi the news without first telling him. It wasn"t as if Felix could now stop him tilling the old man.
Alsconi was waiting for him, and that would be more than Felix dared do. And since the old man was waiting for him, Felix wouldn"t dare get tough with him either. He decided to tell Felix. Two moments of sensation were better than one, he reasoned. In his position of safety he was tempted to see Felix"s face when he heard his girl was selling him out. "If she had seen me," he said and leered, "she wouldn"t be here now."
Felix"s reaction was so quick Willie hadn"t a chance to grab his gun. He found himself caught by his throat and slammed against the wall.
"What the h.e.l.l do you mean?" Felix snarled, his face livid with rage and fear.
Willie caught hold of Felix"s wrists and tried to lever his hands from his throat. His grotesque face covered with white lather turned purple as the steely fingers sank into his windpipe. Felix shook him, then slackened his grip.
"What do you mean?" he repeated.
Willie drew in a long, shuddering breath.
"Let go of me!" he gasped. "I"ll tell the boss. Get away from me!"
Felix slapped his face very hard with his open hand. The lather flew in an explosion of wet whiteness and splashed the wall.
"Why shouldn"t she be here?" he demanded. "Come on; spill it before I knock your teeth down your throat."
"She"s double-crossed us," Willie panted, tears of pain starting from his eyes. "She"s sold us out."
Felix lifted his clenched fist, then stopped. His face had turned the colour of snow.
"You lying rat!" he said viciously.
"I heard her," Willie gasped, trying to grind himself into the wall to get away from Felix. "She said she wanted to quit the organization. She wanted money. She said she would get Micklem out for two hundred and fifty grand."
Felix remembered what Lorelli had said: You and I have to get out of this racket before it"s too late. Sooner or later the police are going to get on to us. We"ve got to get out!
The crazy little fool! She was committing suicide.
He stepped away from Willie.
"You heard her say that?"
Willie put his hand to his face and wiped off the lather.
"Yes. You"ve got no right to hit me..."
"Shut up!" Felix snapped. "Let"s have it. Every sc.r.a.p of it."
Willie told him how he had seen Lorelli enter the villa and how he had gone after her in case she ran into trouble.
"I did what you told me," he said, his voice snivelling. "There were three of them in the room: the guy who got away the other night, a fat old bloke they called Cherry and this girl Rigby. She said she would go to New York right away. Then Lorelli said she was going to tell them something she wasn"t supposed to tell them. She said Micklem would never be released and we were after all his dough. She said if they promised to pay her two hundred and fifty grand, she would get him out."