Part 14 (1/2)

aThere will be no hitch,a Charlie concluded. aHe is trustworthy. Did you get the gun?a Blackie nodded.

aWhen you have had a rest,a he said, aI think you should see Nhan and talk to her. Donat tell her too many details, but warn her to be ready by ten. Make sure she doesnat take too many things with her. These Vietnamese girls cling to their possessions.a aIt is a pity we have to bother with her,a Charlie said.

aWe canat avoid it. The American wonat leave without her. I am sure of that.a The car pulled up outside the Club. As the two men got out, Blackie noticed the Citroen had already parked further down the road. He didnat notice Yo-Yo watching them from the shade of the tree opposite the club.

When the two men had gone up the stairs and out of sight, Yo-Yo stood up and walking casually, his hands in his pockets, crossed the road and entered the club.

He had seen Yu-lan go out a few minutes before Blackie and his brother had arrived. It occurred to him the club might be empty, and he might just possibly get a chance to overhear a conversation between the two brothers that would give him a clue to what was going on.

Moving silently, he walked into the club. There was no one in the big hall. He tiptoed across the dance floor until he reached the door leading into Blackieas office. He could hear voices. Pressing his ear against the panel of the door, he listened.

Blackie was telling his brother about the Security Police and being followed. Charlie listened with growing alarm.

aI donat understand it,a Blackie said. aIf they had any proof, they would arrest me. It may be nothing to do with Jaffe. There was that currency deal last month.a aI donat like it,a Charlie said. aI think you should come with me tonight. It may be nothing, but you mustnat take risks. There will be room in the helicopter for the four of us.a aIave thought of that, but what will happen to Yu-lan? If I leave now, theyall never let her get out. Besides, I canat just walk out of this place. When I do go, I intend to sell it. I must take a chance, Charlie.a aYou could be sorry. I donat like it.a aI donat like it either. Iall think about it. Thereas time. I have until ten tonight to make up my mind.a There was a pause, then he went on, aI have a million piastres in the safe, Charlie. I think you had better take the money with you. If anything goes wrong, it will be something for Yu-lan if she can get to Hong Kong. Will you do that for me?a aOf course,a Charlie said. aI still think you should come with me. If theyave found out you know about the diamonds and where Jaffe is hiding, they will wipe you out.a aIf they knew that,a Blackie said bleakly, aI wouldnat be here talking to you now. Iall let you know definitely by tonight what I am going to do. In the meantime, will you see the girl? She has got to be ready by ten. There must be no delay.a Charlie got to his feet. aIall go now,a he said, athen Iall come back and have a nap. I wonat get much sleep tonight.a Yo-Yo moved silently away from the door: his thin vicious face alight with excitement. He concealed himself behind a curtain that covered the entrance to the kitchens.

He heard Blackie and Charlie come out of the office. Blackie accompanied his brother as far as the entrance to the club.

aI donat think theyare interested in you,a Blackie said, abut be careful you are not followed.a When his brother had gone down the stairs, Blackie returned to his office. He looked through the shutters into the street. The two detectives still sat in the Citroen. He saw his brother walk briskly away. No one seemed to pay him any attention.

A slight sound behind him made him look sharply over his shoulder.

Yo-Yo stood in the doorway, smiling at him.

ah.e.l.lo, Mr. Blackie,a he said and came into the office, closing the door behind him.

Blackie had a sudden premonition of danger. How long had this little rat been in the club? Had he heard anything?

aWhat do you want?a aIave been listening, Mr. Blackie,a Yo-Yo said. aI want that million piastres you have in your safe. If you donat give it to me, Iall tell those two detectives out there you know where. Jaffe is. You know what theyall do to you if I tell them that.a Blackie eyed Yo-Yo thoughtfully. Yo-Yo was slim and wiry, but Blackie knew that once he got his hands on the boy, he could easily master him. He would have to kill him. He had no other alternative. Already he had made up his mind that sooner or later he would have to murder the boy.

aWhat million piastres?a he asked, moving casually forward. aWhat are you talking about?a Yo-Yo with the swiftness of a striking snake whipped a knife from his hip pocket. Its long, glittering blade threatened Blackie.

aDonat come any nearer,a Yo-Yo said. aJust give me the money.a Sweat broke out on Blackieas face. The sight of the knife filled him with sick fear. Then he remembered the gun in his safe. It was fitted with a silencer. He would open the safe, pretending to get the money, then he would grab the gun, turn and shoot.

He pretended to hesitate. He remained motionless, staring at Yo-Yo.

aHurry!a Yo-Yo said. aGive me the money!a Blackie lifted his shoulders in resigned surrender. He took from his pocket the safe key, crossed the room and unlocked the safe. He had to kneel to reach in the safe. His broad back covered his movements. His hand closed around the b.u.t.t of the gun as Yo-Yo silently crept up behind him.

As Blackie lifted the gun and tensed his muscles to bring his body upright, an agonizing pain hit him between his shoulder blades. His hand slipped off the gun and he fell forward. The agony was repeated as Yo-Yo stabbed him again.

II.

A little after five oaclock, the telephone bell rang in Lam-Thanas office. With an impatient exclamation, Lam-Than put down his pen and picked up the receiver. He listened to the excited voice on the line. What he heard made him stiffen in his chair.

He said, aYou arc certain of this? There can be no mistake?a He listened while the voice beat against his eardrum, then he said, aVery well,a and hung up.

He sat for a long moment staring down at his desk, then he got to his feet and went swiftly along the pa.s.sage to Colonel On-dinh-Khucas office. He knocked and entered. The office was empty. He paused in the doorway, frowning and looking around. He saw the Colonelas tunic lying on a chair and he immediately guessed where he was.

He hurried to the questioning room. The two executioners, guarding the door, looked at him inquiringly.

aIs the Colonel in there?a Lam-Than asked.

One of them nodded.

Lam-Than turned the handle of the door and pushed the door open. He stepped into the room and immediately closed the door on the curious staring gaze of the two executioners.

With a growl like that of a wild animal, the Colonel turned quickly and glared at him. Lam-Than looked past the Colonel at the table and his mouth tightened.

aGet out!a the Colonel snarled.

aYou must leave immediately, sir,a Lam-Than said, speaking distinctly and quickly. aA warrant for your arrest was signed half an hour ago. You are being charged with the murder of the woman, My-Lang-To. The driver of the jeep who killed her has confessed he did so on your instructions.a The Colonel leaned forward and peered at Lam-Than. The muscles in his heavy face suddenly went slack.

aThey canat arrest me,a he snarled. aNo one can arrest me!a aThe warrant has been signed by the President,a Lam-Than said. Did she tell you where the American is hiding?a The Colonel leaned against the wall. He seemed crushed and defeated.

aI cannot understand it,a he said, and there was dazed wonder in his voice. aNothing I did to her would make her speak. A woman like that . . . perhaps after all she really didnat know.a Lam-Than shrugged his shoulders.

If you can reach the Bien Hoa airport you have a chance of reaching Phnom-Penh,a he said. aThey may not have thought of alerting the airport. You must go at once.a Even as he spoke there came the sound of tramping feet down the pa.s.sage and the two men looked at each other.

Lam-Than shrugged his shoulders. He moved away from the Colonel as if disa.s.sociating himself from him.

The door opened and Inspector NgocLinh appeared in the doorway. Behind him were four policemen armed with rifles.

The Inspector looked from the Colonel to the body on the table. He felt the wall of his stomach tighten with horror. Then he turned and signalled to the policemen who filed into the room. He pointed to the Colonel.

aArrest this man.a As the police formed a group around the Colonel, the Inspector said to him, aIn the name of the Republic, I arrest you for the murder of MyLang-To. You will also be charged with the murder of this woman, Nhan Lee Quon.a He turned to Lam-Than. aYou too are under arrest as an accessory to both murders.a He nodded to the policemen. Take them away.a Colonel On-dinh-Khuc straightened himself and squared his shoulders. He marched out of the room at the head of his escort. Lam-Than limped after him.

The Inspector beckoned to one of the executioners who was standing in the doorway, staring. aGet a blanket and cover this woman,a he said.

When the executioner had gone, the Inspector moved closer to the table. Because he was a devout Catholic and still had some pity left in him, he made the sign of the cross over Nhanas body, then turning, he went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

III.

Charlie Lee stood in the doorway of his brotheras office and stared unbelievingly at Blackieas dead body lying before the open safe.

It was some minutes before he forced himself to move into the room. He closed the door and locked it, then he went over to his brother and made sure he was dead.

The shock made him feel weak and old. He went to the desk and sat down. He wept for a little while, his face buried in his hands. Blackie had been part of his life. He felt lonely and defenceless now. He could not imagine what his future would be like without his brother. But after a while, he got over the shock. He suddenly realized now that Blackie was dead, there would be no need to share the two million American dollars, and with that sum of money, he should be able to face life without his brother.

Getting to his feet he went to the safe and peered into it. He saw the gun and took it from the safe. A quick glance told him the million piastres were missing. Some sneak-thief must have killed Blackie and taken the money, he thought, but there was no point in wasting regrets on this loss.

Everything was now going wrong. He had spoken to Nhanas uncle who had told him Nhan had been arrested and had been taken to Security Police Headquarters for questioning. This information had alarmed him and he had hurried back to warn his brother that not only Jaffeas hiding place was in danger but Blackie might expect to be arrested at any moment. Charlie had no doubt that when submitted to torture, the girl would betray them all.

There was still a slim chance of getting his hands on the diamonds if he acted quickly. He would take Blackieas car and go immediately to Thudaumot. He would take Jaffe to the agreed landing place. They would wait there until the helicopter arrived. He was sure it would be fatal to tell Jaffe that Nhan had been arrested. He would say that Blackie was bringing her later. When the helicopter arrived, he would try to persuade Jaffe to leave. If he wouldnat leave without the girl, then he would have to kill him.