Part 19 (2/2)
”Is he around here? Did you see him?”
”No.”
”Then why did you say that?”
”Just a guess. Let's see. Prescott Demarest?”
”No. What's the matter with you, Bern? It was the Sikh.”
”That would have been my third guess.”
”Well, you would have been right. I popped out with my camera in my hot little hands and I almost smacked right into him. He looked down at me and I looked up at him, and I'll tell you, Bernie, I could have used a stepstool.”
”What happened?”
”What happened is I was incredibly brilliant. A mind like quicksilver. I went all saucer-eyed and I said, 'Oh, wow, a turban! Are you from India, sir? Are you with the United Nations? Gosh, will you pose for me so I can take your picture?' ”
”How did this go over?”
”Smas.h.i.+ngly. Look for yourself.”
”You're getting pretty handy with that camera.”
”You're no more impressed than he was. He's going to buy himself a Polaroid first thing Monday morning. I had to take two pictures, incidentally, because he wanted one for a souvenir. Turn it over, Bernie. Read the back.”
An elegant inscription, with lots of curlicues and nonfunctional loops and whorls. To my tiny princess / With devotion and esteem / Your loyal servant / Atman Singh. To my tiny princess / With devotion and esteem / Your loyal servant / Atman Singh.
”That's his name,” she explained. ”Atman Singh.”
”I figured that.”
”Clever of you. The guy you were on the phone with is Atman Singh's boss, which you also probably figured. The boss's name is-Well, come to think of it, I don't know his name, but his t.i.tle is the Maharajah of Ranchipur. But I suppose you knew that too, huh?”
”No,” I said softly. ”I didn't know that.”
”They're at the Carlyle, you were right about that. The Maharajah likes to take people with him when he travels. Especially women. I had the feeling I could have joined the party if I played my cards right.”
”I wonder how you'd look with a ruby in your navel.”
”A little too femme, don't you think? Anyway, Atman Singh likes me just the way I am.”
”So do I.” I put a hand on her shoulder. ”You did beautifully, Carolyn. I'm impressed.”
”So am I,” she said, ”if I say so myself. But it wasn't just me alone. I could never have done it without the martini.”
Driving south and east, she said, ”It was exciting, doing that number with Atman Singh. At first I was scared and then I didn't even notice I was scared because I was so completely into it. Do you know what I mean?”
”Of course I know what you mean. I get the same feeling in other people's houses.”
”Yeah, that was a kick. In Randy's place. I never realized burglary could be thrilling like that. Now I can see how people might do it primarily for the kick, with the money secondary.”
”When you're a pro,” I said, ”the money's never secondary.”
”I guess not. She was really jealous, wasn't she?”
”Randy?”
”Yeah. Hey, when this is all over, maybe you could teach me a few things.”
”Like what?”
”Like opening locks without keys. If you think I could learn.”
”Well, there's a certain amount a person can learn. I think there's a knack for lockpick work that you either have or you don't, but beyond that there are things I could teach you.”
”How about starting a car without a key?”
”Jumping the ignition? That's a cinch. You could learn that in ten minutes.”
”I don't drive, though.”
”That does make it a pointless skill to acquire.”
”Yeah, but I'd sort of like to be able to do it. Just for the h.e.l.l of it. Hey, Bern?”
”What?”
She made a fist, punched me lightly on the upper arm. ”I know this is like life and death,” she said, ”but I'm having a good time. I just wanted to tell you that.”
By five-fifty we were parked-legally, for a change-about half a block from the Gresham Hotel on West Twenty-third Street. The daylight was fading fast now. Carolyn rolled down her window and snapped a quick picture of a pa.s.sing stranger. The result wasn't too bad from an aesthetic standpoint, but the dim light resulted in a loss of detail.
”I was afraid of that,” I told her. ”I booked the Maharajah at five and Whelkin at six, and then when I spoke to Demarest, I was going to set up the call for seven. I made it four instead when I remembered we'd need light.”
”There's flashcubes in the carrying case.”
”They're a little obvious, don't you think? Anyway, I'm glad we caught Demarest when it was still light enough out to see him. With Whelkin it may not matter. We may not be able to coax him out of the hotel.”
”You think he's staying there?”
”It's certainly possible. I'd have called, but what name would I ask for?”
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