“Yeah. Is it a deal?”
Blackie hesitated.
“She could complicate things, Mr. Jaffe.”
“Is it a deal?”
Blackie shrugged.
“It’s a deal, but I can’t promise anything. For seventeen thousand American dollars I will do my best for you, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“You won’t get the money until I reach Hong Kong,” Jaffe pointed out. “I haven’t got it here. So if you don’t get me out, you won’t get the money.”
Blackie had expected that.
“There will be some preliminary expenses. I shall need some money now. Frankly, I don’t intend to advance any money myself for such a risky proposition. Unless you can supply me with a thousand American dollars immediately to take care of incidental expenses and my brother’s air passage, then I very much regret I can’t consider helping you.”
“But if I gave you this sum,” Jaffe pointed out, “And you can’t find a way to get me out, I will be the loser.”
“That is to be regretted,” Blackie said, “but we should be realistic. If we can’t get you out, you won’t need the money -you won’t ever need any money. Have you thought of that?”
Jaffe moved uneasily. He had thought of that.
“I haven’t got a thousand American dollars, but I have got a couple of diamonds here. I bought them in Hong Kong some years ago. I was going to have them made up as a ring for a girl I once knew. They are worth at least a thousand.”
Blackie looked surprised.
“I would prefer cash.”
Jaffe took out the screw of paper and handed it to Blackie. “I haven’t got cash. You can sell these anywhere.”
Blackie turned on the dashboard light and leaning forward, he carefully undid the paper and examined the diamonds. He didn’t know a great deal about precious stones, but he could see these were good diamonds: whether or not they would be worth a thousand American dollars, only Charlie could tell him.
This was a tense moment for Jaffe. He could tell nothing from Blackie’s bland, fat face. Had he believed the story about the diamonds? He seemed to have. Was he going to accept them?
Blackie looked up.
“Very well, Mr. Jaffe. I will return now and I will send a cable to my brother. Nothing can be done until I have talked to him.”
“How long will that take?”
“I suggest we meet here at this time on Wednesday. By then I shall know if we can help you or not.”
“I’ll be here.”
Jaffe got out of the car.
“I’m relying on you,” he said and extended his hand through the open window.
“I will do my best,” Blackie said and shook hands.
He watched Jaffe disappear into the darkness, then he again leaned forward to the light to examine the diamonds, a thoughtful expression clouding his face.
2
During the past twelve hours there had been ceaseless activity in the search for the missing Jaffe.
While Jaffe was cycling to his rendezvous with Blackie Lee, a meeting was breaking up at Security Police Headquarters. Colonel On-dinh-Khuc and Inspector Ngoc-Linh sat on one side of the table and Lieutenant Harry Hambley of the U.S. Military Police on the other.
The meeting had lasted an hour and the three men were no nearer to finding Jaffe than they had been when they had sat down.
In a long, wordy speech, the Colonel had explained what steps had been taken to find the missing American. Over five hundred troops were still combing the countryside. Six suspected Viet Minh sympathizers had been arrested and questioned, but without results. Notices had been printed offering a substantial reward for the return of the American. These had been nailed to trees at the known places where bandits often entered Vietnam. An offer of a large reward to anyone who had any kind of information concerning the kidnapping would appear in the press tomorrow.
Lieutenant Hambley had listened with undisguised impatience. This young man caused the Colonel slight uneasiness. He was a little disconcerted that the Lieutenant returned his stare with one as hard and as unflinching as his own.
Finally, the Colonel paused and Hambley took the opportunity to make a speech which disconcerted the Colonel still further.
“We don’t know for certain,” Hambley said, “that Jaffe has been kidnapped. It seems to me there is something mysterious and sinister going on. I’ll tell you why. We know Jaffe told Sam Wade he wanted to borrow his car to go to the airport with a girl, but the car was found miles from the airport and there was no girl, instead there was Jaffe’s house-boy, and he was dead. Jaffe had a.45 revolver. It’s missing; so is his passport. Before he disappeared, he drew all his money from the bank. Why did he do that? I wanted to talk to Haum’s girl-friend, but as soon as your people had talked to her, she gets killed by a mysterious hit-and-run driver. I wanted to talk to Dong Ham, the cook, but he’s completely disappeared. See what I mean? It’s all mysterious and sinister.”
The Colonel pushed back his chair. He said all these points raised by the Lieutenant would have his attention. Further inquiries would be made. A report would be submitted. The American Ambassador could rest assured that no stone would be left unturned to find Jaffe.
The Colonel then got to his feet, indicating the meeting was ended. After hesitating, Hambley shook hands. Ile said he hoped to hear from the Colonel by tomorrow and left.
Colonel Khuc looked at Inspector Ngoc-Linh with cold, angry eyes.
“You still have no idea whether the American has been kidnapped or is in hiding?” he asked.
“No, sir,” the Inspector admitted. “I am still trying to trace this girl who used to visit the American. She may be able to help us.”
“This Lieutenant is a trouble-maker,” the Colonel said. “Be careful how you deal with him. Now go and find this woman.
When the Inspector had gone, the Colonel rang for Lam-Than.
“Lieutenant Hambley will probably ask to visit Jaffe’s villa tomorrow for another look around. He is suspicious,” the Colonel said. “It is essential of course that he doesn’t come across the hole in the wall.”
Lam-Than permitted himself a smile.
“Three hours ago, sir,” he said, “the wall was repaired. It was done by my brother who is skilled in such matters, and can be trusted.”
The Colonel grunted.
“Ngoc-Linh hasn’t found the woman yet,” he said. “Have you any ideas how we can trace her?”
“If there is anyone who knows who she is it is the owner of the Paradise Club. He knows all the women who consort with Americans,” Lam-Than said. “We could arrest and question him.”
“The Inspector has already questioned him.”
Lam-Than’s eyes lit up viciously.
“If we had him here, no doubt we could persuade him to talk.”
The Colonel hesitated, then reluctantly shook his head.
“This man is well known to the Americans. It would be dangerous to arrest him - yet. We must be careful. If we have to, then we will do so, but we’ll see if Ngoc-Linh can find her first.” He stroked his flat nose. “Are you sure the American can’t slip out of the country?”
“Every exit is being watched,” Lam-Than said.
The Colonel rubbed his bald head.
“He is armed.”
“Our men have been warned. He will be shot at sight.”
“But if the diamonds are found on him?”
Lam-Than smiled.
“I will recover them,” he said.
Chapter Nine
1
Tint following morning Nhan caught the nine o’clock bus to Thudaumot. She had with her a basket containing a number of American magazines, three paper-back novels and the morning’s newspapers. These were carefully concealed under some groceries and vegetables she had bought before catching the bus.
She had passed a worrying night. Carried away by Steve’s plans, it was not until she was in bed and sufficiently relaxed to think seriously of her future with him that she began to realize the difficulties. The thing that worried her most was what would become of her mother, her uncle and her three brothers if she went to Hong Kong with Steve. They completely relied on her to provide the family income. She would have to talk to Steve about this. Unless he had some practical suggestion, she didn’t see how she could leave them.