Frost took him in with a glance, then he looked at the alarm panel. The red button recalling the dogs was alight. Further along, the other red button that neutralised the fence was also alight.
So she had remembered and she had done it!
Frost bent over Marvin, looked carefully at him, then nodded. The pill had worked!
He stood motionless, thinking of Gina who by now must have reached the harbour. She would find the boat waiting for her.
Frost wiped the sweat off his face.
The first stage of the operation had worked!
Umney steered the motorboat towards the Grandi harbour. Goble sat in the bow. The time now was 03.17. The lagoon was in darkness.
‘More to your right,’ Goble said, ‘take it dead slow.’
Umney cut the engine and the boat drifted forward.
Both men were tense. Silk had left the job to them.
‘Collect her and bring her back here,’ he had ordered.
Goble turned on the powerful flashlight he was holding.
‘There she is! Let’s go!’
The boat surged forward as Umney opened up. Still keeping the beam of the light on the harbour, both men could see Gina standing on the harbour wall.
She waved to them as the boat came alongside.
‘Hi there!’ she exclaimed. ‘Are you Mike’s friends?’
‘That’s right, Miss Grandi,’ Umney said. He had been warned by Silk to give her the V.I.P. treatment ‘Hold a moment.’
Leaving Goble to secure the boat, he clambered on to the harbour wall by her side.
‘No problems, Miss Grandi?’
She released a giggle.
‘Absolutely super. I have things with me.’
By her was a big suitcase and an air travel bag.
‘I’ll take care of them,’ Umney said, and passed the items of luggage down to Goble.
‘Where are we going?’ Gina asked.
‘We have everything fixed for you, Miss Grandi,’ Umney said. ‘Let me help you.’
She looked down at the boat, then moved to him, leaning against him, ‘I don’t want to fall in.’
Umney felt her fingers move on his body. She giggled again.
‘You’re quite a man,’ she said.
He swung her off her feet and lowered her into the boat which Goble steadied.
What the hell have I got here? he thought, but the feel of her fingers excited him.
Climbing by her, he revved up the engine and backed the boat out of the harbour.
Gina regarded Goble in the semi-darkness. Her fingers touched his fat larded shoulder, and she drew away.
‘You eat too much,’ she said, and joined Umney.
Umney laughed as she sat by his side and pressed herself against him.
At 07.30, Frost, who hadn’t slept, put on his uniform. He had shaved carefully, had showered, but looking in the mirror as he was shaving, he saw his face was tight drawn, and there were black shadows under his eyes. He waited until 07.50, then leaving his cabin, he walked to the guardroom. He knew that at exactly 08.00, Suka would bring the breakfast trays. He would tap on the door and go away.
Frost entered the guardroom.
Marvin lay, slumped in the lounging chair, snoring and breathing heavily.
Frost acted out his part. He pulled Marvin upright, shook him, then let him drop back in the chair, as he did so there came a tap on the door.
Suka!
Bracing himself, Frost opened the door.
Suka was moving off.
‘Suka!’ Frost snapped. ‘Marvin’s ill or something. Take a look at him!’
Suka paused, turned to stare at Frost, then moving by him, he entered the guardroom. He bent over Marvin, shook him, then looked up, his face expressionless.
‘Drugged.’
Still acting out his part, Frost swung around and stared at the alarm panel.
‘The fence has been neutralised!’ he exclaimed. ‘Check on Miss Grandi! I’ll alert Amando. Where do I find him?’
‘I do it,’ Suka said, and moving rapidly, he rushed up the stairs.
Frost stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting. He looked at his strap watch. The time was now 08.05. In another five minutes, Silk would telephone.
Suka appeared at the head of the staircase.
‘Miss Gina not here! Mr. Amando drugged!’
‘Search the house!’ Frost said. ‘Make sure she isn’t here!’
As Suka came down the stairs, the telephone bell in the guardroom began ringing.
‘Hold it!’ Frost said. He beckoned to Suka. ‘This could be trouble. I want you to hear. Use the extension!’
As Suka picked up the extension receiver, Frost snatched up the other receiver.
‘Yes?’
‘Tell Grandi this is a snatch.’ Frost guessed Silk was talking behind a handkerchief, but his voice still sounded menacing. ‘We have his daughter. We’ll call again tomorrow at this time. Tell him no cops,’ and the line went lead.
As Frost replaced the receiver, he looked at Suka who was staring at him.
‘Could be a hoax,’ he said. ‘Check the house. Make sure she isn’t around.’
‘No hoax,’ Suka said, his little black eyes showing alarm. ‘Better call Mr. Grandi.’
Frost snatched up the telephone and called the guard on the barrier at the estate’s entrance. He told him no one was to leave the estate and when the staff arrived they were to be told to take the day off.
‘No one leaves without my permission,’ he said.
‘You got trouble up there?’ the guard demanded.
‘Nothing we can’t handle,’ Frost said curtly. ‘Just follow instructions.’ He hung up, then seeing Suka still hovering in the doorway, he waved him away.
‘Check the house!’
He waited until Suka had gone, then taking from his shirt pocket the New York telephone number Grandi had given him he dialled. As he was waiting for the connection, Marvin moaned, then slowly sat up. He pressed his hands to his eyes.
A voice said from New York, ‘Mr. Grandi’s residence.’
Frost could imagine a prim faced, black butler at the other end of the line.
‘I must talk to Mr. Grandi,’ Frost said. ‘Tell him Frost calling from Orchid Villa. This is an emergency.’
‘Yes, sir.’
There was a long pause.
Marvin shook his head, then stared at Frost, his eyes glazed.
‘What the hell goes on?’ he muttered.
Frost waved him to silence as Grandi came on the line.
‘What is it, Frost?’ The snarl in Grandi’s voice was chilling.
‘Miss Grandi has been kidnapped, sir,’ Frost said. ‘The ransom demand will be telephoned here this time tomorrow. They said there’s to be no police action.’
There was a brief pause, then Grandi said, ‘Do nothing until I come. I will arrive in eight hours,’ and he hung up.
‘Kidnapped?’ Marvin staggered to his feet, reeled, then sat down again.
‘You’ve been drugged,’ Frost said, and going out into the lobby, he picked up the big coffee pot and a cup off the waiting breakfast trays and returned to the guardroom.
Marvin drank the coffee, set down the cup, ran his hand over his face and stared at Frost.
‘The girl’s been kidnapped?’
‘Yep. The snatchers have just telephoned. I’ve stopped the staff arriving and I’ve told the guard to let no one out. I’ve just talked to Grandi. He says we do nothing until he arrives in eight hours. I’m going to take a look around. I want to see if they took one of the boats.’
‘Kidnapped? But how?’ Marvin shook his head, shut his eyes, opened them and got unsteadily to his feet. ‘When?’
‘Amando was drugged too. I’ll be back,’ and Frost left the guardroom. He walked fast down to the harbour. The gate to the harbour stood open. He wondered what Gina was doing right now: probably giggling herself silly with excitement.