As she came nearer and saw him staring at her she waved, but said nothing. Dyar, behaving like a small child, stood watching her approach, did not even acknowledge her greeting.
«Oh!» she exclaimed, gasping a little as she came on to the level piece of ground where the house stood. She walked toward the door and put her hand out. He took it, still looking at her, unbelieving. «Hello,» he said.
«Look. Will you please not think I’m a busybody. How are you?» She let go of his hand and directed a piercing glance at his face; unthinkingly he put his hand to his chin. «All right?» Without waiting for an answer she turned to the man in the chauffeur’s uniform. «Me puedes esperar ahí abajo». She pointed to the native waiting below. The man made a listless salute and walked away.
«Oh!» said Daisy again, looking about for a place to sit, and seeing nothing but the wet earth. «I must sit down. Do you think we could go in where it’s dry?»
«Oh, sure». Dyar came to life. «I’m just surprised to see you. Go on in». She crossed the room and sat down on the mat in front of the dead fireplace. «What are you doing here?» he said, his voice expressionless.
She had her knees together out to one side, and she had folded her hands over them. «Obviously, I’ve come to see you». She looked up at him. «But you want to know why, of course. If you’ll be patient while I catch my breath, I’ll tell you». She paused, and sighed. «I’ll lay my case before you and you can do as you like». Now she reached up and seized his arm. «Darling» (the sound of her voice had changed, grown more intense), «you must go back. Sit down. No, here, beside me. You’ve got to go back to Tangier. That’s why I’m here. To help you get back in».
She felt his body stiffen as he turned his head quickly to look at her. «Don’t talk,» she said. «Let me say my little piece. It’s late, and it’s going to rain, and we must leave Agla while there’s still daylight. There are twenty-seven kilometers of trail before one gets to the carretera. You don’t know anything about the roads because you didn’t come that way».
«How do you know how I came?»
«You do think I’m an utter fool, don’t you?» She offered him a cigarette from her case and they smoked a moment in silence. «I saw the little business in the garden the other night, and I thought I recognized that drunken brother of the Beidaoui’s. And I had no reason to doubt his wife’s word. According to her he brought you here. So that’s that. But all that’s of no importance».
He was thinking: «How can I find out how much she knows?» The best idea seemed to be simply to ask her; thus he cut her short, saying: «What have they told you?»
«Who?» she said drily. «Jack Wilcox and Ronny Ashcombe-Danvers?»
He did not reply.
«If you mean them,» she pursued, «they told me everything, naturally. You’re all bloody fools, all three of you, but you’re the biggest bloody fool. What in God’s name did you think you were doing? Of course, I don’t know what Jack was thinking of in the first place to let you fetch Ronny’s money, and he’s so secretive I couldn’t make anything out of his silly tale. It wasn’t until I met Ronny yesterday at the airport that I got any sort of story that hung together at all. Ronny’s an old friend of mine, you know, and I can tell you he’s more than displeased about the whole thing, as well he may be».
«Yes,» he said, completely at a loss for anything else to say.
«I’ve argued with him until I’m hoarse, trying to persuade him to let me come up here. Of course he was all for coming himself with a band of ruffians from the port and taking his chances on getting the money back by force. Because obviously he can’t do it by legal means. But I think now he understands how childish that idea is. I made him see how much better it would be if I could get you to come back of your own accord».
Dyar thought: So Ashcombe-Danvers is an old friend of hers. He’s promised her a percentage of everything she can get back for him. And he remembered Mme. Werth’s reservation at the hotel in Marrakech; Daisy might as well have been saying to him: «Do come back and be a victim again for my sake».
«It’s out of the question,» he said shortly.
«Oh, is it?» she cried, her eyes blazing. «Because little Mr. Dyar says it is, I suppose?»
He flushed. «You’re God-damned right».
She leaned toward him. «Why do you think I came up here, you bloody, bloody fool, you conceited idiot? God!»
«I don’t know. I’m wondering, myself,» he said, tossing his cigarette into the fireplace.
«I came,» she paused. «Because I’m the biggest fool of all, because through some ghastly defect in my character, I — because I’ve somehow — let myself become fond of you. God knows why! God knows why! Do you think I’d come all the way here only to help Ronny get his money back?» («Yes, you would,» he thought.) «He’s better equipped for a manhunt than I am, with his gang of cutthroats from the Marsa». («She doesn’t believe any of that. She thinks she can do the job better,» he told himself.) «I’m here because Ronny’s a friend of mine, yes, and because I should like to help him get back what belongs to him, what you’ve stolen from him». (Her voice trembled a little on the word stolen.) «Yes, of course. All of that. And I’m here also because what will help him happens to be the only thing that’ll help you».
«Do my soul good. I know. Walk in and make a clean breast of it».
«Your soul!» she snapped. «Bugger your soul! I said help you. You’re in a mess. You know damned well what a mess you’re in. And you’re not going to get out of it without some help. I want very much to see you through this. And if I must be quite frank, I don’t think anyone else can or will».
«Oh, I know,» he said. «I don’t expect anybody to take up a collection for me. Nobody can help me. Fine. So how can you?»
«Don’t you think Luis knows a few people in Tangier? It’s a question of getting you and the money across the frontier. In any case, I’ve borrowed a diplomatic car. With the CD plates one goes right through, usually. Even if we don’t it’s all seen to. You run no risk».
«No risk!» he repeated, with a brief laugh. «And in Tangier?»
«Ronny? What can he do? I assure you he’ll be so delighted to see his money, he’ll» —
He cut her short. «Not that,» he said. «I’m not worried about that. I’m just thinking».
She looked puzzled an instant. «You don’t mean the check you accepted from that hideous little Russian woman?»
«Oh, Jesus,» he groaned. «Is there anything you don’t know?»
«In the way of Tangier gossip, no, darling. But everyone knows about that. She’s been ordered to leave the International Zone. Day before yesterday. She’s probably already gone. The only useful thing Uncle Goode’s done since she arrived in Tangier. I don’t know what the official American attitude would be toward your sort of stupid behavior. But that’s a chance you’ll have to take. I think we’ve talked about enough, don’t you?»