Thinking of the revolving tape, Helga hurried the conversation along.
‘You could be right,’ she said. ‘This is blackmail, of course. How much, Mr. Jackson?’
‘But didn’t you tell me you never paid blackmail?’ Jackson asked, his smile jeering.
‘There are times when even the best generals lose a battle,’ Helga said. ‘How much?’
‘You surprise me.’ Jackson studied her thoughtfully. ‘I thought you would try a wriggle.’
‘I am not interested in your thinking,’ Helga said, her voice steely. ‘How much?’
The jeering smile slipped a little.
‘Frankly, if it was only between you and me, Mrs. Rolfe, I would give you this letter for nothing. I would expect you to give me my retainer of ten thousand dollars... my out of pocket expenses. That would be fair, wouldn’t it?’
Helga said nothing. She sipped her brandy, longed for a cigarette, her face wooden.
‘But this fink has ambitions,’ Jackson went on. ‘Can you imagine what he did? He took two photocopies of the letter, gave me one and here’s one for you.’ He took from his wallet a folded paper and pushed it across the table to Helga who took it, glanced at it and saw it was a copy of Herman’s letter. ‘Frankly, Mrs. Rolfe, I didn’t imagine a half-caste fink would have had the brains to set up a thing like this. He is more ambitious than I am. As I’ve said, I’d be happy to get my retainer, but he has other ideas.’
Helga turned her cold look on him.
‘So?’
‘This fink tells me that the letter is a gold mine. Now when a half-caste boy talks about a gold mine, I don’t pay a lot of attention, but when he started to elaborate, I took notice.’ Jackson shook his head, finished his brandy and smiled at her. ‘I guess he has bigger ideas than I have.’
This is almost too good to be true, Helga thought. As he sits there, shooting off his mouth, he is cutting his throat.
She could imagine the police descending on him. She imagined them picking up this hotel servant. To hell with Herman’s money! To see this smart alec snake and his fink in court would repay even the loss of sixty million dollars... stupid, angry thinking, but that was how she felt at this moment.
‘He has?’ she said quietly. ‘How big? Couldn’t you stop this yakking, Mr. Jackson, and tell me what it will cost to get this letter back?’
Just for a moment, Jackson looked uneasy, then the confident grin returned.
‘Yeah... I do run on. Well, for me, I want ten thousand dollars by tomorrow, not later than midday. I want it in cash. That will take care of my expenses which will be fine with me. Leave the money in an envelope with the Hall porter.’ He looked at her. ‘Okay?’
Helga inclined her head.
‘Now the fink... this is more tricky. As I’ve explained, Mrs. Rolfe, I hadn’t an idea how his mind would work. Anyway, he has talked around and he’s learned what a big shot you have married. He knows now that your husband is loaded. He won’t part with the letter for less than five hundred thousand. Could anything be more crazy? I tried to talk sense into him, but he won’t listen. I’m sorry, Mrs. Rolfe, but that’s the way it is. If you want the letter, it’ll cost you five hundred thousand, plus my ten thousand.’
Helga kept her face expressionless, but the shock was severe.
After a pause, she said, ‘I find it hard to believe a coloured servant should think in such big terms.’
Jackson nodded.
‘That makes two of us, Mrs. Rolfe. I was knocked for a loop, but that’s how the cookie crumbles.’
‘And this coloured boy gets all this money? Aren’t you being very modest, Mr. Jackson?’
He laughed.
‘Yeah: you could say that, but I only want my expenses. I like my job. I’m not ambitious. Frankly, I’m sorry I’ve got snarled up with this fink. Between us we could have settled this thing for ten thousand. If you had agreed last night instead of getting on your high horse, I wouldn’t have told him to search your room.’
Helga regarded him.
‘Aren’t you talking too much, Mr. Jackson? You are letting your tongue run away. It was while we were talking on the beach that this fink, as you call him, was searching my room. That tells me you and he were working together and I am quite sure you and he will share whatever I pay.’
Again the confident smile slipped. He looked away from her, thought for a long moment, then the smile switched on again.
‘As I’ve already said, Mrs. Rolfe, you have brains. Okay, I’ll put it on the line. It was the fink’s idea. I wouldn’t have thought of it, but when he said you would pay, I did think about it. With all this money coming to you when your husband kicks off, I saw the fink had an idea. He couldn’t handle you. I saw that, so after thinking, I told him I would set up the deal and he and I would go fifty-fifty. So, Mrs. Rolfe, if you want the letter you give us ten thousand tomorrow and five hundred thousand in bearer bonds in ten days’ time.’
‘And I get the letter?’
‘Sure... no fooling. You get the letter.’
Helga drew in a deep breath.
She had him now! If she had to lose Herman’s money, at least this snake would land in jail!
‘All right. The money will be with the Hall porter by twelve o’clock tomorrow.’ She got to her feet.
‘So it’s a deal?’ Jackson asked her, smiling at her.
‘It’s a deal.’
As she reached for her handbag, he beat her to it. His big hand dropped on the bag as he continued to smile at her.
‘No, Mrs. Rolfe. Not as easy as that,’ he said. ‘You are way out of my league. You caused a lot of uproar in the hotel when you asked for a sensitive recorder. The fink telephoned me.’
He took the recorder from her handbag, slipped out the tape, put the recorder back into her bag and the tape into his pocket.
Then he leaned forward, his handsome face a sudden snarling mask that chilled her.
‘You are dealing with a professional, you stupid bitch!’ he said softly. ‘Don’t ever try tricks with me. Ten thousand tomorrow or you’ll be out in the cold.’ As he got to his feet, he suddenly grinned, his friendly grin. ‘Good night, baby, sleep alone,’ and he left her, staring after him.
As Helga walked into the hotel lobby, the Hall porter came from behind his desk. Seeing he wanted to speak to her, she paused.
‘There is an urgent call from Mr. Winborn, madame. He is staying the night at the Sonesta Beach hotel, Miami. He asks if you would please call him back.’
‘Thank you.’ She moved to the elevator.
In her apartment she walked out on to the terrace. She sat down, half aware of the big floating moon, its reflection on the sea and the strident shouts of the night bathers.
Ten thousand dollars presented no problem... but five hundred thousand!
Was she going to submit to blackmail?
She lit a cigarette. She never felt so alone. She thought bitterly that she had always been alone. The only child, her brilliance had cut her off from other children, her father had been interested only in his business; her mother only interested in the church. Always loneliness, plus this damnable sexual urge that had tormented her into dangerous adventures.
Face it, she said to herself, you are on your own: there is no one to help you: you are in a hell of a spot, so what are you going to do about it?
Thinking, she realized that even if Herman died this night, she would have Jackson and this half-caste on her back for life. They would give her the original letter but keep a photocopy. If she refused further demands and they sent Winborn the photocopy, he would take action. With his legal know-how and his spite, he would begin legal proceedings, especially if the hotel manager confirmed that she had taken the letter. Winborn could block her from the sixty million dollars!