The Melting Man

'How did he get the capital?'

Tony laughed and winked. 'Never asked him. Like my father used to say — never ask questions you know won't be answered.'

He went out, chuckling to himself.

I lay on the bed, later, and stared at the little patch of window. Through it a few stars were showing and now and again a brown owl screamed in the orchard just to keep the voles on their toes. It wasn't all that way from here to Evian. Mimi should be back sometime in the morning, and with her would be O'Dowda, alone. Mimi would insist on that, and O'Dowda would play ball. He would bluster and bully to begin with, threaten her with the police and so on, but in the end he would come, alone, and with the money because he wanted the parcel and he wanted it without any police interference. He probably knew already that the police, or Interpol, wanted to get their hands on it. Najib wanted it, Interpol wanted it, and O'Dowda wanted it. What did I want? Well, I had to be frank. I wanted it, too. But, in the first place, out of sheer curiosity to see what was in it. After I knew that, I could decide what to do with it. Ethically, of course, I should — if I ever got it — hand it to O'Dowda. He was my employer. But he'd only employed me to find the car, not to recover a parcel. And ethically, before allowing me to take his commission, there was a lot he should have put me wise to for the sake of my own personal safety, and personal safety was something by which I set a very high store. For the moment, ethics apart, I was prepared to be taken along by circumstances — in fact I had no choice — until I got a chance to dictate the running again.

I went to sleep, deep, complete, dreamless sleep, and woke to daylight and the fact that Tony was sitting hard and square on my shoulders, had my hands drawn back behind me, and was cording up my wrists. If I had been one of those people who come fast out of sleep, brain clear, ready for action, I might have been able to take advantage of him. The truth was he had me trussed almost before I was awake. He got off me, rolled me over, and I yawned in his face. Outside the birds were singing and a shaft of sunlight came through the window.

Tony, beaming, said, 'It's a great morning. Come on out and I'll feed you some coffee.'

He did, too, while I sat in a kitchen chair, and he did it expertly holding the cup to my lips. He should have been a male nurse.

'Thought you'd like to be present when your boss arrives. Tied like that he can see there was nothing you could do.'

I said, 'You're happy about meeting him?'

'Why not? He's coming alone, and I've got what he wants.' He tapped the parcel on the table with his gun. 'What's five thousand dollars to him?'

'You'd be surprised. He's got a gallery of people like you. Some there for less than five thousand, I imagine.'

'A gallery?'

'Never mind. He just doesn't like handing over money under duress.'

'Who does? But it happens. Just you sit there and don't move. I got things to do.'

He had. He warmed up some baby food, fed Gabriel, and then changed its nappy.

I said, 'You've skipped its bath.'

'Mimi said not to on account of its rash. All over its little arse. Powder's the job. Like I did before I put the fresh nappy on.'

He settled Gabriel down in the carry-cot and I watched him with interest. Seeing me following his movements, he said, 'Haven't got Mimi's touch. He goes down right away with her, but with me he always yells for five minutes before going off. Don't let it worry you.'

I didn't. Gabriel yelled and I sat on my chair and stared at the parcel I had fished out of the Mercedes. So far I'd done all the hard work and it didn't look as though I was going to get much out of it. I should have skipped this job and taken a holiday. I'd have missed Julia, true. But at this moment that didn't seem much to lose. I yawned. What I needed was a tonic, something to pep me up and set me going again so that there was a bounce in my stride and a bright cash glint in my eyes.

* * *

O'Dowda arrived three hours later. First there was the sound of Mimi's car. Tony went to the door and opened it. From where I sat I could see the yard. Mimi drew up alongside my car and came across to us, her red hair glinting in the morning sun, a spring in her step, and clearly everything all right with the world. As she reached the door where Tony stood, gun in hand to welcome her, O'Dowda's Rolls drew into the yard driven by him.

'He's alone?' asked Tony.

'Yes. I checked everything like you said.'

'Good girl.' He ran a hand down her back and pinched her bottom.

She came in, gave me a friendly nod, and went to the carrycot and began to fuss over the baby.

I said, 'What was he like?'

'Very polite and gentlemanly. No trouble.'

In my book that meant that he was saving the trouble for later.

O'Dowda came to the doorway, carrying a small case in one hand. He had a little billycock hat perched on top of his big head and was wearing a thick tweed suit which made him look even bigger. He gave Tony a fat smile and then seeing me inside, said, 'So you made a mess of it, boyo? Seems I read somewhere in your prospectus that nobody could outsmart you. Well, you're costing me five thousand dollars. You think I should deduct that from his fees?'

This was to Tony.

Tony, in a business mood, said, 'That's between you and him — but he did his best. Just turn round, Mr O'Dowda, and lift your hands.'

O'Dowda did as he was told and Tony ran a hand over him from behind. Then, satisfied, he backed into the room and O'Dowda came after him.

O'Dowda looked around and said, 'Nice little property this. Could pick it up cheap and do something with it.'

Tony moved around the table, picked up the parcel and handed it to Mimi, his eyes never leaving O'Dowda. Well, at least, that was something but he would need more than that to deal with O'Dowda. Nothing could convince me that O'Dowda was going to hand over five thousand dollars willingly and with that happy smile on his face.

Tony said, 'Your man did his best, Mr O'Dowda. Remember that.'

'Good of you to stress it. I'm sure he did. But it was a damned poor best — going to cost me five thousand dollars.'

He put the case on the table and then waved a fat hand at it. 'Just count it,' he said, 'and then your wife can hand over the parcel, and I'll be going.'

Tony said, 'No. You open it up. I don't want that lid snapping up and something going pop in my face.' He chuckled. 'My old man was an expert on booby traps, Mr O'Dowda.'

'You're right to be cautious, boyo. Let's be frank — if I could do you I would. But I know when to resign myself. I want that parcel too much to quibble over a few thousand dollars.'

He was too reasonable. I could sense that he wasn't worried, that underneath the mildness there was the real tough, don't-try-to-shake-me-down O'Dowda.

He opened the case, letting the cover flap back so that Tony could see the bundles of notes. I had a bet with myself that he would have a gun hidden under the notes. I was wrong. He picked up the case and turned it upside down, spilling the packets of notes on the table. From the far side Tony reached out a hand and picked up one of the piles. He handed it backwards to Mimi. She put the parcel in the carry-cot and began to count the notes. Then she came up to the table, and from a safe distance, counted through the piles.

'It's all there, Tony.'

'Give him the parcel. Don't go near him. Pass it to him.'

I had to hand it to Tony. He was taking no chances. He might not be a master mind, but he was doing his best. But there was one thing about O'Dowda he could never know, never believe, although I had in a way tried to tell him, and that was the man's courage. To be a millionaire you have to have it, you have to know that nothing can beat you, that anything you want is always in reach even if it means a moment or two of danger… for against danger there is always luck and, let's face it, luck is a snob and doesn't waste time on the poor and meek.