‘I loved your lovemaking, Harry.’ She moved her body suggestively. ‘Don’t be so suspicious. Suppose we make love now?’
He flicked his cigarette into the water, got out of the cockpit and walked along the deck to the cabin. After a moment’s hesitation, she trailed along after him.
He pushed open the splintered door of the cabin and peered into the semi-darkness. It took him some moments for his eyes to become accustomed to the gloom, then he saw on one of the berths four wooden boxes: each a foot by a foot and a half in size. He went down the few steps into the cabin and examined the boxes. They were secured by cord. As he unclipped his knife from his belt, Nina said hastily, ‘Don’t open them, Harry. The way they are packed now they’re watertight. We can swim them out.’
‘So you knew the boxes were here?’
She arched her shoulders as if she were trying to contain her impatience.
‘Yes, I knew.’
‘Baldy told you?’
Her hands turned to fists.
‘Yes!’
‘What’s in them?’
‘Money.’
‘How much.’
‘I don’t know... a lot.’ She lifted her full breasts and rearranged her bra. ‘Don’t worry, Harry. Solo is going to share it all with you.’
‘Is he? That’s nice.’
Harry lifted one of the boxes. It was heavy.
‘These won’t float.’
She pointed to a locker.
‘There are life jackets in there. We can tie one to each box and then we can swim them out. The current is with us on our way out.’
Harry smiled.
‘You really have thought this operation out, haven’t you, Nina?’
‘So, all right, I’ve thought it out!’ She was again trying to conceal her impatience. ‘Let’s get going, Harry.’
‘Not yet. There’s a question I want to ask.’ He moved forward so he was close to her. ‘Who is the passenger with us in the locked cabin, Nina? Solo or Cortez?’
Solo was in his office when Joe came in, his big eyes rolling.
‘Boss, the cops are here.’
This came as no surprise to Solo. It surprised him they hadn’t come sooner. Instead of spending his Sunday morning in bed as he usually did, he got up early and had been awaiting their arrival for the past hour.
He wasn’t worried. He was sure Lepski didn’t know who had knocked him cold. Solo had crept up on him like a ghost, and he knew Lepski had been far too occupied with Cortez to have the slightest suspicion. All the same he knew there would be an inquiry and awkward questions asked about Cortez.
‘Show them in, Joe,’ he said, getting to his feet.
As Beigler and Lepski came into the office, Joe moved around them and hurried away. Solo smiled expansively.
‘Come right in, gentlemen,’ he said. ‘Ah, Mr. Lepski! How are you this morning? Very sorry about last night. I got my man to see you home... very sorry.’
‘Yeah,’ Lepski said, moving into the office. Beigler remained by the door. He had agreed that Lepski should handle the interview. ‘And you’re going to be a lot more sorry, Solo.’
Solo lost some of his smile.
‘Now, Mr. Lepski, you know it wasn’t my fault. You know, honestly, you had just a little drop...’
‘Shut up!’ Lepski snarled. ‘Sit down!’
Seeing the ferocious expression in Lepski’s eyes, Solo, now a little uneasy, sat down.
‘Where’s Harry Mitchell?’ Lepski demanded.
Solo blinked. This he wasn’t expecting.
‘Mitchell? Maybe in his cabin... maybe swimming... I don’t know. It’s his day off.’
‘I heard it Mitchell is with your daughter on Sheldon Island,’ Lepski said.
Solo shifted and his eyes turned misty.
‘No. I don’t know who told you that, Mr. Lepski, but Nina only goes to Sheldon on her own. Because she likes to be on her own on the island from time to time, I let her have my boat.’
‘Are you telling me Mitchell isn’t right now with her on the island?’
‘Of course he isn’t!’
‘But your daughter is?’
‘Yes... she took the boat.’
‘What makes you so sure Mitchell isn’t with her, Solo?’
‘I saw her leave. She was alone! She wouldn’t take Mitchell or any man out there on her own. She’s a good girl!’
Lepski grinned evilly.
‘Are you sure about that, Solo?’
Blood rushed into Solo’s face.
‘You watch your mouth, Mr. Lepski! I won’t hear a word against my daughter! Against me... okay, but against her... no!’
‘Fine. Take it easy, Solo. So we don’t have to get worried, huh?’
‘What you mean? Get worried... about what, hey?’
‘We were getting worried about your daughter, Solo,’ Lepski said. ‘We got a tip she had gone out to Sheldon with Mitchell and it sounded like a good tip, but as you know he isn’t on the island, then we don’t have to worry, do we? We needn’t have come rushing out here with four of our boys. We could have stayed home.’
Solo clenched his big fists.
‘I don’t understand... worried about what?’
Lepski turned to Beigler.
‘Think we should tell him, Sarg?’
Beigler shrugged indifferently.
‘I don’t see why,’ he said. ‘If Mitchell isn’t out there with his kid, I don’t see what business it is of his, do you?’
‘Yeah, that’s right.’ Lepski nodded. ‘Not his business.’
‘What is all this, hey? What is it?’ Solo demanded, banging his fists on his desk.
‘But, of course, if he is lying and Mitchell is out there, then it could be rough on the girl,’ Lepski said, ignoring Solo.
‘He’s too smart to lie to us,’ Beigler said, staring at Solo. ‘Aren’t you, Solo?’
Solo took out his handkerchief and wiped his sweating face.
‘I don’t understand, Sergeant. I–I...’
‘We’re wasting time,’ Lepski snapped. Where’s Mitchell’s cabin?’
‘What do you want him for?’ Solo asked.
‘What do you know about him, Solo?’
‘Me? Nothing... he’s a fine swimmer... a nice guy... I...’
‘How do you know he’s a nice guy?’
Solo licked his dry lips.
‘He — he acts nice... what is it?’
‘You didn’t make any inquiries about him before you hired him?’
Solo stiffened.
‘No. Inquiries? What inquiries?’
‘You mean you hired him as a lifeguard without checking on him?’ Lepski said, his face expressing amazement. ‘A lifeguard teaches swimming, doesn’t he?’
‘Sure... why not? Is there something wrong in teaching swimming?’
‘Mitchell gave swimming lessons, huh?’
‘Yes.’
‘Young girls, huh? Handling them in the sea, huh?’
‘He gave them swimming lessons.’ Solo’s voice was husky now.
‘If a guy’s right, then it’s okay, but if he isn’t right, it’s dangerous, isn’t it?’ Lepski said. ‘A kinky guy gets his hands where they shouldn’t go, Solo. I don’t have to tell you that. Girls can’t complain. It could be an accident, but the hands are there, aren’t they?’
‘But Harry isn’t like that!’
‘Isn’t he? How do you know? You didn’t make inquiries?’
Solo got to his feet. He looked like a bull with the pics in.
‘What are you telling me?’
Lepski took out his wallet, produced the Telex and dropped it on the desk.
‘Washington says Sergeant Harry Mitchell, 3rd Paratroop Regiment, 1st Company was killed in action on April 2nd 1967. Read it for yourself. That’s officiaclass="underline" straight from Washington where they don’t make mistakes!’