Robby said, “What kind of deal?”
“We trade,” Kelly said. He pointed at Miss Rushby. “Sassi for her.”
“That’s quite complimentary, I’m sure,” said Miss Rushby. “But I assure you, young man—”
“Starnap is never wrong,” Kelly told her.
“I don’t know who this Starnap is—”
“Kelly’s machine,” Frank said.
“A computer,” Robby explained. “And Kelly’s right, Miss Rushby. This computer is never wrong. If it says the Major kidnapped Sassi Manoon and you stayed in her place to give him time to make a getaway, then that’s what happened. There’s no point denying it, because we just won’t believe you.”
Miss Rushby looked from face to face. “Then what will you do?”
“Keep you,” Robby said gently. “Until we hear from the Major.”
“Poor Alfred,” she said, “will be very worried. Very worried. He won’t know how to get in touch with me.”
“You could save him that worry,” Frank said.
Miss Rushby looked up warily. “How’s that, young man?”
“Tell us where you’re supposed to meet him. Then we’ll all go there and talk terms.”
“Watch it!” Jigger said. “You tell them anything, they’ll kidnap this Major of yours, too.”
“Of course, my dear,” said Miss Rushby. “I am well aware of the danger.”
“What about the danger to yourself, Miss Rushby?” Robby asked.
“Danger to myself?” She smiled sweetly around at the three of them. “I don’t believe I’m really in that much danger,” she said. “You can’t hold us prisoner forever, and I really don’t believe you would kill us. You just aren’t the murdering type.”
“Well, I’m not,” Robby admitted. “And Frank wouldn’t kill anybody either, you’re right about that. But I don’t know about Kelly. He hates to be frustrated. I don’t think I’d take a chance on him myself.”
Miss Rushby looked at Kelly, who glared at her with all the fury of the world’s youngest mad scientist at bay. “Well,” said Miss Rushby, a bit uncertain now. She dibbled at her throat lace.
“We aren’t greedy,” Robby said softly, pressing his advantage. “I’m sure we could work out some sort of deal with you and the Major. No one would get as much as originally planned, but everyone would get something.”
“They’re crazy,” Jigger said, and turned to look at Miss Rushby. She frowned at the thoughtful expression on Miss Rushby’s face.
Frank said, “How much were you two going to ask?”
Miss Rushby was clearly thinking hard. Finally she said, “What sort of guarantee could we have of full participation?”
Jigger said, “What?”
“You and the Major can take care of yourselves,” Frank said. “We’ll let the Major keep Sassi and we’ll keep you. When the ransom’s picked up—”
Jigger said, “What is this?”
“Quiet, girl,” said Miss Rushby. To Frank she said, “Yes? Go on.”
“When the ransom’s picked up,” Frank said, “we’ll divvy it up, you go back to the Major, Sassi goes home, and everybody’s happy.”
Jigger said, “You did do it!”
“Hush, girl! Young man, I want to think about this.”
Robby said, “What time are you supposed to meet the Major?”
“I said I want to think about it.”
“Go ahead and think,” Kelly said. “We can wait.”
Miss Rushby sat back and looked pained, which apparently meant she was thinking.
Jigger looked from face to face in growing panic. “Everybody’s crazy!” she shouted. “Everybody! I’m the only sane one left in the whole world.”
“Quiet,” Frank told her. “The lady’s thinking.”
Miss Rushby said, “We’d have to have an exchange of hostages, of course. Not just me. One of you would have to stay with Alfred.”
“Me,” Frank said. “That’s easy.”
“Unarmed.”
“Naturally,” Frank said.
Miss Rushby sighed. “We planned to ask fifty thousand,” she said.
“My God!” Jigger shrieked.
Kelly snapped, “Get her out of here, Robby. Lady, fifty thousand is peanuts.”
“Come along,” Robby said.
Jigger, wild-eyed, allowed herself to be led away.
“How much were you thinking of?” Miss Rushby asked.
“Eight hundred fifty thousand.”
Frank said, “That’s her salary for one movie.”
“That’s outlandish,” Miss Rushby said. “Out of the question. No one would pay such a price.”
Kelly said, “Lady, do you realize how much Sassi Manoon’s pictures make? Each?”
“You couldn’t—”
“You’ve got to think—”
“Sit down, Kelly,” Frank said. “Let’s work this out.”
They began to dicker.
“Rule Britannia,” sang the Major, “Britannia rules the waves, tum tum teetley tum tum tee tee tee.”
Life, deemed the Major, was good. He stood here at the wheel of Redoubtable, moving briskly westward through a calm and lovely sea, the isle of Jamaica a green extravagance to his left, Redoubtable’s Rolls Royce engines purring away, no other human being in sight, all lovely, all good, all beautiful. The Manoon woman had stopped hammering on the door of the aft cabin, into which he had locked her, and in just a few moments now he would be reunited with Adelaide. Tum tee tum.
It had gone beautifully. He’d spirited the Manoon woman away without a hitch. If all had gone equally well with Adelaide — and there was no reason it shouldn’t have — then she’d left the screening room just before the finish of that dreadful film, she’d driven away in the little car they’d rented yesterday, she’d taken route Al westward out of Montego Bay, she’d traveled some thirty-two miles, and had stopped at last on a lonely stretch of road between Lances Bay and Cousins Cove where the road skirted an empty beach and where their rowboat was hidden, and she was calmly waiting now for him to appear offshore, at which point she would row out to meet him, and they would head directly for their refuge. Tem ta-rum pum.
The Major spun the wheel. Redoubtable veered to the left, southward. He was near the western edge of the island now, the land slanting away from him off to the right. Lucea was several miles to the left, nothing much was to the right. And the rendezvous point ought to be... just about... there.
A boat?
The Major eased back on the throttle, and Redoubtable settled her nose a bit into the water as she slowed. Yes, there was a boat there, directly ahead of him between him and the shore, exactly where he had intended to heave to and wait for Adelaide to row out to him. A familiar boat, somehow. Familiar.
And Adelaide? There was nothing on shore. He could see the road there, a tiny slender ribbon, and there was nothing on it at all. Nothing on the beach, no one anywhere.
A figure was waving to him from the other boat. It looked like—
— Adelaide.
And now he recognized the boat, knew it for the one owned by that trio of pointless young men. What on earth were they doing here, and why on earth was Adelaide with them?
With a premonition that stilled the song on his lips, Major ffork-Linton steered toward the other vessel.
“Care for a drink?” asked the Major, coldly polite.