“Those days are over,” Ben said. “You should know that. Two years ago you could get away with the rough stuff, but you can't now. You're nuts to think . . . “
“Yeah, maybe I'm nuts,” Borg said, “but I get a lot of fun out of it I'm going to look for Harry Green. I don't care how long it takes, but I'm going to find him. I'm going after him for the fun of it. He doesn't owe me anything. He didn't double cross me, but he's a smart punk who needs stopping. You can keep your women, your money, your soft bed and your big house. That's not my idea of fun. Give me a guy to hunt; someone who is as smart as I am, who'll turn when I've cornered him so I have to be quicker on the trigger than he is. That's my idea of spending a vacation, and that's what I'm going to do.”
Ben knew from experience it was no use arguing with Borg.
“Okay, I can't stop you,” he said. “When you've got this out of your system, will you come back here?”
“Sure,” Borg said. “This is a vacation. When I've found and killed him I’ll be glad to come back, but I've got to find him first. His thick lips lifted off his teeth. “And I've got to kill him.”
“If the cops can't find him, how do you expect to find him?”
Borg lifted his black eyebrows.
“You said a smart thing, Mr. Delaney, when you told me to check on Glorie Dane,” he said. “I have an idea that where she is Harry Green will be. They have fifty grand of your money to spend. Maybe they won't get rid of the diamonds, but fifty grand is big enough money to make a noise when a couple like Green and Glorie Dane start throwing it around. I've got good ears. I'll find them.”
IV
There was nothing now to do but wait, and waiting made Harry nervous. To while away the time, he had gone to a movie, but although the film was a good one, his mind was too preoccupied to take any interest in it.
He had planted the seed, but whether it would germinate or not remained to be seen. Takamori had given nothing away.
Harry had had dealings with the Japs during the war and he knew they were tricky. But he was sure that his argument had been psychologically sound. Takamori wanted the diamonds more than he wanted anything else in the world, and a guy with all his money got the things he wanted. It wasn't likely that Takamori would turn him over to the police. Harry felt confident about The real danger would be when Harry handed over the diamonds. That's when Takamori might try a double cross It was after nine when he left the movie house. It was a dark wet night, and he walked along the street towards his hotel, his hands deep in his coat pockets, his hat pulled down low over his He didn't notice a long, black Cadillac that was parked a few yards from the entrance to the hotel and as he passed it, he heard his name called softly.
He stopped abruptly and looked towards the car A chauffeur in fawn uniform with blue facings sat at the wheel. He was Japanese. He looked stolidly in from of him motionless like a little yellow image Takamori sat at the back of the car he looked through the window at Harry and waved to him.
Harry crossed the sidewalk to the car.
“If you have the time, Mr. Griffin, perhaps we could have another talk?” Takamori said. “Will you get in?”
Harry grinned. He felt sure then that he had won. Takamori would never have come like this, he told himself, without a police escort, unless he was ready to play.
As Harry sank into the luxurious seat beside Takamori, he thought with a surge of excitement that before very long he would own a car like this. A million and a half bucks! That was a lot of money. Even after buying two kites, he would still have plenty to throw around.
“I thought it would be more convenient to talk in the car, Takamori said, “than to talk in my office where we might be overheard. My chauffeur speaks only Japanese, so you need have no fear of being overheard by him.”
“That's okay,” Harry said. “Did you read the papers I left you?”
“I looked at them,” Takamori said. “I can't say I read them as aeroplanes don't interest me. I admit they are a means of transport and a sign of progress, but I am prejudiced in favour of ships. As a trader, Mr. Griffin, you can appreciate that ships are more useful to me.” He took the envelope that Harry had given him from his pocket and dropped it into Harry's lap. “As an investment, Mr. Griffin, I doubt if it would interest me. No, I'm afraid your suggestion that I should finance such a company has fallen on stony ground—that I believe is the phrase?”
Harry looked sharply at him. This was unexpected and it jarred him.
“Well, okay,” he said and slipped the envelope into his pocket.
“If you're not interested in having ten per cent, then you're not. That won't stop me going ahead. I'm sold on this idea. I know I can make a go of it if I get the capital. You're willing to put the capital up, aren't you?”
“I don't think so,” Takamori said. He played with the tassel on the hand-grip hanging near his head. “I only finance companies if I have a controlling interest in them, and this idea of yours doesn't appeal to me.”
Harry felt a hot surge of rage run through him.
“Are you telling me you don't want the diamonds?” he demanded.
“Of course I want them,” Takamori said and smiled, “but as they are my property I have no intention of paying for them.”
“Yeah?” Harry said, his face red and his eyes gleaming. “Okay, then you can whistle for them. I'll find someone else who'll take them. Stop the car and let me out.”
“I would be obliged if you would listen to me for a few moments,” Takamori said politely. “When you called on me, you had the advantage of—what was the phrase you used?—diggin into my background I believe it was. You came to me as I complete stranger, and I was forced to listen to your proposal at a considerable disadvantage. You assumed that I was a dishonest man. That, Mr. Griffin, was a grave mistake to make of anyone you don't know intimately. You suggested that I should swindle the insurance companies for one and a half million dollars. If I had agreed to do that, you would have felt in a safe position because you would then have been in the position to blackmail me if I didn't make good my promise to you concerning this air-taxi business of yours. But I have never allowed myself to be placed in a position to be blackmailed, and I would most certainly not do so late in life. But—and here you were right, Mr. Griffin—I do need the diamonds. I need them very badly.”
“Well, I'm not stopping you having them. The price is one and a half million dollars,” Harry said. “No money, no diamonds.”
“I felt you might take that attitude,” Takamori said mildly. “Tell me, Mr. Griffin, if you had the choice between that sum of money and death, which would you choose?”
“Look,” Harry said, twisting around in his seat to glare at the little man, “let's cut this out. Do you want the diamonds or don't you?”
“Certainly I do. My question is do you wish to go on living?”
Harry stiffened.
“What the hell do you mean?”
“What I say. Let me continue, Mr. Griffin, and then you will understand your position as it is now and not as it was this morning. You had the advantage of making enquiries about my background. Since this morning, I have had enquiries made about yours. I have learned that you were employed by the Californian Air Transport Corporation four weeks ago. That made interesting news. I hear you were to fly the aircraft that carried the diamonds had you not been discharged for drunkenness and for molesting one of the air hostesses. You knew about the consignment The man who planned the robbery called himself Harry Green He was a larger man than you, older, with a scar, and he was going bald. Anyone clever enough could disguise himself to look older and larger, and it would be simple to fake a scar. Harry Green knew where he could land the aircraft safely in the desert and that suggests to me he had flown over the route a number of times and had familiarized himself with the terrain as you must have done, Mr. Griffin. It seems to me that Harry Green and Harry Griffin are one and the same, and I believe that Harry Green is wanted for murder.” He paused, then went on, “That’s why I asked you if you wished to go on living. As far as I can see your chances of survival are slight. What do you think?”