“I'm sorry,” Harry said, not wishing to hurt her. “I just came on them. Let's get away from this, shall we? The point is Delaney could handle this deal. He has the organization and he has the men. You know him. I want you to put me in touch with him.”
Her hands went to her throat.
“Oh no, I won’t do that. That's one thing I won’t do.”
“Now look . . .”
“I'm sorry, Harry.”
He had expected trouble and was pretty sure how to handle it. He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged.
“Okay, if you won’t, you won’t.”
He turned and began to walk towards the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” she asked, fear entering into her like the slow thrust of a knife.
“I'm getting out,” he said, pausing at the bedroom door. “I told you: no one is going to stop me doing this job. I'm not kidding myself that I'll get to Delaney without your help, so I'll try to handle the job on my own. I'll get a couple of guys from somewhere to help me. If I get the diamonds, then I'll go to Delaney and offer them to him. He'll see me all right if I have the diamonds. I'm clearing out because this is something I'll do better on my own. It'll be tricky and dangerous and I don't want my nerve broken down by a lot of objections from you.”
“But, darling, you can't leave here.” Glorie said, cold with panic. “Where will you go? How will you live?”
He laughed.
“For heaven's sake! I'll take a thirty-buck job for a couple of weeks. What do you think I am? Soft or something?”
“No, I don't think that.” She hesitated, then said, “Then you don't love me anymore, Harry?”
“What makes you say that? Of course I love you, and when I get the money, I'll take you to Europe with me. That's a promise.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Well, I can't prove it, but I might be able to convince you,” he said, coming over to her. He pulled her to her feet. His mouth came down on hers, and he held her against him so tightly she could scarcely breathe. She didn't care. Her hands moved up his neck and into his hair. When he finally leaned away from her, he said, “I'm crazy about you, kid. I know I'm giving you a bad time right now, but it'll work out all right in the end. I've got to get my hands on some money, and this is the quickest way of doing it.”
She tightened her grip on his shoulders.
“You're really determined to do this thing, Harry?” she said.
“There's nothing I can say or do to stop you?”
Looking down at her, Harry saw he had won, and he had to make an effort not to show his triumph.
“There is nothing anyone can do to stop me. I'm sold on it It's my one chance and I'm going to take it. I'll tell you something, Glorie. This isn't just a sudden idea. When I heard about those diamonds as far back as three months ago, I planned to grab them. I've been living with this thing for three months, day and night, and every day I'm more convinced that I've got to do it.”
She let go of him and walked over to the armchair and sat down.
“All right, Harry, if you've made up your mind then we'll do it together.” She didn't look at him. “There are a lot of things I've learned about this kind of business that you don't know. I didn't live with Ben for fourteen months for nothing. Will you give me until tomorrow morning to think about it? I'm not wasting time. It will need a lot of thought.” She hesitated, then went on, “I want you to know why I am going to help you. I know I am a fool to have anything to do with it, but I love you. You mean more to me than anything else in the world. I think you may have a chance of getting away with this if you will only listen to me and do what I tell you. If we have any luck at all, I think I'll be able to keep you out of prison. I'll introduce you to Ben. It won't be easy. I haven't seen or spoken to him for two years: but I'll try. So will you give me until tomorrow morning to get this thing straightened out in my mind?”
“Why sure,” Harry said, suddenly uncomfortable.
The despair he saw in her eyes turned his carefully planned triumph a little sour.
“Would you go to the movies or something?” she went on. “I would like to be alone for a while.”
“Sure.” Harry crossed the room for his topcoat. “I'll do that. See you around midnight.”
He started for the door, then remembered he hadn't any money. He wasn't going to ask her for any, and shrugging his shoulders, he opened the door and started down the passage.
“Oh, Harry . . .”
He turned.
She was standing in the doorway.
“You forgot your money.” She was holding out a five-dollar bill. “You must get something to eat. I'm sorry to be turning you out like this.”
Harry came back slowly and took the bill. Feeling ashamed of himself was a new experience, and he didn't like it.
“Thanks,” he said. “I'll owe it to you.”
He went down the passage and down the stairs without looking back.
IV
The following day was Sunday. Their usual practice was to stay in bed until noon, then have a late lunch, and if the weather was fine, they would go for a walk. But on this Sunday, they were both up and sitting in front of the fire soon after nine o'clock.
“Don't let's waste any time,” Glorie said, as soon as she had poured out the coffee. “I've thought about this thing and now I know I can help you. I'm not going to be a bore and ask you again not to do it. If you're really determined to do it, then it's up to me to do everything I can to make it a success.”
“I'm going ahead with it,” Harry said, frowning. “I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you, Glorie, but . . .”
“All right,” Glorie broke in, “let's take all that as read. There're no point in taking the diamonds if you're not sure of getting away with them, is there? I mean the most important part of your planning must be first to make sure the police won’t catch you.”
Harry moved impatiently.
“Don't worry your brains about that angle. I'll take care of that. The most important part of the setup is getting into touch with Delaney.”
“You're wrong,” Glorie said, her face white and set. “If you get the diamonds and if Ben pays you, you still want your freedom to spend the money, to travel, to buy your partnership, don't you?”
“Well, of course.”
“So the most important part of your planning must be to make sure the police don't catch you.”
Harry shrugged.
“Well, okay, I guess it is if you put it that way.”
“Will there be anyone on the aircraft who will recognize you?”
Harry frowned.
“There could be. I'm certain to be recognized by some of the staff on the airfield if I'm not spotted in the kite. That's why I'm planning to skip into Mexico before they can come after me.”
“But they can bring you back from Mexico.”
“If they can find me. I'll fix up some sort of disguise as soon as I get to Mexico. But that's something I can work out later. What is more important . . .”
“No,” Glorie said sharply. “Nothing is more important than getting away. Can't you see the danger you are putting yourself into? You will be recognized. The police will know who they are looking for and that will make their task easy. How long do you think you will remain free once the police know who you are? They can get a photograph of you from the Air Transport's records. Every newspaper in the country will carry it. Someone will recognize you sooner or later and give you away. The insurance companies will offer a reward for you. Once they know who you are, you're sunk, Harry.”
“For God's sake!” Harry said angrily. “That's a risk I've got to take. If we start worrying about that angle, we'll never get anywhere.”