Vin had said he would get the name of the buyer from the Larrimore girl. After all, five hundred thousand was a lot better than two hundred thousand. Elliot found he had no qualms about double crossing Kendrick. After all, Kendrick had swindled him in the past No, he had no qualms about Kendrick.
He was still thinking, turning over in his mind whether — once he got the money — to join up with Cindy and Joey or whether to take off and have a hell of a splurge and then take sleeping pills, when he heard Vin come into the bungalow.
He heard him say: ‘Where’s Elliot? Okay... you keep out of this! I’ve got to talk to him and that doesn’t include you two!’
From the sound of Vin’s voice, Elliot guessed he was in a vicious rage. He swung his legs off the bed and sat up.
Vin came into the small room, kicked the door shut and stood glaring at Elliot.
‘She didn’t play?’ Elliot asked quietly.
During the drive back to the bungalow, Vin had thought until his brain had creaked. He realized that Judy had outsmarted him. He had a feeling that once she got the stamps she would gyp him out of this hundred thousand she was offering and there would be nothing he could do about it She had said her father wouldn’t bring a charge against her but that didn’t mean the old punk wouldn’t bring a charge against him! With frustrated fury he finally accepted the bitter fact that he hadn’t the brains to cope with a situation like this. If anyone could cope with it it was this punk movie star and Vin decided he would have to put his cards — not all of them — on the table and be willing to accept part of the take and not all of it.
‘No... the bitch!’ Vin clenched and unclenched his hands. ‘She won’t tell me who the buyer is until I give her the stamps and she insists on dealing with the buyer herself!’
Elliot began to rub his tin foot while he regarded Vin.
‘Then you owe me a thousand dollars,’ he said.
Vin took the roll from his pocket and threw it on the bed. He watched Elliot count the money and transfer it to his pocket.
‘Don’t worry about her,’ Elliot said. ‘We’ll go for the lower figure. I’ve got the stamps.’
Vin stood motionless, a glazed look coming into his eyes.
‘You’ve got them?’ he said hoarsely. ‘What the hell are you saying?’
‘Cindy got them.’
Vin sat abruptly on a chair.
‘You mean when she saw Larrimore, she got at the stamps?’
‘That’s right.’
Vin began to sweat.
‘When Larrimore misses them we’ll have a load of fuzz here!’
Elliot shook his head.
‘For some reason I don’t understand, Larrimore was warned two months ago that he would be prosecuted if he had the stamps and kept them. He can’t complain to the police now unless he wants to risk a prosecution by the C.I.A.’
‘The... who?’
‘The C.I.A.’
Vin gaped at him.
‘You mean the Government jerks who spy and play general hell?’
Elliot nodded.
‘But what have they to do with the stamps?’
‘I’m trying to figure that one out itself.’
Vin’s mind was in a whirl.
‘Where are the stamps?’
‘In a safe deposit box. I’ll see Kendrick tomorrow. Maybe I can squeeze more money out of him. Forget Judy. If we are lucky we could get another fifty thousand out of Kendrick. As you didn’t get the stamps, your share goes down to fifty thousand and as Cindy got them, her share goes up to a hundred.’
Vin drew in a snorting breath. He saw now that he would have to put his final card on the table. He hesitated for a long moment, but if Elliot sold the stamps for a mere two hundred and fifty, Vin knew he would have nightmares for the rest of his days.
‘Do you know how much these goddamn stamps are worth?’ he demanded, sitting forward and glaring at Elliot.
‘Do you?’
‘Yes. That bitch told me. Larrimore was offered a million for them and you are talking of selling them for two hundred and fifty!’
For a moment Elliot stared at Vin, then he shook his head.
‘She was conning you. No stamps are worth that kind of money.’
‘That letter I told you she had seen. She didn’t know I was interested in the stamps when she told me,’ Vin said feverishly. ‘That’s what they’re worth! A million! That’s why she won’t play. She wants all that money for herself!’
Elliot felt a prickle run up his spine. Could it be possible? he asked himself. If he could lay his hands on that amount of money he could clear his debts and make a new start. A million!
‘I can’t believe it!’
‘I’m telling you,’ Vin said violently, ‘and I’ll tell you something else... this bitch told me she’d give the cops a description of me if she found the stamps missing. You hear? As soon as her goddamn father tells her Cindy has taken the stamps, we’ll have the fuzz in our laps!’
Elliot waved this away.
‘She’ll never know they are missing,’ he said. ‘If Larrimore can’t tell the police they have gone, is it likely he would tell her who he dislikes?’
Vin hadn’t thought of this. He relaxed a little.
‘You can forget her,’ Elliot went on. ‘There must be some other way to find out who this buyer is without getting involved with her. Kendrick knows. Larrimore knows. Neither of them would tell us. Who else would know?’
Vin shuffled uneasily.
‘Search me and I’ll tell you something else... I was followed last night and tonight. I didn’t spot them but Judy did.’
Elliot stiffened.
‘If she did... why didn’t you?’
‘I had things on my mind,’ Vin said sullenly. ‘I forgot to check.’
‘Could she have been conning you?’
Vin’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t thought of that. By spinning a yarn that they were being watched she had saved her goddamn neck. Yes... she could have been smart enough to have conned him.
‘Maybe... I don’t know. Someone followed Joey and Cindy.’
Elliot got to his feet.
‘This bothers me. Let’s check and find out’ He left his room and went into the living room. Vin, scowling, joined him.
‘Joey... I want to talk to you,’ Elliot said.
Reluctantly, Joey turned off the TV set and regarded Elliot inquiringly.
‘Vin thinks he was followed tonight. I want to be sure. He’s going to take a walk down town. Give him a start, then go after him. See if you can spot the tailer.’ He turned to Vin. ‘Go to the end of the road and keep along Beechwood Drive until you come to the drug store. Buy some cigarettes and then come back... take your time.’
‘What’s the matter with taking the car?’ asked Vin who hated walking.
‘Do what I say!’ Elliot snapped.
Shrugging, Vin left the bungalow and after giving him a three-minute start, Joey went after him.
‘What is it, Don?’ Cindy asked anxiously. ‘Do you really think someone’s following us?’
‘If there is someone, Joey should spot him.’ Elliot turned to the door. ‘Go to bed. I’ve got thinking to do.’
‘I’ll wait for dad to get back.’
‘Cindy!’ The snap in Elliot’s voice startled her. ‘Go to bed and stay in your room no matter what you hear. Do you understand?’
‘What’s going to happen?’
‘For God’s sake, don’t be a nuisance! Go to bed!’
With a hurt expression on her face, Cindy left the room. Elliot grimaced, then sat down and waited for Vin and Joey to return.
Half an hour later, Vin came in.
‘Anything?’
‘Not a damn thing! No one followed me,’ Vin said sourly. ‘A waste of time.’