Free An Ace Up My Sleeve by James Hadley Chase Page A

said, "Don't worry about that, Larry." She smiled at him, resisting the urge to put her hand on his. "Don't worry about anything."
    Helga lay on the king–size bed, her nakedness covered by her black chiffon wrap, her arms and legs spread wide in total relaxation. She looked around her big bedroom contentedly.
    It was a beautiful room with apricot–coloured leather padded walls, mirrors, a wall–to–wall fitted white wool carpet and fume oak fitted furniture. A mirror, facing the vast bed, told her she looked sensually beautiful and fifteen years younger than she was.
    She and Larry had stopped in Castagnola at a small restaurant and had the expected greasy Swiss meal of pork chops and chips, then she had driven him up the St. Moritz highway to the villa.
    She had been pleased by his reaction to the villa. His stunned expression as she unlocked the heavy oak, nail studded front door and took him through the lobby and into the vast living–room gave her an excited lift until she remembered her own astonishment when she had first walked into the room. "Gee!" He stood staring around. "This is really something! It's just out of the movies!"
    "It is... it was once owned by a movie director. Take your coat off. Look around."
    Together they explored the house. At first, he made exclamations of surprise as the luxury of the place unfolded before him. He gaped at the indoor, heated swimming pool, looked through the double–glazed windows at the outdoor swimming pool and the big terrace and the distant view of Lugano. He began to grow silent as he stood in the movie projection room with its twenty plush seats and the vista–vision screen. He just stood, saying nothing as she showed him the four bedrooms, each with their deluxe bathrooms. Then she began to realize that so much luxury and comfort was making a bad impression on him. There were other things to show him: two sauna baths, the tiny elevator that conveyed logs from the cellar right to the big fireplace, the two chair lifts that would take you down to the main highway if you wanted to go for a walk and didn't want to descend the hundred steps through the garden. There was the kitchen with its push button miracles, fully equipped to produce a dinner for twenty people, the stereo radio and gramophone that could produce music in every room or in any room provided you pressed the right button. Also the colour TV set in every room, me deep freeze cabinet, the speaker–boxes hooked to the telephone which allowed you to talk to anyone in any city in the world without moving from your chair: tiny loudspeakers so finely tuned you could hear someone breathing in Tokyo ... so many other things but she saw now that like a child fed too many chocolates, he was turning sour, perhaps even sick at so much luxury.
    She broke off the sight–seeing tour and said, "I'll show you your room. It's just across the way."
    She opened a door and led him through a covered passage to another door. She unlocked it, mounted stairs and into a narrow passage with three doors leading from it. The first door led to Hinkle's room. The next door led to a bathroom. The third door led to a small room which was seldom used. She opened the door.
    "Make yourself at home, Larry. Use the bathroom. I want to unpack and change. I'll telephone you in an hour or so. If you want to wander around, go ahead. Be at home."
    He looked into the room, his jaws moving as he chewed.
    "I guess you must have a lot of money, ma'am," he said and she was aware of a sullen note in his voice.
    "My husband has ... I haven't." She smiled. "We'll have a picnic tonight. There s plenty of food in the deep freeze," and moving around him, she walked back to the villa.
    She had unpacked, taken a bath and then dropped on to the bed.
    The time was now 1745 and it was dark. The San Salvatore mountain with
    its twin radio and TV masts was obscured by cloud. The lights of Lugano showed dimly through the haze. The amber light in the big bedroom