Free 1967 - Have This One on Me by James Hadley Chase Page A

Dorey four days ago. The report came through as routine from one of the waiters at Chez Joseph, a luxury Paris restaurant with private rooms. Dorey and Cain met. . . that’s for certain. Malinkov merely mentioned it in his weekly report. He said it might mean nothing. Dorey often lunches with various friends.’
    ‘Malinkov is a fool,’ Malik said. ‘What do you know about Cain?’
    ‘Very little ... he is a typical American business man. When he comes here, he frequently visits the Alhambra nightclub. There is nothing against him in any way . . . except he lunched with Dorey.’
    Malik leaned back in his chair, frowning.
    ‘The Alhambra night club? Do you know it?’
    ‘I’ve been there.’ Smernoff flicked ash on the floor. ‘You can eat reasonably well there. They have small booths where you can be alone. The acts are noisy and not much, but there is a girl singer whose parents were American and Czech. The father was against the regime ... he was executed. The girl calls herself Mala Reid … she’s taken her mother’s name.’
    Malik examined his blunt fingernails, then glanced up.
    ‘Has Cain had anything to do with her?’
    ‘He seems to be an admirer of hers. Several times he has given her flowers. He has never gone with her to her apartment.’
    ‘Flowers ...’ Malik thought, then stretched his long, massive arms. ‘Yes . . . perhaps we might take a look at this girl, Boris. Have her watched. This could be a waste of time, but at the moment, we seem to have nothing else to use except time.’ He looked up, his green eyes glittering. ‘I want to know everything about this girl ... understand?’
    Smernoff got to his feet.
    ‘So do I,’ he said and left the room.
    Malik stood up and walked over to the window. There were two pigeons on the lower balcony. The male was going through his elaborate dance of love. The female was ignoring him. Malik watched them for some moments. He felt contempt for the male pigeon. What a fool the male was when he became infatuated with the female, he thought and turned away.
    He began to think about Cain ... then his mind switched to Worthington and his possible replacement. Perhaps, after all, Suk was right. In this country, it could only be a matter of time, and, of course, patience.
     
    * * *
     
    Worthington fingered the brown paper packet he had taken from the angel’s body.
    ‘You see? This is a plant,’ he said. ‘I never trusted Dorey.’
    Mala made no attempt to hide her terror.
    ‘But why? What have I done?’
    Worthington shrugged.
    ‘How can we tell? We must see what he has planted on you,’ and he took from his pocket a penknife.
    ‘We’d better not ...’
    ‘Of course we must, then we are prepared.’ Sitting at the table Worthington began to slide the blade of the knife carefully under the Sellotape that secured the parcel. It took him some minutes to open it. Mala stood over him, watching, her heart beating wildly.
    Worthington unwrapped the paper and drew out the thick packet of one hundred dollar bills. They both stared unbelievingly at the money, then with shaking fingers, Worthington began to count the bills.
    After a long tense silence, he said. ‘For God’s sake! This is a fortune! Thirty thousand dollars!’
    Mala turned cold. She sat down abruptly by his side.
    ‘What does it mean?’
    Worthington stared at the money on the table for some time, then he suddenly nodded. ‘There can only be one explanation. This isn’t a plant. Mala. This is funds for my replacement.’ His thin face darkened. ‘They never gave me money like this. I warned you ... when this man replaces me, he will contact you This is why Bruckman hid the money here. The money is to buy information.’ He sat back. ‘They have already written me off my replacement will come here and collect the money. They are using your place to finance him. They don’t give a damn about the risk to you.’
    Mala drew in a shuddering breath.
    ‘All that money!’
    ‘They have no