Free Sixty Days to Live by Dennis Wheatley Page A

speech to make, or a banquet to attend? Will they not start to search for him prematurely when he does not return to his house or send any message?’
    ‘That certainly is a snag to be got over. How would it be ifRupert telephoned Fink-Drummond’s secretary to cancel all his engagements because urgent business made it necessary for him to spend the late afternoon in the City; and, after that, his plans were so uncertain that he might not be able to get back to-night? The inference afterwards would be that he’d made up his mind to join his wife at the last moment, returned to Bryanston Square, let himself in, and packed his own bag as he was in too much of a hurry to ring for any of the servants.’
    Rupert shook his head. ‘The part about my telephoning’s all right, but not your inference about his returning to pack his bag. Otherwise one of his bags with his brushes, shaving tackle, and so on, would be missing from the house; and we can’t just wish them into vanishing into thin air.’
    ‘Sure, sure.’ Hemmingway passed a hand over his big forehead. ‘Yes, we must better that. I’ll tell you. When you ‘phone, speak to his butler. That’s less risky than the secretary, who might start asking awkward questions. Tell the butler to pack him a bag for a couple of nights away from home, then to take it to Grosvenor House, check it into the cloakroom there, and say that the Marchesa del Serilla will call for it.’
    ‘Do you think the butler would take such instructions from me without any confirmation from his master?’
    ‘You’ve been to Fink-Drummond’s house, haven’t you?’
    ‘Yes. I’ve lunched there two or three times.’
    ‘That’ll be all right, then. It’s not like asking him to let a lot of jewels or important papers out of his keeping, and he must know that you and Conchita are not the sort of people who’d enter into an elaborate plot to steal a week-end suitcase.’
    ‘That’s true.’
    ‘Then Conchita will collect the bag from Grosvenor House around midnight, and instead of picking me up in Bryanston Square I’ll be waiting on that quiet corner behind Grosvenor House where Park Street joins Mount Street.’
    ‘That is much better,’ Conchita conceded, ‘except that everyone will think he ran away with me.’
    Rupert laughed and squeezed her arm. ‘Not as it’s my plane you’re both going in, my sweet. They’ll just believe that, as I was flying him out and you were in the secret, you helped him in his trouble by running him around to places in your car and picking up his things for him so that nobody should know, outside usthree, what sort of funny business he was occupied on or whom he saw during the evening, before he made his get-away.’
    Hemmingway gave a sigh of relief. ‘Well, thank goodness we’ve sorted that. I’m most terribly grateful to you both, and I know Sam will be, too.’
    ‘Not a bit of it,’ Rupert smiled. ‘Let’s go and drink the old boy’s health in another glass of wine, before the happy couple depart for their honeymoon.’
    ‘I’ll have a drink with you later. As best man, it’s up to me to see they’ve got all their things together before they go.’
    Conchita and Rupert went back arm-in-arm through the french windows into the drawing-room, while Hemmingway entered the front door. For a few moments he was busy giving final instructions and seeing the pile of luggage loaded on to the car. Then Sam came downstairs and looked across at him inquiringly.
    Hemmingway nodded. ‘It’s all fixed.’
    ‘Good work,’ Sam smiled. ‘But if there’s any trouble, you must cable me and I’ll return at once to take responsibility.’
    ‘Don’t worry. I won’t have to.’
    They talked together for a few moments about business arrangements during Sam’s absence, but broke off as Lavina and Margery came downstairs.
    ‘I think I’ve got all your things,’ Hemmingway said to Lavina, ‘but you might just check them up. I know Sam’s stuff but