Flight From Rebirth by J. T. McIntosh

Author:J. T. McIntosh [McIntosh, J. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-5953-2
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 1971-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

9

BASCH CALLED FIRST ON MARITA in Stirling, wasting no time. He caught her just as she was going out, flashed his badge, and reluctantly she opened the door of her flat, which she had just locked.

“Please be quick, sergeant,” she said. “I have a rehearsal.”

“You an actress?”

“Dancer. There’s a run-through of a new number this afternoon.”

“Uh-huh.” He looked at her with the dispassionate appraisal of a good detective, looked at the flat, drew shrewd conclusions. Men had been entertained in this flat, he guessed, many men. The décor was that of a high-class call-girl. And Marita herself was confirmation. Yet there were signs of a recent patina on the picture. There were slight anomalies in the apartment and in Marita herself that challenged Basch’s immediate impressions.

So perhaps the story was right. Meeting old Benny may have worked a miracle in this girl.

Being a cop, Basch was a professional cynic. After working hours, he might believe anything. During working hours, he believed very little, and he did not believe in Santa Claus. The old caretaker was a con man and this careless lady had been took.

He rapidly extracted all she knew, then said: “I’ve heard of Short John Silver. He’s a louse, but a smart louse. Trouble is, he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. Nobody ever could be.”

The girl shrugged. “All I want is for him to do his job.”

“He been in touch lately?”

“No, not since the things I’ve told you about.”

“Expect him to be? Isn’t Benny’s trail cold?”

“He says he’s got things to work on.”

Basch picked up a gold cigarette lighter, weighing it in his hands and wondering if the girl had bought it herself or if it was a present. A present, he decided. She liked jade, too. Probably got a bang out of touching it.

“Anyway,” he said, “we’ll find Benny.”

“You sound very sure.”

“I am. We’ll find him. And why he ran out.”

She looked at him uneasily. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started this.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t. It’s too late now. Miss Herbert, you weren’t born yesterday. You know there’s no future for you and Benny.”

“Not a long future, maybe.”

On the point of saying “No future at all,” and expanding on the theme, he changed his mind.

There was a call out already for Benny, had been since the moment Jennings got in touch with them, because in tracing somebody the vital thing was to start as early as possible. You could always call off the search later. Early as the start had been, nothing had come in. Nothing at all.

If Benny was clever enough or lucky enough to hide from the police, was he also clever enough and lucky enough to hide from Marita?

Obviously he had every intention of trying. But Marita was another bet, and Basch liked to cover all bets.

It was routine to keep an eye on the girl. If Benny got in touch with her, they got Benny. Of if she found him, they got Benny.

There was no point in dissuading the girl just at the moment.

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