The 38 Million Dollar Smile - Stevenson Richard - Страница 27

likelihood that the kidnappers have their own police sources

who have alerted them that a search of fourteenth floors is

under way and they have simply moved Timmy and Kawee to

any other high floor. Even if they didn’t anticipate a dragnet,

isn’t it likely that friends in high places would have alerted

them?”

THE 38 MILLION DOLLAR SMILE 121

“This is possible, though General Yodying is an honorable

man who would do his best to protect your investment. I know

he planned on deploying his forces and only informing them at

the very last moment what their mission was to be.”

Miss Aroon poked her head in and said that Khun Thunska,

Pugh’s computer specialist, was on his way over and would

arrive shortly.

“Why isn’t he phoning?” I asked. “Can we assume he didn’t

find anything useful on the laptop?”

“Perhaps he wants to show us something and explain it.”

Now my cell phone rang. Was it Timmy? Or was it the

kidnappers, with instructions for the swap we were in no

position to carry out? Pugh watched me open the phone.

“Hello?”

“Don, it’s Ellen Griswold. Can you hear me?”

“Perfectly. Thanks for getting back to me so fast, Ellen.”

“God, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that this has

all turned into such an incredible fiasco. Your boyfriend has

actually been kidnapped?”

I briefly described the events of the past twenty-four hours.

“They’re holding this young Thai man, Kawee, too. A friend of

Gary’s. So we need to talk to Gary fast. How can we do that?”

“Oh, bollocks, I wish I knew. Gary called me on Saturday night, and said he’d heard from somebody that you had been to

his apartment and were looking for him, and to please call off

the dogs — that would be you — because he was perfectly fine,

he said. He’s just meditating for a year to recover from a series of unlucky love affairs, and you were interfering with his

concentration. I have to say, I was not entirely convinced that

he wasn’t concocting a whole line of BS about meditating for

such a long time. I’ve heard of people going off to a cave,

literally or figuratively, and doing it for a month. But a whole year? Anyway, I felt I had to take him at his word that you would be making trouble for him somehow. I mean, he didn’t

sound at all frightened or upset. So that’s when I e-mailed you.

But now it looks like he really is in trouble, and God, now your 122 Richard Stevenson

Timothy is too. How perfectly awful! I am so, so sorry, Don.

So, what are you going to do?”

I didn’t think she was making this up as she went. It was silly

enough, but in its inane way it was too pat. I guessed she was

referring to notes she had made. I said, “So, Gary phoned you?

Where was he calling from?”

“He didn’t say. And I didn’t think to get a number. I was so

startled to hear his voice, and so relieved.”

“Did he say he would call again?”

“No, but it sounded as if he would eventually. He was

emphatic in telling me not to worry.”

“Who told him I was looking for him? Think about this. It’s

important.”

“Just a minute.” Now her voice was distant: “Amanda, no,

you may not ride into Albany with Josh. You are not to get into Josh’s car at all. Ever. Now, I said I would take you later. No, no. And don’t use that language with me!” To me: “Don, can I

call you back? This is all getting to be way too much!”

“No, Ellen, you cannot call me back. We have to talk now.

What we have here is a life-or-death situation. Do you hear

what I’m saying?”

“Yes, I hear you, Don.” Distant again. “No, no, I said no,

and no means no!” I heard a shriek in the background, as if

intruders had broken in and shot someone. “Oh, goddamn it.”

I said, “I have to ask you this again. I need very badly to

know this. Who told Gary I was looking for him? Did he tell

you this?”

“No, he didn’t. And I didn’t think to ask, not realizing at the

time it might become important. Oh God, she is impossible. Are you and Timothy raising children, Don?”

“No.”

“Listen, I do apologize. It’s not that I don’t understand that

what you’re going through is so much worse than anything I

have to deal with here on boring old Elm Court Drive. It’s just

that I think I’ve told you everything I know. And if Gary calls

THE 38 MILLION DOLLAR SMILE 123

again anytime soon, I’ll make it clear to him that he must

contact you immediately and impress on him just how urgent

the situation is.”

“You didn’t give him my cell phone number when he

called?”

“No, I didn’t have it yet, I don’t think.”

“That’s true. What I want to ask you to help me out with,

Ellen, is this. I wish to continue in your employ until I get

Timmy back at least. There are some expenses I’m running up

in connection with his being released.”

“What? Ransom? You’re paying ransom?”

“No, they don’t want money. They want Gary. Whoever the

kidnappers are, they have offered to release Timmy and Kawee

in exchange for our handing over Gary.”

“Oh, good God. Well, you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

“What I’m doing is, I’m working hard to get everybody’s ass

out of the fire intact. That is my intention. But I’m running up my accounts. For instance, we had to arrange for a search of a

number of buildings in Bangkok, and it cost money.”

“Well, just make sure you get receipts.”

“Sure.”

“And keep your costs down as low as you can. My cash flow

situation is rather wobbly at the moment.”

“Yeah, well, so is mine.”

“Aren’t the police involved? If someone is kidnapped, why

not rely on the police instead of hiring private security at an

extortionate rate?”

“In Thailand, it’s complicated in that regard. Anyway, once I

get hold of Gary” — I didn’t add and wring his neck — “perhaps he can be persuaded to pitch in and help cover expenses. After

all, it’s his disappearance, so-called, that got me into this

sulfurous quagmire in the first place.”

“God, now I feel terrible about getting you mixed up in one

of my family’s typical messes. Listen, just do whatever you can

124 Richard Stevenson

to get Timothy safely back with you. That’s the important thing.

And that poor Thai man too. Have the kidnappers threatened

them in any way?”

“Yes, they have. So I need your ex-husband’s help as soon

as possible. There’s a deadline, which is later tomorrow. Gary

will know who these people are, we can reasonably assume, and

perhaps know where to find them. So I do need to talk to him,

and fast.”

“Well, I have total confidence in you, Don. Bob Chicarelli

said you were a bit of a pain in the rear end sometimes but

totally committed to whatever you took on and totally

professional. You’ll know what to do, if anybody will. Good

luck, and do keep me posted. So, it sounds like you should have

everything more or less under control by later tomorrow?”

“I certainly hope so, Ellen.”

“I’ll wait for your report.”

I rang off and told Pugh what Ellen had told me.

“She’s a doozy of a client,” Pugh said. “How much did you

get up front?”

“Ten K. But the plane tickets were forty-four hundred. So

with the bribes to your police department, I’m already in the

hole over nineteen thousand dollars. Plus what I owe you.

Griswold’s thirty-eight mil had better be largely intact.

Southeast Asia is supposed to be such a bargain tourist

destination. What am I doing wrong, Rufus?”