Here we all paused.
Kendrick said. ‘Do take Pam for a little ride in the boat Louis. You know how she loves it. Jack, will you put up with me for a few minutes? There is something I want to talk about.’
Before I could protest, Pam and Louis were walking away.
‘What’s there to talk about?’ I hated this fat freak and hated the idea of being stranded with him.
‘It’s about Bernie; he is one of my bestest friends.’ Kendrick mopped his face with a silk handkerchief. ‘Let us get in my car. It’s air-conditioned. I find this heat a little oppressive, don’t you?’
I hesitated, but without Pam to drive me back to the airport, I was marooned so I followed him down the pier to where a gaudy yellow and black Cadillac stood waiting. A Jap chauffeur slid out and had the doors open as we approached.
‘Just drive around, Yuko,’ Kendrick said and lowered his bulk into the car. I went around the other side and got in. There was a glass partition between the chauffeur and the rear seats. It was wonderfully cool when the car doors were shut. The car slid away and Kendrick offered me a cigar which I refused.
We drove along the sea front for some minutes, then the chauffeur turned off the main boulevard and took us out into the country.
Kendrick who had got his cigar smoking evenly, said, ‘I understand that you are a very close friend of Bernie.’
‘That is correct.’
‘I am worried about Bernie.’ Kendrick heaved a sigh. ‘The poor darling... that dreadful wound.’
I didn’t say anything but waited.
‘He has terrible people to work for. That man Essex! What a creature! And his wife!’
Still I didn’t say anything.
‘Bernie feels so insecure.’
‘Don’t we all!’ I said, watching the moon as it floated like a yellow disc in the cloudless sky.
‘You feel the same?’ He turned to look directly at me. ‘You also feel insecure?’
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘You’re right, of course, but have you ambitions? Do you want to be rich? I’m sure you do and Bernie is the same. We often talk about money. He once said to me... I remember his exact words: “Claude, I would do anything to fix this insecurity. If I could only lay my hands on some real money I wouldn’t care how I got it.’Ю’
‘Bernie said that?’
‘Those were his exact words.’
It was my turn to look directly at him.
‘Look, Kendrick, suppose you skip this phoney buildup? To me, it stinks. I can see you want to feel your way as you don’t know much about me, but your approach is as subtle as a bulldozer. What have you on your mind?’
He took of his orange wig and looked inside as if he expected to find something hiding in there, then he slapped it back on his head.
‘Bernie warned me,’ he said and smiled. ‘He said I would have to be careful how I handled you. He told me he once had got you out of trouble. You held up a Vietnamese money changer and got away with three thousand dollars. Bernie gave you an alibi. Is that correct?’
‘Vietnamese money changers were easy meat. I needed the money and he had plenty. Bernie talks too much.’
‘Bernie said the money changer was killed by a bomb so everything was nicely tidied up.’
As the Caddy drifted along with the lights of Paradise City making a necklace of diamonds in the distance, my mind went back to Saigon.
My Vietnamese girl wanted money to get to Hong Kong.
She was half out of her mind with terror. She had come from the North and she was sure the Viets were after her. Nothing I could tell her made an impact. She insisted she had to have money to bribe her way to safety. I was a bit crazy about her but her stupid terror spoilt our nights. I had no money to give her. Although I knew I was losing her, I finally decided I would have to get her to Hong Kong. One evening I walked into this money changer’s office, with a service revolver in my hand and forced him to give me the money. I had been drinking hard and didn’t give a damn. I gave the money to her and that was the last I saw of her. Then the M.P.s had a line-up and the money changer fingered me. I thought I was in the ditch, but Olson arrived. He said he and I were working on his kite at the time of the hold-up. I’m sure the M.P.s weren’t convinced, but Bernie had a lot of authority and I got away with it.
Thinking about this incident, it seemed a long way in the past. It was a lucky thing for me that the money changer’s office, with him in it, caught one of the first rocket bombs the Viets threw at Saigon. He was going to take his complaint to the Commanding General, but the rocket silenced him.
I had told Bernie the facts and he had grinned at me.
‘Well, don’t do it again Jack. I might not be around to bail you out,’ and that was that.
At least, it was for a time, but I was always short of money. I got tied up with another Vietnamese girl; a dancer at one of the gaudy, noisy clubs American servicemen frequented. She held out for money; that’s what most Vietnamese girls thought about. So one night, when I was really turned on, I walked into another money changer’s shop. I wasn’t taking any chances this time. There was a thunderstorm going on, plus a hail of Viet rockets and the noise drowned my shot. I thought no more of killing an old Vietnamese than I would have shooting a wild duck. I collected a thousand dollars out of his open safe. It was enough to get me a good time with the girl and have something in hand. I did this three times. Each time I knocked of the money changer and then my conscience caught up on me. I began to dream about these old men. I kept seeing their eyes, full of terror, as I shot them. These eyes followed me around even when I was servicing Olson’s kite. So I dropped it. Sitting in this luxe Cadillac, the eyes came back.
Kendrick was saying. ‘What have I on my mind? Bernie must tell you that. It’s his operation but there is one thing I would like to ask you. Bernie said you would do anything for big money. The operative word, of course, is “anything.” May I ask if that is your thinking?’
‘It depends on what big money means,’ I said.
He nodded.
‘That is the correct answer.’ He released cigar smoke that was immediately taken out of the car by a small but efficient extractor fan. ‘Yes... how big? Would a quarter of a million interest you’?’
I felt a prickle run up my spine, but I kept my cool.
‘It would interest anyone.’
‘I’m not talking about anyone.’ There was a sudden impatient snap in his voice. ‘I’m asking you.’
‘It depends.’
‘It is a simple question, cheri. Would you do anything for a quarter of a million dollars?’
‘I’ll have to talk to Bernie.’
‘Quite right.’ Kendrick picked up a tiny microphone. ‘We’ll return, Yuko.’
The Cadillac stopped, turned and headed back to the City.
‘Quite an operation,’ I said. ‘First, Bernie sells me on a phoney job. Then Pam seduces me. Now you appear on the scene, talking about a quarter of a million dollars. It’s not what I call a well-planned operation. It’s too hurried. Suppose I go to the cops right now and tell them what is happening. Do you think they would be interested?’
Kendrick closed his eyes. He looked like an aged dolphin, at rest.
‘They might, cheri, but I think they would be more interested in you.’ He shifted his wig, still keeping his eyes closed. ‘But don’t let us talk about the police. It is always a depressing subject. There’s money to be had and your cut would be a quarter of a million. You must talk to Bernie and you can always say no. If you say no, you can then take a plane back to your little town and spend the rest of your days trying to make some kind of living. That, of course, is your privilege, but on the other hand you can come in with us and become rich.’