Holcroft kept the explanation simple, giving no names and obscuring the facts. «I have to get to Paris, and there are people who want to stop me. I can’t tell you much more than that except to say that I haven’t done anything wrong, anything illegal.»
«The first is always relative, isn’t it? And the second is generally subject to interpretation and a good barrister. Shall I assume a lovely girl and an irate husband?»
«That’s fine.»
«That keeps me clean. What stops you from going to the airport and taking the next plane to Paris?»
«My clothes, briefcase, and passport are at my hotel in London. If I go there to get them, the people who want to stop me will find me.»
«From the looks of you, they’re quite serious, aren’t they?»
«Yes. That’s about it, Willie.»
«The solution’s obvious,» said Ellis. «I’ll get your things and check you out. You’re a wayward colonial I found in a Soho gutter. Who’s to argue with my preferences?»
«There may be a problem with the front desk.»
«I can’t imagine why. My money’s coin of the realm, and you’ll give me a note; they can match signatures. We’re nowhere near as paranoid as our cousins across the sea.»
«I hope you’re right, but I’ve got an idea the clerks have been reached by the people who want to find me. They may insist on knowing where I am before they let you have my things.»
«Then I’ll tell them,» said Willie, smiling. «I’ll leave them a forwarding address and a telephone number where your presence can be confirmed.»
«What?»
«Leave it to me. By the way, there’s some cologne in the glove compartment. For Christ’s sake, use it.»
Ellis made arrangements for the whiskey-soaked clothes to be picked up by the cleaners and returned by midafternoon, then left the Chelsea flat for the Belgravia Arms.
Holcroft showered, shaved, put the soiled clothes in a hamper outside the door, and called the car-rental agency. He reasoned that if he went for the car in Aldershot, MI Five would be there. And when he drove away, the British would not be far behind.
The rental agency was not amused, but Holcroft gave them no choice. If they wanted the automobile back, they would have to pick it up themselves. Noel was sorry, but there was an emergency; the bill could be sent to his office in New York.
He had to get out of England with as little notice as possible. Undoubtedly, MI Five would have the airports and the Channel boats watched. Perhaps the solution was to be found in a last-minute ticket on a crowded plane to Paris. With any luck, he’d reach Orly Airport before MI Five knew he had left England. The shuttles to Paris were frequent, the customs procedures lax. Or he could buy two tickets—one to Amsterdam, one to Paris—go through the KLM gates, then on some pretext come back outside and rush to the Paris departure area, where Willie held his luggage.
What was he thinking of? Ruses, evasions, deceptions. He was a criminal without a crime, a man who could not tell the truth, because in that truth was the destruction of so much.
He began to perspire again, and the pain returned to his stomach. He felt weak and disoriented. He lay down on Willie’s couch in Willie’s bathrobe and closed his eyes. The image of melting flesh came back into focus. The face emerged; he heard the cry clearly, and he fell asleep, the plaintive sound in his ears.
He woke suddenly, aware that someone was above him, looking down at him. Alarmed, he whipped over on his back, then sighed in relief at the sight of Willie standing by the couch.
«You’ve had some rest, and it shows. You look better, and God knows you smell better.»
«Did you get my things?»
«Yes, and you were right. They were anxious to know where you were. When I paid the bill, the manager came out and behaved like a rep-company version of Scotland Yard. He’s mollified, if confused. He’s also got a telephone number where you’re currently in residence.»
«La residence?»
«Yes. I’m afraid your reputation hasn’t been vastly improved, unless you’ve had a change of heart. The number’s for a hospital in Knightsbridge that doesn’t get a P from National Health. It specializes in venereal diseases. I know a doctor there quite well.»
«You’re too much,» said Noel, standing, «Where are my things?»
«In the guest room. I thought you’d want to change.»
«Thanks.» Holcroft started toward the door.
«Do you know a man named Buonoventura?» Ellis asked.
Noel stopped. He had sent Sam a three-word cablegram from the airport in Lisbon: BELGRAVIA ARMS LONDON.
«Yes. Did he call?»
«Several times. Quite frantically, I gather. The hotel switchboard said the call came from Curaçao.»
«I know the number,» said Holcroft. «I have to get in touch with him. I’ll put the call on my credit card.»
It was five minutes before he heard Sam’s rasping voice and less than five seconds before he realized it was not fair to ask the construction engineer to lie any longer.
«Miles isn’t fooling around anymore, Noley. He told me he’s getting a court order for your return to New York. He’s going to serve it on the owners down here, figuring they’re American. He knows they can’t force you to go back, but he says they’ll know you’re wanted. It’s a little rough, Noley, because you’re not on any payroll.»
«Did he say why?»
«Only that he thinks you have information they need.»
If he could get to Paris, Noel thought, he would want Buonoventura to be able to reach him, but he did not want to burden him with an address. «Listen, Sam. I’m leaving for Paris later today. There’s an American Express office on the Champs-Elysées, near the avenue George Cinq. If anything comes up, cable me there.»
«What’ll I tell Miles if he calls again? I don’t want to get my ass burned.»
«Say you reached me and told me he was trying to find me. Tell him I said I’d get in touch with him as soon as I could. That’s all you know.» Noel paused. «Also tell him I had to get to Europe. Don’t volunteer, but if he presses, let him know about the American Express office. I can phone for messages.»
«There’s something else,» said Sam awkwardly. «Your mother called, too. I felt like a goddamned idiot lying to her; you shouldn’t lie to your mother, Noley.»
Holcroft smiled. A lifetime of deviousness had not taken the basic Italian out of Sam. «When did she call?»
«Night before last. She sounds like a real lady. I told her I expected to hear from you yesterday; that’s when I started phoning.»
«I’ll call her when I get to Paris,» said Noel. «Anything else?»
«Isn’t that enough?»
«Plenty. I’ll be in touch in a few days, but you know where to cable me.»
«Yeah, but if your mother calls, I’m going to let her know, too.»
«No sweat. And thanks, Sam. I owe you.»
He hung up, noticing that Willie Ellis had gone into the kitchen, where he had turned on the radio. One of Willie’s attributes was that he was a gentleman. Noel sat by the phone for several moments, trying to figure things out. His mother’s call was not surprising. He had not spoken with her since that Sunday morning in Bedford Hills nearly two weeks ago.
Miles was something else again. Holcroft did not think of the detective as a person; he had no face or voice. But Miles had arrived at certain conclusions; he was certain of that. And those conclusions tied him to three deaths connected with British Airways Flight 591 from London to New York. Miles was not letting go; if he persisted, he could create a problem Noel was not sure he could handle. The detective could ask for international police cooperation. And if he did, attention would be drawn to the activities of a United States citizen who had walked away from a homicide investigation.