The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (96 page)

She hadn’t expected this so didn’t answer immediately. He said, ‘well? I’m waiting.’

‘It…it was the raincoat?’

‘Raincoat?’

‘Yes, the one you lent to me that evening, it had Blakemore’s name in it.’

‘I see. And just how did Leyton get hold of it?’

She hesitated again then she looked him in the eyes and said, ‘I gave it to him. I thought at first Blakemore might be one of your pseudonyms.’

She waited for him to get mad and threaten her again but was surprised when he chuckled, ‘of course you did. I beat up your bookworm friend and you want to help the cops catch me, little knowing what a huge can of worms you were opening.’

‘I’m getting used to opening cans of worms and watching them crawl out.’

He arched his eyebrows then laughed, ‘you know I liked you when you were quiet and a little timid, bending over backwards to please people, to see the best in them, but I like you like this too, feisty and bold, ballsy.’

‘I neither want nor need your compliments, Mr. Hennessey; they sound like insults to me.’

He grinned
, ‘so good old Detective Leyton is busy looking into a connection between me and Blakemore.’

‘Yes.’

Her voice broke into his thoughts, ‘and that’s why your plan to make it look as though I left with you willingly, that I'm your willing accomplice won’t work.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yes, Detective Leyton knows now you’re not who you claim to be, and he witnessed my reaction when he told me about you and what you were, although he only told me they suspected you were a conman, I knew the name Blakemore meant something far more important.'

Hennessey just about kept his neutral expression on hearing
this. ‘And just what was your reaction on hearing that piece of news?’

She looked away wishing she had not said anything but his smug, self satisfied almost pleased expression angered her. This was like a game to him, a game in which everyone loses but him. He insisted, ‘
Miss. Faraday, remember what I said about answering my questions.’

She looked back at him and snapped
, ‘I threw up all right. Satisfied?’

He frowned and said rather softly, ‘I’m sorry about that. But I don’t know what could have possessed him to tell you about me. It’s not something a cop usually does with a witness, give away information relating to an ongoing investigation.’

She didn’t tell him that she had insisted Leyton tell her, but he seemed to know because he smiled, ‘of course you’re very good at getting information from people aren’t you, Miss. Faraday, causing them to be indiscreet. I mean just look at our previous conversation,
I’m
supposed to be the inquisitor yet I wind up telling you about my not so illustrious past….and present.’

In an imitation of him she shrugged, ‘but unlike
you
I’m genuinely interested in people, I want to get to know them as friends not as a means to an end.’

He nodded his head
as if in understanding, ‘you know, Miss. Faraday for someone who has no confidence in themselves and not much self worth, for someone who is shy and nervous around men you certainly draw them to you. Old Maxwell, that fat sheriff, me, and now you’ve bewitched a cop no less.’

She looked stunned, ‘don’t be si…stupid; he’s not bewitched nor even interested in me except as a witness.’

‘If you say so.’

‘I do, I
do
say so, because it’s the truth. Anyway you can take yourself out of that equation, you were never bewitched or even interested in me except as an information conduit.’

He didn’t intend to but he laughed at her choice of words then said quickly, ‘sorry, I’m not laughing at you per say, it’s just that I would never have described you as a conduit.’

‘If the cap fits.’

He was serious now, ‘it doesn’t, it doesn’t fit.  Believe me, Miss. Faraday you were a lot more than that to me.’

She turned away a look of disbelief and disgust on her face. He sighed, ‘I gave you a good time didn’t I?’ She looked back at him still wearing that same expression only now she added distaste. ‘I didn’t ask anything from you in return did I? Not sexually anyway.’

She was beginning to get uncomfortable despite her resolve not to let him get to her and her discomfort made her rash, ‘you think that makes me feel better? That you couldn’t even bring yourself to…’

She stopped realising what she was about to say but he finished for her, ‘have sexual intercourse with you?’ She looked away again her face red ashamed of herself for rising to his bait.

Surprisingly his voice was very gentle as he said, ‘if it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t easy for me, in fact it would have been a lot easier to stay that night at your cabin.
If I had consider how much more you would be hating me now.’

Her head whipped round to look a him the scepticism plain on her face, he went on, ‘you know what kind of man I am, you said yourself I have no conscience, no human feelings, you called me heartless and you’re probably right. Don’t you think it would have been easy for me to have taken advantage of you, to have taken you up on your offer? But I couldn’t do it; it would have been like a double betrayal, like taking advantage of you twice over.’ He gave a self deprecating smile, ‘see, I do have some principles.’

When would this man cease to shock her? Probably when he put the bullet in her head. Before she could speak he continued, ‘you think it’s because I didn’t find you attractive or sexy don’t you when in fact I do, I just never expected too.’

She stared at him her eyes wide; there was still disbelief in them but also confusion.

He said, ‘I taught you something about yourself didn’t I? I taught you something about men.’

She shook her head, ‘about me, yes, but not about men, Mr. Hennessey, about
you
.’ He arched his eyebrows, ‘not that it matters what you taught me about myself, you or men in general, there aren’t too many eligible men in the cemetery are there?’ He stared at her in blank astonishment, ‘unless you’re just going to dump my body in the swamp of course, food for those alligators you mentioned.’

He thought he was past being surprised, amazed even shocked by her but he was wrong because she added, ‘that’s why you never called me by my first name isn’t it? Because that would have been too personal, you might have seen me as a human being instead of as a job, a hit, a cash cow.’

He stared at her speechless and before he could find his voice his phone rang making Adela jump. He cursed and she looked at him questioningly. He looked at the number and cursed again then pressed a button and put the phone to his ear. He didn’t say hello but listened rolling his eyes as if listening to a telephone sales rep's patter. Then he said, ‘didn’t you get what I sent through the usual channels?’

He smiled as he listened to the answer, ‘yeah, thought you might like that.’ He listened again, ‘well that’s up to you of course, but it seems a shame after I’ve gone to all this trouble, not to mention the danger I’ve put myself into on your behalf. But if you want me to let her go then…

He was obviously cut off by the person on the other end of the line, he listened again smirking now. Then he raised his eyes and looked at Adela’s anxious face and spoke as casually as though he was telling a friend that his wife was present ‘yep, she’s right here. Would you like a word?’

Adela knew to whom he was speaking and her blood turned to ice in her veins and her body began to tremble. Hennessey stood up and holding the phone to her ear said with icy politeness, ‘Mr. Glissando would like proof that you really are here and still alive, please prove to him that I’m not lying and say hello to him.’

She turned her head away from the phone; he grasped her chin with his free hand and whipped her face round to the front again saying, ‘it’s not like you to be rude, Miss. Faraday, just a quick hello to Mr. Glissando, that’s all I’m asking.’

He wasn’t asking of course, he was demanding, but she refused to give in. She pursed her lips and tried to turn her head away but his grip on her chin tightened painfully as he squeezed down until her mouth opened. She fought not to let a moan escape her lips until he suddenly let go of her chin and gripped her hair in his fist and pulled until her head snapped back and she let out a cry of pain. Hennessey still gripping her hair put the phone back to his own ear and said, ‘will that suffice, Mr. Glissando or do you insist she actually speak.’

Adela gritted her teeth as she waited for Glissando’s reply, she didn’t know what she would do if Hennessey insisted she speak to that evil man, even the thought of him being on the other end of a phone sent a shiver of repulsion and fear through her.

Hennessey was looking down at her as he said sarcastically, ‘well it’s nice to be so trusted, Mr. Glissando.’ He let go of Adela’s hair
and stroked it almost gently.

Hennessey sat down in his chair again and looking at Adela’s bent head said, ‘I do have some information for you though, Glissando, apparently your wayward slave girl has a passport under the name of Olivia Llewellyn.’

Hennessey was so close to her that Adela could hear the tinny, disembodied voice at the other end of the phone but could not make out what was being said, but she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her skin turned clammy as Hennessey raised his eyebrows and looked at her speculatively. Then he smiled a mocking almost snide smile, ‘really? Now that
is
interesting. Oh you can be sure I’ll ask her
that
question, Mr. Glissando.’

She did look up now her expression fearful but curious. He smiled at her as he listened to Glissando then raised his eyebrows said, ‘now that’s even more interesting, but what about the deal, what about my remaining four million bucks.’

He smiled again; he seemed amused as well as intrigued. ‘Well, this is not what we agreed but it would prevent me from going against my principles.’ he paused and looked hard at Adela a frown between his eyes as if contemplating something then to Glissando he said, ‘I’ll have to think about it, see what transpires in the next few hours. I’ll call you back later. But either way I’ll see you tomorrow evening. But, Glissando, don’t even
think
about double crossing me.’ He listened again then laughed and switched off the phone then very slowly raised his eyes to Adela’s white, apprehensive and frightened face. He said contritely, ‘sorry about the hair pulling, but Glissando insisted on proof that you were actually here with me and he
is
paying me an awful lot of money to satisfy his little quirks.’

She remained silent and he leaned back in his seat and studied her, an inscrutable expression
on his face. ‘Glissando did tell me something interesting though,’ he leaned forward, put both elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his fists, ‘he told me that Desi’s real name is Olivia.’

She cursed herself now for using that name, she swallowed hard and her voice came out small and uncertain, ‘so, why is that interesting?’

‘In itself it’s not, but you said yourself that Desi was smart and savvy, why would she use a name known to Glissando?’

Adela tried a shrug but it was half -hearted at best, ‘there are lots of Olivia’s in the world.’

‘Yes there are, but none on the run from a guy who has contacts in police departments all over the south, not to mention his friends in the FBI and other government departments, such as the airport police. Why would she risk it?’

‘But she didn’t catch a commercial plane did she? She took a private plane, so far less chance of being picked up.’

He nodded as if she had voiced something he had not previously thought of then said, ‘yes, but she didn’t know she was going to be flying on a private plane bought and paid for by a wealthy, English tourist did she? She didn’t know when she had the passport made that she would meet a Good Samaritan did she? She didn’t know she would meet
you
did she?’

Adela opened her mouth to correct herself then closed it again knowing there was no way she would convince him that Olivia Llewellyn was the name Desi had used in her fake passport. Hennessey was watching her intently and could see her mind working overtime trying to think of another plausible excuse. She obviously couldn’t because she remained silent. His tone was mild but his eyes were the exact opposite, ‘you lied to me, Miss. Faraday.’ When she did not attempt to deny it he went on, ‘I have to admit you’re getting better at the lying thing, I almost fell for it.

Her head snapped up and he smiled at her confusion, 'you were right, Miss. Faraday, Desi
is
smart, much too smart to use a name that would in any way associate her with her past life…and Glissando. So now we have to start all over again don’t we?’ The question was rhetorical obviously.

‘D
oes it mater what name she used? Knowing that won’t help you to find her; we both agreed she won’t keep that passport or that name.’

He had to admire her dogmat
ism and her courage. He grinned, ‘I’ve tracked people with less,
far
less information. But “the devil is in the details,” Miss. Faraday.

Glissando’s two enforcers, for want of a better word, tracked
you
down didn’t they? With no name, no description, no address. And believe me, Miss. Faraday I’m a lot smarter than they are
and
have some excellent resources of my own. I’ll find Desi one way or the other, but knowing the name she originally travelled under will save me some time. And time is running out for her,
and
for you.’