Morrison turned away from the table. He saw that Devon Michaelson, Interpol’s Dick Tracy, was at the next table, and steered around it. He spread his charm at other tables, then went back to his seat next to the Captain.
“They all appear to have gotten over the unfortunate incidents,” he told Fairfax, then turned his attention to the smoked salmon on the plate in front of him.
77
Though Professor Longworth found Brenda boring, he would not have been happy to know that his opinion was reciprocated. She considered him an absolute dud. If those eyebrows go up one more time, I will throw my dessert at him, she thought. Without waiting for that to happen, she ate the warm apple pie and vanilla topping as quickly as possible. She finished half the cup of coffee and then got up. All she wanted to do was to talk to Ralphie. She looked at her watch. It’s eight-thirty now. That means it’s four-thirty or five-thirty in New York. A good time to call.
Brenda had a funny feeling when she entered her suite. She looked carefully around, but it was obvious that it was empty. I’ll call Raymond and tell him I want another slice of pie, she thought, and another cup of coffee. She placed the call and told him, “Make it about ten minutes.” She disconnected and phoned Ralphie.
Brenda had no way of knowing that Ralphie was fully packed and ready to leave. Neither did she know that he had just finished transferring all the hard-earned stolen money from their joint account into an account in his name.
The phone rang three times before he picked it up. His bark, “Hello,” for whatever reason did not sound endearing.
“Ralphie, it’s your buttercup,” she cooed.
“Oh, I was hoping it was you,” he said, his tone now warm and loving.
“I miss you so much,” Brenda sighed, “but I’ll be home in three days. And I’m planning a surprise for when I see you. I bought it at the jewelry store on the main level.”
“I can hardly wait,” Ralphie said sincerely. “That means I should have a surprise for you.”
“Oh, that is so sweet,” Brenda gushed. “I’m counting the hours until I see you. Good-bye, my dear Ralphie. Kisses.”
“Good-bye, my buttercup,” Ralphie said, and disconnected the phone.
Well, that does it for the buttercup, he thought, as he snapped shut his third suitcase.
He glanced at his watch. He was meeting his new girlfriend—not really new, but at least now they wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore. They were taking a 10 P.M. Amtrak sleeper train to Chicago. But before he left, he took a long look around the apartment. Very comfortable, he thought. In a way I hate to leave.
He laughed out loud.
Poor dear Brenda, if she turns me in, she’ll end up in the cell right next to mine.
Lulu’s apartment was on the main floor of the same building. It wasn’t hers; she had been subletting month to month. They had agreed to meet at Grand Central Station rather than leave the building together. He wasn’t sure how long he would hang on to Lulu. But for the moment, she would be a breath of fresh air after five years with klutzy “buttercup.”
78
As Raymond Broad was passing the room, he could hear Brenda’s voice on the phone. He leaned his ear to the door as she said, “Good-bye, my dear Ralphie. Kisses.” She then made several smooching sounds with her lips.
She has a boyfriend, he thought. I would never have guessed.
Before he knocked on the door, he lifted the coverlet to make sure the kitchen had sent the right flavor pie. Brenda had scolded him once before for bringing pecan pie, claiming she had an allergy to nuts. “Rubbish,” he said to himself as he saw that the kitchen had made the same error again. He hurried back to switch pies.
In her room Brenda had a weird sense of something wrong. And then she felt some type of cloth being pulled over her head and something being tightened around her throat. An instant later she felt herself being tossed down into what she believed was the closet.
Don’t panic, she warned herself. Don’t let him know you can still breathe. With all her will she held her breath until she heard the door of the closet close, then began to inhale and exhale as quietly as she could. With each successive breath, her breathing became more normal. Although something very tight had been pulled around her neck, she had managed to slip a finger inside it, leaving her throat open just enough to breathe.
The Man with One Thousand Faces was sure that no one had seen him come down the corridor and into the room. Working swiftly, he emptied Brenda’s purse on the floor, then rushed to the safe. No necklace there either, he observed. Then he rifled through the suitcases and dresser. “I’d have sworn she was the one who had it,” he grumbled, as he opened the cabin door an inch and saw that the coast was clear. Walking swiftly but at the same time trying to appear casual, he quickly covered the distance back to his own room.
Less than two minutes later Raymond returned to Brenda’s room and tapped on the door. Hearing nothing, he opened the door and went in. He was surprised to see that there was no one there. He placed the coffee and dessert on the cocktail table. But then he heard the sound of someone grunting and kicking in the closet. Not sure that he was hearing correctly, he walked slowly to the door and opened it. He was greeted by the sight of Brenda sprawled on the floor, one hand over her pillowcase-covered head and the other on her throat.
Raymond scrambled to the dresser for a pair of scissors. He rushed back, knelt down and said, “I have you. Let go of the rope.” Slipping his finger into where Brenda’s had been, he carefully slid one blade of the scissors between her neck and the rope. A moment after he applied pressure the cord snapped. He used the scissors to cut away the pillowcase and ripped it away from her face.
She breathed in life-giving air. He waited a few minutes until she began to caress her throat with her hands. He helped her to a sitting position and then dragged her to her feet.
“What took you so long?” she gasped. “I could have been choked to death!”
“Miss Brenda,” he said, “let’s get you into your chair. A cup of coffee will help you get settled.”
Leaning over him, Brenda collapsed in a chair and reached for the coffee.
Raymond picked up the phone and called the chief of security to report an “incident” that had occurred in Brenda’s room. Saunders promised to come right over and bring Dr. Blake with him.
Turning back to Brenda, Raymond said, “Is there anything I can do—”
She cut him off. “Go get me a towel with some ice cubes in it. I want to wrap it around my neck.”
“Ma’am, I think it would be a good idea if I stayed with you until—”
“I SAID GET ME A COLD TOWEL!”
“Right away, ma’am,” Raymond said, delighted to have a reason to leave the suite.