Page 109 of The Other Lady Vanishes

?The car Paxton had driven to Rushbrook was parked behind the sanitarium’s kitchen. There was a large hatbox in the trunk. It was stuffed with envelopes and packets of photographs, diaries, letters, and assorted papers.

“That must be the stash of blackmail material that Zolanda and Thelma Leggett collected,” Adelaide said.

“Looks like it,” Jake said. He hoisted the hatbox out of the trunk. “With luck the diary will be inside this box.”

“What are you going to do with the rest of the extortion materials?” Adelaide asked.

“The police don’t need to know about this hatbox,” Jake said. “We’ll take it back to Burning Cove and destroy the contents.”

The first of the police vehicles rolled up to the guardhouse and stopped just as Jake closed the trunk of Luther’s maroon speedster. A man in a Rushbrook Police Department uniform climbed out from behind the wheel.

“Got a message for Special Agent Jake Truett,” he shouted. “Anyone here by that name?”

Jake walked toward him. “I’m Jake Truett.”

“Just got a long distance-call from someone named Luther Pell in Burning Cove. He said you might be in real trouble here at the sanitarium. Something about a dangerous man named Calvin Paxton having pulled a fast one. Evidently this Paxton fellow managed to sneak out of Burning Cove without anyone noticing until about half an hour ago. Pell seemed to think this Paxton guy might be on his way here and that he was after you and a lady.”

“Paxton won’t be a problem for anyone now,” Jake said.

Chapter 49

“It’s a version of a throwing weapon called a shuriken,” Jake said. He looked down at the lapis blue fountain pen in his hand. “A few years ago a man I did business with in the Far East taught me how to use one. They come in a variety of shapes and are meant to be easily concealed. This one was designed to my specifications. Here in the States no one thinks twice about a man carrying a fountain pen.”

“It’s so small,” Adelaide said. “I’m amazed it made such an impact on Paxton.”

It was early evening. She was exhausted but her nerves were still on edge. She wished she had some of the tisane that she used for the bad nights. She had been obliged to make do with regular tea.

She and Jake were sitting in a cabin in an auto court halfway between Rushbrook and Burning Cove. Shortly after they had finished with the police and started the long drive back, the fog rolled in over the coastal highway. Driving had become hazardous. As Jake had pointed out, they had taken enough risks for one day.

They had pulled off the road to spend the night at the first establishment that appeared clean and comfortable.

There was a fire going on the hearth. The hatbox was on the floor beside Jake’s chair. The briefcase containing the files they had taken from Ormsby’s office sat next to it.

“A shuriken is not designed to kill,” Jake said, “although it can be used that way at close range. It is, after all, a very sharp blade. But it’s primarily a weapon of distraction. You use it to startle and, with luck, frighten your opponent. The idea is to gain a little time to move in on him.”

“Which is exactly how it worked,” Adelaide said. “Something to be said for all that traveling you did while you were in the import-export business. But I’m glad you’re out of that line of work.”

“It was time. I’m not much use to our government now, anyway. Thanks to that spy in the agency I mentioned, too many people abroad know who I am. I no longer have a useful cover.”

“What about Luther Pell? You said the two of you were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Was it the same man who recruited you as a spy?”

“Yes. Luther occasionally does favors for the FBI now. The Bureau finds his underworld connections useful from time to time.”

“That’s how you got the fake Bureau ID?”

“Uh-huh.”

Adelaide watched the flames in silence for a time.

“You’ll need to find another job,” she said finally.

“You are certainly anxious to see me employed.” Jake smiled. “I promise you, I won’t starve. I made a lot of money in the import-export business.”

“I don’t doubt that, but you still need gainful work.”

“Something will come along. But first things first.”

Jake leaned down and removed the top of the hatbox. They both contemplated the wealth of materials stuffed inside the box. There was a small, leather-bound appointment journal on top.