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Authors: Bill Pronzini
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their mistakes?”
“Mistake is precisely the proper word,” Van Rijk said. “What took place near the Old Cathay last evening was a most unfortunate incident. It should never have happened. Khee was not acting on my orders when he, ah, fired at you, Mr. Connell. I severely reprimanded him for it.”
“I’ll bet you did.”
“He’s quite simple-minded, you know. You hurt him rather badly, both physically and in his Asian pride, and he reacted as one might expect a simpleton to react.” Van Rijk shook his head sadly and sighed. “I apologize deeply for Khee’s foolishness—and yes, for my own rash words yesterday. I was highly agitated, and I, too, allowed my baser emotions to briefly take hold.”
“You’re so full of shit I can smell you from here, Van Rijk. I ought to throw you out on your fat ass.”
He looked pained. “Please, Mr. Connell. Can’t we speak and act like gentlemen?”
“Just what is it you want?”
“Merely a few moments of your time. That is why I came alone tonight. I did not think you would care to talk freely with Khee and Tulloh in my presence.”
“Talk about what? La Croix, maybe?”
“You have heard of his death?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“The King girl killed him, of course.”
“What King girl?”
“Really now, Mr. Connell, let’s not do any more fencing.”
“Listen, I don’t know anything except that you were looking for La Croix yesterday morning, and last night he turns up dead. He was a friend of mine, Van Rijk. I don’t like to see my friends murdered.”
“You think I had him killed?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Certainly not! If I had, would I be here talking to you this evening?”
“Why not?”
“There would be no need for it. Khee and Tulloh are most thorough. When they ask questions, the proper answers are shortly forthcoming.” He shuddered faintly, as if recalling a past interrogation conducted by Khee and Tulloh.
I thought: If Inspector Tiong talked to him about La Croix’s death—and about the attack on me—he couldn’t have found out much, or been able to prove anything at all. Van Rijk wouldn’t be running around loose if it were otherwise. And he couldn’t have mentioned my name to Van Rijk, either, or the fat bastard wouldn’t have come here alone and smiling. I was going to have to do some of Tiong’s work for him, the way I had done with Marla King.
I said, “What was La Croix to you? Why were you looking for him?”
“He had something which belongs to me.”
“Such as?”
“An item of great value.”
“What sort of item?”
“Perhaps he told you himself, yesterday morning.”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
“Or perhaps Marla King told you.”
“Who’s Marla King?”
I watched the mildness go out of those liquidy blue eyes of his for a brief instant, as it had the day before at the waterfront eating stall; but he regained control of his temper and gave me one of his gingerbread smiles. “Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Connell?”
“No,” I said truthfully. “You’re a lot of things, Van Rijk, but a fool isn’t one of them.”
“Then why do you persist in playing the innocent?”
“All right. Nobody told me anything. I don’t have any idea what it is La Croix had that belongs to you.”
“That is just as well,” he said. “It is better for all concerned that you do not know.”
It was the sort of thing I had expected him to say—and that was the reason I hadn’t admitted knowing about the figurine. Van Rijk was a dangerous man, and the less he thought I knew, the better it was for me. It was obvious that he didn’t think, as Marla King had, that I had the Burong Chabak; he was after something else, and I was fairly certain I knew what it was.
I said, “Make your pitch, Van Rijk.”
“Pitch?”
“You came here for a specific reason. Let’s hear it.”
“Very well.” He looked at me steadily. “I came here to offer you twenty thousand Straits dollars.”
“For
“Mistake is precisely the proper word,” Van Rijk said. “What took place near the Old Cathay last evening was a most unfortunate incident. It should never have happened. Khee was not acting on my orders when he, ah, fired at you, Mr. Connell. I severely reprimanded him for it.”
“I’ll bet you did.”
“He’s quite simple-minded, you know. You hurt him rather badly, both physically and in his Asian pride, and he reacted as one might expect a simpleton to react.” Van Rijk shook his head sadly and sighed. “I apologize deeply for Khee’s foolishness—and yes, for my own rash words yesterday. I was highly agitated, and I, too, allowed my baser emotions to briefly take hold.”
“You’re so full of shit I can smell you from here, Van Rijk. I ought to throw you out on your fat ass.”
He looked pained. “Please, Mr. Connell. Can’t we speak and act like gentlemen?”
“Just what is it you want?”
“Merely a few moments of your time. That is why I came alone tonight. I did not think you would care to talk freely with Khee and Tulloh in my presence.”
“Talk about what? La Croix, maybe?”
“You have heard of his death?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“The King girl killed him, of course.”
“What King girl?”
“Really now, Mr. Connell, let’s not do any more fencing.”
“Listen, I don’t know anything except that you were looking for La Croix yesterday morning, and last night he turns up dead. He was a friend of mine, Van Rijk. I don’t like to see my friends murdered.”
“You think I had him killed?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Certainly not! If I had, would I be here talking to you this evening?”
“Why not?”
“There would be no need for it. Khee and Tulloh are most thorough. When they ask questions, the proper answers are shortly forthcoming.” He shuddered faintly, as if recalling a past interrogation conducted by Khee and Tulloh.
I thought: If Inspector Tiong talked to him about La Croix’s death—and about the attack on me—he couldn’t have found out much, or been able to prove anything at all. Van Rijk wouldn’t be running around loose if it were otherwise. And he couldn’t have mentioned my name to Van Rijk, either, or the fat bastard wouldn’t have come here alone and smiling. I was going to have to do some of Tiong’s work for him, the way I had done with Marla King.
I said, “What was La Croix to you? Why were you looking for him?”
“He had something which belongs to me.”
“Such as?”
“An item of great value.”
“What sort of item?”
“Perhaps he told you himself, yesterday morning.”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
“Or perhaps Marla King told you.”
“Who’s Marla King?”
I watched the mildness go out of those liquidy blue eyes of his for a brief instant, as it had the day before at the waterfront eating stall; but he regained control of his temper and gave me one of his gingerbread smiles. “Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Connell?”
“No,” I said truthfully. “You’re a lot of things, Van Rijk, but a fool isn’t one of them.”
“Then why do you persist in playing the innocent?”
“All right. Nobody told me anything. I don’t have any idea what it is La Croix had that belongs to you.”
“That is just as well,” he said. “It is better for all concerned that you do not know.”
It was the sort of thing I had expected him to say—and that was the reason I hadn’t admitted knowing about the figurine. Van Rijk was a dangerous man, and the less he thought I knew, the better it was for me. It was obvious that he didn’t think, as Marla King had, that I had the Burong Chabak; he was after something else, and I was fairly certain I knew what it was.
I said, “Make your pitch, Van Rijk.”
“Pitch?”
“You came here for a specific reason. Let’s hear it.”
“Very well.” He looked at me steadily. “I came here to offer you twenty thousand Straits dollars.”
“For
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