Read Online The Rodriguez Affair (1970) by James Pattinson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: James Pattinson
Tags: thriller
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Cade and he was surprised at the keen interest she showed. “You saw Señor Gomara? You actually saw the hermit?”
“No,” Cade said. “I was not quite so successful as that But I went into the house.”
“He has ingratiated himself with Gomara’s blonde,” Johnson said. “She’s going to arrange an interview with the man himself.”
“She’s going to try. She didn’t promise anything. Gomara may be difficult.”
Johnson grinned. “Judging by her looks, that baby could persuade the President of the United States to vote communist”
Miss Suarez regarded Cade with her softly glowing eyes, “You have perhaps fallen a little for this Miss Lindsay? Is it not so, Roberto?” She was gently teasing, but behind the teasing Cade seemed to detect a more serious note. Both she and Johnson had a keener interest in Gomara than could have been explained by mere idle curiosity. He wondered why this should be.
But when he answered it was in the same light bantering tone that Miss Suarez had used. “Not so, Juanita. Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but I am no gentleman. My taste is rather for the darker type.”
She smiled. “No gentleman perhaps, but most certainly a diplomat.”
Earl Johnson looked amused.
Cade went to his room after dinner. He was staring down into the Plaza when he heard a gentle tap on the door.
“Come in,” he said, turning away from the window.
The door opened immediately and Jorge Torres slipped into the room. He closed the door and stood with his back to it, looking at Cade, saying nothing.
“What is it?” Cade asked. “What do you want?”
Torres smiled ingratiatingly, but there was a certain cunning calculation in his smile and also in the shifty eyes. It was as though he were weighing Cade up.
“I wish to talk with you, señor.”
“On what subject?”
Torres moved away from the door and rubbed hishands together as though washing them with invisible soap and water. “On the subject of money perhaps.”
“Always an interesting subject,” Cade said, and waited for Torres to be more specific.
Torres stopped washing his hands and fiddled with the ends of his moustache; his gaze wandered about the room, fell on Cade in passing and flickered away again. “Yesterday, señor, we had an interesting conversation. You asked me questions about certain people—Señor Banner, Señor Gomara, two other men. You did not wish me to speak of this conversation; you gave me a small token to remind me not to speak of it.”
“So?” Cade said.
“Today another person also asks me questions.”
“About what?”
“About you, señor.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, señor. But of course I say that I know nothing. I forget all about those things you ask me. I remember the small token and I remember to forget.”
“Good,” Cade said.
Torres’s gaze fell upon Cade and this time it did not move away. “Not so good perhaps. I could have earned a little money if I had talked, if I had not remembered to forget Another time it might be more difficult unless I have another token to remind me.”
Cade saw how it was : Torres had spotted a possibility of making some more easy money. The story he had just spun might well be true; possibly Johnson or Miss Suarez had asked questions. But what if they had? It made little difference whether or not they knew of his interest in Harry Banner. As far as he was concernedall that really mattered was to find out how Banner had come by the diamonds that were now in Holden Bales’s keeping and why he had been killed. It had been a mistake in the first place to bribe Torres to keep his mouth shut about the conversation; it had merely roused the man’s curiosity; but he was certainly not going to let Torres extract any more bolivars from his pocket The señora had warned him not to give money to her husband and in future he would heed that warning.
“You’ll get no more tokens from me,” he said.
Torres looked disappointed. “That is unfortunate,
“No,” Cade said. “I was not quite so successful as that But I went into the house.”
“He has ingratiated himself with Gomara’s blonde,” Johnson said. “She’s going to arrange an interview with the man himself.”
“She’s going to try. She didn’t promise anything. Gomara may be difficult.”
Johnson grinned. “Judging by her looks, that baby could persuade the President of the United States to vote communist”
Miss Suarez regarded Cade with her softly glowing eyes, “You have perhaps fallen a little for this Miss Lindsay? Is it not so, Roberto?” She was gently teasing, but behind the teasing Cade seemed to detect a more serious note. Both she and Johnson had a keener interest in Gomara than could have been explained by mere idle curiosity. He wondered why this should be.
But when he answered it was in the same light bantering tone that Miss Suarez had used. “Not so, Juanita. Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but I am no gentleman. My taste is rather for the darker type.”
She smiled. “No gentleman perhaps, but most certainly a diplomat.”
Earl Johnson looked amused.
Cade went to his room after dinner. He was staring down into the Plaza when he heard a gentle tap on the door.
“Come in,” he said, turning away from the window.
The door opened immediately and Jorge Torres slipped into the room. He closed the door and stood with his back to it, looking at Cade, saying nothing.
“What is it?” Cade asked. “What do you want?”
Torres smiled ingratiatingly, but there was a certain cunning calculation in his smile and also in the shifty eyes. It was as though he were weighing Cade up.
“I wish to talk with you, señor.”
“On what subject?”
Torres moved away from the door and rubbed hishands together as though washing them with invisible soap and water. “On the subject of money perhaps.”
“Always an interesting subject,” Cade said, and waited for Torres to be more specific.
Torres stopped washing his hands and fiddled with the ends of his moustache; his gaze wandered about the room, fell on Cade in passing and flickered away again. “Yesterday, señor, we had an interesting conversation. You asked me questions about certain people—Señor Banner, Señor Gomara, two other men. You did not wish me to speak of this conversation; you gave me a small token to remind me not to speak of it.”
“So?” Cade said.
“Today another person also asks me questions.”
“About what?”
“About you, señor.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, señor. But of course I say that I know nothing. I forget all about those things you ask me. I remember the small token and I remember to forget.”
“Good,” Cade said.
Torres’s gaze fell upon Cade and this time it did not move away. “Not so good perhaps. I could have earned a little money if I had talked, if I had not remembered to forget Another time it might be more difficult unless I have another token to remind me.”
Cade saw how it was : Torres had spotted a possibility of making some more easy money. The story he had just spun might well be true; possibly Johnson or Miss Suarez had asked questions. But what if they had? It made little difference whether or not they knew of his interest in Harry Banner. As far as he was concernedall that really mattered was to find out how Banner had come by the diamonds that were now in Holden Bales’s keeping and why he had been killed. It had been a mistake in the first place to bribe Torres to keep his mouth shut about the conversation; it had merely roused the man’s curiosity; but he was certainly not going to let Torres extract any more bolivars from his pocket The señora had warned him not to give money to her husband and in future he would heed that warning.
“You’ll get no more tokens from me,” he said.
Torres looked disappointed. “That is unfortunate,
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