1980 - You Can Say That Again Read Online Free
Author: James Hadley Chase
cooperation,’ he returned. ‘I understand that you have a placid temperament. Is that correct?’
‘That depends. I’ve never had trouble with my directors. I’ve . . .’
He cut me off with a wave of his hand.
‘Whole hearted cooperation. Let me spell it out. I will only hire you at one thousand dollars a day if you will do exactly what I tell you to do without any query or hesitation. That is what I mean by wholehearted cooperation. What I will ask you to do will not be dangerous, won’t be breaking the law and won’t be beyond your powers. You either give me your wholehearted cooperation or you don’t get hired.’
There must be a catch in this, I thought, but my mind was already browsing over the thought of one thousand dollars a day.
‘Just what is it, you want me to do?’
He studied me for a long, uncomfortable moment.
‘So you are not prepared to give me your wholehearted cooperation without further details? Be sure about this.’
Was there a warning in his voice? I began to sweat again. To be paid one thousand dollars a day would be marvelous, but I felt in my bones there must be a catch in it. The kidnapping, the Ape, this big money bait and Durant, looking like someone connected with the Mafia, made up a scene that scared me. It won’t be dangerous, won’t be breaking the law, won’t be beyond your powers . This was too glib. In spite of being desperate to earn money, I wasn’t going to walk into anything, blind.
‘No,’ I said firmly, ‘I’m not prepared to give you my wholehearted cooperation unless you tell me just what it is you want me to do.’
I heard a low growling noise from the Ape: a sound like distant thunder. Durant scratched his forehead, frowned, then shrugged.
‘Very well, Mr. Stevens. I had hoped that this offer of money would be enough for you to agree to any work offered to you.’
‘Then you are mistaken. So what do you want me to do?’
His thin lips parted in a wintry smile.
‘As you insist, I will give you some idea of what will be required of you.’ He paused, then taking out a lizard skin cigar case, he selected a cigar, rolled the cigar between his lips, then nipped off the end with a gold cigar cutter. He glanced over his shoulder at the Ape, who moved forward, struck a match and held the flame while Durant puffed.
While this was going on, I shook out a cigarette from the pack of Chesterfields and lit up.
‘I need you to impersonate a man who resembles you,’ Durant said, behind a cloud of rich smelling smoke.
This was the last thing I expected to hear.
‘Impersonate? Who is this man?’
‘For the moment, that is something you needn’t know.’
‘Why is it necessary for me to impersonate this man?’
Durant made a movement as if a fly was irritating him.
‘The man you will be impersonating needs freedom of movement,’ he said, a sudden rasp of impatience in his voice. ‘He is being constantly watched by a group of people. His freedom of movement is essential for promoting an important business deal. As he is being harassed by his business rivals and the press, we have decided to hire a standin — that is the word, I believe, you use in the movie world: a man who will draw off this group and the press who are becoming a nuisance, while the man you will be impersonating will be able to leave the country, travel in Europe and complete this deal without the constant worry of being followed and spied on. Once the deal has been completed, you will be able to return to your normal way of life with some thirty thousand dollars in your bank.’
I sat back and thought about this while Durant smoked and stared away from me. I had read enough about industrial spies. Once, I had played an industrial spy in a low grade movie. The machinations of the big wheelers to put through a deal had long ceased to surprise me. If this big wheel was being spied on, it seemed to me to be a smart move to hire a standin. It wouldn’t bother me to be spied on,
‘That depends. I’ve never had trouble with my directors. I’ve . . .’
He cut me off with a wave of his hand.
‘Whole hearted cooperation. Let me spell it out. I will only hire you at one thousand dollars a day if you will do exactly what I tell you to do without any query or hesitation. That is what I mean by wholehearted cooperation. What I will ask you to do will not be dangerous, won’t be breaking the law and won’t be beyond your powers. You either give me your wholehearted cooperation or you don’t get hired.’
There must be a catch in this, I thought, but my mind was already browsing over the thought of one thousand dollars a day.
‘Just what is it, you want me to do?’
He studied me for a long, uncomfortable moment.
‘So you are not prepared to give me your wholehearted cooperation without further details? Be sure about this.’
Was there a warning in his voice? I began to sweat again. To be paid one thousand dollars a day would be marvelous, but I felt in my bones there must be a catch in it. The kidnapping, the Ape, this big money bait and Durant, looking like someone connected with the Mafia, made up a scene that scared me. It won’t be dangerous, won’t be breaking the law, won’t be beyond your powers . This was too glib. In spite of being desperate to earn money, I wasn’t going to walk into anything, blind.
‘No,’ I said firmly, ‘I’m not prepared to give you my wholehearted cooperation unless you tell me just what it is you want me to do.’
I heard a low growling noise from the Ape: a sound like distant thunder. Durant scratched his forehead, frowned, then shrugged.
‘Very well, Mr. Stevens. I had hoped that this offer of money would be enough for you to agree to any work offered to you.’
‘Then you are mistaken. So what do you want me to do?’
His thin lips parted in a wintry smile.
‘As you insist, I will give you some idea of what will be required of you.’ He paused, then taking out a lizard skin cigar case, he selected a cigar, rolled the cigar between his lips, then nipped off the end with a gold cigar cutter. He glanced over his shoulder at the Ape, who moved forward, struck a match and held the flame while Durant puffed.
While this was going on, I shook out a cigarette from the pack of Chesterfields and lit up.
‘I need you to impersonate a man who resembles you,’ Durant said, behind a cloud of rich smelling smoke.
This was the last thing I expected to hear.
‘Impersonate? Who is this man?’
‘For the moment, that is something you needn’t know.’
‘Why is it necessary for me to impersonate this man?’
Durant made a movement as if a fly was irritating him.
‘The man you will be impersonating needs freedom of movement,’ he said, a sudden rasp of impatience in his voice. ‘He is being constantly watched by a group of people. His freedom of movement is essential for promoting an important business deal. As he is being harassed by his business rivals and the press, we have decided to hire a standin — that is the word, I believe, you use in the movie world: a man who will draw off this group and the press who are becoming a nuisance, while the man you will be impersonating will be able to leave the country, travel in Europe and complete this deal without the constant worry of being followed and spied on. Once the deal has been completed, you will be able to return to your normal way of life with some thirty thousand dollars in your bank.’
I sat back and thought about this while Durant smoked and stared away from me. I had read enough about industrial spies. Once, I had played an industrial spy in a low grade movie. The machinations of the big wheelers to put through a deal had long ceased to surprise me. If this big wheel was being spied on, it seemed to me to be a smart move to hire a standin. It wouldn’t bother me to be spied on,
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