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It is Palmer who makes the first contact, toward the end of September
He tells Cynthia on the telephone that he's had a transatlantic call fro a musical based on Jenny's Room, is she familiar with?
“Yes, he's been in touch,” Cynthia says
“I hate to bother you this way,” he says, “but from what I understand, the project ence”
“Yes, I know”
“It does seem a shame, doesn't it?” he says “All these people who'd stand to earn a little money”
“I know,” Cynthia says
“Couldn't you talk with him?”
“I have,” she says “He won't budge”
“It does seem a pity”
“He's protecting Jessica, you see”
“Who's that?”
“Jessica Miles The woinal play He feels she wouldn't have wanted the ain”
“Really? Why's that?”
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“Because it was so awful”
“Oh, I don't think so, do youl I've read s It's really quite good, you know Besides, they're having new songs written, and a new book, and—well, it's truly a shaood shot, you know I think we can all become quite rich, actually If it's done”
There is a crackling on the line
She tries to visualize London She has never been there She iines owns She iattas on the Tha there one day
“Couldn't you please talk with hiain?” Palmer says
It is she who makes the next call, sometime early in October He has just come home from work, it is seven o'clock there in London, only two in the afternoon here in America He tells her he works for “the last of the publishers in Bedford Square,” a line she sur about the way he speaks thatsound studied and prepared, as if he has learned a part and isit A lack of spontaneity, she supposes, so that makes whatever he says see of substance behind the words
“Have you seen hiain?” he asks
“Several times,” she says
“And?”
“Dead end”
“Mmm”
“He won't listen to reason He says the play is a sacred trust”
“Nonsense”
“It's what he believes”
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“She must have written it in the year dot”
“Nineteen twenty-three”
“Norman tells me it's bloody awful”
“My father thinks it's simply wonderful”
“Well, as the old maid said when she kissed the cow”
“It's a shah The opportunity, I mean To have the musical revived”
“How do you mean?”
“Wellten years from noould have been so much better”
“I don't under”
“Never mind, I shouldn't have said that”
“I'm sorry, I still don't”
“It's justmy father isn't in the best of health, you see”
“That's too bad”
“And 7 certainly don't have the same problems he has”
“Problems? What?”
“With the play With it being done as a musical I have no emotional ties to Jessica Miles, you see I never even ive a damn about her play In fact, I'd love to see the musical revived”
“But what's ten years froot to?”
“My father's leaving the rights to me”
“Oh?”
“To her play When he dies It's in his will”
“I see”
“Yes”
There was a long silence
“But” she said “It isn't ten years from now, is it?”
“No, it isn't,” Palmer says
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“It's now,” she says
“Yes,” he says “So it is”
He calls her again on the eighteenth of October It is ht here in America, he tells her it's five am there in London, but he hasn't been able to sleep
“I've been thinking a lot about your father,” he says
“Me, too,” she says
“It seehts, doesn't it? Forgive me, but have you made your position absolutely clear to hi this musical done?”
“Oh, yes, a thousand times”
“I ine, that the ive meyou'll do bloody hat you like with the play Doesn't he realize that?”
“I'm sure he does”
“It does seem unfair, doesn't it?”
“It does”
“Especially since he's in bad health”
“Two heart attacks”
“You'd think he'd hand over the play is Here you are, Cynthia, do with it as you wish”
“His only child,” Cynthia said
“One would think so”
“But he won't”
“Well, when they get to be a certain age”
“It isn't that He's just a stubborn old fool Sometimes I wish”
She lets the sentence trail
He waits
“Sometimes I wish he'd die tomorrow,” she says
There is another silence
“I'm sure you don't mean that,” he says
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“I suppose not” “I'm sure you don't” “But I do,” she says
There is a Jamaican named Charles Colworthy orks in the mail room with Palmer, and he knows another Jamaican named Delroy Leho knows yet another Jaes, who by all accounts is what they call a “Yardie,” which Pal Jas
“I wouldn't want him hurt,” Cynthia says at once
“Of course not”
“You said violence”
“He's assured me it will be painless”
“You've met him?”
“Several times”
“What's his name?”
“John Bridges He's quite ready to do it for us If you still want to go ahead with it”
“I've given it a lot of thought”
“So have I”
“It does see, doesn't it, Gerry?”
“Yes”
There is a long silence
It all see too quickly
“Whenould he do it?”
“Sometime before the end of the e that”
“An introduction?”
“To your father”
“Is he black?”
“Yes But very light skinned”
“I don't know any black people, you see”
“Very pale eyes,” Palmer says "A lovely smile
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All you need do is introduce him He'll take care of the rest"
“It's just that I don't know any black people”
“Well”
“I wouldn't knohat to say”
“Just say he's a friend of yours from London”
“I've never been to London”
“A friend of a friend, you could say Who'll be there for a few days Who you wanted your father to meet Is what you could say”
“Why would anyone want to meet my father?”
“You could say he once worked in a hospital here Just as your father did That would give theive you the name of a hospital here in London”
“I've never introduced my father to anyone in my life”
“It would just be to put hiuard”
“He'd be suspicious”
“Just someone you'd like him to meet A nurse Just as your father was”
“He won't hurt him, will he?”
“No, no, you needn't worry”
“When did you say it would be?”
“Well, he'll come as soon as we authorize it He'll want half of his fee beforehand, half after it's done”
“How much did he say?”
“Five thousand”
“Is that a lot?”
“I think it's reasonable Dollars, that is Not pounds”
“I wouldn't want hiain
“No, he won't be”
“Well”
“But I have to let him know”
“What do you think we should do?”
"I think we should go ahead with it Twenty-five
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hundred dollars is a lot of money to me, but I look upon this as a serious investment"
“Yes”
“an opportunity to advance myself I can't speak for you, of coursebutI've never really had very et invited to verywould change for lamorous”
“Yes,” she said
“I think we should do it,” he said “I truly do”
“Well then”
“What I'll do, if you agree, I'll give John my half of the fee just before he leaves London, and you can pay him the rest when he's done it There in America Afterward Would you be happy with that?”
“I guess so”
“Shall I call him then?”
“Well”
“Tell hi ahead with it?”
“Yes”
Now, sitting in the lieutenant's office with her lawyer and the detectives, she lowers her eyes and says, “John was very charht away But he caused me a lot of trouble later Because he said it would look like an accident, and it didn't”
Gerald Palmer called the British Consulate the ainst him The consul who came over was named Geoffrey Holden, a so a bristly mustache that made him look like a cavalry colonel He took off his heavy overcoat and hung it on a corner rack Under it, he earing a soht yellow tie He
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told Palmer this was his first DBN of the week, which letters he jovially explained stood for Distressed British National
“Murder, eh?” he said “Who'd you kill?”
“I haven't killed anyone” Palmer said “Don't be a bloody fool”
“Let me explain how American laorks,” Holden said “If you actually hired souilty as the person pulling the trigger Murder for hire is first-degree murder, and the penalty is death by lethal injection They use Valium A massive dose that stops the heart Conspiracy to commit murder is another A-felony If you did either or both of these things”
“I didn't”
“I was about to say you'd be in very deep trouble If you did these things Which you say you didn't”
“That's right”
“Being British is no excuse, by the way It doesn't entitle you to immunity”
“I don't need i”
“Well, good then D'you know anyone naes?”
“No”
“They seem to think you know him”
“I don't”
“How about a man named Charles Colworthy?”
Palmer's eyes opened wide
“Supposed to ith you at Martins and Grenville Good publishers, eh? D'you know him?”
Pal it over
“The way they have it,” Holden said, “Colworthy knows soes chap to whoether paid five thousand dollars to kill her father But that isn't so, is it?”
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“Well, I knoorthy, yes But”
“Ah, you do?”
“Yes We work together in the post room But I certainly didn't hire”
“That's good I'll just tell them they've made a mistake”
“Where'd they get those names, anyway?”