Stardust(152)
The agent looked at him for a minute, then pushed back his chair with a scrape and walked over to the door. “I’m Agent Henderson,” he said, turning halfway.
Liesl was brought in a few minutes later, her face still pale, drained.
“You all right?”
She nodded, mute.
“I thought you’d better be here for this. It’s going to concern you.”
“Because of Heinrich?” she said, still puzzled.
“No. Danny. They think he was passing secrets.”
“What?”
“Well, receiving anyway.” He turned to Henderson. “Is that right?”
“Close enough.”
“Secrets?” Liesl said, confused, almost sputtering. “Like a spy? Daniel? No, it’s a mistake. What secrets?”
“Classified information was sent to him. By name. His address. We don’t know for how long. Once would be enough.”
“To the house?”
“The Cherokee,” Ben said. “His other name. The place was used as a mail drop.”
“I don’t believe it. How would he know—secrets.”
“He didn’t have to know them. He just had to pass them on.” Ben looked at Henderson. “Assuming he did.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They were sent to him but we don’t know that he picked them up, do we?”
“We can assume.”
“But we can’t prove it. The guy who went over the balcony—my burglar. Ray. Police find a mail key on him?”
Henderson said nothing.
“You must have asked. Given your interest. Or didn’t anybody think of it?”
“We asked.”
“And? Great partnership,” he said when Henderson didn’t answer. “Look, I can find out anyway. But I thought there was some urgency here.” He stared at Henderson. “It’s important.”
Henderson nodded, then said, “Now tell me why.”
“Because he didn’t take mine. So he already had one. Danny’s. Which he either took from him, or which Danny never had. It’s possible somebody else picked up the mail.” He looked at Liesl. “It’s also possible Danny did. Either way.”
“And either way he’s part of it,” Henderson said. “He had to know.”
“About the mail, yes. Not necessarily what was in it.”
“Small difference.”
“Not to us,” Ben said, including Liesl. “Anyway, Ray had a key. Which means whoever hired him gave it to him. Which also means he doesn’t have it anymore. And that’s where we come in,” he said to Henderson.
“Back up,” Henderson said.
“Guy goes to the Cherokee, checks the mail but nothing’s there because I’d already picked it up. So he checks the apartment, still nothing, and after he knocks me out, he goes through my pockets and still nothing. Then he goes over. And now the police have the key. But not the letter, or all kinds of bells would be going off. So whoever hired him is stuck. No key, no letter. But he knows it was sent, so where is it?”
“You have it,” Henderson said quietly.
“Right. And the important thing is that he doesn’t know we’re having this little talk. He doesn’t know I gave it to you. Unless somebody leaks. We don’t know where he has friends.”
“Nobody’s going to leak.”
“Make sure, okay? Or he won’t move. He won’t take the bait.”
“The bait being you,” Henderson said.
Ben nodded.
“What are you talking about?” Liesl said. “Bait?”
“If the letter’s already here, I must have it. If it’s still on its way, then I’d get it. No other keys. Not to mention he won’t want to risk checking the boxes at the Cherokee. After what happened. Police might be taking an interest. So if he wants it, he has to get it from me. With any luck, before I start asking anybody about it. So he doesn’t want to see me with anybody.” He looked at Henderson. “No watchdogs. But Liesl’s a different story. That’s why I wanted you here, so you’ll know. I want you to put someone on the house,” he said to Henderson. “Not sitting out front in a hat, either. A gardener, maybe, something like that. But who’s there all the time. And somebody right behind, when she goes out. So she’s always covered.”
“You’re taking the case over now?”
“You were going to put some guys on me, weren’t you? Just switch them to her. He’ll watch me. He has to think it’s all right, to make his move.”
“Try to kill you, you mean,” Liesl said.
“Which he might do,” Henderson said. “And then we’re nowhere and you’re dead.”