A Lotus For Miss Quon (26 page)

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Authors: James Hadley Chase

BOOK: A Lotus For Miss Quon
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"Just sit still and keep quiet," Jaffe said. "If you make any sudden move, I'll shoot you through the back of your head."
Charlie slumped down in his seat, crushed. He had lost his brother, and through the worst of bad luck he had lost the gun. He was defenceless against the strength of the American. Now he would never lay his hands on the diamonds.
Watching him, Jaffe fingered the gun. He was trying to control a sick fear that was growing in his mind. Was Nhan really safe? he kept asking himself. Was this story that the gun belonged to the pilot a lie? If it was a lie, and this little Chinese had planned to kill him, something almost certainly had happened to Nhan.
But there was nothing he could do but wait to see if she arrived. Suppose she didn't arrive? What was he going to do? What could he do? If he went to Saigon to look for her, he would walk into a hornet's nest, and yet he couldn't bear the idea of going without her.
The hours dragged by. Jaffe's nerves became stretched to breaking point as he kept looking at his watch. Charlie had remained silent during the wait. He was past caring now about anything. All he wanted was to get back to his tiny sordid apartment in Hong Kong and forget the whole miserable adventure.
At twenty minutes to eleven, Jaffe could keep silent no longer.
"Damn you!" he suddenly burst out. "Where is she? Why doesn't she come?"
The violence of his voice scared Charlie.
"What is the time?" he asked timidly.
"It's twenty to eleven."
Jaffe suddenly leaned forward and pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of Charlie's neck.
"Listen to me," he said viciously, "I think you're lying! I think you planned to murder me to get the diamonds! What's happened to Nhan? I'll blow your damn head off if you don't tell me!"
He sounds mad enough to do it, Charlie thought, stiff with terror. When he realizes she isn't coming, he'll kill me.

This is not "The End".

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