The King is Dead (26 page)

On June 15, 1934, the U.S. Senate ratified the Geneva Convention for the supervision of international trade in arms, ammunition, and implements of war. Bendigo was not in Washington, D.C. at any time during June 1934 …

On Aug. 1, 1934, he flew back to Berlin. He remained there for nearly three weeks, until Aug. 20. During those three weeks President von Hindenburg died and the offices of President and Chancellor were consolidated in the single office of Leader-Chancellor. One of Der Fuehrer's first acts in his new official capacity was to decorate Herr Kane Bendigo in a strictly private ceremony. The next day Bendigo left Berlin …

On Jan. 10, 1935, Italy resumed fighting in Ethiopia. Between 1934 and the middle of 1936 the Company made huge shipments to Italy …

On Mar. 16, 1935, Hitler broke the Versailles Treaty, ordered conscription in Germany, and began expansion of the German Army. Only one month before, the Company had acquired four more giant plants in widely scattered locations. In Mar. 1935 these were running at full capacity …

On June 5, 1936, Leon Blum, leader of the Socialist Party in France, formed the first Popular Front ministry. Within six weeks a far-reaching programme of social reform was introduced, including (July 17) nationalization of the munitions industry. Bendigo was in and out of France frequently between the end of July 1936 and June 1937, when the Blum cabinet was forced to resign. Contiguity of additional Bendigo visits to France with significant dates — November, when the Cagoulards were frustrated in their revolutionary plot against the Republic; Mar. 1938, when the Chautemps government fell; Mar.—Apr. 1938, when Blum's second ministry failed, to give way to the cabinet of Édouard Daladier — indicates that Bendigo from the very beginning worked to defeat the Popular Front and its social and nationalization programme …

In 1937 the Japanese renewed fighting in China, Hitler repudiated German war guilt, Italy withdrew from the League, civil war raged even more violently in Spain. The Bodigen Arms Company in 1937 enjoyed its greatest year to that time …

On Mar. 11, 1938, Hitler's troops crossed the Austrian frontier. Sept. 29—30, 1938 — Munich. Mr. Kane Bendigo, the ordinarily tireless, was ‘forced' to desert the arduous cares of business for a ‘rest'. He took a one-month vacation. The month: Sept. 1938. The place: A small hotel in Pfaffenhofen. Pfaffenhofen is some 50 kilometres from Munich …

In Mar. 1939 the Spanish war ended. In a private ceremony in Madrid, El Caudillo decorated Señor Kane Bendigo for unnamed reasons …

Czech Bohemia and Moravia … Memel … Lithuania … Albania …

Aug. 1939: Bendigo's connexion with the events leading up to the diplomatic revolution which shook the world, the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, remains obscure. Certain entries in Bellodgia's diaries are strongly suggestive. That it was to Bendigo's advantage to see the Soviet power temporarily neutralized so that Hitler might feel free to invade Poland and risk British and French declarations of war is childishly evident. K.B. had several sessions with Hitler and von Ribbentrop in early August, and there is reason to believe that he had a meeting with, or was present at a conference which was attended by, Molotov …

Sept. 1, 1939: Poland. On Sept. 3 Prime Minister Chamberlain announced in Parliament that a state of war existed between Great Britain and Germany: ‘Hitler can be stopped only by force.'

King Bendigo could have told Mr. Chamberlain that some time before …

The picture is monotonous and unmistakable. It clearly shows this man riding the rollers of history. It must be emphasized again that Bendigo does not cause events; he insinuates himself into their midst and diverts them to his purposes.

It is of no interest to him whether a Hitler comes to power, or a Stalin; he has done business with both. His dealings with the Soviet have been far more obscure than those with the Nazis, but only because there is virtually no data on them available. That they have been considerable and far-reaching is not to be doubted.

Bendigo is completely above loyalties or duties, isms or ologies. Patriotism to him is a device, not an ideal. His politics are fluid; they flow in every direction at once …

A Few Further Excerpts from the Notes

In the bombing of Rennes in 1940, 4,500 persons were killed. Bancroft Wells, the philanthropist, heading a committee of distinguished people, formally asked Mr. Kane Bendigo to act as honorary chairman of an international committee dedicated to the future restoration of the historic cathedral. Mr. Kane Bendigo accepted with an indignant speech denouncing ‘the barbaric practices of the enemies of civilization …'

On May 10, 1941, London suffered its worst air-raid of the war — 1,436 lives lost. King Bendigo left London in his private plane on May 9.
Inevitable speculation: Did he have advance information? …

Dec. 7, 1941: Capt. Bellodgia records a rare item. For the one and only time in his long association with King Bendigo, Bellodgia was privileged to see the great man howling drunk. ‘He kept beating his chest like Tarzan in the movies — it was positively embarrassing. Also kind of out of place, I thought, seeing that Pres. Roosevelt had only just announced the Jap attack on Pearl Harbour …'

I was curious to see — purely as a point of character — exactly when and under what circumstances he met, wooed, and married Karla. The four-day period of their courtship in Paris provided the clue, and Karla had intimated that it was just after the war … I worked it out. They met in Paris on July 25, 1946, and they were married on July 29. On July 29, 1946, the first peace conference of World War II began — in Paris.

Between busy seasons, as it were.

14

The Inspector embraced him without shame.

‘I thought you were never coming back, son.'

‘Dad —'

‘Wait till we get in the car. I purposely drove down to the field so we could have a few minutes alone.' When they were in the little Residence car, he said, ‘Well?'

‘First,' said Ellery, ‘how is King?'

‘Up and about, and as far as I can see he's good as new. Storm won't let him do more than a couple of hours' work a day, so he's taking mild exercise and spending a lot of time with Karla. What have you got?'

‘The whole story.'

His father scowled. ‘Isn't that ducky.'

‘You don't seem pleased!'

‘Why should I be? Because you've got the whole story of what they did as kids in Wrightsville? How does that help us get off this damned roof?'

‘The whole story,' said Ellery, ‘of the attempted murder. What's behind it … and what, I think, is ahead of it.'

And Ellery started the car.

‘Wait!' cried his father.

‘Do you know where King is now?'

‘When I left, he and Karla and that Max were lying around the outdoor pool. But Ellery —'

‘Then I'd better hurry.'

‘What are you going to
do
?'

‘Look for something first. Something,' muttered Ellery, ‘I don't expect to find.'

Ellery lingered outside the Residence long enough to ascertain that the royal couple were still basking on the bank of the outdoor pool. He did not go near the pool; he investigated from behind a bird-of-paradise bush in the gardens, and the Bendigos remained unaware of his presence. He could see Max'l's furred body and bullet head rolling around in the water. Karla was stretched out on a beach pad; her skin, usually so fair, was red-gold, as if she had been spending her days in the sun. King dozed in a deck-chair. He was in light slacks, but he had removed his shirt and Ellery saw the puckered scar of the wound against his dark skin. The wound looked entirely healed.

They took the private elevator to the Bendigo apartments.

The captain of the guard saluted and then shook hands. ‘We heard you were expected back, sir. There's no one in just now but Mr. Judah.'

‘I'll want to see him in a few minutes … I notice the seal on the Confidential Room, Captain, is broken.'

‘Yes, sir,' said the officer uneasily.

‘King himself broke the seal, Ellery. He was angry, and it was all we could do to convince him that these men weren't at fault but were just following orders. I had to give the boss man back his key.'

Ellery shrugged and went directly to King's suite, his father following eagerly.

‘This is it, I think.'

They stepped into King Bendigo's wardrobe room.

‘Shut the door, Dad.' Ellery looked around.

The Inspector shut the door and leaned against it. ‘Now what?'

‘Now, we take inventory,' said Ellery. ‘You watch and make sure I don't overlook any closet, drawer, or shelf. This has to be thorough.' He approached the first closet to the left of the entrance and slid back its door. ‘Suits … suits … and more suits. Morning, afternoon, evening, formal, informal, semi-formal …'

‘Am I supposed to take notes?' asked his father.

‘Mental notes … And so forth. But all suits. Next.' Ellery opened another closet, ran his hand along the racks. ‘Coats. Topcoats, overcoats, greatcoats, fur coats, storm coats, raincoats — What's up here? Hat department. Fedoras, homburgs, derbies, silk toppers, golf caps, hunting caps, yachting caps, et cetera, et cetera …'

‘What a man.'

‘Isn't he.'

‘I meant you,' said his father.

Ah, the shoe department. From patent leathers to hunting boots. Ever see anything like this outside a store? Dressing-gowns … bathrobes … smoking jackets …
And
the sports division! Sports jackets, shooting jackets, slacks, ski outfits, yachting suits, riding clothes, gym clothes, wrestling tights, tennis whites —'

‘Is there anything he's missed?' said the Inspector. ‘He couldn't wear half these things out if he lived to be as old as I feel right now.'

‘Shirts, hundreds of shirts, for every occasion … Underwear … pyjamas — whew! … socks … collars … and look at these ties! … Handkerchiefs … sweaters … mufflers … gloves … everything in wholesale lots —'

‘And I'm not getting any younger,' muttered the Inspector.

‘Belts, suspenders, garters, spats, cuff links, collar buttons, studs, tiepins, tie clasps, key chains … and wallets. Dad, will you look in this drawer? I wonder what this is made of. If this isn't elephant hide —'

‘You missed that one,' said his father.

‘Which? Oh … Walking-sticks. About a hundred, wouldn't you say, Dad? And if this isn't a sword-cane, I'll … There you are. Sword-cane, too.'

‘Umbrella rack.'

‘And the drawer under it … Rubbers. Overshoes. Hip boots — have I left anything out?' Ellery went over to the wall beside his father and pressed a button. ‘We'll make sure.'

‘I suppose,' sighed his father, ‘you know what you're doing. Because I don't.'

There was a precise knock behind his back. The Inspector opened the door. A thin man in black stood there.

‘Yes, sir?' The voice sounded unused.

‘Are you the King's valet?' asked Ellery.

‘Yes, sir. I must ask you, sir —'

‘Do the contents of this room represent Mr. Bendigo's entire wardrobe?'

‘On Bendigo Island — yes, sir. Sir, this room is —'

‘There's no other place in or out of the Residence where his personal garments are kept?'

‘Not on the island, sir. A similar wardrobe room exists in each residence maintained by Mr. Bendigo. There is one in New York City, one in Bodigen, Illinois, one in Paris —'

‘Thank you,' said Ellery; and when the valet lingered, he said, ‘That's all.' The valet backed away reluctantly.

‘That was all I wanted to know,' Ellery said as they made their way to Judah Bendigo's quarters.

‘That King has the biggest personal wardrobe this side of the Milky Way, and that it's all in that room?'

‘That he has the biggest personal wardrobe this side of the Milky Way,' said Ellery, ‘with one very odd exception.'

The Inspector stopped short. ‘You mean there's somebody has a
bigger
one?'

‘I mean there's something missing.'

‘Missing! From
there
?'

‘What I was looking for, Dad, is not in that room. Not one of them. But we'll make sure.'

Judah was at his Bechstein playing a Bach prelude. There was an open bottle of Segonzac on the piano, and an empty glass.

Blue Shirt rose quietly from a chair and Brown Shirt turned from the window as the Queens came in. Judah paid no attention. Rather remarkably, he did not slouch at the piano. He sat well back on the bench, his back straight, his shallow chest out, head thrown back, hands playing from the wrists in beautiful, dancelike rhythms. His eyes were open and staring out across the strings at some vista visible only to himself. There was a frown on his forehead.

He came to the end of the prelude. With the last chord his hands dropped, his back and chest collapsed, his head came forward, and he reached for the bottle of cognac.

‘You should play Bach more often,' said Ellery.

Judah turned, startled. Then he jumped up and hurried forward with every appearance of pleasure. ‘You're back,' he exclaimed. ‘I've missed you. Maybe there's something you can do about these two barbarians — I've talked to your father about it, but he merely looked wise. Do you know what this one wants me to play? Offenbach!' Judah had the bottle and glass in his hands and he began to pour himself a drink. ‘Where have you been, Ellery? No one would tell me.'

‘Wrightsville.'

Judah dropped the glass. The bottle remained in his hand, but only by a sort of instinct. He looked down at the rug, foolishly.

Blue Shirt began to pick up the pieces.

‘Wrightsville.' Judah laughed; it sounded more like the croak of a blackbird. ‘And how is dear old Wrightsville?'