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Chapter eighteen

I Find Elaine Garfield

The telephone rang again. I was afraid to answer it. The telephone continued ringing. Finally, I did answer it.

‘Hello,’ I said.

‘Is that Mr Samuel’ asked a voice. It was Helen Garfield. ‘Yes, Miss Garfield,’ I replied, ‘this is Len Samuel speaking.’ ‘I must see you,’ said Helen Garfield.

‘Well, I would like to talk to you, too, Miss Garfield,’ I said slowly. ‘I think there are a lot of things you and I must talk about.’

‘Right,’ the girl said, ‘meet me at the “Seventh Mann” cafe in five minutes. Do you know where the cafe is? It’s about half a mile from your office.’

‘I know the “Seventh Man”, ‘I replied, ‘but I can’t meet you in five minutes, because I’m expecting visitors.’

‘You must come at once, Mr Samuel,’ she said.

‘But–’ I began.

It was too late. Helen Garfield had put her telephone down. I got up from the chair and walked to the door. I decided to go and meet Helen Garfield. Both Jo and Sergeant Murphy had told me not to go out.

But I decided I would rather talk to Helen Garfield than to the policeman or to Jo. If Jo and the policeman came when I was out, they could talk to each other.

I left the building and drove the Chrysler down the road. I was very lucky, because I was able to park right outside the “Seventh Mann”. I walked into the cafe.

Helen Garfield was sitting at a table in the comer. I walked over and sat down beside her. I asked the waiter for a cup of coffee. I drank the coffee without saying anything. Then I put the cup down and looked at the beautiful, blonde girl sitting beside me.

‘Miss Garfield,’ I said, you are a very beautiful girl, but I think you are a liar. I think that everything you’ve said to me has been lies. I don’t think you’ve ever told me the truth.’

The blonde girl’s face slowly became red. She looked straight at me.

‘Mr Samuel,’ she said, ‘I’m paying you a lot of money to work for me. I asked you to find my sister. I didn’t ask you to call me a liar.’

‘Well, Miss Garfield, I think I have found Elaine Garfield. Would you like me to tell you where she is?’

‘Yes,’ the blonde girl said, ‘where is Elaine?’

‘She’s here in this cafe,’ I said. ‘Elaine Garfield is sitting next to me. You are Elaine Garfield. Helen Garfield doesn’t exist. You pretended to be Helen Garfield, but there really never was any such person.

‘The police in New York say that Helen Garfield doesn’t exist,’ I went on. ‘Helen Garfield and Elaine Garfield are the same person. You are Elaine Garfield and you pretended to be Helen.’

The blonde girl stood up angrily.

‘How much money do you want, Mr Samuel? You are no longer working for me,’ she shouted.

‘Sit down,’ I said quietly.

The blonde girl did not sit down, so I pulled her down beside me.

‘Now listen, Miss Garfield,’ I said firmly. ‘You are going to tell me all about yourself and why you came to see me. I want to know all about Benny Creep and Las Cabanas. I want to know why you disappeared.’

‘I won’t tell you anything,’ she said.

‘Oh, yes, you will tell me everything,’ I replied, ‘you’ll tell me everything or else I’ll take you straight to the police. You see, the police are looking for me at this moment.

‘The police think that I may have killed Benny Greep,’ I continued. ‘The police know that I had a fight at Las Cabanas last night. A red haired man and his tall friend are also chasing me.

They are the two men who started the fight at Las Cabanas. They will try to kill me if I don’t tell them where you are. So you see, Miss Garfield, I think you had better tell me everything. I’m the only person who can help you.’

The blonde girl sat in silence for a minute. Then she began to cry.

‘All right,’ she said, ‘I’ll tell you everything. I am Elaine Garfield.’