for a few hours. Afterward, I arranged things in the apartment so Thana would have a little necessary freedom of movement. First I closed and locked the kitchen and bedroom doors, then I checked in the hall bathroom and removed anything she might use for a weapon, then broke the lock on the polished gold doorknob. The telephone was my big worry; Thana had only to lift the receiver from its cradle to indicate to the hotel below that someone was in the penthouse. The phone was on a very long cord, though, so I set it high up on the top wall bookshelf where she couldn't reach it. I fastened the receiver down with adhesive tape so that even if Thana pulled the phone down by the cord it would hold firm. She thanked me when I freed her from the sofa and let her walk about with her wrists handcuffed before her.
Most of the day she just roamed around the apartment, sitting now and then to read part of the paperback detective novel I'd bought. I watched her try and fail to concentrate on the hook.
"You have lousy taste in literature," she said at last, giving up and throwing the novel across the room.
"I bought it for you," I said, getting up and walking to the long window overlooking the street. The draperies were open more than halfway and the view of the city was impressive. Below me I could see the ant-like cars feeling their way through heavy traffic to the stop sign at the intersection, where they paused and seemed to consider which way to go next before moving on straight or turning.
"This is intolerable," Thana said behind me.
"Be quiet and I'll fix supper," I told her without moving.
"Fix what for supper?"
"Bologna sandwiches."
"That was lunch."
"It'll be breakfast too," I said, and it was.
I listened to Thana complain the rest of the next day, then late that night I bound her to the sofa again and went out to make my second telephone call.
Norden had already received the wedding ring in the mail.
"I want this to be over with," he said in a shaky voice. "I have the money ready in small bills. I took the liberty of assuming you'd want it that way."
"And the police?"
"I swear I haven't talked to them, to anyone!"
"Tomorrow night," I told him, getting to the point to shorten the call, "send your chauffeur in your blue limousine, carrying the money packed in one suitcase. Have him turn north on Route Seven from Highway 5 at exactly eleven o'clock, and tell him to drive at exactly forty miles an hour. When he sees the flash of a blue light, he's to pull to the side of the road immediately, dump the suitcase and drive on. Understood?"
"Understood," Norden said. "What about Thana? Is she â"
"She's fine," I said, "and if everything goes right she'll be back to you in no time. If everything goes right."
"You can trust me," Norden said. "I swear it. But you mustn't harm her."
"I don't want to, Mr. Norden," I said, and hung up.
Of course it was true, I didn't want to harm Thana; and for some reason I believed I could trust Norman Norden not to bring in the police at this point. The old man, in my brief but tense conversations with him, had shown an admirable self-control and concern for the safety of his wife. I guess you'd say, a certain class.
I got back to the penthouse and untied, then handcuffed Thana to the sofa so she could sleep, and so I could sleep without worrying about her getting to the telephone or hurling something through a window at this stage of the game.
"I think our worries are about over," I told her. "Your husband's going to pay off tomorrow night."
She sneered up at me. "Did you think he might not pay to have me back?"
"Not for a second. I'm beginning to think I should have asked for more."
"You underestimated my value."
"Or Norden overestimates it."
She spat at me then, but I moved back and she missed. "How's it feel to be set up for life with millions of dollars?" I asked.
"It feels great! It's a feeling you'll never know."
"You sound like you're trying to convince both of
Most of the day she just roamed around the apartment, sitting now and then to read part of the paperback detective novel I'd bought. I watched her try and fail to concentrate on the hook.
"You have lousy taste in literature," she said at last, giving up and throwing the novel across the room.
"I bought it for you," I said, getting up and walking to the long window overlooking the street. The draperies were open more than halfway and the view of the city was impressive. Below me I could see the ant-like cars feeling their way through heavy traffic to the stop sign at the intersection, where they paused and seemed to consider which way to go next before moving on straight or turning.
"This is intolerable," Thana said behind me.
"Be quiet and I'll fix supper," I told her without moving.
"Fix what for supper?"
"Bologna sandwiches."
"That was lunch."
"It'll be breakfast too," I said, and it was.
I listened to Thana complain the rest of the next day, then late that night I bound her to the sofa again and went out to make my second telephone call.
Norden had already received the wedding ring in the mail.
"I want this to be over with," he said in a shaky voice. "I have the money ready in small bills. I took the liberty of assuming you'd want it that way."
"And the police?"
"I swear I haven't talked to them, to anyone!"
"Tomorrow night," I told him, getting to the point to shorten the call, "send your chauffeur in your blue limousine, carrying the money packed in one suitcase. Have him turn north on Route Seven from Highway 5 at exactly eleven o'clock, and tell him to drive at exactly forty miles an hour. When he sees the flash of a blue light, he's to pull to the side of the road immediately, dump the suitcase and drive on. Understood?"
"Understood," Norden said. "What about Thana? Is she â"
"She's fine," I said, "and if everything goes right she'll be back to you in no time. If everything goes right."
"You can trust me," Norden said. "I swear it. But you mustn't harm her."
"I don't want to, Mr. Norden," I said, and hung up.
Of course it was true, I didn't want to harm Thana; and for some reason I believed I could trust Norman Norden not to bring in the police at this point. The old man, in my brief but tense conversations with him, had shown an admirable self-control and concern for the safety of his wife. I guess you'd say, a certain class.
I got back to the penthouse and untied, then handcuffed Thana to the sofa so she could sleep, and so I could sleep without worrying about her getting to the telephone or hurling something through a window at this stage of the game.
"I think our worries are about over," I told her. "Your husband's going to pay off tomorrow night."
She sneered up at me. "Did you think he might not pay to have me back?"
"Not for a second. I'm beginning to think I should have asked for more."
"You underestimated my value."
"Or Norden overestimates it."
She spat at me then, but I moved back and she missed. "How's it feel to be set up for life with millions of dollars?" I asked.
"It feels great! It's a feeling you'll never know."
"You sound like you're trying to convince both of
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