The Blackbird (1969) – Macmillan

A Grofield Predicament (#3)

___“…when he wakes up.”
___“He is awake,” Grofield said, and was so surprised to hear himself speak he opened his eyes.
___Hospital. Himself in bed. Two thin thirtyish men in dark business suits standing at the foot of the bed, their heads turning to look at him. “Well, well,” one of them said. “The sleeper wakes.”
___“Have you been listening?” the other one asked. “Or do we have to fill you in?”
___Grofield had been filling himself in, remembering the holdup, the getaway, Laufman going into panic, the car rolling over and over, and then the abrupt lights out. And now? He was in a hospital, those two guys weren’t doctors, the future didn’t look bright. He looked at them standing there and said, “You’re cops.”
___“Not exactly,” the second one said. He came around the foot of the bed and sat down in the chair to Grofield’s left. At the same time, the first one moved farther away, over to the door, and stood there casually, arms folded, back against the door.
___Grofield found it painful to turn his head and dizzying to look at the seated one through his nose, so he shut the off eye and said, “Nobody’s not exactly a cop. Not exactly means not local.”
___The seated one smiled. “Very good, Mr. Grofield,” he said.
___Grofield squinted the open eye. “You have my name.”
___“We have you cold, my friend. Name, prints, history, everything. You’ve been a lucky boy up till now.”
___“That was the first time I was ever involved in anything like that,” Grofield lied.
___The other’s smile turned sardonic. “Not likely,” he said. “Laufman is a pro. The one who got away is a pro. They brought in an amateur to help out? Not likely.”
___So Parker had gotten away. Grofield said, “With or without the money?”
___“What?”
___“Somebody got away. With or without the money?”
___The one at the door barked, but when Grofield looked at him in astonishment he saw the bark had been intended as a laugh. The barker said, “He’d like to go collect his share.”
___“A workman wants his wages,” Grofield said. “I don’t suppose there’s any point my claiming I was kidnapped by those two and forced to help them.”
___“Oh, go ahead,” said the seated one. “But not with us, we don’t particularly care about the robbery. We’re going to offer you a deal, and you can take it or leave it, but you’ll have to decide right now.”