Tiger By The Tail Part 23

He would have to find a boat to take him out there. He had little money on him and he might need every nickel before he was through. He wouldn't be able to afford to rent a boat, he would have to borrow one.

But before he tried to find a boat, he had to know exactly where Willow Point was anch.o.r.ed.

He looked over at the lighted amus.e.m.e.nt arcade, hesitated, then walked slowly across the wet street and glanced in.

There were only a few youths playing the pintable machines. A girl in a grubby white overall leaned against one of the machines while she cleaned her long painted fingernails with a chip of wood. She was white-faced and tired; a kid of about eighteen, old in sin and experience if he could judge from her hard expression. She had a leather satchel for giving change hung over her shoulder.

He walked into the arcade and, going to a pintable machine near where the girl was standing, he began to play, shooting the b.a.l.l.s up the channel, watching the coloured lights spring up as each ball tapped the pins.

After he had shot off a complete row of b.a.l.l.s, he paused to light a cigarette, and he was aware the girl was looking curiously at him.

He met her blue, dark-ringed eyes and he smiled.

"Some way to waste an hour, isn't it?" he said.

She lifted her shoulders indifferently.

"No one's asking you to do it."

He left the machine and came over to her.

"Would you know anything about the boats anch.o.r.ed in the estuary?" he asked. "I'm looking for Willow Point."

Surprise and suspicion jumped into her eyes.

"I'm not stopping you," she said, slid her hand through the opening in her overall and scratched herself under her arm.

"Would you know where it's anch.o.r.ed?"

"I might. Why?"

"I want to find it," he said patiently.

"Are you sure you do, handsome?" she asked, leaning her hips against the pintable machine. "Do you know who owns Willow Point."

He shook his head.

"Tux," she said, "and he's a guy you want to keep away from."

"I've got to find the boat," Ken said.

She studied him.

"Look, handsome, hadn't you better go home? You're likely to get into trouble if you start messing around with Tux."

"I'm in trouble already," Ken said.

"Well, I don't have to be," she said, and abruptly moved away to give change to a fat man who was tapping impatiently on the gla.s.s top of a pintable machine.

Ken lit a cigarette and went back to his machine. He began to play again, watching the girl out of the corner of his eye.

She moved around the arcade aimlessly, and after about five minutes she came slowly back to where he was standing.

She leaned against the machine he was playing and began to clean her nails again with the chip of wood.

"Won't you help me?" Ken said, keeping his voice low. "Won't you tell me where Willow Point is?"

She gave a little shrug.

"Last time I saw it, it was anch.o.r.ed off North End."

"That doesn't tell me anything. I don't know the river. How far out?"

"Half a mile. North End is the light you can see from the wharf."

He looked up and smiled.

"Thanks."

She shook her head at him.

"You're heading for trouble, handsome. Tux is a mean guy."

He shot another ball up the channel before saying, "I want a boat, but I can't pay for it. I've got to go to Willow Point."

"What do you expect me to do?" she asked, not looking at him. "Steal one for you?"

"I'd do that myself if I knew where to find one."

"Does Tux know you're coming?"

Ken shook his head.

"How hot are you?" she asked. "Is it the cops?"

"Something like that."

"You'll find a boat under the jetty. The guy who owns it leaves around dawn, so you'd better get back before then."

"Thanks," Ken said.

"Watch your step, handsome. Tux doesn't like unexpected visitors. He's tough."

"I'll watch out," Ken said, and walked out into the drizzling rain.

He found a dinghy berthed under the jetty. A rod, can of bait, an oilskin and oars lay in the bottom of the boat. He swung himself down into the boat, cast off and began to row towards the distant light that she had told him was North End.

It seemed to him he rowed for a long time before he saw some way ahead of him the shadowy outlines of a cruiser, silhouetted against the dark skyline.

Ken rested on the oars and watched it, wondering if it were the Willow Point. As he sat in the gently bobbing boat he heard the sound of a distant motorboat engine. He looked quickly across the waterfront, half a mile from him.

He saw a powerful motorboat leaving the jetty. It headed towards him. He wondered in alarm if it were a police boat. He began to row away from the course set by the motorboat, then s.h.i.+pping his oars, he crouched down in the boat so his head and shoulders weren't outlined against the skyline.

He watched the approaching motorboat anxiously.

It was coming fast, but he saw with relief it would pa.s.s him by some three or four hundred yards unless it altered course.

The boat roared past him, and its wash sent his boat bouncing violently.

He heard the engine suddenly cut out. The motorboat vanished into the darkness of the cruiser's side.

Ken straightened up, grabbed the oars again and began to row. It took him over ten minutes to come within forty yards of the cruiser. He rested on his oars and let the boat drift while he examined the deck of the cruiser for any sign of life.

He spotted the motorboat tied up to the cruiser. He could see no one on deck, and he began to row again until he came up alongside the cruiser. He stared up at the deck rail while he listened.

He imagined he heard the faint sound of voices, and he wondered if he should take the risk of climbing on board. If anyone came up on deck his boat would be seen. He decided against the risk.

Rowing slowly and quietly, he pa.s.sed under the stern of the cruiser and came up on the port side.

One of the portholes showed a light, and as he let his boat drift silently up to the cruiser, he heard a voice coming from the porthole say, "It's time we had a straight talk, Johnny. You are in no position to dictate terms. You either accept my conditions or you'll stay here until you change your mind."

Ken quietly paddled his boat up alongside the cruiser and s.h.i.+pped his oars, taking care to stop the boat from b.u.mping against the cruiser's side. He caught hold of an iron bracket near the porthole, steadied the boat while he stood up and took a quick look into the cabin.

The tall, fair, good-looking man he had seen outside the Blue Rose nightclub the previous evening was lounging on a bunk facing him. A tall, dark man in an expensively cut suit leaned against the wall, smoking a cigar.

Ken drew back quickly; then, keeping his boat steady, he listened to what was being said.

IV.

Solly caught the rope O'Brien tossed to him, held the motorboat steady while O'Brien scrambled aboard.

"Tux here?" O'Brien asked abruptly.

"Yes, boss," Solly said, startled that O'Brien had brought the motorboat over himself.

"Where is he?"

Tux came out of the shadows, b.u.t.toning up his s.h.i.+rt. He had been asleep, but had wakened when he heard the motorboat and had scrambled, cursing, into his clothes.

"I want you," O'Brien said curtly.

Tux led the way down the companion ladder, along the dimly lit pa.s.sage to his cabin. He sat on his bunk, stifled a yawn and looked enquiringly at O'Brien.

"Did you fix Louie?" O'Brien asked.

"Sure," Tux said, looking a little uneasy. "Whitey hit him a shade too hard."

O'Brien stared at him, his eyes intent.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't reckon Louie is feeling too good right now," Tux said guardedly. "He's got a dome like an eggsh.e.l.l."

"Does that mean he's dead?"

Tux lifted his shoulders.

"He could be. He spilt a lot of brain."

O'Brien rubbed his jaw.

"This set-up is getting out of hand," he said, took out a cigar and bit off the end. "It might be a good thing if Louie did croak."

Tux looked relieved.

"It'll surprise me if he doesn't."

"We don't want any death-bed confessions."

"He was too far gone to talk when we left him."

O'Brien lit his cigar, blew smoke to the ceiling while he eyed Tux thoughtfully. This was the beginning, he thought. Rough stuff again after four years. Well, it couldn't be helped. He had to keep control of, the situation, and if guys were a nuisance they must expect trouble.

"I've decided to get rid of Johnny," he said, lowering his voice.

Tux was surprised, but he didn't show it.

"Anything you say, boss."

"I want him planted where he won't be found," O'Brien went on. "He must never be found."

"I can fix that," Tux said. "I have a barrel on board that'll fix him, I've plenty of cement, too. He won't be found."

O'Brien nodded.

"You mustn't slip up on this, Tux. I'll go along and talk to him now. I'll let you know when to do it."

"Tonight?" Tux asked, thinking longingly of his much-needed sleep.

"It'll be tonight. Better get that barrel and the cement ready."