Helm - The Shadowers Part 4

aTHEREaS the bridge,a Olivia said. aAre we driving over to the island?a I looked at the long causeway ahead, then glanced at the rearview mirror. It was quite empty, as far as significant images were concerned.

aThereas no point going out there and getting our shoes full of sand if n.o.bodyas interested,a I said, pulling out where we could see the water. aOf course, Kroch could still be tailing us, but I donat have quite the right itch between my shoulder blades. I think, now that heas got you established in Pensacola again, heas let you go for a little, figuring he can always pick you up at the house or the naval base.a She s.h.i.+vered slightly. aWhen he wants me,a she murmured. aWhen he gets his orders to kill me. Itas like living in a different world, knowing there are men like that.a aYeah,a I said. aWe affect people adversely, we professionals. Why, some girls wonat even be seen talking to us.a She said quickly, aI didnat mean-a aI know what you meant.a aYouare not like Kroch.a I said, aCut it out, Doc. How do you know? Youave never spoken to Kroch except for a moment in your hotel room when he was holding a gun and doing most of the talking. Youave never been to bed with him. h.e.l.l, he might be a perfectly swell guy in bed. How do you know?a She said stiffly, aThat isnat funny; and youare being ridiculous, comparing yourself with a thug like that.a I said, aYouare the one whoas being ridiculous, Doc. Youare trying to make a fine moral distinction between a man you happen to dislike and a man you happen to like -if I may flatter myself-both of whom happen to be engaged in exactly the same type of work.a She was silent for a little; then she smiled and said, aWell, have it your way. Iam married to a monster without any relieving traits.a aThatas what Iam trying to tell you,a I said. I looked out over the water at the low black ma.s.s of land at the end of the bridge. aGive me the details. Whatas it like out there? Iave seen it from the air, thatas all.a Shead have preferred to keep the conversation personal, I saw, but she said, aItas a narrow barrier island, just a sandspit, running parallel to the coast a mile or so out. To the west, the right as you come off the bridge, it extends only a few miles. Thereas an old brick Civil War fort at that end, and some deserted concrete structures that used to house big coast-defense guns-relatively modern, I believe, but the guns have been removed. That end of the island is a state park. The other way, eastwards, to the left as you come off the bridge, thereas a little beach community and then nothing much but road and sand dunes for thirty-some miles. Another bridge over there brings you back to the mainland. The island goes on to the east still farther, I think, but Iave never been there.a aYou draw a good picture, Doc,a I said. aVery sharp and clear.a aI ought to,a she said. aItas part of my job to make things sharp and clear.a After a little, she said, aIf weare through here, Iad like to go home.a aSure.a I started the car and drove slowly back through town. The housing development in which she lived had the clean, phony look of a movie set before the crew has got it convincingly weathered and dusty. I parked in front of her house.

aPaul,a she said as I started to get out.

aYes?a aThe divorce,a she said. aI hate to be practical, but just how will it be arranged?a aThe legal department will take care of it.a I guess I hadnat expected her to bring up the subject, although there was no reason why she shouldnat. aTheyare very efficient,a I said. aTheyall discover that weare absolutely incompatible, or something. Okay?a aDonat be angry,a she said. aI just wanted to know.a aWhoas angry?a aYou sounded annoyed.a She hesitated. aIf it will make you feel better, I can tell you that I donat feel very incompatible.a She glanced at me quickly and looked away. aIn fact ifa . Itas a brazen thing to say, I suppose, but Iam rather tired of pretending to be discreet and modest. If you would care to try to work something out without the legal department, afterward, the lady might be willing.a I looked at her, and closed the car door Iad just opened. I started to speak. She shook her head quickly.

aNo, donat say anything and donat stare at me, please. This isnat a declaration of undying love, Paul. All Iam saying is that you seem to be a reasonably civilized person in spite of your weird occupation. Maybe youad like to have a secret home base, a place to rest between a.s.signments, under a name that isnat yours, a name like Corcoran, say. As for me, well, my one amorous adventure didnat turn out very well and I have a full time occupation that really interests me very much. Still, I.

well, letas just say I wouldnat mind having you around the house occasionally. It might be a very practical arrangement for both of us.a She shook her head again as I tried to interrupt. aNo, I donat want you to say anything now. I just wanted to place my att.i.tude on record. Anyway, I think the telephone is ringing.a I started to speak again, but now I could hear the bell, too, through an open window. I drew a long breath, then got out and followed her up the walk to the door and waited while she found the key to let us in. She went quickly to the phone. I saw her face go pale as she listened. She looked at me, m.u.f.fling the mouthpiece with her hand.

aItas a man. I a I think I recognize the voice. But he wants a Mr. Helm, a Mr. Matthew Helm. Is that you?a I sighed. It had been lots of fun playing house, but youave got to grow up some time and face the realities of the big cruel world.

aThatas me,a I said and took the phone from her. aCorcoran here,a I said. aHelm, if you prefer.a aGood evening, Eric,a Krochas voice said in my ear.

I knew it was his voice although Iad never heard it. That seemed strange. I felt as if Iad known him for years.

aSo you know the code name, too,a I said. aHurray for you.a aIam Kroch,a he said. aKarl Kroch. But you know. The little girl told you.a aShe told me,a I said.

aI have her here,a he said. aMiss Antoinette Vail.a The house seemed suddenly chilly, perhaps because of the open window. I said aJesus Christ, has that stupid little chick gone and got herself loused up again? I tell you what you do, Kroch, just tie a good big rock around her neck and throw her off the nearest pier as a favor to me. Okay?a I saw Oliviaas eyes widen, shocked.

aVery good, Eric.a Kroch laughed softly in my ear. aVery good. That is the proper reaction. I am to think Miss Vail means nothing to you, hem?a I said, ah.e.l.l, I never saw her before the other night. Whatas she supposed to mean?a aIf youare willing to sacrifice her, of course, there is no more to be said. But if you are nota . Do you know Santa Rosa Island? Of course you do. You were just looking at it across the water.a So the itch between my shoulder blades had let me down. I said, aA man stops to look at the water and talk to his wife. Big deal. And whatas with this sacrifice bit? I told you, the kidas nothing to me. I needed a dame, or thought I did, so I picked her up at the bar. Thatas all. And Iave been at this work too long to stick my neck out for innocent bystanders, Kroch. Sheas all yours. If youare hungry, stick an apple in her mouth and roast her.a He laughed again. aAh, but it is nice to deal with someone who knows how the game should be played! You make me very happy, Eric. Now, what do you say? It is the logical place to finish this, out there, is it not? Very quiet, very lonely. Turn right as you leave the bridge. You will come to a gate house. There is a chain across the road there; the state park is closed at night. Leave your car by the little house and walk down the road. Or crawl through the sand or sneak through the bushes. I will be waiting. I will not be foolish enough to tell you to come unarmed. Bring all the weapons you wish. You will, anyway.a I said, aI told you, Iave lost no little girls. Sheas all yours. What do you think I am, some kind of a Galahad or something? Cut her into little pieces and use her for bait.a Kroch laughed approvingly. I was still playing the game right. aThe man, too?a he asked.

aWhat man?a aThere was a man in the car with Miss Vail. I was watching your house when the two of them drove up. I had no use for the man, but what could I do but bring him along? His name is Mooney. He has a big mouth. It has already got him shot once today; it could get him killed. Your little girl has a big mouth, too, but I will try to let you see her once more. I have a tender heart. Would you like to hear her voice?a I didnat say anything. I heard a scuffle at the other end of the line; then Antoinette Vail was speaking breathlessly in my ear: aMr. Corcoran, donat come, heall kill you! Donat listen-a Her voice was cut off. Kroch came back on. aThatas right, Mr. Corcoran. If you come, I will kill you. Unless of course you kill me. Why donat you try?a

XVIII.

THE APARTMENT building in which Dorothy Darden lived was only a few blocks from the center of town. The red Austin-Healey sports job was parked at a meter up the street. I shoved Olivia out on the sidewalk, joined her and took her arm when she threatened to balk again. One day Iall do a job with a woman who has more sense than temperament. Iad thought that Dr. Olivia Maria.s.sy, with her scientific background, might turn out to be the one. Iad been wrong.

aJust follow instructions like a good girl or I swear Iall bust you one,a I said. aWe havenat time for personalities.a She said, aIam not going up there! I wonat stay in the same place with that blonde tramp! Iad much rather be killed!a an.o.bodyas interested in your adruthers,aa I said. aSorry, Doc, but thatas the way it is. You go in there with your teeth or without them. Take your choice.a aYoua you dictatorial beast!a aMonster was the word we settled on,a I said. aYouall go in and youall ring the way I told you. Braithwaite has his orders concerning you. You may have a little wait while they get some clothes on and some lipstick off, depending on what stage in the proceedings you interrupt.a ad.a.m.n you, Paul-a aShut up,a I said. aListen closely. Youall tell Braithwaite that Iam going out to the island. Tell him that Kroch has the Vail kid and Dr. Mooney and is using them for bait, that tired old gag. Iam to turn right beyond the bridge, leave the car at the entrance to the park, and proceed on foot. Kroch will be waiting. He thinks heas Jim Bowie or something. Heas in effect challenged me to single combat out on the sands. Maybe he really is nuts. Anyway, tell Jack Braithwaite, if he doesnat hear from me in an hour, heas to call in the team-heall know what I mean-and come after me. When somebody says an hour, Doc, you look at your watch.a She started to speak angrily, checked herself, and glanced down. aEleven thirty-three. Paul-a aAt twelve thirty-three the relief expedition gets under way. I donat want them to jump the gun. I want plenty of time out there. But when they come, tell them to beat the bushes hard, because their man will be there. If Iam in trouble, tell them, Iall use the needle on him. Injection C. Itall keep him anch.o.r.ed till they get there. If theyare in a hurry to ask their questions, thereas an antidote they can use. Theyall know.a Some of her anger seemed to have evaporated. She asked rather uncertainly, aAnd where will you be, Paul?a aWho knows?a I shrugged. aAs they say in what used to be my part of the country, qumen sabe? Taking an armed man alive is always tricky. But I have everything working for me. He seems to be under the illusion heas Superman or Captain Blood or somebody. He also seems to have something on his mind, and five will get you twenty that heall want to tell me all about it. A man who wants to talk has two strikes against him in a game like this. Furthermore, unless heas changed his style of armament, heas very lightly gunned. I should be able to reach him and immobilize him, one way or another. Your job is to see that Braithwaite sends out the wrecking crew to pick him up if I donat bring him in within the hour.a aYou mean,a she said, aif youare dead.a aDead, wounded, or just plain tired. Why borrow trouble?a aIt sounds a it sounds absolutely suicidal to me! At least you should take a gun.a aHeas got to talk,a I said. aI canat risk using a gun, I might kill him. Here.a I took the little knife from my pocket and held it out. aKeep this for me, too. I donat want any temptation around. Itas going to be hard enough to keep from finis.h.i.+ng him with my bare hands.a She looked at the knife and s.h.i.+vered slightly. aI didnat know you carried that, Paul. What a wicked, beautiful thing!a aA present from a woman,a I said. aYou donat have to be jealous. Sheas dead.a After a moment, I said, aIam sorry I talked rough. I wasnat mad at you, not really. You know how it is.a aI know,a she said. She looked up. aIall deliver your message, of course, but Iad rathera . Canat I go home afterward? I could take a taxi. I have your revolver. Iam sure Iad be perfectly safe at home.a I shook my head and led her into the building. The hallway was lined with pink marble and bra.s.s mailboxes. I checked the tenantsa names, found the one I wanted, and turned to face Olivia.

aWhat makes you so sure youad be safe?a I asked. aSuppose when I get out there Mr. Kroch isnat waiting on that lonely island beach like he promised. Suppose itas just a trick to get me away. Suppose the big bell is tolling, the great gong has been struck; suppose Emil Taussig has pressed the go-b.u.t.ton and everywhere across the nation the shadowers are closing in on the people theyave been trailing for weeks and months, waiting for this moment. Suppose Kroch has got the word. He knows Iam staying as close to you as your best girdle. I could create a problem-unless he can send me off to hunt lizards and frogs on Santa Rosa Island while he takes care of his business with you. Maybe heas been building up this screwy, aggressive, melodramatic character for just this moment, so Iad fall for the trick when the time came.a aBut if you think that-a aI donat think that,a I said. aItas merely one of several possibilities.a Anger was back in her voice as she said sharply, aIf you think itas even a possibility, why are you leaving me with an untrained boy and a blonde while you go chasing off to rescue-a She stopped abruptly. aIam sorry. I suppose you do have to go after them. I suppose I even want you to.a I said, aYouare a nice girl, Doc, but youare still very innocent, even after all the work Iave done to bring you up right. You still believe everything you see on TV.a She frowned quickly. aWhat do you mean?a an.o.bodyas going to rescue n.o.body,a I said. The stone walls and metal mailboxes threw my voice back at me flat and hard. an.o.bodyas going to rescue Toni, Doc. n.o.bodyas going to rescue Harold. n.o.bodyas going to rescue them for the simple reason that theyare dead.a There was a little silence. Somewhere in the building somebody had a radio going. It probably wasnat Braithwaite and the nurse. Theyad be entertaining themselves in other ways. Olivia was staring at me, aghast.

aBut-a aTheyave been dead since Kroch hung up the phone,a I said flatly, aunless it took him a few minutes to find a secluded spot to do the job. This isnat Hollywood, Doc. This is for real. Kroch had a use for them. Well, for one of them. He may have thought there was more between me and Toni than just a dinner at Antoineas, or he may just have hoped I was sentimental about young girls in general. In any case he wanted me to hear her voice so Iad know he wasnat bluffing.a aBut a but that doesnat necessarily mean he killed them! Once head used the girl-a aOnce head used her, what could he do with her? Or with Mooney? Turn them loose to call the police?a I shook my head. aHe wanted to be sure Iad come, whether or not heas going to be there himself. If he is, he wanted to be sure Iad come angry. An angry man is easier to deal with in most cases. There are exceptions, there are times when an angry man can be hard to stop, but heas not thinking of those. And when he no longer needed Toni when he no longer needed them, he shot them. I know that and he knows I know it. Itas one of the things heas counting on to make me come.a She licked her lips. aYouare just guessing, Paul!a I said, keeping my voice even, aTheyare lying out in the sand right now, or in the bushes, or in their car if he isnat expecting to use it. Or theyare drifting out into the Gulf of Mexico on the tide, if there is a tide around here and it happens to be going out.a She said angrily, aYou donat know. You canat know!a She wasnat even thinking of Mooney yet, and what his death might or might not mean to her. She simply didnat want to believe it could happen-that a couple of people could die casually because a man with a gun didnat want to be bothered, or wanted to bother somebody else.

aOf course I know,a I said. aI know because itas what I would do-what any pro would do-with a couple of hostages that werenat needed any more. Itas what Iad do if I were operating alone in enemy territory and had important work coming up, as Kroch is and has. Why bother to tie them and gag them and take a chance of their working loose and making trouble? That only happens in the movies, Doc. In real life, everybody knows that n.o.body makes trouble with a bullet through the head. Besides, as I said, Kroch wants to annoy me.a aAnnoy,a she breathed. Annoy!a I jerked by hand toward the mailboxes. aThere it is. The name is Darden, as you know. The number is 205.a I looked at her for a moment longer. aIn case I run into trouble, or something, that chess book you once lent me is in my suitcase.a Then I was out of there and driving away, hoping I hadnat sounded too much like an ancient Greek promising to come back with his s.h.i.+eld or on it. I hadnat the slightest intention of committing suicide if I could help it; and if you canat help it, it isnat suicide. It was going to be tricky, of course. An old pro like Kroch is always tricky, even with a screw loose; and bringing them back alive isnat as easy as shooting them, whether youare talking about elephants or enemy agents. Under the circ.u.mstances Iad much rather have brought him back dead, but that was a luxury duty said I must forego.

There wasnat any traffic on the causeway. If people lived all year in the little beach community Olivia had said was on the island, they apparently had no business on the mainland at this time of night. I crossed the sound and made the right turn as instructed, and soon there was nothing but sand on either side, irregular low dunes of it, with dark water showing occasionally beyond. The road was black against the white sand.

I saw the little gatehouse in the headlights and drove right up to it. There was nothing to be gained by being clever. He was expecting me to be clever. He was expecting me to pull off the road out of sight and sneak around like an Indian, all loaded down with lethal hardware. Since that was what he was expecting, I just drove up beside the car already parked at the side of the gatehouse and stopped.

It took me a little while to figure out how to turn on the interior lights of the Renault: you just twist the little plastic light itself. I took from my pocket the flat drug case weare all issued. It contains a special hypo and three types of injections, two permanent and one temporary. It also contains the little death pill for the agentas own use, unless heas wearing it elsewhere. I wasnat wearing mine on this job, since I didnat know anything of interest to anybody.

I loaded the hypodermic with the full four-hour dose of the temporary injection C, and put the stuff back into my pocket. I switched off the lights of the Renault and got out and looked around. The other car seemed to be a light blue in color. It was one of the big Chryslers, a convertible. That made it Mooneyas, by the description Iad been given. Where Krochas own car was hidden was anybodyas guess. I didnat even know what make it was. Head never given me a look at it. I reminded myself not to underestimate the guy. He might act loco at times, but his basic techniques were still good.

I thought about puffing the distributor heads off both cars, or bogging the vehicles in the sand somehow, but that would have been meeting him on his own terms, and head still have one car staked out somewhere in working condition. Instead, I left the key in the Renault, to make it look as if I didnat care how much transportation was available.

I went over to the road, stepped over the long, sagging, padlocked chain, and marched on toward the western end of the island, still a mile or so distant if Olivia had briefed me correctly. My shoes made loud noises on the hard pavement. The island was wider here-no longer just a strip of sand-and there were trees and bushes on both sides. The Gulf of Mexico was darkly visible off to my left. To my right, the water of the mile-wide sound Iad crossed couldnat be seen for a patch of woods, except where the trees had been cut away to allow for a half-overgrown road down to what seemed to be a rotting old pier.

I saw an oddly symmetrical, long, low, shadowy high to the right of the main road and realized that it was manmade: a great structure of concrete covered with dirt and overgrown with gra.s.s and brush. It was close to a hundred yards long, with two black openings gaping seaward. There was a neat little state-park sign in front.

I went up and struck a match like a nocturnal sightseer, wondering where he was hiding and how eager his finger was on the trigger. Well, if he wanted to shoot, head shoot. If not, if he really wanted to talk first, as I guessed, head be puzzled by my unorthodox behavior, which was fair enough. Iad been puzzled by his.

Apparently he wanted to talk first. No bullets came. The sign indicated that I was looking at the site of a former battery of two twelve-inch guns placed en barbette, whatever that might mean, in 1916, and casemated, whatever that might mean, in 1942.

He gave me no sign of his presence, but I knew he was watching as I blew out the match and waited for my eyes to get used to the darkness again. Head be checking off one opportunity missed. Head be wondering if maybe he shouldnat have shot after all, and to h.e.l.l with conversation.

There were small night sounds all around. I wondered about snakes. It looked like good country for snakes and they always scare me. I started back toward the road and stopped. The farther opening in the gun emplacement or casemate or whatever it was showed a hint of light that hadnat been there earlier.

I donat suppose he really expected me to go right for it like a moth to a flame. He probably expected me to scout the whole deserted fortification first, looking for a back door by which I could sneak in and catch him by surprise-only he knew all the entrances and exits better than I did. Head had time to learn them. Wherever I came in, head be waiting, so why waste the time?

I went straight for the lighted opening, therefore, and almost broke my leg stumbling into a masonry circle set in the ground in front, maybe something to do with the traversing mechanism of the great coast-defense gun that once had defended this sh.o.r.e of Florida first from the Kaiser and then from Adolf Hitler. I couldnat help wondering if theyad ever found anything to shoot at from here-perhaps a periscope or two out in the Gulf, or what looked like a periscope to an excited draftee.

The concrete doorway behind the circle was the size of a railway-tunnel opening. The light was quite weak, apparently only a reflection from a side corridor in there. I went in. The tunnel went straight through the artificial hill. I could see the vague shape of a smaller back entrance with trees beyond. It was barred by a metal grill.

I came to the side corridor, a concrete pa.s.sageway that presumably ran the whole length of the fortification, but I couldnat see much beyond the lighted doorway on the right, just a few yards from the corner.

When I stood still, there wasnat a sound in the place except the sound of my own breathing. When I turned and walked toward the light, my footsteps awoke echoes all through the manmade hill. I came to the doorway. The room beyond might have been living quarters once, or an ammunition storage s.p.a.ce. Now it was just an empty, windowless concrete chamber-almost empty, that is.

A kerosene lantern tied to a ringbolt in the far wall threw a yellow light over the barren room. Two motionless shapes were sprawled on the floor to one side. Well, Iad predicted that.

Iad predicted it to Olivia, who hadnat wanted to believe me, but I stood quite still anyway, regarding the two bodies from the doorway. Mooney was in his slacks and tweedy sport coat. A snappy hat lay beside him. Toni was wearing a loose, heavy black sweater, tight black pants and little black shoes resembling ballet slippers. She could have been sleeping quietly with her face turned toward the wall, except that n.o.body normally goes to sleep fully dressed on the dusty, hard concrete floor of an abandoned fortification.

Even as I thought this, one of the figures moved.

Mooney struggled to a sitting position, so that I could see that his hands and feet were tied; a tight gag kept him from crying out. He tried, however. He stared at me with bulging eyes and made some choked, gurgling noises, pleading for release I suppose. To h.e.l.l with Harold Mooney.

I went forward, trying not to let myself feel hope, and knelt beside Toni. I put my hand on her shoulder and she seemed to move in response, rolling over on her back sleepily to see whoad disturbed her. Then I saw the blank, wide-open eyes in the pale, bruised face-and the little bullet hole between the fine black eyebrows.

aGood evening, Eric,a said Krochas voice behind me.

XIX.

I SUPPOSE it was a moment of triumph or something. Iad figured it right, hadnat 1? Iad figured everything absolutely right, with the exception of Mooneyas survival. The old crystal ball had been working pretty well. The man I wanted was within reach and I wasnat dead.

Everything was working out for me, just as Iad told Olivia. h.e.l.l, outfiguring a clumsy crumb like Kroch was just childas play for the brilliant, scheming mind of that old maestro of the undercover services, Matthew Helm. Now all I had to do was take him.

aGet up,a Kroch said. aBe very careful, Eric.a aShut up,a I said without turning my head.

aAh, yes,a he said. aA moment for sentiment. Very well, but no tricks.a I looked down at the kid. There was some white paper sticking out of a pocket of her dusty black pants. I pulled it out. It was a crumpled envelope with my name written on it, or the name I was wearing currently: Mr. Paul Corcoran, Montclair Hotel-please forward. I could feel Kroch watching me closely, but he didnat interfere as I opened the letter. It was not a letter, however. There was no writing inside. There were only three fifty-dollar bills.

There had never been any mysterious message, just the money Iad left in her studio, the money her pride and anger had forced her to try to return, preferably by finding me and throwing it in my face. And still at the end, I remembered, shead tried to warn me off. Mr. Corcoran donat come, shead cried into the phone, donat come, heall kill you!

aThatas long enough,a Kroch said. aThe period of mourning is over. It is too bad. She was quite pretty.

You have very good taste, Eric. The one in Redondo Beach, she was extremely attractive. It hurt me to have to send her off the road to her death. Such a waste. But if they will a.s.sociate with people like us, they must take the risks, hem?a There was suddenly a funny roaring sound in my ears, as if the beach had moved closer so that I could hear the surf.

aGail?a I said. aYou killed Gail Hendricks, too?a aWas that her name?a he asked casually. aDidnat you know? Let us say she helped kill herself. She was really driving much too fast for the amount of alcohol she had consumed. Her reflexes were, shall we say, ragged. When I pulled alongside in the curve, very close, and blew my horn loudly a well, at that speed it takes very little to send a car out of control.a He paused. aSurely you didnat think it was an accident. Accidents do not happen to people like us, Eric. You should know that.a He was right, of course. I should have known it, but there had been no indication at the scene of the wreck and no motive that I could think of. As murder, Gailas death still didnat make sense as part of the case. Head killed her before Iad even been given the a.s.signment, be-fore anybody could know I was taking it, since I didnat even know it myself. I thought about this, or tried to think about it, but all that really came was the fact that he had killed her. That was two counts against Mr.

Kroch. It was going to be very hard to keep him alive when the time came.

His voice came, easy and confident: aWell, so it goes. So geitas im Leben. All right, stand up. Put your hands against the wall. So.a Standing there, I felt his hands go over me. They found nothing of significance except the little case in my coat pocket. I felt that taken away.

aNo weapons, Eric?a He sounded puzzled and rather disappointed.

aI stashed them,a I said. aThereas a tommy-gun hidden every five paces between here and the car.a aYou hid nothing,a he said. aI was watching. And they would do you no good out there, anyway. You are not going out there again. Turn around, slowly.a I turned and looked at him for the first time that night. He was standing well back so I couldnat grab the gun. Head got no handsomer since the last time Iad seen him. His clothes were rumpled and dirty and he needed a shave. The bald dome of his head looked startlingly smooth and s.h.i.+ny above the craggy, lined face with its rough chin.

The weapon in his hand looked like a Star, one of those Spanish automatics. It wasnat the smallest gun in the world-the shape of the cartridge, tiny though it is, makes it difficult for technical reasons to build a really small .22 automatic pistol-but it looked like a childas toy in his large fleshy hand.

He was a big man. It didnat worry me. The only thing that worried me, after seeing Tonias body and learning about Gail, was that when the time came I might accidentally break him or tear him apart. I kept reminding myself firmly that this was still a business matter and had nothing to do with love or hate.

aWhatas this?a he asked, holding out the little case head taken from my pocket.

aYouave seen them before,a I said. aItas a drug case.a aIf you know, why ask?a aWhy did you bring that and nothing else?a He was puzzled. It was a good way for him to be. He thought I had some elaborate plan, and he wanted to know what it was before he disposed of me. If Iad told him Iad just come there cold to take him and his silly little gun barehanded, he wouldnat have believed me. So I told him.

aWhat do I need,a I asked, ato take a loudmouth like you, Kroch? An armored regiment? But I had to bring something along to keep you quiet after Iad taken that popgun away from you and rammed it down your throat or elsewhere. It was either that or a rope, and I didnat have a rope.a His eyes narrowed dangerously; then he laughed. aYou are bluffing, Eric. No, you are taunting me deliberately to make me angry. Why? What clever scheme have you got in mind?a Off in the corner, Dr. Harold Mooney wiggled uncomfortably against his bonds and tried to say something through his gag. We paid him no attention.

aClever?a I said to Kroch. aThey wanted me to be clever, but I said what the h.e.l.l itas just Karl Kroch, isnat it? If you want him, Iall go get him for you. Alive? Sure, Iall take him alive, I said. A dangerous man I might have to shoot, but not old Kroch.a His hand tightened on the gun-tightened and relaxed. He laughed harshly. aChildish, Eric,a he said. aVery childish. But I wish I knew what you had in mind. Then he frowned. aWhy would your superiors want me alive? Why would they care?a The truth was doing all right for me, so I stayed with it. aWell,a I said, athey want to ask you some questions about a gentleman named Taussig, Emil Taussig. I said I was sure youad be glad to cooperate after Iad worked you over a little.a He ignored the jab, still frowning. aTaussig?a he said. aThe old man in Moscow? The white-haired old man who is so clever for the Communists? I only know what everyone in the business knows about Taussig. I have never even met him. Why would they want to question me about him, Eric?a I laughed in his face. aNow whoas bluffing, Karl? We have an odd notion you just might be working for that white-haired old man. As a kind of specialist, say. Not in Moscow, but right here.a He looked at me for a moment. He seemed displeased. He shook his head slowly. aBut that is not so,a he said, almost reproachfully. aYou must know it is not so, Eric. You must know about me, by this time, enough. I gave you my name; you will have got a report by this time. You know who I am. You know where I came from. Why should you think such a thing of me?a I had a sudden cold feeling that something was wrong, that everything was wrong. Gail had died before the case even started, as far as I was concerned; and now Kroch was being very sincere and earnest, and a little indignant, about something that shouldnat have bothered him a bit, if he was what wead thought him. I remembered that Iad never been really satisfied with his behavior.

aWhat are you driving at, Karl?a I demanded.

aYou do not understand?a he asked. He seemed surprised. aWhy, I am Karl Kroch, he/n? I might work for the Communists if I needed the money, that is true. What are politics to me? I am a professional, like you. But even a professional must draw the line somewhere, even in this decadent world we inhabit now with the Fuehrer gone. I am Karl Kroch. I do not work for Jews.a It was childish, if you wanted to look at it one way, or vicious, if you wanted to look at it another. But it was also completely convincing. I didnat like to think what it implied.

I asked sharply, aWell, if youare not working for Taussig, d.a.m.n it, why the h.e.l.l are you trailing Olivia Maria.s.sy around like Maryas little lamb?a He stared at me. aBut I was not following the lady scientist!a he protested. aWhy would I do that? I was following you.a aMe?a aI have been looking for you ever since last summer, Eric. Ever since I caught up with you in Redondo Beach a week ago, I have been following you, waiting for the right moment to deal with you properly.a And there it was. I didnat doubt him for a moment. There had been too many indications along the way; indications that Iad ignored or allowed myself to be talked into disregarding. I could have blamed Was.h.i.+ngton, I suppose, but I hadnat really put up a good fight for my doubts and reservations, not good enough to allow me to pa.s.s the buck now.

Iad sensed that Kroch was after me, of course. Iad been practically certain I was the one head been waiting for in Oliviaas hotel room, for instance. But Iad a.s.sumed that I was merely an annoying detail he wanted to dispose of so be could get on with the main job. it had never occurred to me that I might be that job.

Yet as a man trailing Olivia, Kroch had never been completely convincing. As a man stalking me, whatever his motive, he became quite logical, if still a little melodramatic. I had to face the fact that Iad jumped to the wrong conclusion at the outset-we all had. Gail had died, Tom had died, and I might die, at the hands of the wrong man, a man who knew nothing significant about Emil Taussig. A lot of other people might also die.

aDid she not tell you?a Kroch said. aThe beautiful lady in the Cadillac? I hoped she would live long enough to tell you about the ugly man whoad frightened her into the ditch. I wanted you to know I was after you, Eric.a aNo,a I said slowly. I remembered the policeman saying Gail had asked for me before she died. aNo, she didnat tell me. She had no chance. She was dead when I got there.a aAnd the little girl here on the floor? Did she not tell you either? I told her to be sure to let you know Karl Kroch was after you and would strike when he was ready.a I said, aShe said something like that, but I was working on another business and misunderstood your meaning.a aMisunderstandings,a Kroch said sadly. aAlways misunderstandings. I am sorry. I wanted to give you a fair chance, Eric. At least as much chance as you gave another man; a man we both remember.a I frowned at him. aWhat man?a aA man named Von Sachs. General Heinrich Von Sachs. Now do you understand? Now do you remember?a It was beginning to add up at last. aI remember Von Sachs,a I said. aI donat remember you. You werenat down there in Mexico last summer when I went after him.a aNo. I was in Europe on business for the General. I had been with him a long time, Eric; a very long time. I came back to find him dead and his great plan in ruins, due to one man. You, Eric.a aHis great plan was a pipe dream,a I said. aHead never have made a fascist empire on this continent. I merely prevented an international mess by killing him.a aIt is a matter of opinion,a Kroch said. aBut you did kill him. You played on his pride and his sense of honor; you taunted and insulted him until he consented to fight you with machetes, and then you cut him to pieces and killed him. He was a great man, but he had that weakness about honor, and you found it. When I learned what had happened, I swore I would find you and kill you the same way, Eric.a I said, aAny time. Bring on the machetes.a He laughed. aI am not so great a fool as that. What I mean is, you tricked and taunted my General into fighting under conditions favorable to you; now I have turned the technique against you, Eric. I did not think you were vulnerable through honor-it is not a common failing in the profession-but I did think you might be reached through your women. You Americans are very sentimental about women. And in spite of misunderstandings, it worked, did it not? You are here because of what I did to your women.a aWell, you might say that. What happens now?a aWhat do you expect? I had hoped you would give me a better contest, but here we are. And now that you understand why you must die, I will kill you as you killed General Von Sachs. Slowly. Only, since I am not so good with edged weapons, I will not cut you to pieces, I will shoot you to pieces.a The gun in his hand steadied. I tried to remember the exact penetration of the little cartridge, in terms of one-inch pine boards-the usual standard-or human flesh. Well, one bullet had gone clean through Mooneyas arm. It wasnat really a toy. I didnat think it would gain me anything to point out that I had not actually cut Von Sachs to pieces, Iad merely worn him down until I could drive my machete through his heart.

Taking aim, Kroch paused to glance at the gun in his hand. He chuckled, aIt is a small-caliber weapon, Eric, shooting a very light cartridge. You will take a great many bullets before you die.a aIam counting on that,a I said.

He frowned quickly. I was ready when the pistol came steady again, and I knew I could make it. Now he wasnat even aiming for the chest or head; he wanted to have his fun before he killed me. You donat stop a man with that kind of peripheral marksmans.h.i.+p, not if youare shooting a .22. And as Iad told Olivia, while an angry man is usually easier to handle, he may be harder to stop. I had all the adrenaline I needed in my bloodstream to get me from here to there.

The little .22 settled on a point of aim and his finger put pressure on the trigger. I was aware of the strangled breathing of Harold Mooney, watching fearfully and making no effort to intervene. That was all right. I didnat want any help. I just wanted to get my hands on Karl Kroch. At that moment I was very happy he had no information anybody wanted. I didnat have to treat him gently. I didnat have to catch him and preserve him like a delicate scientific specimen. I could smash him like a c.o.c.kroach, and I was looking forward to it; and I didnat care how big he was or how many guns he had. He was dead.

I was ready, but suddenly I became aware of a new sound, the sharp, hasty rapping of high heels in the corridor outside.

aPaul!a It was Oliviaas voice, echoing throughout the hail. aPaul, where are you? Paul!a Then she was in the doorway, and Kroch was distracted for an instant, and it was time to go and I went. He looked back to me. The little pistol started spitting as I threw myself forward. It sounded like a much larger weapon in the concrete room. Something nicked the side of my neck, something plucked at my s.h.i.+rt, something rapped at my thigh, and then all h.e.l.l broke loose in that underground chamber.

It sounded as if the great coast guns that had once guarded this place had opened up, rapid-fire. Lead began bouncing from concrete to concrete in there. I saw Olivia in the doorway, following my instructions to the letter. Standing there in her good tunic dress and high heels, looking very ladylike and respectable, she was holding my sawed-off Smith and Wesson in both white-gloved hands and pulling the trigger smoothly and rapidly, wincing only a little at each cras.h.i.+ng, reverberating discharge.

I started to shout at her. h.e.l.l, Kroch was mine. I tried to yell at her to leave him alone. I didnat want him full of bullet-holes, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. Then common sense returned, a little, and I realized this was no place to be standing up in. I threw myself down, but a ricochet beat me to it. I felt a heavy blow above the ear, and things went bright red, and the redness faded slowly into black, but not before Iad heard the .38 click empty and Kroch fall.

XX.

aPaul,a somebody said breathlessly. aPaul, wake up. Please wake up!a I opened my eyes. Olivia was kneeling beside me.

aKroch?a I whispered.

aHeas dead. Paul, Iam sorry.a Well, she should be sorry, shooting down people other people had promised themselves the pleasure of killing I pulled my thoughts together and realized shead been apologizing for a different reason. She didnat know wead been working on the wrong man. She thought shead spoiled everything by putting Kroch where head never talk.

I remembered belatedly that I was an agent of sorts, not an avenging angel wielding the sword of retribution. There was a man I was supposed to find, a wicked old man with white hair. I wasnat any closer to finding him than Iad ever been. Or was I? I looked up at Olivia.

aWhat the h.e.l.l are you doing here, anyway?a I asked.

aWell, you donat act very grateful!a she protested. When I didnat speak, she went on: aI couldnat let you get killed. It was suicidal, going after an armed, trained man with nothing but a hypodermic. It was crazy! I made Jack Braithwaite bring me here.a She gave a strained little laugh. aI pointed your gun at him and made him drive me, just like in the movies. To h.e.l.l with Emil Taussig! I donat give a d.a.m.n if they never find him!a aDonat swear, Doc,a I said. After a little, 1 asked, aWhatas the damage?a aYou have a .22 bullet in your leg. It will have to come out later. I just stopped the bleeding temporarily.a I said, ah.e.l.l, we just dug a slug out of there last year. I seem to stop everything with that one d.a.m.n leg. And my head.a aYou may have a slight concussion.a She held out her hand and showed me a flattened bullet. aThatas what hit you. I didnat know they would splash and bounce like that. I thought Pd killed you!a aWhereas Jack Braithwaite?a I asked. I still didnat feel energetic enough to sit up and look around.

aHere, sir.a He came into my field of vision, and he wasnat alone. He was supporting the little blonde nurse on one arm. She was still in her uniform and her silly, formal hairdo; but she didnat look quite as fresh and glowing as she had in the Flamingo Lounge. Shead seen violence and death since then.

I said, aYou seem to have misinterpreted my instructions, Mr. Braithwaite. Thatas not the lady I instructed you to keep safe, if necessary at the cost of your life.a He licked his lips. aSir, she had a gun-a aSo? Where did she shoot you? You donat seem to be bleeding very copiously. And what the h.e.l.l are you doing here?a I asked Dottie Darden.

She looked indignant. aWhy ask me? You sound as if I had a choice! When somebody has a little time, Iad appreciate being told what this is all about!a Anger made her strong enough to stand alone. She freed herself from Braithwaiteas supporting arm. aStop pawing me you .

youphony Romeo! Using my apartment and pretending. Keep your hands to yourself!a Olivia said to me, aI couldnat very well leave her by the telephone, Paul. I didnat think youad want police interference. I made her come along.a I said, aI canat recall asking for any interference before twelve thirty-three.a Her expression changed. I said wearily, aAh, h.e.l.l. Pa.s.s that, Doc.a She was still looking at me resentfully. I wasnat acting like a man whose life had been saved at the last desperate minute, I guess. Well, maybe I wouldnat have made it to Kroch after all. n.o.bodyad ever know now, and it wasnat worth arguing about. aAnd donat worry about friend Kroch, he wasnat our man,a I said. aWhereas your tame Ben Casey, Doc? Whereas the Apollo of the medical profession? I have a question to ask him as soon as heas recovered from his terrible ordeal, or maybe a little sooner.a aHarold?a She was still frowning, but in a different way. aWhat do you want to ask Harold?a aI want to ask him,a I said, awhy he isnat dead.a She was silent, and I went on. aI told you how it would be. I said Kroch would kill them both, and he should have. He killed Toni Vail.a aI know. I a Iam sorry, Paul.a I said, aWhat I want to know is, just what did Dr. Harold Mooney say that kept him alive. He must have talked very fast and he must have had some real good points to make. He must have been able to claim some friends in high places, for Kroch not to kill him, and Iam not talking about the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce or the American Medical a.s.sociation. I want to know what he said. I want to know how a crumb like Mooney talked himself out of a bullet when Toniaa I checked myself. That was, after all, beside the point.

aPaul, please take it easy,a Olivia said. aIt isnat good for you to talk so much, or get so excited.a I laughed at that. I looked up at her and said, aWe had it figured that Mooney was Krochas accomplice at one point, remember? Well, we were wrong but we were only half wrong, as I see it now. He wasnat working for Kroch, but he was somebodyas accomplice all right. And when it came to a showdown, with Krochas gun pointing at his head, he used that somebodyas name to save himself. He told Kroch something interesting enough so that instead of shooting him Kroch filed him for future reference, meaning to cash in on the information after taking care of me.a aCouldnat he-a Olivia hesitated. aCouldnat Harold just have offered money?a aIs that what he says? Donat be naive, Doc. You donat buy off people like Kroch, not with the kind of money Harold could offer. But sometimes you can arouse their curiosity by showing them a big game they might want to take a hand in, on one side or the other. Itas the only deal Mooney could possibly have made, and he would have had to spill everything he knew, very plausibly, to make it stick. And if he could spill it to Kroch, he can spill it to me.a aNo,a Olivia said.

I couldnat read her expression. I looked quickly up at the other two standing over me, and they were regarding me oddly. They looked uneasy, maybe even guilty.

aWhat do you mean, no?a I asked sharply. aWhere is he? You didnat let him get away?a I tried to rise. Olivia held me down. She started to speak and changed her mind. There was a funny look about her eyes, as if she were close to crying. It was the blonde nurse who spoke at last.

aDr. Mooney isnata . I mean, heas dead.a I stared up at her, and at Olivia, who turned away, biting her lip. I looked back to Dottie.