Craig scarcely heard either of them. He had drunk a lot of wine and then, even by club standards, a lot of whisky. He was dimly aware that a pretty girl in a red dress with no back to it liked to dance with him and that a tireless Irishman kept yammering on about two old tramps who lived in garbage cans. The club itself was no more than a brightly lit bar, a jukebox, and slot machines, and for Craig they existed not at all. In his mind he was in Tangier, drinking Pernod with Rutter. It was 1955, and they were fighting their war all over again. They had met on vacation, and they were going to dine with two Spanish girls, and while they waited they talked, nostalgic for the triumphs they had known, and the risks without which triumph was impossible. Cautiously, Craig had worked the talk around to gun-running, and Rutter had almost wept, so grateful was he for the chance to be a hero again. He never knew that Craig had hunted him out, as he had himself been hunted, followed him to Tangier, then bumped into him in a hotel bar by a remarkable accident. But it didn't really matter. How could it? Rutter had known all the risks and clamored for his share, and more than his share. For Rutter life had been a task so irksome that he preferred to get it over with, to attack it all the time. It had been good in that bar, cool and dim, with Arab music playing very softly on tape.
Tessa was saying, 'Are you really an accountant?' 'Yes,' said Craig. 'What do you do then?' 'Account,' he said.
Rutter. Baumer. Charlie Green. And perhaps Alice too. One way and another, he had quite a bit of accounting to do.
'Your life must be very dull sometimes,' Tessa said. Craig smiled then.
'No,' he said. 'Not dull. Busy.'
'Did you ever see the one about the two loonies?' asked Diamond.
'No,' said Tessa. Then to Craig, 'Come and dance again.'
The middleweight came over and once more asked her to dance. She shook her head. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I'm with these two gentlemen.'
'Leave them,' the middleweight said.
'One of them's had electric-shock treatment,' Diamond said. 'He gets pally with a tramp.' He looked at the middleweight. 'Tessa's with us,' he said. 'She doesn't want to dance with you. She wants to dance with John.' He turned away again. 'These days there's a hell of a lot of tramps about in the theater. Not that I'm objecting, mind you. I don't say I could understand it, but it was all very dramatic.'
'My name's Eddy Lishman,' said the middleweight.
Craig looked at him in disgust. While he stood there arguing, he couldn't think about Rutter.
Diamond said, 'I don't care who you are. She doesn't want to dance.'
But his hand was shaking as he picked up his glass. 'No. It's all right,' said Tessa.
She smiled at Craig and went to Lishman's arms. He danced with a cruel, aggressive skill, as if dancing were a prelude to rape.
Craig watched him glumly. Lishman would make Diamond fight for his girl, and Diamond would lose. It was too bad. He liked Diamond.
'Used to be a fighter,' Diamond was saying. 'Now he's in business. Betting shops mostly. Keeps a few girls too. Or so they say. He's a bad one, right enough. You'd better get off out of it, John.'
'Me?' said Craig. 'It's got nothing to do with me. What about your girl? You should get her out of here.'
'She isn't my girl,' said Diamond. 'I wish she was- but I wouldn't dare take her away. Lishman knows where to find me.'
'We'd better have another drink,' Craig said.
He bought two more, and Lishman brought Tessa back to their table, and sat down with them. The two young men came over too, and Lishman bought everybody another drink. The talk turned at once to betting, and Craig audibly groaned. Lishman banged down his glass.
'I've bought you a drink, haven't I?' he asked.
'Yes,' said Craig.
'And I haven't bothered you, have I?'
'No,' said Craig.
'What's the matter then?'
'Gambling bores me,' Craig said.
The girl Tessa put her hand on his sleeve in warning.
'Do you mean I'm boring you?' asked Lishman softly.
'Yes,' said Craig.
The two young men looked at once to Lishman, and when he laughed they laughed too. Craig's madness was privileged; he was court jester.
Carefully Craig got to his feet and went to the washroom. He spent a long time running cold water over his face, and cursing his foolishness. If Lishman hadn't laughed, he'd have had to fight him. It would have been very gratifying to fight with Lishman. It would also have been stupid. After a while he went back into the club, drank a cup of black coffee at the bar, and took another back to the table.
'What's up with you now?' Lishman asked.
'I think I've had too much to drink,' Craig said, and the middleweight roared his delight.
Craig said to Tessa, 'I'd like to dance.'
She hesitated, but Lishman graciously waved his assent.
Craig took her in his arms and she said at once, 'You'd better go home. Now. Take Michael with you.' 'What about you?' Craig asked. 'I'll go when I'm ready,' she said. 'Do you think he'll let you?'
She shrugged. 'Michael doesn't know this-but he's bothered me before.'
The hand that held his began to shake. 'It doesn't do to turn him down too often. He's dangerous.'
'He looks as if he thinks he is,' Craig said.
'I mean it,' said Tessa. 'He's got a terrible temper. He nearly kills people if they cross him.'
'Is that a fact?'
'Yes, it is,' she said, and shook him with protective impatience. 'He had a fight with a man called Harry Corner-anybody here will tell you. He put Harry in the hospital. And Harry's tough, believe me.'
'How disgusting,' said Craig.
'Oh my God, can't you sober up?'' she whispered. 'He thinks you're funny now, but if you made him angry- you think it's just like the telly, I suppose? Something you sit down and watch then switch off when you've had enough? Well you can't, believe me you can't. Michael should never have brought you here. You'd better go- and take him with you. I'll try to keep him here till you've gone. If one of his boys follows you, you yell, darling. And keep on yelling. You might find a brave policeman.'
'All right,' Craig said. 'I'll go. But Diamond will have to make his own arrangements.'
The girl flinched from him then, but Craig shrugged off her disgust, scarcely aware that it existed. Two weak people were at the mercy of a strong one; it wasn't his
business. That was to survive, and to achieve that end he did not dare get involved.
The dance ended, and she led Craig back to the table.
'Now do as I tell you,' she whispered. 'Finish your drink and go home.'
He sat down and sipped at another cup of scalding coffee. Lishman said, 'Say something else. Make me laugh.'
'I've had a really enjoyable evening, but I think I ought to be getting along,' said Craig.
'Quite,' said Lishman. 'Oh, abso-bally-lutely.'
He roared with laughter, and looked at Tessa. Very unwillingly, she smiled.
Diamond was in agony. Craig got to his feet.
'Well,' he said, 'it's been nice meeting you.'
Lishman laughed again, and slapped Tessa on the thigh, then deliberately squeezed it through the thin cloth until the girl gasped.
'I don't want you to leave us yet, Mr. Reynolds,' he said. 'We're having too much fun. I tell you what. Let's go to my place. I'll phone a few girls and we'll have a real party. What do you say, darling?'
'Oh yes,' Tessa said brightly. 'I'd like that very much.'
Diamond said, 'I don't think I'll be able to come.'
'That's all right,' Lishman said. 'I'm not asking you. You can shove.'
