'I wouldn't, and I couldn't be in your place,' said Ducai with a vehemence which shot him forward again in his chair. Biranne stared at his questioner steadily, almost sternly, and then transferred his attention ostentatiously to the whisky which he was rolling round and round in his glass. He was silent. A banging door and a snatch of The Bonny Earl of Murray announced the return home of Fivey after his evening out. Ducane frowned, sat back again, and said to himself, Oh Christ, he's going to get away with it. 'What about Helen of Troy?' said Ducane. Biranne smiled cunningly and then with a raised eyebrow looked confiding. 'Young Judy, yes. I gather you had an encounter with Judy. She seems to be in all our lives.' 'She's not in my life!' said Ducane. He realized that he was beginning to get angry. The interview was going wrong. Biranne was already patently less anxious, and it was he himself who was being taunted and was answering defensively. He sat up and poured himself out some whisky. They stared at each other. 'Come, come, Biranne,' said Ducane. It sounded almost coaxing. 'What do you mean «come, come»? I don't deny that I know Judy McGrath and that Radeechy knew her too. She is a versatile lady with a wide acquaintance.' 'Did you get to know her through Radeechy?' Biranne looked cautious. 'No. I got to know her through her husband. McGrath knows how to exploit a saleable piece of goods. Radeechy got to know her the same way.' 'Is McGrath blackmailing you as well? I 'How do you mean as well? Is he blackmailing you?' 'No, he isn't I He was blackmailing Radeechy.' 'Was he? Oh yes, I remember. Interesting. Perhaps that accounts for the suicide.' 'You haven't answered my question.' 'I don't think I allow your right to question me, my dear Ducane.' 'Then why did you come here tonight? V 'Because you were, shall we say, getting on my nerves. Well, if you really want to know, I came here to ask you some questions.' 'What about? V 'About how well you know Judy McGrath.' 'Really!' said Ducane. He got up, jarring his chair back and almost overturning a lamp. He walked quickly to the other end of the room and back. He stared down at Biranne and then realized that they had exchanged positions. Biranne lounged in his chair, and Ducane stood before him. There was no doubt that Biranne was a clever man. He will get away with it, Ducane thought. Why was he increasingly sure that there was something here to get away with? 'Well?' said Biranne. He seemed quite relaxed now, his hand on his glass, his legs extended in front of him, his long narrow head lolling on the cushions. Ducane thought, he came here to find out how much I know, and I have virtually informed him that I know nothing! Damn, damn, damn. With this Ducane felt a final certainty that Biranne was guilty, guilty of something, perhaps guilty of something serious. He thought, I must frighten him somehow. Ducane said, thinking hard, 'As you are perfectly well aware, I scarcely know Mrs McGrath.' 'You kissed her,' said Biranne. 'But of course dark horses like you often tend to be fast workers.' He laughed shortly and poured out some more whisky. 'She kissed me,' said Ducane. 'I confess her professional ease took me by surprise. You know perfectly well that I have no interest of that sort in Mrs McGrath.' 'Why should I believe you?' 'I don't tell lies.' 'Really?' said Biranne. 'Then why did you tell me one just now?' 'What do you mean?' 'You said McGrath was not blackmailing you.' Ducane looked down into Biranne's handsome insolent face. Then he turned away and laughed. He began to pace the room. 'All right. McGrath has tried to blackmail me, and for my own reasons I've led him on. How did you know?' 'He told me. The fellow has an engaging frankness. He tried to blackmail me too. He and Judy work as a team, as you probably realize. She ensnares people in high places with, shall we say, odd tastes, and McGrath follows close behind with his little camera. He really has quite a talent for photography.' 'I see. He tried it on you. But you wouldn't play?' 'I told him that if he tried that game on me I'd kill him, and he believed me.' Ducane turned at the end of the room to look at the long relaxed figure in the armchair. He has an answer for everyone and everything, he thought to himself. I could never make a man believe that I would kill him! 'As I say,' said Ducane, 'I had my own reasons for encouraging McGrath.' He was beginning to have an idea, an idea which Biranne himself had put into his head. 'Very compelling reasons, I daresay. With two charming girls involved. Yes, you are a dark horse.' 'I see that McGrath's engaging frankness has known no bounds,' said Ducane. He thought, this fellow knows more about me than I know about him. And I thought of him as my victim, my prisoner! 'Well, he did tell me something about two letters. He was rather proud of himself. I must say, he's a most ingenious man.' 'He seems to be quite a friend of yours,' said Ducane. 'It will be interesting when he tells us everything he knows.' 'He'll never do that,' said Biranne easily. 'No one has got anything on McGrath. No one ever will have.' 'I have got something on McGrath,' said Ducane. Biranne sat forward. 'What?' 'Precisely blackmail,' said Ducane. 'Why ever do you think I encouraged him? Those two letters are perfectly innocuous. The two young women express themselves warmly, as many young women do, but neither is my mistress, and there's no earthly reason against their knowing of each other's existence. In fact they now do know, since I've told them. That was the first thing I did when McGrath made his move. McGrath has no power over me as he has nothing to reveal. Really, Biranne, I'm surprised at you. From what you know of my character do you really think I'd tolerate blackmail? I haven't anything disgraceful to conceal, and I certainly wouldn't pay money to an object like McGrath in order to spare myself and two girls a small amount of embarrassment.' 'You mean you, 'Yes. McGrath has no power over me. But I have power over him and I am going to use it. Naturally I am not interested in convicting McGrath, but I am interested in persuading him to talk, and talk he will.' 'But have you – evidence?' Biranne's watchfulness had returned and he was plucking again at his knuckles with bared teeth. 'The man was fool enough to write me a letter. And I have a tape recording. I too have been a little ingenious in the matter.' For a truthful man I'm certainly having a strange evening, thought Ducane. He had come near to Biranne now and was watching him closely. Biranne was plainly uneasy. 'So you're going to put the screw on McGrath?' 'Yes. He's told me half the story already. I'll get the other half next week. Possibly with, possibly without, the help of the police. I have a feeling it will be interesting. And I have a feeling it will concern you.' 'He won't tell you anything,' said Biranne. He was looking down at the carpet now. 'So you don't deny he has something to tell?' 'Oh, he has plenty to tell. But not about Radeechy. Of course you can threaten poor McGrath and make him turn King's evidence. But it won't help you. He doesn't know any more about that.' 'Why are you so sure?' 'Because I think he'd have told me, or at least hinted. Too much has been made of this Radeechy business. I can't think why you're all so excited about it. There's no more in it than meets the eye. Radeechy was a half crazy crank with an interest in the occult and some pretty odd tastes in sex. He's just the sort of man who kills himself. Why shouldn't he? Can't he kill himself quietly without all this to-do?' Ducane sat down. He moved the table with the whisky on it a little out of the way and pulled his chair
