He laughed.
‘You’re continual y thinking up difficulties, aren’t you?’ he said lightly. ‘The trouble with you is you worry too much. As soon as Baird starts on the job, you don’t have to think anything more about it. I’ll handle it.’
‘That doesn’t answer my question. What are you going to do about Kile? What wil you do if Baird finds out there’s a half-million involved?’
Gillis lit a cigarette and flicked the match out of the window.
‘I’ll wait until the time comes. But it wouldn’t do any harm to keep your eyes and ears open so far as brother Kile is concerned. He must have a few secrets he doesn’t want to broadcast. Suppose you concentrate on that angle, pet? If we could get something on him, we’d have him where we wanted him if he did turn nasty.’
‘I’m not going to do it,’ Eve said evenly. ‘It’s blackmail.’
‘Why must you always put a label on everything? Suppose it is blackmail: what of it? Or do you want me to leave you to be Kile’s toy until you lose your looks and he boots you out?’
She stood up.
‘Please listen to me, Adam,’ she said quietly. ‘You may be able to handle Kile, but I know you won’t be able to handle Baird. Kile doesn’t mat er. He’s old and il and finished, but Baird’s not. He’s dangerous and he’s no fool. If he finds out…’
‘I know, I know,’ Gil is said, giving her his charming smile that was a lit le faded at the edges. ‘I heard you the first time. It may surprise you to know I’m not worried about Baird. I hope I’ve enough brains to outwit a man of his calibre. I know he’s a kil er; but that’s al . A good boxer can always beat a good slugger, and that’s what Baird is. He doesn’t scare me in the slightest.’
She caught hold of his arm.
‘Darling, I beg you not to go on with this,’ she said imploringly. ‘It won’t work. Oh, yes, I’m sure Baird’l get Hater out of prison. He could do anything, but it’s when Hater is free that your troubles are going to start. Please give up the idea before it’s too late. You’re running into something that’s more dangerous than anything you’ve ever mixed yourself up in before. You must give it up, Adam, before it’s too late.’
Gillis patted her hand.
‘I think I’l go to bed now,’ he said, yawning elaborately. ‘I’m dead tired. Go to bed yourself, Eve, and take my advice: mind your own business and leave me to mind mine.’
She looked at him helplessly.
‘Al right, darling,’ she said. She knew in a moment he would begin his threats again. ‘I’l go to bed.’
‘You wouldn’t have ten dol ars on you, would you?’ he said, as he steered her to the door. ‘It’s a debt I promised to settle.’
She opened her bag and took out two ten-dollar bills.
‘Take them,’ she said, without looking at him.
‘Only ten,’ he said, taking one of the bil s. ‘Never let it be said that I sponge on you.’
As he opened the door, she turned to face him.
‘Adam, please think about this. Can’t you see how dangerous…?’
‘Don’t let’s go al over that again,’ he said, a sudden rasp in his voice. ‘You’l begin to bore me.’
‘I’m sorry, but do think about it, darling, before it’s too late. Don’t blame me if something horrible happens. I can’t keep warning you.’
‘Have that engraved as one of those mot o things, pet,’ he said, ‘and I’ll hang it over my bed. Good night and sweet dreams.’
He gently pushed her into the passage and shut the door.
V
Jack Burns sat in his car, a cigarette hanging from his lips and a heavy scowl on his fat face. From time to time he shot his cuff and stuck his arm out of the window to see the time by his wrist-watch in the light cast by the street standard. It was getting on for a quarter- past one, and still no sign of Ainsworth.
He yawned and cursed Ainsworth, using all the bad words he knew. It took a little while to run through his entire vocabulary, and when he had finished, he felt a little less annoyed.
If only this punk Baird would go to sleep, he thought, he’d chance it and go home, but so long as the light burned in the top window, he knew he couldn’t take any risks.
He lit another cigarette and groaned. This was a hell of a life, he decided, for a guy who likes his sleep. Purvis, the old goat, would expect him to take over day duty by eleven o’clock. At this rate he wouldn’t get more than eight hours sleep, and he needed ten to feel anything like normal.
Every now and then he caught sight of Baird’s shadow as he crossed the blind. He was up to something, moving backwards and forwards like that. He didn’t give the impression of a man preparing for bed.
Again Burns leaned out of the window to see the time: one twenty-five! He yawned again, threatening to dislocate his jaw.
A patrolman came slowly along the sidewalk, gently whacking the side of his leg with his night-stick.
He looked over at Burns, sitting in the car, paused, then came across the street and stopped beside the car.
‘Waiting for someone?’ he asked, eyeing Burns suspiciously.
‘For the end of the world,’ Burns said sarcastical y. ‘Haven’t you heard? You and me and all the rest of the lousy bunch will come to an end in half an hour. If you want proof, my tea leaves told me, and they’re never wrong.’
