In his right hand, he held a .38 police automatic. Its blunt blue nose was pointing at me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I
‘Come on in, buster, and join the party,’ O’Reilly said. ‘Your wife doesn’t seem to appreciate my company.’
I moved into the room and over to Nina. I was quickly over the shock of finding this man in my home, and a cold fury was taking the place of my first pang of fear.
‘You’d better get out before I throw you out,’ I said.
He grinned, showing even white teeth.
‘Look, buster,’ he said, ‘you may be a good guy in your own class, but you’re not in my class. I could take two like you and think nothing of it.’
Nina put her hand on my arm. Her fingers telegraphed a warning for caution.
‘What do you want?’ I demanded.
‘What do you think? Those tapes and I’m going to have them!’
‘So you did kill her!’
He rubbed the side of his jaw as his grin widened.
‘Did I? The evidence shows you are the guy who did it. Brother! What a sucker you are! You talk too much. If you had kept your trap shut about those tapes, Rhea and me would have imagined we were sitting pretty, but you had to sound off. Those tapes put Rhea out on a limb. They don’t bother me, but she and I are working together on this thing, so I promised her I’d get the tapes.’
‘Too bad,’ I said. ‘You’re not getting them. If anyone gets them it’ll be Renick.’
He glanced at the gun in his hand and then at me.
‘Suppose I aim this rod at your wife’s left leg,’ he said. ‘Suppose I pull the trigger? I could do it if you don’t hand over the tapes.’
Nina said quietly, ‘Don’t listen to him. Harry. I’m not frightened of him.’
I said, ‘You fire that gun, and we’ll have at least ten people at the door before you can get away. That kind of cheap bluff won’t work. Now get out!’
He leaned back in his chair and laughed.
‘Well, it was worth a try,’ he said. ‘You’re right. I wouldn’t shoot either of you.’ He slid the gun into his hip pocket. ‘Okay, let’s get down to business. I want the tapes and you’re going to hand them over to me. Where are they?’
‘In my bank where you can’t get at them’
‘Come on, sucker. We’ll go to the bank and you’ll hand them over. Let’s go.’
‘You’re not having them! That’s final. Now get out!’
He stared at me for a long moment.
‘Well, okay, if that’s the way it has to be,’ he said, not moving. ‘Now I’ll convince you you’re going to part with them. There are millions of dollars involved in this thing. Those tapes could unstick a plan I’ve really worked at, and that’s not going to happen. I don’t give a damn what happens so long as this plan of mine sticks. I have all the money I need to back up the right kind of action to get the tapes. Now, I’ll show you something.’ He took from his pocket a small bottle of blue glass. He removed the cork and very gently poured liquid from the bottle onto the occasional table at his side. The liquid seemed alive. It hissed as it made a tiny puddle in the middle of the table. I could see it stripping off the varnish and stain. ‘This is sulphuric acid,’ he went on. ‘It’s the stuff you throw in people’s faces who don’t co-operate.’ His expression suddenly turned vicious as he stared at me. ‘I know a mob who would arrange to throw this stuff at your wife, Barber, for less than a hundred bucks. They are a tough mob. Don’t kid yourself you could protect her. They would bust in here when you weren’t expecting them and give it to her and take care of you. I either get the tapes right now or within twelve hours your wife will be blind and her flesh will be burned off her face. What’s it to be?’
I felt Nina’s fingers gripping my arm. We both stared at the bubbling, hissing liquid on the table. I looked at O’Reilly. The expression in those small grey eyes convinced me he wasn’t bluffing. He would do this thing. It wasn’t possible for me to protect Nina.
I was licked, and I knew it.
I stood up.
‘Okay, let’s go.’
Nina caught hold of my arm.
‘No! You’re not to! He wouldn’t dare do it! Harry, please…’
I shook her off.
‘This is my mess – not yours.’
I went to the door while she sat motionless, wide-eyed, staring at me.
O’Reilly got to his feet.
‘He’s right, baby. You keep quiet. Watch out how you clear up that mess. You don’t want to burn your pretty hands.’
‘Harry!’ Nina exclaimed, jumping up. ‘Don’t do it! Don’t let him have them!’
I went out of the bungalow and down to the car with O’Reilly following me. He got in the car beside me.
