This Way for a Shroud

But by this time Conrad was half-way down the path with Bardin at his heels. They got into the police car.

'Well, how do you like it now?' Conrad asked grimly. 'We've got to get moving, Sam. We'll go to the garage first. They may have a description of the car. I'll go on to the amusement park and you organize some help. We'll need forty or fifty men in a hurry.'

'For crying out loud!' Bardin exclaimed blankly. 'What do we want with forty or fifty men? You and I can handle this.'

'Can we?' Conrad was pale and his eyes angry. 'That girl is in a crowd of about fifty thousand people. Right at her heels are two of Maurer's hoods. What do you imagine they are there for? Do you think I'm going to let them wipe her out the way Paretti wiped out all those other witnesses? We'll want all the help we can get. I'm going to save that girl if it's the last thing I do!'

IV

'Hey! Wait a minute,' Buster said, coming to a standstill. He was clutching in both arms an odd assortment of dolls, gaudy-looking vases, coconuts and two big boxes of candy. 'I've got to park this lot. I'm fed-up with humping them wherever we go.'

'You shouldn't have won them then,' Bunty said, laughing. 'Where are you going to park them?'

'Let's go back to the car; then we can all go on the Big Wheel.'

'We don't all want to go,' Bunty said. 'I'll come with you. You go on, Frankie, and we'll meet at the Big Wheel. I'm still not sure I'm going on it, but at least I can watch you three.'

Pete's heart skipped a beat. For the past hour he had tried desperately to get Frances to himself without success, and now the opportunity had made itself. He looked over his shoulder. Not far away, standing by one of the Bingo stalls, was Moe, his hard white face set in vicious lines.

'All right,' Frances said, 'We'll meet you at the entrance to the Big Wheel.'

Pete was sure Moe wasn't going to wait much longer. He had to get Frances somewhere away from the crowd and away from Moe. He looked right and left and his eyes alighted on a big neon sign that read:

THE GREAT MIRROR MAZE Do You Want To Be Alone? Come and get lost in the most baffling maze in the world

'You'll take at least twenty minutes to get to the car and back,' he said to Buster. 'We'll go and have a look at the maze over there. Suppose you meet us at the entrance?' He turned to Frances. 'Will you come with me? I've always wanted to see this thing. It could be fun.'

'For heaven's sake!' Bunty exclaimed. 'You'll only get lost, and you'll be in there for hours.'

'Oh, no,' Pete said quickly. 'It's really quite easy. All you have to do is to keep moving to the left and you come out in about ten minutes. Will you come?'

Frances nodded.

'All right.'

She wasn't particularly keen, but Pete had fallen in so readily with all her suggestions that she felt it was only fair to fall in with his now.

'Well, please yourself. If you're not out in half an hour we won't wait for you,' Bunty warned. 'Come on, Buster. Let's go.'

As the two pushed their way slowly through the endless stream of people, Pete again looked in Moe's direction. There was an intent expression on Moe's face as he watched Bunty and Buster disappear into the crowd.

Pete turned quickly to Frances.

'Shall we go?' he said. 'It'll be amusing, and we won't be long.'

She moved along with him, her hand on his arm towards the entrance to the maze.

'Do you know that man?' she asked suddenly.

Pete stiffened and looked sharply at her.

'What man?'

'The one you keep looking at. The one in the black suit. He's been following us all the morning.'

'Has he?' Pete tried to keep his voice steady. 'I – I think I've seen him somewhere before.'

By now they had reached the pay-box outside the maze, and Pete moved forward to buy the tickets. It seemed to be the only side-show where there was no queue, and the blonde, middle-aged woman seemed glad to sell him the tickets.

'Keep to your left as you go in,' she said as she gave him the change. 'If you get lost ring the bell. You'll find plenty of bell-pushes as you go through the maze. Someone will come and find you.'

Pete thanked her and joined Frances who was waiting at the entrance. He followed her down a long passage and at the last moment he looked back anxiously over his shoulder. He could see no sign of Moe.

'What do we do?' Frances asked as she walked just ahead of him. 'It's awfully stuffy in here, isn't it?'

'You won't find it stuffy once we get into the maze,' Pete assured her. 'It's in the open air.'

They walked a few yards and then they found themselves suddenly in the maze.

The maze was constructed of fifteen-foot-high walls, lined on either side by mirrors. The passage between the wall was six foot wide, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The mirrors were so angled that they reflected from one mirror to the other, and as Frances and Pete stepped into the first long passage they were