he produces in the future to be inspected mighty carefully. There's nothing new in that, of course; it's been done before. You had a case in England, didn't you?'
'That was in anthropology,' I said. 'The Piltdown man. Everyone wondered why it didn't fit in to the main sequence and there was a lot of theory-twisting to jam it in. Then science caught up with it when they developed radio-carbon date testing and discovered it was a fake.'
Pat nodded. 'Some guys do that kind of thing. If they can't make a reputation the straight way, they'll make it the crooked way. And they're usually like Halstead -- second-raters who want to make a quick name.'
'But it's still circumstantial,' I said stubbornly. I didn't want to believe this. To me, science was equated with truth, and I didn't want to believe that any scientist would stoop to 'fraud And maybe I didn't want to believe that Katherine Halstead was the kind of woman who would marry a man like that.
'Oh, he hasn't been found with dirty hands,' said Pat. 'But I guess it's just a matter of time.'
I said, 'How long have they been married?'
Three years.' The hand holding his glass suddenly hovered halfway to his lips. 'If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, my advice is -- don't! I know she's quite a dish, but keep your hands off. Fallen wouldn't like it.'
'Quite a thought-reader, aren't you?' I said sarcastically. 'Mrs. Halstead is safe from me, I assure you.' Even as I said it I wondered how far that was true. I was also amused at the way Harris had put it -- Fallon wouldn't like it. Pat's first loyalty was to his boss and he didn't give a damn about how Halstead might react. I said, 'Do you think she knows what you've told me -- about her husband's reputation?'
'Probably not,' said Pat. 'I Can't see anyone going up to her and saying, 'Mrs. Halstead, I have to tell you your husband's reputation is lousy.' She'd be the last person to find out.' He regarded me with interest. 'What made you push her on to Fallen in this diving caper? That's twice you've made the boss eat crow. Your credit's running out fast.'
I said slowly, 'She can control her husband where other people can't. You know the foul temper he has. I've no intention of spending my time in Quintana Roo keeping those two from assaulting each other. I'll need some help.'
Pat cocked his head on one side, then nodded abruptly. 'You just might be right. Trouble won't come from Fallon, but Halstead might stir something up. I'm not saying he's nuts, but he's very unstable. You know what I think? I think if he gets a fraction too much pressure on him one of two things will happen -- either he'll split right open like a rotten egg, or hell blow up like a bomb. Now, if you're in a pressure situation, either way brings you grief. I wouldn't rely on him in a 'jam, and I'd trust him as far as I could throw the Empire State Building.'
'Quite a recommendation. I'd hate to have yon write out a testimonial for me, Pat.'
He grinned. 'Yours might be a bit better. All you have to do, Jemmy, to get a hundred per cent score is to stop being so goddamn unobtrusive and neutral. I know you English have a reputation for being quiet, but you push it too far. Do you mind if I speak frankly?'
'Can I stop you?'
He snorted with laughter. 'Probably not.' He lifted his glass. 'I'm probably just cut enough to tell the truth -- it's a failing of mine which has earned me a couple of black eyes in my time.'
'You'd better go ahead and tell me the worst. I promise not to sock you.'
'Okay. You've got some iron in you somewhere, or you wouldn't have been able to strongarm Fallon the way you have. He can be a tough guy to handle. But what have you done since? Fallon and Halstead are running things now and you're sitting on the sidelines. You've twisted Fallen's arm again over Mrs. Halstead -- something that doesn't matter a damn, and he'll remember it. What the hell are you doing on this jaunt, anyway?'
'I had a crazy idea I might be able to do something about my brother.'
That you can forget,' said Pat briefly.
'So I've found out,' I said gloomily.
'I'm glad you realize it,' he said. 'Gatt would swat you like a fly and never give it another thought. Why don't you quit and go home, Jemmy; go back to that little farm of yours? You've found out there's no treasure to be hunted, and you don't give two cents for all the lost cities in Latin America, do you? Why stick around?'
'I'll stick around as long as Gatt does,' I said. 'He might leave himself open long enough for me to get at him.'
'Then you'll wait until hell freezes over. Look, Jemmy: I've got fifteen operatives on to him now, and I'm no nearer finding out what he's up to than when I started. He's a smart cookie and he doesn't make mistakes -- not those kind of mistakes. He keeps himself covered all the time -- it's a reflex with him.'
'You'll agree he'll be interested in what we'll be doing in Quintana Roo?'
'Apparently so,' said Pat. 'He's certainly keeping tabs on this operation.'
Then he'll have to follow us there,' I said. 'He can't do anything from Mexico City. If he's so bloody interested in hypothetical treasure in Uaxuanoc, he'll have to go to Uaxuanoc to pick up the loot. Do you agree with that?'
'It's feasible,' said Pat judiciously. 'I can't see Jack being so trusting as to send anyone else -- not with what he thinks is at stake.'
'He won't be on his home ground, Pat. He's a civilized city type -- he'll be out of his depth. From what I can gather Quintana Roo is as unlike New York City as Mars is. He might make a mistake.'
Pat looked at me in astonishment. 'And what makes you think you're any different? I grant you that Gatt is a city type, but civilized he is not. Whereas you are a city type and civilized. Jemmy, you're a London accountant; you'll be just as much out of your depth in the Quintana Roo as Gatt.'
'Exactly,' I said. 'We'll be on equal terms -- which is more than can be said right now.'
He drained his glass and slammed it down on to the table with a bang. 'I think you're nuts,' he said disgustedly. 'You talk a weird kind of sense, but I still think you're nuts. You're as batty as Halstead.' He looked up. Tell me, can you handle a gun?'
