Like a Hole in the Head

CHAPTER SIX

I spent the following morning constructing a thatched roof made of palm leaves over part of the flat roof of the house. I had made so many of these anti-sun shelters in Vietnam that it came as second nature to me. Raimundo offered to help. I let him collect the palm leaves, but when it came to the thatching, I did it myself.

If Timoteo and I had to be up on the roof for some hours at least we would have shelter from the afternoon sun.

When I had finished, Raimundo regarded the shelter with an approving nod.

“I can see you’ve done this before,” he said. “Do you want to eat?”

We went down and ate the sandwiches Carlo had ready.

I had spent the night in a small back room in the house while Raimundo and Carlo had shared the larger room. I hadn’t slept much, but I had done a lot of thinking. I had now got over my panic about Lucy. It was only when I had defeated the sick feeling of fear for her that I began to think constructively. I was sure that Savanto was primitive enough to carry out his threat to brand her if I failed him. I was sure he wasn’t bluffing. Diaz was staying at the Willington estate for three days. I was hoping for time. Something might happen that could get both Lucy and me off the hook, given time.

There was a telephone in the living-room. I considered the possibility of calling the police and telling them what was about to happen. This thought I put quickly out of my mind. I didn’t know where Lucy was, and they could fix her before the police could find her. and I also would be in trouble if Raimundo or Carlo woke up and caught me talking on the telephone. It was too great a risk.

If I had to, I would go through with the killing, but only if I was absolutely sure there was no other way to save Lucy. When Diaz appeared on the first day. I could pretend to miss him. I reasoned that Savanto would accept this if T plugged how tricky the shot was going to be. That would give me another night to think of a way out. Maybe it would be too risky to miss Diaz on the second clay, but at least I would have an extra night.

After eating the sandwiches, Raimundo and I went back on the roof. I took the rifle with me.

It was hot up there, but the shade from the shelter I had built made it bearable.

Soon after 15.00 we heard the motorboat start up. I rested the rifle on the concrete surround of the roof and waited. The boat came into the bay, moving fast. I got the “naked girl in the telescopic sight and adjusted the focus. I got her head in the centre of the cross wires. The sight brought her close to me. In one way I was relieved, in another way, sickened. I saw at once that this would be an acceptable shot. Even though she jinked and banked on her skis, there were long moments when she was steady enough for me to hit her in the head. Maybe Diaz would show off a lot more, but even if he did there would come a time when he would ski in a straight line and that’s when I could nail him.

But I wasn’t going to tell this to Raimundo. I followed her through the sight for another five minutes, then when the boat started on its return run, I lowered the rifle.

“What’s the verdict, soldier?”

“It’s going to be one hell of a shot,” I told him. “It has to be a head shot. To be sure of killing him and not wounding him it has to be in the head. His head will be moving up and down all the time. I have to hit him in the brain. I’m sure I’ll hit him, but I’m not sure I can hit him through the brain at this distance and with him moving. A brain shot like that is one hell of a shot.”

Raimundo put his hand under his shirt and began to scratch his chest. He looked worried.

“You’ve got to kill him. If you only knock the bastard’s teeth out, there’ll be hell to pay and we’ll probably never get another chance to nail him.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’m beginning to think this plan isn’t good enough.”

Raimundo swore softly.

“You’d better not tell Savanto that! He picked you for a first- class shot. You’d better be a first-class shot !”

“He knows nothing about shooting,” I said. “That’s an eighthundredyard moving target and it has to be a brain shot… an inch square. There are less than five men in the world who could guarantee such a shot.”

“You’d better be one of them !” His voice was worried and savage.

“Shut up! I want to think.”

He wasn’t so angry as worried. He had lost his cocky confidence. I wondered if Savanto would take it out of him as well as Lucy and myself if there was a foul up.

Then out of the blue a germ of an idea dropped into my mind. I paused to light a cigarette, then I asked. “Who owns this house?”

The question surprised him.

“What’s that to do with you?”

“Is the owner likely to walk in on us?”

“Forget it ! There are dozens of places like this for hire. We hired it.”

I thought that was likely, but I wanted to know for sure. Dozens of places like this along the coast for hire. My mind worked swiftly. If Savanto had hired this place, why not another in which to hold Lucy?

The germ of my idea began to grow. How could I find out? Then another idea dropped into my mind. So that I could think about it, I began to take the telescopic sight off the rifle. I was aware that Raimundo was watching me curiously.

“Let me see the plan of the Willington estate,” I said.

He scratched some more under his shirt.

“What’s that got to do with this?”

“I want to look at it.”

“I’ve told you, soldier, Diaz’s men will be there. Get that idea out of your head.”

“There will only be four of them.”

“That’s plenty. They are professionals.”

I had to bluff him if I were to work out this idea.

“I once killed a sniper who was surrounded by more than a hundred trained troops. Four good men wouldn’t worry me.”

He stared at me.

“You mean you think…”

“We’re wasting time!” I put on my Army bark. “Show me the plan !”

We left the room and went down to the sitting-room. He found the plan and spread it out on the table.

“Okay, take some fresh air,” I said as I sat down.

He hesitated, not liking being ordered around, then shrugging, he went out on to the balcony where Carlo was sleeping.

I spent some minutes examining the map. The Willington house stood in a couple of acres of lawns and flower beds. At the back of it was dense forest land with paths cut through it. To the right of the house was a swimming pool. Away from the house was the guest bungalow. This too had its swimming pool and was also backed by trees. The forest extended from the bungalow down to the sea where the boat house was. The other boundaries were surrounded by high walls. If I had charge of four bodyguards, I would have two men patrolling the paths by the boat house which was obviously the most vulnerable entrance. I would have the other two men patrolling around the bungalow.

I sat staring at the map while I considered the idea that had come into my mind. It was a ninety-five to five bet, but even odds as low as this must be taken.

I called Raimundo.

“You’ve had a look at this place?”

“Sure. I told you.”

“How about the walls?”

He made an impatient movement.

“They are fifteen feet high with an alarm cable operated by an electronic system. You have only to touch the top of any part of the walls to set off the alarm.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure! I set the alarm off. The two resident guards and two patrol cops arrived in less than ten minutes.”

“How about the boat house?”

“You can’t take a boat in there. There’s an alarm wire outside the harbour that sets off a warning.”

“Could you swim in?”

He thought, frowning and uneasy, then he shrugged.

“I guess so, but there’ll be a guard there.”

“Can Timoteo swim?”

“Yes, he’s good, but you’re wasting time, soldier. Suppose you and Timoteo get into the estate, how about Lopez?”

I had forgotten Lopez.

“I’m looking for angles,” I hedged. “I’m taking a look at the estate. It’s just possible I might find a better way of getting at him than trying to hit him on skis.”

Raimundo became suspicious.

“You’re wasting time.”

“We have time to waste. I’m going.”

He hesitated.

“I’ll come with you. When are you going? Tonight?”

“I’m going right now.”

“Are you crazy? There are two guards there. We could walk into them and cook the deal.”

“You didn’t tell me guards were there already.”

“They’re always there. Willington has valuable stuff in the house, but when Diaz arrives, they leave. The girl has fixed it with the Security Agent. The negress told us. They come back when Diaz leaves, but they are there now.”

“Can you swim?”

He didn’t know it, but to me this was the sixty-four thousand-dollar question. If he was a good swimmer, I was in trouble. My hopes rose when I saw him hesitating.

“I can manage.”

“What’s that mean? Can you swim a quarter of a mile? I want to take off from here.” I pointed to the map. “That’s around a quarter of a mile to the harbour.”

“I wouldn’t want to swim that far.”

“Okay, so you don’t come with me.”

As I started towards the door, he caught hold of my arm. His face had turned vicious.

“No tricks, soldier! You make one mistake and your wife will get branded !”

I hit him a back-hand swipe that sent him reeling across the room. He thudded against the wall, bounced off and came at me. He was so mad he forgot to get on balance. As he rushed at me like a charging bull I hung one on his jaw. It was a block buster of a punch and he went out like a match flame in a gale.

I heard a sound behind me and I turned swiftly. Carlo stood gaping in the doorway of the french windows.

“Sweep him up and put him to bed,” I said. “I’m going out.” His brutish face showed bewilderment. I didn’t give him a chance to begin thinking. I shouldered him aside and went down the steps and started across the sand dunes towards the distant arm of the bay.

It was a longer swim than I had thought but it didn’t worry me. During my Army days I had swum five miles under pressure with Vietcong bullets splashing around me from time to time. I took it easy, and after a while, I came within sight of the Willington boat house. Slowly and cautiously, I swam towards it. There was a small harbour and I could see the motor boat. I swam just outside the entrance to the harbour, looking for any sign of life, but the place seemed deserted. Raimundo had said there was an alarm cable guarding the harbour. I didn’t think it likely it would be operating during the day, but I wasn’t taking a chance of alerting the two resident guards. I dived deeply and swam along one of the walls of the harbour entrance, then surfaced by the motor boat.

As I came up, shaking the water out of my eyes, a girl’s voice called, “Hi! Do you know you’re trespassing?”

I looked up. Nancy Willington was standing on the cabin roof, looking down at me. She had on the skimpiest bikini I have ever seen : a joke of a bikini that was only just enough to cover her nipples and her crotch. At close quarters she was the most sensational-looking woman I had seen. Woman? Perhaps not yet… not mentally a woman. She reminded me a little of Brigitte Bardot when she had first set the movie screen alight.

“I didn’t know anyone was here,” I said, treading water. “I’m sorry… excuse me. I guess I’ve come to the wrong place.”

She laughed, leaning forward to look down at me, her full breasts threatening to escape from the tiny halter.

“Do you usually swim to people’s places?”

“I said I was sorry, didn’t I?” I started to swim, not fast but with purpose towards the harbour exit.

“Hey ! Come back ! I want to talk to you!”

I had gambled on her curiosity. The ninety-five to five chance looked as if it could pay off.

I turned round and swam back to the boat. I caught hold of the mooring-rope.

“I didn’t mean to trespass.”

“Come aboard,” she said. “Do you want a drink?”

I swung myself on to the boat’s deck. I was wearing only a pair of white cotton trousers. They were sopping wet and they stuck to me. I could have been naked. I didn’t think this would faze her, and I had too much on my mind for it to faze me.

She came off the cabin roof and joined me. Her eyes ran over me, missing nothing and she gave me a gamin grin.

“Some man !” she said.

“You think so? Okay… some girl!”

She laughed.

“What are you doing here?”

“I am looking for my wife.”

This was the idea that had come to me while I was talking to Raimundo. I had to find Lucy. This girl knew the district. She just might know of a villa or a bungalow that had been recently rented.

“Your wife?” Her green eyes widened. “Have you lost her?”

I couldn’t tell her the truth. If I did, she would think only of herself. She would be on the telephone in a moment to warn Diaz to keep away. So I had to lie to her.

“I’ve lost her,” I said, “but I’m not bothering you with this. I’m a stranger around here. I saw this place and wondered if she was here. Sorry…”

“You’re the craziest man I’ve ever met!” she exclaimed. “You mean you are swimming along the coast, looking for your wife? I don’t believe it !”

“I guess it’s crazy.” I made my voice harsh. “I haven’t a boat so what else can I do? I’ve an idea she is somewhere along here so I’m looking.”

“You lost her? You mean she’s left you?”

I gave her my hard Army look.

“Sorry I trespassed. I’ll get going.”

“Don’t go temperamental on me.” She cocked her head on one side and gave me a sexy look. “I’ve nothing to do and God ! am I bored ! I’ll help you. We can go in the boat.” She sat on the cabin roof. “Tell me about it.”

“Why should you care? It’s a personal thing. I want my wife back. There’s a chance she’s using a house along this coast. The rest is my business.”

She pouted.

“You don’t have to shout at me. She might be happy without you. Have you thought of that?”

“What the hell has that to do with you?” I barked. “I’m going to find her !”

She blinked. I was sure no man had ever spoken to her in that tone of voice.

“You’re right out of a cave,” she said. “If I were your wife, I would love you. I’ll help. I know all the houses along this coast for around five miles.”

“He will have rented a place. Do you know the ones for rent?”

“Has she run off with some man? She must be soft in the head!”

“So she’s soft in the head. When I find her I’m going to give her a hiding. She’s been aching for a hiding ever since I married her and she’s going to get it.”

Her eyes lit up.

“I wish someone would give me a hiding,” she said. “I need it. I wish .. .”

“To hell with what you need.” I was now sure I was handling her right. “I know what my wife needs and that’s what she’s going to get. Do you know the houses for rent along this strip?”

“Yes. There are three about half a mile from here. About two miles further on there’s another… a good one.”

“Let’s go to look at them.”

“Don’t you want a drink?”

“I’ll have that later.” I stared at her. “Let’s go.”

She went down into the cabin and started the engine. While I had been talking to her, I kept looking towards the forest that hid the guest bungalow from the boat house, wondering if the regress was watching me, but I didn’t see her. I went down into the cabin as the girl began to reverse the boat out of the harbour.

“I’m Nancy,” she said. “What’s your name?”

“Max.” It wasn’t a lie. Max is my second name.

She looked at me over her shoulder.

“I like Max. It’s a gorgeous name.” She cleared the harbour. “What do we do now, Max?”

“Take her along the coast, not too fast and not too close.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” She giggled. “Did you and her boy friend fight?”

I was always forgetting the marks from Raimundo’s fists on my face.

“Not him… I got into an argument.”

“I like men who fight. What happened?”

I looked at her. Her eyes were unnaturally bright. I could see under the thin material of her bra that her nipples had come erect.

“Why should you care?”

She pouted.

“I like a good fight. I like it when two men…”

“Skip it ! What’s that house we’re coming to?”

She grimaced, then looked to where I was pointing.

“It belongs to Van Hesson. He’s quite a gorgeous man, but his wife is the worst kind of creep. Don’t let them see you. She would tell my husband.”

We passed the house. I could see a number of people on the lawn under gay sun umbrellas.

Nancy advanced the throttle and we swept past the place.

“Some women are drags, aren’t they?” She giggled. “She’s terrified her husband is going to lay me. She won’t let him come near me.”

“How about this one?”

We were approaching another house built on the same lines as the previous one.

“That’s rented. He’s gorgeous to look at. She’s building a baby. She’s enormous. He doesn’t leave her for a second. I’ve never been able even to speak to him.”

We went on, passing two more houses. Two elderly people on the lawn of one and a party of old, fat people, playing cards under the shade of the trees at the other.

I was beginning to think the ninety-five to five chance wasn’t going to pay off.

“You see the cape ahead?” Nancy said, putting her hand on my naked shoulder. “That’s the place I was telling you about. It belongs to Jack Dexter. He’s marvellous, but God! his wife’s a drip ! Right now they are in the South of France. The place has been rented. jack hates renting his houses — he has around six of them — but she’s so mean, she insists.”

I was beginning to get worried. Time was running out.

“Are there any more rented houses along here?”

“Dozens of them, but they are all gruesome… strictly for the tourist trade. This one’s nice.”

Graceful cypress trees screened the approach to the house. I could see a harbour, then as we got closer, a powerful motor boat. Beyond the harbour was a sandy beach.

As we came around the screen of trees, I saw an expanse of lawn and a ranch-type house surrounded by flower beds packed with multicoloured begonias.

“That’s Jack Dexter’s place,” Nancy said. “It’s nice, isn’t it? I haven’t had time yet to find out who has taken it.”

I wasn’t listening.

Sitting on the lawn under the shade of a spider orchid tree was Timoteo Savanto.

My immediate reaction on seeing Timoteo was to shout to Nancy to steer into the harbour, but I checked the impulse. There was a remote chance that Lucy wasn’t there. I felt sure she was, but I couldn’t take that chance.

“That’s not the boy friend?” Nancy asked. She had joined me at the cabin window and was looking at Timoteo. “He looks a drip, doesn’t he?”

Timoteo had found another pair of sun goggles. At the sound of the motor boat, he looked towards us, the sun reflecting on the black glass of the goggles. Although I knew he couldn’t see me at this distance and through the blue anti-glare glass of the cabin window, I moved back a little.

“No… that’s not him,” I said.

I looked searchingly at the ranch house. Then I was thankful I had checked the impulse to take the boat into the harbour. I saw Nick in his yellow-and-red shirt, standing on the verandah looking towards us. I saw two other men in white ducks and sweat shirts suddenly appear around the building. They too looked towards us.

“Hey! A house full of men!” Nancy said excitedly. “Shall we call in and say hello?”

“No. How far is the next place?”

“About a mile.” Reluctantly she opened the throttle and the boat surged forward.

We looked at four other houses. I didn’t want her to know I had found my objective. After the fourth house, I said, “I guess this is a waste of time. It was a long chance. She’s probably at a hotel or taken an apartment. We’ll go back.”

“There are still dozens of places along this coast you haven’t seen,” Nancy said. “Don’t be faint-hearted.”

“We’ll go back.”

She shrugged and turned the boat. We returned at high speed. As we flashed by Savanto’s place, I saw Timoteo was no longer in the garden. The two men in white ducks were sitting on the verandah. There was no sign of Nick.

As we neared the Willington harbour, Nancy slowed the boat. “Come and have dinner with me. I’m all alone. We can talk about your wife,” she said.

“No, I’ve got to get on,” I said. “Thanks for your help.”

She cut the engine and moved close to me.

“Don’t rush off, Max. Let’s have fun. There’s lots of time to look for your wife.”

“Thanks for your help.” I pushed by her and gained the deck. I dived into the sea and began a fast crawl away from the boat. After a couple of hundred yards, I eased off and looked back. She was standing on the cabin roof, her hands on her hips, her legs wide apart.

“You stinker!” she shouted. “I hope you drown!” Then she waved.

I waved back and continued on my way.

I was pretty sure the ninety-five to five chance had paid off, but I wasn’t certain that Lucy was there. If I had seen her T would have borrowed Nancy’s telephone and alerted the police, but that would be asking for trouble if they walked in and didn’t find her.

As I swam hack, I decided I would tell Raimundo that if the ski shot failed, it would be worth the risk of taking Timoteo to the Willington estate. I would show him on the map how it could be done.

I came out of the sea and started across the sand dunes. As I approached the house I saw Carlo on the verandah. I scarcely noticed him because I saw Savanto was sitting in one of the chairs, looking towards me. The sight of him, like a black vulture, made my heart skip a beat.

He stared stonily at me as I came up the steps.

“So you’ve been for a swim, Mr. Benson,” he said.

“That’s right. I…” I got no further.

I was facing him, my back half turned to Carlo. I saw him move. I started to turn, but I was much too late. What felt like a steel bar which must have been the side of his hand slammed down on the back of my neck. My brain exploded in a flash of white light; there was complete darkness.

Agonising pain and the smell of scorching brought me back to consciousness. I heard myself yelling : it was a sound I didn’t think possible to come from me : a sound I had once heard when one of my men had been hit in the stomach by shrapnel. I clenched my teeth and bit the scream back. I opened my eyes. Dimly, and out of focus, I saw Carlo bending over me. There was this awful pain raging in my chest. I heaved myself to my feet. A huge hand came from nowhere and slapped across my face. I felt myself falling. My back hit the top of the verandah steps and I felt myself slithering down them. I sprawled on the hot sand.

I lay there, riding the pain, my mind willing my body to get up so I could kill this brutish ape. I saw him coming down the steps and somehow I dragged myself to my feet. I swung at him. Again his hand slapped my face and again I sprawled on my back. I looked up at him, hating him. If it hadn’t been for the raging pain in my chest, I would have got up again, but the pain took the guts out of me.

Then Raimundo came down the steps. He and Carlo grabbed me, dragged me upright and hustled me up the steps. They slammed me down into a chair.

Raimundo said quietly, “You had it coming, soldier. Now take it easy. I’ll fix the burn.”

I looked down at my chest. I had been branded with the Red Dragon on the right side of my chest. The pain still raged. I thought of Lucy with this brand on her face and how she would suffer. The thought shocked the vicious fury out of me. I sat there, staring at the brand, riding the pain. Raimundo came back. He dabbed on yellow anti-burn ointment. His fingers were gentle.

When he had finished, he moved away. I became aware that Savanto was watching.

“I warned you, Mr. Benson, not to try tricks. This isn’t a game,” he said. “Now, perhaps you will realise it. Now, perhaps you will realise how your wife could suffer.”

“Yes,” I said. I had myself under control. He was right. Up to this moment I had hoped he was bluffing, but now I knew this was no bluff.

“You talked to Mrs. Willington,” Savanto said. “Did you tell her about the shooting?”

“No.”

He studied me, his black eyes glittering.

“I hope you are not lying. If Diaz doesn’t come out on the bay, then I will know you have lied. I will avenge myself on your wife. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, his eyes still probing my face.

“There now seems doubt that you will hit him when he is skiing. Is that right?”

“I’ll hit him, but I don’t guarantee to kill him.”

The pain from the burn was subsiding. I looked down at the livid red mark on my chest. I imagined Lucy having to wear that mark on her face for the rest of her days. I suddenly didn’t give a damn about Diaz Savanto.

“I told you this is the age of miracles,” Savanto said. “I expect a miracle from you.”

I knew, after seeing Nancy in the telescopic sight, that I could kill Diaz. I would kill him and this nightmare would finish.

I looked steadily at him.

“I’ll kill him,” I said.

Our eyes locked.

“Would you say that again, Mr. Benson?”

“I’ll kill him.”

He nodded, then heaved himself out of the chair.

“Yes, I was sure I had chosen the right man,” he said, half to himself. “Yes, you will kill him.” He moved to the top of the verandah steps, then he took off his hat, looked inside it, then put it hack on his head. “I expected trouble from you, Mr. Benson. You are a man of character. I am sorry I had to deal so harshly with you. I can understand you didn’t realise how serious this affair is. You know now. It is better for you to suffer to find out this is a serious business than for your wife to suffer. I again assure you that she will be returned to you… a little frightened, of course, but quite unharmed. You have said you will kill him. I am satisfied.” He looked beyond me at Raimundo. “Give me a cigarette.”

Raimundo shook his head.

“Your Doc says you should lay off cigarettes, Mr. Savanto.”

Savanto held out his hand.

“Fortunately for me, you are not my doctor. A cigarette!”

Carlo came forward with a pack. He lit the cigarette for Savanto who continued to stare at Raimundo.

“You see? Carlo does what I ask.”

In spite of the pain from the burn, I was suddenly alert. I looked at Raimundo.

“Carlo is an animal,” he said quietly. “I am more responsible.”

“Yes.” Savanto drew in smoke and let it drift down his nostrils. He looked at me. “You have been clever, Mr. Benson. You wanted to find your wife. You have found her. She is there with Timoteo. Now I have your word that you will kill Diaz I am pleased to tell you this. You have seen the house. She has everything she needs. I told you that. I didn’t expect you to believe me, but now you have seen for yourself. It is a very beautiful house, isn’t it?”

I didn’t say anything.

“She is quite well and safely guarded, Mr. Benson,” Savanto went on. “She is very well guarded.” There was a long pause while he puffed at his cigarette, then he said, “Tomorrow at 14.00, Timoteo will come here. At 14.30 I and Lopez will arrive. You are entirely responsible for the arrangements and the successful conclusion of the operation.” He stared at me, his black eyes like stones. “Is that understood?”

The veil of this nightmare was smothering me.

“Yes,” I said.

The shadows from the palm trees were lengthening. The sun was sinking in a blood-red glow that lit up the horizon. The light turned the sand dunes into lunar formations. It was hot : a tropical evening with no wind and complete silence.

I was lying on the bed by the window in my small, airless room. In spite of the ointment the burn was still painful. To forget the pain, my mind moved into the past. I thought of my first meeting with Nick Lewis when he had told me the school was for sale. This meeting had started the nightmare. I thought again of my first meeting with Lucy and of our first wonderful month together. I thought of the black Cadillac coming up the drive and of our hopes that here at last was a good paying client. It all seemed a long time ago. I wondered what Lucy was doing at this moment. I was thankful she didn’t know what was happening to me. I had told Savanto I would kill Diaz… so I would kill him.

During my service in Vietnam I had killed eighty-two Vietcong: an average of twenty-seven hostile men a year. Most of them had been snipers like myself : a professional killing a professional. I could have been killed myself, but I had been lucky and that shade better at concealing myself and moving more silently through the jungle than they. I had dreamed of the first few snipers I had killed, but after a while I had become callous. But I knew I would have Diaz on my conscience in spite of knowing he was less than an animal, and in spite of knowing I was forced to kill him. This would be something I would have to live with for the rest of my days. It was essential to me that Lucy should never know. This killing had to be something I wasn’t sharing with anyone… especially Lucy.

I watched the sun go down and darkness settle over the sea. The moon wouldn’t be up for another half hour. This was the long moment of twilight and stars that Lucy and I always liked.

Then the thought that had been nagging at the back of my mind suddenly came alive.

Would Lucy and I be safe after I had killed Diaz?

Savanto had said he was a man of his word. He had said Lucy would be returned to me unharmed. He had said he would pay me two hundred thousand dollars if I would take his son’s place, but he was in the position to make promises. I touched the brand on my chest. A man who could do that, I thought, could do anything. What could be more convenient to him, after I had killed Diaz than to wipe both of us out? By wiping us out he would save himself two hundred thousand dollars and get rid of two witnesses who could testify that his son hadn’t killed Diaz.

Was Lucy already dead?

The thought made me start upright.

Had he had her killed already?

The door opened and the overhead light came on, blinding me. I blinked as I turned my head.

Raimundo came into the room. He shut the door. He was carrying a glass of what looked like whisky and water.

“How does it go, soldier?” he asked, moving close to the bed.

“I’m all right. Why should you care?”

“You must have some sleep. The burn hurting?”

“What do you think?”

He looked down at my chest and grimaced.

“I’ve brought you some sleeping pills.” He set down the glass and a screw of paper on the bedside table. “You must sleep. Tomorrow’s important.”

I thought of Diaz on skis, jinking over the waves. I knew I wouldn’t sleep without pills. If I didn’t sleep and get relaxed, the shot would be impossible.

I stared up at him, remembering how Savanto had looked at him, sure there had been distrust in Savanto’s black, glittering eyes.

“Is she alive?” I asked.

He stiffened.

“What do you mean, soldier?” His voice went down to a whisper.

“Who’s kidding who?” I too lowered my voice. “After I have killed Diaz I have an idea my wife and I will cease to exist. Has he had her killed already?”

“Nothing like that is going to happen.” There was uneasiness in his voice and his eyes shifted from mine.

“That’s what you say.”

“Listen, soldier, Savanto is a big man. He has done much good. He helps people. He is helping his son. When he gives his word, you can depend on it.”

“A man who could do this,” I looked down at the brand, “could do anything.”

“He had to make you see sense, soldier,” Raimundo said. “You were acting like a goon.”

“Is she still alive?” I repeated.

“Do you want to talk to her?” He wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. “I’ll take a chance. It’s a hell of a chance, soldier, but if it will make you happy, I’ll try.”

I hesitated. It was enough for me to know he was sure that Lucy was still alive and he was being co-operative. It would be stupid to take a risk.

“No.” I paused, looking up at him. “I’ll tell you something. I don’t think he trusts you any more. I think you could be in as much trouble as I am.”

“That’s crazy talk!” But something I thought looked like fear jumped into his eyes. “Now listen, soldier, you have got to fix Diaz! Make no mistake about it!” Suddenly he stiffened and looked hurriedly over his shoulder, then back to me. “Take these pills.” His voice had become loud and harsh. “You’ve got to sleep.”

The door had opened silently and I saw Carlo standing in the doorway.

I took the pills while Raimundo stood over me. When he was sure I had swallowed them, he turned round and started for the door.

Carlo, his little ape’s eyes shifting, stepped back.

“You want something?” Raimundo demanded aggressively.

Carlo grinned like an idiot.

“I didn’t know where you had got to.”

Raimundo snapped off the light. "You know now." He went out of the room and shut the door.

I lay in the darkness for only a few minutes before the pills hit me.