The Main Chance (19 page)

`Excuse me, everyone,' Tweed said standing up, 'I'm going for my walk.'

He had entered the hall when he was aware of someone behind him. Marler, with his golf bag unzipped.

`Coming with you,' Marler drawled. 'No argument.'

They descended the steps with Tweed a few paces ahead of his escort. The sun was blazing again; now it was behind the mansion, shining directly on The Forest beyond the closed gates. Tweed was revelling in being outside, feeling the lawn under his feet. He paused to take in the peace of it all.

Behind the brambles on the other side of the road Jacques aimed the scope of his rifle. He had waited hours hoping his target would appear. Now he had Tweed in his cross-hairs. The one thing which bothered him was the sun glaring straight at him. Tweed was standing motionless, hands in the pockets of his country- style jacket. Jacques took a deep breath, prior to squeezing the trigger.

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`It really is a glorious day,' Tweed enthused. 'Almost makes you forget why we're here...'

Marler, on his right, was looking everywhere, as he so often was. His peripheral vision caught the sun's brief reflection off something beyond the gates. His left arm swept round Tweed's waist, pushed him violently to the lawn, flat on his face as Marler himself sprawled beside him.

The bullet passed over Tweed's prone body, making a sharp deadly crack.

`Don't move,' Marler snapped. 'Stay down.'

In seconds he had hauled out his Armalite, the scope attached. He knew where the marksman was. He'd not only seen the sun flash off the killer's scope, he'd seen the muzzle flash.

He aimed swiftly through the upright bars of the gate and beyond at the brambles. He waited a few seconds, then he fired again at the same area. He jumped up, dashed forward with the speed of an antelope, calling back over his shoulder to Tweed, 'Run for the manor... zigzag as you run... get the gates opened!'

Briefly, Jacques was in a state of shock. The first bullet had passed within an inch of his head. The second bullet had scorched the tip of his hair at the side of his head. And now, from one of the photographs taken of the SIS team emerging from Park Crescent, he recognized the shooter. Oh God!
Marler
.

`Get the hell out of here,' he mumbled.

He was already crashing through the brambles, ignoring the scratches to his face. As he came out into open country he jumped on his motorcycle. It started first time. He headed over the smooth slope rising to a crest. Glancing back, he was appalled to see the gates opening. He swore, increased speed to maximum.

Tearing across the road, Marler charged into the undergrowth as fast as he could. Emerging into open country, he saw the motorcyclist speeding up a rise and shouldered his weapon. He had already reloaded. In the crosshairs he saw the back of the fleeing killer. He had his finger on the trigger when he saw the view through the scope was blank. His target had dropped down the slope beyond the crest.

Marler leaned against the trunk of a huge tree, laughed. 'Next time will be your last time,' he said.

Shortly before, Tweed and Paula had rushed up the steps and inside the hall. Lavinia was standing there. `Open the gates quickly,' Tweed called out.

Lavinia wasted no time asking why. She used her index finger to press a button concealed in the panelling. Tweed turned round. In the distance through the open door he saw the gates opening, Marler near them.

`Fun and games?' Lavinia enquired with a wry smile.

`An exercise,' Tweed replied. 'We needed the exercise. Now I need to see Newman urgently.'

`He's gone to Snape's cottage in the woods. I'd better lead you there.'

They walked along a corridor and entered the kitchen. Mrs Grandy had just shut the cooker. She glared at them.

`I see the back door is open,' Lavinia told her. 'It needs to be kept closed and locked at—'

`Oh, does it?' Mrs Grandy folded her arms. 'I often have to take rubbish to the bin outside. You expect me—'

`Just so long as you're always in the kitchen.'

They were outside before the cook could answer. To their left at the back of the manor was a hard tennis court. Marshal, looking bad-tempered, had obviously just finished a game with Crystal, who was twirling round, her racquet on top of her red hair.

`I won,' she called out.

`No you didn't,' Marshal snapped. 'You cheated!'

`I never cheat and you know it. You just can't stand to lose at anything. Gambling, debating, you've always got to come out tops.'

`I'll come with you,' Marshal said to Paula and Lavinia. 'Anything to get away from that witch.'

Paula was glad Lavinia was leading the way. At intervals other paths curved off through the dark woods. On the ground were piles of pine needles at least ankle-deep. It occurred to Paula you'd never hear anyone coming Even Marshal, hammering down in his tennis shoes, made no sound.

Turning a corner, Paula saw Snape's cabin, a well-built two-storey structure made of heavy wooden beams. Newman stood in the doorway. Paula sensed someone was behind her. It was Marler.

`Where did you spring from?' she asked.

`I'm the ghost who haunts the woods, especially after dark.'

`Don't,' Paula snapped. 'I find these woods creepy.' `That's what I do,' Marler continued, 'I creep

around the woods after dark, prowling like a wolf.' `Stop it!' She slapped his face gently. 'You conjure

up visions I could do without.'

`I'm really sorry,' he replied quickly, squeezing her arm. `It was just a joke — and in very bad taste. All right now?'

`Of course.' She kissed him quickly where she had slapped him. 'It's my fault. For some reason I'm edgy, as though something was going to happen.'

`Am I interrupting a lovers' tryst?' asked Marshal, who appeared out of nowhere. He was leering suggestively. 'Might be best if you both took that path, leads deep into the woods.'

`If you think that's amusing it damned well isn't,' Marler told him harshly, standing in front of Paula, close to Marshal. 'Why not go into the village, buy yourself a clean mouth.'

`Hey!' called Newman from the cabin door. 'Come inside here. You, too, Marler.'

Paula walked briskly to the open door. Newman ushered her in with a smile. She'd expected a crude or primitive interior. Instead the room she entered was carpeted wall-to-wall with a grey carpet and the furniture was comfortable, several spotlessly clean armchairs and a highly polished dining table. Along part of one wall was a cupboard with double doors faced with small glass windows. Behind the glass was an array of rifles and shotguns.

Snape, clad in corduroy trousers and a clean blue- striped pullover, stood against one wall, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

`Not bad, Paula, for a butler, don't you think?'

She never had time to reply. Marler scanned the room and strode across to the gun cupboard. He turned the key in the lock, opened both doors, stared for a moment at the weapons, then pointed at one.

`Excuse me,' he said.

All the weapons were secured with clamps. Marler removed the clamp round the gun he'd pointed at, took it out carefully, turned round, the muzzle pointed at the ceiling.

`A stainless-steel Winchester,' he said.

`A shotgun,' Snape replied.

`I know it's a shotgun,' Marler said coldly. 'Is it loaded?'

`It could be,' Snape said irritably. 'Yes, I believe it is.'

`And the safety catch isn't on. That's how accidents happen. I presume you have a certificate for it along with the rest of your arsenal? You have? That wouldn't save you when an inspector calls to check privately held guns. It works like this,' he told his audience after unloading the gun and placing the shells inside a deep ashtray.

Marshal, standing next to Newman, was unusually quiet. He watched closely as Marler, who had first put the safety on.

`First,' Marler began, 'you release the safety, then rack the gun which takes less than a second. Now you're ready to open fire. Press the trigger, rack the gun again, you are ready to fire again and another time and another.'

There was tension inside the cabin. Paula made an attempt to defuse it. She looked at Snape.

`What do you use it for?'

`Ahr He was grinning sadistically. 'I see a bunch of rabbits clustered together on top of a grassy hill eating. I aim once, fire. I press the trigger and one blast from that shotgun wipes out the lot. Don't even have to clean up the mess. Foxes arrive in the evening and gulp down everything.'

`A massacre,' Marler said in the same cold tone. `You're in the country here,' Snape protested. "Then I'll take the city every time,' Paula snapped without looking at Snape.

She turned round and found Tweed standing very still behind her. She couldn't read his expression. Next to him stood Lavinia. Her expression was grim, her lips pursed.

Turning round again Paula saw that Marler had put on gloves, was using a handkerchief to wipe his prints off the weapon. He placed it carefully back inside its clamp, opened a small drawer and dropped the shells inside it with others already there. He locked the cupboard, threw the key to Snape, who missed catching it. As he bent down to pick it up he glared venomously at Marler.

`Tweed, Paula, Marler,' Newman called from the door. 'Let's go for a walk..

`I'm going back to the manor,' Lavinia told them. `Heaven knows what's going on there'

`I feel like a bit of gambling,' Marshal decided, then headed back the way they had come.

`Gambling?' queried Paula to Lavinia who was still close to her.

`I'm going to stop it,' Lavinia said. She whispered, `Another technical team arrived from London very early this morning. Sergeant Warden apologized to me for the delay. They had a photographer who took lots of pictures of those horrible collar things found in Crystal's room. Then they took them away, carefully packed, and also her blouses. I'm so sure someone planted them on her, but who?'

`Are you coming with us or not?' Newman's voice called out from where a path turned a corner. 'You'll be interested.'

With Marler in the lead and followed by Tweed, Newman and Paula walked a devious route through The Forest. Paula had an idea they were heading towards the main road — and the wall. She was right. The Forest ended suddenly. Beyond was open ground and the high wall. A telescopic ladder, fully open, was propped against it. Newman waved towards it and looked at Paula.

`Ups-a-daisy.'

She shinned up the ladder swiftly. Along the top of this part of the wall the barbed wire had a gap. The ends at each end were strung out. Across the road The Forest was a dark barrier. She descended rapidly.

`Someone clipped the wire to make the ghastly collars,' she said.

`Right first time'

He bent down to pick up a long deep grey metal box, lifted the lid. The box was empty, but the insides were covered with scratches. Newman gestured towards it.

`We found this in a small shed outside Snape's cabin. We borrowed it without asking him. He wasn't there at the time.'

`So,' Paula said thoughtfully, 'the murderer had metal clippers. First to get his raw material, then to convert them into those awful collars. But where did he obtain the wooden handles?'

`We may never know,' said Marler.

Returning to the manor they heard a lot of excited chatter from the main library. Guided part of the way by Newman, Tweed and Paula entered by the back door, ignoring Mrs Grandy's baleful look.

Inside the library was a long square table covered with green baize. On one side was a roulette wheel with Lavinia standing opposite the three players as she acted as croupier.

The three players facing her were Crystal, Marshal and Warner. Crystal had a few chips in front of her to continue playing. Marshal had a fairly large pile. Warner had the largest pile.

Standing next to Paula and Marler, Tweed ignored the state of the game. He had learned long ago it was the faces you watched since this could give you a clue to character.

The game went on for a while without anyone risking much. Then the atmosphere changed, became tense. Crystal laid all she had left on black. Red came up as the ball settled in the slot on the wheel.