‘Hinckman!’ the thought flashed into her mind. He had killed Barton Druce, he had killed her uncle. Could he have heard already that she had taken her uncle’s place? Had he made up his mind to kill her, too? Those men in the racing car, his hired murderers, had he sent them to ensure her silence, and make certain that she took no further part in thwarting his plans for the purchase of the Hatfield Studios?
She bent down quickly. In the cupboard of the table beside her bed she kept a property automatic, a useless thing, but good enough to scare the average burglar. It was loaded with blanks. She fumbled for it quickly and her hand closed on the butt. Even as she withdrew it from the cupboard another noise came distincly from the bathroom—the scraping of a chair. Nobody could have reached the room from any portion of the flat, the only entrance was from her bedroom, and it had been empty when she had brushed her teeth half an hour before.
Avril stepped quickly out of bed, she thought for a moment of calling for help, but her maids would be of little use, the firing of the pistol would raise the alarm at any moment that she wished.
She did not pause to put on her dressing-gown or slippers, but stole softly across the room on her bare feet. If the intruders were Hinckman’s grim ambassadors they would make for her bed, believing her asleep. Her heart was thumping in her chest, but her brain was clear and working rapidly. She flattened herself against the wall behind the bathroom door; as they crept into her room she meant to slip out behind them, into the bathroom, slam the door, shoot the bolt, then she could shriek for help from the open window, or if necessary get away down the fire escape.
She paused expectant behind the door, holding her breath while little shudders ran down her frame. A faint ray of light flickered for a moment, evidently the occupant of the bathroom had switched on a torch.
The light went out, the door swung open, Avril could feel the faint waft of air upon her burning cheels. A figure entered and paused upon the threshold a dark blur in the blackness of the room. The bathroom door shut with a little click, the intruder had closed it carefully behind him.
On went the torch, Avril could see him now, it was a tall man in dark clothes; he switched the small beam of light here and there, it paused for a moment as it rested on her tumbled bed. His back was towards her, she could not see his face, even his head was in the shadow. Avril was terrified—by closing the door he had cut off her retreat—the blood pulsed madly through her veins. In that dark figure peering towards her bed she saw a murderer, one of Hinckman’s hirelings who had come by night to silence for ever her suspicions about her uncle’s death. She tried to scream, but the muscles of her throat seemed paralysed. Then, steadying her trembling limbs with a supreme effort, she extended the pistol, pointed it at the centre of the man’s back just between the shoulder blades, and gasped: ‘Hands up! Hands up, or I shoot.’
The man flung his arms above his head and turned with a quick movement towards her. The torch went out, the room was plunged in darkness, but in that brief second as he turned Avril had seen his face. With a little cry she swayed towards him, and he caught her as she fainted.
16
‘The Truth Will Out’
When Avril came to, she found herself back in bed once more, the sheets tucked carefully round her. For the moment she did not realise what had happened, then as she saw the figure sitting on the bed, her terrifying experience came back to her.
The lights were on and the intruder was holding a glass of water to her lips. He heaved a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes and set the water down upon the table at the bedside.
It was Nelson Druce, looking more attractive than ever in evening dress. ‘Good gracious,’ she managed to stammer. ‘What a fright you gave me.’
He smiled. ‘We’re quits if it comes to that, I sure thought you were going to shoot me, but I just can’t say how sorry I am that I scared you up this way.’
She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. ‘It’s all right, I’m better now, but why—why in the world should you come to see me through the bathroom window—why not the front door?’
He looked suddenly grave. ‘Sorry—it must seem queer, I know, but I guess I’m being watched. Maybe you are, too, for that matter.’
Avril sat up and pushed back her hair. ‘Well, surely that’s all the more reason; think of the scandal if somebody saw you come in that way.’
‘You don’t understand, I threw my fellow off, went in one door of the Dorchester and walked out of the other, but I figured they might have planted another guy on the front door of your block, so I decided for the fire escape and the back way.’
‘Well, anyhow my reputation will be simply mud if you are found in my bedroom at this hour of night.’
‘I’m sorry, Avril,’ she noted that her Christian name came quite unconsciously to his lips, ‘but I simply had to see you—it’s just terribly important.’
‘In that case you’d better go into the sitting-room while I put on some clothes. I expect I’m looking a perfect fright.’
He stood up and the little wrinkles came round his eyes as he smiled down at her. ‘No,’ he said slowly, ‘you’re not. In fact, I don’t think I ever realised before that you were quite so lovely.’
Avril felt herself go hot all over, she pulled the sheets a little higher and looked away quickly. ‘It’s the second door on the right down the corridor—you’ll find drinks there if you want one,’ she said, a little breathlessly.
‘Thanks—I can do with a drink.’ He smiled again and left her.
She pulled on a few clothes, and then found herself studying her face carefully in the mirror. ‘Yes, you are lovely,’ she told herself, and there wasn’t a doubt about it. Her violet eyes were enormous tonight, and her flushed cheeks added to her beauty. That must be the result of the fright she had received. What a fool she had been to faint—and yet—well, anyhow it was no good thinking about that. She quickly combed back her hair, slipped her small feet into her mules, and went down the passage to the sitting-room.
He had mixed a brandy and soda all ready for her when she came in. ‘Take that,’ he said, ‘it’ll steady you up.’
‘Thank you.’ She sank into a low arm-chair. ‘Now tell me—why this midnight visit?’
‘Had to see you some way, and I’m getting scared of ordinary procedure. They darn near got me on the Channel boat last night.’
‘They—you mean Hinckman, I suppose—you’ve heard what happened to Uncle John?’
‘Yes, it’s just terrible. I reckon you know how much I feel for you in that. I only met him once, but he struck me as a real fine fellow.’
‘He was,’ said Avril briefly.
‘Well, he’s gone, poor chap—same way as my old man, both of ‘em innocent, decent men, murdered in cold blood; but we can’t prove it—not a hope. What do you mean to do—that’s what I want to know?’
‘Anything and everything that I can,’ said Avril firmly, ‘to help you smash this Combine, and if possible bring Hinckman to justice.’
He stood up and held out his hand. ‘Avril—it’s just great to hear you say that. Ever since that night on the steamer, you know, when I shipped you off, I’ve bin thinking a lot about you—it hit me then how most other girls would have behaved, an’ it’s kept on hitting me ever since. There isn’t one in a million would have gone off in that lousy tramp the way you did, just to give a fellow you hardly knew a free hand. I knew from then on that I could count on you.’
‘Let’s not talk about that night,’ she said quickly. ‘What is it you wish me to do?’
‘I want to know just how much weight you pull at Hatfield. I was meeting John Bamborough next week but that’s all gone down the drain now, an’ I see from the papers there’s a rumour you’ve been left an interest in the business. Is that true?’
‘Yes, Uncle John left me all his shares, and I think I can promise to hold Hatfield for you.’ Avril smiled with pardonable pride. ‘I was elected to the board and made temporary
chairman this afternoon.’
‘Now that’s just great. It’s the best news I’ve heard in this heap of a while—you just can’t know what a weight that is off my mind. I figured your uncle might help, but I couldn’t be certain. If that’s a fact I reckon we’ve cooked Hinckman’s goose in Europe.’
‘How splendid! You’ve had good luck in Germany then?’
‘Yes. It took a bit of time an’ the hell of a lot of money, but I’ve got Jung fixed.’
‘I’m so glad, Nelson.’ The name slipped out, he looked at her quickly, then he laughed.
‘It’s nice to have you call me that—an’ we’d be crazy to go Mr. and Missing each other when we’re together in a thing like this—wouldn’t we?’
‘I suppose we should. Tell me how you managed with the Germans.’
‘I couldn’t have pulled it off if it hadn’t been for Issey Vandelstein. A couple of months ago he lent me ten million bucks, I thought it would come in handy ‘fore we were through—and I’m needing every dime of my own money to keep Pacific Players going. I put most of Issey’s money into the Jung concern on certain definite conditions, they were needing money pretty bad.’
‘When do you have to pay Vandelstein back?’
‘A month hence. At least it’s nearer three weeks now, but that won’t cause me sleepless nights. I’ve completed a film with the “Z” Projector, made it at a little place down in the Surrey country—directly it’s shown I’ll be able to raise all the money I need on that.’
‘How marvellous, and you’re really certain that it will be a success?’
‘Sure. You must come down and see it. The film’s all in hits at present, you know how they always are, but it’s great stuff, an’ we can easy run it through in the trial room. I’d just love you to see it.’
‘Of course I’ll come, I shall be simply thrilled. What a state Hinckman will be in when you show it publicly.’
‘Yes, I figure it’ll about put paid to the Combine. Hinckman’s up against it now, or he’d never be trying to force things the way he is. His wage bill with all these stars and producers that he bought on forward contract must be just gigantic, and he can’t have a cent coming in except from his general revenue.’
‘How are things going in America?’
He frowned. ‘Not so good. I’m worried about things back home. You heard about the fire?’
‘No. I’ve heard hardly anything, I’ve only been back three days.’
‘It was pretty bad. Three studios burnt right out on the Pacific lot, and miles of film ruined—we’ll get the insurance in time, but it sets us back on the production side, and that’s important just now. If we make these films again, they’ll be out of date by the time they’re done.’
‘Was it—was it an accident?’
‘Not on your life—incendiarism pure and simple.’
‘Couldn’t you trace it back?’
Nelson laughed grimly. ‘We did, Three wops and a German were pinched for it, but that don’t help any, they were my own scene hands.’
‘But why should they do it?’
‘They’re all Communists, and they ‘fessed up when they were pinched, said it was a demonstration against the capitalist system, I was sweating my labour—but that’s a lie—I’ll bet my life it was Hinckman. Plenty of these guys’ll face a long stretch behind the bars if they’re certain of a fat wad when they come out.’
‘It’s terrible—how can we fight against that sort of thing?’
‘I guess we got to or else we’ll all go under. You’ve heard Unifilms crashed today?’
‘No! They are biggish people, aren’t they?’
‘Yes, a pretty sizeable concern. That’s the fourth in this last month, I’ll say the bread queue in Hollywood can’t be nice to see these days—and it’ll be a thousand times worse unless we can keep our end up. You’ll have heard Rex Dearing shot himself?’
‘No, I’ve heard nothing—what an awful thing.’
‘Poor Devil. I figure he was pretty well up against it before the Combine came along, like a heap of these smaller producing concerns. He asked Hinckman to take him in, but he was too small fry. Hinckman just laughed in his face—Dearing told me that himself—that was a day or two after you cleared out. He just went home and blew his brains out.’
Avril looked at Nelson Druce, his face was very lined and tired. She wondered if he could possibly pull through in the face of this ruthless opposition. If the American front caved in she knew that it would only be a matter of time before the European companies were’ forced out of business. Once Hinckman had captured Hollywood, he would begin cutting right and left. His overheads would be reduced to such an enormous extent that he would be in a position to undercut the remaining opposition until they were driven out of the market one by one. ‘What about Uncle Andy,’ she asked, ‘how is he?’
‘The Grand Old Man’s just great, he’s doing all he knows to keep our end up on the other side’ and he’s roped in half a dozen of the smaller people—but the trouble is, while we’re helping them they’re not much use to us—they’re a drag if anything, and Uncle Andy’s got a whole packet of trouble of his own just now. They haven’t forgotten him.’
‘Why, what have they done to the dear old man?’
‘Fixed a strike on his office staff.’
‘Can’t he get other employees to carry on, especially if there are so many people out of work already?’
‘That’s the trouble, he daren’t take ‘em. How’d he know with a fresh staff that Hinckman wasn’t planting people in his pay. They’d get the low-down on World Wide methods and every weakness in the business. The results might be just awful. He’s carrying on as best he can with borrowed staff from his bank in New York; they’re trustworthy, but they don’t know the first thing about the business.’
‘Nelson,’ Avril spoke slowly, she looked him straight in the eyes, ‘don’t think I want to back out for one moment, but do you really think we stand a chance of pulling through?’
He was silent for a moment, it was very still in the cool sitting-room of the flat, with only the occasional hum of a belated taxi in the street below breaking the silence of the night. He shrugged his shoulders as he said at last:
‘It’s a toss up. Hinckman’s winning all along the line in the States. He’s got six out of the big ten already, Mozarts may go over any day—and let’s face it, Uncle Andy and I are getting pretty rattled, a few more fires or strikes, and we’ll be out of business for a year—if that happens I doubt we’d ever be able to get back. We’re holding our own in Europe, more than our own, now you’re with us—but Europe can’t fight the States, not for any length of time. On the other hand, time is a factor to be considered, Hinckman can’t go spending the way he is for ever, not even if he’s got the Equitable Trust behind him. I figure he’ll be done by the end of the month unless he can float his Combine and get away with it.’
‘What is there to prevent him?’
‘The “Z” Projector, nothing else, the rights of that are mine. We’ll fix for the premier of the film I’ve made about a week from now. Make a flotation immediately, then I’ll be able to redeem my Pacific stock from Issey; we’ll equip the Pacific Studios with the new cameras right away, and let in Uncle Andy, the Jung people, and yourself on reasonable terms for the same equipment. The four of us will be the only people in the world making motion pictures with the new technique, the stock of every other Corporation will go sailing down to zero, and if Hinckman tries to float a Combine, he won’t stand a chance in a million.’
Avril’s eyes brightened. ‘Oh, if only you could do that! But say anything goes wrong?’
‘If it does—we’re bust. Issey Vandelstein cleans up on my Pacifies, then he’ll go over to Hinckman, that’s a certainty. But it won’t.’ Nelson Druce’s mouth closed with a snap.
‘Can you come down to Hatfield tomorrow? I should like you to meet Mr. Mole, and Mr. White. The three of us have been appointed as a comittee to enter into a
ny arrangement with you that we consider sound.’
‘You’ve done that already, eh? That’s fine. Would the afternoon suit you? I’m fixed for the morning.’
‘Yes. I can run you down after lunch.’
‘Okay. Can you dine in the evening?—we might go down to Frensham after, it’ll be all quiet then and I could show you bits of the new film with the “Z” Projector working.’
‘I’d love to do that.’ Avril stood up. ‘And now I think I had better turn you out. Would you prefer to leave by the window or the door?’
Nelson laughed. ‘I figure I’d best go by the door. If there was a guy keeping watch on you he’ll sure think you’re parked for the night by this time, and have quit. I’d hate to be pinched by a cop coming down your fire-ladder.’
‘Yes, I should think the front door is safe enough and the porter won’t know from which flat you’ve come.’ Avril led the way out into the passage.
Nelson laid a hand on her arm. ‘About tomorrow—you won’t go out on your own, will you?’
‘Why?’ she asked quickly.
‘Well, I’m scared for you. Hinckman’s out to get us, remember, and his information’s pretty good. He’ll know by now that you’ve taken over at Hatfield. Best wait in till I call for you after lunch.’
‘All right, if you think that, I will.’ Avril waved him back and opened the front door a few inches, then she shut it again quickly. ‘That’s done it!’ she exclaimed.
‘What’s amiss?’ he asked in surprise.
‘The night porter,’ she whispered, ‘he was standing right outside, he must have seen me in this get-up, and I’m sure he heard your voice.’
‘Say, I’m awfully sorry about that.’
Avril laughed ruefully. She wished that she had taken the trouble to put up her hair, but it was too late to think of that now. ‘That brute will believe the worst,’ she said, ‘and it will be all over the flats tomorrow—it isn’t even as if you were going to marry the girl.’
Such Power is Dangerous Page 17
