‘For the moment?’
‘Yes. Now just for the sake of argument let us suppose for the time being that you did do it.’
‘Well, what then?’
‘Have you considered the terrible position in which the man who did it left me?’
‘I have. I’ve been thinking quite a lot about you today, Miss Bamborough.’
‘Not a very chivalrous attitude, is it? To commit murder and fasten it on a woman.’
‘Now, wait a minute—that’s not quite true. From the report I’ve heard, you were found with the gun—you say that you struggled with me—the man who did it, and wrenched that gun away from him; if you hadn’t, no gun would have been found, and you would never have been accused. It’s a bit strong to say that fellow deliberately fixed the killing on you.’
‘I know. At the time I was afraid that you—I mean he, was going to shoot me, too. I don’t say that he deliberately fixed it on me, but through what took place the police have come to believe that I did it.’
‘Sure, you’re right there, but let’s see what’s happened so far. If the fellow had stayed, he’d certainly have been caught—and that would have meant the chair for him, he wasn’t to know that by making his getaway the police would fix it on you.’
‘No—but he does know now.’
‘That’s true. Say he heard first thing this morning that they’d picked on you, I figure he’d know enough about American law to guess they’d give you bail. If he’d got any sort of decency. I reckon he’d fix that himself, providing he was in a position to do so.’
‘Surely you’re not suggesting that it was Hinckman or Ronnie Sheringham.’
‘Not on your life. But just supposing it was me. Well, I made arrangements to bail you in any case—if Hinckman hadn’t fixed it, I’d have done so myself.’
‘But you didn’t—Hinckman did.’
‘Sure!—but my attorney was in court just the same, with instructions to act if Schultzer failed to do what was necessary. I didn’t know that Ubiquitous had finally gone over to Hinckman then. It was the more natural that your own Corporation should bail you—so we let them have first option. The only thing that matters is—you’re out.’
‘That was very nice of you, but surely it is an admission that it was you last night.’
He smiled. ‘Not in the least, Miss Bamborough. It’s when you’re in a jam you find out who’s your real friends. I just did myself the honour of considering myself one of yours—that’s all.’
Avril studied the face of this calm young man. It gave her a little thrill of pleasure to know that he had taken steps to protect her, although she was convinced that he had done the shooting. What, she wondered, did he mean to do now? She took out a cigarette and he came forward to light it for her. She looked him straight in the eyes.
‘I am only out on bail,’ she said slowly, ‘and tomorrow I have to prepare my defence. Is this man coming forward to take responsibility for his crime, or am I to be left to defend myself as best I can?’
‘I’ve been wondering quite a piece about that.’ He stood looking down upon her—a lean, agile figure. ‘It’s this way—supposing again that I am the man who gave Angelo the works. If I go and give myself up it involves a whole lot of people beside myself. I think you know more or less what’s going on in Hollywood just now—it’s the most terrible and sinister thing that’s happened in America for years, a deliberate attempt to suborn a gigantic industry in the interests of a small group of unscrupulous men. If they win, it means ruin to thousands, and they’re out to win. Nothing’s too rotten or too crooked for them. They don’t even stop at murdering an innocent man, as you know. Now circumstances have forced me into the position of leader of the opposition, an’ it’s war to the knife between Hinckman and me. If I surrender to the police maybe I’ll get bail, but maybe I won’t—Hinckman ’ud pull every wire he knows to keep me behind the bars once I’m put. Anyhow, I’d not be allowed to leave the country, and I figure I’ll want to before we’re through. This war’s got to be fought out in Europe as well as here…. So you’ll see it’s not quite the simple proposition it looks at first sight. I reckon you’ll believe me when I say it never entered my head that I’d get you fixed in a jam like this, an’ I guess it’s up to me to let you out. But if I chuck in my hand it’s a hundred to one on the Combine sweeping the board. That means thousands of folks!! lose their jobs an’ no place to get others. It means starvation, bankruptcy, suicide for these poor people I’m trying to protect. If that darn Combine once gets going, the misery that it’ll cause is just too awful to think about. So there you’ve got it, Miss Bamborough. If I was the man who did this job I’d be in a pretty difficult situation, wouldn’t I?’
‘Yes, but if you were, surely you should have thought of all this yesterday.’ said Avril quietly.
‘Sure—you’re dead right. I ought to have realised that I wasn’t a free man, however bad I felt, till I’d smashed Hinckman and the Combine. I ought to have waited and traced up Donelli’s record back to Chicago—maybe I’d have been able to fix him up for some job in the past, since I couldn’t get him legally for the killing here. I can hardly expect you to understand how I felt, but I was just terrible fond of my old man, he was more a big brother than a father to me, an’ all day yesterday I was just clean cold with rage. I did my business like a machine, not like a man at all. Then at night I went out to get Angelo. I didn’t mean to kill him to start with—that’s the truth—I meant to force a confession at the point of my gun. I trailed him to your room, though I hadn’t an idea it was your room at the time. I figured he was out on some more dirty work so I thought I’d get him red-handed. After your light went out I waited a bit in the garden, then I got scared he’d quit through the passage an’ the front entrance, so I came up to see. I heard what he said about the chloroform and guessed what he was at. Honest, I believe it was that made me go clean crazy and plump for outing him then and there—a swine who’d do that sort of thing on a woman added to all the rest. I didn’t dare shoot then ‘cause you were all mixed up, an’ I couldn’t interfere ‘cause he’d sure have had a gun—he’d have shot me if I’d tried. I’m no match for a professional gunman, so I had to wait my chance—then when you kicked him off the bed…. Well, I guess you know what happened then.’
‘You do admit, then, that you did it?’
Nelson Druce smiled grimly. ‘I saw Mick Downey in prison yesterday, I offered to settle a sum on his wife and kid if he’d talk, so I could get Angelo legally—but he wouldn’t split to the police. He told me, though … Donelli fired the other two shots that killed my old man. There’s not one scrap of evidence, there aren’t even finger-prints, because I greased the gun. But I did it—the brute wasn’t fit to live and so I killed him; call it murder if you like, but I say it’s justice—and now you know.’
The door was suddenly flung open. Vitelma stood there, pale and trembling. She had overheard every word.
12
‘Shanghaied’
Avril and Nelson Druce stared at the girl. Neither of them had foreseen the possibility of her learning the truth about the murder in such a manner. Both were wondering what result this dangerous knowledge might have in the hands of such a woman as Vitelma.
She flung herself on Nelson, gripping the lapels of his coat. ‘It isn’t true,’ she whimpered. ‘Don’t be a fool Nelson, say it’s not true; she did the killing, not you.’
‘I’m afraid it is true,’ he said quietly. ‘Miss Bamborough was not in the least to blame. It was just her had luck that Donelli chose her room to hide in, though as far as it goes it’s just as well perhaps that I turned up when I did.’
Avril nodded. ‘Yes, at least I have to thank you for that.’
‘But, you a murderer,’ gulped Vitelma. ‘Oh, Nelson, what’ll happen to us if the cops find out?’
‘They won’t,’ he said grimly, ‘not till I’ve smashed the Combine, anyhow.’
‘Really,’ said Avril, raising her eyebrow
s, ‘I don’t remember having said that I am prepared to shield you, or take the responsibility upon myself by pleading self-defence.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘Indeed. Then what do you propose to do?’
Nelson ignored her question and turned to Vitelma, who had burst into tears. ‘See here, Honey—it’s no good carrying on like that. Let’s face it, I guess you brought this trouble on yourself by listening at that door. I did it, there’s no getting away from that, and you can call it murder if you like—I don’t, but that’s another matter.’
‘To kill a guy’s murder, ain’t it?’ Vitelma sniffed.
‘Sure—that’s so in the eyes of the law, and I’ll go to the chair if they get me—but if you feel that way about it, we’d better call it a day. I’ll release you from your promise to marry me right now.’
Vitelma ceased crying as suddenly as she had begun. A vision of having to resume work arose before her. How would the producers view her return to the screen? She knew that it is not always easy to come back. She thanked her gods that in the good days she had had the sense to buy that property in Detroit, and after all in New York there would be plenty of rich husbands for the asking. Vitelma Loveday had no fear of being left an old maid. Still, Nelson Druce was a multimillionaire now his father was dead, and she was fond of him in a way. It would not be easy to find another fiancé with all his advantages.
‘I guess I’ll have to think about that,’ she hedged cautiously.
He laughed a little bitterly. ‘Okay, Honey, just as you say, but I should have thought a girl would know if she wanted to stick by her man or not. Anyhow, it’s me and Miss Bamborough that have got to do the thinking at the moment…. You’d best do yours elsewhere.’
‘Oh, Nelson, that’s real unkind.’
‘No, it’s not, but you can’t help us any, and this jam’s quite bad enough. You’d best go home an’ we can talk things over in the morning.’ His manner was abrupt, but he now seemed worried and upset.
Vitelma allowed herself to be persuaded, but not without difficulty. Eventually he got her in her car, and returned to Avril, who had been left sitting in the gathering dusk.
‘I’m awfully sorry,’ she said, when he returned, ‘that Miss Loveday should have learnt about this through my coming here, it would have been so much better if you had told her in your own time.’
‘It wasn’t your fault, but it’s a darn nuisance that she’s found out all the same. I shouldn’t have told her, not unless it became necessary. There are some women that you can tell everything to and some you can’t; Vitelma’s a darling when she likes, all right, but she just isn’t capable of keeping a thing like this to herself—she’ll be spilling the whole outfit to her maid in half an hour—you see.’ With a rueful smile he flung himself down in a chair.
‘In that case, the police will learn about the part you played sooner or later, whether I decide to speak or not.’
He shook his head quickly. ‘Nope—what Vitelma says she overheard isn’t evidence, and she’d deny it if they put it to her—I can rely on her for that. What you may say is another thing altogether. I figure it would be best if you stay here to dinner, Miss Bamborough, then we can talk this thing out.’
Avril glanced at her wrist watch. ‘Yes, it is getting late, isn’t it—all right, I will if you wish.’
‘Thanks.’ He left her to give instructions and returned a few minutes later with a cocktail-shaker and ice.
‘I don’t know how you feel, but I guess a little drink wouldn’t do us any harm,’ he said as he began to shoot the contents of various bottles into the shaker.
Avril sat silent, watching his quick, graceful movements, and when he had finished, accepted the glass of golden creaming liquid with its layer of froth that he offered her.
It was a good cocktail. Avril drank little but she was something of a judge. The reaction of the night before was setting in again, and the stimulant revived her. She had another, almost immediately afterwards dinner was announced. Nelson bent towards her quickly.
‘We’ll cut out business over dinner if you don’t mind. We’d sure be interrupted all the time. Let’s try and forget our worries for the moment.’ Then he did a quaint, old-fashioned thing that surprised Avril, he offered her his arm to take her in.
She responded immediately, wondering if he always did this with Vitelma—somehow she could hardly picture it.
He settled her himself in a place on his right at the big table. It was a pleasant room, if a trifle heavy for a Californian home. Barton Druce had been something of an art connoisseur in addition to being an orchid fancier.
The food was simple, but beautifully cooked. The service perfect. A grave-faced English butler superintended the two coloured men, in neat white jackets, who waited at table. Avril found herself wondering if the late Mr. Druce had ever employed his butler in his productions. The man was a perfect type.
Nelson Druce seemed to pull himself together in an amazing manner once they were at table. He chatted lightly and pleasantly upon a hundred different subjects. His comments were shrewd and amusing. At first Avril found it difficult to throw off the weight of the terrible thing that they were facing, despite her ability as an actress, but gradually she found herself responding. She wondered if the young man’s apparent lightheartedness was due to an iron control whereby he had put away from himself completely for the time being all thought of the night before and the future—or if he were thinking about it all the time, but playing a part.
When coffee had been served they were left alone and he began to talk about his trip to Europe. He calmly announced that it would have to be put off for a week or so in order that he might go into his father’s affairs, but he thought that he would be able to leave Hollywood in about a fortnight’s time.
‘You’re business over there must be very urgent,’ said Avril.
‘It is,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve been working on a new invention, and it is essential that I go see people in London and Berlin.’
‘The “Z” projector.’ she suggested.
He frowned for a moment, then smiled quickly. ‘That’s so, but where did you learn about it?—I’d be interested to know.’
‘Vitelma Loveday told me.’
‘That so! Yes, I might have guessed. Well, since you know, there is no harm in talking about it. I figure it will revolutionise the motion picture business.’
‘Yes—so I understand.’
‘What’s more, it’ll about break the Combine—if nothing else does. That’s why I’m going to Europe, it’s too big a risk to go making a film with it here in Hollywood. I figure to collect a bunch of artists and technicians on the other side. I’ll make the picture in six weeks—an’ then we’ll show the world.’
She smiled. ‘Aren’t you taking rather a risk in telling me all this?’
‘Not a bit.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ve a feeling that you’re the sort of person a fellow can tell things to without fear of their going any further.’
Avril felt a little stab of conscience. ‘Yes,’ she said slowly. ‘In the ordinary way that’s quite true, but I’m afraid I have been careless enough to mention your invention to someone already.’
‘Oh—who?’ he asked sharply.
‘Ronnie Sheringham. It was at dinner last night. I only spoke about it in quite a casual way when we were discussing motion pictures in general, and of course I had no idea at the time that there was any special secrecy about it. Vitelma Loveday did not seem to attach any more importance to it than to lots of other experiments that are going on.’
‘She wouldn’t—but it is, and it’s unfortunate that you should have mentioned it to Sheringham, he’s a nice fellow, but he’s too much in with Hinckman for my liking. Still, what’s done’s done, and it wasn’t your fault, Miss Bamborough.’
‘No, I should never have said a word if I’d known. I wish Vitelma Loveday had told me at the time, although I don’t want you to think that I am trying to put the blame o
n her. Perhaps she did say something, but I didn’t understand her.’
‘I’ll say she didn’t. I know Vitelma too well to believe that story; she simply cannot hold her tongue. I guess you think it’s pretty rotten of me, Miss Bamborough, to talk about her like I do—and I wouldn’t to anyone else—but as things are it’s no good you an’ I trying to kid each other, this thing’s too important, and we’ve got to know where we stand. Vitelma’s just the loveliest thing in the world and she’s got the sweetest nature when you get to know her—I’m crazy about her, but her having tumbled in on this isn’t going to make it any easier—that’s a fact.’
Avril had a very different opinion of Miss Loveday’s nature from what little she had seen of her, but she contented herself with saying:
‘I perfectly understand—and I do hope that she sticks to you, I fell sure she will, when she thinks things over.’
He did not reply, and they fell silent. Avril felt that the time had come when something should be settled, so she said quietly, ‘I think you had better tell me now, what you intend to do.’
‘We’ll see,’ he replied ambiguously. ‘It’s almighty hot tonight and there’s people about. How about taking the car and running down to Golden Point, my speedboat’s lying there. Out on the water with no one around we can talk as much as we like. What d’you say?’
‘If you wish,’ Avril assented. ‘It should be lovely on the water. It’s a pity that we shall have to spoil it by discussing this terrible business, but I’m afraid we must. Anyway we shall be safe there from being overheard.’
He nodded. ‘Sure—an’ Vitelma may be back, it’s as well that we should be out of the way in case she takes a fancy to beat us up. I’ll get your coat.’
A little later Avril was beside him in his two-seater, speeding down the gradients towards the coast. Her own car had been sent back to the hotel.
At Golden Point the speedboat was in readiness, a smart sailor with the Druce monogram on his cap ran the craft out of the boat-house and alongside the wharf. Nelson Druce took the tiller himself and dismissed the man.
Such Power is Dangerous Page 13