Like A Hole In The Head

     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.