'Well , what do you think ?sx ' she scoffed , her brilliant eyes challenging him .sx He made no answer .sx There was nothing to be said .sx He lifted his glass and drained it , feeling the sweat breaking out on the palms of his hands .sx When at last he looked up she was standing right in front of him , smiling as if nothing had happened !sx He could hardly believe it and blinked several times .sx 'Well , don't I get a drink tonight ?sx ' she asked boldly .sx 'Of course .sx . anything you like' , he murmured , relief flooding over him .sx 'Kitty .sx . I'm sorry .sx .' His throat went tight and words failed him .sx 'Aw , forget it' , she said cheerfully .sx 'I'll sting you for a double for being a naughty boy .sx How about the telly tomorrow afternoon ?sx ' He felt a glow of happiness steal over him .sx Everything was all right now , thank God .sx She wasn't going to break with him , after all .sx For the moment it was the only thing in the world that mattered .sx 'Of course , Kitty' , he said fervently , his eyes misty behind their thick lenses .sx 'Well , I'll be off now .sx See you tomorrow .sx . and thank you .sx .' 'So long , Bob' , she said , waving her hand to him .sx Harry followed him to the door , opened it for him and stood outside on the step , looking up at the sky , where a few pale stars shone between puffs of light cumulus cloud .sx 'Nice night' , he remarked affably .sx 'But they forecast rain for tomorrow .sx ' 'Do they ?sx ' Bone glanced up at the sky , his thoughts elsewhere .sx Personally , he didn't care if it rained cats and dogs and he knew that Harry didn't either .sx He waited , pulling on his gloves and adjusting his hat .sx 'Look , Bob,' Harry began , after a brief silence , 'I don't mean to butt in , but if you take my advice you'll 'ave no more truck with 'er .sx ' He jerked his thumb over his shoulder .sx 'That girl's nothing but a load of trouble , I'm warning you .sx ' 'Kitty's all right' , Bone contradicted flatly .sx 'It's her boy-friend that's the trouble .sx If we could get rid of him .sx .' Harry nodded his grizzled head like an old hound .sx 'You're right there , Bob' , he muttered .sx 'But it's easier said than done .sx Kitty encourages him , too .sx No work , no background , no regular money so far as I can make out .sx Probably on the crook .sx But there you are , the girl's wild and headstrong .sx I can't do nothing with 'er .sx ' 'Don't worry , Harry' , the other said quietly .sx 'I won't make a fool of myself .sx Kitty needs a good friend and I'll always be that .sx ' He paused , hatred of Stevie Hewitt rising like gall in his throat .sx 'And I'll find a way of getting rid of that chap , Hewitt , too .sx Leave it to me .sx ' 'O .sx K. , Bob , but watch your step .sx He's a tough customer , mark my words' , Harry said in a low voice .sx Bone half smiled in the darkness .sx 'I'll remember' , he said .sx 'Good night , Harry .sx ' 'Good night , Bob .sx ' Bone walked down the road , his cre@5pe-soled shoes making no sound on the asphalt surface .sx As he walked he concentrated on the problem of Stevie Hewitt .sx By comparison with the manner in which he had dispatched Henry Mansell the elimination of a little spiv from Brighton seemed an easy undertaking .sx . once he'd set his mind to it .sx Back at the cottage he prepared his supper and ate it beside the fire in the living-room , his thoughts once more on Kitty .sx If she was really in love with Stevie Hewitt it was madness to go on worrying about her , he told himself moodily .sx Yet it was not as clear-cut as that .sx He not only felt his need of her but was equally aware of the necessity to help and protect her , even against her will .sx Tonight , for the first time , he had abandoned all pretence and shown her the honest desperation of his feeling for her .sx She had neither encouraged nor completely rejected him .sx In some perverse way their brief quarrel had forged a bond between them .sx No doubt she had every intention of keeping both of them on a string .sx On the whole he probably had a slight advantage over the young man , inasmuch as he had money to spend and she was a girl who had a healthy respect for the material things of life .sx Towards eleven o'clock he locked up , turned out the light in the sitting-room , and went up to his bedroom .sx For several minutes he stared at his reflection in the oval mirror on the top of the chest .sx The toupe@2e undoubtedly improved his appearance and made him look ten years younger .sx His skin was a healthier colour and he had put on half a stone in the last few months , filling out the hollows in his cheeks and giving him a more rounded appearance .sx But he was still no sort of match for a young and virile competitor and he knew it .sx He turned away and begun to undress , shivering with the cold .sx His eye automatically glanced towards the panel which concealed the hiding-place of his secret treasure .sx For an instant he stood transfixed to the floor , his eyes unwavering as they riveted themselves on the wall .sx Was it his imagination or was the panel slightly lop-sided ?sx Leaping forward with a choked sound he grasped the oblong panel and pulled it out .sx The black tin box was exactly as he had left it .sx With heavily beating heart he reached out and lifted the lid .sx Everything was intact and he gasped with relief .sx He lifted out the heavy bundles of notes and knelt on the floor to count them .sx Of course , he remembered being in a great hurry to get that fifty pounds for Kitty !sx Obviously he had been careless in replacing the panel , but the possibility of anyone having discovered his hiding-place gave him something of a shock .sx As he replaced the bundles of notes , he withdrew the tin box from its hiding-place and locked it inside the cupboard .sx It would be safer under lock and key for the time being than behind a piece of panelling which did not fit very securely .sx Tomorrow he would buy a heavy padlock for the box and search for a new hiding-place .sx He lay in bed , cold and uneasy , unable to account for an instinctive sense of danger .sx When he closed his eyes it was Henry Mansell's face he saw , hovering above his head like a hideous caricature .sx The parrot nose and straight line of the mouth , the pitiless blue eyes that seemed to strip him right down to his abjectly quaking bones .sx The mouldering horror that had once been Henry Mansell taunted him now in the silent darkness .sx .sx In a corner of the saloon bar of the Six Bells at Hawkeshurst that Friday night Hugh Mansell and Roddy Dowell drank their beer and waited .sx 'It's too damn busy in here .sx We can't expect him to leave his customers' , Hugh said morosely .sx 'Give him a chance , old chap. He'll be over .sx Jim's a most reliable chap when it comes to picking up a small tip .sx ' 'O .sx K. , Roddy , whatever you say .sx ' Hugh drained his glass and ordered two more beers .sx 'I'm really beginning to feel it's all a bit of a waste of time , anyway .sx I've been collecting scraps of evidence and piecing them together for four months now , and the whole lot still doesn't amount to anything one could call concrete .sx ' Roddy puffed at his pipe , his eyes fixed on the white-coated barman .sx 'Oh , I think it does , Hugh .sx That's why I want you to meet this bird .sx I think he fills in an important part of the background .sx Furthermore , dear boy , it confirms what we already know of your father's intention to leave the country on the night of October 14th .sx ' Hugh nodded .sx His face wore the melancholy expression that was habitual to him but his eyes showed his inner excitement .sx 'I know , but from the moment he walked out of here we haven't a shred of evidence to prove what happened .sx Obviously he met someone , either by chance or by arrangement .sx Whichever way it was , that person had a gun and he managed to persuade Father to drive along that quiet stretch of road .sx .' 'Miles off his proper route to Dover or the airport at Lydd' , Roddy interposed quickly .sx 'And once there he was shot at close range and his money smartly filched .sx You know , whoever it was might have known of the existence of the suicide letter .sx . providing him with an almost unshakable alibi .sx ' Hugh was thinking of his uncle , but said nothing .sx After all , Julian had acted very strangely since the tragedy , always secretive , always reluctant to discuss his brother's death .sx It was impossible to associate him in one's mind with a cold-blooded murder but , in fact , Henry Mansell's death had saved the firm and Julian's future .sx Moreover he might well have been aware of his brother's intention to skip out of the country and passed on the information .sx 'I'm sure you're right' , Hugh said thoughtfully .sx 'But whoever did it got clean away without being spotted .sx ' 'Easy enough along that stretch of coast road in winter , believe me' , Roddy affirmed solemnly .sx 'He probably caught the next boat across the channel and has been lying low with the money somewhere .sx ' Hugh nodded .sx 'I realized that after my talk with Mrs. Lawford .sx There are a dozen countries where a man could easily hide up and change the money without danger .sx Unless we can get a definite line on him it's hopeless .sx .' 'Something will turn up one day , you'll see' , Roddy said confidently .sx 'If we plug away at the leads we have .sx .' 'If only the police would do something .sx .' Hugh cried out in exasperation .sx 'I've put everything I know before them .sx .' 'No dice , Hugh .sx ' Roddy shook his sandy head .sx 'They're bound to want pretty solid new evidence before they'll agree to reopen the case .sx From their point of view the evidence for suicide is overwhelming .sx I spoke to a chap from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions I know pretty well , and he agreed that the missing cash is a hell of a mystery .sx But as he quite reasonably pointed out the money could have been disposed of in London before your father left that evening .sx It wouldn't be unnatural for a man in his position to make provision for an unknown dependent or settle what he regarded as particular debts of honour before taking his own life .sx Also , logically , there's nothing to show the money couldn't have been pinched by someone passing the car after your father was dead .sx Stealing from cars is about the commonest kind of crime in the book .sx There's nothing that absolutely ties the missing money to the circumstances of your father's death , that's the point .sx Same with the passport .sx It's gone and that's that .sx It may turn up in a dustbin somewhere or at the back of a drawer .sx As far as the police are concerned there's nothing to go on .sx In our own minds we may be pretty sure what happened , but that's not good enough for them .sx That suicide letter did the trick- definite proof that your father took his life , backed by medical evidence and the fingerprint chaps .sx ' A little man with thin brown hair and a ruddy complexion came over and greeted them .sx He wore a short white coat .sx Hugh ordered drinks .sx 'I was sorry to read about your dad in the paper' , the man said to Hugh in a thick voice which bore traces of a cockney accent .sx 'I was telling your friend how he come [SIC] in here the very night he passed away .sx ' Hugh wasn't impressed with this ingratiating barman whom Roddy had raked up .sx He was seedy and middle-aged with small black eyes set close together beneath heavily marked brows and a sly , crafty expression that failed to inspire confidence .sx 'He was hitting the bottle pretty hard , sir .sx .' the man said in a loud whisper .sx 'Meaning no offence' , he added , looking at Hugh .sx