Part 24 (1/2)

But on the word 'knife' the laziness left her voice and a note of uncertainty entered it. Memory flashed into Ace's mind. The knife that Silk had worn 156strapped to her thigh, that she had used to cut Ace's bonds, that the Doctor had taken from her.

The knife. That was why the Doctor kept looking at Lady Silk, then at Ace, then nodding. Only he wasn't nodding. He was pointing with his chin. At his jacket pocket. The Doctor had taken the knife from Lady Silk and put it in his pocket.

As realisation swept through her, Ace turned to the Doctor and he read her eyes. 'Behind me, please, Ace,' he said in a casual, conversational voice. Then he took a graceful step to one side, moving behind Lady Silk, reaching into his jacket as he did so. He brought out the knife and, as Ace darted behind him, he put it to Lady Silk's throat.

'd.a.m.n it,' said Silk. 'I knew I'd forgotten something.'

Butcher turned the handle and pushed gently on the front door of the house.

It was unlocked. He stepped inside, feeling relieved that he didn't have to go back and search the unconscious fat woman for the keys. The house was quiet and dark, smelling pleasantly of baking. He stood in the small hallway for a moment, considering. Finally he decided to put on some lights. This might attract attention, but so would blundering around in the dark. Compared to knocking over a vase, say, it was the lesser of two evils.

He stood blinking in the sudden light. Ahead of him in the hallway was the staircase to the upper floor of the house. But he wanted to go down, not up.

Where was the bas.e.m.e.nt door? He left the hallway, going to the right, into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a red wooden door. Butcher looked at it, trying to decide what to do. The Doctor and Ace were down there and from what he'd heard they were facing execution. Butcher was expecting to hear the mechanical chatter of a Tommy gun at any moment.

What had Lady Silk said? Gun or knife? Maybe they'd used a knife. Maybe he was already too late. He stared at the door. What was going on down there? Maybe he should go back outside, crouch down in the gra.s.s again and peep through the bas.e.m.e.nt window, see what was happening.

But Butcher had the terrible feeling that while he was doing that he might hear the guns go off. He stood in the middle of the cool, pleasant-smelling kitchen, frozen with indecision. Then he saw it. Lying sprawled on the kitchen table. A ripple of white cloth with a big red spot on it. He held it up. It was a robe like the one he'd seen the husband wearing in the bas.e.m.e.nt, and from the size of it, it was obvious who it belonged to.

Butcher felt a smile spreading across his face.

He went back through the hallway to the lounge on the other side and grabbed some cus.h.i.+ons.

157.The armed goons hadn't dared to fire on Ace and the Doctor when they made their move because they were too close to Lady Silk. And now they were even closer, using her as a human s.h.i.+eld while the Doctor held the knife to her throat.

'You know, it was very rude of you not to return that knife,' said Lady Silk.

Ace couldn't believe how cool the woman was.

'You useless idiotic sc.u.m,' said Imperial Lee, his face dark with anger. He was looking at his gunmen, waving his fists in the air, as if he wanted to start beating the men. They stared back at their boss sheepishly. Ray had moved quickly towards the staircase, away from the centre of activity, and it had looked for a moment like he might flee up into the house, but Albert Storrow had stopped him. Now Storrow and Ray stood on the sidelines watching.

'You pathetic rejects,' spat Lee. 'Why didn't you shoot?'

'Leave them alone,' said Lady Silk. 'What could they do? Firing Tommy guns in a bas.e.m.e.nt is a dumb idea at the best of times. Thank G.o.d they had the brains not not to shoot, or I'd be lying here dead. The ricochets would have probably killed you, too.' to shoot, or I'd be lying here dead. The ricochets would have probably killed you, too.'

'They were going to put them in the well and then then shoot them,' said Lee. shoot them,' said Lee.

'There weren't going to be any ricochets. I'd thought it all out.'

'Well, that's a relief,' said Silk drolly.

Lee turned away from his cowed henchmen and took a step towards the Doctor and Ace, who stood huddled close behind their captive. 'Don't come any closer,' said the Doctor. Ace could see the elbow of his arm holding the knife and she was pleased to note that it was completely steady.

'If you harm that woman. . . ' said Imperial Lee.

'Oh, he's not going to harm me,' said Lady Silk.

'I'm holding the point of this rather sharp knife directly against your jugular vein,' said the Doctor in a pleasant, conversational voice. 'Doesn't that indicate anything to you?'

'It indicates that you like to talk,' said Lady Silk.

'Don't antagonise him,' said Lee.

'Stop worrying Lee. Do I sound worried? I'm not worried.'

'They've got a knife to your throat!'

'Yes, that might be alarming in certain circ.u.mstances,' allowed Silk. 'But not when the knife is being held by a blancmange.'

'A what?' said Imperial Lee, confusion and rage and fear staging a three-way collision in his voice.

'Or a meringue or anything else soft and ineffectual.' Lady Silk tried to turn her head and look at the Doctor. 'You're just a little softy, aren't you?'

'Would you like to find out?' said the Doctor in a cold, hard voice that even gave Ace a chill. But Lady Silk just laughed laughed.

158.'Oh, I'm sure you can be a tough and remorseless fellow,' she said. 'In certain circ.u.mstances. But you're not going to slice open the throat of a helpless woman.'

'No?' said the Doctor.

'No,' said Lady Silk decisively. 'You're just not the type. She sounded utterly confident and Ace felt a sudden sinking feeling. After all, the woman was right. The Doctor would never do such a thing.

As if echoing her thoughts, the Doctor said, 'You know what? You're absolutely correct. How perceptive of you. Ace! Swap!' The Doctor swiftly wriggled around behind Silk's hack, holding the woman as he pa.s.sed the knife to Ace, who took it and pressed it hard to Silk's throat. The Doctor traded places with her. Now he was standing behind Ace and Ace was holding the knife as she hugged Silk to her. She could smell the shampoo in the woman's hair and her perfume and the sudden tang of her fear. Ace whispered in her ear.

'Try me,' she crooned. 'I'll gut you like a fish.'

'I don't like her,' said Lady Silk in a voice like a frightened little girl. 'I don't like this. Lee, do something!'

'Don't worry baby,' said Lee. 'We'll think of something.'

'Do it fast.' Ace could feel the panicked vibration of Silk's throat under the blade of her knife. 'Do it now. I don't like her. I don't like her. ' '

Ace smiled and murmured, 'It's mutual.'

'Do something,' said Silk.

'I'm thinking,' said Lee.

'Do something!'

'I'm thinking!'

There was a sudden sound at the top of the stairs and everyone turned to see a white-robed figure descending into the bas.e.m.e.nt. From the bulk of the figure it was obviously Elina Storrow. The woman had the hood of the robe up, covering her head, and she came down the stairs bent over at the waist, so her face was in shadow.

Albert Storrow looked up at her. 'Careful, dear. We have a bit of a sticky situation here. Maybe you'd be better off staying upstairs.' The woman ignored him and continued descending the steps. 'Elina?' said Storrow. 'Are you all right, darling?'

The white-robed figure hurried into the bas.e.m.e.nt, moving in an awkward, crouched run. 'Darling?' said Storrow anxiously. 'Are you hurt?'

As the woman moved, something dropped from under her robe onto the white tiled floor. A cus.h.i.+on. The woman straightened up and Ace saw that it wasn't a woman at all. It was Major Butcher. He raised one white-robed arm.