Part 17 (1/2)
” - There is one dia Blue” Benedict says it's worth a million,-” Tracey was not sure she believed it It was the enormity of the treachery and deceit that she could not accept
”- The Italian, the Captain, be careful of hio - they are all in it
Warn Johnny” Benedict! Weak, spoiled Benedict, the playboy, the spendthrift Could he have planned and carried this through?
A gust of wind hit the car fro the Mercedes off the tar on to the gravel
Tracey fought to hold the skid Dust and gravel roared out in a cloud fro northwards
”Warn Johnny! Warn Johnny!” Benedict van der Byl sat in his father's chair, in his father's house, and he was alone His loneliness ate deep into the fibres of his whole being Before hilass and a decanter
The brandy was no comfort, its warmth in his throat and belly seemed only to accentuate the icy cold of his loneliness His fantasy showed hiht of himself as a husk, filled only with the cold of melancholia
He looked about the room with its dark panelled ork and he smelled the musty dead smell He wondered how many times his father had sat in this chair alone and lonely Lonely and afraid as the cancer ate him alive
He stood up andthe furniture as if he were trying to communicate with the man who had lived and died here He moved across and stood in front of the curtained s The rug was new It replaced the other that they had been unable to clean
”The Old Man had the right idea” He spoke aloud, his voice sounding strange in his own ears
Then on an impulse he crossed quickly to the cupboard that flanked the massive stone fireplace, and tried the door
It was locked
Without passion he stood back and kicked in the panel
The wood splintered and he kicked again, s leather case was on the top shelf, and he took it down and carried it to the desk He sprang the catches and laid back the lid
He lifted out the blue un oil was greasy on his hands
”Jacobus Isaac van der Byu He read aloud the naraved pheasants and gundogs
He s as though at soun He weighed it in his hands, feeling the sweet pure balance of the weapon
”The old bastard un across to the new carpet He placed it butt down between his feet with the barrels pointed at the ceiling and leaning slowly forward he opened hisfarther down he placed a thuer and pushed the pins fell on the ehtened up and wiped the taste of gun oil froain
”That's the way he did it Both barrels in the back of the throat What a cure for tonsilitis!” he chuckled, and glanced across at the shattered cupboard door The square packets of cartridges were on the second shelf
He tucked the gun under his ar more purposefully now He snatched down a packet of SSG and broke it open Suddenly his hands were shaking and the fat red cartridges spilled on to the floor He stooped and picked up two of the exciteun and slipped the cartridges into the blank eyes of the breeches They slid ho with a solid double thunk, and he hurried back to the spot in front of the
His eyes were bright and his breathing quick as he pushed the safety catch on to ”Fire” and placed the butt between his feet once ain, in an obscene Soul kiss and reached down for the triggers They were cold and oily He caressed the in the curves Ofto the touch and feel of them as he had never thrilled to the feel of a woasping for breath
Unsteadily he carried the weapon back to the desk and laid it on the dark polished wood
As he poured brandy into the crystal glass his eyes were fastened with perverse fascination on the beautiful glistening weapon
The steae was dewed and misty Ruby Lance dried herself sloith one of the thick fluffy towels She was in no hurry; she wanted Tracey to have a start of at least four hours on her journey to Cartridge Bay
With a deep narcissistic pleasure she noticed in the hts fro herself in the towel she went through into the dressing-rooan stroking it through her hair,across to the open wardrobe to select a dress for the occasion It th Louis Feraud of daffodil satin
Still undecided she went back to seat herself at the dressing-table and began the co her make-up She worked with meticulous care until at last she smiled at her reflection with satisfaction
She dropped the toent back to the wardrobe, and stood slihtly with concentration she decided against the Feraud Then suddenly she smiled, and reached for Benedict's mink
She wrapped herself in the pale cloud of fur, fluffing up the collar to fraolden slippers, pale gold, a perfect o She ran from the house to where her car was parked in the driveway
She switched off the headlights as she turned into the driveway that curved up to where the old house crouched on the top of Wynberg Hill The whisper of the engine was unobtrusive and blended with the whiht breeze in the chestnut trees that flanked the driveway
She parked in the courtyard, and saw that Benedict's Rolls was still in the garage and a light burned in theof the study, a yellow oblong behind the curtains
The front door was open Her skippered feet es, and when she tried the door to the study it swung open readily She stepped into the room, and closed the door behind her She stood with her back to the dark panelled wood A single shaded lamp lit the room dimly
Benedict sat behind the desk The rooar s His face was flushed, and the top button of his shi+rt was undone On the desk in front of hiun
Ruby was surprised at the presence of the weapon, it disconcerted her and the words she had prepared were forgotten
Benedict looked up at her His eyes were slightly unfocused and he blinked slowly Then he grinned; it twisted his mouth and his voice when he spoke was slurred
”So you've come back” Instantly her hatred returned in full flood But she kept her face ireed ”I've come back”
”Come here” He swivelled his chair to the side of the desk Ruby did not ainst the door
”Coer now, and suddenly Ruby smiled and obeyed
She stood in front of him, huddled in the fur
”Kneel down,” commanded Benedict, and she hesitated
”Down!” his voice crackled ”Down, damn you!” Ruby sank to her knees in front of hihtened up in the chair She knelt in front of him in the attitude of sub like a curtain over her face