Bolt - By Dick Francis Page 0,99

one person,’ I said with difficulty, ‘who hates me enough to do that. Who couldn’t bear to see me win those races … who would take away the prizes I hold dearest, because I took away his prize …’

I felt breathless and dizzy.

‘Sit down,’ Litsi said, alarmed.

‘Kinley,’ I said.

I went jerkily to the telephone and got through to Wyke-ham.

‘I was just going to bed,’ he complained.

‘Did you stop the dog-patrols?’ I demanded.

‘Yes, of course. You told me this morning there was no more need for them.’

‘I think I was wrong. I can’t risk that I was wrong. I’m coming down to your stables now, tonight, and we’ll get the dog-patrols back again, stronger than ever, for tomorrow and every day until Cheltenham, and probably beyond.’

‘I don’t understand,’ he said.

‘Have you taken your sleeping pill?’ I asked.

‘No, not yet.’

‘Don’t do it until I get down to you, will you? And where’s Kinley tonight?’

‘Back in his own box, of course. You said the danger was past.’

‘We’ll move him back into the corner box when I get down to you.’

‘Kit, no, not in the middle of the night.’

‘You want to keep him safe,’ I said; and there was no arguing with that.

We disconnected and Litsi said slowly, ‘Do you mean Maynard Allardeck?’

‘Yes, I do. He found out, about two weeks ago, that he’ll never get a knighthood because I sent the film I made of him to the Honours department. He’s wanted that knighthood since he was a child, when he told my grandfather that one day the Fieldings would have to bow down to him, because he’d be a lord. He knows horses better than Nanterre … he was brought up in his father’s racing stable and was his assistant trainer for years. He saw Cascade and Cotopaxi at Newbury, and they were distinctive horses … and Col at Ascot … unmistakable.’

I went to the door.

‘I’ll telephone in the morning,’ I said.

‘I’ll come with you,’ he said.

I shook my head. ‘You’d be up all night.’

‘Get going,’ he said. ‘You saved my family’s honour … let me pay some of their debt.’

I was grateful, indeed, for the company. We went round again to the dark mews where Litsi said, if I had the car-starter in my pocket, we might as well be sure: but Nanterre and his bombs hadn’t returned, and the Mercedes fired obligingly from a fifty-yard distance.

I drove towards Sussex, telephoning to Danielle on the way to tell her where and why we were going. She had no trouble believing anything bad of Maynard Allardeck, saying he’d looked perfectly crazy at Ascot and Sandown, glaring at me continuously in the way he had.

‘Curdling with hate,’ she said. ‘You could feel it like shock waves.’

‘We’ll be back for breakfast,’ I said, smiling. ‘Sleep well.’ And I could hear her laughing as she disconnected.

I told Litsi on the way about the firework bombs that had been used to decoy the dog-handler away from Col’s courtyard, and said, ‘You know, in the alley, when Nanterre said he hadn’t put a bomb in my car, I asked him if it was a firework. He looked totally blank … I didn’t think much of it then, but now I realise he simply didn’t know what I was talking about. He didn’t know about the fireworks at Wykeham’s because they didn’t get into the papers.’

Litsi made a ‘Huh’ sort of noise of appreciation and assent, and we came companionably in time into Wykeham’s village.

‘What are you going to do here?’ Litsi said.

I shrugged. ‘Walk round the stables.’ I explained about the many little courtyards. ‘It’s not an easy place to patrol.’

‘You do seriously think Allardeck will risk trying to kill another of Aunt Casilia’s horses?’

‘Yes. Kinley, particularly, her brilliant hurdler. I don’t seriously suppose he’ll try tonight rather than tomorrow or thereafter, but I’m not taking chances.’ I paused. ‘However am I going to apologise to Princess Casilia … to repay …’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Cascade and Cotopaxi and Col died because of the Fielding and Allardeck feud. Because of me.’

‘She won’t think of it that way.’

‘It’s the truth.’ I turned into Wykeham’s driveway. ‘I won’t let Kinley die.’

I stopped the car in the parking space, and we stepped out into the silence of midnight under a clear sky sparkling with diamond-like stars. The heights and depths of the universe: enough to humble the sweaty strivings of earth.

I took a deep breath of its peace … and heard, in the quiet distance, the dull unmistakable thudding explosion of