And you have contingencies ready in case he says something else. It’s a pity, really, that when you finally do the human thing and reach out on the spur of the moment to help someone in trouble, it’s someone who isn’t worth saving and it’s liable to get us all killed.”
He’d known her all her life, and half of his. Today he was learning things about her that stunned him to the marrow of his bones. One was the harshness of her view of him.
But maybe she was right. Their predicament was entirely of his making, and he hadn’t even the excuse she credited him with—a spontaneous act of philanthropy. It had happened because he was doing what he always did, what his daughter knew he always did—playing both sides of the chessboard.
He couldn’t tell her that. He diverted the conversation down the other avenue. “You think Horn’s right, then? We’re not going to walk away from this?”
For a moment she hesitated; then she shook her head. “No, I don’t. The only one who’s in any danger here is him. He wants us to think otherwise because he hopes we’ll be scared enough to protect him.” She managed a wan smile. “How about you? Are you updating your will?”
Though he didn’t share her analysis, he did share her conclusion. “No. For one thing there’s no need—it all comes to you. But don’t hold your breath. I’m not ready to part with it just yet.”
Beth’s smile turned impish. “You reckon we can keep him out, then—Tommy Hanratty’s hit man?”
“I think so. Long enough for him to think the balance of risk and reward is shifting. He isn’t Henry the Fifth at Harfleur—he isn’t going to lose a kingdom if he can’t breach the walls. Horn is a job to him, that’s all. If he can’t do it today, he’ll do it next week. He won’t risk his own safety literally banging his head against a stone wall.”
“Horn thinks he will.”
“Nicky Horn is an exhausted, frightened young man who’s been on the run for four years. His judgment shouldn’t be relied on.”
“He isn’t exaggerating about Tommy Hanratty,” Beth said quietly. “He’s a seriously vicious man. Patrick was terrified of him. If he wants Horn dead, sooner or later, one way or another, it’s going to happen. You can’t save him. All you can do is try to keep him from dying here, and it’s not worth antagonizing someone like Hanratty to do that. Possibly not for anyone; certainly not for Horn.”
McKendrick drew a deep breath. He was going to have to tell her. She had persuaded herself that, even if it wasn’t lawful, even if the morality of it was suspect, there was a kind of justice in Nicky Horn’s dying at the will of Patrick Hanratty’s father. She needed to know that her feelings about Horn were predicated on a lie. Somewhat to his dismay, McKendrick found he couldn’t guess how she would react. If she would believe Horn’s latest account. If believing would add to her grief or ease it. A man should know his daughter well enough to know if he was bringing her balm or brimstone. It troubled him that they had so many secrets from one another. He’d only ever wanted what was best for her. He was afraid now that he didn’t know her well enough to judge.
He said, “Will you answer me one question honestly?” She nodded. “What if Patrick had cut Nicky Horn’s rope?”
Beth frowned. “I told you that already. If only Patrick had come home, I’d have felt sorry for Patrick.”
McKendrick knuckled his eyes. “Then surely to God you can understand—”
She didn’t let him finish. “You asked for an honest answer and that was it. Patrick was the only one I cared about—Patrick, right or wrong. If he’d pushed Horn off the mountain because he wanted his climbing boots, I’d still have sided with Patrick. Nicky Horn could go to hell in a handcart and I wouldn’t have broken a nail to save him—and that’s not just now, that’s always. It’s no use asking me for an unbiased opinion, I’m not capable of giving one. I loved one of them. I didn’t give a damn about the other, until he ruined my life.
“But if you’re asking whether it’s ever all right for one climber to cut another’s rope, the answer’s no, and that doesn’t alter regardless of who lives and who dies. We all carry a knife. We all know that if the