enough to look? Just look? Did you trust her, or something? Didn’t you know what she was? Didn’t the other one teach you anything?”

His eyes were terrible. He hit her across the mouth with his open hand. She stopped then, and it became suddenly and almost breathlessly silent in the room. I could even hear the squirrel chattering again, up on the hill.

I looked at my watch. It was only a little after one. We couldn’t leave until it was dark. That meant for at least six more hours I had to sit here and keep them sorted out and untangled and away from each other’s throats. I had thought that if I got them in here I could turn the gun over to Madelon Butler and let her watch them while I got a little sleep, but I could see that was out. They’d rush her the minute I dropped off. They were crazy enough. Or if they weren’t, she’d taunt them into it with that arrogant contempt of hers.

I’d given up trying to figure it out. And there was no use asking any questions. I’d just be wasting my breath. They were all too hell-bent on killing each other to bother with outsiders trying to make sense out of it.

I was tired. It had been thirty hours since I’d had any sleep, and we had a long afternoon and another whole night ahead of us. I wondered what our chances were of getting back to Mount Temple and into that house without being caught. In the dark, and with another car, we shouldn’t be stopped on the highway, but the house was another matter. They’d be watching it.

I stood up and motioned toward the storeroom. “In there,” I said.

They went by, watching me like a couple of big cats, and walked in. They sat down on some boxes. I stood in the doorway and looked at them.

“You won’t get hurt if you stay in there,” I said. “And when we leave here you’ll be turned loose. But if you try to come back through this door or jump Mrs. Butler again while we’re here, you’ve had it.”

“Aren’t you brave, with a gun in your hand?” the blonde said.

“Don’t keep crowding your luck. Just because I haven’t shot you already doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. I’m strictly a money player, and there’s a lot of it tied up in this. Too much to let a couple of hotheads like you louse it up. Keep it in mind, Blondie.”

“I wouldn’t count on that money too much,” she said.

“You wouldn’t? Why?”

“You’ll never get it.”

“I’ll worry about that.”

Her eyes had grown thoughtful, and now she actually smiled. It was a very cold smile. “Yes. You’ll worry about it, before you get through. You haven’t found out yet who you’re dealing with. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but it makes me feel a lot better.”

“What does?”

“The fact that even if you get away from here, it really doesn’t matter. One of you will kill the other before it’s all over. Isn’t it nice?”

“Isn’t it?” I said. “Unsaddle your broom and stay a while.”

I closed the door and walked back to the table.

Madelon Butler was still sitting in the chair at the end of it. I sat down and lit another cigarette.

“You’d better go in and get some sleep,” I said. “You’ll need it.”

“It’s too hot,” she said.

“Suit yourself,” I said. “But it may be a little hot tonight, too.”

She gave me that supercilious smile of hers again. “Not afraid to go back there, are you?”

“No,” I said. “We’re going back.”

“You’re rather fond of money, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I never had any.”

“I hope you’ll be very happy with it.”

“I like your friends,” I said, nodding toward the storeroom. “Why don’t all of you rent yourselves out to curdle milk?”

“You’re not becoming squeamish, are you?” she asked mockingly. “Where’s your fine, professional attitude? Surely the detached and unemotional Mr. Barton wouldn’t let a little display of petulance like that upset him.” She broke off. “By the way, you never did tell me what your name really is.”

“That’s right,” I said. “I didn’t, did I?”

She shrugged.

Time dragged. The cabin was stifling.

I dozed off once, propped up in the chair. When my eyes flew open I saw the storeroom door being pulled gently back. The blonde was looking at me. “Back,” I said. It shut again.

They’d be watching the house. They might catch us.

Or if we