‘So you followed me down, did you?’ Howard Juniper asked quietly. ‘A hopeful sort of crook, you seem to have turned out, Karl Grindrod.’
‘I followed you down, all right. And stayed in the same pub, although I took care you didn’t see me. And then followed you here. I had to keep out of the way while that old fellow was bringing you to this tower. There’s almost no cover, you know. But as soon as he’d cleared out, I came along, and I’ve heard quite a lot of what you’ve been saying. Odd birds keep odd company, don’t they? By the way, I’m not off my head, you know. In fact, I’m among the saner part of your acquaintance.’
‘Then you’d better do the sane thing, Grindrod, and see what you can do about getting us out. Whatever your own designs upon us, it can’t be to your advantage that we should be kept locked up by a demented peer.’
Grindrod laughed softly. ‘I’m not so sure of that. The Juniper brothers, if I may say so, are very picturesquely circumstanced at the moment. I’m not sure that a conscientious citizen oughtn’t to suspect them of being up to something questionable. Perhaps I ought to call in the local police – and the newspapers.’
‘You’re talking nonsense, Grindrod, as you very well know. Publicity might be awkward for my brother and myself, I agree. But the little lark we’ve been up to would be far from utterly impeaching our credit in a court of law. It’s a very good guess that you are known to the police, and that as soon as they see a sporting chance of gaoling you, they’ll act. If you make blackmailing proposals to us now, there’s an excellent prospect that our subsequent evidence will be enough to sink you. We’re in a hurry, by the way, but not a desperate one. So take a minute or two to think it over.’
‘Well, well!’ Grindrod again gave his soft laugh. ‘If I may say so, Juniper, it’s a pleasure to converse with so intelligent an old acquaintance. You see this just as a test of nerve – isn’t that right? If you and your brother don’t lose your heads, it isn’t me that’s got you, but you who have got me. However, that just isn’t true. As you’ve been saying in your little talk together, a public exposure of this prank would as good as finish you professionally. Your bugs and so on are far too important to be in the hands of an erratic practical joker. But there’s another factor to consider. You’d agree, I suppose, that you’re both in the power of a madman?’
At this, Miles Juniper broke in. ‘Blast you – you know we are.’
‘Quite so. And if Lord Ailsworth’s conduct comes under investigation, it won’t be long before he reveals that, in his mature judgement, the human race is a mistake, and that he has the most splendid plans for liquidating it. That being so, the actual liquidating of two specimens of that race on his estate would be laid at his door without question. Don’t you agree?’
Howard Juniper laughed in his turn. ‘I see no reason, Grindrod, either to agree or disagree with an entirely idle hypothesis. Talk sense.’
‘Not so much of that de haut en bas stuff, Howard Juniper.’ Grindrod was suddenly angry. ‘I’m in control of this situation – and you can’t bluff me that you don’t know it. Your demented peer has simplified my job by a long way. If I’d simply had to tackle you in your lab – or in your precious brother’s school – it might have come to a test of nerve between us. But now, nothing of the sort applies. Do what I tell you, and I’ll get you out of this. Refuse, and you’ll neither of you live to make trouble for me. And the world will believe that the madman who kidnapped you ceased to find your blasted faces bearable and took a shotgun to them. Take a minute or two to think that over.’
For some seconds there was silence. It was broken only by a whirr of wings as a flight of wild duck passed near the tower. Then Miles Juniper spoke. ‘And just what is it you want?’ he asked.
‘No, no, Miles – we’re not interested in asking him that.’ Howard spoke gently to his brother. ‘He wants nothing that is ours to give.’
‘I want nothing, Professor Juniper, that you don’t keep under your hat.’ Grindrod laughed harshly. ‘Don’t think I haven’t been in on this sort of thing before. I know just where I am with people as high up in secret research as you are. You can put down on a couple of sheets of paper, and straight out of your head, what I can get a cool fifty thousand pounds for. Enough to retire on, for a modest person like myself. It’s true that I won’t understand a single word or formula in it. But I’ve somebody I can pretty quickly check up with. And when I know I’ve got the goods, I’ll let you out.’
‘And how do we know we can trust you to do that?’ Miles Juniper demanded.
Ever so gently, Howard Juniper sighed. ‘My dear chap,’ he murmured, ‘need you pursue a discussion that’s so obviously idle? We’ve nothing more to say to Grindrod – nothing at all.’
‘It’s a very good question.’ Through the little trapdoor, Grindrod nodded with an appearance of great approval at Miles. ‘I see your difficulty at once. But just consider. As soon as I’ve got what I want from your brother, neither of you can be the slightest menace to me, since Professor Juniper will have committed quite as serious a crime as I have. I’ll be able to pass you in the street without the faintest tremor. But the other course you’re thinking of – my getting my stuff, going back on my bargain, killing you, and leaving Lord Ailsworth to take the knock – does, I frankly admit, carry just a small degree of risk. Something might go wrong, and then I’d have had it. No’ – and Grindrod contrived an evil chuckle– ‘I think you can have reasonable confidence in my behaving towards you in a thoroughly honourable way. Nothing to disgrace our common heritage in that old school tie. So think it over, friends. I’ll be back for another quiet chat later.’ Grindrod paused. ‘You dirty stuck-up rats,’ he said with sudden venom. And the trapdoor closed with a bang.
For some moments neither brother said anything. They could hear Grindrod’s footsteps on the wooden staircase running down the tower.
‘Well, that’s better – isn’t it?’ Howard asked cheerfully.
‘Better? No doubt it’s something to see the back of him even for half an hour.’
‘I don’t mean that. I mean that Grindrod’s turning up in this way rather improves the situation. Of course he isn’t going to get anything out of us; and I’m certain he hasn’t really got the nerve for murder. His pottering round with his precious plan is a hopeful element of disturbance, if you ask me. It’s almost certain that Ailsworth will be keeping a sharp eye on his tower, and I don’t see how Grindrod can hope to come and go unobserved. There’s hardly any cover, as he himself said. So we’ll hope for complications, and this tower’s being drawn, as a consequence, a little into notice. Meanwhile, we’d better get on with our preparations for fire-raising.’
‘You always did manage the buoyant view, Howard.’ Miles Juniper was regarding his brother with mingled admiration and resentment. ‘But why should he suggest we think it over? Why should he propose to go off and come back again, when the trip increases the element of risk? Nerve-war? Does he think it will wear us down?’
‘Quite possibly. I wish this knife were a little sharper.’ Howard seemed uninterested in further speculation.
‘It’s because he thinks I’ll work on you.’ Miles laughed harshly. ‘Like the fellow in the play. “What says my brother? Death is a fearful thing. Let me live: what sin you do to save a brother’s life, Nature dispenses with the deed so far that it becomes a virtue.”’
Howard smiled whimsically. ‘My dear Miles, I envy you your command of Shakespeare. It’s a graceful accomplishment. And a solace.’
‘“Oh you beast! Oh faithless coward! Oh dishonest wretch!”’ Miles laughed again – but this time as if with a curious sense of tension relieved. ‘And what’s the moral?’ He looked happily at Howard – an equal at an equal. ‘Not to have hysterical scenes, I suppose.’ He paused, and then glanced at his watch. ‘Almost lunchtime. And that reminds me, my dear Howard. I’ve bad news for you.’
‘Bad news?’
‘Ailsworth is a vegetarian. And his little basket is stocked up accordingly.’