Ring of Fear by McCaffrey Anne

Author:McCaffrey, Anne [McCaffrey, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781587150166
Google: DVE96HBVSKsC
Amazon: 1587150166
Goodreads: 904408
Publisher: Wildside Press
Published: 1971-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

"Should it?" he asked with a commendable recovery.

"Come off it, Urscoll. I'm family," Rafe replied. "Lou Marchmount has been many things, but not a paranoid. And don't give me that nonsense about a bad heart. That man is running scared.

From what?"

Urscoll wet his lips, glanced at Marchmount and Wendy Madison giving a bad example of the

frug, and then began to talk.

"I am not, Mr. Clery, a sportsman." And Urscoll smiled wryly. "I'm a private investigator for a West Coast firm. I was chosen because of . . . family connections and my background ... to act as

companion to Mr. Marchmount. He is being threatened by an extortionist. He has already paid

substantial sums."

"Paid? Why in hell did you permit it?"

Urscoll looked unhappy too. "I realize that seems odd, Mr. Clery, but I assure you my firm has urgently recommended on several occasions that this be taken to the proper authorities. Mr.

Marchmount is adamant that the police may not be involved. Frankly, Mr. Clery, he is such a

sick man that anything might result in a fatal heart attack. I wish he wouldn't dance so violently, but my wishes are seldom consulted." Urscoll looked more ill at ease than ever. "My instructions are to avoid any contact with the extortionist."

"It is Caps Galvano, isn't it?"

Urscoll gave Rafe a long look. "I . . . think so."

"You think so?"

"When my firm checked the police records about Galvano—very discreetly—he was listed as

dead. Naturally, we told Mr. Marchmount. He insisted that the man was very much alive. As Mr.

Marchmount had just suffered his first heart attack, we discounted his insistence. Then Mr.

Marchmount experienced a series of odd mishaps, and I was assigned to ... to protect him from

any more. On three separate occasions I have intercepted phone calls from a person whom Mr.

Marchmount insists must be this Galvano. In spite of my precautions, Mr. March-mount has paid

the demands. And he absolutely refuses to let me consult with the police. I am in the difficult

position of seeing—to be blunt—fear kill my client and being unable to prevent his death."

Urscoll sighed. "Believe me, we usually do not operate in such a ... an inefficient and ineffective way. But"—Urscoll gestured his hopelessness—"he is living on borrowed time right now, and if I can just keep that . . . that blackmailing Galvano away from Marchmount, I will be at least

guarding the body."

"So you've been traveling?"

"Yes, by slow stages and with no advance plans and leaving no forwarding address. My

suggestion. It would be harder for the extortionist to track us. Until just recently that worked.

The man caught up with us two weeks ago."

"You've had another extortion demand?"

Urscoll grimaced. "For twenty thousand dollars."

"From Galvano?"

"I assume so. It was the one time I wasn't with Mr. Marchmount"—and Urscoll's regret seemed sincere—"and he took the phone call. You can see what it did to him. If it weren't for Mrs.

Madison, I think the man might have died."

"Does Madam know he's being blackmailed?"

"No!" The denial was explosive, and Urscoll glanced quickly around to see if anyone had noticed his exclamation.

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