Dennis Wheatley - Duke du Richleau 10 Dangerous Inheritance by Dennis Wheatley

Author:Dennis Wheatley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Battle Continues

Lalita had two weapons within a few inches of his right hand: his own automatic in its holster and Douglas’s revolver thrust through his Sam Browne belt. But it was at him that Rex’s big pistol was pointing, so he dared not make a grab at either. Mirabelle might still have given trouble had she been sitting sideways on to Rex and swiftly snatched up her little nickel-plated weapon from the lower shelf on the telephone table. But her chair had its back to the door; so, automatically, on hearing Rex’s voice she jerked her head right round. Before she could do more than give a gasp it was Douglas who had snatched up her pistol.

Rex’s smile broadened into a grin and he said to Simon, ‘Better relieve our friend in uniform of his artillery; then we can talk.’

As Simon moved sideways towards Lalita, so as not to obstruct Rex’s line of fire, de Richleau chuckled, ‘My dear Rex. How good to see you. Your arrival could not have been more opportune. It enables me to secure twenty-five thousand pounds’ worth of jewels which are my property.’ As he spoke he picked up the leather case from the table.

‘No! They are mine!’ Lalita expostulated violently. But Simon had already taken his automatic from its holster and with it gave him a hard jab in the ribs.

‘Hold your tongue,’ he snapped, ‘or it’ll be the worse for you.’ With his free hand he drew Douglas’s revolver from Lalita’s belt and passed it to its owner. Then to Rex he said:

‘Greyeyes is right. Your turning up couldn’t have been better timed if we’d planned it. ‘Nother couple of minutes and I’d have signed away five thousand pounds to this dirty crook. But what sort of miracle enabled you to pull us out of this muddle?’

‘Yes,’ added the Duke. ‘How did you learn that we were here and involved in an extremely unpleasant business?’

Now that both Lalita and Mirabelle had been disarmed, Rex casually tucked his automatic away in an armpit holster and advanced into the room. Had Lalita attempted anything, the American was so big and strong that he could have strangled him with one hand. Shrugging his mighty shoulders, he said:

‘It’s quite simple. Truss and I... I think I told you I’d brought Truss along on this trip... didn’t get in from Trinco’ till round eleven o’clock. When we’d checked in at the American Embassy and had a wash I called you at the Galle Face, but only to be told that you were both out. We had drinks with our host and nattered till well after midnight. Then, assuming you’d have got back, I called the hotel again. Still no dice. Knowing Greyeyes doesn’t keep late hours these days I became a bit puzzled. After that I made quite a nuisance of myself trying to find out where you’d gone.’

‘They gave to the effect that Greyeyes came down from his room round quarter after ten and went off in a private car with an Indian driver, which seemed pretty queer to me.

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