Nelson passed his tongue quickly over his dry lips. ‘No,’ he said. ‘No. Ronnie Sheringham confessed to that.’
Lord Gavin laughed, it was a weird, terrifying sound. ‘That’s what he told the police—yes, but it’s not true, ‘he know!—I was there. He was with me when the shot was fired—with me in my sitting-room nearby. He went along the corridor.… I took the balcony.… I saw you, a handkerchief over your face…. I saw her too!’ His pale eyes gleamed at Avril.
She shrank away. How right he was, she knew. That small, child-like figure behind the curtains on the balcony with the queer, big head…. The figure that had stood peering in and then vanished so silently when she turned away to open the door to Ronnie.
Nelson mopped his face. He had thought that he was clear of that nightmare for good. Was it all to be dragged up again now with this terrible new evidence? A man who had been present and out of malice was prepared to swear to his identity. It was too ghastly—but he would not give in.
‘I’ll fight,’ he gasped, ‘they won’t belive you.’
‘You can’t,’ cried Avril, ‘Nelson—please. Think what it means to both of us if we lose.’
‘They will believe,’ Lord Gavin whispered hoarsely, ‘you forget that a man was seen running through the garden—that will support my evidence.’
‘I’ll fight,’ said Nelson doggedly,’ I won’t give in, I’ll stand my trial and expose every transaction of the Combine. You sheltered Vitelma from the police … they’ll get you in that at least. I’ll spend every penny I’ve got tracing those other murders. Thing’s come to light … I’ll get you yet!’
With sudden resolution he turned towards the door, drawing Avril with him.
‘Wait,’ gasped Lord Gavin, ‘wait!’
They paused in the entrance of the doorway.
Lord Gavin sank into a chair, his massive head shaking as though he were stricken with palsy. ‘I ask an armistice,’ he croaked, glaring at Nelson from beneath his brows.
‘Well?’
‘Give me one month to sell,’ came the soft whisper, ‘a month to sell while you remain inactive … time to unload my shares upon the market … give me that and I will give you a letter freeing you for good … a statement to Miss Bamborough that I cannot help her trace the murderer because I was asleep in bed.… No one would ever believe my story after … if I give you that!’
‘I’ll deal,’ said Nelson harshly, ‘now write.’
With trembling hand Lord Gavin wrote the letter, dating it a fortnight previously.
Nelson gave a sigh of relief as he took it and placed it carefully in his pocket. The ‘Z’ Projector was now his for good—he had control of three great corporations, and by selling a portion of their stock he would be able to buy his Pacific shares in again as Lord Gavin released them on the market. The menace of the Combine was over, and the death of Angelo Donelli could be buried for ever. He smiled suddenly as he took Avril’s hand, and the little wrinkles that she loved came round his eyes.
‘You can have three months if you like,’ he said. ‘Next week we’re going on our honeymoon.’
A Note on the Author
DENNIS WHEATLEY Dennis Wheatley (1897–1977) was an English author whose prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world’s best-selling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s.
Wheatley was the eldest of three children, and his parents were the owners of Wheatley & Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College, London. In 1919 he assumed management of the family wine business but in 1931, after a decline in business due to the depression, he began writing.
His first book, The Forbidden Territory, became a bestseller overnight, and since then his books have sold over 50 million copies worldwide. During the 1960s, his publishers sold one million copies of Wheatley titles per year, and his Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories.
During the Second World War, Wheatley was a member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing with a German invasion of Britain.
Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November 1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million copies.
Discover books by Dennis Wheatley published by Bloomsbury Reader at
www.bloomsbury.com/DennisWheatley
Duke de Richleau
The Forbidden Territory
The Devil Rides Out
The Golden Spaniard
Three Inquisitive People
Strange Conflict
Codeword Golden Fleece
The Second Seal
The Prisoner in the Mask
Vendetta in Spain
Dangerous Inheritance
Gateway to Hell
Gregory Sallust
Black August
Contraband
The Scarlet Impostor
Faked Passports
The Black Baroness
V for Vengeance
Come into My Parlour
The Island Where Time Stands Still
Traitors’ Gate
They Used Dark Forces
The White Witch of the South Seas
Julian Day
The Quest of Julian Day
The Sword of Fate
Roger Brook
The Launching of Roger Brook
The Shadow of Tyburn Tree
The Rising Storm
The Man Who Killed the King
The Dark Secret of Josephine
The Rape of Venice
The Sultan’s Daughter
The Wanton Princess
Evil in a Mask
The Ravishing of Lady Mary Ware
The Irish Witch
Desperate Measures
Molly Fountain
To the Devil a Daughter
The Satanist
Lost World
They Found Atlantis
Uncharted Seas
The Man Who Missed the War
Espionage
Mayhem in Greece
The Eunuch of Stamboul
The Fabulous Valley
The Strange Story of Linda Lee
Such Power is Dangerous
The Secret War
Science Fiction
Sixty Days to Live
Star of Ill-Omen
Black Magic
The Haunting of Toby Jugg
The KA of Gifford Hillary
Unholy Crusade
Short Stories
Mediterranean Nights
Gunmen, Gallants and Ghosts
This electronic edition published in 2014 by Bloomsbury Reader
Bloomsbury Reader is a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
First published in 1933 by Hutchinson & Co. Ltd.
Copyright © 1933 Dennis Wheatley
All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The moral right of the author is asserted.
eISBN: 9781448213856
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Such Power is Dangerous