Десмонд Бэгли - Landslide

Now, that was very odd! Bull Matterson had known who I was but hadn’t told his son — why not? Could it be there was something he didn’t want Howard to know?

And Howard — where did he come into all this? Why was he so annoyed when he found who I was? Could he be trying to protect his father?

I heard a twig snap and sat up quickly. A slim shadow was moving through the trees towards me, then Clare said in a warm voice, ‘Did you think I was going to let you stay out here alone?’

I chuckled. ‘You’ll scandalize Mac.’

‘He’s asleep,’ she said, and lay down beside me. ‘Besides, it isn’t easy to scandalize a newspaperman of his age. He’s grown-up, you know.’

Next morning, at breakfast, I said, ‘I’ll have a crack at Howard — try to get him to see sense.’

Mac grunted. ‘Do you think you can just walk into the Matterson Building?’

‘I’ll go up to the escarpment and put a hole in it,’ I said. ‘That’ll bring Howard running to me. Will you ask Clarry if he’ll join the party?’

‘That’ll bring Howard,’ Mac agreed.

‘You could get into a fight up there,’ Clare warned.

‘I’ll chance that,’ I said, and stabbed at a hot-cake viciously. ‘It might be just what’s needed to bring things into the open. I’m tired of this pussyfooting around. You stay home this time, Mac.’

‘You try to keep me away,’ Mac growled, and mimicked, ‘You can’t stop me fossicking on Crown land.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘Trouble is, I’m a mite tired.’

‘Didn’t you sleep?’

He kept his eyes studiously on his plate. ‘Too much moving around during the night; folks tromping in and out at all hours — could have been Grand Central Station.’

Clare dropped her eyes, and her throat and face flushed deep pink. I smiled amiably. ‘Maybe you ought to have slept out in the woods — it was right peaceful out there.’

He pushed back his chair. ‘I’ll go get Clarry.’

I said, ‘Tell him there might be trouble, then it’s up to him if he comes or not. It’s not really his fight.’

‘Clarry won’t mind a crack at Howard.’

‘It’s not Howard I’m thinking of,’ I said. I had Jimmy Waystrand in mind, and those two bodyguards of his who ran his errands.

But Clarry came and we pushed off up the Kinoxi road. Clare wanted to come too, but I squashed that idea flat. I said, ‘When we come back we’ll be hungry — and maybe a bit banged up. You have a good dinner waiting, and some bandages and the mercuro-chrome.’

No one stopped us as we drove past the powerhouse and up the escarpment road. We drove nearly to the top before stopping because I wanted to sink a test hole just below the dam. It was essential to find out if the quick clay strata actually ran under the dam.

Clarry and I manhandled the gasoline engine across the escarpment and got the rig set up. No one paid us any attention although we were in plain sight. Down at the bottom of the hill they were still trying to get that generator armature into the power plant and had made a fair amount of progress, using enough logs on the ground to feed Matterson’s sawmill for twenty-four hours. I could hear the shouting and cursing as orders were given, but that was drowned out as Clarry started the engine and the drilling began.

I was very careful with the cores as they came up from the thirty-foot level and held one of them out to Mac. ‘It’s wetter here,’ I said.

Mac shifted his boots nervously. ‘Are we safe here? It couldn’t go now, could it?’

‘It could,’ I said. ‘But I don’t think it will — not just yet.’ I grinned. ‘I’d hate to slide to the bottom, especially with the dam on top of me.’

‘You guys talk as though there’s going to be an earthquake,’ said Clarry.

‘Don’t sprain your brain,’ said Mac. ‘I’ve told you before.’ He paused. ‘That’s exactly what we are talking about.’

‘Huh!’ Clarry looked about him. ‘How can you predict an earthquake?’

‘There’s one coming now,’ I said, and pointed. ‘Here comes Howard with storm signals flying.’

He was coming across the hillside with Jimmy Waystrand close behind, and when he got closer I saw he was furious with rage. He shouted, ‘I warned you, Boyd; now you’ll take the consequences.’

I stood my ground as he came up, keeping a careful eye on Waystrand. I said, ‘Howard, you’re a damn’ fool — you didn’t read my report. Look at all that mud down there.’

I don’t think he heard a word I said. He stabbed a finger at me. ‘You’re leaving right now — we don’t want you around.’

‘We! I suppose you mean you and your father.’ This was no good. There was no point in getting into a hassle with him when there were more important things to be discussed. I said, ‘Listen, Howard: and, for God’s sake, simmer down. You remember 1 warned you about quick clay?’

He glared at me. ‘What’s quick clay?’

‘Then you didn’t read the report — it was all set out in there.’

‘To hell with your report — all you keep yammering about is that goddam report. I paid for the damn’ thing and whether I read it or not is my affair.’

I said, ‘No, it isn’t — not by a long chalk. There may be men ki—’

‘Will you, for Christ’s sake, shut up about it,’ he yelled.

Mac said sharply, ‘You’d better listen to him, Howard.’

‘You keep out of this, you old fool,’ commanded Howard. ‘And you too, Summerskill. You’re both going to regret being mixed up with this man. I’ll see you regret it — personally.’

‘Howard, lay off McDougall,’ I said. ‘Or I’ll break your back.’

Clarry Summerskill spat expertly and befouled Howard’s boot. ‘You don’t scare me none, Matterson.’

Howard took a step forward and raised his fist. I said quickly, ‘Hold it! Your reinforcements are coming, Howard.’ I nodded across the hillside to where two men were coming across the rough ground — one a chauffeur in trim uniform supporting the other by the arm.

Bull Matterson had come out of his castle at last.

Clarry’s jaw dropped as he stared at the old man and at the big black Bentley parked on the road. ‘Well, I’m damned!’ he said softly. ‘I haven’t seen old Bull in years.’

‘Maybe he’s come out to defend his bull-calf,’ said Mac sardonically.

Howard went to help the old man, the very picture of filial devotion, but Bull angrily shook away the offered hand. From the look of him, he was quite spry and able to get on by himself. Mac chuckled. ‘Why, the old guy is in better shape than I am.’

I said, ‘I have a feeling that this is going to be the moment of truth.’

Mac glanced at me slyly. ‘Don’t they say that about bullfighting when the matador poises his sword to kill the bull? You’ll have to have a sharp sword to kill this one.’

The old man finally reached us and looked around with a hard eye. To his chauffeur he said curtly, ‘Get back to the car.’ He cast an eye on the drilling-rig, then swung on Jimmy Waystrand. ‘Who are you?’

‘Waystrand. I work down on the power plant.’

Matterson lifted his eyebrows. ‘Do you? Then get back on your job.’

Waystrand looked uncertainly at Howard, who gave a short nod.

Matterson stared at Clarry. ‘I don’t think we need you, either,’ he said harshly. ‘Or you, McDougall.’

I said quietly, ‘Go and wait by the jeep, Clarry,’ and then stared down the old man. ‘McDougall stays.’

‘That’s up to him,’ said Matterson. ‘Well, McDougall?’

‘I’d like to see a fair fight,’ said Mac cheerfully. ‘Two against two.’ He laughed. ‘Bob can take Howard and I reckon you and me are fairly matched for the Old Age Championship.’ He felt the top of the gasoline engine to see if it was still hot, then nonchalantly leaned his rump against it.