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gray?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThat’s remarkable. I think he’s coming awake, Evan.”
    He was indeed. His eyes went in turn to his bonds, to me, to Julia. He tried unsuccessfully to rock the chair. He looked at Julia again. “Effing little bitch,” he said. “I thought you were too bloody good to be true.”
    I told Julia to take a taxi home. She told me not to be silly, that she was as anxious as I to hear what he had to say. I said that Nigel would worry about her, and she said that Nigel was at the theater.
    â€œYou may not enjoy this,” I said.
    â€œOh, but I will, Evan.”
    What’s-his-name looked up at me. “Evans, eh? And a good day to you, Mr. Evans.” He didn’t sound much upset. “Wha’d you shoot me with?”
    â€œA blank.”
    â€œAn effing blank.” He laughed. “That’s a good one. I’ll remember that one, I will.”
    I pulled a card chair up and sat down in front of him. “You’ll have to remember quite a few things. Your name, to start with.”
    â€œWyndham-Jones, Mr. Evans.”
    â€œNot Smythe-Carson?”
    â€œWho’s he, Mr. Evans?”
    I closed my eyes for a moment. Then I said, “There are some things you’ll have to tell me. I’m not interested in you at all, just in your information. There was an American girl named Phaedra Harrow. You may have known her as Deborah Horowitz.” I showed him her picture. “I want to know where she is and what’s happened to her.”
    â€œGlad to oblige,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s have another look at the picture.” His eyes narrowed in concentration. Then he smiled. “Don’t know as I can help you, Mr. Evans. Never saw her before in me life, not the least bit familiar. Names don’t ring a bell either, sorry to say.”
    I let him have the gun butt on his left cheekbone. His head flew to the side. I heard Julia suck in her breath, but He Who Got Slapped didn’t make a sound. The smile came back and the same flat cold light glinted in his eyes. He said, “Two or three hours, I’ll have a ruddy great bruise there. All blue and purple it’ll be.”
    â€œThe girl.”
    â€œStill don’t know her, Mr. Evans. Me memory’s no better.”
    I swung the gun backhand and caught him on the right cheekbone. I knew he’d ride with it, so I made it harder. “Now they’ll match,” I said.
    â€œOh, I’ll be the pretty one.”
    â€œI can stand this longer than you can.”
    â€œOh, can you now?” His lips tightened and his voice turned harder. “You effing bastard, I’ve taken dumpings from professionals. You haven’t the stuff to kill me, and you’d have to do that to learn the first bloody thing about your little American twist. I’ll sit here and take it while you puke at the horror of it all.”
    I hefted the gun. He didn’t even wince. I stood up, turned to Julia. She was standing near the door and looked vulnerable. It was senseless. We had the son of a bitch tied up, and he was in control of the situation while Julia looked vulnerable and I felt impotent. I took a few deep breaths and concentrated on visions of a naked Phaedra being tortured and burned at the stake.I was trying to work up some genuine fury, and it just didn’t come off. That sort of reaction either happens or it doesn’t. You can’t think it into existence.
    So to Julia I said, “You see the problem? You pinpointed it earlier. I’m just not the menacing type. I don’t ooze brutality. I’ve got a bad image.”
    â€œEvan—”
    â€œNow if it was me in the chair and this clown asking the questions, he wouldn’t have to lay a hand on me. One good glower from Hyphen here and I’d sing like a goddamned roomful of castrati.” I thought for a moment. “Go home,” I told her. “You