He left the hood open and MacAdam lying half under the car, and ran back to the Packard.
‘That’s fixed him,’ he said, as he slid under the driving wheel. ‘It’ll take him a week to get over that smack. Get Kile?’
Rico nodded miserably. All this violence horrified him, but he was too scared of Baird to protest.
‘He said he’ll be at the lodge the day after tomorrow with the dough.’
‘He’ll get a slug in the gut if he tries anything funny,’ Baird said, starting the car. ‘Did you tel him to watch out for a tail?’
‘Yes. He didn’t seem to like it.’
‘He’s not supposed to,’ Baird grunted, and sent the car racing along the highway. After a while he went on, ‘This isn’t going to be a picnic. By the time we’ve got Hater we’l have earned every nickel of that half million. This may be a fast buck, but don’t kid yourself we’re not going to earn it.’
Rico, who had no idea what was ahead of him, huddled down in his seat and said nothing.
VIII
There was a drag to Dallas’s step as he walked up the rose-lined path to Purvis’s front door. Before he could ring the bell, the door jerked open and Purvis waved him in.