"Now, I want you to answer this question very carefully, Mr. Mangan.

Did Earl Ainslee pull that trigger involuntarily as a result of being struck on the head with the heavy pitcher, or did he shoot first? "

"I don't know," I said.

"I was too busy getting out of the way."

Again there came a murmur from the jury.

"But, at all events, you did pull the string which released the pitcher?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Into the sudden silence I said, "My wife was screaming." I moistened my lips.

"Earl said Leroy was having fun, and that it was his turn next."

Riker waited until the stir had died away.

"Mr. Mangan, had your wife not screamed would you have pulled that string?"

Again there was silence.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Heller put up his hand.

"Objection. The witness can testify only as to matters of fact. That is a hypothetical question."

"I withdraw the question," said Riker.

And that was the worst of it as far as I was concerned. There were more questions concerning the death of Tukey and the chase through Big Thicket, but Heller steered me past all the pitfalls. Then I retired because I was not allowed to hear other witnesses giving evidence.

Debbie told me afterwards that they handled her gently and considerately, and her time on the stand was brief. I believe the evidence of the doctor who had attended Debbie at the Ainslee place, and that of Sherry-Lou, damned Leroy thoroughly.

Anyway the whole thing was tossed out as being no case of murder or culpable homicide to answer at trial. There appeared to be a slight incredulity mixed with gratification that a Britisher, as I was popularly supposed to be, could be as red-blooded as any American and, I suppose, the unwritten law had a lot to do with it. Anyway, it was over and I was a free man.

Afterwards, Heller said, "I know I objected to that hypothetical question, but I'm damned glad Riker asked it. You'll notice I objected only after you had answered it."

"Yes."

He grinned. T had my heart in my mouth waiting for your answer. I was taking a hell of a chance on that. "

"So was I," I said dryly.

He looked a bit startled at that, and said, "You know, Mr. Mangan, you're no man's fool. That was a perfect answer. Have you studied law?"

"Not in any depth."

"Well, there's a peculiar grey area that's not covered in any of the law books, and that answer of yours was right in the middle of it.

You did all right. "

Before I went home to Grand Bahama Billy One convened another conference. Again it was confined to his kitchen cabinet; present were Billy, Frank and young Jim. Jack was absent; although out of hospital he was still confined to his home. I was there, too, and waiting to find out why.

Billy One started by saying to Frank, "Your Pa is a sick man and I don't reckon he'll be attending to business for some time. But decisions have to be made and someone has to make them, and I think it's up to me. Of course, it'll be put to a full meeting of the board as soon as we get around to it, but we don't have time to wait on that." He looked around the table.

"Any objections?"*' Billy smiled and Jim merely shrugged he was not going to argue with the man who had promoted him to top table but Frank said, "I think it should be put to the board."

"No time," said Billy One.

"Joe's in Scotland wrapping up that North Sea oil deal and I don't want to pull him from that. Besides, I'd want to have Jack at the meeting and he's not up to it yet."

Frank nodded and accepted defeat.

"Okay but what's he doing here?"

His finger stabbed at me.

"He's here because he's a Cunningham," said Billy One flatly.

"And because I want him here." He ignored Frank's perplexed look and turned to me.

"How's Debbie today?"

"Not too bad," I said.

"She's mended in body but…" I shrugged.

"She has nightmares."

"Tom, I know you want to get back to her, but this won't take long."

Billy One leaned back and surveyed us.

"I want to remind you young fellows of some history family history. We Cunninghams originally came from Scotland. Two brothers, Malcolm and Donald, settled here in tidewater Texas when it was still Mexico. They were piss-poor but it was a goddamn sight better than crofting back home."

He clasped his hands.

"Over the years the family prospered. We helped Sam Houston take Texas from the Mexicans, and the family were among the leaders who pressurized Tyier into admitting Texas to the Union.

We grew rich and strong and now we're not only powerful in Texas but over the whole goddamn world. And the way we did it was this. " He raised his clasped hands before him, the knuckles white under firm pressure.

"The family stays together and works as a team."

Frank said in a bored voice, "We know all that."

"Sure," said Billy One mildly.

"But I want Tom to know the score. It was Billy's idea to bring him into the Bahamas deal Me, I was neutral but willing to go along. I didn't think all that much of Tom but I had nothing against him. Same when he married Debbie."

"He cut himself a fair slice in that Bahamas deal," said Frank.

"Sure he did," agreed Billy One.

"And my respect for him went up a notch." He looked at me.

"Why did you set it up that way?"

"I like my independence."

"That can be good but solidarity can be better. How would you like to join the Cunningham Corporation?"

"As what?"

"You'll be on the board making policy."

"The hell he will!" said Frank outraged.

Billy One swung on him.

"You've still got a sister and Jack's still got a daughter on account of this guy, and he killed two men making it that way. He's shed blood and lost some of his own. In my book that makes him family a Cunningham." He stared Frank down and then sighed.

"Okay, Tom, what do you think?"

It was a handsome offer but there had to be a catch As Dade Perkins had remarked, the Cunninghams were not notorious for offering free handouts. There had to be a catch in spite of Billy One's rhetoric, and he confirmed it by saying, "Before being appointed to the board there's something you'll have to do."

"And that is?"

"Well, there's something I want. Another thing about us Cunninghams is that we take insults from nobody. Now, my brother nearly died in that damn hospital, and my niece your wife was raped, and that's the biggest insult you can offer a woman." His voice trembled.

"I want this guy, Robinson, and I want him real bad."

Jim said, "The State Police haven't gotten far on it."

"They don't have our reasons," snapped Billy One. He stared at me.

"You'll have the whole family right behind you, and that means the Cunningham Corporation. You can have any resources we have and, believe me, that's plenty."

I said, "Wow!" but not aloud. I did not know how many iqi billions of dollars the Cunningham Corporation controlled, but it was a respectable chunk of the GNP. It was not the biggest corporation in the United States, but it was not the smallest, either, not by a long way "It might not be a question of money," I said.

"In any case, I have plenty of that." I held Billy One's eye.

"And I don't need any reasons from you why I should find Robinson; I have plenty of my own." I leaned back.

"The problem is that we have a total lack of information."

Jim said, "We have a pretty fair intelligence unit; you can put that to work." I nodded, thinking of the ready way Rodriguez had hustled up bugging devices.

"Anything you want you get through Billy or Jim," said Billy One.

"You'll liaise with them."

"What about me?" said Frank.

"You and me have the Corporation to run. Have you any immediate ideas, Tom?"

"I think the answer lies in the Bahamas," I said.