Ed stalked across and grabbed Peter’s shirt, twisting it around in his fist. ‘Don’t you tell me nothing,’ he said, fiercely. ‘Not where my wife and daughter are concerned.’ Peter lifted his face with complete arrogance, as if he were challenging Ed to hit him.

‘All right,’ he said. ‘Your wife and daughter are being watched by a private detective.’

‘Why? What the hell good will that do?’

‘It will make you say what we want you to say. That’s all.’

‘Why? Come on, Peter, spit it out! Why?’

Peter tugged his shirt collar free. ‘Because whenever Shearson says so, the private detective will do just a little more than keep an eye on your wife and daughter. He’ll follow them to a conveniently quiet spot, and blow their brains out.’

Ed gave Peter a disbelieving frown. ‘Now you’re kidding,’ he said. ‘Now I definitely know that you’re kidding.’

‘You think so? You want to try me?’

‘For Christ’s sake, you’re talking about murder! Even Shearson Jones isn’t into murder!’

‘You think I’m joking? You want to try me out? You’re always welcome. Your wife and kid don’t mean anything to me.’

Ed seized Peter’s shirt again, and this time he ripped it down the front. ‘By God,’ he said, ‘if you’re serious, if you really mean what you’re saying, I’m going to take you apart!’

Peter pushed him away again. He was still smiling. ‘I’m serious all right,’ he said. ‘I made all the arrangements last night, as soon as you’d blurted out that broadcast of yours. You managed to outmanoeuvre Shearson Jones just once, my friend, but you can be damn sure you’ll never be able to do it again.’

Ed felt as if his chest was the inside of a steam-kettle, scalded with high-pressure emotions that he couldn’t let out. His fists were clenched, and he could have happily, needfully, punched Peter Kaiser straight in the nose. But he was beginning to learn that it didn’t pay to assault Peter Kaiser face to face. Peter Kaiser was made out of nothing but obedient shadows, and devious turns of phrase. It was Shearson Jones that Ed was after, and if you wanted to play it tricky with Shearson Jones you had to be smart, and quick, and you had to make doubly certain that you’d arranged yourself a way out, as well as a way in. This wasn’t the little league any more.