Red Shadow Read Online Free Page B

He is in prison at this moment, and he will be dead to-morrow unless—” He paused weightily.
    The room filled with a horrible silence. Laura stood in it, and felt numb. It was like standing in ice-cold water—at first one felt the cold, and afterwards one felt nothing. The power to feel was gone, the words “he will be dead to-morrow” were frozen in her mind.
    Basil Stevens broke the silence rather sharply.
    â€œAre you faint?”
    Laura shook her head.
    â€œI will go away and leave you to think the matter over. I can give you an hour, not longer, or we should be running things too fine—there’s the difference in time to consider, Mackenzie has got till to-morrow. But it will be to-morrow in Russia some hours earlier than here.”
    Laura gripped the chair rail.
    â€œHow do I know you’re speaking the truth?” she said.
    â€œIn what particular?”
    She said, “How do I know ?” and caught her breath.
    He spoke in the same courteous and formal tone which he had employed throughout.
    â€œIf there is any point on which you are doubtful, I think I can suggest a way in which you can check what I have told you.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œYou could ask the Foreign Office to cable for information. You need offer no further explanation than your very natural anxiety. You have had a letter telling you that Mackenzie is under sentence of death. You will not, of course, say how the letter came into your hands, and you will not mention my name. I think Mackenzie has a friend at the Foreign Office?”
    â€œHow did you know? Yes—there’s Peter—Peter Severn—I could ask him—” Her voice trailed away.
    â€œYou can ring him up,” said Basil Stevens. “Perhaps you would like to change your dress first.”
    Laura’s frozen calm broke up. She threw out her hands with a wild gesture as if she were beating him away.
    â€œYou’ve come here with everything planned!” she said. “You know that Jim’s in prison—you know that Mr Hallingdon is dead—you know that he has left me his business—you know about Peter Severn. You’ve got the whole thing planned out!”
    â€œAnd if I have?”
    She stood there trembling with her passionate impulse.
    â€œAnd if I have, Miss Cameron—does that make Mackenzie’s danger less—or more?”
    The passionate impulse failed. Jim—she had to find out about Jim. She went over to the little writing-table where the telephone stood and picked up the instrument.
    Basil Stevens watched her with a faintly satirical look. He could have wished that she had been of some other type. She reminded him of a car that he had once driven—a touch on the steering wheel, and you were in the ditch; another, and you were across the road. He liked a woman who was good company and ready for anything—an easy, sensual woman. With Laura Cameron’s type you had to walk on egg-shells, and that did not amuse him in the least. He watched her seat herself, push aside her veil, and lean forward listening. Her profile was turned to him. There was a little pulse of colour in her cheek.
    â€œI want to speak to Mr Severn.”
    Then she shut her eyes and stayed there motionless, with the cloud of her veil failing about her.
    Basil Stevens came to her elbow and said quietly,
    â€œYou must be careful what you say.”
    She spoke into the telephone again.
    â€œI want to speak to Mr Peter Severn..… Miss Laura Cameron. It is very urgent.”
    After that they waited. It seemed a very long time. Laura had a picture of Peter walking towards her down an endless cold corridor—his footsteps echoed in it, but he never came any nearer. And all the time Jim was waiting to be shot. When Peter’s voice came suddenly along the wire, she started violently, and her heart beat so hard that she could not hear what he was saying at first. Then she heard her