Free Fear is the Key by Alistair MacLean

black metal cylinder on to the barrel ofthe Mauser. He looked at me and smiled. He wasalways smiling.
    â€˜I might not be so lucky a second time,’ he saiddiffidently.
    I scowled.
    â€˜Miss Ruthven,’ he went on. ‘I’m going to usethe phone.’
    â€˜Why tell me?’ She was picking up my mannersand they didn’t suit her at all.
    â€˜Because I’m going to phone your father. I wantyou to tell me his number. It won’t be listed.’
    â€˜Why should you phone him?’
    â€˜There’s a reward out for our friend here,’Jablonsky replied obliquely. ‘It was announcedright after the news-cast of Donnelly’s death. Thestate will pay five thousand dollars for any informationleading to the arrest of John MontagueTalbot.’ He smiled at me. ‘Montague, eh? Well, Ibelieve I prefer it to Cecil.’
    â€˜Get on with it,’ I said coldly.
    â€˜They must have declared open season on MrTalbot,’ Jablonsky said. ‘They want him dead oralive and don’t much care which … And GeneralRuthven has offered to double that reward.’
    â€˜Ten thousand dollars?’ I asked.
    â€˜Ten thousand.’
    â€˜Piker,’ I growled.
    â€˜At the last count old man Ruthven was worth285 million dollars. He might,’ Jablonsky agreedjudiciously, ‘have offered more. A total of fifteenthousand. What’s fifteen thousand?’
    â€˜Go on,’ said the girl. There was a glint in thosegrey eyes now.
    â€˜He can have his daughter back for fifty thousandbucks,’ Jablonsky said coolly.
    â€˜Fifty thousand!’ Her voice was almost a gasp. Ifshe’d been as poor as me she would have gasped.
    Jablonsky nodded. ‘Plus, of course, the fifteenthousand I’ll collect for turning Talbot in as anygood citizen should.’
    â€˜Who are you?’ the girl demanded shakily. Shedidn’t look as if she could take much more of this.‘What are you?’
    â€˜I’m a guy that wants, let me see – yes, sixty-fivethousand bucks.’
    â€˜But this is blackmail!’
    â€˜Blackmail?’ Jablonsky lifted an eyebrow. ‘Youwant to read up on some law, girlie. In its strictlegal sense, blackmail is hush-money – a tributepaid to buy immunity, money extorted bythe threat of telling everyone what a heel theblackmailee is. Had General Ruthven anything tohide? I doubt it. Or you might just say that blackmailis demanding money with menaces. Where’sthe menace? I’m not menacing you. If your oldman doesn’t pay up I’ll just walk away and leaveyou to Talbot here. Who can blame me? I’m scaredof Talbot. He’s a dangerous man. He’s a killer.’
    â€˜But – but then you would get nothing.’
    â€˜I’d get it,’ Jablonsky said comfortably. I triedto imagine this character flustered or unsure ofhimself: it was impossible. ‘Only a threat. Yourold man wouldn’t dare gamble I wouldn’t do it.He’ll pay, all right.’
    â€˜Kidnapping is a federal offence––’ the girl beganslowly.
    â€˜So it is,’ Jablonsky agreed cheerfully. ‘The hotchair or the gas chamber. That’s for Talbot. He kidnappedyou. All I’m doing is talking about leavingyou. No kidnapping there.’ His voice hardened.‘What hotel is your father staying at?’
    â€˜He’snot at any hotel.’ Her voice was flatand toneless and she’d given up. ‘He’s out on theX 13.’
    â€˜Talk sense,’ Jablonsky said curtly.
    â€˜X 13 is one of his oil rigs. It’s out in the gulf,twelve, maybe fifteen miles from here. I don’tknow.’
    â€˜Out in the gulf. You mean one of those floatingplatforms for drilling for oil? I thought they wereall up off the bayou country off Louisiana.’
    â€˜They’re all round now – off Mississippi, Alabamaand Florida. Dad’s got one right down near KeyWest. And they don’t