Free For Love or Money by Tim Jeal

is really a minor point. I found the address of his London flat six months ago and I’ve discovered the approximate rent from a landlord in the same street. If George is not doing his job properly, then his pay must be reduced.’
    ‘Why don’t you warn him?’
    ‘I have, but I don’t want him to feel that I might play any final cards. I don’t want to commit myself. He might panic and get rid of the flat, and without the flat I won’t be able to get rid of him when it’s convenient.’
    ‘How are you going to reduce his spending?’
    ‘I’m afraid I can’t without losing my weapon.’
    ‘Then you’ll have to get rid of him sooner than you want.’
    ‘Robert, there are times when I think you’re worth your scholarship.’
    Robert shrugged. Steven went on.
    ‘As it’s ultimately David’s and my money that he’s spending , I feel that more interests are at stake than his andMummy’s. I don’t know how much she’s got left, but I do know—although it may be momentarily inconvenient—that when the ideal occasion for removing George comes … it should be taken. The time may not be perfect, but the chance has come.’
    Somebody was playing the trumpet in a room on the other side of the quad, the same tune again and again. The sun was getting lower and the room was almost in darkness. It was already beginning to feel colder. Robert turned on the other bar of the electric fire.
    ‘So you’re going to take it?’ Robert asked unnecessarily. Steven ignored the question.
    ‘Mummy thinks a lot of the money he gets goes on keeping his old mother but I’m almost sure she keeps herself. Every year that passes he’s spending at least £3,000 of our money. If I told Mummy about the flat … had George followed and that sort of thing … found out about his infidelity for certain … do you suppose she’d be grateful to me?’
    ‘Of course not.’
    ‘Precisely, what the eye doesn’t see etcetera … she’d curse the day that I’d been born for ruining the protective cocoon of her ignorance.’
    ‘But she wouldn’t cut you off?’
    ‘I’m the elder son. She can act impulsively; she might change the will in favour of David; she wouldn’t cut me off.’
    ‘Can’t you make it look as though it wasn’t you … some coincidence? I could see him with her and tell you.’
    ‘No good, I’d have to tell her when it came to revealing. There’s only one person who can finish him without ruining me and that’s David.’
    ‘So you say: “Be a good boy, David, here’s the address, hop along to London, and you’ll find George in bed with a lovely bit.” Highly intelligent.’
    ‘I had a letter this morning …’ Steven’s eyes were shimmering in the steadily darkening room. The college bells were ringing for early evensong. ‘The letter was from David …’
    Steven explained to Robert. When he had done so he went on:
    ‘He leaves the specialist at five-thirty on this coming Saturday and should be at the flat by six. It’s perfect, he can’t miss them.’
    ‘And if he does?’
    ‘It will be a pity. But the flat will still be there. I’ll have to think again.’
    ‘But even if all goes well, your mother will still know that you gave him the address.’
    ‘But don’t you see, he’ll have asked me for it. My action will appear to be unpremeditated … I happen to know the address at which George usually stays when in town…. David asked me, so I saw nothing wrong in giving it him. After all I needn’t have even been suspicious. She can’t mind-read.’
    ‘What about David then?’
    ‘Oh, he’ll be all right; bit of a shock for him, but George always said that he ought to grow up a bit. It’ll so obviously be a freak of chance that Mummy won’t suspect him of malice. She knows he hasn’t got it in him anyway. Besides there’s another aspect, once the thing’s discovered the exact causes are likely to be blurred. She won’t feel in the mood for detective work.’
    ‘Are you absolutely