The girl went close to him and her words came out tumbling over each other:
“Here’s the truth of it, Tai, so help me God! I switched the stuff myself. Hook wasn’t in it. I was going to run out on both of you. I stuck them under the couch downstairs, but they’re not there now. That’s the God’s truth!”
He was eager to believe her, and her words had the ring of truth to them. And I knew that—in love with her as he was—he’d more readily forgive her treachery with the bonds than he would forgive her for planning to run off with Hook; so I made haste to stir things up again. The old timer who said “ Divide to conquer, ” or something of the sort, knew what he was talking about.
“Part of that is right enough,” I said. “She did stick the bonds under the couch—but Hook was in on it. They fixed it up between them while you were upstairs. He was to pick a fight with you, and during the argument she was to make the switch, and that is exactly what they did.”
I had him!
As she wheeled savagely toward me, he stuck the muzzle of an automatic in her side—a smart jab that checked the angry words she was hurling at me.
“I’ll take your guns, Elvira,” he said, and took them.
There was a purring deadliness in his voice that made her surrender them without a word.
“Where are the bonds now?” he asked me.
I grinned.
“I’m not with you, Tai. I’m against you.”