Page 94 of Tightrope

“If we’re right about any of this, you can bet he’ll disappear as soon as he realizes that Pierce isn’t going to deliver the Ares machine,” Luther said.

“I think we’ve still got a chance of nailing him.”

Luther stilled. “What?”

“I’m betting that Smith is here in Burning Cove,” Matthias said. “He has been all along. He had no choice, because this was not just the most important deal of his career—it was his final act of revenge against the government that fired him. He would have wanted to keep a close eye on every aspect of the project.”

Luther rubbed the nape of his neck. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I. If this were any other job, he would cut his losses and disappear. But this isn’t a routine job. He’s a desperate man, and desperate men take risks they would not otherwise consider taking. When he finds out things have gone wrong tonight, there’s a very real possibility that he won’t do the logical thing and walk away.”

“At least Raina and Amalie are safe tonight. The Paradise is a fortress.”

The telephone blared less than ten minutes later. Matthias did not need the Jones family talent to know that disaster had struck.

He grabbed the phone.

“Jones,” he said.

“I’ve got some information for you,” Irene said, her voice sharp and clear. “The title of the Silver Horizon film that featured a killer robot wasThe Revenge of the Robot. It was made four years ago. Died a quick death at the box office. But you were right. There were two versions of the robot. One was an empty aluminum shell that could be filled witha lot of fake wiring and mechanical gadgets. It was used for scenes in which the crazy inventor was shown working on his creation. The studio also planned to use it for publicity purposes.”

“The second version was a costume, wasn’t it?”

“Yep. Made to look like the aluminum robot.”

“Ray Thorpe?”

“He was not working security at the studio at that time,” Irene said. “He was hired there quite recently, however.”

“What about Vincent Hyde?”

“Hyde was at the top of his career four years ago. He was under contract at another, larger studio doing the Mad Doctor X films. My source also reminded me that Hyde would never have taken a role that would have forced him to wear a mask. He’s much too vain.”

“Who played the robot in the Silver Horizon film?” Matthias asked.

“A stuntman, probably. I’m trying to dig up his name but that may take some time.”

“Forget trying to find the stuntman’s name. There’s no time. Besides, I know who played the robot.”

“Who was it and why is that important?”

“Later. Got to go, Irene.”

Matthias dropped the phone into the cradle and raced out the door.

Luther saw him and opened the passenger side door of the Packard.

“Got a name?” he asked.

Matthias got behind the wheel and fired up the engine.

“Don’t need one,” he said.

“Where are we going?” Luther asked.

“The Paradise. I’ve got a feeling Smith is already inside the walls of your fortress.”

Chapter 51