Rolly's bluster turned to stark fear when Yegor smashed the intercom with the cast on his hand. They could hear the yelp from the secretary in the outer office followed by the opening of his office door.

"Mr. Royce! What–?"

"Get out, Angela. Get somewhere and call-"

"Call nobody!" Yegor kicked the door shut and Angela bounced back onto her desk.

The outer office door suddenly swung open and two more men came in, stopping for a moment to take in the secretary sprawled on her desk, then dashing on into the private office.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm man sent to deal with him." Yegor shook Rolly by the collar.

"Yeah well you can let him go, he's ours now."

"Maybe you think two times about that."

"Oh, yeah! Listen you monkey-"

The cast came up quickly under the man's chin, smashing his teeth and his partner was forced to catch him, getting his own head whacked as Yegor dragged Rolly from the office.

Angela could only watch, one hand over her mouth, as her boss was unceremoniously dragged across the office floor and out the door. After a few beats, she peered into the room and saw the two men stunned and bleeding. Immediately she called the police.

Mildred hung up in frustration. Angela couldn't make any sense except she said she called the police. The police call was not what Mildred wanted to hear. Her next thought was to remove herself from the premises. The police wouldn't care about anything she had to say about changing her mind about the money laundering, only that she had taken already taken part.

After closing the gallery she took a taxi instead of her car and ordered it to the nearest public telephone. Drumming her fingers on the side of the phone, she quickly assessed her options and explained to Kitty the disaster taking place, asking her if she would speak to Karl.

The news about the meeting with Karl and his demand to get his money back put paid to that idea; Kitty was in the process of making her own self scarce.

Florence answered her phone, opened her mouth to speak and closed it again - listening intently. When she hung up both Portia and David started right away.

"It was Mildred. Rolly has been kidnapped, Angela called the police and Mildred is heading to her apartment."

"Kidnapped!" David yelped.

"Police!" Portia wailed.

"The whole mess will come out now. I'm doomed." David held his head in his hands.

"Didn't you tell me Hagen owned the police? He won't want any publicity."

"Yes, and he won't get any, it'll be me that gets copped, the guy who made the deposits."

"And what about that gorilla that was after us?" Flo exclaimed. "He knows where we live!"

Portia stood and went to the phone. "I know where we can go until we know where we stand." She spoke for some time then they heard a relieved thank you and she hung up. "Grab your coats and let's blouse."

Max Laska greeted Portia with a hug and a slight nod and smile as she introduced Flo and David. Portia explained that Max had been bothered by thugs extorting money from the merchants in the area and with some help from other connections; she freed Max from their clutches. Of course, David thought.

He led the group to the back of the shop and upstairs to a tiny, neatly complimented parlour, insisting they make themselves at home. A tiny woman as neat as the room came in and was introduced as Kamila, Max's wife. Immediately drinks and food appeared, obviously the Laskas had prepared.

Left to themselves, right away questions instead of plans filled the room. Portia jabbed her cigarette holder at them and called for quiet.

"Bumping our gums about what ifs are no help to us, so let's think about hows instead. At the moment Mildred's our only outside contact for information, which means we need to contact her again somehow."

"She said she was going home but she's probably not going to stay there, she'll be hiding out now as well."

David suddenly looked at Flo, "Say, did you ever find out about that Kitty woman? Mildred's friend?"

"The one you thought was eavesdropping?"

"That's her, did you?"

"Excuse me. Care to share, people?" Portia held out her hands. She jumped when David finished filling her in and grabbed her coat.

"Where the heck are you going?" David lay back on the small sofa.

"All the more reason to find Mildred. Her friend could be of help."

"How? I was only guessing, besides, you don't even know where she is."

"Only one way to find out. Where does she live?"

"I don't think this is a very-"

Flo gave her the address and smiled weakly at David. "Can't hurt."

"Right. I'll call as soon as I have any info. I'll leave a message with Max. You two stay here out of sight."

"Dee this is not a good-"

"It's a great idea . . . and the only one we have. Catch you both later."

David sat up, too late to protest as she rushed out the door and down the stairs.

The entry door lock clicked and Portia hurried inside to the ornate elevator, riding quickly to Mildred's floor and finding her standing in the doorway of her apartment, waiting.

"Stop right there, Miss DeLysle and tell me why the hell you are here."

Portia glanced about and tilted her head. "I don't think you'd want me to say in a public hallway, Miss Emanuel."

Mildred made thinking expressions with her mouth then with a blink, waved Portia inside.

She stopped cold, seeing the woman on the settee. "Miss O'Halloran I presume."

"How do you know- oh, right, David met Kitty here." Mildred swept away to the drink cart, holding up a glass toward Portia.

"No, thank you. Mind if I smoke?" Mildred waved a dismissive hand and Portia loaded her holder, lighting up and blowing smoke toward the ceiling. "This makes why I came so much easier."

"And just why is that?" Mildred asked, sitting beside Kitty. "I'm am going to be packing and getting out of here, so we don't have a lot of time."

Portia took a chair opposite the two women and sat comfortably.

"Your company's ill conceived agreement to do business with Karl Hagen has created ramifications that have affected both my friends and family. They have been threatened and abused, you yourself witnessed some of that."

"If your friend David had not been so difficult, none of that would have happened." Mildred replied.

"Excuse me but it was your financial manager, Mr. Garber whose addiction to greed poked that wasp's nest, and had gangsters shooting up the town."

Kitty nodded and agreed. "She's right, there, Mil. Frank wanted a lesson taught about muscling in on his deals."

"Yes, and now we have Mr. Royce being kidnapped, David's apartment ransacked and that- that thug threatening all of us."

"We know all that. Just what do you propose, Miss DeLysle?" Mildred felt uncomfortably outnumbered.

"I was hoping Miss O'Halloran could speak to her employer and convince him that, with all that's gone on, continuing with his plan would be folly."

Mildred set her glass down. "How did you know–?"

Kitty placed a hand on her arm and smiled at Portia. "Miss DeLysle is a very perspicacious young lady." She looked back at Portia, "Mildred already suggested that. Sadly, you both overestimate my influence with Karl. He is definitely not in a mood to hear any pleas from me . . . and he's not too impressed with my lifestyle choices either, Miss DeLysle."

"Well I'm not impressed with his! Maybe I should tell him myself."

Both women objected in unison, hands and heads shaking negatively.

"Definitely not a good idea! Been there, tried that."

Portia stood, posing stubbornly. "All right, what can we do?"

Silence filled the apartment, only the sound of breathing stood out.

"Well?" Portia broke the stillness. "Surely there's something."

"He can be bullied. "Kitty said thoughtfully.

"He can also be violent," Mildred added.

The bang on the door both startled and silenced them.

Rolly's head snapped back from the punch and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Terrified and outnumbered, there was nothing he could do in defence and the next blow brought a grateful oblivion.

"I don't think he knows. He ain't the type to take this for this long." The man rolled his sleeves down and massaged his knuckles.

Dennis frowned and wiped his eyes. Yegor had just dumped Rolly off and disappeared. Karl's meddling had again caused another mess with two men he decided to send on his own, now in custody, one of whom was having dental surgery in hospital.

Things were not going as hoped. They were wasting their time with Royce, he didn't know where Ashby was, only that he had given him the money.

"When he wakes up, clean him up then you and Gus drop him back at his office."

"You want us to find the Ashby guy?"

"Yeah, but call me after you drop him off, something I need to do first."