midday
And Kieff ? She shrank at the bare thought of the man , his subtle force , his callous strength of purpose , his almost uncanny intelligence . Yes , she was afraid of Kieff -- she had always been afraid of Kieff . The midday heat seemed to press upon her like a burning , crushing weight . It seemed to deprive her of the power to think , certainly of the power to reason . For what rational connection could there be between Kieff and the loss of Burke 's key ? Kieff was several miles away at the farm of Piet Vreiboom .