Chapter 6-3
1186 Words
Evidently the man in the rear seat of the Buick had had the same
inspiration. Malone blasted two more high-velocity lead slugs at
the driver of the big Buick, and at the same time the man in the
Buick's rear seat fired at Boyd.
But Boyd had shifted tactics. He'd hit the brakes. Now he came
down hard on the accelerator instead.
The chorus of shrieks from the Lincoln's back seat increased
slightly in volume. Barbara, Malone knew, wasn't badly hurt; she
hadn't even stopped for breath since the first shot had been fired.
Anybody who could scream like that, he told himself, had to be
healthy.
As the Lincoln leaped ahead, Malone pulled the trigger of his
.44 twice more. The heavy, high-speed chunks of streamlined
copper-coated lead leaped from the muzzle of the g*n and slammed
into the driver of the Buick without wasting any time. The Buick
slewed across the highway.
The two shots fired by the man in the back seat went past
Malone's head with a whizz, missing both him and Boyd by a
margin too narrow to think about.
But those were the last shots. The only difference between the
FBI and the Enemy seemed to be determination and practice.
The Buick spun into a flat sideskid, swiveled on its wheels and
slammed into the ditch at the side of the road, turning over and
over, making a horrible noise, as it broke up.
Boyd slowed the car again, just as there was a sudden blast of
fire. The Buick had burst into flame and was spitting heat and
smoke and fire in all directions. Malone sent one more bullet after
it in a last flurry of action—saving his last one for possible
later emergencies.
Boyd jammed on the brakes and the Lincoln came to a screaming
halt. In silence he and Malone watched the burning Buick roll over
and over into the desert beyond the shoulder.
"My God," Boyd said. "My ears!"
Malone understood at once. The blast from his own still-smoking
.44 had roared past Boyd's head during the g*n battle. No wonder
the man's ears hurt. It was a wonder he wasn't altogether deaf.
But Boyd shook off the pain and brought out his own .44 as he
stepped out of the car. Malone followed him, his g*n trained.
From the rear, Her Majesty said: "It's safe to rise now, isn't
it?"
"You ought to know," Malone said. "You can tell if they're still
alive."
There was silence while Queen Elizabeth frowned for a moment in
concentration. A look of pain crossed her face, and then, as her
expression smoothed again, she said: "The traitors are dead. All
except one, and he's—" She paused. "He's dying," she finished. "He
can't hurt you."
There was no need for further battle. Malone reholstered his .44
and turned to Boyd. "Tom, call the State Police," he said. "Get 'em
down here fast."
He waited while Boyd climbed back under the wheel and began
punching buttons on the dashboard. Then Malone went toward the
burning Buick.
He tried to drag the men out, but it wasn't any use. The first
two, in the front seat, had the kind of holes in them people talked
about throwing elephants through. Head and chest had been hit.
Malone couldn't get close enough to the fiercely blazing
automobile to make even a try for the men in the back seat.
He was sitting quietly on the edge of the rear seat when the
Nevada Highway Patrol cars drove up next to them. Barbara Wilson
had stopped screaming, but she was still sobbing on Malone's
shoulder. "It's all right," he told her, feeling ineffectual.
"I never saw anybody killed before," she said.
"It's all right," Malone said. "Nothing's going to hurt you.
I'll protect you."
He wondered if he meant it, and found, to his surprise, that he
did. Barbara Wilson sniffled and looked up at him. "Mr.
Malone—"
"Ken," he said.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Ken—I'm so afraid. I saw the hole in one
of the men's heads, when you fired—it was—"
"Don't think about it," Malone said. To him, the job had been an
unpleasant occurrence, but a job, that was all. He could see,
though, how it might affect people who were new to it.
"You're so brave," she said.
Malone tightened his arm around the girl's shoulder. "Just
depend on me," he said. "You'll be all right if you—"
The State Trooper walked up then, and looked at them. "Mr.
Malone?" he said. He seemed to be taken slightly aback at the
costuming.
"That's right," Malone said. He pulled out his ID card and the
little golden badge. The State Patrolman looked at them, and looked
back at Malone.
"What's with the getup?" he said.
"FBI," Malone said, hoping his voice carried conviction.
"Official business."
"In costume?"
"Never mind about the details," Malone snapped.
"He's an FBI agent, sir," Barbara said. "And what are you?" the
Patrolman said. "Lady Jane Grey?"
"I'm a nurse," Barbara said. "A psychiatric nurse."
"For nuts?"
"For disturbed patients."
The Patrolman thought that over. "Hell, you've got the identity
cards and stuff," he said at last. "Maybe you've got a reason to
dress up. How would I know? I'm only a State Patrolman."
"Let's cut the monologue," Malone said savagely, "and get to
business."
The Patrolman stared. Then he said: "All right, sir. Yes, sir.
I'm Lieutenant Adams, Mr. Malone. Suppose you tell me what
happened?"
Carefully and concisely, Malone told him the story of the Buick
that had pulled up beside them, and what happened afterward.
Meanwhile, the other cops had been looking over the wreck. When
Malone had finished his story, Lieutenant Adams flipped his
notebook shut and looked over toward them. "I guess it's okay,
sir," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's justifiable homicide.
Self-defense. Any reason why they'd want to kill you?"
Malone thought about the Golden Palace. That might be a
reason—but it might not. And why burden an innocent State Patrolman
with the facts of FBI life?
"Official," he said. "Your chief will get the report."
The Patrolman nodded. "I'll have to take a deposition tomorrow,
but—"
"I know," Malone said. "Thanks. Can we go on to our hotel
now?"
"I guess," the Patrolman said. "Go ahead. We'll take care of the
rest of this. You'll be getting a call later."
"Fine," Malone said. "Trace those hoods, and any connections
they might have had. Get the information to me as soon as
possible."
Lieutenant Adams nodded. "You won't have to leave the state,
will you?" he asked. "I don't mean that you can't,
exactly—hell, you're FBI. But it'd be easier—"
"Call Burris in Washington," Malone said. "He can get hold of
me—and if the Governor wants to know where we are, or the State's
Attorney, put them in touch with Burris too. Okay?"
"Okay," Lieutenant Adams said. "Sure." He blinked at Malone.
"Listen," he said. "About those costumes—"
"We're trying to catch Henry VIII for the murder of Anne
Boleyn," Malone said with a polite smile. "Okay?"
"I was only asking," Lieutenant Adams said. "Can't blame a man
for asking, now, can you?"
Malone climbed into his front seat. "Call me later," he said.
The car started. "Back to the hotel, Sir Thomas," Malone said, and
the car roared off.
- Writer
