“
— You mean there were only eight of you in this Network cell to begin with?”
“Y-yeah. Not-not counting cell commander… Randall… he’s not here… another-another time…”
“Okay. so the only Network men left in this scenario are yourself. Stevens. and this guy Cash, right? That’s only seven.”
“M-Murphy.” said Dicenzo, his teeth chattering. “S-supposed to… come up from… Virginia… “
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Carruthers said you had thirty men here.” Lucas said. “You’re saying only eight.”
“Bluff…” Dicenzo said. “Not-not thirty. Only eight… Swear to God… Carruthers thought you were… onto to us. Wanted… to sidetrack you… keep you busy till-till we could clear the stuff… “
“What stuff?”
“ Merchandise… in warehouses… Boston… Philadelphia… Ch-Charleston… another shipment coming
“What sort of merchandise?”
“ Wine… silk s.. s-spices… “
“Commodities,” Delaney said, with scorn. He snorted with derision. “Do you believe it? This whole thing was about commodities. They were willing to let a disruption go down just to protect a small-time smuggling operation.”
“N-no t sm all… ti me,” Dic enz o sai d. “ Chea p h ere… big profits sell further up timeline…”
“And for that you were going to let a temporal disruption occur?” said Lucas, with disbelief.
“We were gonna help…” Dicenzo said, twisting the bedclothes in his hands, “but-but Steiger…
“What about Steiger?”
“ Damn… oh. damn… he-he got on to us… we-we got word..
“You got word? You’re saying someone informed on him?” “Yeah-yeah …”
“Who?”
“Don’t know… Honest. I swear, I’d tell ya.
“All right, go on.”
“Carruthers and Cash said-said Steiger was worth five million dead’
“Five million dollars?”
“Yeah…” said Dicenzo, gritting his teeth. “Network’s got a contract on him… the old man, too. Ten million for him..
“What a bunch of sweethearts,” said Hunter. “So you decided to stall us and try to move your goods, and then collect on Steiger,” Lucas said. “Just a little business enterprise, isn’t that right?”
“Wasn’t-wasn’t my idea.” said Dicenzo, “About Steiger. I mean. I swear..
“But you were more than willing to go along with it for a share of the money.” said Delaney. “We ought to just dump you out into the slit-et and leave you.”
“No! No, please… you gotta get me to a hospital! I’ll talk… I’ll tell you everything I know. please…”
I want you to give Cpl. Craven full details on the warehouses,” Lucas said. “Where they are, what’s in them, where your other safehouses are, everything you’ve got set up in this scenario. Then and only then will she give you another shot and clock you to a hospital. But if I find out you’ve held anything back, personally pay a visit to your hospital room, you understand?”
“I’ve told the truth. I swear…”
“You better have,” said Lucas. “And you’d better hope that Steiger’s still alive. Linda. take his statement.”
They left the room. “I’m going after Steiger,” said Delaney. “All right,” said Lucas. “Take Hunter with you. I’ll stay here and hold the fort. I still need to have another talk with our friend Moffat.”
“What do you want us to do. with those Network men?” asked Hunter. “Personally, I don’t much care,” said Lucas. ‘“Try to take them alive if you can, so they can be put through interrogation, we’ve already got Dicenzo, so don’t take any chances. The mission has to come first, If they put up any resistance, take them out.”
“You got it, pilgrim.”
Hunter said. “And one more thing.” Lucas said. “Stop calling me pilgrim.” Hunter grinned. “Sure thing, pilgrim. Anything you say. Come on. Delaney. We gotta go rescue the guy that wants to squeeze my brain out like a sponge. Think maybe he’ll be grateful?”
He chuckled and started down the stairs.
“Watch him. Finn,” said Lucas. “I could still be wrong about him. I don’t want any accidents, okay?”
“Sure.” said Delaney. “You’re taking a chance, you know?”
“You mean, sending Hunter with you? I’ve got no choice. We’re spread too thin.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Delaney said. “There’s something likable about that guy, isn’t there? Reminds us of the Hunter that we knew. You’re figuring on making Steiger fccl obligated to him, aren’t you? That many not play, partner.
Steiger’s awful cold.”
“You may be right,” said Lucas. “But what the hell, it’s worth a shot.”
“You getting soft on me?” said Delaney, with a grin.
“Go on,” said Lucas. “Get out of here.”
He watched Delaney leave, then sighed and went down the hall to Moffat’s room. He opened the door and froze. The chair in which Moffat had been tied down was empty. The ropes holding him had been snapped with incredible strength and the window was open.
“Jesus Christ… said Lucas. He ran back out into the hall. ‘Finn!”
But he was too late. They had already left. Linda Craven came running out into the hall.
“What is it?” she said.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Moffat.” Lucas said grimly. “He’s escaped.”
10
Andre clocked with Johnny to the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house. It was a calculated risk, one she certainly would not have taken during the daytime, when the traffic on the streets of Boston would have made such a transition highly dangerous. Clocking into a set of temporal coordinates that already happened to be occupied at that particular instant by some passing citizen or cart or horseman would have proved extremely messy and extremely fatal. However, at this hour of the night, the streets of Boston were practically deserted and the lack of street lighting served to mask the transition, thereby decreasing the likelihood that anyone looking out a window would see two people suddenly appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the street. No sooner had she pulled him over close to Macintosh’s door than he began to come around. He came to lying on his back. with Andre looking down at him anxiously.
“What… Andre! Where am I?”
“In the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house.” she said. “Are you all right?”
He looked around. confused. “I–I don’t understand. What happened? I was in a room somewhere…”
“You fell and struck your head.” she said. “I was afraid you might be seriously hurt.”
“I fell?” he said. “I don’t remember. I was with Mr. Hunter… that man!”
“What man?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know who he was! He shot the other two!”
“The other two?” she said.
“Yes, the other two men! They had guns! They were going to kill us! And that man shot them both with that strange pistol… he fired several times without reloading! So fast! How could he have done that?”
“But. Johnny, there’s no one here,” she said.
“But I saw them. Andre! He shot them, I tell you! And then he made the body disappear-”
“ What body? Johnny, what are you talking about?”
