'Who's calling me?' Hayes asked, as Elkins positioned Moxon outside the door.
'He'll tell you,' Parker said, and told Lloyd, 'We're ready.'
Lloyd must have been busy with the call from Dallas, because he didn't answer, but less than a minute later the phone chirped. With an eye on Parker, Hayes picked up the receiver, said, 'Hayes,' then, 'Hold on, let me put you on the speaker.'
He pushed that button, hung up, and stepped back toward the desk chair in the middle of the room as a metallic voice filled the space: T think we may be buying a break at last in this thing.'
Hayes rubbed his forehead. He seemed uncertain what to do. From where he sat, he could see the phone, he could see Moxon seated on the floor in the front hall and Elkins holding the Remington on him, and he could see Wiss and Parker both pointing pistols at his own head.
The metallic voice said, 'You there?'
Hayes sighed. 'Sorry,' he said. 'You were agent— agent—'
'Catlett. You still having phone trouble there?'
'Uhh ... We been having phone trouble?'
'I've been trying to reach you people fifteen, twenty minutes.'
'I had no idea.'
'Well, here's the thing. The antique dealer Griffith, that you had up your way for a while?'
'Yeah?'
'He's on his way to Austin right now, with his lawyer, to make a statement.'
Hayes made a what-now shrug toward Moxon and said, 'What kind of statement?'
Agent Cadett said, 'His lawyer contacted the federal prosecutor in Dallas this morning, floated the idea of Griffith flipping. He'll give us Marino, who it looks like has been doing a lot of stuff he shouldn't, if there's no jail time in it for Griffith.'
Hayes said, 'Can they make that deal?'
'Nobody knows yet,' Cadett said, 'but nobody really needs to lean on Griffith, he's just the errand boy, so it should be able to work. And it looks like it would include the whereabouts of Marino's stash up there, that room nobody can find.'
Hayes and Moxon exchanged a look. 'That's great news,' Hayes said, but he didn't sound sincere.
Cadett apparently didn't hear the hollowness in Hayes's answer. He said, 'We're anticipating the deal with Griffith will work out. We've already asked the Italian police to hold on to Marino, and we've got evidence people on the way to you right now from Helena, should be there by two this afternoon.'
Three hours.
Hayes said, 'Looking forward to them. Who's in charge?'
'Inspector Winnick. One of yours, from ATF.'
'I know Winnick,' Hayes said. 'Be happy to see him.'
'In the meantime,' Catlett said, 'the bureau thinks it's best you make contact with the state police in Havre, ask them to send some people up, secure the area.'
Parker pointed at Hayes, and shook his head.
Hayes said, 'Is that really necessary? Inspector Moxon and I pretty well have the place under control.'
'It's no reflection on you,' Catlett assured him. 'Sog just wants to nail it down, now that we've got Griffith turning.'
With a helpless shrug toward Parker, Hayes said, 'Well, if that's the decision.'
'A state CID man named Elwood is in Havre now,' Catlett said, 'waiting for your call.'
'Then I'd better call him,' Hayes said. 'Thanks for the heads-up.'
'My pleasure,' Catlett said.
Parker stepped forward and hit the button to end the call. They all looked at one another.
Moxon said, 'I'm sorry, friends, but your parade has been cancelled.'
7
Parker, moving, said, 'Bert, on your feet, into the hall. Roy, stay on the floor, down on your face. Bert, beside him. Hands behind your backs.'
They both obeyed, though Moxon mildly said, 'It's no good, you know. Another couple minutes, nobody's heard from us, nobody can get through, they'll be right up here. You don't have three hours.'
'That's my problem,' Parker told him. Holding the Remington one-handed, he pointed at Wiss: 'Tie them.' Pointed at Elkins: 'Get your friends and the car. Tell them what's going on.'
Neither Wiss nor Elkins bothered to speak. Wiss went to one knee between the two prone men, drawing lengths of household electric cord from his pocket, tying wrists and then ankles. He started with Moxon, who lay
