Sterling appeared to be examining his alternatives. He came to a decision. “It’s run in Las Vegas.”
“Did you contact them or did they contact you?”
“I contacted them. It was after the race started. I was already working for Fred, but just to see that the runners obeyed the rules.”
“So you got the bright idea of a bet on the race. You contacted your buddies in Vegas and wrote the first letter. Why, for God’s sake, did you bet on us? I was barely moving then.”
“It wasn’t quite like that. The first letter came before the bet.”
“Huh?”
“Fred asked me to write it. He said he needed to make sure you two stayed in the race. He figured a threat against her mother would do it.”
He motioned toward Melody, who had finished typing and was listening intently.
“So Fred told you to put in the part about my mum.”
Sterling nodded. “I don’t know your mother from Winston Churchill. Fred wrote the letter. I just copied it.”
Drake said, “What typewriter did you use?”
“I borrowed one from the hotel I was staying at. I didn’t want to use my own.”
“But you used your own for the second letter.”
Sterling looked wily. “You tell me. You’ve been gathering the evidence.”
“Never mind that. When did you initiate the bet?”
“The first letter got me thinking. I called a friend in Vegas and told him the situation. He did some checking and said they could get terrific odds betting on you two. He cut Fred and me into the action.”
“You have to admit that it still looks like a horrible bet.”
“Not at all. All you have to do is stay in the race. The boys from Vegas will take care of the rest.”
“You can’t tell me that the Malibu incident was caused by Las Vegas hoods.”
“That? No, that was an act of God. Or maybe the Soviet Union. But it’s a long race. If necessary, accidents will happen to the other teams.”
Drake and Melody stared at him. They hadn’t expected anything this sinister. Drake took hold of the soft tissue at the top of Sterling’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Ouch. You’re hurting me.”
“Give me a name.”
“What?”
“Give me a name in Vegas.”
“I can’t. They’ll kill me.”
He was clearly terrified.
Drake contemplated. “If you give me a name, I’ll make sure you have at least a twenty-four hour start before anybody in Vegas gets wind of anything. Your name will be kept out of it. If you don’t cooperate, I can get your name plastered all over the front pages, because the race is getting lots of press. Then who’ll be the long shot? If you like, I’ll get you into the witness protection program.”
“I’ll…take my chances on my own. Okay. Give me a sheet of paper.”
He wouldn’t say the name out loud. It was as if he were afraid the room was bugged, although common sense said it wasn’t. He wrote it down. Drake read it. The name looked vaguely familiar. At least it was a real person. Sterling wouldn’t lie by giving a name of a real person who wasn’t involved. That would be too risky.
Drake nodded to Sterling. “All right, you can start packing.”
Sterling jumped off the bed and started fumbling with his pants and shirt. Melody joined Drake by the door, holding the piece of typewriter paper and the gun.
Drake put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Your reflexes are as good as ever. I’m glad you remembered our signal.”
“As you said, it was reflex. The notes C, F, G, A, meaning ‘He’s got a gun.’”
“We never contemplated using it when such quick action was required.”
“No. Your reflexes aren’t so bad either.”
Sterling scowled at them from the other side of the room where he was throwing clothes into his suitcase. “Are you going to give me back my gun? I may need it.”
Drake chuckled. “I think we’ll keep it as a souvenir of our night on the town in Solvang.” He turned to Melody and whispered, “We need to get back to our motel. I think this is one late-night phone call Blade will enjoy.”
CHAPTER 20
Today’s run goes from the top of the hill on Route 1 near Gaviota to the top of the next hill, which is past Lompoc. That hill is almost comparable to the hill you climbed yesterday, so be prepared. The whole distance is on Route 1. Since it is a Monday, traffic should be lighter than it was yesterday, but be careful, especially on the narrow road until you get to Lompoc. After Lompoc, the road widens to four lanes with wide shoulders. The combination of the heat and the hill climb yesterday scrambled the rankings. We expect to see more changes after today’s run. Remember to carry plenty of liquids and energy food with you. Watch for the watering places.
“If there’s anything worse than a steep uphill for a runner, it’s a steep downhill.”
Drake made this pronouncement as he and Melody made the long descent from their hilltop starting point. They had been wearing two-ply socks all along, but each of them wore an extra pair of socks today, expecting the downhill to be hard on their feet.
Melody looked at the last of the other runners disappearing around a curve in front of them. “Well, we’re bringing up the rear this morning. It’s just like old times.”
“Not quite. We’ve moved into seventh place overall. We’ve finished first two days in a row. We must be doing something right. Six more days like this and we’ll be in first place.”
Melody laughed. “The Tom and Jerry and Phil and Brian teams are so far ahead of us that it’s going to take more than a few good days to catch them, I’m afraid. However, I’m glad to see you so optimistic. I suspect we won’t be finishing last today. Too much youthful exuberance can hurt the other lads. If their feet don’t get them on the downhill, their knees will get such a pounding that bad things will happen.”
“Don’t forget the climb at the end of the run. We’ve proven to be the best climbing team. I don’t know whether to thank Fred for putting the steep climbs at the end of the runs or not.”
“There isn’t any good time to do killer climbs like those. Although I’m sure Fred would help us if he knew how. He’s got a stake in the outcome.”
“Had a stake. Blade assured me that the noose was tightening on the Las Vegas bunch. They’ve been under surveillance for some time. The Sterling incident just means that things will move faster.”
“Fast enough so that none of the runners get hurt, I hope. Do you think we should talk to Casey and have him cancel the race?”
Drake took a fast swig of Gatorade.
“Blade will let me know if there’s still a risk. I think we should talk to Casey and fill him in, but in person, not on the phone. He’s traveling around the state, campaigning. We’re bound to run into him. When he finds out what happened, he’ll probably can Fred.”
“Good riddance.”
“I need to have a little chat with Fred. I’m waiting until tonight because I promised Sterling he’d have a head start. Although, why I’m keeping my word I don’t know. I also don’t know whether Fred has any contacts in Vegas, himself, or whether it was all done through Sterling. He may be wondering where Sterling is right this minute.”
“I’m wondering where Sterling is right this minute. Do you think he’s on a plane to Brazil?”
“The girl from Ipanema must be looking pretty good right now.”
“Did Blade tell you whether there’s any new intelligence on the Malibu incident?”
