'Follow him! ' Steve said. 'Provided we see where he goes in. We can always have one of the boys snatch someone's bicycle. The park is always filled with bikes.' Steve swung around to look into the depths of the van. The wild ride had quieted the troops.
'Who's in the best shape to ride a bike? ' Steve demanded.
The troops all pointed to Kevin.
'Is that right, Kevin? ' Steve asked.
'I guess, ' Kevin said. 'I'm in pretty good shape.' The light changed and Curt rocketed ahead. Steve turned forward and grabbed what he could to hold on.
At Madison the light was in their favor, and Curt made a rapid turn.
The pipe lengths all rolled to one side amid swearing from the troops.
Curt had to stop behind traffic waiting at the light at Fifty-second Street.
'I think I see him at the next light, ' Steve said.
'I believe you're right, ' Curt said. 'Between the bus and the oil truck. Jeer, the guy's fearless.' The light changed and they were off.
'What should I do? ' Curt said desperately. 'We're not going to catch him with this kind of traffic on Madison Avenue.'
'We do have his home number, ' Steve said. 'Maybe we should wait and call him at home and try to get him to give us the address. One of us could say we were Yuri Davydov. Hell, maybe he'd come see us.'
'That's an idea, ' Curt agreed. 'But what do you think we should do , , now?'
'Let's head for the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, ' Steve suggested. 'If he does go into the park, that's where it will be.'
'Well, it's as good an idea as any other, ' Curt said. He wasn't happy.
They traveled north as fast as the traffic could allow. At least they were making the lights, but they knew Jack was as well. As they streaked across Fifty-seventh Street Steve happened to catch sight of Jack traveling west.
'Shit! ' Curt exclaimed. The sighting had been too late to make the 'I think it's okay, ' Steve said.
'Keep going the way we are. Let's give Fifth and Central Park West a try.' The first street they could turn left on was Sixtieth, which was just as well. It led them to the northern part of Grand Army Plaza, where it joined the park. Curt crossed Fifth Avenue with the light and pulled over to the side of the road.
He stopped by wooden police barricades blocking vehicular traffic from entering one of the park's drives.
'Well, there are certainly enough bikes available if we need one, ' Steve commented, trying to sound optimistic. Bicyclists were coming and going along with a host of in-line skaters and joggers. 'Best of all, I don't see any cops.' Curt was looking back beyond the gilded equestrian statue of General Sherman to the area around the Pulitzer fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel. The area was jammed with a confusion of people, cars, buses, and hansom cabs.
'This is goddamned impossible, ' Curt complained. 'I knew that once we lost sight of him it would be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.'
'If I follow him on a bike, what do I do if I catch him?'
' Kevin asked.
'Lots of luck catching him! ' Curt said. 'The guy's a pro.'
'He might stop, ' Steve said. 'You never know.'
'That's true, ' Curt admitted. 'So give Kevin one of the Glocks. But more importantly, give him your phone so he can keep in touch with us.'
Steve swung around and handed the gun and the phone to Kevin, who eagerly pocketed them. 'You want me to go out and get a bike now? '
'No! ' Curt said.
'We're not doing anything unless we see the bastard.
Actually I think we're going to have to fall back to plan B. The more I think of calling him and saying we're Yuri, the better it sounds.'
'Holy shit, there he is! ' Steve said, frantically pointing to a bicyclist who'd just swept past them no more than ten feet away.
'You're right! ' Curt said. 'Kevin, you're on! ' Kevin scrambled forward and climbed out of the door Steve had exited. Without a moment's hesitation he took off at a run. Steve climbed back into the van.
Curt and Steve watched as the husky Kevin vaulted over the police sawhorses, despite his heavy Doc Marten boots, and ran directly at a bicyclist who'd stopped at a water fountain. The man was still on his bike with one toe in its clip, but he was leaning over to drink. He was sporting all the proper cycling paraphernalia, including the helmet, tights, and padded gloves.
Kevin didn't hesitate. Without a word, he grabbed the bike and snatched it from under the man, upending him.
Kevin threw a leg over the bike and was about to take off when the bicyclist recovered enough to get a grip on one of the cycle's handlebars.
Kevin responded by balling his big hand into a fist and laying the man out cold.
'Oh, ' Steve gushed. 'Now that was a punch! ' Despite the crowd of people in the area, the incident happened so quickly that few individuals had actually witnessed it. Although several people went to the aid of the downed bicyclist, no one went after Kevin, who was pedaling furiously in pursuit of Jack. Since it was quite light despite the sun's having set, Jack could still be seen in the distance heading north.
'At least that went smoothly, ' Steve said. 'Now what do you think we should do? Sit here? ' Curt scanned the area as if he expected the answer to be in the surroundings. After a moment's consideration, he shook his head. -'No, I think we should head over to Central Park West. If Stapleton lives on the Upper West Side, that's where he'll come out.'
Curt put. the van in gear. At a comparatively leisurely pace he drove west on Central Park South. As he did so he pulled out his cellular phone, checked to make sure it was on, then put it on the dash.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20
6:30 P. M. Jack sat up and took his hands off his handlebars. With no hands he coasted along the pathway strewn with dead leaves. Just ahead was Central Park West and the exit across from 106thStreet.
The ride home had been most enjoyable. The weather had been as glorious as he'd anticipated. The ride up First Avenue had had its normal share of aggravations, but it had been stimulating just the same. His nightly circuit around the Pulitzer fountain had been so inspiring that he'd been moved to stop to admire the resplendent nude statue of Abundance in the fading daylight. But by far the best part of the trip, as usual, had been the ride through the park. As soon as he'd broken free from the clutch of people near the park's entrance he'd poured on the speed. It had been as if he'd been flying in a dream.
Jack waited for the traffic light to change before cycling across the busy avenue and entering his street.
He was now in the cool-down stage of his ride and pedaled quickly in a low gear with almost no resistance.
He stopped at the fence at the basketball court. As he'd hoped and expected, a game was in progress.
Once again Warren and Flash were on opposing teams.
'Hey, Doc, you going to run or what? ' Warren called out. 'Get yourself out here, man.'
'You better be in good form, ' Jack called back. ''Cause I'm going to be trouble tonight! '
'Uh oh! ' Spit yelled. He was one of the younger players but had become Warren's protege. 'Doc's threatening to make some house calls.' The group teased Jack by calling any of his better moves 'house calls.'
'There's going to be plenty of house calls tonight, ' Jack shouted back.
He pushed off and rode across the street. He was eager to get out on the court.
Jack hesitated on his stoop while debating whether he'd cab to Laurie's later or take his bike. He knew he'd prefer to bike, yet he wanted to humor Laur
Jack watched the man for a moment to make sure he didn't need assistance. But it was soon apparent he didn't. He took out a cell phone and made a call while pressing the button to make the traffic light change.
