are!”
It came from somewhere. He had a loud-speaker along.
“This is Big Al, you punks, and I’m all around you.”
At least one of the punks didn’t believe it. His. 45 made a respectable crack in the middle of the night, but that was nothing compared to what came next The machine gun gave a sharp, roaring burst and four men fell on the pavement In the second of silence that followed, the hood of the car in front dipped up, dipping with a lonesome creak of the springs.
“I said this is Big Al! And just to show you-” The machine gun chattered again. This time only one man fell, close to Pat.
“And I don’t give a damn if I hit my own man or the dame. Is that clear?”
It was clear. Nobody moved. Until the motor of the car in back kicked over, raced, and careened backward with a painful whine. That’s when they moved. All at once the wild movement broke in every direction, in heedless panic, and the machine gun spoke again.
Benny made only one leap. He grabbed Pat and stood with her in the strong light from his car. There was nothing to do but stand. This was Alverato’s show and perhaps in the light he wouldn’t just shoot them down, being busy with his chase on the dark road and among the bushes.
It took a while, with the car in the back catching fire, the yelling and stomping, the loud cackle of the machine gun.
“O.K., this way, kids.” Alverato stood in the light, big and sweaty. They ran across the road, through the woods, and stopped on a dirt road.
“Stay here,” Big Al said. “The car will be along in a second. How’s the girl?”
Nobody answered. The two-way speaker that hung by a strap around Alverato’s neck started to rasp, and then, “A.A., this is Zimmer. A.A., this is Zimmer. Over.”
“Yes, damnit, what’s what?” Alverato had snatched the instrument up and was roaring into the microphone.
“A.A., this is Zimmer, this is Zimmer. Who are you? Over.”
“This is Alverato, you jerk. Cut out that bomber-patrol crap and talk!”
“Big Al? I can’t start the car. I thought you’d want to know because-”
“Can it, can it, you sonofabitch! I’m coming over and it better be fixed when I get there. Uh-over!” he yelled, and started to crash off into the black undergrowth. “Benny?” Alverato had stopped. “Stand still and wait, and better take this.” Alverato was back, handing Benny a gun. “And stay put.”
They listened to him get farther away. Pat was shivering. Benny could hear her mumbling and she was plucking the fur of the wrap.
“Soon, now, Patty, soon.” He put his arm over her shoulder, pressing her close, and she let him. “Soon, Patty.” But she didn’t answer. He could hear the mumbling getting clearer, and it was “Kill him! Kill him!”
He tried to pay no attention. Once he let go of her because the gun was between them, in his pocket. He took it out and kept it in one hand.
Then he heard the sound of a car. It came without lights, a long humming shape. It stopped.
First the lights went on, like a white explosion, and then the doors opened. They went thunk, thunk when they closed, and Benny started to push Pat forward.
“Al, cut those beams.”
There was no answer. There was no sound till the lights made a face materialize with hard lines from the nose to the mouth and close-set eyes that had a maniacal glint in the light. “Baby!” said the mouth, and Pendleton raised his arms. “My dearest-”
What stopped him was a scream that arched Pat’s body until she trembled like a spring that had suddenly been released.
She had seen the man she hated. Pendleton knew. There was a gun in his hand now. He came steadily toward his daughter.
“Kill him,” she kept saying. “Kill him.”
“Pendleton. Stop!”
Pendleton didn’t stop. He took another step and reached for his daughter. Only when Benny had jerked the girl back did Pendleton seem to wake up. He raised his gun. Benny had never seen Pendleton with a gun before.
“You’ll kill her, Pendleton.”
It stopped him.
They weren’t listening to Pat any more. Their eyes met and the question was who could hold on longer.
“Pendleton,” Benny said, “you’re through.”
Benny had never seen the man stand that still before. Not even his shoulder moved.
“Pendleton, you’ve lost. You lost Pat.”
“Kill him,” she said.
Then Pendleton opened his mouth. “Tapkow, don’t try. I’m going to keep you alive-forever, Tapkow.”
“Kill him,” she said.
There was nothing to answer, no more to say, but first Benny laughed. He laughed straight in the old man’s face and it sounded as hellish as Pat’s scream. Benny could see it hit the man, saw him stir, while Benny tightened his grip on the girl to shift for the kill.
That’s when Pendleton broke. He flung himself forward, with arms flailing, so crazed he never thought of his gun. It came down like a stone, missing everything it was meant to kill, but then it did part of a job. The barrel caught Pat on the skull, glanced sideways, and the only thing that could stop Pendleton happened. Pat slid to the ground. There was blood on her hair.
Benny waited till they were both together, the unconscious girl breathing raggedly and Pendleton sobbing.
The hate made Benny hold it just a little longer, the hate that knew it had found its way. Then it moved Benny’s foot. The foot pushed at the man, pushed him till he was free of his daughter, and looking up with crooked eyes that didn’t see the gun. It spat in his face.
It spat and bucked and then it was empty.
Benny stood in the white light. He bent over Pendleton and found the small paper and saw the numbers on it and the names of the Italian cities. Then he just stood again. He didn’t notice when the gun dropped from his hand. He stood, feeling empty.
When he lifted Pat and carried her, holding her close and tight, the feeling came to him that with her so close the emptiness might not last much longer.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Doc Welch put the blanket back over Pat, keeping her arms outside and making it all look neat. “Nothing to worry about, Benny. She’ll wake up with a headache. Just give her another of these,” and he gave Benny a pill. Doc Welch closed his bag. “Now the other matter. The way you described it, she’s definitely moving on. Let’s have that syringe.” Benny pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over. “You see these graduations? Increase the dose from here to here. Same time interval. You have enough solution left?”
“That doesn’t matter. When it’s gone, it’s gone. She’s through with that stuff.”
Doc Welch just raised his eyebrows, then shrugged. Benny put the syringe back in his pocket. “She’s off it. I’m seeing to that. Things are different now.”
“I gather this is all your idea?”
“And hers.”
“If you say so.” Doc Welch reached for his hat. “You know anything about the cure?”
“It’s rough, I know.”
Doc Welch laughed. “It’s useless. No amateur can swing it.” He went to the door.
“Doc. You got a better way?”
