[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Page 21
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
A fist slammed against his temple, and another on his chest. A third blow
smashed into his arms, and he felt the strength drain from them. They "were
useless now, dangling by his side
Vivasvat smiled and put a hand under Joe's chin, steadying his head. There,"
Vivasvat said. That's just the way I want to remember you, wimp." He drew
back a fist, aiming the killing blow at Joe's face.
As Vivasvat swung, Joe suddenly jerked his
52
head to one side. Vivasvat screamed, and Joe heard bones crunch against the
tempered steel side of the van. He swung a right uppercut into Vivasvat s
stomach, and the man doubled over. Joe slammed both hands down on Vivasvat's
neck, and Vivasvat dropped to the ground and lay still.
Taking a deep breath, Joe climbed into the van and started the motor. He was
too tired to hear the screams of the Rajah s followers or the gun battle going
on between Frank and the Rajah's bodyguards. He switched on the lights and
drove the van onto the battlefield.
"Over here!" Frank shouted, and Joe saw him huddled against one of the lodges.
Bullets smacked into the van, but they had no more effect than Vivasvat's hand
had. Joe drove the van to the lodge and hit a- switch on the dashboard. The
back door of the van swung open, and Frank leaped in.
"Let's get out of here," he said.
"What about Holly?" Joe asked. "We can't leave without her."
"We can't take her," Frank said with a sigh.
"She tried to trap me for the Rajah. She doesn't want to go, and if we take
her against her will, it's kidnapping. Let's go
More shots were fired as the black van pulled away, and Frank stared out the
back window.
The Rajah's followers were coming out of hiding, screaming at the van and
cursing. At the forefront
53
of the mob was Holly. Frank could barely hear her above the din.
"I want to go, too!" she was yelling. "Take me with you, Frank! I want to go,
too!"
"Stop!" Frank cried. "Back it up! She wants to be rescued."
"All right!" Joe said. He slammed on the brakes and spun the van around. They
sped back the way they had come.
Shrieking, the Rajah's followers hurled themselves out of the way. Only Holly
stood in their path, illuminated by the headlights and swaying slightly,
tensing for action. As they zoomed past, Frank threw open the side door. His
hand went out and locked onto Holly's wrist, and she was pulled from her feet
and into the van.
"We did it!" Frank exclaimed as he slammed the door shut. "Let's go." The van
roared into the night, followed only by slugs from the guns of the Rajah's
followers.
In the grass next to the Rajah's home, Vivasvat nursed his broken hand. He sat
there, crying until a shadow fell over him. The Rajah stood there, a curiously
self-
assured expression on his face.
"This is your fault," Vivasvat said. "If you had let me handle it-"
"Everything that has been done has been my will," the Rajah said. Serenely he
drew a pistol from his tunic. It was the same pistol Joe had carried when he
entered the camp.
54
Page 22
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I have no need of you anymore, my friend," said the Rajah, looking down. "Now
that
Strand is within my grasp, I am afraid we must say goodbye.
The Rajah fired six times, and each time, Vivasvat jerked. When the last shot
was fired, Vivasvat fell on his back, his mouth and eyes open. The Rajah
tapped the body twice, but there was no response. He went into his home, shut
and locked the door, and dialed the phone. After a dozen rings, someone on the
other end answered.
"Pickwee police?" the Rajah said in a grieved tone. "This is the Rajah. I
regret to say that my commune has been invaded. One of my charges was
kidnapped, and my assistant was murdered. . . . What? Yes, the murderer left
his weapon here. I'm sure his fingerprints are allover it.
His name? I only heard it once. But I believe he called himself Joe Hardy."
55
Chapter
7
"No ONE'S FOLLOWING us," Frank said. He gazed out the back window of the black
van, but only the gravel road and silent forest showed in the red glare of the
taillights.
Beyond that was nothing but darkness.
Clouds had moved into the area, blotting out the moon and stars. If anyone was
following them, they were doing it without lights, severely limiting the
chances of catching up. Aside from dull thunder in the distance, the only
sound was the ricochet of gravel off the van's underbody as it sped down the
mountain.
"No readings on the sensors," Joe said, glancing at the readout from their
surveillance equipment as he drove. "There's no one within half a mile of us, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
Page 21
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
A fist slammed against his temple, and another on his chest. A third blow
smashed into his arms, and he felt the strength drain from them. They "were
useless now, dangling by his side
Vivasvat smiled and put a hand under Joe's chin, steadying his head. There,"
Vivasvat said. That's just the way I want to remember you, wimp." He drew
back a fist, aiming the killing blow at Joe's face.
As Vivasvat swung, Joe suddenly jerked his
52
head to one side. Vivasvat screamed, and Joe heard bones crunch against the
tempered steel side of the van. He swung a right uppercut into Vivasvat s
stomach, and the man doubled over. Joe slammed both hands down on Vivasvat's
neck, and Vivasvat dropped to the ground and lay still.
Taking a deep breath, Joe climbed into the van and started the motor. He was
too tired to hear the screams of the Rajah s followers or the gun battle going
on between Frank and the Rajah's bodyguards. He switched on the lights and
drove the van onto the battlefield.
"Over here!" Frank shouted, and Joe saw him huddled against one of the lodges.
Bullets smacked into the van, but they had no more effect than Vivasvat's hand
had. Joe drove the van to the lodge and hit a- switch on the dashboard. The
back door of the van swung open, and Frank leaped in.
"Let's get out of here," he said.
"What about Holly?" Joe asked. "We can't leave without her."
"We can't take her," Frank said with a sigh.
"She tried to trap me for the Rajah. She doesn't want to go, and if we take
her against her will, it's kidnapping. Let's go
More shots were fired as the black van pulled away, and Frank stared out the
back window.
The Rajah's followers were coming out of hiding, screaming at the van and
cursing. At the forefront
53
of the mob was Holly. Frank could barely hear her above the din.
"I want to go, too!" she was yelling. "Take me with you, Frank! I want to go,
too!"
"Stop!" Frank cried. "Back it up! She wants to be rescued."
"All right!" Joe said. He slammed on the brakes and spun the van around. They
sped back the way they had come.
Shrieking, the Rajah's followers hurled themselves out of the way. Only Holly
stood in their path, illuminated by the headlights and swaying slightly,
tensing for action. As they zoomed past, Frank threw open the side door. His
hand went out and locked onto Holly's wrist, and she was pulled from her feet
and into the van.
"We did it!" Frank exclaimed as he slammed the door shut. "Let's go." The van
roared into the night, followed only by slugs from the guns of the Rajah's
followers.
In the grass next to the Rajah's home, Vivasvat nursed his broken hand. He sat
there, crying until a shadow fell over him. The Rajah stood there, a curiously
self-
assured expression on his face.
"This is your fault," Vivasvat said. "If you had let me handle it-"
"Everything that has been done has been my will," the Rajah said. Serenely he
drew a pistol from his tunic. It was the same pistol Joe had carried when he
entered the camp.
54
Page 22
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I have no need of you anymore, my friend," said the Rajah, looking down. "Now
that
Strand is within my grasp, I am afraid we must say goodbye.
The Rajah fired six times, and each time, Vivasvat jerked. When the last shot
was fired, Vivasvat fell on his back, his mouth and eyes open. The Rajah
tapped the body twice, but there was no response. He went into his home, shut
and locked the door, and dialed the phone. After a dozen rings, someone on the
other end answered.
"Pickwee police?" the Rajah said in a grieved tone. "This is the Rajah. I
regret to say that my commune has been invaded. One of my charges was
kidnapped, and my assistant was murdered. . . . What? Yes, the murderer left
his weapon here. I'm sure his fingerprints are allover it.
His name? I only heard it once. But I believe he called himself Joe Hardy."
55
Chapter
7
"No ONE'S FOLLOWING us," Frank said. He gazed out the back window of the black
van, but only the gravel road and silent forest showed in the red glare of the
taillights.
Beyond that was nothing but darkness.
Clouds had moved into the area, blotting out the moon and stars. If anyone was
following them, they were doing it without lights, severely limiting the
chances of catching up. Aside from dull thunder in the distance, the only
sound was the ricochet of gravel off the van's underbody as it sped down the
mountain.
"No readings on the sensors," Joe said, glancing at the readout from their
surveillance equipment as he drove. "There's no one within half a mile of us, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]