Killer Mountain

by Peter Pinkham

  “What?...what’s happened?”

  “The ambulance.”

  She slid over into the front seat with a flashing of bare legs. Wally noted, with not completely detached interest, that they were good-looking legs but not as athletic as Cilla’s. He allowed the ambulance a long lead. There was only the one road, and there was no reason to risk their car being seen. They might later need it to be unobtrusive, and suspicions might be aroused if someone remembered where they saw it. He closed in on the outskirts of Sedona, then dropped back as the white vehicle turned off at a road marked Boynton Canyon, and stopped as it turned into a narrow country road.

  “Why are we stopping?”

  “We walk.”

  “But I don’t have boots, and the snakes...”

  “Right. Stay in the car.” Wally set off down the little road, leaving an uncomfortable girl combating the conflicting decisions of staying alone in the car for God knows how long - Carver hadn’t shared any plans with her - or walking unprotected through a valley of vermin.

  Not a day for the beach, thought Cilla, or a tan. But, feeble as it was, it was enough excuse to get her out where she could look for ways to escape. First she’d had to do something about her hair; a scarf could no longer be justified. She found scissors in an upstairs bathroom and flushed the cut hairs down the toilet. She scowled at the mirror, tried to even the sides. She’d never cut her hair herself, and the inexperience showed. Until last fall, the strands reached to her waist, when they weren’t in a tight bun. The hell, it would have to do.

  She’d taken a blanket and told Dora she was going a little distance from the house since she had no bathing suit and would be taking her outer clothes off to absorb the Arizona sun. Dora, having commented on her paleness gave reluctant approval. The battered white outdoor thermometer hanging in the back yard read fifty-five, and a chilly breeze tugged at her blouse as she climbed a small hillock behind the stucco ranch. At least one of them would be watching her from the house. While everyone was still playing the game of FBI protection, suspicion wasn’t far beneath the surface. She studied the house as she climbed. She’d been foolish to think she’d be able to learn more about the organization on the trip down. If she’d had a week, maybe. But she had to get Hudson and herself away today. There were no neighbors; they could take him at any time.

  From the top of the knoll there were only scrub bushes and no trees in sight so she could clearly make out the paved road they’d come in on. Would Wally be able to interpret the message on the dressing table? Was it still there when he got back into the house, or would a policeman have carelessly messed it up? It wouldn’t take much messing to destroy its meaning. Even if he’d puzzled it out, Sedona was a fair size town, and they were pretty well hidden where they were. No, she’d have to go it alone. Somehow Harv had to be disposed of first; the other two she’d worry about after. He’d done the driving. She’d slept a few hours in the front seat on the ride down, waking to find his hand on her knee. She resisted the quick flush of anger and the temptation to break his wrist. Other than the fact that it would crash the car, it wasn’t in character for Loni, so she contented herself with jabbing it with a nail file from Loni’s handbag. He’d gotten the message, but the look he gave said there’d be another time, when he wasn’t restricted by a steering wheel.

  It was unlikely either of the others had slept coming down. On arrival, Frank had appeared from the rear of the ambulance. He and Dora announced they’d be taking naps, leaving her somewhat free to wander the property. Though she was certain one pair of eyes hadn’t closed. Riding in the front seat she didn’t know if Hudson had wakened; he was out when they’d arrived. Did that mean he’d been given a fresh dose of whatever was keeping him unconscious? She’d never tried to lift him; could she carry his 200 pounds even to the car?

  Something on the highway reflected the sun. It was a disabled car. It had pulled well off the road almost opposite their driveway; the hood was up, and a woman was bending over looking at the engine. With a sudden rush of hope she recognized her dress she’d switched with Loni. Wally I love you! Be as rude as you like from now on! Where was he? Did she dare get out of sight of the house? Would someone come after her if she was no longer visible from one of its windows? She crossed the ridge so she was hidden and waved her arms hoping Loni would see her. But the girl didn’t raise her head. Time was not her friend. She ran toward the road. She’d almost reached it when a sibilant rattle stopped her. Snake. Where? It was coiled on a rock not three feet from her. She let the blanket in her arms slowly unfold. When it was full length and half width she held it in front of her, between herself and the snake, and with a smooth motion cast it over the scaly body and ran on. Her low-heeled shoes were full of sand and stones by the time she reached the road. Loni saw her and ran to the back seat door. Wally’s head appeared, and then he was out of the car.

  “Where’s Hudson?”

  “Hello, Wally.” Not `you’re okay, Cilla! We were really worried about you!’ All business Carver. “Hudson’s still unconscious in a room upstairs. There are three of them, and the third, Harv, is a load. But we’ve got to take them out now. They’re going to kill Hudson today.”

  “The three of us are going to fight them?” Loni had a streak of grease running down a cheek. “We might be able to overcome Dora, but Frank. And Harv...” She shivered. “Big clammy hands...”

  “We can’t try the accident victim approach again.” Wally rubbed sleep from his eyes.

  “If I could catch them by surprise, one by one, I think I could handle them.” Said thoughtfully, with no hint of braggadocio. Cilla knew her capabilities.

  “But if you’re caught before you get them all...do they have guns?”

  “I haven’t seen any, but it would be a mistake to assume they don’t.”

  “Any ideas, Cilla?” asked Carver looking intently at her.

  She shook her head. “I’ve got to get back. I’m sure Harv has been watching me from the house. I told them I was going to take my clothes off to get some sun. I think he’ll come after me.”

  “He sure will,” exclaimed Loni. “That day he was there he kept...sweating. Sweating and looking.”

  “So he’s attracted to you.”

  “Probably to any woman. Did he come on to you, Cilla?”

  “He made a pass at me on the way down.”

  “How did you handle it?” asked Wally.

  “Jabbed him with a nail file.”

  Carver gazed into the distance. “If Harv were somehow separated from the others, we could subdue the other two and get Hudson out of there.”

  “And into this car?” Cilla glanced at the raised hood. “Are there engine problems?”

  “The car is fine. I needed a nap, and we needed an excuse to stay in this location. Loni has been waving off those who’ve stopped to help.”

  “You have a plan.”

  “It may not be a pleasant one.”

  “Tell me. Whatever it is. I’m desperate.”

  “Loni, are you desperate?”

  “Yes, I want to get out of this desert and home.”

  “You know you can’t go home. Not until the organization is disposed of.”

  “Well let’s get out of here anyway.”

  “You do understand they’ll spend the rest of your life hunting you down to kill you unless we stop them?” The sun glinted off Carver’s glasses giving him a sinister look.

  Loni stared at him. “Why are you trying to frighten me?”

  “You are the key to us subduing those criminals and rescuing Hudson.”

  “Me? I can’t fight!”

  “You are the only one who can, in the way that is needed. Listen. Cilla can fight. She’s accomplished in karate. I myself am not totally without combative resources, despite my age. Together we can handle those in the house.”

  “Yeah, so what do I handle?”

  “Harv.”

  “What! Me take on the big guy?”

  “You...seduce the
big guy.” Carver saw the horrified look on the faces of both girls and hurried on. “Look, you both say he has a thing for you. Loni, you get him up the hill and keep him occupied.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until we secure the house.” He glanced at Cilla who was looking at him with disgust.

  “And then you come up and rescue me.”

  Carver rubbed his chin.

  “Hey! I said you come up and rescue me!”

  “Loni, if we try to climb that hill he’ll see us. If he’s as big and strong as you both say, we need to catch him by surprise.”

  “So?”

  “We stand a better chance when he comes down.”

  “How are you going to get him down?”

  “When he’s...finished, he’ll come back down, and we’ll be waiting.”

  “You mean I have to...?” Loni was having trouble breathing.”

  “Wally this is low, even for you,” Cilla said with loathing. “You can’t ask that of a woman.”

  “Within hours Hudson will be dead. Have you any other plan that stands a chance of saving him?”

  “I’ll find a way. I’ve got to go.” She turned and started back down the road.

  “No, wait!” Loni was shaking. “Mr. Carver’s right. You’re the fighter. You’re needed at the house. I’m the only one that can occupy Harv.”

  Cilla turned. “No, Loni. I can’t let you do it. It’s despicable even to think of it!”

  “Hey, come on. I’ll be all right. How long will it take you with Dora and Frank?”

  Cilla came back a step. “Five minutes. They won’t be expecting violence from me.”

  “So when you’re done you can pretend you’re Dora and call him back to the house.”

  “Can we be sure you can lure Harv up there?” asked Carver.

  “Of course. Hey, if there’s one thing I know it’s men. Give me, say twenty minutes, ten to get up on the hill and ten to get Harv.” She smiled at Cilla. “Don’t worry. I can handle him.” She walked to where Cilla had stopped. “Where do I go?”

  “I came out by that rock,” said Cilla slowly.

  “Good. And how far do I go up the hill?’

  “There’s a blanket about a hundred feet in.” She paused. The snake will be long gone, was there any point mentioning it? “Keep on a straight line from where you go off the road to the blanket until you’re right above the house.”

  “Sounds easy.” A new thought. “How about our clothes? Shouldn’t we exchange them?”

  “No,” said Cilla. “I need to be you a little longer. I’m just going to walk in on them.”

  “You’re going to take yours off once you get up on the hill, Loni,” said Wally. “Put them under that blanket. You have got underwear on, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but...”

  “You’re supposed to be getting sun, anyway.”

  Loni drew a breath. “Okay. Wish me luck.”

  Cilla grabbed both her arms. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know. Hudson came all the way out to Olympia to rescue me. It’s my turn.” Two pairs of gray eyes locked. “We look so much alike I’m beginning to think of you as my sister.” Cilla rubbed the grease off Loni’s cheek. Loni gave her a hug and was gone. Cilla watched her off the highway at the right rock, then turned to Carver.

  “Thanks to you we now have a second person to rescue.”

  Wally saw no purpose in a response.

  After twelve minutes by his watch, he opened the trunk and took out the wrench. “It’s time. You start, I’ll stay out of sight until you’re in the house.”

  The walking was easier on the road than in the bush. It was more than a driveway, as Carver had discovered from the map. It ran south through the canyon, eventually connecting with another road that continued south and ended in the desert. Cilla had made it all the way up to the villa’s front walk when it came. It rebounded off the bleak Arizona hills, though its origin was obviously the one Loni had climbed. The scream froze Cilla as though a blast of polar air had encircled her chest.

  Chapter 28

  Loni found the blanket without difficulty and looked back at the road. She could just see the rock where she’d come off. Another five minutes and she was directly above the house. She could see no signs of life. She took off her blouse and skirt. God, it was cold! Could she actually pretend she was doing this to get a tan? She unfolded the blanket and lay down on it. The cool breeze wasn’t so noticeable there. Cilla for all her toughness was pretty naive. About a lot of things. A man like Harv coming on a girl in bra and panties on a remote hill isn’t going to be called off by anyone. Mr. Carver knew. She was going to be raped, for that’s what it will be. She wondered what would prolong it more, if she fought him or flirted with him. Sammy Gardner was dead. Cilla and Mr. Carver hadn’t said so, but she knew it. The thought added more tremors to her already shaking body. What had she gotten herself into? For the first time in her life she wished she’d learned to fight. Her only weapon was the face and figure that came compliments of her genes.

  Several minutes went by. Harv should be coming. He had to be out of that house when Cilla and Mr. Carver got to it. She stood up. Cilla said Harv was probably watching. She reached behind her back and undid her bra. Very slowly she slipped one arm out of it, then the other, holding it to her breasts. Then she threw it to one side and raised her arms over her head, stretching. That ought to do it, she thought, lying back down on the blanket.

  Another minute passed. Then a door closed. He was coming. She tried to control her shaking body and pretend she was enjoying the sunshine. The sounds of heavy boots climbing up rocky soil. She closed her eyes, trying to keep from stiffening. And then he was there. She could feel him. He was standing looking at her. She held her breath. Maybe he’d just look for a while, long enough for...A shadow across her eyes. She kept them tightly closed, pretending sleep.

  “Quite a performance.”

  Loni’s eyes flew open. It was Dora. “What?”

  “Don’t try to fool me, hot pants. You didn’t come up here for a tan. That strip you did in full view of the house. I agreed to protect you from the people that killed your father, not let you make out with my husband.”

  “I wasn’t...your husband? You and the doctor are married?” Loni suddenly felt as naked as she was and put her arms across her breasts. Damn. Harv was the one she needed to get out of the house. Cilla and Mr. Carver were probably already there.

  “You and the doctor are married?’” Dora mimicked. “As innocent as a lamb, aren’t you?”

  “Honestly, I didn’t know. Believe me I have no interest in attracting Frank.”

  “But you do have an interest in Harv?”

  “He has got...muscles.” Could she get Dora to send Harv up?

  “And you thought you’d lure him up here to play Jack and Jill.”

  “Is that so bad? I’ve been shut up in that house. Why do you care?”

  The venomous look that came into Dora’s eyes told Loni she’d made a mistake.

  “Because Harv is my husband, as if you didn’t know.”

  “Oh Dora, I swear I didn’t! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s not completely your fault. The man’s after anything in panties. It’s just the way he is, too much testerone or something. I can handle it most of the time, keep him drained. But you. You’re something else, that face and that body. I can’t compete on even terms, so I’m going to have to level the field.”

  “What...what does that mean?”

  “It takes two to tango, baby, even for Harv. I’m just going to make sure you’re not one of the dancers.”

  “I won’t be! I promise! Really, Harv doesn’t attract me at all!”

  “He won’t, that’s for sure.”

  In panic, Loni started to get up. Dora took her right hand from behind her back. It held a revolver, with a tube that could only be a silencer on its front. “I think some lead in one of those long legs will turn you off a bit.”<
br />
  “Dora, I didn’t know Harv was yours! What are you doing?”

  “Stand up so I don’t get a ricochet.”

  “Dora, you’re supposed to protect me!”

  “If you keep jiggling around I may hit a knee, and you’ll never walk let alone dance.”

  “Dora, please! This is all a mistake! I don’t want Harv! I...”

  The gun fired. Loni felt something sharp hit her leg and screamed.

  Cilla’s first emotion was shock. Then shame for allowing Loni to substitute for herself. She hunted for a rock, found one the right size and drew back her hand to throw it at one of the front windows. Wally had come up behind her and grabbed her arm.

  “Let go!”

  “What will that accomplish?”

  “The sound of breaking glass will stop whatever in hell he’s doing.”

  “And then her sacrifice will have been in vain. And Hudson will die.” Another scream from the hill behind the house.

  Carver could almost feel a physical blow as Cilla’s cold gray eyes swung to his. “I hate you Wallace Carver!”

  “So do I sometimes. More importantly, where’s the ambulance?”

  Cilla turned quickly. “It was right here. Oh, no!” She ran to the front door. Carver flattened against the front of the building, as she went in. She ran quietly down the entrance hall. In a room off to the right a large man was looking out a window toward the hill. Harv! Then what...? He heard her and turned.

  “Loni! But you’re...” He half turned back to the window.

  “Where’s the ambulance, Harv?”

  He blinked, still unable to adjust.

  “The ambulance. I went out for a walk and it’s not there any longer.”

  A sly look came into little piggish eyes. “Your friend came around. Frank took him for a drive.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “Into town I think.”