by Simon Hawke
“Bluff…” Dicenzo said. “Not-not thirty. Only eight… Swear to God… Carruthers thought you were… onto to us. Wanted… to sidetrack you… keep you busy till-till we could clear the stuff… “
“What stuff?”
“ Merchandise… in warehouses… Boston… Philadelphia… Ch-Charleston… another shipment coming
“What sort of merchandise?”
“ Wine… silk s.. s-spices… “
“Commodities,” Delaney said, with scorn. He snorted with derision. “Do you believe it? This whole thing was about commodities. They were willing to let a disruption go down just to protect a small-time smuggling operation.”
“N-no t sm all… ti me,” Dic enz o sai d. “ Chea p h ere… big profits sell further up timeline…”
“And for that you were going to let a temporal disruption occur?” said Lucas, with disbelief.
“We were gonna help…” Dicenzo said, twisting the bedclothes in his hands, “but-but Steiger…
“What about Steiger?”
“ Damn… oh. damn… he-he got on to us… we-we got word..
“You got word? You’re saying someone informed on him?” “Yeah-yeah …”
“Who?”
“Don’t know… Honest. I swear, I’d tell ya.
“All right, go on.”
“Carruthers and Cash said-said Steiger was worth five million dead’
“Five million dollars?”
“Yeah…” said Dicenzo, gritting his teeth. “Network’s got a contract on him… the old man, too. Ten million for him..
“What a bunch of sweethearts,” said Hunter. “So you decided to stall us and try to move your goods, and then collect on Steiger,” Lucas said. “Just a little business enterprise, isn’t that right?”
“Wasn’t-wasn’t my idea.” said Dicenzo, “About Steiger. I mean. I swear..
“But you were more than willing to go along with it for a share of the money.” said Delaney. “We ought to just dump you out into the slit-et and leave you.”
“No! No, please… you gotta get me to a hospital! I’ll talk… I’ll tell you everything I know. please…”
I want you to give Cpl. Craven full details on the warehouses,” Lucas said. “Where they are, what’s in them, where your other safehouses are, everything you’ve got set up in this scenario. Then and only then will she give you another shot and clock you to a hospital. But if I find out you’ve held anything back, personally pay a visit to your hospital room, you understand?”
“I’ve told the truth. I swear…”
“You better have,” said Lucas. “And you’d better hope that Steiger’s still alive. Linda. take his statement.”
They left the room. “I’m going after Steiger,” said Delaney. “All right,” said Lucas. “Take Hunter with you. I’ll stay here and hold the fort. I still need to have another talk with our friend Moffat.”
“What do you want us to do. with those Network men?” asked Hunter. “Personally, I don’t much care,” said Lucas. ‘“Try to take them alive if you can, so they can be put through interrogation, we’ve already got Dicenzo, so don’t take any chances. The mission has to come first, If they put up any resistance, take them out.”
“You got it, pilgrim.”
Hunter said. “And one more thing.” Lucas said. “Stop calling me pilgrim.” Hunter grinned. “Sure thing, pilgrim. Anything you say. Come on. Delaney. We gotta go rescue the guy that wants to squeeze my brain out like a sponge. Think maybe he’ll be grateful?”
He chuckled and started down the stairs.
“Watch him. Finn,” said Lucas. “I could still be wrong about him. I don’t want any accidents, okay?”
“Sure.” said Delaney. “You’re taking a chance, you know?”
“You mean, sending Hunter with you? I’ve got no choice. We’re spread too thin.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Delaney said. “There’s something likable about that guy, isn’t there? Reminds us of the Hunter that we knew. You’re figuring on making Steiger fccl obligated to him, aren’t you? That many not play, partner.
Steiger’s awful cold.”
“You may be right,” said Lucas. “But what the hell, it’s worth a shot.”
“You getting soft on me?” said Delaney, with a grin.
“Go on,” said Lucas. “Get out of here.”
He watched Delaney leave, then sighed and went down the hall to Moffat’s room. He opened the door and froze. The chair in which Moffat had been tied down was empty. The ropes holding him had been snapped with incredible strength and the window was open.
“Jesus Christ… said Lucas. He ran back out into the hall. ‘Finn!”
But he was too late. They had already left. Linda Craven came running out into the hall.
“What is it?” she said.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Moffat.” Lucas said grimly. “He’s escaped.”
10
Andre clocked with Johnny to the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house. It was a calculated risk, one she certainly would not have taken during the daytime, when the traffic on the streets of Boston would have made such a transition highly dangerous. Clocking into a set of temporal coordinates that already happened to be occupied at that particular instant by some passing citizen or cart or horseman would have proved extremely messy and extremely fatal. However, at this hour of the night, the streets of Boston were practically deserted and the lack of street lighting served to mask the transition, thereby decreasing the likelihood that anyone looking out a window would see two people suddenly appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the street. No sooner had she pulled him over close to Macintosh’s door than he began to come around. He came to lying on his back. with Andre looking down at him anxiously.
“What… Andre! Where am I?”
“In the street outside Ebenezer Macintosh’s house.” she said. “Are you all right?”
He looked around. confused. “I–I don’t understand. What happened? I was in a room somewhere…”
“You fell and struck your head.” she said. “I was afraid you might be seriously hurt.”
“I fell?” he said. “I don’t remember. I was with Mr. Hunter… that man!”
“What man?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know who he was! He shot the other two!”
“The other two?” she said.
“Yes, the other two men! They had guns! They were going to kill us! And that man shot them both with that strange pistol… he fired several times without reloading! So fast! How could he have done that?”
“But. Johnny, there’s no one here,” she said.
“But I saw them. Andre! He shot them, I tell you! And then he made the body disappear-”
“ What body? Johnny, what are you talking about?”
He stared at her. “You don’t believe me!”
“You must have been dreaming.” she said. “You struck your head.”
“A dream?” said Johnny. “No, it could not have been a dream. I saw it. I tell you! I came running here. I was looking for Mr. Macintosh. I thought he could tell me where Mr. Hunter was and I could ask him where I could find you and then those men came and they were going to kill him and they were going to kill me, too. and-”
“But, Johnny, I just saw Reese Hunter.” she said. “And he didn’t say anything about two men trying to kill him.”
“He-he didn’t?”
“No.” She shook her head. “He said he spoke to you about us and then you started to run off, but you slipped and fell and struck your head. I helped him carry you over here, out of the middle of the street, and he said you would be fine in a few moments and asked me to watch over you until you came around. He had to hurry to meet with someone.”
Johnny shook his head slowly. “But-but it seemed so real! You mean it was all a dream?”
“What else could it have been?” she said. “How can someone fire a pistol several times without reloading and then make
a dead body disappear?”
Johnny grimaced and rubbed his head. “I–I must admit it does sound foolish,” he said. “I don’t remember falling. But-but how did you come to be here.”
“I came looking for Ebenezer Macintosh,” she said. “I came to warn him. We’ve discovered that the horseman’s men, the ones who call themselves the Hellfire Club, are planning to kill him. It seems that they intend to kill the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, one at a time, striking in the middle of the night.”
Johnny gazed at her wide-eyed. “We must warn Mr. Macintosh!”
“He already knows. He’s gone to seek protection from his friends in the South End Gang.”
“We have to tell Mr. Adams!”
“That is already being taken care of,” she said. “The important thing for you to do right now is rest. You’ve had a nasty blow. After such a fall, rest is just the thing. Come on. I’ll help you to get home.”
She helped him up.
“I–I feel a little dizzy,” he said.
“That often happens when one’s had a nasty fall,” she said. “Can you walk’?” “Yes. I believe so.”
“Come on, then. I’ll walk with you.”
“I feel so strange,” said Johnny. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I was only trying to find you and Mr. Priest and Mr. Delaney… where were you? Where did you go? I looked for you everywhere!”
“We had a great deal to do,” said Andre. “We were with the Tories, discovering their plot against the Sons of Liberty.”
“I was afraid that something may have happened to you.” Johnny said. “I feared perhaps the Tories had discovered your deception. I–I don’t know what I would have done if they had hurt you.”
She smiled. “I’m touched by your concern.”
He stopped. “It is much more than mere concern.” he said. “Andre
… I–I have never said this to a girl before…”
She quickly put her fingertips up against his lips. “Don’t say it. Johnny.” she said softly. “I know. And I am flattered more than I could say. But please try to understand. I am not free.”
“You-you are promised to another?” he said.
“Yes. Johnny, I am.” He looked down at the ground. “I see. I–I suppose I dared not hope that you would-”
“There is much about you that a girl could love. Johnny,” she said. “Someday, you will meet the one who’s right for you and then I’m sure that you will make her very proud and very happy. But I…” she stopped, listening. “Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“Sssh! Listen!”
The sound came to them on the stillness of the cool night breeze.
“Men shouting.” Johnny said. “It sounds as if it’s coming from the Common.”
“Something’s happening. Come on. Johnny, run!” she said.
They sprinted toward the Common, Andre leading the way. Johnny running hard to keep up with her. They crossed Marlborough Street and ran toward the granary, on the comer of Common Street. The sound grew louder as they approached. They pulled up short as they reached the tree-lined Mall at the edge of the Common. A large group of black-robed figures were heading toward the Liberty Tree. Several of them were dragging along a fiercely struggling man, whose hands had been bound and whose mouth was gagged.
“They’ve got Mr. Macintosh!” said Johnny. he looked at Andre with alarm. “My God, they’re going to hang him, like the others! What are we to do?”
Andre thought fast. There was nothing she could do, not with Johnny there. They had already reached the Liberty Tree and were throwing a rope over one of its stout branches.
“Run, Johnny!” she said. “Get help!”
“But they will never come in time!”
She took out her dueling pistol. “I’ll fire a shot in the air.” she said, “then reload quickly and fire again. They may think the Sons of Liberty have come to rescue him.”
“They will not be fooled!” said Johnny.
“I have to try!” she said.
“They will kill you!”
“Johnny, you’re wasting time!”
“It’s too late! I will not leave you! We have to run before they see us!” They were putting the noose around Macintosh’s neck.
“ Johnny…” In desperation, Andre hit him with a hard right cross. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. “I’m sorry. Johnny.”
She’d run out of time. They were already hoisting Macintosh up off the ground. He was jerking on the rope like a fish. Andre slid the metal plate in front of the pistol’s trigger guard forward, exposing the hidden magazine well, then she quickly reached into her coat pocket and removed a plastic magazine holding fifteen staggered rounds of specially designed ball ammo. She slapped the magazine into the pistol and racked the slide. She fired the pistol into the air and started running, heading around the circle of hooded figures gathered beneath the Liberty Tree, firing as she ran, trying to make it seem as if them were a number of men shooting from different directions.
At the sound of the first shot, the hooded men glanced around, startled, and with the second and the third shot, they started looking all around them in confusion. They began shouting and several of them started running. Andre kept on shooting into the air as she ran. The hooded figures bolted, thinking that a group of armed men was upon them, ‘the men hoisting Macintosh up off the ground released the rope and ran. Macintosh dropped down to the ground and lay there, jerking, the noose still tight around his neck.
Andre reversed direction and ran back the other way, still firing. She had no idea how many rounds she had left, but she kept going, firing as she ran, and her deception worked. Since they were completely unfamiliar with the concept of a semiautomatic pistol, the members of the Hellfire Club naturally assumed that they were facing a force of armed men and they took off in all directions, running across the Common, some of them heading toward Frog Lane and Treamount Street, others going in the opposite direction, toward Beacon Hill, where Hancock’s mansion stood. In moments, they had all scattered in panic and the grassy Common was deserted.
She ran over to the fallen Macintosh and kneeled beside him, loosening the noose around his neck. She pulled the noose over his head and then removed his gag. He sucked in air and started coughing and retching.
“Easy, man, easy.” she said, working at his bonds. “Try to breathe slowly.”
He gasped and there was a rattle in his throat as he made a series of horrible rasping sounds, trying to draw air into his lungs. Andre freed his hands and propped him up, steadying him with an arm around his shoulders. He was breathing like a patient in a cancer ward and clinching at his throat.
“Slowly,” Andre said. “Try to breathe slowly. Take deep steady breaths.”
She helped him to his feet and propped him up with his back against the tree trunk.
“Thought I was done for,” he croaked.
“Don’t try to talk,” said Andre. “Where-where are the others?” he rasped.
“I said don’t try to talk! They’re all chasing the men who tried to hang you.”
“Who-who are…”
“I’m a friend of Hunter’s,” she said. “Stop trying to talk, for God’s sake. Just breathe, slowly and steadily, in-out-in-out…”
His chest rose and fell as he tried to take slow, deep, steady breaths.
“You’re going to be all right,” said Andre. “Thank God we got to you in time.”
“I–I am most grateful to you.” Macintosh said, his voice still coming out in a wheezing croak. “You-you saved my life. What is your name?”
“Never mind that,” she said. “You were just lucky my friends and I were passing by.”
He nodded. “Must warn Adams… bastards could try for him…”
“Can you walk? You need my help?”
“Thanks, friend, you’ve done enough. I’ll manage. Must hurry…”
He clapped her on the back and shambled off across the Common, his hand
still holding his throat. Andre leaned back against the tree trunk for a moment and sighed with relief, then she started heading back toward the spot where she had knocked out Johnny. She got no more than ten paces when she was struck hard across the back of her head. She grunted and collapsed to the moist grass.
Lucas felt like a sitting duck. The first thing he’d done was to have Linda Craven clock to headquarters with their prisoner. She clocked back in only minutes later, though she’d actually spent hours in the future, getting Dicenzo admitted and briefing the hospital M.P. detachment and the T.I.A. interrogation unit that would question him. They had all gone without sleep and they were tired, but the razor edge of tension kept them keenly alert. It would have been pointless to try going after Moffat, by now he could be anywhere. Lucas cursed himself for not having kept a closer watch on him. He had underestimated the hominoid’s strength, something he never should have done. They had to assume he had gone back to Drakov and now their base of operations was blown. If he didn’t already know about the house on Lime Street, Drakov would know about it very soon, which meant there was a possibility they could be hit at any time.
The trouble was, they couldn’t move the base. Their people were spread out all over the place and until they reported in. there was no way of letting them know what had occurred. Lucas had considered having Craven try to clock around the city, looking for them, but that would be too dangerous and he had no way of knowing exactly where the others would be at any given time. They had discussed it briefly, and when she had insisted upon staying because it would be too risky to leave him alone and vulnerable, he was forced to agree. He was not afraid for himself, but he could not risk being taken out and leaving the people under his command vulnerable when they returned to the field base, not knowing it was blown. They armed themselves and settled down to a tense wait.
“How about some coffee?” Linda said.
“You’ve got coffee?” Lucas said.
“What’s a field base without coffee?” she said, with a smile. “Or should we go native and drink tea?”
“No, I could sure use a cup of strong black coffee.” Lucas said.