|
I started haulin' to the convention center.
"DG, I've sorta stick my foot in it when I went to see L. Our only hope is to go back and capture him, and set up a prisoner swap. Even that's dicey. They may not be willin' to deal, and they out-man and out-gun us. How much grief are you willin' to handle?"
DesertGrandma reached into her purse and pulled out a honkin' big revolver. A S&W Scholfield. "Is this grief enough?"
"Yes ma'am. By the by, is that a .44-40?"
"You seem to know your guns, Red."
"Part of the profession. You're going to have to do the initial heavy liftin', much as I hate to make a client get involved. If he sees me first, he's liable to shoot first and not bother to ask questions. Can you do a little old lady act?"
"Why sure, sonny. Can I bake you some cookies?"
"Good enough. I need for you to get him out of the office, and keep him occupied until I can sneak up on him. I gave her the cover name L was workin under. Think you can handle it?"
"Sure, Red. What's this convention about?"
"Science-fiction."
"I guess I'll ask about my grandson getting a sales table. I'll ask somebody at the front desk to have him come help me. My bunions are bothering me." She gave me a wink.
"Sounds good."
I pulled into the parking lot and let DesertGrandma off. I went and parked somewhere else. More bad plannin' on my part. I should've taken her car, 'cause they might have been lookin' for the Jeep. Too late now.
I saw DG go in the front door. I went in a side door. I found a plastic plant to hide behind while DG was waitin' for L to come out.
L. came out and started talkin' to DG, when she all of a sudden she reared back and gave him a kick below the belt that I wouldn't have wanted to take, even wearin' an inch thick titanium cup.
He folded up faster than a house of cards on ground zero. I came chargin' over, and reached down into his suit pocket for his neuralizer and rooted around and got his gun. He was just rollin' around in agony.
"Get behind me and cover you eyes."
She did, and I yelled. "Attention, everybody."
I twisted my contacts and waited 2 seconds, then flashed the neuralizer. "None of you saw what happened here. He fell and hurt himself. I'm a doctor and am takin him to the hospital in my car which I'm about to go get."
I gave DG my keys. "Pull the Jeep over here. It's parked third row out, to the right a ways."
She skittered out the door, and started payin' attention to L. He was slowly gettin' over the kick, and in a little while he was gonna get bothersome.
He suddenly reached for his gun, which of couse was missin', 'cause I had it.
"Easy, L. I got your gun and your neuralizer."
The rage in his eyes was palpable.
I said, "L., I tried to do this easy, but you just wouldn't have any of it. So now we have to do it hard. Don't blame this on anybody but yourself."
I took the neuralizer and set it to freeze. My contacts were still twisted from the last flash. I flashed him.
A few seconds later I heard the Jeep drive up. DG came in and I told her to grab his feet. We carried him out and into the Jeep, got in and drove off.
"That wasn't very nice, Ma'am, leveling the poor bloke like that."
"He ought to be glad I didn't shoot 'em off. Kidnap my husband, will he."
"Look for a quiet spot where we can stop for a few minutes undisturbed. I need to question L."
|