one on the disaster wagon. You going to want some kind of backup?"
"There isn't much you can do, but thanks."
Oliver took a final look through the viewer to judge the angle his shot would have to take from the window. The leopard stared back at him.
"I have the creepiest feeling that he knows what I'm planning to do," Oliver said, stepping away from the wall.
"Tell you the truth, I'd rather face an armed bank robber," Brant said.
They went downstairs and walked around to the narrow alley that ran behind the building. Brant dispatched men to seal it off at both ends of the block.
The driver of the emergency truck came back with two men carrying an old wooden extension ladder.
"Sorry we haven't got an aluminum model," he aaid. "but the city cut our budget again."
"I know haw you feel," Oliver said.
The ladder was leaned up against the brick wall below the barred window. The two city employees held it steady at the base.
Oliver took the heavy tranquilizer rifle from Joe Creigh.
"Loaded?"
"Two darts," Alice said. "Two thousand mg's of ketamine in each one. From the looks of that animal, you'd better put the first dart in a good spot."
"I intend to," Oliver said. He started up the ladder, then turned back to give her a grin that showed more confidence than he felt.
As he climbed close to the window, Oliver looked down and saw the spear points of an iron fence directly below him. If he fell now, he'd be impaled like an anchovy on an hors d'oeuvres tray. He pushed the image out of his mind and inched upward.
He came even with the bottom of the grillwork and eased his head up over the sill. The accumulated grime on the glass was so thick he could not see into the room. He propped the hand holding the rifle against the brick wall for balance and dug into his pocket for a handkerchief. He reached in carefully through the bars and used the handkerchief to rub at the glass.
Gradually he wiped away enough of the dirt to give him a cloudy view of the interior of the room. He leaned closer to the glass to peer through.
Directly across the room from him the leopard rested on its haunches, looking back at him.
"You were waiting for me, weren't you, boy?" Oliver said. "You just be a good cat and sit right where you are, and this will all be over before you know it."
Moving slowly and awkwardly, careful to maintain his balance, Oliver brought the rifle around in front of him. Gripping it with both hands, he pulled it back so the muzzle was about a foot from the glass, then he thrust it forward. The gun barrel made a solid clunk against the pane, but the window did not break.
"Damn," Oliver muttered.
Inside the room the leopard crouched, tensing his muscles. Through the patch of glass he had cleared, Oliver could see the clear yellow eyes watching him.
"Just take it easy, big fella," he said. "Everything's going to be all right in a few minutes." As an afterthought he whispered, "I hope."
He shoved the muzzle of the rifle against the pane of glass again. Again it bounced off with no effect. Oliver teetered for a moment, pushed off balance by the rebound. Clutching the rifle with one hand, he hugged the wooden upright of the ladder with the other. Someone was shouting down below in the alley, but Oliver ignored it.
He ground his teeth and talked to himself under his breath. "Okay, Superman, all you have to do is break a pane of glass and put a dart into that cat. How will it look if you have to climb back down the ladder and ask for help?"
As he steeled himself to have another go at the window, the leopard sprang. Its two huge forepaws hit the window, and the glass exploded outward as though a bomb had gone off inside.
Oliver clung desperately to the quaking ladder as the leopard slashed at him through the bars. The beast's claws, like deadly curved daggers, gouged strips of wood effortlessly from the ladder. Oliver heard the tough denim of his pant leg rip away as a claw caught it at the knee. A horrified glance down
"There isn't much you can do, but thanks."
Oliver took a final look through the viewer to judge the angle his shot would have to take from the window. The leopard stared back at him.
"I have the creepiest feeling that he knows what I'm planning to do," Oliver said, stepping away from the wall.
"Tell you the truth, I'd rather face an armed bank robber," Brant said.
They went downstairs and walked around to the narrow alley that ran behind the building. Brant dispatched men to seal it off at both ends of the block.
The driver of the emergency truck came back with two men carrying an old wooden extension ladder.
"Sorry we haven't got an aluminum model," he aaid. "but the city cut our budget again."
"I know haw you feel," Oliver said.
The ladder was leaned up against the brick wall below the barred window. The two city employees held it steady at the base.
Oliver took the heavy tranquilizer rifle from Joe Creigh.
"Loaded?"
"Two darts," Alice said. "Two thousand mg's of ketamine in each one. From the looks of that animal, you'd better put the first dart in a good spot."
"I intend to," Oliver said. He started up the ladder, then turned back to give her a grin that showed more confidence than he felt.
As he climbed close to the window, Oliver looked down and saw the spear points of an iron fence directly below him. If he fell now, he'd be impaled like an anchovy on an hors d'oeuvres tray. He pushed the image out of his mind and inched upward.
He came even with the bottom of the grillwork and eased his head up over the sill. The accumulated grime on the glass was so thick he could not see into the room. He propped the hand holding the rifle against the brick wall for balance and dug into his pocket for a handkerchief. He reached in carefully through the bars and used the handkerchief to rub at the glass.
Gradually he wiped away enough of the dirt to give him a cloudy view of the interior of the room. He leaned closer to the glass to peer through.
Directly across the room from him the leopard rested on its haunches, looking back at him.
"You were waiting for me, weren't you, boy?" Oliver said. "You just be a good cat and sit right where you are, and this will all be over before you know it."
Moving slowly and awkwardly, careful to maintain his balance, Oliver brought the rifle around in front of him. Gripping it with both hands, he pulled it back so the muzzle was about a foot from the glass, then he thrust it forward. The gun barrel made a solid clunk against the pane, but the window did not break.
"Damn," Oliver muttered.
Inside the room the leopard crouched, tensing his muscles. Through the patch of glass he had cleared, Oliver could see the clear yellow eyes watching him.
"Just take it easy, big fella," he said. "Everything's going to be all right in a few minutes." As an afterthought he whispered, "I hope."
He shoved the muzzle of the rifle against the pane of glass again. Again it bounced off with no effect. Oliver teetered for a moment, pushed off balance by the rebound. Clutching the rifle with one hand, he hugged the wooden upright of the ladder with the other. Someone was shouting down below in the alley, but Oliver ignored it.
He ground his teeth and talked to himself under his breath. "Okay, Superman, all you have to do is break a pane of glass and put a dart into that cat. How will it look if you have to climb back down the ladder and ask for help?"
As he steeled himself to have another go at the window, the leopard sprang. Its two huge forepaws hit the window, and the glass exploded outward as though a bomb had gone off inside.
Oliver clung desperately to the quaking ladder as the leopard slashed at him through the bars. The beast's claws, like deadly curved daggers, gouged strips of wood effortlessly from the ladder. Oliver heard the tough denim of his pant leg rip away as a claw caught it at the knee. A horrified glance down
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