understand me?”
“Jake?” It was Callie’s voice. She was
outside the door.
She rattled the knob. The men had locked it.
“What’s going on in there, Jake?”
“What matter?” Jake asked.
“The same thing that happened to Nigel Keren could
happen to you. It could happen to your wife. It could
happen to your daughter.”
Outside the door Callie’s voice was up an
octave. “Jake, are you all right? Jake, speak
to me!”
“Be a hell of a shame,” Blondie said, “if
your fifteenyear-old daughter died of heart
failure, wouldn’t it? A hell of a shame. And
you’d have only yourself to blame.”
“Jake!”
“Think about it,” the first man said, then stood up.
He unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to Callie and
walked by her for the stairs, the blond man at his
heels.
Stunned, Callie stared after them, then rushed
to Jake, who was getting up.
He was still dizzy. He leaned on the bookcase.
“Make sure they leave,” he told his wife and
pushed her gently toward the door.
He sagged down onto the couch and lowered his head
onto the arm. His jaw ached badly. He felt his
teeth. One seemed loose.
When Callie came back he was sitting at his
desk. “Jake, who were those men?”
“I dunno.
She started to speak and he held up his hand. She
cocked her head quizzically. He held a finger
to his lips. Then he reached for paper and wrote:
The place may be bugged. I’ll search it
later. Please go downstairs and throw away all the
food in the house. Everything except the stuff in
sealed cans. All
milk, soda Pop, beer, frozen food,
coffee, everything.
She read it and looked Puzzled.
“I’ll explain later,” he said.
“Please, go do it. She went.
Jake Grafton sat looking out his window for about
fifteen seconds, then he knelt by the safe and
opened it. His gun was still there, an old Smith and
Wesson .357 Magnum that he had carried when
he flew in Vietnam.
All the classified documents seemed to be as
he had left them. After he closed and locked the
safe, he rooted through his bottom desk drawer for the
box of shells. He loaded the Pistol and stuck it
in the small of his back, under the belt.
Downstairs in the kitchen he kissed his wife.
“the car keys?” Where are”
“in MY Purse.
Jake helped himself, then snagged his coat from the
hall rack. “I’ll be back in a little while,”
he said.
“Where are you going?
“Tarkington’s. There’s a chance those guys stopped
here first. They’re delivering messages tonight. “Why
don’t you call Toad?”
“I want to see these guys again.”
“Jake, be careful.”
“‘allyou know me, Callie. I’m always careful.-
He kissed her again and let her close the
door behind him.
The uniformed guard was walking the beat On the
sidewalk. Jake stopped beside him and rolled down
his window.
“Did YOU see two men come Out of my house?”
“Yessir. They got into a car parked across the
street.”
“What kind of car? “I don’t know, sir. It
was a sedan with government plates. Is there a
Problem, Admiral?”
“No. No problem. They forgot something, that’s
all.
Thanks.” He took his foot off the brake and
got the car in motion before the man could ask any more
questions.
The pistol was a hard lump where his back pressed
against the seat.
A white Ford sedan with government plates sat
in Tarkington’s driveway behind Rita’s car, which was
in the carport. Toad’s Honda Accord was parked
at the curb. A light in the living room window
made the drapes glow. Jake drove past and
parked on the next block.
As he walked back he kept looking in parked
cars. He saw no one.
These guys were sloppy. No lookouts, no
driver waiting behind the wheel. a government sedan, for
Christ’s sake!
They were just out putting the fear of God in a few people
tonight and not bothering to do it right.
Jake tried the door of the sedan. It was
unlocked. He popped the hood latch and eased the
door shut. Feeling in the darkness
“Jake?” It was Callie’s voice. She was
outside the door.
She rattled the knob. The men had locked it.
“What’s going on in there, Jake?”
“What matter?” Jake asked.
“The same thing that happened to Nigel Keren could
happen to you. It could happen to your wife. It could
happen to your daughter.”
Outside the door Callie’s voice was up an
octave. “Jake, are you all right? Jake, speak
to me!”
“Be a hell of a shame,” Blondie said, “if
your fifteenyear-old daughter died of heart
failure, wouldn’t it? A hell of a shame. And
you’d have only yourself to blame.”
“Jake!”
“Think about it,” the first man said, then stood up.
He unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to Callie and
walked by her for the stairs, the blond man at his
heels.
Stunned, Callie stared after them, then rushed
to Jake, who was getting up.
He was still dizzy. He leaned on the bookcase.
“Make sure they leave,” he told his wife and
pushed her gently toward the door.
He sagged down onto the couch and lowered his head
onto the arm. His jaw ached badly. He felt his
teeth. One seemed loose.
When Callie came back he was sitting at his
desk. “Jake, who were those men?”
“I dunno.
She started to speak and he held up his hand. She
cocked her head quizzically. He held a finger
to his lips. Then he reached for paper and wrote:
The place may be bugged. I’ll search it
later. Please go downstairs and throw away all the
food in the house. Everything except the stuff in
sealed cans. All
milk, soda Pop, beer, frozen food,
coffee, everything.
She read it and looked Puzzled.
“I’ll explain later,” he said.
“Please, go do it. She went.
Jake Grafton sat looking out his window for about
fifteen seconds, then he knelt by the safe and
opened it. His gun was still there, an old Smith and
Wesson .357 Magnum that he had carried when
he flew in Vietnam.
All the classified documents seemed to be as
he had left them. After he closed and locked the
safe, he rooted through his bottom desk drawer for the
box of shells. He loaded the Pistol and stuck it
in the small of his back, under the belt.
Downstairs in the kitchen he kissed his wife.
“the car keys?” Where are”
“in MY Purse.
Jake helped himself, then snagged his coat from the
hall rack. “I’ll be back in a little while,”
he said.
“Where are you going?
“Tarkington’s. There’s a chance those guys stopped
here first. They’re delivering messages tonight. “Why
don’t you call Toad?”
“I want to see these guys again.”
“Jake, be careful.”
“‘allyou know me, Callie. I’m always careful.-
He kissed her again and let her close the
door behind him.
The uniformed guard was walking the beat On the
sidewalk. Jake stopped beside him and rolled down
his window.
“Did YOU see two men come Out of my house?”
“Yessir. They got into a car parked across the
street.”
“What kind of car? “I don’t know, sir. It
was a sedan with government plates. Is there a
Problem, Admiral?”
“No. No problem. They forgot something, that’s
all.
Thanks.” He took his foot off the brake and
got the car in motion before the man could ask any more
questions.
The pistol was a hard lump where his back pressed
against the seat.
A white Ford sedan with government plates sat
in Tarkington’s driveway behind Rita’s car, which was
in the carport. Toad’s Honda Accord was parked
at the curb. A light in the living room window
made the drapes glow. Jake drove past and
parked on the next block.
As he walked back he kept looking in parked
cars. He saw no one.
These guys were sloppy. No lookouts, no
driver waiting behind the wheel. a government sedan, for
Christ’s sake!
They were just out putting the fear of God in a few people
tonight and not bothering to do it right.
Jake tried the door of the sedan. It was
unlocked. He popped the hood latch and eased the
door shut. Feeling in the darkness
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