he jerked the
leads off the spark plugs, then let the hood down
gently. Then he got behind the front of Rita’s
car, got the pistol out, and waited.
Jake was under no illusions. This was going to be
dicey.
He was going to have to get control of this situation
quickly before these two clowns had a chance to think about it.
If he pulled the trigger the cops would be here in
short order, someone was going to be arrested, and someone
was going to have a lot of explaining to do. And
someone-Jake suspected that he might wind up as this
someone-would probably find himself in more trouble than he
could get himself out of.
He had waited no more than three minutes when
he heard the Tarkingtons” front door open.
He got down on his hands and knees in front of
Rita’s car and looked under it, He saw
their feet. They got into the sedan. A muttered
oath.
The passenger door opened and a set of feet
came around to the front of the car. Grafton
straightened and peered through the window of Rita’s car.
The sedan’s hood was up. The blond man was
looking into the engine compartment.
Jake went to his left, around Rita’s
Mazda. The hood obscured the driver’s view
and the blond had his back to Jake. He heard
Jake coming at the last instant and started to turn just as
the Pistol butt thunked into his head. He went
down like a sack of potatoes.
Jake grasped the butt of the revolver with his right
hand and stepped around to the driver’s door. He jerked
it open.
“Get out. The dark-haired man looked
slightly stunned, Jake reached with his left hand and
got a handful of shirt and tie. He jerked hard,
The man half fell out of the seat.
Jake jabbed the gun barrel into his ear and kept
putting.
con”Jesus, you can’t ‘Get up and walk or
I’ll blow your brains out.” He jabbed savagely
with the gun barrel.
The man came along.
“Tarkington,” Jake called. “Get out here.”
The door opened and the stoop light came on.
“Toad, turn off that light and get out here.”
Tarkington came out. He was in his pajamas and
they were torn half off his chest. “That one on the
ground, was Jake said, nodding. “Clean out his
pockets. Everything.
Put him into the sedan and bring all the stuff
inside.”
Rita held the door.
In the living room Jake hooked the dark-haired
man’s leg and sent him sprawling.
“Search him, Rita, and tell me what
happened.”
Rita Moravia was wearing a robe over a
nightie. Her hair was down. She began Pulling
things from the man’s pockets as she talked. “They
rang the doorbell and told Toad they were from the
DIA and you sent them over here. He let them in.
I heard a scuffle out here in the living room and
came out and they had knocked him down. they made some
threats.”
“HOW long were they here?”
“Seven Or eight minutes, No more.”
Rita had finished with the man’s rear trouser
pockets and side coat pockets.
She rolled him over without ceremony and emptied
his inside jacket pockets. She turned his
front trouser pockets inside out.
“Feel him all over for weapons.”
Rita did so. “Nope. Just the one wallet, and
this.” She held up a card encased in plastic
attached to a chain. Jake had seen ones like this before.
It was a pass to the CIA’S Langley facility.
Jake picked up the wallet and examined it.
He extracted the driver’s license and held it out
so he could read it.
“Okay, Paul Tanana of 2134 North
Wood Duck Drive, Burke, Virginia.
Want to tell us who sent you on this little errand?”
Rita was finished. She gathered the CIA pass
and the change, keys and pens and placed them on a
coffee table.
“I asked you a question,” Jake said.
Tanana glowered. “You’ll be sorry for this.”
“I’m sorry I ever laid eyes on you. Who
sent you?”
Silence.
“Rita, check on Toad.”
The gun felt heavy in Jake’s hand. He
kept it pointed at Tanana, who was rubbing his ear.
Jake rubbed his fingers back and forth across the stiff
plastic of the driver’s license.
In a
leads off the spark plugs, then let the hood down
gently. Then he got behind the front of Rita’s
car, got the pistol out, and waited.
Jake was under no illusions. This was going to be
dicey.
He was going to have to get control of this situation
quickly before these two clowns had a chance to think about it.
If he pulled the trigger the cops would be here in
short order, someone was going to be arrested, and someone
was going to have a lot of explaining to do. And
someone-Jake suspected that he might wind up as this
someone-would probably find himself in more trouble than he
could get himself out of.
He had waited no more than three minutes when
he heard the Tarkingtons” front door open.
He got down on his hands and knees in front of
Rita’s car and looked under it, He saw
their feet. They got into the sedan. A muttered
oath.
The passenger door opened and a set of feet
came around to the front of the car. Grafton
straightened and peered through the window of Rita’s car.
The sedan’s hood was up. The blond man was
looking into the engine compartment.
Jake went to his left, around Rita’s
Mazda. The hood obscured the driver’s view
and the blond had his back to Jake. He heard
Jake coming at the last instant and started to turn just as
the Pistol butt thunked into his head. He went
down like a sack of potatoes.
Jake grasped the butt of the revolver with his right
hand and stepped around to the driver’s door. He jerked
it open.
“Get out. The dark-haired man looked
slightly stunned, Jake reached with his left hand and
got a handful of shirt and tie. He jerked hard,
The man half fell out of the seat.
Jake jabbed the gun barrel into his ear and kept
putting.
con”Jesus, you can’t ‘Get up and walk or
I’ll blow your brains out.” He jabbed savagely
with the gun barrel.
The man came along.
“Tarkington,” Jake called. “Get out here.”
The door opened and the stoop light came on.
“Toad, turn off that light and get out here.”
Tarkington came out. He was in his pajamas and
they were torn half off his chest. “That one on the
ground, was Jake said, nodding. “Clean out his
pockets. Everything.
Put him into the sedan and bring all the stuff
inside.”
Rita held the door.
In the living room Jake hooked the dark-haired
man’s leg and sent him sprawling.
“Search him, Rita, and tell me what
happened.”
Rita Moravia was wearing a robe over a
nightie. Her hair was down. She began Pulling
things from the man’s pockets as she talked. “They
rang the doorbell and told Toad they were from the
DIA and you sent them over here. He let them in.
I heard a scuffle out here in the living room and
came out and they had knocked him down. they made some
threats.”
“HOW long were they here?”
“Seven Or eight minutes, No more.”
Rita had finished with the man’s rear trouser
pockets and side coat pockets.
She rolled him over without ceremony and emptied
his inside jacket pockets. She turned his
front trouser pockets inside out.
“Feel him all over for weapons.”
Rita did so. “Nope. Just the one wallet, and
this.” She held up a card encased in plastic
attached to a chain. Jake had seen ones like this before.
It was a pass to the CIA’S Langley facility.
Jake picked up the wallet and examined it.
He extracted the driver’s license and held it out
so he could read it.
“Okay, Paul Tanana of 2134 North
Wood Duck Drive, Burke, Virginia.
Want to tell us who sent you on this little errand?”
Rita was finished. She gathered the CIA pass
and the change, keys and pens and placed them on a
coffee table.
“I asked you a question,” Jake said.
Tanana glowered. “You’ll be sorry for this.”
“I’m sorry I ever laid eyes on you. Who
sent you?”
Silence.
“Rita, check on Toad.”
The gun felt heavy in Jake’s hand. He
kept it pointed at Tanana, who was rubbing his ear.
Jake rubbed his fingers back and forth across the stiff
plastic of the driver’s license.
In a
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