Lion Loose Page 11

dead anyhow four, five hours from now, so that shouldn't maketoo much difference. What makes a lot of difference is just howunpleasant the thing can get."

  She drew a long breath. "Duke, I--"

  "You're stalling, sweetheart."

  "Duke, give me a break. I really didn't know a thing about this. I--"

  He looked down at her for a moment. "I gave you a break," he said."You've wasted it. Now we'll try it the other way. If we work a fewsqueals into the recording, that'll make it more convincing toLancion. He'll figure little Reetal's the type who wouldn't spill athing like that without a little pressure." He checked himself,grinned. "And that reminds me. When you're talking for the record, useyour own voice."

  "My own voice?" she half whispered.

  "Nome will remember what you sound like--and I've heard that voiceimitations are part of your stock in trade. You might think it wascute if Nome got to wondering after you were dead whether that reallyhad been you talking. Don't try it, sweetheart."

  He brought a glove out of his jacket pocket, slipped it over his lefthand, flexing his fingers to work it into position. Reetal's eyesfastened on the rounded metal tips capping thumb, forefinger andmiddle finger of the glove. Her face went gray.

  "Duke," she said, "No--"

  "Shut up." He brought out a strip of transparent plastic, moved overto her. The gloved hand went into her hair, gripped it, turned herface up. He laid the plastic gag lengthwise over her mouth, pressed itdown and released it. Reetal closed her eyes.

  "That'll keep it shut," he said. "Now--" His right hand clamped aboutthe back of her neck, forcing her head down and forward almost to herknees. The gloved left hand brushed her hair forwards, then its middlefinger touched the skin at a point just above her shoulder blades.

  "Right there," Fluel said. The finger stiffened, drove down.

  Reetal jerked violently, twisted, squirmed sideways, wrists strainingagainst the grip of the armrests. Her breath burst out of hernostrils, followed by squeezed, whining noises. The metal-cappedfinger continued to grind savagely against the nerve center it hadfound.

  "Thirty," Fluel said finally. He drew his hand back, pulled herupright again, peeled the gag away from her lips. "Only thirtyseconds, sweetheart. Think you'd sooner play along now?"

  Reetal's head nodded.

  "Fine. Give you a minute to steady up. This doesn't really waste muchtime, you see--" He took up the recorder, sat down on the chair again,watching her. She was breathing raggedly and shallowly, eyes wide andincredulous. She didn't look at him.

  The Duke lit another cigarette.

  "Incidentally," he observed, "if you were stalling because you hopedold Bad News might show up, forget it. If the boys haven't gunned himdown by now, he's tied up on a job the commodore gave him to do. He'llbe busy another hour or two on that. He--"

  He checked himself. A central section of the wall paneling across theroom from him had just dilated open. Old Bad News stood in theconcealed suite portal, Rest Warden Kinmarten slung across hisshoulder.

  Both men moved instantly. Fluel's long legs bounced him sideways outof the chair, right hand darting under his coat, coming out with agun. Quillan turned to the left to get Kinmarten out of the way. Thebig Miam Devil seemed to jump into his hand. Both guns spoke together.

  Fluel's gun thudded to the carpet. The Duke said, "Ah-aa-ah!" in asurprised voice, rolled up his eyes, and followed the gun down.

  Quillan said, stunned, "He was fast! I felt that one parting my hair."

  * * * * *

  He became very solicitous then--after first ascertaining that Fluelhad left the Executive Block unaccompanied, on personal business. Helocated a pain killer spray in Reetal's bedroom and applied it to thebruised point below the back of her neck. She was just beginning torelax gratefully, as the warm glow of the spray washed out the painand the feeling of paralysis, when Kinmarten, lying on the carpetnearby, began to stir and mutter.

  Quillan hastily put down the spray.

  "Watch him!" he cautioned. "I'll be right back. If he sits up, yell.He's a bit wild at the moment. If he wakes up and sees the Duke lyingthere, he'll start climbing the walls."

  "What--" Reetal began. But he was gone down the hall.

  He returned immediately with a glass of water, went down on one kneebeside Kinmarten, slid an arm under the rest warden's shoulder, andlifted him to a sitting position.

  "Wake up, old pal!" he said loudly. "Come on, wake up! Got somethinggood for you here--"

  "What are you giving him?" Reetal asked, cautiously massaging the backof her neck.

  "Knockout drops. I already had to lay him out once. We want to lockhim up with his wife now, and if he comes to and tells her what'shappened, they'll both be out of their minds by the time we come tolet them out--"

  He interrupted himself. Kinmarten's eyelids were fluttering. Quillanraised the glass to his lips. "Here you are, pal," he said in a deep,soothing voice. "Drink it! It'll make you feel a lot better."

  Kinmarten swallowed obediently, swallowed again. His eyelids stoppedfluttering. Quillan lowered him back to the floor.

  "That ought to do it," he said.

  "What," Reetal asked, "did happen? The Duke--"

  "Tell you as much as I can after we get Kinmarten out of the way. Ihave to get back to the Executive Block. Things are sort of teeteringon the edge there." He jerked his head at Fluel's body. "I want toknow about him, too, of course. Think you can walk now?"

  Reetal groaned. "I can try," she said.

  They found Solvey Kinmarten dissolved in tears once more. She flungherself on her husband's body when Quillan place him on the bed. "Whathave those _beasts_ done to Brock?" she demanded fiercely.

  "Nothing very bad," Quillan said soothingly. "He's, um, under sedationat the moment, that's all. We've got him away from them now, and he'ssafe ... look at it that way. You stay here and take care of him.We'll have the whole deal cleared up before morning, doll. Then youcan both come out of hiding again." He gave her an encouraging wink.

  "I'm so very grateful to both of you--"

  "No trouble, really. But we'd better get back to work on the thing."

  "Heck," Quillan said a few seconds later, as he and Reetal came out onthe other side of the portal, "I feel like hell about those two. Nicelittle characters! Well, if the works blow up, they'll never know it."

  "_We_'ll know it," Reetal said meaningly. "Start talking."

  He rattled through a brief account of events in the Executive Block,listened to her report on the Duke's visit, scratched his jawreflectively.

  "That might help!" he observed. "They're about ready to jump downeach other's throats over there right now. A couple more pushes--" Hestood staring down at the Duke's body for a moment. Blood soiled theback of the silver jacket, seeping out from a tear above the heartarea. Quillan bent down, got his hands under Fluel's armpits, hauledthe body upright.

  Reetal asked, startled, "What are you going to do with it?"

  "Something useful, I think. And wouldn't that shock the Duke ... thefirst time he's been of any use to anybody. Zip through the Star'sComWeb directory, doll, and get me the call symbol for Level Four ofthe Executive Block!"

  * * * * *

  Solvey Kinmarten dimmed the lights a trifle in the bedroom, went backto Brock, rearranged the pillows under his head, and bent down toplace her lips tenderly to the large bruises on his forehead and theside of his jaw. Then she brought a chair up beside the bed, and satdown to watch him.

  Perhaps a minute later, there was a slight noise behind her. Startled,she glanced around, saw something huge, black and shapeless movingswiftly across the carpet of the room toward her.

  Solvey quietly fainted.

  * * * * *

  "Sure you know what to say?" Quillan asked.

  Reetal moistened her lips. "Just let me go over it in my mind oncemore." She was sitting on the floor, on the right side of the ComWebstand, her face pale
and intent, "You know," she said, "this makes mefeel a little queasy somehow, Quillan! And suppose they don't fall forit?"

  "They'll fall for it!" Quillan was on his knees in front of the stand,supporting Fluel's body, which was sprawled half across it, directlybefore the lit vision screen. An outflung arm hid the Duke's face fromthe screen. "You almost had _me_ thinking I was listening to Fluelwhen you did the take-off of him this evening. A dying man can