Why do these yahoos think they need machine guns? he asked himself.
The man stopped just inside the front door and, looking toward the rear of the house, held a finger to his lips, then waved for his companion to approach.
That’s it, Ham said to himself. You two fellows just get a little closer together.
The first man was making hand motions now, directing his friend toward the kitchen. No more waiting.
Ham kicked open the closet door. “Freeze,” he said, but he knew they wouldn’t. The short barrel of the Uzi was swinging around, and he fired the shotgun at it once, while pointing the Beretta 9mm at the other man.
The first man and the Uzi parted company, a
nd he flew backward, landing on and smashing the mahogany coffee table. The second man dropped his weapon and threw his hands into the air.
“Good evening,” Ham said in a low voice. “How many more of you?”
“None,” the man said. “Let me out of here, and you’ll never see me again.”
“That’s a possibility,” Ham said, “but not until I get some answers. Lie down on the floor.” He didn’t call Ginny out yet, because he wasn’t sure there weren’t others.
48
STONE WAS AT his desk, working his way through a pile of work he had dictated days before, when the phone rang.
Joan buzzed him. “Ham Barker on line one, and he wants to talk with both you and Holly.”
“Buzz Holly in the bedroom,” Stone said. He watched the lights on the phone blinking, then turning red again. He picked up the instrument. “Ham?”
“Yeah, Stone. Holly’s on the line, too.”
“What’s up?”
“Well, we were about to start packing for a little vacation when we had a couple of visitors.”
“Are you both all right?”
“Oh, yeah, we’re fine. One of our visitors is suffering from being dead, though, and the other one is taped to a kitchen chair. Don’t you just love duct tape?”
“Ham,” Holly said, “was this a good shooting?”
“Well, if you think having an Uzi pointed at you with intent is a good reason for a shooting, then it’s a good shooting.”
“Have you called the station?”
“Not yet. I wanted to have a little chat with the other one first.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Holly said.
“Oh, I’m about ready to call now. I just wanted to let you and Stone have the results of our chat first.”
“Okay, what are the results?”
“Well, the fellow was a little reluctant to talk at first, until we made him take off his pants and then taped him to the chair and then told him about how Daisy was trained to eat genitals, how they’re her favorite thing.”
Holly burst out laughing. “I’ve got to remember that one.”
“After that, and after Daisy stood in front of him and showed her teeth, he got real talkative.”
“And what did he have to say?” Stone asked.