Safer Dead

I got to my feet, grabbed up a chair and slammed it down on his head as he got up on hands and knees. He flattened out, heaved up again and caught me under the knees before I could hit him again.

I took a toss that beat most of the breath out of me, and he was on top of me by the time I got my head clear. I shoved my open hand into his face, holding him back, but I took a chopping blow on the side of my neck that turned me sick. I shoved him away and as he scrambled towards me again, I kicked him in the chest.

He rolled over on his back, but he could take any amount of that kind of stuff. He was getting to his feet as my hand closed around the leg of the bedside table. His head was outlined against the window, and it made a nice target. I hit him on the exact top of his head with the table which flew to pieces under the impact.

He flattened out and stayed out.

Panting, I bent over him, turned him on his back to make sure he wasn’t foxing. I felt as if I had been snarled up with a bulldozer. I looked across the room for Lydia, but I couldn’t see her.

‘Lydia!’

She didn’t answer.

I fumbled my way across to the electric light switch and turned the light on.

She wasn’t in the room.

As I ran out into the passage, shouting her name, I heard the sound of an approaching police siren.

III

I jerked open the cabin door and ran out on to the verandah. Away through the trees I could see the blaze of approaching car headlights.

A yellow flash of flame came from across the lawn, something zipped past my face and carved splinters from the front door. The crash of gunfire shattered the silence of the night, and I hurriedly ducked back under cover.

I had forgotten the second gunman, and he had nearly fixed me. I bolted down the passage into the back room for my gun. The sight of the empty room made my nerves crawl.

Borg had made a pretty quick recovery. He was either hiding in the cabin or he had left by the window. I snatched up the gun, jumped across the room and turned off the light.

Cautiously I made my way down the passage to the front door again.

I heard a car pull up with a screeching of tyres. Car doors slammed, then two policemen, guns in hand, came running down the cinder path. From across the lawn, behind the shelter of a cabin, there was a flash and a bang of gunfire.

The two policemen scattered like startled hens, diving behind trees. One of them fired at the cabin. There was a crash of glass and a woman screamed.

Lights began to flash up in the cabins, spilling through the windows on to the lawn.

I caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure, squat and thickset moving stealthily towards the trees. It was Borg. Lifting my gun, I fired at him. He broke into a run, but before he could reach the shelter of the trees, one of the policemen fired at him, and his shooting was more accurate than mine.

Borg went down on one knee, struggled up, then came slowly out into the open. The gun in his hand blazed. The two policemen both fired at him. Staggering back, he dropped his gun and spread out on the grass.

The second gunman made a dash for the cinder path. One of the policemen spun around, jerked up his gun and fired. The gunman dropped, rolled over, tried to get up on hands and knees, then slumped down on the cinders.

‘You’ve got both of them now,’ I shouted and moved out on to the verandah.

The two policemen came cautiously towards me, covering me with their guns.

‘I’m Sladen,’ I said, careful not to move. It struck me these two might be trigger happy.

‘Drop that gun!’ one of them rapped out.

I put the gun on the verandah floor.

‘Okay; now identify yourself.’

I gave him my press card and driving licence.

‘Okay, Mr. Sladen,’ the policeman said. ‘Looks like we turned up about right. Sergeant Scaife’s sending another car. It should I be here any moment.’

‘Did you see a girl around?’ I asked.

‘Didn’t see anyone except those two punks.’

Then I caught sight of Lydia as she came out of the shadows.

She walked unsteadily and slowly towards me.

‘There she is,’ I said and ran over to her.

Before I could reach her, she folded at the knees and dropped on the grass. The two policemen joined me as I bent over her. For a moment I thought she had been shot, but there was no sign of blood. One of the policemen felt her pulse.

‘She’ll be okay,’ he said. ‘She’s fainted.’

By this time people were crowding out of the cabins and were forming groups around the two dead gunmen. Approaching sirens brought two more squad cars bouncing

down the drive-in.

‘I’ll get her to my car,’ I said, picking Lydia up.

With the two policemen either side of me, I carried her to the car park where the squad cars were unloading.

A sergeant came over to me.

‘Sladen?’

‘That’s right.’

‘The Captain wants you back at headquarters. Who’s the girl? Is she hurt?’

‘No; just fainted.’ I got Lydia into the Lincoln. ‘She’s part of the story. Are you going to give me an escort?’

‘I’ll send someone with you.’

He told one of his men to drive us to headquarters, then calling to his men, he went off down the cinder path.