Lucas felt a huge, doubled-up fist chop away at the base of his skull, just as it had happened, and he sensed that the knife was lifted away from his throat in the same fluid motion. He guessed that one of his assailants had had combat training. His last thoughts were twofold: The attack on him was the work of two assailants, and Meredyth was in danger as well. But Stonecoat was in a black world now, the concrete walk his pillow. The words of his second attacker filtered through Lucas's fogbound mind now, the words of Jim Pardee, he assumed, tumbling out in broken slow motion. “We should just kill the bastard here and now.”
“No, not-now-and-not-here.”
A sudden, teeth-jarring kick struck Lucas in the side. On the couch where he lay, he flinched in pain. “Why're- we-screwing-with-him?”
The other man answered, “That's-'nough. We-do- it-the-way-we're-told.”
“Damn… damn… It's-a'ways-hell-Sanger's- way, isn't-it?”
“Orders-is-orders.”
“Our-lives-on-the-line.”
“Damn it. Partner, we're-all-in-this-together.”
“Bas-tard!”
Stonecoat felt another sharp pain in his ribs when one of the apes viciously kicked out at him again. He flinched where he lay on the couch. He fought the pain every step of the way, then fell into complete unconsciousness. But now, under hypnosis, he could contemplate his own unconscious state. It was strange, like being on locoweed.
Then he was brought out of it, thinking it hadn't worked, that he was incapable of being hypnotized, and that only a moment's time had elapsed. He hadn't heard a word or felt a thing during the session, according to his conscious mind.
Meredyth looked grimly down on him, much disturbed, and Randy's mouth hung open until he finally said, “Must be his thoughts are all jumbled up, Dr. Sanger.”
“What's wrong? What'd I say?”
“You accused Dr. Sanger of siccing those goons on you!”
“What? That's nonsense,” he instantly replied. “Why would I think that, even in an unconscious state?”
“Well, in a sense, I got you into this,” she countered. And in her most professional manner, she continued, saying, “You have every right to subconsciously explore your animosity toward-
“Whoa-up there. Hold on…”
'To point a finger of blame at me,” she groped for simple terms, “for having gotten you nearly killed. After all, I did-”
“I wasn't nearly killed, and why are you saying that I blame you? I'm a grown man, capable of making my own decisions, and I decided I wanted in, as I recall.”
“No, I manipulated you.”
“You did no such thing. I don't get manipulated.”
“I put your back to the wall in your own captain's office before Commander Bryce if you recall, so don't tell me about who's at fault and who's not.” Her voice rose wavelike, cresting and washing anger over him.
“Damn it, woman, I decide when I go forward and when I go backward. My mother's name was Going back.”
“Really? I don't see where that has any bearing.”
Randy attempted a timid truce, his hands waving as he dared step between the cop and the shrink, saying, “Let's run the tape, okay?” He had tape-recorded the session, using a small recorder from Dr. Sanger's purse.
“Good idea,” agreed Lucas, his eyes never leaving Meredyth. “I'd like to know exactly what I said to so upset you.”
She dropped her gaze, shook her head, as if to say everything he did upset her. Randy clicked on the tape. Meredyth's voice crisply explained what the session en-tailed, who she was, who the subject and witness were, and the date; the tape then continued into the hypnosis itself. Lucas thought she sounded like any other psychiatrist at this point. Then, after a few questions posed by Meredyth to set the scene, he heard himself, speaking in the voices of the two thugs who'd jumped him. He soon realized why she had become so defensive and self-conscious about her role in dragging him into the case. It did sound as if he had subconsciously blamed her for the beating as he as much as said in his hypnotic state that the men had been sent by her. The one goon wanted it done Sanger's way.
The phone rang, shaking Lucas from his despair at the evidence brought to bear against him. He shrugged in an apologetic manner toward Meredyth, a gesture he knew to be too little, too late. Maybe subconsciously he did conceal some dark caves of hatred for the doctor. Maybe he was upset with her for having gotten him so deeply involved in a case that could easily boomerang on them all.
Randy picked up the phone on the third ring, his eyes never leaving the other two. “Yeah, yes, sir… matter of fact, he's… he's right here, Captain Lawrence,” sputtered Randy.
He carried the phone over to Lucas and added, “It's for you.” He gestured to Meredyth after relinquishing the phone to Lucas, as if to say, Don't ask me how he knew you were here.
“Yeah, Stonecoat here. Can I help you, Captain?”
“We got another brutal killing up north, Lucas.” Captain Lawrence's voice seemed a fix of fatigue and angst. “Same M.O.?”
“Sounds to be, yes.”
“Where exactly?”
“Rapid City, South Dakota-outskirts, actually.”
“Outskirts? North, south, east, or west outskirts?”
“West, I'm told. We got you booked in a place called the Wagon Wheel.”
“Same M.O., using a crossbow?” he repeated, hardly believing it.
“Near as authorities up there can tell. Some poor bastard and his woman, both with arrows through their hearts. That close enough?”
“Execution-style murders? Mutilated corpses?”
“You got it. Hands, heads, feet, sexual organs.”
Lucas saw that Meredyth was listening intently. “Bloody business. Nothing but the torsos remaining?”
“I've been trying to locate Dr. Sanger. You two are booked on a red-eye flight leaving tonight, but I haven't been able to locate her.”
“I'll let her know.”
“You know where she is, then?”
“She's having dinner with her boyfriend at the Marriott, so I'll have her paged there.”
“Her boyfriend? She's got a boyfriend?”
“A nice guy named Conrad. Why not, Captain?”
“Way she drives a man… just surprises me.” He laughed at his own feeble joke. “Anyhow, a plane will be waiting for you two at the same military hangar you left from last time.”
“Roger that, Captain.” He hung up and informed the others of the horrid yet half-expected news.
“Why have the killers stepped up their pace?” Meredyth wondered aloud.
“I don't know, but at this rate, their dirty little activities are going to be front-page national headlines soon.”
“Let's get out to the airport. Run me by my place, Lucas.
“ She then turned to the younger man. “Randy, it's important that you go on as if nothing's happened. Just maintain.”
“Got it. Dr. Sanger.”
Lucas threw together a set of clothes and items for the trip nearly identical to what he'd taken on the last one to Oregon. He made a quick telephone call, getting reservations at a place he called the Prairie Wind Lodge in Black Hawk. After he dropped the phone back onto its cradle, she instantly asked, “Black Hawk?”
“Near Custer State Park, in the Badlands area. Kinda rustic.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning friends of mine operate the place,” he told her. “I've hunted elk and deer in the area myself. Have even used a crossbow. May as well throw them some business.”
She nodded. “So long as it's not so rustic we can't get separate rooms, fine.”
“They're Indians, Sioux, a little Shoshoni mixed in. They had parts in Dances with Wolves.”
“Really?” From her tone, he could not tell if she was amused or curious.
'Their accommodations weren't good enough for Kevin Costner. He stayed at the Alex Johnson, downtown Rapid City, the presidential suite. But for you and me, we'll be fine at the Wind.”
“Sioux, really… sounds interesting.”