‘That’s far enough, screw,’ Deeming said when Gently was halfway towards him. He gave his throttle a touch, showed his teeth in a grin.
Gently stopped. They looked at each other. Deeming ’s slate eyes were glittering. The grin stayed on his face but the eyes weren’t with it.
‘Like you’re asking for it,’ Deeming said. ‘I might pick you off, screw. You get too far from that car and I could put you with Lister.’
‘You’d better give yourself up,’ Gently said.
Deeming gave an amused laugh. ‘That wit,’ he said. ‘I always went for it big. Like why should I give myself up?’
‘Because you’re finished,’ Gently said. ‘We know the whole story, Deeming. You did for yourself when you came after Elton.’
‘So I should give myself up?’ Deeming said.
‘It’ll save you trouble,’ Gently said. ‘You’re trapped. You can’t get out. We’ve got cars covering all the exits.’
‘Cars,’ Deeming said. ‘You funny screw.’ He laughed again, stroked his throttle. ‘You haven’t cars enough,’ he said, ‘and they’re kind of slow, kind of heavy. You can’t get me with cars, screw. There isn’t enough in all Squaresville. You can’t touch me. I’m a free man. Better face it, screw. I’m free.’
‘You’ll get a fair trial,’ Gently said.
‘Surest thing,’ Deeming said. ‘It’s nice to give a fair trial to a guy you’re going to hang. Like then you can kind of rub it in, you can do the cat-and-mouse action. Squares love it, don’t they, screw? They go for it big, a state kill.’
‘You’re a killer yourself,’ Gently said.
‘Yeah,’ Deeming said. ‘I’m a killer. But I don’t kill in cold blood. I’m not as low as the squares, screw.’
‘You knew the penalty,’ Gently said.
‘I know a lot about squares,’ Deeming said. ‘How come they don’t like me killing, when they pay a murderer themselves?’
Gently shrugged. ‘You’ll have time to argue that out in your cell,’ he said. ‘But you can’t get away, Deeming. We’re going to pick you up somewhere.’
Deeming shook his head. ‘Not you, screw. Not while I’m sitting on this bike. Take a look, screw. I’m a free man. Maybe you’ll never see one again.’
‘You aren’t free,’ Gently said.
Deeming chuckled. ‘I’m free,’ he said. ‘As of now I’ve washed my hands of all squares and the taint of them. I’m on the borders now, screw. I’m reaching out for the big touch. I’m the only free man. You haven’t got a weapon, screw.’
‘I see you as a killer,’ Gently said. ‘A killer who’s scared of the penalty.’
‘Keep watching,’ Deeming said. ‘You’ve something left to learn yet.’
‘You can’t face it,’ Gently said.
‘Like I choose not to,’ Deeming grinned. ‘Free choice — you know? It’s in my power to do either.’
There was a rush of feet behind Gently. Deeming hit his clutch, paddled away. Setters and Brewer, running like maniacs, tried to catch up with him and grab him. Deeming didn’t put on speed. He let the two policemen stick close behind him. He rode a circle round the Wolseley, waited till first Setters, then Brewer, fell away. He continued riding back to Gently.
‘See how it bounces?’ he drawled. ‘Like I’ve got the squares where I want them, tagging along in the rear.’
‘So now what?’ Gently said.
‘Keep watching,’ Deeming drawled. ‘I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. Just keep your eyes stashed on Dicky.’
He curved off again, rode deliberately close to the advancing Setters, didn’t swerve for an instant when Setters made a hopeful spring at him. Then he rode on to the track and pointed in the direction of the Chase. He kept going, very steady, at about fifteen miles an hour.
‘Get into the car,’ Gently said. ‘There’s nothing we can do except follow him.’
Setters flung himself in, breathing heavily and saying nothing. In the back of the car Shepherd was dabbing Elton’s head with antiseptic. Elton had got his eyes closed. He was moaning and snivelling. He gave a wailing cry when the car started, made a fluttery, pushing motion with his hand. Gently pressed the R.T. switch.
‘X2 calling control,’ he said.
‘Control receiving X2,’ control said. ‘Your patrols are on their stations.’
‘We have Deeming under observation,’ Gently said. ‘He’s proceeding along the track to Five Mile Drove. I want the two cars in that area to form a roadblock where the track goes through the Chase. Tell them to pick their spot carefully and to make sure it’s completely blocked. Read it back. Over.’
Control read the message back.
‘Further instruction,’ Gently said. ‘Tell them not to sit in the cars.’
They followed Deeming. He increased his speed when he found he had them behind him, established a distance of a quarter of a mile, settled down in the fours. Brewer made unobtrusive attempts to cut down on the distance, but they failed. Deeming was watching them closely in his mirror.
‘What do we do when we come to the block, sir?’ Brewer asked Gently.
Gently grunted. ‘I’m wondering about that myself,’ he said.
‘We ram the louse,’ Setters growled. ‘Don’t dare to let him come past you. If you fix him that’s too bad. I’ll cry all the way to the inquest.’
‘Do you want him rammed, sir?’ Brewer asked Gently.
‘No,’ Gently said. ‘I want him in dock.’ Brewer frowned, held the speed steady, never let his eye stray from Deeming.
‘He was going to kill me,’ Elton moaned. ‘He came there to kill me.’
Shepherd was flaking a bandage on him over a pad of moistened lint.
‘They brought me food,’ Elton said. ‘I thought he’d come with my food. Then he hit my head. He was going to kill me.’
‘We’ll get him,’ Setters said. ‘Don’t you worry, Elton.’
‘I wouldn’t have said nothing,’ Elton said. ‘I wouldn’t never have said nothing. Then he hit my head. He pulled out a spanner and hit it. I fell down, he tripped over my feet. I got up the ladder and ran. I wouldn’t have said nothing at all. But he was going to kill me.’
‘Yeah,’ Setters said. ‘We know. Don’t you worry about it, Elton.’
‘He was nice to me,’ Elton snivelled. ‘Then he hit my head.’
Gently looked over his shoulder. ‘Is that where the sticks are kept?’ he asked.
‘Yuh,’ Elton blubbered. ‘I never knew. That’s where they kept them, down there.’
‘Whose idea was it for you to hide there?’
‘Sid Bixley’s,’ Elton said. ‘He told me I was going to be arrested, I’d have to stop there till they fixed it.’
‘Don’t you worry,’ Setters said. ‘You’re in the clear now, Elton.’
They began to see the Chase stretching sombrely across the skyline. Deeming hadn’t changed his pace, was riding easily, relaxedly. A couple of times he’d looked back, given a derisive wave of his hand, but most of the time he just rode as though he were out for his pleasure.
Control called them up.
‘Your block is in position, X2. About a mile from the main road, the track is closed off as instructed. Any further instructions?’
‘Give me a supporting patrol,’ Gently told them. ‘Put it in Five Mile Drove, stationed at the junction with the track.’
‘Willco,’ control said. ‘We’ll try to send you another patrol.’
They came to the nursery, the fire-signs. A forest-ranger watched them go by. In the trees they lost sight of Deeming and Brewer promptly lifted his speed. Deeming let them come up closer. He wasn’t trying to get away. He held them back at a hundred yards and Brewer settled down again. Setters was back holding the seat.
‘Remember what I said,’ he snapped at Brewer. ‘You’ll only be cheating the hangman, and we don’t all like hangmen.’
‘I’ll try to stop him,’ Brewer clipped.
‘Better than that,’ Setters said.
‘Just stop him,’ Gently said. ‘If you can,’ he added.
They cornered on a rise, went sweeping down a long straight. The block was just past the end of the straight. It was a very efficient block. The two cars were spread across the track, each bumper nested against a tree. The track was narrow and they more than filled it. Behind the cars stood their crews, watching.