The gun dropped from Riff’s hand and he yelled out with pain, clutching his wrist and staggering away. Moe scooped up the gun and covered both the Cranes.
Chita hadn’t moved. She sat on the arm of the lounging chair, her face expressionless, her eyes glittering.
Moe said, “Tell me the truth, Mr. Dermott. Are there Feds out there? We’ll need help. I’m turning these two in... I’m turning myself in. If they’re out there, call them in.”
“There’s one out there,” Vic said.
“Okay, then call him in,” Moe said.
Nursing his wrist and cursing, Riff leaned against the wall as Vic started towards the door. Moe swung around and covered Riff with his gun. His back was half turned to Chita. He didn’t see her slide her hand under the cushion of the chair. Her fingers groped for and found Vic’s automatic which she had taken from Riff’s trousers pocket the previous night and had hidden under the cushion.
Vic stepped out into the lobby. As he walked towards the front door, Carrie came out of the bedroom.
“Oh, Vic!” she exclaimed joyfully. “I thought I heard your voice.”
He went to her, catching her in his arms.
“It’s all right, darling,” he said. “Just a moment... I’m getting the Federal Officer. I...”
The violent bang of gunfire that exploded from the lounge turned them into frozen, frightened statues.
Under the cushion, Chita had thumbed back the safety catch, lifted the gun from its hiding place, levelled it at Moe’s back and squeezed the trigger.
Moe felt the impact of the bullet without pain. It was as if someone had hit him with a heavily padded sledge hammer. He went down, knocking over an occasional table, his gun sliding out of his hand and coming to rest at Riff’s feet. Her face set in a white, hard mask, Chita stared at Moe, watched him as he moved in a feeble endeavour to get to his feet, then raising the sight of the gun slightly and aiming at his head, she again squeezed the trigger.
In the brief seconds before the second bullet smashed into Moe’s skull, he thought of his mother. He wondered if she had been frightened to die. He regretted not being with her when she had passed on. In these brief seconds, he realized, even if he hadn’t listened to Kramer, with her death, he would have had no future. People, he thought, had to live with people, and he had never had anyone to live with except his mother. With her gone out of his life, he knew he was lost. There was no pain. He knew he was dying. At least, he thought, he would never again be caged up in the awful cell. Just before the second bullet killed him he thought of the Dermott’s baby.
Riff picked up Moe’s gun with his left hand.
“The son-of-a-bitch’s broken my wrist,” he whined.
“Oh, shut up!” Chita snapped and going to the door, she covered Vic and Carrie as they stood motionless, staring at her. “Come on in,” she said, “and be careful how you come.”
The sound of the two shots came clearly to Harper. He immediately contacted Dennison on the two-way radio.
“There’s shooting going on up there,” he reported. “Looks like the Dermotts want help. Permission for me to see what’s happening.”
“You stay right where you are,” Dennison said firmly. “In less than an hour, you’ll have help. Pitt City police are sending men out to you. I must know if these hoods make a break out and if they use the Dermotts as shields. You stay right where you are and report to me... understand?”
“But they could be killing those two up there,” Harper protested. “I can’t stand by...”
“You heard me!” Dennison barked. “Stay where you are... that’s an order!”
At the sight of Moe’s dead body, Carrie stifled a scream, turned and hid her face against Vic’s shoulder.
Riff seemed stunned that Moe was dead. He stared at his sister, stared at the gun in her hand, but although bewildered, he had sudden confidence that if anyone could get him out of this spot she could.
“Take the money!” she said to him. “Put it in the car!”
“I can’t carry them,” Riff snarled. “My wrist’s broken!”
“Do what I say!” Chita screamed at him. “To hell with your wrist! Take the money to the car!”
Cursing, Riff shoved the gun into his hip pocket, shut the lids of the suitcases, grabbed the handles in his left hand and staggered out of the room with them.
Chita eyed Vic and Carrie. The gun in her hand pointed directly at them.
“I killed him,” she said, nodding to Moe’s body. “I’ve got nothing to lose now.” She was speaking directly at Vic. “We’re leaving, but we’re taking your wife with us. Start something and I’ll fix you and your baby! Now... get away from her and stand against the wall!”
“You’re not taking her with you!” Vic said, white-faced, but determined, “Oh no!”
“Get out of the way!” Chita screamed at him. “I won’t tell you again!”
Carrie broke free of Vic’s hold.
“I’m going with them,” she said breathlessly. “Vic, please...”
“No!” Vic exclaimed. “I’ll go! What’s it matter who goes?” He went on to Chita. “My wife has the baby to look after.”
Riff came in silently. He was behind Vic. Chita nodded her head. Vic had no warning. Carrie suddenly saw Riff, but before she could scream a warning, Riff clubbed Vic at the back of his head with the butt of his gun. Vic went down on hands and knees, then sprawled forward, unconscious. Carrie started towards him, but Riff grabbed her.
“Let’s go!” Chita said urgently. “Come on... come on... let’s get out of here!”
As Carrie was still struggling, Riff hit her across her face. Dazed, Carrie’s knees buckled. Chita and Riff caught hold of her and rushed her out of the house to the Cadillac. Chita slid under the driving wheel while Riff shoved Carrie into the back seat. He got in beside her. Chita started the engine and headed the car towards the drive.
“Think they’ll shoot?” Riff asked, a quaver in his voice.
“Why ask me?” Chita said impatiently. “You’ll know fast enough.”
Riff dragged Carrie on to his lap. He cowered down behind her, using her body as a shield. He stared with scared eyes over Carrie’s shoulder at his sister who sat bolt upright, her hands gripping the driving wheel as she raced the car down the long drive towards the five-barred gate.
Dennison was poring over a large-scale map of the district surrounding Wastelands when Harper came through on the two-way radio.
“They broke out just this minute,” Harper reported. “I could only see two women, but maybe the men were lying on the floor. One woman was driving, the other was on the back seat. They’re using Dermott’s Cadillac. They turned left at the gate: that means they are making for Boston Creek.”
Dennison looked quickly at the map spread out on his desk.
“Okay, Tom: go up there, and find out what’s happened to Dermott. Watch it! They may have left someone there, but I doubt it. Call back fast. I’ll be waiting.”
Harper picked up the two-way radio, slung it by its strap over his shoulder, then gun in hand, he ran towards the ranch house.
He arrived as Vic came unsteadily to the front door.
“They’ve taken my wife!” Vic said, leaning against the doorway. “You’ve got to do something! They’ve taken my wife!”
On his way to the ranch house, Harper had passed Di-Long’s body. He had paused long enough to identify the body and now he started past Vic to enter the house, but Vic grabbed his arm.
“Which way did they go?”