As I jogged down the road I thought about the nightbeast that had chased me and I was struck by the total improbability of the incident. Didn't nocturnal predators usually stalk their prey silently? Not that guy back there. Nothing like announcing your intentions to the entire countryside. But maybe that was his style. It didn't make sense, though. There was the distant possibility that I had imagined it all, but I could barely bring myself to consider it. Just what does "imagine" really mean? Had I been hallucinating? Not one of my habits. None of it made any sense no matter which way I looked at it.
I loped along for about five minutes, then saw headbeams sweeping around a bend in the road. I heard the familiar whine of Sam's engine and broke into a sprint, waving the torch.
Chapter 6
Sean Fitzgore grasped my hand and pulled me up into the cab. "Takin' a wee stroll, are ye?" he said. "A fine evenin' for it." He thumped my back just hard enough to bruise.
John rose from the shotgun seat and encircled me in his string-bean arms. "Jake! Thank God."
"We were at the cabin," Roland said. "How long ago did you escape?"
I plopped into the driver's seat, shaking my head. "Seems like ages. I dunno, three hours ago. What's up? What's been happening?"
"First off," Sam said, "what happened to you?"
I told him briefly.
Sean nodded gravely. "I knew Moore was up to some deviltry. I figured he wanted you, but Darla and Winnie―"
"Dammit." I looked glumly at everyone. Sean's friend Liam was there, too. His right eye was a little puffy. "How'd it happen? When?" I glanced around. "Wait―where's Carl and Lori?" I sat up straight. "And Susan―where's Susan?"
"They got jumped," Liam said. "We saw it, so they're safe now." He grinned. "There was a bit of a dust-up."
"Little Lori gave a fine account of herself," Sean told me. "Nearly bit one bugger's finger right off."
"That's when they got Winnie, we think," John said.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"With friends," Sean said. "Suzie wanted to come along with us, but we persuaded her otherwise."
"Totally wasted," Roland said. "Susan doesn't drink often, but when she does…"
"You were showing full on all tanks yourself," I commented.
"I can hold my liquor," he retorted stiffly, looking a little greenish about the gills.
"What about Darla?" I said.
"We don't know," John answered. "She went upstairs, probably to turn in. When I went up myself, she wasn't there, and we haven't seen her since."
"Great." I sighed and slumped back in the chairs. Looking at Sean I asked, "Any ideas?"
"She could be any number of places. We finally guessed where you were because I'd noticed Geof Brandon giving you the eye earlier in the evening. We went out to Geof's farm, which took quite a while, but then I recalled seeing Fat Timmy McElroy hanging about, too. Damn me for not remembering sooner."
"You were long gone," Liam said. "She could be anywhere, Jake. Moore has a lot of lads on his team."
"And Winnie?"
"Oh, they'd probably keep the two of them together," Sean ventured. "And doubtless they wanted you separated from them, for reasons now obvious. You did well, Jake, m'boy."
"Not nearly well enough," I said. "I let my guard down against my best instincts."
"We'll have to take our share of the blame," Liam said regretfully, "pushing you through all that Boojum nonsense. It was supposed to be a bit of fun, but… " He shrugged apologetically.
"It's hardly your fault," I said, "but let's not waste time on the issue of who's to blame."
"Yeah, let's do something," Sam put in. "Beat the living merte out of somebody, like immediately. Anyone'll do."
"Don't you think that's rather rash?" John asked.
Roland frowned. "Well, we already put a call in to the local police."
"Yes," Sean said, giving a mock-polite cough. "They're 'investigating'."
Liam said, "I wouldn't trust them farther than I could spit into the wind."
"Right," Sam agreed. "So we pay a call on Mr. Moore and beat the living merte out of him until he gives up Darla and Winnie."
"Seems a logical course of action," Sean said.
"You must have some idea of where Darla and Winnie could be," John insisted.
"Some idea, but we could chase wild geese through the woods all night and not find anyone."
John sat back in his seat and bit his lip.
"Any chance they could be at the hotel?" I asked.
Liam shrugged. "We searched as many rooms as we could."
"The place doesn't look all that big," Sam said.
"Well," I said. "Let's head there anyway." I turned to the controls. "I want to have a talk with Moore."
"It's rather late," Roland said. "Will he be in?"
"He's always there," Sean told him.
I started the engine. "Anybody know how many other guests are at the Bandersnatch?"
"There were a few," Liam said. "Things are pretty slow on weekdays, though."
John asked, "What do you plan to do, Jake?"
"Sean, can you guys sneak back inside, rouse 'em up and warn 'em there might be some gunplay?"
"Shouldn't be a problem. If they aren't cooperative we'll chuck the buggers out."
"Moore owns that place, right?"
I eased the rig over a huge lateral rut. In the light of the headbeams, the woods looked spookier than ever.
"He's part-owner, I believe. The silent partner is a company on Seahome," Sean said.
"But he has his own money in the place?"
"Oh, yes. In the 'Snatch and a score of other concerns. Has a finger in many a pie, Moore does. But the Frumious Bandersnatch is his fair-haired child."
"Then we know where he's vulnerable." We approached a crossroads and I slowed. "Which way here?"
"To the left," Liam said.
"Do you think you can warn the guests without alerting Moore?" I asked.
"That'll be difficult," Sean said. "But we'll stress the necessity for extreme quiet. Shouldn't be more than half a dozen folk, in three or four rooms."
"There may be guards around the place."
"Possible, but I doubt it. He doesn't know you're up and about, or shouldn't. The place should be quiet, mostly, but there'll be some revelers left in the Vorpal Blade."
"It's open all night?"
"Never closes."
"Good. So there'll be some activity besides the guests exiting."
"What exactly do you have in mind, Jake?"
"I'm going to trade him his hotel for Winnie and Darla."
We let Sean and Liam off about a quarter-klick from the 'Snatch. They had express orders to see that all the guests were out of there before we arrived, and to make sure Winnie and Darla were not in Moore's apartment. I told them to keep quiet and report back as soon as possible if anything went wrong. After shooing out the guests, they were to go down to the Blade and chase everyone out of there as soon as trouble started out front, which is where I intended to start same. If the guests refused to open the door or leave, they were to be given fair warning. We'd wait a full hour, then move in. If possible, one of the two was to report back before then.
"Do you think they'll be able to do all that without arousing Moore and his gang?" John asked as Sean and Liam disappeared into the trees.
"I don't know," I said. "They know more about old Zack's habits than we do."
I went back to the kitchen to brew myself a cup of coffee. I needed it. John and Roland followed.
"Besides," I went on, "I suspect Moore's guard is down As far as he knows, I'm on ice and you guys are scattered. And if Sean is right about his drinking habits, we might catch him with his pants down."
"If his henchmen drink as heavily as he does," John added.
"Everybody on this planet drinks like a fish," Roland said.