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"Enough!" Gabe shouted "I’ to help Theo and see if I can keep that creature alive Mavis, can I borrow your car?"

Mavis threw her keys on the bar "Wish I was going with you, kid"

"May I join you?" HP asked

Gabe nodded and looked at Val "They are your patients"

She pressed her back against the bar "This is all going to blow up, and when it all coo to jail I should help with that?"

"Yes," said Gabe "Why?"

"Because it’s the right thing to do, and because it’s ied her purse off the bar "I’ll go, but you will all be getting hate mail from me when I’o on I got the Blues on me" They started out the door "Don’t you worry, honey," Mavis called after the to jail Mavis will see to it"

Twenty-nine

Gabe

Up until the time that Steve had come to town, the most fearsome prehistoric beast on the Central Coast was Mavis Sand’s 1956 Cadillac convertible It was lerill that seeold-plated curb feelers that vibrated in the wind like spring-loaded whiskers The daytiulars called it the "Banana" and in a fit of aiant blue Chiquita emble "Well," Mavis said, more than somewhat surprised by their efforts, "it ain’t the first banana I’ve rode, but it takes the size record by at least a foot"

Even in his youth, Gabe had never driven anything like the Banana before It steered like a barge and it rocked and lurched over dips and potholes like a foundering scow Gabe had activated the electric top when they’d first cliured out how to put it back up

Gabe spotted Val’s Mercedes parked on the side of a hill off the main ranch road There were six other vehicles parked next to it, all four-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles: two Blazers and two larger Suburbans A group ofby the vehicles, the tallest watching the on a radio or cell phone

"Maybe we should have taken a more inconspicuous vehicle," Gabe said

"Why didn’t we take your car, Howard?" Val asked She was slouched in the passenger seat

Howard sat in the back, as stiff as aas if this was his first exposure ever to sunlight "I own a Jaguar Superior coach works, none like them in the world outside of Bentley and Rolls Walnut burl on all the interior surfaces"

"Doesn’t run, huh?"

"Sorry," said Howard

Gabe stopped the Banana at the cattle gate "What should I do? They’re watching us"

"Go on up there," Val said "That’s e’re here" She had gotten brave all of a sudden

Gabe wasn’t quite so self-assured "Soain why the sheriff won’t just shoot us along with Theo and Molly?"

Val was getting into the spirit of the thing, realizing that this ht be the only way to atone for what she’d done to her patients "I’m a psychiatrist, Gabe, and you have a PhD The police don’t shoot people like us"

"You’re kidding, right?"

Howard said, "Does one require an advanced degree to be iunfire, or does a life of scholarship count as well?"

"Go, Gabe," Val said "We’ll be fine"

Gabe looked over at her and she smiled at him He smiled back, sort of, and pulled the Banana into the pasture toward five heavily armed men who did not look happy to see the the disposable lighter he’d forgotten to abandon with the rest of his pot habit The cathedral chamber was closed, except for the entrance where Burton waited Theo gave the Sea Beast a wide clearance on his way back to Molly, who stood just inside the cave ot your friends locked up! This is your last chance to ive you five as!"

Theo turned to Molly in a panic "We’ve got to get these people out of here, Molly As soon as the first gas grenade coes?"

"For what? He’s not going to negotiate The only thing he wants is me - and probably you - dead"

"Why don’t you call someone and tell them what you know? Then Burton won’t have a reason to kill us"

"All I knohat I’ve seen With Leander dead, there’s no one to connect him to the labs I’ve already told Val and Gabe Now he’s got the them into this"

"Sorry," Molly said

"Wait" Theo flipped open his phone and dialed The phone rang eight tie, which showed only a quarter-charge, when athe caller to guess that they had contacted the Sheriff’s Department’s information officer

"Nailsworth, it’s Theo Crowe I need your help"

"Having a bad day, Theo?"

What a prick, Theo thought "Listen, I’m trapped"

"I knohere you are, Theo Relad you called I had soe to screaeek "Please, Nailsworth, I don’t kno long this battery is going to hold out I need you to do me a favor"

"Me first"

"Go," Theo barked

"Well, when Burton called me, he mentioned that your accomplice said she was Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland So I started looking around Turns out there was a Molly Michon admitted to county psychiatric a few times She left a Pine Cove address I wondered if"

"It’s her," Theo said

"Wow, you’re kidding! No way!"

"She’s right here" Theo looked at Molly and shrugged "Look, you warned o on the ranch You know about Burton’s crank network"

"I ht," Nailsworth said

"Don’t be coy You know everything But what I need to know is do you have access to information that could be used as evidence - money transfers, checks, offshore accounts, phone records, and such - stuff you could give to the state attorney?"

"Why, Theo, you’re starting to sound like a cop"

"Can you get it?"

"Theo, Theo, Theo, don’t be silly Not only can I get it, but I’ve had it I’ve been coeneral’s office right now?"

"What’s in it forto kill us"

"Kendra is right there with you, huh? I can’t believe it"

Theo shuddered, halfway between panic and anger He held the phone out to Molly "Say so Kendra-like"

Molly cleared her throat and said, "Die, you scu of mine you’ll feel is cold steel!"

"Oh my God! It’s her!" the Spider said

"Yeah, it is," Theo said "Noill you help?"

"I want a copy of the Norwegian Battle Babes Can I get one?"

Theo covered the receiver and looked at Molly "Norwegian Battle Babes?"

Molly smiled "Kendra VI: Battle Babes in the Hot Oil Arena The Norwegian version is the only version that has full nudity in all the arena scenes It’s very rare"

Theo’s mouth had dropped open His survival had coot it," Theo said into the phone "I’ll bring Kendra naked and in person to your office if you getnow"

"I don’t think so," said Molly

"I’ll send the file to Sacraood Even if you tell Burton about it, he’s got you in a perfect situation to kill you anyway You need et anyone here in time," Theo said

"No!" Molly shouted

"I’ll call them," the Spider said "Hold them off for twentybut naked people and a jealous seanomenclature?" the Spider asked

"It’s what it is If they use gas, on’t have twenty minutes"

"They won’t"

"How do"

"Twenty-five inal box" The Spider hung up Theo clicked his phone closed

"I said no helicopters, Theo," Molly said "Even if we get out, you know they’ll hurt Steve You need to call him and tell hi it He clenched his fists and tried very hard not to scream in her face His voice went to a whisper "Molly, even with a warrant out for Burton, he will kill us If you want your dragon to live, then you’ve got to get hiet here"

"He won’t leave He won’t listen toanyeant Rich Sheridan was six-three, two-thirty, with dark hair, a , hooked nose that had been broken several ti body armor and a radio headset, as well as a weapons belt He was the only one not holding his M-16 Instead he was talking on a cell phone He had been a cop for ten years and working for Burton on the side for eight If this had been an official activation of Special Weapons and Tactics he would have been second in command, but as the real commander wasn’t in Burton’s pocket, Sheridan was in charge

He let the binoculars dangle around his neck and waited while his les on all of the yellow Cadillac’s passengers before he approached Sheriff Burton was screa at him on the cell phone

"I’et your ass up here Now!"

"Yes, sir What do you want me to do with them?"

"Find out who they are, then cuff the up "Get out of the car Keep your hands where I can see them"

The two men and a woman did as they were told and submitted to pat-downs from Sheridan’s er ist" Gabe s by to take my subscription order for Corrup-tion Weekly"

Sheridan didn’t react "What are you doing here?"

"Endangered species protection There’s a very rare creature in that cave up there"

Val winced "Were you supposed to tell him that?" she whispered

"How did you know to come here?" Sheridan asked

"This is the habitat of the California red-legged frog, very endangered I saw your SWAT vehicle go by and the driver had that ’I want to kill sos’ look in his eye" Gabe looked at one of the other SWAT guys, a stocky Hispanic hts of his M-16 "See, there’s that look right there"

"We didn’t bring the SWAT vehicle," Sheridan said flatly

"Actually," Val juist I have experience in hostage negotiation I heard the SWAT tea dispatched on ht youwith me"

"We weren’t dispatched over the radio," Sheridan said, dis Val as if she were an insect He looked at Howard "And you?"

"Howard Phillips I’m merely here to observe a hid eous ancient creature that has arisen froian depths to wreak havoc on civilization and feast on human flesh" Howard s bus crash, but a s nothing

"He’s the caterer," Gabe said quickly "We brought hiuys remembered to pack a lunch, did you?"

"Who did you tell you were co here?"

Gabe looked at Val and Howard for soht answer "No one," he said

Sheridan nodded "We are going to put you in the back of that truck over there for your own safety," he said Then to the others he said, "Lock theo"