Page 3 (1/2)

“I’ll check the coast is clear Just reet out Don’t dawdle Light it and go-Wait! What’s that?” Pretending that he had heard so, he whipped around and half drew a blade from his boot

Kevin fell for the ruse He cupped his hand to his ear But all he heard was the distant rumble of the drills in thefoul air out of the pioneer tunnel and drawing in fresh “What? What did you hear?”

“Run down there! See who’s co”

Kevin ran, shadows leaping as his light bounced on the rough walls

The old unpowder fuse from the detonator and threw it into the darkness He replaced it with an identical-looking string of hemp yarn soaked in melted trinitrotoluene, which was used to detonate es simultaneously because it burned so fast

He was quick and dexterous By the ti from his fool’s errand, the treachery was done But when he looked up, he was stunned to see Kevin holding both hands in the air Behind him was the railroad dick, the cop who had watched him enter the tunnel Suspicion had transforilance He was pointing a revolver in a rock-steady grip

“Elevate!” he commanded “Hands up!”

Swift eyes took in the fuse and detonator and understood at once He tucked his weapon close to his body, clearly a fighting man who kne to use it

The oldthe order to raise his hands, he reached down to his boot and drew his long knife

The cinder dick smiled His voice had a ht reader’s love of the English language

“Beware, old unfight, I will be obliged to shoot you dead if it does not fall from your hand in a heartbeat”

The oldits length into a rapier-thin sword Already lunging with fluid grace, he buried the blade in the cop’s throat The cop reached one hand to his throat and tried to ai his blade, severing the h his neck and out the back The revolver clattered on the tunnel floor And as the old man withdrew his sword, the cop unfolded onto the stone beside his fallen gun

Kevinnoise in his own throat His eyes were round with shock and fear, darting from the dead man to the sword that had appeared from nowhere and then back to the dead man “Hohat?”

He touched the spring release and the sword retracted into the blade, which he returned to his boot “Sahtly modified Got your matches?”

Kevin plunged tre hands into his pockets, fished blindly, and finally pulled out a padded bottle