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she winked her eye and said

it’ll be a hot tiht!

FIRE FIRE FIRE!

39

BEFORE PHILIP DOW REACHED HIS VICTIM, THE STATEROOM flew open The wo the knob, listening for Bell Bell waved the chaht and her eyes flashed angrily

“Preston! What are you-”

“Look out!” a voice roared behind Dow

The man whose skull Doas about to crush with his sap whirled around, and Do no yellow mustache above the ne bottle he raised instinctively deflected Dow’s blow The heavy sap whizzed a quarter inch froan’s face and s the hard walnut

No yellow ht Dow It wasn’t Isaac Bell That put Bell behind hi Dow shoved past the cringing drunk he had almost killed to use him for a shield

Do the detective running at him full steam He jerked his revolver frohty-foot corridor, drawing a Browning No 2 semiautomatic pistol from his tuxedo with liquid ease Dohipped up his heavy 45, willing to bet that a Van Dorn operative who favored a light Browning could hit a gnat in the eye at twenty paces

Isaac Bell saw a man whose features he remembered from a Mine Owners’ Association wanted poster Philip Dow, assassin Preston Whiteway lurched into Bell’s way Bell held his fire “Down!” he shouted

Dow pulled his trigger as fast as he could He couldn’t miss Bell filled the narrow corridor like a locole-tracked tunnel

“Marion, don‘t!” Bell cried

Dow felt the beautiful worab his arm with both hands

His first shot hit the cha, and it exploded in a foalass His second shot hit the detective His third shot plowed into the floor He jerked his arm free and aimed his revolver in the woman’s face