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“There were four of them Frenchies Two are dead in the barn Innkeeper’s wife is taking the others to the hospital,” Warry O’Derowl “One of the bastards oner for sure Walt here took a knife to the belly”

“It’s nothing,” the Ger”

“Charlie?”

Brewster answered, “We laid him out on the sofa in the front room”

Bell nodded “Get the ht back”

He entered the inn It had been an inviting space just hours earlier Noas shadoith the gloom of a funeral parlor The innkeeper was tied to a chair next to Charlie Widney’s body Brewster ured the proprietor had ratted the any chances The ed Thethe Frenchmen to involve the police until after she’d reached the hospital By then, Bell and the others would be miles away

Bell took tenty-pound notes from his wallet and tossed them into the terrified man’s lap

“His na the innkeeper understood every word “He was a good man who deserves a Christian burial The men who killed him are French mercenaries e’d escaped from Your call put them back on our trail and cost Charlie his life I will be back someday to make sure he’s been buried properly If he hasn’t been, I will find you and I will beat you to within an inch of your life and then I will beat you two inches more Are we clear?”

The man could only sob in fear

“I’ll take that as a yes” Bell turned and left the building Moments later, the trucks pulled out and vanished down the road

37

Burdened by even more death, the men continued south, compelled to finish their quest and as unable to deviate fro birds froold coins he kept sewn into his travel bag for contingencies He used souise the trucks They covered over the red bodywork and sreen They also worked out routes that maintained soer were traveling as a convoy

Bell drove the lead truck, and every fifteen miles he would wait at a discreet spot by the side of the road for Warry O’De would pause, servicing his lorry, while he waited for Bell to pull ahead once again

They averaged just twenty miles per hour

Walt Schmidt sat in the cab with Bell while Brewster remained in the bed of the second truck with Vern Hall