Mallory’s face darkened. “You’ve certainly made yourself at home, haven’t you?”
Kelsey felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stirring, but held on to tranquillity. “I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t noticed. This way.” He led the way into the living room, introducing Derek, who rose politely, as his partner.
Blaine Mallory stood staring at both men, his face expressionless, eyes cold. “Where’s Beth?”
“In the kitchen making coffee,” Kelsey told him. He leaned lazily against a chair, and continued speaking in a calm, but subtly more authoritative tone of voice. “My partner and I work for a federal agency, Mr. Mallory. We received a tip and came to Pinnacle to investigate Meditron.”
Mallory lifted a disbelieving brow.
They stood confronting one another, neither noticing that Derek had returned to his chair and lighted a cigarette while he thoughtfully studied them.
After a moment of strained silence, Derek said mildly, “Marquis of Queensberry rules, or just a glorious free-for-all?”
Kelsey blinked, glanced aside at his partner, and realized abruptly that his own posture had become decidedly stiff and alert in response to Mallory’s hostility and his own. He forced himself to relax, looking back to Mallory. “I don’t think it needs to come to that,” he said, addressing his partner’s remark. “Mr. Mallory has the reputation of being an intelligent man. And we all want the same thing.”
“Which is?” Mallory asked flatly.
“Jo Conner free. The renegade major out at Meditron locked up in a stockade, with his toys defused.” The last was a guess, but Kelsey knew he had struck a nerve when Mallory’s eyes widened slightly.
After a moment, Mallory said, “How do I know you’re who you say you are?”
Kelsey crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “A reasonable question. The answer is—you don’t. Oh, we could show you identification. But everyone knows you can have those things made up in most novelty shops for a couple of dollars. I could give you the number of our home office, but since we aren’t listed anywhere you only have my word for it that you would be calling a federal agency.”
Mallory’s mouth twisted slightly. “You don’t inspire a lot of trust, know that?”
Softly, Derek said, “You could call the military brass in Washington. It’s what you wanted to do in the first place. And they’d come tearing down here whether they believed you or not. They probably wouldn’t be too subtle about it, but it would bring the situation out into the open.”
“And blow Pinnacle off the map!” Mallory snapped.
Neither Kelsey nor Derek betrayed, by so much as a flicker, that Mallory had just confirmed their guesses.
Reasonably, Kelsey said, “He can’t possibly believe the threat would stall you much longer. The point is that if he’s crazy enough to make such a threat, he’s crazy enough to blow Pinnacle off the map anyway just to cover his tracks.”
“It’d be a hell of a diversion,” Derek noted.
“Diversion?” Mallory weighed his options rapidly, and came to the conclusion he needed help. Like it or not, he had to trust these men. “Diversion?” he repeated. “I don’t think you’ve realized it yet, but Thorn’s missile is nuclear—and the warhead is intact with a specialist standing by just waiting to launch the thing.”
In the act of lighting another cigarette, Derek went still, his hooded gaze lifting swiftly to Mallory’s strained face. “Damn,” he said softly.
Kelsey’s expression had gone grim. “Thorn must really be out of his mind,” he said tautly.
Mallory ran fingers through his hair, looking suddenly older and exhausted. “He is. The missile is experimental—a prototype. It was designed, only God knows why, to be used on an extremely close target. The man who designed it called it a suicide device; it’s meant to be some kind of final resort. Maybe to destroy a command post or an intelligence center before it could be overrun by the enemy.” In a wry comparison, he added, “I suppose it’s something like the Rebels burning Atlanta before the Yankees could get it.”
Kelsey shook his head. “That’s the damnedest—How’s it launched?”
“It’s sitting on its launch pad right now. Maximum range is twenty miles; minimum … hell, you can turn on the timer and just walk away. If it’s launched and impacts before the timer runs out, the impact triggers it. If there’s no impact, but the timer is activated, it detonates when it reaches zero. And if it were to be launched now without activating the timer, it would still detonate on impact.”
“And it’s aimed at Pinnacle?” Derek asked.
Mallory nodded.
“The military didn’t okay it?” Kelsey asked.
“Hell, no. Thorn okayed it. The specialist—a physicist, I believe—is a buddy of Thorn’s. He built the thing in secret at Meditron, and Thorn plans to sell it to the highest bidder, along with a huge load of conventional weapons. My contract with the military specified only conventional weapons manufacturing on a limited scale; they brought in the necessary personnel and I supplied the buildings. Meditron still manufactures medical equipment in two buildings, but the other four are for military use.”
“How did Jo Conner get involved?” Kelsey asked.
“My fault.” Mallory sighed. “I was mad as hell when I found out about the missile—and about Thorn shaving his quota and stockpiling weapons. I told Jo more than I meant to, and she went looking one night. I’d already threatened Thorn that I meant to call Washington; he grabbed Jo before I got the chance.”
Mallory was a little pale now, and his eyes were dark and hard. “That bastard’s got her in the same building as the missile, with the specialist tinkering with the damn thing constantly.”
“You’re sure the warhead’s intact?” Derek asked.
“Positive. Or, at least, that it’s radioactive. That’s enough for me.”
“Me too,” Derek agreed dryly.
Kelsey thought carefully, gathering the questions they needed answers to. “Does Thorn stay at Meditron at night?”
“Always. He hasn’t left the place in more than two weeks.”
“The guards at the front gate are his?”
“Yes. They allow nobody in without a pass except me, and when I go in they always alert Thorn. Each of the four military buildings has individual security with soldiers posted inside monitoring the cameras outside each building. The doors to those buildings can only be opened from inside; there are no windows.”
“Ventilation?” Derek asked.
“The system is completely enclosed; there’s no way of getting in through an airshaft.” Mallory had realized what they were trying to find out and briskly supplied the information. “The buildings were built years ago; they have concrete walls reinforced with steel. There’s a skylight in Building Three—where Thorn’s got the missile—but the roof’s covered with pressure plates that set off alarms if they’re touched.”
Kelsey looked at his partner. “So. We go through the front gate, or we don’t go in.”
“Are you crazy?” Mallory demanded. “When I go in he holds a gun to Jo’s head and waits for me to breathe too hard. And his specialist buddy is standing by the missile with a finger poised to launch the damn thing. If you came anywhere near—”
“If two federal agents came anywhere near him,” Kelsey agreed, “he’d likely go completely off his rocker. But he’s a military man no matter what else. Career army?”
“So he said.”
“The army,” Derek noted idly, “is very big on inspections. Unscheduled inspections.”
Mallory’s eyes narrowed. “You think he’ll fall for that?”
“Why not?” Kelsey shrugged. “If you are sitting blamelessly at your desk, or else loudly threatening Thorn that you’re going to call the brass, he’ll think you haven’t acted as yet. And if Derek and I show up for one of those spot inspections …”
“He wouldn’t show you the missile,” Mallory objected.
Kelsey frowned. They
needed advice from someone who understood the military mind. “Derek, are you ex-service?”
“Not military service,” Derek responded cryptically.
“Mallory?”
“No.”
Kelsey cursed softly. “Neither am I. We need someone who is. We have to have a good idea of just how Thorn’ll react to an inspection. Whether he’d push the panic button, or just shift the missile around or hide it. He has to have a contingency plan for inspections; he wouldn’t be caught off guard by something that likely.”
“The last inspection at Meditron,” Mallory noted thoughtfully, “was about six months ago.”
“So he’d be ready for another possible inspection, wouldn’t he?” Kelsey shook his head. “If we only knew—”
“Then ask an expert,” a new voice suggested cheerfully.
Kelsey turned quickly, finding Raven smiling at him. Behind her in the doorway of the living room were Josh, Zach, and Teddy.
“We knocked,” Josh offered. “You were apparently too absorbed to hear.”
Completing introductions, Kelsey was wryly amused to note that Blaine Mallory, though clearly not overly impressed by federal agents, was certainly very impressed by Josh Long. He also gave Zach a distinctly wary look, and regarded the two women with baffled interest.
“How’d you find the house?” Kelsey asked Raven.
“Derek.”
Kelsey frowned a little, but understood when Raven stepped closer and touched his arm lightly.
“You okay, pal?”
After a moment, Kelsey smiled. “So he called you about me?”
“He was worried.”
“Well, I can’t really blame him for that.”
Raven smiled, but her eyes were sober. “So answer my question. Are you all right?”
“Getting there.”
Raven knew when not to push. “Glad to hear it, pal. Now, why don’t you introduce us to this lady of yours. She is here, isn’t she?”
Raven’s questions fell into a silence in the room, and Kelsey felt a sudden crawling chill. He looked at Derek, thoughts tumbling through his mind like leaves in the wind.
Derek, his face unusually still, glanced at his watch and then looked back at Kelsey. “Too long,” he murmured.
EIGHT
I’m sorry, Kelsey, but I have to help Jo.
I love you.
Elizabeth.
They found the note on the refrigerator, and Kelsey swore in a soft, bitter monotone while he read it. He felt cold and afraid, and his mind was numb. And, somewhere deep inside him, the solid walls shaken again and again since he had first met her shuddered a final time and collapsed.
He loved her. Dear God, how he loved her!
The others were quick and efficient in discovering that Elizabeth had taken her horse rather than her car, and it was Raven who remained close to Kelsey while precious moments were spent in making certain of her disappearance.
“If she took the horse,” Blaine Mallory said finally when they were grouped in the living room again, “she’s already there.”
Raven was watching Kelsey’s white face, and her voice was calm and matter-of-fact. “Then we assume she is. Kelsey, did she know what you were planning to do?”
“Yes.” He was staring at the note in his hands. “She knew Derek and I would try to bluff our way in.”
“Then she’ll be ready for that,” Raven said approvingly.
“And we came prepared.” Josh’s voice was also calm; he had considerable experience in dealing with men on the brink of deadly emotional explosions after more than fifteen years of knowing Zach. “General Ramsey was delighted to provide us with military uniforms and identification, two complete sets. One is for you, Kelsey, and the other for Zach, since he’s ex-military and knows quite a bit about explosive devices.” He looked at Derek with a lifted brow. “Do you object?”
“No. I don’t know much about bombs.”
Zach, having just returned from their car, handed Kelsey a garment bag and said, “The car’s outfitted with military decals and otherwise looks the part. I say we don’t waste any time.”
Kelsey looked at him for a moment rather blindly, then said, “Yes,” and went away with him to change into the uniforms.
Josh looked at Mallory. “You know where Jo Conner is being held, and where the missile is?”
“Yes.”
“Teddy—”
“Right. Mr. Mallory, if you’ll help me, I think we can draw a diagram for Zach and Kelsey.” She asked the man to come over to the couch, and they both bent over the paper Teddy was rapidly sketching on.
Derek joined Raven and Josh, and looked at Kelsey’s former partner questioningly. “What do you think?”
Raven was chewing on a knuckle. “I think we’d better get those ladies out of there fast.”
“Can Kelsey handle it?” Josh asked her quietly.
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” She sighed worriedly. “I just don’t know. If he hasn’t been too shaken up by all this, he’ll automatically fall into the part. But if he’s started doubting himself, or if he’s too worried about Elizabeth …”
“Her timing,” Josh noted dispassionately, “is rotten.”
Derek smiled a little. “Not necessarily. It’ll be a dandy diversion. And, between us, we may be able to overload Thorn until he isn’t thinking clearly. He certainly won’t have a lot of time to move his missile and Jo out of sight.”
Raven looked at him. “Can she handle it? You’ve met her; we haven’t.”
“She can handle it,” Derek replied calmly.
That obviously settled the question for Raven. “Good. She’s probably demanding to see her sister. I would be. And Thorn will very likely take her to where Jo is.”
“He hardly seems the type to balk at two hostages,” Josh agreed. “Not with a missile pointed at a nice little town.”
Raven nodded. “And I imagine Elizabeth will keep him occupied until Kelsey and Zach can arrive. So far so good.”
“Unless,” Derek said, “Thorn folds under the pressure and does something stupid.”
Wincing, Raven said, “You could have gone all day without saying that, friend.”
Josh glanced at his watch. “The evacuation ought to be under way by now.”
Derek blinked, and his handsome face looked impressed. “Evacuation? Of Pinnacle? How the hell did you manage that?”
Smiling a little, Josh said, “Once General Ramsey was convinced that this whole thing couldn’t be swept under the rug, he got busy. Military personnel from Charleston are moving everyone quietly out of the town.”
“And if someone alerts Thorn?”
“They can’t. Power and phone lines to the town have been cut, there are military roadblocks, and jammers make it certain that no one could radio Meditron if they wanted to. The military might emerge from this with a black eye, but nobody will be able to say they didn’t move the citizens out of danger before sending in their—er, representatives—to tackle Thorn.”
“Neat,” Derek said in approval. He looked at Josh with amused, considering eyes. “Must be nice to have clout.”
“It has its drawbacks,” Josh retorted.
“For instance?”
Raven cleared her throat. “Well, General Ramsey wasn’t at all willing to have to admit that civilians went in to clean up a military mess, so he, uh, reactivated Josh and Zach.”
“Come again?”
“When Zach was discharged, he was a master sergeant,” Raven explained. “He’s now officially a major in the reserves. Josh, who was a major in the reserves, is now officially a colonel.”
“Should I salute?” Derek asked Josh gravely.
Josh scowled at him. “Not on your life. And don’t try it with Zach either; he considers it to be a personal affront that he was booted into officer country—even in the reserves—without so much as a by-your-leave. I think he’s going to have words with General Ramsey when this is all over.”
Derek lo
oked at Raven. “They don’t favor the structured military life?”
“They don’t favor any structured life unless it’s their structure.”
“Ah.” Derek nodded with perfect understanding.
Josh gave his wife a severe look. “I just don’t like taking orders, that’s all.”
“Of course not, darling.”
Jo Conner was tall with short pale hair, a face as lovely as her older sister’s, and bright blue eyes. Bright blue eyes which were presently snapping with rage.
“Thorn, you’re out of your tiny mind! If you think Blaine will sit still with Beth held here—”
“He sat still while you were held.” Major Thorn was a man of medium height and a slight build somewhat disguised by his erect military carriage. He was about forty with brown hair going gray and gray eyes that were flat and hard.
After the first relieved embrace of her sister, Elizabeth had stood silent in the small room that had been Jo’s jail for the past two weeks and just listened. She felt incredibly alert and energized and, curiously, not frightened. Kelsey would come, and she meant to make certain that her presence here would help rather than hinder his efforts to stop this madness.
“You threatened Blaine,” she said now, gazing at the man who was holding a town unknowingly hostage; he had wasted no time in explaining his little toy to her. “But you can’t keep him under your thumb forever. You’ll push him too far.”
Thorn looked at her, smiling. His cold eyes were considering. “You’re Mallory’s woman, aren’t you?”
“No.”
Jo gave her sister a swift look, brief confusion replaced suddenly with curiosity.
Thorn was nodding. “Oh, yes, you are. I’ve heard the talk. He’ll sit still while you’re being held. I’ll put a gun to your head and watch him sweat.” One hand dropped to caress the army Colt he wore in a webbed holster.
Elizabeth felt a chill. “You can’t hope to get away with this,” she said evenly.
Thorn found that highly amusing. “My dear, I have gotten away with it. All I need are a few more days to finalize arrangements, and I’ll be sunning myself on some lovely tropical beach.”