37
Dusk was just extending its shadowy fingers over the scene. Surfers were wending their way home from the beaches, colourful surfboards slung firmly on top of colourful cars and vans. Zinc cream glowed beneath mirrored sun glasses on the faces that seemed to glow in the red rays of the setting sun. The homeward bound traffic from the beaches confronted head on the homeward bound traffic from the city. The occupants of these cars watched enviously the stream of cars and wished that the quest for wealth wasn't as strong as it was, and that occasionally they could take time off to enjoy the sun, sand and scenery offered by the beaches.
It was from this particular melee that a large black car emerged, the blind eyes of its tinted windows obscuring the occupants from any outside interest. It pulled into the kerb outside the block of flats in which Russell and Jenny were once more dozing.
"John, we've got company."
Burroughs sat up and raised the seat to its upright position and his eyes followed Jerry's pointing finger. As the car pulled up the passenger side front door opened and a large man in a too tightly fitting suit got out and walked to the rear door which he opened. A much smaller man in white slacks, pink shirt, broad brimmed white hat and holding a pink handkerchief to his nose got out. Both men went into the building.
"What do you make of that?"
"Trouble and in big doses. Let's go!"
"The Triumph throbbed into life and moved quickly towards the limousine. Reaching it John moved quickly. Before the driver had a chance to realise what was happening he found himself being dragged from his seat. He didn't notice being put carefully back into his seat as he was suffering from the effects of being hit firmly with a blunt object, in this case a good old fashioned cosh.
"Okay let's get on with it." Both John and Jerry ran quickly into the building and up the stairs. At each floor one of them looked through the glass panel of the stair well door to see if the other two men could be seen. On the seventh floor they were rewarded by the sight of the larger of the two men going to work on the door with his size thirteen foot. The door didn't last long and the two men were soon inside the flat.
"What do you want?" Russell's voice could not hide the fear that he felt.
"We want you two. Now we can do it the easy way or I can ask my friend here to apply pressure." The voice was smooth and soft, the implications the opposite.
"Can we get dressed first?" Russell asked.
"Tony, check the room to see if there is another way out of here." Tony lumbered into the bedroom and briefly scanned it.
"Do you mind!" Jenny's indignant voice came from the room"
"Sorry lady." He backed out of the room. "No other way out Boss."
"Alright, but no funny business."
As Russell went into the bedroom John stepped into the flat, "I would suggest that for your health's sake you two gentlemen put down your weapons and stand over against the wall, facing it if you please, rest your hands on it and your legs apart please." The two men complied with the order, but instead of frisking them both John and Jerry applied their feet to the groin of the other two men. Both men slumped to the ground in agony. They were quickly trussed up like turkeys.
"It's safe to come out now." John said.
"What did you do to them?" Jenny asked as she came into the room.
"Made them boy sopranos again, at least for the time being. I presume that you know these specimens?"
"Yes, the one with the coconut ice colour scheme is the one that I told you about."
"It seems as if you people are not safe no matter where you are. You'd better come with us."
As they hadn't fully unpacked it took a matter of minutes for them to throw their clothes into their bags and leave.
"Your phone isn't working." John said as they left.
"No, it hasn't been connected yet. Why?"
"We should get someone to come in and take care of your friends."
"There's a public phone box on the corner."
"How did you know that, you haven't moved from your flat all day."
"We noticed it on the way in and thought that if we needed to ring you it wouldn't be too far away."
"Where were you when the fun was happening a couple of hours ago?" Russell asked.
"Oh what fun was that?"
"A bit of shooting, a lot of shouting and police and TV crews everywhere. I think that our friends are at each other's throats now."
"That was the general idea. We are going to your office to catch up with the latest and then we will decide what we need to do to keep you out of trouble until this dies down."
"Here we go again. You know our feelings on this don't you?"
"Yes and the answer is still to get you away."
"We survived their first attempt, who is to say that they will be any more successful the second time round especially if they are blaming each other now."
"You survived because we were there. We may not be the next time."
They stopped briefly at the phone box while John rang his contact in the Federal Police. His manner when he returned to the car was one of extreme anger.
"What's the matter?" Jerry asked.
"I'll fill you in when we get to the office but let me say I'm not a happy chappy right at this minute."
The car pulled up in the carpark of the National News and they all walked through to Brian's office. The greeting that they received was not the one that they either wanted or expected.
"Where have you been?" The urgency in Brian's voice was enough to gain the attention of all of them.
"Why, we didn't think that the bombing of the Hilton was all that important to us."
"The bombing of the Hilton has nothing to do with this, your mother is frantic with worry. She has been ringing every thirty minutes since about eleven this morning. She won't tell us what has happened only that it is very important that she talk to you."
Jenny walked over to the desk and dialled her mother's number. "Mama what is the matter?"
"Jenny! Where have you been?" Her mother had lapsed into Italian. "Your Papa is dead."
"Papa dead. How did this happen?"
"Where is Russell?"
"He is here with me now, why?"
"Has he been with you all the time?"
"Yes, what are you saying?"
