“Take it easy, Jake,” said Huddy. They had him, he thought with relief! They finally had him. The most important thing now was to get him to relax. “Don’t get yourself upset. There’s no reason for it. Remember your heart.”
“Funny, but I don’t care much about that anymore,” Jake murmured softly. “It’s hurting bad right now, but somehow it doesn’t bother me.” He found that he could almost smile.
“Jake,” said Huddy, smiling himself, that wide, practiced, phony smile, “we can work this out. I know it’s looked bad this past week or so, but that was the result of overeager people who exceeded their authority in direct contravention of my orders. I’ve already seen to it that they’ll be suitably punished. You and I, we don’t have anything to do with that, do we?” He extended his right hand and took a step forward.
“Don’t you take another step, Mr. Huddy,” said Jake coldly. “You hear me? Don’t you take another step.”
Huddy froze. He was acutely conscious of the ceiling overhead, the floor beneath his feet. They had a better idea now of what Pickett was capable of. If he could dissasemble guns and cars and bridge supports, there was no doubt in the executive’s mind that he could do the same thing to floors and ceilings. So he retraced his single step, slowly and carefully, the vapid grin still locked on his face.
“You tell him, that man,” Jake continued, pointing a shaky finger at Drew, “to get away from Amanda.”
“I can’t do that, Jake,” said Huddy sadly, “until you and I come to some kind of agreement about this testing business.”
“I’m not going to do what you want,” Jake said firmly.
“Then I can’t very well ask my friend Drew to take his hand away from your grandniece’s throat, can I?”
“You better,” said Pickett.
“Mr. Pickett,” Somerset began, stepping forward, “you don’t know me. We’ve never met. But I personally don’t want to see you or your grandniece hurt. I don’t want to see anyone hurt.”
“Neither do I,” Jake confessed, “but you two want something, and you don’t much care what you do to get it. That’s the trouble with people like you. All you ever do is want.”
“Now what the hell does this sideshow portend?” said a new and unexpected voice. Everyone turned to face the doorway.
The man who strode into the room had thin white hair and stood taller than Huddy and Drew. His suit and tie were silk, his shoes of some fine and unidentifiable leather. He was nearly as old as Jake Pickett. The two men who flanked him were considerably younger. They did not bother to try and conceal the presence of the guns in their fists.
Huddy’s lower jaw dropped. “Mr. Rutherford?”
“Who’s this guy?” asked Drew, unimpressed.
The tall figure glanced at him. “Ah, the redoubtable Mr. Drew. They’ve told me you do good work. So it would appear.” Drew made no response; he waited to see what would happen next.
The newcomer moved into the bedroom, careful to stay well away from Jake. His younger companions matched him stride for stride.
“Allow me to introduce myself, Mr … Pickett, is it?” Jake nodded once, warily eyeing this new problem and the two gunmen who accompanied him. “I am Charelton Rutherford, Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Chemicals and Mining.” He executed a little half-bow, as it seemed to him that he would not be permitted the familiarity of a handshake.
“These two impetuous and not-too-bright young people”—and he gestured casually toward Huddy and Somerset—“are employees of mine. Low-grade employees. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with them this past week, but I felt it best if I remained out of the picture. However, when I was informed that events seemed to be coming to a head down here and that these two appeared incapable of resolving them in a satisfactory manner, I felt compelled to fly out from New York to oversee things myself. I’m glad I managed to arrive in time.” He smiled thinly at Huddy.
“Really, son. Kidnapping of an innocent second party. Foolish and unnecessary. It’s one thing to try picking up an elderly gentleman like this Mr. Pickett in a motel room, quite another to bring the FBI into the business. And to use CCM property to hold the kidnapped party….” He was shaking his head slowly, regretfully. “Inexcusably stupid.”
“Mr. Rutherford,” Somerset began lamely, “we had no idea that we would have to—”
“To what? To go this far? To make this choice? People of limited capacity rarely see all the choices. Now you’ve forced me to become personally involved.” He saw their stunned expressions and nearly laughed.
“Oh, come now, you can’t still be wondering what I’m doing here? Did you really think the two of you could play your little games in private while utilizing corporate facilities? Don’t you think that I’m aware of what goes on within my own company? That I don’t have people watching my own people? Don’t you think that CCM takes precautions to guard against internal as well as external industrial sabotage and espionage?” He turned away from them.
“I confess that at first I was very doubtful about the stories my people were referring to New York, but you, Mr. Pickett, you have provided more than enough proof for those tales. For that and that alone”—he glanced contemptuously at Huddy—“I give you credit, young man. The fact that you have thoroughly botched everything you’ve attempted subsequent to your initial discovery more than cancels out any credit you might have accrued.”
“Mr. Rutherford, I’m sorry if we—”
“Shut up,” the Chairman said brusquely. “I’ve been following your inept attempts to convince Mr. Pickett to undergo parapsychological testing for the benfit of the company ever since you started putting in unauthorized requests for personnel all over the Southwest. You blazed quite a trail, Huddy.
“And you, Somerset. Extensive and unjustifiable use of computer time and facilities. Illegal manipulation of a police officer.” She went blank for a moment and he added, “Your erstwhile friend Lieutenant Puteney was very angry when you didn’t give him a date.” He clucked his tongue. “The two of you have a lot to answer for.”
“But it will all pan out, Mr. Rutherford, sir,” said Somerset. “I know we’ve made some mistakes, but it’s all been worthwhile.” She gestured at Pickett, who stood quietly off to one side, watching and listening. “He’ll make it all worthwhile.”
“Perhaps,” admitted Rutherford. “Perhaps in this case the ends might justify the means. We will see. You had better pray, the two of you, that they do.” He looked across to the old man who was the subject of their discussion.
“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Pickett, that you’ve been treated so badly these past several days. This business with your grandniece”—he gestured toward the bed—“regrettable. Not the way I would have handled things if I’d been in on this from the beginning. But I’m a very busy man and many people and events make great demands on my time. I’m sure you understand that I cannot get involved in every piece of company business unless it’s clear that my personal attention is absolutely necessary, not to mention justified.” He smiled warmly. “Now that I am here, however, there will be no more uncouthness directed at you or your relatives, and we can work this out like two intelligent, mature men.”
From the bed a sudden, anxious thought: Uncle Jake, don’t trust him!
“Sure, we can talk,” Jake said quietly. “First get him away from Amanda.” He gestured at the bed.
“Ah. Now that presents a small problem,” said Rutherford thoughtfully. “Mr. Drew is, after all, only doing his job.” Drew grinned at the Chairman, then over at Pickett. His hand hadn’t stirred from Amanda’s throat.
“Now if I were to tell Mr. Drew to move away from your grandniece, I’m certain that because he is a good employee he would do just that. However, if he were to do so then we would no longer retain any leverage over your actions, Jake. From what I’ve been told about you, it’s necessary that we retain that control for a short time yet. Once we have left this room and signed some papers and you have consented to be placed under sedation for the forthcoming journey, I promise you that your grandniece will be returned safely to her home.”
“I’m just an old bachelor,” Jake told him. “I don’t want to hurt anybody. I never wanted to hurt anybody. But Amanda says I shouldn’t go with you, and everyone keeps pushing at me, and I don’t know what to do.” His desperation was palpable.
Rutherford glanced sharply at Huddy, frowned. “I thought you told me there’d been no contact between him and the girl?”
“There hasn’t been,” said Huddy slowly. The meaning behind Pickett’s unintentionally revealing comment still hadn’t sunk in.
“No one’s going to push you, Jake,” said Rutherford, adopting as kindly a mien as possible. “You’re going to be treated with care, the best of care. I promise you.”
“You want me to go back with him, don’t you?” Pickett stammered, pointing toward Huddy. “You want me to go back with him to Los Angeles so you can have a bunch of socalled doctors poke around inside me to see how I make things slipt.”
“Whatever you call it, Jake. Yes, that’s the general idea. You’re a grown man. You can make your own decisions. Surely you don’t need to turn to a sixteen-year-old child to tell you what’s best for your future, not to mention your present. No one else will know about it. As to going back with Mr. Huddy, that won’t be necessary. I know you don’t care much for his company, and I can understand why. So no, you won’t have to return with him. I’ll escort you myself, if you like.”
Huddy digested the words and started edging toward the door. He reached it and broke into a sprint. One of Rutherford’s bodyguards walked to the doorway and fired with an air of boredom.
There was a violent explosion, muffled somewhat by the suite’s soundproofing. Huddy’s hand clutched convulsively at the handle of the hallway door. He twisted around and his back slammed against the wall. He stood there, still holding the doorknob, staring out into space with a puzzled look on his face. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to turn out, wasn’t the way it was supposed to turn out at all. He started to slide jerkily down the wall. By the time his rump reached the floor the last of Benjamin Huddy’s grandiose plans had become meaningless.
The bodyguard turned back into the room, blocking the doorway and any further futile gestures.
“Please.” Rutherford heard the voice and turned to look at Ruth Somerset. She was crouched in the corner opposite Pickett, all hint of bravado gone now. “Please don’t kill me,” she whispered fearfully. “It was his plan from the start. He dragged me into it. I didn’t want to join him but he threatened me. I didn’t have any choice. He told me that if I didn’t help him he’d—”
“Be quiet, woman,” Rutherford said disgustedly. “No one has any intention of killing you if you’ll just stay put and behave in a sensible manner.” He gestured back toward the sitting room. “If he hadn’t panicked he’d still be here. You’re not going to panic, are you?” Somerset shook her head quickly. “I thought not. That’s a good little junior executive.” He returned his attention to Pickett.
“That was unfortunate and I’m sorry you had to see it. I dislike losing potentially valuable personnel, but one who panics instead of using his head automatically obviates his usefulness in any case.
“Hopefully there will be no more unnecessarily dramatic interruptions while we decide what to do with you, Mr. Pickett. You must see why I cannot let your grandniece go until I have secured your cooperation. I realize that you can also threaten me. I’ve seen the reports and I have some idea of what this peculiar talent of yours is capable of doing, but I sincerely doubt that you can handle all of us simultaneously.”
As if on signal, the other bodyguard now directed his gun at Jake. Drew also pulled his, his other hand never straying from Amanda’s neck. Three handguns were now pointed at the old man.
“You might ‘disassemble,’ as I believe the late Mr. Huddy referred to it, one or two of these weapons and some of the bullets, Jake, but I don’t think you can handle all of them at the same time. You have to concentrate on one at a time, don’t you?” Jake Pickett didn’t reply.
