Sky and the Hijackers

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter 9

Copper Ryder seized Lisa’s left wrist and twisted the woman’s arm behind her back. She grabbed her still raised right hand and pulled it down to join the left. When she had the woman’s wrists crossed in the small of her back, she looped them with cord and started tying them together.

     “What are you going to do?” wailed Lisa.

     Julie, still smiling, shook her head.

     “After the good time you showed me and Shirley and the others this morning, I’m surprised you could even ask such a question, Lisa. It should be obvious. We’re going to let you have some of the same fun I had this morning.”

     “And I had last week,” added Copper. “And then we’re going to introduce you to our old friend Sheriff Winchell.”

     Copper finished binding Lisa’s hands. Julie laid the pistol on the table and pointed to the chair.

     “Have a seat, Lisa. We’re not anywhere near done with you yet, and you may as well be comfortable while we fix you up.” She looked down at her own nearly naked body. “I’m just sorry that you won’t get the full effect of my experience since you’ll have all your clothes on.”

     The crestfallen brunette sat in the chair. Copper handed Julie a length of rope to use in tying the woman’s ankles. Copper began wrapping a long piece of rope around Lisa’s arms and torso, looking at Julie with a raised eyebrow.

     “Speaking of that,” Copper said to Julie, “how are we going to get you through town looking like that. We’ll be arrested right along with her.”

     “We’ll fix up that sheet like some kind of toga. When you finish with her arms, tear a couple pieces off the sheet that we can use to gag her.”

     “Why do we need to do that? Aren’t we just going to take her to the Sheriff?”

     Julie picked up another rope. She pushed up Lisa’s tight fitting skirt so she could tie her legs together just above the knees.

     “That blonde who led them this morning is coming back. We’ve got to be ready, because I want to get her too.”

     “And so do I,” said Copper, giving the sheet a ferocious rip.

Rowlands watched the car containing four men pull into the parking spot beside his next to the service station phone booth. Monroe was driving. Bradford emerged from the passenger seat. Strothers and Reeves sat in back.

     “No sign of anyone following the trucks,” Bradford reported. “One State police car left town to the east about forty-five minutes ago, but there was only one car and two deputies escorting the trucks.”

     Rowlands stroked his chin thoughtfully.

     “One Sheriff’s car left going this way a while ago. It might’ve been a routine patrol.” He looked at his watch. “They’re playing this one a little too casual. I don’t like it.”

     He thought for a moment. The three men in the car leaned toward him.

     “Here’s what we’ll do,” he said finally. “Monroe, you take Strothers and Reeves and follow the trucks, but a good way back. Look out for traps, but don’t fall into one yourself. Brad, you stay with me.”

     “What’re you two gonna do?” asked Reeves.

     “We’re going to wait a few minutes just to be sure they aren’t being real clever and sending out a small army after we’re tired of watching. We’ll join you as soon as we can.”

     Reeves frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Strothers spoke first.

     “Well, I’m comin’ up front if there’s only three of us then,” he said.

     Rowlands watched Reeves’ surly expression as Strothers circled from the backseat behind the driver to the front passenger seat. When Reeves saw that Rowlands and Bradford were watching him, he closed his mouth and settled back in the seat.

     “Whatever you say,” he mumbled.

     “Be careful, Monroe,” said Rowlands.

     Monroe had all the cockiness of a young man put in charge.

     “We’ll handle it.”

     Monroe put the car in gear and headed north after the convoy.

     Bradford looked at Rowlands.

     “You think it’s a trap?”

     Rowlands shook his head. He looked up and scanned the sky, shielding his eyes with his hand.

     “I don’t know. But even without seeing a plane, somehow I smell Ryder.”

Mary La Rocque entered the warehouse, the clicking of her heels on the bare floor shattering the silence of the building. She passed the empty first office and paused at the open doorway of the second.

     “I’m back, Lisa,” she called as she slipped the purse straps from her arm and tossed the bag through the doorway and onto the table in the second room. “How’s our little guest doing?”

     She stopped abruptly in the doorway of the last office as she saw a squirming Lisa, bound and gagged, seated in the chair amid scattered cards and magazines and held firmly by a petite but shapely blonde. The blonde had one arm wrapped around Lisa’s body just under her heaving breasts and her other hand clapped over Lisa’s gagged and taped mouth. Julie Ryder, wearing only a pair of white panties, stood a couple feet away. She was pointing Lisa’s shiny pistol directly at Mary’s chest.

     “I’m doing just fine, thank you,” said Julie. “We could have run out and left Lisa for you, but I wanted to stay and thank you personally for all the care and attention you showed me this morning.”

     “And I haven’t thanked for all you did for me the other day,” Copper added as she released her hold on Lisa.

     Mary’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but she recovered quickly. She smiled ruefully at Lisa and raised her hands.

     “So the job was too complicated for you, eh Lisa?” she said. “I had a feeling it would be.”

     The bound brunette glared at her and retorted unintelligibly into the gag. Mary looked back at Julie.

     “Well, what now, Mrs. Ryder? I presume you’ll be taking me to the Sheriff.”

     Julie gave the blonde a little smile of her own.

     “Just a couple of things first,” she replied. “Since you’ve had the pleasure of tying and gagging both Copper and me, I’m sure you won’t mind if we return your hospitality.”

     “A little tit for tat?”

     Julie smiled more.

     “Yes, we had some of that in mind too. As you see”--- she spread her hands and looked down at herself--- “I’m not quite dressed for the streets of Kermit, and Lisa’s clothes wouldn’t be a very good fit for me. Yours, on the other hand...”

     The corner of Mary’s little one-sided smile went up a bit more. She reached both hands back behind her neck to undo the buttons of her dress.

     “I get the picture.”

     “Copper will be glad assist you when you need help,” Julie said.

     Copper had been laying out ropes on the little table. She looked up and grinned at Julie.

     “That’s very kind, I’m sure,” said Mary. “I think I can only reach one more.”

     “You can keep your panties,” Julie continued. “But don’t forget to take off the bra too. I don’t think I’ll wear yours, but I want to be sure that your experience is as memorable as ours.”

     “Though we won’t try to asphyxiate you like you did to the Irons sisters and me the other day,” said Copper.

     Mary stopped working on the buttons and stared at the girl.

     “We tried to do what to you?” she asked. She turned her back and continued: “Just get those last couple buttons for me, will you, dear?”

     Copper tucked the piece of rope she was holding under one arm and stepped forward to finish the unbuttoning.

     “Don’t play innocent. Thanks to Sky and Julie, the truck exhaust didn’t work. But it sure came close.”

     When the last buttons were undone, Mary slipped the dress off and let it fall to the floor. She crossed her wrists in the small of her back and looked over her shoulder at Copper.

     “I’ll admit that we undressed you and left you tied up in that garage, Miss Ryder. But none of us knew anything about starting up a truck to kill you. I swear we didn’t.”

     Copper looked at Julie.

     “That’s what those other two women told Jill and Karen out at Dr. Fields’ camp,” she said. “You don’t suppose they could be telling the truth, do you?”

     Julie shook her head slowly.

     “I don’t know, Copper. We’ll have to find out, because if she didn’t, there’s someone else in this plot that even they don’t know about. But first things first. Let’s get her tied.”

     She tapped the tall blonde on the shoulder.

     “I believe you’ve forgotten to take off your bra, dear.”

     Mary bowed her head slightly in mock courtesy. She reached back to find the hooks.

     “Of course. How forgetful of me.”

“This is a good place,” Laughton said to the men gathered behind him. “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

     The spot they had chosen for the ambush looked ideal. As the road ascended into the hills that became the Cerbat Mountains, it sank slightly below the level of both shoulders that had been made higher by packed earthen banks on both sides. At the point they waited, there was a slight turn to the right, a twist made to avoid a steep hill on that side of the road. The hill screened anything behind it from the view of anyone on the road. Laughton checked a little sketch he had made.

     “All right,” he announced. “In case you can’t figure it out, I’ll show you your places. Webb and Griffin will have their car right beside the road just a few yards farther down. When the convoy comes this way” --- he gestured to the north with one hand--- “you’ll pull out and block the way.”

     A tall, well-built, fair-haired man and his lean, dark mustachioed, sharp-faced companion both nodded.

     “We got it,” said the fair-haired man.

     Laughton pointed to the banked shoulder across the paved road.

     “Robbins, you and Kilmer post yourselves over there. Your job is to make sure that the deputies stay in their car and can’t return any fire.”

     Robbins was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair, thick dark eyebrows and a mustache. He nodded. Kilmer, fifty-ish and much like Robbins except for the mustache, drew and checked his revolver.

     Laughton pointed back down the road in the direction from which the trucks would come.

     “James, you and Emmett will be waiting in that farm road a mile or so back. When the trucks pass, you fall in behind to cut them off. Be sure you don’t follow them so close they get suspicious.”

     James was a lean man of medium height with receding hair and an expression of permanent irritation.

     “Yeah, don’t worry about us, Laughton,” he snapped. “We know what to do.”

     Emmett, several inches taller and much brawnier, smiled slightly at James’ near insubordination.

     “Neider and Evert,” Laughton said to the last two men, “you two are with Ritchie and me right here.” He pointed straight down as if to emphasize their placement. “Once the girls and the deputies get a look at our guns, I hope they’ll give up without too much fuss.”

     Neider and Evert were both big, strong looking men. Evert had fair, curly hair. Neider was prematurely gray.

     “Suppose they don’t give up right away?” asked Neider.

     Laughton was silent for a moment before he answered.

     “Then it’ll be your job to make them give up.”

     Ritchie looked down and put his hand across his mouth to hide his grin.

     “Let’s get ready,” said Laughton.

     The men dispersed to their various places. Neider and Evert took cover behind the mound. Laughton and Ritchie stepped away to watch Webb and Griffin get in their car. Laughton shook his head.

     “ ‘Suppose they don’t give up?’” he repeated. “Where do we get these guys?”

     Ritchie drew his pistol and broke the cylinder open to load it.

     “Do you really think this’ll be tough?” he asked.

     Laughton shook his head.

     “Naw. Piece o’ cake,” he said breezily.

“My goodness,” observed Mary La Rocque primly. “For a couple of good girls, you certainly know how do a good job of tying up bad girls.”

     The panty-clad blonde sat on the mattresses where Julie had been kept. Her hands were bound securely behind her back, her arms were pinned to her body by several sets of cords around her, and her legs were secured at the knees and ankles. She looked down at her breasts, which jutted out prominently due to a loop that pulled her elbows a couple inches closer together.

     “What now?” Mary asked coyly. “Some unspeakable sexual torment?”

     “No, you might enjoy that a bit too much,” Julie said dryly, as she squatted beside the prisoner, a wad of cloth in her hand. “But since we’re going to go for the Sheriff, we wouldn’t want you hopping around in search of something to cut the ropes or warning any of your friends who might come by. So, I think a little gag and hogtie might be in order.”

     “Well, let’s get to it,” the blonde said coolly.

     She opened her mouth wide and allowed Julie to pack it with a wadded piece of cloth torn from the sheet. Copper handed Julie another strip of the sheet. Julie used it to secure the gag by passing it between Mary’s upper and lower teeth and tying it at the back of her neck.

     “Ready?” Julie asked Copper.

     Copper picked up a short length of rope and took her station by Mary’s legs.

     “Ready.”

     The two women rolled Mary onto her side and continued until she was on her belly. Copper bent the blonde’s shapely legs back until her bare heels were only inches from her buttocks. She looped the rope over the woman’s ankle bonds, ran the free ends back to her bound wrists and expertly tied them off.

     “How’s that?” she asked Julie.

     “It looks good to me. How about you?”

     “It feels really great to be on the giving end for once,” said the girl, giving Mary a slap on the behind as she stood up.

     Julie picked up Mary’s dress and stepped into it.

     “Just give me a minute to get this on, and we can go call the Sheriff.”

     “Shouldn’t one of us stay with these two?”

     Julie shook her head.

     “No. It’s too risky. That third woman, Jean, is close by, and some of the men of the gang are too. We’ll call the Sheriff from the car and wait for him only if it’s safe. That’s enough buttons for now. Come on.”

     The two women ran from the office to the outside door. They had no sooner left the office than Mary and Lisa began struggling in their bonds.

Rowlands looked anxiously at his wristwatch.

     “What’s wrong?” asked Bradford.

     “There hasn’t been a sign of anyone following the trucks,” Rowlands said with a shake of his head. “I can’t believe that Ryder and the Sheriff wouldn’t do something to try to protect them. They’re up to something. Maybe they found Ryder’s wife or she escaped. We’d better have a look.”

     He turned the ignition key and backed out of the parking spot.

“Flying Coronet station wagon calling Sheriff’s office. This is Copper Ryder calling the Sheriff’s office. Do you read me? Over.”

     After a moment of static, the call was answered by a woman’s voice with a pronounced southern drawl.

     “Coppuh, this is the Sheriff’s office. We read y’all cleauh. Ovuh.”

     It was Bonnie Johnson, the shapely young dispatcher Sheriff Winchell had hired when Sue Kendall had qualified as a full deputy.

     “Bonnie, we need help fast. Julie and I are in front of the Avery Brothers warehouse on Crook Street. Over.”

     “Did you say that Mrs. Ryduh is with y’all? Ovuh.”

     Julie, seated behind the wheel of the station wagon, grabbed the handset from Copper.

     “That’s right, Bonnie. Copper found me and helped me escape. We’ve got two of the kidnappers tied up in the warehouse, but more of the gang may come back, so get some help over here fast! Over.”

     “We’ve got it, Mrs. Ryduh. Deputy Falk will be right ovuh with all the men we have. Y’all hang on, an’ be caheful now. Ovuh.”

     “We will. Station wagon out.”

     Julie hung the set on its hook. Copper was keeping watch in all directions.

     “Oooh, I hope they hurry!” the girl fretted. “I’d hate for something to happen and for those two to get away.”

     She had no sooner spoken than a car raced down the street toward them and squealed to a stop close to the warehouse door they had just come out. At the same time, a woman came walking briskly from the direction of the diner in the next block.

     “That’s one of the women from this morning!” Julie said excitedly, pointing at the tall brunette.

     “One of the ones who tied you up and took you away?” cried Copper. She looked at the men getting out of the car. “And I know those two men. That’s Rowlands and Bradford, and they’re part of the gang too!”

     Julie started the car and moved into the next block. The men were waiting for the brunette and apparently did not notice the station wagon.

     “What are you doing?” asked Copper.

     “It’s too dangerous to stay here. They might recognize the station wagon and come after us if we’re too close. One escape per day is enough for me.”

     Copper nodded. She looked anxiously in the direction of the Sheriff’s office.

     “Where are Bob and those deputies?”

Rowlands and Bradford led the way into the warehouse, Jean following. No one came out to meet them. Jean called out to Mary and Lisa but there was no answer.

     “Something’s happened!” she exclaimed.

     “Check the offices!” ordered Rowlands.

     They were just looking into the first room when they heard gagged cries coming from the office on the end. The two men drew their revolvers and made their way slowly to the door of the third office, Rowlands signaling to Jean to stay back. When he saw what was inside, he stuck his pistol back into his belt and motioned the others to follow him

     Lisa was still tied securely to the chair and Mary lay on her side on the mattresses. Rowlands crossed to Mary and began untying the band securing her gag, while Bradford peeled the tape covering the band of cloth holding the gag in Lisa’s mouth.

     “What happened?” asked Rowlands as Mary pushed the gag wadding out of her mouth.

     Mary took two quick deep breaths.

     “Ryder’s niece got onto us somehow,” she gasped. “She untied Ryder’s wife and got hold of Lisa’s gun while she was in the bathroom. They tied up Lisa and waited for me.”

     “They’re calling the Sheriff right now!” Lisa cried. “We’ve got to get out of here fast!”

     Rowlands looked at Jean.

     “Do you have a car here?” he asked.

     “Yes. It’s out on the street.”

     Rowlands frowned. He reached in his pocket and drew out a small folding knife.

     “Go start that car,” he told Jean. “Brad, cut Lisa loose from the chair. We’ll cover ‘em as best we can and take ‘em out to the cars. You take Lisa in their car. I’ll take her” --- he indicated Mary --- “with me.”

     Bradford found his pocketknife and began cutting the cords holding Lisa to the chair. Rowlands cut the rope connecting Mary’s wrist and ankle bonds.

     “Aren’t you going to untie us?” wailed Lisa.

     “No time right now,” said Rowlands, wrapping the rest of the sheet around Mary’s upper body. “The Sheriff could be here any second. We’ve got to get out of town fast.”

     Jean slipped off her high heels and ran out to start the car. Bradford wrapped one of the beauty shop drapes over Lisa. The two men each picked up a bound woman and carried her toward the door. Once outside, Lisa was thrown in the back seat of Jean’s car, and Mary in the back of Rowlands’. As soon as Bradford was able to jump in, Jean threw the car in gear and bolted away. Rowlands was right behind. They could hear the faint sound of approaching sirens as they sped away.

“Oh, no,” cried Copper. “They’re getting away!”

     The two women watched the cars disappear up the street.

     “Aren’t we going to follow them?” asked Copper.

     Julie shook her head.

     “It’s too dangerous, Copper. We don’t know how many more of the gang might be waiting down the road or what we might stumble into. I’ve had one narrow escape for today and that’s enough.” She laid her hand on Copper’s arm. “Besides, if we went after them together, there’d be no one around to save me if I got in trouble again.”

     Copper sighed.

     “I guess you’re right, Julie.” She grinned at the older woman. “It sure was nice to get a chance to pay them back by tying them up though, wasn’t it?”

     “Revenge may be wicked,” quoted Julie with a smile, “but it’s natural.”

“Do you think they’ll be waiting around the hill?” asked Deputy Andy Rivera.

     Harry Tyler looked over at the younger man. Rivera’s fingers were clutching the steering wheel so firmly that his fingernails were white.

     “Could be, Andy. It’s the best place for an ambush in the first ten miles. Nervous?”

     “No.”

     “Me too. Take the curve kinda slow.”

     The young deputy slowed as he turned the patrol car around the blind corner. Suddenly, a black sedan seemed to leap across the highway in front of them and stopped, blocking the way ahead in both lanes. Rivera slammed on the brakes. The patrol car jerked to a stop.

     “This is it!” said Tyler, drawing his revolver.

     The two men in the roadblock car slid out on the passenger side and took cover behind the vehicle. Both deputies took cover by kneeling behind the open doors on either side of their own car. With the trucks idling behind him, Tyler heard the sound of another car coming to a hurried stop farther back. He looked behind the last truck, the smaller panel truck this time, and saw another car creating a second roadblock behind them. Now two men with drawn guns appeared on the high shoulder of the road just ahead of them to the left and four more men rose from behind the banked earth to the right.

     “Nice trap!” the veteran deputy said to himself.

Laughton surveyed the scene in front of and just below him. The two deputies were now out of their car with their pistols drawn. They had some cover from their car, but with his men all around them, there was little doubt what would happen in a gunfight. The two blond women remained in the cabs of their trucks. He could see their heads turning as they looked for a way out.

     “All right, deputies,” he called. He bowed slightly toward the trucks. “And ladies too. You can see that we’ve got you trapped. I want you to know that we’re not interested in killing anyone. We just want the trucks. Now if you’ll just throw out your guns and come out quietly, we’ll take the trucks and your car and leave. You’ll have to walk a few miles to get home, but we’re not going to shoot unless we have to. What do you say we do this peacefully?”

     There was a short pause as the two deputies said something to one another.

     “Well, we’re real peaceful people here,” replied the stocky, fair-haired deputy behind the passenger door. “So here’s what we offer instead: you all throw down your guns and surrender, and we won’t shoot either.”

     Laughton chuckled. Ritchie looked at him curiously.

     “What are they tryin’ to pull?” he asked

     “Come on now, deputy,” yelled Laughton. “You’ve done your duty. What chance do you think you’d have against ten of us?”

     There was a stir in the back of the large truck. The canvas cover over the cargo area was pulled back by ropes on either end. Besides the two men working the ropes, there were six more deputies in the bed of the truck, all of them pointing rifles or shotguns at the four men on the bank. The side and back doors of the smaller truck flew open and six State policemen emerged. Four of them covered the men at the rear roadblock and two more ran up to help at the front of the convoy. Another State police car and two Jeeps raced up from behind the rear roadblock. The car shut off any escape back down the highway, and a Jeep circled to get behind the hijackers on each side of the road.

     Now the women in the trucks pulled off their blond wigs and pointed pistols at the gang. Laughton recognized them as Deputies Amy Cole and Sue Kendall. Laughton also recognized one of the men who had pulled up the canopy of the large truck as Sky Ryder. Instead of an easy job, the gang faced at least twenty armed police.

     “It’s a trap!” howled Ritchie. “Not for them, but for us!”

     One of the men in the truck spoke into a bullhorn.

     “This is Sheriff Winchell. You men throw down your weapons and you won’t get hurt.”

     “What do we do?” whispered Ritchie.

     “Run for it!” yelled Laughton.

     He threw himself to the ground and took cover behind the earthen mound. Ritchie was quick to follow his example, but Neider and Evert were too slow. Neider raised his pistol to fire, but several bullets kicked up the earth around his feet. Evert threw down his pistol, raised his hands and scrambled down the bank toward the highway. Neider dropped down and looked for a target, only to have a bullet fired from one of the State policemen to his side strike the dirt only inches from him. He also dropped his gun and raised his hands.

     When James heard the sounds of shooting at the front of the convoy, he and Emmett began blazing away at the state troopers behind the panel truck. After only a few shots, a round from one of the policemen struck James in the right shoulder. He dropped his pistol and fell. Emmett, seeing his partner groaning in the sand and more State policemen blocking any hope of escape, threw down his weapon.

     “I’ve had enough!” he cried. “Don’t shoot!”

     Webb and Griffin, in the shelter of their car at the front roadblock, both opened fire on Tyler and Rivera. Robbins and Kilmer also had enough time to take cover behind the banked earth at the right front of the convoy and began shooting. One of them wounded a State policeman hurrying from the rear to help Tyler and Rivera. The other trooper pulled him to safety behind the large truck.

     Amy Cole, in the cab of the two-and-a-half ton truck, saw that the situation was critical. Being several feet higher than Tyler and Rivera, even higher than the mounded earth at the sides of the road, gave her a good shot at the gang. She squeezed off a couple shots that kicked sand in the faces of Robbins and Kilmer and forced them to duck, but they reappeared. She aimed her next shot carefully at Robbins and pulled the trigger. The big man howled and grabbed his left side. Kilmer saw Robbins fall and turned to run. Rivera fired at the fleeing man’s legs. The first two rounds missed, but the third caught him in the back of the thigh. He fell heavily.

     Webb fired twice at Amy, shattering the truck’s windshield with one shot and denting the side mirror with the other. Tyler saw Webb and fired. The man crumpled beside the car. Griffin looked around. Every other gang member he could see was either wounded or had surrendered. He raised his hands and tossed his revolver over the car to the deputies.

     Only Laughton and Ritchie, hunkered down behind the bank at the right front of the trucks remained. Once they saw that the ambush had been turned against them, they both ducked low and ran north along the side of the road, keeping as much under cover as they were able. Laughton had left a car a hundred yards or so from the ambush point. They could hear the shouting of policemen behind them ordering them to stop, but they kept going. Bullets were popping the air around them when they reached the car. They both got in without being hit, and Laughton was able to start the car and get it on the road. In a few seconds they were headed away at top speed. Ritchie turned to look back for pursuit. There was none.

     “Whew, that was close! Piece of cake you said!”

     Laughton checked the rearview mirror. He shook his head. Before he could say anything, Rowlands’ voice came from the hand-held radio on the seat between the men.

     “Laughton! Laughton, this is Rowlands. Come in.”

     Laughton picked up the set and pressed the transmit button.

     “Yeah, what is it?”

     “Listen, you’d better call it off. Ryder’s wife got away from the women, and they’ve probably set a trap for you.”

     Laughton and Ritchie looked at one another.

     “Thanks for the tip, Rowlands. I wish you’d spoken a little sooner.”

After Laughton had reported the full extent of the disaster, Rowlands set the radio back on the front seat beside him.

     “So Ryder and the Sheriff set a trap after all. And they didn’t need Ryder’s plane to help.” He shook his head ruefully. “I should’ve known. Eight more men lost.”

     Mary La Rocque sat up in the back seat. She leaned forward, putting her chin almost on the top of the front seat.

     “I know you’re very busy, Mr. Rowlands, but when you get a couple minutes, would you mind untying me?”

     He looked into the rearview mirror at the woman. The sheet he had wrapped about her torso had slipped off. She was quite obviously naked above the waist and still tightly bound.

     “As you can see,” she continued, “I’m becoming a little immodest here, and there’s not much I can do about it all tied up like this.” She looked at him in the mirror. “Sometimes a girl just needs a little help.”

     “Okay. You’ll have to wait until I can find a place to pull over.”

     “Just don’t take too long,” she said, leaning back in the seat.

     It had been more than a year since Rowlands had driven the roads around Kermit, but he soon found a little side road that was sheltered by pine forest. When he was sure that they were well away from traffic, he pulled off the road and circled around the car to open the back door on the passenger side. Mary La Rocque remained slumped against the seat, though she did turn her head to him. He slid in beside her. Still she did not move.

     “Well,” he said pulling out his pocketknife. “Are you going to turn around so I can get at those ropes or are you going to just sit there?”

     She made no move to turn but squirmed closer. She seemed to be thrusting her breasts at him.

     “What about you?” she asked. “Are you going to cut me loose and go on pining for that cute little deputy? What is it about her? I know she’s an eyeful, but do you think she’s going to fall head over heels for you and give up her life to go off with you to a life of crime?”

     She was smiling that crooked little smile of hers. He said nothing. She drew herself up a little, again thrusting her beautiful breasts forward. His look told her that he thought she was a very attractive woman, but he remained silent. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

     “You know that you don’t want a good little girl like her,” she continued. “You need a bad girl like me. And here I am all bundled up for you. I couldn’t refuse you, all tied up like this.” She lowered her chin, then looked up coyly with her eyes. “Even if I wanted to. You could untie my legs and take me, then retie my legs and gag me and take me off somewhere and keep me for your pleasure whenever you wanted me.”

     “What about you and Watling? And from what I hear, you and Laughton?”

     “I have a mind of my own, Mr. Rowlands. I choose who I want to be with.”

     For a few moments he said nothing, but he slipped the knife back into his pocket. She lowered her eyes.

     “I’ll fight bravely against you, if that’s what you want,” she whispered.

     Much to his own surprise, Rowlands grabbed her and pulled her close to him. He took her chin in one hand and forced her head back so he could press his lips over hers. She moaned and struggled in his grasp. He held her tighter and kissed hard and long. After a minute or so they had to break for air.

     “Oh, yes!” she whispered.