Sky vs. Spies

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter 3

Copper Ryder watched in horror as the husky, mustachioed man lowered his left hand to reveal his pocketknife’s gleaming blade three or four inches long. Holding the knife about shoulder high in his right hand, the man advanced toward her. There was little doubt what he intended to do.

     The girl’s eyes grew wide with terror. She shook her head and struggled madly, protesting and pleading into her gag. It was only when the movement of her feet tightened the noose around her throat that the girl was forced to stop from lack of air. The man stepped behind her and pulled slightly on the ropes that led from the slipnoose down the back of her chair. Copper’s head was thrown back in an involuntary response to lessen the pressure on her throat. She found herself looking into the man’s face, upside down, above her. She closed her eyes and waited for the end.

     To her surprise the girl felt no slash from the knife, only some pulling at the loops about her throat. Then the noose loosened. She opened her eyes. The man’s face reappeared as her straightened up. Not only had he not killed her, he had cut the cords threatening to strangle her.

     As she gasped for breath, she watched as he crossed to the bed. The sergeant was also watching him, no longer in fear but in amazement as the man severed the rope that his woman boss had used to connect her ankle ropes to her necktie. Her feet, still encased in their dress pumps, dropped immediately to the bed. As the man straightened up again, his eyes met Copper’s. The girl tilted her head slightly, as if in question. The man said nothing, but a brief suggestion of embarrassment crossed his face and quickly he looked down. He folded the blade of his knife back into the handle and hurried from the room. The two stupefied women watched him go, continuing to stare at the vacant doorway for several seconds. Then they looked at one another. Copper shrugged expressively.

Rowlands ran from the front door of the ranch to the waiting sedan. Klee was at the wheel; Bradford sat in the back seat. He had drawn his revolver but gave no indication that he was about to use it. As Rowlands opened the passenger door Klee wagged his head to the north.

     “Look!” he shouted.

     Two black and white cars with flashing red lights on their roofs and large stars and the legend ‘County Sheriff’ on their sides were pulling up only forty yards away. There were two men in each car, and another flashing light could be seen on the road to the north.

     “What do we do?” howled Klee.

     Rowlands drew his pistol again, wiping his mouth with the back of his left arm as he thought. He looked at Bradford, who seemed cool enough.

     “Try to get a tire of the car on the right,” he said. “I’ll get the one on the left.”

     Bradford nodded and took aim. He squeezed off a shot. Dust kicked up a foot or so from the left front tire of the car. He fired again and missed, but the third time he hit home. The patrol car listed to the driver’s side. Rowlands fired at the other car and missed. His second shot found its target.

     “That oughta hold ‘em,” said Rowlands, grinning at the others. “Come on, Klee. Drive!”

     Klee threw the car into reverse and gunned the motor. The sedan shot backward.

“Sheriff!” called Deputy Charlie Barnes. “They shot out a front tire!”

     The lanky Barnes looked down again at the flat tire, one hand still on the door handle. His service revolver was ready in the other hand, but the targets were getting away.

     Sheriff Winchell swore under his breath. He turned to the other car.

     “How about you, Harry?”

     Stocky, fair-haired Deputy Tyler shook his head.

     “They got us too, Sheriff,” he called.

     Winchell drew out his revolver.

     “That was a pretty good trick, boys,” he said, addressing the fleeing men. “But two can play at it, you know.”

     He took aim and squeezed off a round. Dirt flew a few inches from the right front tire of the sedan. Tyler saw at once what the Sheriff was doing and he began shooting too. His tall and Latin appearing partner joined him.

Rowlands heard the thud of bullets hitting the ground.

     “Step on it, Klee!” he shouted. “They’re trying the same trick on us.”

     Klee threw the car into another gear and jammed his foot down. The car leaped forward as the deputies continued firing. There were several thuds of rounds hitting the car, but it did not stop. In a few seconds it was headed south at high speed.

Sheriff Winchell slid his pistol back into its holster.

     “Dang,” he muttered.

     “I’m sure that Andy hit him,” called Tyler. “Right rear tire, but it didn’t go flat.”

     “You hit him too, Sheriff,” added Deputy Andy Rivera.

     “I’m sure we all hit him,” said the Sheriff calmly. “The trouble is, we didn’t stop him.”

     “What was all this about, Sheriff?” Tyler asked.

     “I don’t have any idea,” Winchell replied. “Maybe Sky can tell us now.”

     Sky Ryder appeared at the side of the house followed by Julie Atkins. Fred Merrill and two other men, all armed with rifles, came around the other side.

     “I really don’t know, Winch,” said Sky. “It has something to do with Captain Atkins here. Those men and a few others wanted something from her.”

     Winchell and the deputies smiled as a unit as Captain Julie Atkins stepped closer with Sky. They had obviously never seen such a pleasant sight in an Air Force uniform. Rivera and Tyler touched their hat brims in salute. Barnes merely stared.

     “Well, I can understand any young man wanting to talk to you, Captain,” said Winchell as he stepped forward and took her hand. “I’m Hardy Winchell, Sheriff of Kermit.”

     Julie smiled at the older man’s compliment.

     “Julie Atkins,” she replied. “Just an old friend of Sky’s here for a visit.”

     Winchell looked puzzled.

     “If you’re just here for a visit, what did those men want with you?”

     “There are a few things to take care of before we get into that, Winch,” said Sky. “There are several more of them out back. We’ll need an ambulance for them.”

     “Three of them won’t need an ambulance, Sky,” put in Merrill. “The one in the barn’s dead. So’s the one at the shed, and one of those who came out to meet the plane. Joe and Wes are watching the wounded ones.”

     Winchell turned to the other patrol car.

     “Get a couple ambulances, Andy,” he said. “And see if Doc Barton can come too.”

     “Right, Sheriff,” the young Deputy replied.

     “Has anyone seen Copper or the Captain’s driver?” asked Sky.

     No one had.

     “They didn’t take anyone with them,” said Merrill. “They must be in the house.”

     Julie grabbed Sky arm with one hand and raised the other to her mouth in alarm.

     “Oh, Sky,” she cried softly. “If they’ve hurt Copper because of me…”

     Though concern showed in his face, Sky patted her hand reassuringly.

     “Let’s go look for them.”

     The two of them hurried to the house, Merrill and Sky’s other men following. A third Sheriff’s car arrived and Winchell went to meet it.

     Sky threw the front door open.

     “Copper!” he called. “Copper! Sergeant Wade! Are you in here?”

     To their relief they heard a chorus of muffled responses from Copper’s room. Sky took a step, but Julie tugged at his sleeve. She pointed to the bomb on the floor nearby. Sky examined it closely.

     “Fortunately, they didn’t have enough time to finish rigging it,” he said. “Come on. Let’s find the girls.”

     They strode quickly to Copper’s room and found the two women still bound and helpless, but unscathed. Sky leaned over Copper and released the gag ties. Julie went to help Sergeant Wade.

     “Are you all right, honey?” asked Sky.

     His niece spat out the gag wadding and took a couple of deep breaths. Julie helped Sergeant Wade sit up and began working the knot of her gag.

     “We’re all right, Uncle Sky,” she gasped. “But we almost weren’t.”

     Sky noticed the noose hanging loosely about her neck and started to remove it.

     “I can see that,” he said grimly. “What were those men after that they’d do all this to you?”

     “It wasn’t the men who did that,” she said, gesturing to the noose ropes with her head. “I mean, the men tied us up and searched the place, but it was a woman who tried to choke us.”

     “What?” asked Julie, as she removed the sergeant’s gag.

     “It’s true, ma’am,” confirmed Sergeant Wade. “The real leader of the gang seems to be a woman. I think they were trying to find out where the balloon had gone down. When they didn’t find any papers or map to tell them, they were going to kidnap you and force you to tell.”

     Sky thought for a moment.

     “Well that blows the lid off,” he said. “Or at least partway off. This can’t be kept secret anymore.”

     Julie looked at him imploringly.

     “Please, Sky,” she said. “This is my assignment and I don’t want to call the General yet. If we could just---“

     Copper cleared her throat.

     “Before we call any strategy meetings,” she said, “could you help the sergeant and me with one thing?”

     The preoccupied Sky and Julie looked at her curiously.

     “We’re pretty uncomfortable. Could you please untie us?”

     Sky looked at the sergeant in her shirt and underclothes and at his niece’s exposed brassiere and chest.

     “What happened to you two?” he asked as he reached for his pocketknife.

The car was slowing and the ride becoming increasingly rough. Rowlands looked at Klee.

     “What’s wrong with the car?” he asked.

     “Search me,” Klee answered. “I don’t know anything about cars, except how to drive ‘em.”

     “I think they got a rear tire,” said Bradford. “The one on your side, Rowlands.”

     “Great!” exploded Klee. “What’re we gonna do now?”

     “Relax,” said Rowlands. “At least we got away before it went flat. And we made sure that they can't follow us." He turned to Bradford. “Any sign of ‘em back there?”

     Bradford looked out the back window.

     “I don’t see any lights,” he replied. “But there was another sheriff’s car coming up. We’ve gotta get another car somewhere.”

     Rowlands scanned the area ahead. He peered at something to their left front.

     “There’s a house or something up there,” he said, pointing to the southeast. “Make a left up there, Klee.”

Summer Smithers opened her eyes. She was very relieved to discover that her headache was gone. Two aspirin and a couple hours’ nap on the couch had done the trick. Maybe she could now risk a little light. She sat up on the couch. A few moments of sitting up told her that the pain was really gone. She yawned and stretched. It felt good.

     Summer rose and went to the picture window, now covered by a thick curtain. Before throwing the drapes open, she looked down and noted now she was dressed or, more correctly, nearly undressed. After giving instructions for the rest of the afternoon to her foreman, Summer had come inside and immediately shed her jeans and boots. Despite a pleasant breeze, it was a fairly warm day and her headache had made it seem even warmer. After drawing the drapes to keep the living room cool, she had undone most of the buttons on her light colored linen shirt before taking the aspirin and laying down for a nap. Her bra and a good deal of her belly and chest would be on display if she opened the curtains.

     But who would be there to see? All of her ranch hands were several miles from the house, and though the road was only fifty yards or so from the window there was usually little traffic. She looked down. The two lowest shirt buttons were the only ones still fastened. She reached down and undid them. Throwing the shirt wide open. Summer pushed back the drapes. The road, the yard and the semi-circular gravel driveway were empty. She could just see the back of her station wagon parked beside the house and a small cloud of dust from a car on the north/south road that intersected a mile or so from the house with the one that ran past her window. Idly, she wondered if it was Sky Ryder’s car.

     She looked down at her well-displayed body. Maybe she was over thirty, but she was certainly in prime shape. Not fat, but definitely curvy. And the frilly bra she wore was certainly well filled. There were very few local men who knew that she liked especially feminine underwear like it under her practical rancher’s clothes. Sky was one who knew. She had been a widow for more than three years now and, next to keeping the ranch making a profit, Sky had been her main interest. There had been periods of intensity in their relationship, the greatest following his rescue of her from an escaped woman convict a year or so ago.

     The memory of that time drew a sigh from the attractive brunette. They had been so close then. He had been strong and protective after she had been found stripped almost naked and bound, gagged, and blindfolded in his bed. At her urging they had replayed her rescue several times for their own fun. Of course, they had been unable to play the scene in which she had been bound face-to-face with his niece, Copper. That had been an exciting little episode in its own way. The girl was understandably fond of Sky, but Summer wondered if Copper would ever allow any woman to take her place as the most important woman in Sky’s life.

     But whatever the future held in the long-term, Summer wanted some companionship today. If it was Sky in the car, she decided that he would find her as she was now. But she needed a brief stop in the bathroom first, not only for a call of nature but also a little freshening of her make-up.

     Pausing just long enough to slip off her socks, since men loved a woman’s bare feet, especially if her toes were painted attractively, Summer slipped out of the living room.

Sheriff Winchell’s orders to Deputies Norris and MacKeever were short and clear.

     “I want you two to go south to the junction then head east. Keep an eye out for a dark blue sedan, a Chrysler about two years old with California plates, number unknown. They might try to steal a car from the Geller or the Santori or the Smithers place. If don’t see the car, double back and head west from there. I’ll try to get some help from the State Police, and we’ll be along as soon as we get the tires changed.”

     “Right Sheriff,” replied Ben Norris. “We’ll get ‘em.”

     “There are three of them and they don’t seem shy about using their guns,” cautioned Winchell. “Don’t start a battle unless we’re with you.”

     The two nodded. MacKeever put the car in gear and they started off. Winchell walked back to the cars. His three other deputies and two of Sky’s men were at work on the cars. Harry Tyler was fitting a spare on the front of his car.

     “Won’t be long, Sheriff,” said Tyler.

     The Sheriff nodded. Deputy Rivera was rolling the flat back to the trunk.

     “How long on that ambulance, Andy?”

     The young man checked his watch.

     “Fifteen minutes ago they said a half hour,” he replied.

     Winchell nodded again and went around the house. In the yard were three bodies covered with blankets. Another of Sky’s men stood guard. Winchell went through the back door and down the hallway.

     The two wounded prisoners were in the kitchen being guarded and by Merrill, Bailey, Wes Donovan and another of Sky’s men.

     “How long’s it gonna take to get a doctor for us, Sheriff?” demanded one of them, the man with a square, ugly face. “You fixin’ t’ let us die? Or tryin’ t’ make us squeal by keepin’ the doc away until we talk?”

     “If you’re so delicate,” Winchell said dryly, “the next time you try shooting up one of our ranches, I hope you’ll call ahead so we have a doctor standing by.”

     Despite the sarcasm of his remark, he looked at Bailey who was pressing a clean towel against the man’s bleeding side. Bailey shook his head.

     “He’s all right, Sheriff,” the old cowboy said. “Just a little blood. Nothin’ vital hit.”

     Winchell turned and walked back to Copper’s room to find Sky and the women.

     “Everybody all right here?” he asked.

     The sergeant had found the rest of her uniform still in the bathroom and put on the skirt. Copper had rebuttoned her shirt and was helping the sergeant keep her shirt closed by using safety pins near each buttonhole.

     “They seem to be fine, Winch,” said Sky. “It was another narrow escape for Copper and Sergeant Wade here though.”

     “I saw that bomb they tried to set out there,” said Winchell. “That means that these people aren’t common thieves. They came for a reason. Right now I’ve got to get after them, but I hope that you’ll tell me what it’s all about. And I mean the real reason.”

     They both looked at Julie.

     “All right, Sheriff,” she said. “We can talk about it tonight.”

     “That seems fair enough,” he said with a nod. “I’ll have to leave two men to ride the ambulances back to town with those jaspers. Can you spare a couple men to drive the other patrol car back?”

     “Sure. I’ll go out with you, Winch. We can make all the arrangements.”

     Sky found a man to drive the Sheriff’s car to town and another to follow in his station wagon to bring them both back to the ranch. Deputy Barnes appeared at the door reporting that both patrol cars were ready. Sky and Winchell strolled out on the porch.

     “I’ll get the Hummingbird in the air as fast as I can to help you search,” said Sky. “But there’s one thing I’d like to ask in return, Winch…”

     He paused for a moment.

     “Julie and her driver are going to be staying at one of the motels in town. Could you spare someone to stay with them? Just in case, you know.”

     Winchell smiled.

     “That gal’s pretty important to you, isn’t she? Something between you two?”

     Sky pushed his hat back on his head.

     “There was once, Winch. Now, I don’t know.”

     “Well,” said Winchell, “I think that between Amy and Sue, my new dispatcher, they can handle the job.”

     Sky looked around the yard.

     “Amy’s not out here chasing those men, is she?”

     Winchell laughed.

     “Don’t worry about that, Sky. I had to pull most of the day shift for this, so she’s out handling an accident by the east county line right now. She’s miles away.”

     Sky let out a breath.

     “I’m glad of that. I’ve caused her an awful lot of trouble over the past year or so, and I’d hate to make any more.”

Deputy Amy Cole pressed the accelerator down hard. With the minor accident out of the way, she hoped that she still might be in time to help with the mysterious goings-on at the Flying Coronet ranch.

Klee pulled the dark sedan into Summer Smithers’ drive. The three men looked around carefully. There was no one in the yard or around the barn.

     “What do you think?” Klee asked nervously.

     Rowlands kept his gaze moving from side to side.

     “I don’t know. It looks pretty quiet.”

     He looked at the station wagon parked by the side of the house then examined a small building nearby. He turned to his companions.

     “I think that’s a garage over there,” he said. “Bradford, you move the car in there so it’s out of sight. Klee, you come with me.”

     The three men got out of the car, Bradford moving to the driver’s seat. They all took care to open and close the car doors quietly. Bradford pulled the car slowly toward the garage while Rowlands and Klee crossed the yard to a door at the rear of the house.

Summer Smithers returned to the living room and looked out of the big window. The road was empty. Noticing the reflection of her freshly reddened lips in the mirror, she suddenly felt foolish as well as disappointed. It was silly for her to have leaped to the conclusion that the approaching car had been Sky and to have put so much hope into a visit from him. She shook her head. It must have been from some dreamy state caused by her nap. On an end table beside the couch was a box of tissue. She pulled out two or three and wiped off the excess lipstick.

     There was a slight noise in the kitchen. She turned quickly, wondering if her foreman had returned. Maybe something was wrong. She pulled her shirt closed. It hung just barely far enough to cover her panties and there was no time to button it or to find other clothes.

     “Ken?” she called.

     It was odd. Ken would have let himself in, but he would have knocked loudly first then announced himself immediately upon entering. She called again and walked to the kitchen.

     A tall, lean man with a pointed, evil-looking face stepped into the doorway just in front of her. Summer screamed and turned to run toward the front door. The man reached out and grabbed her by the arm. She managed to pull her arm away and began to run from him. He grabbed again and caught the sleeve of her shirt. As she took her first strides, the shirt peeled off. The man stared at it incredulously.

     Summer got one hand on the front doorknob only to be grabbed from behind by another man, a husky one with a mustache. She wriggled in his grasp, then tried to turn and punch him.

     “Hold on there, you little wildcat,” he said. He had his left arm around her waist and used his right to hold her right wrist. Though she had little room to swing, she tried to hit him with her left. “Come on, Klee. Help me with her.”

     Klee crossed the room eyeing the bra and panty clad woman with a grin. He still held the shirt in his hands.

     “You need help with a cute little package like her?” Klee said, licking his lips. “And she dressed real nice for us. Made herself up too.”

     “What do you two want?” demanded Summer. “Don’t get any funny ideas. I’ve got twenty men working for me and they’re due back here pretty soon.”

     “I doubt that,” said Rowlands. “But don’t worry, little lady. All we want is your car.”

     Summer relaxed a bit. She stopped trying to hit Rowlands with backhand lefts.

     “The keys are on the table right there,” she said using her head to indicate a small table by the door. “Take the car and go.”

     Klee picked up the keys.

     “Well, it’s not quite as simple as that,” he said. “We’ll have to keep you from calling the police.”

     Bradford entered from the kitchen. He had several coils of rope in his hand. If he was surprised to see an attractive woman in bra and panties, his stolid face did not show it.

     “The car’s out of sight,” he said. He lifted the rope. “I found this in the garage. I guess it’s a good thing I brought it.”

     “It sure is,” said Rowlands, grabbing a piece. “Now let’s do this the easy way, Missy. My friend here” – he nodded toward Klee- “would like to do it the hard way, but I don’t think that you would.”

     She looked at the two men, Bradford with his Indian-like impassivity and Klee grinning and licking his lips.

     “Okay, you win,” she said sullenly. “I don’t suppose you’d let me get dressed first.”

     Rowlands pulled her arms behind her, crossed her wrists and began looping them with cord.

     “I think you look real cute as you are, honey,” said Klee.

     He reached his right hand toward her thinly covered left breast.

     “That’s enough o’ that,” said Rowlands. “Find me something to use for a gag.”

     Klee held up the shirt he still held in his left hand.

     “How about this?”

     “Yeah that’ll do. Tear it up. Bradford, close those drapes just in case anybody comes by. We’ll put her on the couch.”

     Bradford drew the curtains closed while Rowlands pushed Summer across the room to the couch. He pressed her shoulder and ordered her to sit. Reluctantly she sat. Rowlands began looping her arms and body with more ropes. Bradford knelt and started tying her ankles together. Klee ripped her shirt into several pieces.

The patrol car approached the Smithers ranch. Deputy Norris, in the passenger seat, looked out.

     “That’s the lady rancher’s place, isn’t it Al?” asked Norris

     “Yep. That’s it. Any sign of that blue car?”

     Norris peered at the yard and buildings.

     “I don’t see it. Isn’t her car a silver station wagon?”

     MacKeever nodded.

     “That’s hers, all right. Not stolen yet. The Santori place is next. About twelve miles.”

     The patrol car went on.

Summer watched helplessly as her arms were trapped against her torso. Rowlands wrapped several coils just below her breasts, then started a new set just above her waist. When Bradford finished tying her ankles side by side, he moved on to her legs just above her knees. When the big man finished, he stood up.

     “That ought to slow her down,” he said matter-of-factly.

     Rowlands looked down at her legs.

     “Yeah, good job,” he said. “Better tear the phone out just to be sure she can’t call the cops too fast. Then take those keys and make sure that car of hers runs.”

     Klee handed the keys to Bradford. He continued to leer at her as he advanced, wadding a piece of her shirt in his hands.

     “I think we ought to take her along with us,” he said. “She sure would make the trip more pleasant.”

     Rowlands continued his tying.

     “Forget it. We’ve got enough trouble as it is. Just gag her.”

     He leaned over holding a piece of her wadded shirt so she could see it.

     “Open your mouth, darlin’,” he said mockingly. “And I’ll give you something that tastes real good.”

     Summer looked coldly at the grinning face before her.

     “Go to Hell,” she said. She opened her mouth.

     “You got a lotta spunk,” he said. “I like that.”

     He jammed the cloth home roughly enough that it drew a muffled shriek from the bound woman. Despite her mews of protest, he packed her mouth full of cloth. Rowlands finished tying the body loops and looked up.

     “Easy there,” he warned his partner. “Give me another strip to hold it in.”

     Klee handed him one of the shirt’s sleeves.

     “You’re always soft when it came to women, aren’t ya Rowlands?” Klee sneered, as he watched Rowlands adjust the packing in Summer’s mouth before securing the gag.

     “I just never believed in roughing up women like you do,” Rowlands replied. “They’re still looking for you for that in California, aren’t they?”

     “Whatsa matter? Not as noble as sellin’ Army goods on the black market like you? At least I didn’t do five years in Leavenworth like you did.”

     The exchange was interrupted by the sound of tires on the gravel outside.

     “That can’t be Bradford,” said Rowlands. “See who it is.”

     He took another piece of cloth and bound it over Summer’s eyes as Klee crossed the room and separated the curtains enough to look outside.

     “It’s a lady cop!” he whispered.

     Rowlands gave Summer a little push and watched her fall over on the couch.

     “Well, we’d better be ready,” he said, drawing his pistol from his belt.

Deputy Amy Cole opened the door of her car and stepped out onto the gravel of Summer’s driveway. The shapely and beautiful, blue-eyed deputy had heard the radio calls for ambulances at the Flying Coronet and the request for the fourth two-man patrol unit, the last one available on this shift, to join the Sheriff at the ranch. Since there had been some real trouble, Amy decided to warn Summer Smithers as she passed her ranch.

     When she had slid out of the seat, she started to reach back inside for her wide-brimmed Western hat, but decided against it. She never wore it while driving, and this way she wouldn’t have to fuss with tucking the ponytail of her dark brown hair under it. As she walked to the front door, she noticed the rear bumper of Summer’s station wagon protruding just past the corner of the house. And the car was running.

     It was odd. Of course, Summer might be getting ready to go into town, but it was worth a look. The slender deputy walked quietly to the side of the house. A big man Amy had never seen was getting out of the car. Amy’s right hand dropped beside her holster.

     “Hello, there,” she said, stepping out from the corner of the building. “You a new hand here?”

     The man looked up quickly. Though his features were impassive, mild surprise showed.

     “Oh, yeah,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “Johnson’s the name, Bill Johnson. Just been here a couple days.”

     “Mrs. Carter want you to drive her into town?” Amy asked blandly.

     “Actually I’m going into town for her, She isn’t feeling too well this afternoon, and she asked me to go.”

     Amy drew her revolver.

     “Interesting. But the lady who lives here is named Smithers.”

     “We’ll have to remember that, deputy,” said a voice behind her.

     Amy turned to see two men pointing pistols at her.

     “Drop the gun,” said Rowlands.

     “Then come on in and join the party,” said Klee with a grin.