Sky vs. Spies

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter 7

“Control, this is Car Five. Be advised that we have lost the target car. I say again, we have lost the target car. Over.”

     Deputy Harry Tyler’s voice was apparently calm, but Deputy Amy Cole could tell from the manner in which he clipped the ends of some words and his use of the military phrase ‘I say again’ that he was agitated by this unexpected turn. As Tyler informed the dispatcher of the last know position of Captain Atkins’ car, Amy noticed that Deputy Willard was manning the office radio. She took up the microphone in her own car.

     “Control, this is Car Four. Is that you Tom? Why isn’t Sue on the radio? Over.”

     “She hasn’t checked in yet, Amy. I told Sullivan I’d take the overtime to man the set until she came in. Over.”

     Amy checked her wristwatch.

     “She’s more than twenty minutes late now,” she said to Deputy Falk as he turned the corner only a hundred yards from the motel entrance.

     “Is that bad?” asked Copper leaning forward and resting her arms on the back of the seat.

     “Sue’s never late,” said Amy.

     Falk nodded grimly.

     “Something’s wrong for sure. Tell the Sheriff.”

     Amy notified Winchell that they were at the motel and that Officer Sue Kendall had not reported for work as expected. Winchell had already heard about the disappearance of Captain Atkins’ car.

     “Looks like this robbery was a decoy, but it might also be a trap for you, Amy” he warned. “I’ll send MacKeever and Norris to help search for the car. Barnes and I will join you at the motel. If it looks like trouble, wait for us. Over.”

     Falk pulled the car into a parking space near the motel office.

     “Roger, Sheriff. We’re on the scene. Car Four out.”

     Both deputies got out of the car with their service revolvers drawn, Copper cautiously following.

Captain Atkins’ two-year-old sedan turned into an alley and continued to the parking lot of an abandoned machine shop halfway down the block. A black sedan sat waiting. Donna brought the car to a quick stop. She and Myra jumped out and ran to opposite sides of the black car. They threw open the back doors and dived inside. Almost before they could close the doors, the car bolted into motion. The vehicle followed the alley to the end of the block, turned right at the next street, then turned left at the first corner. The car was now headed south, in the opposite direction of the laundry truck, and ninety degrees from the easterly direction that Donna and Myra had been going under the escort of the Sheriff’s deputies.

     Rowlands turned to look into the back seat. Myra had opened the cloth laundry bag lying on the back seat and was distributing the clothes inside it into two piles, one for Donna and on for herself. Donna had unbuttoned the blouse she had taken from Connie and was slipping it off. Connie’s skirt already lay on the floor in front of the backseat.

     “Hiya, Rowlands,” the blonde cooed enticingly. “Ya wanna watch us?”

     The look Rowlands gave her was expressionless, save for the hint of disdain suggested by the curling at one corner of his mouth.

     “I just wanted to know if everything went all right,” he said.

     Myra had unbuttoned Julie’s lightweight dress. She pulled it back and let it drop from her arms and shoulders then raised her shapely derriere from the seat to slide it off onto the floor. Both young women sat for a moment wearing only bras and panties.

     “Everything went just fine. Captain Atkins is all tied up in a laundry truck headed for the ranch. It’s too bad we don’t have any pictures for you, ‘cause she’s a real cutie bare-assed naked and tied into a ball.”

     Myra giggled.

     “Her friends are havin’ a real good time too, all tied up face-to-face in bed.” She looked at Klee. “That blonde sergeant is quite a sight with no clothes.”

     “And we’ve got ’em close enough to do this,” added Donna.

     She put her arms around Myra and gave her a long kiss on the lips. When they broke the kiss, they stayed in each other’s arms.

     “They aren’t real kissin’ cousins like we are though,” Donna said sweetly.

     Rowlands looked at Klee. Klee was staring at the two vixens in the rearview mirror. When Rowlands looked forward again the car was starting to cross the centerline.

     “You’d better keep your eyes on the road, Klee,” he said.

     Klee returned the car to its own lane. Rowlands glanced into the rearview mirror to see the two girls giggle, then kiss again.

     He looked at the road ahead, wishing he had never taken this job.

Amzie Noland stopped to catch her breath. She had begun struggling when she heard Estrelita begin trying to crawl around her chair and the desk. Amzie had been able to figure out that Estrelita intended to try to get to the phone, and knew that the hogtied and blindfolded girl stood little chance of even finding and reaching the telephone, let alone summoning any help. She had tried to stop the girl by talking into her gag, but could not make herself understood. The two young women who had confronted them with guns had looked not more than two or three years out of high school, but they had certainly bound and gagged them with the skill of seasoned criminals. Though she had tried everything she could think of, Amzie could find no way to slip out of her bonds.

     She tugged at her wrist ropes again, but all the knots remained secure. In addition to being tied together, the two girls had forced her to pass her hands on either side of the supporting center splat of the chair back. Even if she could somehow stand up she would be unable to free her arms from the chair. She would have to move the chair with her. But there was no way she could stand up with her body bound to the chair with coils of rope about several places and her tied ankles had been drawn back under the seat and secured there. And gagged and blindfolded as she was, what could she do if she were able to stand?

     Estrelita had stopped to rest also. The poor girl tried to moan something to her employer, but Amzie was unable to understand what she was trying to say. It was very quiet as they both rested. The knocking at the outer office door startled both captives. The knocking turned to pounding, and was joined by a man shouting.

     “Amzie! Amzie, are you in there?”

     Amzie heard the sound of the knob being tried, but their captors had locked it behind them. She and Estrelita both tried to call for help. The gags reduced their cries to nasal humming.

     Then came the crash of an impact against the wooden door. It splintered and flew open so far that it banged against the wall.

     “Mrs. Noland! Are you in here?”

     It was a woman’s voice this time.

     “Mrs. Noland! It’s Deputy Cole, Mrs. Noland! Where are you?”

     Both bound women raised a chorus of gagged response.

Officer Sue Kendall took a deep breath through her nose and tried to remain calm. At first, both she and Sergeant Wade had struggled to free themselves from the securely looped adhesive tape that bound them individually and together. But it had not taken many minutes to tell them that there was no escape. They would remain nude, face-to-face, hands bound behind their backs, gagged and blindfolded in the motel bed until someone freed them. The only thing they could do was to stay relaxed, since breathing was much easier that way.

     As with many small town girls, Sue had believed that what her life lacked most was adventure. Her mother had had the gravest misgivings about Sue’s working for the Sheriff’s office and had been relieved when she learned that Sue’s job would be as radio dispatcher, well out of the way of any speeding cars and flying bullets. It was Sue who had been disappointed to find out that she would begin with the dispatcher’s job.

     Then had come the wonderful news that with only five months’ experience, Sue would have a chance at some real deputy work in guarding the Air Force captain and her sergeant/driver. Sheriff Winchell had even issued her a revolver, gunbelt and handcuffs for the week. All she had to do was alternate nights with Amy Cole in sleeping in the airwomen’s room. It had been pretty routine work, and much of the thrill had been taken from it when she was told that two deputies were on duty outside the room as well. All she had wanted was a chance to show her worth as a policewoman. Now she was bound, gagged, blindfolded and naked and pressed tightly against another woman who was in the same state. Bound as they were, there was no way for them to even attempt any escape. They would have to wait for rescue. It was a humiliating turn of events.

     She heard muffled sounds outside the room. The door was tried but did not open. A key was put into the lock and turned. The door flew open, but all was silent for a moment.

     “Somebody’s still in here!” called a voice Sue seemed to recognize as Amy Cole’s.

     The bedclothes that covered the bound pair were thrown back.

     “Great Caesar!” exclaimed a man.

     “Oh my God!” Amy exploded. “Copper! Come quick!”

     “You’d better handle this,” said the man.

     “Right,” Amy replied. “Let the Sheriff know, Bob. Captain Atkins has been kidnapped.”

Sky Ryder poured himself another cup of coffee. He looked out of the window over the kitchen sink at the still quiet landscape outside sipping the coffee thoughtfully. All looked peaceful but the tall rancher felt somewhat uneasy, the same kind of uneasiness he had experienced in the War when things were too quiet. He shook his head. The strange feeling he had was probably due to Copper having gone into town so early to have the car serviced. His niece was rarely an early riser by choice, but he understood that waiting at the ranch made the girl nervous. It was better that she have a few tasks to do.

     “Calling Flying Coronet. Calling Flying Coronet. This is Copper, Uncle Sky. Do you read me? Over.”

     Sky put his cup on the counter and hurried to the radio set in the living room.

     “This is Sky at the ranch, Copper. I read you. Is something wrong? Over.”

     Copper Ryder looked through the open door of Amy Cole’s patrol car into the motel office. Inside the room a local doctor and two ambulance attendants were attending the freed and dressed Amzie, Estrelita, Officer Kendall, and Sergeant Wade.

     “I’m at Amzie’s Motel, Sky,” the girl said fretfully. “You’ve got to get here quick! The gang was here early this morning. Two women tied up Mrs. Noland and the maid and impersonated them. They got into Julie’s room, tied up Sergeant Wade and the policewoman and kidnapped Julie. Over.”

     “I’ll be there as fast as the Hummingbird can get me to town. Out.”

     Sky grabbed his hat and hurried to the back door. Within three minutes he was in the air.

Sheriff Winchell put a hand to his chin as he stood before the four women seated in the waiting area of the motel office. Amzie Noland, Estrelita, and Officer Kendall had recovered the clothes taken from them, and Sergeant Wade had other clothing in their room.

     “So beyond the fact that it was two young women who attacked you,” he said, “you can’t tell me very much about who they were.”

     “How in the world could we tell you much about them, Sheriff?” said Amzie Noland. “Why they had scarves tied over their faces when they came in the office, and after they tied and gagged us they put blindfolds on us! We never had a chance to see who they were!”

     Copper Ryder had found the coffeepot from the unserved breakfast and was attempting to pour a cup for Amzie. In her agitation, the woman kept gesturing with the hand in which she held the cup, making Copper wait.

     “You just drink this, Mrs. Noland,” said the girl soothingly. “You’ll feel a lot better.”

     Mrs. Noland took a breath as Copper leaned over and began to pour coffee into her cup, but a sudden thought occurred to her and she turned suddenly to the Sheriff again. The cup went with her, causing Copper to pour a bit of coffee into empty air and onto the carpet before the girl could tilt the pot back.

     “Well they were a couple of young hussies, Sheriff!” Amzie went on with great heat. “They really enjoyed making us take off our clothes. They made Estrelita take off her bra even though there was no reason for it! They had her uniform. That was all they needed.”

     She looked at the circle of faces around her. Deputy Amy Cole was giving glasses of water to Estrelita and Officer Kendall. Deputy Falk was writing in his notebook. Amzie glanced at Falk and the Sheriff again.

     “I’d be too embarrassed to tell you what else they did,” she finished, lowering her eyes.

     “Amzie,” Winchell said gently, “I’m the Sheriff. I have to know everything, if it’ll help us find them.”

     Amzie looked up and shook her head.

     “They felt us up a little and played with our breasts, Sheriff,” said Estrelita in a soft but resolute voice. “Their voices were young, and they both had very nice figures.”

     “And they had men helping them Sheriff,” added Sue Kendall, “The ones who took the Captain away were definitely men. And there were at least three of them.”

     Sergeant Connie Wade added:

     “And I think that one of them was one of the men who tied up Copper and me at the Ryder ranch the other day.” She furrowed her brow in thought. “I can’t be certain, because he didn’t say much then, but I’m pretty sure that I recognized the voice.”

     Winchell nodded. Falk wrote in his notebook.

     “Did they do or say anything that would help us find out where they were taking her?” asked Winchell.

     Connie Wade’s expression was very grim. She fretfully rubbed the side of her face.

     “They loaded her in some kind of truck with metal doors on the back. I heard them close. One of the women said that the Captain was going on a little trip and wouldn’t be coming back.”

     They all looked uneasily at one another.

     “Well the part about the small truck helps,” mused the Sheriff.

     “Maybe some kind of delivery van or truck,” suggested Amy.

     “One of the women said something kind of strange, Sheriff,” added Officer Kendall. “She said that the Captain was all ‘bright and clean’ for her trip. That seemed an odd thing to say.”

     Copper was leaning over to pour coffee for Sergeant Wade. She abruptly straightened up.

     “Bright and clean?” the girl cried. “The laundry truck! I saw it pull out of here! It was spelled wrong, but I wonder if that’s what she meant!”

     It took a moment or two of explanation to explain her point.

     “I might not have remembered it without that funny spelling.”

     “Which way did the truck go?” Winchell asked.

     “North.”

     “Get on the radio to Sky. Describe the truck and tell him to get north of town as fast as he can and start looking for it. I’m going to put every deputy on the day shift after them. We’ll get Captain Atkins back.”

“Okay, Copper,” said Sky Ryder. “I’ve got the information. Small white truck with the logo ‘Brite and Kleen’ in red letters on both sides. Was headed north out of Kermit on White Mountain Road. Is that right? Over.”

     “Right, Uncle Sky,” answered Copper. “We think there are three men in the truck with her. I’m with the Sheriff headed that way now. There’s another car with us and two more cars are headed north on Apache Gulch Road. Over.”

     Sky looked at the dry landscape below. The town of Kermit was barely two miles ahead.

     “Sounds like a good plan. I doubt that they can get too much speed out of a truck like that. I’ll be north of town in about two minutes. I’ll keep you all informed. Over.”

     Sheriff Winchell took the radio microphone from Copper leaning over the patrol car seat and pressed the transmitter button.

     “We’ll be with you as fast as we can, Sky. Car One out.”

     “Roger, Winch. Sky out.”

     Sky hung the handset on its hook and gripped the yoke firmly.

Hammer stuck his head from the cargo section of the truck into the cab between Harvey and Gordon to check the speedometer.

     “Not too fast now, Gordon,” he cautioned the big man. “We don’t want anyone to think we’re doing anything but delivering laundry here.”

     The driver turned his unattractive, menacing face toward Hammer for a few seconds then looked back at the road.

     “I know what I’m doing. But if you’re so worried we can switch jobs for a while. You can drive and I’ll go back there and take care of the Captain. I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

     Harvey gave Gordon a friendly grin.

     “I’ll bet you wouldn’t. Neither would I.”

     “Just keep the truck on the road and watch out for cops,” said Hammer without any sign of amusement or friendliness. “I’ll take care of the pretty Captain.”

     He disappeared into the back of the truck. Gordon looked briefly at Harvey and shrugged.

     Julie Atkins, naked and bound into a knees-to-chest ball with white adhesive tape, was wriggling ineffectually atop piles and bags of linens in the back. Hammer knelt on the pile of laundry and walked back to her on his knees.

     “I hope you’re enjoyin’ the ride, Captain,” he said. “It’ll be a while ‘til we get there, but I wouldn’t be in any hurry if I were you. The boss has some real special plans for you.”

     Julie mewed into her gag and shook her head. Hammer looked at her hungrily and ran a hand down her bare side and leg. She flinched at his touch but could do little to draw away from him.

     “I guess we really don’t have to keep you tied up like that though. The girls just wanted to bundle you up kinda small and have some fun with you.”

     He drew a pocketknife from his jacket and opened the blade. He sawed on the tape loops between her leg and shoulder. Finally they separated, easing the pressure on her back, abdominal and leg muscles. Slowly and carefully he peeled the tape from around her back and under her legs. She sighed with relief.

     “Better, huh?” whispered Hammer as he wadded the tape into a ball and tossed it aside. “I’ll bet you’re grateful too, aren’t you Captain?”

     He ran a hand over her shoulder and down her side again. Julie froze for a moment. Though blindfolded, she turned her head toward him as though looking him in the face. She mewed into the gag again and shook her head.

     “Tsk, tsk, Captain. Not grateful? That’s too bad. You see, the boss lady’s always prancin’ around in front of us, shakin’ her behind and showin’ off her boobs. And we, the hired help, get kinda tired of it. Makes us a little crazy when we see a woman who’s more agreeable.”

     He ran his hand over one of the loops of tape around her body and arms up to her breast. He toyed with her nipple for a moment. She protested into the gag and raised her knees up to try to push him away with her feet. He easily fended her off.

     “Oh, come on, Captain,” he said mockingly. “You don’t really think that one little tied up woman can beat up a man, do you?”

     He ran his hand down her shapely leg. Julie moaned into her gag.

Sky Ryder scanned the empty road below him. There was so little traffic that he had no doubt about being able to find the white truck, so he had kept the Hummingbird at a high enough altitude that the plane, if spotted, would not be immediately identified as part of a search. He had passed two sheriff’s cars a few minutes ago. They were now several miles behind him. To the east he knew that there were two more patrol cars headed north on a parallel road. Somehow Sky had to be sure that the Sheriff and his men could find the truck and catch it.

     The truck appeared on the road to the north. Sky estimated that it was about ten miles ahead of the pursuing police. His guess that the truck would not be going too fast was correct, and the much faster police cruisers would be able to overtake it soon. But there was also a risk of the truck turning off the main road at any junction ahead. If he followed too casually, he might lose his quarry in one of the canyons or pine forests in the hills.

     Sky looked ahead. There was flat country for several more miles, so no need to make a move yet. He reached for the radio.

     “Hummingbird calling Sheriff’s Car One. Calling Sheriff’s Car One. Are you there, Winch? Over.”

     The reply was prompt.

     “Car One to Hummingbird. What have you got, Sky? Over.”

     “They’re dead ahead of you, Winch. Ten, maybe twelve miles, but not going very fast. They’re getting close to the Maloney ranch. Over.”

     “Roger, Sky. We’re stepping on it. Can you do anything to slow them down? Over.”

     “I’ll try, Winch. But I can’t risk wrecking them with Julie in back of the truck I’ll have to be careful. Over.”

     “I’ll have Tyler and Rivera head west on one of the county roads when you give the word. They may be able to set up a roadblock for you. But watch out. They’ll probably start shooting once they spot you. Over.”

     “I’m going to have to count on that, Winch. As long as they’re shooting they won’t be trying to give us the slip. Wish me luck. Over.”

     Copper Ryder reached over the seat between Deputy Cole at the wheel and Winchell and took the handset from the Sheriff.

     “You be careful, Sky,” she said.

     “I’ll do my best, Copper. Hummingbird out.”

Hammer caressed one of Julie’s breasts, ignoring the helpless woman’s struggles and protests. He slipped his arm around behind her and raised her head and shoulders. Their faces were very close.

     “Now, Captain,” he whispered, “let’s see some of that military courtesy.”

     He leaned down to nuzzle her cheek and jaw. The bound woman thrashed uselessly.

     “Hey, Gordon,” said Harvey. “Look over there. You don’t see planes flying that low very often.”

     Harvey pointed casually out the truck window on his side. Gordon leaned over to look at the twin engine Cessna Bobcat.

     “Yeah. What’s he doin’? Dustin’ crops? He doesn’t look like a cropduster.”

     Hammer straightened up. He lowered Julie back onto the laundry piles and scrambled to the opening to the cab.

     “Plane?” he demanded. “What plane?”

     Harvey pointed again. His good-natured face radiated childish delight at seeing an airplane so close.

     “You fools,” shouted Hammer. “That’s Sky Ryder. We’ve been spotted!”

     He started to draw his gun from inside his suitcoat, only to have the Cessna bank sharply left toward the road ahead. The plane crossed the highway a hundred yards or so in front of the truck. Gordon slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to the left. All three men were thrown off balance.

     “Be careful, Gordon!” screamed Hammer. “You’ll kill us all!”

     Gordon accelerated again only to have the plane repeat its action from the left. Again the truck was forced to slow.

     “What are we going to do?” yelled Harvey.

     Hammer drew out his revolver.

     “We’re gonna shoot him if we get half a chance, you big oaf,” he snapped. “You’ve got guns, so start usin’ ’em.”

     The plane veered in from the right again. Harvey drew his pistol but was unable to get off a shot at the swiftly moving Cessna. Hammer looked out the window behind Gordon, watching for the next pass from the left. But the wily flier circled behind the truck and came in from the right again. The startled Gordon turned quickly, causing two wheels to go off the asphalt into the hard sand of the shoulder. On the next pass Hammer guessed correctly that the plane would come from the left and managed to get off two shots. They had no effect.

     For some minutes the duel continued. The fleeing men fired a number of times at the Hummingbird but were unable to hit the pilot or disable the plane. Sky took no unnecessary chances, coming from as close to directly behind the truck as possible to limit the time the men had to aim. Each time he passed in front of the truck he forced it to slow for a time. As he circled behind his quarry after a dozen or so passes he finally saw police cars come into view.

     Hammer had not seen the cars, but he was able to figure out Sky’s plan.

     “He’s trying to slow us down!” he yelled to Gordon. “The cops must be on our tail. You’ve got to keep movin.’ He’s not going to risk wrecking us with his precious Captain inside. Next time, just don’t slow down.”

     “I’ll try. But it’s not easy to do when a plane just appears in front of you.”

     As if to illustrate his point, the Cessna swooped down from directly above the truck and flew just ahead of it for several seconds at an altitude of thirty feet or so. Harvey and Hammer both put their arms outside the windows and fired. The plane climbed and sped away to the front. Only when he was well out of range did Sky bank to go behind them again. He repeated the maneuver, again climbing and speeding ahead of the truck.

     “The cops are getting’ close!” shouted Harvey pointing into the mirror on his side of the cab. “Two of ‘em!”

     The flashing red lights of the police cars were now plainly visible.

     “There’s no way out of this,” Gordon said grimly. “We might as well give up.”

     Hammer pointed his pistol at the big driver.

     “Just keep goin’, Gordon. They haven’t got us yet.”

     Hammer looked ahead. The plane was heading directly toward them.

     “What’s he doin’ now?” wailed Harvey. “Is he gonna hit us?”

     “He’s no kamikaze,” said Hammer.

     A few hundred yards ahead of the truck, the plane dropped down extremely low. A cloud of sand blew up in front of it.

     “Look out!” cried Harvey as they headed right for it.

     The Cessna climbed out of the dust, but the cloud raised by its propellers hung in the air. The truck plunged into the blinding mass.

     “Keep goin’!” howled Hammer.

     But Gordon, unnerved and now blinded, could not control his instincts. He hit the brakes hard, bringing the truck to a stop. He and Harvey threw the doors open and stumbled out. Hammer dived into the back of the truck.

     Sky Ryder watched the truck go off the road and stop. Winchell and another car were coming from the south. A third police car appeared to the north. He looked for a place to land.

     Neither Gordon nor Harvey got very far from the road. Even after the dust cloud had settled, the two had to stop to try to clear sand from their eyes and throats. As they coughed and spat out dirt, two police cars roared up from the south. Both men drew their pistols and made a run for some nearby rock formations. They were still thirty yards away when the police cars pulled off the road. Winchell and Deputy Cole got out and took cover behind the doors of one car. Deputies Falk and Barnes did the same at the other car.

     “Stop or we’ll shoot,” shouted Winchell. “Give it up, you two.”

     Gordon turned and fired a hasty shot. Winchell took aim and returned fire. Gordon grabbed his leg and fell in a heap, his gun falling several feet away. Falk fired at Harvey. The shot missed but kicked up sand only a few feet in front of the big man. He stopped and dropped his gun, turning with raised hands to his pursuers.

     “Don’t shoot, Sheriff. We’ve had enough.”

     He turned his oddly amiable face to look at the wounded Gordon. Copper Ryder emerged from the backseat of the Sheriff’s car. Deputy Barnes started forward, but Winchell stopped him with a hand motion.

     “Where’s the other man?” called Winchell.

     Before they could answer him the back doors of the truck swung open. Hammer stepped out. In his right hand he held his pistol. His left arm circled the waist of the naked and bound Julie Atkins. He held the helpless woman in front of him shielding his own body with hers. He raised his gun to the head of his hostage. Though she was still gagged and blindfolded, when the muzzle of the pistol touched her temple, Julie sensed what it was and froze.

     “All right, Sheriff, just stay where you are or the pretty Captain here gets hurt.”

     “Give it up, son,” Winchell said calmly, his revolver pointed at the man. “If she or anyone gets hurt it’ll just go harder on you. Throw down your gun.”

     “No thanks, Sheriff. I like things as they are.”

     “How far do you think you’ll get in this desert with a tied up hostage and a wounded man?”

     Hammer laughed. He waved the gun in the direction of Gordon and Harvey.

     “You can have my friends here, if you want ’em. But I’m takin’ the Captain and getting’ out of here. You’re gonna tell the deputies in that car that’s comin’ t’ get out and let me and the Captain in.”

     He gestured toward Copper with his pistol.

     “And that cute little blonde back there’s gonna be our driver.”

     Copper stared at Hammer. Just behind him Sky Ryder appeared. As he crept up behind the man, Sky nodded to his niece.

     “It’s okay, Sheriff,” she said to Winchell. “I’ll do what he says.”

     Winchell tried not to look at Sky, fearing he would give the game away. The resulting uncertain expression worked perfectly.

     “Be careful, Copper,” said Winchell.

     She walked slowly toward Hammer and his prisoner.

     “I think you were at the ranch the other day, weren’t you?” she asked. “If I remember right, your name’s Hammer.”

     He smiled.

     “Good memory, kid. The Boss Lady was pretty rough on you. I’m glad she didn’t---”

     Sky Ryder grabbed the man from behind, using his right hand to seize Hammer’s gun hand at the wrist and swing it skyward. As Hammer tightened his grip on the gun it went off once. Simultaneously, he released his hold of Julie. The sightless and ankle bound woman swayed helplessly for a moment until Copper lunged forward to catch her and get her out of the deputies’ line of fire. Hammer twisted away from Sky, managing to throw the tall rancher off balance. As he started to raise his gun four shots rang out. Winchell and all three deputies had fired almost at the same instant. Hammer fell heavily.

     Winchell holstered his revolver.

     “Bob, you and Charlie take care of our friends who’ve had enough,” he ordered. “Amy, get the first aid kit and see if there’s anything you can do for the other one.”

     Sky Ryder bent over the motionless form of Hammer. He shook his head.

     “It’s too late for him, Winch.”

     He hurried over to Copper and Julie. Copper had removed the tape from Julie’s eyes and was now carefully peeling off the strips that sealed her mouth. She stepped aside so that Sky could take Julie in his arms while she continued working.

     “Julie,” was all he said.

     Copper finished pulling off the tape and helped Julie get the wadded washcloth out of her mouth. Julie closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest.

     “Oh, Sky...” was all she could say.