Part 26 (1/2)
Steve Areeted hiry,” Steve said ”Sounds like the old Rick”
Scotty asked, ”How about crab cakes for breakfast?”
”Bring 'em on, followed by a dozen steamed clauard?”
”Well enough so his disposition is pretty nasty,” Steve reported ”He'll be here for at least a week before the jail cell opens wide Seriously, Rick, are you all right? Apparently there was no concussion”
”I'e makes me look like a survivor of Custer's Last Stand”
Steve and Scotty drew chairs up to the bed ”One last look by the doctor and we'll take you home,” Steve told him ”If you feel up to it”
”What'll I do for clothes?” Rick asked
”They're in your closet,” Scotty replied ”We brought theear home after the hospital folks peeled you out of it”
”Good” Rick looked at his two friends ”Now suppose you tell ht while the exciteh”
Scotty nodded ”I'll start I was behind one of the pier piles when the bodyguard cut the balloon loose I jumped out for a clear shot, but by then you had put your spear through the thing I was going to add uard reach for the old equalizer and draw a bead on you, so I shi+fted targets I looked back at you just in tiaree like an extra tail And right then you went booo of evidence? Not you, ol' buddy There you dangled, li with you I started toward you as fast as I could go, which wasn't very fast ater up to my waist”
”Wish I could have seen it,” Rick said with a grin
”So do I,” Scotty assured him ”Camillion and his friends were also somewhat interested in you They started down the lawn, and I was sure they'd get to you before I could Only then Joe and Chuck stepped out of the bushes not ten yards fro, and yelled to the lads to hold fast and get their hands high Steve stepped around the corner of the barn with a 45 in his ot the idea and skidded to a stop with all brakes locked I put on more speed, and Steve joined the chase”
”I didn't see you hit the piling” Steve picked up the story ”But I heard it When I saw that the boys had things under control with their shotguns, I stepped on it and got to you a few seconds after Scotty had grabbed you by the waist When I saw your face, I had a few bad moments until I could take a closer look You were a bloodycolor But I could see your one forever We pried you loose from the rocket and stretched you out on the lawn Your pulse was pretty good and you were breathing steadily, so we gave you a fehiffs of oxygen froood luck”
Rick could appreciate hoorried his friends must have been in spite of their half-humorous report
”Lefty spoke up,” Steve continued ”It was the only ti since He said, 'There's a first-aid kit in the kitchen'
We got it, and went to work on you Of course we put in a call to the police, and asked for an ambulance Joe Vitalli kept a watch on the crowd and Chuck went into the barn while we pulled splinters out of you
He found Orvil, and he also found Lincoln Harris”
”I rey to be surprised”
”He was okay They hadn't one up the creek just in time to see theot the drop on hiot the better of him He'd heard about the people at Calvert's Favor and decided to take a look, the ays being free to all navigators
Orvil had a buht Lefty hasn't talked, but I suspect he had plans for their release, once he was safely out of the country”
”Where is Lefty?” Rick asked
”He and his friends are in the local jail You know, Lefty is a chump
But he's also an excellent exa in unfamiliar fields”