Excerpt
Kelly checked her watch as the rental car sped through the night. It was a little after two in the morning, and thankfully, there was little traffic on the roads. As they crossed a bridge, she looked at the map again. "Thats the Manatee River," she said to no one in particular.
"How far is that turning point you were talking about?" Callahan asked as he concentrated on the road.
"About five miles I think. Taubmann should be coming up on it soon."
They rode on in silence for several minutes, then a radio report came in.
"Eagle one, this is Eagle three. The target has gone left at the I-275 cutoff. Hes heading toward St. Pete. Hes going to use I-275 across the bay."
Joe Baker acknowledged the call and Callahan looked at Kelly.
"Okay, you said you had a plan. Better let us in on it."
Kelly agreed. "All right, this is what I think we should do. We catch up to Taubmanns truck and force it to stop at the apex of the bridge. Joes men can neutralize the people in the van while the rest of us take care of the freezers. As I recall, its about two hundred feet down to the water at that point. We get into the truck and manhandle the freezers onto the retaining wall and shoot some holes into them to vent the liquid nitrogen and to make them sink when they hit the water."
She looked around at Baker and Berger. "Weve got enough manpower to handle that, so there shouldnt be any problems. By the time the freezers are found, if ever, the sperm will be long dead. The warm water of the Gulf will thaw them pretty quickly, and thatll be that."
Berger spoke up. "I believe it will work. And we do have enough manpower. But there is one other thing. If there is to be any shooting at Taubmann, I will be the one to do it. I have a diplomatic passport and if the authorities try to prosecute me, the worst they can do is deport me. If there is trouble, you should shoot only as a last resort."
"Okay, Inspector, but Taubmann's people will determine what happens on that bridge. Things might get pretty nasty. Well defend ourselves if that happens." Callahans words were firm as he glanced at the policeman.
"Of course," Berger replied, "but shoot only if you have to."
Kelly spoke more to herself than to the others, her mind on the events to come. "Everything is accounted for except Mueller. I wonder where that little man is?"
"Dont know honey. Weve lost track of him," Callahan said.
Berger spoke up again. "The last we had him was in Zurich; he was leaving for the States with Taubmann and Haller.
Kelly suddenly had an inspired thought. She turned to Baker. "Could you call your men in one of the SUVs? Ask them if there is someone riding in the truck with Taubmann."
Baker made the call immediately, and the answer came back at once. "Eagle one this is Eagle three. That is affirmative. The target is driving, but there is a male passenger. An older man-looks to be in his seventies. Wears glasses. He came to the building with the target."
"Bingo," Kelly smiled at the others, "I think weve found doctor Mueller." "Id say so," Berger added. "Eagle one, this is Eagle three. The target is proceeding West toward St. Pete on the causeway." Kelly took in a deep breath. "Thats part one. The next thing is to catch him." * * * *
Three miles to the South, on the same highway, two black SUVs were traveling northward at a high rate of speed. But judge Wright, sitting in the front seat next to the driver of the first car, banged his cane on the dashboard and urged his driver to go even faster. "Dammit, push this crate, were out of position! This thing is gonna blow sky high in a few minutes. I can feel it in my bones." LaMonica looked at the older man quizzically. "What do you think is going to happen, Judge?" "I dont know for sure but the Skyline Bridge is almost two hundred feet in the air, and thats where theyre headed. Anything can happen in this deal and Ive got a bad feeling about this." "Judas Priest! Two hundred feet?" La Monica breathed aloud. "Yeah" the Judge said with a glance at his passenger, "Im damn sure not gonna miss this!" * * * *
Callahan was pushing the sedan to the limit, and Kelly saw the speedometer hovering just over 100 miles per hour. He glanced at her anxious face. "Well catch him, honey, dont worry." "Yes, I think so, were only about a mile from that causeway ourselves." "This would be a good time to check our weapons," Berger said with quiet professionalism. Immediately Kelly heard the clicking and snapping of guns being cocked and bullets being chambered. She checked Callahans automatic and held it in her lap. Then she turned to Baker. "I think you might want to brief your men about the plan, Joe, they need to be prepared too." Baker immediately radioed the other vehicles and quickly received confirmation from them. Then there was nothing left to do. Except wait. The radio came alive as they raced along the concrete causeway. "Eagle one, this is Eagle three. The target is climbing toward the top of the bridge now. About a half a mile to go. Also, be advised that there is patchy fog at this level, with more dense fog toward the top." "Damn, that might complicate things," Baker said apprehensively. "Maybe not," Kelly said quickly, "hes been driving pretty fast, if he runs into fog he may slow down a little. That works in our favor." They rode in silence, their eyes now able to plainly see the lights of the van trailing the truck. They too, were now on the long rising approach to the top of the bridge. And then they were overtaking the van and passing it easily. The rental truck was less than a hundred yards ahead.
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