Now and Then

65.

In the event that Alderson and company didn’t bother to make an appointment, I went to sleep on top of Susan’s bed with all my clothes on. At 2:12 Hawk came in and woke me.

“They here,” he said.

I rolled out of bed. Put the Browning on my hip, stuffed two extra magazines into my pocket, and followed Hawk downstairs. We went into the spare room. There were no lights on. Chollo stood at one side of the front window looking out through the open louvered shutters. In Susan’s office, at that front window, I could see Vinnie dimly in the ambient light from the street. Vinnie had an assault rifl e.

“Chollo taking a little tour,” Hawk said. “Spotted them.”

“They make you?” I said.

“I am more stealthy than the Mexican jaguar,” Chollo said. He continued to look out the window as he spoke.

“So they didn’t make you?”

“Of course not.”

“Tell me about it,” I said.

“They arrived in a van,” Chollo said. “No markings. I count six. They have all been seeing many movies, I think. Black clothes, faces blackened.”

“I like the look,” Hawk said.

“Guns?” I said.

“Handguns, of course,” Chollo said. “I spotted at least one automatic weapon. An Uzi, I believe.”

“Where are they now?” I said.

“Around the house,” Chollo said.

“They don’t know that Susan’s not here,” I said. “And they need to get us both.”

“Doors are locked,” Hawk said.

“But not impenetrable,” I said.

“How nice,” Hawk said.

“Two ways for them to go,” I said. “Back stairs up to the porch off Susan’s kitchen, or through the front hall here and up the front stairs.”

“I’d do both,” Hawk said.

“Yes,” I said. “Me too. Chollo, you and Vinnie take upstairs. Off the kitchen. Hawk and I will lie in the weeds down here.”

Vinnie had already started up the stairs.

“I want one of them alive,” I said.

Chollo smiled.

“Play it safe,” Chollo said. “You get one alive. We get one alive. You don’t need two, I’ll shoot one.”

“Fine,” I said. “You see any sign of Alderson?”

“Sadly no,” Chollo said, and followed Vinnie up the stairs.

“They have jaguars in Mexico?” Hawk said.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Why don’t you take Susan’s office. They come through here, we’ll catch them between us.”

“Okay,” Hawk said. “But shoot careful. I don’t want you to shoot me.”

“You shoot,” I said. “I’m going to grab one.”