10
River Road was a twisting ribbon of darkness that paralleled the snaking black band of water that curved alongside it.
The night was cold, ebony dark and eerily still. Chained Lady Falls was over a mile away from this point, hidden behind the bends and turns of the gorge walls.
Colby eased his foot off the accelerator as he guided the Buick into the empty turnout under the cliff.
“You think we’ll find him?“ Brandon asked.
“Who knows? From what Eddy told me he’s been getting bolder lately. He said the kids have been coming down here to race more frequently and the black ‘vette has been showing up fairly often. With any luck, we’ll snag him tonight.“
“I know this probably isn’t the time to ask but, what exactly are we going to do with him if we do catch him?“
“First, I’m going to beat the crap out of him for what he tried to do last summer. Then I think I’ll hunt up Gil Thorp.
Gil always had a way of seeing that justice got done, even if it was a little off the record.“
“You think we’ll have to run down the ‘vette first?“
“We can’t. Not in this tin can. One of these days I’m going to have to get Diana something with some zip under the hood.“ Colby slid the Buick into the shadow of the looming granite cliff and switched off the engine. He sat contemplating the night for a moment. “Feels like old times.“
Brandon’s teeth flashed in a brief, knowing grin. “Hard to believe you’re an old married man with one grown son and another baby on the way, huh?“
“You’re wrong,“ Colby said. “I don’t have any trouble believing it at all. The reminders are all around me. And I’ll tell you something, kid. I wouldn’t go back. Not for anything.“
“Things are a lot better now?“
“Things are infinitely better now.“ Colby’s mouth curved faintly. “The best they’ve ever been, in fact.“
“I can tell. I’m glad you found Diana.“
“Not half as glad as I am.“
Brandon nodded. “What do we do now?“
“We wait.“
“Where’s Eddy? Why did he take off and let us come out here alone?“
“This isn’t his fight. Eddy tries to keep a low profile. He always has, poor bastard. He’s probably home by now.“
Brandon nodded and unfastened his seat belt. “I know how you feel about wanting to get this dude. Thanks for letting me come along.“
Colby reached up to unsnap the cover of the dome light. “I’m not completely stupid,“ he informed his son as he unscrewed the tiny bulb, “in spite of Diana’s probable opinion to the contrary this evening. I know enough not to turn down reliable help when I can get it. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather have watching my back than you, Brandon.“
“The feeling is mutual.“
“Good. You want to flip a coin to see who gets out of the car to fetch the lug nut wrench?“
“Geez, Dad,“ Brandon’s voice was laced with mocking innocence. “They didn’t teach us how to use a lug nut wrench in that karate class you signed us up for a few years ago.“
“The beauty of a lug nut wrench is that just about any fool can figure out how to use it in a pinch. No special training required.“
The waiting lasted another two hours. It got very cold in the car. Once or twice Colby started the engine and turned on the heater. But mostly he and Brandon just sat talking quietly and waiting. Nothing moved out on River Road.
Colby had about given up when he saw a pair of headlights in the distance. They arced around a curve, disappeared briefly and reappeared much closer.
Brandon stirred in the seat. “Anybody we know?“
“Can’t tell yet. Could be just a kid looking to put his car up against the ‘vette.“
The car cruised slowly toward the falls, skimming along the ribbon of blacktop, its identity hidden behind the glare of its headlights.
And suddenly Colby had a premonition. He’d seen those headlights before. “Get down, Brandon. I don’t want him to catch sight of you in his lights.“
Brandon wedged himself down under the edge of the dash. The approaching lights angled off to the left as the vehicle eased into the parking area. Cold starlight gleamed off a familiar large shape.
Colby draped his arms over the Buick’s steering wheel and watched intently. “Well, hell,“ he finally said. He could feel the surge of adrenaline through his veins.
“Who is it?“ Brandon asked.
“It’s Margaret Fulbrook’s Cadillac.“
“Not the ‘vette? What’s going on, Dad?“
“That’s what I intend to find out. I wonder when Harry the Ox started cruising River Road. When I get out of the car, you slide out on your side. He won’t see your door open because I removed the dome light. But stay out of sight on the far side of the Buick for a while until I see what’s going on.“
“What the hell for?“ Brandon whispered, an angry young male animal spoiling for battle. “You brought me along to back you up.“
“I told you once the only intelligent way to go up against someone like Harry is with a good sucker punch. This time around you’re it. When you get out of the car, take the wrench with you.“
Colby opened the door on his side and got out. Brandon followed suit on the opposite side, staying below the level of the windows. In the darkness, with no dome light to illuminate the small action, Brandon’s movements on the far side of the car were virtually invisible.
Just to make certain Harry’s attention was focused where Colby wanted it to be focused, Colby made himself very obvious. He walked straight up to the window on the driver’s side of the Cadillac. He could see the vague outline of Harry’s beefy shoulders and broad face. Small, mean eyes glittered at him from the shadows. They made Colby think of a rat.
The driver’s window slowly lowered. Colby looked down into the car.
“Things get so boring waiting around for your employer to die that you had to come out here and look for trouble, Harry? What kind of game are you playing these days?“
“One I can win, Savagar.“ Without any warning the barrel of a revolver appeared in the open window. Harry’s vicious smile was just barely visible in the glow of the dashboard lights.
Colby stood unmoving. Now he knew how a highway patrolman felt when he stopped a car for speeding and got a gun in the face instead of a lot of excuses.