A Crying Shame (76 page)

The Links have struck again this night?”

Yes. The Chapell home. I believe it's on highway 117. Miles from here. Katie Chapell is gone—kidnapped, taken, the sheriff believes. A man—one of the men she's been seeing—was found dead in the yard. Partially eaten. Torn to bits. Like . . . Paul. His head was torn off. Tossed through the front window.”

She's married?”

Her husband is.”

Well . . . almost as if the Links were trying to tell us something by that act. But I don't know what. A warning, perhaps. So ... it's probably a different clan from the ones prowling around here tonight. But still,”—Jon eased the woman from his lap and onto the chair—
it must be tit for tat in this game. Or at least as close as I can make it.”

Tit for tat?” She looked at him, puzzled.
What do you mean?”

He walked to the gun cabinet and took out a double-barreled rifle, one of his personal weapons. He broke it down, checking the loads. Linda had never seen a weapon like it.

You're not going outside?” she asked, horror in her voice.

No,” he reassured her.
I'm just going to open the door a crack, dear; then I shall return to ... unfinished business.” He cut the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. He padded to the door, opening it just a crack. Quickly he hit the switches to the outside floodlights and threw the door wide, jerking the rifle into position. Linda noticed he carefully fitted the butt of the weapon to his shoulder. He sighted, then squeezed the trigger.

She screamed at the noise of the rifle. Fire sprang from one barrel. He fired the other, then slammed the door. The room still rocked with the enormous sounds. He threw the bolt, then dropped the bar. He left the floodlights on.

When her ears had ceased their ringing, she asked,
What kind of gun is that?”

Best weapon in the world to stop a rampaging Cape Buffalo. Four fifty-eight double-barreled rifle. Fires a nitro-express. Some people call them elephant guns. There are now two dead Links in the front yard. I'll leave the lights on; that should discourage any others from dragging them off. I'll remove them at dawn. Tit for tat.” He smiled. He listened a moment.