RUNAWAY TWINS and RUNAWAY TWINS IN ALASKA: BOXED SET (33 page)

Joe's attorney leapt to his feet. "I object, your honor!"

"Don't be ridiculous," said the judge. "This is your petition to dismiss we're discussing. Sit down."

He nodded to the bailiff.

The jerky video began with some shots of blackberry bushes, grubs on a rotted log, and carrion crawling with maggots.

"Your honor!" said the defense attorney.

"Patience," said the prosecutor.

Rex and Martha grinned at the teenagers packed into the row beside them.

The video then moved to a scene partially obstructed by branches and leaves, but clear enough to reveal six people gathered in a campground above the banks of a swollen river. In the foreground a man growing irritated with the attentions of a small cub, drop kicked the little bear as if he were a fuzzy football. The camera turned directly toward the man, and then as if Bertha had stood as tall as she could to get a better view, the next scenes were from a greater height. In the background stood Montana Mike pointing a .45 automatic at Justin and Janie. Rachel lay on the ground and Joe appeared to be advancing toward Janie with a black needle pack in his hand. And then the camera seemed zoomed in closer and closer at a much lower angle—as if Bertha was in the midst of a full-speed charge.

"Ernie!" gasped Joe.

But Joe's exclamation didn't stop the angry sow, and the clip showed up close the terrible damage done to the Washington man's head. And as if that wasn't enough, the head was suddenly detached from Ernie's body and began spinning around on the ground.

The courtroom spectators moaned and the judge said, "Turn it off, Frank."

"Good God," said Joe.

After a hurried conference in
the judge's chambers, Idaho Joe instructed his attorney to drop the petition for dismissal and to change his plea to guilty—provided the prosecution cut him some slack for giving up the Prophet. The deal was made quickly and Joe appeared at the judge's door in handcuffs, ready to be marched out the prisoners' exit. His path crossed directly in front of Rex, Martha, Justin, Rachel, and Janie.

Rachel had been clutching Janie's hand during the showing of the video. Rachel knew her sister was susceptible to shock and might be devastated by a replaying of the events of that terrible day. Janie hated violence of all kinds and yet had been subjected to it over and over again in recent weeks. How much could she take? Where was her breaking point?

Apparently a great deal higher than Rachel figured, for as Fat Joe from Idaho stumbled in front of her on his way back to jail, Janie stuck out her foot, tripped him and clapped her hands as he fell on his face.

In his cell at Deer
Lodge, J.J. Flack banged his fist against the cinder-block wall several times, leaving red marks from the profuse bleeding of his knuckles.

He went to his window and stared out at the prison yard. The day was overcast and storm clouds seemed to be moving in from the north. He felt like screaming. Maybe he would before the day was over. The attorney general had sent word of Joe's betrayal in Fairbanks and had told him the appeals judges in Helena were being kept up-to-date and that new charges were in the works in Missoula, Alaska, and Canada.

And to top it off the A.G. informed him in the same note that his accounts in Singapore had been found.

37
College Funds

Aunt Ruby's husband Carl called
from Juneau and asked the teenagers to turn on the speaker phone so he could pass along some startling news. He'd been discussing the kids' adventures with some of his producer friends in Hollywood and they couldn't get enough. Three of them had called him back several times to ask questions and to talk about the possibility of buying the movie rights to their story. Would the teenagers be interested?

"Are you serious?" asked Justin.

"Very."

"How much?" asked Rachel.

"Don't know, but the way it looks there'll probably be an auction—and when that happens, big money changes hands. Want me to put you in touch with an agent?"

"Couldn't you handle it?" asked Justin. "You're a writer, you know about contracts and things."

"No," said Carl. "I want you guys to be represented by the best, and I'm not the best. They'd mow me down."

Janie said, "What actress would play me?"

Rachel hit her with a pillow, and then said, "Good grief, I just realized, you look exactly like me. They'll have to hire twins."

Carl laughed and said, "Cart before the horse, kids."

"Women!" said Justin; but then he put on his handsome face and said, "Think the producers might hire me to play myself? Justin Patrick starring as Justin Patrick—makes perfect sense."

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About Me

I grew up in Covina, CA, a compact little town 22 miles east of L.A. At least it was little when I was a boy. The last time I was there it seemed to be bursting at the seams. But my memories of Covina are all pleasant, and its motto is still "a mile square and all there."

Started in California, to Houston, to Austin, to Kansas City, to the San Antonio area.

Which is best? Depends.

California: crowded but exhilarating

Houston: humid but never boring

Austin: too hip but lots to do

KC: provincial but close knit

SA area: hot (really hot) but ordinary folks

www.petepalamountain.blogspot.com

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RUNAWAY TWINS

1 A Run for Freedom