Bryn grasped madly at the glass, banging against it. But Winfeld was tackling her around the legs. She started falling, her fingers clawing furiously, desperately, at the glass.
"Lee! Lee!Leeeeee --help me! Help me! No!"
Lee just kept smiling; she could see the muscles bunching in his arms as the drum sticks flew and twirled out their beat at his command.
"Lee!"
Her nails made a screeching sound against the glass, horrible to her ears.Unheard inside.' 'No !'' she screamed again.
And then she was on the floor, shielded from the band's view by the paneling. She kept screaming and fighting, butto little avail. Another man was coming toward them as she and Winfeld grappled. Bryn recognized him.The nondescript stranger who had tried to buy the pictures that first day.
"Took you long enough!"Winfeld panted as he held Bryn down while the second man stuffed a gag into her mouth and looped rope around her wrists and flailing legs. "Don't stand up, idiot! Condor might glance this way! Drag her past the glass...."
Bryn kept trying to scream through the gag as they dragged her to the stairway. Then she found herself thrown over MikeWinfeld's shoulder and carried from the house.
Mike Winfeld paused to rip her note to Lee off the front door. Outside, he told the second man to take her van and follow him in it.
Bryn was stuffed into the passenger sear of the sedan. She kept telling herself that she couldn't pass out with the terror. The fact that Winfeld decided to talk conversationally didn't help any.
"We're going to the oldFultonplace," He told her. "You're going to have an accident while doing a little private rehearsal. You're so dedicated, you know, and loyal to Condor. And when you're discovered at the foot of the stairs, well, even dancers can be clumsy at times. I want you to know that this really hurts me, Bryn. You're so beautiful...but...well,you see it isn't just the money for the tournament. It's my career.
If it was known that I had cheated..." He sighed deeply. "Over the next couple of years, it could mean millions and millions." Bryn worked furiously at the rope tying her wrists. Too soon she could see the Fultonplace looming before them.
Lee glanced at his watch, surprised to discover that they had worked so long without even thinking of a break.
"Hey, big chief," Mick called out teasingly, "are we calling it quits for the day?"
"Yeah," Lee said, stretching. "I was thinking about spending the afternoon in the hot tub with a freezing cold beer--"
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He broke off suddenly, and Andrew frowned at him. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Lee said, puzzled. He shook his head. "I just had the weirdest feeling."
"Indian intuition?"Andrew teased lightly, but he was frowning, too. Lee strode across the room, throwing the door open."Bryn?"
There was no reply. He hurried down the balcony hallway, staring down to the first floor as he called her name."Bryn!" Andrew, Mick and Perry chased after him. His weird feeling had communicated itself to them all.
"I'll take the upstairs," Andrew muttered. "Outside," Mick mumbled.
Lee and Perry tore apart the ground floor; Bryn wasn't there. Mick ran back in from outside. "Her van's gone, Lee. But I think there might just be something wrong. The gravel out here is all ripped up."
Lee stared at Mick for a moment,then barged through the swinging doors to the kitchen phone. By the time the others had followedhim, he was listening to someone and scribbling information on a piece of paper. He hung up the phone with a curt "Thanks," then swung back around. "Andrew, go to Bryn's, will you? There's no answer there, but...Mick, Perry, hang around here, okay?''
"Sure," Mick said, "but where are you going?""To see Dirk Hammarfield."
He strode into the living room, grabbing his keys off the cocktail table. He turned and noticed his hunting collection. With an absent shrug he grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows.
Mrs. Hammarfield opened the door with caution."Oh, Mr. Condor! I'm sosorry, he's just too busy to see anyone without an appointment--"
Lee breezed past her. He could see a library door ajar, and he swiftly crossed through the plush living room, pushed it open,then closed it sharply behind him.
Hammarfield was behind his desk. He paled when he saw Lee walk in. Lee didn't pause. He strode with lethally quiet steps to the desk and leaned over it, graspingHammarfield's lapels.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know what you're talking about..." Hammarfield began, but Lee gave him a shake and he moistened his lips to speak again. "Condor, I swear I don't know where--"
"You're in Bryn's pictures. You know it, I know it. Where is she?"
Hammarfield'sfacial color turned to a shade more sickly than gray. "All right, Condor. Yes, I'm in her pictures. But I swear to you, I've never done anything other than ask about them. I was afraid she might have gotten me into them, but I didn't do anything. I swear I haven't done anything but--"