Indigo Slam

So they gave us little Handie-Talkies even though they weren't happy about it, and told us to take no action if we spotted Markov. They said hang back and call. I said, 'Fine.'

When Bates found out we had guns, he got red in the face and demanded we hand them over.

Pike said, 'Screw that.'

Jasper said, 'Look, it's private property and they're being damned cooperative. We don't want another goddamned war.'

Hendricks rolled his eyes, sighed, and looked at me. 'Please give 'em your guns and let's get this show on the road.'

Pike looked at me and I shrugged. I gave them the Dan Wesson and Pike gave them the Python. The security guy looked mollified, but not a whole lot. I guess he was thinking about lawsuits.

They gave us the radios, told us to check in, and then Pike and I went down the escalator and into the park. The security people broke into teams, and they moved out also, everyone going in a different direction.

We were walking past a cotton candy cart when Pike said, 'Over here' and moved behind the cart like he was going to tie his shoe. He took a little Sig.380 from his left ankle and palmed it to me.

I smiled. 'What about you?'

'I've got something for me.' Always prepared.

We worked our way up past the Submarine grotto toward Matterhorn Mountain, doing our best to search the twenty or thirty thousand people we passed, with the grim and depressing awareness that we couldn't see everything and everyone, and that we might've passed Markov and Charles and Clark a dozen times without seeing them. Maybe they were in a rest room. Maybe they were standing in line for a hot dog or riding one of the submarines.

We split up at the Matterhorn, Pike circling to the left and me to the right, but we met again on the other side without having seen them. Pike said, 'The housekeeper said the mountain.'

'Yeah, but maybe they already took the ride, or they're on it. Maybe they're going to do something else and ride the mountain later.' Maybe a million things.

Pike's dark glasses were empty.

I said, 'You stay with the mountain, I'll follow the flow to Fantasy Castle. I'll go as far as the bridge, then circle back.'

Pike disappeared into the crowd as I continued along the walk. I moved past a pretty young woman selling frozen bananas, then between a small group of British sailors when Markov, Charles, and a hard-looking guy with leathery skin stepped out from behind a Kodak film kiosk and turned away from me. The hard-looking guy had a hand on Charles's shoulder. Charles was wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, but he didn't look happy about it. Markov was eating an ice-cream cone and wearing a set of Mickey Mouse ears, also. His name had been embroidered on the back of the cap in red. Andrei. I guess it's a magic kingdom even for mobsters from Seattle.

I stepped behind an overweight couple and keyed the Handie-Talkie. 'It's Cole. I've got 'em.'

Hendricks's voice came back. 'Where?'

I was telling him when Dobcek pushed through a tour group of elderly people from Florida, shouted something in Russian, then shot at me three times fast.

Around me, forty thousand people jerked as if hit by an electric current.

The shots went high and wide into a monorail support, and then Dobcek was running toward Markov. Markov dropped to the ground at the shots, but now he was up, grabbing for the boy as he listened to Dobcek. Markov pulled the boy close, using him for a shield as he scuttled backward through the panicked crowd and I gave Hendricks our location. Hendricks said, 'Stay the hell away from them.'

'Just get your people over here, Hendricks, but tell them to come in soft. Markov's using the boy as a shield.'

They ran toward Fantasyland, and I followed them, giving Hendricks a play-by-play, and trying to keep Markov in sight without getting too close. When they crossed the bridge into Fantasy Castle, I lost them. I told Hendricks, and ran faster, pumping across the bridge into the castle, and there was Markov and Charles, Markov's arm locked around Charles's neck, a small black pistol in his free hand, standing by Mr. Toad's Wild Ride like they were waiting for me. Dobcek was maybe ten yards behind him, but I couldn't see the leathery guy. Markov said, 'You lying prick. You tried to set me up.'

I wanted to stall him. I wanted the security people and cops to get here and cut him off and clear the crowds. 'Let him go, Andrei. The park's tied up. You can't get out.'

Markov said, 'You be surprised.' That's when the leathery guy stepped out from behind a juice bar cart, put his gun into my back, and said, 'Kiss your ass good-bye.'

When he said it, Clark Hewitt lurched past the line waiting to board Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and shouted, 'Youlet him go!'

No one was expecting Clark.

Markov jerked sideways and so did Dobcek, and when they moved I spun into the leathery guy's gun side, forcing his gun away and bringing the little Sig up into his ribs. I pulled the trigger one time and its pop sounded hollow and faraway. A deep, larger bam sounded in almost the same instant, and Andrei Markov was slammed down onto the ground, the crowd of people in the small place suddenly surging in a panic, unsure where to go, moving in every direction like flake in a human blizzard.

Joe Pike was standing above us on the castle's parapet with a foot-long stockless shotgun. Dobcek fired five fast shots – powpowpowpowpow - to drive Pike down, then ran to Markov. I rode Charles and Clark to the ground, yelling for them to stay down. I thought Pike would shoot again, but he didn't.

I listened to my heart beat, and I took careful breaths, and felt the sobbing father and son beneath me as the herd of people ran around and over us with all the thought and caring of Cape buffalo. All the while I was on them, Clark said, 'We got you, Charlie. We got you.'

Over and over. I had never thought of Charles as a Charlie before.

I looked around until I spotted Pike, still high overhead on the parapet like some kind of avenging angel. I mouthed, 'Markov?'

Pike shook his head.

Markov and Dobcek were gone.

CHAPTER 36

Hendricks and Jasper came running up, and the Orange County cops set about securing the area. Hendricks said, 'Is everyone okay?'

Clark nodded. Charles made little breathy sounds, and squirmed around in his father's lap to see the leathery man. 'Is that guy dead?'

'They're okay, Hendricks. Markov's hit.'

Hendricks pumped his fist once and made a wide grin. 'Then we got the bastard.'

Jasper took out a cell phone. 'How bad?'

Pike said, 'Took a load of number four high in the right shoulder. Here.' Pike touched his shoulder to show them.

Jasper punched a number into his cell phone. 'Okay. Which way they go?'

Pike told him, and Jasper waved over Bates. While Bates was on his way, Jasper said, 'I gotta to be in on this, Cole, but I wanted to thank you.' He put out his hand, and helped me up. 'You did okay.'

'Thanks.'

'Where you gonna be? I wanna give you a call later, talk a little more.'

I gave him the number at the safe house, then he and Bates trotted away, Jasper talking into the phone as Bates deployed his security people. The clock was ticking, and it wouldn't be long before Markov was had.