Chapter 27

The moon overhead seemed impossibly close that night, hanging in the clear summer sky as the heat of the day slip beneath the horizon and let the black carpet of night roll over the city.

Andy Parker gripped the wheel of the delivery van he was driving hard as he roared through the nearly empty streets.

He tried to keep the speed down to avoid attracting the attention of the traffic cops,

but his adrenaline was racing, and it made his foot heavy.

"'Are we headed somewhere in particular?'

Tank Brody asked from the passenger seat, or are we just in a hurry to get no place?'

Parker grinned and eased up on the throttle somewhat.

With a number of agents still on the injured list, they were down to two-man teams,

and he was still responsible for the big man he had brought in, who was manning the radio in his

truck, or would be if the signal ever came.

The setup was similar to the squirrel's war plan of the other night, except that the

watchers on the street had been replaced with a network of radio listening posts around

the city. Andy Parker didn't know what they were listening for exactly, but he knew that he

wanted to be on the scene when it was found.

"'You'd prefer a nice driver in the country?' Parker asked.

"'I rode across the prairies on top of a box car,' Bertie said.

"'I seen all the scenery I ever need to see.

"'I was just thinking that you don't know where we want to be,

"'so why hurry to get anywhere?' is all.

"'It's an interesting point, Parker smiled.

So just how far west would I have to look to find a file that tells me what a rotten apple you are?

...