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just an average student. Now he showed real promise.
No point asking this teen-aged sex bomb just who had put
that idea-something between them!-into Andy's head. Andy
was normal, but not sexually aggressive.
"So it took a little while," she said.
I let it drop. I didn't want to know whether she had cheated
Andy of his high expectations, or had delivered full measure. She
had accomplished her mission: to fetch the nunchakus. I could
hardly condemn her for that.
"Well, let's clean up in here," I said. "We'll have to see about
restoring the phone and power, and getting something decent to
eat. And maybe we'd better get a doctor."
"I notified the phone company when I couldn't get through.
They said they'd have a man on it right away."
"Where is he, then?" Drummond demanded. He was an ugly
sight, with his clothing ripped and blood caked on his head and
shoulders, but he seemed exhilarated. His death sentence had been
reprieved, and he had fought valiantly on his own behalf. Reason
enough for satisfaction.
"We'd better check the grounds." I said.
"There's something-out there," Thera said nervously. "I
smelled it when I came in, and-"
"The Hyena," I said.
"No, he was inside fighting with you. This was-all I could
see was two glowing eyes, and the smell was awful. I thought it
was going to attack me, but it just watched. I drove the car right
48
up to the door so I wouldn't have to get out, and then I just ran
inside."
"It must have been the real hyena," I said. "The one that makes
those paw-prints. We heard it laughing, answering its master. He
probably has trained it to stand guard, but not to attack except on
direct order from him. You're lucky."
She nodded soberly. We checked the grounds. Sure enough,
the phone repairman was there, tied and gagged in his truck. The
Hyena had intercepted him, but hadn't hurt him. As they had
told me: the Hyena didn't bother with people worth less than ten
million dollars. He must have known the phone man was only an
innocent bystander doing his job, and dealt with him accordingly.
Which verified what I had already learned about the Hyena's professionalism:
he was no berserker, no wild sadist. He was out for
money, a lot of it, and he concentrated his energies economically
on the ramifications of that one problem.
Soon we had the phone back in order. We used it to order a
catered supper, an electric company repairman, the police, and a
doctor. (Yes, doctors do make house calls-for millionaires.) The
electric company, with typical efficiency, did not get the power
restored until several hours later, so meal and medication had to
be handled by candlelight. The doctor was rather put out, but
Drummond tipped him two bits and shut him up.
The police came while my several injuries were being bandaged,
and the officers looked with amazement at the seven dead
and injured thugs. "There'll have to be an investigation," the sergeant
said.
"No investigation, no publicity," Drummond said. He now
had a bandage on his head that made him look like a turbaned
sultan, and his bearing was every bit as regal. "These rascals burst
into my house intent on robbery and mayhem. I resisted. Fortunately
my friend Mr. Striker was here, visiting my daughter. He's
a judo instructor, you know. World champion."
I opened my mouth to protest the distortions, but Drummond
gave me a warning look.
49
"What about the window?" the sergeant asked. "It looks broken
from the inside."
"I shall have it replaced in the morning."
The officer shook his head dubiously. "Just as you say, sir."
I knew there would be no complications from the police.
Drummond had implied they could be bought; evidently he had
invested a little himself. He trusted them, now that the Hyena
was out of the picture. But I had to admit, publicity about this
fracas would have been awkward for me as well as for Drummond.
What was the trainer of the U.S. judo team doing in a common
brawl, killing several people? So I kept my mouth shut, feeling like
a hypocrite.
At any rate, there would be no news from the Hyena hoods; I
knew they were nondescript hirelings who would know nothing of
the Hyena's real nature or whereabouts. Besides, they would be
killed soon if they talked; underworld contracts on informers were
easy to come by and hard to prevent.
The police cleared out the bodies just before the caterers arrived.
Nice timing, that. We adjourned into another room, lit a
new fire in its fireplace, and ate a romantic, candlelight, fire-bright
meal, the three of us. I declined the cocktails in favor of milk, to
Drummond's evident amusement. I am not a conscious Spartan,
apart from financial necessity, but I tend to stay away from alcohol
in all its forms, along with cigarettes, coffee, speed, and other civilized
vices. It is because I take pride in my mind and body, and do
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