Go Out With A Bang! Read Online Free PDF

We
just need to find one load, and trace the wire to the central
control. My guess is the charges will be in all the corners, so the
strong points would be weakened, causing maximum damage. I'll take
this floor. You each take another floor. Check the corners and
outer walls more than anything. You have radios in your helmets.
Find anything, stay put, radio in. We'll all hear each other.
Go.'
    The
detectives raced up the stairs, peeling off one by one as they
reached the other floors. The minutes were ticking away. They only
had twenty seven minutes left. They were in a hotel packed with
high explosives, with a man hidden in the shadows, his itchy finger
ready to blow them to kingdom come if the Goldstein's changed their
minds and refused to pay up.
    'I must
be out of my skull,' mumbled Crowe. Back and forth he went,
checking all the walls, especially the corners. 'Where the hell are
those bloody explosives?'
    'Nineteen minutes, people,' came Hancock's voice in his
helmet.
    'You're
a frigging ray of sunshine,' Crowe replied.
    The
search continued, unsuccessfully. 'Hey,' said Morris. 'Is it
possible there are no explosives in here?'
    'Possible,' said Hancock. 'Keep looking.'
    The men
kept searching, conscious of the seconds ticking away. 'Fourteen
minutes,' said Hancock.
    'I think
we should bail out of here,' said Crowe.
    'Go if
you want, Vince,' said Hancock.
    'As if.
Hey. I have a wire. Coming out of a vent. The explosives are inside
the vents. Shit.'
    'Stay
put,' said Hancock. The man mountain bounded up the stairs to find
Crowe.
    'Here,'
said Crowe. 'I almost missed it. Blue tacked into the corner and
along the skirting board.'
    Hancock
got down on his knees for a closer look at where the wire was
going. 'This way.' It was slow work with such a thin wire running
along the lip of the skirting board. 'Damn. Lost it.'
    'Here,'
said Crowe. 'This way.'
    Morris
and Andersen appeared and they helped trace the wire. It went down
the stairs, still along the skirting board. They followed it down
several flights of stairs, often on their hands and knees, finally
reaching the ground floor.
    'Crap. I
lost it,' said Crowe.
    'Four
minutes,' said Hancock. 'I have it. This way.'
    There
was a narrow service stairs going down to a basement. Andersen
said, 'It goes under the door, right here.' He tried the door.
'Locked. Can you believe this?'
    'This
door opens towards us. Can't kick it in,' said Hancock. 'Stand
back.' He blasted the lock with several shots. He grabbed the
handle and pulled hard. There was a grinding noise as shattered
wood and lock resisted his efforts. 'Come on, damn it.' The door
gave in and creaked open. 'One minute. Find the
controls.'
    'A
handful of wires here,' said Morris. 'And bingo. They all end up
right here.'
    'Outa my
way,' growled Hancock. He reached into the controls, grabbed a
handful of wires and pulled hard until they all yielded.
    'Got
them all?' asked Morris.
    'We
might just find out in five, four, three, two...'
    There
was a clicking sound in the middle of the controls as from
somewhere, a remotely controlled button was pushed and the triggers
were activated. They closed their eyes and prayed. Nothing went
boom.
    'Yeah.
It looks like I got them all.'
    Totally
exhausted, the four men made their way outside. As they crossed the
lawns to where the others waited, Andersen's phone went off.
'Andersen. Mr Goldstein. Is that right? You and your brother
decided not to pay up after all. No shit. Yeah. I'm cool with that.
Goodnight, Mr Goldstein.'
     

Chapter 12
    'The
Ferret? You saw him?'
    'Yes,
Chief,' said Andersen. 'At least we are fairly sure it was him. He
was wearing a Tactical uniform. We didn't see his face.'
    'And he
gave you this note?'
    Morris
said, 'He gave it to me, Sir. Then he sort of vanished
again.'
    'What
the hell is he playing at?' said the Chief.
    Crowe
said, 'I think he took time out from whatever he's doing to tell us
that he'd figured out what was really happening at