The Adventures of Star
Eagle
Episode 3
by L'Espion
Chapter
1
Colty
Colty Steele waited until the drugged meat had a chance to work. Generally it did not take long to take out a dog of that size. She hoped that she had not given the mutt too much. She liked dogs and like her they were only doing their jobs. A low rumbling sound told her that the big rottweiller was asleep, but she waited one more minute just to be sure.
Quietly she eased open the gate and crept into the backyard, avoiding a swing set and scattered children’s toys as she closed in on the house. The modest bungalow looked innocent enough, but she took no chances. She had spent three days tracking her quarry to this quiet suburban landscape and she knew he was there.
Like the now sleeping dog, the house was dark and quiet. Colty moved to a back window and crouched under a lilac. The sweet perfume of the bush filled the night air. Quickly she took out an electronic stethoscope and held it up to the window. She could hear nothing except normal house noises. It appeared that everyone was asleep. She nodded in satisfaction. With any luck her prey would be in her hands in just a couple of minutes.
Keeping low she moved to the back door. Taking a length of cord from the small backpack she wore she tied the doorknob to the rail of the back porch in order to prevent it from being opened from the inside. Then she took out a small loudspeaker and placed it in the middle of the backyard, along with a small flashlight. It was a device she had put together herself and she was rather proud of it. When switched on it would transmit the sound of her voice. That, and the flashlight, would probably convince anyone in the house that she was standing in the middle of the backyard.
Now she was almost ready. She circled around the house and hid behind an ornamental cedar in the front yard. Activating the speaker and the light she spoke into a small microphone. “Alight Connor, I know you are in there. Come out with your hands up.” She had to repeat the command twice more before there was any reaction from the house. Then the lights went on and voices could be heard including those of children. These last were shrill with alarm, but then everything went quiet.
“Connor, I don’t want anyone hurt. Just come out like a good little boy and I won’t have to use force.”
The last command produced results. The front door exploded open and a man burst forth. He was running so hard that he stumbled halfway down the sidewalk and sprawled full length. Scrabbling to his feet he continued his flight.
Colty grinned. It was Connor alright, and what was more important she had seen no sign of a weapon. In an almost leisurely fashion she strolled after him.
Her frightened prey ran to a car parked at the curb. It was what she had expected. It was the car that had allowed her to trace him so quickly. The local rental agency had given her a perfect description of the vehicle. That and the knowledge that Connor had relatives in the area narrowed things down considerably.
As Connor hurled himself into the driver’s seat Colty sauntered up to the driver’s side window. By the time she had arrived the small time crook had discovered that a car without a functional ignition system would not run. She tapped on the window. “Why don’t we take my vehicle Mr. Connor? It is in much better working condition.”
Chagrined, Connor opened the door. He was a short, heavyset man with disorderly red hair. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded angrily. “You’re no cop!”
“Bingo! You get a prize. Damned right I’m no cop. The police have better things to do with their time than look for petty criminals who have jumped bail. I’m Colty Steele, private investigator and I’m here to make sure you show up for your arraignment tomorrow.”
“Is that so?” said Connor belligerently. “Then you’ll have to take me my force, bitch.” Stepping forward he took a swing at the tall shapely blonde.
“Must you?” asked Colty, easily avoiding the blow. She stepped inside the wild swing and delivered a quick short punch to Connor’s midriff. With a convulsive gasp he doubled up and collapsed like a sack of wet sand. Expertly, Colty pinned his arms behind his back and locked them in place with a set of handcuffs. At that point several people, a woman, a man, and a child came running down the front steps.
Colty opened her coat a little. Just enough that her new audience could see the butt of her sidearm. “I’d go back to bed if I were you folks. This one’s coming with me.”
It was the young boy who made the most fuss. His father finally had to pick him up and carry him back into the house while he wailed about the nasty lady and Uncle Harold.
“Well, Uncle Harold,” Colty said to Connor as she pushed him into her car. “Looks like your family visit is over.”
Archie Mason looked at the incredibly attractive woman sitting across from his desk. Her legs were crossed and she was showing a lot of thigh. But it was the display of cleavage that really got his attention. The tall blonde was wearing a dress that was so tight it appeared to have been sprayed onto her, and it was cut so incredibly low that he wondered how he kept her magnificent breasts from falling out of it. “Colty Steele?” he said. “An unusual name.”
“Isn’t it?’ replied Colty in her full, rich voice. It wasn’t exactly her real name, but she wasn’t going to give Mason any more information than that. Her father had actually named her Colt. She couldn’t decide if he had named her after the beer he was so fond of drinking, his favourite football team, the animals he wasted so much money betting on, or the handgun he used to shoot holes through the roof of the house. She had never liked the name. A colt was a male horse, and she definitely did not like the connection so she had changed it as soon as she had left home. She had also changed her last name. Colty Steele was a much better name for a private eye than Colty Bozeman.
Mason changed the subject quickly. He was having trouble concentrating on what he was trying to say. “You did a very good job for me. If Connor hadn’t shown up for his trial I would have been out a hundred grand.”
“Just my job,” Colty replied, leaning back in her chair and exposing even more thigh.
“Well, I was impressed. So I have another one for you. This one is a little tougher.”
Colty leaned forward and Mason’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. “I’m listening,” she said.”
“You’ve heard of Raffe Kleine?”
“The organized crime courier who was arraigned on enough charges to fill an encyclopedia?”
“The same one. He posted
two million bail and we financed him.
Unfortunately, the last we heard he was in
“Interesting,” Colty said, leaning back. “But why wouldn’t he post his own cash? He must have plenty.”
“You’d think so wouldn’t you? But it turns out his bosses advanced him the cash for the latest operation. When it fell through and he was arrested he not only couldn’t pay them back, he couldn’t even pay his own bail. So he came to us.”
“And now he has skipped town and you are left holding the bag.”
“Right,” Mason said nodding and managing to force his eyes away from Colty’s cleavage. “And that’s where you come in.”
“I’ll take the job,” said Colty sipping her mai tai. “But this time I want a bit more than the standard contract.”
“What,” said Mason brusquely, “ten percent of two million not enough for you?”
“It’s a nice pile of bills, but Kleine is not your run-of-the- mill bail jumper. He’s a cold-blooded killer and no doubt hangs out with a few more like him. Two hundred grand won’t do me a bit of good if I’m too shot up to enjoy it.”
“Alright,” agreed Mason. “How much do you want?”
“Twenty five percent and all
expenses. Otherwise I’m
on the next plane to
“You don’t ask much do you? Perhaps I’ve been wasting my time.”
“No,” Colty said, getting to her feet, “I’ve been wasting mine.” She tossed a few bills on the table. “The drinks are on me. Call me next time you need someone who can do the job.”
“Wait,” said Mason reaching out to touch her arm.
Colty turned her steel gray eyes on him. Mason quickly withdrew his hand. “Sorry,” he said hurriedly. “Alright. You’ve got a deal. But go easy on the expenses. I have to justify this to my bosses.”
Colty gave him a dazzling smile. “So nice doing business with you. I’ll have Kleine for you in a few days.” She turned and strode from the restaurant.
Mason watched her go his eyes taking in the amazing swing of her backside. “Christ,” he murmured, “I need to take a cold shower.”
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