Read Online Lord of Lightning by Suzanne Forster - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Suzanne Forster
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She turned to see Emily Baxter’s wide gray eyes staring up at her in alarm.
“Look out the window, Miss Anderson,” Em whispered, her voice shaking. “They got him!”
“Got who, honey?” Lise bent down to steady the little girl.
“The spaceman. The sheriffs got him across the street at the museum!”
When Lise arrived at the museum, she had to fight her way through the curious throng that crowded the marble steps of the proud old Georgian mansion. By the time she’d pushed past Harley Pomerance, the dog-catcher, and several waitresses from the Rib-Eye Restaurant, the crowd began to take notice of her and give way.
“It’s Miss Anderson,” someone whispered, “let her through.”
As the human sea parted for her she saw the reason for their avid curiosity. Stephen Gage was surrounded by the gang of roughnecks from Frank’s station. As usual, Buck Thompson was the leader of the pack, making wild accusations and agitating the crowd. The rest of the men were taunting Stephen with verbal gibes and threats, much as a pack of hyenas might bait a cornered lion. And Stephen looked every inch a great golden cat who didn’t know which way to strike out first. He also looked as if he could do great damage if he did strike.
“What’s going on here?” Lise demanded.
Sunlight flashed off Stephen’s hair as he saw her. “Stay out of this, Lise. I can handle it.”
“He’s a damn thief!” Buck spouted.
“That’s right.” Billy Cornmesser appeared, dangling his brand-new stainless steel handcuffs. Billy had just been sworn in as a deputy sheriff of San Bernardino County, and he took his new responsibilities very seriously.
“We’ve got ourselves a coupla’ missing statues, Miss Anderson,” Billy said. “And this fellow’s the prime suspect.”
“Why?” Lise asked. “What did he do?”
“Well—let’s see now. I think somebody saw him hanging around by the back of the building. Isn’t that right?”
He looked around at Frank’s boys for agreement, and it took Lise all of ten seconds to figure out what was going on. Buck Thompson and his cohorts were spoiling for some trouble, maybe even a public hanging. Buck obviously saw Stephen as a rival and was determined to get rid of him one way or another. The museum theft had provided him with the perfect opportunity. He’d probably even convinced Billy to detain Stephen.
“Got any evidence, William?” Lise asked.
“Evidence, ma’am?”
“Did you see him steal the statues?”
“Well—no, ma’am.”
“Did anyone see him steal them? Or find the statues on his person?” Lise glared at Buck for good measure, and then she swept the gathered crowd with her eyes, folded her arms, and delivered a stern look. “Did anybody see him steal anything?”
“Well, not exactly.”
A great deal of mumbling ensued, both from Frank’s boys and from the onlookers. She ignored them all.
“Then I suggest you let him go, William,” she said. “Unless you want a false arrest suit on your hands.”
“Wait a minute.” It was Buck Thompson who stepped forward. “What do we know about this guy?” He jerked a thumb in Stephen’s direction. “Who is he? Where did he come from? And what the hell’s he doing up at the Cooper cabin?”
One of the waitresses spoke up hesitantly. “There is something strange about him. Miss Anderson,” she said. “He made the wall clock stop dead over at the Rib-Eye Restaurant.”
Lise tossed her head. “Now, Mindy, that clock’s so old a good sneeze could stop it dead, and you know it.”
“The digital clock in my car’s brand- new ,” a woman in the crowd countered. “And it stopped running too. Just yesterday.”
“Our TV’s gone haywire!” a kid called out. “Maybe he’s giving off weird vibes and jamming the circuits.”
A wave of buzzing excitement swept the crowd, and suddenly everyone seemed to have a malfunctioning appliance.
“My damn car radio don’t work!”
“And what about them UFO
“Look out the window, Miss Anderson,” Em whispered, her voice shaking. “They got him!”
“Got who, honey?” Lise bent down to steady the little girl.
“The spaceman. The sheriffs got him across the street at the museum!”
When Lise arrived at the museum, she had to fight her way through the curious throng that crowded the marble steps of the proud old Georgian mansion. By the time she’d pushed past Harley Pomerance, the dog-catcher, and several waitresses from the Rib-Eye Restaurant, the crowd began to take notice of her and give way.
“It’s Miss Anderson,” someone whispered, “let her through.”
As the human sea parted for her she saw the reason for their avid curiosity. Stephen Gage was surrounded by the gang of roughnecks from Frank’s station. As usual, Buck Thompson was the leader of the pack, making wild accusations and agitating the crowd. The rest of the men were taunting Stephen with verbal gibes and threats, much as a pack of hyenas might bait a cornered lion. And Stephen looked every inch a great golden cat who didn’t know which way to strike out first. He also looked as if he could do great damage if he did strike.
“What’s going on here?” Lise demanded.
Sunlight flashed off Stephen’s hair as he saw her. “Stay out of this, Lise. I can handle it.”
“He’s a damn thief!” Buck spouted.
“That’s right.” Billy Cornmesser appeared, dangling his brand-new stainless steel handcuffs. Billy had just been sworn in as a deputy sheriff of San Bernardino County, and he took his new responsibilities very seriously.
“We’ve got ourselves a coupla’ missing statues, Miss Anderson,” Billy said. “And this fellow’s the prime suspect.”
“Why?” Lise asked. “What did he do?”
“Well—let’s see now. I think somebody saw him hanging around by the back of the building. Isn’t that right?”
He looked around at Frank’s boys for agreement, and it took Lise all of ten seconds to figure out what was going on. Buck Thompson and his cohorts were spoiling for some trouble, maybe even a public hanging. Buck obviously saw Stephen as a rival and was determined to get rid of him one way or another. The museum theft had provided him with the perfect opportunity. He’d probably even convinced Billy to detain Stephen.
“Got any evidence, William?” Lise asked.
“Evidence, ma’am?”
“Did you see him steal the statues?”
“Well—no, ma’am.”
“Did anyone see him steal them? Or find the statues on his person?” Lise glared at Buck for good measure, and then she swept the gathered crowd with her eyes, folded her arms, and delivered a stern look. “Did anybody see him steal anything?”
“Well, not exactly.”
A great deal of mumbling ensued, both from Frank’s boys and from the onlookers. She ignored them all.
“Then I suggest you let him go, William,” she said. “Unless you want a false arrest suit on your hands.”
“Wait a minute.” It was Buck Thompson who stepped forward. “What do we know about this guy?” He jerked a thumb in Stephen’s direction. “Who is he? Where did he come from? And what the hell’s he doing up at the Cooper cabin?”
One of the waitresses spoke up hesitantly. “There is something strange about him. Miss Anderson,” she said. “He made the wall clock stop dead over at the Rib-Eye Restaurant.”
Lise tossed her head. “Now, Mindy, that clock’s so old a good sneeze could stop it dead, and you know it.”
“The digital clock in my car’s brand- new ,” a woman in the crowd countered. “And it stopped running too. Just yesterday.”
“Our TV’s gone haywire!” a kid called out. “Maybe he’s giving off weird vibes and jamming the circuits.”
A wave of buzzing excitement swept the crowd, and suddenly everyone seemed to have a malfunctioning appliance.
“My damn car radio don’t work!”
“And what about them UFO
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