sure of that."
"Our meat supplier sometimes needs a dart gun to knock out misbehaving animals," said Rocky. "You know, when horses get sick—" He grinned. "The driver's real good with it. Two shots, and the two of you went down like bowling pins."
"Your meat supplier shot us? And he shoots sick horses?" Joe stared blankly. Then he under-stood. "No, you've got to be kidding."
"Oh, he's not kidding," Frank said, assuring him he was right. "Callie and I saw a van driving away from here — a van from a dog-food company."
"It must have just finished unloading its, um, delivery," said Callie.
"You know, I just thought of something," said Joe. "That meat loaf that the cafeteria serves."
"What about the hamburgers?" asked Frank.
"And the veal goulash," said Callie. She swallowed hard. "Know what? I've just become a vegetarian."
"But that's impossible to even consider," said Lisa. "You don't mean — you don't actually — "
"Americans—you can feed them anything," Karnovsky answered her question, his mouth wrinkling with distaste. "Even the meat that dog-food companies won't touch. When I first came to this country from France, I dreamed of running a fine restaurant. But then I saw my customers putting catsup on my greatest creations, and demanding a revolting orange-colored fluid to put on my beautiful salads. I decided there is only one way to make a fortune here. I must give Americans the kind of food they want and deserve."
"This is too much talk and not enough action," said Rocky. "We've got to figure out what to do with these kids. They blab, and we're washed up."
"We may be washed up, anyway," said Karnovsky thoughtfully as he spooned more caviar onto toast. "Now that Morrison has committed suicide, we cannot be sure we can make an arrangement with whoever takes his job. Perhaps we will have to move our business to another city. Pity. Things were running so smoothly here."
"And these kids?" Rocky asked again.
Karnovsky looked them up and down. "They all seem prime specimens. Good solid meat on their bones."
"Hey, Karnovsky," said Joe. "Did anybody ever tell you that you have a real sick sense of humor?"
But Karnovsky wasn't smiling.
Rocky wasn't smiling, either.
As the two men stood face-to-face, Frank and Joe exchanged glances. They both saw their chance—and took it.
Joe dived at Rocky, grabbing the arm that held the gun.
Wielding a meat cleaver night after night had made Rocky's arm as strong as iron. Joe grabbed it with both hands to keep him from bringing it up. But there was no way to stop Rocky's other hand from smashing into Joe's jaw and sending him sprawling halfway across the room.
Frank barreled into Karnovsky, the top of his head butting into Karnovsky's stomach.
But bashing into Karnovsky was like hitting a brick wall. Karnovsky didn't go down. Frank merely bounced off him, stunned, while Karnovsky moved to his desk to get the gun hidden inside a drawer.
Fortunately, Joe and Frank weren't alone.
Callie was at the desk in an instant. She reached into the open caviar tin and pulled out a handful of gooey caviar—and hit Karnovsky square in the face.
At the same time Lisa went for the champagne bottle. She grabbed it by the neck and smashed it over Rocky's head. He stood tottering and dazed, while the foursome got ready to make a quick exit.
They had reached the corridor when they heard Karnovsky's bellow of rage. "After them! Don't let them get out of here alive!"
"We can make it out the back door," said Frank. But when they reached it, it wouldn't budge.
Frank smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I'm a numbskull. I forgot Rocky re-locked it." He reached for his lock pick.
"There's no time. I hear them coming," said Joe.
"Let's try this way," said Lisa, indicating another door leading out of the room.
The door swung open, and the four of them jumped through it.
They all felt the icy air immediately.
"We're in some kind of freezer," whispered Joe in the
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