Lifeguard - James Patterson [85]
“Dennis Stratton, you’re under arrest for the murders of Tess McAuliffe and Liz Stratton.”
Stratton stood there, lips quivering at Sollie, totally aghast.
Then everything started to come apart. Ponytail took the gun off my ribs and, grabbing me as cover, thrust it toward the Palm Beach cop. Champ dove out of the crowd and barreled into him, sending the punk reeling across the room. They wrestled for a second, Geoff rolling him onto his back.
“Hate to do this to you, mate, but you owe me a chrome side grille for my Ducati.” Champ head-butted Ponytail in the forehead. With a loud crack, the thug’s head went back.
That was when his gun went off.
At first there were screams, people pushing frantically toward the entrance. “Someone’s shooting!”
I looked at Stratton, Lawson, Sollie. . . . As a last resort, my eyes drifted to Champ. He hung there, straddled over Ponytail. A disbelieving smile slowly crept onto his lips. At first I thought he was saying, See, I told you I had your back, mate. But then I could see it was more like shock. Blood began to seep through his white shirt.
“Geoff!” I yelled. He had started to reel. I lunged and caught him, bringing him gently down to the floor.
“Shit, Neddie,” he said, looking at me, “bastard owes me a whole new bike for this one.”
Another crack rang out, and then mayhem. Stratton’s other bodyguard was shooting. I saw Lawson go down. Everyone else hit the floor.
A slug ripped into the bodyguard’s chest and he fell back through a window, dragging embroidered curtains off giant rods and onto the floor. Then I caught sight of Stratton, free of Lawson’s grasp. He was backing away, slinking toward the kitchen door.
I was shouting into the mike for Ellie. “Champ’s down. He’s hit!” But she wasn’t answering. I had changed the plan on everyone. Now what?
“Jesus, mate, go,” Champ said. He wet his lips. “For God’s sake, I’ve got everything under control down here.”
“You hold on.” I squeezed his hand. “Cops’ll be here soon. Pretend you’re waiting for a goddamn beer.”
“Yeah, I could use one of those about now.”
I reached for Ponytail’s gun. Then I headed after the man who had ordered my brother killed.
Chapter 106
THE SHOOTING WAS OVER when Ellie and the two other FBI agents got down to the ballroom. Shell-shocked people in tuxes and gowns were milling about outside. Seeing the FBI jackets, everyone pointed inside. “There’s been a shooting. Someone’s been hit.”
Ellie ran into the ballroom, gun drawn. Hotel security personnel were already on the scene. The room was mostly cleared of people. Chairs and tables were overturned, flowers on the floor.
This was bad.
She saw Lawson propped against a wall, a red stain on his shoulder. Carl Breen was kneeling next to him, shouting into a radio. Three other bodies were down. Two looked like Stratton’s men. One was wrapped in a curtain, and looked dead. The other was Ponytail, the pig who had chased Ned. He was out cold and wasn’t going anywhere.
The third Ellie recognized by his orange hair.
Champ!
“My God,” Ellie said, and rushed over. Geoff was lying on his back, with a knee raised. His left side was matted with blood; his face was white, his eyes a little glassy.
“Oh, Jesus, Champ . . .” Ellie knelt down.
A security man was barking into a radio, calling for EMS. Ellie leaned over and looked Geoff in the eye. “Hang on. You’re gonna be all right.” She put her hand on the side of his face. It was sweaty and cold. She felt her eyes glisten with tears.
“I know, there’s gonna be hell to pay,” Geoff said, managing a smile, “me impersonating a waiter and all.”
Ellie smiled back. She gently squeezed his hand. Then she looked around the ballroom.
“He went after him, Ellie,” Geoff whispered. He shifted his eyes in the direction of the kitchen. “Ned took Ponytail’s gun.”
“Oh, shit,” Ellie said.
“He had to, Ellie.” The Kiwi wet his lips.
“That’s not what I meant,” Ellie said. She checked her weapon, then squeezed Champ’s hand one more time. “I’ve seen Ned with a gun.”
Chapter 107
I BOLTED