The Hunted

by Elmore Leonard

  "I'll have to ask them," Mel said. He rose, turning, as more bills blew out of the briefcase, and yelled toward the fence, "He says he wants th e whole thing!" Mel waited. "What?"

  Davis held the sight on Valenzuela. He watched him wave for Mel to come back.

  Mel turned to the windows again. "I guess they want to talk it over." Mel stooped to close the briefc ase, but Valenzuela called something to him an d Mel straightened and walked off, glancing back a t the money blowing, swirling across the yard, the n motioned to Mati to come with him.

  "Watch them," Davis said.

  Tali glanced at him, saw him move to Mr.

  Rosen's body and pull back the blanket. She looked out the window and then at the Marine again. He was lifting Mr. Rosen's hands now--the bent arm s rising stiffly with the hands--then drawing the Col t automatic from its holster and placing it on th e compress bandage covering Mr. Rosen's wound , making sure the safety was off. It shocked her an d made no sense.

  "Why are you doing that?"

  "Watch outside."

  Davis took another compress from the pack of bandages on the floor, placed it over the automatic , and brought Rosen's hands down to cover the compress. The grip of the Colt, part of it, was all that showed.

  "Please, what are you do ing?"

  Davis glanced out the window, seeing the five of them at the opening in the fence. He picked up Dr.

  Morris' heavy Enfield revolver from the floor and tried it in the shoulder holster. It rested too high beneath his left arm. He pulled the gun out and stuck it into the waist of his trousers.

  He said to Tali then, "I've thought of what I w ant to tell them."

  "Say, fine, he can have the whole thing," Rashad said. "What's the difference?"

  "Watch them," Valenzuela said to Teddy. He motioned Rashad away from Mel and the Arablooking kid and they moved down the road toward the gray car.

  "He won't believe it," Valenzuela said. "We're agreeing too quick. Why would we do it?"

  "You want to sit here," Rashad said, "wait till tomorrow to make it look real? What's the difference? A hundred, a hundred ninety-five, if he smells something he'll smell it either way. No, I believ e what he's doing, he's putting it all on one roll. Go t nothing to lose. He knows we're playing with th e man's money. He sees a chance to take it all. But tel l me, how's he gonna get out with it? Man, we'r e standing there."

  "He's pulling something," Valenzuela said.

  "Pulling what? He hasn't had time to think about it. He's seeing how much he can get, that's all. He's got nothing to lose, we got nothing to los e giving it to him."

  "Mel said there's no sign of Rosen."

  "I agree with Teddy, the man's probably been hit," Rashad said. "But he's in there, isn't he? No place else he could be."

  Valenzuela thought about it a little more. Finally he said, "All right. We'll say we'll give him the whole thing. The other half when he come s out."

  Mel returned to the middle of the yard, Mati trailing.

  "Sergeant!"

  He stopped, looking around, and began picking up the bills that were scattered about the grass.

  Davis waited, watching from the window. He saw Mati pick up several of the bills and slip one i n his pocket as he walked over to the lawyer with th e rest. Davis glanced at Tali. He was very tense no w and it was a moment of relief.

  "You see that?"

  "Mati takes care of himself," Tali said. "I hope nothing happens to him."

  The lawyer was squinting, looking this way again.

  "Sergeant? . . . They said okay. You can have the whole thing."

  Just like that, Davis thought. They give away money.

  "They said, you come out, get the briefcase here.

  One of them will come over and give you the rest."

  "Tell them I want to see all three of them," Davis said. "If I come out, I don't want anybody stayin g back there behind the wall. All three of them hav e to come out."

  Mel shrugged. It didn't make any difference to him. He looked at Mati and said something an d Mati started back toward the fence. They had give n Mati something to do.

  "You understand? All three of them," Davis said.

  Mel was nodding. "He'll tell them."

  "They give me the money and I'll give them Rosen." Davis waited, making sure the lawye r heard him. "I'll even bring him out."

  Mel was alert again, studying the windows.

  "You mean when you leave, they won't have to go in and get him?"

  "I said I'll bring him out."

  "Well--what does he have to say about that?"

  "Nothing," Davis said.

  Mel hesitated. "I don't quite understand."

  "You don't have to. Go tell them."

  "Just a minute," Mel said. He hurried back toward the stone fence.

  Davis looked over at Tali. "You ready?"

  The girl nodded, holding on tight to the shotgun resting on the window ledge.

  "There are some other ways," Davis said, "but none that I like. Is it all right with you?"

  The girl nodded again, afraid to speak.

  "Then let's do it," Davis said.

  He lowered the Mauser, resting it against the windowsill next to the girl, and walked over t o where Rosen's body lay on the floor.

  They came with the lawyer and Mati walking in front of them: Valenzuela and Teddy carrying th e submachine guns at their sides; Rashad in the middle with a canvas athletic bag. The rest of the money would be in the bag, if Davis wanted to see it.

  And a gun, Davis thought, watching them. He was holding Rosen in his arms, the body ben t enough to appear natural from a distance, the hea d stiffly erect against Davis' shoulder. He tried not t o look at Rosen's face. He stepped over the couc h blocking the doorway and crossed the patio to th e yard.

  They saw him now. They were looking at him, the five of them coming across the grass from th e fence, Davis approaching them from the deser t house to meet where the money was. The five me n arrived first. Mati walked aside. The lawyer wa s more subtle. He began picking up hundred-dolla r bills as he moved away from them.

  Valenzuela, at about thirty feet, said, "What's the matter with him?"

  Davis didn't answer. He approached to within ten feet, almost to the open briefcase, before sinking to one knee and lowering Rosen's body to the ground. He remained there, looking up at them. He wished the two with the machine guns were standing together and not separated by Rashad. Their clothes were dusty and stained with sweat marks.

  They were dark figures with the sun behind them.

  The sun was all right, it didn't bother him. It outlined them cleanly. They had not taken their eyes off Rosen. Davis remained on one knee, his lef t hand resting on Rosen's hands.

  "Well," Rashad said, "here we are." He was holding the canvas bag in front of him now, hi s hand inside the opening. Looking at Rosen's face , the closed eyes, he said, "What'd you bother for?"

  In the moment before it happened, Davis could see it happening.

  He said, "We bring out our dead."

  He lifted Rosen's hands, drew the Colt .38 from beneath the compress bandage, and shot Rashad i n the chest as the man's hand was coming out of th e bag. Davis saw him punched sideways, but couldn't wait to see if he was going down.

  He shot Valenzuela in the stomach and in the chest as the Uzi was pointing at him, the Uzi goin g up in the air as Valenzuela was socked hard an d Davis knew he was out of it.

  Somebody was yelling something, the one with the scarf tied over his hair like a pirate.

  He shot Teddy in the face as Teddy was crouching to fire and saw his arms go up with the Uzi, his chest exposed, and shot him again, in the chest.

  He had to get to Rashad because he wasn't sure of Rashad, and by the time he put the Colt on him , shit, he was a moment too late, the Colt pointing a t a Beretta. The Beretta fired first and Davis felt i t this time--not like the time getting in the Medeva c with the blood pouring out of his leg--he felt th e bullet tear int
o his thigh, the same leg, three time s now, leg wounds, three times and out of it, home , as he held the Colt on Rashad with Rashad lookin g at it and shot him four times in the chest. There.

  One round left in the Colt and he didn't need Dr.

  Morris' revolver stuck in his pants. It was uncomfortable. He pulled it out and dropped it on the ground. He was aware of the silence. He looked a t Valenzuela and the other one, knowing they wer e dead, and shoved the Colt into the shoulder holste r and tried to stand up, then had to try again befor e he made it. His leg didn't hurt yet, it was a reaction , seeing the blood and afraid to touch the leg, afrai d it might shatter if he stood on it; but he was all righ t now, he was up. He was sweating a lot.

  Mati came over to him first and tried to help him, offering to hold him up; but he was okay h e told Mati. He heard Mel's voice and heard Tali. Sh e was saying, "David . . ." coming out to them. It always surprised him when he heard her say hi s name.

  Mel was picking up the rest of the loose bills, putting them in the briefcase. He took the canvas bag from Rashad, trying to do it without touching him.

  Mel said, "Wow," reverently, then said it a few more times. "I don't believe it. Christ, I was standing right there--you know how long that took?

  About eight seconds, no more than ten." He walked over toward Davis, looking down at Rosen.

  "I'm very sorry about Rosie, but--well, what can you say, uh?" Now he was looking at Davis.

  "Are you all right?"

  "I will be."

  Davis looked at Tali and smiled at her worried expression. He was stooped slightly, holding hi s thigh, pressing his hand against it. In a minute he'd go in the house and take a look and get it cleane d up. The bullet was still in his leg and he'd have t o go to the hospital in Eilat, but it didn't hurt at al l right now. He'd worry about the hospital later.

  "When I say the company is gonna be most grateful to you, that's an understatement," Me l said. "And I know they won't question my givin g you this. In fact, we spoke before about gettin g these funds back home, which we can discuss agai n later on. Sergeant, with my deepest gratitude." He extended a pack of hundred-dollar bills to Davis.

  "What's that?"

  "Ten thousand dollars," Mel said. "You earned it."

  Davis said, "All this, it's the money that was sent to Rosen, right?"

  Tali stepped in. "You brought it to the hotel yourself. You saw it."

  He said to Mel, "So it isn't company money anymore, is it?"

  "Well, insofar as it's recovered money," Mel said.

  "Recovered from what?" Davis said. "They took Rosen's money from you and gave it to me.

  What I want to know is, how come you're offering me some of my own money?"

  "Now wait a minute," Mel said. "All we're really talking about is a reward. And I mean ten big ones, not a few bucks."

  Davis reached over and took the briefcase from him, brought his hand up bloody from the wound , and took the canvas bag.

  "I don't think I need a reward," Davis said.

  "Why don't I just settle for what's mine?"

  Mel wasn't sure if he was serious and tried to smile. He said, "Hey, come on. You can't just wal k off with a hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars, for Christ sake."

  "Why not?" Davis said.

  It seemed that simple. Why not?

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