"No!" Lugert yelled.
Jack raised the .38. Lugert threw up his hands as if to protect himself but Jack's finger tightened anyway. The gun went squirt!
Lugert toppled heavily to the floor. He lay there on the heavy-pile rug, his blood spilling out and staining the brown carpet a deep red.
Jack looked at him calmly. Then he turned and left the room.
The floor was still empty. Quietly he got into the untended elevator, rode it to the lobby, and stepped out into the street. The whole job had taken 10 minutes. Ten minutes and four killings, and he hadn't even raised a sweat.
Darell and Karson and Dr. Lorence were waiting for him in the councilroom of the Government Building when he got back.
"Great work," Karson said. He looked pale and shaken. "We watched the whole thing over the transmitter Lorence built into you. Every step. It—it was well done."
"Thanks," Jack said. "Is the gold ready?"
Lorence handed him a heavy satchel. "It's here. Twenty-five pounds. Plus five pounds extra for your cooperation."