30

You radio back to the convoy that you have sighted something suspicious in the hills to the south. You bring your roadster to a halt, and, as the convoy draws closer, Cutter disembarks and comes running forward to find out more. You point out the place on the ridge where you saw the reflections, and he scans the area with his powerful binoculars.

‘Whatever was up there has gone now, Cal,’ he says. ‘If it was clan scouts you saw then we’d better keep on movin’ before they rustle up enough of their kin to bushwhack us.’

You keep a watchful eye on the ridge as you lead the convoy along this section of the freeway. Anxiously you expect an ambush to take place at any time, but, despite your fears, an attack does not materialize. At length, the stores and houses of Van Horn appear on the road ahead. The town looks deserted but you decide to take no chances. You bring the convoy to a halt within a mile of the town limits and, accompanied by Sergeant Haskell, you leave your roadster and enter on foot to check that the place is safe for the convoy to pass through.

The tumbledown buildings are deathly quiet as you walk along the main street of Van Horn, and you notice nothing out of the ordinary until you reach a bar near the centre of the town. A motorcycle is parked beside the entrance, its fuel tank emblazoned with the ace-of-spades emblem of the Mavericks clan. You decide to search the bar and, if possible, try to capture and question the bike’s owner. Haskell suggests that it would be a good idea if one of you were to enter by the rear door and you nod your agreement.

If you wish to enter the bar from the rear, turn to 131.

If you choose to enter the bar through the front door, turn to 13.