82

You focus your sight on the distant ridge. Two men are climbing towards the crest of Black Peak, and although you cannot identify them, you can see that they are carrying rifles. They reach the crest, pause briefly to stare at the freeway, and then continue across to the far side and disappear from sight.

You return to your roadster and keep a watchful eye on the ridge as you wait for the convoy to close up the gap. Then, when the vehicles are once again visible in your driving mirror, you continue along the freeway. Anxiously you expect an ambush to take place at any time, but, in spite of your fears, an attack does not materialize.

At length you see 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 it 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 in 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.