The Outlaw by Stephen Davies

Author:Stephen Davies [Davies, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Twenty-Four

The gendarme was now no more than ten feet away. He was a thirty-something man wearing a camouflage uniform, a green beret, and black ankle-high boots. He had tired, bloodshot eyes and a slight swelling on his right temple. Jake's eye wandered again to those black boots. He had seen boots like that before. Keep your eyes lowered, their father had told them. Lowered eyes meant ample opportunity to study boots.

"It can't be," whispered Jake. "Same boots, for sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean—"

"Look at that lump above his eye," said Kas. "Don't you remember, Jake, he got hit by a stone when those boys rescued us. I'm telling you, it's him."

Yakuuba wagged his index finger in front of her face. "Stop talking tuubaaku language," he hissed. "You are a Tuareg princess, remember?"

"But Yakuuba, this is important," whispered Kas. "That's one of the men who kidnapped us."

The gendarme was now only two rows from the back of the bus and heading inexorably their way. Jake clenched his teeth hard to stop them from chattering. His sister was right; it was definitely their kidnapper. Up close, even the sickly smell of his aftershave was familiar.

The Chameleon stood up. He moved down the aisle and tried to squeeze past the gendarme.

"Carte d'identité," snapped the gendarme, holding out a stiff arm to block his way.

Yakuuba took out his identity card and handed it over.

The name on the card provoked quite a reaction. The gendarme gave an audible gasp, and his hand went straight to the gun in his belt. Quick as a flash, Sor seized the policeman's collar, put a foot behind his leg, and flipped him over onto the floor of the bus. The throw Jake had just witnessed was real wrestling magic: sudden, powerful, and perfectly controlled. No one has ever seen dust on the Chameleon's knees.

The Chameleon did not hang around to chat with his opponent. He snatched back the identity card, grabbed the lip of the overhead luggage compartment, swung himself feet first through the empty window frame, and landed on the forecourt of the bus station. The onlookers marveled to see an overweight sheikh display such grace and agility.

The gendarme was quick to react. As he got up from the floor, he drew his pistol from its holster and flicked the safety catch off. With his other hand he grabbed the whistle around his neck and blew it hard and shrill. Then he launched himself out of the window in pursuit of the outlaw.

Jake stood up and craned his neck to watch the chase unfold. The Chameleon was heading toward the gates of the bus station, and it seemed very likely that he would get away, but just as he neared the gates, he was met by two more gendarmes coming in, summoned no doubt by their colleague's frantic whistle blowing. The Chameleon skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust, turned around, and sprinted back across the forecourt.

"Couchez-vous tous par terre!" cried the whistle blower. "Everybody get down!"

Everyone except the Chameleon threw themselves into the dust.

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