"Good. Because I am going to snuff out each of the four candles in the
center of this table by shooting the wick away. You follow me,
gentlemen? Locke? Meehan? Sadler?"
Heads nodded.
"Then perhaps you are already ahead of me. When the last candle is
extinguished, we will have darkness, you see. And then I think we'll
find our Martian rat. Because, as a matter of fact," Heidel lolled his
words, "I have taken the privilege of adding to the wine we have been
drinking Dr. Kingly's preserving solution. Non-tasteful, non-harmful.
Except, that is, to one man in this room."
Heidel motioned his gun. "And God rest the bastard's soul, because if
you will remember, I have five bullets in the chamber of this pistol.
Four for the candles and one for the brain of the sonofabitch whose eyes
light up when the last candle goes out."
* * * * *
There was a steady deadly silence while the flames of the candles licked
at the still air.
"I think, however," Heidel said, savoring the moment, "that we should
have one final toast before we proceed." He lifted his glass. "May the
receiver of the fifth bullet go straight to hell. I phrase that
literally, gentlemen," he said, laughing. "Drink up!"
The glasses were drained and placed again on the table.
"Watch carefully," Heidel said and lifted the pistol. He aimed at the
first candle. The trigger was taut against his finger, the explosion
loud in the room.
"One," said Heidel.
He aimed again. The explosion.
"Two," he said. "Rather good, eh?"
"Oh, yes," Sadler said.
"Quite," said Forbes.
"Again," said Heidel. A third shot echoed.
"Now," he said, pointing the muzzle at the last candle. "I would say
this is it, wouldn't you, gentlemen? And as soon as this one goes, I'm
afraid one of us is going to find a bullet right between his goddam
sparkling eyes. Are you ready?"
He squinted one eye and looked down the sights. He squeezed the trigger,
the room echoed and there was blackness. Heidel held his pistol poised
over the table.
Silence.
"Well," said Forbes finally. "There you have it. Surprise, what?"
Heidel balanced the pistol, feeling his palm go suddenly moist against
the black grip, and he looked around at the five pairs of glowing eyes.
"Bit of a shock, I should imagine," Forbes said. "Discovering all of us,
as it were."