you is Jim Carson?"

"That'd be me," the shortest of the three announced.

Theo nodded. "I've been hoping you'd stop by."

"Just who do you think you are?" Jim railed.

"I just told you who I am. Weren't you paying attention?"

"A real smartass, huh? You think you can lock up my money and fix it at my bank so I can't even get a nickel out? You think

you can do that?"

"I did do that," Theo calmly pointed out.

Jim Carson looked like his brother. He was short, squat, with eyes that were a little too closely set in his moon-shaped face. He didn't smile like his brother, though. While Gary oozed false sincerity, Jim was the master of vulgarity. He took another

threatening step toward Theo and let loose with a string of grossly obscene blasphemies.

Then he said, "You're going to be sorry you interfered in my business. Gary and I are going to shut down the mill, and then

this town will lynch you."

"I'd worry about my neck if I were you. How long have you been telling your employees you're on the verge of bankruptcy? Imagine how… disappointed people will be when they find out what your annual take is and what you have squirreled away."

"Our assets are confidential information," Jim yelled. "You might know about our money, but you're an outsider trying to cause trouble, and if you tell anyone, they won't believe you. No one will."

"People tend to believe what's written in the paper, don't they?"

"What are you saying?"

"I wrote a nice little editorial that's going to be in Sunday's paper. Of course, I want it to be as accurate as possible," he added. "So, why don't I fax you over a copy of it tomorrow, and you can check it. Personally, I think it's some of my best work. I listed every cent in every account that you've made over the past five years."

"You can't do that. It's confidential." Jim was shouting now.

Theo glanced at Noah. "You know, I should have added their tax returns for the past five years too. I guess I still could."

"You're finished, Buchanan. I'm not going to let you cause any more trouble."

Jim was so angry, his brow was dripping with sweat. The man had worked himself into a lather, and it was obviously infuriating

to him that Theo was unimpressed with his tantrum.

"I've only just started making trouble, Jim. When I'm finished with you and your brother, the employees are going to own the

mill. It's going to happen fast too," he added. "And you will be living on the streets. That's a promise."

"You want to put that baseball bat down now?" Noah asked the giant with the nose splattered all over his homely face.

"Shit, no. I'm not putting this bat down before I use it. Isn't that right, Mr. Carson?"

"That's right, Happy."

Theo laughed. "Happy?"

"We live in a strange world," Noah replied.

"I'm supposed to break Buchanan's legs with this bat, and that's what I'm gorina do. I'm gonna hurt you too,'' he told Noah.

"So you better stop laughing at me, because you're gonna be sorry."

Noah was now keeping a wary eye on the third man. He was almost as tall as the giant, but had a thin, wiry frame and large cauliflower ears. Both backup men looked like street fighters, but in Noah's opinion, Cauliflower was the real threat. He

probably was carrying a concealed weapon. Oh, yes, he was the one who could give him real trouble, and he was apparently

the surprise element Jimmy Boy had brought along in the event Happy didn't get the job done.

The bruiser was slapping the butt of the baseball bat in the palm of his hand. The smacking noise irritated Noah.

"Put the bat down," he ordered once again.

"Not before I break a couple of bones."

Noah suddenly smiled. He looked as if he'd just won the lottery. "Hey, Theo, you know what?"

"What?"

"I'd call Happy's remarks threats. Wouldn't you say they were threats? I mean, you'd know, since you're a lawyer in Justice,

and I'm just a lowly little FBI agent. Those were threats. Right?"

Theo knew exactly what Noah's game was. He was letting the three men know who they were so they couldn't say they

hadn't been informed when they were locked up.

"Yeah, I'd have to say they are."

"Listen, smartass," Jim said, addressing Noah, "you get in my way, and I'm going to enjoy hurting you too." He stabbed the air

in front of Noah's face with his stubby finger.

Noah wasn't paying him any attention. "Maybe we ought to let one of them hit us," he suggested to Theo. "It would probably

look better in court."

"I can make the case without getting hit. Unless you want to get hit."

"No, I don't want to get hit. I'm just saying…"

"You think this is a game, sonny?" Jim was bellowing now. He took yet another step forward, poked Noah in the shoulder, and said, "I'll wipe that smug smile off your face, you son of a-"

He didn't get a chance to finish the threat. Noah moved so fast, Jim didn't even have time to blink. But then again, blinking was definitely out of the question. He cried out, then froze and stared with one wide eye at Noah. The barrel of Noah's Glock was pressed snugly against his other eyelid.

"What were you going to say about my mother?" Noah asked softly.

"Nothing… nothing at all," Jim stammered.

Happy swung the bat in a wide arc while Cauliflower pivoted on his heel and reached inside his jacket.

The loud click of the shotgun as it was being pumped reverberated throughout The Swan. The noise gained everyone's full attention.

Noah kept his gun pressed against Carson's face as he glanced behind him. Michelle was leaning against the counter with a shotgun aimed at Cauliflower. Theo moved in and grabbed the weapon from the thug's waistband. Then he looked at Michelle.

"I asked you to go to the kitchen."

"Yes, I heard you ask."

Cauliflower tried to grab his gun. "I've got a permit for that. Give it back to me."

"That's such a stupid thing to say," Theo muttered. Cauliflower lunged. Theo pivoted and using two knuckles chopped

Cauliflower just below his Adam's apple. The man reeled back, and as he turned, Theo struck him on the back of his neck. Cauliflower collapsed, out cold on the floor. "I can't abide stupid people."

"I hear you," Noah said. "Jim, I'm gonna have to shoot you if Happy doesn't put that bat down real soon."

"Do it, Happy."

"But, Mr. Carson, you told me-"

"Forget what I told you. Drop the bat." He tried to back away from the gun, but Noah simply followed.

"Please put that away. I don't want you to accidentally shoot my brains out."

"That's assuming you have a brain," Noah said. "I'm not so sure about that. What were you thinking, coming in here with

your hired hands? Are you so cocky you didn't worry about witnesses? Or are you too stupid to care?"

"I was mad… I wasn't thinking… I just wanted…"

He stopped stammering as soon as Noah removed the Glock. Then Jim, making up for lost time, began to blink furiously.

"Is Harry dead?" Jim asked. "If you killed Harry…"

"He's still breathing," Noah said. "Don't make me ask again, Happy. Get rid of the bat."

Happy looked decidedly unhappy as he threw the bat hard at the table next to him. Since he couldn't break any legs, he decided

he wanted to break some property. Then maybe Jim Carson would still pay him. The baseball bat struck the edge of the table, bounced back, and struck Happy's foot. He let out a yelp and started hopping around as though he were playing a game of hopscotch.

Theo handed Harry's weapon to Noah and rubbed the sting out of his knuckles. "Put Jim in the chair," he added before striding

to the bar. He looked at Michelle now. "Michelle, what the hell are you doing with a sawed-off shotgun? Put that down before