Read Dirty Harry 03 - The Long Death for Free Online

started to cry.
    The men ignored her. They were too involved by this time to care. The woman simply got up, opened a drawer on the console, pulled out a sponge and a thick handkerchief, wrapped the sponge in the cloth, and drove it deep between Barbara’s lips.
    “Now, now,” said the gentleman. “I’m sure we can find something more useful to do than that.” The other men laughed as they turned the girl over on her stomach. The gentleman took ahold of her hair again and raised her head as one of the other men moved in. He removed the cloth, then rammed a wide metal ring under her teeth and buckled a strap attached to the ring behind her head. It kept her mouth wide open without filling it. The filling would come soon enough.
    Barbara had one last coherent thought. She was going to die with her mouth open.
    And then the three men raped and murdered her to the disco beat.

C H A P T E R

T w o
    S an Francisco Homicide Inspector Harry Callahan rammed the barrel of his .44 Magnum revolver through the teeth of José Quintero Ramirez, lodging most of the metal firmly inside his cheek. Then the tall police officer swung his gun around, hurling the man down a flight of nine wide marble steps. All the years of brushing and dental floss did Ramirez no good at all as his enamel and gold followed him down the stairwell. Harry didn’t even look back as he moved past the main entrance to the Steinhart Aquarium.
    “Jesus, Harry,” said Fatso Devlin, puffing alongside his partner. “All he said was ‘Can I help you?’ ”
    Harry grinned grimly, keeping up his quick pace, then spit into a corner of the lobby. Actually spit.
    “Harry,” huffed Devlin, “you’re losing your objectivity.” Then they were inside. As Fatso took in the incredible array of aquatic creatures in the vats and wall displays that littered the first floor and tried to get accustomed to the soft blue light, he had to admit to himself that this was a case to lose your objectivity on. Finding an eleven-year-old girl curled up dead in a garbage can was bad enough, but then to discover that she was a victim of a child pornography ring was enough to get the most seasoned cop mad.
    And make no mistake. Harry was mad. When Harry was mad he did things like breaking people’s faces. But only when those faces belonged to known members of the pornography gang. It had taken six weeks of intensive investigation to make sure Ramirez was part of the gang, so if a smart lawyer got him off the rap, at least Harry had the satisfaction of putting a big hole in his smile. It would be a while before José enticed any more children with those pearly whites of his.
    But Ramirez was just the scum on the bottom of the rock. There were a few more members to run down. Namely Ted Cunningham, Earle Snelson, and Bobby Gagne. All three worked at this complex: the California Academy of Sciences—a perfect place to bring a child without drawing any attention. It was made up of three attractions, the Science Museum, the Morrison Planetarium, and the Aquarium, which Harry was presently scanning.
    Cunningham worked there as a scuba diving instructor and fish feeder who would dive into the main pool at set times during the day. Gagne had the job of cleaning up after him, so they both usually holed up together in a locker room on the third floor. Harry hit the stairs while Fatso moved toward the elevators. The entire place was surrounded so neither worried very much about escape; all they hoped was that somebody tried to resist arrest.
    Harry lucked out the very first time. He kicked open the locker room door, even though it wasn’t locked, and pointed his big revolver straight down a row of lockers. He had timed his attack perfectly. Both men were there, Cunningham half into his scuba outfit.
    “Freeze,” Harry shouted, looking as crazy as he could.
    Cunningham was the slick one. He followed orders. Gagne was the jerk. He panicked and ran.
    “Jesus Christ, you fool!” Cunningham