Read The Return of Elliott Eastman for Free Online Page B

while Silas checked the batteries on the iPad 12 for the third time in the last two hours.
    Fifteen minutes later they were kneeling in the shadows of a towering Black Oak against the ivy covered wall of the palatial mansion.
    “Okay,” Steve whispered handing Silas a rifle with silencer and scope. “You’ve got four darts. Take out the guard first and then the dog. This stuff isn’t lethal. It’s a combination tranquilizer and muscle relaxer. It will take them down instantly but leave them still able to see and hear. Don’t miss. Take your shot at exactly 5:36 and I’ll take care of the main target at the same time. Hop the wall and meet me at the rear porch. And take care not to damage the iPad 12.”
    “Roger that. No one else around?”
    “No, his wife is at a private jewelry auction in Manhattan and will stay at their townhouse in the city. Hearthstone’s lady friend doesn’t arrive here until 8:30. Let’s move.”
    A few minutes later Silas, peered over the wall to find the guard and dog a hundred yards away across a vast expanse of lawn, strolling leisurely along a garden path. He checked his watch and eighty eight seconds later, with a sound like a human exhaling, sent two darts at the targets. The guard fell heavily into a rose bush while the dog staggered a few paces and fell on the lawn. Instantly Silas was over the wall and moving like a shadow across the grass.
    Meanwhile, Steve sighted carefully and squeezed the trigger. The dart struck George Hearthstone in the center of his back. He spilled his drink and slumped heavily to one side of his chair. The two attackers met at the rear patio of the mansion and lowered Hearthstone from his chair until he was lying on his back looking up at them. What the CEO saw was two men gazing down at him dressed in army camouflage suits and black stocking cap hoods. The fear, evident in the CEO’s eyes, became even more palpable when he lost control of his bladder.
    “Pretty tough guy when he’s charging little old ladies 27% interest, but a little different when his world is violated,” Crawford whispered.
    “That’s a shame,” Silas chimed in. “You probably ruined your nice seersucker suit.”
    Silas pulled the iPad 12 from his knapsack and pressed the on button while Crawford continued speaking.
    “You’re George Hearthstone,” he said removing a photo from his pocket and comparing it with the face of the man lying on the patio.
    “Yep. Now we’re going to show you some photos on our neat little tablet computer here.”
    Silas leaned over and held the iPad 12 about a foot from the terrified face. As he pressed down on a button at the end of a cable that extended from the computer, a picture flashed on the screen.
    “This is you having dinner with a friend at the Saint Marks Hotel in San Francisco,” Silas commented. “You probably told your wife it was a business trip. Nice looking dish too, I might add.”
    George Hearthstone’s eyes widened.
    Silas pressed down on the clicker.
    “This is you and the dish heading upstairs to your room.”
    The clicker sounded again.
    “This is you and the dish tearing at each others’ clothes in the hotel room. Yes, it’s the wonder of modern technology. Slip a little eye ball camera under the door and you’ve instantly got an X-rated movie.”
    Silas hit the clicker again.
    “This is you having breakfast the next morning, and that’s me sitting at the table next to you.”
    Again the clicker sounded.
    “That’s you leaving your office, and that’s me cruising by you on the moped. I hate those damn things. Not a motorcycle or a bike, don’t you agree?”
    Silas fell silent for a moment while Crawford tucked the handheld back in his knapsack.
    “The point is Mr. Hearthstone,” Silas continued, “you’re going to give a speech to your board explaining how you’ve gotten wind of the fact that other credit card companies are going to reduce their rates to 7%. They’re going to steal millions and