Get Smart 7 - Max Smart - The Spy Who Went Out to the Cold Read Online Free Page B

Professor von BOOM!”
    “There are a lot of people who haven’t heard the old saying, ‘Haste makes waste,’ ” Max said. “Those KAOS agents, for example, probably haven’t the slightest notion that they’re bungling this.”
    99 rushed through the doorway. “Max, hurry!”
    “Coming, 99!”
    Max and 99 dashed from headquarters, worked their way through the passers-by, and darted out into the street. At that same moment, they heard the ear-splitting roar of an engine. Max halted, stopping 99, too.
    “Max! What is it?”
    “Did you hear that? It must be some kind of a warning.”
    “Warning? Warning?” 99 said frantically. “What kind of a warning?”
    “You’ll notice, 99, that we’re crossing in the middle of the block. We should have gone to the corner.”
    “But, Max, if we’d— Max!” She suddenly pointed. Max looked in the direction she was indicating and discovered the source of the ear-splitting sound. A huge mail truck was bearing down on them, its engine roaring.
    “Uh-huh,” Max smiled knowingly. “It fits the picture very neatly. You understand, of course, what’s happening.”
    “Well . . . I can sort of guess,” 99 said. “I think we’re going to be run down. Is that right, Max?”
    “I’m afraid you’re indulging in some very shallow thinking, 99,” Max said. “There’s a great deal more to it than that. In fact, what we’re involved in here is a typical example of the KAOS modus operandi.”
    “Really, Max?” 99 said interestedly. “What does that mean?”
    “Modus operandi, 99, is Latin for ‘the way they do it.’ The Roman cops, back in ancient times, used the phrase a lot. After they figured out how a crime was committed, they would refer to the method as the modus operandi. One cop, for instance, would say to another cop, ‘How did they do it?’ And the other cop would reply, ‘modus operandi .’ ”
    “Max, that truck is getting much closer.”
    “Of course, 99. It’s all part of the plan. When those KAOS agents spotted the Professor at the post office and decided to abduct him, they realized that the odds were that they would have to contend with you and me. So, they plotted to knock us out of the action. They sent one of their men to hijack a mail truck, and then to wait, with the engine running, until he saw us come out of headquarters. His task, at that point, would be to run us down.”
    “That’s amazing, Max!”
    “Elementary, 99. The fact that that truck is bearing down on us, and the fact that I recognize the man behind the wheel as a KAOS agent, makes the deduction fairly obvious.”
    “Shouldn’t we step back to the curb, Max?”
    “Let’s consider the consequences. If we do step back to the curb, that truck will pass by us just as the limousine arrives. Our view of the scene of the crime at that specific moment will be obscured. And, as a result, we will be unable to get the license number of the limousine.”
    “But, on the other hand, Max—”
    “Yes . . . on the other hand. On the other hand, if we don’t step back to the curb, it seems very likely that we’ll be run down and killed. Although, without having handy the actual statistics on the results of accidents involving trucks and pedestrians, I wouldn’t want to commit myself on that. There’s a chance that we might come out of it only maimed for life.”
    “Max, if we’re going to vote on this, I think I’ll cast my ballot for stepping back to the curb.”
    “Haste makes waste, 99. I think I have a preferable solution.” He pulled his pistol from his shoulder holster. “What KAOS didn’t reckon on,” he said, “was my crack marksmanship. Now, watch this carefully, 99,” he said, aiming the pistol in the direction of the oncoming truck. “See that bright metal badge on the driver’s cap? I’m going to aim the bullet so that it strikes that badge at just the right angle and ricochets. The force of the impact will stun the driver and in a state of unconsciousness