When Baloo got to the door, he was pulled in by Kit and there on the floor was the captain. Suddenly Rebecca and Molly came into the office.
"What happened in here, Kit?" Rebecca asked, "is he dead?"
Kit told them everything that happened while they were gone-the lizard, the blind man, and what the captain had told him to do. So, without saying a word they all went to the captain's room to check out the mysterious black bag the captain had brought with him.
"Miss Cunningham, the captain told me to take the box in the bag, before the Pastmaster gets it," Kit said, as Baloo dumped all the captain's belongings on the floor. In the pile was the small box the captain had told Kit to keep safe. As Rebecca picked it up, Molly noticed the skull and crossbones painted on it.
"The captain was a pirate?" Molly said with astonishment, as she looked at the symbol on the box. The sound of tapping could be heard outside.
"It's the Pastmaster-he has come for the box!" Kit shouted. Rebecca scooped up Molly into her arms and hurried for the back door.
Only Baloo and Kit remained long enough to get what was on the floor. He picked up what appeared to be a small bag of money, an iron dagger, and a .357 Magnum. Kit held only the small box close to his chest as they left the room. Both of them could hear the sound of shouting outside the office door, sounding like a dozen men, but what scared Kit was the voice of the Pastmaster outside.
Kit hurried to join Rebecca and Molly outside, while Baloo stayed to face the men outside alone. He was not going to let the ones he cared so much for be killed by a bunch of cutthroats.
Baloo stood there with his hand clenched tightly around the Magnum. He was ready to die to protect his friends. As the men outside began to break the door down, a window on the left was pried open. Baloo saw one of the men trying to crawl through it, but he took aim at the man and fired. The bullet found its mark, killing him right there on the spot.
"Got one, five left," Baloo said. Two more men entered the office. Baloo took aim, and fired off two more rounds. Each bullet hit its mark. Blood was all over the floor, but that did not stop the men outside." Only three left, got to make them count."
As another man came through the door. He fired, but missed, he fired again, this time nailing the man in the heart. Viper burst into the office, and Baloo fired his last round, but only hit Viper's cheek. With no more bullets in the Magnum, Baloo stood his ground against the lizard.
"It's just you and me, lizard boy," Baloo said, as he cracked his knuckles. Then he and Viper began to do battle.
After the sound of gunshots had ended, Kit's curiosity was greater than his fear. Creeping closer to the office, he could see and hear what was happening.
There were now seven or eight men left, and one in the crowd was the blind man. Kit could hear him giving orders to the others to have Baloo brought out to him. And with one powerful blow from his cane, the Pastmaster knocked Baloo out cold, and left him outside. The men started to search the office.
Kit heard one of the men shout in surprise that Hal was dead, and that the duffel bag was ransacked. The Pastmaster sneered at what he had just heard.
A few seconds later, Viper came out of the office, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Pastmaster, the money is gone."
"Curse the money!" shouted Pastmaster. "Is Klang's box still there?"
"No, it's gone," Viper shouted.
"The boy must have it. After him," screamed Pastmaster. They started running into the street, but the sound of incoming sirens shattered the morning air. The next sound the men heard was a pistol shot, the warning of danger. As soon as they heard the shot, the men scattered in all directions. Only the Pastmaster remained, tapping up and down the road in a frenzy and calling for his mates.
In the confusion he began walking straight toward the approaching cars, with their sirens on at full blast. He tried to get out of the way, but it was too late-one of the cars was already upon him. He went down with a wretched cry that split the air.
Kit leaped to his feet and hailed the drivers. They were Enforcers who had heard the shooting and had come to help them. They quickly found Rebecca and Molly, sent Baloo to the hospital, but could do nothing for the Pastmaster.
The Enforcers regrouped in the office, which had almost been destroyed by the pirates. Kit knew that the box he held must be very valuable. So he asked the Enforcers if they would take him to Dr. Sinain at once. Kit could not stop thinking about Baloo, who had fought to protect them, and now he was severely wounded.
In the back seat of the patrol car, Kit began to wonder why Baloo was not killed by the buccaneers. He had just seen pirates attack Higher for Hire, and for what? Some old box that was probably not worth anything. But all that mattered was that Rebecca and Molly was safe, and Baloo was being treated at the hospital.