The Kiwi Target

care on the one-way bridges, and have a fine trip.”
    At first, Peter found driving on the left unexpectedly trying. Staying on what was to him the wrong side of the road was bad enough, but because he was seated on the right side of his vehicle, all his feeling for clearances was thrown off. Twice he ran the left tires off the road before he began to get a better command of the car.
    Following the map he had been given, he took a narrow, winding road to Wanaka, where he turned westward. When he finally cleared the last of the winding turns and saw the brilliant, tumbling, almost living waters of the Tasman Sea, all of his long-suppressed sense of wanderlust came surging back.
    He marveled at the magnificent, unspoiled panorama as he turned north at the tiny community of Haast and gave himself over to full enjoyment of the spectacular drive. Gigantic ferns grew alongside the road, mixed with other forms of plant life that were unknown to him. Despite the lack of almost any traffic, he was forced to keep a slow pace to handle the constant twists in the road, the frequent one-way bridges, and the narrow pavement.
    When he at last reached Franz Josef, it was rapidly growing dark. Among the few buildings he found a motel, where he checked in. An inviting dining room provided a very acceptable dinner. Before he had finished his meal, it had begun to pour rain.
    In the morning the rain was still coming down, with no signs of relenting. As soon as he had finished his breakfast, Peter checked out, got back into his little car and started north. He had driven several hundred feet before he was abruptly reminded that he was driving on the right; he had to swerve sharply to avoid a Pedestrian who stood, utterly confused, in the middle of the roadway.
    In the still-continuing rain he drove on, taking what pleasure he could from the shifting vistas of the Tasman Sea but concentrating on the highway, which was narrow and much too winding for comfort. Trees overhung the pavement, and rich ferns reached out like parts of a tropical rain forest, while thick underbrush showed that the land was little used. When he reached a fairly long, completely empty stretch of road that was almost straight, he allowed himself the brief luxury of driving on the right-hand side. He drew a deep, comforting breath and lifted his shoulders to ease the muscle strain.
    Without warning, his windshield was suddenly filled by a large object falling directly in front of him. In violent reaction he hit the brakes as something substantial smashed hard on the hood. An instant later, the car went into a severe skid. He spun the wheel in an attempt to recover, sickeningly aware that he had been driving dangerously fast on the slick roadway.
    When the car at last slid to a stop, he took a few seconds to make sure that he was all right. Then, oblivious to the rain, he got out on shaking legs to see what it was he had hit. A gripping cold fear seized every part of his body.
    On the pavement the body of a man was lying face down. His arms were spread wide, his head was turned at a sharp angle, and he lay absolutely still. As Peter bent over him in near panic, he saw that the man’s jaw hung loosely open and that he showed no visible signs of life.

CHAPTER 7

    Crushing guilt hit Peter like a hammer blow. For a few seconds his mind was numbed by the shock; then a dreadful realization of what he had done engulfed him.
    For one shameful moment he considered giving in to his impulse to flee the scene. There were no witnesses, and he could claim total ignorance of the whole thing. Then he thrust that cowardly thought aside and gave his full attention to the man who lay so ominously still on the drenched pavement.
    At first look he was middle-aged, substantially built, and dressed in heavy work clothes. Apparently he had taken no precautions against the rain and was soaked to the skin.
    Peter had had no first aid training of any kind, but he was desperate to do something. He ran to his car, started it up, and backed cautiously until he was close to the scene of the accident. Leaving the left door open, he took hold of the unconscious man under his arms from behind and dragged him the few feet to the car. Because he was an inert dead weight of two hundred pounds or more, Peter had to summon all of his strength to get the injured man up and into position on the left front seat. Breathing hard, he fastened the shoulder harness to hold the victim in position.
    He spent a few