They sat in their fun-house dining room. Mike cut into the perfect steak and put a chunk into his mouth. In that instant, the dining room’s large window shattered spreading little squares of glass across the travertine floor. An instant later, the huge mirror, also made of safety glass like a car window, shattered with an enormous racket, and a second spray of glass squares. The steel plate behind the mirror deflected all the shards and broken pieces away from them. Not a single piece of glass reached them or their steak dinners. Mike smiled and took another bite of steak.
“I sincerely hope this is the end of it,” Margaret said.
The two agents assigned to protect their house rushed in to form a protective detail around Mike and Margaret. One was talking on a microphone and listening to a response.
“The shot came from a ridge near Snoopy Rock. Both choppers are on the way. He can’t hide from their night vision equipment.”
After a pause while he listened, the agent said, “They already have him in sight. He’s running toward Schnebly Hill Road carrying a rifle with a scope. We have a dozen local police and agents along that road. They’ve already put a boot on the only vehicle still at that trailhead. It’s a white panel truck with Verizon logos. Mike wanted to see the chase by stepping out onto their deck. The helicopters would be clearly visible from their hilltop home, but the two agents insisted that they remain out of sight in the house. They sat and finished dinner while the agents got periodic updates.
“He’s hiding in a rock outcrop, but they have agents headed his way from both ends of the Marge’s Draw Trail. He’s moving higher into the rocks, but they can see every move through their night vision equipment.”
After a few minutes, the excited agent said, “The Park Sniper is down. Yes sir, they report that he’s not moving. When he pointed his rifle at one of the choppers, the Marine sniper on the chopper took him down. Our agents should reach the location in five to ten minutes, but our Marine sniper’s shot was to his forehead. His campaign of terror is over.”
It took awhile to get confirmation of the death. The agents found women’s clothing and a wig in the van. He probably used it to avoid the roadblocks in Mohave County. The rifle he’d used to shoot at Mike was the one he’d purchased in Page three weeks earlier. Mike was not certain that they would ever know the total number of fatalities in his crime spree, but it was approaching fifty by his estimate.
Half an hour later, the two agents at the house were ready to leave. Mike asked, “Do we have a definite identity of the shooter?”
“It will take awhile to sort that out. He had four Russian passports, two Polish ones, and a Slovakian one. The Slovakian one has recent stamps from France. They ran fingerprints on the body immediately, but he’s not in our database. We’ll check with Interpol tomorrow. Thank you for your help with the case; the FBI is grateful. Captain Damson, I spoke with the Deputy Director and was told that the Director will mention your help and your clever mirror suggestion for trapping the Park Sniper in tomorrow’s press conference.”
By the time the agents left, Mike and Margaret were elated to have the ordeal over with. It would take awhile to get the house back to normal. The cool night air was drifting in through the shatter living room window, but it was not something to worry about that evening. They were ready for bed, but not yet ready for sleep.
THE END
Barbour, Peter – is the young husband of the murder victim Millie Riley.
Bernhardt, Tim – is an ex Marine medic and avid mountain biker who finds a body below Midgley Bridge near Sedona, Arizona.
Boron, Meg – is the FBI profiler on the Park Sniper Task Force.
Boyd, Susan – is the attorney from the Coconino County Prosecutors Office assigned to the Riley case.
Cooper, Neil – is the chief law enforcement for the Forest Service for the Coconino National Forest.
Curran, Colin – is a disgruntled former employee of Riley Lumberyard.
Damson, Margaret – is Mike’s wife of thirty years who works at a Sedona bank and enjoys helping Mike with his cases.
Damson, Mike – is he Chief of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Coconino County, Arizona Sheriff’s department.
Duncan, Jimmy – is the sheriff of Mohave County Arizona.
Granger, Victor – is a captain of the Gendarmerie Nationale in Paris.
Goldman, Adam – is the head of the Park Sniper Task Force of the FBI.
Hendrix, Jimmy – is the crime scene technician for Coconino County, Arizona.
McIntyre, John Paul - is leader of the Pentecostal Flame Mission of the All-knowing God.
Mark, Sean – is the newest member of the Criminal Investigations Unit who works with Mike on the Riley homicide case.
Riley, Derrick – is a Flagstaff businessman and oldest son of Millie Riley. He runs a sporting goods store among other businesses.
Riley, Jacob – is a Flagstaff Businessman and second son of Millie Riley who manages the Riley Lumberyard.
Riley, Mildred (Millie)– was a fifty-nine year old murder victim and the head of the wealthy and influential Riley family.
Riley, Seth – is a Flagstaff Businessman and third son of the murder victim who runs the ranching interest of the Riley family.
Riley, Zach – is the fourth and youngest son of Mildred Riley who runs four local restaurants and bars for the Riley family.
Rodney, Oscar – is the Sheriff of Greenlee County Arizona.
Rosetta, June – is a research assistant for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department.
Sumter, Kay, MD – is the medical examiner for Coconino County, Arizona
Surrett, Linda – is a Special Agent of the FBI who in charge of a domestic anti-terrorism unit.
Taylor, Greg – is the Sheriff of Coconino County, Arizona.
Books by Charles Williamson on Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/author/c.d.williamson
Mysteries:
The Dead Priest of Sedona: Book One of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Dead Chef of Santa Fe: Book Two of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Murders at El Tovar: Book Three of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Victim at Vultee Arch: Book Four of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Arson at Happy Jack: Book Five of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Dead Man at Doyle Saddle: Book Six of the Mike Damson Mysteries
The Mauling at Kinnickinick Pueblo: Book Seven of the Mike Damson Mysteries Oil Town: Book One of the Howard McAlester Mysteries
Time Travel:
Temporal Foam: A Novel of Accidental Time Travel
The Argonauts of Phoenix: The Second Adventure in the Temporal Foam
The Peaceful Pillage of Pompeii: The Third Adventure in the Temporal Foam Science Fiction:
Black Dot: Jack Dunn, Cyber-Detective Volume One
Green Glow: Jack Dunn, Cyber-Detective Volume Two Blue Haze: Jack Dunn, Cyber-Detective Volume Three Fantasy:
The Pogrom of Mages: The Healers of Glastamear, Volume One The Mages’ Winter of Death: The Healers of Glastamear, Volume Two The WAR OF THE FIRE MAGES: The Healers of Glastamear, Volume Three The Conclave of Lords and Mages: The Healers of Glastamear, Volume Four
The Body at Midgley Bridge Page 20