by John Bowers
But Nick was numb. His head was still spinning from seeing Judge Moore topple off the bench. As they walked, Suzanne’s arm was hooked through his.
“What happens now?” he asked Victoria Cross. “I’m sure the hearing doesn’t just stop, does it?”
“No, but it will be delayed. The Attorney General will assign a new judge to finish the hearing, but it might take a week or more.”
“Is there any chance the case will be dismissed?” Suzanne asked.
“Not likely. Only Godney can do that at this juncture, and I don’t think he will. Even if he does, he can’t do it until a new judge takes the bench.”
“Is this good or bad for Nick?”
“It could be either one, depending on who the new judge is. If the new judge looks at what’s been presented in court so far, he may decide it has no merit and throw it out. But since we’re so close to the end, it’s more likely he’ll finish the testimony before making a decision.”
They fell silent as they continued to walk. Nick wasn’t even certain where they were going—they hadn’t discussed whether to go to lunch or return to Victoria’s office. He walked with his head down, feeling depressed. He had actually started to like Judge Moore, who, if unorthodox, at least seemed fair and impartial. He hoped the next judge would be the same.
They reached an intersection and crossed with the pedestrian light, wading into another mob of tourists and office workers as they continued down the street.
For the rest of his life, Nick would never forgive himself for failing to spot her. She stepped out of the crowd right in front of him, blue solarball cap and all, and shoved a medium-calibre pistol into his stomach. He stopped short, as did Victoria and Suzanne. The girl was so close that no one could see the gun, which was the only thing separating them.
“Don’t make a sound, Marshal,” the girl said in a quiet, normal voice. “If anybody screams, I start shooting. Do we have a deal?”
Nick held his hands away from his body. The girl smiled. She was wearing sunshades, so he couldn’t see her eyes, but the hair hanging from beneath her cap was long and stringy.
“What do you want?”
“I have a message for you. From Ken.”
“What’s the message?”
“First, take out your pistol and empty it. Give the bullets to me.”
“Okay…I will, but first, let the ladies go.”
“Nobody goes anywhere. Give me your bullets.”
“And then what?”
“Then I give you the message.”
Nick stared at her a moment, considering. He could probably take her down without his guns, but if she fired a single shot in this crowd, someone could be killed. And it would give Saracen an excuse to avoid the showdown that Nick wanted so badly. He felt Suzanne’s grip tighten on his arm.
As people streamed past them in both directions, Nick carefully, slowly drew the .44 from its holster and opened the cylinder. He dumped the bullets into his hand and gave them to the girl. He put the gun back in its holster.
“And now the laser. Give me the power pack.”
He did as instructed; she pocketed the bullets and the power pack, then took a step back.
“What’s the message?” Nick asked again.
“If anyone shoots me, or even arrests me, Ken won’t show up tomorrow. And if you don’t show up, five more bombs go off.”
“Okay. Is that the message?”
The girl smiled and shivered with anticipation.
“No. This is.”
She swung her pistol a few inches to the right and fired four rounds into Suzanne’s chest.
The shots echoed off the tall buildings, making them seem louder than they actually were. A massive shriek swept down the River Walk as hundreds of people dived for the starcrete.
The girl turned to run, but Nick didn’t even notice. Suzanne was falling, losing her grip on his arm, her face pale with shock. Nick grabbed her to keep her from crashing to the ground.
“No! No! No-no-no-no-no! NO!!”
He lowered her to the ground, panic in his eyes, his heart frozen. Blood pumped out of her chest at a terrifying rate, spreading rapidly across the sidewalk.
“Suzanne! Sweetheart! Suzanne!”
Dimly, he heard screeching tires, but didn’t look around. Suzanne’s grip had gone limp, but her eyes were still open, her lips moving. She was staring at him, disbelief in her gorgeous green eyes. He gripped her hand as he bent over her, looking for some way to help, knowing it was too late. He’d seen this before, too many times, in the war. Some wounds were too massive, too devastating, for life to be saved. The intellectual part of his brain recognized the truth, but his emotional side still hoped for another outcome.
“Suzanne! Suzanne! Oh, please! Suzanne!”
Tears streamed down his cheeks. She was still looking at him, still trying to breathe, but she was fading. He saw her eyes start to glaze, and remembered hearing that, of the five senses, hearing is supposedly the last to go. He bent close and kissed her on the lips, then pressed his cheek to hers and spoke directly into her ear.
“I love you, Suzanne. Oh, God! I love you! I love you! Please don’t leave me!”
Wails and cries still rang up and down the street, but the shooter was gone, escaped in a car that had picked her up. People began to stir again, a siren sounded from somewhere…
Nick clung to Suzanne, oblivious to it all. When the first cops arrived on the scene, they had to pry him loose from her body.
Chapter 25
The shock was overwhelming.
Nick’s heart was frozen. His mind was frozen. His body was numb. As a police forensics team knelt over Suzanne’s body and began taking samples, Nick sat a few yards away at a patio table adjacent to an outdoor restaurant, Victoria Cross at his side. He stared at the sidewalk without seeing it as police surrounded the area and began interviewing witnesses.
Victoria took his hand. He let her hold it. Neither of them spoke.
Four U.F. Marshals stood a few yards away, scanning the crowd as if protecting a president.
After twenty minutes a police detective approached and questioned Nick about the shooting. Nick gave monosyllabic replies. The detective, a gruff, middle-aged cop who had seen too much violence to have a bedside manner, actually got more information from Victoria than from Nick. When he was done with the interview he cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Marshal. I promise you we’ll get the killer.”
Nick made eye contact with him for the first time.
“No, you won’t. I will.”
“Look, Marshal—”
Nick stood up and brushed past him.
“Excuse me, Detective. I have work to do.”
Cachet Hotel – Lucaston, Alpha Centauri 2
From his hotel room, Nick placed a call to Nathan. He left the video off.
“Nick! What’s up?’
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the office.”
“Where’s Kristina?”
“At home… Nick, is something wrong?”
“Yeah. Go to her right now and don’t let her watch the holo news.”
“Nick—”
“Susanne’s dead.”
“WHAT!!?”
“I’ll explain it all later, but what you need to know right now is that Saracen had her killed right in front of me. You and Kristina could be next.”
“Jesus, Nick!” Nathan’s voice sounded hoarse.
“I’m sorry I can’t be there to tell Kristina myself, but I can’t leave here. I’m supposed to meet Saracen tomorrow and kill him. So here’s what I want you to do—give Kristina the news, stay with her until she’s able to function, then come to Lucaston and bring her with you.”
“I—I don’t know—”
Nathan was crying.
“Not easy, I know. But you two are vulnerable at home. If you come here I can surround you with U.F. Marshals until I get this fucker. But don’t take the train, yo
u got that? Saracen’s people are all over the trains. Take a hovercar. It will take longer, but do it anyway. Bring a couple of Chief Dwyer’s people with you if he’ll let you have them, just to make sure you don’t get ambushed between here and Trimmer Springs.”
It was a lot for Nathan to take in. Nick could hear him struggling to absorb it all, and made him repeat everything until he got it right.
“One more thing. Bring all my equipment. Guns, vests, ammo, everything I have. Got that?”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay, I’ve got it.”
“Okay then. I’ll see you this evening.”
“Nick!”
“What?”
“What about— Are you okay?”
“No. We’ll talk about that later. Right now you get to Kristina.”
***
Nathan arrived with Kristina shortly after dusk. Nick met them on the hotel’s roof park as Nathan settled the hovercar into a slot. Riding shotgun was Officer Kevin Dougherty of Trimmer Springs PD, and in the back with Kristina was Carrie King, also a Trimmer Springs cop. They both looked grim as they stepped out of the car and faced Nick. A brisk wind was blowing across the hotel roof that threatened to whip Nick’s hat away, but he ignored it—and the hat stayed put.
“Thanks for coming,” Nick said to King and Dougherty as they all shook hands.
“Don’t even mention it. Anything we can do.”
Nathan opened Kristina’s door and held her hand as she stepped out. Nick saw the ravages of grief on her face—red eyes, salty streaks, a general numbness. Her eyes met Nick’s and for a moment she just stared at him.
“Nick!”
She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around him like a small child. Nick held her close and pressed his cheek to the top of her head, sharing her grief, her pain. For the moment he had his own pain bottled up because he had no time to deal with it, but he had only known Suzanne three or four years—how must it be for Kristina?
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Kristina sobbed into his chest, her entire body shaking. Nathan stood a few feet away looking forlorn, helpless, lost. After four or five minutes, Nick led them to the lift leading down into the building. King and Dougherty followed. Inside his room, everyone stood around looking uncomfortable, except Kristina, who still clung to him like a lifeline.
“Did she suffer?” Kristina’s clear blue eyes, blurred by tears, entreated him for the right answer.
“No. She went out in just a few seconds. It was probably no worse than getting punched in the chest.”
“Did she…say anything?”
“We had time to say good-bye. She asked me to tell you that she loved you, that you’re the best thing that ever happened to her…and she was so proud of you.”
“She loved you, Nick! She loved you so much!”
In spite of his iron will, Nick felt himself slipping. His eyes blurred, but he took a deep breath and forced it back down.
“I gave her an engagement ring last night,” he said. “I should have done it a long time ago, but—”
“Oh, Nick! Thank you! She wanted one so much. Thank you!”
Fresh tears coursed down her cheeks and she sobbed again. Nick pulled her close and held her while he turned stricken eyes on Nathan. Breathing with his mouth open, he was barely able to contain his emotions. Nathan didn’t even try—he chewed his lower lip while tears flowed down his face.
Nick turned to King and Dougherty.
“How long are you guys in town?”
“As long as you need us.”
“Did you clear it with Chief Dwyer?”
“Sure did. He offered more manpower if you need it.”
“Okay. Grab yourselves a room for the night—the U.F. Marshal Service will pay for it—and get some rest. We may have a long day tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Dougherty started for the door, but Carrie King stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Nick. If there’s anything I can do…”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know. Right now my only goal in life is to find the fucker behind this and disembowel him.”
53rd Floor, Federation Building – Lucaston, Alpha Centauri 2
Nick met with Marshal Bridge later that evening. Bridge looked at once concerned and skeptical.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea, Walker. I think we need to call this off.”
“Not a chance, Marshal. If you try that, I’ll hand in my badge and do it anyway.”
“For god’s sake, Nick!”
“First of all, the girl who killed Suzanne said that if I don’t show tomorrow, more bombs will explode. That means more dead civilians.
“Second of all, that motherfucker did this to weaken me. He thinks I won’t be able to concentrate and that will help him take me out. If I back out now, that’s even better for him, because then he can crow that I’m afraid to meet him.”
“Maybe he’s right. Maybe you will be distracted. If you do this while you’re in a rage, you’re likely to get yourself killed.”
“That doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is stopping him.”
“Nick, what about Suzanne’s daughter?”
“She has Nathan. If anything happens to me, she’ll be taken care of.”
“Goddammit, Walker, you’re putting me in a hell of a bind here! The only smart play for me is to take you off the case.”
“You never put me on it. We talked about that, but then the shit started to fly and you never did, at least not officially.”
“Still, you’re my responsibility. If I let you go out there and get yourself smoked, then it’s on my head.”
Nick stared at him a moment, then pulled the badge off his shirt and tossed it to Bridge.
“Here you go. Not your responsibility any longer.”
“Nick—”
“Look, this is going to happen, okay? You can’t stop it; even I can’t stop it. If I go, then we’re going to fight; if I don’t go, innocent people die. It’s a binary equation—there is no third option.”
Bridge stared at him in silence. Nick didn’t give him time to form a reply.
“Okay, here’s how I see it—Saracen said he’ll be on a train, but didn’t say which one. He wants us to think he could be anywhere on the continent, but I don’t think that’s true. He knows I’m in Lucaston, and if he really wants me dead, he’ll pick a train from here. He may not show up in person, but his people will. So I’m boarding a train in the morning and I expect to find at least one ARMO on board, probably five or six. And maybe even the little man himself.”
Bridge frowned and opened his mouth to speak. Nick cut him off.
“What you need to do is put marshals on every other train leaving Lucaston in the morning. Armed men, with weapons in plain sight. Any civilian who doesn’t want to ride can get off, but the trains leave on time and it’s a safe bet that any ARMOs on those trains will keep their heads down.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“I’m playing the odds. Whether or not Saracen is willing to meet me face to face, he does want me dead, so he or his people will attack whichever train I board.”
“What about the civilians on that train?”
“As soon as we leave the station, I’ll herd them into the last car, leaving all the others clear. If necessary, I can send a signal to disconnect the rear car and let the train go on without it. The civilians will have to wait for another train to pick them up, but they’ll be safe.”
“What if Saracen hides some of his terrorists among the civilians?”
“He may try, but I’ll search everybody who goes into the last car. Anybody I don’t like will stay on the train in E-cuffs. We can sort them out later.”
“It sounds risky as hell.”
“Not nearly as risky as letting this guy keep on killing people.”
“Shit.”
Nick stared at him a moment.
“Marshal
?”
Bridge grimaced, then tossed the badge back to him.
“Fuck it. There’s no easy way out of this. Do what you gotta do. I’ve got your back.”
Cachet Hotel, Lucaston – Alpha Centauri 2
Security for Kristina was an issue. Nathan rented a hotel room and put her in it; Nick asked Victoria Cross and Carrie King to stay with her. Kristina took a sedative and as soon as she was asleep, Nathan knocked on Nick’s door.
Nick was standing in front of the mirror, gearing himself for the morning. He already knew he wasn’t going to sleep. He was wearing a body vest, his gunbelt with two .44 Magnums, a laser pistol for backup, and a dozen speed-loaders for the revolvers. He had also checked out a 10mm machine pistol from the Federation Building, along with several pre-loaded clips that held thirty rounds each.
He opened the door when Nathan knocked.
“What are you doing here? You should be with your wife.”
“She’s in good hands.”
Nick stepped aside and Nathan entered.
“So why are you here? Moral support?”
Nathan shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”
“Like hell you are. Kristina already lost her mother, she doesn’t need to lose you, too.”
“I’m a big boy, Nick. Don’t try to push me around.”
“You’re not even a full-fledged Marshal yet. You’re still a trainee.”
Nathan planted his feet and tilted his head.
“Do you really want to have this conversation? I was still seventeen when I backed you up on Sirius; I backed you up again at Binary Flats two months ago—it isn’t like I’ve never fired a gun before.”
Nick stared at him with a frown, but realized that protest would be useless.
“You know this could go south really easily.”
“Yeah, I got that. And I’m not letting you go in alone.”
“Goddammit, Nathan—”
“Nick, you’re all Kristina has left. With her mother gone, you’re the closest thing she has to a father.”