HUNTER

by Bidinotto, Robert

  Tonight, a bit earlier, he’d walked past the complex entrance and didn’t see the target’s car parked in the lot. This being a Saturday night, he figured he was in for another long wait. But now, just before midnight, he watched the Civic turn into the cul-de-sac and head back into an empty parking space. He picked up the SuperVision scope from his passenger seat and confirmed that the driver was his man. This time the target was alone; he crossed in the direction of the door to his apartment unit and disappeared inside.

  He checked his watch. Decided to give it two hours.

  Settled back in his seat and waited.

  *

  At two a.m. he reached into a blue gym bag on the passenger side floor. Pulled out a black Sig Sauer P229 with a threaded barrel. From a side pocket of the bag he drew an Impuls IIA sound suppressor. Screwed it onto the end of the barrel.

  He checked the magazine once again. It held thirteen 147-grain Remington Golden Saber hollowpoints—a subsonic round that would further reduce the noise of a gunshot. Then he replaced the gun in the gym bag. He put on his baseball cap. Tugged the brim down over his eyes. Pulled on a pair of black latex gloves.

  He exited the car, carrying the gym bag and leaving the driver’s side door unlocked. He crossed the deserted main street in front of him, making sure no cop cars were in sight. He knew from his previous recon there were no security cameras to worry about, but he kept his head down to shade his face from the street lights.

  He looked around the courtyard as he stepped quietly into the silent cul-de-sac. The shabby buildings were featureless three-story brick. Only a couple of lighted windows gave evidence that anyone lived here.

  The buildings on his left were divided into tiny yards by three-foot metal fences—public housing’s illusion of private property. A maze of clotheslines strung across these barren plots, competing for space with plastic chairs, plastic toys, and plastic 55-gallon garbage cans, which stood at parade rest along the curb.

  The buildings on his right were different. They were very narrow brick row houses. Their small front yards were set off from the street by a brick wall. It was four feet high, with narrow openings for sidewalks that led back to each building entrance. He scanned the walls of the buildings; no windows were lit.

  When he reached the third opening in the wall, he entered the yard and walked without hesitation to the door. He reached into the gym bag and withdrew what looked like a hand-held electric drill. Illuminated from behind by a street light, he perused the locks. One was on the doorknob; the other, in the door itself, would be a dead bolt. Standard stuff, no big deal. He selected one of the metal picks he’d taped to the top of the device and pushed it into the barrel. Then he inserted the pick into the doorknob lock and pulled the trigger, keeping his other hand wrapped around the knob to minimize rattling. There was a low whirring noise as the electronic pick vibrated at high speed, moving the tumblers in the lock. In a few seconds, the knob turned freely in his hand.

  He waited. No response from inside the house. No barking dog, no creaking stairs, no lights. His previous recon gave no indication of a dog or someone living with the target, but you never know.

  He selected another pick and repeated the process on the deadbolt. This time when he turned the knob and pushed, the door cracked open.

  He paused to listen for another full minute. Nothing.

  He returned the electronic lock pick to the bag, but when his right hand emerged this time, it held the Sig. He reached in with his left and pulled out the night-vision scope. Flipped it on.

  Leaving the gym bag outside, he slowly swung open the door, applying upward pressure on the knob to minimize squeaking from the hinges.

  *

  He was a rock star and everyone was cheering and he screamed into the mike and leaped around the stage naked between the bass and lead guitars and the lights were flashing on his face and now he was playing the lead guitar greasy fast licks up and down the frets and everyone was chanting his name now he was the drummer and hot chicks ripping off their clothes around him and the lights flashing in his eyes the girls dancing naked in the lights and calling his name they were saying hello William grabbing his arm William hello William wake up lights flashing in his eyes William...

  “Hello, William.”

  Light flashing into his closed eyes. Somebody had his arm in an iron grip. Then jerked him over roughly, onto his back.

  “Huh?” He blinked, dazzled by the light in his eyes.

  “Back to the land of the living. At least, for about another minute.”

  He felt a jolt of panic.

  “Who the hell are you?” he yelled, trying to see the face behind the blinding flashlight.

  Without warning, a hand shot forward, grabbed his hair and yanked hard, pulling him up to a sitting position.

  His hair was released but a split second later a tremendous blow crashed across his face, snapping his head to the side. He found himself on his back again, everything spinning, his left cheek and jaw numb.

  “Let me introduce myself. I’m a messenger, William,” the voice said softly. “Just a fellow here to deliver a message from some people you know.”

  The blinding light moved away from his eyes, darted around the walls of the dark room. He heard movement.

  “Hell you talkin’ ’bout, man?” he mumbled, fiery pain now burning his cheek and mouth.

  The overhead light to his room flared to life.

  He squinted. Next to the light switch at the door, a bearded guy in a baseball cap. Black gloves. Sticking a thin flashlight into his belt.

  “I’m a messenger from your victims, William.”

  He sat up, rubbing his jaw. “Whaddya mean? Don’t know ’bout any—”

  “Susanne Copeland.” The voice was low, quiet, coldly matter-of-fact.

  He felt something drop inside his stomach.

  The man moved toward him. “How could you forget Susanne, William?”

  He shuddered, suddenly unable to speak.

  “And then there’s Arthur Copeland.” The man stopped at the foot of the bed. Looked down at him.

  Something in his hand, down along his leg.

  William Bracey shuddered.

  “I’m also here to deliver a message from Yoshiro Takahashi. Oh, I see you remember him, too. Yet you told the court you weren’t even there. Tell me something, William: What do you suppose Mr. Takahashi was feeling when you pointed your .357 magnum at him?”

  “I didn’t!”

  “You’re lying, William.”

  The man leaned over him and raised his hand.

  A gun with a long, fat barrel.

  “No! I didn’t—”

  “You did.” The man glanced down. Shook his head. “And you just peed your pants, William.”

  “Please!” he whispered, staring into the black hole of the sound suppressor. “Honest to God no I didn’t I didn’t—”

  “And now the one-word message from your victims, William: Goodbye.”

  Bright light flashed in his eyes again.

  Just once.

  *

  He stood with the gun in his hand, barrel pointing toward the floor.

  Stared at the skinny young punk on the rumpled bed. A pool of crimson expanded in a circle around his shattered skull.

  He watched the glassy expression fix in William Bracey’s eyes.

  He felt drained. He didn’t enjoy taking a human life. Never had. Even though it was his business.

  But sometimes, there is no other way.

  He listened once more. Silence. Turned out the light, pulled aside the window shade, looked outside. No lights. No movement. He cleared his weapon, shoved the magazine into his back pocket. Unscrewed the suppressor, stuck it into his front pocket. Jammed the Sig into his belt behind his back. Pulled his sweater down over it.

  And sometimes, a death can even do some good.

  He approached the body and went through with the rest of the plan.

  PART II

  “He who refu
ses what is just, gives up everything to him who is armed.”

  —Lucanus (Marcus Annaeus Lucan)

  Pharsalia (I, 348)

  TEN

  CLAIBOURNE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

  CLAIBOURNE, VIRGINIA

  Monday, September 8, 9:40 a.m.

  “So, tell me again why I’m doing this.”

  Susie Copeland spoke so softly that it seemed she was talking to herself. Annie took her eyes off the road long enough to flash a supportive smile.

  From the moment Susie had gotten into the car, Annie was concerned about how fragile she looked. She sat stiffly upright in the passenger seat, hands clutched in her lap. No makeup masked the pallor of her skin. Her wine-red hair, every strand, was pulled back and clipped tight behind her head, emphasizing the new sharpness of her cheekbones. She had chosen to wear a conservative navy pantsuit—loose now, given the weight she’d so quickly lost—and Annie also noticed that she kept its jacket buttoned closed, even in here.

  “Susie, I never told you to meet with him in the first place. It was your idea. You can still call this whole thing off right now.”

  Her companion shook her head. “No. I’m going through with this.”

  They had turned off Interstate 95 some time ago, heading west on a two-lane road that crossed miles of barren fields and bleak villages. The sky was a soiled sheet, and darkening clouds clung to the basin rim of the western horizon, like dirty suds.

  “Do you really think he asked for this meeting because he’s feeling remorse now?” Annie asked. “Is that what you’re hoping for?”

  “No. Not really. But whatever he’s feeling—that’s not the point. This is for me. I need to face him.”

  “Okay. I’m just not sure I understand why.”

  Susie unclenched her hands, inspected the ragged edges of her unpolished nails. “I’m not really sure, either. I guess it’s about control. About taking back control. From him.” Her voice had an edge now. “When he—when they had me—there was nothing I could do. I was powerless. Nothing I said mattered to them. I begged them to stop. But they just slapped me and told me to shut up.”

  Susie lifted her eyes toward the road ahead; they appeared to be unfocused—or perhaps focused on things Annie didn’t want to imagine. Her voice now was very soft.

  “I thought I was going to die. I was sure they were going to kill us. I—” She stopped. “Well, I guess they did kill Arthur that night. It just took us both a while to realize it.”

  “Susie—”

  “No. I’m okay. I guess I was better able to deal with it than he could. Arthur could never forgive himself. For what they did to me. For having to watch and not being able to do anything about it. He felt so helpless. So worthless.” She lowered her head. “God, I miss him.”

  “I just wish that there was something I could do for you.”

  “Oh, Annie, you are. You’ve been here for me through all this. It means so much that you’d take today off just to be with me. I couldn’t possibly do this without you being here.”

  Annie reached out, touched the clenched hands. The skin felt cold and dry. Susie looked away, blinking.

  There was nothing to say for a while.

  When Susie spoke again, it was to change the subject. “So. How’s that mysterious project you’ve been working on, what, six months now?”

  “To be honest, not so great.”

  Silence.

  “I know: If you told me, you’d have to kill me.”

  Annie chuckled. “Not quite. Let’s just say it’s been frustrating. I haven’t been able to crack a puzzle we’ve been working on since I got there. We’ve been testing a theory that would explain—something that otherwise just doesn’t make any sense. I’ve been running down leads, but finding nothing but dead ends. Grant is really good about it, he’s a patient guy. But we’re both going a bit nuts.”

  “I could tell that whatever it is has been worrying you. Overall, though, do you like your new gig in DCS?”

  “Sure do. Grant’s great to work for. He’s— Oh, we’re here.”

  *

  They had crested a rise in the road, and a small community appeared before them, about a mile away. On this, its eastern side, they were approaching what looked like an industrial park with a water tower and a vast spread of lawn among the buildings. But as they got closer, the reflected glint of the sun raced along the razor wire atop the concentric fences that circled the compound, sparking like twin strings of fireworks.

  Annie slowed as they came to an access road that ran from the complex out to the highway. At the intersection stood a sign, raised gray metal letters embedded in a red-brick wall:

  Claibourne Correctional Center

  Virginia Department of Corrections

  Incongruously, a colorful, well-tended bed of flowers surrounded the base of the sign.

  Turning onto the road, Annie sensed the sudden tension in her companion. She drove on toward a parking lot in front of a single-story, tan-brick building whose windowless face peeked from behind the security fence. The flags of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia stirred on tall poles on either side of the entrance.

  She pulled into a diagonal parking spot marked for visitors and turned off the ignition. She heard a long hiss of expelled breath beside her.

  “You okay, girlfriend?”

  Susie opened her eyes. “Yes.” She unsnapped her seat belt. “Let’s do this.”

  Remembering to leave their purses locked in the car, they got out into the harsh sunlight. The pinging sound of the ropes bouncing against the metal flagpoles tolled in the chilly breeze. They walked toward the shadow of the covered entranceway.

  A man sat on a low wall beside the front door. He wore sunglasses, a gray tweed jacket, gray cord slacks, and fashionably low-cut black boots. He stood as they approached, as if he’d been waiting for them.

  “Hello again, Susanne.” He removed his sunglasses and smiled. “Dylan Hunter.”

  “Oh!” Susie said. “You were at the funeral home. And you wrote that article in the Inquirer yesterday.”

  “I did. I hope it didn’t upset you in any way. That’s the last thing I would want.”

  “No, not at all,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m grateful for what you said. I just can’t tell you how grateful, Dylan.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that.” He turned toward Annie.

  “You remember my friend, Annie Woods.”

  The eyes—in the sun, an even-more-intense hazel green.

  “I certainly do. We meet again—is it Mrs. Woods?”

  “Not Mrs. And it’s Annie.” She offered her hand. His—warm, strong, just as she remembered. She felt rattled again. “That article of yours—I read it, too. I was surprised to see your name on it.” Wrong thing to say. “I mean, surprised to see your name so soon after we met. What you wrote—it was infuriating.”

  “That’s for sure,” Susie said. “I had no idea those two had juvenile records that horrible. That’s not what the prosecutor told me. He said they had no prior convictions.”

  “‘Convictions’ don’t tell the whole story,” he said, still holding Annie’s eyes. And hand. He seemed to realize it at the same time she did. He released it and turned to Susie.

  “I never would have agreed to those plea deals if I’d known any of that,” she continued. She nodded toward the doors. “I only wish I could find out more about him.”

  “Me too,” he said. “I heard about your meeting him here today and thought I might tag along. Maybe interview him. But it appears that the Department of Corrections isn’t as pleased with my article as you are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was just in there,” he said, hooking his thumb toward the door. “They won’t let me back inside. The Corrections Commissioner sent out an email last night to all his state prison wardens, telling them to refuse any of my future interview requests.”

  “That’s outrageous!”

  “I agree, Susanne
. So, I gave them fair warning.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I don’t deal well with rejection.”