She took pressure off her trigger an instant later, when Dean leapt up and dived toward Amy, to push her to the floor and out of harm’s way behind the counter.
The delay gave Tyler time to fire a shot at Cameron. She was hit in the left triceps and dropped to the ground outside the window.
Sara fired at Tyler as he was moving toward Sherry and the shot tore apart his left hand. The tall man howled in agony and sent three booming shots at the window, which blew the glass out with the force of a bomb.
Sara avoided being cut or shot by mere inches, because she was already circling around to see to Cameron.
Tyler looked down at Sherry, saw the pool of blood she was lying in. He understood that she would soon be dead.
Sherry stared up at him, then her eyes shifted to the backpack lying beside her head.
“Go.”
Tyler reached down, grabbed a strap of the bag with the thumb of his good hand, and gazed back at Sherry with tears blinding his vision.
“I love you, baby.”
Sherry’s normally sour expression smoothed out into one of pure love.
“See you in heaven.”
Tyler nodded, as he wiped tears from his eyes. Then, with a running start, he leapt out the window and headed off across the soggy field.
When Sara rounded the building, she found the shotgun pointed toward her, but then Cameron let it rest in the crook of her right arm as she examined the damage done to her left. She was down on her knees, but there was mud all across the front of her from diving for cover.
“Check it out, he took a chunk right out of me, but with that cannon of his I’m lucky I still have an arm.”
“The woman is down, but I only managed to wound the man.”
Cameron tossed her chin toward the field, where Tyler was sprinting away. “Look at that bastard run like the coward he is.”
Sara helped her up. “Let’s see to the kids.”
They entered and found Dean and Amy just rising from behind the counter.
Cameron stared down at Sherry. Sherry was still alive, but going into shock, as her breathing was becoming rapid.
“Take those two outside,” Cameron said to Sara, while referring to Dean and Amy.
Sara herded the kids from the store and Cameron and Sherry were alone.
“Hey! You look at me.”
Sherry’s eyes blinked rapidly, but then they focused in on Cameron.
“That man you murdered at the bank, that was my brother.”
Sherry said nothing, but her left eye twitched and her gaze fell on the shotgun.
Cameron braced the shotgun against her shoulder and pointed it downward at Sherry’s face.
“Go to hell, you cunt!”
The shot was loud in the small structure, and the only thing left of Sherry’s head was a mouth. And yes, it wore a bloody frown.
182
Former Agent Blake
To say that Agent Cooper was unhappy with the outcome of events at the roadside stand would be an understatement.
He was livid that Sara and Cameron had taken it upon themselves to confront Tyler and Sherry and chalked it up to pure luck that the two teens weren’t killed in the crossfire.
When Sara protested, saying that there had been no time to waste in confronting the pair of bank robbers, Cooper smirked at her.
“Any excuse to shoot at someone, hmm? And it doesn’t matter a damn who or why, but there’s just something inside you that wants to kill. I know about your time with the Bureau, Blake, and not just how it ended with the shooting of your partner. I also know about the four separate shooting incidents you were involved in and that you killed during three of those occasions.”
Sara grew silent then. She was taken aback by Cooper’s words and was hearing in them an echo of something Tanner had said earlier, that there was a part of her, a violent and sadistic aspect, which wanted to be given free reign.
“Yes, I killed while with the Bureau, and it was always in self-defense. Also, I regret shooting my partner more than you’ll ever know. But Agent Cooper, there really was no time to do anything but act here today. Had we sat back and called you, those kids would be dead.”
“So you say, but all I see is a clusterfuck. Tyler Gray escaped with the bank money, Sherry Weston is dead, and Cameron Ryder was wounded and taken to the hospital.”
“The woman being dead is a good thing, no?”
“No, it is not, former Agent Blake, because once we capture Tyler Gray, we’ll have no one to testify against him in the murder of Deputy Lydia Bradshire, or any way to tie him definitively to the bank robbery.”
“That’s ridiculous! When you capture him, he’ll have the money on him.”
Cooper pointed at two state police vehicles, where Dean and Amy were being held separately until they could be questioned.
“Those two had the money, should I arrest them for the robbery as well? I’m talking chain of custody here. We have none. Tyler Gray can claim that he saw the money and attempted to take it, or better yet, a clever lawyer could assert that Gray was rescuing it, in order to turn it in.”
“That won’t happen; there will be forensic evidence to tie him to the robbery.”
“I certainly hope so, because everyone who could testify against him is dead.”
“I could testify against him. I could repeat the statement I gave you, the conversation that he and the deputy had at the jail.”
Cooper looked down his nose at her. “You want to testify? Any half-decent defense attorney would rip you apart, a woman who shot her own partner. Hell, Blake, the judge’s biggest concern might be why you weren’t charged with attempted murder yourself, and if the Bureau hadn’t been so busy covering its ass, you would have been.”
Sara glared at Cooper as anger welled up inside her, but it faded away, because she knew his words weren’t far off the mark.
“May I leave the scene?”
“Yes, but come by that farm later and give a full statement. We’ve been using that farmhouse as a base, since the town’s only police station is underwater, and half the damn force is dead.”
Sara was walking away when Cooper called to her.
“You’re going to go look for Tanner, aren’t you?”
“Yes, although by now I’m sure he’s left town.”
“Not yet he hasn’t, but I’ll be pulling the men off the checkpoints to aid in and expand the manhunt for Tyler Gray.”
“Then maybe there’s still a chance.”
“That old Colt I took from you, where did you get it?”
“It belongs to Cameron; please see that it’s returned to her.”
“She’ll get it back, and Blake?”
“Yes?”
Cooper’s expression softened. “If you locate Tanner, call it in. You don’t have to face him alone.”
Sara sent Cooper a noncommittal nod and walked back to Cameron’s pickup.
The keys were with Cameron, but the truck was unlocked. After a search of Cameron’s duffel bag, Sara found what she hoped to find, a spare set of keys.
After starting the truck, Sara reached into the glove box and removed a Glock 17, which Cameron had mentioned earlier. Then, she put the truck in gear and headed for the sporting goods store.
183
Hard To Swallow
When he was certain that no one had followed him into the trees, Tyler used his one good hand to struggle into the backpack, so that he could wear it and not have to lug it around.
After doing that, he reloaded his gun and tore off a section of his shirt to wrap his hand in.
The hand was bad. Sara’s shot had taken off two fingers and left the middle one dangling. The damaged finger had been pure agony as he ran, and he imagined that it might just fly off his body. But no, it was still attached by bone, while his surviving thumb and index finger had swelled to twice their normal size.
Sherry was dead. Tyler found that truth more agonizing than even the loss of Randall had been.
; He was alone, and he hadn’t been alone since meeting Sherry when she was only sixteen.
Tyler thought of Lydia. Having sex with her in the car had meant nothing to him, and even less to Sherry. Sherry had known that Tyler’s heart belonged to her. If he had the occasional physical encounter with another woman, she knew it was just that, purely physical.
Yet, Lydia had believed that he would not only leave Sherry for her, but also murder her. The thought was insane. If the woman had been paying attention, she would have seen that Sherry and he were forever. Tyler moaned, as the thought came to him that forever had ended back at that roadside stand. He made a vow to himself that one day he would return and kill anyone who had anything to do with Sherry’s death.
Tyler tightened the straps on the backpack and the weight of the money gave him comfort. All he had to do was slip past those who would be looking for him and he’d be home free.
A mile later, he reached a ridge and saw a wide stream below. Tyler followed along its edge, as the ceaseless rain fell in a steady torrent.
The man who owned the sporting goods store, a short man named Bobby, refused to speak to Sara about his customers. But as she was headed back to the truck, the kid who had been stocking shelves waved to her from the rear of the building.
She got in the truck and drove it along the side parking lot, then stepped out to talk.
The skinny boy looked like a heavy metal wannabe with his long hair and tattoos. When Sara drew closer, she saw that he was checking her out. She couldn’t imagine why, she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt, her hair was frizzy from the rain, and her makeup had been washed away long ago.
“Do you have information about the man I was asking about?”
The kid got a cigarette going, took a puff and nodded. “I helped him load the crap into his car trunk.”
“What did he buy, some sort of weapon?”
“Nah, nothing like that, but uh, how bad do you want to know?”
Sara huffed and took money from her wallet. She had reclaimed her purse when she went back to the farm.
The boy looked at the money, but then his hand went downward, and he cupped his crotch.
“I was actually thinking of a more… personal form of payment, you know?”
Sara blinked in surprise. The kid couldn’t be more than sixteen. “You can’t be serious?”
“Why not? I’m just talking about a blow job; you won’t even have to drop your drawers.”
Sara was considering whether to beat him with the gun or knee him in the groin, when she reminded herself that he was just a kid.
“You little pervert, it’s money or nothing.”
The kid shrugged. “It was worth a try. The dude bought a raft, the type that self-inflates. He bought that and some other shit.”
“A raft?”
“Yeah, the thing looks like a barrel and it was dusty as hell. I bet Bobby, the owner, I bet he thought he’d never sell that thing.”
Sara understood, if Tanner couldn’t drive out, he’d raft out.
“That sneaky son of a bitch, how long ago was this?”
“About twenty or thirty minutes ago.”
Sara got back in the truck and put it in gear.
“Hey, what about the money?”
“I’m not giving it to you.”
The boy spread his arms wide. “Why not? I told you what you wanted to know.”
Sara sent the kid a wink. “I won’t blow you, but I’ll fuck you over, bye-bye.”
She left the parking lot in search of Tanner, as behind her, the kid swore a blue streak.
184
Treed
Other than the odd broken branch or mangled umbrella, Tanner found the trip downstream to be easy and the way clear of debris.
At one point, he had come to a fork, chosen wrong and wasted time traveling along an adjacent stream. The stream shrank down to a shallow waterway that was barely deep enough for the raft.
Fortunately for Tanner, the narrow stream later expanded and doubled back to a point near the spot where he entered it, and he continued without a problem.
The raft was bigger than he would have liked, but since they were usually deployed for rescues and emergencies at sea, it would be unlikely to find a small one.
He passed beneath a pair of state troopers manning a small bridge as a checkpoint. The two men stared down at him but issued no warnings or commands. And yet, when Tanner turned his head to see if his passing by had spurred them to action, he did see one man speaking into a two-way radio.
He was certain Sara had informed the FBI that he was in the area, but also figured he was a lower priority target than Tyler and Sherry. He hoped the authorities’ focus would stay on them.
He had yet to learn that the deputy had been killed but assumed that Lydia’s part in things had been revealed by Sara.
Tanner looked down at his booted feet and saw that they were sitting in two inches of water. The raft had a self-bailing system that allowed the excess water to flow out, but the damn rain was falling so hard that it was putting it to the test; still, the swollen stream would carry him far from the town and away from the Feds.
Sara Blake would still have to be dealt with, but he could pick the time and place, and she would never see it coming.
Sara tried as best she could to keep an eye on the stream while driving fast down Waterway Lane, but there were long sections of the winding road where she just didn’t have a clear view of the stream.
Railroad tracks ran parallel to the road on her left, while here and there, the road surface was covered by water. The height of the pickup truck helped her get through, and she was certain she had traveled far enough to intercept Tanner.
When she was two towns away from Ridge Creek, she rounded a curve and found the road blocked by a large tree that had fallen across it. Apparently, the ground holding the tree’s roots had softened too much to support them.
The root ball was immense, the tree trunk thick, and to Sara’s delight, the tree’s many branches filled the stream, making it impassable. Given the tangle of branches, Tanner would likely come ashore on her side, where the going was easier.
If Tanner hadn’t reached the spot yet, he would, and then he would have to go ashore. When he did, Sara would be waiting for him.
Not far away in the hills on the other side of the stream, Tyler saw two state troopers and ducked behind a tree to hide.
After catching the tangy scent of wood smoke and deducing that there was a house with a fireplace nearby, Tyler had left the banks of the stream in hopes of finding the place. He had planned to coerce the homeowner into bandaging his hand and driving him somewhere safe. However, his pursuers were searching the very area he needed to travel through.
The troopers passed him. Both men were clad in black commando sweaters and gray campaign-style hats.
Tyler waited several minutes before moving on, just in case, with plans to head back toward the stream.
When he was certain enough time had elapsed, he stepped from behind the tree and collided into one of a pair of off-duty cops who had volunteered to search for him.
The one Tyler knocked down was male and a 22-year veteran of his police force, while the other was a female and a rookie cop with two weeks’ experience.
The veteran cop cried out in surprise, and while sitting on the ground, he went for his gun, but would be too late.
Luckily for him, his young partner reacted well and fired three shots at Tyler. Two of the shots missed, while the third skimmed across one of the backpack’s straps before exiting out the top of the bag to send money flying into the air.
Tyler sent a wild shot in her direction, then ran away, while leaving a trail of bills in his wake. The rookie was about to give pursuit when her partner told her to stop.
“We’ll call it in and then everyone will converge on him together, and Kelly?”
The rookie raised an eyebrow in query. “Yes, sir?”
“Call me Bob from now on. You ju
st saved my life, young lady.”
The rookie smiled, then she took out her radio to call base and give them Tyler’s location.
185
Jingle All The Way
Dean and Amy had given their statements separately and were being watched over by a state trooper inside the barn at the farmhouse. Amy’s mother had been called, but never showed, while Dean’s foster parents let it be known that they had no money to spend on his legal defense, and that he was just weeks away from leaving their care.
They were on their own, especially Amy, who at eighteen was an adult.
An FBI agent had been dispatched to Amy’s house to retrieve the items they had bought with the stolen money, along with the coin bags used in the heist. They would also bring back Randall’s shotgun, which Dean had unloaded and hidden beneath the bed, along with Al Trent’s phone.
Now their fate had to be decided.
The state police captain, Doyle, ended a meeting that had taken place at the opposite end of the barn. He walked over to stare at Dean and Amy with a gaze that made them both squirm.
Doyle was handling the mess in Ridge Creek, while Cooper ran the manhunt for Tyler Gray.
Before leaving, Cooper had told Doyle that he wasn’t seeking federal charges against the kids. He thought nearly being murdered was punishment enough for their greed and stupidity.
However, Doyle had been on the fence about letting them go. As he stared at them, seeing their hands clasped together, he came to a decision and spoke to the young trooper who had been watching them.
“Trooper Aaronson.”
“Yes, sir?”
Doyle nodded toward Dean and Amy. “Drop these two where they want to go, then get back here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Amy mouthed the words, “Thank you,” to Doyle, who grunted in reply and went to the farmhouse to supervise the work being performed inside the home, which was now a crime scene and the site of two homicides.
The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart Page 57