by Mike Sherer
notion.!I!was!spending!too!much!time!with!Charlie!at!the!range.!
Miami* cops,* 15.4%;* Baltimore,* 49%. ! My! heart! beat! faster,! and!
my!peripheral!vision!turned!dark!as!if!a!tunnel!closed!around!
me.! Take* your* time.* Don’t* rush* it;* you* might* miss.* Teach* that*
bastard! some* manners.! Muffled! shouts! came! from! inside! the!
house.! The! popping! sound! of! gunfire! outside! receded! as! my!
focus! retreated! inward.! Time! and! motion! slowed.! Breathe. !
Dirgha*pranayama.!
!
Guns! belonged! in! children’s! games! of! cowboys! and!
Indians,!where!no!one!died!and! the!only!blood!spilled!welled!
from!skinned!knees.! Camp*Menominee.*The*shooting*range. !My!
mind! flashed! on! the! pleasure! of! hunkering! into! a! prone!
position,! butt! of! a! .22! rifle! snugged! up! tight! against! my!
shoulder,!blocking!everything!out!of!my!head!except!the!black!
concentric! rings! painting! a! sheet! of! paper! twenty6five! yards!
away,! focusing! on! slow,! even! breathing,! then! holding! it! and!
squeezing! the! trigger.! Focus.* See* the* target* on* his* chest. ! More!
memory!clips!whipped!by—the!weight!of!a!target!pistol!in!my!
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hand,! the! solid! pressure! of! recoil! traveling! up! my! arm! each!
time!it!fired;!the!glow!of!satisfaction!in!peppering!the!rings!of!
those!targets!in!ever!tighter!clusters;!and!pride!in!taking!home!
high! marksman! ribbons! at! the! end! of! the! summer.! The!
grudging! admiration! I’d! seen! on! Charlie’s! face! occasionally! at!
the!range.!
!
Don’t*think,*move! !
!
I!stood!and!extended!the!semi6automatic!over!the!roof!of!
the!truck!cab!in!a!two6handed!grip,!the!hot!sheet!metal!searing!
the! tender! flesh! on! the! underside! of! my! forearms.! Sounds!
faded! until! the! only! thing! I! heard! was! my! own! ujjayi! breath.!
Cowboys*and*Indians. !Shifting!slightly,!I!put!the!added!metal!of!
the! roof! pillar! between! me! and! the! gunmen.! Sensing! the!
motion,! the! second! man! turned,! eyes! widening! above! the!
neckerchief!that!covered!his!features.! Now! !I!sighted!down!the!
barrel! and! steadily! squeezed! off! one! shot,! then! another.!
Breathe.* In* and* out. ! I! squeezed! in! rapid! succession,! quickly!
losing!count,!watching!each!shot!slam!into!the!target,!its!energy!
rippling! outward,! twitching! the! man’s! torso! until! he! went!
down.!!
!
Dim! shouting! slowly! registered! on! my! consciousness!
again.! The! tunnel! constraining! my! vision! widened! and! grew!
lighter.!Three!sharp!whistle!blasts!pierced!the!air.!
!
A!voice!shouted!from!the!other!side!of!the!house.!“They’re!
not!here!”!!
!
“Fall!back!”!another!one!said.!“Pull!out!”!
!
“Shit!”!A!third!voice,!closer.!“Shit!!I’m!fucking!shot!”!
!
Charlie!! The! top! of! his! head! was! visible! over! the! edge! of!
the! patio,! rocking! back! and! forth.! Beyond,! the! other! gunman!
was! gone.! The! roar! of! an! engine! and! squeal! of! tires! on!
pavement!floated!over!the!roof!of!the!house,!and!quickly!faded!
away! in! the! distance.! Through! the! sudden! silence! I! heard! my!
ears!ring!from!the!repeated!concussions!of!gunshots.!
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!
I!crossed!the!grass!at!a!run,!cut!the!corner!of!the!patio!and!
leaped!down!the!embankment,!landing!at!his!side.!He!sat!with!
one! leg! folded! under! him,! the! other! splayed! out,! both! hands!
clasped!tightly!against!a!spot!high!on!his!chest!just!below!the!
collarbone.!!
!
“Charlie?”!!
!
His! head! tilted! up,! eyes! slowly! traversing! the! ground!
between!us!until!they!met!mine.!
!
“Bastard! fucking! shot! me,”! he! said,! eyes! wide,! his!
breathing!raggedy.!“It!fucking!hurts!”!
!
Under!his!hands,!a!spreading!claret!stain!muddied!a!yellow!
parrot!on!his!shirt.!I!pried!his!fingers!away.!With!each!irregular!
breath,! bubbles! frothed! around! the! edges! of! a! dark! hole!
centered!in!the!stain.!!
!
My!heart!skipped!a!beat.!“Jesus,!Charlie!!That!doesn’t!look!
good.”!
!
“Nicked!the!lung,!I!guess,”!he!said,!“but!missed!the!heart.”!
!
“What,! you’re! a! doctor! now?”! I! pulled! my! shirt! over! my!
head,! folded! it,! quickly! placed! it! on! the! wound,! pressing! his!
hands!on!top!of!it.!!
!
He! winced.! “That’s! why! it’s! bubbling,! Sherlock,”! his! wry!
voice! raspy! now! as! blood! seeped! into! his! lung.! “And! why! I’m!
still!breathing.”!
!
“Shut!up!and!keep!pressure!on!it.”!!
!
I! frowned,! bent! over! him! and! looked! at! the! back! of! his!
shirt.!No!exit!wound.!I!didn’t!know!if!that!was!good!or!bad.!
!
“Okay,!okay,”!he!said.!“Now,!would!you!call!it!in?!Before!I!
die!would!be!nice.”!
!
!
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!
!
Chapter&9&
!
!
Langford!checked!his!mirrors!for!traffic.!Seeing!no!one!on!
the!road!behind!him,!he!slowed!as!he!drove!past!the!entrance!
to! the! property! looking! for! signs! of! life.! He’d! cased! the!
property!several!times!before,!and!this!was!his!second!pass!of!
the!day.!He!knew!he’d!have!to!go!in!on!foot!to!get!a!real!sense!
of! the! activity! within.! At! the! end! of! the! road! on! the! left,! just!
before!the!T!intersection,!stood!a!pasture!in!which!a!couple!of!
horses!grazed.!A!rutted!track!led!to!a!gate!in!the!fence!at!the!
corner!of!the!pasture.!He!turned!in!and!parked.!Anyone!passing!
by!would!likely!think!his!old!truck!belonged!there.!His!frayed!
jeans,!muddy!work!boots!and!oil6stained!Cargill!ball!cap!with!a!
creased!brim!added!to!the!effect.!
!
He! shut! off! the! engine! and! patted! the! dash.! The!
International! Harvester! Scout! had! been! up! on! blocks! in! the!
shed!by!the!cabin!when!he’d!first!arrived,!and!though!it!hadn’t!
been!driven!for!twenty6five!years!it!was!practically!brand!new.!
After! filling! it! with! oil,! inflating! the! tires! and! installing! a! new!
battery,!it’d!started!up!on!the!first!try.!!
!
He! got! out! and! locked! up.! Skirting! the! corner! of! the!
pasture!he!walked!along!the!fence!line!until!he!was!well!away!
from!the!road.!A!chestnut!mare!lifted!its!head,!ears!perking!and!
turning! toward! the! sound,! eyes! following! his! movements.! It!
broke! into! a! trot! toward! the! fence! and! nickered! softly.!
Langford! smiled! and! pulled! an! apple! from! the! pocket! of! his!
nylon!windbreaker.!He’d!come!prepared!this!time.!Holding!the!
apple!out!on!
the!flat!of!his!palm,!he!let!the!mare!wrap!its!lips!
around!it!and!pull!it!away.!He!raised!his!hand!and!stroked!the!
patch!of!white!on!the!mare’s!forehead!as!it!crunched!the!fruit!
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between!large!molars,!then!he!turned!and!disappeared!into!the!
woods.!!
!
Quickly! making! his! way! back! up! the! hill! toward! the!
property,!he!moved!among!the!trees,!avoiding!the!road,!taking!
pains!to!move!as!quietly!as!possible.!On!his!first!exploration!of!
the!woods!around!the!property!he’d!almost!run!into!one!of!the!
video! cameras! guarding! the! drive.! Working! his! way! carefully!
around! the! perimeter! of! the! grounds! that! fronted! the! road,!
he’d!spotted!the!infrared!sensors!and!remaining!cameras.!But!
he! didn’t! know! if! the! property! owners! had! wired! the!
surveillance!equipment!for!sound,!too,!so!he!took!no!chances.!
On! subsequent! trips! he’d! covered! almost! every! inch! of! the!
property,!using!the!county!parcel!viewer!as!a!guide.!The!extra!
work!had!been!worth!it.!He’d!made!a!discovery!that!he!bet!few!
people,!if!any,!knew!besides!the!owners.!!
!
Stealthily,!he!worked!his!way!from!tree!to!tree!toward!the!
house!set!back!from!the!road.!When!he!drew!close!enough,!he!
saw!an!unfamiliar!car!parked!next!to!the!Prius!in!front!of!the!
garage.!And!someone!had!parked!a!pick6up!truck!on!the!grass!
beyond!the!corner!of!the!house.! Visitors.!He!wasn’t!surprised.!It!
was!a!holiday,!he!reminded!himself,!something!they!didn’t!pay!
much!attention!to!in!stir.!One!day!was!pretty!much!the!same!as!
another! there.! Langford! nodded! to! himself! and! quietly! stole!
back! the! way! he’d! come.! Patience.! When! he! learned! their!
routine!better,!he’d!do!what!he’d!come!for,!not!before.!
!
When!he!reached!the!pasture,!the!other!horse!had!joined!
the!mare!at!the!fence!line!and!stood!with!its!muzzle!over!the!
top! strand! of! wire.! It! nickered! expectantly.! Langford! pulled!
another! apple! from! his! pocket,! offered! it! up! and! remained!
where! he! stood! for! a! moment! watching! the! horse! quickly!
masticate! the! crisp,! juicy! treat,! pink! froth! bubbling! from! one!
corner! of! its! mouth.! Simple* pleasures.! The! horse! stretched! its!
neck! and! nuzzled! him,! looking! for! another! sweet.! Langford!
smiled! and! patted! his! cheek! and! rubbed! his! muzzle.! With! no!
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snacks!forthcoming,!the!horse!quickly!lost!interest!and!swung!
its!head!back!over!the!fence!and!down!to!the!ground!to!nibble!
some! grass.! Langford! wiped! his! hand! on! his! jeans! and! strode!
back!to!the!truck.!
!
The! interior! was! already! hot! from! being! closed! up! in! the!
sun.! He! stripped! off! his! windbreaker,! opened! both! doors! and!
rolled!the!windows!down,!letting!some!air!in!before!he!settled!
into!the!driver’s!seat.!He!backed!out!onto!the!road!and!slowly!
cruised!up!the!rise!toward!the!property!for!one!more!pass.!As!
he! drew! even! with! the! drive! he! heard! a! series! of! rapid!
explosions.! Fireworks. !A! ratHtatHtat!was!answered!with!a! boom,!
and!another! boom. *Gunfire! !Someone!didn’t!care!whether!there!
were! visitors! or! not.! But! maybe! the! unexpected! presence! of!
visitors! had! bought! the! occupants! some! time.! Somebody! was!
putting!up!a!fight.!
!
Fury!filled!him!like!molten!metal!poured!from!a!crucible.!
Damn*it!*Twenty*years*of*searching*and*planning,*and*someone*
else* was* about* to* fuck* it* all* up* and* take* it* away.* But* not* if* he*
could*help*it.*He*knew*something*they*probably*didn’t. !
!
He! pressed! his! foot! to! the! accelerator,! putting! as! much!
distance! as! he! could! between! the! Scout! and! the! property!
entrance! before! the! shooters! barreled! out! of! there.! A! quarter!
mile!up!the!road!he!took!a!right!at!the!intersection,!away!from!
Port!Orchard!where!responders!from!the!sheriff’s!office!would!
most!likely!come.!Checking!his!mirrors,!he!watched!his!speed,!
careful!now!to!appear!normal,!like!nothing!had!happened.!He!
tamped! down! the! anger! burning! inside! and! slowed! his! heart!
rate!with!deep,!even!breaths.!
!
Movement!up!ahead!caught!his!attention.!Off!to!his!right,!a!
small! SUV! was! hurtling! down! a! dirt! track! toward! the! road! in!
front! of! him,! a! small! cloud! of! dust! billowing! up! behind! it.!
Langford!kept!his!eye!on!it,!aware!that!at!his!present!speed,!it’d!
come! close! to! ramming! him! if! it! didn’t! slow! when! it! reached!
the! road.! He! let! up! on! the! accelerator! just! a! hair,! and! bore!
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down.! The! SUV! didn’t! appear! to! slow! at! all! as! it! approached,!
but! at! the! last! minute,! the! driver! slammed! on! the! brakes,!
fishtailed,!then!yanked!the!wheel!and!accelerated!onto!the!road!
just!yards!in!front!of!Langford.!!
!
He! barely! caught! a! glimpse! of! the! two! people! in! the!
vehicle,!driver!bearded!and!grim,!a!female!passenger!clutching!
the!dash,!white6faced!with!fear.!It!was!enough.!He!pressed!the!
gas! pedal! to! stay! behind! the! fleeing! vehicle,! his! mind! hard! at!
work!formulating!a!new!plan.!
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!
!
Chapter&10&
!
!
The! blades! of! a! medevac! chopper! whirled! gently! then!
slowly!gathered!speed!as!the!whine!of!twin!turbines!built!to!a!
deafening!roar.!The!downdraft!flattened!the!grass!into!a!crop!
circle! pattern.! Inside,! Charlie! raised! an! arm! off! the! stretcher!
and! waved! weakly! as! they! shut! the! wide! door.! The! fuselage!
lurched!and!rose!gently,!pulling!the!wheels!off!the!ground,!and!
the! fan6tail! rotor! swung! in! a! wide! arc! until! the! copter’s! nose!
pointed! east.! The! chopper! rose! swiftly,! nose! dipping! as! it!
cleared!the!treetops,!and!zoomed!out!of!sight,!a!giant!dragonfly!
in!search!of!prey.!!
!
A! Kitsap! County! sheriff’s! deputy! waved! me! over! to! the!
patio! table,! face! alternately! tinged! blue! and! red,! even! in! the!
bright! sunlight.! Strobes! flashed! atop! the! emergency! vehicles!
circled! haphazardly! on! the! grass! around! the! yard.! I! counted!
five—two! county! cruisers,! a! Port! Orchard! cop! car,! a! South!
Kitsap!Fire!&!Rescue!van!and!an!aid!unit.!Several!more!sat!in!
the!drive!in!front.!!
!
A!small!platoon!ranged!the!property,!an!overpowering!96
161!response!to!the!magical!words,!“shots!fired,!officer!down.”!
Patrol! deputies! festooned! the! stakes! they’d! pounded! in! the!
ground!with!crime!scene!tape,!delineating!a!perimeter!around!
the! truck! and! patio.! One! of! the! county’s! two! crime! scene!
deputies!directed!placement!of!numbered!markers!next!to!the!
&nb
sp; shell!casings!and!snapped!photos.!Strewn!across!a!wide!swath!
of!slate!and!grass,!the!little!bits!of!brass!winked!in!the!sunlight,!
lending!the!macabre!circumstances!a!festive!air.!
!
A! paramedic! knelt! on! the! ground! by! the! man! next! to! the!
house,!zipped!a!black!body!bag!closed!around!him.!The!coroner!
hadn’t!arrived!yet,!but!he!wouldn’t!dispute!the!cause!of!death.!
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Nine! rounds! were! missing! from! Charlie’s! back6up! piece.! Four!
flattened! slugs! had! embedded! themselves! in! the! Kevlar! vest!
under! the! man’s! black! fatigues.! One! round! had! hit! him! in! the!
pelvis,! another! in! the! shoulder;! two! missed! him! entirely.! The!
head! shots,! probably.! At! the! range,! they! taught! to! shoot! at!
center!mass!first,!then!in!a!pattern—two!at!center!mass,!a!head!
shot,!two!to!center!mass,!one!to!the!pelvic!girdle,!then!back!to!
center!mass,!etc.,!until!the!target!goes!down.!The!training!paid!
off—one!of!the!few!things!I’d!found!I!was!really!good!at!since!
giving!up!basketball.!One!of!the!nine—the!last?—had!slammed!
into!his!rib!cage!under!his!left!arm!where!the!armor!provided!
no!protection.!A!lucky!shot!when!he!raised!his!weapon!to!fire.!
!
Two!more!medics!chatted!nonchalantly!at!the!back!of!the!
EMT!bus,!one!sitting!inside!the!open!doors,!the!other!standing!
outside,! a! foot! on! the! bumper,! hand! resting! on! his! knee.! I!
caught!a!bit!of!it!as!I!passed!by.!
!
“Looks!like!a!fucking!war!zone.!Those!are!five6fifty6six!by!
forty6five!casings.!Assault!weapons.”!
!
“Guy!was!lucky!the!bullet!didn’t!fragment.”!
!
Both! Charlie! and! I! had! been! lucky.! I! assumed! Clayt! and!
Connie!had!been,!too.!They!were!simply!gone,!whether!before!
or!during!the!firefight!was!anyone’s!guess.!
!
As! I! approached,! the! deputy! waved! at! an! empty! chair,! as!
cavalier!as!the!medics.!
!
“Have!a!seat.”!!
!
I!surveyed!the!faces!around!the!table.!“Didn’t!know!I’d!be!
playing!to!a!packed!house.”!
!
“We! take! it! very! seriously! when! a! member! of! law!
enforcement!gets!shot,”!he!replied.!
!
“I! don’t?! Bastards! ruined! a! perfectly! good! picnic.! Pissed!
me! off.”! I! heard! the! rising! pitch! of! my! voice,! and! took! a! deep!
breath.!“I!defended!myself!and!Officer!Jones!to!the!best!of!my!