Amy Lynn, Into the Fire

by Jack July

  He didn’t respond. Amy let out a sigh then mimicked his voice. “Well, Amy Lynn, I’m gonna blow Kent Stone’s head clean off his shoulders for tryin’ to kill my wife.”

  “I understand that. Didja know that he had my son kidnapped?”

  She kept mimicking him. “Why no, Amy Lynn, I was too absorbed in my own need for vengeance to worry about anyone else.”

  “Oh yeah; they beat him up and had him tied to a chair. Athos went and got him, decapitated the kidnappers and brought Micky home. Bogus was so pissed off, he went to see Stone. Slapped the crap out of him. Then my daddy beat him with a belt till he got tired for what he did to my mom.”

  She kept on with the mimicking. “I bet he enjoyed that.”

  “Yeah, yeah he did. Now back to you. You can’t kill him, Uncle Jack. He’s a politician. I talked to my boss, you know, the director of the CIA. They know who and what you are. If you kill him, they will send a team after you. They will kill you, Uncle Jack. Oh, hey.” She took his left hand and rested it on her belly, “Katherine’s moving, feel that?” He finally moved his eyes, looking at her in his periphery. “That may be the last moves she makes, cause if they come after you, they’ll have to come after me and we’ll all die together. You do understand that, right? Uncle Jack?”

  He finally spoke. “You get your ass on out of here. I need to take care of my business.”

  “That can’t happen, ’cause it’s my business, too. I’m a federal officer and I took an oath. It means something to me.”

  “Fuck that oath. Where was it when they went after my wife?”

  “Where it’s always been, in your heart. Something you may not know: Kent Stone is going to be arrested by the FBI within a month. He’s going to jail. It’s worse than killing him. He’s gonna lose everything. Money, power and everything else, it’s all gone.”

  Jack shook his head. “Bullshit.”

  “The director of the FBI doesn’t bullshit. The public humiliation will be worse than killing him. Please Uncle Jack, I’m begging you. Stand down.”

  They could hear clapping in the distance as Kent Stone took to the podium. Jack lifted the rifle and leaned forward. Then Amy’s phone rang.

  Chapter 45

  Princeton walked down the back steps of the house and could see Athos doing pull ups on a bar that was part of an outdoor calisthenics station Bogus had built. Bogus didn’t like lifting weights. Princeton scanned the stables, looking for Micky. He called out, “Athos!” Athos stopped and turned to look. “Where is Micky?”

  “Exercising horses.”

  “The Lady said eyes on target.”

  Athos shook his head. “He won’t leave the property.”

  “How long has he been gone?”

  “An hour or so.”

  “Hm, you had better be right.”

  “We talked, he listened, he learned.”

  “I don’t trust him. He’s a good lad but he’s still a lad.”

  Athos gave him a little smile and nodded. “Is fine.”

  Princeton took a deep breath and let it out slow. “Yes, well, keep him close.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kelly was visibly startled. She palmed the syringe and turned to see the duty nurse. “Hi, Bethany, I was just doing the nurse thing, making sure everything is good.”

  “That drip is running a little fast.”

  “Yes, I thought so too but I see she is looking dehydrated.”

  The nurse picked up her chart and recorded Carla Jo’s vital signs. After a perfunctory check of the machines, the PIC line that drained fluid from her head and her IV, the nurse smiled at Kelly. “Back it off in about ten minutes, wouldja?”

  “Sure, I’ll do that.”

  “Okay then, back to my rounds, it’s gonna be a long day. See ya, Kelly.”

  Kelly forced a smile. “Bye.”

  As soon as the nurse cleared the door, Kelly turned, lifted the line, stuck the needle in the injection port and pushed the plunger.

  Amy’s phone stopped ringing when she didn’t answer. Jack set the fore stock on the two by four and scooted around, trying to get comfortable. Once he found a position, he flipped up the lens covers on the scope. Amy was begging, “Dammit, Uncle Jack, please don’t pull that trigger.”

  He turned the ring around the eyepiece to focus on the target. Then the phone rang again. It was Kelly; Amy answered. Amy listened for a moment, her chin began to quiver and her eyes welled with tears. Her arm shot out under his left arm and grabbed the rifle stock. He turned toward her, his right hand coming fast at her face. She braced for the hit, but he stopped. She was holding the phone out to him in her left hand. “It’s for you.” His face was cold and mechanical. “Take it,” she whispered, “Take the phone.”

  He took it out of her hand and held it to his ear. “Yeah,” he grunted.

  In a barely audible, weak scratchy voice, he heard, “Jack? Jack? Where are you? Why aren’t you here?”

  “Honey? Oh God, honey? I, I’m coming, I’m coming right now. Okay? I’ll be right there.”

  “Hurry, I’m scared.”

  “Okay baby, okay, I’m coming.”

  She hung up. Jack sat stunned, holding the phone. He looked over at Amy. He saw the smile on her face and at the same time they reached out to each other and hugged. Jack could barely catch his breath as he began to sob. “She’s gonna be okay, right? She’s gonna be okay.”

  Amy pushed him away. “Go, go now, go.”

  He laid the rifle down in the bed of the truck and climbed into the cab. Amy worked her way to the back and climbed over the tailgate as the truck started. It made a clunk as he put it in gear and drove away. Tears of joy were still falling down her face as she walked back to her truck. She had made it to the outer edge of the crowd when she heard the “CRACK!” She knew what it was right away: a bullet breaking the sound barrier. She looked up at the stage in time to see Stone spin 180 degrees and collapse on the platform. The people in chairs on his left were sprayed with blood. Then came the screams.

  “No, no, no.” She mumbled before shouting, “Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

  She clicked into military mode and started scanning. She walked toward the stage, dodging people as they ran to get away. Sirens wailed as chaos gripped the event. A state trooper screamed at her to get back; she held up her ID and after a quick glance, he let her by. She made it to the stage about ten feet away from Stone. His suit coat and shirt had been torn off. The bullet passed through his ribcage, a little hole going in and a big hole going out. It looked to her a little like a deer that had been shot through the goodies with a .338. They were trying to perform CPR but every time they pushed on his chest, blood shot out the bullet holes. He was gone.

  She moved to the right side of the stage, trying to line up with the blood spatter. It was getting hard to see because so many people had run through it. She did see some of the people on stage to his left were spattered, so she moved in that direction. Stopping in the center of the spatter, she looked past the podium out into the distance. About 300 yards away, nestled between the trees way up on a hill, was a small clearing. I think I need to check that out. But first she dialed the phone.

  “Adele? My aunt’s awake. Jack Brown is heading to the hospital. Ask the FBI to stand down and let him see his wife. I’ll make sure he talks to them.”

  “She pulled through! That’s great!”

  “Yeah, well, someone just shot Stone. He’s dead.”

  “Oh, shit. Was it Jack?”

  “No, ma’am, I found him. He talked to his wife. He had no need, he just wanted to see her. He was in his truck driving away.”

  “How about the rest of your family?”

  “I’ll check that out as soon as I hang up.”

  “It just went bad. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Okay, keep me in the loop.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Amy kept walking to the clearing as she made her next phone call. “Dadd
y?”

  “Yeah baby, whatcha need?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Sitting at my kitchen table fixin’ to eat, why?”

  “Aunt Carla Jo’s awake, and somebody just shot Stone.”

  Leon was quiet for a moment, “Well, praise Jesus, I reckon that is cause for celebration, on both counts. Was it Jack?”

  “No, sir.”

  “That asshole had a lot of enemies; there’s no tellin’.”

  “It wasn’t you?”

  “No honey, I’ve been right here.”

  “Okay, let me talk to Carol.”

  “She didn’t do it either.”

  “Yes, I know. Let me talk to her.”

  Leon handed her the phone. “Amy?”

  “Aunt Carla Jo’s awake.”

  “Oh, praise Jesus. I’ll head over there directly.”

  “Has Daddy been there all day?”

  “Since I’ve been home, he’s been with Sam.”

  “Okay, love you.” Who’s next? Joseph. She hit the button.

  “Joe? Where you at?”

  “In the passenger seat of my hauler.”

  “Where?”

  “Highway 10, just past Tallahassee on my way to Daytona.”

  “Who’s drivin?”

  “Josh.”

  “Let me talk to him.”

  “Why?”

  She barked, “Give him the phone!”

  “Okay, damn. Hey Josh, it’s my sister.” Joe handed him the phone.

  “Hey darlin’, you needin a little Josh in yo world?”

  “Joshua Andrew Denny, I’ll whoop your ass.”

  “Yes, ma’am, sorry.”

  “Joe been with you all day?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where you at?”

  “Just outside Tallahassee.”

  “Okay, let me talk to Joe.”

  “What now?”

  “Aunt Carla Jo’s awake.”

  “Oh thank God, thank you Jesus.”

  “Yep, and somebody shot Kent Stone.”

  Joe went quiet for a moment. “Really? I ain’t sad.”

  “You wouldn’t have any idea who, woudja?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “He didn’t do it.”

  “Oh. Well then, no.”

  “Hey, go get em, good luck and be safe. You need anything, call. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She made it to the steep part of the hill, stopped and dialed. Bogus answered, “Hello, my love.”

  “Hi. Somebody shot Stone. Was it you?”

  “I heard. No, unfortunately I have been on the phone with a mining consortium all morning and could not participate.”

  “Did you have it done?”

  “Of course not. Why are you asking such things?”

  “Because everyone in my family has motive. I have to check them all off.”

  “Have you?”

  “Everyone I can think of.”

  “Kelly called. Carla Jo has awakened.”

  “I know. I wish I could celebrate but I have to figure this out.”

  “If you need help, call.”

  “I will. I love you.”

  Amy dropped the phone in her pocket and climbed the steep 40-foot hill. As she made it to the top she was breathing hard. She rubbed her belly. “You getting me out of shape, kid.” Then she stood in the middle of the opening, scanning, thinking about taking the shot. She looked down. “Oh, oh God. No.”

  Hoof prints. She followed them down a dirt path to another opening. On the other side of that opening was a road. On the other side of the road was a fire road that, if navigated properly, would take her all the way to her house. “Oh no, Micky, oh please, no.” She dialed. “Princeton?”

  “Yes, my Lady.”

  “Where is Micky?”

  “He’s out riding his horses.”

  “Find him, find him right now, understand?”

  “My Lady, he’s…”

  “NOW, PRINCETON, NOW!”

  “Yes, my Lady.” Princeton walked quickly out the front door, climbed in the Range Rover, picked up Athos and headed down the fire road behind the house.

  She half-walked, half-slid down the hill. When she got to the bottom, she called her father. “Daddy?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Can Micky shoot a rifle?”

  “What?”

  “Can Micky shoot a rifle, is he good with a rifle?”

  “Yeah, he better be good. I taught him.”

  “Can he make a three-hundred-yard shot?’

  “With that rifle and scope he’s got? Honey, he could shoot somethin’ in the next county.”

  “Oh my God,” she said under her breath.

  “Why? You don’t think he…”

  “I don’t know. If you see him, hang on to him till I get there.”

  “Amy, he wouldn’t do anythin’ like that.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. They killed one of the only things he’s ever loved.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  Twenty minutes later she slid the big truck into the driveway, jumped out, went into the house and down to the basement. She unlocked the climate-controlled armory, turned on the light and went straight for the rack holding the sniper rifles. The Savage Lapua .338 was missing. She locked the armory and walked through the back basement door, into the garage and out by the stables. Princeton and Athos were there as Micky walked June into the stall. He came out, latched the door, smiled and waved. “Ma!”

  They walked toward each other. Micky could see she wasn’t smiling. She grabbed his collar with her right hand and put her left hand gently on the side of his face. In an almost panic she said, “Micky, what have you done?”

  “Em, exercised the horses?”

  “Where have you been?”

  “June threw a shoe; I walked her back.”

  “Tell me the truth. I saw the hoof prints at the park. Your rifle’s missing. What did you do?”

  “I never left the property.”

  “Dammit Micky! This isn’t a game. I know you were there. Someone shot Congressman Stone. He’s dead. Were you at the park?”

  “Aye, I was, yesterday with Mary Ann. She showed it to me.”

  “Where is your rifle?”

  “At Grandpa’s.”

  She stared at him hard, looking directly into his eyes. She took her hands off of him and called her daddy. “Daddy? Where is Micky’s rifle?”

  “In my gun case.”

  “Go look. Go look now.”

  He sounded confused. “Oh, okay.” He came back a minute later. “Yep, there it is. Right where he left it.”

  “Okay, thank you.” She hung up, put her hand on her forehead and did some deep breathing. She reached out for him, pulled him close and kissed him on top of the head. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Things are a little crazy. Please forgive me, okay?”

  “You thought that I shot him?”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t know what to think.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I asked Athos to kill him. He said no.”

  She made eye contact with Athos who returned a little smile. “Okay, okay, Princeton, Athos, good job, thank you. I’m going to go relax for a bit. It’s been a day.” She gave Micky another hug. “I love you, honey.”

  “I love you too, Ma.”

  It was a slow trudge up the steps and into her room. Bogus wasn’t there. She walked to his office and there he was, feet up, watching the Poland National Football Team battle with England. She sat on the couch next to him. “Bogus, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything, dear.”

  “Hold me while I cry?”

  “I will be happy to.”

  She snuggled into his shoulder and wept.

  Chapter 46

  Tears flowed steadily for about fifteen minutes. She got herself together, washed her face, brushed her hair and returned to the couch. �
��I have no idea what has gotten into me.”

  Bogus smiled. “Hormones.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” She sat quietly for a moment. “I have a problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Dead bodies, or suspected dead bodies, all over this county with no explanation.”

  “Would you like some help?”

  She caught the mischievous glint in his eye. “You got somethin’ rollin’ around up there. What is it?”

  “Well, as you know, I spent time with the communists in eastern Europe. They are well versed in taking events and turning them into something palatable for the masses. We have events; we have players in those events. Fortunately for us, the chief player met his demise so he cannot argue the veracity of the events. It is important to be proactive. If you are the one to put those events together, it is highly possible your version will be accepted, because humans are by nature, lazy.”

  “Oh. Oh! So, what exactly are you thinking?”

  Bogus got up, pulled a sheet of paper from the copier and placed it on his office desk. Then he motioned her forward to the chair. “Take a seat.” He took the pen from a holder and began to make a diagram. “So, tell me, what do we have?”

  “Uh, okay, we have a Congressman under indictment for numerous crimes.”

  Bogus drew a small circle in the center of the page. “And?”

  “We have a missing union local president and a missing union agitator.”

  Bogus drew two spokes off the circle and labeled them. “What else?”

  “I think that’s it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She thought a moment. “Wait, what about the two men that kidnapped Micky? They are connected directly with Stone.”

  “Yes, yes they are. Now you’re thinking.”

  “Okay, I’m getting where you’re going. But, ah, we need evidence.”

  “Does Adele know the truth?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t hide anything from her.”

  “Good, good. So, we create a story, she comes up with evidence, we package it and sell it.”

  “Yeah, that might work. Except…”