~~~~~
Schwartz and O’Neil both stared at the portable car radio as Vincent blurted out his loud and clear communication. The two U.S. Marshals looked at each other and communicated without saying a word. They flung their doors open and jumped out of the car and started running toward the dumpsters.
“Wait a minute!” Schwartz shouted. “We can’t both go down there. Make your way to him, real slow and careful. I’ll try and raise him on the radio and see what the hell’s going on.”
“Roger that,” O’Neil confirmed. Schwartz got back in the car and picked up the radio mic.
“Dear, did Vincent say what I think he just said?” Sylvia asked Andy.
“I definitely heard him say Bernie,” Andy replied.
“Yes, I definitely heard that, too,” Sylvia said. “But it sounded like he dropped the c bomb. Did I hear that right?”
“Yeah, I think you did,” Andy said. “Three times.”
“Vincent, Vincent, Marty,” Schwartz called into the radio head. There was no response. “Vincent this is Schwartz. Do you copy?” After a prolonged time, Schwartz turned his head toward where Nick and Shauna were positioned. “Kid, get the camera rolling, now.”
“I’m on it,” Nick replied over the radio. “What’s going on down there?” Schwartz could detect the raised intonation in Nick’s voice. He knew untrained civilians could easily panic in a situation like this, so he lowered his voice and spoke as calmly as possible.
“We’re checking it out. I’m with your folks, and O’Neil headed to Vincent’s position. Stay put and keep the camera rolling. Everything will be fine down here.” Schwartz hesitated on the last part, not sure how confident he felt about the situation.
O’Neil was out of sight, but Schwartz could hear his footsteps as he ran across the concrete path and steps that led down to the dumpsters. Both car doors remained open and Sylvia shuddered as a breeze blew through the open doors. Andy put his arm around her and pulled her in closer.
“Nothing to worry about, Babe. We’ve got the Witness Protection Program on our side. I saw a thing on television about them. You know they’ve never lost a federally protected witness since it started up back in the late 60’s? Pretty good record, huh?”
“That’s good to know, but we’re not in the witness protection program,” Sylvia said. “What’s their record with people like us?”
“I’m sure they do the same work, regardless, right, Marshal Schwartz?”
Schwartz wasn’t listening. His eyes scanned the surroundings as he patiently waited for O’Neil to report back. He raised the mic to his mouth and started to press the key when O’Neil’s voice came over the radio.
“Vincent’s O.K., just a little startled. You’re not going to believe this, but O’Fallon’s dog is sitting about twenty feet from us, licking his junk.”
Schwartz didn’t know what to say. Did Surey Whiteside dump the dog somewhere earlier in the chase before Schwartz had a good visual on the car and Bernie had just been wandering around the neighborhood? He knew that was a distinct possibility, but his gut told him otherwise. He felt panic creep into his body as he wondered if this was a distraction to separate them and leave them vulnerable. Just as he was about to tell O’Neil to fall back with Vincent, Nick’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Schwartz, look out!”
The Bernie Factor Page 41