Stillborn Armadillos (John Lee Quarrels Book 1) Read Free

at one time this had punched its way through a person's skull and plowed through their brain, ending their life.
    "Looks to be about a .32 to me," he said.
    Barry nodded in agreement.
    The sun was getting low in the sky, but it was just as hot.
    "Let's give it another hour or so," John Lee said. "Then we'll call it a day."
    "Who's got guard duty here tonight?"
    "Obie, and he's none too thrilled about it."
    "Well shit fire, John Lee, when's the last time Obie was happy about anything? That old boy'd complain if you hung him with a new rope."
    "That ain't no lie, Barry," John Lee agreed.
    Obediah 'Obie' Long was a sandbagger and chronic complainer who always did just enough to get by, and never a lick more.
    "Compared to this, sitting in a car all night doing nothing sounds pretty good to me," Greg said.
    John Lee had to give the young deputy a lot of credit. He may look soft on the outside, but the redhead had a lot of heart and had worked hard all day, only coming out of the trench for short breaks when John Lee or the other deputies insisted he do so. Of course, that didn't mean anybody was going to cut him any slack.
    "You gonna start bitchin', too? We gonna have to start callin' you Obie Junior?"
    "No, sir. I wasn't complaining, just observing."
    Barry laughed and slapped the young man on the back and said, "I was kind of hopin' you was, tell you the truth. The way you been workin' your ass off down here today, you was makin' us old guys look bad."
    Greg blushed at the compliment, though it was hard to tell because his face was so sunburned. He scooped up another shovelful of dirt and was just starting to pour it into the screen when the soil erupted in front of his face, showering him with red dirt, and the sharp crack of a rifle split the air.
    "Everybody down," John Lee shouted, crouching next to his patrol car. He pulled his pistol and scanned the area just as another shot shattered the window of the car's door. Moving in a crouch, John Lee sought cover behind the front fender of the vehicle, where the engine block and tires would provide some protection.
    "Everybody okay?"
    "Does it count if I shit my pants?"
    "Where's it coming from?" Barry asked, a second before a third shot hit the door of the police car. John Lee popped his head up quickly but saw nothing before pulling it back. He looked again and saw something bright, and a second later the rifle fired again, this time the bullet hitting the rear tire of his car.
    Jerking his head down, John Lee shouted, "He's over there across the road." He moved to the front of the car and poked his arm around the fender and fired four rounds in a hurry. He knew there was little chance of hitting his target, but at least he wanted the shooter to know he didn't take kindly to being shot at.
    There were no more shots fired at them but the deputies weren't taking any chances. John Lee was the only one armed, the others having locked their weapons in the trunks of their cars while they were working in the trench.
    He opened his car from the passenger side, staying as low as he could, and pulled the shotgun from the mount in front of the dashboard. Sliding back out, he called, "Here, Barry," and threw the nylon stocked Remington to where the other three deputies were making themselves as small as possible in the trench. Then he reached inside for the radio's microphone and called the dispatcher.
    "This is County 16, shots fired on Turpentine Road at the construction site!"
    "Say again, 16?"
    "I said shots fired. Somebody's shooting at us from the woods on the other side of the road."
    "10-4. Attention all units, shots fired at the construction site on Turpentine Road. Unit 16 reports that the shooter is across the road. Approach with caution."
    A moment later Flag's voice came over the radio. "Anybody hit, John Lee?"
    "Negative, just my car."
    "Do you have eyes on the suspect? Any description?"
    "No, I fired back a couple of times but I don't think I hit anything."
    "You boys hunker