down. Help's on the way."
***
"Well this just pisses me off to no end," Flag said an hour later.
"I'm not too thrilled about it either," John Lee told him.
The road was lined with police cars, their red and blue lights flashing in the dark. Four Somerton County units and two State Patrol cars had responded when the shooting call went out. After John Lee had fired back at the sniper there had been no return shots, and whoever it had been was long gone by the time reinforcements arrived. Searching with flashlights, they had not found a blood trail to indicate that John Lee had managed to hit anybody. But they did find four spent brass .308 rifle cases.
"Sumbitch was serious," Calvin McDonald said. "Damn .308 would knock an elk down."
"Well there ain't no elk around here."
"I can tell you one thing," Obie said. "There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna stay out here all night long like a sittin' duck! No sir, I ain't gettin' myself shot for what they pay me."
"How much would we have to pay you to get shot?" John Lee asked. "Because I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks. How 'bout the rest you guys?"
"That ain't funny, John Lee! You should know more'n anybody, with that maniac tryin' to kill you."
"I don't think he was trying to kill anybody."
"What the hell you talkin' about? If he wasn't tryin' to kill anybody why was he shootin' at you guys?"
"I don't know," John Lee admitted. "But I'm pretty sure that flash I saw at one point, just before he fired his last shot, was a reflection from a rifle scope. If he wanted to hit us, it wouldn't have been all that hard."
"Maybe he's just a bad shot."
"I don't think so, Fig."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because the second and third shots hit the middle of my car. But when I poked my head over the top of my front fender, his next shot, the last one, hit the rear tire."
"Then what the hell do you think he was doin', shootin' at you guys that way?"
"I don't know. Trying to send us a message maybe?"
"Well, whatever the message was, I'd appreciate it if he'd just send an email the next time around," Barry said.
Chapter 4
By the time they had ended their search for the mysterious sniper and had rounded up a second deputy to stay with Obie at the construction site overnight, and he had changed the tire on his car, it was after 10 o'clock when John Lee finally pulled into his driveway.
Magic, his 100 pound German Shepherd, came bounding into the car's headlights and trotted alongside as John Lee drove up in front of the house.
"How you doing, boy? Did you take good care the place while I was gone?"
Magic barked and wagged his tail.
"Good boy," John Lee said, slapping his chest in invitation. The big dog responded by jumping up and putting his paws on his master's chest, rocking the deputy back half a step. He rubbed the dog's head with both hands, pulling on his ears, and leaned down so Magic could lick his nose.
"Are you hungry? Yeah? Me too. Let's go get something to eat."
He walked up the three steps to the deck and unlocked the door, the dog going in ahead of him. Unbuckling his gun belt as he went into his bedroom, he hung it on the hook on the wall, then sat on the bed and pulled his boots off.
Magic stood in the bedroom doorway looking at him expectantly.
"What, you think you're gonna starve to death?"
The dog whined and John Lee laughed.
"Damn, you nag me as much as any woman I've ever known."
The dog whined again and it seemed like he wrinkled his brows, if a dog was capable of that.
"Okay," John Lee said with a sigh, "you win."
He went into the kitchen and opened a can of Alpo and put it in the dog's bowl. Magic started forward and John Lee looked at him and held up a finger. "Don't be in such a damn hurry."
He used the can to scoop out dry Purina and added it to the bowl.
"There you go. Are you happy now?"
Magic waved his tail and barked.
"Okay, you eat that and I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like something dead you'd find to roll in if
***
"Well this just pisses me off to no end," Flag said an hour later.
"I'm not too thrilled about it either," John Lee told him.
The road was lined with police cars, their red and blue lights flashing in the dark. Four Somerton County units and two State Patrol cars had responded when the shooting call went out. After John Lee had fired back at the sniper there had been no return shots, and whoever it had been was long gone by the time reinforcements arrived. Searching with flashlights, they had not found a blood trail to indicate that John Lee had managed to hit anybody. But they did find four spent brass .308 rifle cases.
"Sumbitch was serious," Calvin McDonald said. "Damn .308 would knock an elk down."
"Well there ain't no elk around here."
"I can tell you one thing," Obie said. "There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna stay out here all night long like a sittin' duck! No sir, I ain't gettin' myself shot for what they pay me."
"How much would we have to pay you to get shot?" John Lee asked. "Because I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks. How 'bout the rest you guys?"
"That ain't funny, John Lee! You should know more'n anybody, with that maniac tryin' to kill you."
"I don't think he was trying to kill anybody."
"What the hell you talkin' about? If he wasn't tryin' to kill anybody why was he shootin' at you guys?"
"I don't know," John Lee admitted. "But I'm pretty sure that flash I saw at one point, just before he fired his last shot, was a reflection from a rifle scope. If he wanted to hit us, it wouldn't have been all that hard."
"Maybe he's just a bad shot."
"I don't think so, Fig."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because the second and third shots hit the middle of my car. But when I poked my head over the top of my front fender, his next shot, the last one, hit the rear tire."
"Then what the hell do you think he was doin', shootin' at you guys that way?"
"I don't know. Trying to send us a message maybe?"
"Well, whatever the message was, I'd appreciate it if he'd just send an email the next time around," Barry said.
Chapter 4
By the time they had ended their search for the mysterious sniper and had rounded up a second deputy to stay with Obie at the construction site overnight, and he had changed the tire on his car, it was after 10 o'clock when John Lee finally pulled into his driveway.
Magic, his 100 pound German Shepherd, came bounding into the car's headlights and trotted alongside as John Lee drove up in front of the house.
"How you doing, boy? Did you take good care the place while I was gone?"
Magic barked and wagged his tail.
"Good boy," John Lee said, slapping his chest in invitation. The big dog responded by jumping up and putting his paws on his master's chest, rocking the deputy back half a step. He rubbed the dog's head with both hands, pulling on his ears, and leaned down so Magic could lick his nose.
"Are you hungry? Yeah? Me too. Let's go get something to eat."
He walked up the three steps to the deck and unlocked the door, the dog going in ahead of him. Unbuckling his gun belt as he went into his bedroom, he hung it on the hook on the wall, then sat on the bed and pulled his boots off.
Magic stood in the bedroom doorway looking at him expectantly.
"What, you think you're gonna starve to death?"
The dog whined and John Lee laughed.
"Damn, you nag me as much as any woman I've ever known."
The dog whined again and it seemed like he wrinkled his brows, if a dog was capable of that.
"Okay," John Lee said with a sigh, "you win."
He went into the kitchen and opened a can of Alpo and put it in the dog's bowl. Magic started forward and John Lee looked at him and held up a finger. "Don't be in such a damn hurry."
He used the can to scoop out dry Purina and added it to the bowl.
"There you go. Are you happy now?"
Magic waved his tail and barked.
"Okay, you eat that and I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like something dead you'd find to roll in if
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