by BJ Bourg
“I take it Stephanie didn’t know about his secret life?”
“God, no…she still doesn’t. Anyway, about six months after their baby boy was born, Sergeant Boyd was in camp and some of his friends came in bragging about raiding this house in a small town south of Kunduz. They were showing off some of the loot they’d claimed and Sergeant Boyd recognized a necklace he’d given his girlfriend.” Wade shook his head slowly from side to side. “He rushed to her house, but it was too late. She was already dead—shot multiple times—and it was clear she’d been sexually assaulted before being killed. His little boy and his girlfriend’s dad had also been murdered. It destroyed him.”
“What did he do about it?”
“He waited until he and his friends were out on patrol, and he killed every last one of them.” Wade’s expression was one of pride. “He didn’t get caught, either.”
“So, this is his way of getting back at Americans.” I shook my head. “A man, woman, and child…an eye for an eye.”
I let Dawn take over questioning him and I left the interview room. Sheriff Chiasson was in the hallway.
“Where’s Patrick?” I asked.
“We had to escort him outside.” The sheriff frowned. “He was really upset and wanted to interrupt the interview.”
I nodded my understanding, and then returned to the interview room to write the arrest reports so we could ship Wade to the parish jail.
“Will I get my wish?” Wade asked when Dawn and I had finalized the paperwork and placed him in handcuffs. “About the firing squad?”
“I’ll do everything I can to see to it that you die the way you killed,” I assured him, standing him to his feet. “I’ll even apply for a position on the firing squad.”
Dawn and I then walked Wade out the door and down the long hallway to the lobby. A patrol deputy was waiting to transport him, and he held the door while we escorted him outside.
The sun was sliding toward the western horizon. It blinded me as I walked across the parking lot, holding Wade’s arm firmly in my grip. We had made it to within twenty feet of the squad car when I heard a distinct splat and Wade’s legs gave out from under him. My arm jerked downward as his body collapsed to the ground. Officers started scrambling around the parking lot, yelling in excitement. Dawn had instinctively drawn her pistol and taken up a position behind the deputy’s car, and several other officers were diving for cover.
I didn’t move. Instead, I shielded my eyes and searched the horizon, scanning the rooftops of every building between the parking lot and the sun. At first, I saw nothing, but I could feel a set of crosshairs on me. Standing there facing the west, I mouthed the words, “You’ve got what you wanted and it’s over—now go.”
There, on a distant rooftop, a dark and shimmering silhouette stood to its feet. I couldn’t be positive, but it looked like Patrick was waving goodbye.
Read the next book in this series now…
Read the next book in this series now…
NOVELS BY BJ BOURG
Clint Wolf Mystery Trilogy
But Not Forgotten
But Not Forgiven
But Not Forsaken
Magnolia Parish Mysteries
Hollow Crib
Hollow Bond
Magnolia Parish Spin-Off:
London Carter Mysteries
James 516
Proving Grounds
Silent Trigger
Bullet Drop (July/August 2017)
Stand-Alone YA Mystery
The Seventh Taking
About the Author
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BJ Bourg is an award-winning mystery writer and former professional boxer who hails from the swamps of Louisiana. Dubbed the "real deal" by other mystery writers, he has spent his entire adult life solving crimes as a patrol cop, detective sergeant, and chief investigator for a district attorney's office. Not only does he know his way around crime scenes, interrogations, and courtrooms, but he also served as a police sniper commander (earning the title of "Top Shooter" at an FBI sniper school) and a police academy instructor.
BJ is a four-time traditionally-published novelist and his debut novel, JAMES 516, won the 2016 EPIC eBook Award for Best Mystery. Dozens of his articles and stories have been published in national magazines such as Woman's World, Boys' Life, and Writer's Digest. He is a regular contributor to two of the nation's leading law enforcement magazines, Law and Order and Tactical Response, and he has taught at conferences for law enforcement officers, tactical police officers, and writers. Above all else, he is a father and husband, and the highlight of his life is spending time with his beautiful wife and wonderful children.
http://www.bjbourg.com
