by Thomas Scott
“That’s not really my biggest concern right now, Cora.”
“Maybe it should be.”
“I don’t know what else you’d have me do,” Virgil said. “We were working with limited information the whole time.”
“Were you?”
Just then, Sheriff Benjamin Holden pulled up and parked his ancient station wagon right next to the helicopter. Virgil noticed the jackpot flasher had been replaced with a modern light bar. Holden stepped up to Virgil and said, “God almighty, what have you done now?”
Virgil ignored him. He and the sheriff had something of a tense relationship.
“Is that the sheriff I hear?” Cora asked.
“Yeah. He doesn’t seem too happy to see me right now.”
“Let me talk to him.”
Virgil handed Holden the phone. “It’s for you.”
Holden gave him a quizzical look and put the phone to his ear. “Sheriff Holden, here. Who’s this?”
Holden listened, his face growing redder by the second. When he was done listening, he said, “Yes ma’am,” and gave the phone back to Virgil. Then he got back in his car and simply sat there, staring out the windshield.
“What’d you say to him?”
“Let’s not sweat the small stuff, Jones-man. Stay put until the guard shows up, then get back to the city. I’ll be in my office.” Virgil heard a click and she was gone.
Small stuff?
Sandy told Virgil everything that had happened from the time she left the house with Jonas. “I didn’t think anything of it. I thought we’d take a drive out to the country, sign a few papers and it’d be one less thing we’d have to deal with. I had no idea Cal Lipkins was a part of all this. I’m not sure what to make of it. In the end he tried to help. In fact, he gave his life to try to save us.”
Virgil didn’t know what to make of that either. He let it go. Jonas crawled into his arms and hugged him tight. “You okay, big guy?”
Jonas nodded at him.
Virgil was concerned that he’d not yet heard Jonas speak. “You ready to get back home? Mr. Cool is going to take you for another ride in the helicopter.”
“Can I sit in front?”
When Jonas finally spoke, Virgil was filled with relief. “Let’s go find out.”
“We got hit by a big truck,” Jonas said, some normalcy creeping into his voice.
Virgil rubbed the top of his head. “You sure did. It’s all over now though.”
Except…it wasn’t.
Virgil asked Cool to take Sandy and Jonas home then come back for him and Murton. Sandy walked over and Virgil hugged his wife and child, told them he’d see them as soon as possible, then helped them into the helicopter. He leaned up and pulled Sandy close. “Maybe get in touch with Bell.”
She nodded at him. “I’ve already called him. Huma too. Bell’s on his way to our place. So is Delroy.”
Delroy was one of Jonas’s favorite people. It’d be a good start. “I love you, Small.”
“I love you too, Virgil.” Sandy took a quick peek at Jonas. “I think he’ll be okay. He’s one resilient kid.”
“He’s been through so much in such a short period of time.”
Sandy grabbed Virgil’s arm. “We’ll get him whatever help he needs. One step at a time. What about Murt?”
Virgil cocked his head. “He’s the toughest man I’ve ever known.”
“Me too,” Sandy said. “And I killed his father. I’m afraid I may have changed everything.”
You did, Virgil thought. For the better.
“What was that?”
“I said just like Jonas…one step at a time.”
Sandy let go of his arm, leaned forward and tapped Cool on the shoulder. Virgil closed the door and stepped away.
Once Sandy and Jonas were on their way he turned around and saw Jack Grady leaning down talking to the sheriff. He walked that way.
“What’s up?”
Grady stood and looked across the top of the station wagon and said, “The sheriff is debating whether or not he wants to take us back to the Co-op.”
Virgil leaned down and looked inside the vehicle. “Sheriff?”
“How many bodies are out there this time?”
Virgil wasn’t having it. “Look, Sheriff, I didn’t create this situation anymore than you did. Why not holster your moral authority and help us do our jobs?”
“Your job seems to be to create chaos everywhere you go. Either that or it follows you around like a swarm of gnats.”
“What did my boss say to you?”
Holden turned his head and looked Virgil straight in the eyes. “Ask her. Can’t say that I enjoyed it, but I’ll tell you this: If that’s how she looks after her people, I wish she was my boss too.”
Virgil stared at him without speaking.
“You coming or not? I’m running low on gas.”
Murton walked over and they all got in the station wagon.
Holden took them back to the Co-op. They parked near the wrecked box truck and Sandy’s smashed car. When Virgil finally got a look at the condition of the vehicle he knew how lucky they’d been. The car was totaled, the passenger side completely caved in. If it weren’t for the airbags…
Virgil stopped himself. Didn’t want to go there. They were safe, and that’s all that mattered.
The sheriff was squatted down next to the front of the box truck. When Virgil walked over Holden stood and squared off with him. “That’s Cal Lipkins under that truck, isn’t it?”
Virgil nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
Holden looked at Reif’s body on the ground less than ten yards away. Half his head was blown apart. “What the hell happened here?”
Virgil was about to tell the sheriff how Lipkins had been involved with Ralph Wheeler and their attempt to contaminate the land with radioactive material by detonating a dirty bomb. Instead, he told him something he hoped would be much more palatable. “I only have part of the story, but from what I understand Cal gave his life in an effort to save my wife and son.”
Holden looked at Virgil for a long time before he spoke. “Of course he did. Cal Lipkins was a good man.” His words came out as a challenge.
Virgil didn’t take the bait.
46
When Virgil went inside the Co-op building he found Murton sitting in a chair, his father’s dead body near his feet. His back was rounded, his shoulders hunched, his forearms resting on his thighs. When Murton looked up at him, Virgil feared whatever words might be said next would be ones that redefined not only their relationship, but the rest of their lives.
Maybe Murton did too. He must have, because neither of them said anything. He stood from the chair and they walked out of the building together. A short time later Virgil realized that if he had any doubts about what Cora had said regarding the arrival of the federal government en masse they were soon put to rest. The ATF was first on the scene, followed by Franklin and Parr representing DHS. When the FBI showed up, things got a little heated between Virgil and one of the agents when they discovered that Sandy had left the scene without permission from any of the federal agencies.
“She was the shooter. She should have stayed until she gave a formal statement and was officially released.”
Virgil got right in his face. “She was also the one who saved my partner’s life. Our child was here. She saved him as well. Our first priority was to get our boy to safety. She’s an officer of the state. She’ll make a formal statement as soon as possible.” Virgil started to walk away.
“That’s not good enough.”
Virgil spun around, his fists clenched, his body taut with tension. Murton stepped in front of him and looked at the agent. “Throttle it back, dude. He’s right. You have kids?”
“No.”
“Thank God,” Murton said. Then he looked at Virgil. “Where’s Grady?”
Virgil turned and looked around and spotted Grady leaning against the side of the Co-op building. He pointed with his chin. “Why
?”
Cool brought the chopper in and landed behind the Quonset hut. “Because our ride’s here.”
The agent wasn’t having it. “Hey, you guys can’t leave. Where do you think you’re going? Hey!”
Franklin heard the commotion and intercepted the FBI agent. “Homeland has the point on this. Back off.” The FBI agent didn’t like it, but he went away. Franklin looked at Virgil. “Said’s in the car. I’m willing to entertain suggestions on what to do with him. All the nuclear material is accounted for. It’s still at their facility. I’m not sure altering the logs of your own company’s shipping manifest is considered a crime. Though from what I understand he did lie to you and officer Grady regarding the nature of those alterations, which technically is a crime, so…your call.”
“Let me talk with him,” Virgil said.
“Be my guest,” Franklin said. “He’s sitting in my car. He tossed Virgil the keys.
Virgil got Said out of the car and let him know he wouldn’t be charged.
The statement had little impact on him. “I don’t care about any of that. All I ever wanted was to get my niece back safe and sound.” Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
Virgil put his hand on Said’s shoulder. “Listen, I need you to do something for us. It won’t be easy, but I need you to take a look at a body. See if you can positively identify the man that made contact with you. It could help us recover your niece’s—” Virgil caught himself a little late. Said finished it for him.
“Remains, right? That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
Virgil didn’t answer. “Let’s go take a look.” He walked Said over to the Co-op building. Said never made it through the doorway. Ralph Wheeler lay in plain sight and when Said saw him he simply nodded and stepped back off the porch.
“He’s the only one you ever saw?” Virgil asked.
“Yes. Where did he live?”
“Down near Jeffersonville. We’ve got state agents searching his home right now. I’m sorry to say they’ve found nothing that indicates Patty was ever there. C’mon, let’s get you out of here. We’ll give you a ride back to Kentucky in the helicopter. About your niece…I’m sorry. I really am. If things had gone differently we might have been able to—”
So much had happened in such a short amount of time that Virgil failed to notice something that was right in front of his face.
Cal Lipkins truck.
It sat in the Co-op parking lot and was identical to the picture he had from the post office security footage.
Virgil ran over to the truck and yanked the door open. He pulled the registration from the glove box and ran toward the helicopter. Murton and Grady were already there.
Said didn’t know what was happening, so he ran that way too. By the time he reached the chopper Cool had the engine running and was ready to lift off. Said yanked the door open and looked at Virgil. “What is it?”
“Maybe nothing,” Virgil said. He had to yell over the sound of the jet engine and the beat of the rotor blades.
“Patty?” Said yelled back. “You’re going to look for Patty?”
Virgil nodded. “Stay put. We’ll let you know what we find.”
“To hell with that. I’m coming with you. Try and stop me.” When he climbed in the helicopter, no one did.
Virgil gave Lipkins’ address to Cool and they headed out in that direction. They were there in a little over ten minutes. When Cool touched down Virgil turned to Said. “You are going to wait here with the pilot. That’s not a request. This is part of an active crime scene and you are not allowed inside. Tell me you’re hearing me on this, Mr. Said. I’ll arrest you if you don’t follow my instructions.”
“Yes, yes,” Said said. “Just go. Go find her.”
Virgil glanced at Cool who gave him a nod. When he was sure Said was going to stay put, Virgil, Murton, and Grady climbed out and headed for the house.
Virgil was ready to kick the door, but Murton grabbed his shoulder, then stepped in front of him and twisted the knob. He pushed the door open and gave Virgil a look before going inside.
The house was a two-story, square orange brick box, the kind you see everywhere in the countryside. Grady took the upper floor, and Murton took the main level. That left the cellar for Virgil. He descended the steps in the dark and when he reached the bottom got hit in the face by a pull string that hung from a light fixture. The fixture contained a single bare bulb and when Virgil pulled the string his heart sank.
Other than the furnace, water pump, hot water heater, a few pieces of old furniture, and a row of canned goods that might have been twenty years old, the basement was empty. When he looked at the floor Virgil could see his own footprints in the dust. No one had been down here for a long time, he thought. He checked every inch to be sure, but it was hopeless. Patty Doyle wasn’t there. She never had been.
When he returned to the main floor Murton and Grady were waiting for him. They both shook their heads. “You sure?”
“Checked every room and closet,” Murton said.
“Same here,” Grady said. “Even looked under the beds.”
“Attic?”
“Completely empty. Besides, if she’d been here, after all this time, you know as well as I do we’d have smelled it the minute we walked in.”
They went back outside and moved around to the rear of the house. The yard was neat and well manicured. “What about a well, or a cistern?” Murton asked. They walked the entire lot and found neither.
On the way back to the helicopter Grady said, “This guy is a farmer, right?”
“Was,” Virgil said.
“Then where’s his barn?”
Virgil didn’t hesitate. “Ah, it’s a Co-op thing. They’ve got a maintenance shop over there. It’s where they keep all their equipment. No need for a barn on the property.”
They climbed into the chopper and gave Said the news. He looked out the window and didn’t speak. Cool took off and flew south, toward Kentucky. They’d drop him off, then head back to Indy.
If Virgil hadn’t been so quick to answer, if he would have thought about it like a real farmer, they would have found what was left of Patty Doyle in no time at all.
Virgil and Murton rode in complete silence all the way to Murton’s house. When they pulled up, Becky was waiting on the front porch. Virgil put the truck in park, but left the engine running. “Is there anything you want to talk about?” Virgil said.
Murton waited a long time before he answered. “Yeah. Just not right now.”
“Are we okay?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t we be?”
“What about you and Sandy?”
Murton looked at his best friend and brother. “Small’s my hero, Jonesy.”
“You might want to tell her that.”
Murton looked down at the floor of the truck. “When we were in the helicopter right after the bomb went off…did you see her holding my hand? Did you see Jonas wiping the tears from her face?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Murton lifted his head and looked Virgil square in the face. He waited a beat, then tapped him on the thigh with his index finger and got out of the truck without another word. Becky ran off the porch and leapt into his arms. Virgil watched Murton carry her up the steps and inside their house, kicking the door closed with his foot.
He dropped the truck in gear and drove home.
47
By the time he got home, Sandy told him that Dr. Bell had already come and gone. Jonas was okay, but Bell wanted him to go back to the child psychologist he’d seen after his mother died.
“What do you think?” Virgil said.
“I think it’s a good idea. They know each other, and Jonas always seemed happy to go.” Then, “How’s Murton?”
Virgil thought about the question. No one knew Murton better than he did. “I think he’ll be okay. He says you’re his hero, by the way.”
Sandy didn’t want to hear it. She waved her hands in front of her face
, as if the motion could erase the words from the air.
“What?”
“He told me that when we were in the back of the helicopter. I didn’t want to hear it then and I don’t want to hear it now.”
“You saved his life, Sandy. That’s no small thing.”
“No pun intended, right?” There was a little bite in her voice.
“Hey, hey, what is it?”
“You mean besides the fact that I killed someone?”
Virgil knew Sandy appreciated straight talk more than anything else, so he didn’t hesitate when he answered. “Yes. What’s your point?”
“My point is exactly this, Virgil: Murton is your brother and that makes him my brother too. I love him with my whole heart.”
“I know that.”
“Just let me say it, will you, please? When we stepped into that room I did what I had to do to save our son. I saw that gun pointed at the top of Murton’s head, and I saw his father holding Jonas. I didn’t think twice. In fact, I didn’t think at all. I stepped in, lined up the shot and took it before Ralph Wheeler could move that gun from his son to ours. In that moment I didn’t care about Murton, I didn’t care about myself, and I damned sure didn’t care about Ralph Wheeler or the history between him and Murt.”
“You did the right thing. I was ready to fire myself. You beat me to it is all.”
“But that’s not all, Jonesy, and I think you know it. I lost my dad when he saved your life. You lost your dad when I pulled you off that bar stool. Now Murton has lost his dad because of me. What is it with me and fathers?”
Virgil didn’t have an answer for that. Who would?
