Midnight Sun (27 page)

Lonnie
had
been
an
Alaska
State
Trooper
for
more
than
twelve
years.
She
was
seldom
fazed
by
scenes
of
gore,
but
this
hit
her
differently.
Between
the
hormonal
imbalance
of
being
pregnant
and
her
friendship
with
the
bride
and
groom,
she
found
it
difficult
to
keep
her
emotions
in
check
as
she
spoke
to
the
emergency
dispatcher.

A
white
Audi
pulled
up
to
the
scene
and
several
men
got
out.
They
rushed
toward
the
remains
of
the
truck.
Lonnie
turned
to
tell
the
men
to
stay
back.
One
of
the
groomsmen
picked
something
up,
let
out
a
sickened
guttural
sound,
then
bent
over
and
vomited
onto
his
glossy
patent
leather
shoes.
Lonnie
turned
toward
him,
cell
phone
still
at
her
ear.
He
held
something
up
to
her.
She
put
out
her
left
hand
and
he
dropped
it
in.
A
shiny
new
one-carat
diamond
sparkled
brightly
on
the
polished
gold
band
that
plopped
onto
her
palm.
It
took
a
moment
for
her
mind
to
realize
that
the
ring
was
still
tightly
connected
to
Maureen's
finger.

***

The
white
Audi
slowed
as
it
pulled
up
to
the
mayhem.
Men
and
women
milled
about
through
scattered
chunks
of
jagged
steel,
ripped
aluminum,
and
broken
glass.
Some
dropped
to
their
knees
or
stared
in
shock
from
the
periphery
of
the
scene.
Others
spoke
on
cell
phones
or
consoled
one
another
with
embraces.
Wails
of
mourning
cast
a
nightmare
soundtrack
against
the
morbid
backdrop,
cries
mingling
with
the
odor
of
burnt
metal,
fuel,
and
death.
Steven
Farrah
rose
from
the
driver's
seat.
From
the
opposite
side of the vehicle
came
Kharzai,
his
big
hair
bouncing
as
he
twisted to get out of the car
.
Out
of
the
back
seat
climbed
the
cousins,
Leka
and
Kreshnik,
eyes
focused
directly
on
the
demolished
truck
with
robotic
indifference
to
the
carnage
around
them.
The
latter
pair
jogged
toward
the
wreckage
of
the
burglar
’
s
truck.
Nearby,
a
man
in
a
tuxedo
abruptly
hunched
over
in
the
midst
of
the
carnage.
His
back
arch
ed and
a
mass
of
vomit
splattered
the
ground,
making
a
mess
of
his
shoes.
A
small
object
in
his
hand
glinted
in
the
evening
light.
Between
spasmodic
wretches,
he
handed
it
to
a
pregnant
Asian
woman
speaking
on
a
cell
phone.
She
took
it
in
her
left
hand
and
closed
her
fist
around
it.

“
Hey!
”
the
Asian
woman
called
to the cousins
with
the
directness
of
a
police
officer.
“
Step
away
from
there.
”

“
Dear
God,
”
Farrah
said
in
an
upper-class
British
accent.
He
stopped
searching
the
mangled
truck
and
turned
toward
her.
“
Has
anyone
called
the
paramedics?
”