The Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries 1-3 (65 page)

"The
priest?"

"He's
looking for weapons of mass destruction and whatnot.  You see, bonehead, we
wanted to have a strong case to bring to you so that you would take all of this
seriously."

"I
could just call this into Homeland Security and..."

"It's
your county, Buslowski, you do what you think is right.  Frankly, I'm glad to
be out of it."  I stood up to leave.

"Wait.
 Why is Harry jumping out of an airplane?"

Damn, I
thought he wasn't going to pick up on that.  "Because we think that
they’re going to use this airport somehow.  I think that they’re going to
replace jumpers at the air show, so Harry is doing some spy work for me."

Dave
started laughing.  "You almost had me there.  You expect me to believe
that terrorists are going to jump out of airplanes and do what?"

"I
don't know."  I picked up the ruined soda can and delivered it to the
trashcan beside the office door.  By the time I turned around he was gone.  I
heard the rental van start up and Dwayne was driving away.  A few moments later
I saw Buslowski's pickup leave the parking lot.  I looked around and had a
glimpse of Father David heading for the outbuildings.  I sat down and waited
for Harry's jump.

It wasn't
long before I heard the plane fly overhead, and then I saw the tandem jumpers. 
I held my breath until each Para-Wing opened, and the group floated down to
land in the grass area just south of the landing strip.  It took them longer to
disassemble and pack up than I thought it would.  By that time, Father David
had returned from his scouting mission.  I had fallen asleep on the bench. 

"Interesting
way of keeping an eye on things," he said as he nudged me over.

I made
room for him to sit down.  "I guess you saw that we had a visitor."

"The
cop."

"Yep.
Sent him to follow Dwayne."

"Not
a bad idea, although he may run into Father Thomas."

"I
hope he doesn't shoot him," I said dryly.

"Father
Thomas or the cop?"

"Cop's
name is Buslowski, and I hope Father Thomas doesn't shoot him because I’ve
dibs," I said smiling.

"What
he do to you?"

"This
morning he ate my breakfast, and yesterday he had me cuffed."

"Oh,
he's the one.  I suggest buckshot.  Not much damage, but it'll hurt."

"I'll
keep that in mind.  Here comes Harry."

I got up
and congratulated him on not fainting or puking.  Father David shook his hand,
and we were contemplating where to go to eat when the sound of an explosion
ripped through the countryside.  I quickly scanned the airport and found that
all was well there.

I started
running to the car.  "Buslowski!"

Father
David and Harry caught up.  The priest got behind the wheel.  "Which way
did they go?"

"South."

He tore
out of the parking lot and headed south until we came to a crossroad.

"What
are we looking for?" shouted Harry.

"Rental
van and Buslowski's truck."

"I
saw the van turn east.  I was watching it while we were descending.  The blue
truck also turned east."

Father
David turned and accelerated.  The road was a straight shot east.  As soon as
we climbed out of the lowland we could see the smoke ahead of us. Harry was
calling 911 on his cell phone as we arrived on the scene.

The van
was burning in pieces in a crater in what was left of the road.  The cane on
either side of the road had been flattened in the blast.  But where was
Buslowski?  Where was his truck?  Father David pulled over, and I jumped out. 
How far back was he?  I traced the blast pattern as I ran back down the road.  I
was choking on the smoke that had turned with the easterly wind when I saw
something large and blue in the canal.

"Harry! 
David!  His truck's in the canal!" I yelled, running over to the slippery
edge. 

The blast
must have flipped the truck off the road and into the deep drainage canal.  It
was upside down with the cab barely above the water.  I plunged in and got to
the driver's door and opened it.  Buslowski was unconscious but alive.  The
airbag had inflated and pinned him to the seat.  The seatbelt's shoulder strap
kept the unconscious cop’s head above the water.  But the water was coming in,
and I had to get him out of there.  I pushed between the bag and him and found
the seatbelt release.  He fell onto me, and both of us fell out of the vehicle.

Father
David and Harry were there to take the heavy man from me.  They carried him up
the bank, and I watched over him as they tried to see if anything could be done
to save Dwayne.  Harry told me later that they couldn't find Dwayne, not even a
piece.  The blast must have incinerated him.

The
emergency vehicles arrived, and I opted to ride to the hospital with Dave and
let Father David and Harry explain things to the deputies.  I called Dave's
wife and told her what had happened and to meet us at the hospital.  She had
thought Dave was outside mowing the lawn.  She seemed more put out that he had
neglected the lawn than that he almost got himself blown up.  She asked who I
was, and I told her.  She just said, "It figures," and hung up.

"You
can't walk around here like that," the senior volunteer said, barring my
way in the emergency room.

"Why?"
I said in a daze.  "Is it because I'm damp?  I just pulled that man over
there out of the canal."

"No,
it's because you’re barefoot.  You have on one muddy sneaker and the other
one’s bare," he explained.  "You'll have to leave."

"Wait,
can't you find me a slipper or something?" I pleaded.  "Or those
baggy things you pull over your shoes in maternity?"

"No,
you'll have to leave," he said firmly.

"What's
the problem here?"  Another senior volunteer came over.  This one was
female.  "Howard?" she asked meekly.

"She
doesn't have a shoe on, and she won't leave," he stated primly.

"I
just want to stay."

She held
up her hand to cut me off.  "Howard, get this young lady some slippers."

Howard
left, and I thanked her.  "No problem, Howard is a bit stiff with the
rules.  Thinks he runs the place.  Ah, here he is with the slippers.  Thank
you, Howard.”  She handed the footwear to me.  “You better put them on and
throw that shoe in here."  She handed me a plastic bag.

"Thank
you!"  I sat down and took off my ruined cross training shoe and put on
the sterile slippers.  I noticed that they were way too big.  Howard had gotten
his revenge after all.

~

"Cin,"
Dave Buslowski said as I flopped over to his bedside.

"Have
a nice nap?"

"Things
are a bit fuzzy.  I had this dream you were feeling me up in the truck."

"In
your fantasy maybe.  I had to get you out of the seatbelt.  It was hard to,
difficult to find," I said reddening.

"I
guess I found the explosives," he said weakly.

"Guess
so.  How do you feel?"

"Violated."
 He grinned feebly.

"Well,
sorry about that.  Um, I better let you rest up.  Your wife is on her way, and
I want to be clear before she gets here."

"We'll
talk later."

"I expect
so.  I'm going home to get free of this canal water.  I'm starting to
stink."  I leaned over and grasped his hand.  “Thank you for not dying on
me.”  I ignored the returned pressure on my hand and let it go.  "Later,
Buslowski," I said quietly and left.

Fortunately,
Harry and Father David were waiting for me in the lobby.  I flopped my way over
to them.  Harry started to say something about my footwear but stopped himself. 
There were also several deputies in the lobby. I looked over at them.\

"Do I
have to make a statement?" I asked the group, hoping for a leader to
emerge.

Deputy
Cutter took charge and said, "You can come in later.  We'll call and set
something up."

"Thanks,
I'm just going to go home now and get cleaned up."  I followed the guys out
to the car.  They were pretty grimy themselves.  "How'd things go at the
scene?"

"Pretty
routine.  I think you made some friends amongst the deputies.  They like
Buslowski, and when they learned how you saved him, well, let's say you’re on
the hero list."

"I'm
not used to being on that list, more like the shit list.  Oh, sorry,
father."

"It's
okay, I've been there myself."

"Hey,
you guys helped.  You're my heroes!"  I put my arms around Father David
and gave him a big kiss.  And then I hugged Harry who was appalled.

"Watch
her, Father, she has a thing for priests," Harry chided.

"So,
are we finished?  All that's left is rounding up the landscapers, right?"
I said as I got in the car.  Funny no one said “right” back.

"Harry?"

"You
tell her, I can't bear to," Harry said faintly.

"Cin,
I'm afraid that little explosion was just a distraction.  After we left the
airport, Father Thomas arrived to see several pickup trucks leave with cargos
that were suspicious in nature.  He lost them up near the fish camp area that
Luke and Harry talked about."

"So,
we're not finished.  I should have known."

"Why?"

"Because
I only ruined one pair of shoes," I said and sunk back into the seat.

Father
David looked at Harry who just said, "Don't ask."

~

I took a
shower first, then a hot steamy bubble bath.  Not wanting to deal with the
world, I locked the door and left my phones in the den.  Periodically, I
submerged myself under the bubbles so I could only hear my heart beating.  My
hair swirled around my face, and I imagined myself a mermaid in a bubbly sea.  I
stayed under the water until my lungs were bursting, and then I only stayed
above long enough to replenish my air supply.  I vaguely heard the sounds of
doors opening and closing.  I knew that I would have to leave my womb soon and
attend the Marx brothers’ council of war. 

I pulled
on some sweats and didn't even try with my hair.  After I had decrittered it
and washed it four times, it really wasn't up to glamour and neither was I.  My
eyes were bloodshot from the repeated immersions so I used some drops.  Man,
did they sting!  Then I questioned the product description and shook my head as
I read
soothing
.

I expected
the four priests and Harry.  I didn't expect Michael, Betty and Buslowski.  I
worried that Aunt Diane was lurking somewhere, but she had other business to
see to.

I ignored
the room full of people and headed to the kitchen to make myself a large mug of
tea.  Let them figure things out.   I was tired and wanted out. 

"You
coming out?" Buslowski's voice asked from the doorway.

"Nope.
 They let you out?"  I looked him over.  “You should be in bed.”

"You
don’t look so hot either.  They let me out, and I didn't want to go home."

"Of
course not, you’ve a lawn to cut."  I smiled weakly.  "Dave, I'm
sorry I got you blown up."

"I
got myself blown up, you just suggested it."

"Gee,
now I feel better."  I stuck my head in the pantry and was rewarded with
some oatmeal cookies - store bought but still comfort food.  "Ya wanna
cookie?"

"Naw,
I'll pass."  He turned to leave.

"Buslowski."

"Yeah?"

"Talk
them out of continuing.  Get them to turn it over to you professionals."

"They’re
professionals.  All except for Betty and Harry, and I think they can hold their
own."

"Whoa,
big feller, when did you cross the street?" I said as I hauled my sore
body up on a bar stool and proceeded to dunk my cookie in my tea.

"Truth
is we don't have a lot of options here.  The administration never came up with
the money we needed to protect this area.  Homeland Security around here
basically rounds up individuals and ships them to the island.  The FBI is more
concerned with what they missed than what they’re missing.  The Sheriff's
Department hasn't enough men to keep you out of trouble, let alone hunt for
suspects."

"So,
you’re not here officially?"  I looked at him sideways.

"I'm
on sick leave."

"Oh,
the wife's going to love this."

"She's
not too pleased, so I took you up on your offer."

"What
offer?" I asked suspiciously.

"I
moved into Alex's room."

I dropped
my cookie and barely fished it out before it became mush.  "K, just don't
stay as long as Harry.  Or better yet, when you go, take Harry with you."

"One
more thing."

"You
want to use my car?"

"Just
till the insurance company comes through."

"Tell
you what.  You can use Harry's jeep, and Harry can use my car because if you
were to wreck it I couldn't kill you like I can Harry."

"Fair
enough.  You’re still not coming?"  He nodded towards the living room.

"Nope,
you can loan me your notes after class.  I'm taking my cookies outside." 
I got up and headed for the patio.  Out on the pool deck I could still hear
their voices so I left the screened-in enclosure and plopped myself in the
hammock under the Queen Palm trees.  I must have fallen asleep because one
minute it was sunny and the next the sun was setting.  I heard a click drag,
click drag, which warned me of the approach of Michael on crutches.

"What
time is it?" I said, trying to right myself.  I tend to fall out of
hammocks, something I didn't want to do in front of Michael.

"Eight.
 Betty and Harry are whipping up a feast and want to know if you’re going to
join us,” he said looking down at me with concern.

"Is
everyone still here?"

"Mostly. 
I think we are two priests minus a full deck.  Father David and Thomas have
called it a night.  You want to talk about it?"

"Talk
about what?"

"Your
absence in there."

"I
can't do it anymore, especially after today.  Dragging Dave out of the truck
reminded me of all the death that seems to hang around me."

"But
Dave's alive and well."

"Dwayne
isn't."

"That's
not your fault."

"Isn't
it?  Come on, we get close to these guys and they kill and run.  Who's next,
Harry, Betty, you?" I said with my eyes tearing up.  "We’re dealing
with evil here.  They don't think rationally.  There’s no pattern, no limits to
what they can do.  I don't have enough faith to go against these demons."

"They're
human, not demons.  They have agendas, and they can be stopped."

"You
have to kill them to stop them.  Death is a regular visitor when I'm around:
Sherborn, Ivana, Maurice and now Dwayne."

"So,
you're bowing out."

"Retiring.
 I’ll play innkeeper until Dave gets his life together and you can meet here,
but I’m hanging up my knives.  Oh, and you can have this back."  I pulled
out the wand/knife necklace.  "I've realized that knives cut both
ways."

He looked
sad.  "Is this because of what I asked you yesterday?"

"Was
it just yesterday?  It seems ages ago.  No, Michael, it isn't that, but I’m
treading water at the edge of a whirlpool.  I need to get out of the water
before I’m lost forever.  I enjoyed sticking those little knives in Sherborn.  I
can feel the evil in me when I go commando.  It isn't who I want to be.  It
isn't who I am."

"I
guess I can understand this.  I'll talk to the folks and get them off your
back."

I started
to laugh.  "Folks?  You just called that dangerous little army in there
folks.”  I started laughing which didn’t do much to stabilize the hammock. 
“Help me out of this thing."

I grabbed
his offered arm and successfully extracted myself from the hammock without
toppling both of us over.  We walked back in together.