Jackery wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. “What?” he stammered. “How?”
“Bow your head,” she said.
He did, staring at the asphalt. Another pair of feet walked into his field of view, and he glanced up to find someone totally unexpected had joined them.
“Marcy,” he said. “Go get help! Anyone you can find. Promise them anything if they’ll get me out of this!”
“Keep your voice down,” said Barb. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“Marcy?”
“I know who you are now, Peter,” said Marcy. “What kind of man you really are. You have to be stopped.”
“You can’t let them kill me.”
“That’s up to you,” said Barb.
“What? How?”
Barb extended her hand. It held a small, funny-looking phone.
“I have some women who are ready to make you an offer to save your life.”
“I’m listening.”
“Hello, Peter,” said one female voice after the other.
It took him a couple of voices before he recognized his former assistants. For the first time in his adult life, he was struck dumb. The arrival of one surreal event after another so overwhelmed him all he could do was stare, open-mouthed.
“Your former assistants have pooled their knowledge of your financial affairs, which is extensive. You should have been more careful who you trusted with your logins and passwords. They’ve managed to drain your work and investment accounts. The one account they couldn’t touch was your big Swiss account, the one holding just over $5 billion.”
“To transfer the money out,” added Marcy, “we’ll need your passcode.”
“What are you talking about?” Jackery was finally able to speak.
“After we transfer the money to Save the Children, your life will be spared,” said Barb. “I have a black helicopter standing by. On my signal, it will appear, and your militia allies will scatter like roaches in the light. I can send for it now or five minutes from now. The choice is yours.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“We’ve left you your mansion and fifty million in savings. You’ll still be a wealthy man. You’ll simply no longer have the power to wreak indiscriminate havoc.”
“Are you finished yet?” said the judge loudly.
“Almost,” said Barb. “He’s accepting the Lord as his savior.” She lowered her voice. “Decide now.”
“You don’t have the guts to let somebody die,” said Jackery
“You mean, like you were ready to do.”
“That’s different.”
“You mean because I’m a woman.”
“You said it. Not me.”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you think I’m too weak to do what I have to.”
He glanced at her face and then away. “You won’t do it,” he said, this time with less confidence.
Barb knelt and put her hand on his cheek, turning his face to hers. “This is your chance at a new life,” she said, gently. “You can finally stop chasing your father’s ghost and take the time to learn who you are.”
“Please, sir,” said Marcy from behind Barb. “Listen to her and save your life.”
For a moment, he looked like he might actually give them the passcode, then a look of deep despair came over his face.
“I can’t be a nobody,” he whispered. “I’d rather die.”
“Is that your final answer?” said Barb.
“Fuck you, cunt,” he hissed.
“Amen,” said Barb, loudly enough for the judge to hear.
She and Marcy stepped away from Jackery.
“Ready!” said the judge.
The five members of the firing squad lifted their rifles. Jackery stared back-and-forth between them and Barb.
“I’ll give you five million,” he said to her. “Ten million.”
She didn’t respond.
“Aim!” said the judge.
The men sighted down their rifles. Jackery turned his attention to them.
“I’ll give you each five million,” he said. “Ten! Twenty!”
“Fire!”
Barb watched as the bullets struck Jackery’s torso. It wasn’t like in the movies. He didn’t jerk or twitch at the impact. Small spots blossomed on his chest, and his face went slack. He slumped against the post. At first, the friction of his arms against the wood kept him upright, but he began to slip, crumpling slowly into a pile of twisted limbs, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
The parking lot was silent. Militia and townspeople alike stood frozen, as if marking a sacred event. The silence held until Marcy let out a loud sob, and the spell was broken. Barb reached an arm around the girl as the crowd came to life, everyone moving away, the militiamen preparing to evacuate the area and the townspeople trying to arrange transportation to their properties.
A figure stood unmoving in the midst of the crowd. Barb looked over. Julian looked back at her, his stern face an accusation. Without taking her arm from the gently sobbing Marcy, Barb used her other hand to retrieve her phone and initiate a call.
“Ready,” she said, and hung up.
#
A few minutes later, the thwap of helicopter blades sounded in the distance. The reaction of the militias was instantaneous. They sprang to life and ran for their vehicles, their arms pumping and guts jiggling. There were collisions and near collisions and panic reigned supreme.
In the middle of the stampede, Tyler, of all people, almost ran into Barb.
“Did your brother say anything about me?” he said, clutching for her arm.
“Not yet,” she said, wincing at the childlike look on his face.
“What the fuck are you doing?” said Snake, yanking him away as the exodus continued.
In a matter of minutes, the parking lot emptied of weekend warriors, leaving only clumps of dazed townspeople, gawking at the exodus.
A black helicopter came into view, heading for the center of the lot. The townspeople stepped back to clear the area, making room for it to land. It descended smoothly and settled to the ground, its engine cutting out and blades coasting to a stop.
Barb gave Marcy a quick hug and headed for the helicopter. She reached it just as the pilot climbed out. Tall and trim, his relaxed confidence and military bearing made him everything the fleeing militia members pretended to be. His gray crewcut and crisp khakis gave him the look of a general arriving to review the troops.
“Lewis,” said Barb.
“Hey, pretty lady,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Never better.”
He reached into the helicopter and came out with a black body bag. “Lead the way,” he said.
She led him to the post and Jackery’s crumpled body. He set down the body bag and examined the cuffs holding Jackery’s arms around the back of the post.
“Do you have a cuff key on you?” said Lewis.
Barb searched the stragglers. Her eyes landed on Toby, standing awkwardly alone. She waved to get his attention and gestured him over.
“Would you be so kind as to unlock these cuffs?” she said.
He blanched, clearly distressed at the thought of touching the body. Barb held out her hand. Gratefully, he fished out his key and handed it to her. She unlocked the cuffs. Lewis loaded and zipped Jackery’s remains into the body bag with practiced efficiency. He lifted it across one shoulder and carried it to the copter.
Barb glanced in the direction she’d last seen Julian. He was still there, watching her impassively. She walked over to him.
“There’s room on the copter if you want,” she said.
“No, thank you.” He shook his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys.
“I can arrange to have your car driven back.”
“Still no thank you.”
“I’ll have the RV’s tires replaced and then have it delivered to your office.”
He nodded, and before she could say anything more personal, he turned and walked off.
So that’s how it is.
She didn’t know whether he was more upset at her for causing Jackery’s death or for beating him in court. She doubted he himself knew. She’d miss the easy intimacy they’d shared, but she had no regrets over what she’d done and would do it all exactly the same, if given the chance.
She put him out of her mind and went to look for Danita. She found the girl standing with her parents.
“There’s room on the copter for you,” she said. “Or you can stay in town as long as you like.”
“My car’s here,” said Danita.
“Leave it here and we’ll buy you a new one. Call it a bonus for a job well done.”
“What do we do now?” spoke up Danita’s father. “We don’t have a sheriff anymore.”
“Call a town meeting and select an acting sheriff until you can hold elections. I suggest you strongly consider throwing your hat into the ring. Dixon County could do a lot worse.”
Leaving Danita to say her goodbyes, Barb sought out Maria Sanchez.
“Is it really over?” said Maria.
“It’s really over.”
“I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you.”
“Have a good life,” said Barb. “Look after your husband and cherish each day.”
“I can do that.”
#
Half an hour later, the black helicopter took off with Barb, Danita, and Marcy on board, as well as Marmalade in a carrier on Barb’s lap and the full body bag resting in the cargo hold behind the seats. After he finished ferrying them to civilization, Barb knew she could count on Lewis to dispose of the body in a way that wouldn’t come back on them. She was grateful for the service and happy to remain ignorant of his methods.
The flight was quiet with everyone lost in their thoughts. Barb took the opportunity to observe the two young women onboard with her. She could see that Marcy was shellshocked and emotionally lost. She supposed she’d need to watch over her, at least for a while, until the girl could get back on her feet. Just another little lamb lost. The world never seemed to tire of producing them.
Danita, while not as dazed as Marcy, seemed emotionally exhausted by the whiplash of the last few days. It was certainly understandable, and Barb wondered why she herself wasn’t more affected by everything that had taken place. If anything, she felt exhilarated at the successful conclusion of what had been a truly epic battle with a worthy opponent. That she was riding with his corpse probably ought to have caused her more distress, but it didn’t—any more than Jackery had seemed to suffer distress at the prospect of causing Westford’s murder. Did that make the two of them the same? She supposed in some ways it did. They were both motivated by the exercise of will in the face of obstacles. The sole difference lay in the purposes to which they harnessed that will. Jackery had chosen the road of personal aggrandizement and accumulation of power while she’d chosen to apply herself to acts of service.
Would that be enough to exonerate her on a mythical Judgement Day? She decided that the question was silly. She’d long ago ceased believing in a just and fair universe, and any Maker would have more to answer for than the worst of His creations. The only justice to be had was the imperfect product of people like herself doing the best they could to balance out the amorality of existence.
#
When they landed, Barb called an Uber Black for Marcy and promised to be in touch. That left Danita and Barb to take a hired town car into the city. They hit a traffic jam a couple of blocks away from their building, one of those unexpected blockages that sprang up out of nowhere like arterial occlusions. When they hadn’t moved at all for ten minutes, Barb suggested they get out and walk. Danita was game, so they left the conditioned air behind and stepped out into the night. The city air was warm, and the people they passed were relaxed and half giddy in the way only a warm summer night on the town could inspire.
“It’s nice to be back,” said Barb. “Nothing against your people, but if I had to live in Dixon County, I do believe I’d go nuts.”
“Why do you think I left?” said Danita.
“So, how are you feeling after your first project?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry Peter Jackery won’t be hurting any more innocent people, but—”
“You’re uncomfortable with the method employed.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Use a euphemism. We didn’t employ a method. We stood by and let a man be murdered.”
“Just as he was willing to stand by and let the sheriff be murdered.”
“That’s on his conscience.”
“Does it make any difference that we gave Jackery a chance to live?”
“Just like Dave.”
“In both cases, I needed to remove their power to do harm. I can’t help that these men couldn’t imagine their life without that power. Show me another way to protect their victims, and I’ll be glad to try it. For now, this is the best I could do.”
They walked the remaining blocks to the high-rise in silence.
Fernando held the door for them, greeting them by name. “Oh, and Ms. Danita,” he said. “Your friend is waiting upstairs for you.”
A few steps to the elevator and they were on their way up.
“What friend could he be talking about?” said Barb.
“I have no idea.”
It took a little over a minute for the elevator to travel to Danita’s floor. It stopped with a gentle thump, and the doors slid open. They revealed a crazed figure standing a few steps back from the elevator, pointing a pistol in their direction. He was a man somewhere in his thirties with a somewhat athletic build going to fat. His eyes were wild, and he seemed unsteady on his feet. He looked like he’d been drinking all day and working himself into a state. When he saw Danita, his eyes widened in recognition, and the gun swung in her direction.
“There you are,” slurred the man. “You heartless bitch.”
To Danita’s credit, she didn’t panic. “Hi, Joey,” she said.
“You got my partner killed,” he said. “Now I’m going to kill you.”