Chapter 3
It was Alex who finally spoke. "Is that how you really
deal with it? Write stories about it? I should think that would
only make it worse."
"No," Francine answered, "Fictionalizing it makes
it seem less real, makes it easier. I have to provide twenty t.v.
scripts a season. I don't find it difficult at all. My husband's
files are so full it's just unbelievable. I've sat by that man's
hospital bed four times wondering if he was going to live or die.
The second time I told him I wasn't going to do it any more
unless I had a reason to stay. We were married three months
later. The children live on the Apache reservation. We have a
very nice house there. It's the only way I can survive. Don't you
throw yourself into your work when your husband's out
there?"
Alex stared at her companion for several seconds, then nodded.
"We've got a lot in common, lady," she remarked,
"An awful lot in common! We'd better get rolling. The men
might not be too happy if we haven't got their operations center
set up. Do you ever have any regrets?"
"Only one," Francine answered. "I just wish
sometimes my husband could have a little bit more compassion for
those he deals with, just a little bit more understand that
they're human beings, they've got mothers and fathers, sisters
and brothers who had hopes and dreams for them."
Alex nodded again. "Most definitely!" she repeated.
"We've got an awful lot in common!"
The two women gathered their things and hurried off. Alex was
surprised when Francine picked up a weapon at the desk. Francine
looked at her curiously. "You don't go armed?" she
asked. Alex shook her head. Her companion only nodded and they
hurried off.
On the street the two Walkers were making their way across town.
"I'm going to feel like I'm talking to myself," Cordell
put in "if I call you Walker. Mind if I use William?"
"Not at all, Cordell!" his companion answered. "I
heard you're into the martial arts." "Know a
little," Cordell answered. "You a practitioner?"
"A little!" his companion answered. "Pull
over!" he suddenly cried, "Pull over!"
Cordell instantly obeyed. "What?" he asked.
"Smash and grab in the jewelry store we just passed. Five
inside, one in the car. Get back up!"
Cordell quickly called in on the radio as he pulled over in the
first available place he could find. His companion was out of the
truck and running back up the street almost before it stopped,
changing the clip in his pistol as he ran.
Cordell was hard pressed to overtake him but he did so as they
neared the jewelry store. The man in the waiting car, seeing them
coming, produced an automatic pistol and pointed it towards him.
This was a mistake! Marshal Walker's pistol came up, fired, there
was a bright red streak that hit the windshield, kept on going
and ended up between the man's eyes. He jerked backwards in the
seat, and smoke, fluid began to bubble from the hole in his head.
The five men burst from the store. Two raised their weapons
toward the marshal . Twice more his pistol fired, the red streaks
hit the men, went clean through them, lifting them off the
ground. They twisted through the air and came down on the
pavement with loud thuds. The rest of the men threw away their
weapons, threw themselves on the sidewalk, and began screaming
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! In the name of God don't
shoot!"
The marshal edged around them, kicked their weapons away, then
nodded to Cordell who came in and began handcuffing the
survivors.
"Jesus Christ!" one of the men screamed, "We were
wearing body armor! What in the hell was that man firing, some
kind of laser?"
Cordell looked at his companion when the prisoners were secure.
"I'm disappearing," the marshal announced. "Make a
left turn, go two blocks, make a right turn. I'll meet you on the
third corner." Cordell nodded. The marshal holstered his
weapon and casually walked off down the street.
A few minutes later squad cars arrived and took over the
prisoners.
"Where's the other officer?" a sergeant asked.
"Federal agent," Cordell explained, "working under
cover. A full report will be made when the operation he's on is
completed. So tell internal affairs to file this one for a
while."
"They're not gonna like it!" the officer moaned.
"Like it or not," Cordell answered, "this
officer's cover will not be blown! All necessary reports will be
made at the proper time."
The officer nodded. A woman came up. "I saw this whole
thing!" she screamed. "They never gave those poor men a
chance, never warned them, just shot them. They never had a
chance to surrender. This was police brutality at its
worst!"
A uniformed officer looked at her somewhat disgusted. "They
were armed with automatic weapons, ma'am," he snapped,
"and pointed them towards the officers. The officers had
every right to defend themselves. They're not going to wait for
them to open fire."
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