Penance

The new system added 3D laser radar to the mix – actually picked up the flight of the bullet, traced it back to the point of origin. With these puppies, as soon as Fisher took his shot, Weaver’s boys could put enough firepower on target to puree the son of a bitch. Scoop up Fisher, drop the black guy’s corpse in his place. The only problem was the units were new, prototypes on their way to Afghanistan for field-testing. He only had two to play with, so he had to make sure he had them in the right locations.

That solved one problem. The other problem was this. They were out of time. This thing had to go down tomorrow. Suppose this Ma

He flipped open the dossier from Langley, one of their few female paramilitary types, some hard-ass named Pat Brown. Ma

So he’d have a team grab Ma

Everything was falling into place. Even God was on his side. Weather was turning. Temperatures in the low forties tomorrow, pretty good wind coming in off the lake. So he could stuff Brown in one of Ma

If it didn’t? Well, it’s not like Brown would be coming back at him over it.

CHAPTER 58 – CHICAGO

Lynch left the house to pick up some pizza, flicked on the radio to WBBM to get the news just as a reporter started recapping a church sniper taskforce news conference.

“A taskforce spokesperson revealed today that an arrest is imminent in the Confessional Killings. Members of the taskforce have developed evidence linking the shootings of Helen Marslovak and Thomas Riordan to the police shootings of four black activists in 1971. The activists were part of a group called the AMN Commando, an offshoot of the Chicago Black Panthers that was formed after Black Panther leader Fred Hampton was killed in a police raid. Marslovak and Riordan are both related to persons tied to that raid. The taskforce believes that the current shootings are in revenge for the raid and is close to naming a suspect.”

They were teeing someone up to take the fall, which must mean they were ready to make their move. It was all going down tomorrow.

Lynch’s cell phone rang. Caller ID said Starshak.

“Hey, Captain.”

“Lynch, you heard from Cu

“Not since the wake.”

“Something stinks. Couple of feebs from the taskforce were just in my office, had some OPS puke with them. They tell me they need to talk to him. They tell me he’s gone missing. And when I start asking questions, they pretty much tell me to go fuck myself. Then I hear this news conference crap. I think they’re looking to pin the church shootings on him.”

“You call his place?”

“Yeah. Answering machine.”

“Check with his CO?”

“He didn’t show today. OPS has been over there too, talking to everybody.”

“He got any family?”

“Ex-wife. Called her. She’s freaked. Feds have been to her place with a warrant, tossed it pretty good.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Hearing some other shit too, Lynch. Shit about Johnson and questions she shouldn’t know enough to be asking. You keeping your nose out of this? It’s getting ugly.”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want an answer to, Captain.” Lynch paused a moment. He’d been pulling at this thing ever since he teamed up with Ferguson, looking for a way to end it that didn’t wind up with another batch of body bags. Whatever that was going to be, he was going to need help he could trust.

“But Cap, keep your phone on, OK?”

Back at his mother’s house, Lynch updated Ferguson and Chen on the call from Starshak.

“Admirable,” said Chen.

“I was thinking evil,” Lynch said.

“I do not concern myself with ethical distinctions. I was commenting on the plan. Clearly, they also have identified Ma

“So Cu

“Not yet,” said Ferguson. “Too hard to disguise a time of death these days, and they’ll want all the forensics to match up. Short-acting sedatives, stuff that passes out of the bloodstream quick. They’ll take Cu

“But what about the press? They’re already on this,” said Lynch.

“Contradictory evidence is already being planted, I assure you,” said Chen. “I assume you are being painted as a patsy. The story will be that Cu

“And you know all this how?”

“It’s what I would do.”

Lynch looked at Chen. No expression.

“You saying we’re screwed?” Lynch asked.

“Not if we screw them first,” Ferguson said.

CHAPTER 59 – CHICAGO

Weaver stood at the end of the table, leaning on his hands, staring down at the big aerial photo of St Mary’s and environs. Damn, he missed Fergie. Weaver’d never been a long-gun guy, didn’t know the sniper mindset. Fergie would look at this mess and see something. Also he wished he knew where the bastard was. Fergie and Chen on the loose, maybe on the other team, that was not a problem he needed. No time for that now, though. Things worked out tomorrow, then he’d run their asses down.

“You got anything, Uri?”

“When I take a long shot, it’s usually across a lot of sand. Give me a target in a city, and I’ll take an alley and a knife every time. But a few things. He likes to stretch it out, right? Every time so far, he’s been a lot farther from the target than he had to be. And every time, he’s hit them as soon as they are out of the building?”