Chapter 48

At damiens shooting range A sheriff deputy was posted at the enterance when Brian rolled up, plotting how to talk his way in with phil's badge. He was surprised when the deputy said" Brian Fuller?"

"Yea." Brian said showing his driver's license.

"Speial agent Dean called said to clear you and let you through."

Thank you  Dean.

They drove a hundred yards into the woods before Damiens store came into view. A grey sedan with federal plates and two sheriff department vehicals were parked in front.beside a rusty Honda civic.

Brian took a deep breath tension balling in his right hand into a fist. Brandon had been there, He could feel it. No way did Damien Hammond disapear by coincidence.

He and Phil stepped into the store.

"No No No!" A woman wailed somewhere in the back. "You can't do this. Let me go!!!"

Brian started back. but a man said."It is ok there is a sheriff back there." He came out behind the gun case a black man wearing glasses. "Chris write." He said. offering a hand. from the police department.

They made introduction while the yowls from the back room intinsified."What is going on?" Brian asked.

"Damien's wife sherrife parker is talking to her."

The back room smelled like body odor and gun oil. And a bulky man who must have Parker stood off to the side. Two deputies held a three hundred pound woman by the arms.She was wearing a cotton dress her armpits a couple of weeks withought a shave.and her hair styled by a twelve hour sleep.her eyes looked at Brian.

"Did you find him? where is he? Can I see him now.?" And as a after thought "who are you?"

"Mrs hammond." Phil said and Brian stepped letting Phil handle her.

Brian introduced his self to the sheriffs and whispered."We need to get her out of here this could be a crime scene."

"That is why the boys are holding on to her." Parker said. "When she came in she was running around like crazy."

"What does she think happened?" I s she afraid Brandon James got him?"

"Damien would be lucky if that is what happened."

"What?"

"That woman came in here with a .36 looking to blow Damien's brains out."

Phil got a scary story from Damien's wife. Damien was last seen the day before yesterday. wearing aftershave, and a clean shirt, which she said only proved that he was going to see some bimbo whos legs don't close. Brian listened for five mins. then walked over to sheriff Parker.

"Some sac from Quantico called." Parker said snorting." Said don't touch anything cause he was sending a team to dust the place. Like we wouldn't have done that, Maybe."

Brian made an apoligetic guesture, He understood the game."Got a lot of crime scenes for this case. Some were messed up pretty good before the SAC could get anyone in. He is a little nervous."

"Yea." Parker said and his gaze dropped to Brian's scar. Thinking which team he played on, no doubt the bureaucats or the real crime fighters.

"Drug dealer about nine years ago." Brian said running his finger over it." his aim was just about bad enough to skim off my cheek instead of take my head off."

"Lucky," he said and the dog sniffing was over."Come on I will take you around, Out here.. Damien has his own inventory..."

The store was well kept, the she showcases all windexed and the cabinets neat.There was a bathroom, a sparten office, and a storage room that housed extra guns and ammo old boxes of office records, a retired HPV computer and a office desk with two broken casters.

"What used to sit there? Brian asked noting a corner where where dust marked off a retangle of clean floor.

"Don't know you could ask Tyler, the guy who works here with Damien. I sent a deputy to bring him in, he might know which bimbo Damien was screwing."

They went outside and walked the perimiter of the building, looking for foot prints or tire tracks. "Lotta rain the last couple of days."White said.

"Looks like a few tracks here from yesterday or today," Brian said pointing to a muddy edge of the drive where sveral vehicals pulled in."Can you get cast made?"

Parker bobbed his head up and down. One of the team now."Sure thing."

"So." Brian said his hand riding to his hip as he scanned the rest of the land." with Damien gone no one shot here lately?"

"Well yeah, I think Tyler had things open yesterday. He usually works on Fridays."

Brian eyed the Buzzards." What happens to the prey?"

"Huh?"

"People come here to shoot animals, right? what happens to them.?"

"Oh Damien has a strict policy about that. You kill it you take it. No carcasses left behind"

Brian listened but his mind hiked ahead. He started diagnoally across the shooting range.

"What's up?" the sheriff asked

"Buzzards."

"Buzzards?" Parker looked up." Oh well there always around. There is always a asshole who leaves a gut around."

"By the targets?"

A little hesitation."Well no I think Damien puts up new targets every couple of weeks or so, that would be a bad place for a gut dump."

That is what Brian was thinking.

Parker stopped." You don't think----He didn't finish instead picked up the pace with Brian's .

They walked across the firing range toward red and whit targets strung up.

Brian looked up to the sky. The buzzards were right over head Higher now, but not scattering. About ten yards closer. The stench hit him. He opened his mouth careful not to breath through his nose.

"Son of a bitch." Parker said and pulled his jacket over his nose." Son of a bitch."

Brian came to the edge of the targets and put up a hand to stay put. Damien was a friend of his.Brian stepped around the haystacks  cursed and closed his eyes.

He went back to Parker."Found him."

Forensic took over. Damien had been shot three times at close range with what looked like a .22, and numerouse additional times.-postmortem.---by rifals..Any info. beyond that would be hours coming to light as they took apartthe crime scene inch by inch t a time. Brian hung around for the first hour flexing his hand and bouncing on his feet, then phoned Dean.

"Can you clear me to get into Branon's house?"

Dean sounded tired."Sure but we already been through it.. It looked like no one has been ther for years."

"Did you guys tear it apart?"

"No we were careful to leave things alone incase he came back. There is a onsite guy still there keeping an eye out."

"I would like to take Phil and have a look."

"Go."