Chapter 77

"Freeze!" Brian said.

He straight armed the .22. A glock 380 pointed back at him, a fractured, feminine voice just behind it.

"Stay b-back."

Brian blinked. It was a woman, for Christ sake, sounding weak and terrified, the gun trembling in her hands, Brian's .22 stared back at her, both guns ready to fire from only twenty feet apart. "I am not going to hurt you sweetie, put the gun down."

"Stay back," she said again. She was young, mid twenties, her left cheek was gashed, and ugly mound of purple flesh and crusted blood swelling up around it. A doll sat on her lap. "I'll sh-shoot you." she stammered."Stay back.'

"Listen to me." Brian said. Get her to trust him, keep her calm. Stupid thought, given that she and her daughter had been hostages of a madman all afternoon and Brian had a pistol, even a small one aimed between her eyes. "I am here to help you. I talked to you earlier on the phone."

The woman shook her head. Convulsive little movements that told Brian she was on a narrow edge of hysteria.

Lower the gun and I will take you home."

"H-he has my d-daughter. He has Michelle." Tears poured over her cheeks. "I h-have to kill you."

What? "Listen to m__"

"Stop. Listen to me." Calm was almost impossible. Brandon had set the woman up as Brian's assassin. That bastard. "You don't have to kill me. Brandon James won't know, and I will help you get your daughter back, I promi__"

"H-he will know. He said he would kill her." She was crying but kept the gun pointed at Brian. "I have to kill you. He needs to see it on TV, and then he will let Michelle go."

"He is lying, he is just using you. I can get your little girl back." His mind raced a speed of light assessment, thirty law enforcement officers with high powered artillery, a wide open field, asshole photographers all waiting for a story. An idea wiggled in his brain and he lowered his gun spreading his hands in surrender. "Listen to me." He said to the woman, hoping she was sane enough to hear him. "Don't shoot me but listen..."

Sarra kicked the covers off the bed. She couldn't sleep, though she knew Eddie thought she was out. She couldn't even dose successfully. She couldn't do anything but lie there and wonder where Brian was, what he was doing. Where Brandon was.

She got up. Padded bare foot to the window and looked outside. To her left she had a view of Abby and Evan, a couple of FBI agents standing in the field. A Dora shaped kite tumbled through the air, out of control. Sarra smiled. They weren't having much luck with the kite, but Abby was having fun. That seemed more important than anything right now.

She started toward the door but stopped as she laid her hand on the knob. The television was on. The voice of the broad caster was urgent, relaying some sort of breaking news. "FBI...Under the oaks park...The Brandon James hunt...." Sarra craned her ears. "A G.I. Joe, reportedly damaged by a bullet to the chest....

She stepped back, stricken. G.I. Joe doll? Damn Brian for not telling her. For telling her to go take a nap, play with Abby, and just leave everything up to him.

She tip toed back to the bed, switched on the six inch black and white tv that sat on a night stand. She turned the sound all the way down so Eddie wouldn't hear, then fiddled with the channels until she saw something that looked like news. She only had to pass one station, everyone was starting to report it. She stopped at channel 3 and turned up the sound just enough to hear.

"....At Under the Oaks park where suspect serial killer Brandon James is allegedly holding a mother and daughter hos___What's that?" The anchor woman paused, listening to something in her earpiece, then continued her report.

"We are now learning that someone is going to meet with Brandon James."

Sarra nudged the volume up a notch.

"We have Chelsea hash at Under the Oaks park. Chelsea can you tell us what is going on?"

A woman's voice came on, the owner of the voice pictured on the lower left side of the screen. "Well Amanda, all we know is that Jamie a freelance photographer, earlier scuffled with the FBI about shooting the footage here at the park but somehow managed to get in position to film. I remind viewers that this is life footage.....

Sarra held her breath. Brian, his shirt was hanging open, walked across the grass. What the hell is he doing?

"Channel 3 news has learned that the man allegedly going to confront James is 30 year old Brian Fuller, and is apparently operating without consent of the FBI.

Sarra watched in horror. Confronting Brandon? Without the FBI behind him? Damn him, damn him, damn him.

"....And we wouldn't be seeing any of this if the FBI had its way. As you can see from tape shot earlier......"

The little square in the corner of the screen showed video of a reporter being pushed back from the scene, FBI confiscating his cameras and shouting and shoving. The words taped earlier appeared at the bottom of the screen where the words live on the top still showing live footage, as Brian continued to walk to slowly down a path.

Sarra rubbed her palms over her eyes and watched trying to focus. Brian was walking in the shadow valley. hands empty shirt open, walking without casual grace his stride usually sported. Steady but tense stiff.

Until something mad him slow his steps. He hesitated, moved to the right, then pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed it into the culvert.

The camera zoomed in, and Sarra's heart stopped. Another gun pointed at him.

Sarra couldn't breath. Brian stood poised to shoot or be shot. Brian seemed to say something to the person holding the gun, it was a woman. then his body went tight and sarra wanted to scream. Get away get away!

Yet even as she thought it he lowered his gun and spread out his hands. Sarra watched in horror, praying for the other gun to come down as well, but it didn't . It flashed and Brian dropped to the ground.