Known Dead_ A Novel - Donald Harstad [57]
‘‘Hi.’’ I gestured toward Lamar. ‘‘Gunshot, both legs, pretty bad. Shocky, he’s been out here for a while. The guy who did it is in that shed there. If he starts to shoot, just get out of here.’’
‘‘You got that right,’’ said the hardware man. They immediately began doing their EMT things, but keeping as low as they could. ‘‘Who bandaged his legs?’’ asked the electrician, looking at me accusingly.
‘‘He did.’’
‘‘Oh.’’
It began to rain harder.
The two ambulance people motioned, and two more EMTs came forward with a stretcher. It was becoming difficult to see the police line clearly, through the rain, and through the water running off my balding head. My coat didn’t have a hood, and I’d forgotten my hat.
‘‘I’ve got a dead officer over there,’’ I said, pointing. ‘‘I’m going over to him as soon as we get Lamar out. One of you want to come too?’’
‘‘I will.’’ She was one of the EMTs with the stretcher, and was a bank clerk. I knew her too. She looked like she was squatting down in a shower, with the rain running down her face. Or the sweat. It was ungodly hot under the raincoats.
‘‘Okay.’’
I put my hand on the lead EMT. ‘‘Look, as soon as you leave with him, I’m going to stand up and talk to one of the people in the buildings. I’m gonna tell him what I’m gonna do, and then I’m gonna do it. I’ll wait till you’re back under cover at the ambulance before I do it. But if I motion you back, we can pick up the dead officer, too. Okay?’’
‘‘Got it.’’
That’s what I did. As soon as I saw the three of them back at the ambulance, I stood up, and bent to tap the one left with me. We had remained in full view of the shed all the time, so there wasn’t any doubt who we were. ‘‘Here goes. Wait for my signal.’’ I hoped that the people back at the ambulance area could see us clearly.
I straightened up, and walked slowly toward the shed.
‘‘Stop right there, Carl.’’
It was old man Stritch himself in the shed. I could recognize his voice, especially when he said my name. He always had pronounced it like there was a u after the r. Good to know. He would pay, sooner or later.
‘‘I’ve got a dead officer over there, Herman. We’re going to remove him too.’’
‘‘Only if I say so.’’
‘‘I ever lie to you, Herman?’’
He thought. ‘‘No.’’
‘‘Then believe me now. We’re going to get him now, and if we don’t, there won’t be a living person on this farm in ten minutes. We don’t want that, but we’ll do it. And you know we can.’’
He thought again. I was right, at least about our being able to do it. Right at that moment anyway. As it turned out, it would be the last time for quite a while.
‘‘Go ahead.’’
‘‘The offer still stands, if you’ve got anybody hurt. We’ll get medical treatment for ’em. No strings.’’
‘‘We’re fine.’’
Shit.
I heard a beep, and I thought I heard him say, ‘‘Hello.’’ Phone in the shed. Neat. Lots of farmers had them in the barn, or the milk house. Why not a shed? It had just never occurred to me.
I turned and motioned to my EMT. She came directly to me, and together we went to Bud’s body.
He was crumpled up, but it looked like he’d been hit several times, at least once in the head. His handgun was still in its holster, the retaining strap still snapped. We bundled him up as best we could, and as I turned to signal the ambulance, it began to leave. I learned later that Lamar was beginning to ‘‘sour’’ on the EMTs; a term they use when they think they’re going to lose a patient. It only threw me for a second. Hell. Bud wasn’t going to need any treatment. I walked slowly back to the shed.
‘‘Herman!’’
‘‘What?’’
‘‘Herman, we’re going to have a couple of officers come in and help get Bud out. The EMTs have left in the ambulance, and we want Bud out now. Don’t shoot.’’
He didn’t say anything. I took that for assent. I was getting a little shocky myself, by this time, as