The Guilty - Jason Pinter [40]
with a centerfire, a gunman could use more than one cartridge
at a time."
"Or gunwoman," Amanda added. "Hey, I know about
Annie Oakley."
Agnes continued. "The older model Winchesters used a
rimfire, which fired at a lower velocity and smaller caliber
since the firing mechanism would often be damaged when
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using higher power ammunition. The steel frame made it the
first rifle which could be used in just about any weather condition. It truly was an all-purpose killing machine."
I said, "Athena Paradis and Joe Mauser were killed by
.44-40 magnum rounds. I'm willing to bet Jeffrey Lourdes
was the same. My friend on the force told me the .44-40
rounds are pretty uncommon calibers to be used in an urban
setting."
"They are, mainly because they're impractical as hell,"
Agnes said. "But in the 1880s, you didn't have Uzis. A good
rifle, accurate, powerful and easily reloaded, could win a war,
wreak havoc everywhere, or keep the law."
"So basically this was a bad-ass rifle of the first degree."
"I believe that's how pretty much any historian would put
it."
I sat back and tried to digest all of this. According to all
the facts we had so far, a young man could be running around
New York with a rifle made famous in the nineteenth century.
A rifle that would be described as a "killing machine." So far
he had targeted three people who had seemingly no connection to each other aside from their propensity for front-page
coverage. Popular gun, popular targets. I knew there was
more to this story. That there was a very specific reason, if
this was the right gun, that this monster was using it.
Agnes continued, confirming my thoughts. "Nobody
would be using this weapon today without a purpose."
"I know that," I said. "But we don't know what that purpose is. Where could someone find this gun?" I asked.
"Oh, hell, I don't know. Someone who wants it bad, that's
for sure."
"Look, Agnes," I said. "Three people are dead. Who knows
how many more are targeted, or if the cops can catch this guy
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before he crosses anyone else off his list? Right now all I want
to do is find out if this is the gun being used, and if so, why.
I know in my heart if I can answer that question, we'll find
out who this man is."
Agnes looked at me, looked at Amanda.
"You love her?" she asked.
Amanda's mouth opened. The question knocked me a bit,
but I looked her in the eye and said, "Yes I do." I felt Amanda's
hand on mine.
"Then promise this girl right here that if you feel yourself
getting too close, you'll back off. The kind of man who would
go out of his way to use a weapon with such a bloody history
won't think twice about collateral damage. Reporters are no
good dead."
"I know that," I said.
"Museums," she said. "Museums with Old West exhibitions. Collectors, but antique and current. Start your search
with everything below the Mason-Dixon line. Anyone who
goes out of their way to possess a working Winchester 1873
knows its history well. And appreciates it."
"This killer surely does both," I said. "Hey, would you
mind if I make a copy of this?"
"Not at all, Xerox machine is down the hall, second left,
next to the Wet Paint sign."
I gently took the book, brought it to the machine, laid it
flat and made three copies of the page featuring the Winchester. I put the copies in my backpack, then brought the book
back to Agnes.
"Thanks," I said.
"Don't mention it. Now, what you do know," she said, "is
that someone is looking to make a statement. The Winchester 1873 wasn't just any gun. This was the gun that won the
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West, back when our country was going through its bloodiest and most dangerous time."
"And now somebody's brought that gun back east," Agnes
continued. "And you better pray to God they're not looking
for this gun to do what it does best, and pick up where it left
off. Because these dead people? They'll just be the beginning."
19
She shivered in the morning air. She wore a tan polo shirt
and skirt, the wind whipping