Chapter 65
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
T wo hours later, Cas lay cold and damp behind tall grass in a hide usually used by duck hunters about 800 yards away from the rustic cabin that had been in Scanlon’s late mother’s family for the past seventy years. Cas was dressed for the part in woodland camouflage jacket and brown pants one of the wildlife agents had lent him. They’d decided to hide in plain sight to the point they’d even brought a 12-gauge shotgun that they’d fired a couple of times, careful not to actually hit anything because they couldn’t collect any game they brought down.
His olive drab GA Precision FBI HRT .308 sniper rifle fitted with a Leupold scope was probably a little beyond what a typical duck hunter might use. Sebastian Black lay beside him with his rifle, currently on the spotter’s scope. Unlike the one Scanlon used during his unsuccessful attempt to kill Cas on Wednesday, their scopes were coated with anti-reflective material that cut down on glare.
Cas had dialed in elevation, windage, although the direction had shifted so Sebastian checked it again. Cas also adjusted for the mirage. At least they didn’t need to worry about Coriolis effect at this distance of only about eight football fields .
With a cold bore shot and a child in the kill zone, there was no margin for error. Cas was praying Scanlon would surrender without a struggle when he realized he was facing overwhelming firepower. The guy did not have a death wish.
It felt strange simply to watch this man who’d tried to kill him and the woman he loved, not to mention all the other crimes he’d committed since he’d been released from prison, through the glass of his scope. It would be so easy to squeeze off a shot and end the threat of danger to Delilah and to his friends. Less than a second, and this could be all over, but so would his career and his chance of a future with Delilah, because he wouldn’t allow her to sacrifice her own career to stand by him.
And wasn’t that part of the problem the two of them always had—not allowing the other to put their relationship over their careers?
He pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on the job itself. JJ Hersh and Damien Crow were set up to the west in another hide. And the other four snipers from Gold Team had slipped in covertly and were spread out in pairs at regular intervals to ensure someone should have a clean shot in the event Joseph Scanlon decided to attack the arresting officers or held his own child hostage.
Wildlife and Fisheries personnel had stopped boating traffic coming into the area, but they also had some agents out fishing in plain clothes so the area wasn’t unnaturally quiet.
“We don’t have to worry about lead,” Sebastian Black stated on the personal comms that connected the team members in close proximity. “Joseph Scanlon is on the end of the pier with his fishing rod in hand. He doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.”
Cas could see the shine of beer on the man’s lips after he took a sip from a can in the cooler at his side.
The question was, what else was in that cooler ?
The main thing about being a sniper people never really talked about was the bone calcifying boredom 99.99 percent of the time, followed by moments of intense pressure when actions had life-and-death consequences. Chances were they were going to be here all day. If things went south and this turned into a hostage situation, they could be here for weeks. And they couldn’t afford to let their concentration slip.
“I think we’re going about this wrong,” Sebastian said suddenly. “Why don’t we send in a couple of assaulters wearing Wildlife and Fisheries uniforms and ask to check his fishing license? It’s normal and expected for them to be out here, and he likely wouldn’t overreact.”
The Little Birds were staging in a wildlife refuge about three miles west.
“That’s a good idea,” Cas agreed.
“Hey, what kind of snakes do they have in Louisiana?” JJ Hersh asked suddenly. “Because I think I just saw a cottonmouth swim past.”
“I like Black’s idea about inserting as wildlife agents,” Birdman agreed. “And, yes, that was a water moccasin, and if you get bit again, I will kill you myself.”
Cas grinned. “Hey, where’s the kid gone?” She’d disappeared from Cas’s field of view.
“She’s in the grass to our left of the dock. She dipped her toes in the water.”
“Aren’t there alligators in these waters?” Birdman asked.
“And snakes,” JJ agreed.
Cas kept his breathing nice and steady as he watched Scanlon take another sip of beer and turn to say something to the kid. She jumped back out of the water and ran up the bank, wide-eyed, to stand a few feet behind him.
Joseph had just reminded her about the gators.
Melody went over and sat on the steps to the deck of the cabin. Pulled a tablet from the backpack her mother had packed a few short days ago and tucked the pink teddy under one arm.
“Contact Frazer,” Cas told Sebastian without looking away from the crosshairs focused on Scanlon’s center mass. “Tell him it’s a better and safer plan to pretend to be Game Wardens. We can get two assaulters?—”
The sound of a shot from a high-power rifle rang out and cracked off the surface of the lake. Half of Scanlon’s head disappeared.
Sonofabitch.
He shifted his scope to the kid who stood frozen on the spot, her face twisted in a scream of horror he was too far away to hear. He flexed his finger to make sure he hadn’t been the one to discharge his rifle. As tempting as it might be to get rid of Scanlon permanently, that wasn’t who he was. That didn’t show discipline or follow the rules.
“Who fired that shot?” JJ demanded over a litany of other people demanding the same thing.
“Is the kid okay?” Sebastian asked frantically.
Cas used the glass to scan her for wounds. “I don’t see any injuries. From the direction of the blood spatter the shot came from the northeast.”
Novak’s voice came over the radio. “Scan the perimeter for any possible threats. Romano is checking out the area with the drones, but it’s a vast space. I’m going to need everyone’s weapon for forensic examination.”
Fuck .
They were all going to be suspects in Scanlon’s death. The eyes of the world would once again scrutinize every step they’d taken today. He and Sebastian exchanged a scowl.
“As soon as the drones clear the area, we’re going to send in the assaulters to clear the camp and pick up the kid. After that, ERTs will work to find that bullet.”
“You think one of us shot him.” JJ sounded furious.
“No,” Novak interrupted firmly. “No. I know none of you shot an unarmed suspect, and I’m doing everything by the book to make sure no one doubts my word, or the evidence.”
Novak was protecting them all, but mainly him. Cas couldn’t have loved the guy more.
The question was, if they hadn’t murdered Joseph Scanlon in cold blood, who had?