Murder in the Forest, Chapter 34
Jareau felt the 10mm H-K, basically a submachine gun that fired only in semi-auto mode, buck in recoil and heard the bear bawl a heart-stopping howl as it continued toward her. She registered a sharp crack that she soon learned was Seaver's 7mm rifle, and then the heavier boom of Blacklaws's .375. The bear rolled, shot from the side through both shoulders.
It tried to sit up and took another .375 H&H Magnum bullet through the chest, the bullet drilling back through the body and smashing the spine. Jareau pumped two more 10mm bullets into it as this happened and the agents all looked at one another, Seaver remembering to cycle the bolt and load a fresh cartridge into the chamber of her rifle. (Blacklaws had done that as a matter of routine, having long since learned to operate bolt-action rifles against dangerous animals. He was very accomplished in operating rifle bolts rapidly, and did so while firing from the shoulder. Most hunters lower the rifle to cycle the bolt, adding often vital seconds to the process.)
He called both women to him and they approached the bear from behind, ready to shoot again if need be, but it was dead.
They heard shouts down the trail and the baying of approaching hounds, and soon the game warden and others were there, shocked to see the bear down.
"That sounded like you'd gotten into a shootout with a drug cartel," teased the warden. "Nice work, though, Blacklaws! We'll do a necropsy on the bear and if it has human remains in it, we'll know you got the right one. There was only one attack in the state this month, so I think this is the culprit. Let's track it back and see if it was stalking Agent Jareau. If that was a predatory stalk, it's almost certainly the same bear. It was a confirmed man-eater, and most bears don't deliberately hunt people. Apparently, this one had begun doing that. It's a good thing you nailed it."
They cast about for tracks in the direction from which the animal had approached and it was indeed clear that it had quietly been sneaking close enough for a charge at Jareau. That agent sat on a log and began shaking.
Seaver joined her and the women hugged briefly, Seaver speaking softly and comfortingly to her companion, then got themselves under control. Blacklaws explained to the embarrassed men that Jareau had nightmares about bears, and she probably had a phobia of dangerous wildlife.
"That's all right, ma'am," spoke one of the state wardens. "My wife gets all riled up if a bear or cougar is seen anywhere near our house. Gets the kids in, of course. She's even more scared for them than for herself. But she's a good woman. A renegade bear that eats folks isn't to be trifled with."
"I wasn't trifling with him, "snapped a still emotional Jareau. "I was trying to kill him! Did I hit him, Peter?"
They examined the wounds, but apart from those from the heavy .375, which Blacklaws knew the impact region of, it was inconclusive. The warden explained that a biologist would identify the bullets during the necropsy. "But you hit him, ma'am. There are eight bullet wounds we can find, and the others didn't fire that many shots." The warden wanted to reassure the tense agent.
"Can JJ have the hide?" asked Seaver. "I want it but I think she deserves it most."
It was explained that the hide, being that of a bear shot in defense and not taken under a valid hunting license, would probably be forfeited to the state, but the senior warden promised to see if some strings could be pulled administratively after the official necropsy report.
"That's kind of you, Ashley," said Jareau, "but I don't want that thing. I'd shiver every time I passed it on my wall. Let Peter have it or you take it."
They collected their things and left the wardens to remove the bear after photographing the scene. Blacklaws was surprised and pleased to note that both women cleared the chambers of their firearms and reloaded the magazines as they left. They showed good training and discipline, not always present among amateur hunters under such circumstances.
At the cars, they loaded their things and telephoned the sheriff and Hotchner. Blacklaws thought of congratulating the women, but wondered if they might think that was sexist.
So he just told Hotchner on speaker phone that he could be proud of his agents' shooting.
Hotchner laughed and said, "Well, it wouldn't have done to Embarrass the Bureau. Seriously, Ashley, JJ, good shooting! Have a nice lunch and call me when you've eaten. We're still looking at phone records here, but I think we're seeing a useful pattern of calls between Bamka and Mason. Not surprisingly, most of the missing girls' calls were to other girls, school phones, or to families and boys. Nothing suspicious stands out."
And on that note, Blacklaws and the women boarded Peter's Toyota and headed back to Elk Pass.
"I can't wait to get a good steak in me," avowed the former South African winemaker turned sheriff's deputy. "I worked up an appetite this morning."
"This steak will be real beef, right?" queried Jareau.
Blacklaws was baffled. "Sure, but they have fresh salmon from the coast if you'd rather, or chicken and whatnot."
"Steak is okay," agreed the agent. "I just want to be sure that I'm eating a cow, and not a bruin."
They smiled at that, and Blacklaws wondered if he should select a different restaurant than the one with bear rugs on the walls.