Rune Alignment

Chapter 59.

Well, well, well . . . look who is here! Long time, no see – as they say over here. What a surprise, the big copper's gas-guzzler. Did you bring her back to her nest for a while? Tired of rutting over at your place? I shall wait until you are done and leave; finish you off, and then I shall reclaim my lovely.

Clive pulled from his spot on the street into the second parking spot in the second row. He parked to the right of Bobby's SUV.

I shall watch for you to come out. I shall remove you from her life – our life – forever. Tonight she is mine and you are no more.

Clive stroked the barrel of the weapon as he had stroked himself so many times.

She will be so happy to see me. She will realize her foolishness. She will want me as soon as she sees me. I cannot wait. How shall we do it first . . . oh, I know – slam down on the kitchen table. From behind. So I can see my work. Yes, yes. It will be wonderful. You will see. And then you will die.

"Over here," Gavin whispered. "Look at this."

Gleason tried to jog to where he stood. It was so hard to breathe. "What?" she gasped.

"See? There," he nodded to the right. "There."

"Gavin, I, I don't see anything," she gasped. Can't breathe . . . can't . . . breathe.

"Come on." She felt him take her hand, leading her.

"Look. Gleason, don't you see it?"

Gleason searched, swept her eyes everywhere. She huffed and puffed. She saw a few old and broken trees. Can't breathe. An unsown field stretched to the right. Why is it so hot? More dead trees stood broken amid the muck of the swamp to the left. She was sweating, gasping. The sky above was dark – no stars, no sun, no moon, nothing.

Gavin and Bobby watched her search. Bobby? Canna . . . breathe . . . Bobby. "You don't see it, do you?"

She shook her head – no, no, I canna . . . see it, canna . . . breathe. Why is it so hot? Bobby?

Gavin and Bobby let go of her hands and Gavin walked away, "I tried to take you there, so many times; tried to show you so many times."

Then Bobby walked away, "It's always been right in front of you, but you can't see it. And now it's too late." Hot, so hot. Canna . . .

The four gathered on the walk in front of the steps. It was nearly dark. Streetlights blinked on, up and down the street, casting pools of amber light on the street and curb. Lights in the parking lot across the street winked on and puddles of blue-white light spread in wide circles on the blacktop.

"Here," Bishop said, holding out Bobby's keys to him. He took them with a nod.

He hesitated, turned to go, hesitated again and turned back to face the other three. "I've got to stop in Gleason's and get a few things." His right hand illustrated the sequence. "And then I'm going back to the hospital. I'm . . . uh, then I'm . . . taking a few days." He didn't mention that he was on involuntary leave.

"Ok," Eames said. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Bobby looked at the ground, half turned, took a step and then stepped back. He almost said something and then glanced up with that sheepish look he gets. He nodded once and turned away.

He started across the street, walking slowly, shoulders hunched. The other three watched him.

Clive looked up into the rear view mirror.

What! Is that. . . ?

He straightened up in his seat and watched the detective step from the curb onto the street.

Oh my, my, my, my! What is he doing? Where is he coming from? Across the street? What is that . . . a sling? Look at his left hand! He's been wounded. How erotic! I wonder if he was hurt in the shindig at the university yesterday. Well . . . that'll put a crimp in his ability to hump my flower. He doesn't look so good. Poor thing. Hand hurts? Good. Where is he coming from?

Oh . . . . I see, he has another lover over there. Who are those people? Those three people, watching him. Were they together? Does he know them? Where is my darling? He's coming to his car. Now, now, I shall end him.

Clive checked the chamber. All full.

Bobby stepped up over the curb and onto the sidewalk. He fought another surge of nausea. He had to stop in his car and get Gleason's keys from her bag. Maybe he'd call the hospital and see how she was. If she was stable, maybe he'd just rest at her place a while and see her in an hour. He'd been gone less than three hours, he figured. He didn't think he could keep going much longer with out a rest. His head thudded with each heartbeat. The sun had gone down and now he was cold. His undershirt was clammy against his skin. His neck and forehead were damp. He shivered. He was so thirsty. Don't drink anything he told himself.

Clive slowly opened the driver side door and stepped from his vehicle. He held his weapon close to his side. He watched Bobby cross the sidewalk and walk up the driveway. He saw Bobby extend his right arm. Clive heard the doors unlock.

Here he comes, Clive thought. Here he comes.

Bobby walked around the back end of his car and saw the man standing between the two vehicles.

"Excuse me, I need to get in the passenger door," Bobby said when the man didn't move.

"Of course, of course," the man said softly and walked toward Bobby. Bobby stepped aside and let the man pass; then Bobby stepped between the two vehicles. He reached for the passenger door handle and felt his head snap back from a fist in his hair and the unmistakable feel of a gun in his back.

"Don't do anything, don't say anything you fucking bastard," Clive hissed into Bobby's left ear. Clive yanked his hair and head further back, and points of light danced around the edges of Bobby's vision. "Come with me." Clive pulled Bobby backwards from between the two cars, pressing the gun further into Bobby's back.

Bishop pulled open the passenger side back door and stepped in. Sledge opened the door for Eames and looked over the top of his car. Eames stepped in and heard Sledge say, "What the fuck?"

Bishop and Eames both turned and saw Bobby being dragged by the hair from between two cars. The man had a gun in Bobby's back.

"Bishop, call for back up, Eames you go wide and try to get a shot from behind. I'm

I'm going to face him off." The three moved as one.

"Have you had your fill of her? Have you fucked her every way from Tuesday? She doesn't love you, you know. No, no, not you. She loves me." Clive hissed into Bobby's ear, spittle flecking the side of Bobby's face.

"Only I can do what she likes. Only I can please her. She called my name, didn't she, as you jammed into her. She loves me! Only me! She is mine. You saw my mark. Nice, huh? Yeah, I thought you'd like that. Only it repulsed you didn't it. Made you limp, couldn't fuck her like you wanted. She laughed at you, didn't she?"

Bobby's legs were going to give out from under him. He couldn't even elbow the guy, couldn't trip him, couldn't do anything he was trained to do in a situation like this. He thought he would pass out.

Clive continued his rant into Bobby's ear as he shoved and prodded him toward the far side of Clive's car.

"Let him go!" Sledge shouted from the sidewalk. He'd crossed the street with his weapon pointed straight at the man dragging and pushing Bobby. "Let him go!" he shouted again.

Clive interrupted his rant and shot a look at the big man on the walk. Confusion reigned and he glanced right and left, looking for the other two – the women. Clive pulled harder on Bobby's hair, pulling some loose. He jammed the gun further into Bobby's kidney.

"Drop your weapon and let him go! DO IT NOW! Drop it and let go!"

Sledge could see Bobby's face, no white man has ever been that shade of white. Bobby's eyes were squeezed shut and he breathed through an open mouth. He was bent partially sideways.

Eames had trotted up the block and crossed the street out of their line of sight. She crossed around behind and came up on their far left. Bishop had done the same going the opposite direction. Sirens could be heard in the distance.

"You want me to let this piece of shit go? Ha! Never. He's mine. He took what is mine and now I'm going to take him out. Fucking bastard raped her. Stole her and raped her. Ruined her! She is mine, not his, mine! I even marked her as mine."

Sledge was into the parking lot and walking closer, keeping his gun trained on the mad man.

"Let us deal with him," he said to Clive. "Let us take him in and then you can have him. Do whatever you want to him. We won't even watch. He is a fucking bastard, you are absolutely right there, but we need to let you do what you want in private," Sledge bargained.

He couldn't get a shot without the risk of hitting Bobby. Come on, Alex, where are you?

Sirens screamed closer, louder.

Clive was struck by the other man's offer. They'd let me be alone with him? Do anything I'd want? No, that would never happen.

"You're lying! You are fucking with me. No, no, no. I'm going to do him right here. Out in the open. Then I can have –," and he went down, taking Bobby with him.

The three detectives ran full tilt toward the two men lying still on the tarmac. Sledge got there first. Jesus Christ, the bullet took them both. Sledge pulled Clive's body off Bobby. Eames ran up and fell to her knees.

"Oh, no, oh, no. No, no. I didn't. I didn't. No. Bobby, Bobby!" She was approaching hysteria. Bishop bent, put her hands on Alex's shoulders, then reached down and took her weapon from her.

Squad cars screamed to a stop and uniforms burst forth, guns drawn. An ambulance rumbled up, into the parking lot. A second jolted to a stop in the driveway. EMTs spilled from the vehicles.

Sledge stood up, moved to Alex's side, pulled her to her feet, and stepped her away from the bodies on the ground. He wrapped her in his arms.

Two EMTs knelt over Bobby and two others knelt over Clive.