"What are you doing, Keller?" Ed asked harshly as he saw the detective lean against the back end of the LTD while he struggled to stand.
"I'm all right. I'm going to find Mike. He's gone over there alone," Steve said breathlessly, still slightly dazed as he nodded to the next block over. "He needs back-up."
"He needs you to stay put. I've already called for back-up, and they'll be here in no time. An ambulance is on its way to take you and Mark to the hospital," Ed answered rather sharply. Ed had been applying pressure to bleeding wound on Mark's leg. The attorney was in pain, but holding his own. Still, the worry for his former colleague had left little room for patience where the young Inspector was concerned.
"This is nothing but a crease. It just knocked the wind out of me for a second," Steve was benefiting from an adrenalin boost as tried his best bravado. "I'm going over there." Keller was standing upright, but staggered as he took a step forward. He quickly regained his balance and hoped that no one had seen him stumble.
"Does it burn?" Ed asked.
"What? Yeah, some."
"That's because the bullet is still in your arm. It's more than a crease. You stay put or I'll cuff your good arm to the car." Ed's even tone belied his frustration.
Mark looked up at his friend and former colleague. He still had great admiration for Ed, perhaps even more so now that Ed had moved in with the Chief while Mark began a new chapter in his life as a husband and a lawyer. To Steve, he remarked, "You'd better listen to him, man. I've been on the wrong side of an argument with the Sergeant before. He may seem calm and cool on the outside, but believe me, you don't want to go there." His voice was strained with pain, but he showed a slight smile.
Corbie heard the shooting and opened the front door when she saw her husband's cousin lying on the curb beside the car. "Mark, oh my God! You've been shot!"
Mark worried about Corbie's safety. He lifted his head up slightly and called over to her. "Babe, you stay inside. We don't know who the shooter is or where he could be right now."
"Do you need me to call an ambulance?" she asked.
"I radioed for one," Ed clarified. "Stay inside until we give you the all clear." She quickly shut and locked the door.
Ed tried to put some logic around the situation. "Someone here was the target. It could have been to get to Corbie, or it could have been Mark or you, Steve."
The three heard sirens which were growing louder. Steve was relieved to see the police back-up for Mike. Ed instructed the uniformed officers to meet Mike on the next block. He looked over to Steve with annoyance. "You can relax now." Steve returned the annoyed look with one of his own.
The ambulance came moments later. Two attendants were there to prepare the two shooting victims to be transported to the nearby hospital. Mark was treated first as they started an IV and took his vital signs. Steve watched on as he leaned against the car, still grasping his left arm. He didn't hear Mike walk beside him.
"You okay?" Mike asked as he saw the blood trickle through his partner's fingers. "How's the arm?"
"I'm fine." Steve defended himself. "It's just a scratch."
Mike could see the young man was bluffing. "Let me see." He pulled his hand away from the injury and saw one entry wound. There was no exit wound nor was there a straight line indicating the bullet had not penetrated. "It's in there all right."
"No, it'll be fine…" Before Steve could finish, Mike pulled out a folded handkerchief and placed it inside his partner's jacket trying to position it over the wound.
"Enough," Steve whispered as he retracted his arm. The pressure renewed the burning pain.
Mike shook his head as he opened the car door and helped his partner sit in the front seat to wait for the attendants. "That's some scratch."
Officer Fran Belding and the Chief entered the emergency room and looked for anyone familiar. Ed phoned them earlier about the shooting and was waiting for them to arrive while Mark was in surgery. He rose and walked toward the pair.
"Any leads?" the Chief asked after inquiring about his former aide.
"Not yet." Ed proceeded to recap the events around the shooting.
"It would be logical to conclude that the target was Mark or perhaps it was to send a message to Corbie."
"What more of a message do they need to send her, Chief? They've already killed her husband." Fran reminded them.
"Fran, I want you to stay with Corbie until we find out whose behind this mess. Ed's got the address," the Chief instructed as he saw Mike Stone entering into the waiting area.
"On it, Chief," Fran replied.
Ironside wheeled himself to meet the senior homicide detective. "Mike, Ed said that Steve was also hit. How is he?"
"He'll be fine. The bullet is in his upper left arm, but didn't appear to have done much damage. It will be sore for a while, but he should be back to 100% in no time."
"That's good. Mark's in surgery now. Sounds like both men were lucky not to have been more seriously injured. Now, what in blazes is going on? One man dead, two others shot."
"I found the shell casings on the rooftop where the shooter was. This was done with a rifle."
Ed joined in on the conversation. "The Joplin shooting was a handgun. Could it have been two separate incidents?"
"You mean a coincidence? I don't believe in those, Ed. You know that. Fran is going to stay with Joplin's wife. I want a guard on both our boys' rooms here. Until we understand the connection, I don't want any of them at risk."
Billy Ray Dean turned off the radio and called over to his brother who sat dozing in the passenger seat of the rental car, as they sat across the street from the home of Professor Ruth Goldman. "I'm gettin' a little stir crazy sittin' in this here car, Harper. It's been three days since we blowed away Joplin and yesterday we shot the scrawny pinko kid, along with the 'brother'."
"Yes, and thanks to your piss poor shooting, Keller is still alive. You were a sharpshooter in 'Nam. What happened to you?"
"He moved. They all moved. Get the hell off my back, Harper." Billy Ray answered defensively as he fiddled with the radio. "What are we going to do next?"
"Patience. Since that scrawny pinko is now a police officer and a homicide detective, to boot, his cop buddies will be all over him with protection. Now, he wasn't too badly hurt. My hunch is that he'll turn up at Joplin's funeral."
Billy Ray chuckled. "Then it will be like fish in a barrel. You know that all those commies will be at the funeral; they'll mourn Joplin just like he was King. We should just waste them all then."
"First things first, Billy Ray. I still have a score to settle with Keller. Also that bitch, Professor Goldman. I got sent away 'cause of them. They had no business coming down to Mississippi like they did. A bunch of bleeding hearts. I lost my wife and child 'cause of them, and they will pay. Joplin's done. We'll finish Keller off and we'll get Goldman too. After that, it's gravy.'"
Professor Ruth Goldman pulled up alongside her condo and exited her vehicle. Seconds later, Billy Ray and Harper left their car with a handgun in tow.