JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 53 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 The activities being performed by the occupants of the house would never be the subject of a Norman Rockwell type of picture. The scene just wasn’t cute enough. Lucy, seated at her desk, was busy writing up her solution to the math problem that William had given her. At his desk, William was busy changing his program for predicting economic and social trends. Over at the dining room table, Jan was writing on a pad of paper; capturing another chapter of her book. At the other end of the dining room table, Rock and Natalie were cleaning their pistols. Lisa was seated on the couch doing cross-stitch while Ken was at the other end of the couch reading a manual for the new satellite dish receiver. Tim was lying on the floor reading a science fiction book that he had borrowed from William. The discordant figure was Forest Shadow who stood at the entrance to the hallway with her arms crossed. She was watching them unable to believe that this was how the group would choose to spend a Saturday afternoon. Looking out the front window, she could see that the weather wasn’t all that great. It was cold and wet, but not quite raining. She frowned and wondered what she would do for the rest of that afternoon. William turned in his chair so that he faced the rest of the room and said, “Trouble is coming. We’ve got three minutes.” Looking up from her laptop computer, Lucy asked, “What kind of trouble?” “Bang bang shoot-em-up kind of trouble.” Both bodyguards put down the parts of the pistols they were cleaning. Reaching behind their backs, each bodyguard pulled out a pistol from its holster. Surprised that they weren’t scrambling to put together their guns, Forest Shadow asked, “Where did you get those from?” Ignoring the question, Rock asked, “Where is it coming from?” “Coming down the road towards the house in a black car,” William answered. He pulled out his key ring and, after fumbling through the set of keys, unlocked a drawer of the desk. He reached inside the drawer and pulled out a pistol. Looking around, he said, “Non- combatants into the safe room.” Lucy smiled at William and unlocked a drawer of her desk. She pulled a pistol out of it and said, “Non-combatants into the safe room.” “Where did you get that?” Natalie asked with a frown. William just looked at the pistol with a raised eyebrow. He wondered whether Ling or Claire had given it to her. Regardless of which one it was, he knew that they would have made sure that she knew how to use it. “Momma Claire,” Lucy answered. She checked the pistol with practiced ease. “Did she teach you to use it?” Rock asked. “Do you think she would have given me a gun if she even suspected that I couldn’t use it?” Lucy asked. “Point taken,” Rock said walking over to one of the bedrooms. Opening the door, he shouted, “Lock and load! It’s time to rock and roll!” Within fifteen seconds, Nicole came out of the room carrying a sniper rifle. Seconds later, Colt came out of the room carrying two assault rifles. He handed one to Rock who immediately checked it over. Nicole and Colt were wearing t-shirts and underwear. Forest Shadow looked around the room in shock at seeing everyone arming themselves. She looked over at Lisa and Ken wondering what they thought of the matter. Ken had walked over to the closet and removed a pump shotgun. He picked up a box of headsets from the closet and handed it to Rock. In a voice that conveyed her nervousness, she said, “It looks like you’re getting ready for the OK Corral.” Tim was getting off the floor and said, “William is rich. There are lots of bad people out there that don’t like rich people. Some of them are dangerous.” Lisa took Forest Shadow by the arm and said, “Come with us. We’ll wait in William’s room.” “Don’t lock up until the guard gets there,” William said. Walking over to the door, William pushed the button on the intercom and, speaking into it, said, “Come into the house, right now. We’re expecting bad guys.” Looking out the window, William watched the guard emerge from the guardhouse. Despite being overweight, the man made good time running up the drive to the house. William opened the door and let him in. Puffing from the short run, the guard asked, “What’s going on?” “Bad guys are coming,” William said. Gesturing down the hallway, he said, “Get into the safe room.” Colt turned to Rock and asked, “What’s happening?” “I’m not sure. William says that trouble is coming,” Rock answered while handing out the headsets that would allow them to communicate. “Did a bird tell him that?” Colt asked while putting on the headset. He turned it on. “Not this time,” Natalie answered while putting on her headset. She adjusted it so that it wasn’t tangled in her hair. William said, “Do you remember that rumor that I was the one who was going to bring peace to the Middle East?” “Oh shit,” Rock and Colt said at the same time. Looking over at him, Natalie said, “I thought they knew by now that you don’t fuck with a Druid. Pardon my French, Lucy.” “Pardoned,” Lucy said with a grin. She held out a hand to get a head set. With a shake of his head, Rock handed her one. “I’m not a Druid, yet,” William said with a shrug of his shoulders. Turning to Lucy, he said, “Lucy, you and Ken will stay in here. We’re going to go outside where we can take care of business.” “You’re staying in here with them and we’re going out there to take care of business,” Rock said looking at William. He was ready to shoot him in the leg if he gave too much of an argument. “I stand corrected,” William said with a smile. For some reason, Rock didn’t trust that smile. He handed him a headset while shaking his head. William opened the door and the bodyguards slipped outside. Closing the door behind them, he slid the dead-bolt into place. Turning to Ken and Lucy, he said, “You two get behind the couch.” When they went to go around the couch, he said, “Wrong side. Sorry.” Lucy said, “That puts our back to the front of the house.” “I know,” William answered while walking to the back door. When he reached it, he opened the door. Seeing the looks Lucy and Ken were giving him, he said, “Don’t worry. I have my reasons.” From over his headset, he heard Nicole say, “Close that damned door.” “They’re coming in the back door?” Lucy asked looking at William and thinking that she’d prefer it if the door was closed. From outside, there was a very loud squawk from one of the birds. William smiled and said, “I know a bad guy is coming. So does our friend out there.” “What friend?” Lucy asked. “The skunk that lives at the bottom of the hill,” William answered covering the microphone on the headset. He pointed through the door at the small animal curled up by the patio bar. He raised a finger to his mouth and said, “We need to be quiet now.” Lucy and Ken ducked behind the couch. Lucy was having a hard time keeping from giggling at the thought of what the skunk would do when the bullets started flying. Ken looked at her and whispered, “Did anyone ever warn you that William has some mighty strange friends?” While Lucy succumbed to her giggles, William grabbed a coat before he slipped into the kitchen to wait. He didn’t have to wait long. The sounds of shots being fired from the front of the house filled the air. Three minutes had passed since he had made the announcement. When there was a surprised cry from the backyard and a noxious odor filled the house, William stepped out of the kitchen. A man was on the patio dancing around and waving his assault rifle in every direction. Taking careful aim, William shot the man in the right shoulder. Like Ling, he didn’t have a problem with shooting an armed attacker in the back. The rifle dropped to the ground. Holding his nose, William stepped out of the house and kicked the gun away. Deciding that it had done its duty, the skunk ran into to the woods leaving its scent behind. Kneeling down beside the wounded man, William put his pistol in the man’s face. Still holding his nose, he said, “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a problem with body odor?” The resulting tirade was in a language that William didn’t understand. He did get the gist of what the man meant by the tone and expression on his face. From a distant tree, the Raven gave a couple of squawks that he did understand. Laughing, William said, “He just wanted to help.” Over his headset, he heard Lucy ask, “Is it clear?” He answered, “The back is clear. Wait for word from the bodyguards.” His answer was echoed by an all clear from Nicole and then the rest of the bodyguards. Nicole came walking up the path from the pond with a scowl on her face that could have curdled milk. From her stand in the woods, she had seen the attacker turn and start dancing around. Convinced that William had been doing something weird, she had held off on her shot. His shot from within the house had taken her by surprise. She glared at William and said, “I had him in my sights.” “I had a better shot,” William said. When she got close enough for the odor to hit her, she turned her head away and said, “That explains why he started dancing around.” “You thought it was because of something that I did?” William asked with an innocent expression on his face. “I was positive it was you,” Nicole said. She still wasn’t sure if he didn’t have something to do with the guy getting sprayed. Lucy came out of the house and looked at the guy at the ground. The odor brought tears to her eyes. She said, “I guess your friend came, gave his two scents worth, and left.” “Oh that’s bad,” William groaned at pun. Colt came around the side of the house and looked at the scene in front of him. He had overheard the conversation between Nicole and William over the headsets. Despite being irritated that William had interfered, Colt couldn’t resist temptation. In a stern voice, he said, “Didn’t you know that use of biological and chemical weapons are a violation of international law?” “Take it up with Pepe Le Pew,” William answered without missing a beat. The guy on the ground was in misery. The skunk spray was burning, his shoulder was throbbing, and he had a gun shoved in his face. Colt asked Ken to get a plastic cuff and knelt down beside the man. While waiting for Ken to come out with the restraint, he said, “One dead and three wounded.” “If William hadn’t taken the shot, it would have been two dead and two wounded,” Nicole said. She had been aiming at the center of the man’s chest. Odds were good that he wouldn’t have survived the shot. She hadn’t noticed the skunk. “This is the one that knows the details,” William said. Colt and Nicole exchanged glances without saying a word. Sometimes working with William was just a little weird. The flashing lights of a police car could be seen on the trees by the side of the house. Standing up, he asked, “So how are we going to explain to the police that we were in position to ambush them?” “Just tell them the truth. I had a feeling something bad was about to happen,” William answered. A shiver went down Colt’s spine when he recalled the episode with the woman who had wanted to hurt Lucy. He knew that the Chief of Police would accept that explanation. He glanced at his watch and figured that they had a three minute response time. It was actually closer to two and a half minutes since Lisa had almost forgotten to call them on reaching the safe room. An officer came around the back shouting, “Police. Everyone drop your weapons.” Putting his rifle on the ground, Colt didn’t like the idea of being disarmed based on a voice coming around a corner. William and Lucy put their pistols on the ground and stepped back. Colt called out, “We’ve got the perp on the ground.” The man moved and William said, “Make one more move and I’ll kick your head all the way back to Saudi Arabia.” The officer came around the corner of the house cautiously and took in the scene. Unfortunately, he was downwind of the man who had been sprayed by the skunk and the smell hit him full force. He twisted his head away from the smell and said, “I’ve heard of a man going bad, but this is ridiculous.” Nicole smiled at the comment and said, “Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase that something’s rotten in Denmark.” The guy on the ground groaned. William wasn’t sure if it was from his discomfort or the jokes being made about his condition. Looking over at the officer, William asked, “Do you mind if my bodyguards get their coats?” “No, go ahead,” the officer said noticing that the two bodyguards were in their underwear and tee-shirts. The two bodyguards gave William a grateful smile and went into the house. Until he had mentioned it, they had been more focused on the action than their discomfort. William said, “They were in bed asleep before this happened.” Ken came out of the house with a handful of the plastic cuffs and held them up for the officer to see. The officer recognized Ken from the shooting range. He said, “Hi Ken, I don’t need those.” He went over to the man on the ground and pulled out his handcuffs. While he put them on the man, he read him his rights. He looked at the bullet wound and considered the point of entry. Rather than comment, he finished the job and stepped upwind where the odor wasn’t as strong. William looked over at the officer as if reading his mind. He said, “The skunk got him turned around.” “Oh,” the officer replied. Lucy said, “You had a good response time.” “Thanks,” the officer said thankful that it hadn’t been better. They had turned the corner just in time to see the bad guys get out of the car with their guns. If they had been there a few seconds earlier, he was sure that they would have been involved in the shootout. He didn’t like the idea that he’d have been trying to climb out of a patrol car with nothing but his service revolver while the bad guys had automatic weapons. As it was, one of them had been in the process of aiming at the car when he had been shot. He said, “By the time we got close enough to stop them it was all over.” Looking down at the man, William said, “They would have opened fire on you if you were here when they arrived. They were on a mission to kill and weren’t too worried about collateral damage.” “I suspect that you’re right,” the officer said. He knew that William was right. He’d thought about his wife becoming a widow when the man in front had aimed at the patrol car. “Better get on your radio and request the FBI,” William said. “Why?” “He’s a terrorist,” William answered. He knelt down and said, “You’d have been wearing an explosive vest except they aren’t all that great when you are expecting a fire fight. Right?” The guy on the ground glared at William and didn’t answer. The officer said, “The Chief will be here any minute. I’ll let him decide who to call.” “Okay,” William said stepping back to put an arm around Lucy. She shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. She had just grasped the full significance of the events. These men had come here to kill William. He said, “Don’t worry Lucy. I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you.” “I know,” Lucy said. The sounds of distant sirens racing to their location filled the air. Hoping to make her feel better, William said, “It’ll be nice to see Daddy Ed. He’ll be here to help question them.” “I imagine that Ling and Claire will be coming as well,” Lucy said. “That’s right.” Doing something helped Lucy forget the dangerous situation that they had just escaped. She pulled out from his arm and said, “I’ll let Lisa know to prepare a room for them.” “Good,” William said with a smile while watching Lucy go into the house. As soon as the police left, they would go into the room and not come out until all of her nervous energy had been expended. For a moment, he wished that the police would all go away immediately. The booming voice of the Chief of Police came around the corner. “I heard that you had a feeling something bad was about to happen.” “That’s right, Chief,” William said. The Chief caught the full blast of the odor. Shaking his head, he said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that something smells fishy here. It’s clear that something stinks.” The man on the ground growled in frustration at being the butt of so many jokes. The spray was irritating his skin and he could barely breathe. In a thick accent, he asked, “Would you wash this smell off of me?” “It doesn’t wash off,” William said. Looking down at the man, he smiled and said, “Pepe Le Pew was given a very special gift by the Great Spirit.” The Chief looked down at the man lying on the ground and shook his head. He leaned down and went through the man’s pockets. He fished out a Saudi passport from the man’s rear pocket. He already had three others from the men out in the front yard. He wasn’t looking forward to getting involved with the alphabet soup of government agencies that would be descending on him. In a disgusted voice, he said, “He’s a foreign national.” “That’s right,” William said. “Any suggestion as to why he wanted to kill you?” “There’s a rumor that I’m the guy who is supposed to bring peace to the Middle East. It would seem that he doesn’t want that to happen,” William answered. “Why wouldn’t he want that to happen?” “I suppose it is because Israel would still exist,” William answered. Looking at the man, the Chief said, “I’ve never had to arrest anyone who has been sprayed by a skunk. I wonder what we’re supposed to do with him.” “Send him to the hospital,” William said with a smile. “True. At least we won’t have to deal with the smell in one of our patrol cars,” the Chief said with a smile. Turning to the officer, he said, “I feel sorry for you. You get to ride in the back of the ambulance with him.” The officer groaned and shook his head. He said, “You’re going to owe me for this.” It took twenty minutes for the prisoners to get loaded into ambulances and hauled away. The odor of skunk still hung heavy in the air. The group retired to the house where the smell wasn’t as heavy. Lisa was bustling around spraying an odor neutralizer in the air. Once everyone was seated around the table, William said, “We’re going to be taking down Professor McDonald.” “It’s about time something was done about that bastard. He’s a suspect in a couple of missing person cases. All of the missing people are attractive women,” the Chief said. The last known victim of that sadistic man demonstrated that he was losing control. He feared that the next victim would arrive dead or turn up missing. He looked over at Rock and Colt. In a moderately threatening voice, he said, “Make sure that everything that you do is legal.” “We will,” Rock answered. He looked over at William wondering if he was going to create a problem. “Professor McDonald will be teaching a summer course. By the end of summer, he will be in jail,” William said. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, it was as if the world went flat on him. He recognized it for what it was. His foresight had left him. Not having come up with a plan, Rock looked at William wondering what he had in mind. Rock was sure that he wasn’t going to like what William had to say. Although he didn’t really want to know, he couldn’t help but ask, “What have you got in mind?” “My little sister is going to college this summer,” William answered flippantly. Even as he said it, the thought that he might have lost his foresight in the middle of the attack hammered in on him. His little stunt of opening the door might have backfired on him. He looked back towards the couch and thought about what could have happened to Lucy.