AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He was shot in the ass. Seems to have been friendly fire. It was just a graze. He was in and out of the hospital in a day or two.”
“And he wears it for everyone to see, the son of a bitch. Anything else?”
“Yes, and it might be the most important. While an E6, he successfully completed the Army Sniper School course.”
“How the hell did a guy with his record and temperament qualify for Sniper School?”
“Apparently the dings on his record cameafterhis acceptance there. And there’s something else.”
“What?” said Devine sharply.
“I found a recommendation letter in his file from a VIP. It might have helped carry the day on his acceptance into Sniper School.”
“Who from?” asked Devine, even though he had a pretty good idea.
“Then congressman and military hero Curtis Silkwell.”
“Okay,” said Devine.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to dinner.”
“Dinner?” said a surprised Campbell. “Where? And with whom?”
“With Françoise Guillaume. At theBingmansion. At Françoise’s invitation.”
“Devine, you might be walking into a trap.”
“I’m sort of counting on it.”
CHAPTER
73
DEVINE PULLED OFF THE ROADand sat there for a while in Earl Palmer’s truck with the engine running and the rain falling. He had a lot to think about, and this was as good a place as any to do so. The raindrops pitter-pattered on the roof in synchronicity with his cascading thoughts.
He knew that the Army Sniper School was a seven-week course at Fort Moore, formerly Fort Benning, where infantry and armor trained together at the Maneuver Center of Excellence. In going through the course Bing would have learned a number of critical skills, including fieldcraft application, concealed movement, target detection, sniper tactics, and, of course, advanced marksmanship. He’d had colleagues who had gone through it, and Devine had been impressed at the far better soldier that had come out the other end of the process. He had to take that into account when sizing up Bing as an opponent.
He also wondered if Bing was still in the area, if Devine was reading this whole thing right, that is. Despite all the “evidence” he had compiled, it was mostly circumstantial in nature, with a bit of conjecture and speculation thrown into the mix.
He texted Campbell to check on airline, train, and bus reservations to see if Bing had used one of those ways to get up here. He could have driven from Florida, but that was one long ride, pretty much the whole eastern seaboard.
However, a few things puzzled Devine, knowing what he now knew about Bing and his past training. Maybe events to come would shed light on them.
He drove to the inn and took a shower while the rain continued to pour down outside. Then he dressed in his last set of clean clothes and hurried out to the truck. As he got in, a car pulled up next to him. It was Chief Harper in a police cruiser.
Harper rolled down his window, and Devine leaned over and hand-rolled the passenger’s side window down.
“What’s up, Chief? You decide about Dak?”
“I’ve been up to talk to him at the hospital. I think we’ve worked things out.”
“I don’t think I want to ask how.”
“Thing is, itdoesn’tseem fair how these elver fishing permits are handed out. They say by lottery, but who the hell really knows?”
“I can see that Dak’s argument won you over.”
