Reaper by Craig Buckhout Page B

the charts mad or something.
    “Do you think it’s going to get worse?  Do you think, well, basically, we’re screwed?  Or do you think this is going to last just few days and everything will go back to the way it was?
    Myra started to answer but paused.  “I started to say, that, ah, everything will be okay.  In a couple of days people will get their act together, the people who are doing all this stuff will be caught, and everything will go back to the way it was.  But you asked how I felt.  And I guess, …I guess I feel that something has changed.  That the world has tilted.  That what we knew or thought we knew isn’t true anymore.  That this thing, whatever it is, is far from over and these evil, evil people are going to keep messing with us, and our government is going to mess with us, and …well …and we’re in real trouble here.”
    Max leaned over and kissed her.  In his mind he started to form a response to what she said, but he was interrupted with a knock on his driver’s door window.
    He spun around.  It was Steve.  Jesus!
    Max rolled down the window.
    “Everyone’s lookin’, you know.  They’re all at the window.”  Steve pointed his thumb back over shoulder toward the windows.  “The women are all getting’ squirmy and everything.  Saying shit like how romantic, I wish my Ted, Bob, Harry the Horse, whoever, was like that.  And the men, the men are just grabbing their junk.  Personally, I think you should go for it.”
    Myra placed her free hand on Max’s thigh and moved it up until it rested just below his crotch.  With her other hand, the one holding Max’s, she put it to her lips, smiled, looked at Steve, and kissed it.  “You mean something like this?
    “Oh my gawd,” Steve said, biting his hand.  “Run.  It’s a trap.”
    “Too late,” Myra said.  “He’s already hopelessly under my control.”
    Max shook his head.  “What the hell you want, Steve?  You’re ruining the moment.”
    “What do I want?  Oh yeah, ah, almost forgot in all the ….  His eyes dropped to Myra’s hand that still rested high on Max’s thigh.  She purposely rubbed it back and forth.  Steve looked to the sky.
    “Steve?”
    “Okay, yeah, the thing is, shit, the thing is the lieutenant in Narco called me again.  He said that somebody over at the Department of Homeland Security called him directly and asked that he round file our case.”
    “So?”
    “So, he says that without those photos we aren’t going to get a complaint from the DA.”
    “I’m trying, man.  Our guy wasn’t home, or for that matter, anywhere to be found.”
    “You mean like he took a trip somewhere or …”
    “Don’t know, but I’m betting DHS has him.  Look, tell you what, have the L.T. give us a couple more days, and if we don’t come up with the photos, he can dump the case.”  Max pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the supplies in the bed of the pickup truck.  “Now, how about getting your head out of your pants and help me unload this stuff, will you?”
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
     
     
    The conference room wasn’t big enough, nor was the break room.  Max had to use the briefing room for the meeting.  The total now was one hundred three men, women, and children taking refuge at the substation.  This included one lieutenant, four sergeants, and eighteen officers.  Of that number, about eighty-eight people were present, including a few of the kids.  The rest, sworn and non-sworn police department employees, were at work.
    Max stepped to the front of the room and stood behind the podium. “Okay everyone, as you can see our numbers are growing.  This is no longer something one person can run by himself.  So out of this meeting tonight I hope to accomplish several things.  First, I want to select five volunteers who will serve on a steering committee.  I’d prefer all are non-sworn.  Secondly, I also need to discuss some new procedures that must be put in