Chapter 11: Different

Billy and Annie started to get their coats on when a loud crash, followed by the sound of tearing metal and a loud "thump" shook the house. Jesse grabbed up his pistol and Marie reached for her twenty-two. The back door slammed open and a hooded figure bounded through, a semi automatic at the ready. Before he could raise it three small "cracks" sounded from Marie's gun. The figure went down, doubled up and began to writhe in pain. Billy had grabbed a rifle off the wall and jacked a slug into the chamber. He looked around wild eyed for someone to shoot. Annie held Laurel closer against her body and stood behind her husband for protection.

When the figure went down, Jesse stomped on his chest and kicked him in the head. The unconscious form rolled over on his back. Jesse grabbed a boning knife out of the knife drawer and squatted next to the prone man. He sliced through the outer clothing and the jeans and shirt. He roughly dragged the man away from his freshly destroyed clothing.

The man had a barrel torso, thick legs and large powerful looking arms. The knuckles on both his hands had been damaged many times. He had the fists of a brawler. "I take it this is Barry," Jesse told her.

"Yes," she whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Well, so far, by your reckoning, you stabbed him once and now have shot him three times. He doesn't seem to fare too well against you, all things considered." He stood back from the man. "Someone close the door. Our guest is getting chilly."

Jesse continued, "Billy, see if there is anyone else with our friend here. If there is, shoot him.

"You bet," Billy answered grimly. "Annie, stay in here where it's warm and watch after our baby." His words would have sounded ridiculous, except for the set to his face and the way he held the 30-06 Remington bolt action. Billy leaned the rifle against the wall long enough to slip on his parka and zip it up. As the hood went over his head and was tied into place, he grabbed up the rifle with an ungloved hand. For the couple of minutes he planned to be outside, gloves would be a hindrance if he had to shoot.

As the front door closed behind Billy, the wind died down. Jesse told the wounded man on the floor clad in only his underwear, "You can quit faking. I know you're awake."

When the man still did not move, Jesse said in a conversational voice, Marie, shoot his left kneecap." Before the last word was all the way out of his mouth, Marie's small revolver shot once again.

A new wound appeared in Barry Schultz's right thigh. "You mother fucker!" he screamed as his eyes shop open. "I'll kill you both." The hatred and deadly rage showed on his face and in his voice. He appeared bathed in a black halo of insane evil malevolence.

"Sorry she missed your knee cap," Jesse told him in a conversational voice. I have been meaning to give her shooting lessons and haven't had the time, the way you distracted me when you kept sending idiots to do a warriors work. I see you are not much better yourself, just crazier."

Each mention of Barry's insanity threw him into new paroxysms of anger. "I'll kill you!" he screamed. "You will die slowly, begging me..."

Whatever Jesse was going to beg for was lost as he nudged Barry's wounded leg. The big man tried to roll over and snag Jesse's foot with a mitt sized hand. He got a kick in the wound on his side for his troubles. "Get back away from him," Marie said in a tight voice. "I want to try to shoot his kneecap again."

"Wait," Jesse told her. "Practice shooting at his nuts. You say he never uses them anyway. I want him to be able to walk. We are going to play twenty questions. Then when the questions are answered I will either need to have him able to walk enough to show us, or walk to his own grave."

"Wait, you stupid son of a bitch, you have to turn me over to the local authorities. That's the law and you fucking know it." Barry Schultz closed his mouth as he saw the soft smile on Jesse's face. He had seen the same smile on professional killers in the past, the ones he arrested. He realized this was not a John Q Citizen who had been taught from birth about the sanctity of the law. This man was a law unto himself.

"Come closer and aim for his balls. Shoot once. Then when you see how close you came, adjust your aim and try again. This dumb ass doesn't seem to realize there is nobody here who cares if he dies or not. I'll just take his body out back and dump it under the compost pile to rot with the cow manure and loose hay. Hell, if his bones are found all we have to say is someone else stuck him there."

One shot sounded and Barry screamed, "No!" Then he realized he had not been shot. The bullet had buried itself in the floor between his legs.

"I'm sorry, Jesse, I missed again. It's just I am so mad my hand won't stop shaking. I'll do better next time.

"No, don't. Take that gun away from that crazy bitch. She's crazy," Barry begged. "What do you want to know?"

Jesse showed no emotion as he began to question the ex-cop. "First, who hired you? Don't give me any bull. The first time I feel you are lying, you die. If you are no use to me why should I let you live?"

"Ron Spate," Barry told him. "He was fronting for Senator Berry."

"Mister Spate was Daddy's lawyer. And Senator Barry was the man who got Daddy released from prison." Marie looked ready to kill Barry Schultz out of hand. "He's lying. Let me kill him I deserve the chance. Please," she begged.

"No!" Barry yelled. "It's true! Jesus, get that bitch away from me. She's crazy." He looked up at Jesse. "Spirit Petroleum exploration are the people behind this. It's all about god damned oil."

"Oil?" Jesse asked unbelieving, "It doesn't make any sense why would anyone go to all this trouble for an oil well. A billion dollar company does not go after a land grab for a damned oil well. They would negotiate for the drilling rights and pay a royalty. You don't go on a killing rampage unless..." His voice trailed off.

"What? What is it? What are you thinking, Jesse?" Marie asked him anxiously. "People have killed for a whole lot less than the price of an oil well."

"Not the big boys, they use the courts and buy the politicians. The only killings they hire are done twice removed by professionals. One outfit tried to hire me when I mustered out of the army. They would never hire some ham handed fool like this kill crazy clown and his fellow idiots. Shoot his balls."

Another shot sounded and a new wound appeared on the inside of Barry's right thigh, much closer to his crotch than the last one. "This ... this ... this is very therapeutic," Marie yelled hysterically.

All right, all right," Barry screamed, all resistance gone, "You are sitting on top of a giant pool of high grade oil. Your property covers every square inch of it. At one time there was a small seep that reached the surface and was closed off thousands of years ago. Spirit Drilling geologists found traces above a cave and drilled a test well down through that cave. They hit oil at one thousand feet down. They tried to buy this place and found you had bought it just a month before."

Jesse turned toward Marie to ask her what she thought. Barry twisted and kicked Jesse's ankle out from under him. Before Jesse could respond the twenty-two went off. A new wound appeared in Barry's belly. "Suffer," Marie told him bitterly.

"Oh god, the pain!" Barry yelled, "I'm dying! No!"

"The answer is yes, you probably are dying," Jesse told him in a conversational voice. "You have any death bed statement you want to make?"

"Go to hell," the wounded man said bitterly. I hate you all, I hate..." He passed out.

Jesse grabbed the phone, dialed 911 and waited. "This is Jesse Morgan, give me the FBI in Denver." He waited while the operator explained he could dial the number direct.

He hung up, dialed information and asked for the Denver office of the FBI. Frustrated, he took an impatient breath, dialed the number he was given. As soon as a pleasant sounding voice answered, Jesse said, "My name is Jesse Morgan. I live out here in Walden and you people have been bothering me. Now I have a dead man lying on my kitchen floor. His name was Barry Schultz and you wanted him. Here he is. So come get him."

"This is special Agent Waters," a new voice came on. "Please speak slowly and tell me the circumstances of this alleged incident."

"You dumb pogue, I'm calling from my home." He hung up.

The phone rang less than a minute later. "I believe we were cut off," the same voice said in a calm voice.

"No we weren't," Jesse answered, "I hung up. As you damned well know, this call is coming from my home. I am not going anywhere. You want the body yourself or do I call the sheriff and let him or the state boys have it?"