"You shot him?" He asked frowning. I nodded. "I'll need your gun and you'll have to come down to the station and give a statement."
"No to both. I'm a Kazak," I said pushing up my sleeve to show my tattoo.
"I don't care what you are. Harry, take her gun and escort her to the station."
"Call your captain. He will tell you that you have no authority over me no matter what I did." I could tell this guy was not going to be reasonable. Of course, I wasn't going to be, either. He pulled out his Glock and raised it towards my chest. As he did, I stepped towards him turning a torso away and grabbing his gun hand. I twisted the hand, which extended his arm, and drove my forearm through his elbow. It cracked. The gun dropped to the floor. I drew my gun as I swept his feet from under him. The officer was just coming to terms with what happened as the sergeant hit the floor.
"Unless you want to die today, officer, I suggest you don't draw your gun." He moved his hand away from the holster. The sergeant lay stunned as I picked up his gun. I took out my iphone and hit "1" on my auto dial. Witton answered.
"What."
"Someone attacked Vanaja's house. I shot him but he got away. The police sergeant here tried to take my gun and insisted I go to the station. I have him and his sidekick under house arrest, but the sergeant is going to need medical attention. I broke his elbow and maybe his wrist."
"Try not to kill anyone." The phone went dead. I watched as Kapil slid towards the phone. I walked pass the officer, took his gun, and met Kapil at the phone.
"If I were you, I wouldn't reach for that phone." I doubted he and I would ever get along, which became his problem.
"I'll testify at your trial and celebrate when they take you away."
"When did you stop caring about your wife?"
"How dare you. I love Vanaja."
"You want me to chase after a car full of gunmen and let your wife be unprotected. You want the police to take me to the station and leave your wife unprotected. You want me to go to jail for wanting to stay close to her. You had me fooled." While I talked, Kapil's tan skin slowly turned a dark crimson. Vanaja had walked over to us and now stood looking back and forth between us. Like everyone else in the room, no one had thought about the consequences of what was happening.
The silence was broken by the sergeant's personal hand-held radio.
"Sergeant Sims. This is Captain Clarton," the speaker squawked.
"Corporal, I think you should get that. I don't think the sergeant's up to it," I said nodding to the other policeman. He unhooked it from Sims's belt.
"Sir, this is Corporal Jackson. Sergeant Sims has been injured...by Mrs. Askam's bodyguard," Jackson said sneaking a nervous look in my direction.
"Get Sergeant Sims medical treatment and leave the Kazak alone. She's authorized to carry weapons of any kind and is not subject to our jurisdiction. Sergeant Sims should have checked with headquarters when she identified herself as a Kazak. The Askams are lucky she was there."
Over the next hour, the firemen finished their inspection, Sergeant Sims was treated and taken off to emergency for x-rays, and Kapil went off to sulk somewhere. Captain Clarton stopped by as the last vehicle was leaving.
"Mrs. Askam, I want you to know that I've assigned a police detail to keep surveillance on your house until further notice. I understand you've been getting threatening emails and letters. Fortunately, most times no one follows up on them. Hopefully, the incident with the Kazak will discourage them from trying it again," he said and turned his attention on me. "Kazak Lynn, I'm sorry Sergeant Sims pulled a gun on you. He should have called headquarters first. But I think he's paid for his over reaction."
"I agree. I told the sergeant but he may have forgot in the excitement that I wounded one of the men. He will need medical attention. You may want to alert the medical facilities."
"I will. Mrs. Askam, I'm sure you're in good hands, but I'll keep a patrol car in the area. Goodnight ladies," he said before turning and leaving. Vanaja remained quiet as she poured herself and me a cup of coffee.
"You were very hard on Kapil, Lynn. He means well but he doesn't handle crises well. He likes an orderly world. It's one of the reasons his research is on adult cells-there's little if any controversy about them." She gave me a weak smile. "I'm still having trouble coming to grips with the events tonight. I know some people feel very strongly about embryonic stem cell research but I didn't think they would try to kill me."
"I don't think they were trying to kill you. I think this was meant to be a warning. Shots were fired only because I shot one of them. Otherwise, you would have some fire damage to your garage and siding but little else."
"If you wounded one, won't that stop them?"
"I doubt it. Fanatics tend to escalate their violence when threats don't work. They believe they are above man's law. Ironically, they want the full protection of man's law when they're caught."
"That's not a comforting thought." She stood looking at me. "I thought you were being ridiculous insisting on staying close to me. I still think you overdo it; but, I'm glad you're here. If you're right and it escalates, I'll be glad you're overdoing it."
***
Another week of boredom, which tends to be a problem since everyone relaxes-except me. No action means the fanatics are being cautious and therefore will have a better thought out attack. I've decided that the people after Vanaja are most likely normal upstanding citizens pretending to believe in democracy-so long as you believe what they do. Of course, a few failures could mean they would hire better thugs and even Assassins at some point. Meanwhile, I waited vigilant and bored.
"Time for lunch," Vanaja said as she rose from her desk. Kapil hadn't joined us since the incident at the house and had done his best to avoid me. I watched everyone in sight as usual, since anyone could be involved in this kind of deeply rooted issue. I noticed a car parked off to the side, as Vanaja stepped into the road on her way to the parking lot. As she did, the car started moving. I pretended not to notice and slowed so I was a step behind her, hoping the car intended to sideswipe her, which would mean I wouldn't be in danger. Suddenly, a horn blasted and the car jumped forward as the driver accelerated. It was a good technique because the noise froze Vanaja. I stepped forward with one leg-providing me with a wide-rooted stance, grabbed her arm, and waited a second for the car to get closer. When it was only a second away and the driver committed, I yanked her and my forward leg backward. As she stumbled past, I let my momentum spin me 360 degrees and drew my gun. The car had gone about fifty yards by then and continued to accelerate. One man was staring out the back window shouting something. I took careful aid and fired three times. The back window shattered and the man in the back screamed. The car weaved from one side of the road to another before gaining control and disappearing up the street. Vanaja lay sprawled on the sidewalk with scrapes on her forearm and a torn pant leg. As she rose to one knee, I saw tears in her eyes.
"They're gone," I said hoping to reassure her the immediate threat had passed. I noticed the office windows were crowded with people staring at us. Two men came running out and over to us.
"Can we help, Vanaja?" one said as he helped her stand. The other stood looking at me like he would a wild tiger.
"Help her to the car. I'll take her to the emergency so they can look her over and treat the scrapes." Fortunately, her Cadillac had a Navigation unit.
"You were right. The violence is escalating, and you need to be close to me." She didn't smile or look at me. "Did you hit anyone?"
"Yes, maybe two. One is either dead or will require emergency care."
We arrived ten minutes later. When we entered, they were just putting a man on a gurney. He looked dead, which was confirmed when they pulled the sheet over his head. Another man was being seated in a wheelchair by an orderly, while a medic pressed a pad into his shoulder. I walked over and stood in front of the wheelchair.
"Step away," I said nicely. Well, I didn't snarl.
"Out of the way, idiot. This man is bleeding and need immediate medical attention," the middle-aged medic said, waving for me to move off. I drew my gun, but kept it lowered and scanned the room. Sure enough, a small weasel of a man was moving toward the door.
"Stop and face down on the floor or you'll be joining your friend. The one on the gurney," I said for clarification. He stopped. People were now out of their chairs and backing away from him and me. I waved Vanaja behind me. "Vanaja, call 9-1-1. We have the people who tried to kill you. You!" I said to medic. "Back away from him. If he tells me who wants my client dead, you can wheel him away. Otherwise, he can sit here and bleed to death."
"The Pope." He grinned. I waited while continuing to scan the room for trouble.
"He's going to die if you-"
I raised a finger to my lips. "Maybe his friend the Pope will come to his funeral."
"You will burn in hell!" the man in the wheelchair screamed. I remained silent waiting. His shirt was now stained to his waist and blood was dripping on the floor. "You'll go to jail for life if you let me die." It sounded like a plea this time. I waved my gun at the medic when he began to inch towards the wheelchair.
"Lynn, the operator said the police are on the way. Shouldn't you let them take the man into surgery."
"No. He's choosing to die a martyr."
"Father Callahan. He said Vanaja Askam was the devil's spawn, killing God's children. The Bishops and the Pope have confirmed it's direct killing. He said she needed to be stopped in God's name for the sake of our future children."
I stepped back and motioned for the medic to take him away and walked over to the one lying on the floor. "If I were you, I would plead guilty because if I see you again you'll be joining your friend on the gurney."
Just then two police officers entered the room and shortly afterward, Captain Clarton.
"What happened this time, Kazak Lynn?" He nodded to Vanaja as she came up beside me.
"Someone tried to run Mrs. Askam down. I shot at the retreating car. When we arrived here to have her cuts treated, I found the driver and his friends. One's dead, one is in surgery as we speak, and him." I nodded to the one on the floor. "The one in surgery claims Father Callahan encouraged him and others to stop her in God's name. Seems to me he forgot a couple of commandments: thou shall not kill and taking the name of God in vain."
"What about you?" Clarton asked frowning.
"Like soldiers and policemen, I don't do it in God's name."
Clarton spent a few minutes with Vanaja listening to her tell what she saw during the action. Then I accompanied her back to get patched up, much to the Doctor's frustration.
"You can't come in. Wait out in the hall if you must. You've caused enough trouble today. That man almost died," he said loudly. His face twisted in anger. I guess he forgot those three men started the trouble. When I walked by him without answering, Vanaja said, "It's alright, doctor."
He stripped her down to her underwear, and gave her a thorough inspection before applying salve and wrapping her arm. Vanaja drove and decided to go home.
"You could warn me next time. Thinking back, I realize you saw the car and knew what was happening before the car moved."
"If I had, where would you have run that the car couldn't have followed? In that case, he would have been able to anticipate your movements. Thinking we hadn't seen him, he thought you were frozen in place and didn't anticipate you moving. It was the best solution at the time." I shrugged. She snorted.
"What next?" she asked, resignation apparent in her voice.
"All you can do is go on with your life and let me worry about keeping you safe." I wish I knew. It would be so much easier.
***
The next evening Father Callahan stood in the entrance when Kapil answered the doorbell. They had just finished dinner and putting things away.
"Good evening, Father," Kapil replied. "Please come in. You're most welcome."
I kept careful watch as he entered. Priests were not above abusing the Ten Commandments they hold up as God's word. And I was not above shooting a priest or rabbi or... He walked directly over to Vanaja and nodded.
"Good evening, Mrs. Askam. I came to assure you I do not condone what those men-"
"Yes, you do. You just don't like being called to task for it," I said.
"How dare you-" Kapil began, but stopped when Callahan shook his head.
"You must be the Kazak that murdered Mr. Herbert."
"And the Kazak that is going to continue murdering your avenging angels until you run out of parishioners or I run out of bullets."
"You are a very disturbed young woman. I can only hope that God will have mercy on your soul."
"I'd worry about your soul. I don't remember Jesus sending his disciples out to kill people. If I were God, I wouldn't want my ambassador on earth preaching hate and tinkering with my ten commandments. I doubt God thinks the one about not killing is poorly worded." I dislike hypocrites, especially when they want others to do their dirty work so their hands don't get soiled. Vanaja coughed in an attempt to stifle a laugh. Kapil's face was twisted in fury. Callahan stood silent for a long time.
"Mrs. Askam, I know you are an atheist, but I would appreciate it if you would attend church services tomorrow at ten a.m. I am not asking you to participate, just listen. I'm afraid my passion has been misinterpreted and I need to correct that. I still oppose embryonic stem cell research in any form and want my congregation to fight it in every legal way they can-legal way." He turned and left without another word.
"She's an abomination, Vanaja. Get rid of her!" Kapil shouted when Callahan closed the door behind him.
"Lynn, I'm impressed. Your tongue's as deadly as your gun."
***
Vanaja did attend services the next day. I sat with her in the back. Kapil sat up front. True to his word, Callahan did spend over a half hour the expounding on the church's moral opposition to embryonic stem cell research but then emphasized God did not condone violence. Their opposition should be directed towards legal remedies. I wondered if I had struck a nerve or if he just could not afford to lose more parishioners.