Burnt Out …Part 34 …Out in the Open

What I learned about Doris’ background totally unnerved me. I always considered her a friend but the possibility she could be our sniper really devastated me, all the more I think because I felt betrayed.

Of course, we’d have to check out all the details but Clare and I were both too exhausted to do it today—as a matter of fact, when we got back to the farm, she just wanted to take a hot shower and have a nap.

I totally understood. Having to investigate a fellow officer was particularly stressful and upsetting.

“I’ll take Maggie for a walk,” I told her, “it’ll help me unwind.”

The compassionate look in her eyes said more than words could ever express. Nothing in your training prepares you for something like this—in that sense, it’s uncharted territory. We were making decisions on the fly and simply going by gut instinct.

We both knew Cyril would know what to do, but we wanted to wait until we were absolutely sure before we told him.

It was just past four in the afternoon and the temperature was in the mid forties. There was a damp chill in the air and an autumn mist obscured trees in the distance.

I remembered, it was just past Halloween and today was the Day of the Dead—and it seemed grimly appropriate.

Maggie, our golden retriever, hadn’t been out all day and she was like a calf let out of the barn, full of energy and enjoying her freedom.

Just watching her happily yapping and chasing squirrels made me smile and helped to ease the tension that had built up inside me.

A twig snapped behind me and when I turned to see what caused the noise I found myself staring down the barrel of a rifle.

Doris was standing about ten feet away, her rifle trained directly at my forehead.

“You’ve been a busy bee today, Cam—about as busy as these wasps in the woods getting ready for winter.”

She spoke in a calm voice hardly louder than a whisper.

“How did you know where we went?” I asked her.

“Well, let’s put it like this—as winter approaches, the worker wasps do what they can to protect their queen—Henry Lodge gave me a heads up. He told me you were snooping into my business.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. Her voice was flat and emotionless and I knew that made it more menacing. Her usual teasing manner was gone and there was a determined look in her features.

“You just couldn’t leave it alone, could you? Bad enough you came back, but you had to rub it in by taking up with Clare Logan.”

“It’s my job, Doris—don’t blame. Clare—she was assigned by Cyril to help me.”

“It doesn’t matter—you’re both dead men walking—you should have stayed in Toronto, Cam, writing your murder mysteries. I thought when you came back we might hit it off this time, but You’ve got a type, I guess, and I’m not it, so I’m going to end this now and cut my losses.”

Sheer terror overcame me and everything seemed white before me. It was partly the mist and partly my panic that distorted my perceptions.

I heard the trigger cock and closed my eyes in fright, but another woman’s voice was speaking.

“Put down the rifle, Doris, or I’ll shoot—I won’t ask twice.”

I opened my eyes to see Clare sending directly behind Doris, her arm extended and her service revolver aimed directly at Doris’ head.

Doris hesitated a moment and just when I thought she wouldn’t comply, reluctantly lowered her rifle.