Another pop and the woman fell on the concrete walkway. From off to his left, someone screamed. Then tires squealed from somwhere down the long line of cars. When he glanced toward the sound, he saw a sedan with two men sitting in front as they roared out of the line and
headed down the narrow shoulder of the highway.
Chaos reigned. Car horns honked. People shouted. And the sedan spewed out a huge dust plume as it bumped down the embankment.
Jericho took off at a run. He dropped to one knee beside the woman, checked her pulse and discovered she was breathing but unconscious and bleeding.
Is she alive? Deputy Rawlins asked, almost out of breath as he came running up. I got their plates, Sheriff. But I didnt dare get off a shot with all the civilians in the way. You want me to pursue?
Son of a gun. It would figure that he didnt have his weapon just when an emergency arose.
Stay with the woman, Jericho ordered. You and Fisher get her to Doc ONeals as fast as you can. My rifles in the truck, and He looked over his shoulder toward the church door. Tell Macy
Right then Macy appeared at the top of the church steps and peered down at him. He was about to yell for her to get back out of the line of fire. But within a second, he could see her quickly taking in the whole situation.
You go do what you need to, Jericho, she called out to him. Dont worry about us. Just take care of yourself. The weddings off for today.
Chapter 2
Sorry you didnt catch them, Sheriff. I searched the grounds like you told me when you called in, and I came up with just this one bullet casing. From a 9mm. Pretty common, Im afraid.
Jericho felt all of his thirty-five years weighing heavily on his shoulders tonight. Yeah, but just in case there might be anything special, send it off to the lab in San Antonio. Okay? It wasnt often that a trained lawman witnessed an attempted murder and couldnt either catchor identifythe perpetrators. So why him? And why on his wedding day?
The deputy nodded and put the plastic evidence bag back into his jacket pocket.
What happened with the victim? Jericho asked wearily. Is she still alive?
Last time I checked she was sitting up and able to talk, still over at Doc ONeals clinic. But she wasnt giving many answers.
That figured. Why make his job any easier?
Did you run the plates?
Deputy Rawlins frowned. Stolen. Not the car. The plates were stolen in San Marcos day before yesterday.
Jerichos frustration grew but he kept it hidden as he rolled up the sleeves of his starched, white dress shirt. When I checked in the last time, everyone else was okay. That still true? He was concerned about Macy. How had she handled postponing the wedding?
I never saw an assemblage of people disband so quickly or so quietly. The deputy removed his hat and fiddled with the brim. Mrs. Ward was amazing. Once we were sure the immediate danger was over, she told everyone to go home and that shed notify them when there would be another try at the wedding. Had everybody chuckling pretty goodbut they went.
Id better call her.
Yes, sir. With a tired sigh, Deputy Rawlins flipped his hat back onto his head. Doc ONeal needs someone to take charge of the woman victim. Says her condition is not serious enough to send her over to the Uvalde hospital, but she isnt capable of being on her own, either. You want me to handle it, Sheriff?
No, Adam. Youve had a long day and youve done a fine job. You go on home. Ill clean up the odds and ends.
The deputy nodded and turned, but then hesitated and turned back. Sorry about the wedding, boss. Dont you think that whole shooting scene was really odd for broad daylight? What do you suppose it was all about?
When Jericho just raised his eyebrows and didnt answer, Adam continued, Wait til you try to question that woman victim. Shes a little odd, too. Wouldnt say much to me. But shes sure something terrific to look at.
Thanks. Good-night now. Jericho would talk to the victim, and he would take charge of her and this case. But he had a mighty tough phone call to Macy to make first.
As Jericho stepped into Dr. ONeals clinic, his shoulders felt a thousand times lighter. Macy had been wonderful on the phoneas usual. Shed tried hard to make him feel better about ruining the wedding. She had even told him that shed been considering postponing anyway. When he asked her why such a thing would occur to her, she said they would talk tomorrow.
In a way, he was curious and wondered if hed done something inadvertent, other than
being the sheriff, to make her mad. But in another way, his whole body felt weightless. He had meant to marry Macy today. Still did, in fact. Hed given his word. Besides that, recently hed come to the conclusion that it was important for him to become a family man in order to honor his father.
But before Macy had suggested it a couple of weeks ago, he had never planned on marrying anyone. Hed begun thinking of himself as a lone wolf. The idea of turning into the old bachelor sheriff had somehow taken root. Hed had visions of ending up like his father and having a girlfriend or two stashed awayladies he could visit on Saturday nights. But in general the single life suited him just fine.