Read Prey for Free Online Page B

securely; then he ripped down thick vines and tied the man to a tree.
    Barry walked back to the creek. “It’s all right,” he announced. “Let’s go find a phone and call the sheriff.”
    Stormy rose from the ground and brushed the dirt and twigs from her clothing. “Where is the nearest phone, Barry?”
    â€œOh, about a mile down the road. Come on. We’ll drive.”
    â€œOne of these days, Barry, you’re going to have to accept the fact that you are in the twentieth century.”
    â€œSoon to be the twenty-first.”
    â€œAnd you might get a phone then?”
    â€œWe’ll see.”
    * * *
    One of Salter’s younger deputies took a misstep and fell off the front porch while staring at Stormy. Salter gave the deputy a look that promised this was not the end of it.
    â€œWe’d better go get this guy before you lose all your troops,” Barry remarked innocently.
    Salter sighed with a patience that was somehow bestowed to all sheriffs and chiefs of police.
    The trussed-up man glared ribbons of silent hate at the sheriff, the deputies who were still able to walk, and at Barry. Stormy had elected to stay in the house, with Pete and Repeat. The signs of his thrashing about, trying to free himself, were evident, but Barry had tied him securely.
    â€œBag the rifle, the knife, and this guy’s hands for residue testing,” Salter ordered. He looked at the deputy who had fallen off the porch. “You go find the slugs that were fired at Miss Knight and Mr. Cantrell. And don’t come back until you have them in an evidence bag.”
    â€œBut that’s liable to take me a week!” the young deputy protested.
    â€œThe elementary school at Chestnut and Poplar still needs a crossing guard for this next term,” Salter told him. “Would you like that position?”
    The deputy quickly headed into the timber.
    â€œYou don’t know this guy?” Don asked Barry.
    â€œNever saw him before, and neither has Stormy. And I don’t know if he was shooting at me or Stormy.”
    â€œAbortionists must die!” shouted the man, who was now on his feet and handcuffed, startling everyone. “Those who support abortion are murderers. Praise be to the Lord. Give me strength to kill that harlot.”
    â€œNow we know,” Barry said. “Stormy did an editorial last month on a woman’s right to choose.”
    â€œGet this nut out of here,” Don ordered. “Book him on two counts of attempted murder.”
    â€œI hope the events of the past couple of days are not any indication of things to come when the Speaker gets here,” Barry remarked.
    â€œDon’t even think it,” Don replied, taking off his cowboy hat and wiping his forehead and face with a handkerchief. The woods were deep and no breeze touched them.
    Barry told him about the warning Stormy had received before she left New York City.
    The sheriff nodded. “This is probably what the caller meant. Someone in that nut’s group got cold feet and tried to warn her away.”
    Barry said nothing, but in the back of his mind, he did not believe the shooter had anything at all to do with the warning Stormy had received. “Don, I talked it over with Stormy. How about you and your wife coming out tomorrow evening for steaks and beer?”
    â€œSounds good to me. I told Jeanne, and she’s real excited about it.”
    â€œOkay, then. That’s settled. I’d better get back to the house and see about Stormy.”
    â€œWe’ll finish up out here and get out of your hair. See you tomorrow, Barry.”
    * * *
    â€œGoing to report this, Stormy?” Barry asked, when the outside world was hushed by closed doors and the soft hum of the central air-conditioning.
    â€œYou know I have to, Barry.” She smiled. “I’m going to drive into town, find a pay phone, and call it in. But your name won’t be mentioned.