Tool of the Trade by Joe Haldeman

Author:Joe Haldeman [HALDEMAN, JOE]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Science fiction
ISBN: 978-1-4976-9236-7
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2011-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: JACOB

Foley may be back in Boston. At least one of his guns is.

The police called in the FBI when they came across some suspicious-looking documents, investigating a rather gruesome break-in/murder down by the Combat Zone. The papers turned out to be computer listings for some highly classified General Dynamics software; the aiming system for a new antisatellite particle-beam weapon. So we were brought in on it.

The man was shot once in the head with a nine-millimeter automatic. The picture of the scene of the crime reminded me of that unlucky Bulgarian agent. I would like to go a long time without seeing another head wound.

Anyhow, the FBI retrieved the bullet from the wall behind the body and checked the rifling on it. Put it through their computer and, as too rarely happens, actually did identify the weapon. It belonged to Nicholas Foley. (Twenty years ago Foley had the weapon “accuratized” by a Nebraska gunsmith, by mail. The gunsmith kept a file of sample bullets from each customer and periodically sent them to the FBI.)

Of course, the KGB could have stolen the weapon when they broke in to kidnap Mrs. Foley. We know from a previous clandestine search that Foley owned at least two pistols, a .22 target pistol and the accuratized Browning, and they were both gone after the kidnapping. Since Foley never went back to the apartment, if he still has the Browning, then he would have had to carry it to Paris with him. Or stash it at the airport. Either one is possible, but I suppose it’s about equally likely that the murder was an internal KGB affair. They may have used Foley’s pistol to confuse us—though in that case you would think they would have left it at the scene—or possibly just used it because it was handy.

It wasn’t a simple execution. The man had powder residue on his right hand. He evidently had fired at least three rounds from a .22, which went in three different directions. Was he shooting at three different assailants? Struggling? The police say that if he was struggling, it wasn’t with the person who shot him. From the angle of fire and the position of the spent cartridge case, they can tell that the assailant was about eight feet away.

So it’s possible that Foley has an accomplice, or several. It could be anybody, and it could be a temporary arrangement. Evidently he can walk up to anybody and say, “Pardon me, but would you mind helping me murder a Russian spy?” and have them pull the trigger and then forget about it afterward.

There was no real witness, unfortunately. An anonymous caller gave the address and said she had heard a shot. That’s more cooperation than the police normally expect in the Zone.

Anyhow, we’re assuming that Foley is in Boston. The police and FBI are weaving a pretty tight net. Maybe this time.

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