Double Jeopardy by Stuart Woods

Author:Stuart Woods [Woods, Stuart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

31

Stone and Primmy came in a rush of yelling, laughing, and moaning. Stone rolled over on his back and took deep breaths. Primmy crept onto his shoulder and rested her head. “That was spectacular,” she said.

“It was,” Stone agreed. “It may have been even nearly fatal.”

She listened to his chest. “Strong and steady. A good heart.”

Then, from downstairs: “Stone! It’s a bear!”

“I told her to call me if there’s a bear,” he said.

“I’m going to shoot her if there isn’t a bear,” Primmy said. “So go on downstairs.”

Stone struggled out of bed and started for the door.

“Stone! Robe!” Primmy shouted. “Let’s not confirm her estimates about you.”

Stone got into a robe and slippers and started down the stairs. As he did, a shotgun went off—in the house. Stone resisted the urge to run down the stairs. “Carly?”

“Come on down, Stone,” she said.

He walked on down and saw Carly standing, peering at the security system controls. “It didn’t beep,” she said.

Stone looked out the back picture window and saw it pockmarked in a tight circle by buckshot. He was impressed that the glass held.

“They were out there,” Carly said.

“There were two bears?”

“Twins.”

“Twin bears? That happens.”

“The Stone twins! I took a shot at one of them, and they ran.”

“You’re sure it was the twins?”

“I felt them, then I saw them. They were dressed in black with masks, just as they were when Tim and I were kidnapped.”

“Did the security system go off?”

“No, that’s why I hesitated to fire.”

“You didn’t hesitate for long,” Stone said. “I’ll order a new window tomorrow.”

“What’s going on?” Dino asked from the stairs.

“We’ve had a visitation,” Stone replied.

“Not a visitation, a visit!” Carly said. “There was nothing ghostly about it.”

Dino walked over to the window and inspected it closely. “Looks like a couple of pellets got through. Did you fire more than once?”

“No.”

“It’s the ammo,” Stone said. “It’s a powerful load.”

“Well, you might have put a couple of little holes in one of the boys,” Dino said, admiringly. “Had you ever fired a shotgun before?”

“No. Stone showed me how.”

“Well, you were right. You’re a quick learner. I’m even more impressed with your intent than I am with your technique. Tell me, if you can remember, where he was standing. Where would you say the pellets struck him?”

Carly backed away from the window, examined it, and closed her eyes. “Upper chest, I’d say. Near the collarbone on his left.”

Dino drew his weapon, switched on the porch light, let himself out the back door, and had a look around the porch. Then he came back inside, locking the door behind him. “No blood. I was hoping for a DNA match. That could have nailed them.”

“Hey, you just reminded me,” Carly said. “I asked the New Haven EMTs to do a rape kit on me.”

“Did they?”

“Yes, but I don’t know what became of it.”

“I’ll call over there in the morning and find out,” Dino said.

“Everybody’s heart rate back to normal?” Stone asked.

Everybody nodded. “Then let’s get back to sleep. Nothing more we can do tonight.

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