Frederick Zackel - Dark Red And Deadly

Tomo’s eyes fluttered and almost opened.

The doorbell rang. Nora stroked her lover's arm one more time, then rose and left her bedroom. She walked like the truly despairing.

Nora Buchanan answered the door. She was taken aback by the bright light of the morning sun. Rafferty stood there. Rafferty still looked very weak, his face was still badly bruised, but Rafferty was very cheerful. "Nora? Nora Buchanan? I'm Terry Rafferty. We met the other night."

"What do you want?"

Rafferty looked over her shoulder. "Is he here? Your lover. The only man you'd steal blood for. The man you took my blood for."

Nora said, "Why don't you come inside?"

Rafferty stepped in. "Thank you."

Nora closed the door behind Rafferty.

Rafferty found and sat in a chair.

"I was just released from County General an hour ago, and I still have to take it easy," he said. "Stealing my blood was dangerous. I mean, you can't just mug the next guy you see on the street. You have to know the person you're hitting. And you have to be professional and competent enough to extract the blood, which Mad Dog and Lester Rahler weren't. You are, however, a nurse, plus you knew I was a universal donor."

"Why would I steal your blood?"

"Your lover. Who else?" Rafferty frowned. "When you love somebody that much, stealing blood to keep him alive is an act of faith in the future. "

"And what's his name?"

Rafferty didn't know. "My first night in the islands, I saw you wearing an aloha blouse. It was beautiful. The white bird of paradise against a flaming sunset. That same night I saw a big Hawaiian wearing the identical pattern. Yesterday I went around to the tourist shops and they said it was a custom-made fabric and a very expensive pattern. You bought two and had those shirts custom-made. One for you and one for Tomo."

"Are you going to have me arrested?"

Rafferty didn't know. "Your lover has to go to the hospital. And you should turn yourself in, too."

The doorbell rang again.

Nora answered it and found Sheriff Hartman outside.

"Aloha, Nora."

Nora said, "Aloha, Charles. C'mon in."

Sheriff Hartman and a deputy entered, were surprised finding Rafferty there. Hartman told Nora, "I'm here with a warrant for Tomo Oteas. Nora, you're under arrest, too, of course."

Nora sighed. "What brought you here?"

"Rafferty here said they used ether on him. The ether. D’you know how rare that smell is? The only place most people smell it is in hospitals. And that blood that was stolen from the blood bank. And the other medical supplies. Where's Tomo Oteas?"

Nora gave up. "In my bedroom."

The doorbell rang again. Because Nora was busy, Rafferty answered and found Ginny Hong and a young assistant waiting outside with a collapsible gurney.

Nora told Ginny, "He's in the bedroom." She faced Rafferty and the Sheriff and told them desperately, "I couldn't wait any longer, so I called Ginny."

Later Nora, Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman watched the gurney carrying Tomo Oteas going into the ambulance. Ginny approached them when the loading was finished.

Nora said, "I've tried so hard to keep him alive."

Ginny asked, "Are you riding with us?"

Nora asked Sheriff Hartman, "May I?"

Hartman relented. "All right." He told the deputy, "Ride with them. Drop him off first at County General, then take her in and book her."

Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty watched the ambulance leave with screaming sirens and flashing lights.

Rafferty said, "She's the Queen of Hearts."

"She's a fool," Hartman said.

Rafferty said, "They're always one and the same."

Across the street Henry Oteas crouched in his truck. As the ambulance rushed past him, he started his truck and followed it. He would not abandon his grandson.

The Sheriff drove while Rafferty sat alongside.

Rafferty said, "I talked with Jimmy Quint. He came down from the hills to tell me he's up at the Quint house waiting for the killers to return to the scene of the crime."

Hartman scoffed. "Lester is the only one left, and he's holed up mauka somewhere and you need a crowbar to pry him loose. He's not stupid enough to come out of hiding."

"But he needs money to escape." Rafferty then wondered, "Where are we going?"

"Mauka," Hartman said.

"If you go mauka, maybe you never come back."

"Maybe you not come back."

Sheriff Hartman parked his car deep in the Quint yard, near the compost pile. Before Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman could leave the car, the police radio crackled with a message.

Sheriff Hartman grabbed the microphone. "Go ahead, Dispatch."

The dispatcher said, "Tomo Oteas just died."

Angry, Sheriff Hartman fisted the dashboard. "Son of a bitch!"

In the woods Jimmy Quint woke up from a restless sleep and heard the police car. He pulled on some pants and grabbed up his arsenal.

Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman walked towards the Quint house.

"He was a pawn for the Rahlers," Rafferty said.

Hartman said, "That doesn’t excuse him."

Lester Rahler stood in their path, his feet apart and both hands outstretched holding a .357 Magnum aimed at them.

Lester told the Sheriff, "Unbuckle your gun belt. Let it drop to the dirt."

Sheriff Hartman reluctantly did as he was told.

Lester said, "Now step back."

Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman moved back.

Lester picked up the Sheriff's gun. "Police Special. A pea-shooter. It's hard to kill a man with this, Sheriff."

Hartman said, "We just want to stop them. We don't want to kill them."

Lester hefted the Sheriff’s gun. "I can keep you alive for a long time, just taking my time killing you."

Using the police special, Lester shot the Sheriff in the right leg. The Sheriff gasped and toppled over. He held his leg and tried rising to his feet, but the pain kept him grounded.

Lester stopped Rafferty from moving at him, then shot the Sheriff in the right shoulder. The Sheriff floundered in the dirt from the pain, then laid there gasping for strength.

Rafferty tried going to the Sheriff's aid, but Lester fired the gun at him, just missing him. Rafferty stopped in mid-stride.

Lester said, "There's this game my daddy said his cellmate played in 'Nam whenever he took prisoners. See how many bullets it takes to kill a man."

Lester shot the Sheriff in the other leg. The Sheriff cried out in agony. Sweat poured off his face.

Lester aimed his gun and snarled at Rafferty, the muscles in his neck standing out.

"You're next. Come here!"

Unafraid, Rafferty approached Lester, whose rage spilled out.

Lester said, "You killed my daddy -- "

Lester sucker-punched Rafferty in the throat with the butt of the Magnum as hard as he could. Rafferty fell to the ground and started gagging and choking.

Lester said, "Get up!"

When Rafferty was slow, Lester kicked him in the side of the head. Then he reached down and grabbed Rafferty's forearm and yanked him to his feet.

Rafferty sucker-punched Lester in the testicles. Lester howled from the pain. Rafferty brought clasped hands up at his exposed throat. Lester deflected them, but lost one of his guns in the process.

The Magnum landed beneath the police car.

Rafferty and Lester fought for the Police Special. Rafferty got it once, but Lester knocked it from his hand. The gun landed at Rafferty's feet, accidentally firing. Lester went for it, and Rafferty kicked him in the face.

Rafferty ran stumbling away from him and towards the gun in the dirt. Lester came after Rafferty and caught up with him. He punched Rafferty's already battered face and kept punching until Rafferty's nose and mouth were bleeding and his left eye was closed and starting to swell. Rafferty sank to his knees.