Rick Mofina - If Angels Fall

Shaw’s throat tightened.

“Get on him now! We’re going to take him out! Warnhim, Fred!”

“Mr. Keller, surrender now or you will be fired upon!”

Shaw ordered the sniper teams in both choppers, andthose on the Coast Guard cutter, to lock on Keller. He turned to histhree-member assault team. They would be first in the water for a rescue inadvance of the guard’s chopper.

“Move in everybody! Now! Now! I want him now!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Shaw saw them. Four ofthem! And two more coming in the distance. News helicopters hovering over thescene. He’d be damned if they were going to see dead kids on the fucking news!He went on his intercom to Agent Fred Wheeler.

“Fred, get on the same frequency as the press pilots.Tell them to back off. This airspace is sealed for two miles!”

It was too late. The entire drama was unfolding liveon every U.S. network. The parents of the children watched on TV monitors setup for them by news crews outside Keller’s house in San Francisco. Camerastrained on them provided live reaction.

“Put a warning shot in his quarterdeck,” Shaw ordered.

“I got it,” answered Agent Lyle Bond, a sniper on thesecond chopper with Reed.

“Take it, Lyle, go!” Shaw said.

Bond’s marksmanship scores were in the FBI’s top onepercent. Keller’s boat swayed gently within Bond’s scope as he stayed with him,partners in a tragic ballet, waiting for the precise moment — there it was — Bondsqueezed his trigger.

The round ripped through the deck of Keller’s boatlike a sledgehammer, shattering the hull below, leaving a baseball-sized holeinches from his foot. He began taking on water.

“Mr. Keller stop your craft now!!”

Keller yanked on the throttle, killing the Mercs,stopping the boat, his own hissing wake washing around him, water rushing inthrough the gap in the hull.

The choppers were pounding.

Whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop .

In one smooth motion, Keller tossed Zach overboard,then Gabrielle, then Danny. The long yellow ropes attached to their anklesslithered prettily on the surface.

The children thrashing.

Screaming.

Jaws dropped.

Eyes widened in horror.

Reed watched from the helicopter.

The other parents watched the TV monitors at thehouse.

Fast. It was unfolding too fast.

“My God! I can’t believe this!” one network anchor’svoice broke across the nation.

In a heartbeat, the two FBI helicopters swooped in — takingtheir points starboard and portside — locking on Keller as he muscled thecement blocks overboard.

“Green light! Green!” Shaw ordered. “Take him in theboat!”

Bullets rained on Keller, smashing into the boat, intohim. A round passed through his right thigh, another exploded in his shoulder,a third grazed his skull as he dove into the water, disappearing beneath thesurface.

Zach treaded water rapidly, witnessing the scene,unable to find Danny and Gabrielle. The noise, the surface spray wasoverwhelming. The choppers moved. So close, he can almost touch-

“Help!”

Instantly the blocks jerked violently at his ankle,dragging him under with Danny and Gabrielle … water bubbling, rushing past,filling his ears, mouth … until the tension overcame the point where he hadcut the rope, forcing it to snap, freeing all three children twenty feetbeneath the surface.

***

Keller remained tied to the blocks, plummeting feetfirst, crimson bubbles trailing his descent. Dazed from his wounds, he tiltedhis head, his lungs filling with water, losing time, lost in time as he gazedinto the light. The children were silhouetted against the sun — floating,flying in the resplendent waters

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus .

Then it happened. As ordained by God.

The sky above, heaven above, blossoming…

Once. Twice. Three times.

Three beings, celestial entities summoned frometernity, each gliding, floating to each child, taking them to their breasts,severing their lines to him … the brilliant yellow rope floating away. Hegrew deeply tired, watching them ascend with the children, to the sun, to God.

He was forgiven.

He was at peace.

The shake was strawberry, Zach Reed’s favorite. He sat up in the hospital bed to take itfrom his father.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Zach’s mother continued stroking his hair. She hadnever left his side once the doctors and the psychiatrist finished looking athim. Danny and Gabrielle were across the hall with their parents. Every now andthen, they could be heard laughing, along with the sound of Gabrielle’s cockerspaniel barking.

“The children are fine. They’ve suffered some shock,exhaustion, dehydration,” one of the doctors told Ann and Tom. “We want them toeat. At this stage, pizzas, burgers, shakes, and fries are good medicine.” Hewinked at Zach, adding, “We’ll have them spend the night here resting. Let himsleep naturally when he gets drowsy. And Dr. Martin’s available anytime, ifanybody wants to talk some more.”

The doctor left, closing the door softly.

“Everything’s going to be okay, right?” Zach said.

“Sure, honey.” His mother brushed his cheek.

Zach set his shake aside and bit his lip, worriedabout the fall out for breaking all the rules, for talking to that psycho doof,believing his lies. Still a little juiced from everything, he thought about howcool it was going to be telling Jeff and Gordie about the choppers. But theidea went away. He had almost drowned. He was still frightened. And there werea lot of other things. Things he couldn’t understand. That nice lady doctor,the psychiatrist, Dr. Kate whom Dad knew, said she could help with that whenthey talked some more. She actually knew the creep and promised to answer allthe questions she could. She was smart. Even after their short talk, she seemedto know what was going on with Zach. She didn’t get him wrong. He was happy,but he was still a little scared; scared about his mom, his dad. Everything.Well, Doc Kate wanted him to talk about it with his folks, so here goes: “Imean, I’m sorry about all this mess, for running away from Grandma’s, gettingin that creep’s van. I made a mistake.”

“Oh, sweetie.” His mother crushed him in her arms.

“Zach, it’s not your fault.” His dad smiled. “You didgood, calling me like you did, son. Very good.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No.” Ann touched her eyes with a crumpled tissue.

He stared at his parents. They looked different,older, relieved, like something had been decided.

“So are we going to talk about living together again?”

“I don’t think so.” Ann reached across the bed, takingTom’s hand, fingering his wedding band, looking into his eyes. “I don’t thinkwe need to talk anymore. I think it’s settled.”

“We’re moving back to our house? Together?” Zach said.

“Yes.” Ann smiled.

Zach hugged them.

“Hey,” Reed told him, “we’ll let you in on a secret.The President is going to be calling from the White House later.”

“The President? No way!”

“Come here.” Reed took Zach to the hospital window. TVsatellite trucks and news crews jammed the parking lot below.

“You’re big news, Zach.”

“Awe-Some! Wait ‘til I tell Jeff and Gordie!”

A quick knock on the door. It was SFPD Inspector LindaTurgeon. “Sorry to interrupt. Could I see you, Tom, about your statement?” Shesmiled at Ann and Zach. “How you doin’, sport?”

“Good. Great, actually.” He sucked on his shake.

Outside in the hall, Reed and Turgeon talked in aquiet alcove. A news conference with the children, parents, and police was setfor the hospital’s lecture room in ninety minutes. And tomorrow, Reed was to goto the Hall of Justice, to give his statement on the case.