William Bernhardt - Perfect Justice

Ben saw the large red vehicle drive through the entrance gates of Coi Than Tien. It was a fire truck—a real one. And it was carrying ten professional firefighters.

“Thank God,” Mike said. “Collier called them in from Yell County.”

“You knew they were coming?”

“Yeah. But I was afraid the fire would be out of control before they arrived.”

The firefighters unhooked their hoses and started to work. The brigade lines kept going, but they cleared a path and tried not to get in the professionals’ way. The truck didn’t have access to a hydrant, but they dropped a sump pump in the well and had a limited supply of water on the truck.

It was slow going, but it was making a difference. The citizens had brought the fire under control, and the pros were now extinguishing it. They killed the fire at Coi Than Tien, then put out the remaining flames at the church and the outlying areas. By two in the morning, the fire was gone.

But so was Coi Than Tien. All that was left was black, smoking embers. The barn was the only building still standing, and it had suffered, significant damage. The church was gone, all but the charred remains. Worse, the mountain countryside between the two was ruined.

The fire had taken its toll on everyone. And everything.

67.

BEN STOOD IN THE center of what was once Coi Than Tien, barely able to contemplate all the waste and mindless destruction. Where would these people go now? he wondered. What would they do? What could they do?

Mike approached him, hauling Dunagan along by the short chain of his handcuffs. “You had something you wanted to tell me about this man?”

“Damn straight.” Ben continued to gaze at the pitiful ruins. “Well, Dunagan, it looks like your mission is accomplished. I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t set this fire.”

“Maybe not, but you set into motion the forces that made it inevitable.” Ben saw a face he recognized running past. “ Pham!”

Dan Pham stopped. “What do you want?”

“I’d like a few words with you.”

“I have matters to attend to—”

Ben grabbed Pham and pushed him toward Dunagan. “We’re all going to talk. And if you won’t stay voluntarily, Mike will arrest you on suspicion of arson.”

“Arson? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting I set fire to my people’s homes?”

“No. But I think you torched the ASP church, and that fire blazed out of control and spread to Coi Than Tien.”

Pham folded his arms across his chest. “You have no proof of these accusations.”

“You told Colonel Nguyen you planned to retaliate tonight. You must’ve heard about the ASP meeting just like I did. What I don’t know is how you found their secret meeting place.”

A tiny smile crept across Pham’s countenance. A smile Ben didn’t like at all.

“You followed me ,” Ben said. “I led you to it.”

“I have had a man following you since you became counsel for that hatemongering killer.”

Ben grabbed Pham’s shirt and shook him with all his might. “How dare you? How dare you use me to further your terrorism!”

“Terrorism? Are we the terrorists? All I did was defend my home. They are the terrorists!” He pointed an accusing finger at Dunagan. “I saw more than just a church meeting tonight. I saw two men painting a black truck in the church garage. The pickup that has been used to strike against Coi Than Tien time and time again!”

“It’s true,” Ben told Mike. “I saw it myself.”

“These gooks moved in where they don’t belong,” Dunagan grunted. “They asked for trouble.”

“Where we don’t belong?” Pham countered. “We were here long before you!”

“No, my people were here long before yours.” Pham and Dunagan were standing nose to nose. “You declared war on ASP. And that war is going to go on and on until your people crawl back to the rice paddies where they belong!”

“We will not go back!” Pham cried. “We will fight you to the last man!”

“Will you listen to yourselves!” Ben pushed himself between them. “When in God’s name will you ever learn? Violence is not the answer. Hate doesn’t do anyone any good. One of you swears to fight, the other one swears to retaliate. And look what happens. Look! ”

Ben grabbed them both by the back of their necks and forced them to look at the smoky remnants of Coi Than Tien, the huddled families that had nothing left and nowhere to go, and at the crest of the hill, the church that was now a waste heap waiting to be shoveled over and forgotten.

“Both of you were determined to hurt your enemy. And both of you ended up hurting yourself. Can’t you see how wrong this is?”

Dunagan turned away, his eyes closed. “I never meant for this to happen,” he said quietly.

“It’s too late for regrets,” Ben said. “As soon as I have a conversation with the district attorney, ASP is history. You might as well tell your men to start packing up the camp now. Hate is going out of fashion.”

Dunagan’s face flushed with fury. “You think that’s going to accomplish anything? You think you can stop us? So you run us out of Arkansas. So what? We’re everywhere. Everywhere. We’re in your schools, in your churches. We’re in your armies and your police forces. We’re the skinheads in Portland. We’re the KKK in Corpus Christi. Stopping me won’t change anything.”

“Mike,” Ben said through clenched teeth, “please take this … man away.”

“Gladly.” Mike grabbed Dunagan by the cuffs and hauled him back toward the sheriff’s car.

Ben faced Pham. “Once ASP leaves town, you can disband your resistance league.”

“We still have many grievances—”

“Who doesn’t?” Ben laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got to put your hate behind you. And start rebuilding.”

“There is too much to do,” Pham said, gazing at the vast destruction. “I cannot possibly—”

“You’ll need help. And I know where you can get it.” Ben pointed toward the front gates. Colonel Nguyen was heading away from them. Leaving.

“Colonel Nguyen!” Pham shouted.

Nguyen turned and cautiously approached. “I know what you will—”

“You were right,” Pham said, interrupting him.

Nguyen fell silent, surprised.

“I was wrong. Armed attacks were not the solution. We accomplished nothing. Nothing good.”

Nguyen shook his head. “At least you were willing to take action. To try. He turned away. “I am leaving—”

“Our people have suffered much tonight, Colonel. There is work to do. I cannot do it alone.”

Nguyen stopped walking.

“But,” Pham added, “I believe that we can do it together.” He held out his hand.

Nguyen clasped it and squeezed tightly. “Together.”

Several moments later Colonel Nguyen bowed politely. “If you will excuse me, Mr. Kincaid. I need to have a … conversation with my wife.”

Ben nodded. “There’s still the matter of the woman who was murdered,” he said to Mike.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Mike replied. “We found a handgun in the shack where her body was found. The bullets match. She wasn’t shot during the ASP attack. She killed herself.”

“Suicide?”

“Yeah. I think she’d been there for some time before she was found. Here, I took a picture.”

Ben took the Polaroid. He recognized her immediately. It was the young woman he had rescued from the first fire. The one who disappeared.

Mike pulled a sheet of paper out of his coat pocket. “While I was still in town I got a copy of the corpse’s prints from Deputy Gustafson and faxed them to the FBI database in Washington. We got a response about an hour ago and someone relayed it to Collier over the radio. Take a look at this.”