There’s been a shooting.
[from “On the Evidence,” a Liam Campbell short story]
THE PHONE RANG right next to Liam’s ear. He snatched it up before it could ring again. “It’s supposed to be my day off.”
“Yes, sir,” Corporal Prince replied amiably, ignoring the snarl in her superior officer’s voice. Next to him, Wy muttered and burrowed beneath the covers. Corporal Prince was not so lacking in a sense of self-preservation that she either chuckled evilly over his irritation or commented on the company he was keeping. “You’ve got an urgent call from Kotzebue, sir. I thought you’d want to take it.”
“Who?”
“Johnny Nageak.”
Johnny Nageak had been a village public safety officer in training when Liam had taught a semester at the trooper academy. “What’s he want?” he said, with marginally less truculence.
“He says he’s got a situation he needs help with.” Liam gave up trying to scrub his brain awake through his scalp.
“What’s the Kotz trooper post say?”
“They’re short-handed.”
Liam snorted. “Who isn’t.”
“Yes, sir, but they’ve got an attempted murder of a schoolteacher in Kivalina, and a bootlegger in Buckland, and—”
“Save it, I get the picture. “What’s Johnny’s deal?”
“There’s been a shooting. Four men down, one survivor the only eyewitness.” Prince paused. “One of the dead men is named Nageak, sir. He didn’t say, but I’m guessing that’s why Officer Nageak wants you up there pronto. I’ve taken the liberty of booking you a seat on the first flight out.”
