Hidden Talents

keep him trapped inside the cave while the other calls the sheriff. The cops are trained to handle this kind of thing. They can talk him out of there.”
    “Trouble is, no way to know if the sherriff's one of them.”
    “Blade, this is no time to go into one of your conspiracy theories.”
    “Ain't no theory. It's a fact. Lay you odds that if we hand Kincaid over to the sheriff, he'll be out on the street in a week. Kincaid's probably one of their best agents. This crazy act of his is a real clever cover. Bet he spent years workin' on it.”
    “The man's nuttier than a fruitcake, for God's sake. He's guilty of attempted murder. They can't put him back out on the street in a week.”
    Another shot roared inside the cave.
    Blade shrugged. “So maybe they'll make a show of sendin' him to a mental hospital for a few months. Keep him there until things quiet down. Then they'll say he's cured. Turn him loose. First thing he'll do is come after Serenity and Zone.”
    “Damn,” Caleb whispered. “You're severely paranoid, friend, but you're probably right.”
    “Like I said, knew a guy like him once. He'll want revenge. And he'll just keep comin' back until he gets it or until he's stopped for good.”
    The notion that Kincaid was an agent for a band of mysterious conspirators might be crazed, but unfortunately the rest of the scenario Blade had just outlined was all too likely to be correct, and Caleb knew it. Anyone who read the newspapers on a regular basis knew it. As long as Kincaid was alive, he was a threat to Serenity and Zone.
    Kincaid's gun roared again. The shot whined loudly inside the chamber.
    “Don't come in here,” Kincaid yelled. “This is between Marion and me.”
    “How the hell did I get into this one?” Caleb asked the night.
    “Just lucky, I guess,” Blade said. “Flashlight's stayin' steady now. I can see the beam hittin' the left wall. He must have put it down when we turned on the lights for him. You ready to do it?”
    “As ready as I'll ever be.” Caleb tried to remember how he had prepared himself before a round in the days when he had won a string of medals for marksmanship. His grandfather's words came back to him as clearly as if Roland was standing beside him.
    Clear your mind so you can concentrate. Take a deep breath, let it out halfway. Pull the trigger. Chances are, if you ever have to do it for real, the other guy will be out to kill you, so do it right the first time .
    At least it would be self-defense, Caleb thought as another shot rang out from within the cave. Kincaid was doing his damnedest to kill both him and Blade. And if the bastard escaped, he fully intended to go after Serenity and Zone.
    He had to be stopped.
    “If he's put down the flashlight, he'll panic when the lights go out,” Caleb said. “He won't be able to see a thing.”
    “Good idea. Hit 'em again.”
    Caleb snapped the light switch again, dousing the glow of the bulbs inside the cave. Kincaid shrieked in fury as he was suddenly enveloped by darkness.
    “I can hear him trying to find the flashlight,” Blade said. “Got to get him while he's reachin' for it.”
    Caleb's hand was already on the light switch. He hit it. The cavern's weak bulbs lit up as he ran toward the entrance. He saw Blade's dark form racing to join him.
    Kincaid's piercing shriek of undiluted rage shattered the night just as Caleb reached the chamber opening. In the pale glow that lit the inside of the cavern, Kincaid was clearly visible.
    He was teetering on the slick, wet edge of the largest of the hot spring pools. He flailed about wildly, trying to maintain his balance on the slippery surface. Even as Caleb watched, he screamed again and plunged head first into the water. The gun clattered against stone. So did Kincaid's head as the man fell.
    A sudden, deathly silence seized the interior of the cave.
    Blade lowered his gun and looked at Caleb. “He ain't comin' up real fast, is he?”
    “No.” Caleb slowly lowered his own weapon and walked toward the pool. “He's not.”
    He reached the water's edge and made himself look down. Kincaid stared back at him from the bottom of the pool, sightless eyes wide, mouth still open in a soundless scream. A dark ribbon of blood seeped from the dead man's head and mingled with the crystal clear waters of the spring. Next to Kincaid's body lay the flashlight.
    “Probably panicked and tried to grab it when we turned the lights out,” Blade said. “Just like you said he