Northern Lights

long time."
    "I want to know what's going on." With her hands fisted on her hips, Peach filled the doorway. "I called those boys back, and now we've got no one out there keeping order. A bunch of high school boys have already run a tie-dyed bra up the flagpole, one of the draft horses kicked a tourist who's probably going to sue, and those lamebrain Mackie boys hauled in a keg of Budweiser and are already skunk drunk."
    Frustration had the words shooting out like machine-gun fire. "They stole a bunch of balloons, too, and are, right this damn minute, marching up and down the street like fools. We've got reporters here, Nate, we've got media attention, and it just isn't the image we want to project."
    "Where's Ed Woolcott?"
    "With Hopp at the school by now. They're supposed to ride behind those damn horses. What is going on? "
    "Call Sergeant Coben, in Anchorage. Tell him I'm taking a suspect in the Patrick Galloway homicide into custody."
     
     
    "I DON'T WANT TO SPOOK HIM," Nate told his deputies. "I don't want violence or a panic in the kind of crowd we're dealing with. Civilian safety is first order."
    "The three of us ought to be able to take him down pretty quick and simple."
    "Maybe," Nate acknowledged. "But I'm not risking civilian lives on 'maybe,' Otto. He's not going anywhere. At this point, he has no reason to attempt flight. So we contain him. While we have this parade to deal with, at least one of us will have him in visual contact at all times."
    He turned to the corkboard. "We've got Peach's parade route and schedule right here. He comes right after the high school band. That's position six on the program. They'll go from the school into the town proper, down Lunatic and out again. They'll stop here, at Buffalo Inlet, then turn off to come around the back way to the school to off-load. At that point, it won't be as crowded there, and we can take him quietly, with minimal civilian risk."
    "One of us can go back up to the school grounds," Peter put in. "After they've gotten to the far end of town. Clear out the civilians."
    "That's exactly what I want you to do. We take him quietly, at the end of the route. We bring him back here and let Coben know the suspect is in custody."
    "You're just going to turn him over to the State cop?" Otto demanded. "Just here you go, pal, after you've done all the work?"
    "It's Coben's case."
    "Bullshit. State brushed this off. Didn't want the mess and bother and took the easy way."
    "Not entirely true," Nate said. "But regardless, this is how it's done. How it's going to be done."
    He didn't need collars and commendations. Not anymore. He just needed to finish the job. From dark to light, he thought. From death to justice.
    "Our priorities are to maintain civilian safety and take the suspect into custody. After that, it's Coben's game."
    "It's your call. Looks like I'll have to be satisfied to watch Ed shit bricks when you slap the cuffs on him. Bastard killed that poor old dog."
    Otto glanced at Meg, colored a little. "And the others. Pat and Max. Just the dog was most recent, that's all."
    "It's okay." Meg offered a grim smile. "As long as he pays for all of it, it's okay."
    "Well." Otto cleared his throat, stared hard at the maps pinned to the corkboard. "When they go around the back roads, we'll lose visual," he pointed out.
    "No, I'll have that covered. A couple of civilian volunteers." He glanced up as Jacob and Bing walked in.
    "Said you had a job." Bing scratched his belly. "What's it pay?"
     
     
    MEG WAITED until he'd dispensed two-ways and sent the men out to take up their initial positions. "And where am I in all this?"
    "With me."
    "Good enough." She'd pulled her shirt out to cover the holstered .38 at the small of her back.
    "They might question why you're not doing the flyby, as scheduled."
    "Engine trouble," she said as they started out. "Sorry about that."
    The crowd was full of color and noise and cheers with the smell of grilling meat and sugar filling the air. Kids were running around a streamer-and-flower-decorated maypole erected for the event in front of Town Hall. He saw the doors of The Lodge were open, and Charlene was doing a brisk business with those who wanted a more substantial lunch than could be had on the street.
    Side streets were barricaded against vehicular traffic. A young couple sat on one of the barricades making out with some enthusiasm while a group of their friends played Hacky Sack in the street behind them. A television crew