Temple: A New Journey Begins
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Kermit didn't move at first. He had not expected KC to pull a gun on the man that now lay sobbing on the ground and holding his wounded hand. The shot had been a marksman's shot. KC could have only learned it from one person, and that person was alive and in Shambhala.
It was only after the sirens nearly came up behind him that he finally turned around and picked the guy off the ground.
"All right mister," he began. "You're under arrest for the death of six monks, attempted murder of Sam Lowery, and the murder of Xia Tan."
"Good work Griffin," the Sheriff said. "You caught him."
"No, thanks to you. You've done nothing on this case but sit in your office letting me do all the work. Here the least you can do is read him his rights."
Kermit practically shoved the assassin in the Sheriff's direction. He ignored the glare that the Sheriff gave to him behind his back as Griffin turned to face the rest of the chaos entering the yard.
"What about my hand, you ruined it," Bobby Carson screamed at the detective as he tried to pull away from the grasp of the Sheriff and his deputies.
"The paramedics will take care of you as soon as they're done with the rest. You're not going to die so shut up before I shut your trap for you."
"Come on Carson." As Bobby Carson was pulled toward a squad car, Kermit could here Benson reading Carson's right.
'At least someone is doing something right around here,' Kermit turned toward the medics and began directing traffic.
"Get in the house, we have wounded. Check the shrine, there could be more there." Kermit continued to direct traffic. He then pulled out his cell phone and called Nicky Elder. "Hate to do this to you buddy but we have six bodies for you. They were all shot. I'm at the Lowery place, north of Braniff. It's not far. It's the first farmhouse on your right on the edge of town. How soon can you be here? Great, see you then." Kermit turned to the Sheriff as soon as Carson was stowed. He also observed that several monks had emerged from hiding and were now examining the dead or wounded. "Get something to cover up these bodies and rope off the area. Your forensics expert is going to be here in fifteen minutes. I don't want the curious coming into this yard and disturbing anything." Seeing the paramedics coming down the stairs with Sam on their gurney, Kermit rushed over to see how Sam was doing.
"How is he?"
"He's in pretty bad shape," one of the paramedics informed Kermit. "He's lost a lot of blood. Whoever put this junk on him though seemed to know what he was doing. It slowed the bleeding. We'll let you know as soon as he's examined by a doctor."
"He will live," KC stated behind Kermit. "But it will take time before he will be able to work the farm. I will stay to help Rachel."
"We will help him," one of the monks that survived came up to the pair.
"Where's the guy who did all this?" Vance came charging out.
"He's in the back of the Sheriff's car, handcuffed and ready to be delivered to jail."
"I want to take a look at him."
"What good will it do?"
"Because I heard his voice and I can identify him."
Kermit didn't argue further with Vance but allowed him to take a look at the prisoner, at a discrete distance. "Do you know him?"
"That's Bobby Carson. I knew he was involved when we heard him and his father up at the mine."
"We?" Kermit questioned Vance as if he didn't know anything about Bobby Carson and his suspected involvement with the mine.
"Caine and Sam, remember?"
Kermit didn't answer but decided to change his line of questioning. "Would you be willing to come to the Sheriff's office to file a complete report?"
"You know I would."
"Right now, we need someone who can identify the monks that were killed. With Sam in the hospital, we're going to need to be able to notify the families of these monks."
"I may know some of them," Vance remarked "But without Sam being here . . . And I know Rachel Lowery isn't going to be any help."
"I may be able to identify some of the monks," Caine said. Since the shooting of Bobby Carson, KC had not spoken.
"You know your help would be appreciated," Kermit indicated. "That was some shooting. Did your father teach you that?"
"Yes."
"He never told me that you were learning how to shoot."
Caine remained silent for a time, which alarmed Kermit. He could sense some turmoil was going on in the young Shaolin priest, but he didn't know what to say to ease his discomfort. Then the words came, realizing what it was that KC needed to get through the pain.
"That was the first time you ever shot someone, even if it was to wound them."
KC nodded his head, then said. "I have always had a fear of guns, ever since I was a child. My father thought it was necessary that I learn to handle a gun. I have always avoided them . . . until now."
"Well that shot saved my life. Your father would have been proud."
"I have disgraced myself. I have harmed another." KC said, his head bent down in shame.
"But isn't it better to wound someone than to kill them? At least this way the man can stand trial."
"It would have been better where no harm would have been done at all," KC replied. "I have harmed another on purpose."
"Look, I've seen your father kill to save others and in self defense, when he was a cop. You do what you must to save others and yourself." Kermit tried to console the young Shaolin priest.
"Perhaps, but it's not the Shaolin way." KC turned and walked toward the shrine to assist the living with the dead.
Kermit watched him go. There was nothing he could do to console his young friend. He would have to work this out on his own.
One face glared out with hatred as he was driven away.
Continues with Part 56
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2004.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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