Behold the Child by Harry Shannon Page B

crash. I'm sorry." It was a hoarse voice that made Kenzie momentarily uneasy. But could this have been the caller? But the man that emerged from the trailer was easily seventy years old. He wore several layers of filthy clothing. His face was spider-webbed with blue and red veins and he had the wild, red-veined eyes of a hardcore wino. He was trembling. "I'll leave now."
    "Move out into the snow for a minute." The man obeyed. Kenzie backed away and peered into the trailer. It was empty, except for a small motor scooter, a battered suitcase, a sack of fruit and some bottles of booze. No telephone or connection.
    "You been here long, old timer?"
    "Maybe two days, sir."
    Kenzie holstered his weapon. "You see any sign of some bikers?"
    The old man shook his head. He was shaking with fear. Kenzie softened. "Go back inside, then. But this is private property. I'm going to come back here in a couple of days, and I'd better find you gone by then. You hear me?"
    "I do, sir. Thank you, sir."
    Kenzie returned to the cruiser. He didn't like dead ends. He was already on edge from before, and now his adrenaline was sky high . . . so what the hell. He was really feeling pissed off, so why not run one more errand before lunch?
    The chicken ranch two miles south of Twin Forks seemed as deserted as the trailer park. The old blue pickup was now up on blocks; parts were scattered in the snow, as if someone had half-heartedly started to work on it before losing interest. Kenzie stepped out of the cruiser, leaned over the wheel and honked the horn.
    "The fuck?"
    He honked again. Pat Black emerged from the trailer a few moments later, stamping himself into his snow boots. He seemed larger than ever. He wore a bulky gray sweatshirt and overalls. His bald pate was pink with rage.
    "What's the boy done now?" Black demanded. Black's voice had the rasp of a smoker. It had to have been him making those calls. Kenzie saw Timmy peer out through the bathroom window then shut the blinds.
    "Your boy hasn't done a thing," Kenzie said, cheerfully. He made certain his answer was loud enough to comfort Timmy. "Actually, I'm here to talk to you, Mr. Black."
    Black cocked his head, baffled. "Yeah? Well then I want a lawyer."
    Kenzie stepped closer. "As of right now, you don't really need one," he said. His lowered voice was trembling with rage. "You don't need a doctor yet, either. But you go on making telephone calls and I guarantee you'll need both."
    Black laughed. His breath smelled terrible. "Big man," he sneered. "Got his badge and his gun and they make him a big man."
    Kenzie knew he was being foolishly macho, but he couldn't help himself. He opened the door to the cruiser and threw his gun on the seat. He took the badge off his heavy coat and dropped it next to the Glock.
    "There you go," he said brightly. "Now we're even."
    Black's smile slipped a bit. "What?"
    "Go ahead, bad ass. Take your best shot."
    Black tensed up and then dropped his shoulders again. "Yeah, sure. And you'll just say I attacked a police officer. No way."
    The back door of the house opened and slammed shut. From the corner of his eye, Kenzie saw a fully clothed Timmy, afraid of what was to come, heading for the tree line. The teenager was running swiftly, away from the certain wrath of his abusive father. For some reason the boy's long, lithe stride reminded Kenzie of his sister, Jenny. He figured the kid knew how to take care of himself in the snow.
    "Get lost, cop. I ain't going for it."
    Kenzie felt the heat in his chest and the world got hazy. He stomped across the icy ground, nearly losing his balance. He got in close to Black, peered up at him. His voice was clenched like a fist. "Stop making those calls, asshole, or I'll make you wish you'd run down your mommy's leg instead of being born."
    "Blow it out your ass."
    Kenzie was caught by surprise when Black hit him with a hard right cross. His mind went blank. He flew back and slid on his ass across the frozen ground. When he came