Globusz^® Publishing 

AS MR. BARKLEY PREDICTED, MOST of the snow was gone by lunchtime. Jim decided on the spot that now was the time to act.

“Mike I was wondering if I could have the rest of the afternoon off? I would like to check the bus schedule and do a few other things I have been putting off.”

“Sure, why don’t you just take off now? Our workload is really light today.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

As he climbed the stairs to his room, he realized the extra time would come in handy. The first thing he needed to do was finish the shooting room and went to the kitchen and quickly located the clothespins he knew were there. He put them and a pair of scissors in his back pocket and climbed back up the ladder to the attic. The only thing left to do was create a small window in the blanket that covered the ceiling vent. With the scissors he cut an opening about one-foot long. At each end he cut up and down about one and a half inches. When this was complete he used the clothespins to fasten the blanket to the top and bottom louvers. He looked around and was pleased with what he saw.

He climbed down the ladder and retrieved the box he had prepared the night before and put on his coat and gloves. With the box under his arm he began the walk to the bus station.

He approached the counter in the station and requested a ticket to Atlanta.

“When” ? the attendant asked.

“Next Thursday morning.”

“Thanksgiving?”

“Oh, no! Mistake! The week after.”

“ Sir, that’ll be $12.50.

After handing her a twenty-dollar bill, she counted out his change and thanked him for the business. He then walked out onto the street and checked his watch. It was only 12:30 p.m. He went to the Rexall Drug Store and got a pack of crackers and a Coke then spent over an hour eating his lunch in the store. His best route to the school would be from the south side of the children’s path, through the woods.

He walked as if he was going to the courthouse. Instead of going in, he took the street behind it. He continued to walk, passing one street, and then turned north on the next street. He concluded it would bring him out at the south end of the path.

After a short walk, sure enough, there was the path, just as he thought. He looked around and decided no one was watching. Then he moved quickly up the path until he found the shirt he had used to mark the sniper position. He removed the pruning shears from the box and completed the necessary cuts in short time. He slid the shears into his right, rear pocket. From his front pocket he retrieved Billy Bob’s .243 casing that he had picked up at the range. With his gloves he wiped it clean of any fingerprints. He dropped it in the middle of the sniper position. That should help confuse the investigator.

He then picked up the box and continued up the trail to the school. Classes would let out soon and he needed to be gone before then. Walking directly to the spot he had chosen for the smoke bomb he sat the box down next to the walk then spread the towel on the bottom of the box. Making sure he was out of sight, he then opened the jar and poured the gun powder all around the box. He then checked the time, as his plan was to make the shot at 5:10 p.m.

Jim determined which pre-drilled hole he needed to slide the firecracker fuse into and when it seemed secure he put the candle in the box in the holder he had made just for just this purpose. He struck a match and touched the candlewick. When he was satisfied it was burning, he closed the box’s lid. After a few minutes he checked it again. It had a good, solid frame. All he needed to do now was to get back to his attic without being seen. He took the sidewalk north of Mr. Bob’s house and crossed the street that ran by the post office. He decided the best route would be the path behind Hackney’s Cleaners.

He moved quickly to the attic and began to prepare for the shot. First thing he did was make sure all of the blankets overlapped. He checked his watch it was already 4:30 p.m. How had so much time elapsed? This missing time almost unnerved him. To calm himself down he began to go through the moves out loud: load two rounds, put one in the chamber, take a good seating on the sandbag, take a good sight picture, take the weapon off safety, place the target in his sights, take a deep breath and let it out, squeeze the trigger. He was again relaxed and focused. Everything his grandfather had taught him seemed to ring in his head. His grandfather would have been proud that he had listened to him talk about when he was a sniper during the war.

He relaxed on the bench and waited for Butch to make his 5:00 p.m. pee call. Moments later, he saw Butch come from behind the house. He looked at his watch and it was exactly 5:00 p.m. Butch seemed to check every clump of grass making sure no other animal had marked his territory. He pulled the rifle to his shoulder and began to follow the dog through the scope. Then he heard the noise he was waiting for ? the siren on the fire truck. It was coming his way. He put the crosshairs in the middle of Butch’s chest. The fire truck kept getting closer as he waited for just the right shot. He wanted Butch to be looking away from the house. When the fire truck was approximately 50 yards from the post office, Butch turned to see what the noise was and Butch stood frozen like a bird dog pointing to a bird. Out loud: “Take a breath, let it out, and squeeze.”

The bullet was gone. It struck home. Butch let out a howl, stood on his back legs and turned his head to bite the place the bullet had entered. He then dropped down on all four legs and began to run towards the big, white house. Only ten feet from the corner of the house, Butch collapsed.

Jim calmly placed the rifle on the floor and moved to the open slit and slowly looked around to see if anyone was looking his way. He relaxed when he saw the people were only interested in what was going on at the school. Jim broke out into a big smile when he saw Mr. Bob and Craig standing on the sidewalk and looking at the school.