Legacy
Ch. 2
By Lark
E-Mail: [email protected]

*******************************

Travis dumped the cold liquid over the man's head.

"Wakey wakey."
"Ga-aah!!  Haff! Pthbtt!!"
"Stop that.  You'd think I dumped cold coffee
over your head or
something."
"Did you?"
"Does it matter?  Who are you?"
"Who're you?  And why'd you hit me?"
"Why were you following me?"
"I wasn't following you!!"
"Oh really?"  
"Really."

Travis dumped the newspaper clippings, pictures,
and other odds and
ends he'd found in the hotel room in front of the
other man.

"What?"
"Room key and hotel stationary.  You should be
more careful.  Now
start talking."
"About what?"

Travis picked up a picture of a large man in a
police uniform
accepting an award.  "How about Chris Wilmington."

*******************************

Hart drove his bike straight up to the perfect
family car in front of
the perfect family house, not stopping until he
was just a foot away
from the perfect husband.  At least Sam looked as
if he might have to
change his pants.
"Was that really necessary?"
"Probably not.  Here."  Hart held out a wad of
money.
"And what is that for?"
"Karen. To help pay for the trip."
He didn't know it, but the hatred in his pale
green eyes was brighter
than the sun.
"Listen, I realize that you're upset about this
weekend-"
"One way of putting it."
"But I had honestly forgotten that you were
supposed to have Kayley
this weekend.  After all, the visits that you do
have, you take
advantage of so erratically"
"I believe that about as much as I believe that
you 'forgot' that
Karen was married when you slept with her."
A cry of "Daddy!!!" and a hurtling body stopped
any response Sam.
"Guess what Daddy."  Katley asked as he pulled
her onto the bike.
"What?" "
"Sam-I Am, Mommy, and me are going to Disney
world." Hart grinned at
the outraged look on Sam's face at the
knick-name.  No matter how hard
they tried, he and Karen just couldn't get her to
stop calling him
that.  
"So I heard.  You looking forward to it?"
"Uh huh."  She leaned close to whisper in his
ear.  "I think Sam-I-Am
wet his pants."
"So do I."  He whispered back.  "Listen, kiddo,
give this to your
Mommy, okay?"  He gave her the money
"Okay, what's it for?"
"Whatever you want at Disney World, and to help 
pay for the trip."
"I hardly think that we need any of your money."
"Daddy wasn' talkin' to you Sam-I-Am."  Hart
grinned.  Smartest
four-year-old in the world.  She focused on the
first part of what
he'd said.  "Anything I want?"
"As long as Mommy says its okay.  Now, I have to
catch a plane to
Boston, so I have to go, okay?"
"Okay, are you going to bring me back a present?"
"You bet."
"Good.  She leaned close to kiss his cheek.  "I
love you Daddy."
"I love you too."
"Well," Sam said, "It seems that you wouldn't
have been able to see
Kayley tomorrow anyways, as you certainly weren't
planning on taking
her with you to chase down some criminal."
"No, I was going to let him go."

*******************************

"Thank you, thank you.  Oh, you're to kind
Madam."  Eli hid the
triumph-and contempt- from his eyes.  It was too
easy, like taking
candy from a baby.  A cane, the story of being in
the hospital for
Christmas and having it now, a hire couple of
hoodlums to steal from a
poor, cripled old manthe money simply flowed. 
He did love the
challenge.  It far outweighed the lack of
necessity.
Then he felt something hard against his back.
"Elijah Standish?"  The voice was soft, and very
low, but something
about it told him not to doubt that not only was
there a gun at his
back, but that it could and would be used if
necessary.  In an equally
low voice he answered "And who, exactly, would
like to know?"
"Lotsa people, but I'm the only one you need to
worry about for now." 
Suddenly,  the pressure against his back ended,
and the man addressed
the crowd, clapping his had on Eli's shoulder.
"People please, give
the good father some room.  I'm sure that he has
to hurry to replace
the toys that were stolen"
A few more minutes, with assists from Eli, and
the crowd of well
wishers had dispersed, with the exception of one
woman who was
insisting that he take her credit card, whom the
soft voiced man
managed to get rid of, with promises that the
good father would
contact her if he didn't have enough money.
As they reached the parking garage, he tried to
strike up a
conversation, while he attempted to find a way
out of his little
predicament.
""Might I inquire as to what this is about?"
"You've been a bad boy, and that makes me a rich
man."
"And might I inquire as to just who you are?"
"Might you talk normal?"
"Very well, who are you?"
"Hart Tannen."  Marvelous, a bounty hunter, and a
good one from what
he'd heard.  Although the fact that Tannen had
managed to find him at
all was testament to that.
"And just what do you do Mr. Tannen?"
He heard the amusement in the man's voice.  "Get
rich off of bad b-
Hold it." 
Whether or not he wished to stop was a moot
point, as it was either
that or cut off his shoulder.  "What is it?"
"Have you seen anyone come or go since we got in
here?"
"I haven't exactly been paying close attention."
""I haven't seen anyone."
"And that makes you uncomfortable?"  Actually, it
made him
uncomfortable, considering how crowded the mall
had been, surely the
parking garage would have some traffic.  He
glanced around, noting
that the entry gate had been closed.
"It would seem all incoming traffic has ceased."
"I noticed."
A  volley of shots from somewhere above sent both
flying for cover. 
Noticing Tannen- getting his first actual look at
the man, younger
than he had thought- going for cover of his own,
Eli, from the shelter
of a rental jeep, gave a slight twist of his arm,
releasing the
derringer hidden up his sleeve. 
"Where the hell did you get that?!?"
"A man must have his secrets."
"Any idea who might want you dead?"
"A number, you?"
"Same."

Both tried to find the origin of the shots, not
daring to move despite
the fact that the shots had ceased.  Eventually,
he raised his head-
and spotted the sniper just in time to avoid
another volley of shots.

"Great move Einstein."
"I didn't notice you having any bright ideas."
"Aaah."  Suddenly, the man's eyes grew panicked.
"What?  What is-"
"GET AWAY FROM THE CAR!!!"
"What?!?"  Had the man lost hi- His eyes grew
wide as he realized what
had caused the panic, a moment before the car
exploded.