His car vibrated when he slammed the door. He stared for a few seconds at his front office windows, largely missing. He stared up and down the street, looking for a good target for his anger before crossing the sidewalk. His shoes tapped up the outside steps like machine gun fire. He burst into his office, to find Sarge in the visitor’s chair pointing a shotgun his way. “It’s good to see you’re all right, man,” Hannibal said. Sarge nodded. Then rapid-fire footsteps approached from the back of the building. Hannibal could smell Jewel’s fear before she came into view. She threw her arms around him, less like a lover than like a drowning man clutching a life preserver. “Oh, thank God you’re here. God, there were bullets everywhere and I was sure I was dead. He’s crazy. He’s crazy and he wants to kill me and I know only you can save me. I’ll pay anything, anything.” Hannibal kept his eyes on Sarge while he pulled Jewel’s arms down from his neck. “Tell me what happened.”
