He pointed it at Annie, at Camel, then back at Annie … the worst type of person in the world you want pointing a weapon at you, someone who’s frantic, confused, hurt … Paul’s face battered like he’d been in a car wreck, Annie more shocked by her husband’s condition than embarrassed to have been caught by him. “What’s happened to you?” she asked. “Something terrible,” he said. Unspeakable, he meant. Camel felt sick to his stomach from the stupidity of what he’d done, leaving his weapons on the counter like that … so totally out of character for him to be careless with firearms, showing off like a teenager for Annie. And now he faced a man with a gun. Camel knew the standard operating procedure … talk to the guy, put him at ease, ask what he wants, show you’re not a threat. But Camel thought it might be more effective simply to walk over there and gently take the gun away, do it now before the guy gets a taste of control and starts liking it … he obviously isn’t familiar with firearms, Camel could tell by the way he gripped that .22 like he was worried it might explode on its own … just walk over there and take it out of his hand, he’ll probably feel relieved to be rid of it.
