GREG JOLLEY
Sitting in his truck, which was up to its fenders in fresh snow, he looked to his right to the trees, the cottages, and the lake. Wind was nudging the truck, and he turned to the lights of the Quickee market at the far side of town. He unscrewed the scope from the top of the rifle. Holding it to his left eye, his fingertips brushed the focus dials. There was a pause in the wind as the Quickee came into view. Three bundled people were crossing from the direction of the gas pumps to the market. He noted that there were no cars or trucks parked at the island. Even with the absence of wind, there was no report from the third rifle shot. Instead, he saw one of the three people knocked off his feet and crumble to the concrete. The other two turned and lowered, looking to the one who went down. They were waving their arms and moving in panic. Jame recoiled back, dropping the scope into his lap. His eyes were wide, and disbelief was chewing through his thoughts. Without a sound, the front window of the market exploded. The two people left the fallen one behind, scurried to the market door, and clambered inside, looking clumsy and uncoordinated. The lights inside the Quickee went dark. Jame had the scope on the spot where the person fell. It was too dark to see any movement, but he watched, hoping. The wind returned, and the view was blocked. He was breathing fast. He figured out the source of the gunfire, triangulating the first shots at the C.O. and then the Quickee. He scanned the rooftops to his left. None of those angles made sense. He turned toward the lake. The church to his right blocked his view. He was confused—someone shooting from the frozen lake would be too low. The church steps were ten yards away from his truck. He didn’t have to look up to realize where the shooter was; he knew the shape of the building from years of driving by it. The church was the tallest building on Main. Above the roof, there was a bell tower with no bell. It never had one—the town of Dent had paid for the addition of the tower despite a good amount of grum24