The Uvalde Raider by Ben English (great books for teens TXT) 📕

“Trooper Templar, you are in a very precarious situation legally speaking. I read the same reports your colonel did, but I have a completely different take on what happened. There was a great deal of shooting going on at that ranch and you did more than anyone else, as well as more killing.

According to your own admission you shot one man in the back and killed him, shot another from the rear who was just trying to get away and then cold bloodedly executed a third from a concealed position, not to mention killing yet another one with your revolver. Furthermore, all this was after you nearly beat a man to death with your bare hands, and far beyond the point needed in making any legitimate arrest.”

Wadley paused, staring at Micah with his peculiarly shaped ferret face. His eyes were calculating, and his body language oozed unshadowed arrogance. In a voice mixed with sarcasm and threat, the FBI supervisor went on. “You say you read a lot. Well, I strongly suggest that you read about excessive force and civil rights violations, because you may very well find yourself answering to both in a Federal court of law.”

“Mister,” Micah retorted, “if you plan on dragging me into any court of law, I fully expect to see that human rattlesnake they called Mustafa there to testify, along with that other terrorist I patched up.”

“By the way,” the highway patrolman mused, “exactly what happened to those two? Seems both disappeared about as quickly as your people got involved. It’s as if they never existed.”

“Templar,” replied Wadley testily. “Those two are of no concern to you, now or ever. Believe me, you have far too many other troubles of a personal nature to spend time wondering about what happened to them.”

“Says who? You?” queried Micah skeptically. “You talked about Federal law, so let me tell you something about Texas law. Those two are guilty of theft, kidnapping, aggravated assault, attempted murder and murder, among other criminal acts found in our Penal Code. Plus, they would be necessary witnesses in any charges you might bring against me. I think I have a vested interest in their whereabouts for all kinds of reasons.”

All of the color began draining from Wadley’s face and he scowled with clenched teeth at the defiant trooper. Wadley was the sort of person who was used to having everyone beneath him bow near unthinkingly to his authority, and to kowtow to while undergoing his oft-practiced repertoire of unfiltered intimidation. Micah Templar was of a different breed entirely and his blatant obstinacy was galling the FBI supervisor to no end.

“Look, we are doing our best to help in your situation, Templar,” Wadley snapped back. “Asking for nothing in return but a little cooperation. But if you want to play hard ball, you need to run and get your little bat and glove right now and start practicing, because you are going to be playing way out of your league.”

There it was, full in Micah’s face. He was being herded by Wadley and Humboldt into going along with this absurdity foisted upon him, or else. He had no idea what their reasoning was for doing so, or why. But he was fully aware that he was being threatened and everything within him was in open rebellion because of it.

Emphatically, Micah rose and leaned over with both knuckles on the edge of the colonel’s desk. The trooper’s face turned to stone, the only sign of life present being in his eyes that blazed with a hot fire from below. “Mister Wadley,” he said, “You do whatever you think you need to. But if you think you can change my mind by trying to intimidate me, or that I would actually believe your idiotic story, then you are even a bigger moron than what you took me for.”

It was evident that Wadley had not been spoken to like this before, or at least in a very long time. His narrow-featured face turned the tint of just beyond fitful anger, and he sprang to his feet fuming and sputtering. “Why you simple minded, country assed, backwoods bumpkin! I’ll have your badge for this! It and everything else you ever hoped to have,” the man raged. “No one talks to me like that, no one!  I’ll…”

“That’ll be enough!” roared the director, who had reached his own limit. “Trooper Templar, sit down.” Reluctantly, Micah did as his boss ordered.

“Mister Wadley,” the colonel turned his attention to the apoplectic official. “You don’t do the hiring and firing around here, or any other place having to do with the Texas Department of Public Safety. I do. Furthermore, you don’t come into my office and threaten my men, nor do you attempt to belittle them in my presence.

“You had a suggestion for Trooper Templar. Well, I have one for you. There is a door behind you that leads out of this office. My suggestion is for you to use that door and don’t let hit you in the butt on the way out.”

Wadley remained on his feet, visibly stunned by the director’s words. Through the fog of his own blustering ego, he realized things had not gone according to his design. A man who sat in a prestigious office with some political sway within his own organization, the FBI bureaucrat was used to getting his way. But this had transpired into something unexpectedly different.

In that he had badly misjudged both the trooper as well as the DPS Director, and the entire situation in general. He realized the damage done but it was far too late to do much about it. He also knew that anything else he said at this point would probably make matters even worse. His stomach twisted a bit more when he realized that heads were going to roll because of