Big Game Hunting
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Brad finished filling out the report and handed it to the police officer. The mall security guard to whom Brad had reported the break-in and theft leaned nonchalantly against a nearby lightpost.
"Third time, eh?" the police officer said as she tore off a copy of the report and handed it to Brad.
"Yeah. Are you guys catching any of these creeps?"
She shook her head. "No," she said. "This mall and most others don't even put up video surveillance cameras. And these break-in artists are just that - they cruise the parking lots in a van, a half-dozen or so of these artists take notes on what's parked where. Then they discuss the hit, decide on a sequence, and the van makes two more laps - one to drop off the thieves, and one to pick them up. Usually the thief takes less than a minute, the whole operation less than ten."
"Sounds pretty sophisticated," Brad said, although he'd heard that before.
"Or sometimes they'll drop off a few observers equipped with cell phones. They watch out over the parking lots and call an associate when they've spotted a car that they'd like to steal. The associate comes in, jacks the car, and it's gone. No guesswork. Quick, less than a minute, usually."
Brad looked around. He could see several people strolling about with cell phones to their ears.
"I bet you get this sort of call pretty often, then," he guessed, again knowing the answer.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. This is my third today, and I'm only one of several officers who normally respond to this sort of call."
"Is this mall the worst one for this sort of thing?"
The police officer shook her head. "No, the SeaTac mall is worse. Tacoma Mall comes in a close second, though. There's Factoria Square, South Hill, the Supermall, South Center, Northgate, and all the others, in about that order. None of them are particularly secure."
"So, what do you think it'll take to stop this sort of breaking in and stealing, officer?"
She frowned and shook her head again. "I just don't know, sir. It would be a good start if the malls actually took a few steps of their own, like installing better surveillance systems and employing more clandestine patrols."
"Is there anything we can do? I mean, folks like me who come here to shop?"
"You shouldn't have to do anything but shop, sir. But we live in an area infested with rats, and the mall owners are unwilling to pay for trapping them. That's what your insurance is for, in their view. So I guess other than staying away, there isn't much you can do."
Brad had other ideas.
For most of his fifty-three years Brad had not understood why society put up with rats of the sort that police officer had described. He knew what to do about them.
Brad rested comfortably in the back of his twelve-year-old van, peering out through his rear window at activity in the parking lot below. He'd parked on the highest point he could find in the parking lot after looking around for video surveillance. As expected, he found none. Lights illuminated the parking lot of this particular mall, but he didn't need them. He'd equipped himself with a pair of high-tech night vision goggles.
He saw another van cruising slowly through the parking lot, turning up every second row and not parking. He watched. The van continued on and turned the corner of the parking lot and drove out of sight on the other side of the mall.
He pulled his .22 magnum rifle up alongside him and screwed on the silencer he'd fabricated in his home machine shop. Uncapping his twelve-power night scope, he opened the rear window slightly and slid a few inches of the silencer outside.
He waited.
The van came back again, this time a bit more quickly. When it stopped, a person exited. The van moved on, and stopped again. Another person, a male in dark clothing, exited. Again. Again.
Brad watched the nearest person walk quickly toward a nearby Lexus about thirty yards away. Something swung in the half-hearted light, and Brad saw the driver's window shatter. He dropped his eye to the scope. Three seconds later a quiet 'thwack!' sounded, and the person who'd broken into the car collapsed. Brad would stick to head shots. They were always fatal.
Brad moved into the driver's seat and started the old van. He drove away at approved speeds.
"THIEF SLAIN DURING BREAK-IN AT SEATAC MALL," the headlines said. No suspects. No witnesses. No reports of gunshots. Weapon used was a .22 magnum firing hollow point bullets.
Three nights later Brad scored again at South Center.
"THIEF SLAIN DURING BREAK-IN AT SOUTH CENTER MALL," this particular headline said, almost word for word like the previous one. "Serial sniper???" a sub-headline said. No witnesses. No reports of gunshots. .177 caliber bullet. As in the case three days earlier, hollow point ammunition was used, probably to ensure a kill and avoid having the bullet travel beyond the target. The shooter apparently wanted to avoid collateral damage.
* * *
Brad took a couple weeks off.
He re-thought his method of dealing
with the vermin. Then he went to the Tacoma Mall and waited. He did
that for three nights in a row. An hour before closing time on the
third
night he saw another van cruising by slowly. It drove out of sight,
then
eventually came back, dropping off darkly-dressed and hooded people
here and there. Brad watched nearby break-ins, and waited. The van
returned in about three minutes, picking up the same people, all of
whom
had large bags of loot. When the nearest person had been picked up,
Brad shot the driver. Then he shot the first person out the door of the
van. Then the next person. His high velocity .220 Swift hollow points
popped their heads like overripe watermelons dropped onto a sidewalk
from three stories up. In less than a minute seven people with
shattered heads lay sprawled and bleeding in the parking lot. Two
got away, running like scalded deer.
Brad drove away at approved
speed.
"SEVEN THIEVES SLAIN IN GETAWAY ATTEMPT AT
TACOMA
MALL," the headlines screamed. "New
Millennium Vigilante group???"
a sub-headline read. No witnesses. No suspects. No reports of
gunshots. Weapon used was a .220 Swift. Hollow points again.
"Hello?" Brad said, answering his telephone a couple days later.
"Hello, Sir. This is officer Pettit of the Seattle Sheriff's office. Are you the individual who had their vehicle broken into at Tacoma Mall about three weeks ago?"
Brad smiled. "Yes. I'm one of them."
"You've probably heard about the shootings at some of the malls," officer said.
"Yes. Are they doing any good?"
"Good?" Officer Pettit asked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, how's the theft rate at the malls these days?"
"Oh. Well, yes. I suppose you could say that the shootings are having an impact. Reports of break-ins and car thefts from malls are down about ninety percent."
"Well, at least that's something," Brad opined. "Too bad it had to take all those shootings, though."
"Yes. And there are people calling us regularly these days suggesting we not spend a lot of time and money looking for the shooter or shooters. Of course, we have to enforce the laws, even the ones we don't like."
"Yes," Brad agreed. "Laws like those against breaking into a person's car, or stealing it, I suppose you mean?"
A short pause over the phone line. "Touche," Officer Pettit finally replied. "I suppose that I, on behalf of all law enforcement in this area, had that one coming. But the reason I called, you're the registered owner of a Remington .220 Swift rifle, are you not?"
"Yes, I am. Or I was."
"Were?"
"Yes. If you'll review the theft report that one of your officers took at the Tacoma Mall about three weeks ago, you'll see that I reported that rifle stolen from the car. It's on the record. Too bad, too. It was a nice piece. Mesquite stock, custom tooled, Leupold scope, all the goodies. A perfect varmint rifle. Shoots flat as Kansas."
"I'm familiar with that particular type of rifle," Officer Pettit replied. "What do you use it for?"
"I do small bore silhouette shooting," Brad replied truthfully.
"Oh." Another pause. "Do you have any idea or suspicions about who might be behind these shootings?"
Brad smiled. "Aren't you going to read me my rights first?"
"Do you think I should?"
"No. But here's my take: I'd say that someone had it up to here with thieves, and decided to do something constructive about them. I know you called me because your records show that I've had three break-ins and that I own, or used to own, a rifle of the same caliber used in the shootings. That makes me a pretty good suspect. But I'll bet you have a long list of pretty good suspects, right?"
"A very long list."
"Is there anything else I can do for you today, Officer Pettit?"
"I think not. Sorry to have bothered you."
"No problem at all. You'll understand if I don't wish you luck in your hunt for whoever is capping all those scumbags, won't you?"
A laugh over the phone. "Yes,
I understand. Good bye."
* * *
Brad took a couple months off just to be sure that anyone tailing him or watching his movements got good and bored. He hadn't detected any such tail, but he was the cautious sort.
Then he killed nine more at
South Hill Mall.
He took another few months
off, dropped five at Factoria Mall, then
that same night he exterminated eight more at Northgate.
Brad decided to take a year or so off.
* * *"SHOOTOUT AT MINNESOTA'S MALL OF THE AMERICAS LEAVES TWELVE DEAD," a headline shouted from USA Today the next week. "Twelve smash-and-grab car thieves slain by unknown assailant," a smaller print summary stated. No witnesses. No sounds of gunshots. Small caliber weapon.
"COPYCAT SNIPERS FELL MALL THIEVES IN TWIN
CITIES
MALLS," the Dallas News and Tribune screamed. Four dead in
Dallas,
three more dead in Fort Worth. No witnesses . . .
"FOURTEEN MALLS AROUND COUNTRY REPORT
SHOOTINGS," USA Today reported. "63
DEAD. NO
WITNESSES."
"POLICE HELPLESS TO STOP MALL SHOOTINGS,"
another
headline announced. "We're helpless for the same reason we're helpless
to stop the break-ins, Top Cop in Trenton, New Jersey announces." Not
enough cops to stake out the malls. Not enough community interest
in stopping the shootings. Precipitous drop in reports of mall-related
car jackings, auto theft reported. Authorities fear running gunfights
between thieves and vigilantes.
"PEOPLE WANT MORE EMPHASIS PLACED ON
PROTECTING
PRIVATE PROPERTY, NATIONWIDE SURVEY REVEALS!" No need
for mall snipers if police and courts do their jobs, vast
majority of survey respondents state.
Months later: "JURY ACQUITS ALLEGED MALL SHOOTER!" USA Today reported. The lead paragraph summarized the case:
"Despite video tape of the
shooting by Irwin Bonaventure at a mall in
San Diego, and despite the testimony of two surviving shooting victims,
both of whom identified Mr. Bonaventure's vehicle as being the hideout
of the shooter, and despite ballistic matches between the bullets used
and a rifle found in Mr. Bonaventure's possession, the jury returned a
verdict of Not Guilty of premeditated murder, but guilty of a lesser
misdemeanor charge of illegally discharging a firearm within city
limits. Judge Jones denounced the verdicts and declared that the jury
had just
sanctioned murder. The jury foreman stood and took the tongue-lashing
on behalf of the jury, then replied that it appeared to the jury that
the
country's legal system, which is supposed to protect its good citizens,
had
lately been protecting only criminals, and that the judge and the rest
of
the legal community shouldn't be surprised at the verdict. Judge Jones
sentenced the jury foreman to three days in jail for contempt. San
Diego's district attorney is exploring ways to nullify the jury's
verdict
or re-try Mr. Bonaventure."
Brad followed those headlines and others over the following months. He smiled. It's spreading; my work is done, he thought. Back to being retired.
- - - fin - - -
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