Chapter 80

“I’m sorry. I’m such a mess.”

“Stop apologizing. It was a scary situation.”

“Mr. Cooper… why was I shot?”

“We don’t know.” He looked away, and Mopp got a bad feeling.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“You don’t remember Jack getting shot also?”

“No… Oh my God, yes!”

“Yes. You tried to stop the bleeding.”

“He was shot in the center of his chest. I was certain if I just used more pressure…” Mopp raised his hands so he could look at them, but they were free of all the blood that had covered them earlier. He closed his eyes, but that made it worse. Behind his eyelids he could see the fountain of blood that gushed from Mr. Jackson’s chest.

“Mopp, listen to me. His aortic artery was badly damaged. Nothing you did would have stopped the bleeding.”

“How do you know that?”

“The medical examiner told Tom.”

Mopp shivered again. “Did the sheriff’s deputies get the men?”

“There was more than one?”

“I think… I’m pretty sure…”