25

Sniper

Agent Harris could see no one in the crowd who might be responsible, other than the obvious targets, all of which were accounted for. Then she remembered the modern weaponry she’d seen in evidence on some of their opponents and cast her gaze upward. Following a quick survey of one rooftop after another, she saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off metal that brought her attention to a long gun barrel poking out from the edge of the rooftop of the building directly across from city hall‍—the same building, as it turned out, they had originally been hiding beneath while originally surveying the site.

Another muffled shot rang out as Agent Hessman was pulling his opponent to his feet. Before he could get a question out, though, the back of the Japanese man’s head exploded, dropping him to the ground. Agent Hessman ran for cover, which turned out to be behind a parked Model T with a couple of policemen standing in front of it.

“Where the heck did that shot come from?” one of the policemen was saying as Agent Hessman dove in behind him.

“Does it matter?” Agent Hessman remarked. “There’s still a shooter out there.”

Agent Harris glanced discreetly around, then when she was sure that no one was looking, particularly her teammates, she pulled something out from beneath her dress, something roughly gun shaped. Not the one she had taken from the Japanese victim back at Steeplechase, but another. Then from her velvet belt she produced a length of barrel, which she quickly screwed onto the end of the normal one on the gun. In seconds she was holding a pistol very much not of the year 1919, one with sleek modern curves and a scope.

She brought the pistol up in both hands, aiming for the top of the roof with the glint of reflected light, and peered through the barrel. Beneath the noise of confusion now about City Hall Square, her shot rang out, flipping the rifle out of the hands of whoever was holding it.

Immediately she ran for the side of the building. “Got to be one around here somewhere,” she muttered to herself. “Ah!” Spotting a fire escape, she headed straight for it, leaping up to pull the extension ladder down, and started into a mad dash up the metal stairs. One flight after another, taking some of the steps two at a time, she came out onto the uppermost landing next to a window on the upper floor. She still had a climb to the roof above that, though.

Sheathing her gun into her sash, she wasted no time and grabbed on to some brickwork on the side of the window and started climbing. She grabbed on to a couple of precarious handholds and braced a foot against the inside edge of the window, followed by the other foot against the other side. Inch by inch she scooted herself up, hands reaching for the next available handhold.

Then the window shade snapped up and a curious face glanced out. A woman inside saw the midsection and legs of what appeared to be a young black woman passing up her window. The woman screamed, and Agent Harris immediately grabbed tight on to whatever protrusion was available. “If you don’t mind, I’m in a rather delicate situation!”

The woman screamed again, quickly brought down the shutters, and could now be heard babbling to someone else about some “jungle lady climbing the side of the building.”

“I hate this century. Well, at least she didn’t open the window.”

Sue’s feet were just reaching the top of the window, one hand barely making it to the edge of the roof overhang. Her other hand flailed out and found purchase, and with a deep intake of breath, she pushed off with both feet as her arms lifted. That’s when the shutters snapped up again and the window opened, this time with an angry-looking man emerging to shout at her. “Just what are you doing up there scaring my wife like that, you black demon!”

“Chin-ups,” was all she had the breath to reply.

Her feet flailed but found something else to continue pushing against; then by degrees she raised herself above the roof until she was able to bend forward at the waist, then kick a leg up and over. A few seconds later she was on her back, panting for a moment before she heard shoes running along gravel.

She was on her feet in an instant, gun already aimed. The approaching man had short blond hair, was well built, and had a freshly bandaged hand. He bolted across the roof. She pulled off a shot just as he swerved to the side, falling into a tuck and roll, then was up to his feet in a single smooth motion.

“No, can’t kill him; Lou will want to question him.”

She started running after him, sheathing her gun once again so she could devote both arms to pumping herself into greater speed. Across the roof he ran, not even slowing for the edge he was quickly approaching. From her angle she couldn’t see much of his face but could easily tell that he was European, not Japanese.

He hit the edge of the roof and made the long jump across to the roof of the neighboring building, landing in another tuck and roll, then got to his feet once again. In that moment, Agent Harris got a better look at his face. She didn’t slow down either, but increased her speed and also leaped, clearing the gap almost as well as the other. She made it back up to her feet just as skillfully, but by that time the man was already nearly across this second roof. She had to think quickly. At this rate, she could pace him but not catch up to him. So, taking out her gun, she leveled it and took aim.

“A wounded foot’s as good as an arm, and we can still question him,” she muttered as she peered through the scope.

The man leaped again and she fired. His legs snapped wide into a midair split, allowing the bullet to pass cleanly beneath him before he came down to land in a brief handstand and roll on the next roof over. Now with an entire building between them, he was still running.

“Damn! Missed.”

She could only watch as he ran out of sight, doing her best to burn what she had seen of his face into her memory. “Definitely one of the Germans. But why was he shooting at his own people?”

After a last look, she sheathed her gun, turned away, and assessed her surroundings.

“Lou’s gonna want to hear every detail of this. But first I need to find a way down from here.”