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“… And I think I found an approach we can use Gus.”
“Whatcha’ got?”
“The story about Kyd, I thought I would provide the facts and you tell me what they mean to you.”
“Sounds like us.”
“Right.”
“And with 11 August Johnny?”
“Try the same thing.”
“Just tell you what I saw …”
“Yes.”
“… And you’ll tell me what you hear?”
“Fair?”
“Mine won’t take long.”
“Mine has phases.”
“Okay.”
“Go Gus.”
“Well, there I was minding my own business …”
“Skirmishing.”
“… Skirmishing was my business Reb.”
“What did you see?”
“You two.”
“Go on.”
“You two Johnnies were moving something.”
“A crate.”
“That’s not what I saw.”
“You saw?”
“A woman.”
“As the crate?”
“I suppose so. The other Johnny held her by her shoulders, you by her ankles.”
“Like we would have carried a crate.”
“You set your end down and peeled-off her top.”
“I tore-off the crate lid.”
“She wasn’t a normal woman, whatever that means.”
“What wasn’t normal?”
“It seems a light came on.”
“Shell burst.”
“The woman was … she was too pretty Reb.”
“Meaning?”
“Not like any woman I ever saw.”
“Spirit?”
“Probably, considering what happened next.”
“There’s more?”
“Yeah … and a bit weirder.”
“What?”
“With the light from the shell burst, the other Johnny sees me, alerts you, you turn and fire your pistol, I see the bullet coming at me …”
“And?”
“… The woman Johnny … she beats the bullet.”
“Gus, she may have been a Valkyrie.”
“Val-ker-ee?”
“Yes.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well …”
Next Up: Part 7 on 3 July of the summer series Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Somewhere On Our Way: Valkyrie.
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner