"How did you know?"
"We got eleven holes in the plaster made by a weapon that wasn't used anywhere else in the house."
Rafferty said, "Jimmy found his family massacred, he was in shock, started jerking the trigger at anything, and it just happened to be me."
"He's a lousy shot," said Hartman.
Rafferty agreed, saying, "Thank God."
Hartman was pensive. "You know, I don't care about dopers killing dopers—in some ways that's the best of all possible worlds—but when they start killing women and children—"
As Special Agent Draper approached, Hartman asked, "Any drugs in the house?"
Draper would not concede defeat. "If there isn't any, that's because the killers got it." He glared at Rafferty.
The Strike Force and Rafferty followed overhead electric wires over a hillside to what looked like an abandoned chicken coop covered with army surplus camouflage netting.
The chicken coop was actually three buildings in one.
In the first part they discovered Jeremiah's research laboratory. The deputies found some bookshelves, chairs and a desk, drug paraphernalia, photo albums, weight scales, records and labels, marijuana manuals, plant food and Jeremiah's seed bank. His seed bank was a tackle box, with each drawer labeled and filled with seeds from all over the world.
Behind his laboratory they found a greenhouse with two-inch starter planters, some mature plants in two-foot plastic pails, and a patch of seven footers in gravel-filled tubs. The coop also held cultivation gear. There were gardening tools, rodent traps, pesticides, camouflage paint, irrigation pipes, and chlordane.
Lastly, the Strike Force found a weapons stash, including Uzis, shotguns, pistols and hand grenades, in the storage space in the rear of the coop.
Hartman, awed, told Rafferty, "He wasn't the biggest grower on the island. Just the best."
Draper approached. "We found his garden."
Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty exchanged looks.
The Strike Force and Rafferty came over a hillside and discovered where Jeremiah Quint's marijuana garden had been. Now there were only the several hundred stumps left behind from harvesting. Everyone wandered aimlessly, until Sheriff Hartman gestured to his men to fan out and looked around. Deputies went off in all directions
Jimmy Quint squatted in the bushes, fiddling with his brother's semi-automatic rifle, when three prowling deputies came face to-face with him. Startled, Jimmy fired his rifle at their direction. The deputies hit the dust, drawing their weapons, while Jimmy took off running.
The Strike Force heard the rifle shot. Sheriff Hartman sent Draper and several deputies after the shooter.
Jimmy Quint ran through the woods. The three deputies fired after him, then ran after him. Draper and the deputies crashed through the underbrush. They made much noise.
Draper approached Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty. "He got away, Sheriff.
Rafferty said, "What did he look like?"
Draper said, "Sunburned, skinny and hairy."
Rafferty said, "Jimmy Quint."
Hartman was amused. "He's still a lousy shot."
Rafferty was not amused.
Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty walked to a Sheriff's Department helicopter. A bumper sticker on the runner read "If you can read this, you're too close." Alice Taylor, the pilot, waited there. With man-hungry eyes, she looked Rafferty over, practically licking her lips over him.
Alice gave him her best smile. "I'm Alice Taylor. What's your name?"
"Rafferty. Just Rafferty."
They all climbed into the chopper, Rafferty beside the pilot, and Hartman in the back. After a minute of warm-up, the helicopter leaped straight up into the air. The pilot spun the tail 360 degrees and flew off fast.
The helicopter skimmed the treetops at full speed. Inside Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman watched the landscape zipping under them. All wore headphones.
Rafferty realized Alice kept turning her head to look at him. In fact, she was paying more attention to Rafferty than to the sky ahead of them.
Alice told Rafferty, "I've got tomorrow afternoon off. I'd love to spend it with you. How about lunch and drinks?"
Sheriff Hartman was surprised and bemused.
"I’ll have to see what tomorrow brings," Rafferty said.
Alice seemed temporarily satisfied.
The helicopter skimmed over the treetops at full speed.
Alice told Rafferty, "Have you ever made love in a helicopter?"
Before Rafferty could answer, the chopper shuddered and bucked, and Alice goosed the stick. Then the chopper roared ahead.
Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman watched Alice flying.
Rafferty looked over his shoulder. "Is she always like this?"
"Only when she's flying. She's worse driving a car."
Alice looked back. "Did you say you wanted to walk?"
The Sheriff's car drove uphill in backcountry Hawaii.
Rafferty said, "Where are we going now?"
Hartman said, "Paula Grayson. Audrey Quint's sister."
Sheriff Hartman parked his car in Paula Grayson's driveway. Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty left the car and walked towards the house.
Paula Grayson, a housewife in her early twenties who wore braces on her teeth, saw them coming and stepped from the house to meet them. "Sheriff?"
Hartman said, "May we come in?"