Free Mortal Dilemma by H. Terrell Griffin

Susie asked.
    â€œYeah,” Steve said. “She was supposed to be on administrative leave anyway because of the shooting. I’m kind of filling in for her.”
    Shit, the sailor thought. Steve’s a cop and the bitch is in Key West. He’d already heard that she was doing the guy named Matt Royal, but he hadn’t been able to find him. Now he knew. Royal was in Key West with the bitch. He paid his tab and left.
    *    *    *
    Jock was waking up. I watched his eyelids move a bit, as if he was rolling his eyeballs behind them. Then his eyes popped open and he saw me. He grinned. “Whatcha doing, podna?”
    â€œJust waiting for my dumbass buddy to wake up.”
    â€œWhere are we?”
    â€œThe emergency room at the Key West hospital.”
    â€œIs it still Friday?”
    I nodded.
    â€œWhat time is it?”
    â€œA little after seven in the evening.”
    â€œHow long have I been here?”
    â€œSince about three this afternoon.”
    â€œWhy are we here and what’s wrong with my arm?”
    â€œSomebody shot you.”
    â€œHow did you get here?”
    â€œCoit Airways. A social worker found the card in your wallet with my contact information and called me.”
    â€œIs Russ here?”
    â€œNo. He and Patti flew back to Longboat. J.D. is out in the waiting room with Paul Galis waiting for the pizza delivery guy.”
    â€œYou eat too much pizza.”
    â€œWhat happened?” I asked.
    â€œI’m not sure. I was doing some serious drinking in a bar when they asked me to leave.” He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “That’s the last thing I remember. Who shot me?”
    â€œNobody knows. Yet.”
    â€œIt doesn’t hurt too bad.”
    â€œFlesh wound. Whoever tried to take you out wasn’t a very good shot.”
    â€œAnd if he didn’t mean to take me out, he was a great shot.”
    â€œThere’s that.”
    â€œAny witnesses?” Jock asked.
    â€œNot yet. The guy who shot you might have used a silencer.”
    â€œHow did I get here?”
    â€œTaxi. Jock, what the hell is going on?”
    â€œIt looks like somebody’s gunning for me.”
    â€œGunning for you?” I laughed. “What? You think this is Dodge City?
    â€œWell, you know what I mean.”
    â€œWho’s after you?”
    â€œCould be any number of people. I made a lot of enemies over the years, podna. Most of them are really bad people.”
    â€œHow would somebody like that even know who you are, much less how to find you?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œWhat made you leave Longboat? And why the secrecy?”
    â€œI’d been there long enough and I wasn’t getting any better. J.D. needs all your attention right now.” He grinned. “If I’d told you I was leaving, you’d have pitched a fuss and I would’ve had to kick your ass again.”
    â€œBut you made a point of letting Dave know where you were going when you left Tampa.”
    â€œOnly to Miami. I’d called ahead and had a charter pilot fly me down here. I didn’t think the agency would be able to track me to Key West. At least not for a few days. By then, I’d probably be gone.”
    â€œWhere’d you get the alias you’re using? Mark Bailey. Dave Kendall didn’t know about this one.”
    â€œMark’s a guy I met hiking in the Pyrenees last summer. I always have an alias or two the agency doesn’t have anything to do with. Just being cautious. Mark doesn’t stay in one place too long, so his ID was a good one for me to use for a few days if I ever needed it. I put it together when I got back from Spain.”
    â€œTalk to me, Jock.”
    â€œI may have put you and J.D. in danger.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œBy just being your houseguest, maybe. More likely, somebody mayhave figured out that you’re my family. Killing you and J.D. would