Free In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean Page B

Turning back to the window, McElroy dropped the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun in Stratton's face, his finger curved around the trigger. McElroy said nothing, but his dark eyes glittered in anticipation. Stratton had been caught flat-footed, out of position without a weapon drawn, and he knew it. The only thing he could do was back off and hope he didn't get his face blown away. He had no doubt that if he went for his pistol, or tried to grab the shotgun, McElroy would shoot him.
    "OK," said Stratton, "this time is yours. But the next time we meet, I'll be ready for you. When I come for you, I'll get you." He walked away, and it was over.
    The incident stuck in Stratton's gut. He was a rookie, young and cocky, and he had been careless in the way he approached McElroy. From that night on, he began keeping book on the man; he learned who he ran with, where he hung out, the names and descriptions of his various women, and the makes and models of all his vehicles. Through informants and other sources, he tried to keep track of him-where he was and what he was up to. He never passed up a chance to stop him; over the years he pulled him over at least twelve times for speeding, invalid registration, dragging muffler, faulty head lamp, and other infractions. Sooner or later, Stratton knew, there would come a time to even things up.
    In late 1969 or early 1970, McElroy went on a spree of violence and stealing that would result in nineteen separate felony charges being brought against him: two in St. Joe, five in Savannah, and twelve in Maryville. He would demonstrate his ability to defeat the criminal justice system, if there were any doubt, by the application of two simple rules, one following the other: If you delay a case long enough, a witness may disappear or forget what he saw, and if there is no witness, there is no case.
    Rather than getting better, as Alice had hoped, her life with Ken deteriorated after they moved to the farm outside of Skidmore in 1969. Ken was seldom home, and when he was around, the beatings were worse and more frequent. His sexual activity in the area was rampant; young girls and other men's wives took up a lot of his time. Some of the stuff she saw and heard about almost made her sick.
    Mabel and Alice were close, and Mabel could see what was going on. Several times she talked to Ken, hoping to persuade him to stop abusing Alice, but the talks did no good. Ken's only reaction was to get furious with Alice for telling his mother, although Alice didn't have to say a word because the evidence was written in bruises on her face.
    Finally, Alice had had enough. She grabbed Juarez, who was by then three years old, and took off for St. Joe. On April 10, 1972, Ken called Alice and told her he was coming for both of them, and Juarez was going with him, whether she came or not. This threat-he would take Juarez and never allow her to see him again-was really the only one that worked anymore. But this time, Alice told him no, she wasn't going with him, and she wasn't giving up Juarez. She took Juarez and went to her mother and stepfather's house and got a .32-caliber pistol from the bedroom, determined to protect herself and her son. If Ken tried to carry out his threat, she told herself, she would shoot him as he walked through the door. Alice sat down at the kitchen table and began trying to load the pistol. In the process, the gun accidentally discharged and a bullet tore into her hip. She was taken to Methodist Hospital and was admitted to intensive care. (Alice stayed in the hospital for a week, but the bullet was never removed.)
    McElroy called the house that same night, looking for Alice and Juarez.
    "She's in the hospital," Otha told him.
    "Well, I'm coming for Juarez," McElroy said, "and I'll shoot anybody that stands in my way."
    "The hell you will!" Otha replied.
    A short time later Otha looked out the living room window and saw McElroy approaching the house with a rifle in his hand. Otha went into another