Free Extraordinary Retribution by Erec Stebbins

light had been turned off, her piercing, unusual gaze and bright hair snuffed out, her white face turned away, replaced by the dark gray of her hood.
    “Wait a minute!” shouted Lopez. “You can’t just say something like that and walk off!”
    But she did not heed him or give any indication that she had heard. Lopez stood rooted in the mud for several moments, debating whether to pursue her or let her go. Who was this strange woman? How could she be trusted?
    Lopez watched her silhouette merge with the mist and struggled to prevent himself from following her. It was preposterous. He wiped the rain from his face as if to clear his vision. He had seen the police take up the case aggressively before he left Gatlinburg. He had met the officers. He trusted them. What was he thinking to go after her? He shook his head and got into the car. He would not be talking with that woman again.
    Lord have mercy!

13
    “A robbery ? What are you talking about?”
    Father Lopez sat dumbfounded in front of a Gatlinburg police detective. This wasn’t one of the officers he had met at the cabin. This was a different breed entirely. The man’s disorganized room – paperwork, half-filled coffee cups, litter – mirrored the confusion of his thoughts. The patronizing tone of the detective had begun to infuriate him.
    “Detective Summers,” Lopez began again, trying to keep his voice under control, “I discovered my brother’s body. I walked through a giant hole blown into the wall of a mountain cabin with enough used shells on the floor and bullet holes in the wall to qualify as a war zone. My brother’s body was riddled with holes, his upper torso half blown away by something. Robbers don’t break into a cabin with dynamite. They don’t pull out automatic weapons and spray bullets around. They don’t blow people’s heads off!”
    “Mr. Lopez, please, you are hysterical.”
    “You are ridiculous!”
    The man adjusted his eyeglasses and pulled on the knot of his tie below his neck. He looked like a man who felt he had been far more than patient with an unruly citizen, and it was beginning to try his nerves.
    “Mr. Lopez— Father Lopez, the Gatlinburg police are far from ridiculous. If you wish to see ridiculous, you need to look no further than yourself.”
    Lopez stared disbelievingly. “Is this fourth grade?”
    “I am serious, sir . I’ve tried to be reasonable with you. Your brother was killed during a robbery. That has been the conclusion of this investigation. You were unfortunate enough to have discovered his body, and it appears to have clouded your judgment.”
    “Clouded my judgment? Detective, I didn’t imagine a six-foot diameter blast hole in my family’s cabin!”
    “Are you so sure of that?” asked the detective.
    Francisco Lopez laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, I’m one hundred percent sure of that.”
    “Well, Father Lopez, I’ve seen the photographs of the cabin. There is no hole.” The detective tossed several glossy prints toward Father Lopez, who leaned forward again and quickly scanned the images.
    “There’s some mistake,” he said in disbelief. It was impossible . The photos showed no damage to the structure. The cabin was certainly his family’s, the location and design easily recognized. But it looked untouched. Every angle showed a well-maintained house in the woods. “When were these taken?”
    “The day after the report was filed. These were taken by forensics officers . There is no mistake.” The detective sighed. “Father Lopez, there is counseling available for family members of victims. I suggest you look into this option. You are obviously traumatized by this incident.”
    “Traumatized....” Lopez stared uncomprehending at the photographs.
    “As for our department, the investigation is closed.”
    “ Closed? There are killers out there! Even if this is a robbery, someone killed my brother. You can’t just close a murder investigation a few weeks after the