Free Absolution by Michael Kerr

showing?”
    “I’ll take that as a yes,” Logan said.  “Do you have any hair color in the house?”
    “Yes.”
    Logan averted his attention to Andy. “I think you should be a brunette,” he said.  “Slater’s men will be looking for a blond.”
    “And you should use my SUV when you leave here,” Fran said.
    Logan said nothing.
    “We’ve been discussing the situation,” Andy said.  “If Fran is at risk, then we can’t leave her here on her own.”
    “Terrific,” Logan said.  “Just what I need, two amateurs tagging along.  Why don’t you both pack and I’ll drop you in Tucson.  You could fly off and spend a few days seeing the sights in D.C. or New York; do some shopping and catch a Broadway show.  Andy has plenty of Slater’s money.”
    “You need backup, Logan,” Andy said.  “We may both be natural blonds, but we’re not dumb.  We were raised by a father who’d wished he’d had sons not daughters, so he taught us to hunt, fish and live off the land.”
    “So you’re both regular Calamity Jane or Annie Oakley types, eh?”
    “We won’t be a hindrance, Logan,” Andy said.
    “I’m staying put, Sis,” Fran said.  “I don’t believe for a second that they’ll identify you, or link you to me if they did.”
    Andy reached out, put a hand on Fran’s bare forearm and squeezed gently.  “I’d feel better if you were with us, or at least moved out of here till it’s settled.”
    Logan sighed.  “Have you ever killed another human being, Andy?”
    Andy said nothing.
    “It isn’t like in the movies,” Logan said.  “When you take someone’s life a little bit of you dies with them.  The act scars your mind.  And you can never go back and undo the deed.”
    “You seem to be able to use violence without it bothering you,” Andy said, having seen the result of his actions at the motel.
    “I was in the Army, and then I was a cop.  Violence and death were what I was a part of, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t bother me.  Seeing what other people are capable of doing to each other is sickening.  You either build a certain level of immunity to it, or it damages your mind.  I’m able to absorb it, soak it up like a sponge and then dispel the suffering of strangers.  Many people die every day of natural causes, accidental death, suicide and murder.
    “We as a species are able to push tragedy to one side if the victims are not known to us.  We can sit and eat a meal as a talking head on TV tells us that an earthquake or flood or other disaster has killed thousands.  It’s a defense mechanism.”
    “Is that why you’re a loner, Logan?” Fran said.
    “Probably.  I try not to analyze myself.  I’m who I am, period.”
    “You’re a big, hard guy with a soft center that you do your best to conceal.”
    “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Logan said. “Truth is I just prefer my own company.  Relationships need working at, and a lot of compromise.  I prefer to be a selfish son of a bitch and not feel any responsibility for anyone else.”
    “So how come you’re here with Andy, caught up in this predicament?”
    “Christ knows.  Your sister just turned up out of the blue, and here we are.”
    Fran smiled.  She knew men.  Saw the vulnerability behind Logan’s rough exterior.  He cared, maybe too much over those that were unable to defend themselves against adversity.  He was the type of man that she would like to know better, and spend time with.
    “Why don’t you go and take that plate off the Nissan and put it on my Mazda?” Fran said.  “I’ll make fresh coffee, and then you two best go and make the world a safer place for people like me to live in.”

    It didn’t take long.  Martin got a call from Al Gorman, who’d worked for Zack for over a decade.
    “What’ve you got, Al?” Martin said.
    “CCTV tape from the Silver Eagle bar. It has footage of a blond getting out of a Nissan and walking towards the Best Western.  The tape is