A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 56

He had chosen his spot carefully over several weeks. He watched, observing where people coming from the facility were being released. Goldman had found the best site to observe unseen and have the best vantage to finish one last task. He watched and waited with his binoculars until he finally caught sight of his target.

There she was, the girl that had caused so much trouble. Goldman hated loose ends. He could have just as easily let this one go. Pierson was dead, but if he had listened to him and killed the girl, he would still be alive, and things would have continued the way they were. It was revenge, then. Petty revenge, perhaps, but he just couldn't let this go.

He put down the binoculars and picked up the suppressed, scoped rifle beside him. Slowly, he gazed through the scope and found his target. "Ah, there you are," he thought to himself. A red-haired woman ran up and embraced her, blocking his shot. "Come on, red, move out of the way," he muttered. He could just as easily kill them both. It wouldn't matter that much more to him. He then spotted the girl's lawyer leaning on the front of a car. The body count was getting higher, but no matter. Three more bodies would not make a difference after all he had done for Leonard Pierson.

Goldman again placed his crosshairs on the red-haired woman. When the two broke their embrace, he had a clear shot at Sidney. "How nice of you to step aside, red. I'll be with you in a moment." He had a clear shot at Sidney now. He placed the middle part of his finger on the trigger. Goldman took a deep breath and exhaled half of it. His aim was true, and he slowly began to put pressure on the trigger. Gradually, the pressure increased, and then a shot rang out.

Goldman did not see where the shot landed because he felt a searing pain in his left shoulder. He moved his right hand to take the concealed pistol in his shoulder holster. Rolling over, he pointed his weapon from where the shot came from. Roger Taylor placed his second shot in the center of Goldman's chest. His breath became shallow, and his body began to grow colder.

Detective Taylor walked over to Goldman's body and kicked away the pistol. Looking down at the dying Goldman, he said to him, "That's for Shelia, you son of a bitch." Picking up the binoculars, he saw that Brady and the ladies seemed unaware of what had just happened. He made a note to himself to tell Brady about this the next time he saw him. After they drove away, he put the binoculars down and called in what he did to the state police.

The search for Goldman had gone cold after he disappeared in the woods about a year or so ago. Taylor believed Goldman would try something like this when Sidney was released. He looked around a few days ago and found the spot he was standing on now. The giveaway was several footprints around the best vantage point overlooking the gate where inmates were released and what looked like an improvised rest for a rifle. He hid just out of view from the spot and waited until Goldman was distracted with lining up his shot. The plan worked, now he could begin to close the book on Leonard Pierson once and for all.

After the state police finished with him, Taylor drove back to Warrenton. He stopped at a small cemetery outside of town. He placed a bouquet on Shelia Lee's grave. "We did it, Shelia," he said. A few minutes later, he made his way back home.

Sidney arrived at her parent's house that afternoon. Mr. Brady and Jillian stayed with her for a couple of hours. Brady bought them all a pizza for dinner. Sidney looked forward to having real pizza for dinner. Not long after they ate, they all said their goodbyes. For the first time in years, she was truly alone.

That night, she found it hard to sleep. The mattress was much larger and far more comfortable than she had been used to in recent years. What got her the most was how quiet it was at night. She was used to sleeping with people all around her screaming, laughing, shouting at each other, toilets flushing, body noises, and other sounds at all hours of the night. It was also far darker than she remembered at night.