instantly felt the same nauseous wave of vertigo Mick had experienced on his first viewing. Loneshark used his right hand to grab the FBI agent's belt and pull him to the ground.
"Oh God!" Newbee gasped.
"I know."
Tyro panted for a stunned moment. He collected his senses. "You're wounded." Tyro took his pocketknife and cut away Mick's left shirt-sleeve at the shoulder and carefully slid the bloodied material off Loneshark's injured arm. Newbee used the sleeve as an improvised bandage and wrapped it around Mick's bicep.
"It's not bad," Mick stated with a pained but comical expression when he saw Tyro beginning to turn slightly green. Just nicked me . . . Just grazed me . . . Just a scratch . . . Just a flesh wound . . . You can pick whichever old western cliché you fancy."
Tyro tied the makeshift bandage and saw the bleeding soon stop. The FBI agent pulled off his pack to get a drink of water. As he started to raise one of the bottles to his lips, Tyro paused to ask, "Where's your jacket and backpack?"
Mick smiled sheepishly and pointed off the cliff. "I was sitting here, struggling to slide them off my arm, and they slid over the edge."
"The old man?"
Loneshark shook his head sadly and slipped the pistol back into the agent's holster. Tyro gave Mick his bottle of water. "I'll help you down the mountain, Mick."
"Thank you, Tyro. By the way, I don't have jurisdiction here. You were the one who returned fire."
"I . . ." Tyro hesitated, but Loneshark's lasers fired, and the rookie agent nodded.
King Midas leaned forward to scrutinize the screen when Mick and Tyro walked across the lobby of The Adam Midas Memorial Bank. Jasmine glanced up with a sudden look of horror at the bloody detective. Miss Jade vaulted the low wall of her console and ran to Mick. She threw her arms around his chest and cried, "Mick, are you all right?" The detective gently stroked her head with his right hand. "What happened?" Jasmine asked as she raised her head to look into Mick's eyes.
"FBI Agent Newbee has compiled evidence against Mr. Indigence, Jasmine. Tyro asked me to guide him into the mountains to arrest Clint for the murder of Adam Midas. We found him on the cliff overlooking The Rushing River. We confronted Clint, and he confessed. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, Jasmine. I know you loved him like a father."
Jasmine released Loneshark and took a shaky step backward, looking from Mick to Tyro. Her lips quivering, she asked quietly, "Where is Clint?"
Mick's lasers project pain. He took a shuddering breath. "Clint has gone to join his son in the heart of the mountain."
