Life just slipped by for several more months until it took a turn. It was that moment of terror I talked about earlier. All those terror moment are different, but they all have on thing in Comoros. Each time they stole something from me. This one stole my new life style completely. Since the end of my involvement in Charlie's murder investigation, I had begun to think of myself as retired. Just kind of drifting along peacefully to oblivion.

All that changed when someone shot Michael. It was a drive by shooting, but the car wasn't some gang banger's junk heap. It was a nice mid sized nondescript Ford rental car. I know this due to a lot of unconnected coincidences. The shooting took place early in the morning on a day when I couldn't sleep late. I couldn't sleep because I was excited. Since I couldn't sleep, I was watching the news on TV, when I heard Michael's door open then close.

I saw the shooting up close and personal, only because I wanted to remind him yet again to take care of Dog over the weekend. It was a Friday and later that morning I was headed to a weekend apple blossom festival. When I stepped onto the postage stamp sized porch, Michael was already in the drive.

"Michael," I said. I was about to remind him when I saw the car slow to almost a stop. I saw the window roll down, it just felt wrong. "Get down." I shouted.

The shooter fired three quick shots as the car revved to pull off in a hurry. It had to be two men at least. I rushed to Michael while keeping his car between me and the gunman. I was unarmed so all I could do was watch as the car pulled away. I was shook, but not so much that I missed the rental car tag on the new Ford.

"Cell phone?" I demanded of Michael calmly. "I held my hand over the spot where I thought the bullet had entered his stomach.

I barely managed to call 911 on the fancy phone. 'I need an ambulance and the cops here a man has been shot." I gave the dispatcher the address and stayed on the phone giving her more information as I waited. I was calm enough to ask Michael cop questions. I did it both to keep him in the game, so he wouldn't slip into shock, and to try to figure out what the hell was going on.

Once the paramedics arrived Michael slipped into unconsciousness. I watched them load him into the back of an ambulance. I moved to the porch and dropped to the steps. I sat there as I gave my version of the events to the patrol officer. I had been gone a year so the milk drinker had managed to get past his probation with me ever having laid eyes on him. I didn't know him and he obviously didn't know me.

"How do you spell your last name sir?" he asked

"Abba," I replied slowly.

"So what was your relationship to the victim?"

"He rented one side of my duplex. I live in the other." I went on to tell him what I saw. I gave him the part of the license plate that I remembered. With that and the description finding the rental agency shouldn't be a problem.

The crime scene guys were still working when Brett and Louise showed up. "So what happened," Louise asked. She was obviously the leader of the team. In the months since I had seen them last they must have worked out a pecking order. Louise had the sharper claws I would think.

"So did the kid take one for the gipper?" Louise asked.

"If he did, it was a cut rate job. Hitting the wrong man is strictly bush league."

"Yeah, but you know how hard it is to find good help these days," Brett suggested.

"Well, it does look as though they brought someone in. Maybe Michael just pissed somebody off and it has nothing to do with me."

"Not even you would believe that," Louise suggested. She really didn't like me.