"Yeah, well, not everybody is you."
"You can say that again, kid. Why the hell did you crawl all the way out here?"
"I brought you a canteen full of hot coffee. Well, it was hot when I left, anyway."
"That's right good of you," Cole said. The morning was chill and the coffee was only lukewarm and had too much sugar in it, but what he said to the kid after taking a big swig was, "Damn, that's good. Still hot."
The kid smiled. "Also, I brought you a letter. Pomeroy wrote to us."
"Yeah?"
Sitting there in the dirty foxhole, the kid unfolded the clean white sheet of paper and read it aloud to Cole. Pomeroy was doing all right. It seemed that he was getting a Purple Heart.
Not bad for getting drilled through the ear, he wrote.
" 'Drilled through the ear,' " Cole said. "I like that. Ol' New Jersey always had a way with words."
After a while, the kid said, "I ought to start back before it gets dark. What about you?"
"I'm gonna stay a while and see if I can do any good."
"OK, then. Keep your head down."
It was funny to hear the kid tell him that. He could hear the kid slithering through the trenches and ditches for a long ways off. Definitely a herd of buffalo, Cole thought. Maybe even two herds.
He spotted another enemy soldier moving furtively, running hunched over. It was too far for a running shot. The man jumped down into a hole and disappeared. Cole waited patiently, his scope on the place where he had last seen the runner. Eventually, the man started to crawl out of the hole.
Cole's finger touched the trigger, and the enemy soldier fell back into the hole for good.
A rifle cracked in the distance. Cole heard the whine of a bullet coming in from the enemy's hill. Not too close, but he must have stirred the pot over there. Some new sniper was at work, trying to take Cole's measure.
Cole grinned. The war wasn't over yet, he thought. Not by a long shot.
About the Author
David Healey lives in Maryland where he worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and a contributing editor to The Big Thrill magazine. Visit him online at:
www.davidhealeyauthor.com
or
www.facebook.com/david.healey.books
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com.
Also by David Healey
GHOST SNIPER
American hunter Caje Cole and German marksman Kurt Von Stenger first encounter one another in the wake of the D-Day invasion, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse across the hedgerow country of Normandy.
IRON SNIPER
When German sniper Dieter Rohde’s older brother is unjustly shot for desertion by the SS, he will stop at nothing to win the Iron Cross medal and redeem his family’s name by targeting as many Allied troops as possible. The German sniper’s efforts bring him into direct confrontation with Caje Cole. As the final pitched battle for France takes place around them at the Falaise Gap, these two snipers declare war on each other.
GODS & SNIPERS
Two patrols cobbled together from the survivors of the Falaise Gap — one American unit, one German — find themselves in a small French village on the banks of the Moselle River. Both sides want possession of the ancient bridge across the Moselle, and the result will be an epic showdown that pits general against general, and sniper against sniper.
ARDENNES SNIPER
As German forces launch a massive surprise attack through the frozen Ardennes Forest, Caje Cole and Kurt Von Stenger find themselves aiming for a rematch. Having been in each other’s crosshairs before, they fight a final duel during Germany’s desperate attempt to turn the tide of war in what will come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
RED SNIPER
Red Sniper is the story of a rescue mission for American POWs held captive by the Russians at the end of World War II. Abandoned by their country, used as political pawns by Stalin, their last hope for getting home again is backwoods sniper Caje Cole and a team of combat veterans who undertake a daring rescue mission prompted by a U.S. Senator whose grandson is among the captives. In a final encounter that tests Cole’s skills to the limit, he will discover that forces within the U.S. government want the very existence of these prisoners kept secret at any price.
FROZEN SNIPER
Caje Cole thought he was done with war after the victory in Europe, but a violent act of justice back home in the mountains forces him into the Army once more to fight in the Korean War. With his unit surrounded at the frigid Chosin Reservoir and confronted by a deadly enemy sniper, Cole must use all his skill with a rifle to fight back.
SHARPSHOOTER
The classic Civil War thriller! Celebrating 20 years in print! In 1864, a Confederate assassin attempts to turn the tide of the Civil War by setting his sights on Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the streets of Washington City and battlefields of Virginia.
"Sharpshooter pours out a thrilling and fast-moving story of fictional intrigue… guaranteed to hold your attention."
— Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Sharpshooter has the feel of a techno-thriller, the kind offered by Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz… Sharpshooter moves quickly and is filled with all manner of intrigue."
— The Civil War News
DEADLY ANTHEM
When the Star-Spangled Banner flag is stolen from the Smithsonian Institution, it’s up to historian Franklin Scott Keane to get it back. Looking for clues, Keane follows the flag’s path from the Battle of Baltimore to the halls of the Smithsonian to a rich and powerful madman’s compound deep in the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay.
TIME REICH
College professor and Nazi hunter Abraham McCoy joins a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into a string of murders that will reveal the dark truth about his father’s role in World War II.
REBEL TRAIN
Confederate raiders capture the train carrying Abraham Lincoln on his way to deliver the Gettysburg Address. This title was featured on the game show Jeopardy!
"Civil War buffs looking for something different will find ample reward in this complex, offbeat novel of deadly intrigue and hot pursuit."
— Jack D. Hunter, best-selling author of The Blue Max, on Rebel Train
"Healey's got a gift for recreating history, complete with compelling characters and the ring of authenticity in every scene."
— C.A. Mobley, best-selling author of Rites of War and Rules of Command, on Rebel Train
"A classic adventure of escape and pursuit, ending with the timeless questions about honor and duty."
— Bing West, author of The Village and The Pepperdogs, on Rebel Train
REBEL FEVER
An army doctor must stop a madman who plans to start an epidemic in Washington City to bring the Union to its knees. Based on a true story.
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