The Triggerman Dance

The home brought contradictory feelings to Holt, a state of mind with which he was never comfortable. It was obvious that Vietnam needed people like Allen and Joan Vu-Minh more than the United States did. The land needed its people and the people their land. It was also possible that the Vu-Minhs would have been persecuted—perhaps executed—if they had stayed behind after the fall. More to the point, they were citizens of the republic now and they deserved justice.

He dispatched Summers, Stanton, Alvis and Kettering to their positions: two in one of the girl's bedrooms and two in the other.

He took John into the living room, made sure the drapes o the windows were closed, then turned off all the lights except on in the kitchen. In the faint houselight he motioned John, then moved down a hallway and into the Vu-Minhs' master bedroom He turned on a lamp and moved two chairs against the far wall, beside the light switch, facing the door. He turned off the lamp and moved in darkness to the chairs. He sat and flipped the light switch on and off three times.

"Sit next to me," he ordered John. "Listen. The Bolsa Cobras have a little different routine from other Vietnamese home invaders. They don't like daylight hours. The last three jobs they pulled were done around two a.m. They pick a door lock— usually the front door—let themselves in and catch the victims sleeping. Tie them up at gunpoint. Take them into a bathroom, fill the tub and dunk the woman's head until the man tells them where the cash and jewelry are. If the man won't tell, they dunk him and work the wife. If she won't tell, they ransack the place. They haven't hit families with kids, yet. They like older people, people with savings. You know the Vietnamese don't trust cash and don't trust banks, so they keep lots of Krugerrands and jewelry. Keep it at home. They also don't trust the law. Allen and Joan are known to have money. They do charity work. They drive expensive cars. They make the papers. So the Bolsa Cobras have decided to branch out and try a younger family with kids. They usually work in pairs. They've bulked up to six for this one. They'll be full of adrenaline. Nervy. Quick."

"Will they shoot when they see us instead of a sleeping couple?"

"They won't know what hit them."