16. Tuesday January 23
Time: 9 AM
The next day, the sheriff of Adair County drives over from Greenfield, the county seat, to investigate. Since that particular farm was known not to be occupied, there was no rush the previous night. But now he's seen the reports on TV that it was a meth lab so what he and his deputy discover does not surprise them.
The TV was right, just another meth lab. Good riddance to them. They let the crows have their feed and call the coroner back in town. There's no rush now. A TV crew from Des Moines, tipped off by Jay's uploads, arrives about two hours later and gets footage of the crows finishing off what pieces of Jack and his colleagues the coyotes left behind.
The networks have a field day with the video of the explosions in Omaha and Adair County, Pete's demise at the hotel, and the scene of the crows picking at Jack's remains at the farm near Fontanelle. The identity of Jack's body is confirmed late in the day by the Adair County coroner who makes a quick check of the dental records that are faxed his way by the police in St. Louis. The other four are also quickly identified.
Another snow storm races across the central plains and soon the scene in Adair county is buried under a fluffy blanket of white flakes. Only a few timbers from Jack's farmhouse, barn and the wreckage of a few cars are visible. Nothing of Jack remains.
Drug kingpins in other cities, as Mike predicted, feel a considerable degree of unease as they begin to confer discretely. They now realize they are up against a very formidable opponent. Some degree of paranoia is normal in their line of work but each time they see a replay of the farm video, especially the sequence with the crows, their anxiety grows. They confer discretely as to whom or what in Omaha could bring their operations to such a shambles in fifteen days. There is talk of retribution but none want to take the lead lest they themselves become prairie crow treat.
Epilogue
And in the aftermath, Mike and Jay write their exposé and produce a series for cable TV which establishes them as experts on the subject. Mike finally locates the bookkeeping entry that proves that Jack arranged for Stan's death. Mike and Jay are hired full time as investigative reporters with an open assignment book. They continue to live at the club as they begin an investigation on international terrorist organizations. Jay develops an interest in home shopping channels.
David buys Tom and Bob the equipment they need to start their landscape business which does very well. They continue to room together at Mo Rún. By day, they work on their landscaping, by night they serve tables, tend bar and do odd jobs. They've each been admitted to a local college and will begin night courses in the fall. They're also recruiting a band of their own. Tom starts dating Jane and Bob is seeing Lois.
Mary begins her own translation of the poem. David continues to use Dryden's. The wind shifts around to the south and the crows are displaced by birds from warmer climes.
The canaries prosper prodigiously on the sunflower seeds. At times, Todd shuts down the sound system so the crowd below can hear chorus of birds above. Their singing of rock anthems becomes widely known. They are particularly adept at ballads from the early 80's.
On a warm early May evening, the gang are all up on the roof where there's a large deck overlooking Omaha on one side and the prairie on the other. Tom and Bob have begun landscaping it with flower boxes and decorative shrubbery. The skylights are open and many little yellow birds join them, flying about and happily nesting in the new ornamental potted trees. Mary serves drinks and they sit around and talk in anticipation of the spring night and all the stars that gild her sable throne.
And as the dusky sun sinks in the west and bathes the sky in rosy beams, Mike says to David, "I always meant to ask, what does Mo Rún really mean?"
"Oh, I thought you knew it was my secret?" answers David.
"Geeez, after all we've been through this past winter!"
David looks around at the others, smiles and tilts his head and flicks one eyebrow up in amusement. As the others laugh and the canaries chirp, Todd reads an incoming text message on his cell phone and frowns. But that's another story.
Friends daily flock; and scarce the kindly spring
Began to clothe the ground, and birds to sing.
Aeneidos, P. Vergilius Maro, J. Dryden, trans.
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