First and foremost Glenn needed to pin down exactly where on the property Fairburn was. When he reached the side of the barn he worked his way to the back. There, a low shed abutted the barn with two padlocked doors. Above the shed, he could see a pair of windows in the barn's back wall. Glenn retreated far enough to take a good look at the roof of the shed and smiled to himself. Thanks to the dim moonlight he was able to see footprints in the snow on the roof. They led to one of the windows.
'What's good for the goose…' he thought as he looked for a way to get onto the shed roof. 'A stupid goose,' he added to himself when he saw the tail end of a rope dangling in the corner between the side of the shed and the back wall of the barn. He reached up and tugged it to be certain it was well secured then used it to scale the wall. When he was on the shed's slanted roof he moved cautiously so as not to slip or make any noise that might alert whoever had been on the roof before him. He presumed it had been Fairburn. When he got to the window he hunkered down beside it to peer cautiously inside. The faint moonlight showed him that there was a loft that appeared to run the length of the back wall.
With extreme care he leaned in just enough to try to open the window. It slid up easily until there was approximately a two-foot opening then stopped with a small squeal of protest. Glenn froze, waiting for any indication that the noise had been heard. When there was no sign that it had he inched his way through the opening into the dark interior of the barn. He took his infrared binoculars from one pocket of his jacket, moved to the edge of the loft and looked down onto the barn floor.
'Got you.'
Fairburn, if it was him, stood out in stark relief, his back to Glenn. Glenn fully intended to take him out but wanted to be certain that the man was indeed his prey. He marked the man's position, pocketed the binoculars and moved silently to the stairs which led down from the loft. When he reached the bottom he un-holstered his pistol, lifted it and took aim. The night scope on the gun showed him that the man was still where he had been moments before.
"Fairburn," Glenn called out.
The man spun around and dropped to one knee, a rifle pointed in Glenn's direction. "Wondered if that phone call was a trap," he shouted back at the same instant that he fired.
'I'm fucking out of practice,' Glenn dropped to the ground and fired back. 'At least he's working on sound, not sight.'
Fairburn fired two more shots then sprinted to the front of the barn, ducking behind a low wall that ran half the length of it. "You a cop?" he asked seconds later.
"Friend of the family," Glenn replied. He regretted it seconds later when a bullet grazed his arm. 'Lucky shot but keep your yap shut,' he admonished himself. Knowing Fairburn couldn't see him, he moved rapidly forward. He felt dampness on his sleeve and ignored it and the accompanying pain. When he was a yard away from the low wall he stopped to listen intently for any sign of Fairburn's position. There was total silence.
Long minutes passed while each man waited for the other to make a move. Then Glenn heard it, the slightest brushing of something against the wall. He immediately fired. The bullet hit the thin paneling and went through. Fairburn gave a shout then there was silence. Glenn fired again, then twice more, to either side of his first shot. He knew he'd hit his target when Fairburn cried out in pain. Without hesitation Glenn stood and raced around the end of the wall.
Glenn could see Fairburn through the scope. He was lying on the ground ahead of him, one hand held tightly to his abdomen. As Glenn moved slowly closer Fairburn raised his other hand and fired one last shot.
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