It sometimes takes a few moments for a man to realize that he's done something extraordinary. Especially when it's extraordinarily wrong. Buzz looked down at the dead Vietnamese, then at the gun in his hand, then at Tran, and finally back to Cao. "It -- it went off, I didn't shoot him!"
Tran moved toward him menacingly. "You stupid fool. Are you satisfied now? You are a murderer as well as a liar."
Tran started to reach for the gun, but Buzz acted almost on impulse. "Not so fast, asshole." He pointed the gun right at Tran.
The Vietnamese stopped short, staring down the barrel of the automatic. "Oh, you are going to kill me too?"
"Maybe. Sit down." Tran walked around his desk and did what he was told. Buzz sat in the chair he had occupied prior to the incident. The two sat facing each other once again, only now Cao Vien's body occupied a part of the floor a few feet behind Buzz, who laid the gun down on the desk.
Buzz slowly regained his composure as he stared at Tran. Regardless of what had happened to Cao, he now had Tran at his mercy, and the situation presented Buzz with a fantastic opportunity. He could take advantage of it, or submit to the natural urge to get the hell out of there. As Tran stared back at him, Buzz made a decision. Calmly, he pulled out two cigars. "Want one?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Suit yourself." Buzz chewed off a small part of the end of the cigar and spat it out on Tran's floor. While his "host" watched with incredulity, Buzz took out a box of matches and lit the cigar. Inside, he was shaken up in spite of his attempt at bravado. Even in Vietnam, he had never killed a man. Hell, he wasn't even sure he had killed one now. But he had to remain cool, at least for a few more minutes. All the marbles were up for grabs.
As Buzz shook the match out and puffed on the cigar, Tran reached over the desk for the pistol. Buzz shoved the lit end of the cigar into Tran's reaching forearm. The Vietnamese hissed with pain and sat back into the chair. "You try that again and you'll join your buddy over there, okay? You almost made my cigar go out."
Tran surveyed Buzz, wondering if he hadn't under-estimated his foe. "Mr. Basilio, who are you really working for, the CIA?"
Buzz laughed, albeit nervously. "Me? I'm just a staffer on Capitol Hill, that's all. The question, Tran, is who are you working for?" Tran remained silent. Buzz leaned forward and stared into those cold, black eyes. "Look, bastard. You know as well as I do that gun went off by accident."
ran's eyes narrowed until they became slits, staring out of a face filled with hatred. "You killed him, Basilio, and I am going to call the police."
"No, you're not, and you know it."
"Why, pray tell?"
"Because you can't afford to. You call the cops and your whole operation is finished here. I'll bet that whatever you're up to couldn't stand the scrutiny of a police investigation."
"Hah! It is my word against yours."
"Bullshit! The Pentagon has a file full of goodies on your dead friend over there. They know he was working for Hanoi, and my boss knows you've been talking to them. It's not hard to put two and two together. Shit, I might get a manslaughter charge, but, hey, I work for a congressman. But you, you're out of business." Buzz wondered what would really happen even as he confidently said the words. Tran merely stared at him while Buzz sat, hoping all the while that his adversary was duly impressed by the "power" of a congressman.
A few long moments went by, with Tran staring at Buzz, and Buzz staring back. The gun sat on the desk a few inches from Buzz's right hand. Cao Vien still lay near the corner, now in a widening pool of blood. Buzz waited until he could stand it no longer. His nerves were beginning to go.
