C

 238.

"All I know is that they call him C, maybe it's See or even Sea, I dunno," Sarccino continues, now into the third hour of detailed interrogation. "I would get the order from the local affiliate, the couple in the brick house, and they would provide me with the specifics."

"Can we assume that by 'affiliate' you refer to what we call a cell, or a forward operating terrorist base?" I prod.

"Yes, small and mostly for political intelligence gathering in and around DC."

"And you are the muscle, on call for the dirty work?"

"Yeah, well, it pays good. And please," he abruptly shifts gears into a more humane and contrite cog, "Always business, nothing personal." He says this knowing he is talking to one of his past business contracts, one still carrying the obvious residual carnage of his sharpshooting incompetence.

Noting the progress we have made during his deposition - the intel he has provided already enough to fill an eight gig flash drive with damming testimony - I too, make a conversational shift.

"Let me share with you the main difference between us if I might." Sarccino nods approval cognizant that his appointments for the rest of the week have been cancelled and he has nowhere to go, "The three slugs that you put in my back, cowardly from the get go, I consider to be a part of my job. I don't need to bore you with the definition of right vs wrong, good vs evil or even the disparity between cops vs robbers, I harbor no negative feelings of revenge, do you know why? Sarccino shrugs his shoulders in answer. "Because we all know the morality involved, the ethics and laws of a higher spirituality known simply as karma. Yours is taking place as we speak. As is mine, for that matter." Sarcino seems genuinely  interested in this concept although faking indifference. "Just as the soldier is not totally responsible for battlefield casualties his weapon inflicts, his commanding officer is higher on the karma food-chain, the politician drumming up the cry for war to satisfy his personal motives for power and profit, or a confused understanding of social equality, is the one who suffers the bulk of the negative universal laws of cause and effect. Meaning that the soldier is innocent of the felony because he was following orders from the brass, and karma is about intent. The politician ignores this and is hence the true felon." I take a break to sip from my water bottle. "So while in the eyes of the law you are guilty of attempted murder, the actual criminal in this case is the person who paid you for that intention. The bastard that bought your soul."

Sarccino looks ready for a moment of enlightenment as he listens.

"You did this," I point to my wheelchair, "to pay for your son's college education, praying to God that he chooses to become a doctor or engineer instead of a thug hit-man like dear old Dad. You get bonus points for that at least, but the real difference between us is that my job is to protect the people who pledge the same commitment to the future but instead do it making minimum wage as shopkeepers, sanitation workers and employees at WalMart and Amazon. And that fills my heart, soul and what is left of my body with the universal power of good karma. You may win a battle or two but you will never win the war." I pause, wondering if he will accept this truth or brush it off as snowflake voodoo.

"So in this light, let's talk some more about this person you call C."