“I listened at the door and didn’t hear a sound. You’re on, Cody. Take your time on the locks and be as quiet as you can.”
The three of them eased up the stairs. They had kept an eye on the building the day before and watched the other residents leave for work. The older couple on the first floor left early, at around seven a.m., while the young couple on the second floor went to work an hour later. Romeo had entered the building again and knocked on both doors. No one was home, but the older couple had a dog who barked at the knocking.
Cody went to work with the picks and had the simple lock on the door’s handle done in seconds. The deadbolt took longer, but it was unlocked in less than a minute. Spenser showed his approval by patting Cody on the shoulder. Afterward, he motioned the boys to step back while he took out his gun.
Spenser cracked the door open a fraction of an inch and looked carefully along its length. When he saw no signs of an alarm or a chain bolt, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Despite being a sunny day, the apartment was gloomy, as the blinds were down, and the curtains were drawn shut. Spenser cocked his head, indicating that the boys should enter. They did so, then Romeo gently closed the door behind them.
Spenser held up a hand, telling the boys to stay put, before proceeding down a short hallway. The guard was definitely asleep. His snoring was loud and distinct. Spenser found the man sleeping on his stomach beneath a blanket. After pondering over a course of action, Spenser leapt on the bed, pinning the man’s arms beneath the covers, while also clamping his hands over the guard’s nose and mouth.
As expected, the man awoke panicked and began struggling to free his arms and sit up. He was helpless however, and although it took several minutes, the man finally passed out.
“You can come in, guys.”
The boys rushed in, saw the guard, and smiled. Romeo and Cody went to work securing the guard’s wrists and ankles, but only after placing tape across his eyes and gagging his mouth.
“Carry him into the bathroom and place him in the tub. Watch that he doesn’t hit his head.”
The boys did as ordered. Seconds after they had deposited the guard in the tub. He stirred and began mumbling through the gag.
After motioning the boys to leave, Spenser entered the bathroom and spoke to him with a German accent.
“You won’t be harmed. I needed you out of the way to get to your employer. I would guess they’ll send someone by to check on you in a few hours.”
Spenser closed the bathroom door on his way out. He placed a finger to his lips, telling the boys to remain silent. The guard should believe that he was subdued by a lone man. The German accent was used as a way to further hide Spenser’s identity.
They gathered the guard’s belongings, such as the swipe card for the gate and his car keys. The guard’s wallet gave his name as William Rucsk. Spenser tried on the uniform and it fit him well, although he needed to cinch the belt tight, as the pants were loose in the waist. Spenser checked his watch and saw that it was 3:52 p.m.
He would leave at 4:45, allowing him plenty of time to travel the short distance and get to the house, but Spenser wouldn’t enter the parking lot until after 5:30. If he arrived too early, it might cause suspicion.
Sounds of struggle came from the bathroom, but they ceased after a few minutes. The guard’s bonds were secure. He wasn’t going anywhere on his own and his efforts to get free would only wear him out.
When it was time to leave, the boys left first. They had assignments to fulfill, then, they would be driving Spenser’s rental to the rendezvous point near the house, while Spenser drove the guard’s Cavalier.
Spenser checked on the guard. The man had wet himself. It was to be expected. He had been placed in the tub after being asleep for most of the day. It was only natural that he might have to urinate, and fear likely had a hand in things. Spenser spoke to him, while once again using the German accent.
“As I said before, no one will harm you. I’m sure you’ll be released soon.”
The man mumbled something that sounded like, “Fuck you,” before another bout of ineffective struggle against his restraints.
Spenser left him and walked out of the apartment, climbed in the man’s car, and headed toward the house in the hills. It was time to go to work.
38
Garbage In, Goodies Out
NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 2018
By the time Tanner caught up with Sara she had the driver of the garbage truck on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. The truck had crashed into a row of newspaper vending machines, while running one over. It caused fluid to leak out of the vehicle’s undercarriage.
Tanner had just parked on the opposite side of the street when a police car came upon the scene with flashing lights, but no siren, from the other direction.
Sara placed her hands in the air and identified herself. Tanner stayed where he was. Sara was unaware of his presence, and the less interaction he had with the cops, the better.
The driver of the garbage truck kept yelling that he wanted a lawyer. He was ignored while the police listened to Sara’s story. From where he sat, Tanner couldn’t hear the conversation, however, Sara pointed at the truck several times.
One of the cops climbed up the side of the garbage truck and shone his flashlight down into the metal container where the trash from dumpsters was deposited. The cop smiled, leaned over as far as he could, and grabbed something. When his hand emerged from the truck, it was holding a brightly printed plastic package that might have contained a phone or some similar electronic device.
More cops arrived on the scene, and after Sara had explained herself three times, she was allowed to sit in her car. Tanner called her.
“Hi.”
“Congratulations, I see you caught your man.”
Tanner watched Sara look around.
“You’re here?”
“Eight cars back on the left. I saw you as you were chasing the truck. When the cops showed up, I laid low.”
“They were using the dumpster to smuggle out merchandise.”
“The pudgy guard and his girlfriend?”
“Darren the security guard was an innocent pawn, but the girl, Serena, was in on the thefts. She went to the office each night they planned to steal something to make sure that Darren didn’t look too closely at the monitors. If he had, he might have seen one of the other workers tossing merchandise into the dumpster. It would have been difficult to make it out anyway because another worker used a forklift full of pallets to block the camera’s view at that time. They did the same thing every Tuesday and Friday night. After reviewing old surveillance tapes, I detected the pattern and realized what might be happening.”
“Nice work. They should give you a bonus.”
“They just might. The security firm they used to look into it came up empty. It’s why they hired me.”
“I guess you won’t be working nights anymore?”
“Yes, thank goodness. I’ve barely slept all week. But what about you? Have you… handled Hoyt?”
“Not yet. There are new facts I need to consider. I’ll fill you in when I see you at home.”
“That may be awhile. The police will want to sort through this mess.”
“I figured that.”
They talked a little longer, then ended the call. Tanner headed home, drove into the two-car garage that came with the penthouse, and stepped on the private elevator. His phone signaled him as he was stepping off, and he saw he had a long text from Tim Jackson, long enough that it was delivered in two segments.
Cliff Dawson had done time in prison on drug charges. He was convicted of possessing large quantities of the date-rape drug, Rohypnol, and several other similar substances. His prison sentence was extended after he escaped and was recaptured hours later. During the escape he had assaulted a female guard. Dawson was released from prison in June of 2016.
Stephanie Dawson dropped out of college in her freshman year, then moved to
New York City to be an actress. She appeared in small theater productions, but health problems plagued her, and she had worked as a waitress off and on.
Tim was only able to tell Tanner what Stephanie had already revealed to him, that her kidneys were failing, and the dialysis treatments weren’t keeping up with her state of deterioration. Finding a match was proving difficult. Apparently, Cliff Dawson agreed to be tested, but once he had learned that there was a minuscule risk that he could endanger his life by donating, he refused his daughter’s request.
Tanner suspected the man would not be on the short list for Father of the Year. He sent Tim a text asking how much he owed him. As always, Tim refused any payment. Tanner had once saved his life and there was little the young man wouldn’t do for him.
Sara arrived home hours later. Tanner had showered and changed into a pair of old jeans and a sweatshirt, then stayed awake to greet her. They hugged as she stepped off the elevator.
After a long kiss, Sara said, “I’m starving.”
“What do you have a taste for?”
“Pizza.”
“You’re in luck. This is New York City. They deliver in the middle of the night here.”
Tanner filled Sara in about Cliff Dawson as they waited for the pizza to arrive.
“His victim turned out to be his daughter?” Sara said. “But it looks like she may become a victim of his selfishness. Imagine letting your child suffer like that.”
“Dawson kills young women for kicks. It’s not surprising that he’s incapable of feeling anything for her.”
“Except, maybe some part of him loves her. After all, he did get tested, and he’s been hanging around his daughter’s job just so he could look at her. It sounds as if the monster and the man are waging an inner struggle.”
“Maybe, all I know is that I just can’t kill him. Or if I do, I have to do it in such a way that his daughter gets his kidneys.”
“Is he still killing?”
“I don’t know, but I plan to keep following him. Tomorrow, actually, today is Saturday. I’ll have him followed and see if he goes anywhere that sounds like a hunting ground, such as a bar, or a college campus.”
“You hired someone to follow him?”
“More or less,” Tanner said, then told her about James.
“Is it dangerous for this kid James to follow Hoyt, I mean, Dawson?”
“James knows not to confront Dawson, and I’ll tell him to call me if Dawson enters Manhattan.”
Sara placed her arms around Tanner’s neck. “Can we sleep in late?”
“We’ll catch up on our sleep, and other things.”
“I wouldn’t mind a little of the other thing before we went to sleep.”
“I’m all for that,” Tanner said.
The downstairs buzzer rang, and Sara’s eyes lit up.
“But first, pizza.”
39
That Nagging Feeling
NEAR RENO, NEVADA, MARCH 1998
Spenser smiled when he saw that the boys had made it safely to their rendezvous location and that they were already busy at work.
Once the hit was completed he might need to leave the property by climbing over a twelve-foot wall. Cody and Romeo each had a length of sturdy rope which they were tying knots into at one-foot intervals.
A rope would be thrown over a wall at each end of the guard’s parking lot, where there were blind spots in the cameras’ range. If Spenser were unable to reach one rope, then he could use the other. Cody and Romeo could also provide assistance in case Spenser were pinned down or trapped by the guards. The chances of the latter scenario happening were nil, but you planned for what could happen, not what you thought was likely to happen.
Spenser had given the boys guns to use if needed, while stressing that they were not to be used unless their lives were threatened. Despite the occupation they were training so hard to achieve, neither of the boys was bloodthirsty or sought confrontation.
Spenser trusted them to do as he instructed. If he doubted them or mistrusted their sense of propriety, he would have dropped them as students already.
The teens had surprised him more than once, but they’d been pleasant surprises. The fact that they got along so well was amazing to him, as was the intensity of their desire to learn what he had to teach them.
No other Tanner had trained an apprentice at such a young age and so early on in his career, much less two. His biggest concern was not that neither boy would make the grade, but that both would continue to do so well. If they forged ahead as they had been doing, he would be hard-pressed to pick one over the other.
Mexico might take that choice out of his hands. He planned to train them as he was trained, and he well knew how grueling it was. But no mercy could be given, not if one of them would be a Tanner. To be the best, you not only had to be better than the rest, you had to be better than you ever dreamed possible. Whichever one of them came out of the training would be superior to any three men they were ever likely to come up against. Then, all that would be needed was time and experience, and someday he would pass the mantle of Tanner along.
Cody and Romeo shook Spenser’s hand as he stood by the guard’s car, while wishing him luck. He bid them the same, but he seemed distracted. Romeo noticed.
“Is something wrong?”
Spenser looked down at the guard uniform he was wearing, then at the guard’s car. Everything was as it should be, and yet, he couldn’t shake that tickle at the back of his mind.
“I went over the plan in my head three times while driving here and I don’t see a flaw in it.”
Cody looked at him carefully. “But you’re still not sure?”
“No. The plan is solid… but something is nagging at me.”
“What do we do?” Cody asked.
“We stick with the plan. If a problem arises I’ll handle it.”
“All right, dude, we’re game. Cody and I will get in place.”
The boys walked off with the ropes looped over their shoulders while carrying the skateboards. They had five minutes to get into position.
Spenser climbed back inside the guard’s blue Chevy Cavalier. Cody and Romeo had stopped at the coffee shop on their way to the home and bought a cup of black coffee for Spenser. The coffee was a prop. The guard he was impersonating arrived each evening with a cup of coffee in hand, so Spenser needed to be carrying a cup as well.
He drove up to the gate with the guard’s cap pulled low over his eyes so as to obscure his face from the camera pointed down at him. The swipe card allowed him access.
Over by the guard shack, Cody and Romeo were doing tricks with the skateboards to grab the gate guard’s attention. If Spenser hadn’t known that Cody was a novice at skateboarding, he never would have believed it.
The kid was doing the same stunts as Romeo, such as different leaps in the air with the board. Cody was indeed a fast learner. The ability would serve him well if he ever became a Tanner.
Spenser parked in the same spot he’d observed the guard use on previous days, left the car, and headed toward the house at a leisurely pace.
That nagging feeling Spenser had was morphing into a sense of danger. He was becoming certain that he had made an error somewhere in his preparations. If so, he couldn’t imagine what it was. To all appearances he looked like the regular guard showing up for work as normal, with coffee in hand as usual. The peaked cap blocked his face from the cameras and he kept his head down to aid the effect even more.
What did I forget? What have I missed?
The side door of the house opened while he was still a few feet away, and a guard was talking to him.
“What happened, Bill? Did you forget it was your day off?”
In an instant, Spenser realized what had been bugging him. No alarm clock had gone off while he was at the guard’s home. The man hadn’t set an alarm because it was his day off.
Spenser locked eyes with the other guard and saw apprehension blossom in the man’s gaze. Quickening h
is pace, he tossed the cup of hot coffee at the man. The guard took in a sudden sharp inhale of air as the liquid burned him.
After closing the gap between them, Spenser used a leather sap to strike the man hard on the temple, then caught him as he collapsed in the doorway.
He needed to get to the other guard as soon as possible, but he couldn’t leave the man he’d just struck lying in the doorway. The guard’s feet were sticking outside where anyone passing by could see him. Grabbing the man’s tie with one hand while taking out a weapon with the other, Spenser dragged him inside and the door closed shut.
There was a light on in a room ten yards away along a darkened corridor spilling its luminescence outward in the shape of a triangle. That meant the door was ajar and not fully open. That was good. It might have prevented the sounds of struggle from reaching the ears of anyone inside the room.
Spenser rushed toward the door. If it was the guards’ surveillance room, then no one was watching the monitors, or else he would have been facing more opposition by now. At the door, Spenser lowered himself, then he peeked an eye around the frame.
There was another guard. He was sitting at a desk and doing paperwork. On the eight monitors before him, all looked well, that is, until you checked monitor number eight. On screen, the guard Spenser had knocked unconscious lay sprawled on his back by the side door to the parking lot.
Spenser pushed open the office door, checked, and found no one else in the room, then turned his attention back to the man at the desk. The guard’s expression was puzzled, but not in the least bit alarmed. Given the uniform Spenser was wearing, the man likely thought he was sent there by his company.
“Who are you?”
Spenser brought up his weapon and fired at the man’s chest. It was a Taser.
Within moments, the guard was bound and gagged. At this point, Spenser hoped to have at least fifteen minutes to track down his target within the huge house and complete the contract. That time frame was out the window.
Young Guns Box Set - Books 1-4: A Tanner Series (Young Gun Box Sets) Page 14
