The Fall Guy

by Simon Wood

  He parked his road weary Toyota at El Cerrito Plaza. It reminded him of the faithful horses of the Pony Express that had galloped their guts out until they dropped and the rider simply switched to a fresh horse. Sadly for the Toyota, that day was close. The detour back to Texas had sealed the car’s fate. Todd had stopped to pick up the cocaine in the bus station locker. The coke would be a useful bargaining chip for Todd. He could trade it, sell it or plant it to bring Cochrane down. How sweet would it be to skewer him with his own junk?

  Getting to Cochrane was the problem though. It had occurred to him on his drive from Texas to the Bay Area how unfamiliar he was with Cochrane. Other than the chop shop, he knew nothing about him or his operations. He needed someone who could inject him into Cochrane’s world and that person was John “Felix” Katts. He parked up and called Katts on his cell.

  “Yeah.” Katts seemed to have put all his worldly energy into that one word and still came up short. It was just the sort of response Todd expected for a Saturday afternoon.

  “Felix, it’s me.”

  “Jesus, is that you, Todd?” Katts was wild awake now. “Fuck, we all thought you were dead.”

  “And I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Does this have anything to do with the two apes that came sniffing around the factory?”

  “What apes?”

  “They weren’t cops, that’s for sure.” Katts described Cochrane’s gorillas, Dalton and Vasquez. “They swung by twice to see if anyone had talked with you and they weren’t too frightened about leaning on anyone who didn’t talk up.”

  “They been by lately?”

  “Nah. Your job’s toast, by the way. I went by your place too. The manager cleaned it out, the bastard. Ebayed your good shit and Goodwilled the rest.”

  “No great loss,” Todd said and meant it. There was a time when his crappy jobs and apartment defined him, but not anymore. If he had Cochrane to thank for anything, it was that. He’d shown him a future where possibilities could exist. He had no idea what he was going to do once he’d dealt with Cochrane but he wouldn’t be punching a clock. “Like I say, I want everyone to think I’m dead.”

  “Are you in deep shit?”

  “Yeah, but I’m climbing out. Can I come by? I need your help.”

  Understandably, Katts hemmed and hawed, but agreed after a little pressure from Todd. Todd drove out to the duplex Katts rented in Rockridge. Although he lived a block from the rejuvenated Oakland suburb with its fancy restaurants and pretty boutiques, the duplex was an earth tremor away from demolition.

  “What do you need, man?” Katts asked, after checking the street to make sure no one was scoping out the place and closing the drapes.

  “It’s cool, Felix,” Todd said. “I’m not being tailed.”

  “Yeah, yeah, right. Come in.”

  Todd followed Katts into the living room. Katts lived how Todd expected. He forwent furniture and all modern conveniences so that he could support his extra curricular activity of trying every drug known to illegal medical science. General consensus was that Katts would smoke kitty litter if he believed he’d get a hit off it. Todd sank into a disheveled futon across from Katts’ beloved La-Z-Boy.

  “Do you need something?” Katts asked. “I’ve got a couple of cold ones in the fridge.”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Katts tossed out more hospitality until Todd stopped him. It was a delaying tactic. Todd felt Katts’ apprehension. He wasn’t the sharpest tool, but he’d guessed Todd wanted something less than kosher from him.

  “So what do you need?”

  “Answers to some questions, Felix.”

  Katts shrugged. “If I can.”

  “Do you know a guy called Leo Cochrane?”

  “No.”

  “Jeremiah Black?”

  “No times two.”

  This wasn’t going the way Todd had hoped, but it was expected. Katts bought drugs and occasionally sold part of his stash to friends when his funds ran short. He didn’t run with San Francisco’s drug elite.

  “Is that it?” Katts asked.

  “Pretty much.”

  “I hate to ask, but who are they?”

  “Heavy weight drug dealers.”

  That lit Katts up. He leapt to his feet, pouring out a string of curses. He leaned over Todd pinning him to his spot on the futon. Todd put his hands up in defense.

  “Okay. I like weed and pills, and I’ve freebased once, but I’m not an addict. Look, do you see tracks?” Katts offered his unmarked arms for inspection. “Do you see?”

  “Yeah, I see, Felix. You’re clean.”

  “Damn straight, Todd.” Too angry to speak, Katts turned away from Todd and fell into his La-Z-Boy. This simple act took the sting out of him. “I know what everyone thinks and says about me. I know I’m a joke to most people, but I don’t find it funny.”

  “Sorry, Felix.”

  “Yeah, well, it doesn’t fucking matter, does it?”

  Todd hadn’t expected this reaction and felt bad. It was true what he said though. He was the butt of the jokes everyone told in the lunchroom.

  “I didn’t mean it to sound the way it did,” Todd said. “I came to you because you know people, not because you’re a junkie.”

  Katts failed to look impressed and sulked.

  “The reason the apes came looking for me is that I’ve pissed off Leo Cochrane and I’m trying to square things. Jeremiah Black is someone who might be able to help. I’m wondering if any of the people you know might be able to help me hook up with Black or give me some info on Cochrane.”

  Katts ran a hand over his shaven head. “I might be able to help. I deal with a guy for X. He’s no bottom feeder. He knows people. I’m guessing these guys you want are hardcore. My guy won’t be on their level, but he might get you to the next. Sound good?”

  “More than good.”

  “Come back tonight, late. I’ll take you to him.”

  ***

  The house party in the Oakland hills was jumping. At least a hundred people packed a vast, two-story house in a new development not far from the Claremont Hotel. It looked to be a house warming for a young couple. Katts cut a swath through the people and Todd followed in his wake.

  Katts stopped a guy dancing with a hot Hispanic girl in a low cut top that drew the eye. Over the sound system, Todd couldn’t hear what was being said. Katts thanked the guy who was only too glad to get back to his girl.

  “He’s upstairs,” Katts said to Todd.

  They found Katts’ dealer in a guest bathroom. He sat on the toilet with his wares spread out on his lap. Three eager guys and a girl, who had yet to graduate, stood with money in their fists. He played to his audience with a nice line of patter, but he cut the patter short when he saw Katts. He took their money and handed out prepackaged pills in tiny plastic bags.

  “Tell your friends about Mickey,” he said as the foursome filed out.

  One of the guys flashed Todd and Katts a baleful look that Todd guessed was the guy’s tough guy look. A month ago it would have mattered to Todd. Now, who cared?

  “Hey, Felix, how’s it going?” Mickey said. “Is this your friend?”

  “I’m good, Mickey. Yeah, this is Todd.”

  Todd and Mickey exchanged nods. Mickey seemed to appraise Todd with his. Todd felt as if he’d just been X-rayed.

  “Let’s take this outside,” Mickey said.

  Mickey was mid to late twenties, tall and skinny. He talked tough, but one good punch would fell him like a tree. The glasses, with their cool looking frames, and the Xbox geek face helped his image. If Mickey worked crowds like this one, he was the perfect person to service them. He kept people in their comfort zones.

  They retreated to the backyard. The fall chill kept people in the house, although a couple were fooling around somewhere in the darkness, judging by the grunting sounds. Mickey found a spot he liked where the patio lights failed to reach. They were silhouettes in the night, voices in the dark.
If no one saw them or heard them, then it never happened.

  “You want to know about Jeremiah Black?” Mickey asked.

  “And Leo Cochrane,” Todd said.

  “I don’t know him.”

  “But you know Jeremiah?”

  “Look, I’m a foot soldier. I receive orders and I follow them. The Jeremiah Blacks of this world don’t come down to my level. I know his rep and you’d be better off not pushing this any further.”

  It was impossible to ignore the note of panic building in Mickey’s voice. Black sounded mean. That was good. If Todd was going to topple Cochrane then he needed someone like Jeremiah Black doing some of the pushing for him.

  “I don’t have a choice,” Todd said. “I need to meet Black.”

  Mickey shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His nervousness spread to Katts.

  “Maybe you should listen to him, Todd, man,” Katts said.

  “I wish I could. If you can’t help, Mickey, that’s cool. No harm, no foul as far as I’m concerned, but I have to get to Black one way or another.”

  Mickey shook his head and sighed. “I can help. I’m not saying I can’t. I just want you to know the risks.”

  “Duly noted. I’ll make it worth Black’s while.”

  “How?” Mickey asked.

  “That’s for Black to know, but you can pass it on to him that I can help his empire flourish more than it already does.”

  Mickey cast another appraising gaze over Todd. “Serious?”

  “Serious.”

  “Okay. I know someone who’s close to Black. I’ll see if I can get you a meet.”

  “Thanks,” Todd said. “I appreciate it.”

  “You should. This is going to cost me a lot of favors. I’m only doing this because Felix is a friend and a good customer.”

  Mickey came through on the following Monday. Todd got a call from Katts in the morning saying to be at Scala’s Bistro in San Francisco at seven. A reservation would be in Todd’s name. The news made Todd feel sick to his stomach, but he thanked Katts for his help.

  “Todd, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like it if you forgot all about me.”

  “Sure, Felix.”

  Katts ended the call.

  Todd was on his own again. It was probably for the best. Things were bound to get messy from now on. It wasn’t fair to drag people like Katts and Mickey into it any more than necessary.

  The Scala’s Bistro thing worried him. It was an odd place to meet. It was visible, for one. They’d be seen. It was safe though. It wasn’t like Black could shoot him in a public place and not have some of the drama splash back on him. Of course, they’d done that in a hundred gangster movies. This wasn’t the movies, but it wasn’t far off. There was nothing he could do but play by Black’s rules.

  Todd had checked into a rundown motel in San Pablo. The place was relatively clean and their weekly rates were low, but their main selling point was they took anonymous cash. He hung out there until it was time for his appointment with Black. Scala’s was attached to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. A pair of beefeaters guarded the hotel’s main entrance and carried in arriving and departing guests’ bags. He arrived early. They couldn’t seat him yet, so he sat at the bar. He was on his second beer when the hostess fetched him and led him to his table at the rear of the restaurant. A waiter arrived within the mandated ninety seconds of seating and fussed, but Todd sent him packing with a curt remark.

  Seven p.m. came and went without Black’s arrival. Todd caved to the waiter’s repeated visits and ordered an appetizer he didn’t want.

  Todd knew what was going on. Black was testing him. He didn’t know who Todd was and he probably used all day to check him out. Having found nothing that made the radar, they’d force him to wait it out. He was probably being watched at this moment. He scanned the diners and the wait staff for someone paying too much attention to his table. Black’s people were good. He didn’t spot anyone. Still, he didn’t feel he was in safe hands and his anxiety grew with every passing minute.

  At seven fifty, the hostess approached with a young African American man dressed in a tailored business suit that made him look like a newscaster. The man smiled when he reached the table. He put out a hand and said, “Mr. Collins, it’s good to see you again.”

  “Likewise, Mr. Black.” Todd rose and shook hands. Black’s hand was cool and dry.

  When the hostess left and they’d given their order to the irritating waiter, Black said, “Not what you were expecting, am I?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know what to expect these days. Life’s been like that lately. But to answer your question, no.”

  “Regardless of my product, I’m a businessman. I want to sell to as many consumers as possible. That means I have to deal with people from the cream to the dregs and that requires me to be a chameleon. I have a degree in business from a well-respected UC college and I speak fluent Ebonics. I can be anything I need to be. I thought you might like this environment.”

  “Not really my thing.”

  “So I understand. I thought it would make a nice change for you.” Black snapped open his napkin and rested it across his lap. “You need to leave, now.”

  “What?”

  “Room two-ten. Now. I need to see if you’re fucking me or not.”

  They were waiting for him, three of them. Whereas Black claimed to be a chameleon, these guys couldn’t boast the same. They were predators. One of them introduced himself as Kenneth and he ordered the other two to strip him and look for a wire. Todd was glad he’d left the .357 in the Toyota. One of them barked at him to put his clothes back on.

  “Can I go?”

  “Mr. Black told us to give you this,” Kenneth said and slammed a fist into Todd’s gut.

  Todd deflated, collapsing to his knees. He held his stomach, half expecting to find a hole there.

  “He says, keep things on the level,” Kenneth said.

  Todd nodded. It was about the only thing he could do.

  Black’s men saw themselves out.

  It was another ten minutes before Todd rejoined Black in the restaurant.

  “I told them to keep your salad in the kitchen,” Black remarked like nothing had happened.

  Todd said nothing.

  “Hey, don’t take it so personally. You know I had to check.”

  The waiter deposited Todd’s salad before him and departed.

  “So what is it you want, Todd?”

  “Do you know Leo Cochrane?”

  Black speared an heirloom tomato and nodded.

  “Leo doesn’t like me breathing. I want to change that.”

  “Leo wants you dead. So what?”

  “The guy tried to set me up and I got wise to it. I’d like to return the favor.”

  “Again, so what?”

  “I thought you’d be interested in helping me. It would be in your interest. With Leo out of the way, his clients become your clients. You said you’re a businessman. Doesn’t a hostile takeover sound good to a businessman?”

  Black put his fork down and pushed his plate away from him. “You want me to become your triggerman? I ice Leo for you and all your problems disappear.” He paused for Todd to comment. Todd didn’t. “Do I look fucking stupid? If I kill Leo, that brings a bunch of unwanted heat down on me. There’s nothing there for me. Leo kills you. Who cares? Leo will carry on. I will carry on. The world will carry on. There’s no incentive for me. Although, I could buy myself a few points with Leo by selling you out to him.”

  Todd swallowed. He’d made a mistake. Black was going to hang him out to dry.

  “But that can change,” Black said.

  “How?”

  “What have you got to offer me?”

  “Six kilos of cocaine. Leo was using it to set me up. I kept it.”

  “That’s a lot of blow. Got any of it with you?”

  “In my car.”

  “I think we should take a look at it.”

  They finished
their meal. Black handed Todd the check. Well, it was Todd’s date after all.

  He walked Black to his Toyota at a nearby parking garage. Black’s backup followed in a Dodge Magnum. They parked behind Todd’s Toyota, boxing him in and giving the transaction some privacy. Todd popped the trunk and unzipped the backpack letting Black see one of the six kilo packets.

  “I thought you said you had six kilos.”

  “I do,” Todd said, “but I saw no reason why I should bring them all.”

  Black stepped back and snapped his fingers at Kenneth. He took the packet from Todd, slit it open with a switchblade and brought out a sample of the cocaine on the tip of the blade. He tasted some and rubbed some between his fingers before nodding at Black.

  “Looks as if you’ve got something.”

  “So are you in?” Todd asked. “Will you help?”

  Black pondered. Todd felt he’d already made up his mind and this was a performance for his crew.

  “No.”

  Todd felt slapped. “What?”

  “Six kilos of free blow is nice but not nice enough. You’re on your own.”

  Todd went to say, “you can’t.” But Black could. This wasn’t his fight, so why get involved? Todd decided Black was a good businessman.

  “I think I’ll keep this.” Black took the coke from Kenneth. “Call it dessert. That okay with you?”

  Kenneth eased back his leather jacket to let Todd see his Tec-9 machine pistol.

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  Black smiled and got into the back of the Dodge. His crew fell in behind him. Black powered down the window. “Good luck, brother, because you’re going to need it.”

  Todd shrugged.

  “If you can bring me something better than another five of these—” Black held up the coke, “—I’m willing to listen. Seriously. Okay?”

  Todd nodded and watched the Dodge drive off. He supposed he should have felt pissed, but he didn’t. He didn’t want the drugs around him in the first place. Besides, this was the price of doing business. He still had more than enough coke left to use against Cochrane.

  He left the parking garage and threaded his way back to the Bay Bridge. With the never-ending bridge construction, getting to the bridge these days was an epic quest that sent the driver twice around the city before access could be granted to an on-ramp. Todd was turning right onto Harrison when a Malibu rear-ended him. The impact jolted Todd’s Toyota into traffic.