Key West Gone into the Night

by Elizabeth Hilleren

  “You know where Stephanie is?” Sharkey said with tension in his voice. “I just called to the hotel where I thought she was staying, and she checked out the night Carl died.”

  “I know. Check the La Conch. You know her phone ain’t workin’.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “Did you know she put an ad in the paper like Carl did?”

  “Crap,” Harris said. “She came to my house all hysterical, and then suddenly turned deadly calm. We knew that she was up to no good. But she stopped talking to us so we had no clue what was percolating through her brain.”

  “I’ll put an APB out on her,” Sharkey said.

  “Roger that. I’ll canvas the town and see if I can spot her,” Harris said. “She’s always been the kind to go off halfcocked. But I’m not sure why she would do what she thought was crazy when Carl did it. Damn, she’s apt to get herself killed.”

  “Those guys that put Alex in the hospital just put him back in, along with Cynthia.”

  “I’ll keep looking and let you know what I find.”

  Harris went to the La Conch and inquired about Stephanie Williams.

  “I’m sorry sir, but she checked out last night. Said she was going home.”

  “I’m a cop.” He pulled out his badge. “You got her auto license number on file with her room?”

  “Yes, I believe so. Just a moment.”

  Harris looked around the lobby. Nice place.

  The clerk returned and wrote down her license that she had left with him.

  Harris returned to his car and ran it through the DMV.

  “That car is registered to a Carl Abbott with Miami address.”

  Crap why didn’t they impound his car?

  He called impound and was told that it had been impounded. She must have just used his plate number. Stephie, Stephie, Stephie…she must be on foot.

  * * *

  Stephanie laid low in a B&B waiting for a response to her personal ad.

  Sure enough, her throw-away phone rang.

  “This Gramma?”

  “Yes, I have cash money. Fifty thousand dollars.”

  “Then we meet at eleven at the Key West Hockey Rink.”

  “A hockey rink in Key West? You’re kidding me. I thought you were serious.” Stephanie said.

  “The southernmost rink is at the corner of Bertha Street and Atlantic Boulevard. Eleven PM. Bring the money.” They hung up.

  “See ya,” Stephanie said into the dead line.

  She was ready. She had Carl’s gun from his hotel room. She was smart to take it when he went into the shower, leaving her reading the newspaper while he showered.

  She had his gun in her purse and she felt that this time she would find out where the children are. You want something done right you have to do it yourself. Carl tried to cheat them…I won’t.

  * * *

  Harris was canvassing the hotels and inquired at the front desk if Stephanie Williams was registered. “No sir, we have no one by that name.”

  “Here’s her picture. This is official police business.”

  “She’s still not here.”

  “Okay thanks.” He wandered out and continued down Duval Street. She could be anywhere.

  * * *

  Mckenzie didn’t speak to Connor when they got back to the office.

  “How about some lunch?” Connor said, trying to catch up with her.

  “Connor, you’re supposed to be backing me up, not telling me it’s time to drop the subject and leave, dismissing my opinion.”

  Connor watched Mckenzie sit down at her desk and flip her red hair up off of her collar and up in the air.

  “Sorry, I just thought Sharkey was right.”

  “You thought that going along with Sharkey’s request was the right thing to do?”

  “It was.” He sat down in the chair next to her desk. “If kids are missing, he has his hands full. If they were kidnapped, their lives could be in danger. Alerting the public could spook them. If it isn’t a relative involved, they just might kill them and feed them to the fish rather than taking the chance of being caught.”

  Mckenzie frowned. “I just think he should have at least let us know the details. I hate the insinuation that I can’t be trusted.”

  “Listen, my sweet, tenacious, reporter, it’s a situation you don’t want to inadvertently blow up. You just don’t.”

  “That’s just it. I’m a reporter. And I’m tenacious…but not stupid.”

  Connor’s mouth turned up on one side.

  “I’ll buy a thick steak you can get your teeth into and a Mojito.”

  “Okay. I hate it when you’re right. It’s awful that kids are taken and are in danger.”

  “It is. Sharkey will take care of it and if he thinks we can help, you’ll be the first to know. Sorry I yelled at you.”

  She hugged his arm. “You yelled?”

  “Come on, I’m hungry,” Connor said. “Hey, O’Brian, take a lunch break with us.”

  “Really?”

  Connor threw him a look. “Yeah.”

  “Sure.”

  “Good. Robbin?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be right there,” she said. Connor smiled. Mckenzie grinned.

  “Lunch on me.” He looked into Barney’s office and said, “Lunch’s on me.”

  Barney threw him a rare grin. “Sounds good.”

  “No further talk about anything serious. Got it?”

  “Got it,” they all said.

  * * *

  Sharkey called Harris, who answered on the last ring.

  “You find Stephanie?”

  “Not yet. I figure she’s on foot and staying low.”

  “I sent out a picture to go along with the APB. You think she’s really dumb enough to meet with these guys?”

  “I wouldn’t call her dumb…but sometimes she gets headstrong and goes off halfcocked.”

  “You mean intentionally meeting people you know kill people, on a dark street in the middle of the night, with a big bag of cash, and no one around, doesn’t qualify as dumb? I’m also going to step up patrols around the waterfront. Heard from our young friend?”

  “No. He’s bunkered in.”

  “Okay, Jenny and I are going to canvas the waterfront too. Keeping a low profile. You need to go home, and I’ll call if anything goes down.”

  “I’m tired. I think I will.”

  Jenny came through the door with two big white food bags. “Food is here. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.”

  “Thanks, you got that one right. I’ve got some interesting news,” Sharkey said, clearing off his desktop and grabbing a plate from the cabinets behind him. He passed one to Jenny, who pulled a chair up to his desk.

  He told her about the visit from Mckenzie and the young ad guy at the paper.

  “Well, he’s certainly sharp and the fact that he reported it to someone is really good,” Jenny said.

  “Yeah,” Sharkey took a big bite from the poor boy sandwich and took a drink of coke before continuing. “Mckenzie was mad that she hadn’t been told about the abductions. Angry but quiet. Connor took the brunt of it after they left, I’m sure. I’m taking no chances. I put the bug in Barney’s ear. He assured me they will leave it alone.”

  “There is honor among at least some of the press.”

  “Maybe, but that honor has a short fuse when they think it’s a hot story.”

  “You don’t think it’s because they think they’re being lied to or that you just don’t trust them to be responsible?”

  Sharkey just slid his eyes over to her and took another bite and chewed. “We have another problem. Stephanie Williams is under the radar. Harris has no idea where she is and she’s the one that wrote the personal ad.”

  “Oh, no.” Jenny’s blue eyes grew big. “Is she even stable?”

  “I’d like us to go down by the waterfront tonight. We’ll split up and see if we can spot her. That’s where they met before.”

>   “You think they will move that fast?”

  “They did the last time. For some reason they seem to be readers of the personal ads. I’m sure they will not want her ad to go on too long. Someone else may decide to take her up on her offer. I see it as a race to the cash. The only catch is that someone has to take out the trash at the end.”

  “Oh boy, this could be bad. How are Alex Sloan and his lady?

  “They’re both being watched very closely. Alex is okay, his heart was out of sync. But they got it back. Mostly sore ribs. Cynthia is okay with a mild concussion and sore ribs.”

  “That’s awful but they were very lucky. They’re such nice people.”

  “Yeah, young Sloan is having a hard time. They’re both very special to him. You might not know that Cynthia and Sloan were an item till Piper hit town. They still care a lot about each other.”

  “And Alex is Sloan’s father? …How does that work?”

  “Very nicely, actually. Key West is full of unusual situations. Sloan and Piper are soul mates. I hear there’s a rumor that they might get hitched.”

  “Really?”

  “Just a rumor, so far.”

  Jenny gathered up the bags and plates and cleared Sharkey’s desk.

  “I have a few things to take care of, so I’ll meet you back here at about…six. We’ll divvy up the waterfront and head out about seven.”

  “Okay, see you then.”

  * * *

  Stephanie set her bourbon and coke glass down and tucked her hair up into the wig. She put on a pair of slacks and a plain dark blue lightweight blouse. Her purse was an over the shoulder one that was open on top. She placed the gun inside.

  She went to the corner and took a city bus down to a small bar. She stepped inside and took a seat and ordered food and a drink.

  It was ten thirty. She ate and noticed that no one was paying any attention to her. She wore glasses and looked at a map. She would call a cab and get out a block away.

  At a few minutes before eleven o’clock she arrived at the meeting place.

  Stephanie felt a shudder go through her body despite the heat of the night. She checked her watch. It was just eleven. Two figures appeared from the opposite corner. They were both relatively tall. She thought it was one man and one woman.

  They crossed the street.

  Stephanie stepped out into the light.

  “Grandmother?” The woman asked.

  “Yes.” Stephanie swallowed hard and squinted into the bright flashlight that hit her eyes. “Where are the children?” she managed to say. “Get that light out of my eyes.”

  “Sure. Money first,” the woman said.

  Stephanie pulled out the cash bag and threw it at them. It landed on the ground.

  “Make sure it’s all there,” the woman said. The man picked up the bag and looked through it.

  “It’s here.” That’s when the man pulled a gun out of the back of his pants.

  Stephanie pulled out her gun and aimed it at the woman. The laser placed a red dot on the woman’s chest. It happened so fast that Stephanie didn’t even see it. She pulled the trigger and the woman went down with her face contorted into a look of surprise. In a split second she felt a sharp pain and fired the gun again as she felt herself falling towards the pavement. Everything went into slow motion…then blackness.

  Behind the rink Jesse and Debby, two young lovers, heard the shots and Jesse called 911.

  “There’s a shooting at the Key West Hockey Rink. My girl and I were walking by and heard the shots. Come quick.”

  “I have officers on the way and an ambulance. Don’t approach, take cover and stay on the phone.”

  * * *

  Sharkey got the call of gunshots and multiple people down at the hockey rink. He was in an undercover cruiser. He put the red light on the top of his car and headed towards the rink. Within minutes that part of the town erupted in police cars and ambulances.

  Harris heard the call and headed directly to the location. “Please don’t let it be Stephie,” he prayed.

  The first officer on the scene was Fitzpatrick. He approached slowly with his gun drawn. The older woman propped against the chain link fence that enclosed the rink was closest to him. He felt for a pulse and found one but it was weak.

  Another officer ran to the other two people and checked for a pulse. The woman was dead, but the man was conscious and in extreme pain. Everyone had gunshot wounds. The EMTs arrived and spread out among the bodies.

  Harris pulled up and ran forward. He recognized Stephanie and headed for her. The medic, Max Saxton, was working on her.

  “Max, how is she?”

  Max looked up and recognized Harris. “Not good. You know her?”

  “An ex-wife.” Harris knelt and took her hand. “Stephie…it’s Burt. Hang in there. I won’t let you go.”

  “We’ve got to get her out of here,” Max said.

  “I’m going with you.”

  “Okay, but we’re going to roll out.”

  Sharkey saw Harris and ran to his side. “How is she?”

  “Bad. I gotta go.”

  “I’ll check with you later. I’m praying for her.”

  “Thanks, partner.”

  Sharkey walked over to where the other woman lay. “She’s gone. One square to the chest.”

  “How about the guy?”

  “Wounded, but not fatal. We’ll load them up and see you at the hospital.”

  Sharkey saw Fitzpatrick taking photos and placing markers where evidence lay on the sidewalk. Jenny pulled up and joined Sharkey. “Was Stephanie here?”

  “Yes, it looks bad for her. Harris is with her.”

  “Poor Harris. He’s really been put through the wringer lately.”

  “That’s for sure. Take more pictures. I want to talk to the guy that called it in.”

  “Sharkey,” Fitzpatrick called, “there’s a bank bag here with fifty thousand dollars in it.”

  “Why can’t they trust us? That was a rhetorical question.”

  “There are those who just don’t get it. The guy had the money bag in his hand. I play it this way. The woman standing next to the building shot the big woman, then the man shot her, and on her way down, she shot him in the upper thigh.”

  “Frank should be here soon. I’m going to check out our caller.”

  Sharkey walked towards the young man and woman.

  “Jesse?”

  “Yes,” he stood up. “Are they all dead? We never saw them shoot, but we heard the shots and called nine-one-one. They said not to go near.” The kid looked scared to be that close to violent death. The young girl that stood next to him was trying to keep it together.

  “You did the right thing. You likely saved two lives.”

  “Okay.” He wiped at his eyes.

  “It’s okay, you did the right thing. Both of you take a deep breath and relax. They’re in good hands, thanks to you.”

  Jesse shook his head. “I’m okay.”

  “What direction were you coming from?”

  “We were on the Bertha Street side.”

  “You were in the wrong place at just the right time to save some lives. That’s all I need, but if you could just fill out this contact card, I’d appreciate it. What’s your age?”

  “We’re both high school seniors.”

  “Eighteen,” the girl said.

  “If I need anything else, I’ll call you. I suggest you head home. This is going to go on for a while.”

  * * *

  Across town Mckenzie and Connor were driving for the location.

  “I didn’t know that here was a hockey rink in Key West,” Connor said.

  “It’s roller blades, January through May. We cover the games in the paper.”

  “Learn something new every day,” Connor said with a shake of his head.

  “With all the cops tonight, we won’t be able to get close. Let’s park and walk from here. Damn. Something really big is going on in this town,” Mckenzie said as
Connor parked and pulled out their equipment.

  “We passed two ambulances and now there’s one more.”

  “Three down, was the call,” Connor said, picking up his pace to match Mckenzie’s. They made their way to the corner of the street from where the police were gathered and crossed to the entrance of the park.

  “Not much to see. I see Sharkey. Let’s push the edge,” Mckenzie said. They walked over by his cruiser and waited. “Demonte just pulled up. Must be a fatality.”

  Frank Demonte and his assistant Becky walked quickly over to Sharkey and Jenny.

  “She’s gone,” Sharkey said. “Two injured.”

  Frank knelt down next to the large woman. “Dead with a shot to the chest. Bullseye,” he said dryly.

  “The shooter had a laser on her gun. Lucky for her,” Sharkey said.

  Frank continued to check out the body and recorded his findings. “Okay, let’s load her up and it will most likely be a straightforward autopsy. I’ll let you know.”

  “Fitzpatrick, you find any identification on those two?”

  “Yeah. Rita Polly and Kirk Polly. Live here in Key West.”

  “Good. I’ll check them out. I’m on my way to the hospital to talk to Mr. Polly.”

  * * *

  Harris paced the waiting room at the hospital.

  How could she be so dumb? She knows better…She thought Carl was dumb for what he did and now she’s laying there on the table…She’s got to make it. She just has to.

  Nurse Amy saw Harris and quickly walked in and put her arms around him.

  “I’m so sorry, Burt.” He held her close to him.

  Harris was surprised to see Amy. “What are you doin here?”

  “They called me in. “We have three ambulances, and they were worried about being shorthanded.”

  “She can’t die. Too many people have died, and I couldn’t stop any of it.”

  “You did everything possible. It’s in God’s hands now. However, you should know that one of her attackers is alive.”

  Harris jerked away from Amy. “Where?”

  “No way,” Sharkey said from the hall. “We have him under guard. He’s going down for what happened, and you need to not interfere.”