Checkered Crime: A Laurel London Mystery

by Kappes, Tonya

  “Well, well.” I winced when he picked me up by my forearm and jerked me over to the group. “Look what we have here. A girl.” He flung my arm toward the tank. “I bet they would love to have a taste of you.” His evil smile exposed a mouthful of rotted teeth.

  He grabbed a rope and tied my legs together with my hands.

  “I will take care of you in a minute.” He went back over and grabbed the twirling Morty.

  I looked around and saw someone moving in the shadows. When they quickly moved into the sunlight darting in from the warehouse windows, I could tell it was Johnny.

  Thank God. I took a deep breath so thankful Johnny was there, giving me a little hope. I looked for Trixie, but I bet he had gotten her and Louie to safety. Plus the FBI was going to be there any minute. I had hoped they had gotten there and took Jennifer and Trigger into custody. But that hope quickly shattered when he came traipsing in with her on his arm.

  “No!” I screamed when Johnny dipped out of the shadow.

  I wanted to warn him to stay there so he could watch for the FBI and not get taken by Trigger and one of his men.

  “Shut up, Laurel!” Johnny ordered. “Tony meet Laurel London.”

  “Hey, why is she tied up?” Trigger asked with a questioning look on his face.

  “Let me introduce you to The Gorilla’s granddaughter.” Johnny kicked my foot, causing me to tumble over on my side since my feet and hands were bound up.

  “Shit. I knew you were no good Johnny Delgato!” I spit at his feet.

  “Bitch.” He grunted.

  It wasn’t him that I was worried about. It was Trigger who was walking over to me. When he bent down to get a good look at me, his knees cracked.

  “Well well.” He grabbed my forearm and pulled me up back on my butt. “Laurel London were you getting a little kick out of playing me for a fool this whole time as you were driving me back and forth to this shit hole?”

  “Don’t worry Trigger.” I smiled. “Mike Florenza will be here any minute to arrest you and you.” I glared over at Johnny.

  “Yeah, I’m already here and I didn’t call for any back up.” Mike appeared out of the shadows of the warehouse. “We all kind of,” he waved his gun in the air, “work together.”

  “Yeah.” Trigger laughed looking around at his little posse. “Me, Johnny and Mike met in college. I think it was fate that Johnny lived near Louisville. So I sweetened the pot for him and Mike.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Going into the FBI was my dream job. And if I could work for the mob with my FBI cover and make ten times more money…” He winked. “You bet ya.”

  “And when Tony told me about his family and he was looking for an orphan—and since I’m such a nice guy—he offered to front my phone business and supplement my income if I helped figure out just where The Gorilla’s grandchild was located.” Johnny walked closer and bent down next to Trigger. He ran his hand down my cheek and stopped them on my lips. “Only I didn’t know that it was hot, hot, Laurel London who I had been trying to get my hands on all of these years.”

  I snapped my teeth at him making him jump up.

  Johnny stood up with a grin on his face. He adjusted his pants.

  “Funny how you always thought you were better than me, you orphan rat.” His nose snarled. There was an evil look in his eyes.

  I looked away. Jax had his head down. I could see he was trying to get free while all the attention was on me. Jax and Derek exchanged a few looks while Morty was bawling still hanging and twirling around from the crane.

  “Where’s Trixie?” I asked stalling for time.

  “That old crazy bat,” Johnny laughed. “I will take care of her after I take care of all of you.”

  “Now, let’s get on with this.” Trigger leaned closer to me and whispered, “This can all go real smooth if you tell me where my ring is. Please don’t make me hurt you.”

  “What ring?” I asked, pretending to be ignorant.

  “This ring, bitch!” He jabbed his hand, minus the finger, in my face.

  The family ring was wedged on his middle finger.

  There was a rustle behind one of the unopened crates.

  Without warning, Johnny pulled a gun from his waistband and shot at it. The crate popped open, the door of a brand new port-a-let swung open and hundreds of AK-47 machine guns fell on to the ground.

  “You idiot.” Trigger shook his head.

  Trigger motioned for Jennifer. Without her even asking for instructions, she rushed over and started to pick up the guns like she had done this several times before.

  A walnut rolled across the floor without them seeing and right into my reach.

  “So,” I blurted out to get them to look at me. I wiggled around like I was trying to get free when I was really trying to get my hands on the damn walnut. “You are also smuggling illegal firearms? Morty?” I looked at Morty in disgust.

  I couldn’t believe he put Walnut Grove in danger.

  “Aren’t you just a smart one?” Trigger gave the crane operator a nod. “I take any opportunity I can when it comes to business. And I want to thank you for coming to New York where Jennifer owns the agency that is promoting The Underworld Music Festival. Not only was I looking for you in this area, but I was looking for a nice little out-of-the-way location to bring in the last shipment I will ever have. Because with my ring that you are going to give me, I will retire and no one, not even Jax Jackson will be able to find me.” He looked at Jax. “My bad.” Trigger grinned. “You will be with your little partner. Dead.”

  When he looked at Jax, I extended my arm to get the walnut and fell over, giving me just the right reach to grab it. Using my elbows, I hoisted myself up while Trigger held a crying Morty’s hand right at the top of the water of the fish tank. The piranhas were going crazy. The water was bubbling at the top and you could barely see them.

  “My babies are hungry. I’m glad because I haven’t fed them in a couple of days.” Trigger was giddy with pleasure on the torture he was about to bestow upon us.

  Derek caught my attention. He smiled knowing I had gotten a walnut. He nodded toward his hands that he had unbound but were still together, holding the illusion he was tied up. He looked me straight in the eyes. We could always tell what the other was thinking. He was telling me to wait for his cue and hurl the walnut at one of Trigger’s men. But who?

  With not a lot of time to spare, I slipped the knife out of my back pocket and slowly used the blade to saw the rope in two pieces, leaving my hands free to throw that walnut.

  In a flash, Derek jumped up. I hurled the walnut at Johnny who was running toward Derek, knocking his ass out flat…again.

  The big guy rushed Derek as I took the knife to cut the ropes that had Jax tied. I put the knife back in my pocket.

  Jax tackled Trigger when he noticed Derek beating the crap out of the big guy. That was short lived when Jennifer pulled out a gun which none of us seemed to have.

  “Hold it right there!” she screamed firing a shot into the air.

  Trigger used the back of his hand to wipe the blood off his lip where Jax had punched him. He took the gun from her after he smacked her ass and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “That’s why I have a side piece.” He wiggled his brows looking at me. “Now, let’s get this settled and then I’ll dump all of your chopped-up body parts in my tank.” He walked over to me. He slid the butt of his hand gun down my face. “Where is my ring? I’m not playing games.”

  Out of nowhere a barrage of walnuts came flying through the air hitting Trigger in the head while another hit Jennifer along with the big guy, knocking them out cold. The crane operator jumped down just as the warehouse doors flung open and an army of FBI agents stormed in with big black bulletproof vests on and shields covering their faces.

  “Jax Jackson.” The lead FBI guy walked up to Jax and shook his hand. “I see you had this all under control.”

  Trixie, Louie and Ben Bassman stepped
out from behind one of the other unopened crates that had to be filled with all the illegal firearms Trigger was trying to smuggle. Trixie ran over to me, with Ben Bassman on her heels but he stopped at Trigger’s unconscious body first.

  “Good throw.” I smiled, embracing her and ignoring whatever Ben was doing.

  “Do not say a word about the ring,” Ben whispered after he wrapped his arms around Trixie and me like we were one big happy family. “Let me take care of that. It’s what The Gorilla has paid me to do all these years.”

  “Excuse me, Laurel?” The FBI guy walked over, breaking up Trixie, Ben and my little hug session. “I was the agent at the desk when you and Mr. Delgato came in to see Mike.” He pulled out a tape recorder from his pocket and pushed the button to record. “The FBI had been investigating Trigger Finger Anthony Cardozza for years. We knew there was an FBI inside agent informant that was working with Trigger, we just didn’t know who. So when you came in today, telling me about all of this crazy stuff and you mention Jax, I knew you were telling the truth.”

  I inhaled knowing we were all going to be okay.

  “Jax has been great. He totally deserves a raise.” I ran my hand down Jax’s arm when he walked over.

  “That’s just the thing.” The FBI agent gave Jax a sideways glance. “Jax was removed from the agency when he just wouldn’t let the death of Lance go. He had been placed on our watch list because he has been traveling around watching Trigger.”

  “I was going to kill him.” Jax lowered his head. “I couldn’t let the FBI ignore what Trigger had done to my partner. He had a family. A wife. Kids.” His voice cracked. “I had to get Trigger back.”

  “You knew what was at stake,” the agent warned. “And how you went about this wasn’t the right protocol.”

  “Screw protocol.” Jax spat. “We got him now. And it was my way.”

  “I’m not saying you weren’t right, but it wasn’t the best way.” They argued back and forth.

  “Listen, I just want to get Trixie home. I don’t want to stand here seeing who has a bigger penis by right and wrong.” I made myself very clear.

  “I’m going to need a cut-and-dry statement from you. Can you be at the agency tomorrow morning?” He pulled out his card.

  I looked over at Trigger who was coming to and being carted off by a few agents… at gun point.

  “Yeah, my calendar just opened up,” I said knowing I wasn’t going to be going to the Airport Hotel anytime soon.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  “Congratulations to you and Jimbo.” I sat down next to Susie Warren, Sheriff Jimbo Warren’s wife.

  Hhmph. She growled staring straight ahead as we and the entire town of Walnut Grove sat in the town square watching the public ceremony of Jimbo’s retirement.

  After the whole gun-smuggling-mob thing at Porty Morty’s, Jimbo felt like it was time to retire, not making a happy marriage for him and Susie since she was going to have to keep her indiscretions even more on the down low, but I didn’t have a monkey in that circus so I kept my mouth shut.

  I was also glad to know that Carmine was ill the day the Trigger and his cartel had taken over the warehouse. It would have been one more thing for me to worry about. Morty Shelton had been just an innocent bystander in the whole thing. He claimed Jennifer came in to talk to him about the festival and after getting through a few meetings with her, that was when she informed him they were going to be using his warehouse to smuggle the illegal arms and if he didn’t cooperate, people were going to die. Plus they were going to pay him handsomely for the use of the onetime smuggle. According to Morty, he wasn’t going to go through with it, but I wasn’t so sure since I had heard he was having money issues. Still, I didn’t say anything because it all seemed to be over and Porty Morty’s was back in business.

  As far as my whole family history of sickness, well Ben Bassman assured me there was nothing to worry about because everyone was completely healthy in my family, other than death by gun shot.

  Of course I wasn’t able to tell anyone about it, other than Trixie because she was in on it. Derek and Jax had no idea I was The Gorilla’s granddaughter. When Jax asked me about Trigger’s allegations that I was, I laughed it off. Trigger also demanded his ring back, but no one knew anything about a ring. Well…hardly anyone.

  Not only was Jimbo retiring, Derek was starting his career as a deputy sheriff. Now with the sheriff’s job opening, I had to wonder who was going to fill it.

  “Why can’t it be a peaceful day?” Gia asked and sat down next to me.

  She pointed over to the camera crew that hadn’t left since Trigger went into custody. The world just couldn’t believe that little ole Walnut Grove, Kentucky was the scene for the mob to smuggle arms.

  Come to think about it, it was perfect. No one would suspect a shipment to a port-a-let company where there was a river for transportation. Trigger had planned it all out for years. No doubt I had been on his radar since he met Johnny. His wheels had been turning.

  “So what do you think they are going to do to Johnny?” Gia nudged me.

  “I have no idea.” My attention turned to the camera crew when I saw them stop Jax Jackson.

  He stopped and sat his suitcase on the ground. He was going to meet me at the ceremony and then after I was going to give him one last ride back to Louisville to catch his plane to New York.

  The agency had cleared him to come back to work. I was going to miss looking at his handsome face and hot body, but I guess I would live.

  “Too bad he’s leaving. He’s hot.” Gia nudged me again. “But I do have a new guy to fix you up with,” she chomped.

  “No thanks.” I got up and walked over to see what Jax was saying to the reporter.

  It looked like he was giving an interview or something. Derek walked up next to him. I had to laugh because he wanted his ten minutes of fame.

  “What is next for the new deputy in town?” the reporter asked Derek and stuck the microphone into his face.

  “I was hoping to get my new boss in his uniform.” he smiled, taking the camera off of Jax.

  “Who is the new sheriff of Walnut Grove?” the reporter asked.

  “The city would like to offer it to Jax Jackson if he’d like to stick around.” Derek stuck his hand out to him to make a good southern gentleman agreement.

  “I…” Jax seemed to be speechless.

  My heart nearly dropped into my toes when he looked at me with those deep hazel eyes. His mouth opened into a wide grin. He turned back to the camera.

  “I appreciate that, but I think I’m going to stick around and open a private investigation service,” he said into the camera before he slid his eyes over to me.

  “What was that?” Gia asked, craning her neck toward Jax Jackson who was still staring at me.

  “I have no idea, but I don’t want him sticking around here,” I said.

  “Laurel London. I think you might have a little crush on him.” Gia tugged on the gum in her mouth with her finger before she wrapped the gum around it a few times.

  “I don’t think so.” I glared at him because he would be the first person to hold something over my head if things went south. “Besides. I have a new house to fix up.”

  When I had gotten Trixie settled back into her house the day of the warehouse takedown, I had gone home where Ben Bassman was waiting for me with Trigger’s ring. He had taken it off Trigger’s hand when Trigger was knocked out on the warehouse floor from the walnut Trixie had thrown at him. Ben informed me that since I had both rings, I was now the legal recipient of my first installment of The Gorilla’s money. That installment was one million dollars with more installments to come.

  After he had to pick me up off the floor and through my tears, I looked around the little efficiency. Henrietta and I needed more room, so I put her on her leash and marched over to Friendship Baptist Church. I gave Pastor Wilson a piece of my mind and told him I didn’t need his broken down efficiency.

  I told Ben B
assman that I wanted to buy the orphanage house with my money only for him to tell me that I already owned it. The Gorilla had established the orphanage in Walnut Grove when I was a baby and it was to remain open until I turned eighteen. In fact, Ben Bassman paid all the bills on it on behalf of my grandfather, which kept it in good standing with the utilities and taxes. I also told him to put the house up for sale in Louisville because I wasn’t moving there. Walnut Grove had become my home.

  Henrietta and I moved in the next day. Trixie put her little cottage up for sale when I begged her to come live with me and we’d move her chickens too. She agreed and over the past few days we had been spending a little of my money fixing the place up with new furniture. Of course we had to tell everyone in Walnut Grove that Trixie came into some inheritance and bought the place so we didn’t reveal that I was wealthy.

  “Maybe he can give you a job because you are going to need one if you keep spending money on that dump you bought when you lost your mind.” Gia shook her head. “I’ve gotta go.” She made kissy noises when she saw Jax walking toward us.

  “Shut up.” There was no way Jax Jackson and I were going to get together.

  He said a couple of words to Gia and walked up next to me. His dark eyes set along with his strong jaw line. There was a determined look on his face. A look I had seen when he talked about Trigger Finger.

  “A private investigation company?” I asked, breaking the tension between us.

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Why not?”

  “Oh-kay.” I wasn’t sold on the whole idea because I never knew Walnut Grove needed a private investigator. Unless Jimbo Warren was the first client when he gets wind of Susie’s little indiscretions.

  “I want to open a private investigation company and work with the FBI on the side.” He stopped and rocked back on his heels when Pastor Wilson and Rita walked by.

  He smiled at them, they smiled at him, they snarled at me.

  “Still not friends?” Jax asked.

  “Not so much. Past is in the past,” I added.

  “Which brings me to my next bit of business.” Jax folded his arms and we looked on as the line was forming to congratulate Jimbo and Susie who were standing at the foot of the gazebo where the retirement ceremony had taken place. “You seem to have all sorts of criminal talents. And thinking like a crook is crucial in the P.I. business, so I’d like to give you a job helping me. Plus I bet you could use the money.”