Rocky Trail

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  “Does that mean the assassination is called off,” asked Alex. “I don’t think we can relax our people on location. My guess is the hit man will take another run at David and Janice.”

  AJ sat thinking about what to do or what to suggest to David. The best thing they could do would be to do nothing. Just keep the information flowing and hope for the best. Sometimes the more you tried to help the worse things got.

  Jake was thinking the same thing. The best thing to do was let it play out. If nothing else, this holograph stuff was an interesting experiment in crime fighting. Jake said, “Well, boys and girl, what say we adjourn for dinner?

  Alex said, “I’ve some left over pork and mashed potatoes would be a nice dinner. Also I’ve some great pecan pie. We’ll all probably put on a couple of pounds. Any takers?”

  AJ rose his hand smiling and then Jake and Carol followed suit.

  Chapter XIV

  Janice went with David for the meeting with Clyde Hyster. Driving down to Flagstaff, Janice said, “I’m still smiling seeing Johnny so happy with BT’s son arriving. I for one can hardly tell the difference, but Junior seems a little more playful than and not as serious as his daddy was.”

  “I know what you mean. I’m thinking we’ve a lot of responsibility nowadays. Before it was just you and me, but now we’ve a full team to protect. God only knows what’s going to spill out Hyster’s mouth. Furthermore, can we believe what we’re going to hear? I suppose the best thing to do would be to follow him up to his room where we can record his comments and not be bothered by outside influences.”

  “Yes, Kemosabe. I’m going to wait unseen until you two are walking to his room. Then I’ll join you.”

  “Sounds good to me Pine Queen. I’ll keep my back to the bar so no one can see me and then we’ll quickly leave.”

  At the motel, David parked and glanced at his watch seeing it was almost five pm and happy hour was about to begin. He smiled thinking that for Hyster, this happy hour would turn into the most unhappy happy hour of his life.

  An open double doorway welcomed customers to the bar. David paused at the doorway and saw his mark sitting nursing a tumbler of brown liquid. He wasted no time and walked to stand in front of the table where Hyster looked up with a curious facial expression. David said, in a low tone, but loud enough for him to hear, “Hyster, Nancy can’t make it and let’s go to your room to discuss your future.” David opened his coat a little to show his Marshalls badge attached to his belt.

  Clyde Hyster tried to show his bravado by raising his glass and downing his drink. Then he left a healthy tip, stood up and walked out the door. Nothing was said all the way to his second floor room where Janice caught up with them.

  Inside the room he sat down on the bed with his legs straight out in a defiant position. Janice set up her lap top. Once it was booted and ready to go, she took a disk and inserted the fateful video of Clyde Hyster and the hired lady from Chicago.

  Ten minutes later Clyde Hyster knew he been had. He said, “Okay, I go it. What do you want?”

  David said, first your name and who you work for. After that we will be asking the questions and you’ll be providing the answers. If we discover you’ve lied or distorted the truth, you wife and kids will be able to watch a free video of you in action. Now to prove to you this is not a game and we are not bluffing, let me demonstrate our sincerity.” David moved faster than Clyde Hyster remembered him even moving. The next thing he knew was a searing pain in his left hand. David had taken his thumb and bent it back till it broke.

  “Now dick head quit crying and answer our questions. The first thing I want to know is who ordered the leg breaking of that old Indian?”

  “I did. But I never said take a ball bat to him.”

  “Nice copout. Now who do you take orders from? Name and his job description.”

  While holding his thumb tenderly to his chest and a few tears leaking he said, “I don’t know his name. He’s referred to as number one. He’s old and wheezes when he talks.”

  The questions went on for the next hour or so. David told him to find out if there was still a contract out on him and that he would contact him tomorrow at noon. After that they dropped him off at the hospital to get his thumb fixed.

  Going back to Kayenta Janice said, “I think this guy knows a lot about Allied Power. I’d guess some one in the justice department would love to interview this guy. You know what Kemosabe; I think we should turn around and keep this dude under lock and key until further notice.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go back and take this guy with us.” David turned around and went back to the hospital. Janice dialed up AJ and told him what had transpired with Hyster.

  AJ said, “Someone will be there in the morning to pick him up. From what you have gleaned this guy could put the screws to Allied Power. Good work. Now if we can wrap this up, you guys can go back and enjoy your vacation.”

  Janice laughed and said, “I don’t think Dr. Jones, there’s an end to the bad guys. What sucks is that someone is trying very hard to kill us.”

  “Killers without a conscience have one thing in common: the inability to see the whole picture. They’re blind in one eye and only use half their brain. If we could view them on a daily basis, we would see them walking around in circles. In other words, they are predictable. Indeed once in awhile they surprise us, but that’s when we let our guard down. I’m confident that in a few days we can put this case in a file somewhere marked closed.”

  At the hospital they picked up Hyster with a fresh cast on his hand. Upon seeing them waiting, he said, “Did you forget something?

  “You’d best thank us for coming Hyster,” said David. “We happen to think you and your family are in danger. We’re taking you with us. Let’s go pack your bags.”

  “Who am I to argue? I’m a dead man anyway. I’ve worked for these guys for twenty years and no way are they going to let me spill the beans. They’d be satisfied with just me, but if they can’t get me, then the family is next on the list.”

  “That’s out of our hands Clyde. My suggestion is to play ball with us and maybe a change of ID and location is available.”

  “You don’t know these guys. They’re connected. Yeah, maybe it’ll go down like Enron, but trust me; those five guys at the very top will skate free.”

  Janice said, “Do you have any regrets?”

  “I did at first. Then my bank account over shadowed all the regrets. Money is a marvelous thing. Does it buy happiness? Damn rights it does. I’m living proof of it. Look at it this way. Those five guys collectively are over three hundred years old. Even if you put them in prison they would laugh at you. They’re not particular about food, living conditions or about wanting to go shopping. Hell, prisons have heat, a/c, TV, computers, books, exercise equipment and the story or the beat goes on.”

  “Well, Clyde, since you put it that way can you give me an address where I might find these guys?”

  “I can do better than that. I’ll give you place, time and descriptions of these guys. As to where they live, no idea about that.”

  “I’ll pass the word you were cooperative.”

  “I don’t suppose it would do me any good to scream police brutality?” And with that the end of conversation with Clyde Hyster.

  *~~~~~*

  A knock on David’s door the next morning woke them both up. David put on his sweat pants and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he went to the door. He peered through the eye hole not recognizing the man who looked back at him. Then the man held up his ID showing him he was from the Department of Justice.

  David said, “Just a minute.” He nodded to Janice who quickly lay on the floor so she was pointed at the door with pistol in hand behind the bed. Then David with gun in his left hand moved to the side of the door so if the door was kicked open he would not be behind it.

  He looked at Janice who nodded ready and then he said, “Okay, come on in. I’m dressed now.” He opened the door and all hell brok
e loose.

  David squatted down watched the first guy do a tumble in and a second guy the same. One faced him and the other faced Janice. David feinted left away from the door then moved towards the door while the first shooter fired into the wall. David took him out with a shot to the chest as the other shooter couldn’t find Janice. His mistake was looking towards the bathroom. When he turned back the last thing he saw was a white tooth smile and then his lights went out. The third guy hung back thinking he wasn’t needed.

  As he started to step into the room, from out of nowhere came Junior. He jumped on the shooters his back sinking his canine teeth into the guy’s neck. The shooter let off a scream and dropped his gun. Johnny right behind him saw David kick the gun away and then he told Junior to back off.

  Strangely it was very quiet and only heaving breathing could be heard. Janice stood up still with her gun in hand. David smiled looking at her in a giant Bears jersey used for sleeping. It hit her mid thigh. Damn, he thought, she looks sexy as hell with gun in hand, dark skin muscular legs and the smell of cordite in the room. She saw his look and glowered at him.

  Johnny was squatted down talking to his dog Junior. The bad guy lay on the floor rubbing his neck not saying anything. David walked over and squatted down on his haunches looking the guy in the eye. He said, “I’m only going to ask this once asshole. Who hired you and or who do you work for?”

  With one eye staring up at David he saw the look in his eyes. It was then he decided to come clean knowing full well his two fellow assassins were dead. He said, “A private dick from Huston hired us to waste you and the curly haired lady over there.”

  David thought about that a minute and then he said to Janice, “You’d best call AJ and have him send some guys to clean up this mess. Now, give me a name of the private dick in Huston.”

  “His name is Sam and his company name is Sam’s Investigation Service. He told us this was a pushover and a walk in the park job. Now I’ve been frank with you so would you have someone take me to the hospital?”

  “Let me tell you something. You three guys came here to kill us. And now you want me to take you to the hospital? You’re going for a ride alright. When I get ready all three of you guys are going for a ride in a helicopter for a sight seeing tour of the desert. However, it’s a one way ride fella.”

  Johnny had a big smile on his face. He said, “David why don’t you let me and Mosi take care of this mess?”

  “Fine with me Johnny. We still need a carpet cleaner and someone to fix the hole in the wall.”

  “We can take care of that little problem too. The staff here knows how to keep quiet. The other few guests will never know what happened. I’m guessing but they must have driven up here in a rental car. We’ll have someone take it back. Meanwhile, let me take this guy off your hands and soon we’ll have the other two guys out of here too.”

  “You make it sound easy Johnny. I’ll leave it all in your good hands. And a special thanks for Junior. A nice big fat bone should be his reward.”

  Janice had gone to the bathroom talking to AJ on her cell. David followed by taking a few towels from the bathroom to cover up the blood. After that he went through their pockets to see what he could find. He found their wallets with each having a driver’s license and other information including a business card from Sam’s Investigation Service.

  It was then he wondered what happened, if anything, to the real guy from the Justice Department. A slight fear gripped him thinking that the ID looked real enough and the guy Johnny took with him probably still had it. David quickly called him and asked him to check the bad guys pocket for that ID.

  Johnny told him he had the ID and the guy said they bush wacked him and left him unconscious at the airport. They didn’t kill him. I’ll have Mosi send the police to the airport. We’ll make sure no mention to the connection up here in Kayenta.”

  “Pine Queen,” he called out after hanging up, “are you finished with AJ?”

  “Yes Kemosabe. There’s nothing like shooting someone before breakfast,” she answered back sarcastically. David thought, each of us deals differently with taking a human life. He was grateful that Janice had a strong constitution and dealt with death intelligently. As far as he was concerned, these guys came to kill him and better to kill than be killed.

  “I think we need to check out sooner rather than later. It’s time to go camping. Besides the smell of dead people nauseates me. Let’s grab a quick shower and go have breakfast.”

  *~~~~*

  AJ was in the kitchen with Alex. Alex was in the process of mixing up a fresh cinnamon base for French toast. The air was filled with good smelling cinnamon. AJ said, “Alex, three assassins tried to fake their way into David’s’ and Janice’s hotel room a little while ago. Two of the bad guys are dead and the third one is suffering from a dog bite to the back of his neck. Apparently they attacked the Justice guy at the airport, rendered him unconscious and tucked him in a storage room. No harm to our people. When Jake comes over we need to send a team to a private detective agency in Huston. I think, if we’re lucky, we have just sunk Allied Power’s battle ship.”

  “Now that is good news that they are safe and sound. You know AJ,” while he dipped French bread in the batter, “this could be their first major mistake. If I’m not mistaken, someone in Allied took it upon themselves to do away with our investigators. That someone thought it was desperate and probably suspects we have Hyster by the gonads. We need to hide that Hyster guy for later use. Meanwhile, his wife and family are at risk I would think.”

  “Jake can handle that end of things. Now, how long must I wait for the French toast to be ready for my fork?

  *~~~~*

  “Pine Queen, are you alright? We’ve been through a lot of crap and since Dr. Zee we’ve been shot at; Bloom with a destroyed leg; BT dead and gone; and now we wasted two killers with the third being taught a lesson. I wonder how you’re holding up.”

  Janice was not very hungry, but was eating her toast. She was thinking about what had happened that morning. Emotionally she was fine, but wondered if they had handled the situation properly or if something different could have been done. It was not that she was second guessing David’s handling of the situation, but it seemed to her that it was very easy for those three guys to penetrate the hotel and stand outside the door. What if they had just kicked the door open or used one those steel sledge hammers to crash the door? She shuddered thinking that both she and David would have been exposed to two guys with guns and them still in bed. No way would they been having breakfast like now.

  Janice answered, “For the most part I’m fine Kemosabe. I’ve no problem with the justified shooting this morning. What I’m wondering is those guys were just outside our door and I feel we got lucky or we were fortunate to have survived the assassination attempt.”

  “Yes, that’s bothering me too. We need better security. I think we’ve been a little carefree. Let’s get this camping trap set up and hope for the best.”

  “I think our holograph friends are jet lagged. Let’s go set up camp first and then come back around noon to wake them up,” said Janice.

  “You know, in all of this commotion I’ve completely forgot about Vince. And speaking of Vince, here he comes.”

  Vince came over to the table and sat down. After the greetings he said, “I think I got everything we need for camping David. I kind of went a little crazy buying stuff, but I didn’t get anything that wasn’t useful.”

  “Never mind that Vince. After breakfast let’s get the show on the road to Monument Valley. Like in the old days, we’ll circle the wagons.” Janice cracked up and the morning tension was broken. David quickly filled Vince in on the morning’s activities and he sat there with his mouth open not believing what he was hearing. He thought, how can they sit here calmly after killing two assassins? He swallowed hard, took a deep breath and tried to relax. His breakfast arrived and all he could do was stare at it.

  Janice noticed and said, �
�Vince, take a few deep breaths and relax your body. It’s all over with and we have lots of things to do. Stay focused we have other’s out there who want to waste us. We need our team to be aware of all things that surround us.”

  “I’m sorry guys. I’ll be fine now. Thanks for waking me up to real life.”

  David said, “We’re all human Vince. Emotions are what make us special and to be able to communicate our feelings is really special. Choices are made and we live by our decisions to proceed in the direction we choose. Those two dead guys chose to work for hire in a violent manner. They took a risk and lost. Good guys one, bad guys zero.”

  *~~~~*

  Johnny, Mosi, Junior and the wounded assassin drove out into the desert with the two dead guys in the back of David’s SUV. In addition another tribal policeman followed them. It had been decided that they would leave the bad guy and the tribal policeman out there in the desert to wait for further word. Johnny and Mosi both thought that maybe somebody might want to ask this guy more questions. If so, then a little reflecting time would be granted to the perp.

  An hour later Mosi told Johnny to pull off onto a barely recognizable road. Slowly they drove until they came to an overhanging cliff that was big enough for the SUV to park under out of the sun. To make sure the bad guy didn’t go anywhere, Mosi handcuffed him to his ankle. It wasn’t real comfortable, but efficient.

  The next thing they did was take a shovel and dig a grave for three people. It really didn’t need to be too deep because even if the coyotes did dig it up, so what. The chances of another human being in the area were slim to none. By now the third guy was getting very nervous thinking he was not going to be alive much longer.