“You still don’t trust Ron, do you, Son?”
“What if Ron and Gina are working together?” JP asked. “Someone has been protecting Ron for a long time, so why would he shoot at him now? If Gina’s story is true about that mob boss wanting to kill Ron himself, then whoever is after him must need Ron alive.”
“So you think Gina shot at him to make us think he’s innocent?”
“Not just us; the cops would have to reconsider as well.”
“Still don’t think Ron could kill anyone.”
“I hope you’re right.” JP said and took a drink of his coffee. They sat without talking for a bit. “You going to be okay getting around with that foot?”
“Oh yeah. Got me a few ladies who’ll be more’n glad to have me stabled for a while.”
“Do you want us to drive you somewhere?”
“No. Only have to go a mile or so this morning. Don’t have a clutch, so I’m good.”
“We could use a smart guy like you who knows how to handle a gun, but I understand. It’s difficult when you can’t move as quickly as you’d like.”
Tuper nodded his head just once. “You gotta know when to fold ‘em.”
“You went way out of your way to help us. I’m not sure why, but we’re thankful.”
“It’s what you do for good people.”
They both stood up and walked back to Tuper’s room. Before they went in, Tuper said, “Not much for goodbyes, so you tell them.”
“Will do.” JP entered the room, picked up Tuper’s rifle and his paper bag with his belongings, and carried them to Tuper’s car. Ringo accompanied Tuper and JP and jumped into the back seat as soon as the door opened. Tuper got into the driver’s seat, closed the door, and drove away without another word.
Chapter 50
JP went back inside, woke up Sabre and then Gina, and suggested they get on the road. Gina didn’t object to the company, nor did she waste any time getting ready to leave.
JP went next door to get his and Sabre’s bags, which left Sabre to pack Ron’s things.
“We’ll grab a bite down the road,” Gina said. She rummaged through her jacket pocket and then said, “Where are my keys?”
Sabre tossed them to her. “They fell out of your pocket last night.”
“Right,” Gina said.
As Sabre was packing Ron’s backpack, Gina stopped her. “Let me see that.”
“Why?” Sabre asked.
“Humor me.”
Sabre carried it over to her and set it on the end of the bed. Gina picked it up and poured the contents onto the bed. Then she felt inside the bag, pressing the lining against the leather.
“What are you looking for?” Sabre asked.
“A tracker. They’ve been following Ron too easily. Either one of you has been tipping someone off or they bugged something of his.” Gina moved her hand along slowly until she reached the bottom corner of the backpack. She could feel the metal case that held the retractable handle. She ran her hand all the way up the handle and back down the other side, but she found nothing. “I was so sure.”
Sabre put the things back into the backpack and then remembered Ron’s Dopp kit. She handed it to Gina, “Could it be in here?”
Gina dumped it out and ran her fingers in and around it. Along the side at the bottom under the lining was a lump about three inches long, about an inch wide, and a half inch thick. It was attached in the corner where it wouldn’t likely be detected. Gina tore the lining and pulled it out. “Bingo!”
JP opened the door. “What’s that?” he asked.
“A tracking device sewn into Ron’s bag,” Gina said, as she removed the batteries and stuffed them in her pocket along with the device.
“Are you keeping it?” JP asked.
“These things cost about $1500. Besides, who knows? It might come in handy.”
They packed their bags in the back of Gina’s Lexus SUV, except for the pillow Ron had brought from home, which JP held onto. “Sabre, why don’t you ride up front and keep Gina company. I’m going to get a little sleep.” Sabre agreed but thought this may be a long ride.
“Do you know how far it is to Mesquite?” Sabre asked, making conversation as they drove away from the motel and onto the highway.
“About twelve or thirteen hours, I think.” Gina reached into the pocket on the driver’s door, pulled out an iPad, and handed it to Sabre. “Here, check it. It’s an easy route. We take I-90 to I-15 and head south for four or five hundred miles.”
Sabre typed in the cities. It felt good to be connected to the outside world again. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed it. “MapQuest says it’s twelve hours and fifty-one minutes.”
“We can do a little better than that,” Gina said and increased her speed. Sabre noticed she was already moving at nearly eighty miles per hour along this newly plowed highway. That was fine with Sabre. She was anxious to get there as well.
“Do you have a plan for when we arrive?”
“Sort of. I was hoping I could go inside the hospice facility, but I think we’d all be better served if I helped cover. So I’m thinking if you go inside, maybe you could get closer to Marco. There’s an old woman with Alzheimer’s in the apartment across the hall from him. You could pose as her granddaughter. Once you’re inside you can see what’s going on and let us know. JP and I can cover you.”
“You seem to know a lot about it. Have you been there before?”
“I went in once undercover so I know the layout, but I didn’t get to stay very long. The facility is extremely expensive and they don’t take insurance. Only people with a lot of money can afford to live there. A lot of the tenants don’t have anyone who comes to see them so the staff caters to them. What you need to do is see who’s on duty and if there are any visitors.”
Sabre knew JP wouldn’t like that idea. She decided to change the subject. “Why are you doing this?” Sabre was not accusing Gina of anything; she was genuinely interested.
“The same reason you are. I care about your brother. I messed up big time at work and doing this is going to make it worse, but my colleagues really think Ron is the killer. I can’t let them get to him first.”
“Do they know you’re looking for Ron?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do they know about Marco?”
“They know who he is. He was even a suspect at one time. But I don’t think they know that Marco wants Ron brought to him. I learned that recently through another source. I was going to the Hutterite colony to warn Ron.”
“How did you know he was there?”
“I saw the Papa Nacca’s Jerky package that Benjamin had at the Good Night Motel. I knew it wasn’t sold locally and Ron’s favorite flavor was Fresh Green Chile. I did a little legwork and found out where Benjamin lived. It was really just a hunch. I didn’t know for sure that the package was connected to Ron until I got there and encountered JP.”
“Why didn’t you just follow Benjamin from work?”
“Because I wasn’t alone. My partner was with me.”
Sabre was still skeptical, but what Gina said was plausible and she seemed to genuinely care about Ron.
“What was Ron like as a little boy?” Gina asked after they drove for a few miles in silence.
“He was a pain,” Sabre said. “He was constantly teasing me and playing tricks on me. One time he told me that if I heated my crayons and then used them, I would see colors I’ve never seen before. So, I stuck them in the microwave. You can imagine the mess.” They both laughed. “I was about ten, maybe a little younger, when I finally started to get a little payback. I never could quite keep up, though. I think he lay awake at night thinking of ways to get me.”
“He still likes to play pranks,” Gina said.
“That’s good to know.” Sabre sighed. “He was always there for me, though. He would come to my classroom every day after school and walk me home. He kept me out of trouble in high school and got in more than one squabble with gu
ys who were less than respectful to me.” Sabre gulped. “And I don’t know if I would have made it without him when our dad died. He was hurting as much as I was, yet he was so strong for my mom and me.”
“You must have really missed him when he went into the Witness Protection Program.”
“More than you know.” Then she looked at the tough woman sitting next to her and thought she saw moisture form in her eyes. “Or maybe you do know.”
They continued down the highway at record speeds. Sabre could hear JP’s soft rhythmic breathing telling her he was asleep.
“What made you join the FBI?” Sabre asked as they turned off I-90 and onto I-15.
“I grew up a military brat. My dad was in the Marine Corps. We lived in a lot of different places, even spent a year in Oceanside. We were in Japan for three years, but I spent most of my middle school and all of my high school years in Ridgecrest, California, a small town out in the desert. My dad was stationed at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake.”
“I’ve been there. In fact, we have some cousins who live in Ridgecrest. Nice, quiet little town. So I guess you grew up around guns?”
“I did. My dad taught me to shoot when I was very young. I was the son he never had.”
Sabre detected tenderness in Gina’s voice when she spoke about her dad. She was sure she hadn’t heard it when she spoke of his military career. “Where is your father now?”
“In Tennessee,” Gina answered. “He’s very ill.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What’s wrong with him?”
Gina shook her head from side to side. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Fair enough,” Sabre said. “Are you good at it? Shooting, that is. Are you a good shot?”
“Are you asking if I’m good enough to have made the shots that killed those men?” She glanced at Sabre. “I attended college at the University of Tennessee at Martin on a rifle scholarship. I was number one on the women’s team and number two on the coed. So yes, I’m good enough to have made those shots.” She caught Sabre’s eye and shook her head. “But I didn’t.”
Chapter 51
Miles and miles of snow-covered mountains flew past them as they drove south on the interstate until they reached the state line on Monida Pass and crossed into Idaho. Once down the pass they traveled through some rocky areas until they reached white, flat land. JP had been awake since their first stop in a little town somewhere in Montana. Gina stopped for gas in Idaho Falls.
“I’d be glad to drive, if you’d like,” JP offered after he pumped the fuel.
“Thanks, but I’d just as soon,” Gina said.
She continued to drive about three quarters of the way through Utah when she finally let JP take over. Gina stepped into the backseat and worked on her iPad for the next hour or so. Then she lay her head back and said, “Wake me when we get to St. George if I fall asleep.”
Patches of dirt and weeds along the sides of the highway created a scene unlike the white, pristine view they’d had for so many miles. Sabre and JP didn’t talk much as they moved along the highway. Sabre wanted to discuss Gina with him, but she wasn’t entirely sure the woman was sleeping.
“Sabre, if what Gina says is true, we’ll be dealing with some pretty ruthless guys. I need you to please do what I ask.”
“I think Gina has other ideas in mind. She mentioned my posing as the granddaughter of one of the other patients so I could get close enough to see how many staff and visitors are in the facility.”
“I’ll discuss that with Gina.” JP’s face turned red. “For now, just humor me. Tell me you’ll listen.”
Sabre sighed. “I’ll try.” She would try, but she knew if she thought she could help either her brother or JP, it would be difficult to not get involved.
JP shook his head. Sabre expected to be admonished with one of his JPisms, but none came.
***
There was no snow on the ground and the temperature was considerably warmer. Gina had been awake for about forty-five minutes when they reached Mesquite, Nevada, at around 7:00 p.m. They stopped at a gas station and filled the tank in case they needed to make a quick getaway.
Before they left the station, they decided to work out a plan. Gina handed a photo of Jimmy Marco to Sabre as well as a diagram of the facility. “It only houses six patients at a time,” Gina explained. “It’s like a private hospice. Everyone is dying and everyone is rich. For one reason or another they’ve chosen not to die at home. The day shift has a minimum of three nurses, but the night shift has only one. There is also a security guard around the clock and Marco has some of his own men there as well. Marco is in Apartment #6. Gloria Becker, the old woman with Alzheimer’s, is right across the hall in Apartment #5. Gloria doesn’t recognize anyone who comes to see her. Most of her relatives have stopped coming. Sabre can pose as her granddaughter from San Diego.”
“What if they ask for ID?” Sabre asked.
“Then you show them yours. Your name is Sabre Brown, just like it says in their computer. Oh, and you visited her once before about two months ago. She was in the same room.”
“How and when did you do that?” JP asked.
“I have a friend who is very good at that sort of thing. I contacted him about an hour ago. He just sent me a note saying it was taken care of.”
“I don’t like it,” JP said.
“You have a better plan?” Gina asked. JP didn’t respond. “All Sabre has to do is visit her ‘grandmother.’ While there, she‘ll have a direct line of site into Marco’s apartment. Maybe she’ll see Ron or at least she can see where Marco’s goons are. Any information she can get to us will be helpful.”
JP thought for a second. Uncomfortable silence filled the air. He looked straight at Sabre. “And then you get out of there and get as far away from there as possible.” JP turned around in his seat. “Is there a restaurant or anything nearby that Sabre can go to?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Gina said. “But I’ll look.” She looked for the directions on her iPad and zoomed in on the satellite view. “The home is bounded by a single row of trees on one side and a golf course on the other. There are no businesses for several blocks. It’s mostly homes around there.”
“Let’s go do it,” Sabre said.
Gina instructed JP on what exit to take and exactly how to drive to the facility where Marco was supposedly housed.
***
Seven cars were in the parking lot, three in the row nearest the building, one in the second row, and three more scattered around the lot. JP parked at the end of the building next to a silver Mercedes. He backed in so the car was facing out toward the street.
“There’s at least seven drivers inside,” JP said. “And the Dodge Challenger that was following us to the motel in Missoula is not here.”
“Could we have beaten them here?” Sabre asked.
“It’s possible,” Gina said. “But if we did, I’m sure they won’t be far behind us. They’ll be anxious to get rid of Ron, especially if Marco is close to death’s door.”
“It may be better that way. Maybe we can nab them before they go inside,” JP said. “But if they’ve already brought Ron here and left, then the number of people in the facility probably includes two or three nurses from the day shift, a receptionist, a security guard, one or more of Marco’s goons, and whatever visitors there may be. See if you can determine the number of visitors.”
“Will do. Anything else?”
“If you get a chance to see what condition Marco is in, that would be helpful,” Gina said.
Sabre ran her brush through her hair and exited the car, leaving her heavy coat behind.
JP handed Gina her gun. I hope she’s one of us.
“Thanks,” Gina said. “As soon as we hear from Sabre, I’ll go in. You can cover my back.”
They sat in the car, both looking around, watching and waiting. Sabre hadn’t been gone five minutes when a blue Dodge Challenger pulled into the parking lot.
Chapter 52
Two large banana trees greeted Sabre when she entered the lobby, which was decorated in modern tropical décor. A short, thin, security guard in a green uniform was dwarfed by the banana trees and almost went unnoticed until he nodded at Sabre. Tommy Bahama furniture formed a u-shape in the large sitting area that faced the largest non-commercial aquarium Sabre had ever seen. It was filled with bright colorful fish, sea plants, and coral. Sabre wished she had time to stop and admire the fish. A funky, odd-shaped, metal container in the corner held four towering bamboo poles that nearly reached the vaulted ceiling.
Sabre approached the receptionist desk where a tall, slender, African-American woman who appeared to be about fifty years old sat in front of a computer. “May I help you?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m here to see my grandmother, Gloria Becker. Is she still in Apartment #5?”
“You don’t look familiar. Have you been here before?”
“Only once, a couple of months ago. I live in San Diego so I don’t get here often.”
The receptionist typed something on her computer keyboard. “May I see some ID, please?”
“Of course.” Sabre laid her driver’s license on the counter. The receptionist picked it up, looked it over, and then handed it back to Sabre.
Facing her computer screen, she said, “Yes, I see you were here just before Christmas. You can go on down the hall to Apartment #5.”
“Thank you,” Sabre said and walked away. She sighed when she turned the corner and realized she was more nervous than she had expected to be. The walls in the empty hallway were a soft Southwest pink with Arizona’s scenic landscapes hanging every few feet. There were three doors on either side of the hallway, and next to each door was a living room window that looked into the corridor. Odd-numbered apartments were on the right; the even were on the left.
The window curtains were open in all of the first four apartments so Sabre could see inside the individual living rooms. Apartment #1 gave Sabre a view of a woman who appeared to be about forty years old in a wheelchair watching television by herself. The apartment across from her had the same exact floor plan and similar décor. She could see the dining area with a small but full kitchen, which was an extension of the living room. The living room and dining area were larger than those in Sabre’s condo and both tastefully decorated. Apartment #2 appeared to be empty. Sabre wondered if the tenant was in the bedroom.
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