pair of thick horn rimmed glasses, gloves, some make up, and whatever else you will need to complete the job. Don’t run away with it Amigo!” But before Steve could respond he heard a man’s deep gruff voice say, as if whispering, “He isn’t running anywhere Ricardo”.
A surprised Steve spun around to see a tall and lanky man in his mid-twenties standing next to Ricardo, smoking an expensive looking cigar blowing out pungent smelling smoke rings. He was wearing a dark satin shirt and black trousers which immaculately fit him. He was wearing well-polished shoes made out of rich leather with soles that added couple of inches more to his 6 ft. 2 inch tall frame. His clothes were expensive and meticulously chosen. He had a deeply tanned face—of someone who spent a lot of time on the beach—and his features were sharp and his nose aquiline. He had a pencil lined moustache that belonged more to the 1950s, Steve thought, than the present day. He was handsome in a devilish way. And when he smiled, showing his small white even teeth, Steve was reminded of a vulture waiting for his prey to die so that it could feast on it.
Steve had spent many years serving as a gang member, ands wasn’t easily daunted. But this man fazed Steve. He was easily one of the most dangerous men he had seen or met in his life. There was something sinister about him, something which could unnerve the bravest, toughest man. He had materialized out of nowhere, silently and noiselessly—like a ghost. As Steve stood speechless, staring fixedly at the man, he heard Ricardo say, “Steve, meet my buddy Gustav Nilsson”. Gustav this is Steve Neal.”
Chapter X
Gustav Nilsson extended his lanky sweaty hand and as their hands clasped to shake, the sliminess of his moist hands gave him an eerie feeling he had gripped a snake, and he experienced a sudden urge to let go of Gustav Nilsson’s hand. But he controlled himself and managed to say “Hello Gustav”.
“Hi Steve, I am happy to see you are working for us—Nilsson said in his deep baritone voice, and with a mirthless smile, that never reached his eyes. “You will do what you agreed to, won’t you Mr. Neal?
Before Steve could reply he heard Ricardo saying “He will do the job he has come here for” Ricardo winked at Steve, who was quick to detect the veiled threat in Ricardo’s voice.
“Of course, he will do the job Ricardo” Gustav replied. “I have no doubt. No one comes to Gustav Nilsson and then goes back on his word or anywhere without finishing their job” Nilsson said with sudden viciousness. The oil and the charm had faded. A mean expression had come on Gustav Nilsson’s face, making him look hideous. His vile face shocked Steve, but he kept his face dead-pan so not to let on that he was fearful of this evil and spiteful dude. There was suddenly an uncomfortable silence. The room was filled with a tension so thick, that you could cut it with a knife.
Steve decided he had to do something to ease the tension that had suddenly consumed the room. So he forced himself to smile and say “Don’t worry Mr. Nilsson, I will do the job I have come for. You won’t regret hiring me”
Steve’s words had a magical effect on Gustav Nilsson who suddenly relaxed and smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. It was a smile that sent a chill up your spine. Steve decided that Nilsson was the most evil dude he had ever encountered. “Who is more dangerous among these two thugs?” Steve wondered, not knowing the answer. When he met Ricardo, earlier, he had decided that Ricardo was a cruel, dangerous, and a ruthless killer. But Nilsson seemed to be much more dangerous than his counterpart Ricardo as far as evilness was concerned. “Who the hell have I got myself involved with!” he thought angrily. He suddenly didn’t want anything to do with these two malicious people! But how could he get out of this—even before he could meditate on a solution, Nilsson, who was standing right next to Steve, suddenly pulled out a gun, and started to prance around the room like a crazy man, pointing his gun at Steve’s head, then at Ricardo’s and then even at his self!
Steve was stunned to see the sight of a gun wielding Gustav cavorting round the room. Then after what seemed like an eternity, he suddenly stopped near Steve and pressed his gun at the temple of Steve’s’ head—a crazed expression on his wicked face. Steve was eye to eye with Gustav, and for one horrible moment he thought Nilsson would pull the trigger. And even as he braced himself for the bullet, afraid for his life, he stood firm. But nothing happened. Gustav Nilsson—who was inches away from Steve—suddenly broke into a loud guffaw that was both, repulsive and sinister. “Got ya!” he roared and then continued to laugh devilishly. His friend Ricardo seemed equally amused and joined him in his merriment.
Steve knew at that moment that Nilsson was not just highly dangerous, he was also deeply demented! He swallowed hard and took a deep breath to recover from his shock. He was now furious with himself for letting himself get involved with these two crazy and dangerous men.
But he also knew it was too late to back out. He should have done that before hearing the plan. Now that he knew what Gustav and Ricardo were planning, there was no way for him to back out without having these two dangerous loons gunning for him. He was in and stuck with them. This thought hit Steve hard and he felt crushed. What have I gotten myself into? Is there some way I can get out of this hellish predicament? Should I beat the hell out of here? He rummaged feverishly. But the solution eluded him and he felt beaten. And when finally he managed to recover from the bout of quick and hectic thinking, he noticed both Ricardo and Nilsson were looking suspiciously at him. It was Gustav who spoke first “Thinking of running away with my money Neal?”
Steve detected a distinct threat in Nilsson’s voice, but managed to look straight into his eyes and snapped “I am not running anywhere Nilsson”. He had got his second wind and his fury became evident at these two mad men.
It was obvious that Gustav Nilsson did not like being called “Nilsson”, and he took two steps forward and stood perilously close to where Steve was standing, his face inches away from Steve’s face—their eyes locked.
Steve was in no mood to back off. He had had enough of these crazed killers and he didn’t care a damn what intimidation they tried anymore. It was Ricardo who sensed the situation was quickly getting out of hand and before it could deteriorate further, he jumped in between the two contending men and separated them saying “Come on guys, we are all friends here, let’s drink to our partnership and success!” And before either Steve or Nilsson could say anything, Ricardo was pouring generous amounts of whiskey in the glasses.
Ricardo’s intervention proved timely and fruitful. Soon the three men were drinking and the tension that had suddenly cropped up, dissipated considerably. Steve needed the whiskey and drank it in a single gulp, and poured himself another liberal shot. Ricardo and Nilsson drank theirs more slowly.
Gustav, standing next to Steve with his glass of whiskey, looked at Steve and said in a friendly tone of voice “Sorry Steve, I know you are in this with us and we are all partners. I am not comfortable with strangers and sometimes I lose my patience with them. But I know you are a man of your word and you will do precisely what you agreed.”
Steve noticed the change in Gustav’s tone. His oily charm had magically returned. But he was not fooled a bit by Nilsson’s charm and charisma. He knew this man was as dangerous as a Cobra. The only difference between a Cobra and this demented dude was that the Cobra could be entranced!
He also knew he had to bide his time and watch his step. He decided he wouldn’t give Nilsson another opportunity to go berserk, confirming his thought that “This loon wouldn’t hesitate to strangle his own mother, if she were foolish enough to provoke him,” Steve thought to himself, but he was smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself and not escalate the situation.
Instead he looked at Nilsson and gave a broad smile and said “No offence taken bro”. The whiskey was hitting Steve and he was feeling more relaxed, even reckless. I hate these bastards, but I need their stinking money. Let’s play this out smartly Steve and in no time they will become a distant worthless memory” he encouraged himself inwardly.
Steve’s words and smile had cleared up the tension in the room. Ricardo’s expression showed his relief. This told Steve that despite his toughness Ricardo wanted the money as badly as he did. And he was also convinced that Ricardo was getting way more than a hundred grand from Gustav Nilsson. But Steve didn’t care about that. He was satisfied with what he was offered. He now wanted to go back to his hotel room and sit down and do some serious thinking. He wanted to wrap his arms around the situation which was threatening to get out of hand. He wanted to contemplate on finding a way out of this predicament.
But at this moment he couldn’t do that, so decided he would relax and take it easy. “If these bastards think they can intimidate me with their crazy acts, they have another thing coming! They don’t know who they are messing with. I have spent ten years of my life with dangerous thugs on the treacherous streets of Los Angeles. I will teach them a lesson they will never forget in their demented lives! “He promised himself. But he knew this wasn’t the time. He would wait patiently for an appropriate time to get even with them.
So he let himself unwind and drank a few more drinks with Nilsson and Lopez who became friendlier after throwing back a few more drinks.
They had both realized Steve was not easy to subdue. If they wanted him to carry out their plan, they would have to be cautious and civil to him in the future. This Steve understood when he saw Ricardo and Nilsson exchange glances between their drinks. An hour or so later, after Steve had knocked back couple of more drinks, he cautiously informed Nilsson and Ricardo that he would like to leave. He then proceeded to pick up the thirty thousand dollars lying on the table, stood up, and began to walk out of Ricardo’s office, when he heard Ricardo’s strident voice call out “Wait! What did you plan to shoot the girl with Steve? Hope not with that little toy concealed in your pants!” Ricardo roared with laughter as Gustav Nilsson joined him with his shrill laugh and their evil merriment filled the room, even as it jarred Steve’s ears.
Their crazy laughing continued for a bit but it didn’t amuse Steve who glared at the duo. The members of his gang—although dangerous—looked like a bunch of school boys, compared to these two. And he began hating them, from that moment onward. When they had had their fill of crazy laughter, Ricardo suddenly hurled his gun at Steve yelling “Catch!” That will take care of business and it’s untraceable!
Although surprised by the suddenness of the act, Steve caught the gun effortless.
“It’s fully loaded Steve. You won’t need more bullets. Understand?” Ricardo said with a sly look.
“Understood” Steve replied stoically.
With the loaded gun in his hands, for a brief moment he was tempted to shoot these two wild thugs. But he resisted the urge, controlled his rage, managed a drawn smile, and then turned around and walked out of the room into the hot humid night, leaving Nilsson and Ricardo staring after him.
Chapter Xl
The next few hours turned out to be the most nerve wracking moments of Steve’s life, as he paced up and down in his sordid hotel room. “What a fool I was to have anything to do with these two crazy killers! Why the hell did I become so greedy for their damn money!” Steve was furious and could have kicked himself. He was bitterly regretting having come to New York to do this job. He had no idea Ricardo would turn out to be such a vicious cold-hearted killer. But If Ricardo’s ruthlessness surprised Steve it was his partner, that loon Gustav Nilsson who had really stunned him. “That bastard is totally demented! He belongs in a freaking nuthouse and not in society!”
Even though the past years that he had spent with members of his gang had toughened him considerably, the thought of murdering an innocent twenty-five year old unarmed woman troubled him enormously. But was it his conscience that was troubling him or was he developing cold feet about doing the job? He wondered uneasily. He wanted to know the answer.
Sitting alone in his hotel room Steve did some intense thinking and soul-searching “Am I scared? Am I a coward, a spineless man?” he asked himself, even as he deeply probed his heart. But he soon discovered it was not fear that was bothering him. So what’s biting me? He wondered.
It didn’t take Steve long to discover that it was not fear that was troubling him; rather it was guilt which was gnawing at his conscience. In a moment of illumination, his mind wrestled with him, “What has this girl done to me that I should take her life, a girl who’s suffering in bereavement and grief?” What could be more shameful than that?
What the hell was I thinking when I decided to come to New York and get mixed up with an unknown dangerous man? ” he chided himself. A plethora of thoughts went through his tormented mind.
“Should I back the hell out of this? No! I can’t back out now. That’s not an option I have anymore. This was an extremely toxic situation.”
But Steve knew it was too late to back out of it. If he were to pull out now, Ricardo would surely come after him with all he had. And he most certainly had the means, considering he was so close to that demented millionaire Gustav Nilsson. He would leave no stone unturned until he gets me, Steve thought bitterly. And even if I were to pull this off, I would be a fugitive for the rest of my life, running away from cops, hiding whenever I hear a siren. My heart will stop at the sight of a police officer, and my conscious would sting me every damn day! What the hell have I got myself into? If I succeed in killing this, this innocent girl, I will have the cops on my case for the rest of my life. And if they catch me I am cooked and will have to spend the rest of my life in prison, or worse be on death row! And If I back out now and run away, I will surely have Nilsson and Ricardo gunning for me for the rest of my days and they won’t rest till they nail me. Steve realized that either way this turned out, he would be a loser! This realization hit Steve as hard as a champion boxer’s knockout punch. Suddenly he didn’t want to do this anymore. He didn’t want to kill an innocent individual even if it meant giving up on his dream of a new life. “Oh what a fool I was to have ever accepted this job!” Steve cried out, livid at himself.
Was there some way I could wiggle out of this, he thought, even as he feverishly searched for a way out of this mess. But no solution came to him. And after hours and hours of desperate cogitating he threw his arms up and gave up. With a shock, it dawned on Steve that there was no solution! He felt like a trapped animal. Never before in his life had he felt as stranded and vulnerable as he did now. There was no one he could talk to, not even to his buddy Carlo. Steve knew that whoever he would talk to would surely be dragged into deep peril and he didn’t want to do that.
Why did I give-in to this mad greed? What was I thinking? Damn it! Steve thought, furious with himself.
He felt trapped, defeated, and desolate. He felt his world crashing in front of his eyes, and there was precious little he could do to stop that from happening.
He looked around his room and found a bottle of scotch he had purchased with Ricardo’s money, on the way back to the Hotel. He was now glad he did. Although he had four large drinks at Ricardo’s grimy office, he needed more, longing for an escape from the tormenting thoughts that consumed his mind. He opened the cap and poured himself a stiff drink, and drank it straight up. The scotch bit into the back of his throat and made him cough.
But the whiskey had a calming effect on him, and he poured himself another stiff one. The buzzing effect of the scotch brought Steve back into his senses and he could think straight. The remorse and panic had gone and Steve started thinking more coherently and calmly now—his nerves fortified by scotch. “Ok so I have led myself into a situation where I either commit murder and have the cops chase me for the rest of my life, or I just run away from here, and not commit the murder, and have two vicious goons chasing me for the rest of my life.
“This damn situation has no damn solution!” he cried out in a strident voice. “I have no option but to kill this girl, or these goons kill me! But would I be able to live with my conscience for the rest of my days?” he wondered uneasily. Although he did not want to
kill the Kingsbury girl, he found that there was precious little he could now do to prevent that from happening. If he spared Grace Kingsbury’s life, he would be placing his own life in jeopardy.
The thought of killing this innocent girl now crushed him, his chest heavy, his breath laden; he sat down at the edge of his bed and buried his head into his hands. I have to kill her even if I don’t want to—he kept repeating crestfallenly. Then he suddenly looked up, clasped his hands and cried out in a loud voice “Mom, dad help me please! Look what I have landed myself into! Help me… help me please!” And before Steve could check himself he found himself doing something he hadn’t done before --- he started sobbing uncontrollably. “I don’t want to do this Mom, I don’t want to do this” he kept repeating, as he sobbed like a child in great agony.
Ironically the surge of emotions helped Steve. His stress was released through the outburst, and a sudden calm came over him and helped him regain his composure. Somehow he felt his parents had interceded and gave him peace. And he felt a rush of love for his parents fill his heart. “Thanks dad and mom, you have given me much needed peace”, he looked up and whispered.
Steve’s thoughts now went back to his parents. To the faint memories, he still had of the special moments they spent together, their laughter, and loving, comforting arms. Although he was barely seven years old when they had passed away, he had some very vivid memories of them. He remembered they were always kind and patient with him. Even as a child, Steve knew they loved him deeply. He remembered his parents were very devoted to Christ and the church. They would take him to the church each Sunday…they were such happy times. Not a day would pass when they would not read their bibles. He remembered his father teaching him “Steve I am but your earthly father; your true father is the one who lives in heaven and who loves you more than I could ever love you my son”. Remember to call on him whenever you need him. He will help you whenever you cry out to him. For he will always be with you, he loves you, my son.
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE : DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY Page 6
