“Thank heavens you arrived when you did,” Skinner said, grasping the device to his chest. “I just can’t believe one of my own would turn on me.”
I remembered the guard saying he had no choice.
“Okay, pal. What’s your story?”
In the next few minutes, Ralph Greenberg told us how he’d been kidnapped and taken to a clandestine meeting where he was given the choice of stealing the device or being killed.
“So what was supposed to happen after you got the device?”
“The two goons who kidnapped me are waiting outside. After I give them the device, they’ll give me the money. That’s all, I swear.”
Kevin and I exchanged glances. “Looks like you’re lucky we came along too.”
“I don’t understand,” Greenberg replied, obviously confused.
“You wouldn’t have made it out of the parking lot,” Kevin said. “There was no money. That’s not how these people operate. They don’t leave loose ends.”
Greenberg gulped and turned white. “I --- I hadn’t thought about that.”
“You can still make this right,” I said.
“How? I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything.”
“You’re going to deliver the device just like you were supposed to.”
“Absolutely not!” Skinner gasped, shocked. “I’ll never let this out of my sight.”
“Relax, Doc,” Kevin said. “He’ll make a delivery, but it won’t be your precious device.” He looked around the room and picked a book off the shelf. “This will do. They’ll never notice the difference. Walt and I will slip out the back door. While you have their attention, we’ll get the drop on them. Whadda you say?”
“Sure, like I said, I want to make this right.”
Kevin and I slipped out the back door and made our way to the front. A moment later, Greenburg emerged carrying the package. He looked up and down the street. I saw him shrug and throw up his hands. No one was there to receive the package.
“They must have seen us go in and got spooked,” Kevin said.
The evening wasn’t a total loss. We still had Greenburg. He had seen his kidnappers and knew the way to their hideout. We would keep him under wraps until Mark could get here and take charge of the investigation.
Also, Dr. Skinner, again grateful for our intervention, agreed to take Nellie Archer as a patient.
Not a bad night’s work for two old gumshoes.
CHAPTER 14
Lloyd Hatfield couldn’t believe Luther and Gomez were standing before him empty handed.
“Please don’t tell me you failed again!”
Luther hung his head. “Sorry, boss. There was nothing we could do.”
“What happened this time?” Hatfield asked, trying to suppress his rage. “Our client is getting very restless. He wants the package.”
“We did just like you said,” Luther replied. “We parked across the street from the treatment center. Right at five o’clock, Greenburg came out, gave us a thumb’s up, and locked the door. We figured he’d be coming out with the device in just a few minutes.”
“That’s when everything went to hell in a handbasket,” Gomez continued. “The old P.I. and some other old dude showed up. They tried the door and when they found it locked, they went around the building. They must have seen Greenberg with Skinner. They came back around, picked the front door lock and went inside with their guns drawn. We figured Greenburg was toast, so we beat it out of there before someone saw us.”
“Damn!” Hatfield muttered, “That’s twice Williams has botched our operation. I think it’s time we removed the old P.I. from the equation. But first, we have some work to do. No doubt Greenburg is singing like a canary. We’ve got to move our operation before the feds come knocking. Let’s get busy.”
As soon as I got back home, I gave Mark a call and told him what just went down.
“So, you’re telling me you’ve got this Greenburg character and he’s willing to cooperate?”
“Yes, Kevin’s keeping an eye on him at his place,” I replied. “Honestly, he’s as much of a victim as Skinner. Whoever kidnapped him threatened to kill him if he didn’t play along.”
“Don’t let him out of your sight. I’ll catch the next flight to Kansas City. I’ll have an assault team ready. If Greenburg can lead us to where he was held captive, maybe we can wrap this thing up.”
As promised, Greenburg met with Mark and together with the assault team proceeded to an old storefront in the Crossroads District where Greenburg had been taken.
I waited anxiously to hear the results of their operation.
Three hours later, Mark called.
“Gone, lock, stock and barrel. I can’t say I was surprised. Knowing Greenburg had been captured, they had no choice but to pull up stakes.”
“So, you got absolutely nothing!”
“Not exactly. The place was wiped pretty clean, but we found enough prints to confirm that we are dealing with Lloyd Hatfield and two hired guns, Carl Luther and Evan Gomez.”
“Well, that’s something. What’s going to happen to Ralph Greenburg?”
“Dr. Skinner’s not pressing charges, so I had to let him go. If I was in his shoes, I’d get far away from Kansas City. If Hatfield finds him --- well, you know how that ends.”
“Are you heading back to Washington?”
“Not yet. Now that we know Hatfield is in Kansas City, I think I’ll stick around. He’s made two attempts to get his hands on the NESD. I have no doubt he’ll try again.”
That’s what worried me. Skinner had dodged a bullet twice. Could he be that lucky again?
Ivan Sokolov and Boris Balakin had just flown into Kansas City under assumed names and checked into the Marriott on the Country Club Plaza.
“Have you contacted our agent in Kansas City?” Boris asked.
“I have and he is awaiting our orders,” Ivan replied. “Our first order of business will be to eliminate Hatfield. Our contact has been shadowing Hatfield and his men. Twice he has failed to deliver the device. Our comrades in Moscow have decided to eliminate the middle man and secure the NESD ourselves.”
“When do we strike?”
“Quickly. As soon as Hatfield is out of the picture, we can carry out our plan to relieve Dr. Skinner of his device.”
“So how do we lure Williams out in the open so we can snatch him?” Luther asked.
“Williams owns that flea bag hotel on Linwood. You and Gomez go over there tonight and leave a little calling card.”
“A what?”
“Something that will draw him to the hotel?” Hatfield replied, exasperated. “I think a large swastika painted on the side of the building should do the trick. When he comes to check it out, grab him and bring him here.”
“What then?”
“We’ll ice the old fart and toss him in the river. He won’t interfere with us again.”
I was just drying off from my morning shower when the phone rang.
It was Mary Murphy.
“Mr. Walt! Some idiot spray painted the side of our building last night. They painted one of those swastika things on the east wall, the one facing the alley.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll grab Willie and we’ll be right over.”
Great! Just great! I thought. The last thing I needed was the neighbors thinking I was a white supremacist.
I went to the basement and knocked on Willie’s door. No answer.
As I was heading back up the stairs, I met Jerry.
“Have you seen Willie?”
“The last time I saw him was late yesterday afternoon and he was reeking of Old Spice. He said he was spending the night at Emma’s place. I guess he’s still there. I think he was planning to ---.”
“Yes, I have a good idea what he was planning.”
Jerry thought for a minute. “Do you think that Willie, at his age, uses Viagra?”
“I have no idea?” I replied hurrying to get away. I wasn’t quick enough.
“Did you hear about the guy who tried Viagra for the first time? It got stuck in his throat. The next morning, he woke up with a stiff neck.”
“Good bye, Jerry.”
When I arrived at the hotel, Mary was waiting for me on the front porch.
“Wish I woudda seen them!” she said, obviously pissed that the building had been violated under her watch. “I woudda knocked ‘em into the next block with my bat.”
“I’ll check it out,” I said, heading across the lawn.
Sure enough, a three-foot swastika painted in red had been sprayed on the side of the building.
I was just reaching for my cell phone to take a picture when someone slipped a bag over my head. I felt a sharp pain and everything went black.
“Did I see Mr. Walt drive up?” Mr. Feeney asked, joining Mary on the front porch.
“Yes, he’s in the alley checking out our new paint job.”
“Great!” he replied, starting across the lawn. “I’ve been wanting to talk to him about getting a new toilet seat for the #4 crapper. It’s cracked and it pinches my butt every time I sit down.”
Feeney rounded the corner of the building just in time to see two men dragging Walt’s body down the alley.
He ran back to the front porch. “Mary! Two hooligans just drug Mr. Walt down the alley! He’s gone! They took him!”
“Are you sure?”
“Just saw it with my own eyes. What should we do?”
“I’ll call Ox. He’ll know what to do.”
When I regained consciousness, my head hurt like hell. I was tied to a chair and sitting in what appeared to be an old meat locker. There were huge hooks used to hang sides of beef lining the walls.
I heard voices and a man stuck his head into the cooler. “Hey, boss. He’s awake.”
A tall man entered.
“Who are you and why am I here?” I asked.
“My name is Hatfield, and you’re here because you’ve been a thorn in my side. Twice you’ve foiled my attempts to relieve Dr. Skinner of his little toy. That ends today.”
“Any chance we could talk about this?” I asked, knowing full well what Hatfield had in mind.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he replied. “After we dispose of your body, we’ll pay Dr. Skinner another visit. This time we won’t fail.”
He motioned to the two men behind him. “Put two cement blocks in the bag, then Williams. Take him to the river and toss him in. And hurry. We’ve got work to do.”
As soon as Hatfield left the room, one of the men entered with a large canvass bag. After two cement blocks were placed in the bottom of the bag, they turned to me. “You can cooperate and get in the bag or I can whack you on the head again. Your choice.”
“I’ll cooperate,” I replied. As long as I was conscious, there was a small flicker of hope.
It wasn’t easy getting into the bag with my hands tied, but I made it, then everything went dark as they cinched the top shut.
“Let’s drag him to the car,” one of the men said. “I’ll take the head and you take the foot.”
“Why do I have to take the foot?” the second man complained. “Those blocks are heavy.”
They had just picked me up when I heard a CRASH in the other room followed by automatic gunfire.
“Jesus! What’s going on out there?” one of the men said. They dropped me and I heard them running out the door.
There was more gunfire, then silence.
I was hoping that whoever had come crashing in was here to rescue me. I started to cry out, then I heard talking. It wasn’t English. I laid perfectly still, not daring to breathe.
Then I heard another voice. “I think that’s all of them. I’ve only seen three, Hatfield, Luther and Gomez.”
“Take a look around and make sure.”
I heard the door open. “Nothing in here but trash.”
The door closed and I breathed a sigh of relief.
A moment later, I heard the voice again. “Let’s get out of here. Someone may have heard the gunfire.”
As their steps retreated, I took stock of my situation. My hands were bound and I was tied in a canvass bag in an old meat locker.
I had no idea where I was, and I was pretty sure no one else did either.
CHAPTER 15
I don’t know how long I laid there. It’s hard to judge time when it’s totally dark and absolutely quiet.
I thought about screaming, but not knowing where I was, no telling who might show up. An abandoned meat locker was probably not located in the best part of town.
To make matters worse, my nose started itching and I had to pee. I was able to quell the itchy nose by scraping it along the inside of the canvas bag. I had no good answer for the other problem. I tried not to think about it, but that’s not an easy task when you’re just laying there with nothing else to do.
Then, something happened that made me forget about my bladder. I heard the distinct sound of tiny feet scurrying across the cement floor.
Rats!
In my mind, I pictured Ben, the leader of a violent pack of killer rats.
I threw caution to the winds. I screamed and wriggled. I figured I’d be better off taking my chances with some wino than have my flesh torn apart by toothy vermin.
After one particularly bloodthirsty scream, I heard a familiar voice.
“Walt! Is that you? Where are you?”
It was Ox.
“In here! I’m in here!”
Moments later, I was out of the canvas bag surrounded by Ox, Kevin, Mark, and three other guys I didn’t know.
“How ---?” I started to say, but the words caught in my throat.
“Mary called and told me what happened at the hotel,” Ox replied. “I took a chance that you had your cell phone with you. I had it pinged by our guys in the tech department. As soon as I had an address, I called Kevin and Mark.”
“Where --- where am I?”
“In the West Bottoms. An old Armour Meat Packing warehouse.”
As soon as I was on my feet, my bladder reminded me that I had business to take care of.
“Be right back.”
I found the bathroom. It hadn’t been used in years. There wasn’t even any water in the bowl. I didn’t care. No one would ever know.
When I returned, Mark was surveying the carnage on the floor.
“Jesus! What a mess.” He pointed to the three men. “Hatfield, Luther and Gomez.”
Ben and his furry horde had already started nibbling on the exposed flesh.
“Any idea who iced them?” Mark asked.
“Not really,” I replied. “I was kinda tied up at the time.”
“See!” Mark said. “He’s okay. Back to being a smart ass.”
“Actually, I did hear them talking. Two of them spoke in a foreign language. I’m no linguist, but I think it might have been Russian. Then, the third guy spoke in English and they answered in English.”
“That fits,” Mark replied. “I’m guessing the Russians hired Hatfield to get the NESD. When he didn’t deliver, they decided to get him out of the way and go for the device themselves.”
“So, Hatfield’s out of the picture, but now Skinner has to worry about Russian agents. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.”
When I arrived at home, Maggie met me at the door. She hugged me, then held me at arm’s length.
“Are you all right? Mary told me what happened. I was so worried.”
“I’m fine. Just a bump on the head. A hot shower and a nap and I’ll be good as new.”
“Really? I have an appointment. I was going to cancel, but ---.”
“No, you go on. I’m just going to tumble into bed. There’s nothing for you to do here.”
“Are you sure? You’re more important than any stupid appointment.”
“No, you go.”
After she was gone, I stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade over my aching body until it ran cold. During that time, I thought about how close
I had come to meeting my Maker. If the Russians hadn’t shown up when they did, I’d be lying in the muddy bottom of the Missouri River. If Ox hadn’t thought about pinging my phone, eventually Ben and his brood would have eaten through that canvas bag.
It was a chilling thought.
Here I am, I thought. Seventy-five and still playing chicken with the Grim Reaper.
I slipped beneath the covers, hoping to drift off into la-la land. I had just closed my eyes when the phone rang.
Grudgingly, I reached for the receiver.
“Hullo.”
“This is Sarah. Are you suffering from chronic pain? If so ---.”
“Jesus!” I muttered, slamming the phone into its cradle.
I don’t know how long I had been asleep. It seemed like only a minute, when the phone rang again.
“This is your credit card company. We have been trying to reach you. This is your last opportunity to lower your interest rate.”
“Bite me!” I said, and hung up again.
I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but it was too late.
Reluctantly, I crawled out of bed and slipped on a robe. I thought maybe a glass of Arbor Mist might take the edge off. I poured a frosty glass and headed to the front porch. Swing and sip, I thought.
Bad idea. Jerry and the Professor, my two tenants on the first floor, were already there.
“Good Lord, Walt!” Jerry observed. “You look like crap!”
“Thanks for noticing.”
“We heard about your narrow escape,” the Professor said. “I hope you’re recuperating.”
“I tried, but the phone won’t stop ringing. It’s those damned telemarketers.”
“A problem indeed,” the Professor replied. “It is estimated that 35 billion such calls are made in the U.S. each year. The average person receives twelve each day. The FTC received over 4.5 million complaints last year, and yet they persist. There’s not much one can do, it seems.”
Lady Justice and Good vs Evil Page 8
