Dead Peasants (Zoo Crew series Book 2)

by Dustin Stevens

  Montgomery almost smiled.

  First, PR. Second, profits. It was always the same with Shaw. It's why he had ascended to where he was with record speed.

  "True," Montgomery said, "but from a branding standpoint, it's our only outpost in a three hundred square mile area. Closing the doors there, especially in a poorer demographic region, would be a hit for the Bargain Mart name."

  "Also," McMillan said, "I don't think the store profits themselves are what we should be focused on here. We have over twenty million dollars invested in these life insurance policies.

  "It's just now that most of these people are reaching an age where we can start recouping the benefits. If we let Missoula close down in conjunction with a possible insurance fraud case, that's going to look very bad in the newspapers.

  “More people would start snooping."

  Montgomery nodded. Like Shaw, he could have cared less about letting Missoula fall by the wayside.

  If they did though, it would be a catastrophic blow to the potential windfall they all foresaw in the form of life insurance payments.

  As much as he hated to admit it, they were stuck.

  Finally, he sighed. "So that means we deal with this thing head on."

  "How do we do that?" Shaw asked.

  Montgomery checked his watch again. He wanted to get on the phone immediately and start doling out marching orders.

  Unfortunately, there was little more they could do tonight.

  "I'll email our friends on the ground in Missoula. Tell them plans have changed. To keep an eye on Alice Galt. See if she really is meeting with legal counsel and if they plan to move on anything."

  "Do we add her to the list?" McMillan asked.

  Montgomery noticed there wasn't the slightest shred of humanity in the question. She was an economist. Needed to know how much more it would cost them.

  "Not yet," Montgomery said. "If people are already thinking there's a connection between her husband's passing and the deposit, they'll really notice when she turns up dead after a few questions were asked."

  "So we have them sit on things for the time being?" Shaw asked.

  "Yes," Montgomery said. "If nothing moves forward, we let it die. Be more careful in the future. If not, we try to settle with her."

  "And if not, then we kill her," McMillan said.

  "Yes," Montgomery said.

  Sometimes the woman was so adept at her job, it frightened him.

  "In the meantime, make a deposit for the new amount into their account," Montgomery said. "We'll meet with them again in the morning."

  McMillan nodded. Rose and left without sound.

  Shaw paused a moment to make sure business was concluded. Followed McMillan out.

  Montgomery waited until they were gone. Checked his watch once more.

  The meeting had not taken as long as expected. A blessing and a curse.

  Less of a battle with his wife for being late. More time spent with in-laws over dinner.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Pancakes.

  Not a question. Not a threat. Not really even an invitation.

  Just a one word statement.

  Drake sent the text message at seven-thirty.

  At eight sharp, Sage entered through the front door. Long stocking cap on her head. Giant puffy coat wrapped around her. Fleece pajama pants dragging the floor.

  Drake heard her enter. Kept doing what he was doing. Watched from the kitchen as she shuffled through the living room.

  Slid her bottom onto a chair at the bar in the kitchen.

  In front of her, Drake already had a large plastic bowl filled with homemade batter. The stainless steel flattop was starting to send small puffs of steam into the air.

  "Have I ever mentioned you are an absolute vision in the morning?" Drake asked.

  "I'll have you know I have been awake an hour," Sage said.

  "And how long have you been up?"

  "I don't know. What time did you send the text message?"

  Drake smiled. Tossed a few drops of water onto the griddle. Watched as they beaded and popped into the air.

  He plopped a quarter stick of butter down. Pushed it around with the edge of his spatula. Ladled out a half-dozen circles of batter.

  "So to what do we owe the honor of Drake Bell's world famous pancakes?" Sage asked. Kept her eyes glued to the griddle. Inhaled deeply.

  "Can't a fella just offer to do something nice?"

  Sage raised her gaze to him. Arched an eyebrow. Said nothing.

  Drake smirked. "Okay, fine. Couldn't sleep. I've already gone running and everything. Seemed like a good use of nervous energy."

  "I agree," Sage said. "This thing with Alice?"

  "Yeah. You should have seen the Tennessee Two-Step that store manager gave us yesterday."

  "So he knows more than he's letting on?"

  "Definitely," Drake said. Flipped each of the pancakes. "He went as white as a sheet when I told him how much the policy was worth."

  He went to the oven. Removed two plates from it. One was completely barren. The other was piled high with bacon.

  Both went down in front of Sage. Fresh pancakes went down on one. Crispy bacon started disappearing from the other.

  "So you think he's in on it?" Sage asked. Shoved more bacon in the second the words were out.

  "I don't know. Some parts he seemed genuinely stumped. Others, he was definitely playing hide-the-ball."

  "What did Ava think?"

  Drake shook his head. Poured more pancakes. "Same as me. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. We're meeting later today to kick it around some more before we talk to Alice.

  "I take it you told your brother he was welcome too?"

  "Tried to. It would have taken a jackhammer to wake him this morning."

  Drake leaned in. Smiled conspiratorially. Nodded his chin towards Ajax's room. "I'm hoping the smell alone will be enough for our friend in there."

  Sage looked back over her shoulder towards the bedroom. "I knew they were too good to be true."

  "Naw, I was planning on making them anyway. I just had an idea I could use his help with."

  "Hmm," Sage said. Waited for the second batch of pancakes to finish.

  Once they were done, Drake brought individual plates over for them. Took a syrup boat out of the oven. Slid the butter over in front of her.

  Dropped a single pancake into Suzy Q's bowl. Served up short stacks for he and Sage.

  They were each on their second go-round when the door to Ajax room cracked open. One foot at a time he shuffled out. Stockings pulled to mid-calf. Gym-shorts.

  He zipped on a hoodie as he approached.

  "Coffee?" he asked.

  "In the pot," Drake said. Winked at Sage. Continued moving pancakes.

  A half hour later, they were all miserably stuffed. Q was working on her third as well. Made a crescendo of noises as she snorted through her bowl.

  A tall stack still remained to be sent home for Kade.

  "Alright, let's hear it," Ajax said. Pushed his syrup addled plate away. Downed the last of his coffee.

  "Hear what?" Drake asked. Did the same with his plate.

  "What's the catch? Pancakes only come out when you want or need something. So, let's hear it."

  Drake tried to feign surprise. Looked to Sage.

  She nodded slightly back at him.

  He made a note of it. Couldn't have his friends thinking he only did things when he needed something from them.

  Even if, this time, he actually did need something from them.

  For a moment, he considered bluffing. Waiting until later in the day to make the request. Still, he'd already been called out.

  Might as well push on ahead with it.

  "Well, as it were, I didn't make the pancakes to solicit a favor. I know full well if I'd have just asked, you'd have helped me."

  "Of course," Ajax said. Raised a finger to his brow in appreciation.

  "But since
you asked, there is something I'm wondering. I'll be honest, I don't even know if it's possible."

  Ajax and Sage both waited patiently. Remained silent.

  "I was lying awake last night thinking about everything Traynor had to say, about Dead Peasants and insurance scams and all that, when something Sage said the other day popped into my head."

  Sage's eyebrows raised a fraction. "What's that?"

  "You were talking about having a rough day at work. That some guy had been brought in, dead from a heart attack in his front yard. No family. No nothing."

  "What, you think Bargain Mart is having people killed for their insurance payouts?" Ajax asked. Obvious disbelief in his voice.

  Drake waved a hand. "No, nothing like that. Just, what if Craig Galt was single? What if nobody had answered when US Atlantic had mistakenly called to ask for a mailing address?"

  Ajax nodded. Grasped where Drake was going with this. "You're wondering if there is any way of tracking if this has happened in the past."

  Drake raised his palms. "Again, I don't even know if it's possible."

  Ajax was on his feet before the words finished leaving Drake's mouth.

  "I'm not sure if that was meant as a challenge or not, but it's accepted either way."

  He went straight to the enormous desk that dominated the dining room. Called his computer to life and began banging on the keys.

  Drake and Sage drifted over behind him. Watched a series of windows appear and disappear on the two oversized monitors.

  "The easiest way would obviously be to hack in and see how many payments have gone from that insurance company to Bargain Mart," Ajax said. "But hacking into insurance records and international bank accounts are both highly frowned upon in this country."

  "Yeah, we don't need Interpol storming the house this afternoon," Drake agreed.

  "Instead, I'm going into Bargain Mart's employment records. Pulling a list of every employee that has ever drawn a paycheck from the Missoula store."

  Ajax finished up what he was working on. Pounded on the enter key twice for effect. Brought a list to the forefront of the screen.

  "Damn. Over fifteen hundred employees. That's a lot of cheap crap."

  "Agreed," Drake said. "But spread over, what, thirty years? Definitely not impossible."

  "True," Ajax said.

  Drake stared at the list. It was a start. Still, that was way too many people to glean anything definitive from.

  "So we can't get into the insurance records," Ajax said. "What else you got?"

  Drake chewed at his bottom lip. Looked over to Sage. "How many of those are deceased?"

  A few more key strokes. The bulk of the list disappeared instantly.

  "A hundred and twelve," Ajax said. Scrolled down through the list.

  Drake took a step back. Raised his head towards the ceiling. Let the number roll around in his head.

  Less than ten percent of the total employees. Still far too many to go through one at a time. And even if they did, what could they possible look for?

  The odds of getting Ricardo at US Atlantic to freely offer any more information were virtually non-existent.

  "This is interesting though," Ajax said. Enlarged the list to encompass both screens.

  Pointed to the bottom of it.

  "Three people have died in the last three days."

  Drake leaned in close. Could feel Sage do the same beside him.

  "Craig Galt. Bronson Irwin. Edgar Carpenter."

  "Irwin's the guy that came in on Thursday," Sage said.

  "Heart attack, right?" Drake asked.

  "Yup."

  "How about Carpenter?"

  Ajax reduced the list. Pulled up a web browser. Went to the Missoulian newspaper website.

  The obituary was the second entry for the day. Had barely been released an hour before.

  "Bicycle accident," Ajax read. "Broken neck from a fall."

  Drake stepped back. Paced a small path through the dining room. Began to think out loud.

  "When was the last time any of these men worked for Bargain Mart?"

  Ajax dropped the web browser. Brought the list back up. "Galt was the most recent. Ended employment in 1989."

  "So three men, all middle-aged, all worked for Bargain Mart in the 80's. Within three days, all three pass away. Three days that just-so-happen to coincide with one of their widows getting a call about a life insurance policy."

  "You back to thinking Bargain Mart is doing something to these people to collect insurance pay-offs?" Sage asked.

  Drake stopped pacing. Shook his head. "I'm not back to it. I was never there to begin with.

  "I might be crazy, but it does make you start to wonder though, doesn't it?"

  Sage stared impassively at him. Said nothing.

  After a moment, Ajax nodded his head slightly beside her.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The plan had changed.

  Not enough to be worrisome.

  Just enough to be annoying.

  After they'd gotten back two nights before, Raquel and Hector put the Carpenter job behind them. Not once spoke of it. Didn't even think on it.

  Instead, they immediately turned their attention to the next name on the list.

  Harris Wilson. Forty-five years old. Teacher. Football coach.

  Translation: middle-aged and visible.

  Taking him out would almost approach the level of being a challenge. Not because he presented any physical danger to them.

  Because making it look like an accident without anyone seeing a thing could prove difficult.

  Together they had scratched out a couple of ideas the night before. Nothing concrete.

  The plan was to come home after Carpenter and hone in on a specific option. They had even scheduled an extra day so they had time to properly prepare.

  But, again, the plan had changed. An email, in late Saturday afternoon.

  Considerations were being made at the corporate level. They were told to wait before moving on anything else.

  Neither one was happy. Three days prior they were on the sun-kissed shores of Kauai.

  Early morning runs along the Napali coast. Afternoon naps in hammocks while the trade winds blew across their bodies. Dinners of fresh ahi and poi.

  Evenings spent dancing in the open air bungalow cantinas dotting the shore. Nights spent voraciously ravaging one another.

  Now they were in Montana.

  Miserably cold air. Little sunlight. And suddenly, nothing to do.

  This was going to cost someone. Financially, if not otherwise.

  At eleven o'clock sharp they settled themselves back in front of the makeshift video conference screen. Both were dressed in black. Both wore stony visages.

  A moment later, the screen sprang to life. Same subdued scene they'd met with a few days before.

  McMillan on the left, her suit now a deep shade of blue. Shaw on the right, dressed in charcoal grey.

  Montgomery was again seated at the head of the table. Unlike his counterparts, who both appeared almost as if carved from wax, he was visibly agitated.

  Sat cocked to one side. An elbow rested on an arm of his chair. Pinkie curled up to his mouth as he chewed at the nail.

  "Good morning," he said. Voice conveying the strain he so plainly wore. "Thank you for meeting with us again."

  Complete silence from Raquel and Hector. Not even a glance between one another. Just hard, penetrating glares.

  "I understand this must be an inconvenience for you," Montgomery said. "Needless to say, you will be compensated for your troubles."

  More silence.

  The lines around Hector's eyes tightened just a bit. It did go without saying that a fee increase would have to be negotiated.

  The fact that Montgomery had led with it gave the distinct impression he thought they could be bought.

  They had killed for far smaller insults.

  "I am aware that you were contracted originally to perform a very specific task li
st," Montgomery continued. "But right now we may have to amend it. We have been given information that might indicate someone is aware of our activities."

  In her lap, Raquel squeezed her hands together tightly. There was no outwardly visible reaction from her or Hector as they stared at the camera.

  Beneath the surface, anger roiled in a heavy swell.

  This was exactly the sort of amateur behavior they fought hard to avoid. If not for the fact that Cerberus was a prior client, they would already have ended the call.

  Walked away without a second thought.

  Even now, this was going to cost them.

  Montgomery seemed to sense their discontent. Shifted uncomfortably again in his chair. Shot a look to each of his cohorts.

  "One of the files you received was on a Craig Galt. Fortunately, he passed from natural causes before you arrived."

  Continued silence.

  "In that file is the home address of his next of kin. We have reason to believe that she might have been alerted to our plans here."

  Both Raquel and Hector wondered if they wanted her removed as well.

  Both also knew it would be an impossible assignment. No matter how perfect they were, there was no way for a recent widow to pass that wouldn't raise at least a few eyebrows.

  It wouldn't be so hard to imagine a grief induced suicide. Still, if what Montgomery's admission was to be taken seriously, odds were somebody would make the connection.

  It would be sloppy at best.

  Raquel and Hector didn't do sloppy.

  "At this point, we're not certain what she knows," Montgomery said. "Not sure if she would act on it, even if she did know."

  Neither one said a word.

  "For the time being, we'd like you to follow her. Report back anything unusual. Any meetings. Anything like that."

  Hector slid his eyes to Raquel.

  They didn't know a thing about this woman. Would have no way of knowing what constituted unusual.

  Even worse, they would be stuck doing surveillance in subarctic conditions.

  "Killing her would be cleaner," Hector said.

  The first words from either one. His voice was deep, but clear.

  There was no joy in it for him. Years of experience had taught him this was the best way to proceed. It would be sloppy for sure. Maybe even put a spotlight on them and end their operation in Montana.