Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

“Take them out to St. Joseph’s Island, and leave them there,” said Helen. That was the original plan, but Helen was pissed. And when the good Doctor got pissed, shit happened.

  Javier stood up while the attention was focused on Angelique. Darnell was about 5 feet away and not looking at him. That’s when Javier made the worst decision of his life. He went for an Uzi, sealing his fate. When he reached for the gun Langston attacked, not waiting for a command. The shepherd launched himself at Javier as he was bringing up the Uzi. He caught the dog in his peripheral and turned towards him, compounding his mistake. Langston clamped his jaws around the Javier’s throat as he hit him with all 100 pounds of canine fury, knocking Javier over backwards. With three shakes of his head, Langston ripped the man’s throat out.

  Rebecca screamed and feinted. Angelique covered her eyes. Ernesto hit the floor face down, putting his hands over his head, for what little good it would do if the dog came after him next. Helen and Darnell froze. Neither of them had moved a muscle since Langston attacked. Langston spit out the man’s throat and began circling the room. He stopped to sniff a trembling Ernesto the length of his body before returning to Angelique, ignoring Helen and Darnell. He lay down at her feet - hackles down and no longer growling. Ernesto had no clue how lucky he was that he dove to the floor. A prone man, making no effort to defend himself, was not a threat in Langston’s training.

  The sound that came from Javier was like someone trying to scream underwater. He bled out quickly, the unearthly sound ended with his last breath.

  Langston had picked up Javier’s scent on Angelique. The shepherd connected the scent to Angelique’s anxiety. Javier had been targeted as a threat by the dog, even before he went for the gun.

  Angelique finally found her voice. “Langston?” she said softly. He looked up at her, blood dripping from his jowls. “Thank you, Langston,” she said, her voice shaking, tears running down her face. She didn’t know what else to say.

  Helen went to check on Rebecca. She had hit her head against door jamb on the way to the floor. She’d have a pretty good knot on her head to show for it. Helen was certain Rebecca would be okay, at least physically if not mentally. Only time would tell on that count.

  “Angelique are you okay?” asked Helen after hearing her thank Langston.

  “I don’t know, I think so, maybe,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I knew Langston was a guard dog, but I wasn’t expecting that. It was horrific. But at the same time, I know he did it to protect us.”

  “Not ‘us’, Angelique. It was you. Langston was protecting you.” Helen was as surprised as anyone. She knew Langston would attack if Lazarus was threatened, but this wasn’t Lazarus. Yet he responded as if Angelique was part and parcel to his master. Helen caught a glimpse of the connection between Lazarus and this strikingly beautiful woman, bruised and battered though she was.

  Angelique looked Helen in the eyes, “I don’t know if I have the right to ask, but if you could find a way to spare Ernesto...” She choked back the tears. “Javier would have killed both of us when we were of no more use. He would have done it while he was alone. Ernesto would never have harmed us.”

  Darnell nodded. “I’ll consider it,” he replied, handing the Beretta to Helen.

  He went out to the boat, returning with a roll of 6 mil visqueen. He spread it out and dumped Javier’s corpse in the middle. Darnell rolled up the body in the plastic, wrapping it with duct tape.

  “What about the clean up?” he asked his wife.

  “I’ll handle it. You need to get going.”

  Darnell turned to Ernesto, “Time to go, dude.”

  Ernesto stood up and put his hands in front of him to accept the zip-cuffs. He looked completely dejected. A man with no hope headed for certain death. Yet he held his head up, looking Darnell in the eye as he cuffed him.

  Darnell had a piece of duct tape in his hand. “Am I going to have to use this, Ernesto?”

  Ernesto shook his head. “No, senor, you won’t. If it is my time to die, I wish to go as a man, not as a prisoner.”

  Darnell wadded up the tape and tossed it in a bag. “I’ll take your word for it. Help me carry this piece of shit to the boat,” he added as he cut the cuffs off.

  He retrieved the Berretta from Helen and told Ernesto, “Let’s go.” They picked up the body and carried it out to the boat. Five minutes later Darnell was idling towards the channel at the south end of the island that connected Little Bay to Aransas.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Do you know a good Vet you could call at this hour?” Helen asked Angelique after Darnell had left.

  “Yes, Dr. Harrington at the Rockport Animal Clinic. I think she might come.”

  Helen checked the time. It was almost 7:00 now. “When do they normally open?”

  “8:00,” replied Angelique.

  “I’d call and tell her Cheyenne was hit by a car and you need to get in as soon as possible. Can you do that? Also, tell her Rebecca is bringing her in.”

  Angelique nodded as she reached for the phone. After a short conversation she said, “Dr. Harrington will be at the clinic in 30 minutes.”

  Helen turned to Rebecca. “Can you handle this? I know you took a pretty good bop on the head. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine,” Rebecca replied. “My head hurts like a bitch, but there’s no blood and they won’t be able to see the knot, since it’s on the back.”

  “Then let’s go get Cheyenne,” said Helen. “We can put her in the Patriot, there’s plenty of room in the back. Once she’s on the way, I’ll clean up this mess,” she nodded in the general direction of Javier.

  Helen looked Angelique over carefully. “I’d feel better if you had a doctor to take a look at you.”

  Angelique shook her head. “No. I’m not going to the E.R. I don’t think anything is broken, and I don’t want to be seen like this. Besides, the police will probably have to get involved and I don’t think any of us want that.”

  Helen nodded, “Point made. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

  It wasn’t easy getting Cheyenne down the stairs. Helen made a sling out of a blanket and she and Rebecca carried Cheyenne while Langston followed, whining softly. “It looks like our boy might have a crush on her,” observed Helen.

  “I think it’s mutual,” said Angelique, who smiled and then winced at the pain from her cut and swollen lips.

  *****

  Dr. Harrington was waiting when Rebecca arrived and helped carry Cheyenne in.

  She ran x-rays on her ribs and skull, looking for signs of broken or fractured bones. She didn’t find any, which was a relief to both. “She’ll be okay,” said Dr. Harrington. “There’s that deep laceration to her head, coupled with a minor concussion, and some badly bruised ribs. It took a dozen stitches to close up the gash.” She wrapped Cheyenne’s ribs and gave her a shot for pain. “She won’t like it, but you need to keep the wrap on for at least two, preferably three days. Bring her in for a follow-up on Friday.” She set an appointment for them.

  The Vet handed Rebecca two containers of pills. “You need to give her one each, every 8 hours, for the pain and potential infection. The pain script is also a sedative to keep her calm. The stitches can come out in three weeks, if everything goes well.”

  Dr. Harrington smiled; took Rebecca by the elbow and gently, but firmly, guided her out of the treatment room. “These injuries weren’t from a car,” she stated flatly. “The bruises on her chest are from being kicked. One of them is an almost perfect boot print.”

  Rebecca answered, her voice shaking with emotion. “Cheyenne was protecting Angelique from an intruder. Angelique’s pretty shaken up by the whole incident but doesn’t want to involve the police. Maybe she’ll feel more like it once she knows Cheyenne will be okay. Now, before you ask, Angelique is okay. Cheyenne did her job. Despite the injuries, she drove the intruder off. Angelique never got a look at his face. He jumped her from behind as she was coming
in the back door. She can’t describe him, not even what race he was. I was sleeping and didn’t see anything. We know the police will never find him without a description, so I’m going to respect Angelique’s wishes.”

  The Vet nodded. “Then I will, too. It’s good to know she’s got someone like you to depend on.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. Do I need to pay the bill?”

  “No, I’ll mail it to her,” she replied.

  “Thank you for coming in early,” said Rebecca, as she put the pills in her pocket. “It means the world to both of us.”

  The ladies hugged and then carried Cheyenne out to the Patriot.

  Rebecca arrived at the house to find Helen had already finished the cleanup. She was impressed. There was no indication someone had died there.

  Helen suggested they gather a few things and go to the Lazarus’ house. “I’m pretty sure there won’t be anyone else coming over, but better safe than sorry.”

  The ladies agreed. They grabbed some personal products and tossed some clothes into an overnight bag. Angelique got Cheyenne’s food, bed and some of her favorite toys.

  “Rebecca,” said Helen, “you take the Patriot since Cheyenne is sleeping in the back. I’ll take the Yukon the Mexicans brought. Then if you don’t mind, you can run me back to pick up my rental.”

  Langston wouldn’t leave Angelique’s side. He jumped up into the Patriot, lying down next to Cheyenne with his head on his paws. Five minutes later they were at Lazarus’ temporary home on Cayman. Helen had them park both vehicles in the garage before taking Cheyenne up. Rebecca took Helen back to get the Malibu after they got the injured dog settled in. Helen parked the rental on the right apron of the driveway when they returned.

  *****

  Darnell turned on the running lights as they idled towards Aransas Bay. Once through the channel, he throttled up to 35 knots. The night was clear, illuminated by a ¾ waxing moon. He could easily navigate by the moonlight. Contrary to what Dr. Helen said, they were headed to the Gulf, by way of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The jetties at the end of the channel were behind him in less than an hour. Twenty miles southeast of the jetties, he cut the engines and glided to a stop.

  Darnell got Ernesto from the cabin, bringing him up on deck. “Have a seat, Ernesto,” ordered Darnell, gesturing to a cushioned bench along the port rail. Ernesto took a seat by the railing, confused, but resigned to his fate.

  Darnell spoke without looking at him, “What you done for Miss Angelique, pulling Javier off her and all that was the right thing to do. It took some guts and I respect that. You ain’t whinin’ and beggin’ for your life either; facin’ death like a man. That’s something I respect even more.” Ernesto didn’t respond.

  “There’s somethin’ you need to know,” said Darnell. “Your Hefe ain’t dead. Well, least wise as far as I know. Although I’d bet ten large some asshole ain’t goin’ back to Mexico in one piece; probably that fuckin’ lawyer.”

  Ernesto started to speak but stopped. He didn’t know what to say, or where the conversation was going.

  “Bottom line, your boss is gonna be one pissed off drug lord. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna blow a nut when he finds out you guys got jacked, and Angelique ain’t nowhere to be found. Basically, ya’ll are fucked.” Darnell said matter of fact.

  Ernesto finally spoke. “Si, El Hefe will be pissed, and he will want blood. Javier’s dead, but he doesn’t know that. He’ll have me killed for sure if he finds me.”

  “You okay with that?” asked Darnell.

  Ernesto shrugged. “What does it matter? Maybe you kill me, or he has me killed, either way I’ll be dead.” He sighed. “If he can’t find me, then he’ll kill my family as a warning to others. That’s what I am afraid of, not me dying. I have a wife and two daughters. He’ll kill them because I failed.” Silent tears ran down Ernesto’s cheeks as he spoke of his family.

  “How’d you end up with them Zapatos in the first place?” asked Darnell, curiosity being one of his primary character traits.

  Ernest shrugged, “Bad choices.”

  Darnell nodded, “Been there, done that.”

  “Are you going to kill me?” asked Ernesto, no fear in his voice.

  Darnell leaned back to look up at the clear night sky. “That’s what I’m debating.”

  Ernesto sighed, leaned back and joined Darnell in the star-gazing. He had forgotten how amazing the night sky was away from the city lights.

  Fifteen minutes later Darnell turned to look at Ernesto, only to find him calmly looking up at the stars. He made his decision.

  Darnell knew he would have to answer for it. He was certain his wife would understand, and about 80% sure Lazarus would, too. However, 20% was a lot in a life and death decision. No matter what became of it, he had made the choice and he would live with the repercussions.

  He turned to the young Mexican. “Ernesto, I’m not gonna kill you and I’m not gonna send you to Mexico just so that mother fuckin’ Torano can chop your head off. Your wife and kids are gonna be left exposed, but I know the Chameleon can get them out if he wants to. That’s what I’m hopin’ for anyways.”

  Ernesto was stunned. “Thank you, señor. I too hope the Chameleon can save my family.”

  “The name’s Darnell. Everyone calls me D,” he replied. “I sure as hell ain’t any fuckin’ señor,” he added with a booming laugh, extending his hand to Ernesto.

  It took Ernesto three stabs before he could stop shaking enough to take it. “Thank you, señor…I mean, D.”

  “Time to get ridda that asshole down there,” said Darnell. He headed to the forward cabin with Ernesto following behind. Together they brought up the corpse and laid it on the deck. Darnell proceeded to cut the plastic away that covered the head while Ernesto curiously watched.

  “Get me that rope and them two anchors by the captain’s chair,” he said to Ernesto, who retrieved them without hesitation. Darnell tied the end of one rope to an anchor, looping the other end of the over Javier’s head, making a small harness. The harness went over the top and back down around under Javier’s ears, terminating below his chin. Darnell tied the second anchor around Javier’s neck, pulling it tight until it dug deep into his flesh and then tossed the corpse, anchors and all overboard. The body quickly sank out of sight.

  “Why did you tie the ropes like that - around his head I mean?” asked Ernesto curiously.

  “The body will bloat from the decomposition gases, if’n the crabs and sharks don’t eat him first. In about three days, more or less, the head will most likely pop off at the neck ‘cause of the harness and the two anchors holding it down. The body will float to the surface.” Darnell was smiling now. “Either way, it’ll be one hell of a job ID’n the fucker if they find him.”

  Ernesto nodded in understanding. “Now what?” he asked.

  “Now,” answered Darnell, “we’re gonna find out if I made the right choice.”

  He called Helen on a sat-phone and briefly filled her in. “Got it,” he said, ending the call. Darnell fired up the engines and headed back to Rockport to face the music.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Lazarus answered Helen’s call with a text when he was back in the room, “Got the message from K.”

  Despite his detachment, he still felt a wave a relief. Angelique was safe. That meant two things to Lazarus. First, Ramon’s leverage over his brother had been reduced significantly. Second, Ramon was going to be even more pissed. He smiled, watching the monitor in Katsumi’s room while she slept.

  It was about 7:45 when Torano’s men started hauling out the luggage. They divided the bags onto the hotel carts they’d brought up when they arrived. Two men rode down with the bags and were soon stowing them in the Yukons. At 8:30, Ramon and the other 4 body guards came out. The elevator arrived in less than a minute and they filed in, Torano leading the way. Lazarus followed them on the monitor until they were out of the parking garage.

  Lazarus woke Katsumi and told her to pack up all h
er electronics and put them in his room. She could go back to sleep if she wanted after that. Her flight wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon. Katsumi decided to stay up. She wanted to take another walk on the T-Head, and she was hoping to see Helen and D again before she left.

  Lazarus gave Katsumi a kiss on the forehead. “Great job, baby girl,” he said. “I’ll swing by the room before I leave, but first I need to get our Mr. Long, checked out. Give me five minutes and then you can pull the rest of your gear.” He was still dressed as the old man. Lazarus slipped out the door and down the stairs to the 12th floor.

  He changed shirts and put on a different tie before heading to the lobby.

  “Goodness gracious, Miss Auburn, you’re still here?” he asked incredulously, limping up to the front desk.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. The morning clerk had a family emergency so I’m staying on until noon,” Auburn said with a heavy sigh, obviously tired.

  “I hope it’s nothing too serious,” said Lazarus in his British accent.

  “Me, too,” she replied. “You’re leaving us already?” she asked. “I have you down for one more day.”

  “I’m afraid so,” replied Lazarus. “I’ve received a call from my sister-in-law; she lives in London you see. My youngest brother had a bit of a heart attack, or so it appears. They’ve taken Jonathan to the hospital. I’m going to catch the first flight I can and work out the travel plans on the go, as they say.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your brother, Mr. Long. I hope everything works out okay.” Auburn began to process the check out. “Let me get your deposit. I’ll be right back.” She went through the door behind the counter, returning with the $100.00. “Here you go, Mr. Long.”

  Lazarus took the envelope and pulled two twenties out, handing them to Auburn. “For you, young lady,” he said with a smile. “You’ve been so very accommodating, and I thank you.”

  “Sir, that isn’t necessary,” protested Auburn. “I’m just doing my job.”

  “No job is easy young lady, not when it involves the public, that is. You do a quite marvelous job of it, and I insist,” said Lazarus, with his most engaging smile.