Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

  Auburn smiled and blushed slightly. “Thank you, Mr. Long. I appreciate that - the compliment more so than the money.”

  “A pretty girl like you looks even prettier with a bit of red on the cheeks, by the way.” Lazarus winked and tipped his fedora before turning and walking out the door.

  He headed to the parking garage and the Rover, parked in a back corner. When it was clear, Lazarus climbed inside and shed the Richard Long costume. He put on a pair of Under Armor running shorts, a short sleeve tee and a pair of Nikes. Then he stowed the wheeled bag under the back seat. He slipped out of the garage and jogged around the block to the front of the Shoreline. Lazarus nodded at Auburn as he headed towards the elevator. He’d learned from his years of practice that, if you move steadily and act confidently, no one really notices you. They may look at you, but they don’t really “see” you, unless of course, you’re doing something completely out of the ordinary for where you are.

  If someone were to ask Auburn to describe him, she might remember the bright chartreuse running shoes and tee shirt. The color would have drawn the attention, not the person wearing them.

  Lazarus went up to his room, taking quick shower before packing everything away. Katsumi’s equipment was already in the room and ready to go. He knocked on her door before heading to the elevators. A quick hug and a kiss on the cheek later, he was on his way out. Lazarus would ship the equipment to his foundation office in a couple of days and Katsumi would pick it up in a week or so.

  *****

  Lazarus pulled up to the house a little after 11:00, parking the Rover in the drive next to the rental. He grabbed the electronics and went in; stopping dead in his tracks halfway through the door. Dr. Helen was sitting 6 feet away, sipping coffee. He slowly closed the door behind him. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. The look on Helen’s face told Lazarus he needed to be prepared for bad news. What the news might be, he had no idea. He was, however, pretty sure it wasn’t going to make him happy. There was a second chair about three feet to her left, a cup of coffee sitting on the small table beside it. Lazarus sat down, picked up the cup and took a sip. It was still hot, so it hadn’t been there long. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

  “You told me the package was secure, so that isn’t the issue,” he said softly, almost to himself. “Yet here we are in the entryway.” He took another sip and waited.

  Dr. Helen leaned forward, mirroring Lazarus’ position. It was the psychologist in her, doing what she did instinctively. “Angelique, Rebecca and Cheyenne are all here. Safe,” she said with a slight edge. “Darnell took the two Mexicans out into the Gulf as planned.”

  Lazarus dropped his gaze to the slate tiled floor of the entry, replying respectfully, “My apologies, Doc.” Few would have understood the reason for the apology; it was a matter of honor between them.

  She waved the apology away offhandedly. “No apology needed, Spike,” she said with a softer tone. “I couldn’t give you the details at the time. I didn’t want you distracted.”

  “What happened?” asked Lazarus, his eyes still fixed on the slate floor.

  “For starters, Langston took out one of the guards at Garza’s house.” She held up her hand, pre-empting a comment from Lazarus. “He attacked on his own, Lazarus. I didn’t give a command, no one did. You know I wouldn’t have, knowing how you feel about it.”

  “He attacked on his own?” Lazarus asked; his curiosity piqued. “What in the hell could have possibly happened that would provoke him to attack without command?”

  Helen said two words, “Angelique happened.”

  Lazarus leaned back, puzzled by the cryptic response.

  “Details are forthcoming, I assume?”

  “Generalities, yes; it took us all by surprise,” Helen replied.

  “I’m listening,” said Lazarus, sipping his coffee and waiting patiently.

  “Langston had positioned himself in front of Angelique, on guard. I didn’t understand why, but I trust his instincts.” Helen paused to take a sip of her coffee before continuing. “One of the guards, Javier by name, went for a gun lying on the coffee table. I was talking to Darnell and didn’t anticipate it. I should have. That was my mistake.”

  “Why was he on guard with Angelique?” Lazarus asked.

  “I’ll get to that shortly,” promised Helen. “When he went for the Uzi, Langston launched himself. He caught Javier by the throat in mid air, knocking him over backwards before ripping it out.”

  Lazarus didn’t react. He knew what Langston was capable of and ripping out the throat was the quickest way to neutralize a threat. The question was; why did Langston consider the guard a threat to Angelique? Lazarus assumed the gun was the trigger for the attack. He could see Helen had more to tell him and that it was bothering her. He reached out his right hand and put it on her arm. “Say what needs to be said, Helen.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for understanding this isn’t easy for me.”

  He knew what she meant, that it wasn’t easy for her to withhold information from him. The information had to be about Angelique, information that he wasn’t going to like. “What is it you need to tell me?” Lazarus prodded her.

  “Two things, actually,” said Helen. “One is about D, and the other about Angelique. I will start with Darnell.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “That remains to be seen,” said Helen with a half grin. “That will depend entirely on you and your good will. D knows it and is ready to accept whatever you decide.”

  Lazarus looked at her quizzically. “What the hell did he do?” he asked. Not angry, just curious.

  “He brought one of the Mexicans back with him, a young man named Ernesto Vasquez.”

  If Lazarus was surprised by the news, it didn’t show. He had a somewhat amused look on his face. He took another sip of coffee and asked, “When will they be here?”

  The question got a chuckle out of Helen. “That’s all you want to know?”

  Lazarus smiled and said, “Whatever Darnell’s reason for bringing him back, it must be a matter of honor or respect. I know him far too well to second guess his decisions. He made the call. I accept it. It’s that simple.”

  “Well, hell, Spike,” laughed Helen, “and here I was, all worried you might want a piece of his hide.” She leaned back, “He’s out in the bay on pins and needles as a matter of fact, sitting in that fancy assed Sea Ray waiting to hear from me.”

  Lazarus smiled. “Tell me the second thing and then I’ll decide about the Mexican.”

  Helen’s smile faded. “First, let me assure you that Angelique is going to be okay.” Lazarus’ eyes darkened a shade at that. “One of the cartel boys tried to rape her.” She put her hand on Lazarus’ arm. “He wasn’t successful, thanks to Ernesto.” Lazarus relaxed a fraction but didn’t respond. “Ernesto came to her aide, pulling Javier off at gunpoint, threatening to shoot him. He told Javier he would be reporting it to El Corazon.”

  Lazarus eyes softened a little as he spoke. “That explains two things; why Langston attacked the one and Darnell spared the other.”

  Helen nodded. “I knew you would understand why D spared him.”

  “And Javier?” asked Lazarus.

  “D dropped his dead ass in the Gulf about 20 miles out. His bloated headless corpse should be popping up in about three days, unless the crabs get to him first.”

  “Good enough for me,” said Lazarus. “Call him in. Tell him to keep the Mexican kid on the boat and out of sight.”

  “As you wish, sir,” she said, using Katsumi’s typical response. She knew that would get the smile she wanted from him. “Now go see your Angelique. She’s expecting you.” Helen grabbed him lightly by the sleeve as he stood up. “You need to prepare yourself mentally for what you’re going to see.”

  Lazarus nodded in response and headed up the steps.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Langston got up from beside Angelique and trotted over to meet his master as Lazarus stepped ou
t on the deck. He smiled, reaching down to scratch Langston’s chest even as he turned his attention toward Angelique. She was sitting in a deck chair, her back towards him. Rebecca was sitting to her left with Cheyenne between them. He could see Angelique trying to drink coffee and it wasn’t going well. When the hot beverage hit her lips, she cussed. “Damn that hurts. I can’t even enjoy my coffee because of that fucker, Javier.”

  Rebecca smiled cautiously as Lazarus approached, getting up and moving to a chair on the left end of the deck to give them privacy.

  “Good morning, ladies,” said Lazarus with a forced smile. He turned the chair towards Angelique as he settled in. Angelique kept her eyes on the bay as he studied her, partly out of embarrassment, but more so out of respect.

  Lazarus looked her over carefully, taking it all in without an external reaction. You couldn’t say the same internally. He was struck with a lightning bolt of rage as he surveyed the damage done. The pure ferocity of it surprised him, though outwardly his expression never wavered. He sat there, quietly waiting for Angelique to speak.

  She turned her head towards to him. She wanted to say something, but she was struck by a deep feeling of confusion touched with awe. It was as though she had never really seen Lazarus before. She already knew there was a lot more to him than his Charitable Foundation. The events of the last 8 to 10 hours confirmed that. It had much to do with Helen and Darnell, and her rescue. Angelique noticed his eyes were black as coal, contradicting the smile on his face. She was beginning to understand he was a dangerous, if not deadly, man. Yet she felt safer now that he was there. Dozens of questions danced in her head and she had no idea which one to ask.

  “Good morning, Mr. Solaris,” she said softly. The formality was unintentional, and Lazarus seemed neither surprised nor offended. “Thank you for sending your friends, Helen and Darnell, to rescue us. If they hadn’t come, I don’t know what would have become of us.” She looked down at Cheyenne. “I honestly don’t know if Miss Cheyenne would have survived the night if not for them, too.”

  Lazarus reached down to stroke Cheyenne softly, but the smile still didn’t touch his eyes. They remained darker than she had ever seen them, as though the irises had been devoured by the pupils.

  “I apologize, Angelique, for not being here to welcome you.” He spoke slowly, almost formally, as though words were difficult to form.

  Angelique smiled slightly. “I’m sure that wherever you were and whatever you were doing, it’s the reason I’m here now, safe.”

  Lazarus eyes softened a bit at her attempted smile. “It was,” he said simply.

  “Will you tell me about it?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied, “but not now, not today.” He continued, “First things first. I’d like to have you seen by a doctor.”

  “No, Lazarus, I’m not going to a doctor. As I explained to Helen, it’ll raise too many questions that I can’t answer, not to mention the police factor.” Angelique added calmly, “I’m not hurt as bad as it looks. And, yes, I know it looks bad. I also know nothing is broken. As for my lips and the bruising, that will fade quickly. I hope you don’t mind, but I really don’t want to go.”

  “No, I don’t mind,” he replied. Lazarus got up and walked to the patio door, opening it to say a few things to Dr. Helen. She was seated at the breakfast bar, still dressed in black from head to toe.

  Lazarus then walked over to Rebecca. “Helen is going to take you back to your house to get anything else you need for you and Angelique. I’m sure you didn’t bring much when you left.” He went on, “The threat to your safety has been eliminated, at least for the foreseeable future, but that could change. I would prefer you stay here with me for the time being.” The way he said ‘eliminated’ sent shivers up Rebecca’s spine. She had little doubt what he meant by it.

  Rebecca kissed Angelique on the cheek and then patted Cheyenne. “You be a good girl for Angelique and Mr. Lazarus. I’ll be right back,” she added, heading for the door where Helen was waiting. Lazarus had given Helen the keys to the Rover. It’d been seen at the Garza residence several times, so it would be less likely to raise any eyebrows from the neighbors.

  He sat down at the table with Angelique as the sun continued its climb into the morning sky. He pulled a Gurkha Beauty from a small humidor on the table and lit it, savoring the taste as he ran options through his head.

  Fifteen minutes passed before Angelique broke the silence. She spoke without looking at him. “I have dozens of questions swirling in my head, each clamoring for an answer. I don’t even know where to begin, or if I should.”

  Lazarus waited a couple of minutes before answering. “Which question is the loudest, the most demanding for an answer?”

  She hadn’t thought of it that way. She closed her eyes and listened to them all. When she opened them, she turned to Lazarus and asked, “Can I trust you?”

  “With your life,” he answered without hesitation.

  “My life?” she asked; a confused look in her eyes. “How do you mean?”

  Lazarus responded, “I mean anything and everything that implies or represents. By your life, Angelique, I mean all of it, your hopes, your dreams and your safety. All of those are important to you and now, they are just as important to me.

  Angelique lowered her gaze, blushing slightly, “What about my heart? Can I trust you with that, Lazarus?”

  Lazarus smiled, this time with his eyes. “Angelique, there is much about me you don’t know, and after last night, I’m sure there is even more you don’t understand. I know you have myriads of questions; wanting to know who I really am, and the question you ask is if you can trust me with your heart?”

  She nodded as the blush deepened.

  “I would kill or die for you,” he said softly, his smile never fading. If anything, it grew broader and deeper.

  Angelique started to cry, not hard, just silent tears that swiftly overflowed her eyes and glistened as they traced their way down her cheeks. She made no effort to hide or stop them. She just bowed her head and wept.

  Lazarus let her. He didn’t reach out his hand or offer words of comfort. He let her cry it out. It was Langston who stopped the tears. He walked over to her from where he’d been lying in the shade; putting his front paws up on the arm of her chair, licking away her tears with a soft whine.

  Angelique smiled at the big shepherd, scratching him behind his ears and asked, “Does that mean I can trust you, too, Herr Langston?”

  As though he understood the question, Langston wagged his tail and barked three times before dropping down and curling up beside her, his head on her feet.

  “What does all this mean for us?” she asked, turning back towards Lazarus.

  “I don’t have the answers, Mon Cheri,” he replied. “I’m sure of only one thing beyond doubt; I want you in my life. I want to share everything I am and everything I have, with you.”

  She was about to respond when Helen walked through the door. Angelique smiled at Lazarus, saying with her eyes what she couldn’t say aloud. She gave him a wink as he got up from the table, getting a smile in return.

  “I’m going to lie down, if that’s okay,” Angelique said as she struggled to her feet. Cheyenne got up with her, struggling even harder. “I’m going to be fine,” she said, pre-empting Lazarus’ comment as she headed for the door, Cheyenne in tow. Langston joined the procession, looking back at Lazarus for an okay which he received in a hand signal.

  Lazarus told Angelique, “Take the second bedroom on the left. It has a private bath and a great view of the bay. I’ll put Rebecca across the hall from you.”

  “Then I will leave you to your business,” she responded, giving Lazarus a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you again Helen, for everything you’ve done and are doing for us.”

  Helen smiled, “No thank you is necessary. There isn’t anything I won’t do for someone who’s important to Lazarus.” That put a smile on Angelique’s face as she entered the house.

  Helen sm
iled, not mentioning the kiss on the cheek or asking what they’d been discussing. She took the chair Angelique had vacated. “I spoke with D. He’s about ten minutes out.”

  Lazarus played with his coffee cup, mulling it over. “As I said before, I have no issue with D sparing the young man. However, you’ll have to take him to Chicago. I can’t have him meeting me right now.”

  “I agree,” said Helen. “I’m okay taking him with us. That’s more than fair.”

  Lazarus could sense she had something else to add. “What are you not telling me, Helen?”

  Helen looked him in the eye as only she could. “Ernesto has a wife and two daughters in Los Trios. It’s about ten miles west of Juarez. I have little doubt that Torano will kill his family for Ernesto’s failure.”

  “And you want to know if I can get them out?”

  Helen replied confidently, “I know you can. I’m asking if you will.”

  Lazarus didn’t reply. He went inside, returning a minute later with his sat-phone, punching in a number.

  “Hey, Derek,” said Lazarus when the call was answered. “I need a favor and it’s a big one. Do you have an extraction team on standby in El Paso?”

  Lazarus listened for a few minutes. “I understand, but this is critical. It has to do with Los Zapatos, Torano to be exact. I need three innocents extracted from Los Trios and it has to be done today.”

  A good five minutes passed while Lazarus listened, throwing in an occasional comment or reply as they conversed.

  “Will fifty thousand cover the cost of the op?” he asked.

  After a few minutes Lazarus asked, “Seventy-five?” as he started laughing. “What’s the deal? Is the CIA running out of money or what?”

  Derek replied, “Nah, we got plenty of money. You’re gonna be financing a getaway for the team with your seventy-five grand. We’ll be thinking about you when we’re lying on a beach in the Bahamas.”

  “Jesus H. Christ, Derek. That’s extortion in most countries.” He gave Derek an exaggerated sigh. “Fine – you win. I’ll have the money wired today, and I’ll add another 25 large if you have them out by noon. I’ll call you back shortly with the details.”