Jesses cell phone rang. “It’s Mack,” he told Wiz. “I’ll call her back in a minute.” Jesse hit the silencer on his phone and turned back to Ruth. “You’ve talked to this guy? Often?”
“Not often. All I have to do is step out on my porch and look his direction. That takes care of things. I told him that if he didn’t get his lawn under control, I was going to have the city come out, mow it, and send him the bill.” She sipped the coffee. “And that was that.”
Wiz came out of the kitchen, lingering in the back of the room, but Ruth spotted him anyway. “Young man,” she said, “don’t you know how to entertain a guest? Don’t you have a platter of crackers and cheese you could put together? Or truffles? Anything?”
Wiz glanced at Jesse and sighed. He went back to the kitchen, and they could hear him digging through the pantry.
“I tell you,” she said. “What are they teaching young people these days?”
“Ma’am,” Jesse said, “this is an undercover house. We don’t actually live here. We just use it for the purpose of meeting, and just in case someone follows us, we have a place to go other than our real residences.”
“Well, don’t you think that someone might grow suspicious if you don’t have some decent food around?”
“What else can you tell me about Rhyne?”
“He smokes too much, he thinks couches make good porch furniture, and he has been dressing nicer lately. Oh, and he has a young man living with him named Mason who has overstayed his welcome.”
“Mason Capps?”
Ruth’s eyes narrowed. “Someone else you’ve been looking for?”
Wiz entered carrying a plate like a waiter. He lowered it to the table with a self-impressed smile. “We have a crispy, slightly sweet selection of whole-grain nuggets along with an entire array of rainbow marshmallows.”
Jesse shot Wiz a look. “That’s all you could find? Lucky Charms?”
Wiz shrugged. “The chip bag was empty.”
Suddenly the front door slammed open, and Dozer frantically rushed in. “Jesse! Hurry! Come out—” He glanced at Ruth and immediately shifted his approach to lackadaisical. “Um, you might want to step out here for a moment. I think there’s a, uh, rosebush that needs our attention.”
“I’m glad you called. I didn’t want to wait three days to hear from you again. Are you sure it’s okay?” Brandi asked as Mason gathered a few of her things out of the car. “You said this guy didn’t want me around.”
“I talked to him. He’s cool with it.” Rhyne wasn’t, but he had enough on his mind to keep him from getting too upset. “You’ll stay here while we’re gone, okay? Look after the house. I’ll give you some money for food.” He nodded toward the house. “Go on in. Fix me a sandwich, okay?”
“But he’s in there.”
“His name is Rhyne. Fix him a sandwich too, then.” Mason paused and smiled. “A ham sandwich. Yeah, ham. Makes everything better.” Brandi gave him a confused look. “Just play nice, and he’ll be cool. All he’s got on his mind is this Mexico trip.”
She walked into the house, and Mason turned to finish gathering her things. He pulled out her duffel bag and was just about to close the trunk when a car traveling down the street came to a screeching halt, right in front of him. Even in the glare of the headlights, he recognized the driver. The blonde from Doodah’s. Mackenzie.
Their eyes locked.
Throwing down the bag, he stepped in front of the vehicle, then went to the driver’s side, yanked open the door, and pulled her out.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“What are you … doing here?” Mackenzie stammered.
“I live here, but I suspect you already know that.”
She trembled in his grasp. He grabbed the back of her shirt and forced her toward the house.
After flinging open the screen door, he pushed her inside. She stumbled forward, her shoulder hitting the wall. The commotion brought Rhyne around the corner.
“What’s going on? Who is this?” Rhyne demanded.
“I found her outside.”
“What was she doing?”
Mason grabbed her face. “What were you doing?” Brandi came around the corner and gasped. “Brandi, stay out of this.” Mason grabbed Mackenzie’s arm, pulled her into the living room, and pushed her onto the couch.
Rhyne glanced back and forth between at Mason and Mackenzie. His gaze locked on Mackenzie.
“How do you know her?” Rhyne asked Mason.
“Look, she was one of the people I’d talked to that night at the bar. But I cut all contact like you said. I haven’t seen her or the other guy since.”
“Why’s she here now?”
Mackenzie glanced at Brandi, who was watching from the shadows of the hallway, and then said to Mason, “I followed you.”
Rhyne cursed. “Mason! I told you to watch your back! To always make sure you weren’t followed!”
“I did!” Mason yelled back. It was true. He’s been cautious every time he returned to Rhyne’s house.
“Why did you follow him?” Rhyne asked.
Mackenzie stood, causing both men to step forward. “One of you tipped off the police.”
Rhyne looked at Mason, and a wave of nausea rolled through Masons stomach. He didn’t know what this lady was talking about, but it couldn’t be good.
“One of us?” Mason asked. He looked at Rhyne. “You know him too?”
“He came to our shop with a van.”
Mason turned to Rhyne, and there was no hiding his guilt.
“So which one of you did it?” She glared at Rhyne. “Was it you?”
“We’ve got to get in there!” Jesse said. “They just pulled Mack inside!”
Dozer pushed Jesse back into the house. “Mack’s met Mason before. At the bar. As far as we know, he has no idea that she’s a cop.”
“We’ve got to do something,” Jesse said, walking in circles, his hands clasped on top of his head. He couldn’t catch his breath. “If we call in backup, this could become a hostage situation.”
From the couch Ruth said, “Are you talking about that delightful young lady I liked so much? The one who wears too much makeup?”
“Mrs. Butler, please be quiet. Wiz, try Gates again.”
“We’ve been trying all night.”
“Do it.”
Jesse went outside and stood on the porch, facing Grello’s house. The street was quiet. The black sky was warming to a soft orange hue at the horizon. Did Mack go in there by choice? Was she part of some grand scheme Sergeant Yeager cooked up? Or did she stumble upon Mason by accident?
He tried to play out all the scenarios. If he, Dozer, and Wiz kicked down the door with guns drawn, there was no telling what might happen. Someone could get shot. Or they might simply ruin a plan that was already in place. He suddenly remembered Mack had called.
“Jesse, it’s Mack. Where are you?” She sounded anxious. “I just left the hospital. I don’t know what this means, but Sergeant Yeager told me that Rhyne Grello is making a run to Mexico for Vincent Ayala. They’re leaving this morning. He wanted you to do it, Jesse. That’s all he said. I’m on my way to the house. Call me when you get this message.”
Nothing seemed clear. Jesse’s mind had never felt so cluttered, and he’d never felt so incapable of making a decision. He snapped his phone shut and ran inside. “Mrs. Butler, listen very carefully. I want you to stand at this door. If you hear gunfire, call 911 immediately.”
“Finally, something I’m good at,” Ruth said, moving to the door.
“Come on, boys. We’re going to the backyard to jump some fences.”
They started toward the back door, but Dozer stopped him. “What about Elvis?”
“I’ve got all I need. Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute!” Ruth shouted from the front door.
“What is it, Mrs. Butler?” Jesse asked impatiently.
“Another car is stopping in front of the house.”
&nbs
p; Kyle slowly pulled to the curb, shutting off his lights. His heart thumped heavily in his chest as he stared at Mack’s car. The lights were still on, and the door was wide open.
Nan told him Mack had run off on Ron’s instructions. Kyle tried to catch her, but she was already gone. While praying in the chapel for Ron, Kyle felt a strange sense that Mack’s life was in danger. It didn’t make any sense at the time. He looked anxiously at the house. The front door was shut, but the lights were on, and he could see shadowy figures through the curtains. “God help me,” he whispered. He looked toward the UC house. All looked quiet. But then he heard shouting inside the other house.
He quickly got out of his car, moved up the neatly trimmed grass, and stepped onto the porch. He couldn’t even think straight. What was he doing?
But then he heard Mack’s voice, and before he could stop himself, he reached out to the door.
“Did someone knock?” said Rhyne.
Mason stared at Rhyne, who looked at the door. The room went completely silent. “I didn’t hear any—”
There it was again. A knock. Mason and Rhyne pulled their guns at the same time. “You expecting anybody?” Rhyne asked.
Mason shook his head. They approached the door, and Rhyne peeked through the hole. “It’s a guy.”
“Let me see,” Mason said.
Rhyne looked at Mackenzie. “Don’t move.”
“What?” Mason exclaimed.
“What is it?” Rhyne asked, looking back through the peephole.
“It’s … it’s … !”
“Who?” Rhyne asked.
Mason turned to Mackenzie. “It’s your boyfriend!”
Rhyne lunged and opened the door, then yanked the guy in and slammed it shut. “Who are you?” Rhyne barked, pointing his gun from one person to the next. The guy Rhyne had pulled in was the only one with his hands up. Kyle, Mason remembered. The one with the manners—until you spilled a beer on him.
“His name’s Kyle.” Mason quickly explained how he knew both of them.
“I’m … I’m …” Kyle didn’t look nearly as tough with a gun pointed at him.
Mackenzie suddenly gasped. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Kyle. “Please don’t let him hurt me.”
The three men standing there looked at each other. “Who are you talking about?” Mason finally asked.
Mackenzie nodded toward Kyle. “Him.”
“Him? You were treating him like a trained dog the other night.”
Tears dripped from her eyes. “You don’t know what he can do.”
Rhyne looked skeptical. Mason said, “I saw him beat up a guy over a spilled beer.”
Kyle, with his hands still in the air, didn’t look like he could beat an egg. Mason asked him, “What’s the matter?” If this guy was spooked, there had to be a good reason.
“Um … I don’t … I just … I wanted to …”
“Speak!” Rhyne shouted.
Kyle glanced at Brandi, who was holding two sandwich plates. “Is that ham?”
Rhyne watched Mackenzie sob as she looked at this Kyle guy. “Keep him away from me! You don’t understand,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “He was sent here to deal with me. Because I dealt with you two, and one of you tipped off the police!”
Rhyne glanced at Mason as he put both hands on his gun. “You’ve gotten us into a fine mess, haven’t you?”
“I didn’t tip off the police! I just talked to these two. You’re the one that went to the shop with Bobby. Maybe Bobby did it! That loser would sell us out, and you know it.”
“Well,” Rhyne said, his voice calm, “I could shoot all three of you. That would make things easier, now, wouldn’t it?”
Mason slowly raised his gun. “You may be a great businessman, but I’m a better shot.”
The woman who had brought in the sandwiches suddenly started wailing. “Please don’t kill him!”
Rhyne kept his eyes on Mason. “See what you’ve done? This is a train wreck. You’ve become a gigantic liability. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses …”
“Wait!” shrieked Mason’s woman. “Don’t kill him!” She pointed at Mackenzie and shouted, “She’s the cop!”
Chapter 40
Hurry up!” Jesse whispered. They leaped over the last fence and into Rhyne Grello’s backyard. The grass was cluttered with auto parts. Jesse crouched, trying to figure how he could get a look inside. The two large windows most likely belonged to bedrooms. There was a small window in the back door. If this house was like the one that they were renting, it would lead straight into the kitchen. It might give them a view of the living room. Jesse signaled he was going to the porch. He pointed to the two windows for Wiz and Dozer. All three crept forward, weapons drawn, feet padding lightly through the tall grass.
Jesse listened, snuck onto the back patio, then peeked into the small rectangular window. At first he didn’t see anything, but then there was movement. Mason. He was pointing a gun at another man. Must be Grello. Grello also held a gun, and was waving it back and forth. He couldn’t see Mack. Suddenly Grello lurched forward and grabbed something. He heard screaming. Rhyne was dragging Mack by her hair to the center of the living room.
There was more screaming from someone else, another woman. Grello told someone to shut up. Jesse turned to Wiz and Dozer and held up five fingers. This situation was getting out of control quickly.
After explaining how she knew Mackenzie was a cop, Brandi said, “I swear, Mason, after we met that evening in the bar, I knew I wanted to get back together with you. And then you called me … I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!”
Rhyne, clearly baffled as to whom he should be pointing the gun at, finally just gestured with it. “We have a cop and a snitch in our midst, Mason. A cop. A cop who followed you.”
Mason held up his hands to try to get everyone to calm down, but he still had the gun in his hand, and everyone but Rhyne ducked. He quickly lowered his hand to his side and turned to Kyle. “Please,” Mason began. “Just take it easy, Rhyne. Let’s figure this out.”
Mason wondered what Kyle was capable of, with the new discovery that his girlfriend wasn’t who he thought she was. Kyle looked pretty shocked. Mason knew the feeling. “Listen, man,” Mason said, “a chick turning on you—well, that can happen to the best of us. Seriously, you couldn’t have known. But what are you going to do about it?” Mason said, gesturing toward her with his gun.
Rhyne sneered. “He’s going to do nothing. Look at him. He’s going to pass out.”
“I know he gives that impression. But trust me, he’s like Jekyll and Hyde. He’s about to snap, I’m sure of it.” Mason turned back to Kyle. “You’re about to snap, right?”
“Uh, um. I just think … I …”
Behind them, Rhyne sighed.
“Give him some room. He’s just processing all of this.” Mason stepped a little closer. “You want me to spill a beer or something?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rhyne growled. Mason could tell his patience was growing very thin.
With two rapidly moving fingers, Mason beckoned Brandi over and then grabbed a sandwich off a plate. “Take this.”
“No … no, I’m not, um, hungry …”
“It’s ham. See? Ham!”
“Beer? Ham?” Rhyne raised his gun. “I’m getting annoyed.”
“Just wait a second, okay?” Mason held the sandwich up to Kyle’s mouth. “Go on, take a bite. Maybe it’ll calm you down. Then you can take care of this situation for us. Get rid of the cop. It’s ham, remember? A brighter outlook and all that?”
Rhyne shook his head and started pacing erratically.
“He can do this for us, Rhyne. No guns. No nosy neighbors calling the police.”
Kyle chewed slowly and blinked with every bite.
“Well,” Rhyne said impatiently. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot. What do you have to say? Are you going to deal with this or not?”
The room grew silen
t. Kyle seemed to change right in front of them. He calmly set down the sandwich, looked around the room at each of them and then said, “ ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
“What the … ?” Rhyne shouted.
“Shut up!” Mason said. “Let the man speak! He’s coming around to a point here—”
“Surely he will save you from—”
A loud crashing noise suddenly shook the windows. Everyone looked up, but they realized too late that the noises came from behind them. Three men stormed into the room. Masons gun was knocked away as he was forced to the floor. With his face pressed into the carpet, his arms were pulled behind him and a knee jammed between his shoulder blades. There was no question about it. He was under arrest.
So much for the ham.
Laura Gates sat on the back patio watching the sun rise. Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was a mess, but she didn’t care. The fresh morning air flowed into her lungs as she listened to chirping birds and barking dogs. The back door slid open. Laura rose to help her father carry two plates out to the table. He smiled. “Been a long time since I made breakfast for two.”
“It looks wonderful, Dad.”
He patted her on the cheek and sat down next to her. They’d talked long into the night, until her father had fallen asleep in his recliner. Laura had curled up on the couch.
When he’d opened the door to see her standing on his doorstep, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and said, “My Laura! My Laura!”
They talked about everything. Her father listened intently as she told him about her career. How she got from there to here. He talked about his retirement, his loneliness, and how he’d truly hoped they could reconnect when he moved to Vegas. Tears filled his eyes as he told her he couldn’t find the courage to call. He was afraid she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Laura marveled at how twenty years of pain and disappointment were undone in a matter of minutes. As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, it all faded away. And here they were, eating breakfast together, enjoying each other’s company like not a day was missed.
Snitch Page 29
