The older man stood up with one arm resting firmly on his hip. “Son, what were you thinking?” Leo caught his eye and groaned a bit but did not respond. The older man realized now was probably not the most convenient time to scold the careless young man. “Well, at least I bet you will have a healthy respect of catfish from now on!” and “We’d better get him to the emergency room.”
He refused to allow his facial expressions to clearly reveal the amount of burning pain that surged through his foot and up his leg. The guy who had yanked the catfish off his foot had lost his grip on it a couple of times. On the final pull he swiveled the catfish back and forth while pulling. To Leo, it truly felt as if his foot had been drilled. He envisioned bits of flesh swirled round and round, like swirling spaghetti around a fork. He bit back his agony, trying not to attract any more unnecessary attention to himself.
Two more fishermen came to help in the rescue. Minutes later, Leo was hoisted up and carried right past the four unsuspecting tourists.
Bob’s group was no more than one third of the way out on the old pier when a group of five or six fishermen rushed by, hollering and shoving them out of the way. “Look out! Move! We have an injured man! Watch out!”
It all happened so fast, Bob and his men had very little time to react. At first, he thought they had been ambushed by Leo, and that any second, they themselves, would be dumped into the churning waters below the pier. He had reached under his jacket and had managed to get his hand on the butt of his 9mm semi-auto pistol neatly concealed in a shoulder holster, but did not retrieve it. Reality was he would not have had time to retrieve it had it been an actual ambush. As he slowly withdrew his slightly trembling hand from the butt of the pistol, he could feel his heart pounding in his throat. He first took a deep breath to calm himself, and then he glanced at his men to make sure they were okay. Ervin was fiercely clinging to the side rail and was hyper-ventilating. Bob walked over to Ervin and patted him on the shoulder. “I know how you feel about water, Ervin. You’re okay now. Steady your breathing, Buddy.”
When Ervin seemed calmer Bob looked up at the others. Florin had an inquisitive look on his face as he watched the fishermen leave the jetty. He glanced up and caught Bob’s eye for a moment, then broke eye contact. Bob felt like shaking him, demanding that Florin reveal his thoughts, but he resisted. He had never figured Florin out, and did not expect to make much progress now either. Florin seldom volunteered information unless it was essential or crucial to the mission. He never bothered him with trivial matters, nor took part in much idle chit chat.
“Come on guys,” Bob said in a low voice and then added, “but be ready for anything, even a trap!”
After reaching the end of the pier without locating Leo, he was disappointed and extremely frustrated. He instructed his men to spread out and question fishermen regarding Leo and to meet back at the entrance within the hour. Perhaps he had never come to the pier at all. If he was further than 10 blocks before, he’d now been granted another hour’s lead.
At six in the morning the men reassembled in the parking lot by the pier. They had obtained very little information or cooperation from the remaining fishermen on the pier. Florin stepped forward, holding a shoe. “Look familiar?”
Bob took the shoe and looked up at the others questioningly.
“Turn it over. Look at the bottom,” Florin advised.
Ervin, who was the first one off the pier, and trying to control his fear of water, snapped at Florin, “Gosh darn it Florin, quit playing games. If you have something to say, open your freaking pie hole and spit it out already!”
Bob smoothly interceded, “You are absolutely right, Florin. Great job! So he was on the pier!”
John creased his forehead, and winced as the facial expression moved his nose and increased the throb in his left cheek and jaw.
Florin took the shoe from Bob and tossed it to Ervin. “Remember the tracks on the beach? Those tracks were made by this shoe. It probably matches the tread mark on your leg as well.”
Ervin let out a growl and moved towards Florin aggressively. Bob intercepted him with a hand on his chest. “Knock it off, Ervin; it has been a long night for all of us.”
Florin looked Ervin in the eye, and smiled slyly at him. “You might also notice the hole in the top and bottom of the shoe, as well as the fresh blood inside it.”
Bob’s face lit up as he finally put two and two together. “John, get on your phone, call us a cab, and start getting the location of the nearest emergency room, hospital or clinic that is open all night. The injured man they carried off the jetty was Leo. We’ll catch him yet!”
Forty-five minutes later, the four men crowded into a local cab and headed to the nearest emergency clinic.
Chapter 4
Leo had an ignoble trip to the clinic. His shoe had been left on the jetty, he was dropped on his rear in the parking lot, and he was finally shoved into a small VW bug that took three men to push-start. At the emergency clinic, he had to fill out seemingly-unnecessary paperwork to satisfy the receptionist, even though he told her he would settle the bill in cash. Eventually, he was wheeled off to be treated.
He knew what to expect. He had stepped on a similar catfish as a teenager. Of course, that time it had been an accident, and a very painful learning experience, one he had never dreamed of duplicating. Fate is a strange thing. Perhaps one of his most excruciating boyhood accidents had saved his life this time around.
Leo felt like an observer, somehow removed from his body as he watched the intern clean the wound with a sponge and a bucket of warm soapy water. He scrubbed bits of dried blood from around the puncture, causing it to start bleeding again. He lay on his side and watched the intern dab Betadine Solution around the wound. Next, the intern with his blue scrubs, purple gloves, and white face mask, selected what seemed like a syringe with the longest needle in the hospital. As expected, the intern injected the wound several times. At least after the second injection, Leo felt a lessening of pain with each subsequent heartbeat.
He felt like he had been watching a movie. Although present and watching attentively, he felt no more immediate pain. He felt pressure as the intern picked tiny black specks from the wound with a pair of tweezers. An attractive nurse who swabbed up the oozing blood looked at Leo several times with empathy.
Leo suddenly felt the room spin as the intern took six inch Q-tips swabbed in Iodine and forced them through his foot, from the top through the bottom and vice versa. He repeated the procedure four agonizing times. When the intern forced the Q-tip through his foot for the final time, Leo was forced to look away as he felt quite queasy. He drew on reserves of willpower to keep from bringing up the bitter bile he could taste in the back of his throat.
The physician finished with five stiches on the bottom, and three neat stiches on the top, and then left the finishing touches to the nurse. She gently dabbed the wound, wiping up some remaining blood droplets, and then poured a small amount of hydrogen peroxide over the stiches. Again, Leo had to look away as the peroxide foamed and bubbled, like nitric acid eating away his flesh. Finally, she dried the wound and carefully applied gauze and a wrap-around bandage to his foot.
Eventually, he was wheeled back to the reception area, where he settled his bill in cash. He was told to stay off his foot and to be much more observant of his surroundings. He was given a prescription for pain pills, but knew he would not fill it. The receptionist volunteered to call him a cab, which he eagerly accepted. Leo, who had been overly distracted by the initial pain and the proceedings at the emergency room, was now ruefully aware of his current predicament.
He knew it would not take Bob long to figure out where he was. He anxiously awaited the arrival of the taxi, hoping that his painful heroics had not all been in vain. When the cab finally arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly entered the cab.
“Where to, sir?” the cab driver inquired.
“The airport. However, I’ll give yo
u an extra fifty if you tell anyone who might ask that you dropped me off at the bus station instead, okay?” He said questioningly.
The cabby grinned in agreement and responded, “No problem. Hey, for another fifty, I’ll never have seen you before in my life.”
Leo smiled and waved him on, mentioning that he was in a bit of a hurry. The cab driver took the hint and immediately depressed the accelerator, heading for the airport.
The emergency clinic looked to be closed from a distance. Only a couple of vehicles were visible in the parking lot, and the night lights had just turned themselves off in the half-light of dawn. Rosy streamers mingled with the mist to the west.
It had been a rough night for everyone. No supper, extreme physical activity, and high tension. Perhaps it would all be over in a few minutes and they could all go to bed.
Bob instructed Florin to stay with the cab driver and guard the entrance.
Ervin looked over at John. “Looks like you can get medical assistance for your jaw here at the same time.” Ervin laughed at his own joke, but neither Bob nor John gave him any satisfaction by responding to his lame attempt at humor. Ervin stared gloomily out at the parking lot. He probably had a better chance at getting a hen to lay a golden egg than pulling a laugh out of either of his companions.
It was getting lighter by the minute. It looked like it might be a fine day. If they could just quickly dispose of Leo, perhaps they could all get some well-deserved rest. Yes, the sleep of the righteous. He smiled at his own internal joke this time. The hell with the sour pusses he traveled with. A couple of hours rest and he might seek out and find a willing woman anxious to help a big government hero get the desired satisfaction he so rightfully deserved.
Bob walked right up to the receptionist and pulled out his wallet and flashed it open to an impressive looking document. “I am leading an investigation, and have reason to believe you are currently treating a man with a foot injury. He is wanted for questioning. Where is he right now?”
“You just missed him. I called him a cab myself. I didn’t know he was wanted for anything. I wouldn’t have helped him if I’d known. That’s not a crime, helping someone if you didn’t know they were a criminal, is it?”
“No it’s not a crime. You did nothing wrong. Now relax. Did he say where he was going?”
“No sir, I am afraid he did not. But he only left a couple of minutes ago; if you hurry you can probably still catch up to him.”
“Thank you, mam. You’ve been a big help.”
He quickly spun on his heel and ran for his own cab. As he climbed in and slammed the door behind him, he asked the driver, “Can you please reach your dispatch on your radio for me?”
The cab driver nodded. “What do you need?”
Florin, Ervin, and John got in the cab as well, and shut their doors as Bob continued his conversation with the cab driver. “I need you to call your dispatch and find out who was recently sent to this emergency room clinic, and where they took the person that they picked up. Can you do that?”
The driver hesitated. Bob insinuated that he would throw in a large tip for the cab driver’s added efforts. Within minutes, the cabbies were talking to each other over the radio. Conflicting reports surfaced. The cab company dispatch reported that the other cab driver took a man to the airport; however, the cab driver insisted that dispatch had it wrong. The other cab driver relayed that he dropped off an injured man at the bus station, not the airport.
Frustrated, he finally asked the cab driver to call dispatch and order another taxi to be sent to the emergency room clinic. Next, he instructed Florin and John to get out and wait for the other cab and to take it to the bus depot. In the meantime Bob and Ervin would take the existing cab to the airport in search of Leo. If there was no sign of him anywhere, they were all to meet back at the hotel by nine o’clock.
Florin and John climbed out of the cab and waited near the entrance of the clinic for the second cab to arrive. It was still cool as pockets of mist hugged the city around them. John figured that Bob thought the other cab driver was lying. He must have thought their current mission was rather insignificant or he would personally have gone to the bus depot. “So Florin, do you think Leo is at the bus depot?” John asked jovially.
Florin concentrated a bit, looked across the street and then looked back at John. “To tell you the truth, John, I think we are both on a wild goose chase.”
“Just what do you mean by that statement?”
“Well, Bob underestimated this guy from the start. He’s smart. He’s not going to be easy to catch. I think he could have killed you both back at the restaurant if he had wanted to. I also think he could have ambushed us several more times this evening. It’s almost as if he’s just playing or toying with us, keeping us occupied for some reason. This guy means real trouble for the organization.”
John stared at Florin in amazement. It was the first time John could ever remember Florin saying so much at one time. It was also disturbing to him, knowing both that Florin seemed to have a real respect for Leo, and that his beloved B.B.U.S.A. might be in for some serious problems. Florin was probably their best fighter, or at least a close second to Bob. “Are you afraid of him, Florin?” John said in a soft, nearly shaky voice, not sure that he truly wanted to hear the answer to his own question.
“Afraid? No! I fear no man. I die only once. To fear anything or to live in constant fear is to die a hundred deaths. I, long ago, chose to only die once. I do respect and admire his courage and endurance.” Florin spoke to John like a Sensei to a pupil who just earned a black belt in martial arts.
“Am I hearing you right? You admire the son of a bitch when you say he means serious trouble for the B.B.U.S.A.?” John said much louder, having found his voice again.
Florin glanced up at the headlights of the taxi pulling up, and then looked John back squarely in the eyes with such intensity that John felt goose bumps pop out all over his body. John broke eye contact first, looking down and reluctantly looking Florin in the eyes again. Satisfied, Florin continued where he left off. “My friend, even a coyote is dangerous when trapped. A mother moose may be one of the most dangerous animals in North America when protecting her young, even more ferocious than perhaps a grizzly bear. You would be wrong to underestimate a trapped man fighting for his safety and for the safety of his family. For that reason, I respect and admire him.” Florin walked around to the front passenger door of the awaiting taxi, and then turned back around to face John. “Besides, he would be a worthy adversary and, from the looks of you and Ervin, a good challenge.”
Florin opened the cab door and asked the cab driver to take them to the bus depot. John got in the back of the cab and secured his seat belt. He was still processing their conversation when the cab lurched forward. John felt a sudden chill but dismissed it to the cool night and mist in the air.
Chapter 5
Leo walked over to an ATM in the airport and wondered if his credit cards had been canceled yet. To his surprise, he was able to successfully withdraw three hundred dollars from each of his four different cards. The credit cards probably just gave his pursuers an easier means of tracking him; therefore, it was not in their best interest to have his cards revoked-nor in his best interest to continue using them. He went over to one of the large airline ticket counters and purchased a ticket that had lay-overs in San Francisco, Denver, and Chicago, and a final destination of New York City.
A few minutes later, he bought a spare pair of loafers from an elderly man who seemed to be struggling with his bags. The elderly man had both his carry-on and checkin bags open transferring items to get his checkin bags under the fifty pound maximum requirement. Leo paid the man sixty dollars for the shoes. They shook hands and parted ways.
The loafers were a bit large for him, but that worked out fine as he was able to insert his still bandaged foot in the oversized shoes. At least now he was far less conspicuous, having both feet in shoes, instead of hobbling arou
nd with one foot wrapped in a bandage.
Leo left through the front doors of the terminal. Although he did not feel a great deal of discomfort from the new loafers, he did feel phantom tingling pains, like your gums after a trip to the dentist when the Novocain begins to wear off. He left the terminal and crossed the busy street that was primarily used for unloading passengers. He took an airport shuttle bus to the Hertz rental lot a short distance away and chose a nice-looking, golden Toyota Camry. He paid with his credit card and rented the car for seven days.
Leo immediately drove to a heavily populated area of town. That particular residential area was only a few blocks from the downtown commercial district and used to have, on average, a higher rate of crime than the rest of the city. He parked the car under a large shaded tree next to a small corner city park with an accompanying playground. He left the doors unlocked and then placed the keys in the cup holder between the two front seats in plain view, should any baited parties take an interest in the unlocked vehicle. Leo knew that in order to proceed with his plans, he would need to have a clean get-a-way and leave as many dead end trails as possible.
He slowly walked out of the old residential area and into the commercial district. The city seemed to be coming alive again as business owners and employees were just arriving at work and beginning to open up for the day.
Leo entered a Fred Meyer store that was already open, despite the empty appearance of the giant parking lot. Once inside, he grabbed a shopping cart and filled it with a nice pair of Asics running shoes, Levi jeans, T-shirts, hygiene products, socks, underwear, a pair of sunglasses, and a light weight imitation leather jacket. Near the front counter, Leo opened a free standing mini refrigerator and added six No Fear energy drinks and eight Vitamin Water drinks. While waiting in line near the register, he added four packs of jerky, a container of bubble gum, and a small travel first aid kit that would undoubtedly come in handy with his injured foot.
B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) Page 3
