Manuel Fernandez hadn’t thought anything about the blonde woman jogging towards him, and had, in fact, stood transfixed as she approached. He was taken by her blonde hair and sleek form as she jogged toward him. When Vicki was ten feet away, she had reached behind her and pulled her .38 ladies special and fired into the man’s chest. The bullet had slammed into his chest and knocked him to the ground. As she continued her approach, Manuel had rolled over, pulled his own weapon, and fired blindly. The bullet went wide and Vicki, caught off guard, had stumbled to her left to avoid the bullet.
Sean had seen the whole thing unfold before him in slow motion. After the man’s bullet went wide, Sean popped the door and was running towards Vicki before their target had an opportunity to fire again. His gun was out and in front of him, the iron sights of his handgun covered the man’s chest. He fired twice, the first went wide, but the second had hit him center mass. The thundering sound and recoil of the gun had rocked the quiet neighborhood’s tranquil setting.
Vicki had finally righted herself and was moving systematically towards their target. Her arms were extended with both hands cradling the gun in a solid grip. Her second bullet landed in Manuel’s right knee. The third round grazed his head, which rendered him unable to fight back. Sean, by this time, had reached the target and emptied his gun into the man’s head at point blank range.
When his gun locked on empty, the echoes of their gunshots rang across the upscale neighborhood for a long time. The air filled with the smells of cordite and blood.
Both Vicki and Sean had taken a moment to look around for any witnesses who could identify them later on. Satisfied they were in the clear, they had turned on their heels and began walking back to their car. When they reached the car they had heard the wails of his wife and children. Neither of them turned to see the carnage they had wrought.
That had been two years ago. Since that time, they had killed eleven times. After today, their number of kills would reach twelve. Also, the money they were about to receive would allow them to leave South Florida for good.
There was a nice Cuban place down the road from where their target was staying, so they had decided to have an early lunch. Sean drove the rented sedan casually and unhurried. He made sure his speed was never more than a mile or two over the posted speed limit. They both knew the risk they faced if they were pulled over. Sean never checked his mirror for a tail. Instead, he focused on how and where they should spend the night after the job was over.
Barry made sure he kept several car lengths behind the pair so as not to be noticed. He followed them to a Cuban place, where he watched them go inside. He parked his car across the street and after making sure they were going to be busy for a while, he pulled back out into the street. He drove around for several minutes looking for a car he could trade.
The Kia he had stolen was good for surveying the house where Ronald’s wife was staying, but now that he had identified the hit team he was supposed to stop, he figured an SUV would be the better choice. He finally found a 2000 Ford Explorer in the parking lot of a Safeway. He parked next to it and after making sure he wasn’t going to be disturbed, he got out, popped the locks and hot-wired it.
Twenty minutes later he was again parked across the street from the Cuban restaurant. He could see both of them seated next to a street-side window. He debated staying with them until he found an opportunity to kill them both, but finally decided to return to his stake out and wait for them.
When he returned to his post he found the space he had occupied earlier had been taken. He circled the block two more times before he found an open space with a view of the house. Barry climbed into the back seat and waited.
Vicki and Sean finished their early lunch and drove back to their hotel, where they both showered and changed into dark-colored clothing. Both of them checked their weapons and then loaded them into a mid-size SUV they had lifted just outside of Miami. As was their custom, Vicki would take the first watch while Sean slept in the back seat. After that, they would change places until the time came for them to creep the house.
They got back around three that afternoon. As they turned down the street, a space opened up two houses down and across the street. Vicki pulled in and put the car in park.
Sean said, “You see the car in the driveway?”
“What about it?”
“Well, it wasn’t there before, so you know…” he left the thought unfinished.
Vicki looked at him in the rearview mirror and then shook her head. “So what? Now we at least know someone is home.”
Chastised, Sean said, “I’m just saying, you know someone is home so maybe it’s a good time to keep an eye out, you know?”
“Yeah fine, Sean, thanks for the notice.”
They both stared at the house for a while, waiting for someone to come outside.
Barry watched the SUV pulling into the parking spot across the street and noticed the couple in it. He again took out his gun and set it on the seat next to him. He had seen the Mercedes pull into the driveway and watched the driver get out and walk inside. He picked up his phone and sent a text to Ronald, asking about the male driver. Ronald sent a text back telling him not to pay attention to him.
Earl had done everything he could to juggle his schedule around so he would be free to go with Lori, Jessica and the kids down to the Alligator Park. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with Lori or the kids since the divorce, but today he had promised himself he would change all of that.
Earl walked through the house looking to see if anybody was home. He found Jessica sitting in the same spot he had left her earlier that morning.
“I see you’ve made great strides today.”
Jessica laughed and said, “This kitchen bar stool fits my behind rather nicely.”
“Never took you for a barfly.”
She laughed again and said, “Well, there’s a lot you don’t know, Earl.”
He looked at her, trying to decide if her comment was in jest or if there was something she was trying to tell him. “Something wrong?”
Jessica shook her head but didn’t reply.
“Lori is picking up the kiddos?”
“She should be back anytime now.”
“Well, I hope the trip down to the park is still on.”
“Well, it is for us. What about you?”
“Not every day a renowned dentist can move his schedule around so he can be free to cavort with his wife and kids.”
“They're not your kids, Earl. They have a father and his name is Walter,” she said with an edge.
“Something bothering you Jess?”
Jessica blew out her breath and then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Earl. I never should have said that.”
He shrugged and said, “No, it’s me who should be sorry. I sometimes forget you’re Walt’s sister. Just so you know, I love both of those kids like they were my own.”
Embarrassed, she said, “God, I hate myself sometimes. I know you do and you’re a wonderful father to my niece and nephew. It’s just sometimes it hurts, you know? I mean Walt had it all but he just couldn’t keep it together.”
“Forget it,” he said without really meaning it.
“Tell you what, how about we just forget I was a bitch and just enjoy the afternoon with your kids. Deal?”
“Deal,” he said.
“How about you go upstairs and change into something that doesn’t make you look like a dentist and I’ll get us something to drink while we wait.”
He grinned at her and agreed.
They both smiled at each other and then Earl headed upstairs to change while she went about looking in the fridge for a beer.
Chapter 27
I woke up the next morning feeling groggier than the day before. I’ve never understood why doctors tell you to ‘just relax and get some rest’ when you're laid up in a hospital. Even though I wasn’t attached to any monitors, the nurses checked on me every hour, on the hour.
Around 3:00 a.m. I
finally barked at the nurse to leave me alone. She just smiled that tight-lipped smile all matronly nurses do when their patients are being difficult, then sauntered out of my room.
I gave up trying to sleep around daybreak and turned on the TV. The fingers on my bandaged hand made it difficult to work the remote and after several frustrating minutes, I finally sat up in bed and took it off. The doctor had done a good job of patching up the wound. Instead of stitches, he had used a butterfly band aid. I tried flexing it a few times, but the shooting pain gave me a good reason to stop. Still, I was able to work the remote to flip through the channels.
The door to my room slid open and a nurse came in to check on me. I slipped my hand under the covers to keep her from discovering what I had done.
“Well, you’re sure up bright and early this morning.”
“Ever tried to sleep in a hospital?”
She stopped beside my bed and cocking her head to the side, she gave it some thought. “You know, I’ve never been in a hospital before.”
I thought about pointing out where she was standing, but then let it go. Fighting with her was just going to give me a headache. “Well, as you can see, I’m still breathing.”
“Don’t be such a grouch. It’s going to be a nice day out and if you start your day out with a frown, it’s just going to make you feel sad.”
Who can argue with logic like that?
“How’s your hand?”
“Still attached.”
“My, your surly this morning, aren’t you?”
You’re about to find out, I thought. “When’s breakfast?”
“Oh, not for another hour or so. Are you hungry?”
I nearly bit my tongue in half with a snarky reply. Instead, I said, “Yes I am. In fact, I’ll have toast with butter, eggs over easy, crispy bacon and a stack of flapjacks.”
“Mr. Walker, I’m not a waitress and we don’t take special orders. How about some juice and crackers instead?”
“How about you waddle your ass out of my room and go ruin someone else’s day?”
She pursed her lips, turned around and left. After she was gone I picked up the remote and flipped the channels around until I found the local morning news. My name wasn’t in the line-up so I assumed I was yesterday’s news. I was just about to turn the channel when they teased a story about Common Core Oil.
“Coming up after the break, we’ll take you inside Grand Junction’s new oil boom right here in Western Colorado.” The picture changed to the oil trucks I had been seeing all around town over the last few days. My mind again began to try and pick up the thread of thought that had been lurking in the back of it since the other day, when I had asked Ronald about it.
The second commercial showed a Common Core Oil truck sitting on top of an adobe hill. The engineer had plans in one hand and a tablet in the other. The voiceover came in over the top of the music and said, “Here at Common Core Oil, we strive to stem the tide of our nation's dependency on foreign oil. The western slope of Colorado has a rich history of oil exploration and we are leading the charge to help our nation on the way to energy independence. We believe that not only oil, but wind and solar energy can be harvested from this valley.”
The picture changed to a stern man in an expensive suit. “Hello, my name is Fritz Washington and I give you my pledge to not only safely harvest oil from the Grand Valley, but to also provide good paying jobs to the good men and women who call this valley home. Join me tomorrow for the first of many job fairs. We need people to help us lead the way. I believe that the best way for Common Core to be good neighbors is to show you we share the same Common Core values that you do.”
After that, the music came up and the picture changed to show the valley with a Common Core logo in the middle of the screen.
I sat there thinking hard about the commercial and what the CEO Fritz Washington had said. My thoughts were interrupted by the opening of my hospital door. My eyes slid to the door, but instead of a nurse, two men in cheap off-the-rack suits walked in. Their hair was cut in a style that only FBI agents could pull off.
I switched off the TV and turned to face the two agents that now stood at the foot of my bed.
“Mr. Walker, my name is Agent Butler and this is my partner, Agent Jordan. We’re here to interview you about the attack you suffered the other night.”
“What a relief to see my tax dollars at work,” I said, deadpan.
“I understand your assailant tried to strangle you with an instrument that is not your typical weapon.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
“How do you mean?” asked agent Jordan.
“Generally speaking, when I was a cop and had to make hospital calls, I made it a point to at least feign concern for the victim’s well-being.”
This earned me a look from both of them. I took that to mean one of two things: one, the jig was up and they were on to me, or two, neither of them had ever walked a beat. If it was the former, then I had plenty to worry about. But if it was the latter… well, then I had some room to wiggle.
Agent Butler turned his focus back to me and said in a robotic voice “Please accept my apology, Mr. Walker. How are you doing this morning? Not in too much pain I hope?”
I shook my head. “You see, now you’re just being condescending. You need to work on your sympathy for the victim. You know, develop a bond of trust and cooperation. Pretend you care. Try again.”
“I wiped my ass with your statement this morning, Walker. You’re so full of shit! We know there is a lot you’re not telling us, so stop with the woe-is-me routine!” Agent Jordan said.
Now I knew Jordan was the seasoned of the two and Butler I had pegged for a college man who waltzed into the Bureau with a papered degree but no real street experience. I grinned at both of them. “Sorry guys, just having a little fun at your expense, bad habit from my days as a cop.”
“Yeah, we know all about your record with Texas and Florida and we’re not impressed. A shitty cop who now drinks his job away. You’re just playing cop now. Fucking Insurance investigator, the last bastion for washed-out cops,” Jordan deadpanned.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Could have been worse, I could have become an FBI agent. At least I still work the streets like a real cop.”
Jordan made a move toward the bed, but Butler stepped in front of him. “Easy Mike, don’t let this turd chaser get the better of you.”
“So, what, you’re the good agent to his stupid agent? That actually works?”
Butler turned back to face me. “I think that’s enough horseplay for one day, don’t you?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” Butler asked sarcastically.
“On whether or not you’re willing to share with me who tried to smash my head like a pumpkin.”
“You know we can’t share that with you.”
“Well, then let the record show I know nothing more than I did last night.”
Both of them exchanged a look which I took as a good sign. Butler nodded his head slightly and then Jordan turned back to me and said, “We know there were at least three of you in that bathroom. A shooter, your assailant, and you.”
“You found ballistics?” I asked, genuinely shocked.
Butler nodded. “Yeah, we found two spent .22 rounds. No casings, but we did find the bullets.”
“You find any prints or DNA from the garrote?”
“Yeah, we got both prints and DNA.”
“And…”
They did the look again, but this time Jordan shook his head. Then Butler said, “Sorry but we aren’t at liberty to share that.”
“Come on guys, I deserve to at least know who it was that tried to decapitate me.”
“Sorry, but those are the rules.”
I lay in my bed and thought about what they had just told me. Obviously they didn’t have Ronald or we would be having an entirely different discussion. I tried a new tack with them. “I remember seeing a man driving some kind of se
dan. I saw him look at us when we went inside. At the time I didn’t think anything about it. I mean Marcie looked rather good, so…” I let the thought die. My hope was they would give me a little more to go on.
“Can you give us a description or a plate? What about the car, anything special about it?”
White male, older, maybe in his fifties or sixties; had one of those Kangal hats you see these days. He looked like a college professor.” I shook my head again and said, “No plates. The car was newer, but nothing that stood out. That’s it.”
“You never saw him after that?”
“Not that I remember.”
By now, Jordan had his notebook out and was taking notes. He looked up from his notepad and asked, “How about later?”
“You mean in the john?”
He nodded.
“Just what I told Paul.”
“Anybody following you or making threats”
“Nope.”
“Tell us why you came to Grand Junction.”
I had to be careful here. Too much information and they would be all over Ronald and me. Not enough and they would know I was holding back. I decided to take another run at my attacker. “Come on, you gotta tell me who it was that tried to ace me. I was a cop for a lot of years and I did put a lot of gangsters and degenerates away. So if one of my old arrests is looking at payback, I deserve some information.”
This time Butler didn’t look to Jordan for permission before he said, “The prints came back to a Tommy Bones, aka Deep Freeze. He’s a thug for hire out of Boston. Mr. Bones is wanted for a variety of suspected hits all over the place. Never been arrested or done time as far as we can tell.”
I blew out my breath and then shook my head. “Name doesn’t ring any bells. You look to see if this Bones guy is connected to anybody I busted when I was still a cop?”
Jordan shook his head. “Nothing so far, but all we’ve had time to do is a surface search. Maybe later today we’ll have something. Hey, where are you staying?”
On The Devil's Side of Heaven Page 21
