Deadly Game

by R. B. Conroy

  “Hello Strom.”

  “Are you sitting down?”

  “No, why?”

  “It’s Vito.”

  “Vito?”

  “Yes, he was found shot to death in that game preserve near your lake late this afternoon. Barnes just called me.”

  Alex crumbled against the side of the garage shaking his head. “Are you kidding me, I was at that preserve early this morning shooting my pistol.”

  “It’s so awful—Josh and now Vito.”

  “What happened? Do they know who did it?” Alex was beside himself at this point. Josh and Vito within twenty-four hours of one another.

  Strom continued. “My wife called Anita and she said that Vito told her that he was going to the preserve early this morning and take target practice with his old .22 rifle. She said he was going to take a back trail to the range, the one he used as a kid. She said he had done this once or twice before. She was asleep when he left and wasn’t sure of the time.”

  “How’s Anita doing?”

  “Surprisingly well, Esther said she was pretty matter-of-fact about things.”

  “Hmmm, have you heard anything else?”

  “Yes, I listened to the news report on Channel 6 and they said that the local authorities are investigating, and at this point, it looks like a terrible accident. They think he could have been hit by an errant rifle shot from someone taking target practice at the nearby rifle range. The DNR officer who was interviewed said that Vito was in a restricted area near the range, but it’s not well marked and many hunters unknowingly wander into that area. So it could have also been an accidental shooting by a hunter. They indicated that there are no signs of foul play at this time. And by the way, could that be the range you were at today?”

  “Yes, there’s only one range.”

  “They estimated he was shot somewhere between 6:00 A.M. and 10 A.M.”

  “I was there at 6:30.”

  “Did you hear anything?”

  “No, not really. I was the only one at the range at the time; most people don’t shoot until a little later when it’s not as damp. I thought I heard something once but its squirrel season—you hear rifle shots all of the time around here.”

  There was a pause at the other end. “Sorry to bring you such bad news, especially after Josh yesterday.”

  “Oh no, Strom, please, you did exactly the right thing. I had to know. Thank you for calling. It’s just so numbing.”

  “It certainly is. Well, I’d better run. Let’s keep in touch; we have a couple of funerals coming up. I’ll call you when I get the details.”

  “Okay Strom, thanks again.”

  Nicky stepped out of the back door and saw Alex slumped against the garage. “What’s the matter, dear?”

  Alex sighed, “That was Strom. Vito was accidentally shot and killed today just a short distance from the practice range at Tri-County.”

  Nicky stepped off the back porch and fell against her husband, holding him tightly, as much for herself as him. “Oh my!” she sobbed.

  “I know. This is all unbelievable.”

  “What is going on here, honey? Josh and now Vito!”

  Alex stood up and grabbed Nicky by her shoulders. “I’m not sure honey, but I’m worried that this whole situation with the TARP money has gotten out of hand—way out of hand. Barnes has connections with the White House and the President wants me to keep the money very badly for political reasons. The cars we’ve seen are Government goons—they’ve have been tailing me for some time.”

  “Oh, my goodness!”

  “I know. I didn’t want to worry you, but it’s getting so intense that I’m worried about your safety. I’m going to call my Uncle Ned and take you there right away. You’ll be safe at his place.”

  ………

  Alex’s uncle, Ned Crane, a retired Green Beret officer, was one of the most decorated soldiers of the Vietnam era. During one heroic effort, he strapped a machine gun on each shoulder, wrapped several belts of ammo around his waist and single-handedly charged a nest of Viet Cong snipers nestled in a thicket of trees near his beleaguered platoon. There was heavy return fire and he was hit twice in the upper arm and thigh but that didn’t stop Sergeant Crane. He continued to charge up the hill and eventually wiped out all twenty-two Viet Cong. Bloodied and exhausted, and with his platoon safe from harm, he led his men, all of them alive and well, back to the large base camp.

  The awards ceremony was held several months later in Washington, DC and was attended by President Johnson and his top military brass. Five Star General Edward Stanton said the following at the ceremony: “In a war, where the enemy is often unknown and the battle grounds are mostly undefined, there has always been one constant in this unconventional war. And that is, our enemy fears one thing more than death itself, and that one thing is the man standing next to me. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you a man among men and a soldier among soldiers, the unstoppable, courageous, Sergeant Ned Crane.” The televised ceremony went coast to coast making good ole Uncle Ned a national hero—at least for a short while

  But as time passed, the harrowing events of that war began to take their toll. Now 70 and still in excellent physical condition, Ned Crane lived alone in an abandoned church in an isolated woods just west of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Over the years, he had become more and more reclusive. His home was now an armed camp. The old church and its sprawling grounds were surrounded on all sides by thick, barbed-wire fencing. He also had four well-trained Rottweilers and a huge German Shepherd that roamed the perimeter barking at anything and everything that moved. No one in their right mind would get within a hundred yards of his place.

  Inside, Uncle Ned maintained a huge cache of weapons, including several powerful AK-47’s and M16’s, along with assorted military handguns and bayonets for up close and personal combat. He had created several well-placed lookouts in the large building to give him a clear view of anyone coming or going from the premises. He had sensor operated spotlights placed strategically on the roof and in several of the large trees that surrounded the church. Anybody or anything moving at night would trigger the sensors making the grounds around the fortress bright as day. Alex felt certain that there wasn’t a safer place on earth to send his beloved Nicky.

  ………

  Nicky’s mouth dropped open. “Uncle Ned’s? No way!” She lifted a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her damp eyes.

  Alex squeezed her a little tighter, “Listen honey, I know he’s a little nutso, but he loves his family and he loves you.”

  “A little nutso is putting it mildly.”

  “Please honey.”

  Nicky shook her head, “I’m getting scared, Alex. First Josh and then Vito and now you’re asking me to go live with your crazy Uncle Ned.”

  “Honey, I’m concerned that these tragedies weren’t random or accidental. I need to get you to a safe place until I can figure out exactly what is going on. Hopefully it will only be for a few days.”

  Nicky sighed deeply. “What about those dogs? They bark constantly.”

  “I know.” Alex said softly.

  Nicky’s expression softened as she looked into the tortured eyes of her husband. “I understand honey, I know you’re worried. I don’t want to go, but I will.” She smiled warmly, “Thanks for loving me so much.”

  Alex gave her a peck on the cheek. He turned and lifted his cell phone to dial Uncle Ned.

  Nicky quickly spoke up, “Have you thought about what you’re going to say to him? If he thinks the President is after you, he’ll attack the White House with guns a-blazing.”

  “I know. I’m going to tell him that you and I have been threatened by extortionists and we need his help.”

  “Hmmm…good! Extortionists.”

  After several missed calls, Alex finally got through to Uncle Ned. Alex was hoping he would be able to help out. Protective by nature, he loved his family and would do anything to protect his “blood” as he liked to call them.

  “Hi Uncle
Ned, this is your nephew, Alex.”

  “Alex, so good to hear from you. How’s everything?”

  “Well, not the greatest. I have a favor to ask of you.”

  “Anything my boy, you know that.”

  “I have been threatened by extortionists and I need a safe place for Nicky to stay for a while. Can you help me out?”

  “Why sure, you can bring Nicky out here. She’ll be safe, I can assure you of that! Anybody that messes with my blood, messes with old Ned!” he replied enthusiastically. “And you tell your lovely Nicky that I’m a damned good cook on top of it. I ain’t goin no where, bring her out any time. She can stay as long as she likes.”

  “Thanks Uncle Ned, it may be yet today.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Good-bye Uncle Ned.”

  “Back at ya.”

  Alex never doubted his eccentric uncle’s assessment; he knew that Nicky would be fine with Uncle Ned. Alex stuck his iPhone back in the case. “He’s happy to have you dear and he said the food’s good. He said you can come out right away.”

  “Oh well,” she said wryly. “He talks a lot, so there’s never a dull moment.”

  “Better get packed dear. We need to get you over there as soon as we can.”

  Chapter 42

  Alex arrived back at the cottage after a longer than planned visit with his voluble Uncle Ned. When he entered the kitchen from the garage, the only sound he heard was the ticking of the old clock above the refrigerator. With Nicky safe, he could now begin to plan his strategy. But first, he had to call Louie Campano about the invitation to the lake he had extended to him earlier in the month. Alex punched in Louie’s cell number and glanced over at the family room. Yellow bars of sunlight drifted through the window forming a pattern of squares on the opposing wall. The squares were even and orderly, So different from my life right now, he thought.

  “Hello, Alex.”

  “Hi, Louie. How are you?”

  “Good, thank you, and how are you doing?”

  “Not so good. Listen Louie, it’s about tomorrow. I’m afraid I have to cancel the invitation.”

  “I know, I heard about Vito a little while ago. Word spreads fast in the old neighborhood. You have more important things on your mind than my visit right now with Josh and now Vito.”

  “Thank you Louie, for being so understanding. It’s all so shocking. Vito was killed just a short distance from where I was target shooting this morning.”

  The phone suddenly went dead on the other end.

  “Louie, are you still there?”

  “Yes, sorry. Listen Alex, I think we need to talk in private—right away.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll tell you when I talk to you.”

  Alex shook his head, “Okay, but I sure wish…”

  Louie interrupted, “I’m sorry Alex, but I’m coming to the lake after all. I’ll be there first thing in the morning, if it’s okay.”

  “Yes, of course, Nicky’s gone and…”

  Louie’s phone clicked off. Confused again, Alex fell back against the counter. He watched the thin black hand on the noisy clock jerk forward with each tick. Alex looked away from the clock at the family portrait above the fireplace. He stared lovingly at Nicky, Jarod, Missy and the kids. He walked to the family room, grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He dropped back in his recliner and turned the sound down low. It wasn’t long before he was fast asleep.

  Chapter 43

  The coffee pot groaned, the inviting scent of fresh-brewed coffee drifted throughout the sun-filled kitchen. Alex paused when he heard the sound of a truck engine drifting through the open kitchen window. Louie had arrived. Alex hurried out back to greet him.

  Louie’s red truck jerked to a stop at the end of the long drive. He smiled at Alex and then struggled past the steering wheel and climbed out of the driver’s side. He stepped forward, his big arms opened wide. He engulfed the fast approaching Alex in a giant bear hug.

  “Good morning, Alex. How are you?” Louie muttered in the midst of several hard slaps to Alex’s back.

  “Fine, fine,” Alex gurgled. “Come in, come in.” Alex waved his arm toward the kitchen door inside the garage.

  “You have such a beautiful place,” Louie exclaimed as he followed Alex through the garage.

  “Thank you.”

  Once inside the kitchen, Alex hustled over to the coffeemaker. “Coffee?”

  “Yes, one Equal please.”

  “Coming right up.” Alex dumped the sweetener in Louie’s coffee. He poured himself a cup and walked over to the kitchen table near where Louie was standing.

  “Please, sit down.”

  “Thank you.”

  Alex set the cup of coffee in front of Louie and the two men sat down. The smile suddenly drained from Louie’s face. He spoke calmly, “Alex, I am a man of few words, so I will get right to the point.”

  Alex nodded.

  “I fear for your life, my friend. I fear for your life very much.”

  Alex’s brow furrowed, “Please explain.”

  Louie took a sip of coffee. “When I first heard about Josh, I thought, what a tragedy. I was so angry at the thugs who jumped him in that alley. And then when I heard about Vito yesterday, I was stunned. But I still thought it was just a coincidence that two men that I knew well had been tragically killed just a day apart. I didn’t put two and two together.”

  “Then?”

  “Then, when you told me last evening that you have been target shooting right next to where Vito was killed, it all started to fall into place for me.”

  Alex leaned forward on the table. He looked puzzled.

  “I know these men you’re dealing with Alex. I have known them all my life. Some of them are friends of mine, some are not—but I know them. They are from a different world than you and I and they play by a different set of rules.

  Alex sighed, “I’m starting to learn that.”

  Louie’s brown eyes clouded over. “You have been like a brother to me Alex and I am very worried.”

  “About what, Louie? Please explain.”

  Louie exhaled slowly. “I have a good friend who is very high up in the mob in Chicago; he’s the head of the Elmwood Park gang. The other day I was closing a loan for him in my office. Somehow, during our conversation, your name came up. I proceeded to tell him what a wonderful friend you have been to me and my friend’s face turned white. He looked stunned. What I said had struck a cord with him. I was taken aback by his reaction.”

  Alex shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe he’s met me or something.”

  “No, no. It was much stronger reaction than that. It was something very important to him, I could tell. I have thought about it a lot since then and I think I know what may have been bothering him.”

  “What do you think?”

  “He and I are close, very close. I truly think that he had been asked by one of the big boys in the Moretti administration to arrange a hit on you—probably Ramsey. He knows my friend also. And, I’m sure my friend would try and oblige them—it’s the Italian thing to do. But he is much closer with me than the others. We played high school football together and have stayed close over the years. So when I told him how much I thought of you and how much you had helped me, it sickened him. I truly believe that’s what happened.”

  “But if that is true, why wasn’t I shot?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think Vito may have been in that game preserve to help the shooter, to give the him directions around the area or something. Then at some point, the hit man decided to kill Vito instead of you.”

  “But why?”

  “Maybe they argued or maybe Vito didn’t pay him. I don’t know why, but I’m almost certain it happened that way. A lot of the mob guys don’t like Vito. He was a low level guy in the syndicate for awhile and they think he’s a weasel. It wouldn’t take much for a mob guy to take out Vito. It makes sense to me.”

  “But he could have st
ill shot me.”

  “Yes I know, but after shooting Vito, he may have been anxious to flee the area. I think you got lucky—very lucky.”

  Alex fell back in his chair and stared at Louie. The thought of his possible murder just the day before was upsetting. “I would have been a sitting duck at that shooting range. I would have never known what hit me.”

  “Thank God, something went wrong.”

  Alex shrugged, “Do you have any idea who the hit man may have been?”

  “No, there are a hundred guys who would have done this for my mob pal. He’s very persuasive. And you can be sure of one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He would never divulge the shooter. He would die first.”

  Alex grimaced, “They’ll be coming after me again. I’m sure they know by now that Vito was shot instead of me.”

  “You are up against a group of men who have un-limited resources at their disposal and I’m sure they’re not happy right now.”

  “What can I do? I’m not going to roll over and let these people run over me or worse yet, kill me.”

  A wry grin broke out on Louie face. “I think I may have the answer for you.”

  Alex looked puzzled.

  Louie reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. He opened it and carefully spread several pictures on the table in front of Alex. “Recognize anyone?”

  Alex studied the pictures, his eyes went wide. He glanced back at Louie. “That’s Ben Ramsey and he appears to be snorting coke!”

  Louie’s brow lifted. “This was taken a little over a week ago at a party on Chicago’s North Side. I have a standing invitation to a weekly party in a very trendy condo just off Rush Street. Many of Chicago’s finest are in attendance at these parties, so it didn’t surprise me when I ran into Ben Ramsey there that night. Later on, I was standing in a dark little corridor by the bathroom and I decided to click a few pictures with my cell; it’s just a nervous habit of mine. I’m kind of shy and it gives me something to do. When I developed the pictures a few days later I was shocked. I had no idea that I had captured Ramsey in such a vulnerable situation. I was shocked and decided to destroy the photos to protect Ramsey. But for some reason—I’m not sure why—I decided at the last minute not to destroy them.”