Above Ground

by Don Easton

  The first rays of sunlight were visible on some scattered clouds to the east when Jack slowly drove past Laura and the security guard. They were still parked at the end of the block and Laura was drinking out of a Thermos cup.

  Fifteen minutes later, Laura parked behind Jack and walked to his car. She turned her back briefly as she remembered to do up the buttons on her blouse, then got in.

  “What took you so long?” she asked. “If I had to sit another minute with that wannabe cop I’d be digging him a hole in there!”

  Jack allowed himself a grin, then said, “Sorry. It was a lot tougher to do than I thought it would be.”

  “Oh? So this is the first time you’ve done this?”

  Jack ignored the question and said, “Let’s find a washroom to clean up. Then go sit on the Spotted Owl.”

  “Speaking of that, how come you’re not dirty?”

  “Had an old pair of coveralls in the trunk. Bought them last year for Danny when he had to do surveil-lance from a pile of garbage.”

  “Would have been nice if you had thought to provide me with a pair,” she said, gesturing to the dried mud on her sleeves. “Not to mention, my shoes are ruined.”

  It was six-thirty when Laura used the binoculars to scan the motel from a lot across the street. “How long, you figure?” she asked.

  “There’s a bloody smear on the sidewalk outside the door. Someone should notice.”

  Damien thanked Vicki when she poured him another cup of coffee, then went back to reading the morning paper. It was nine o’clock in the morning. Buck and Sarah were still in bed, but Katie was up and chatting with excitement about going to an afternoon birthday party. Vicki had promised to take her shopping for new clothes for the event.

  Damien leapt from his chair when Katie toppled her glass of orange juice, sending the liquid over the edge of the table.

  “Sorry, Dad! It slipped!”

  “It’s okay,” he grumbled. “Quit talking and get a cloth.”

  Vicki smiled at her husband and said, “It’s a pretty big event. Not every day that your much older friend turns nine.”

  Damien rolled his eyes, then said, “Right. Older by what? Five months?”

  “We’ll leave in a few minutes, honest,” said Vicki, kissing Damien on his forehead as he sat back down.

  Damien received a message on his BlackBerry. It was from Lance. The message was coded but told him that the shipments had gone as planned last night.

  Is this good news or bad? Good news is I’ll be getting my money back. Bad news is there’s little doubt as to who will be the new national president.

  “See ya in about two hours, Papa Bear,” said Vicki, giving him another kiss on the top of his head.

  “Goodbye, Daddy.”

  Damien wrapped one arm around Katie and gave her a hug and then a kiss. “Tell Mommy that she’s not to spend more than five dollars on you,” he said.

  “Daddy!”

  Damien chuckled, but his joy turned sour as soon as Vicki and Katie left. The Toad isn’t the type to want anyone with brains around who could question his actions once he takes over. Surprised he isn’t here gloating right now.... Hope his hangover kills him.

  Vicki found a place to park, then opened her door to get out. She was thinking that her life had been blessed. Her family was happy and healthy, and her husband had climbed his way to the top of the ... corporate ladder. She smirked when she thought of it as a corporation. But that’s what it is, isn’t it? An international corporation continuing to expand around the world. This thing with the new mortgage and The Toad ... somehow it would work out. It always did.

  She had turned in her seat and placed one foot out of the Hummer when a man’s fist buried deep into her midriff. The air exploded from her lungs and her body doubled over as the force of the punch rammed her backwards across the seat.

  Vicki gasped for air as she tried to scream, but the man’s fingers and thumb formed a claw to dig deep into her throat and squeeze until she felt her windpipe begin to collapse. She lay still, hoping he would stop. He stopped squeezing but kept the pressure on her throat.

  Vicki saw other men moving about. She saw a man gripping Katie by the throat. Katie’s bulging eyes briefly stared down at her as she was dragged out of sight to the rear of the Hummer.

  “Think we’ve got action!” said Laura. “The maid stopped her cart outside the door.”

  “Too bad,” replied Jack. “I was just starting to doze off.”

  “She’s kneeling down and looking up ... now she’s standing ... knocking.” Laura passed the binoculars over to Jack.

  “Using her pass key,” he said, then lowered the binoculars. “Guess you don’t need binos to see that!”

  The maid ran across the parking lot to the office. Jack and Laura looked at each other and then slumped low in their seats.

  Vicki and Katie were gagged, blindfolded, and bound, with their wrists taped together behind their backs. Vicki guessed that her Hummer had been driving for half an hour before it stopped. Then she heard the sound of a large overhead door close.

  Moments later they were both hauled out and the tape was ripped from their eyes. Vicki saw that they were in a small warehouse. The strong smell of coffee was in the air and burlap sacks were piled on various pallets.

  Two men held Vicki and Katie by the arms and roughly jerked them along to a pallet that contained only a few bags. Then they were shoved and fell beside each other onto the pallet. The two men stood over them, watching as Katie cried and choked through her gag.

  Then two more men approached. One was carrying bolt cutters. The other rolled Vicki over onto her stomach and then grabbed her hands. She tried to scream but the gag prevented any real noise as she twisted and rolled her body. She managed to roll over, digging her fingers into the sack for support and kicking upwards with her feet.

  The men stood up, then looked at each other and laughed. They spoke to each other in Spanish.

  Vicki did not know these men. Perhaps it was better that she didn’t.

  They were hand-picked from an army of desperate, violent men who wanted a share of the narco dollars. Carlos did not pick them because of their limited knowledge of English or even their willingness to do anything he asked. He picked them because they were likely insane. They inspired terror and would do anything asked of them. It was simply human nature to pick people who are like you — albeit not as intelligent.

  Seconds later, both men were on her again. She fought and kicked hard. Katie got to her feet and kicked one of the men. He punched her hard in the mouth and she fell to the ground and didn’t move.

  Vicki quit kicking. Tears blocked her vision and she allowed herself to be rolled back over onto her stomach. She was conscious of the taste of coffee beans on her lips from where a sack had been torn. She felt a man’s grip on her fingers and the cool metal of the bolt cutters as the pinchers tightened on her finger. For a brief instant, her brain refused to accept that the sound she heard, like celery being crunched, had come from her own body. For a moment it was as if her brain had detached itself from her body. She heard her own muffled cry as if it came from someone else, but then she felt incredible pain and knew the voice was hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to block it out.

  chapter twenty-four

  Connie Crane and her partner arrived at the motel and a uniformed officer waved to them from the doorway of one of the units.

  “Call came in about forty minutes ago,” he said as they approached.

  Connie glanced at her watch and replied, “About nine-thirty, then?”

  He nodded and stepped aside to allow them to enter.

  Connie did a brief examination of the room while her partner fished wallets from each of the two victims. One had a pistol in his belt, and Connie saw a Mac-10 pistol lying on the bed in the adjoining room.

  The radio response to their inquiries came back within seconds. Both victims were listed as probation-ary member of Satans Wrath out of
Montreal.

  “Gee, that’s a big surprise,” said Connie sarcastically.

  “What the hell are they doing out here?” her partner asked.

  “Dope deal gone bad,” replied Connie.

  “You find dope?”

  “No, but this door is open to the adjoining room. There’s a blood smear in the bathroom and it looks like a third guy escaped out the back window. These two yo-yos were killed instantly so it wasn’t them moving around.”

  “Could be dope. They have lots of firepower.”

  Connie nodded and said, “That’s their number one money-maker. Three guys — bikers — in adjoining rooms with only a double bed in each. They weren’t here to sleep. Probably using the other room as either security or to stash the money or the dope. Being from Quebec even fits. Last year Intelligence discovered that assholes from Satans Wrath in Quebec were running speed out here.”

  “Who would have the balls to waste a couple of these guys?”

  Connie glanced around the room, then replied, “No sign of forced entry. I bet whoever did this was known to them. They didn’t even have their guns out. Alert the hospitals to be on the lookout for anyone coming in with potential GSWs. Let’s see if we can find who did this before the bikers do.”

  Fifteen minutes later Jack walked into the motel room. “Hi, CC. Want some help?” he said.

  Connie turned around in surprise. Jack was already in the room and she saw Laura looking in from the doorway. “Careful! We’re still waiting for Forensics to arrive.”

  “Hi, Connie,” said Laura. “There’s a blood smear on the sidewalk.”

  “We know.” Connie looked at Jack and asked, “How the hell did you hear about this and get here so fast? It’s Saturday morning of a long weekend,” she added.

  “A source I’ve known for a long time told me that three Satans Wrath members from Montreal were in town to do a major dope deal this weekend. An executive of the club known as The Toad and two strikers. Apparently they were to hand off three or four million bucks to buy dope.”

  “Three or four million!” said Connie’s partner. “I guess that could give someone the balls to do this!”

  “Recently I turned another informant — a hooker — who knows The Toad. We were meeting her when we heard your radio transmission about the two strikers. She has been servicing The Toad since he arrived. She said that back on the second of May, she was with The Toad and saw him meet some dark-skinned guy on Robson Street. She says the dark-skinned guy then walked across the street to a park and met with Lawrence Leitch. He’s a lawyer that Satans Wrath uses.”

  “I know about that!” said Connie. “We were working with...” She paused and looked at Jack and said, “Wait a minute, that was almost three weeks ago! You telling me that some hooker can remember an exact date that long ago?”

  Laura leaned against the doorway and watched. This ought to be good.

  “Definitely,” replied Jack, his face expressionless as he stared at CC. “She said she remembered it because of something she had said to The Toad the day before and he joked to her about it as they drove past the park.”

  “Which was?” demanded CC.

  “She had said, ‘Hooray, hooray, it’s the first of May — outdoor screwing starts today!’”

  Laura snickered to herself, more at the sincere look on Jack’s face than his words.

  “Oh,” replied CC, eyeing Jack warily. “I was there that day with” — she glanced at Laura — “your husband. That was over the Molen incident. This Toad is tied in with the guy we call the Brit? The same son of a bitch who attacked the O’Reillys and murdered Holly’s husband and shot their baby?”

  “Has to be,” said Jack. “The Toad told my informant to wait for him in the car. She said he was acting really kinky and paranoid. She followed him and only caught a quick glimpse of the action.”

  “Damn it! I was there that day. I didn’t notice any hooker or The Toad,” said Connie.

  “How would you have known?” replied Jack. “It’s not your fault,” he added, while stepping over to look at the face of the biker lying on the floor. He looked closely at the biker who was sprawled face-down on the table.

  “Be careful,” said Connie. “Forensics hasn’t —”

  “Just making sure that either of these two isn’t The Toad. They switch identities like most people change underwear. They’re not. No money here, I take it?”

  Connie shook her head.

  “There’s a rental out front. Could be theirs.”

  “It is. We already checked. No bags of money.”

  “Sure, you say that now,” said Jack. “I’ll be watching. If you two retire next week I’m coming after you.”

  Connie grinned and replied, “Don’t I wish.” Her face then became serious and she asked, “Any suggestions? Can your sources help us out? We think one guy was wounded and escaped out the bathroom window.”

  Jack rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then said, “Maybe The Toad decided to retire early. The bikers probably had security out front. Bet that’s why he slipped out the back.”

  “But who would have shot him?” said Connie. “There’s some blood on the bedspread and a smear on the bathroom wall. Neither victim had a gun in his hand.”

  “Who says he was shot?” said Jack. “This guy sprawled out on the floor ... maybe he saw it coming and got a punch in. The Toad might only have a broken nose.”

  Connie considered this and then said, “Guess that’s possible.” She paused, then asked, “Your hooker friend have any leads as to where he might be?”

  “I’ll check. You should call the narcs right away and tell them what I told you. This much action should have their sources talking. Tell them I have a hooker close to The Toad. Maybe something will click with them. If The Toad is running off with the club’s money, he won’t be sticking around long. Maybe one of the narcs will know something to identify the Brit. If we find him, I bet we find The Toad as well.”

  Connie looked carefully at Jack as she digested what he said.

  “We’ll head out now,” said Jack, moving toward the door. “Tell our source to get to work.”

  “Not so fast, Jack!” said Connie.

  Laura felt a lump in her throat. Oh man ... I knew we couldn’t pull this off!

  “What’s the problem?” asked Jack.

  “Your DNA,” said Laura. “It’ll be all over the room now. We’ll need a sample for elimination.”

  Laura had wondered why Jack had moved around the room. Now she knew.

  Jack and Laura were just returning to their car when Jack received a call on his cell.

  “You said you wouldn’t bust our guys! I’m dead! I’m fucking dead!”

  Jack recognized Lance’s voice and said, “Your guys weren’t busted.”

  “Bullshit! I just left the motel. There are cops all over the place! The Toad’s not answering or returning calls!”

  “I know. I’m at the motel now. I was notified about it through Homicide.”

  “Homicide?”

  “The maid checked the room this morning. Both strikers are dead and The Toad is missing. Looks like he took the money and split.”

  “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me!” “We should come and meet you and talk about it.” “Danny back in action?” “No,” said Jack, glancing over at Laura. “I’ve got a new partner. You can trust her.”

  “It’s a her? Oh fuck!”

  “She’s a ... good friend. Trust me.”

  “Yeah, like I have a choice.”

  On their way to meet Lance, Laura asked, “How long do you think it will be before Damien hears the whopper you just told Connie?”

  “Wish we knew who the dirty narc is. Regardless, the club is out a few bucks. Not to mention two dead strikers and a missing toad. The heat will be on. I bet Damien hears the story by Monday or Tuesday. The friend I’m about to introduce to you will hear when Damien finds out.”

  Jack introduced Laura to Lance. He was polite b
ut mostly ignored her. Bikers tended to view women as property. Not as anyone you would listen to, let alone take orders from. At the moment he had too many other things on his mind to worry about Laura.

  “What the hell happened? Who whacked ’em? Where’s The Toad?”

  “We don’t know,” said Jack. “You called me last night to say everything was okay. That it was a done deal!”

  “It was! I don’t know anything about this!”

  “You said nobody knew about the motel except you and The Toad,” said Jack accusingly.

  “And the Colombians,” said Lance. “But that don’t make sense. They were already paid before I...” Lance stopped and glanced at Laura.

  “She knows,” said Jack. “I trust her. You’re going to have to do the same.”

  “Yeah, well ... anyway. They were paid before the ship was unloaded. So why would someone kill ’em?”

  “Have you talked with Damien? Maybe The Toad is with him.”

  “Not yet. Guess I better send him a short message, then drive over to talk details.”

  “Do it, but first call the motel office and see if they’ll tell you what happened.”

  Lance understood, and a couple of minutes later a clerk at the motel admitted that two guests had been murdered.

  “Good,” said Jack. “Now tell Damien you went to look for The Toad and saw cops all over and called the motel. Call me as soon as you’re done meeting with him.”

  After Lance left, Laura suggested, “Home to bed?”

  “Think you can sleep?”

  “I might. When I get really stressed I feel like my whole system shuts down. All I want to do is close my eyes.”

  Jack nodded, then gestured toward the back of the car and said, “Right after I stash what’s in the trunk.”

  “Three-point-five. You’re going to have a lumpy mattress.”

  “Actually ... I rented a storage locker the other day.”

  “I knew it! How long have you been planning all this?” she said, letting her exasperation show.

  “The storage locker was for something else a couple of weeks ago.”