Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle

by Easton, Don

  Susan could tell by the look on Danny’s face that he was either angry or scared. Or perhaps both. “Danny, what is it? What’s going on?”

  Danny waited until he had backed out of the parking stall before saying, “Jack saw two bikers arrive shortly after we did. He’s been watching them. They’re parked in a van watching this parking lot.”

  “You think they’re here because of you? That they followed you?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “Where are they? I don’t see anyone!”

  The words were barely out of her mouth when there was a horrendous explosion in an adjacent parking lot. Susan saw the back of a van lift off the ground before bouncing back down. An orange fireball of flame filled the inside and she could see the silhouettes of two people in the front.

  The passenger instinctively grabbed at his blown eardrums before slumping over. The driver clawed at his door, but the van had buckled from the explosion and the door wouldn’t open. His body writhed inside the van and then fell from sight.

  “My God!” Susan screamed. “Danny!” she said, pointing to the van.

  “That’s them!” he replied. “They blew themselves up!” He gazed at the van momentarily and then sped out of the mall lot. “They were planning on killing us! You, Tiffany, and me!”

  “What are you saying? I don’t understand! What’s going on?”

  “They’re the same two guys who murdered Crystal. One guy is a bomb expert.”

  “A bomb expert? But why?”

  Danny glanced in the rear-view mirror and said, “Guess he wasn’t an expert, but you can bet it was intended for us.”

  “Why aren’t you waiting for the police? Why —”

  “I’m getting you and Tiffany the hell away from here! There could be others! You’re going to pack, and I’m putting you on a plane. Call your brother in Calgary and stay with him.”

  “But why? What are you going to do?”

  “They probably know where we live! Jack told me to move in with him while we sort things out. He’s going to make a few calls.”

  “To who? What for?” said Susan, starting to cry.

  “This is against the rules. The bastards have just declared war and they’re going to get it.”

  Wizard answered his cellphone.

  “We’ve got a problem!” Rolly’s voice was high-pitched.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Find a television! It’s on right now!”

  Wizard and Damien went into one of the airport’s lounges and saw live coverage of a breaking story on television. An explosion had ripped a van apart. Two bodies were recovered, but the broadcast said they were burned beyond recognition.

  “I don’t get it,” said Wizard. “Rolly saw them put the package on the pig’s car!”

  Damien looked at Wizard for a moment, then said, “This being the same Rolly who the cops know killed the little boy and later the Indo? Who else knew he whacked them two?”

  “He said he hasn’t told anyone.”

  “So only you know … and the police.”

  Wizard didn’t respond.

  The two men walked back to where Vicki and the children were waiting.

  “You gonna cancel their flight now?” asked Wizard

  Damien shook his head. “There could still be retribution. The fact that you failed won’t make a difference.”

  “But…”

  “Shut the fuck up and listen! We’ve got a rat in-house! It could be Rolly or someone else in your chapter.”

  Wizard was about to defend Rolly, but Damien gave him a long, hard look, and he decided it was in his best interest to stay quiet on that subject. “What about the two pigs?” he asked.

  “Unfortunately, because of your stupidity, now I have to deal with them immediately before any more shit hits the fan. Then we’ll find out who the rat is. In the meantime, nobody in your chapter is to go anywhere near them. It’ll strictly be the east-side boys. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “And that means you, too!”

  chapter thirty-two

  Jack and Danny made sure they were not being followed, then checked the area around Danny’s home. Nothing aroused their suspicions. Six hours later, Danny kissed Susan and Tiffany goodbye and watched them go through security at the airport to board their flight. Jack had taken another car and followed them to the airport.

  Jack and Danny were walking back to their cars when Danny’s cellphone rang.

  “Danny! It’s Sid Bishop. I just saw the news! Did you hear what happened?”

  “About what?”

  “Two bikers were blown up in a van this morning near Willy’s Restaurant! It had to have happened right after we left. That’s no coincidence!”

  “Oh, that. Yes, I heard.” Danny covered the mouthpiece on the phone and whispered to Jack, “It’s Sid Bishop!” He then held the phone so they could both hear.

  “What do you mean, oh, that? How did they know we were there? They tried to kill us! Christ, I don’t want to go home!”

  “Sid, relax. If they wanted to kill you, they could have shot the both of us when we were leaving.”

  “That’s not very comforting! I called Marvin at home and —”

  “Marvin?” asked Danny.

  “Sorry, Superintendent Wigmore. He gave me the home number for Assistant Commissioner Isaac. He’s not home yet; I keep calling. I want to hear what he says about this!”

  Jack rolled his eyes, then took the phone from Danny and said, “Sid. This is Jack Taggart, Danny’s partner. I’m positive that your life is not in danger. If you think about it, the bikers would have nothing to gain by killing you. In fact, they would have a lot to lose. We don’t think this is connected to us. We have intelligence that a drug war is starting. Getting the wire hooked up is the best thing we can do right now.”

  Sid sounded surprised. “You think it’s a drug war? That it was a coincidence?”

  “I’m certain of it. We heard that Satans Wrath killed a speed dealer by the name of Bobby Singh. This is probably retaliation for that.”

  Sid paused, then calmed down. “So you don’t think I’m in danger?”

  “No.”

  Jack heard Sid turn away from the phone and say, “Oh, God, thank heavens.” He then spoke to Jack: “I must admit, this incident has shaken my composure. I’m glad to hear you say that. It took me a long time to get through on Danny’s cell. He should get a new phone!”

  “There’s no need to panic.”

  “I don’t panic! I was just concerned.”

  “I’ll give you my home and cell numbers. Danny will be staying with me for a couple of days, so if you need to, you can reach either of us there.”

  “Why is he staying with you if there’s no need to panic?” said Sid, his voice rising.

  “Just coincidence. His wife is out of town and we decided to bach together. By the way, how well do you know Superintendent Wigmore?”

  “Not well. Just socially on occasion. He didn’t speak very highly of you.”

  “Oh?” said Jack, feigning surprise. “He’s had some emotional problems lately. I won’t hold that against him. I’ll call you as soon as we know something further.”

  “Now what?” asked Danny, after Jack hung up.

  “If Isaac thinks our lives are in danger, he’ll transfer the both of us so far north we’ll need a dogsled team. If that happens, I’ll quit and stay here to finish this on my own.”

  “After what happened, how can you convince him otherwise?”

  “Play up that it’s a drug war. I’ll have a report on his desk first thing tomorrow morning saying our informant told us a drug war is starting. Convince him that today was a coincidence.”

  “Isaac will want to know who is dumb enough to take on Satans Wrath.”

  “I’ll say it’s conflict within Satans Wrath. That way when more of them start dying, it’ll make sense.”

  “You think he’ll swallow that?”

&
nbsp; “I hope so. Otherwise you and Susan better develop a taste for whale blubber.”

  “Speaking of our friend?”

  Jack glanced at his watch. “This should be interesting. When I cancelled the meet with him at noon, he sounded like he didn’t know anything yet. Since then he’s left half a dozen urgent messages for me to call him.”

  “Why not call him?”

  “I will, but I want to see his face when we talk.” Jack called Lance’s number. His message was brief. “Cemetery! Two hours!”

  Jack then said to Danny, “Tell me you’ve got your vest on?”

  “It’s on.”

  Two hours later, Lance made sure that his jacket covered the handle of the 9 mm tucked in the front of his jeans before quietly making his way into the cemetery. He didn’t approach from the normal direction, but circled around and came in from behind instead.

  Minutes later, he heard whispering and saw Jack and Danny standing near a grave marker. Their backs were toward him and they continued to whisper as he approached. Lance stopped behind them and said, “Glad to see you guys didn’t bring a shovel with ya!”

  Jack and Danny turned to face him. “It’s not that far away,” said Jack.

  “How come ya didn’t get back to me? I’ve been phonin’ and leavin’ messages all day!”

  “Why didn’t you call before it happened?”

  “I swear to fuckin’ God I didn’t know about it! The first I heard was when Wiz called a meetin’ around noon. That’s when he let everyone in the chapter know that Nails an’ Axle got blown up. He said that they were takin’ care of business when somethin’ happened. It was after the meetin’ that Wiz and Rolly let me know that it was supposed to be for you guys.”

  “What did they say?”

  “Wiz apologized for not lettin’ me in on it but said that there wasn’t time. I asked him what happened.” Lance looked at Danny and said, “Rolly was there. He thought he saw Nails put the bomb on your car and then drove about a block away and waited. He mentioned that some broad had driven in when Nails was doin’ it. At the time, he thought it had been planted but realizes now that it wasn’t.”

  “Who else was there besides Rolly? Wasn’t Wizard around?” asked Jack.

  “It was just the three of them. Wiz was at the airport meeting Damien. He was just getting’ back from the Grand Caymans.”

  “Did Damien sanction this?”

  “Don’t know. But they do know that someone in the club is rattin’. The heat is really on.”

  “They had to figure that out once you let them know that we knew who Rolly and Wizard murdered. This doesn’t really change anything as far as you go.”

  “Yeah, I guess not, but it’s getting’ pretty damn uncomfortable.”

  “We’ll look after you.”

  “So now what?” asked Danny. “What are they going to do next?”

  “I asked. Wizard said we’re not to do anything right now. He promised to let me know if that was going to change.”

  “You’re sure about that?” asked Jack.

  “That’s what he said. We got orders to sit tight. Wiz did say that things will change after the election. He’s confident that he’ll beat out Damien.” Lance looked at Jack and asked, “There was somethin’ you were going to get me to do?”

  “I was going to get you to put more pressure on Wizard and Rolly this week, but things are too hot right now. We better wait a week or so and see what happens.”

  “You’re fuckin’ right things are hot! Waitin’ is fine by me.”

  Lance agreed to stay in touch and was walking away when Jack said, “One more thing!”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “Just out of curiosity, are you packin’?”

  Lance lifted his jacket slightly to expose the handle of the 9 mm. “You’re fuckin’ right I’m packin’! If I’d seen another shovel I would’ve used it to bury you both!”

  Jack smiled, then said, “Take care of yourself, Lance.”

  Jack and Danny stood in the cemetery and watched Lance drive away. Moments later they heard the metallic sound of a bolt sliding in a rifle.

  Jack turned and said, “Louie, you look like a bloody ninja. Except for the white socks!”

  Louie looked quickly at his feet. “You asshole! They’re black!”

  “You weren’t sure, though, were you? I don’t know, Louie. I think you’re getting old.”

  “Not so old that I couldn’t kick your ass!”

  Danny interjected. “Listen guys, if it’s okay with you, I want to get going. I told Susan I’d call her and Calgary’s an hour ahead of us.”

  Jack gave Danny an extra key to his apartment and told him to go ahead. He said he wanted to make sure that Louie didn’t get lost in the graveyard and then stop at the office to put in a quick report for Isaac to read in the morning.

  Danny let himself in through the main entrance of the apartment building and walked across the lighted lobby to the elevators.

  From across the street, Damien and The Suit sat in a car looking out through the tinted windows. The Suit lowered his binoculars and said, “That’s O’Reilly!” Damien took a quick glimpse through the binoculars, then picked up a portable radio.

  “Pork chop number two just entered through the main entrance.”

  Whiskey Jake, who was the president of the east-side chapter, sat in a van parked in the underground parking lot of the building. With him were Sparks, Thumper, and Two-Forty Gordy.

  Whiskey Jake thumbed the radio and said, “Copy that.”

  A couple of minutes later, Damien gave another message: “Lights just went on. He’s in the apartment. It’s up to you guys now.”

  “No problem,” replied Whiskey Jake.

  Damien glanced at Bishop and said, “I’m taking you to your car.”

  “No, I want to see it,” said The Suit. “I want to see them beg for their lives!”

  Damien grabbed The Suit by the front of his jacket, jerking him halfway across the seat. “You put my family and everyone in the club at risk today! I’m not selling ringside seats here! This isn’t a fucking game you’re watching!”

  Twenty minutes later, Damien stopped a block from where The Suit’s car was parked. Neither man had spoken a word. The Suit got out and slammed the door as he left.

  Two hours later, Jack drove into the underground parking lot and parked in his stall. A minute later, he opened the metal door leading to the alcove where the elevators were. He stepped inside and saw that he wasn’t alone. The man facing him was wearing a ski mask.

  Jack’s adrenal glands instantly electrified his body, but it was too late to prevent the solid kick he received to his groin. His knees wobbled as two more men grabbed each of his arms from behind. The pain made him want to vomit.

  He was slammed face down on the concrete floor. He could see the square-toed boots of the man who had kicked him. A small piece of leather was curled back off the end of one of the boots. He wondered, briefly, if it was the result of someone being kicked in the teeth, then thought it ironic that he would think of that when he was about to die. A hand jerked his pistol out of his holster, and he braced himself for the shot.

  Seconds later, his eyes and mouth were plastered with duct tape. He hands were bound behind his back and his ankles were also wrapped. They found the knife he carried for undercover duties and slid it out of its scabbard. He was then lifted off the ground by his arms and dragged out the door. He heard the sound of a sliding door and was tossed inside a van. Perhaps he had been optimistic, thinking that his life would end so quickly. They want to know who the informant is first, he realized.

  He felt someone remove his keys from his pocket. Nobody had spoken a word. He heard the sliding door again as some of the men left the van. He had a sickening feeling that he knew why they had taken his keys.

  His body rolled against a metal bar under a seat as the van sped away.

  Danny was sitting on the sofa watching television when he heard the sound of
the key in the apartment door. “Good, you’re back!” he hollered. “I feel like a drink.” He heard the footsteps behind him and said, “I talked with Susan. She’s scared but she’s okay.”

  Danny felt the cold barrel of a pistol in his ear. He snapped his head around, and the barrel of the pistol obscured the vision of one eye. The man holding the pistol was wearing a ski mask. He looked past him and saw two other men. They were also wearing ski masks — and they were also pointing pistols at him.

  chapter thirty-three

  Jack estimated an hour had passed before the van came to a stop. During the trip, he vowed that he would never release Lance’s name. He would quickly give them a few names, then hold out for as long as possible — and finally give them Rolly.

  He thought of other things. He wished that he had a chance to tell Natasha that he loved her one more time. He wished that he could apologize to Susan for failing to protect her husband, and somehow to Tiffany, for giving her a life without a father.

  The sliding door of the van opened and he was hauled out by the arms and dragged across rough ground before being placed in a kneeling position.

  The minutes ticked by and all he heard was the engine noise from a couple of vehicles. He started to lose his balance and felt himself falling forward, but a hand grabbed him by the hair and jerked him back into position. The duct tape was unwrapped from around his eyes.

  Jack blinked and strained his eyes to see. Headlights behind him cast light and shadows across a construction site. He stared down at a hollow wall of rough planks interwoven with metal bars. He was kneeling in front of a large pit that had been dug out of the ground to build a basement. The construction was at the stage where the forms had been prepared for the pouring of the cement floor.

  Jack looked behind him but was blinded by the high-beam headlights of a van and a car. He glanced down at the feet of a man standing beside him. He could make out the same square-toed boots and realized that his groin still ached. The man was no longer wearing a ski mask and sneered down at him. He recognized him from photographs of the east-side chapter as someone who went by the nickname of Thumper. Two more men approached from out of the headlights, and one of them used Jack’s knife to cut the tape wrapped around the back of his neck before peeling it off his mouth. Jack recognized him as a striker from the same chapter. The striker handed the knife to the third man, who commanded, “Leave us!”