Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle

by Easton, Don

  “Across from our hotel is an abandoned building built over a cliff. Think it used to be a restaurant and is open on three sides. It would be an ideal place for him to attack.”

  “Yeah, I know the place. I checked it out when I first arrived.”

  “I’ve seen a few tourists go in there because the entrance is at street level, but the back of it is about three stories high and overlooks the river. It’s a good viewpoint. He shouldn’t suspect anything if I wander in there and it would be an ideal place for him to attack.”

  “And if he does?” asked Randy.

  “I might be able to get him to say something incriminating. Then if he comes at me, I’ll dodge and run. I might even jump over the railing to get away.”

  “Three stories … and it’s rocky along the river’s edge. You’d probably break a leg or something. ”

  “That’s only off the back,” replied Jack. “It’s less than that going down the side and the front is at street level. Besides, better a broken leg than a broken neck. Make sure you guys are close enough to get in there quick, but not close enough to tip him off as to what is going on.”

  “I might be there quick, then again, I might stop to enjoy a cold beer. I hear the Singha tastes really good.”

  “Damn it, karma strikes again,” Jack said, grinning.

  “I better go. We’ve been chatting together long enough. Good luck, buddy.”

  After Randy walked in the direction of the custom’s hut, Jack went to a convenience store and purchased a mickey of Sangsom rum. When he left the store, he opened the bottle and pretended to guzzle it as he walked.

  As Jack strolled down the street, he took his time, pausing in more crowded areas to look at various tourist spots. At one point he found a grassy location and pretended to adjust his sandal, while discreetly pouring most of the rum into the grass.

  Jack’s walk became more of a stagger as he slowly made his way back up the street. The Imperial Golden Triangle Hotel was across the street on his left. Leading up to the hotel and on the same side of the street, were a row of closed booths that were shrouded in darkness.

  Jack saw that Hoodie had passed him on the opposite side of the street and was hiding in the shadows. There were no other hotels past this point and it was anticipated that Jack would cross the street to go to the hotel.

  Jack decided he would stick with the original plan and continued on down the street. He paused in front of a small open-air restaurant while pretending to drink from the mickey and saw Hoodie quickly cross the street farther behind him. Jack swayed slightly on his feet and gawked toward Hoodie, who pretended to look out toward the river while waiting to see what Jack would do next.

  Jack saw more figures moving amongst the shadows behind Hoodie and knew his cover team was closing in.

  There was an empty lot leading up to the abandoned building and Jack made a show of trying to take one more guzzle of rum. He then shook the empty bottle as if discovering it was empty. “Wha’ the fuck!” he slurred, before tossing the bottle into the deserted lot.

  As Jack staggered along the street, he could hear Hoodie’s footsteps quicken as he closed in.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Excuse me, sir! I am wondering if you could take my picture? Do you speak English?”

  Jack saw a tourist standing inside the abandoned building. Damn it! Not now … He glanced back at Hoodie who was too close to pretend to linger and would be forced to keep walking.

  “Sir?” asked the tourist.

  “Uh, yeah, okay,” said Jack as he entered, but pretended to stagger and leaned over the railing facing the street as though he might be ill. Hoodie gave a furtive glance at the tourist, then kept his head down and walked past.

  “Sir, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” snapped Jack. He didn’t want to strike up a friendly conversation and hoped the man would leave as soon as possible.

  Conditions could not have been better for what he planned. He had opportunity to escape from the building and there were more than enough people on his cover team to subdue Hoodie. Martial arts would be no match for the guns that Pom and his men carried.

  “Just a picture of me sitting on the railing with the river behind me,” said the tourist, extending his hand to pass Jack the camera.

  Jack nodded and pretended to study the camera, while watching Hoodie cross to the far side of the street again and step into the shadows. It caused a problem for part of the cover team who were forced to continue walking past, but there was a bend in the street and Jack knew they would be able to double back and use some bushes for cover.

  “You push the little silver button on the top,” offered the tourist, trying to be helpful.

  “I know how to use a camera,” said Jack, sounding sarcastic. He took a picture and quickly handed the camera back.

  “Oh, dear,” said the man, as he took the camera and turned and looked over the railing.

  “What now?” asked Jack.

  “My glasses. They were in my case and I had set them on the balcony. They must have fallen off. I’m practically blind without them.

  Jack peered over the edge. There was some light reflecting onto the rocks below and a small path wound its way alongside the building to the rear.

  “I’m nervous to go down there and look,” said the man. “Would you mind waiting until I get them? In case I fall or something.”

  “You stay and I’ll go look for them,” said Jack.

  Moments later, Jack paused near the front corner of the building, pretending to steady himself, as he stared at the path going down to the riverbank. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hoodie watching from the shadows farther down the street.

  Good. Wait another couple of minutes and come back and join me. We’ll have a little surprise for you …

  Once Jack was at the bottom of the path, he carefully stepped out onto the rocks and broken pieces of concrete that lined the riverbank. He was confident that Hoodie would wait for the tourist to leave before making his move, but still kept an eye on the spot where the path rounded the building.

  Moments later, he saw the tourist round the corner and head straight for him. The tourist had an odd gait, seeming to bounce with each step. His eyes were focused on Jack and he moved with agility as he left the path and deftly leaped from rock to rock toward him.

  Rabbit!

  Jack had about three seconds before contact and knew that once alerted, it would still take his cover team at least thirty seconds to assist. To turn and try to run on the rocks would also leave him open as an easy target.

  “This is a hell of a pickle!” yelled Jack, before stumbling and falling. He regained his balance with one hand and stood up as Rabbit closed in.

  Jack tried to smile innocently, while swaying on his feet as Rabbit quickly drew back his fist in a classic karate attack. The stance was intended that the fists would work opposite of each other, while one drew back, the other struck.

  Randy and Jim had managed to circle back and found a place to watch Hoodie from the parking lot of the Imperial Golden Triangle Hotel. The lot was directly across the street from the abandoned building.

  Pom and two of his men had remained farther down the street past Hoodie, but had positioned themselves in some bushes that were close to him.

  Randy heard Jack’s unexpected code word for help over his earpiece.

  “Oh, shit! Jack’s in trouble!” yelled Randy.

  As Randy and Jim ran across the street, Jim radioed Pom that help was needed immediately. Neither Randy or Jim waited for Pom as they ran down the path leading to the riverbank.

  Pom and one of his men followed seconds behind. Hoodie, alerted by the yelling tried to run away, but was pursued and tackled by another man from Pom’s team.

  Jack blocked the first blow that Rabbit aimed to his solar plexus. He believed that following a punch to his solar plexus, Rabbit would likely deliver a blow to the base of his neck, while simultaneously smashing his head back with his o
ther hand.

  Rabbit’s face registered a slight flicker of surprise when Jack blocked the first blow. Killing an unsuspecting drunk should have been easy.

  “Rabbit!” Jack yelled, thinking his knowledge of his name would shock him and cause him to stop.

  Rabbit’s face registered shock, but instead of slowing him down, it appeared to motivate his actions further. His opposite fist moved with lightening speed and he muttered, “You’re dead, you fucker,” as he directed his second blow at Jack’s groin.

  Jack turned slightly sideways, absorbing the blow to his hip and striking back.

  He only hit Rabbit once, but it was enough. The fist-sized piece of concrete Jack had picked up when he pretended to stumble found its mark on Rabbit’s temple.

  Rabbit fell to the ground like his body was made of Jell-O. Jack quickly rolled him over onto his stomach and grabbed his arm, forcing it up his back to pin him in place.

  “Guess what, asshole, I’m not the drunken wimp you expected!”

  Rabbit did not reply and Jack realized that his body was completely limp. Still holding his wrist, Jack felt for the pulse in the carotid artery. There was none.

  “We’re here!” yelled Randy, as he rounded the corner first, followed by Jim and then Pom, who aimed his gun at Rabbit.

  “No need,” said Jack, standing up. He felt his hands trembling from how close he had come to being killed and folded his arms across his chest. He nodded toward the corpse. “That is one dead bunny.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  With the time difference, it was only six o’clock Friday morning when Staff Sergeant Rose Wood answered the phone on her bedside table and listened as Jack explained what had happened.

  “I knew it wouldn’t go according to plan,” said Rose, dryly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you weren’t hurt, but I thought the idea was to take him alive and get him to co-operate.”

  “I tried,” said Jack. “He wasn’t about to listen. It was either him or me. His real name was Ronald Dixen and this afternoon he had booked into the same hotel as me. I think he was going to break my neck and make it look like I slipped and fell on the rocks, or maybe fell off the balcony from above.”

  “What about the Hoodie character? Was he the lookout?”

  “No. Turns out he was a local tough guy who has a history of mugging tourists. The Thai police are confident he had nothing to do with Dixen trying to kill me.”

  “How do you stand with the Thai police?” asked Rose.

  “I don’t expect any problems at all. I just got to the police station, but my liaison person, a fellow by the name of Pom, has already cleared the way. I think he has some clout. The local police are being really nice. Pom said that they will say it was an accident.”

  “Doesn’t sound like an accident to me.”

  “Well … it was, sort of.”

  “You were trying to knock him out?”

  Jack paused. “To be honest, at the time I was so scared, I just lashed out in a desperate attempt to live. It was only after his body collapsed, that I hoped I hadn’t killed him.”

  “So now what?”

  “I’ll call Connie and fill her in so she can apply for the wiretap. I’m hoping to have it in place when Oskar and Pike return from China. Might make for some interesting conversation when they hear that Dixen is dead.”

  “And Stew?” questioned Rose. “You better hope he returns from China.”

  “He is well protected there. Even Oskar mentioned that their rooms could be bugged, so I am positive that nothing will happen. My guess is they planned to murder me here and perhaps do Stew in either southern Thailand or Malaysia.”

  “We can’t put him at risk. It’s bad enough hanging you out as bait.”

  “Once he returns from China, I’ll figure out a way to extract him. He’s a good guy, I think we can count on him to keep his mouth shut, but I’m afraid he will get so nervous that Oskar might clue in.”

  “When Oskar finds out that Dixen is dead, you would think he would be in contact with his boss,” said Rose.

  “Exactly. I’m hoping that if the wiretap is in place, we will hear them talking, identify who that is, and wrap things up quickly. Maybe they’ll even plan another attack. Perhaps we’ll get Pike, as well.”

  “I would prefer you getting him with a wiretap, rather than a piece of concrete.”

  “Given the option, so would I.”

  “You’re also hoping the two hitmen are Pike and Dixen. Did it occur to you there could be others?”

  “Trying to make me more paranoid?” asked Jack.

  “No. Trying to keep you alive.”

  It was two o’clock on Saturday morning when Jack finished giving a statement to the Thai police and was allowed to return to the hotel. During the next few hours, he received numerous phone calls from Connie Crane as she prepared the wiretap application.

  A further delay resulted when Connie brought her application to the Crown prosecutor, who spotted a missing period.

  “You may not think this is important,” said the prosecutor, who first majored in English at university, “but let me tell you —”

  Connie put her hand up for the prosecutor to stop. “No need to go there. I know all about that. I missed a period a couple of months ago and it scared the hell out of me.”

  It was late Friday night in Vancouver when the Crown prosecutor agreed that all was in order, but a judge was no longer available. Eventually an appointment was made for Connie to take the order to a judge at his residence on Saturday.

  On Saturday evening in Thailand, Jack received a text from Oskar, asking for an update on the jade factory. Jack had already given him an update, but smiled to himself, knowing that Oskar was really wanting to know if he was still alive.

  Jack re-sent the report, but commented that the previous report must have been lost in cyberspace.

  At five o’clock Sunday morning in Thailand, Jack met with Jim in his room and waited for Connie to call. An hour later she did and said the order had been approved, naming both Oskar and Pike.

  “You’re on, big guy,” said Jack, handing his phone to Jim, who made notes of conversation he had with Connie.

  Four hours later, Jim finished his work in two rooms at the Imperial Golden Triangle Hotel. Both rooms had been reserved for Oskar and Pike and were side by side on the fifth floor.

  The actual monitoring and recording of conversation would take place in Jim’s room on the fourth level. Jack listened to the receiver as Jim finished what he was doing and came back to his own room.

  “So?” asked Jim. “You hear me okay up there?”

  “You’re the best,” said Jack. “I don’t think a mouse could sneak across the carpet up there without us hearing it.”

  Stew’s room was on the third floor, because Jack did not want him to accidentally interfere with any conversation that Oskar and Pike might wish to have. He also did not want Stew in a room that was high off the ground.

  Pom told Jack that several calls had come in on Dixen’s cellphone, but on Jack’s advice, they had gone unanswered.

  “I want it to be a surprise for them when they return,” said Jack. We need the two of them to be in their rooms when they find out.”

  Jack also received another text from Oskar on Sunday morning asking him to confirm their reservations and to let him know that everything was in order. That’s right, asshole, I’m still alive …

  That evening, Jack watched as Oskar, Pike, and Stew arrived at the hotel and went to their rooms to drop off their luggage. Jack waited until Oskar and Pike were unlocking the doors to their rooms when he approached them.

  “Hi, guys, I saw you arrive from my balcony,” said Jack. “Did it all go well?”

  “Yes.” Oskar frowned as he looked at Jack. “And you? Is everything okay?”

  “I’m fine,” said Jack, “although I witnessed a tragic incident on Friday night.”

  “Oh?” asked Pike.

  “It was awful, really,”
said Jack. “I’m still shaking. I’ve never seen a dead guy before.”

  “A dead guy?” asked Oskar, looking at Pike who shrugged in response.

  “Right across from our hotel,” said Jack. “This poor guy asked me to take a picture of him overlooking the river. When I did, he dropped his glasses and we climbed down to look for them. My God … I still can’t believe I was there,” stuttered Jack.

  “What happened?” asked Pike.

  “The guy was kind of agile. He happened to be coming toward me, jumping from one rock to another, but one rock was muddy or something and he fell. He was barely an arm’s reach away, but it all happened so fast that I couldn’t save him. His feet went out from under him and he hit his head on a piece of concrete or something.”

  “And he died?” asked Pike, looking surprised.

  “Yes. I called for help and tried to do CPR, but it wasn’t any good. His eyes were all glazed over and blood was coming out of his ear.” Jack covered his eyes with one hand to show his grief and mumbled, “It was awful. I was actually sick to my stomach after.”

  “Do you ever find out what his name was?” demanded Pike, grabbing Jack by the arm.

  “Yes, the police told me he was an American. His name was Ronald Dixen. I can’t believe I saw it. What a terrible thing to happen on a holiday.”

  “Oh, Christ,” muttered Pike as he looked at Oskar. “It was Rabbit.”

  “You know him?” asked Jack, feigning surprise.

  “Dixen works for our company in corporate security,” replied Oskar.

  “Him and I are friends,” said Pike. “We’ve been together for years.”

  “I didn’t know,” stammered Jack. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know our company had someone else here.”

  “Guess I forgot to mention it,” said Oskar. “I wasn’t sure when he was arriving. I planned to use both him and Ben to cover you and Stew when we go down south. We thought we would take a couple of days off here to relax first.”