by Scott Cook
“Evidently, this game is rapidly becoming convoluted, Watson,” I Sherlocked. “Our adversary is both dangerous and cunning… so much the better and more satisfying when we thwart him!”
Watson made no comment.
Stupid Watson.
9
Tierra Verde is one of many islands that makes up the city of Saint Petersburg and Pinellas County. Located along the southwestern section of the city, the island parallels Pass-a-Grille beach to its west and I-275 and the small islets the highway runs on out to the Sunshine Skyway to its east. The long island also bridges the gap between the island that houses Fort DeSoto State Park and Isla Del Sol, another island that connects the mainland of Saint Pete to the barrier island of Saint Pete Beach.
As Tierra Verde features a great deal of waterfront property, it’s rather expensive to live on. Traffic getting off and on had been a problem in the past as well. However, with the completion of a new high fixed bridge in place of the old draw bridge, this problem had smoothed out some.
When you first hit the island on the south end of the bridge, you immediately came to a large housing development on the right. In addition to this extensive neighborhood, many of whose homes were on the water, you also passed the Tierra Verde Marina. The marina complex features a large high and dry, many wet slips, a great restaurant and bar called The Island Grill and a tall hotel with a rooftop restaurant to boot. In the housing development itself, you could find modest twenty-five hundred square foot homes with pools not on the water and much larger multi-million-dollar jobs on the many canals, grand canal that led to the marina or right on Pass-a-Grille Pass itself.
Veronica Bradford’s was on the upper end of the scale. The three-story house was located near the southern tip of the big neighborhood and had a large dock that faced east to the grand canal. The house’s southern side also offered a spectacular view of Shell Island and the Gulf beyond. The entire first floor, probably two thousand square feet, was garage and storage space. One side was enclosed with two large garage doors, and the other was an open parking area beneath the floor above. I saw Lisa’s Mercedes GLC parked behind a red Infinity and parked behind them both.
There was no obvious way in on the driveway side of the house, so I continued to walk to the rear, where I saw a large set of steps leading up and a small silver door set into the corner. Probably an elevator.
Beyond the opening of the carport, a bit of brilliant green lawn meandered out to the seawall and a large boat landing complete with a covered gazebo at one end. I followed the steps up and found myself on a walkway that connected to a large, elevated pool deck. There I found Lisa and Veronica sitting in lounge chairs and sipping something pink.
“Well, lookie what the cat dragged in,” Lisa said with a smile.
“You ladies look like you’re working hard,” I said, kissing her and sitting in an adjacent chair. “Anything exciting happening?”
“Thankfully no,” Veronica said.
“Pretty dull,” Lisa added. “But Veronica and I have hit it off. She took me to dinner last night at Le Coco Vin.”
“It’s good to beda Queen,” I said.
“How was your morning and evening?” Veronica asked.
I scoffed, “Not nearly as pleasant, I’m afraid. Two men came to the boat early this morning to do something unpleasant to me. Then I went down to LaBelle and spoke with Marcus and Natalie this morning.”
“My God…” Veronica said.
“Indeed,” I replied. “Oh, and I got a call from a friend of mine who’s… in business… up in New York. He’s sending down a team of four men who will be tasked with your protection, Veronica.”
She tilted her head at me, “Four?”
Lisa’s brow rose, “Gregorio?”
I nodded an affirmative to both questions, “Considering all that’s happened, I think it’s in no way too many. These are… men used to doing dirty work, if you will. They won’t hesitate to do what’s necessary, I think, to keep you safe, Veronica.”
“Well… considering all that you’ve told me so far,” Veronica mused. “And what happened last Sunday… we can’t be too cautious, I suppose.”
“No we can’t,” I said and frowned. “Veronica… do you have any dealings with, or know about, a man named Lou Cardoza?”
She stared blankly, “Never heard of him. Why?”
“He was the man who sent the goons for me this morning,” I said. “I can’t imagine its coincidence. I know the name but have never met him. He’s a well-known thug and narcotics boss out of Ybor City in Tampa.”
Lisa frowned but said nothing.
“How did it go with Marcus?” Veronica asked.
I sighed, “He seems… very reasonable. Quite understanding as to why I was there and about your suspicions. Natalie not quite so much. He did not, however, admit to anything.”
“Duh,” Lisa commented.
“Of course not,” Veronica stated. “I bet Natalie had a few choice words, though.”
“Not as much as you’d think,” I said. “Although she did suggest that I look into your past rather than just who you think is after you. Anything in that?”
Veronica narrowed her eyes, “Like what?”
I shrugged, “No idea. Maybe a former lover, associate… something like that? Or maybe she was just spouting off. Never hurts to look under every rock, though.”
Veronica scowled, “The only enemies I’ve ever made are Julius’ family. When I met him ten years ago, he’d divorced his ex-wife, the mother of the two kids, Marcus was so drunk he could barely take care of himself, and the company wasn’t a fifth the size it is today.”
We listened. Veronica drew in a deep breath and sipped from her pink something.
“As for the kids…” she went on, “Andrew is pushing thirty. He’s got his MBA from Wharton, and Sarah Beth, twenty-two, has a Bachelor’s in marketing and business systems from Harvard. They feel they’re smarter than the rest of us, especially me, who only has an MBA from USF. Also, since I didn’t get involved with the company until ten years ago. I’m not family and they’ve both made no bones about wanting me out.”
“Is that so terrible?” Lisa asked. “I mean… if Marcus offered you a silent partnership, you could move on, continue to take a nice income from BA and do something else. Not to mention diffuse the whole situation.”
Veronica barked out a short and bitter laugh, “Give up on what I’ve worked so hard on for the past ten years? BA wouldn’t be a third of what it is today without my direct intervention. To cut my income from the company by seventy percent and take a minority shareholder position… no goddamned way. Not to mention the fact that the Bradfords would run us into the ground within five years.”
Lisa looked at me and I nodded. We were both thinking about Andrea Wellesley and EcoLife. These were very similar claims to those she’d made. Of course, the fact that they were probably true was certainly something to consider.
Veronica smiled thinly, “I’m sorry… I understand your point, Lisa. And yes, I do get that I sound a lot like that woman you two dealt with… Wellesley? I guess we’re in similar boats.”
“Well, not exactly,” I said. “Andrea and her husband divorced, and there was a lot more going on. Lisa does have a point, though. This could all go away if you just step back. Maybe make Marcus a counteroffer for a larger profit share. Or a lump sum. Then you can start a new business or something.”
She frowned and shook her head, “Scott… Julius and I built that company from a fifty-million-dollar company to a nearly two-hundred-million-dollar company in less than ten years. Hell, as CEO, my annual salary alone is nearly six million. I couldn’t walk away for less than a hundred million, and the company doesn’t have the capital for that.”
“Annual payments?” Lisa asked.
“You’ve got an MBA too,” Veronica replied, “so you know what can happen in ten or twenty years. As I said before, my confidence that the Bradfords can sustain things as they are isn’t very
strong. Marcus is only in the position he’s in because Julius was trying to help him. We had to keep an eye on everything he did and some of it would’ve bankrupted us if we hadn’t derailed his plans… as for the kids… they aren’t ready. Sarah Beth has only just graduated, for Christ’s sake. Andrew didn’t earn his Master’s until two years ago. Too much time screwing around, partying… playing the rich kid, you know how it goes. He’s not mature enough and far too arrogant to deal with the kind of people with whom we do business. Military and political types who don’t take to his brand of snarkiness. I’ve got plans to work something out with Boeing and Airbus as well. Those big corporate guys would laugh Andrew out of their offices.”
“Okay,” I said with a shrug. “You want to stick to your guns. I can respect that. But that means that until I uncover the person or people behind this, your life is in danger. That means that while I’m poking around all of creation… and I guess I need to fly out to Wyoming… then you are, for all intents and purposes, under lock and key.”
“Agreed,” Veronica said.
“Are you sure?” I pressed. “Because I mean you do what we say and how we say it. It means you don’t just run out to the store or the movies without checking with us first. I know it’s a pain… but that’s the way it has to be. I can’t personally protect you all the time. Lisa can’t either. Our men will be with you, and we’ll both be around from time to time, but it’s vital that you follow our instructions.”
“I understand,” she stated. “And as for flying… you might enjoy the use of my private plane.”
“You have a plane?” Lisa asked with a grin.
“Of course, I’m the CEO of a big company,” Veronica replied with a wink.
“I see,” I said flatly.
Lisa laughed.
“A big company that like… you know… works with planes and stuff,” Veronica deadpanned.
“Nobody likes a smarty pants, Veronica,” I pretended to grump.
“I do,” Lisa said. “Obviously.”
I reacted calmly and maturely…
I stuck my tongue out at them.
Apparently, Gregorio’s men weren’t due to arrive until the next morning, so Lisa and I elected to stay over at Veronica’s house. It was a hardship, having to stay the night in a multi-million-dollar waterfront home on Tierra Verde, but we two are made of stern stuff.
It was fortunate that we were, too… because things got quite interesting after dark.
I had to run out to Publix to get a few things, which I did an hour before sunset. When I came back, I had a trio of rib-eye steaks, angel hair pasta, and a wedge of fresh parmesan, fresh rosemary, a garlic bulb and a few other odds and ends. To begin, I roasted the garlic bulb along with several sprigs of rosemary and then combined these with two sticks of softened sweet cream butter. I then blanched the pasta and set it aside.
While grilling the steaks to perfection, with a nice, charred crust on the top, I sautéed some shallot, more rosemary and a little garlic in about a third of a cup of olive oil. When this was ready, I combined it with the pasta and had the ladies grate some cheese over it as well as prepare a salad. Just before the steaks were done, I put a couple of tabs of my compound butter on them. That promptly melted and turned the grill into a conflagration that resulted in a very delicious glaze.
Throughout the late afternoon and all during and after sunset, a variety of watercraft went by, going out into the pass to celebrate Sol’s retirement into the sea. One boat in particular caught my eye as we sat on the pool deck just as the last vestiges of twilight were darkening overhead.
It was a thirty-foot or so cigarette boat. A red and white go-fast job that caught my attention because I hadn’t seen or heard it leave the main canal. It wasn’t the kind of boat you could miss, either. A cigarette is mostly high-powered engines with a boat wrapped around them. Even at an idle, they roar like doomsday come at last. The three men in the boat didn’t quite seem to match the scene, either. They were dressed in dark clothing, and all had beards and dark hair. As they drove past, making a point of not looking up at us… this in spite of two very attractive women in plain sight… I smelled the distinct odor of a good cigar.
“Trouble,” I said to the ladies as the trio passed.
“Three Cubans in a go-fast,” Lisa said. “Yeah, that doesn’t seem suspicious.”
“Well, not after last night,” I said and pulled out my phone. I sent a text to Richard Kelly asking him if he could get me the landline or even cell phone number of Lou Cardoza.
“Should we arm?” Lisa asked.
I nodded, “Veronica, can you shoot?”
“Honey, I grew up in Texas,” Veronica said with a grin. “I can shoot. I’ve got a Browning forty-cal semi here.”
“Good,” I said. “I’ve got a few things in the Jeep, too.”
I went downstairs and brought up a gym bag that I had in the footwell behind the passenger’s seat. In it, I had my Mossberg mariner, my M4 and my Winchester .308, along with ammo for each. The bag also held a big-ass Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum revolver with a six-inch barrel. Just in case we were attacked by a rampaging black rhino.
By the time I’d gotten back up to the deck, the two women had their own pistols. Lisa’s small but lethal Glock 43 and Veronica’s stainless-steel Browning .40. I showed them what was in the bag and began to load what had once been Jeremy Steven’s belly gun. See Shadows of Limelight for details.
“Jesus Christ, Marshal Dillon,” Veronica teased, “you planning on killing all three of them with one bullet?”
I grinned, “If I have to, Miss Kitty.”
My phone dinged and Richard’s text included a contact number and a message that read mobile. I grinned again and tapped the contact.
It rang four times and finally was picked up. A gruff voice growled: “Who is this?”
“Good evening, Lou,” I said pleasantly. “This is your opponent speaking. How’s it going?”
“Who the fuck is this, mang?” the man asked harshly and sounded a lot like Al Pacino in Scarface. I wondered if it was intentional.
“Scott Jarvis,” I said. “The man you sent Eddie and Wendell to whack last night. Ring a fuckin’ bell, asshole?”
“How did you get this number, madicon?”
“I have my ways, Lou,” I said. “Did you get my message from your two boys this morning?”
A pause and then a harrumph, “Those two pendejos? I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, mang.”
“Lou, Lou, Lou,” I chided. “You most certainly do. Just like you know about the three jack balls in the cigarette you sent over to Saint Pete. Now, you and I need to have a frank chat, hombre. I’m getting tired of this shit. Getting your phone number is the least of what I’ll do if we can’t come to some sort of mutually beneficial agreement.”
“Who the fuck you think jur talkin’ to, mang? Huh? You fuckin’ think jur gonna go to war with me?”
“That’s pretty good,” I said. “Almost as good as my Tony Montana. Can you call me a cocka-roach?”
There was a pregnant pause and then the man laughed, “You got juevos, Jarvis. I’ll give you that. Okay, let’s talk.”
“No, let's you talk, Lou,” I said. “Why are you sending men after me? We’ve never met, and to my knowledge, I’ve never had any dealings with you.”
A laugh, “It’s not personal, amigo. I do what I’m paid to do. I give my word and it stays given, comprende?”
I scoffed, “Yeah, all you got in this world is your word and your balls, and you don’t break them for anybody… who hired you?”
“You know I can’t tell you that, mang.”
“Well, Lou,” I said in mock sadness. “Then you’re about to lose three more men and a Scarab. Oh, and please take note of something.”
A pause, “And what’s that?”
“If I can find your personal cell number,” I said coldly and in a tone that I sincerely hoped conveyed deadliness. “Then I can also find you. Ever been hunted
down by a Navy SEAL, hombre?”
Another long pause, “Big talk.”
I laughed scornfully, “Just ask Big Daddy Walker about me.”
A sardonic laugh, “He’s muerto, pendejo.”
“Precisely,” I hung up.
Lisa and Veronica looked at me. Veronica’s eyes were a little wide when she said: “Jesus… you should see the look on your face. You look like you want to strangle somebody.”
I met her gaze, “I do.”
Lisa nodded and managed a small smile, “That seemed to go well. Don’t worry, Veronica… he’s only deadly to his enemies… or yours.”
I knew it wouldn’t be enough. I knew that my warnings and dropped hints wouldn’t deter Cardoza. Nothing ever did with his kind. They always thought they were the toughest around. Like Otter and Big Top, like Paulie Franco and like every other hood I’ve ever dealt with, They had little or no choice.
“Okay… in the house,” I said wearily.
10
The biggest advantage of a revolver, in my opinion, is that there is no ejected brass to have to deal with. Also, the weapon is simple, with few moving parts and far less likely to misfire. The biggest disadvantage to the big .44 I had was that it didn’t come with a sound suppressor. If fired, the gun would make a hell of a racket, and in that neighborhood that would almost immediately draw the cops.
So I went back downstairs and to my Jeep to exchange the Colt for my other Colt 1911 semi-automatic… for which I did have a silencer. This weapon also fired a rather large bullet, so I felt more than okay about it. Plus I’d have nine shots instead of six… so there.
Something else occurred to me when I went down into the parking area. Wasn’t there supposed to be a patrol car parked nearby? Alex said he’d assigned somebody to Veronica’s house… but there weren’t any police vehicles as far up the street as I could see.
That suddenly pissed me off. On the one hand, it meant I could deal with Cardoza’s men without the cops getting involved right away… on the other hand, that was their damned job. Having a uniformed officer around would help and might even dissuade the three men.
