I saw the look of concern on her face. “But you caught that man. Surely you don’t think ---?”
“I’m sure everything is okay,” I replied, trying to reassure her, “but we just want to be on the safe side.”
“I understand. I’ll wrap it up as quickly as I can.”
I had been holding it in all evening, and now that there was a break I decided to make a quick trip to the potty. I met Kevin in the hall. “Tinkle time,” I announced.
“Me too,” he replied. “My teeth are floating.”
Maggie found John, Bernice and Mary by the door. “May I hitch a ride with you guys? Walt and Kevin need to hang around a while longer.”
“Of course,” John replied, “I’m going to get the car and bring it to the door. Bernice’s arthritis has been acting up. I don’t want her to have to hoof it across the parking lot.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
As soon as John took off, Bernice turned to Mary. “While John’s getting the car, I’m going to hit the refreshment table. I saw some snickerdoodles. You want to come with me?”
“Hell yes!” Mary replied. “I love cookies!”
“How about you, Maggie?”
“I’ll just stay here and watch for John.”
“Okay, we’ll bring you one.”
Kristen was standing by the refreshment table when Mary and Bernice walked up.
Kristen grabbed Mary’s hand. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for what you did earlier. That was very brave.”
“Just a little payback,” Mary replied. “That creep drugged me. He had it coming.”
“I couldn’t hear everything you were saying,” Bernice said. “I’m hard of hearing and my batteries need changing, but you seem to know a lot about marijuana. I’ve got arthritis. I’ve been thinking about getting me some weed to see if it will help. I hear there’s a guy that sells it outside the high school every day. What do you think?”
Kristen was amused at the elderly woman, obviously in her nineties. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You could be arrested.”
Bernice was shocked. “Really! Then I’d better not. I’m too old to go to prison and be some lifer’s bitch!”
Maggie was in the hall waiting for John to pull the car to the door when a woman stepped up behind her. She could feel something pressed against her back.
“Don’t make a sound,” Irina said, “or you’ll die along with several innocent bystanders. Understand?”
Maggie nodded. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come with me. Just do what I say and you won’t get hurt.”
“But why?”
“That’s not your concern. You’re just a pawn in a chess game. Now do as I say. I don’t want to have to take you off the board.”
Maggie complied, and followed Irina down the hall.
After taking turns at the urinal, Kevin and I headed back to the conference room. We found Dad, Mary, and Bernice in the hall.
“Where’s Maggie?” Dad said, obviously concerned.
“I thought she was with you,” I replied. “She was going to hitch a ride home.”
“She was. I left to get the car and she was standing right here with Mary and Bernice.”
I looked at Mary. “What happened?”
“Damned if I know. Me and Bernice went to the refreshment table for a cookie. Maggie said she’d wait right here and watch for John. When we got back, she was gone.”
At that moment, my cell phone rang. It was a woman’s voice with an accent. “Mr. Williams. I have your wife. If you want to see her alive again, you will do exactly as I say.”
“Who is this?”
“Who I am really doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you value your wife’s life. Are you ready to listen?”
“What do you want?”
“I’m just trying to get out of town. I need a thousand dollars. Get the money and bring it to the Sky Vu Motel. The money for your wife.”
“Where am I supposed to get a thousand dollars at this time of night?”
“There’s an ATM at the Hilton Inn. I’m sure you can figure it out. Oh, another thing. You have thirty minutes. I have a bomb with a timer. I’m going to start it now. If you’re not here in thirty minutes, I’ll be gone and so will your wife. Room 8. Don’t be late.”
“I’m not doing anything until I talk to Maggie. I have to know she’s all right.”
“Very well. It’s your time you’re wasting.”
A moment later, Maggie’s voice came on the line. “Walt!”
“Maggie, are you hurt?”
“No, I ---.”
“That’s enough. I hope you’re satisfied. Better get moving, Mr. Williams. The clock’s ticking.”
The line went dead.
I had put the speaker phone on so everyone could hear.
“The Sky Vu Motel,” Kevin said. “That’s one of those dumps you can rent by the hour. It’s about fifteen minutes from here. We’d better get moving.”
I turned to Dad. “Call Ox and tell him what’s going on. You three wait here.”
“We’re going with you,” Dad said. “We can help.”
“No, Kevin and I can handle it. Please do as I say.”
Dad reluctantly agreed. Kevin and I headed to the ATM.
Money in hand, Kevin looked at his watch. “We’ve got fifteen minutes. We’d better hurry.”
We pulled into the Sky Vu parking lot with two minutes to spare.
“I’ll go,” I said. “You wait here and watch. We don’t want to spook her.”
Kevin nodded. “Go!”
I ran to room 8 and knocked on the door. “I’m here!”
I heard Maggie’s voice inside. “Walt! Come in. The door’s unlocked.”
Cautiously, I opened the door and stepped inside. Maggie was tied to a chair.
I looked around the room. “Where’s the woman? Where’s the bomb?”
Maggie shook her head. “She’s gone. There is no bomb.”
Suddenly it struck me. This whole thing was a ruse to draw us from the Hilton Inn.
The woman on the phone didn’t want a thousand dollars. She wanted Kristen Hartman alone and unprotected.
CHAPTER 19
The last woman finally walked away. Kristen looked around the room, but Walt and Kevin were nowhere to be seen. Then she spotted Mary, Bernice and John in the corridor. They seemed upset.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, joining them. “Where are Walt and Kevin?”
“I’ll say something’s wrong,” John replied. “Some woman has kidnapped Maggie and demanded a thousand-dollar ransom. The woman also said there was a bomb. Walt and Kevin went to rescue her.”
“Good heavens!” Kristen said, alarmed. “First a Columbian drug lord tries to take me out and now this. What can I do to help?”
“That’s what we asked, but Walt said to just stay right here until they got back.”
“Well, I’m staying too, but I need to make a quick trip to the lady’s room. I’ll be right back.”
Kristen headed down the corridor and just before she reached the restroom, Irina stepped in behind her.
Kristen stiffened as she felt the muzzle of a gun pressed against her back.
“Just be real quiet and move along and no one else gets hurt.”
Irina gave Kristen a shove, but instead of going quietly, she screamed at top of her lungs.
“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!”
John, Bernice, and Mary turned toward the scream.
“That woman’s trying to take Kristen,” John said.
Bernice stooped and pulled the little .32 from her ankle holster.
“We’re coming!” Mary shouted, and the three of them took off down the hall.
Irina was momentarily distracted by the shout and the sound of pounding feet. Seeing her opportunity, Kristen twisted and landed a karate chop across Irina’s wrist, sending the gun skittering across the floor.
Irina looked at the gun ten feet awa
y, and then at the three people advancing quickly down the hall. One old woman had a pistol, the other old woman had a bat, and the old man had fire in his eyes. She reviewed her options and decided not to press her luck. She whispered in Kristen’s ear. “This isn’t over. I’ll be back.”
Then she sprinted to the door and disappeared into the night.
Sitting in her car blocks away, she thought about how her plan had gone awry. She had underestimated the two old body guards and their geriatric posse. She wouldn’t do that again.
Maggie, Kevin and I entered the building finding Dad, Bernice and Mary huddling over Kristen.
I saw the look of relief on their faces when they saw Maggie.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Dad replied, “but it was a close call. Some broad tried to take Kristen at gunpoint.”
“I figured as much,” I said. “Taking Maggie was just a ploy to get us out of the building leaving Kristen unprotected. What happened?”
“The woman put a gun to my back and told me to move and no one would get hurt,” Kristen replied. “I knew that once she had me alone I was a goner, so I screamed. Mary, John and Bernice heard me and came to the rescue. The woman was momentarily distracted. That gave me a chance to use one of the moves I learned in a self-defense class. With her gun gone and Mary coming down the hall with her bat and Bernice with her pistol, she must have figured the odds weren’t in her favor. Before she took off, she said this wasn’t over and she’d be back.”
I looked at Bernice. She was still holding the little .32 she had bought after she and Dad took a concealed carry class.
“You can put that away now,” I said, pointing to the gun.
“I can’t,” she replied shaking her head. “I musta peed and my holster’s all wet.”
I figured with everything that had transpired, if all we had to worry about was a wet holster, we came out pretty well.
One thing, though, was very clear. Protecting Kristen Hartman had become a full-time job.
Police lifted prints from the gun the woman dropped and ran them through AFIS, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. The prints matched those of Irina Petrov, a Russian national, known to be a gun for hire.
There was no doubt in my mind that Big Pharma had hired Petrov to silence Kristen and squelch her initiative for legalized medical marijuana. Petrov had promised Kristen that she’d be back and I had no doubts that was also true.
Ramon Dias and Andre and Marcia Kepler were behind bars, but there was no guarantee that Carlos Moreno wouldn’t send another assassin to succeed where they had failed.
One thing was certain; Kristen Hartman’s life was in danger. The police couldn’t give her round-the-clock protection, so all that was standing between her and an early grave was Kevin and me. I wasn’t sure we were up to the task.
Reluctantly, I decided I should pay a visit to Carmine Marchetti, the big kahuna of the Kansas City mob.
Normally, I don’t associate with gangsters, but fate had thrown us together on several occasions. He had actually saved my life twice and I had done the same for him. We had developed a bond of mutual respect which I didn’t discourage because Carmine had his finger on the pulse of the city’s underworld. He knew things that no one else knew.
I wanted to see him for two reasons. First, he might actually have knowledge of assassins roaming the streets of Kansas City, and second, I wanted to make sure that Kristen wasn’t in his crosshairs. After all, it was common knowledge that the mob was the main supplier of marijuana in Kansas City.
I could usually find him at Antonelli’s, an Italian restaurant. If I wanted an audience, there was procedure to be followed. I would present my card to the maître d'. He would approach Carmine, and if he was in the mood to see me, he would send Vito or one of his other goons to frisk me and take me to his table.
I was in luck and found myself standing in front of the don.
“Well, well, my favorite gumshoe.”
He always says that. Actually, it’s kind of comforting, knowing that I’m still in his good graces.
“What’s so important today that you must interrupt my lunch?”
“I apologize,” I replied. “I wouldn’t bother you but a woman’s life is at stake.”
“Ah, yes. Walt Williams, the champion of distressed women. Who are you protecting today?”
“Kristen Hartman. Do you know who she is?”
“Of course I do. She’s the young woman trying to have marijuana legalized in our fine state.”
I cringed, fearing the answer to my next question. “Does that bother you at all?”
He frowned. “Why would that bother me? Surely you’re not insinuating that I have anything to do with providing an illegal substance to the citizens of Kansas City?”
I instantly feared that I had overstepped my bounds.
Then his face broke into a big grin. “Lighten up, gumshoe. I’m just messing with you. Medical marijuana means nothing to me. Recreational marijuana is where the money is. I have no interest in your young lady.”
That was certainly a relief. “Are you familiar with a Columbian, Carlos Moreno?”
He frowned again. “Of course I am. He’s been trying unsuccessfully to get his product on our streets for years. He has been successful in St. Louis, Jefferson City, and I understand he has a thriving business on the campus at M.U., but so far we have kept him out of Kansas City.”
“He’s made three attempts on Kristen Hartman’s life.”
“I’m well aware of that. By the way, congratulations on your apprehension of Ramon Dias and Andre and Marcia Kepler.”
“You know about that?”
He smiled. “It’s my business to know these things.”
“Then you must also know he was responsible for a string of robberies using Devil’s Breath.”
Carmine shuddered. “Nasty stuff. As you know, I’m no saint, but there are lines I won’t cross. Devil’s Breath is one thing I abhor. It takes away a person’s will. It is wrong.”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. I would like to ask you for a favor.”
“Name it.”
“It’s very possible that Moreno may send another assassin to Kansas City. If you hear anything, I’d appreciate a call.”
“Done! Anything else?”
“One more thing,” I said, pulling a photo of Irina Petrov that the cops got from Interpol. “Do you know this woman?”
He looked at the photo. “No I don’t. Who is she?”
“Irina Petrov, a Russian hired gun sent by Big Pharma to assassinate Kristen Hartman. She tried yesterday, but thankfully failed. She promised she would try again.”
He shook his head. “Assassins roaming our streets. That’s not good for business. I’ll spread the word. If I get anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
He smiled. “I’ve done nothing yet, but I hope to. Then you would be in my debt once again. You never know when a good gumshoe might come in handy.”
As I left, I was pleased, but also fearful. I was pleased that Kristen wasn’t in danger from the mob, and that Carmine was willing to help, but I was also fearful that I might wind up owing a favor to the boss of the Kansas City mob.
CHAPTER 20
Carlos Moreno hung up the phone in disgust. It was the third time he’d tried to call Ramon and every time the call went straight to voice mail.
“Where is that fool and why doesn’t he answer?”
He went to the computer and pulled up the website for Kansas City news. He scrolled through the headlines. There it was.
“Ramon Dias, a Columbian national, was apprehended at the Hilton Inn in Independence, Missouri. It is believed that Dias is responsible for a recent string of robberies in the Kansas City area. He has been charged with grand larceny, kidnapping, and use of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.”
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br /> “Damn!” he muttered. “First the Kepler’s, now this! The woman must be stopped. I will send no more lackeys. I will take care of this business myself!”
“Only one more presentation and I’ll be out of your hair,” Kristen said. “I’m moving back downtown and will be staying at the Hilton President Hotel on Baltimore. I’ll be meeting with the Kiwanis Club of Kansas City, then I’m off to St. Louis and I’ll be someone else’s problem.”
“I don’t suppose I could talk you out of continuing your campaign,” I replied. “We know Irina Petrov is still out there, and it’s possible that Carlos Moreno could send someone else.”
“Not a chance. I believe in what I’m doing. There are people out there suffering who could benefit from legalized marijuana and it’s my goal to see they get what they need. I can’t quit out of fear. If everyone quit when facing opposition, nothing would ever get done.”
Her commitment to her cause reminded me of someone else, Ben Foster. Against all odds and formidable opposition, he ran for president as an independent. Knowing he was putting his life in danger, I asked him why. I’ll never forget his reply. “I have lived in this country for seventy years and I have always been proud to be an American, but I have seen many changes during those years and not all of them have been good. I believe that slowly but surely, we have strayed from the path that once made our country the envy of every nation. I believe the basic freedoms on which our country was founded are being eroded away.”
Ben Foster was a passionate man. He fought for what he believed in, and it cost him his life.
I just hoped that wouldn’t happen to Kristen Hartman.
Carlos Moreno approached the reservation desk at the President Hotel carrying a spray of flowers.
“A gift for Kristen Hartman,” he said to the man behind the desk. “If you give me her room number, I’ll take them up.”
Lady Justice and the Devil's Breath Page 9
