by HD Smith
~#~
Lenny and Ronny were put in side-by-side cells. Waters brought them in through the back and Lenny was sure no one else knew they were here.
“Do you think Juli and Matty made it back to the pub?” Ronny asked.
“I don’t know.” Lenny rubbed his knee.
“Are you okay? You fell hard.”
“Yeah, it’s sore, but it’s not broken.”
“What if they didn’t make it back?” Ronny asked, his eyebrows drawn together, concern creasing his forehead.
Lenny let out a long breath. “Let’s hope they did.”
If there was one time in his life that Lenny wished his dad was around, it was now. He wasn’t sure how he would get out of this without him. He needed him now more than ever.
Waters didn’t make them wait long. He returned twenty minutes later with a deputy and two older boys in tow. Waters’ smug look was annoying. “It looks like your friends have made a smart decision. Are you boys going to make the same choice?”
“What do you mean?” Lenny asked.
“They’ve agreed to forget what they heard. Let things play out.”
Ronny shook his head. “You’re lying, no way Juli said that.”
Waters chuckled. “The way I hear it he cracked first. Now I’m going to give you boys a chance to think about it. You’ll have all night.”
“My father will come for us,” Lenny said, praying it was true.
The deputy laughed. Looking Lenny up and down, he said, “Why would he come for you? You’re not even—”
“Monroe,” Waters barked, cutting the deputy off. Then he turned to Lenny. “Not this time, kid.”
Waters nodded toward Monroe, who opened Lenny’s cell and ushered in one of the older boys. The boy looked to be about sixteen and a good foot taller than Lenny. The kid he put in Ronny’s cell looked even older and bigger. It was going to be a long night.
Waters gave final instructions as Ronny’s cell door was closed. “Don’t break anything. Just rough them up.”
Monroe laughed as he and Waters turned to leave.
The boy with Lenny smiled a wide snaggle-toothed grin. As soon as the door Waters had left through closed, he sucker punched Lenny in the gut, and from the sound of it Ronny wasn’t faring any better. By the time Waters returned a half hour later, Lenny had a bloody nose, several sore ribs, and a loose tooth. Ronny had a busted lip, a swollen eye, and a severely sprained wrist—but nothing was broken.
Waters smiled down at Lenny’s crumpled form. “See you in the morning, kid.”
Lenny pulled himself to his feet then slumped onto the cot. He ached all over. He was angry that his father hadn’t come to get him. He always picked up Matty right away. Now Lenny needed him—really needed him—and he wasn’t around. He was never there for Lenny—and what was that deputy going on about? … You’re not even— … What, the Dunmore kid? The one he goes out of his way to pick up the same day? This was bullshit—why did Lenny even care? He lay on the cot and glared at the wall. He wasn’t going to cry.
“Do you think Juli and Matty made it back?” Ronny asked, grunting slightly as he eased himself onto his cot.
“No, I think the Russian got them—and they agreed to keep quiet. If not, why isn’t your dad here?” Lenny could think of a hundred reasons his dad wouldn’t go out of his way, but Mr. Townsend would have come down if he knew the truth—Juli and Matty didn’t tell.
Chapter 9
2015
Lenny had made arrangements to send two of his guys, J.J. and Sammy, to Orlando to pick-up the cargo Carlos and his crew were securing. He’d booked them on a flight leaving this afternoon. Both were planning to check in with him before they left. Lenny grabbed his cellphone to call Carlos. He wanted to confirm that Carlos’s crew had everything under control and would be expecting his guys to arrive later tonight. The phone rang before he had a chance to dial—it was Carlos. Lenny hoped this wasn’t a bad sign.
“Yeah,” Lenny answered.
“We have a slight problem with the cargo.” Carlos was good at making sure he used the code word so as not to arouse any suspicion with anyone that might overhear the conversation.
“What’s happened?”
“One has been sent to Montana and the other is at a neighbor’s house.”
Lenny blew out a long breath. He’d hoped this part of the plan would go off without a hitch, but the kid was the key—and he was probably the one that stayed in town with the neighbors. “Where’s the small one?”
Carlos confirmed what Lenny suspected. “It’s at the neighbor’s house.”
“Can you pick it up without raising any concerns with the neighbors?”
“Umm … maybe, but I think yes.”
“Good.”
“What about the other one?” Carlos asked.
“When is it returning?”
“Two weeks.”
Lenny knew all too well how much effort a real father would go to for his son. “Forget about it. The small cargo will be enough.”
“Excellent. When will your boys be in town to pick up the cargo?”
Lenny didn’t think it would be wise to have J.J. and Sammy travelling alone with a kid—especially a kid that might try to alert the police. The mother could have kept the kid in check, but alone he would be too much of a wild card. “Can your crew store it in Orlando?”
Carlos was silent for a moment, then said, “That won’t be a problem, but there is an added expense for storage.”
“I understand. Where do you want the money wired?”
“My Cayman’s account will be fine. How long will we be storing the cargo?”
“Only a few days.” Lenny wasn’t planning to drag this out. He’d use the kid as leverage to get Matty to Nowhere, then cut the kid loose once Matty had been handled. Lenny knew what it was like to grow up without a father—the kid would toughen up and survive—just like he’d had to do.
“And after that?” Carlos asked.
“Don’t damage the cargo.”
“Not a problem.”
“Let me know when your crew has it.”
Lenny would use J.J. and Sammy to pick up Matty instead—he couldn’t send Ronny and this would just be easier than getting outside help. As soon as he had confirmation the kid had been taken, then he’d close that chapter of his life forever, and a problem he’d thought ended thirty years ago would finally be written off the books.
~#~
Matt called the Coopers before leaving for the office. He wanted to check on Pete, and make sure everything was okay.
“Hello,” Sarah Cooper answered.
“Hey Sarah, it’s Matt, is Pete around?”
“Yeah, just a minute.” Sarah lowered the phone, then called out, “Pete, it’s your dad.”
A few seconds later, Pete picked up the phone. “Hey dad.”
“Hey buddy, what’s going on?”
“Not much. When are you getting back?”
The office was coming along nicely, he wouldn’t need to extend his stay. “Friday night. Maybe we’ll get pizza and go see a movie.”
“You’re coming back early?” Pete whined.
The Coopers must have already planned something for the boys to do Friday night. “Just a little early, but I can pick you up on Saturday as planned. You can stay over at David’s Friday night, okay?”
“Cool. Gotta go. I’ll see you later.” Click.
Matt shook his head before ending the call. He considered calling Sarah back to let her know his itinerary, but since their schedule wasn’t impacted by his coming back early, he decided to check in Friday when he was back in town.
~#~
Frank, one of Carlos’ guys in Orlando, was waiting on instructions from the boss. He and Pablo had been ordered to watch a kid and his mother, and determine the best way to pick them up. Before they could implement their plan, the mother had to leave unexpectedly for Montana and the kid was now staying with a friend. Frank was parked down the street from
the friend’s house in a black SUV identical to the one owned by the kid’s mother. They’d been there for about an hour when the phone finally rang. It was Carlos.
“Yeah, boss,” Frank answered.
“Pick-up the small cargo, forget about the other one,” Carlos instructed.
“Then what?”
“We’re going to hold on to it for a while. Don’t damage it, and try not to make the neighbors suspicious. Call me when you have it.”
“Roger that,” Frank said, ending the call.
“What’s the plan?” Pablo asked.
“We pick up the kid and hold him—and try not to make the friend’s parents suspicious.”
Pablo’s eyebrows rose. “How the hell are we doing that?”
Frank shrugged. “We’ll play it by ear—maybe he’ll go off by himself.”
Pablo snorted, shaking his head.
Frank and Pablo watched and waited. The kid and his friend came out of the house about half an hour later. Frank followed them to a nearby skate park. Luckily the speed limit in the neighborhood was so slow no one seemed to notice, and black SUV’s were very popular in this area. Neither kid appeared to spot them. Now they just needed an opportunity to get their target alone.
~#~
Ronny got to the pub around 10:30 AM. Lenny wasn't around, but J.J. and Sammy were in the back talking.
“What’s up?” Ronny said.
“Nothing now. Maybe something later,” J.J. said.
“We were supposed to go to Orlando today and pick up some cargo,” Sammy added, “but Hill called it off.”
“Really, what were you picking up?” Ronny asked.
Sammy shrugged. “Some kid and his mother.”
“Why the change?” Ronny asked.
“Don’t know,” J.J. said. “Hill said the Cubans are taking care of it.”
“I’m out of here,” Sammy said. Nodding to J.J. he said, “Call me if things change.”
J.J. nodded back. “I’m out of here too. You see Hill, tell him to call when he needs us.”
Ronny waited until both men had left, then sat down at Lenny’s desk. Ronny was sure now that Walsh had found the information Lenny wanted. The “kid and his mother” in Orlando must be Matty’s family. Ronny checked his watch—he wasn’t expecting Lenny to return from the gym for another half hour. He moved the mouse on the desk to wake up Lenny’s computer. Pulling out his key ring, he found the key to the top drawer of the old desk. It had been a gift from his father, who’d had the key since he started working for Lenny’s dad over forty years ago. Neither Hill ever knew the key existed—a secret Ronny planned to keep.
Ronny opened the top drawer of the desk and lifted the cover of a small blue notebook. Lenny had a bad habit of forgetting his password, so Ronny suggested he keep it written down. It would have been a safe enough idea if Lenny was the only one with a key to the desk, but he wasn’t. Lenny’s current password was Lay1a, who was also his current girlfriend of the month—a trend with passwords he repeated often.
There was nothing from Walsh in Lenny’s email. Ronny checked the hard drive next. He found a file in the download folder named Larson2015.docx. It amazed Ronny how inept Lenny was with the computer. He’d had the foresight to delete the email, but then left the file in the download folder. Ronny rolled his eyes, then double clicked and opened the file. He quickly scanned the first few pages. He spotted Matty’s Orlando address just as he heard a car pulling up outside.
“Shit,” he said, grabbing a post-it and jotting down the information.
He wanted to send the file to Julian, but there was no time for that now. He’d have to come back later. Closing the file, he activated the screensaver, which left the computer locked, just as he’d found it. He secured the desk drawer, relocking it, and pocketed his keys and the post it, moments before Lenny walked in.
“What are you doing?” Lenny asked.
Ronny pulled at the top drawer as if he were trying to open it. “I was looking for a pen. Since when do you keep this thing locked?”
Lenny snorted. “Since always.” He scanned the top of his desk, as if trying to determine what could be missing.
Ronny shrugged, “Huh, you don’t say.”
“Why did you need a pen?”
“I was about to head out. Sammy and J.J. wanted me to tell you to call when you needed them. Since I’m leaving, I was going to leave a note, but now you’re here.” Ronny stood. Lenny looked as if he doubted Ronny’s reason for being at the desk. “I’m out … unless you need something from me?”
Lenny’s eyebrows drew together, then he gave a halfhearted smile. “Yeah, actually I do.” He stepped around to his desk, giving it one more look, then continued. “I need you to take care of something for me. It’s a road trip. It could take a few days.”
“Sure boss, what do you need?” Ronny asked, as if this could be anything but an attempt to get him out of town while Lenny screwed with Matty’s life. Julian wasn’t going to like this.
“There’s going to be an envelope dropped off at the Bellagio in Vegas. I need you to be there to intercept it. Feel free to take a few days while you’re there—it’s been a while since you had a vacation.”
“When will it arrive?”
“Not sure, but no more than three days from now,” Lenny said.
Ronny hadn’t been sent on an errand like this since he started working part time for Lenny’s father twenty-five years ago. “Why not send one of the boys?”
“The envelope will be left for a Raymond Smith, a man who fits your description fairly well. That’s why I need you to be there. You’ll need to make nice with the front desk so they don’t ask any questions.”
“At the Bellagio, right?”
Lenny nodded. “Yeah, and you’ll need to pick up clothes when you get there. The flight leaves in an hour—Deacon is waiting in the car to take you to the airport.”
Deacon was Lenny’s driver. Ronny was wondering why he hadn’t come back with Lenny. Now he knew—the driver was waiting in the car. Lenny wanted him out of town and he was going to make damn sure he left. Ronny would have to circle back after being dropped off at the airport. Refusing would just lead to questions he didn’t want to answer.
“So, I need to make everyone think I’m Raymond Smith?” Ronny asked. “And I have to leave now?”
“That’s right.” Lenny paused, then asked, “is Julian still here?”
“No,” Ronny lied. “He left last night. Why?”
“I was just curious. Anyway, two of Peyton’s boys are on the first leg, so you’ll have someone to talk to. Call me once you’re in Vegas.”
Shit, Ronny didn’t think there was an envelope to pick up in Vegas, but he couldn’t outright refuse to go, and now that he knew two of Peyton’s boys were on the flight, he’d have to take the first leg then circle back. Julian would have to handle things until he returned. As he rode to the airport, he texted Julian to give him an update.
RONNY: Lenny is sending me to Vegas. Someone might be picking up Matty’s family today.
Ronny waited, but got no reply. He sent Julian the address he’d gotten from Walsh’s file.
It wasn’t unusual for Julian to be MIA when he was working. Ronny hadn’t heard from him since they’d had lunch yesterday, but he was sure his brother hadn’t left town yet. He just hoped Julian got the message in time to help.
~#~
Frank was tired of waiting and watching for the kid to separate from his friend. Pablo had just returned to the car with a new coffee when they finally got a lucky break. As the boys were leaving the skate park, the friend turned back, leaving Pete Larson alone on the street.
“Pull up,” Pablo said, “I’ve got an idea.”
Frank drove toward the kid. Pablo opened the passenger’s side window, but stayed hidden within the shadow of the interior.
“Hey Pete,” Pablo called out to the kid. “I have a message from your father.”
Pete looked around when he heard his
name. He squinted, as if trying to get a better look at Pablo.
“What?” Pete said, stepping forward.
Pablo pulled out his gun and raised it just above the window for Pete to see. He pointed it directly at the kid’s chest. “I want you to tell your friend that your dad has come back early. Then I want you to get in the SUV. If you don’t I’ll shoot your friend. Either way, you’re coming with us.”
Pete took a step back.
“Hey.” Pablo raised his voice, and the kid stopped. “Your friend is coming. I don’t need him, I only need you. Tell him now or you’re both going to get hurt.” He lifted the gun to make double sure Pete saw it.
“Um …” Pete said, then turned toward his friend, who was still far enough away from the SUV not to hear their conversation. “Hey David. I’ve got to go, my dad’s back early. I’ll see you later.” Pete quickly got in the SUV.
Frank scanned the area, making sure no one was looking their way. The kid’s friend waved as they drove off. Frank nodded at Pablo, silently agreeing that the pick-up was clean.
As they stopped at the red light to turn, Frank heard Pete trying to open the door.
“Don’t bother, kid, the child lock’s on.” Frank smiled at the kid, who looked like he might throw up.
“Who are you? Where’s my dad?” Pete asked, but Frank ignored him.
Chapter 10
1985
“Wake up,” someone yelled as the door to Lenny’s cell opened.
Lenny cracked open his eyes. It was, Monroe, the deputy from last night. Lenny wiped the sleep out of his eyes. He was still exhausted and sore. “Is my father here?”
Monroe snorted. “No. The Chief wants to see you.”
The Chief had a smug look on his face as Monroe led Lenny into his office. “How did you sleep?”
“Fine,” Lenny lied. He hadn’t slept well. Between his knee and the beating he’d tossed and turned all night.
Waters smiled. “Good, because you can expect more nights like that when you go to juvie. That’s where we send trouble makers like you.”
Lenny straightened in his chair. “My father won’t let you.” The deputy chuckled in response. Lenny narrowed his eyes at the man. “I’ll be sure to tell him how helpful you’ve been, Monroe.”
