A Lifetime of Vengeance

by Pete PJ Grondin

  “Well we’re going to have to hang on to that file. We have a new file now, actually two new ones. You know a guy by the name of Randy Farley was whacked the other night. Drowned in Jack Daniels.”

  “What? You mean alcohol poisoning?”

  “No, I mean drowned. Someone wasted a full bottle of Black Jack on this guy. He was already passed out from a hard night of drinking. Somebody sat on top of him and forced the neck of a JD bottle down his throat. Every time he tried to breath, he sucked in Jack. He did this until he literally drowned. I told you, a waste of a good bottle.”

  “Vicious. What’s the connection to Danny Vallero?”

  “Turns out these two guys were at the Rock the other night at the same time. There was a scuffle. Danny was involved, Randy wasn’t, but they were around the same group of guys. Guy named Brian Purcer, member of the band that was playing that night, and Danny V got into a shoving match over a chick. Her name escapes me, but I have it written down. Anyway Danny boy leaves without his date, the chick they were scuffling over. She and Brian end up together. I guess they knew each other from before that night. We questioned Randy about the scuffle and he admitted he knew Danny and a few others at the bar. He wanted to stay out of the limelight because he’s on probation. That may be why he was so cooperative. Turns out that Danny threatened Brian. But he said Danny was a hothead and probably didn’t have the gonads to follow through. All mouth, Randy said.”

  Ray thought for a second then replied, “Someone had the sack. You said there were two new ones. What’s the other?”

  “Guy named Donnie Lee Lester. He’s a quiet guy. No sheet on him but word on the street is that he was dealing in weight. We can’t find any employment records on the guy and he was living well. We found a safe full of cash at his home, to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars. That’s a lotta coin to have sitting around. He must have been into something big. You guys should check your files on him. See if there was any surveillance history or record of bad guy association. You might get lucky. I gotta tell you, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. You might also want to check out the guy that found him. Roberto Acquino. He was crying like a baby when we got to Donnie’s house. Was mumbling something about ‘getting out too late.’ He may be our prize. We’re gonna try to shake him down a bit, see what falls out.”

  “When are you planning to bring him in?”

  “Sometime this afternoon. Captain wants us to get some rest first. We have some UC guys watching his movements until we get back in later today. We’ll have him hauled in and run him through the wringer. If there’s something there, we’ll get it out of him. He seemed pretty fragile. By the way, last we heard, Donnie was in a coma. He might be dead by now.”

  “Let me know if you need any help. We Vice guys like that shit.” Ray smiled the biggest fake smile he could muster. He knew that he had to get to Bobby first and get him out of sight. Jason Roberts couldn’t afford to have Bobby Acquino blabbing his mouth to the Orange County Sheriff. Mr. Roberts would be out of business but only after Ray was six feet under. He had to work fast especially if Donnie was dead. Bobby would break down and spill his guts to the first compassionate ear he could find. Then he’d repeat every word to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

  * * *

  Jamie Watkins and Bill Grimes finished supervising the exchange of dope. They’d already received their cash and were pleased at the take, especially Bill. He’d hit the big-time. If this were his only deal, his life was fulfilled. He figured he could flash the cash in front of Karen’s nose and she’d be all over him like a cheap suit. He was the man.

  This was old hat to Jamie. He was aggravated that he had to even be here. He figured that Jason Roberts should just wire his bank account money whenever he wanted it. He also was still stinging from his punishment and he was already formulating a plan to strike back. His remorsefulness didn’t last long at all. Working with Bill Grimes was an insult at best. This guy was a blithering idiot and Jamie had just about had enough. Now that the exchange was complete he was ready to get the hell away from Bill.

  “Billy boy, let’s wrap this up. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll call you when ole Mr. Roberts needs us again. It won’t be long so don’t get too comfy. We do this usually two to three times a week.”

  Jamie thought that Bill was going to wet himself. He literally jumped up and down with excitement. Jamie was disgusted. He couldn’t believe his eyes, a grown man acting like this. He grabbed Bill by the arm and walked him around the back side of his Suburban. When they were out of sight of the other guys he said sternly, “You fucking settle down, you fucking idiot. Do you want to get us killed? This is serious business! You can’t think and act like some kind of ten year old. You act like that again in front of these guys or any other customer, I’ll kick your ass! You got that?”

  It was like hitting a puppy with the newspaper. Bill hung his head and apologized. He made some excuse about never having done a deal like this before. He said to Jamie, “The most dope I ever moved before was half a pound back when Pat McKinney and I hung out.”

  Jamie glared at Bill at the sound of Pat McKinney’s name. “You ever talk about that little faggot punk again and I’ll beat your fucking brains in. When are you and little Bobby Acquino going to get over the McKinney boys? Those chicken-assed punks are gone. We scared them the hell out of town. Now forget them!”

  “Well, I talked to Al Michaels last week and he said that Pat might be back in town. He was in the Navy for about six years. He’s out now.

  “So fucking what? They won’t dare come around here. Now take off and don’t call me, I’ll call you.” Without another word, Jamie headed to his Suburban and peeled out of the warehouse in the front of the grove. What a fuckin moron. And this is what I get for the job that I do. Jamie was getting more and more pissed as he drove back towards rural Apopka from the back roads around Lake Jem. Well, at least he had a few bucks in his wallet, and a ton of cash in the duffle bag. Even with all his hate for everyone around him, he was feeling pretty good.

  * * *

  Donnie Lee Lester was barely alive in intensive care at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Bobby learned where Donnie Lee was and kept watch in the hall outside the ICU. He was praying constantly. He asked God for forgiveness for his sins and the sins of Donnie Lee. He knew that Donnie was not a Christian so he prayed intently for the Lord to forgive him his sins and for his ignorance of God and His religion. Bobby had called his pastor and requested that he say a Mass for Donnie in the morning. He also mentioned that it was worth a $20,000 donation that would show up in the collection tomorrow. Father Keifer had to struggle to contain his excitement at this very generous donation. He promised Bobby that he would be up to see his friend first thing in the morning and that he would pray with Bobby and hear his confession. It was the least he could do.

  Nurses were routinely in and out of Donnie’s room but they spent little time checking the IV drip and making sure that whatever drugs and chemicals were being fed into his body were in good supply. They marked on his chart and left, heading to the next patient. Bobby was just getting used to seeing the same faces when a shift change occurred. New faces were now making the same rounds, checking the vitals of patients and getting familiar with the names. The head nurse on the floor learned that Bobby was concerned about Donnie Lee. She went to him, put a soft hand on his shoulder, and assured him that they would do everything that they could for him. She recommended that he get some rest and that he might be more comfortable in the lounge. They had couches where he could spread out, since he was the only one left around the ICU. They didn’t mind unless security came up and requested that he leave. They were pretty lax with visiting rules for ICU as long as visitors stayed out of the way.

  Bobby thanked her but said that he’d stay there in sight of his room, at least when the big entry doors to ICU opened. He must have dozed off because he was startled out of his sleep by nurses running past him through the big doors an
d into Donnie Lee’s room. There was some kind of alarm going off, making a gong sound. At first he thought he was dreaming, but he quickly came to realize that his friend was under duress. The nurses were talking back and forth. One nurse appeared to take charge and was giving very deliberate orders almost in a methodical, mechanical way. She told one nurse to get Dr. Stein on the phone. What time was it, Bobby thought. 1:12 according to the clock at the nurse’s station. Bobby stood and looked into the ICU, listening as they worked to save his friend. The on-duty resident came into the ICU, asked a few questions, and said to the nurses, “Okay, call it 1:14. I’m sorry everyone, you did what you could. Let’s get everything in order.”

  And that was it. Donnie Lee Lester was gone. He didn’t know God. He hadn’t given a confession to a priest. He hadn’t been sorry for his actions. He was knocking on hell’s door. Bobby felt sorry for his friend but he made up his mind that he would not be joining his dear friend. He wanted no part of wailing and gnashing of teeth. He would see Father Keifer in the morning and confess everything.

  * * *

  Bill Grimes was feeling pretty good. He also had some bucks in his wallet. He had more cash than he’d ever seen before in his life. He was headed to see his woman. Karen had to be impressed with him now. He thought about how much cash they made tonight and started doing the math. He was going to be a millionaire within two years, maybe less. He headed through Apopka to the ABC Lounge on State Route 436 where he used to hang out. He figured that he could share a drink with some of his old buddies. Maybe he’d buy a round just to show them that he was doing great and that he didn’t care what they thought about him.

  When he got to the bar at 1:30 AM, the fluorescent lights in the package store were blazing, the ABC sign was inviting, and he was in the mood. He parked his car in the back lot and entered the dark, smoke-filled bar. There were about two dozen people in the Lounge this evening, not unusual for this time of night. A few were already well lit, others were just getting started. Bill recognized Bo Williams and Roger Pittman. They were sitting at the bar watching a particularly good looking young lady play pool. She looked good, but she shot terrible pool. She was giggling a lot, too. Bill figured that she’d been here a while and was probably getting free drinks from anyone who thought that they had a chance to get into those tight pants.

  “Hey Bo, Roger! How are you guys doing?” Bill was in a good mood, they could see. He had that ‘I know something that you don’t’ look on his face. They knew Bill too well and they figured that it would be easy getting the full story out of him. It might not even take a few drinks.

  Roger started first. “Bill, how the hell are you? We haven’t seen you in ages. What have you been up to?”

  “Awe, nothing,” Bill replied with his big smile. The bartender came over and took Bill’s order, Heineken. Roger and Bo both took note. Bill was a Miller beer drinker. He never strayed because ‘foreign beer was too damned expensive.’ They both wondered what had changed to where it was now affordable.

  “Billy Boy, why are you drinking that stuff? You’re so cheap your asshole squeaks when you walk, now you’re buying $4.00-a-bottle beer? Did you win the Lotto or something?”

  “Nope. I just like this beer.” In truth, Bill hated the strong taste of Heineken. He just wanted to look like he had class and money to these guys. “You guys want one? I’m buying.”

  “Damn straight. This is a night to remember. Billy Grimes is buying someone else a beer.” Bo yelled to Eddie, the bartender to send down two more Heini’s and put it on Bill’s tab. Eddie looked to Bill for approval. Bill said, “Hell yeah. And I’m buying a round for everyone here.”

  Everyone in the bar shouted some cheer or shout of approval. All of a sudden, everyone was Bill’s friend, everyone except Ray Krebs and one other guy that nobody seemed to know. Ray had been sitting at the bar when Bill commenced to run his mouth. He thought that he was talking in a low voice, but his voice carried. Ray listened to Bill explain every detail of the deal, though the dollar amounts were inflated. He even bragged that he had to take Bobby Acquino’s place because Bobby couldn’t handle it. “Too much pressure.” He said that Bobby was probably at the ‘St. Francis I’m a sissy’ church down the road right now. Ray was thinking to himself, What a loser. Mr. Roberts is going to blow up. But his immediate job was to gather information. He’d followed Bill into the bar to see if anyone was following him. He shook his head and continued to sip his beer.

  The other guy was at the other end of the bar listening, too. He caught one name that grabbed his attention. Jamie Watkins. He turned towards Bill and listened more intently. As he listened, he watched other folks around the bar. Many people were listening. He even noticed one guy walk out of the bar shortly after Bill had announced how much money his take was. He must have figured that the money was still in Bill’s car because he hadn’t taken it into the bar. He followed the patron out into the parking lot and watched as the guy actually tried to break into Bill’s car. He walked over to the guy and simply said, “Looking for a quick score?”

  The guy turned and looked into his face and saw that he should just leave, and he did. After the patron was gone, he went back into the bar and ordered another beer. He even had Eddie put it on Bill’s tab. When Eddie dropped it off, he shouted down to Bill and said, “Thanks again,” and waved the bottle in his direction.

  Bill looked his way and replied, “Sure. What’s your name?”

  “They call me Radar.”

  Bill simply raised his bottle to Radar and took another long drink of the expensive, awful tasting beer.

  Ray took note of Radar. There was something about this guy that didn’t fit in here. He was a bit dark skinned, not black, but not white. He may have been mixed or even middle-eastern. But he had Caucasian features and spoke pretty well with a deep southern drawl. Radar had a slightly menacing look. Nothing too obvious. He wasn’t looking for a fight. He was just enjoying his free beer.

  The gal at the pool table dropped her cue and groaned. She just lost again. The guys at the table were through playing with her, and wanted a real match so they asked if anyone wanted to play. Radar replied that he did. The boys racked them and Radar broke. He let loose a powerful shot and after that, pretty well cleaned their clocks. He played a few more for money and won but bought the losers beers for their troubles. Bill asked if he’d like to play him and Radar turned, and said, “Sure.” Bill didn’t realize that he was playing for his life. Radar had decided if Bill won, he’d let him live for another day. If Bill lost, well, the plan was in motion. It had to be completed.

  Radar said to Bill, “Want to put $500 on this one? You got the big bucks and all.”

  Bill was always a sucker for a bet and he figured he could make more money tonight. “Sure, man. But let me see your money first.” Radar took out $500 of the money that he lifted from the duffle bag in Bill’s car. You want someone to hold it?”

  Roger Pittman spoke up, “I’ll hold it.”

  Ray headed out of the bar at the beginning of the match. He could care less about the outcome. He was more interested in Bobby Acquino so he headed to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church to see if Bobby would show.

  Bill lost. Radar shook his head after leaving the bar with Bill’s $1000 and a duffle bag full of the rest of his take that night. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t need it where he was headed.

  Chapter 31

  Bobby Acquino headed towards St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. He had to get a grip on his emotions. He’d been crying like a baby off and on for about an hour. He was so distraught that he could hardly drive down State Route 441 towards Apopka. It was 2:20 AM and he needed to talk to God. He didn’t want any human contact. He knew that he had to get out of this business or he was a dead man. But who could he talk with except God? He wasn’t married. His brother was in prison. If he told his parents what would they think of him? He was their last hope for a good, God fearing child. Hearing all this would crush them and he didn’t
want to disturb them at this hour. No sense laying this burden on them. That would be so unfair. It was in the scriptures that you should give your burdens to God and he would bear them for you. As he approached the church, he felt like he needed a drink. He drove by the church and headed for the ABC lounge south of Apopka where, unbeknownst to Bobby, a life or death pool match had just completed.

  When Bobby pulled into the lot, Bill Grimes was just leaving the bar as were a number of other patrons. Even in the dim-lighted parking lot Bobby recognized Bill. He pulled up next to him, rolled down his window and asked in a shaken voice, “Hey Bill, is the bar still open? Bill looked at Bobby and could see that he was distraught. He replied that they could probably get back inside in time for a drink. He even offered to buy, and they headed back in. Radar saw them enter as he exited. He had business to take care of before his night was done. He went to his car in a dark corner of the lot, fired up his battery powered laptop computer and typed out three notes. He printed all three, folded them into nice, neat squares and set them aside. He next went to the pay phone at the front of the store and called Jamie Watkins number. Jamie wasn’t home yet so he left a message on his answering machine. “Meet me, Bobby and Bill at the vault on Kelly Park Drive at 11:00 AM. We have business. Don’t be late.”

  He knew that Jamie didn’t recognize his voice because he’d never heard it before. He also knew that Jamie would be there. The vault had some history for Jamie and his buddies. This is where their current business started. This is where the McKinney’s helped them establish their clientele. This is also where their friendship started to unravel and hate replaced all of the good times.

  Ray Krebs watched Radar’s movements from his car. Who is this guy and what is he up to? He was trying to cover his interest in Billy boy but he couldn’t hide it from everyone. He was leaning towards Bill every time he said anything about the deal. Was he DEA? Were the Feds watching Jason and his operation? Man this could get real ugly. Ray thought that he’d better get on the phone to Mr. Roberts and let him know what was going down here. Just as he was about to leave his car and head for the pay phone, Jamie Watkins pulled up in his oversized suburban, complete with its loud paint job and extra lights on the roll bar. The tires were taller than most grown-ups. So much for being inconspicuous. He pulled across two parking spaces at an angle, killed the engine and headed for the Lounge door. Now Ray had a dilemma. Who should he follow, this Radar character or Mr. Roberts’ team. He flipped a coin in his mind and tails won. He headed back into the ABC Liquor Lounge and prepared to spy on Jamie, Bill and Bobby. He walked in and sat at a table in the corner of the lounge. The music was loud and the bar was smoke-filled but Ray could see and hear every word. Between Jamie and Bill, there could have been a rock band on stage and he would have still heard the conversation.