A Lifetime of Vengeance

by Pete PJ Grondin

  Bobby was off by a few birds.

  * * *

  Ray Krebs was keeping a close eye on Bill and Jamie from his Jeep. He was in the same grove but a lot deeper than Jamie’s suburban. He could barely see their taillights and bumper without his high powered field glasses. He had the engine running and had the air conditioning going just to keep comfortable. The sun was partially blocked by the thick orange trees, but just the small amount of sun that came through heated up the Jeep’s interior very quickly when the AC was off. Ray didn’t like to sweat. He had his police band radio on. He wanted to know if any sheriff’s cars were in the area. Typically, the Orange County Sheriff’s office had one or two cars for the entire north Orange County area at any one time.

  He also had his cell phone, a relatively new tool in the arsenal of law enforcement. It barely had a signal this far out in the county. It appeared that cell phone towers were being built almost daily and coverage was improving rapidly, but it would be awhile before cell phones would be practical in rural parts of the county.

  Ray’s cell phone rang, which startled him. He answered, “Hello?”

  “Ray, this is Johnny,” the crackling sound came through. He could barely hear Johnny’s voice on the phone. “Can you come in today?”

  “No can do, Johnny. I’m not . . . area. Is . . . going on . . . to know about?”

  “Could you repeat that? You were breaking up.” Ray did.

  “Well, Lieutenant wants to step up the questioning of anyone associated with the Vallero, Lester , . . rley hits. They’re Homicide . . . to be a Vice connection. Are you in tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, Johnny, I’ll be in.” He could hardly hear Johnny between all the breaking up. He really wanted Johnny to get off the phone. It was breaking his concentration. He had a more important job to do; one that paid cash money.

  “Okay Ray, see . . . the morning. Can you get here . . . minutes early?”

  “Sure. See you then.” He was trying hard to keep the edge out of his voice but it was getting harder to do with each reply.

  “Okay. See you.” Mercifully, Johnny hung up. Ray went back to his surveillance.

  * * *

  “He was in his car somewhere. I don’t know where he was though. His cell was breaking up pretty badly. It had to be either in a building or a rural area. You can’t hear shit for background noises on those cell phones.”

  Johnny Poleirmo was talking with Al Porecwzski. There were trying to decide what to do about Ray Krebs. Johnny told Al that he’d received an anonymous call detailing Ray’s dealings with one Jason Roberts. The caller told Johnny to ask around the Sheriff’s office to see if anyone noticed Ray doing a little snooping where he didn’t belong. Johnny hadn’t suspected his partner of doing anything illegal up to now. He’d heard other deputies and detectives talking about Ray, but he never really thought that he was on the take. It was time to make sure one way or another.

  When Johnny approached Al about his suspicion, Al told him about Ray snooping through his case files on his desk and saying that he was interested in the Vallero case. Said that one of the junkies squealed. The story sounded good, but so what. He could always get a copy of the file if he wanted one. He didn’t have to rifle through his paperwork and make a mess of it. One thing that’s sacred to cops is their desk.

  No one had seen Ray all day into last night when the Lester hit went down. He basically disappeared and hadn’t been heard from until Johnny reached him on the cell. I wonder what he’s up to? Maybe we should swing by his house. Johnny went through his records and found Ray’s address. Johnny, Al and Rich headed out to their cars and headed to Wekiva Gardens, east of Apopka. Nice place for a mid level Vice cop.

  Chapter 37

  Joe McKinney saw Lisa heading down to the pool out his kitchen window. He opened it and yelled out to her, “Hey, would you like some company?”

  “Sure. How soon? I’ll only be out there for an hour or so. I have to get to work at 3:00.”

  “I’ll be right down.”

  Joe grabbed his suit and put it on then grabbed his towel on his way out the door. He was really excited to see Lisa again. As he got to the bottom of his apartment steps, two men in suits stepped out of their parked car. They were looking right at Joe. “Joe McKinney?”

  His first instinct was to run. He realized, of course, that it was a silly idea. Joe stood there for a moment longer until he realized that his feet were beginning to burn on the hot pavement so he moved into a grassy area then he answered, “That’s right. What can I do for you?”

  “We’d just like to know where you were last night at about 8:00?”

  “I was in the weight room until about 8:30, then I was at the pool until much later. What’s this about?”

  “Can anyone collaborate that?”

  “Yes. There’s a young lady at the pool right now that I was with for that entire time, except for about twenty minutes while I changed after lifting. I cleaned up to go to the pool. I was up in my apartment in between.” He asked again, “Hey, what’s this about?”

  “Did you know Donnie Lee Lester?”

  “Yes I did. I read that he was murdered last evening. What’s this have to do with me?”

  “Well, if your story checks, it clears you of any involvement. Was anyone with you during the twenty minutes that you were changing?”

  This gave Joe pause. He wasn’t exactly sure how to answer this one, but if being here cleared him, he could also help clear Pat if he were here. “Well, my brother Pat was here. He stayed just while I changed then he left.”

  “Did he say where he was going?”

  “Yeah. He said he was going home. He and his wife were having some problems, and he went home to work things out.”

  “Okay Joe. Thanks. We’ll let you know if we need anything else.”

  That was totally weird. They just asked me and believed me. They must be looking for someone else, but it’s clear that they know something. I wonder what is up, Joe knew that he had to get in touch with Pat and see if he really did go home. He and Joe had talked about the possibility that this was going to look like they were involved to anyone who knew about Mike’s wife. If the Orange County Sheriff’s office was asking questions, then something was known.

  After the detectives left, Joe headed for the pool. He watched as Lisa finished up a couple of laps and got out of the pool by the ladder. The water glistened as it slid off of her perfectly shaped body. Her tan skin was smooth as silk, not a blemish in sight. She smiled at Joe, noticing that he was noticing.

  “What took you so long? I thought that you were right behind me?”

  “Well, that’s an interesting question,” he said as he took off his shirt, kicked off his flip-flops, and walked towards her. “Can I tell you something very personal? Can I trust you to keep it to yourself?”

  She smiled up at him. “Now’s when you tell me that you’re with the Secret Service, or is it the CIA, and you can’t lift or swim with me anymore.”

  Joe smiled at the jab. “Okay, that was pretty good. I’m serious though. I’m not sure I should because it’s pretty depressing. I mean, this is about my family, and it has to do with why the two Orange County Sheriff’s Detectives were asking me questions a few minutes ago.

  Lisa’s face turned serious. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  “I’m afraid not. Let’s get in the pool for a bit.”

  They both got back into the pool and sat in the water on the shallow end steps. The water was warm from the hot August morning but it felt good as it swirled around their bodies. The sun was glistening off of the ripples on the water’s surface, and they had to squint their eyes due to the bright reflection.

  “I told you about my brothers, Pat and Mike.” Lisa nodded. “Well, we’re in business together. We own some greenhouses and a small orange grove. We lease them out to a guy, so we really don’t do any of the day to day work. Anyway, about seven years ago, Mike got married to a nice girl. They were only married for a
couple of weeks when she was raped and killed . . . brutally.” Lisa cringed. “There were four guys that did the killing. Worse, they were supposed to be friends of ours. Worse yet, they were never tried. Evidence disappeared, and there wasn’t enough left to get a conviction. They had part of the crime on tape, but that was one of the key pieces of evidence that disappeared.”

  “God, how awful. Where are these guys now? Are they still out free?”

  “Well, that was the reason for the visit a few minutes ago. Two of the four guys are dead. Murdered. One a few nights ago, the other last night.”

  “Do they think that you had anything to do with it?”

  “That’s what’s odd. They asked me questions in a way that made me think that they knew we, Pat, Mike and I, had nothing to do with it. Which we didn’t, by the way, just in case you had any doubts. The one murder happened about the time we were lifting weights or were in the pool. They asked if I had an alibi and you’re it.”

  “I’m thrilled to be your alibi. Do they need to ask me about it? I’ll tell them that we spent the night together.” She smiled a wicked little, devilish smile.”

  “Thanks, but I told them you were here at the pool and they didn’t even seem interested in verifying my story.”

  “Darn. I wanted to brag a little.”

  “You didn’t do anything to brag about.”

  “There’s always tonight. Somebody else might try to pin something on you. You never know, and I want to make sure that you’re not implicated.” She put her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips.

  Wow. Now I have my very own alibi. Joe relaxed and put his arms around Lisa and kissed her back. Within five minutes they were in Lisa’s apartment in each other’s arms, and things were heating up. It was almost 95 degrees outside, but it was getting much hotter in the apartment.

  Lisa was about thirty minutes late for work. After Joe saw her off, he called Pat’s number in Dunnellon. Diane answered on the third ring. “Hi Diane, this is Joe. Is Pat around?”

  “Hi Joe. You sound tired. Everything going alright?”

  “Yeah, I just got out of bed.”

  I’ll bet you did. “Pat’s in his office. I’m surprised he didn’t answer. I’ll get him.”

  Joe heard the receiver get set on the counter and Diane started down the hall. A moment later, Pat said, “Hey Joe. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Pat. How did everything go with Diane last night?”

  Diane chimed in from the other receiver, “Just fine, Joe.” Then the receiver clicked off. Pat remained on and said, “She’s right. Absolutely wonderful. I told Diane everything about the grove and the nursery. She loves me. I don’t know why, but she does. I don’t deserve this life.”

  “You’re right. You don’t, but I do. I didn’t call you to try and convince you what a nice guy you are. I just got a visit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department .”

  Joe told Pat about the visit and how he might get called on. Pat cut him off. He hadn’t wanted to, but he told Joe that he’d called his old buddy, Johnny Poleirmo and told him that he, Joe, and Mike weren’t involved in the killings. Joe was speechless. His grip was tightening around the receiver. How could Pat have done this without talking to him first? They were partners in this. They were brothers, for crying out loud! Joe’s temper was starting to rise and he had to pull the phone away from his ear for a few seconds to try to regain control. Think for a second, Joe, he thought to himself. He was just trying to do the right thing. Maybe it worked for the best.

  “Joe? Hey Joe, are you still there?”

  “Pat, you should have told me that you were pulling this. I didn’t know what to say to the cops when they showed up. I guess that’s why their questions were so short and to the point. So we’re in the clear?”

  “Yep. The way it looks, somebody else has a real hard-on for these jokers. There’s only two left . . . well four, if you count . . . “

  * * *

  It was getting close to 1:00 in the afternoon and the sun was really beating down. There was some relief in sight though as central Florida’s daily afternoon thunder clouds were beginning to build. The first hints of brief shade were provided by a quickly moving cloud that was working its way up to being a shower maker. The rain, if it happened to fall in the grove where Jamie and Bill were waiting, wouldn’t provide much relief. In fact, shortly after the shower, the humidity would climb higher, and the duo would be that much more miserable. They hadn’t said more than a handful of words since Bill had declared that he wasn’t an idiot. That was about to change.

  Chapter 38

  Ray Krebs had to alternate between starting his engine and shutting it off. His engine’s temperature was climbing as it had to work harder to keep the air conditioning working. The heat of the day was also taking its toll. He was concerned that the starting and stopping would alert Jamie and Bill that they were being watched. He was getting more and more tired of this duty as the day wore on. He’d gotten out of his truck several times to relieve himself, but he was getting hungry now. He hadn’t eaten since very early in the morning. That was just a quick Egg McMuffin and coffee, both of which didn’t do his stomach any good. He was fighting the urge to abandon this surveillance, but his mind kept going over the things he’d be able to buy with the raise.

  He was thinking about Johnny and why he’d called. What was he going to do about that, if he didn’t have this problem solved today? He had to be at the office working cases, and he couldn’t be babysitting Jason Roberts’ army. They were making lots more money than he was. Why should he have to clean up their messes? Who cared if they killed each other off? That wasn’t his problem. But the full time job with the Sheriff’s department was his problem. He would have to figure out what to do about tomorrow when he was home tonight. Just concentrate on one job at a time. It sure is getting hot out here.

  Just then, Ray saw a small puff of exhaust coming from the car he was watching. Were they giving up? Or has something happened and they’re on the move? Ray picked up the powerful field binoculars and saw Jamie and Bill rustling around in Bill’s car. He couldn’t see it clearly, but it looked like Bill was holding a rifle or shotgun. He couldn’t tell at this distance. He could only see the barrel. But they were definitely preparing for something. And then the car was on the move.

  Bobby Acquino pulled his Ford Taurus into the grove on the sandy road that led to the vault. The car didn’t get great traction on the sand, but it was enough that his car tires didn’t get buried in the sand and get stuck. He drove the few hundred yards back to where the road made a short turn. He parked near the entrance to the vault. The area in front of the vault could hold about five cars, like a small business. He noticed that the ground hadn’t been disturbed in some time, at least several days, maybe longer. He sat for a moment, looking around. No other cars were visible in the grove. The vault looked almost abandoned. There were a few undisturbed spider webs across the entrance. His mind began to race, almost panicking. Could this be another set up? I’m the next target! Without a moment’s hesitation he threw his car into reverse and floored it. His front tires spun in the sandy ground and started to bury themselves, throwing sand onto a nearby orange tree. He had to stop and calm himself. He knew he had to get his emotions under control, or he’d end up dead. He let all the way off of the accelerator. So what if I am going to die? If this is it, I’m going to take it like a man. He calmly started to accelerate again, this time, the sand only gave way slightly and the Taurus backed up out of the ruts it had dug.

  Bobby was about to put the car into drive and head back out to Kelly Park Drive when he saw Bill’s car barreling down the sandy entrance road to the vault. He didn’t recognize the car until it was nearly on top of him. It stopped about fifteen yards in front of his car. He saw both doors open and out jumped Jamie and Bill with rifles in hand.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Bobby?” Jamie’s course, Texas drawl still made Bobby’s skin crawl.
He hated the sound.

  “I was told to meet you guys here. The note said it was something important.”

  “What note? Let me see it.”

  Bobby headed back to his car to retrieve the note. He was already sweating from the intense heat, high humidity and tension of the situation. The sweat droplets began to run down his face, because being around Jamie made him even more tense. Bill was looking around, trying to see anything moving. The shadow of a large thunder cloud was over them now. The first lightning crack could be heard in the distance. There was still no rain. Jamie walked around to Bobby’s driver side door to look at the note. He was also sweating from the intensity of the meeting. Something wasn’t right.

  “This ain’t Jason Robert’s signature. Who gave this to you?” He shouted at Bobby.

  “It was on my windshield when I went to my car this morning.”

  Jamie instantly realized that they were in deep trouble. It was a setup. He looked rapidly around the grove and the area around the vault. He was getting ready to tell Bobby and Bill to get the hell out of the grove when he felt his right leg take an impact that spun him off his feet. He felt a burning sensation in his leg where a bullet penetrated.

  Bobby and Bill looked at Jamie wondering what had made him fall. All they heard was a thud when Jamie was hit. Jamie was now holding his leg, which began to bleed through his pant leg and his fingers.

  “I’ve been shot!” Jamie shouted. “God damnit. Some motherfucker shot me. Help me get back to the truck!”