G'Day USA

by Tony McFadden

  ‘Why? Why do I care? I’ve known her since we both acted together in Australia. She’s a very good friend. I’m concerned for her well-being. How the hell do you know her? You just mooch off her, caging free breakfasts whenever you can.’

  Danny took a step back. ‘Whoa, dude. Dial it back a bit. Appreciate you’re a good friend. I’ve only known her for three months and yeah, she feeds me on occasion. But we’re still close. Like brother and sister close. I’m concerned about her too, but she’s not a baby. She’s smart, she’s strong and she knows what she’s doing.’

  ‘Really doubt that.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘That she’s strong or knows what she’s doing.’

  ‘Trust me. She’s strong. All that training for the movie? She was telling me about the hand-to-hand combat training she got from some ex-Navy Seal. She’s hard as a rock.’ He cleared his throat. ‘And I’ve got to assume she knows what she’s doing. There’s no other reason for her to be out here and not talking to the cops about this bullshit.’

  ‘What, you don’t think she did it?’

  Danny shook his head. ‘I thought you said you knew her. No fucking way, man. You think she did?’

  Kent shrugged. ‘I assumed so. Sweeney was a dick, and he screwed her over big time. With him getting out of the slammer I figured she just snapped and did him. Wouldn’t put it past her.’

  ‘You really don’t know her, man.’

  ‘We have been out of touch for a while. If you see her, let her know I’m looking for her. Just want to help.’

  ‘Okay, I gotta get set up here. People expect me to do a show at 1:00 and I’m running a little late.’

  Kent shook his hand again and Danny watched him walk up the boardwalk in the same direction the cops had gone about fifteen minutes earlier. ‘Ellie, hon, you better keep your head really low.’ He reached into his satchel and scratched his puppy on the crown of its head, getting a lick as a reward. ‘Damien, dude. You ready to freak out some nice little old ladies?’

  The Killer’s frustration level reached dangerous levels. He needed to vent or the pressure would cause internal damage. He was sure of it. He watched the cops looking for Ellie and cursed her for going off grid. He had a fool-proof way of tracking her. Had it locked. Could dial her in to within thirty feet, easy. And she somehow found out and neutralized it.

  ‘You’ll pay, bitch, when the time comes. You’ll pay.’

  An old, shabby bag-lady in about six jackets approached him for something and the smell was overpowering. ‘Back off, slag. Get a fucking job.’

  She muttered something he couldn’t hear, spat at his feet and turned to walk away.

  He grabbed her by the arm, held her close to him and spoke in a low growl. ‘Hey, bitch. Big mistake. Fuck off and get out of my sight. Next time you see me you’ll be looking up through water.’

  He pushed her away and continued his search for Ellie.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I knew I was only three or four blocks from Marina del Rey, the marina of the moderately wealthy, but my surroundings didn’t reflect that at all. I wandered inland from Venice. The streets were narrow and the quality of the neighborhood diminished rapidly. I saw more homeless people than I expected to see this close to affluence. It was disturbing. I had no idea.

  But there was nothing I could do about it now. I had to find out what was going on. I ducked into a back alley off Pacific and sat against a wall. An old guy scavenged through trash bins looking for either bottles to return for money for food, or for food. I had almost $300 in my pocket. I could give some of it to him, but I had no idea how long I was going to be on the street.

  I turned on my phone. More battery was dead than alive. I needed to get this charged soon. Or something.

  I called Kent. An update on the goings on would be good. He answered almost immediately.

  ‘Ellie, that you? You in Oxnard?’

  I smiled. ‘If that’s what people are saying, it must be true. I called to ask you about your contact in the police department. Is she reliable?’

  ‘Yeah. Why?’

  ‘The witness thing. No way a person saw me there. I wasn’t there.’

  ‘Well, that’s what she said. The witness, I mean. Stevie told me she read the witness statement and it was unequivocal. Saw you, identified you from a photo line up without hesitation. You tell me you’re not there, then I guess I have to believe you, but someone looking very much like you was there. Close enough the witness thought it was you.’

  ‘But it wasn’t me. It’s like they’re hanging all of this on a single witness.’ I slumped against the wall and batted away some flies. ‘I need to meet her.’

  ‘Yeah, I saw your text, but no way. You’d have to turn yourself in. Let me find out more.’

  ‘Can you get her address?’

  He paused before answering. ‘That would be considered tampering with a witness. Not really a good idea.’

  ‘What the hell have I got to lose? They’re stringing me up as it is. It can’t get any worse. Might actually help, for all you know.’

  ‘You’re right, it couldn’t get much worse.’ He exhaled. ‘Okay. I’ll see what I can do. No guarantees though, and if you go ahead with this, my name isn’t attached.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Just find her for me, okay?’ I hung up. I was getting nowhere. Every step I took put me in a worse situation. I had to find a way out of this.

  I was about to turn off my phone to save battery when it rang, startling me. I dropped it. ‘Shit.’ I scrambled and retrieved it from the sandy ground. It was like an inland beach here. I looked at the number. It looked familiar. ‘Hello?’

  ‘It’s Charlie, Ellie. Thank God I caught you. Where are you?’

  ‘Oxnard.’

  There was a pause. ‘I don’t think so. There’s been a warrant served against the phone company. I had to turn over all your call records and triangulate your location. You’ve been clever, haven’t you, keeping your phone off? The last time I triangulated you, you were near the Venice Fish Pier. I’m looking at my call details right now and the cell site you took this call on is the one northwest of Marina del Rey. You’re still in the general area. You’re being foolish. They’re going to come asking me to triangulate you again. I can’t refuse; someone else will do it if I don’t, anyway. And if I do catch the task, I can’t feed them false information. They will find you. You’re much better off turning yourself in and dealing with it straight up.’

  ‘I think I’m too far gone now. But thanks for the phone tip. I’ll have to do something about that. Thanks for the call and the concern, Charlie, but I’ve got to go.’ I hung up.

  Shit. I needed to get a new number.

  Still no chance to turn off my phone. Marty called.

  ‘Hey, Marty. What’s new?’

  ‘Jesus. I’ve had cops here three times now. They think I’m hiding you somewhere. Call them and tell them I’ve had nothing to do with this, would you? My wife is actually starting to think I’ve spirited you away somewhere to avoid the police.’

  ‘Are you kidding? Sorry Mar. This is out of control now. Get them to polygraph you or something. I can’t talk long. The police are tracking my phone.’ I had a thought. ‘Wait, Marty, before you go, can you get me a shitload of money?’

  ‘No. Wait, why? How much is a shitload?’

  ‘Hundred grand or so. I need to get out of the country. I can’t fly and I can’t use anything needing identification. But if I can sneak into Mexico I should be able to get a flight back to Australia. Once I’m there I’m clear.’

  ‘Oh, that would be monumentally stupid. Not only can I not get you any money, I wouldn’t if I could. Turn yourself in. I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is for you to turn yourself in. If Perkins and his what’s-his-name partner come by again I swear I’m divorced. And I can’t afford to give her half of everything. If for no other reason than my financial security, turn yourself in.’

  I laughed. ‘She’s no
t going to divorce you. You take too good care of her.’

  ‘Don’t bet on it. If the cops talk to me again, and the odds are heavily in favor of that, what do I tell them? Oxnard?’

  ‘Why not. Maybe they’ll really believe it. Or maybe they’ll think I’m trying to fake them out and discount it, and then I’ll go there, free in the knowledge nobody is looking for me there.’

  ‘Don’t tell me anything.’

  ‘Tell them I’m going to Tustin. Tustin is a beautiful place. Might stop at Disneyland on the way.’

  ‘Take care of yourself Ellie, and stop being a dummy. I’ve got to go. A cop car just rolled up the driveway.’

  ‘And I’ve been talking too long. They’re triangulating me. Did you know that? I’ve got to shut this off and get a new number. It’s been great knowing you Marty. Sorry to put you through this. Talk to you later. Or maybe not.’

  I hung up just as he answered. But there wasn’t much he could do for me now. And there was no point dragging him further into the quagmire I was in. I needed to get some cash out of the bank and then I’d do like I told him. Go to New Mexico, sneak into the old Mexico, see if I could get home from there. No idea how I’d do it, but there was no way I was going to be nailed for Sweeney’s murder.

  But once again, as I was turning off my phone, another call came in.

  ‘I can’t talk long Jacob. You guys are triangulating me and I really don’t want to be found right now.’

  ‘Not now? When then? What is it you actually think you’re accomplishing? Every minute you’re not talking to the police voluntarily the hunt ratchets up. I like you Ellie. I really like you. And I know you’re smarter than this. Go to the nearest police station and tell them to call me. I’ll make sure you are treated very fairly. I’m sure a self-defense defense could be used here.’

  ‘Jacob, I didn’t do it. I wasn’t anywhere near there. Read my fucking lips. I. Didn’t. Kill. Sweeney. I had nothing to do with killing Sweeney. Get the security video from my apartment and see who came in while I was away and doesn’t live there. The place has cameras at the doors and each lift lobby. I’m sure you’ll find someone who doesn’t belong, but attached somehow to Sweeney, in there when I wasn’t. Trust me, Jacob. I’m not bullshitting you.’

  I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. ‘The evidence says you did it. I’m not on this case. I can suggest the homicide boys look at the video, but they really don’t have any reason too. The evidence is just that strong.’

  ‘We’re getting nowhere. I’ve got to go. I’ve talked too long and stayed in the same place too long. I appreciate your friendship, but wish you believed in me a bit more. Good-bye Jacob.’

  I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I was hungry and thirsty. I needed to go out in the open again, something I really didn’t want to do. The sun beat on the small section of wall warming me up. My eyes were heavy. I had almost no sleep last night and it was catching up to me. So was the stress.

  The 10% battery life warning popped up on my screen. Kent called back as I was turning it off.

  ‘Did you get the witness’s name?’

  ‘Which one? There are two now. A second person has come forward saying they saw you there.’

  Oh, crap. ‘I wasn’t. Seriously. Unless I’m sleep walking and driving and killing, and that’s unprecedented.’

  ‘Good defense, though.’

  ‘Jesus, Kent. I didn’t do it. I did not do it. Don’t tell me you believe the cops too?’

  ‘Well, Charlie and I were talking and you’ve got a perfect motive for it. God knows there are enough people who hated the guy, but yours was a special kind of hate.’

  ‘I didn’t hate him. I despised him. I loathed him. And maybe I felt a tiny bit sorry for him being such a loser, but hate is a word I don’t use often.’

  ‘I hated him. That broken foot trick really fucked me up, so I completely understand if you did it. And if there’s anything I can do to help you, let me know.’

  ‘I gotta go, Kent. You’re pissing me off right now, sorry. Can’t talk anymore. They’re going to find me.’

  ‘“They”? Who?’

  ‘I’m being triangulated. Talked to Charlie a few minutes ago and he said the cops have a warrant to triangulate me. Could be happening right now, so I’ve got to shut off my phone. Battery is almost dead anyway.’

  ‘Get one of those battery life extenders. Takes AAA batteries and plugs into the charging socket on the bottom. Works a treat. And Charlie can do that?’

  ‘The techs at his company can. Don’t know how he does it. And I don’t care. I have to hang up.’

  And I did.

  The battery extender was a good idea. And I needed to find a place where I could get a pre-pay phone.

  And my phone rang again.

  ‘Jesus, Kent. What now?’

  ‘You didn’t give me a chance to finish. There’s more evidence. Against you.’

  ‘What? What possible evidence could be worse than what they have now?’

  ‘Stevie tells me there was evidence under Sweeney’s fingernails. Skin tissue matching yours under his nails.’

  ‘Oh now that’s completely impossible. I haven’t seen him in over a year.’

  ‘Hey, I’m just telling you what Stevie told me, and she’s reading it from the case file.’

  I shook my head and stood. ‘That makes absolutely no sense. Now I really do have to go. Don’t call me again, okay? I’ll call you if I need anything.’

  And I hung up and turned off the phone before it rang again.

  When I was a kid, playing hide-and-seek with my friends, I almost always won by doubling back and hiding in places they already looked. It would probably work again. They triangulated me to the beach and I wasn’t there when they looked, so I’d head back there. There were a dozen different mobile phone shops along the beach, too. One of them would have this battery life extender Kent talked about, surely.

  I walked down 24th toward the beach with a combination of confidence and caution. Not an easy trick.

  But I think I pulled it off. I wasn’t catching any untoward attention. The smell of sausages and sauerkraut started an autonomous stomach growl and salivation. I had to eat, right?

  ‘Could I get a Polish sausage with mustard and hot sauce? And a diet cola.’ I gave the guy a twenty, took the change and my food and made my way to the wall to sit. Again.

  And I had a visitor in less than one bite.

  Danny leaned in and whispered. ‘Ellie. What in the fuck are you doing here? Are you crazy?’

  ‘Like a fox. The cops have been by here, right?’

  ‘Yeah.’ He laughed. ‘I told them my name was Gerald Fitzpatrick. And you were in Oxnard. I don’t think they believed me.’

  ‘You certainly look like a Fitzpatrick.’

  ‘I don’t think they believed you went to Oxnard.’

  I smiled and leaned in close. ‘So maybe that’s where I should go.’

  He nodded and cocked an eyebrow. ‘Hang on here a sec.’

  He ran back to the juggling set up and grabbed something out of his kit bag and ran back. He dropped the something - a small Black Lab puppy - in my lap. ‘Say hi to Damien.’

  The dog stood on my lap with his back legs and tried to crawl up my front as I held the bunned sausage out of his reach. ‘Hi Damien. Piss off. Danny, get this mutt off my lap. I’m trying to eat here.’

  He scooped the puppy and held him in his lap, scratching him behind his left ear. ‘Mutt? Hell no. No mutt. This is a beautiful purebred dog. Aren’t you, Damien?’

  ‘Fine. I’ll admit he’s a beautiful dog. Just keep him away from my food or his life is in danger.’

  ‘You just came back for the sausage? It’s not that good.’

  ‘I need a couple of things for my phone. And maybe you can help me out.’

  ‘Anything I can do, you know that.’

  I gave him $100. ‘Can you get me one of those battery extender things for an iPhone, an
d enough batteries to fill it? And I need a pre-pay phone.’

  He pocketed the money and handed me Damien. ‘Deal.’

  He strode off with purpose while Damien fought for my food. ‘I say you’re a mutt with poor manners and no finesse.’ I leaned down as I scolded him and he licked the end of my nose. ‘Great. A cute, lovable mutt. Don’t get any ideas. This is mine.’ It didn’t take long before I relented, sharing a piece with him and tearing off a piece for me.

  I was down to a nubbin and a piece of bun when Danny came back with a smile and a plastic bag. ‘You made friends?’

  ‘Damien and I are best of buddies, as long as I have food to share with him. He’s going to be way too big for your act, he keeps eating this way.’

  ‘Oh, what have you fed the poor pup? He’s going to be farting all day.’

  I laughed. A nice change of pace. ‘Any luck?’

  He pulled a box out of the bag with some flourish. ‘Battery extender. Adds about ten hours to the life of your phone. Batteries are in the bag.’

  ‘Excellent.’ I rubbed my hands on my pant legs. ‘Pre-pay?’

  He smiled and pulled a small box out of the bag. ‘Pre-loaded with about $40 credit. Am I good, or what?’

  ‘Double-excellent. You were great, Danny. I’ll be seeing you later.’

  ‘Next time I’m in Oxnard I’ll look you up.’

  I grinned and pecked him on the cheek. ‘Take your fucking dog off my lap, Danny, before I steal it.’

  He scooped Damien. ‘Make sure the battery thing works, okay? Hate for you to be out in the wild and find out when you go to use it it’s a piece of shit.’

  ‘Good point.’ I took the cigarette pack sized battery pack out of the box and populated it with the AAA batteries. I plugged the cable in the base of my iPhone and turned it on. The battery showed it was charging and the display on the battery pack read 99%.

  ‘Looks good, Danny. Thanks.’ A text message came through from a three digit number. I showed the phone to Danny. ‘You ever see a message from a number like this?’