Jayne signed the guest check and the two went back to the room. Jayne went into the bathroom and Zander went over to the window. There was a pick-up with a blade on the front clearing the snow from the parking lot of The Bridge. His car was still buried. He would have to borrow a broom from the bar remove the snow. Luckily it was wet and should push right off without having any ice on the underside. He wouldn't even have to scrape his windows.
Jayne returned from the bathroom. She pushed herself between the window and Zander. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked into his eyes.
“No more secrets, from either of us. Now what was it you wished to ask me?”
Zander thought for a moment, “I want to know exactly what happened to Lilly.”
Jayne was still looking right at Zander, “If I tell you it may put your life in danger.”
“I'm sure it is already,” Zander said easily.
She led him to the bar and they sat facing each other.
“Zander, she's dead.” She waited for a reaction but seeing none she continued. “She wanted out of the business and Van wasn't about to let her go.”
Jayne told Zander everything. She even told him about her visit to Dee Dee's in Montrose before meeting up with him the day before.
Zander was impressed. It appeared Jayne was sincere about having no more secrets. It was too bad Zander wasn't going to keep up his end of the bargain. He just couldn't afford to put Lilly in harm's way. It would just take a slip of the tongue for either one of them to be responsible for Lilly's death. The less she knew, the better off for everyone.
“So now that we've been honest with other, what now?” Zander wondered.
“I don't know. Van no longer trusts me and he's watching everything I do.”
“How do you know?”
“I found a tracking device he had put in my car. It was the one he took from Lilly's car, I think. He hooks it to the battery and runs it to the front near the grill.”
“Probably trying to avoid interference from the engine and car's electrical system,” Zander thought out loud.
Jayne hugged Zander tightly.
“I know what I've been missing and I don't want it to be like that anymore.”
“Then we've got a problem. This isn't going to go away. Sooner or later we're going to have to face Rooster. Before we do that, we're going to have something in place to protect your safety. We need to think of something that's going to make him leave us alone and let you go.”
“What could that be?” Lilly asked.
“I don't know yet but you need to think of something he might be afraid that people could find out. Something we can prove and it just wouldn't be just your word against his.”
Jayne thought for a moment, “I know we can't go to law enforcement. What would we tell them without me getting hopelessly caught in the same snare?”
“Exactly. We need something to use to scare him. Something to use that will insure he will leave us along for good.”
“I'll do my best to come up with something,” Jayne said.
“So will I. I'm pretty good at this sort of thing.”
“I kind of figured that. I've seen your card.”
Zander looked out over the parking lot again and the pick-up with the blade was leaving. His job was finished. When he looked over at the T-Bird he couldn't believe his eyes. The snow had been cleared off and he would be ready to go. The guy in the pick-up must have decided to make sure the T-Bird was clearly visible so he wouldn't have any problems seeing it when he cleared away the snow. It would be easier to invest a little time and effort now to avoid having to pay for damages later.
“How's your car? Do you need help clearing the snow?” Zander asked focusing on Jayne.
“No, I'm good. It's in the parking garage.”
“Good thinking. I'm going to head on back to Frisco now. What's your plan?”
“I'm going to try to nail down the deal for the new salon location today. I'll probably have to go back to Colorado Springs tonight but I'll stop and see you before I leave.”
“I don't know what my schedule will be or if I'll be working either at Frisco or here in Breckenridge.”
“Not a problem. I'll check both places. As long as we're being completely honest, I know where you live.”
That didn't surprise Zander. Actually nothing Jayne told him would be a surprise anymore. Her whole life had been built around secrets and now that they were all being revealed, there would be more things to unravel before they were through.
*****
Zander drove slowly back to Frisco. The T-Bird had rear wheel drive and wasn't the best in snow. He always liked to test the bounds of control. He would rev up the motor until the back started slide. Then he would turn into the skid and right himself. He was careful not to try it when there was traffic coming at him. He could remember doing many a doughnut in the middle of an icy road. There was a lot of traffic so he had to be careful. Zander assumed the traffic was due to the fact that people hadn't been able to get out for a day and a half. People were funny that way. Sometimes they didn't leave home for days because they knew if they wanted to leave, they could. If the ability to be mobile was taken away, those same folks thought they just had to leave or they would go stir-crazy. He thought it might be because everyone wanted the freedom to do exactly what he or she wanted when they wanted.
He decided to go to the Branchwater before he went home. It was just after 1:00 and there wasn't much happening on the streets except for the snow removal. He found a cleared place to park in front of the bar. He usually parked in the back but he didn't have to look to know it hadn't been plowed.
The bar was open and Jo and Bert were sitting alone at a table with a pot of coffee within reach.
“Can I join you or is this a private party?” Zander said with a grin.
“Grab a mug. You look tired, you naughty boy,” Jo said, laughing.
“It's been a long night.” Zander grinned.
He poured the coffee and sat next to Jo.
“I remember when we used to have long nights,” Bert said to Jo.
She elbowed him in the ribs while he was taking a sip of coffee and he spit it all over the floor.
“It's not going to be busy today so if you have something else to do, go ahead. I already told Fats not to come in,” Jo explained.
“I suppose I could do some shoveling at home,” Zander replied, “Say could I use your phone? I need to call someone in Montrose. I can get the operator to give me the charges and pay you.”
“Don't be stupid. Go ahead and use it. Talk all you want. Bert has to pay for the phone anyway.” She elbowed him again.
Bert just smiled.
Zander went into the office and closed the door. He looked through his billfold until he found the slip of paper with Dee Dee's phone number. He dialed the number and she answered almost immediately.
“Hello, this Zander,” he said and paused.
Dee Dee was cautious when she said, “Yes?”
“I need you to get a message to Lilly.”
“I don't know if you've heard but Lilly is missing,” she replied.
Zander appreciated her caution. He decided to play along so she could keep up the facade.
“Well, if you were to find her, you need to give her a message.”
No reply.
“Please tell Lilly it would be safe to return to Montrose but she shouldn't try to come back to eastern Colorado at this time.”
“Sounds like an ominous message,” Dee Dee replied.
“Tell her things are in the works and I think it could be safe for her return in the near future but to wait for my phone call.”
“Thank you for the information and let's hope she will be found soon,” Dee Dee said still playing the game.
“If she would happen to turn up and she wanted to talk to me, have her call my answering service and I would get back to her.”
“Thank you for your concern, good bye.” Dee Dee hung
up.
Zander liked her. She was a true friend to Lilly.
Jo was still sitting at the table but Bert had left. He was probably to try to heal his ribs. Zander sat down at the table and poured himself another cup of coffee.
“It her, Jo. Sara Jane is alive.”
He spent the next hour giving Jo the details. She was so enthralled with the story; she did something she hardly had ever done before. Jo never said a word.
*****
Zander decided to take Jo up on her offer to take the rest of the day off. He drove back to his cabin and was happy to see the road had been plowed but his driveway needed some attention. He worked the rest of the afternoon shoveling and he noticed it was getting harder to move the snow as the temperature started to warm. The snow was mostly water and heavy. He almost gave up on trying to open the drive to the shed but decided he should have access to the van just in case, so he forged on.
It was almost 6:00 and dark when he finished. He was exhausted. Shoveling heavy snow was hard work and couple that with being out of shape and someone would be going to bed early.
Zander went into the cabin and it was nice and warm. It was almost too warm for him after working so hard. He took off his damp clothes and hopped into the shower. He spent a long time letting the hot water loosen his tight muscles. The bath was filled with steam and it felt good. When he felt like he could move again without having his muscles ache, he got out and toweled off. He decided to put on some sweats and lounge around for the rest of the evening until he went to bed.
When Zander padded out of the bathroom with his towel around his waist he was shocked to see someone sitting at his table. It was Jayne.
“I guess you do know where I live,” he said with surprise in his voice.
“I hope I'm not intruding,” she said looking at his towel.
“Just me and the TV tonight.” Zander smiled.
“Good. I mean I'm happy I'm not bothering you. I closed the deal with the new salon site so I'll be coming up more frequently over the next few weeks.”
“Do you think that's a good thing?” Zander asked.
“Only if you agree to see me when I'm here. I think we still have some things to catch up on.”
“I would agree.” Zander dropped his towel.
Jayne wouldn't get back to Colorado Springs as early as she had anticipated.
*****
The Blue River was running to capacity. The snow was melting rapidly from the lower elevations. The mountains would keep their base so the ski lifts were opening all around. It would be a good season for the ski bums and even better year for the resort owners.
Zander woke up later than usual. Jayne hadn’t left until after 10:00 that night because they were both tired out after the antics of the previous evening. He was definitely out of shape but always had needed a lot of sleep. Most of the time he tried for between eight and nine hours. He had ten hours over the course of last night and finally felt caught up.
He got ready for work and was on the road to Frisco before 10:30. Being early to work always made him happy.
The sun was shinning and it reflected Zander’s mood. He had a feeling that everything was going to be fine now that he had reconnected to Sara Jane, only now it was just plain Jayne. He smiled at the thought. She could never be plain.
Zander turned onto the highway and took his time going to Frisco. He didn’t see the black Cadillac cross the road and drive toward his driveway.
*****
Maarten Van Vugt, aka Van and countless other monikers, pulled up in front of Zander’s cabin. He had already placed a black box in his T-Bird but now he needed to find out more.
Van had always prided himself in not jumping to conclusions but he had driven to Frisco overnight when he noticed Jayne’s black box and Zander’s were in proximity.
Van decided to stake out the cabin from across the road. It was a place he was familiar with because he had been here many times before. It had been dark when he arrived and he found himself dozing off from time to time. Finally at 10:00 he saw Jayne’s car leave.
When Zander finally left for work the next morning, Van was relieved. Falling asleep was not part of his plan and he had tried to stay awake by starting the car from time to time partly to give himself something to do and partly to warm up when it got cold in the car.
He was stiff and sore from sitting in the car in the same position for so long and his leg was absolutely killing him. His old wound always hurt when it got cold.
He parked the car on the road down from Zander’s cabin. When he got out of the Cadillac his limp was so pronounced that he was literally dragging his foot. It made for weird tracks in the wet snow pack.
When he reached the porch he looked around for a place where a key could be hidden. Seeing nothing he decided to try the door and was surprised when it opened with just the turn of the handle.
Van looked around unimpressed. It was a small place, nothing like his sprawling mountain home near Cripple Creek. He did notice that the cabin was extremely neat. Zander must like order. Van could appreciate that.
Looking around he was about to label this a wasted trip when three brightly colored towels caught his eye hanging on the shower door in the small bathroom. One was damp but two were wet from a recent shower.
It was unusual for sure but still not enough to indict. It made him realize he would have to confront them when they were both together. He had the chance this time but he hadn’t expected them to be shacking up. This was not good. He couldn’t allow such gross disrespect from Jayne. She would need to be made an example of and he would throw in this Zander just for good measure. Treason was punishable by death. He would be meticulous however. He couldn’t afford any mistakes.
Van walked toward his car when he noticed the shed in the back. The driveway had been shoveled so he decided to take a look. He had never seen Zander park his T-Bird in any other place except the driveway.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a white van parked inside. This discovery certainly called for another black box.
23
Breckenridge, Colorado--Tuesday, September 17, 1985
Zander returned home from work by 10:00 Tuesday evening. Things had been slow at both bars. The weekenders had left for home because most had to get back to their jobs. Those that were staying were tired from their days on the slopes. It suited Zander just fine.
He pulled into his driveway and his headlights shown on the snow. He noticed some tracks leading to his shed out back. It made him wonder if he had someone trying to steal from him.
He kept a large metal washer about the size of a half-dollar perched on the top of the shed door. If someone swung the door open, the washer would fall harmlessly to the ground.
When he got to the door, he ran his fingers along the top of the door where the washer should be. It wasn’t there. Someone had been inside. Zander would take no chances barging into the shed if there was still someone inside. He went back to the cabin and grabbed a large flashlight and his stun gun.
When he got back to the shed, he shined the flashlight on the ground and found the washer right away. He opened the shed door slowly with his stun gun ready.
No one was inside. He slipped the stun gun into his boot. There was no electricity inside the shed so he walked around shinning the flashlight around looking for anything out of order. There didn’t seem to be anything missing and everything looked undisturbed until he noticed a few handprints on the front of the Econoline where the hood would be on a normal vehicle.
Zander hadn’t washed the vehicle for sometime and it was covered in road film and dust. Someone had been looking to get under the hood. There was no hood on these cab-overs. The engine and battery were under the cowling between the seats inside. He needed to look under that cowling. The second he raised the hinged cover; he noticed a black box connected to the battery. It was the same type that both Lilly and Jayne had described. The Rooster had discovered him.
Zander sat in the panel for a time trying to decide what his next step should be. He decided to try and buy a used twelve-volt battery the next day and hook up the box and leave it in his shed. It would be easy to run two cables from the terminals and hook it up to the black box cables so there would be no power interruption when he disconnected it from his van. Then he could leave it in the shed and use the van without detection.
He had another thought. If this vehicle had a black box then it would make sense the T-Bird would have a box as well. He went out and opened the hood and sure enough, when his light shined on the battery, there it was. He would leave that one attached. If he had any other business that Rooster shouldn’t know about, he would use the van.
He had half a notion to give Lilly a call but thought better of it. He didn’t really have much else to tell her and he certainly wouldn’t be telling her about Jayne.
Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Zander kept turning recent events over in his mind. It was like having a song stuck in his head playing over and over and over. The harder he tried to sleep, the worse it got. Finally he got up and drove the T-Bird down to the all night truck stop just off I-70 and an old acquaintance sold him a used battery for five bucks. He went back home and reinstalled the black box. Zander fell asleep shortly after the work was completed.
*****
Jayne was in the process of picking up the money from each of the salons when she ran into Van. It was unusual for him to be at the salons unless there was a problem so it put her on high alert.
“What’s wrong?” she asked quickly.
“Nothing, just doing some checking before I head down to Mexico. It appears that we need some of the younger girls again. It would be nice if they invented something to keep them from growing up.” He laughed as if he were making a big joke.
Lately he was giving Jayne a huge case of the creeps but she tried to carry on with business as usual.
Always a Kicker Page 19
