Always a Kicker

by Jeff Zwagerman

  He couldn’t believe his eyes. The carriage house had ten stalls and a vehicle was parked in each stall except for the recently departed Jeep. Fats didn’t even know the names of some of the cars. His inkling had been correct however. They were all black. He could see some were collector’s items while the others were foreign luxury or sport cars.

  Then in the far end stall he saw it. It was a 1955 Cameo Chevy pick-up and it wasn’t black. It was the original Bombay ivory color. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He had always wanted one of those pick-ups from the time he was a little kid. They made so few of them in the day that they were a real collector’s item.

  Fats made his way over to his dream vehicle. It was brand new. He looked in the window and saw it still had the original plastic on the seat. He got in behind the wheel and looked at the speedometer. It showed one mile. It was probably trucked from somewhere to the driveway entrance and driven up here and parked.

  This was just getting better and better. He didn’t know how this was going to happen but he was going to end up with that truck. He saw a key caddy hanging on the back wall near the middle of the garage. It was closed but the key to it was in the lock. Fats opened the caddy and found that each car’s position was labeled and there next to each name was a hook with the proper keys.

  Fats found the Cameo’s keys and removed them from the hook and they went into his pocket in an instant. He still didn’t know how he was going to get the Cameo out but he had the keys and that was a start. No one needed this many wheels and he would be happy to help remove these four.

  He decided to get into the house and see what was going on. He walked up to the front entrance and tried the door. It was open. The girls hadn’t locked up after Van left.

  He walked into a huge great room with nothing in it but a glass chandelier. That light was bigger than his pick-up. He just stared at it. He wondered what it had cost. It probably cost more then he would make in five years.

  There was a huge open staircase cascading down to the first floor where Fats was standing. He would have to check that out later. Right now he needed to look over the first floor.

  He moved carefully through the living room expanse and noticed the kitchen was a wing of its own. There was a door with a window that was the main entrance and Fats peered in. There was a chef going about his business and what appeared to be a butler sitting at the table having a conversation with him.

  He kept moving through the house and after fifteen minutes pretty much had the first floor checked out. He was ready to move to the second floor when he heard some noise coming from the glassed-in pool area just off the game room.

  It had huge flowing white bunched curtains covering the glass so Fats took his time and slowly moved a curtain so he could see into the pool. The three girls were swimming in the pool naked. At first Fats was impressed with their maturity and then he looked at their faces and could see they were just young girls. He looked away. This was wrong and he didn’t need to add to it.

  Fats moved to the upper floor and counted ten bedrooms. One for each car he supposed. The master suite was bigger than most houses he had seen. The closet was as big as the bar down in Frisco. Fats couldn’t fathom this much of anything. It was beyond his scope of comprehension. Next to the bed was some kind of chest.

  He went over and opened it. It was filled to the top with every kind of sex toy imaginable and some he had never seen before. He was no prude when it came to sex and pleasure but there were things in that trunk that could only be pleasurable if you were totally screwed up.

  So that’s what he was doing with these young girls. He had to take these toys back with him somehow. The chest was too big for him to move by himself. He went to the closet and found two suitcase-sized bags with straps he could put over his shoulders. He filled the bags with the weirdest stuff he could find until he decided to quit while he could still move them.

  He went down the staircase and out the front door without being seen. There had only been the three girls and two employees in the entire place. He stood at the entryway for a moment deciding what to do. Then he sprinted over to the carriage house and put the two bags in the back of the Cameo.

  Fats ran through the woods to his pick-up, fired it up and drove right to the front gate. There was a paging system near the entrance and he didn’t even have to get out of his truck.

  He pushed the button a few times and soon he heard, “Can I help you?”

  “Ah yeah, Mac. I’m here to get the Cameo pick-up. We’re supposed to do a complete service on it. We go through it every five years and this is the year.”

  At first Fats thought he had overdone it.

  The voice on the other end sounded concerned, “No one told me about it.”

  “Well this guy, I think his name is Van came in today and left the keys and told me to pick it up.”

  “You have the keys?”

  “Right here in my pocket,” For the first time he wasn’t lying.

  He heard a buzzing sound and then the gate began to open. When there was enough room, Fats drove right up the driveway and decided to drive right to the stall where the Cameo was parked.

  He got out of the pick-up and noticed the guy that was sitting at the table was standing next to the garage door.

  “May I see the keys please?”

  Fats handed the keys over.

  “I see. Very well.”

  “You’ll have to open the door. He didn’t leave me the code.”

  The butler punched it in and handed the keys back to Fats.

  “How long will this take?”

  “Probably until the middle of next week,” Zander said absently.

  “You’d better put your truck in the garage after you take out the Cameo. I don’t think Mr. Van would approve of it sitting in the driveway.”

  “Will do, Mac,” Fats said enjoying his service station attendant impersonation.

  He went into the garage and drove the Cameo well past his pick-up so the butler couldn’t see the bags in the back end. Then he drove the pick-up into the garage and was heading down the driveway as the butler was closing the door. Fats saw the gate remote clipped to the visor and pushed the button. The gate opened and Fats was heading down the road. He should be back in Frisco just after two. He would have a nice surprise for Zander.

  *****

  Van was coming out of the dry cleaners on his way to I-25. He always took his things in to be cleaned on Wednesdays so they could be picked up on Fridays. The butler didn’t do laundry and he certainly didn’t want anyone else in his employment to see what his bedclothes looked like after some of his nightly explorations.

  He was about to get into the Jeep when he saw it. His Cameo flew by him. It had to be his. There wasn’t any other like it. It was his license plate on the rear bumper. No matter, he would go back to the house and find out what happened. All of his vehicles had trackers installed on them for this very reason. He would go back and get the hardware. The Cameo wouldn’t be beyond the hundred-mile range by the time he secured it. This was just a little blip in his plans but how it happened began to bother him. He was certain his privacy would always be secure.

  If Jayne had anything to do with this she would be paying dearly. Whoever else was putting miles on his precious collectable would live to regret it. Maybe they would be tried and convicted together. He liked that and almost laughed out loud. Punishment was becoming more and more pleasurable. He needed another outlet for his enjoyment at the present.

  He would see what the butler and the cook had to say. Maybe he would have the three little beauties watch. There would be no time for sex afterwards however. There were bigger fish to fry.

  *****

  Jayne dropped off the woman at the salon and told her to wait for the deliveries then she went back to Frisco and drove to a restaurant right off the highway. From there it was a two-block walk to the Branchwater.

  When she walked in the bar Zander had his back to the counter. She sat down and wai
ted for him to notice her. Zander hadn’t heard anyone come in and when he finally turned around he jumped.

  “Damn it. Make some noise already. Give a guy a heart attack.”

  “Hello to you too, Zander.”

  “What the hell are you doing here? It can’t be safe.”

  “I parked just off the highway at the restaurant there and walked over. I’m just staying for some lunch and a drink. Join me?”

  “I guess. What are you having?”

  “Grilled chicken salad with a sweet mustard dressing.”

  “What to drink?”

  “Got a good chardonnay?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll have it anyway.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Zander went over to the kitchen and placed her order with the cook. He ordered a Rueben for himself. Then he went over to the wine cooler and found a bottle chardonnay and poured her a glass. He made a straight tonic with a wedge of lime for effect. Zander seldom drank on the job and never before 5:00.

  “What’s going on?” Zander asked, “I didn’t really expect to see you today.”

  “Van went to Mexico so we will have some time to get together tonight.”

  “You sure it’s safe?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think so. I’ll come into The Bridge later tonight to check what time you think you’ll get off.”

  “That’s fine but we’re going to do this my way.”

  Zander told her about finding the black box on his van and what he had done.

  “So when I get off work, I’ll drive home and get the van and pick you up and take you back to my cabin.”

  Jayne thought for a moment “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “Gee thanks. I think I might have one or two from time to time.”

  “Don’t get all defensive,” Jayne said and finished her wine.

  She hadn’t eaten much of her salad.

  “Hey, could I get a go box for the salad? I’ve got a girl at the new place that hasn’t eaten. She might like this.”

  “Sure big spender.”

  Zander boxed the salad and Jayne gave him a twenty. He turned to the cash register to get change but when he turned around, she was gone.

  “Damn, that woman is quiet,” Zander said to himself and he smiled.

  *****

  Fats drove back to Frisco feeling like he was going to make a difference in Zander’s life. He would wait to show him what he had purloined until after work. Then they could decide how they could use it to stop this asshole.

  Fats didn’t see a black Jeep catching up with him just before the Eisenhower Tunnel. The Jeep kept its distance and followed him into Frisco.

  Fats drove straight to his apartment and parked in the back. He would get ready for work and leave the Cameo partially hidden from prying eyes.

  *****

  Van watched as the skinny runt went into the apartment. He had seen this guy before. He was quite certain it was one of Zander’s friends. What the hell were they up to anyway? No matter, the entire situation would be confronted very soon and he would be rid of this irritant. Things had been going so well for so long that Van assumed it was just a bump in the road that everyone had to endure from time to time. The difference was that Van was proactive. He would control the situation and not just let it happen. He would address and take care of the problem on his terms. Being passive aggressive and condescending had served Van well over the years. He liked the feeling of superiority it gave him. He planned to put it all out there sometime within the next twenty-four hours and he was getting just plain giddy with the anticipation.

  *****

  Zander went up to The Bridge early and missed seeing Fats. He wondered what he had done or if he had any success. He would call him later. It was busy on the road going to Breckenridge. There was a good deal of traffic for a Wednesday, which was quite unusual. Zander attributed it to the early snowpack. It looked like people were coming up early for an extended weekend to take advantage of the weather. Most of the locals thought they would have the slopes to themselves because the tourists didn’t come in until much later. They were their own worst enemies. The ski runs would be crowded with Coloradans. It made Zander smile but he knew he was going to be busy.

  The night flew by with Audrey and Zander doing bar duty. They called in a server to do the back bar duties. This crowd wasn’t here to eat; they were going to enjoy a Thursday on the slopes when they usually were working. It called for a celebration.

  Breckenridge usually got the more affluent revelers, while Frisco had the people with the cheap seats. Zander had very few fights where he had to intervene. Fats, on the other hand, had great stories of wonderful bare-knuckle bouts. He seemed to enjoy the action. Zander was content to let him have that small pleasure.

  Zander decided to give a call to the Branchwater just to check on Fats. The phone ran eight times and then Zander heard Fats voice.

  “What?”

  “Fats, what the hell is that? Can’t you answer the phone with a little more tact?”

  “Damn it, Zander. Do you know how busy we are? Where are all these people coming from? Jo’s got Bert working and he’s worse then having nobody at all.”

  Zander thought Fats sounded frustrated.

  “What, no fights tonight?”

  “No man. Everybody is happy-go-lucky. It’s just not much fun for a night with such promise.”

  “Well I just wanted to check on you to make sure nothing bad happened.”

  “Oh man I’ve got a story for you. I’ll come up to your place after work and tell you all about it,” Fats said suddenly losing all signs of frustration, “I might have taken a few things that the asshole won’t like.”

  “What the hell did you do, Fats?”

  “I’ll show you after work.”

  “It looks like that won’t be until late. We aren’t going to get this place closed up until 2:00.”

  “We’re in the same boat. See you after 2:00.” Fats hung up.

  Zander was happy nothing bad had happened to Fats and he was more than concerned in what he had found and even more worried about what he stole.

  When he turned around to check on the bar, Jayne was sitting on the closest stool smiling at him.

  “You guys are really busy tonight.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I had dinner in the dining room about eight and sat there until about 9:30 and then I just waited until this barstool became available.”

  Zander looked at his watch, it was 10:15.

  “Sorry I didn’t notice you or I could have got you in here earlier.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’re busy. What time do you think you’ll be picking me up?”

  “It won’t be until after 2:00 sometime. I’ll try to lock up then and go down and get the van. Let’s say 2:15 at the earliest.”

  “Well it looks like I’ll go back to the room and take a nap. I don’t want to be falling asleep on you. Well, at least until after we’ve finished.” Jayne gave him a wink and was gone.

  He was going to have to introduce her to Fats. He hoped that Fats would get the message and leave his cabin as quickly as possible. Maybe his trip to Rooster’s place would be of some interest to Jayne. He didn’t know how the night would progress but he knew how he wanted it to end.

  25

  Breckenridge, Colorado--Thursday, September 19, 1985--2:00 a.m.

  Zander was true to his word. He locked up the bar a few minutes before 2:00 and was on his way back to the cabin with the T-Bird. He went straight to the shed and started up the van and ran it out in front of the cabin. He got out and went inside. He thought he might have to do some picking up but after giving it once-over he decided it looked just fine.

  No sign of Fats so he decided to go back to Breckenridge and get Jayne. The moment he got back on the road Fats was in eyesight of the turn off to the cabin. He didn’t see the black Jeep following him a mile behind and he didn’t see Zander driv
ing off just ahead of him. He wasn’t paying attention. Fats would try to come up with some plausible use for the stuff he found at the asshole’s place.

  Jayne was asleep on the couch of her hotel room. Zander pulled into the overhang of the front door and popped out the van. The same young man was behind the desk looking a little groggy.

  “How can I help you, sir?”

  “Please ring Jayne Grafton’s room and tell her the ride she’s been expecting just arrived.”

  “Sir, it’s very late….”

  “She’s expecting me so either you ring her room or I go up and pound on her door,” Zander said with emphasis. He didn’t have time for this shit.

  The night desk agent picked up the phone and dialed her room. A few rings and Zander heard him say something and listen for a few moments. Then he placed the phone down quietly.

  “She’s be right down, sir,” he said and went into the area behind the wall.

  Zander wondered how long it would take for him to realize this job wouldn’t take him anywhere. Everyone had to find his own way, he guessed.

  Jayne came down the steps quickly and followed Zander out the door. Neither spoke until they were in the van. Jayne leaned over the cowling and gave Zander a long open-mouthed kiss.

  “I been waiting to do that all night,” she said with a smile.

  “Makes me wish I could have locked up earlier,” Zander said, “But there’s something you should know, Fats is coming over so I’m going to have to introduce you.”

  “How long is he going to stay?” Jayne asked with a hint of disappointment.

  “Only as long as it takes me to get him out of there.”

  They chatted about their day and what the new salon looked like. Zander mostly listened. Finally Jayne noticed his silence.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t want to tell you until you met Fats but he may have done something really stupid today.”

  Jayne was interested. “What that might that be?”

  “He went over to Rooster’s mansion today. I think he broke in and took something.”

  “My god. What did he take?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why he’s coming over. He wants to show me what he has and he thinks we can use it to make Rooster back off.”