by Jeff Shelby
“Bullshit,” he said. “You're full of shit.”
“Hold on a sec,” I said.
I swiped the call screen away to the camera, took a quick shot of Toby face down on the ground, then swiped back to the contact screen. I tapped the text icon, uploaded the photo, and hit send.
“Your phone should buzz any second,” I told him.
“You think—” He stopped talking and I could hear him fumbling with the phone. His voice was muffled for a moment, then he came back on the line. “You're a dead man, whoever you are.”
“No, I'm quite alive,” I said. “And now that I have your attention, let's cut to the chase. You have Arturo. I have your sister. I'm willing to trade.”
“Fuck you.”
“I'm also willing to lay her out on the ground next to Toby here,” I said. “And now that I've got your contact info, I'm also willing to call the cops and my friend at I.C.E.”
He didn't say anything.
“Is it still fuck me or are you listening?” I asked.
“I'm listening.”
“Good man,” I told him. “Here's the deal. No more fucking with Arturo's family. None. I will bring you your sister and you will give him to me and that'll be the end of it. No more payment demands. He's done and paid in full. We clear on that?”
“Sure.”
“Aidan. Are we clear on that? Because I've got at friend at I.C.E and she'd love to get in on this.”
The line buzzed.
“We are clear,” he said.
“See, this is pretty easy,” I told him. “Now. Where are going to do the exchange?”
“Just come to me.”
I laughed. “That's a good one. But, no, we won't come to you.”
“Fine. Where then?”
I thought for a moment. “Westfield UTC. Out front of the ice rink. Ninety minutes from now.”
“You gotta be kidding me.”
“I'm not kidding at all,” I said. “And let's just be clear. Doing anything stupid would be…stupid. I'll bring your sister and you bring Arturo. We don't need some giant production.”
“You think it's over just because I get my sister back?” he growled.
“No, probably not,” I said. “But then it can just be me and you. I'm cool with that.”
“You're fucking dead.”
“Ninety minutes, Aidan,” I said. “Don't be late and don't be stupid.”
THIRTY NINE
I fully anticipated that Aidan would be stupid.
I figured I was giving him an opportunity to not be stupid and that he would turn it down. That was fine. We'd be prepared.
Carter carried Toby back toward the car. He'd parked down the block from Isabella's car and immediately found the truck that Toby and Jimmy arrived in. He'd disarmed Jimmy when he'd gone looking for Javier and Isabella. He placed Toby back in the truck next to Jimmy's limp body.
“He's not dead, right?” I asked, as I closed the door to the cab.
“Nah,” Carter said, shaking his head. “He'll be fine. Eventually. And I dropped the car keys and his phone in that sewer drain back there.”
“Perfect.”
“So now what?” he said.
I told him what I had in mind.
“On my way,” he said, turning and heading for his own car.
I walked back to Isabella's. Javier and Isabella were inside and Sabrina was standing next to it on the sidewalk where I'd asked her to stay.
“My brother probably doesn't give a shit about me,” she said, glaring at me.
“That's fine,” I said. “I just want Arturo back. Whatever's between the two of you, I don't care.”
She shook her head. She was somewhere between angry and scared. I didn't blame her.
“Can I have my phone back?” she asked.
“After we meet with your brother.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you'll be tempted to do something stupid with it if I give it back to you,” I said, knocking on the passenger side window.
Javier opened the door. “What are we doing?”
“I want Isabella to drive,” I told him. “You up front with her. Sabrina's in back with me.”
He got out, glanced at Sabrina, then back at me. “Where are we going?”
“Back to In-N-Out,” I told him. “So we can get our cars.”
He looked at Sabrina again. “What about her?”
“She'll be coming with me.”
FORTY
We made the short drive back to In-N-Out in silence. I wasn't sure if everyone was nervous or pissed off or what the deal was, but no one apparently felt like talking, which was fine by me.
We pulled into the parking lot and Isabella parked next to her brother's car.
“So what's gonna happen?” Isabella asked. “With her?”
“I'm going to take her and we're going to pick up your uncle,” I said.
They both looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
“It's under control,” I told them. “You've trusted me this far. Don't give up on me now.”
They exchanged looks but didn't say anything.
“What should I tell my dad?” Javier asked.
“The truth,” I said. “That we figured out who has your uncle and I'm going to get him back.” I looked at Isabella. “It's up to you what you want to tell him about your relationship with Sabrina.”
She looked down at the ground.
“What are you gonna do with her?” Javier said, motioning at Sabrina.
“Take her with me.”
“And then?”
“And then I have no idea,” I said. “But you guys need to get going, alright?”
They both nodded. Sabrina and I got out and waited for them both to drive out of the lot. After they were gone, Sabrina and I walked to my car. She did so with the enthusiasm of someone being led to the gallows. I closed the door after her, then dialed Henry Dowdell.
“I know where Arturo is,” I told him. “And I'm going to go get him.”
“What? How?”
“I don't have time to explain,” I said. “But you should go talk to Beto. His kids are on their way home and they can fill in some of the blanks.”
“His kids?”
“Just trust me, Henry,” I said. “I've been able to put a bunch of pieces together here in the last couple of hours and I need to get moving. I'll explain as soon as I'm finished.”
I hung up before he could pepper me with more questions.
I made two more quick phone calls, then went around to the driver's side of the car.
“I was about to roast in here,” Sabrina complained.
“It's not that hot,” I said, turning the car on and hitting the button for the AC.
“Whatever,” she said, looking out her window.
“The picture I showed you,” I said. “From the cameras. What were you doing that night?”
She squirmed in her seat.
“I mean, I can sort of add it up on my own,” I told her. “But it would be easier if you'd just tell me.”
She hugged herself tightly. “Trying to find the house.”
“Isabella's?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Her uncle's. Aidan paid me a hundred bucks to go out there one night and see if I could find it.”
“Did you?”
“No. It was too damn dark. And then I heard that stupid camera click and it spooked me. I left.”
“How'd you find the ranch?”
“Isabella told me that's where she lived.”
“So you just went out there and tried to find the house? Just decided to go search the three hundred acres on foot?”
She shook her head. “No. I had a map. Aidan got directions from someone and gave them to me, but when I got out there, they didn't make any sense. I couldn't see shit in the dark. So I just started walking and then I heard the cameras and I bailed.”
All along, Henry had been worried that the girl in the photos was in trouble, that she n
eeded help.
She'd been there to do just the opposite.
FORTY ONE
Westfield UTC was a mall in the center of San Diego proper, just east of La Jolla, set between two of the major freeways. When it originally opened as University Towne Center it seemed like one of a kind. It was an outdoor mall with the usual stores, but anchored by an ice rink, which in San Diego felt exotic. It had undergone multiple renovations over the years and looked nothing like it had back when I'd been a kid, but there was still a familiarity to it that I felt every time I went there.
I parked deliberately on the western most side of the mall, finding a stall on the main level of one of the parking garages, parking garages that hadn’t existed when it was first built. I shut the car off.
“So here's the deal,” I said to Sabrina. “I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want anyone else to get hurt, either. So I have two questions for you.”
“Great.”
“Is your brother going to bring an army to this?” I asked.
She snorted and gave me half an eye roll. “Aidan wishes he had an army. He's not the big shot he'd like everyone to believe. He thinks that if he pretends he's big time, everyone will think he is. He mostly works for another guy, who I think is more like the big boss, but I don't even know who that is.” She shook her head. “But he's still just Aidan.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he's like he's always been,” she said, frowning. “He's not smart enough to be bigger. He has to work for someone else. So he pretends. And then he gets pissed when nothing happens the way he wants it to.”
I was glad I had her talking and I didn't want to discourage it.
“How'd he get into this then?” I asked.
“No idea,” she answered. “I think he drove some guys over one time and then decided this would be how he'd get rich. He'd run his own business. I don't know. He's an idiot.”
“But he does work for someone else?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Aidan doesn't like him, but that guy sort of fronts the money for transportation and stuff. Aidan always says he's getting ripped off, but since he spends his money on stupid shit, he can't really work without the guy. Like I said, he's a moron.”
“No idea who the guy is?”
“No.”
“Okay, so how many guys do you think he'll have with him?”
“I have no idea,” she said. “Jimmy and Toby are the two usually with him. But he has a couple of other losers that are usually hanging around.”
I wasn't getting the sense that Aidan was much more than an opportunistic punk who didn't mind taking advantage of people. Which was good because it was going to make everything much easier.
“Okay, here's my second question,” I told her. “Is he going to do anything to you if I trade you for Arturo?”
She looked at me like she didn't understand. “What?”
“Is he going to be pissed that you basically got me to him?” I asked. “Is he going to take it out on you?”
She shrugged. “What does it matter?”
“It matters because if he's going to do anything to you, then I won't trade you.”
“Don't you have to? To get the guy?”
It was my turn to shrug.
She thought for a moment. “No, it'll be fine. He'll yell at me and stuff, but if you mean like hurt me or something like that, he won't do anything. Aidan's an asshole, but he won't hurt me.”
“You're positive?”
She seemed much smaller in her seat now. “Yeah, I'm positive.” She hesitated. “Are you going to hurt him?”
“I don't plan on it and I don't think I'll have to,” I said. “But I promise I'm not planning on it. That would be worst case scenario and I don't think I'll get there.”
She studied me for a long moment. “There are other people coming, aren't there?”
I nodded.
She sighed and shook her head. “My brother is an idiot. I knew I shouldn't have listened to him.”
I pushed open my car door. “Probably not.”
FORTY TWO
The mall wasn't jammed with people, but it wasn't empty and I hadn't planned on it being so. It was a nice evening and people were taking advantage of the good weather. I was hoping that would work to our advantage.
“Just stay with me,” I said. “No matter what your brother says, just stay with me until I tell you to go. Okay?”
“Sure, whatever,” she said, her shoulders slumped, in full sulk mode as we walked.
I paused for a minute and texted Carter. He responded immediately that he was where I wanted him.
We walked past a row of independent stores, then hit the recognizable chains that seemed to be in every mall I'd ever visited. Store clerks lounged lazily near the doors, forcing smiles and eye contact as we walked by, probably counting the minutes until they could close their doors. We came around by the cookie shop that I remembered buying giant sugar cookies from as a kid and into an open courtyard in front of the large building that housed the ice arena and the food court.
“That's him,” Sabrina said, pointing.
We stopped so I could take a look.
Aidan was a shade under six feet, with wavy dark hair that looked like it was constantly falling in his face. Wraparound shades hid his eyes. His shoulders were broad, and his chest looked artificially inflated or like he was pushing it out to look bigger. He had on a red Led Zeppelin T-shirt, jeans, and what looked like brand new Nike sneakers. He reminded me of one of those guys who continued to dress like he was in high school even though he was well past graduation.
A small Hispanic man about ten years his senior was next to him in jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt with the Dowdell ranch insignia over the chest. His hands were in his pockets and he was fidgeting, his eyes darting around, clearly nervous. Aidan turned to him to say something and caught sight of his sister. He stood taller and puffed out his chest further.
My phone buzzed in my hand and I looked at it.
It was Carter giving me the go ahead.
I took Sabrina by the elbow. “Come on.”
She continued sulking.
Arturo followed Aidan's gaze toward us and stopped fidgeting.
“You've got some big balls, dude,” Aidan said, shaking his head when we reached them.
“You're Arturo?” I said, ignoring him and looking at Arturo.
Arturo nodded.
I held out my hand. “Me llamo Noah. Estoy amigos con Beto.”
Recognition flashed through is eyes and he nodded quickly as he shook my hand. “Si, si. Me llamo Arturo. Si.”
“Estas bien?”
He nodded. “Si, si. Gracias.”
“Enough of the amigo bullshit,” Aidan said.
I took a look around. A mother and her daughter were at a small table sharing an ice cream sundae. A guy wearing a construction vest was working on one of the light posts about ten feet away. Another couple was near the entrance to the rink, the woman talking on her phone, the guy with her trying not to look impatient. Two mall workers were jabbering as they took their time emptying the trash receptacle to our left.
I looked at Aidan. “So you're Aidan.”
“Yeah, I'm fucking Aidan,” he said, his mouth squirreling into a sour expression. “And you're the guy that took my fucking sister.”
I smiled at him. “You started it.”
He didn't think that was funny and glanced past me for a moment. “You know, I'm not gonna forget this.”
“Oh, I believe that.”
He looked at his sister. “You alright?”
“Jesus Christ, Aidan, I'm fine,” she said, shaking her head. “Let's just get this over with and get out of here.”
“Can't believe you fell for meeting with that chick,” he said.
“Oh, fuck you,” she said. “I can't believe you think Jimmy and Toby are capable of anything other than drooling.”
Aidan looked past me again. I couldn't s
ee his eyes, but I knew what he was looking for.
Arturo stood there, still nervous.
“Esta bien,” I said to him. “Esta bien.”
Arturo hesitated, then nodded.
“He still fucking owes,” Aidan said.
“No, we're done with owing,” I told him. “Just like I said on the phone. He's clear after this.”
“Dude, you aren't calling the shots here,” Aidan said, once again looking past me.
“He's not coming,” I said.
That got his attention. “What?”
“The guy you're looking for?” I said. “The one you brought with you and the one you keep looking over my shoulder for? He's not coming.”
“The fuck are you talking about?”
I opened up my texts from Carter and showed him the screen. There was a photo of Carter holding another guy with his arm across his throat in a chokehold of sorts. The guy’s eyes were bulging a little and his cheeks were red. Carter was grinning.
“Not the best angle, but my buddy isn't great with selfies,” I said, still holding it out for him to see. “You get the idea, though.”
Aidan's jaw tightened.
Sabrina leaned forward so she could get a better look at the screen. She burst out laughing.
Arturo still looked nervous.
I pulled the phone away from him and put it in my pocket. “So. That guy's not coming. Just us now.”
He started to say something, then a small grin replaced whatever the words were. “I don't think your buddy counted 'em all.”
I knew the possibility existed that he would have more than one guy with him. But I figured Carter taking out at least one of them lessened the chances for total chaos.
Because Aidan didn't know how many friends I’d brought with me.
“You're so fucked,” Aidan growled.
“Just shut up and listen,” I said. “I'm going to tell Arturo to come stand behind me. Then I'm going to let go of your sister's arm and she's going to come to you. Then you both are going to turn and walk away. Arturo and I are going to stand here and watch you leave. When you're gone, we'll leave, and my buddy will release your buddy. All square.”
