Murder on the Front Nine

by Steve McMillen

  Chapter 30: Barry & Bill

  Barry and Bill leave Vegas early and arrive in Panama City Beach late morning. Barry has called ahead to the small airport just outside of town and had the manager of the airport reserve a full-size van so they will be able to transport all of their guns, explosives, and the other materials. They have enough stuff with them to start a small war in a third world country.

  They pick up the van and pull it sideways beside the plane so no one can see what they are loading into the van. The side entrance also makes getting in and out in a hurry a lot easier. Bill has with him some dark vinyl covering to put on the inside of all the windows except the driver and passenger windows and the windshield. They don’t want anyone to be able to see inside and spot the weapons.

  They go to the beach to look for Paul Hills. They have decided not to stay in a condo or hotel this time; they want to be able to get in and get out in a big hurry if necessary. If they need to stay overnight, they will sleep in the van or on the plane.

  To them this is war; they are not playing games. Their foe is good and they know it, and they are prepared this time. The one thing on their side is that they hope Paul does not realize they are on his trail and coming in for the kill.

  They drive up and down the beach looking for Paul’s white SUV and they drive through parking lots and parking garages. Each time they spot a white Highlander, they stake it out and wait until someone comes to the vehicle. So far, the people who show up do not fit the description given to them by Mickke D.

  After four hours of looking around the beach, they elect to go to The Hombre and take a chance that he may be there. They arrive at the golf course about twenty minutes later.

  They meander cautiously through the parking lot and notice two white Highlanders. They now have to make a major decision. Do they wait in the parking lot to see if Paul shows up or do they leave the somewhat safe confines of the van and try to find him?

  Barry says, “You stay with the van where you can see both vehicles and I will go take a look around the clubhouse and see if I can spot him.”

  Bill replies, “Sounds like a plan, we should put our cell phones on vibrate and that way if either one of us spot him, call the other one and give his location.”

  Barry then adds, “Whatever you do, do not confront him here except as a last resort, we need to follow him and find out where he is staying and then we’ll make final plans.”

  The biggest problem for Bill is the fact that there are two white Highlanders to watch. The biggest problem for Barry is that Paul may remember him from the airport the morning of the plane explosion. Barry puts on dark glasses and a ball cap before leaving the van. Since they brought their clubs with them, Barry grabs his putter and a couple of golf balls, changes into a beach shirt and proceeds toward the putting green.

  Bill elects to park the van at the end of the lot where he can see everyone leaving the course and traveling toward the parking area. He will also be able to see if they get into either one of the white SUVs.

  Paul Hills has just reached the 18th green at The Hombre. He is playing pretty well today. If he two putts from thirty feet, he will shoot 80. As he reaches down to mark his ball, the hairs on the back of his neck begin to tingle, a warning, as if someone is watching him. He has been in the killing business for quite a few years now and he has always been able to sense when something is not right. He automatically switches to self-preservation mode. His nerves are alert, his mind thinking like the hired assassin he has been for many years. He does not have a weapon on him but he knows there is one in his golf bag.

  Barry recognizes Paul from the description Mickke D had given him. He calls Bill and says the man they are looking for is here.

  Paul misses his first putt but the second is a tap in, so he does end up with an 80. He surveys the area as he shakes hands with his playing partners, Jim and Anita Stippler, from Ohio, who have a second home in Panama City Beach, and Doug McMullan, a doctor from Atlanta who is attending a convention in Panama City. Doug decided to skip the afternoon seminar and play golf instead. It was a good group and they had a lot of fun, but fun time is over for Paul.

  He needs to assess the situation and make some quick decisions. Is something wrong? Is someone watching him? In addition, if he is being watched, how does he handle it? He looks around and sees nothing out of the ordinary. He stays on full-alert mode.

  Jim asks, “Do you guys want to go into the clubhouse and have a drink while I add up these scores?”

  “Sure, but I’ll pass on my score,” Doug replies.

  Paul plays along, deciding the group will provide excellent cover. “Sure, sounds good to me and I think Doug owes me a couple of free physicals anyway.” He had made some bets with Doug during the round and of course, he won.

  The Hombre does not allow you to take your golf cart out to the parking lot to drop off your clubs. You leave them at the bag drop, bring your car around and pick them up. Of course, they clean your clubs and someone will put your clubs into your car, which equals another tip. This works out well for Paul because he does not want to go out into the parking lot right now. He sneaks the small revolver from his bag into his pocket.

  He scans the bar area as they proceed into the grillroom. The only person who doesn’t fit is a guy seated at the bar with a ball cap, dark glasses, long pants and a silk Tommy Bahama sports shirt. He remembers seeing him practicing on the putting green as they were finishing up on 18. He must have just arrived minutes before they did.

  Paul thinks he has unusual attire, since the temperature is almost ninety degrees outside, way too hot for long pants and he is wearing dark glasses in the grillroom. If they were the type that changes tints, they would have lightened up by now. In addition, he is dressed excessively nice for a ball cap, maybe a straw hat but not a ball cap. He does not fit. Paul’s second sense is correct. Someone is watching him. Now the big question; is there more than one and if there is, how many and where are they?

  His first priority is not to get into a gun battle here at the golf course. He needs to flee and then he will pick the battlefield. He likes to play offense, not defense. His motto is live to fight another day.

  About ten minutes after Barry leaves the van and walks over to the putting green, Bill watches as a middle-aged couple leaves the clubhouse and walk toward the parking lot. The couple go to one of the white SUVs and get in, back out and drive up to the bag drop to pick up their clubs. The man does not look at all like the description Mickke D gave them. Bill then receives a call from Barry telling him he has spotted Paul. Bill figures the other SUV has to belong to Paul Hills.

  He makes a decision. He gets out of the van, opens the side door and gets a tracking device from among the vast array of materials he and Barry have brought with them. He jogs over to the remaining white Highlander, sticks the tracking device up under the left rear wheel well, and runs back to the van.

  In the van, he uploads the tracking device code into his hand held personal GPS system. The tracking device on Paul’s SUV begins to beep on Bill’s screen. He then calls Barry and tells him what he has done. They now have a fix on Paul. He can come back to the van.

  Paul sits with his golf group, pretending to listen as they chat away. The man at the bar with the dark glasses and ball cap hasn’t looked once in their direction but Paul still suspects SIL.

  Paul’s prime suspect at the bar reaches into his pocket, pulls out his cell phone and speaks into it. He then stands up, leaves a few bills on the bar, and walks out. He still does not look their way.

  At the table, Doug says to the group, “I think I should get back to the convention center and catch the end of the afternoon session. Again nice playing with you this afternoon and Paul, if you’re ever in Atlanta, stop by and I’ll pay you what I owe you.” He hands Paul his business card.

  Paul replies, “Doug, I just may take you up on that someday.”

  Jim and Anita stand up and say that they should go also. Everyone shakes ha
nds all around. After a short, friendly argument, Doug picks up the bar tab and they all move outside.

  Paul stays with the group out to the parking lot. As he gets closer to his SUV, he notices a gray van parked at the end of the lot. It is too far away to see if there is anyone inside. He presses his automatic door opener quite a ways away from the vehicle just in case they have planted a bomb. That would be a great way for SIL to get back at him. He holds his breath and closes his eyes but all is quiet, nothing happens. Just as he turns to go to open his vehicle door, the car next to his lowers the passenger side window. Paul fingers the gun in his pocket, stays slightly behind his vehicle and waits.

  The man inside leans across the front seat and says to him, “Just wanted to let you know some guy stuck something under your wheel well while you were inside, I guess he didn’t see me sitting here. I think somebody may be trying to keep track of you.”

  Paul relaxes the grip on his weapon, smiles and says, “Hey thanks man, probably my wife’s PI.”

  At least now, he does not feel quite as nervous about turning the ignition key. If they want to track him, then he is probably safe for now. He backs out and drives up to the bag drop to pick up his golf clubs. He pushes the button, which unlocks the back compartment door. The attendant puts his clubs in and as Paul walks past the rear wheel well, he slides his hand under the edge and just like a magician, palms the tracking device. He places it in his pocket as he pulls out a tip for the attendant.

  As he pulls away from the bag drop, he checks his rear view mirror and side mirror to see what, if anything, the gray van is going to do. The van doesn’t move. Paul has the tracking device in his pocket and now he must figure out how he can get it placed somewhere else so that the guys in the van can’t track him, but he must do it in a way so that they do not see him dispose of it.

  Barry and Bill watch as Paul pulls away from the bag drop and they monitor him on their GPS system. As he leaves, the small light begins to blink and a soft beep is heard, showing that there is movement on the part of the tracking device. It is working perfectly.

  Barry starts the engine but Bill puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “Take it easy, we don’t want him to get spooked, where ever he goes we have him. Let’s stay back so he doesn’t run.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I just want to eliminate him so bad I can taste it. We’ll give him a ten-minute head start.”

  As Paul leaves the golf course, he keeps an eye out for the van but it is nowhere in sight. Paul figures that whoever is in the van does not know that he found the tracking device, so they are in no hurry to follow him. This will give him a chance to switch the tracking device and send his pursuers on a wild goose chase. He spots a gas station coming up with several cars parked at the pumps. He pulls in behind a black SUV where a woman is pumping gas.

  He gets out of his vehicle and with a big smile on his face, he walks up to her.

  “Excuse me ma’am, I think I’m lost, do you know where The Hombre golf course is located?”

  She smiles and says, “Oh yes, let me finish filling this and I’ll point you in the right direction.”

  As she turns to replace the pump, Paul replies, “I’ll close this gas cap for you,” and as he does, he attaches the tracking device to the inside of her wheel well.

  Barry and Bill notice that the SUV has stopped and they both look at each other.

  “Maybe he stopped to get gas,” Bill says.

  Barry answers, “I don’t know but I think we should get on the road, I don’t trust him one little bit.”

  He starts the van and they pull out of the parking lot onto the highway. The GPS system lights up and starts beeping again; Paul is on the move. Barry slows the van so as not to get too close and they continue on their way.

  Paul thanks the woman for the directions and follows her out of the gas station. The black SUV turns left, goes to the stop sign, and turns right, which puts her back on the same road that Paul was just on. Paul turns right and pulls behind a dumpster where he can see the highway in his rear view mirror. He watches as the gray van passes his location and continues down the highway. He smiles, but there is a deep anger in the pit of his stomach. He is livid. Why can’t they just leave him alone? If they want a war, they will have one.

  After watching the van go by following the woman in the black SUV, Paul elects to go back to his condominium, pack up and leave town. He figures that since they came to the golf course, they do not know where he is staying or they would have just waited for him there. His condo is only five minutes away and he gets there in less than three. He hurries inside where everything is ready to go. He has learned to live out of his suitcase just because of a possible situation like this. He is packed and back in the Highlander in less than fifteen minutes.

  As he leaves the condo, he thinks back to the gray van parked in the golf course parking lot. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers that the vehicle was a rental because it had a rental tag. This means they must have flown into Panama City Beach so therefore they had to leave their plane somewhere. They had to bring weapons and there is no way for them to get weapons onto a commercial flight.

  He has a choice: He can leave town now or he can find the plane and do some more damage to SIL. He checked out the entire area before he bought the condo in Panama City Beach and he knows of one small, isolated airport just outside of town. He opts to go over there and look around before leaving town. If their plane is there, great, if not he will go to Charleston. He figures they have found his place in Las Vegas. As he nears the airport, he is thinking about what he has in his vehicle that he can use to destroy a plane.

  Paul can build anything and he has redone his Highlander so that he can carry weapons and explosives with him at all times. He just hopes that if the police ever stop him, the officer does not have an explosives search dog with him.

  He has taken the back seats out of the SUV and cut away the backs of both seats. He took out the springs and padding and replaced the back of each seat with a wooden tray. He attached the tray in the same way as a tray back on an airplane. He can just unlatch the lock and the whole tray opens to the side on each seat. He designed and built small shelves and access cubbyholes to house all his weapons of small destruction.

  On the inside, one seat houses small handguns and a broken down assault rifle. The other seat has C-4, blasting caps, throw away cell phones, extra batteries and room for his disguises. A large blanket drapes over the back seat to disguise the two storage areas.

  He stops about a half mile away from the airport. He changes into coveralls and a ball cap. If the plane is there, he will be ready. He parks behind a line of crape myrtle trees, making it difficult for office personnel or SIL, if they are near, to see him.

  He strolls into the office, smiles and says to the person behind the desk, “Hey, I’m here to clean a plane, is that it parked over there?”

  The man sitting behind the desk gets up, smiles right back at him and says, “Well, who the hell are you and what the hell are you talking about?”

  “I told you, I’m here to clean a plane. I met two guys at a bar last night and they said they were looking for someone to clean up the inside of their plane so here I am. Is that it over there? They said it was a twin engine something or the other. I just know how to clean and don’t know much about airplanes.”

  The man looks at Paul as if he is crazy. “I can’t just let you go onto their plane without someone giving me an okay.”

  Paul quickly asks, “So that is their plane?”

  “Sure that’s their plane, but I don’t know you from the man in the moon.”

  Paul has wasted enough time; he pulls a .357 short barrel revolver from his pocket and puts it against the old man’s forehead.

  “It’s a good thing I like you mister or you would be on your way to heaven or hell by now. Is the plane locked up?” he asks as he pulls the hammer back on the .357.

  “Yes sir, it is, but I will be happy to get you the key
.”

  He looks at the nametag on the man’s shirt and says, “I thought you might, Nick. This is your lucky day. Get me the key and I am going to tie you up, shut you up and when the guys return, tell them their old friend says hello.”

  Paul came prepared; he has duct tape and rope in his coveralls. He gets the key from Nick, ties his hands behind him and puts duct tape across his mouth.

  “Nice meeting you, Nick and have a great day, oops sorry, you already had a great day, you’re still alive.”

  He sits Nick down behind the counter.

  He just has to hope that no one comes in and finds Nick before he is finished with the plane. However, if Barry and Bill show up then all hell is going to break loose.

  He gets what he needs from the Highlander and goes over to the plane. He takes four sticks of C-4, blasting caps, a cell phone and new battery onto the plane. Within ten minutes, he is back in the SUV and driving out of the airport. He stops and changes back into his regular clothes. He then dials the number of the cell phone he planted on the plane. A huge explosion ensues another fireball leaping high into the air above the airport and SIL just lost another plane.

  He smiles and says to himself, “Hey this is fun; maybe I should just go into business blowing up planes.”

  Barry and Bill cannot figure out why Paul is going over the bridge to Panama City and away from the beach. They have been following his vehicle for almost twenty minutes now and Barry is getting concerned.

  Bill finally offers a reason, “Maybe he’s going into Panama City for dinner.”

  The ping on their GPS finally settles down in a rather upscale single-family housing development. Barry slows the van trying to locate the white Highlander. They notice a woman getting out of a black SUV about three houses up and the closer they get to her the louder Bill’s GPS starts beeping. As the van reaches the black SUV the beeping becomes a solid sound and the screen displays a message that they are at their destination.