Shadows from the Past

by Terry Ambrose

  “Excellent,” Baldorf said. “Dude, you better hurry, Jackie’s guys are gathering out front. Looks like they’re gearing up for an assault.”

  “Let me know when they make their move.” Skip reached inside the opening and felt for the window lock. “Here goes nothing,” he said as he applied pressure to the lever.

  The latch flipped open and Skip breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I heard that,” Roxy said. “You thought it would have rusted out.”

  “Hush.” Skip pushed up on the glass and stuck his head inside to do a quick survey of the room. It contained a single bed, a small dresser, and a chair. Everything normal except for the glowing red light hanging from the ceiling.

  “Crap. Security camera.”

  Skip pulled himself through the opening, landed on the floor, and rolled. He came up next to the door. Across the room, Lily lay on the bed, her arms and feet tied, tape across her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear. Skip raised his finger to his lips and waited, listening to the approaching footsteps. The floor vibrated with each step.

  Lily struggled against her bonds, but Skip shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet as Roxy’s head appeared in the window. She lifted herself through at the same time the door opened. Lily’s anguished scream, though muffled by the tape, caught the guard’s attention. He first looked at her, then the window.

  The guard took two steps toward Roxy and reached for his gun. Skip came from behind the door and swung down with the butt of the Sig. His target ducked sideways. The blow glanced off the man’s shoulder, and he spun to face Skip.

  Skip landed a swift kick to the man’s stomach. He gasped and dropped his gun. A blow to the side of the head drove him into a chair. He tripped, fell backwards, and his head smacked against the floor, his hands falling limp at his sides.

  A voice from the other room called, “What’s going on in there, Manny?”

  Skip and Roxy looked at each other. He pointed to Lily as he rushed to the door and locked it. A voice called from the hallway, but was drowned out by Baldorf’s screeching in his ear.

  “Get out of there! Jackie’s on the move.” A moment later. “No. No, no. One of Jackie’s guys is going around back. Holy crap! Back window! Incursion alert!”

  A face appeared in the open window. Skip aimed below the opening and fired three times. The 9mm Sig Sauer’s slug tore through the wall, and Skip heard a grunt followed by a thud. He crossed the room and looked outside. There was no body, only a shadow limping off into the fog.

  A small, frightened voice caught Skip’s attention. “Is he dead?”

  He turned. Roxy had removed the tape from Lily’s mouth and was releasing her feet from their bonds. Before he could answer, shots erupted in the hallway.

  “No. He’s gone,” Skip said.

  “Why didn’t you like shoot him between the eyes?” Lily rubbed her wrists as she stared at Skip.

  “My training kicked in. A head shot is low percentage. But this gun can put a bullet through a wall and still do damage. From the looks of it, he’ll need medical attention.”

  “Dude, more problems,” Baldorf snapped. “More guys coming.”

  “They’re already here,” Skip said. “There’s a full-blown war going on out front.”

  “No, bro, I mean more guys coming.”

  “Who’s he talking to?” Lily asked.

  Roxy pointed at her ear.

  “Awesome,” Lily said.

  Skip went back to the door. Out front, the flaring of gunfire had diminished, but there was still the occasional stutter of an automatic. He could also smell something that hadn’t been there moments before—smoke. “Who are these other guys, Baldorf? Please tell me it’s the cops.”

  “No, but they’re on their way. Infrared camera is picking up three heat sources coming through the alley from the opposite direction.”

  “What do you mean, opposite direction?”

  “They’re like cutting off your escape route, bro. You’re surrounded.”

  “It must be Mateo and his crew,” Roxy said.

  “Don’t know for sure, but that would make sense. Drone’s still hovering over the house and I can’t get clear video through the fog, so all we’ve got is infrared. But you got another problem. There’s an intense heat signature building in the hallway.”

  Roxy freed the last of Lily’s bonds, before glancing at Skip. “What now?”

  He shook his head. “Baldorf, please don’t tell me somebody set the house on fire.”

  “That’s totally what I’m saying, bro. You need to find an escape route, pronto.”

  Lily pointed at the crack under the door. “What’s that?”

  “Baldorf, we’ve got smoke seeping in.” Skip looked around the room. There was nothing they could use to fight a fire. “The open window is creating a suction that’s pulling the smoke in,” he said. “Hand me the bedspread. We need to slow this down.”

  “No. Take this instead.”

  Roxy bunched up the top sheet and handed it to Skip, then wrapped the bedspread around Lily’s shoulders.

  “Got it. A makeshift jacket.” Skip stuffed the sheet into the crack beneath the door. “That won’t last long. I’d give it a few minutes. Let’s hope it’s enough time.”

  “What did you do to piss this dude off so much?” Lily asked.

  “I tried to con him,” Roxy said.

  Lily rolled her eyes. “Awesome. But next time, pick on somebody who won’t like hold a grudge.”

  Roxy reached out and put her arms around Lily. “There won’t be a next time,” she said. “I’m through.”

  Skip returned to the window and peered outside. “Baldorf, we need to get out of here ASAP. Are those guys still in the alley or is the backyard clear?”

  “Got two left in the alley, one about thirty feet from your exit and moving your way.”

  “Is there an escape route?”

  “Maybe. According to the map there’s another alley. It runs perpendicular and would get you about a block away.”

  Skip stuck his head out the window. The wall was set in from the back of the house, giving them enough room to exit unseen. The problem was, once they were outside, they had to cross the open backyard to get to the alley.

  “We don’t have much time. I’ll go out first. You two follow me. Roxy, when we get outside, both of you head for that alley.”

  “Where are you going to be?”

  “I’ll be staying behind and providing you with cover.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Roxy

  SKIP WAS OUT the window before I could protest. He intended to stay behind? No way. I grabbed Lily’s hand and got her to the window. We pulled off the bedspread, got her butt on the sill, and Skip helped her to the ground from outside. I pushed the bedspread out behind her and followed. The three of us crouched in the darkness, Lily clutching the pathetic covering around her.

  “Where are these guys, Baldorf?” Skip whispered.

  “Holding a position about twenty feet to your left.”

  “And the escape route?”

  “Twenty feet dead ahead.”

  I clutched Lily to my side, shook my head, and hissed, “We will not leave you.”

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  His voice was calm and measured. It was a tone I knew well. The one he used to steady others even when he wasn’t calm himself. He held my gaze and my heart sank. His mind was made up, and he was right. Again. Damn him.

  Lily leaned forward and hugged Skip. “No. I love you. You can’t stay here. They’ll kill you.”

  He pushed Lily back toward me and looked into my eyes. “Save her, Roxy. It’s what this was all about.”

  I bit my lower lip, my eyes burning, and grabbed Lily. “Skip’s right. It’s the only way.”

  I reached out and took his arm. He gave me a weak smile, then nodded. “Me, too,” he whispered. “Now, you have to leave. Go straight twenty feet. Turn right when you get to the alley. Baldorf will guide
you. You know what I want, buddy. Right?”

  “Roger that. Tick tick. Time’s running out.”

  Skip turned away from us, held his gun out with both hands, and said, “Now!”

  I pulled on Lily’s hand, helped her gather the bedspread around her, and dragged her away. In my ear, I heard Baldorf’s voice guiding me. Behind and to my left someone commanded us to stop. I glanced over my shoulder, but the voice came from an amorphous shadow that disappeared as quickly as it had come. I ignored the instructions and pushed forward.

  Three shots shattered the silence. More shots. More voices. None I recognized. Soon, the crunching of dead grass gave way to hard gravel and packed dirt.

  “Turn right.”

  “Got it, Baldorf. We’re in the alley.”

  “I know, dude.”

  “Right.”

  Lily tripped on the bedspread dragging behind her. “I’m sorry. I’m slowing you down.”

  I gripped her waist to support her. “No, sweetheart. You’re the reason I’m here. We’ll take this as slow as you need.”

  “Go a hundred feet and turn left.”

  “Okay,” I whispered. “Skip, what’s happening?” No answer. “Skip? Are you okay?”

  Lily stopped. Her jaw dropped, and she had tears welling in her eyes. The bedspread slipped, and I helped her reposition it. I whispered, “Baldorf? What’s going on back there? Is Skip okay?”

  “He’s silent right now.”

  A chill coursed down my spine. “What? Has he been shot?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t…where’s the drone?”

  “It’s over you right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what he wanted.”

  I bent over, wrapped my arms around Lily, and held her so close I feared I might break her. “Damn you, Skip.”

  She looked up at me. “Roxy? Is he okay?”

  The lie caught in my throat. I couldn’t tell her the truth. This gutsy little girl would demand we go back and help. That was Lily. But I couldn’t let her do that. “He’s fine, sweetheart.” A moment later, I hissed, “Baldorf, send your drone back to help him right now or I swear I’ll shoot the damn thing down myself.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Baldorf said, “Roger that, dude. And for the record, thanks.”

  Overhead, the faintest whoosh of air disturbed the fog. Behind us, gunshots punctuated the silence. I choked back a sob and took a step forward. Then another.

  “Roxy? Are we leaving?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. We have to. It’s what Skip wants.”

  We came to the end of the alley and took the left as Baldorf had instructed. Two police cars rushed by with their lights ablaze. Their sirens pierced the air like mourners at a funeral. Lily was walking faster and more evenly now. She let go of my waist, but held my hand. I was glad she did. At this moment, her presence was all that kept me from falling apart.

  She stopped and pointed at another alley. “Don’t we gotta get off the street?”

  “Good idea. Let’s go.”

  We jaywalked to the other side and slipped into the alley. The fog seemed to cling to everything, and I shivered. “We’ll probably die from exposure anyway.”

  “Are you sure Skip’s okay? We could go back…”

  “No, sweetheart. We need to keep moving. I’m sure he’ll be fine…” My words drifted off because I knew the odds against him were simply overwhelming. I started when Lily stumbled again and bumped against me.

  “It’s freezing out here,” she said, her teeth chattering. “I hate the fog, but there’s this place we can go.”

  I hugged her. The bedspread was already soaked. She wouldn’t last the night with that stupid thing. “We need another coat,” I said as I unzipped Skip’s and pulled it off.

  Kneeling next to Lily, I eased the bedspread from around her shoulders. “No arguments. That thing’s worthless and you’re cold.”

  “But…”

  “I said no arguments.”

  She winced and put on the way oversized jacket. Her fingers shook so much she wasn’t able to work the zipper, so I closed it for her.

  “There. It’s big, but it’s warm.”

  Lily closed her eyes, shivered again, and said, “Thanks, Roxy. But only for a few minutes.”

  I wrapped myself in the bedspread. It was awful—both cold and wet. Even so, it felt like welcome protection against the harshness surrounding us. “Our first order of business is to find you a coat.”

  “I got an idea where we can get one.”

  “I guess living on the streets has its advantages. You learn your way around.”

  Lily nodded and began to walk down the alley. “I like know all the streets around here. All the good places to get free stuff.”

  “Tell you what, you’re our guide. I’m placing our lives in your hands.”

  “No pressure.”

  The way she emphasized the words, I could tell she was actually happy to be contributing. As we walked, I listened for gunfire, sirens…anything. But the night was again silent.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Skip

  SKIP ANGLED HIMSELF so he could see the approaching shadows. He took aim as Roxy and Lily ran into the fog, breathing deliberately and forcing himself to maintain focus despite the acrid stench hanging in the air. Just a few feet away, smoke billowed out of the open window. He waited, silent and alert, until he heard a voice to his left.

  “Someone’s getting away.”

  Skip recognized Mateo Carli’s voice and aimed into the darkness.

  Another man yelled, “Stop!”

  Skip fired three rounds at the voices and ducked back behind the corner as wood siding chips exploded around him. He lost track of how many rounds they fired, but realized neither gun was an automatic. All he had to do was survive until the police arrived. But that presented another problem—Baldorf. He couldn’t get him involved. He pulled the earpiece out and threw it off into the dead grass.

  “One, two,” he counted. On three, he leaned around the corner again and aimed.

  The fog lit up in pulsing rays of blue and red lights. Two figures were visible, backlit by the police strobes. The movements of the two men were jerky, reminding Skip of an old black-and-white movie with a psychedelic twist.

  Skip kept his weapon aimed at them. “Give it up. The police are here.”

  “I surrender,” Carli said.

  Skip frowned and scanned the area for others. From what he knew of Mateo Carli, surrender was not in his DNA. Was this a trap? “Lay down your weapons. Put your hands up where I can see them. Both of you.”

  One figure turned and ran, and Skip swore under his breath. If he went after the runaway, he’d lose Carli.

  “Let him go,” Carli said. “You have me, eh?”

  Carli lay his gun on the ground and raised his hands. Skip approached cautiously, all the while keeping his gun trained on his captive.

  “Turn around,” he instructed.

  With Carli facing away from him, Skip ran his hand down the man’s side. He found another gun, a small .22, in the back waistband of Carli’s pants. Once Skip had pocketed the weapon, he stepped away. Flashlight beams cut through the mist and more sirens pierced the night.

  “Don’t move,” Skip said.

  Carli, who was facing away from Skip, suddenly fell to his knees and yelled, “Please no. Don’t kill me!”

  “What the hell are you doing? Get up,” Skip commanded.

  “I don’t want to die!”

  Two flashlight beams appeared and bathed both men in stark white light.

  “Police! Put down the weapon.”

  Skip gritted his teeth and placed the Sig at his feet. As he was kneeling, he muttered, “What kind of game are you playing?”

  Carli turned so Skip could see a sinister smile on his face. “Meh. I thought you were cunning. I didn’t think you stupid, eh? Yours are the only fingerprints the police will find on the gun that kille
d Sonny Panaman.”

  The weight of the .22 felt like an anchor in his pocket as one officer checked for weapons.

  “Right front pocket of the jacket,” Skip said. “There’s a .22 I took off him.”

  “Thank you for saving me,” Carli said. “This man, he is a killer, eh?”

  The cops separated Carli and Skip and moved Skip to a location at the back of the lot. A police cruiser arrived, cordoned off the area, and both men were escorted to the street in front of the house. Fire fighters were still filing in and out of the front door, presumably cleaning up any remaining hotspots, when Skip finished telling the arresting officer what had happened.

  “Is that it, Mr. Cosgrove?”

  Skip nodded absently. He couldn’t take his eyes from Mateo Carli, who appeared to be spinning a tale for the officers who had him in custody. “That’s it. But I can’t stop wondering what sort of tale that sly old dog is weaving.”

  Officer Union, a young, no-nonsense man with the impassive gaze of a man who had seen everything, gave no indication of what he thought. “Do you realize you might be facing serious charges, Mr. Cosgrove?”

  “I know this looks bad, but I’m sure an investigation will prove that man’s the one who killed Sonny Panaman.”

  “That’s the name of the victim? Sonny Panaman?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how do you know he’s dead?”

  “That’s what Carli told me.”

  “I see. You said you were in the house to rescue Lily Jamison. Where is she now?”

  Skip stopped, closed his eyes, and shook his head. Officer Union was not only efficient, but also relentless. “Tell me, Officer Union. Are you bucking for detective?”

  “Just doing my job, sir. Tell me about the girl again. Where is she?”

  Skip let his gaze dart over toward Mateo Carli, who looked back at him and smiled. “That man is one shrewd SOB,” Skip muttered.

  “What man, Mr. Cosgrove?”

  “Mateo Carli. He kills a man, then blames it on the one who’s trying to save a girl’s life.”

  “If someone kidnapped a child, why didn’t you contact the authorities?”