Lit Fuse (A Tanner Novel Book 44)

by Remington Kane

  “Are you Joshua Readington?”

  “Yeah.”

  Carter turned away from the man and headed for the elevator. Standing in his apartment doorway, Joshua Readington called to him.

  “Hey! What do you want with me?”

  “With you, nothing. And be glad that I don’t.”

  The elevator arrived and Carter stepped on. He was headed to Alameda to find the owner of the last name on his list—Joshua Mullins.

  After leaving the hospital in Alameda, Joshua realized he needed a ride to get home. He and Haley had arrived in San Padre on a bus filled with their fellow members in Die Fistulous. That had been two days ago, but it felt like years.

  Haley was gone. She was dead, and she was never coming back. Die Fistulous wasn’t a protest movement for change, it was a trap set up to use gullible and idealistic dreamers who believed they could make the world a better place.

  To Joshua, the world was a cesspool where the wealthy used the poor like cattle and sheep. Joshua had been a sheep, and he’d also been asleep. No more. He was awake and he was set on getting revenge.

  Awake or not he was drowsy from the pain medication he’d been given. It helped some, but his face and his chest still hurt. His face was a mess, just one big bruise, and there were cuts on his lips and right cheek, while his left eye was still puffy but no longer swollen shut.

  The chest wound wasn’t serious since the bullet hadn’t penetrated deep, but the doctors were concerned about the trauma the slug’s impact might have caused. The kinetic energy behind the bullet had been massive. Although Joshua’s heart had escaped being damaged directly, there was a chance that the organ was weakened; however, there was no sign of that.

  Joshua thought the doctors were being too cautious. While the huge bruise on his chest and the sutured bullet wound looked hideous, he knew he would heal in time if he kept the wound clean and changed his bandage often. The doctors had wanted to keep him for two more days, but Joshua had declined. Every day he spent in the hospital cost a fortune, he had trouble sleeping there, and he really just wanted to be alone to mourn Haley.

  As much as he wanted to find Naya and Miller and wreak vengeance on them, Joshua knew he was in no condition to take them on as he was.

  It irked him to call for a taxi when he made his living driving other people around. The woman who picked him up outside the hospital had short red hair and glasses with large frames. She couldn’t help but voice her curiosity when she saw his face.

  “Wow. What happened to you?”

  “I was beaten and shot in the chest.”

  “Oh, sorry to hear that.”

  The rest of the trip took place in silence, and toward the end, Joshua had fallen asleep. His driver woke him by calling softly to him and letting him know that he was at his destination. Joshua appreciated her patience and the fact that she hadn’t tried engaging him in talk, so he gave the woman a good tip. She thanked him, hoped he would feel better soon, then drove away.

  After getting out of the cab, Joshua walked down a driveway and stepped onto the cobblestone path that led to his garage apartment. The old woman he rented the apartment from was down in San Diego for the week visiting her sister. That’s why Joshua was surprised to see a gray van parked near the back door of the house. He was wondering if the home was being burgled when he remembered that his landlady told him she’d have a friend coming by to feed her cats. Joshua figured the van must belong to the person looking after the cats. He used his key to unlock the door on his apartment and found that he had an uninvited visitor.

  Carter smiled at him. “You’re just the man I’ve been looking for.”

  Joshua was seated on the sofa in his one-room apartment while Carter paced back and forth in front of him. Carter had broken into the converted garage seventeen minutes before Joshua arrived home. It had only taken him twelve minutes to give the small space a thorough going over and he hadn’t found the computer tablet. He hadn’t expected to either, but it was wise to search for it anyway. Although he’d been in an Alameda hospital since the riot, it was always possible that Joshua had passed the tablet on to someone, and that someone may have left it in Joshua’s apartment.

  “You searched my place and you’ve searched me. You know I don’t have the tablet I took from that beach house,” Joshua told Carter.

  “Where is it? Who did you give it to?”

  “I didn’t give it to anyone. I woke up in the hospital with no idea how I got there. All I know is that some couple found me and brought me there.”

  Carter thought about that. If what Joshua was saying was true, it meant the mystery couple could have the tablet. It would also mean that he’d have to track them down.

  “What’s the big deal about the tablet?” Joshua asked. “Did Miller send you to get it back?”

  “I’ll ask the questions, bud, okay?”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “Unfortunately for you, I’m a man who needs answers. Maybe you’re telling the truth and maybe not. I’ll find out either way. But not here. I can’t risk someone you know showing up to interrupt us. So, up on your feet; we’re heading out.”

  When Joshua didn’t move, Carter took out the gun he carried. “I heard you were shot once. Would you like to experience it again?”

  Joshua stood. “Take me to see Miller. I want to talk to him.”

  “Why, do you miss him?”

  “If you take me to him, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  Carter laughed. “You’ll be doing that anyway by the time I’m done with you. Let’s go.”

  Joshua shuffled toward the door as he tried to come up with an idea that could result in him getting away from Carter. He might be able to outrun the man, but he’d never outrun a bullet.

  He opened the door, took a step, then spun around in an attempt to slam his elbow into Carter’s face. Carter caught the elbow with his left hand and gave Joshua a shove that sent him stumbling backwards. He landed on his ass on the cobblestone walkway.

  “Try that again and I’ll mess your face up more than it already is,” Carter told Joshua as he passed through the doorway.

  Instead of looking up at him, Joshua was gazing at something on Carter’s right. The PI had enough time to register movement before pain exploded at the base of his skull and the world faded away.

  Joshua watched Carter collapse to the ground in front of him, then pointed up at Tanner.

  “I know you. You’re the guy who pulled me and Haley from the stream the other night.”

  “That’s right. And now I find you in trouble again,” Tanner said. As he was talking, he leaned over and claimed Carter’s gun from the ground. Checking the man for more weapons, he found a knife and a leather blackjack. The blackjack was similar to the sap Tanner had used to knock out Carter.

  Carter’s wallet contained his private investigator’s license, and the keys to his van were in a side pocket of his pants, along with his phone, ten dollars worth of lottery tickets, and a pack of breath mints.

  Joshua made it to his feet. When Tanner looked at him while still holding Carter’s gun, Joshua took a step backwards.

  “Why are you here? How did you find me?”

  “I’m here because I want to know where you got that computer tablet I found on you the other night.”

  “You found me? I was told that some couple brought me to the hospital.”

  “They did so as a favor to me, but I was the one that found you. That tablet saved your life, Joshua. The bullet passed through it and slowed it enough so that it didn’t reach your heart. It also contained some interesting information. Where did you get it?”

  “It belongs to a son of a bitch named Morgan Miller. And there’s a woman named Naya that’s helping him.”

  “Did Miller do that to your face?”

  “Yes.”

  “And he shot you?”

  “No. That was Naya.”

  “Joshua, where’s Haley?”

  Joshua was going
to answer but released a sob instead, as he recalled Miller’s murder of Haley. It was a memory that would haunt him the rest of his life. Tears came next, and Joshua began weeping.

  “Haley’s dead. Miller killed her.”

  On the ground, Carter groaned, but his eyes stayed shut. Tanner reached under his arms and began dragging him toward the van.

  “Let’s get this guy secured and then we’ll talk.”

  Joshua nodded while wiping at his eyes. He bent over and grabbed Carter’s feet to help Tanner place him into the rear of the van but let go when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Naya’s bullet hadn’t reached his heart, but it had caused trauma.

  “Are you all right?” Tanner asked.

  “Yeah, but the doctor warned me not to pick up anything heavy for a while. I should have listened.”

  “I’m surprised they released you so soon.”

  “They wanted me to stay longer, but I’m better off at home. And it will make the hospital bill smaller. I don’t have health insurance.”

  “Go sit in the front seat of the van. You look like you’re ready to fall over.”

  Joshua nodded. Before getting in the van, he headed inside his apartment to grab his phone. The device, which had gotten wet from his time in the stream, had dried out while he was in the hospital. It was working again, and Joshua felt naked without it.

  Tanner had followed him to see what he was doing. He didn’t believe Joshua was a threat, but he also didn’t know if he could trust him yet.

  A few minutes later, Carter was handled. Tanner had used handcuffs and manacles he’d found inside an old wooden toolbox in the van. The key to unlock the restraints was on the same key ring that had the van keys on it. Tanner wondered if Joshua would have been chained up in the back of the van if he hadn’t arrived when he did.

  Carter’s phone revealed that he had called Miller several times recently. The last call had been made less than an hour earlier. The phone had been unlocked and the screen was set to a navigation app. Carter had programmed it to take him to somewhere he referred to as the Shack.

  Tanner settled in the van’s driver seat and started the engine. When he looked to his right, he saw that Joshua was staring at him.

  “This is the second time you’ve saved me. No, wait, the third time; you also found me after Miller beat me and I was shot. I’m beginning to think you are my guardian angel.”

  Tanner backed the van out of the driveway and told Joshua to tell him what had happened to him after he’d left him and Haley near the stream.

  Joshua started by telling Tanner about his climb over the wall and went on from there. Halfway through the story, he asked Tanner his name.

  “I can’t keep calling you my guardian angel.”

  “I think I’ll remain anonymous for now. Continue your story.”

  “Okay, maybe I’ll just call you angel.”

  Joshua wasn’t the first one to think of Tanner as an angel, but for all the others, he’d been the angel of death.

  25

  The Shack

  Joshua told Tanner his story as they followed the route Carter had been planning to take. Tanner had overheard the end of the conversation between Carter and Joshua after arriving at Joshua’s apartment.

  When Joshua had told Carter that he would tell him everything he knew if he took him to see Miller. Carter had laughed and told him that he’d be talking anyway by the time he was done with him.

  It sounded as if Carter had plans to take Joshua someplace where he could torture him and not be disturbed or overheard. Carter had named their destination the Shack. That sounded like a spot that might offer privacy.

  When Joshua told Tanner that Morgan Miller had tried to win him over to his side by offering him a chance to make more money, Tanner had a question.

  “How much did he tell you about what was really going on?”

  “He left out details, but he said that Hexalcorp had plans to build in the Flat Town area and down by the bay. I think he was bragging. The sick bastard was proud of his plan.”

  “Are you sure he’s the one who came up with this plan?”

  “That’s the impression I got. And Naya said that Miller was the one who started Die Fistulous and hired her and other coordinators to recruit people like me… me and Haley.”

  Tanner considered that news. If the plan was Miller’s, then his superiors at Hexalcorp had a lot of faith in him. It also meant that Miller had much to lose if the plan became public knowledge. With that in mind, it was surprising that Miller had sent only one man to look for the computer tablet. And when he didn’t hear back from Carter, he’d be worried and would make another move.

  It had taken Joshua only a few minutes to tell Tanner what had happened after they had met near the stream. When he reached the part in the tale where Haley was killed, Joshua wiped at fresh tears and mumbled something.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I’m going to kill Miller.”

  “Because of what he did to Haley?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t blame you for wanting revenge, but Miller could be more useful alive.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “He may think of you and the others in your protest group as useful idiots, but he’s someone else’s useful idiot. From what you’ve told me, he’s the face of this operation. Naya knows who he is, and I would think the leaders of the other Die Fistulous divisions know him too. If this plan was exposed, it would be Miller who would take the fall. If he lived that is. I think it would be a safe bet that his superiors would want him dead before he could testify and harm Hexalcorp.”

  Joshua tossed a thumb toward the rear of the van. “That guy was looking for the computer tablet I stole from Miller’s beach house. Do you know what happened to it?”

  “I have it. It had a bullet hole in it, but I know someone who was able to get the data out of it.”

  “So, you already knew about the plan?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. If you have the plan laid out, then the cops won’t need Miller to testify.”

  “They would still need him to name his superiors, or maybe wear a wire to a meeting where the plan is being discussed. If I was you, I’d want Miller dead too, but the bastard is more useful alive. As for Naya, she’s a witness to Miller’s murder of Haley. If the Feds offered her a deal, it would give her incentive to testify against Miller. And if Miller wanted to avoid spending decades behind bars for a murder, he could become a snitch.”

  “And then what? He gets to walk after spending only a few years in a country club prison, or worse yet, the government might set him up in a new life somewhere as a protected witness.”

  “That could happen. But it would only happen once Miller helped to bring down Hexalcorp and name the executives behind the riot.”

  Joshua shook his head. “No. I want the son of a bitch dead.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Tanner said. The conversation ended there, and Joshua fell asleep a few minutes later.

  They traveled in a northeasterly direction for over an hour and entered a rural area that was hilly. In the rear of the van. Carter moaned several times but had yet to regain his senses. The Shack turned out to be just that, a shack. However, it’s location was odd. The small, wooden building was set amid acres of trees with no road leading directly to it.

  Tanner had followed byzantine directions that took him over numerous backwoods roads until he was about a mile out. At that point, the directions had told him to take a left down a narrow dirt road. Not knowing what might be waiting for them there, Tanner decided to travel in on foot and scout the area for signs of trouble. He parked the van along the side of the road and left Joshua in the vehicle but kept the keys.

  “Do you think I would drive off and leave you here?” Joshua asked.

  “I don’t know what you would do, and I’m not going to risk leaving the keys behind to find out. If you see anyone coming, blow the horn loud several times.”


  Joshua turned in his seat and looked into the rear of the van. “And what if this guy comes to?”

  “His name is Andrew Carter. He’s chained up; he can’t hurt you.”

  “A cop could come along. If he found me in this van with a guy in chains, I’d be screwed.”

  “If you’re worried about it, get out of the van and wait in the woods. If a cop comes by, just walk away and I’ll find you later.”

  Joshua considered the suggestion but stayed in the van. Tanner told him he’d be back in an hour or less and took off down the dirt road. It wasn’t much more than a narrow lane and there were branches sticking out from the trees that lined it. The van would be able to drive down it, but nothing bigger than that.

  Fifteen minutes later, the road ended at the edge of a forest. When Tanner walked into the trees, he traveled a thousand feet and came upon a wooden shack that was visible in a patch of cleared land. He circled the small building while looking for signs that someone was inside, and for cameras or traps. It appeared uninhabited, safe to approach, and there were no cameras. Tanner moved toward the shack with his gun in his hand.

  It wouldn’t surprise him to learn that Carter had built the shack himself. It was an amateur job of carpentry work. Tanner could tell by eye that the structure was out of square, as it leaned to one side. It was on a foundation of weather-treated 4X4s and constructed with pine boards. There was one door and no windows. Stumps from the trees that had been cut down to make room for the shack were sticking out of the ground and the felled trees were nearby, some with old, withered leaves still attached to their branches.

  A deadbolt lock was on the door and there was a key for it on Carter’s key ring. A foul scent drifted out once the door was open. It wasn’t the stench of decay, but a mixture of urine and body odor. Manacles matching the ones Tanner had found in the van hung by chains that were attached by bolts to a corner of the shack’s one room. The brown stain on the floor in that area looked like it was dried blood. Tanner used the flashlight app on his phone and brightened the area. Behind the chains he could see a fireplace poker propped up in the corner, and there was a baseball bat beside it. The bat had the same brown stains as the floor.