Final Breath (5 page)

The stupid thug seemed to think this was hysterical, but his skinny friend was visibly annoyed with him. He glanced down at all the water and the fish twitching at his feet. Still chuckling, his buddy went to step on one of them.

Leah gazed at them. Then she turned and glanced at the stainless-steel teapot on their table. Something kicked in--maybe anger, maybe a survival instinct. Whatever it was, she suddenly grabbed that teapot by the handle and flung it at the tall man's face.

She was close enough to hit her stationary target dead-on. The lid flew off just as the pot struck his cheek. He let out a startled howl. Scalding tea splashed his face. It must have burned his eyes, because he dropped the gun and immediately covered his eye sockets. Staggering back, he spewed a stream of obscenities--between loud, high-pitched, agonizing shrieks.

Before the stocky guy seemed to realize what was happening, Jared shot out of the booth and rammed into him. The body blow sent him careening toward the broken fish tank. They tipped over chairs and tables in their path.

Meanwhile, Leah snatched up the tall thug's revolver. She almost slipped on the wet floor, but caught her balance. The tall man wasn't so lucky. He blindly staggered around the dining room until he tripped over a chair. He fell down on his knees.

Leah aimed the gun at him, but hesitated before pulling the trigger. He was incapacitated, defeated. The guy couldn't hurt anyone now.

But apparently, the waitress didn't feel that way. Wiping her tears, the delicate young woman picked up a chair and cracked it over his head.

The man collapsed on the wet floor. A couple of fish struggled and splashed around him in the thin layer of water.

"Son of a bitch!" bellowed the stocky thug--over the clatter of dining room furniture.

Leah swiveled around in time to see him punch Jared in the face. His fist connected with Jared's eye. He staggered back from the blow, but didn't collapse. Wincing, Leah aimed the gun at the big man, but Jared charged him again. Jared slugged him in the gut--a sucker punch.

The chubby man reeled back and grabbed the top of the shattered fish tank to steady himself.

Suddenly, the lights flickered again, and the big man froze. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He started to shake violently as the electric currents raced through his body. Sparks arced out from where he clutched the top of the fish tank.

Jared started to back away. Leah reached out to her fiance, touching his shoulder. He turned and wrapped his arms around her. Clinging to each other, they tried to catch their breath. But they couldn't yet.

Only a few feet in front of them, the thug stood with his hand seared on top of the fish tank. Spasms racked his body. He wouldn't stop twitching and convulsing, and yet that stunned expression seemed stuck on his oafish face. His skin turned red. Smoke enveloped his feet.

Leah heard a hissing, sizzling sound. It could have been the electrical charges making that noise. Then a new pungently sweet odor wafted through the dining room--just as the stocky man teetered and fell facedown to the floor.

Leah stared at his corpse, and realized what she'd heard--and what she still smelled.

It was human flesh cooking.

Six months later

"With wedding bells and jingle bells on their minds, a Portland, Oregon, couple, Jared McGinty and Leah Dvorak, stopped by their favorite Thai restaurant one night last December for a late dinner. They were making wedding plans..." The anchorman punctuated this lead-in with a dramatic pause. The program was
On the Edge
, a prime-time TV newsmagazine. The handsome newscaster, with a tan and premature silver hair, was Sloan Roberts, recently voted one of
People
Magazine's Ten Sexiest Bachelors.

This was a rerun. The man watching the TV program in his Portland hotel room had seen this episode about Jared and Leah before--shortly after the incident had happened, six months ago, around Christmastime. Still, his eyes were riveted to the TV.

The screen-within-the screen just to the right of Sloan's shoulder bore the words:
Movers & Shakers
. Appropriately enough, the letters in these words kept shaking and twitching.

"Jared and Leah had no idea they were about to come face-to-face with death," Sloan continued--in an ominous tone. "On this week's segment of
Movers & Shakers
, Sydney Jordan tells us how Jared and Leah fought the bad guys, fought the odds, and survived--thanks to a little teamwork."

The picture on the TV screen switched to a pretty, thirty-nine-year-old, swaddled in a trench coat. Her wavy, tawny-brown hair blowing in the wind, Sydney Jordan stood under the red awning of Thai Paradise, and spoke into a handheld mike. Her breath was visible that night back in December when they'd originally filmed the segment.

"Jared McGinty and Leah Dvorak are 'regulars' here at Thai Paradise in Portland's charming Hawthorne District," she announced.

The picture switched to Jared and Leah, sitting in front of a fireplace in twin chairs. Except for Jared's black eye, already starting to fade, neither of them showed much sign of the trauma they'd endured just three nights before. "Well, we almost always order the same thing when we go there," Leah said with a timid smile. "Creatures of habit, I guess. The garlic chicken with broccoli and wide noodles is my favorite."

"I usually order the Pad Thai," Jared said, giving Leah a goofy grin. "But Leah always ends up eating most of it."

She laughed, and slapped his arm. "Oh, I guess that's true!"

"Thai Paradise is a family business," Sydney Jordan announced. The cozy image of Leah and Jared together dissolved into a still photo of the owners proudly posing in front of the restaurant on its opening day. "It was started by Som and Suchin Wongpoom, who immigrated to the United States with their nephew and niece, Nuran and Sumalee, just five years ago. Som and Suchin do most of the cooking--old family recipes. Nuran and Sumalee are on the waitstaff..."

A lullaby with an Asian lilt provided the soundtrack for a brief montage of old family photos and video clips of the Wongpooms interacting with customers at birthday parties and other special occasions in the restaurant.

"It didn't take long for Portlanders like Leah and Jared to discover the wonderful food and warm atmosphere in this family-run restaurant." The camera returned to Leah and Jared sitting together, zooming in for a close-up of Leah's hand as she caressed his arm. It was hard to miss the diamond ring that sparkled on her finger.

"Leah and Jared were engaged three weeks ago," Sydney Jordan chimed in--over this image. "They still haven't set a date yet..."

The picture changed back to Sydney in front of the restaurant again. "The couple were discussing their wedding plans when they stopped in here at Thai Paradise for dinner late last Tuesday night." The brunette reporter gave a nod over her shoulder. "Jared and Leah had no idea that just down the street, parked in a stolen car, two men were hatching a plan of their own..."

It was jarring to see the TV screen suddenly filled with side-by-side police mug shots of the skinny, long-haired man and his stocky friend. "Dwight Powell and Harvey Ray Loach were both convicted felons--career criminals--who met while serving jail time at California's Folsom State Prison," Sydney Jordan explained in voice-over. "Police were already searching for the duo in connection to a Portland convenience store robbery in which a twenty-three-year-old clerk was murdered."

There was grainy footage--obviously recorded by the store's security cameras--of the robbery in progress. The two gunmen approached the counter with their guns drawn while a young, gangly clerk raised his hands and backed away from the register. Even at a distance, and even with the poor quality of the videotape, the boy looked scared.
On the Edge
or their
Movers & Shakers
correspondent, Sydney Jordan, had the good taste not to show the terrified young clerk casually--and mercilessly--gunned down.

Sydney Jordan gave an account of what had happened at Thai Paradise that night. She briefly interviewed the busboy, Nuran, his face still bruised, and his sister, Sumalee. They still seemed traumatized. At one point--in the bottom corner of the screen--the camera caught a glimpse of the young waitress clutching Sydney Jordan's hand while she tearfully spoke in her broken English.

More airtime was given to Jared and Leah, who seemed like a sweet couple, very much in love. At one point during the interview, Leah started to cry. "When I heard they planned to--to take us all into the bathroom and shoot us, I was just so scared," she admitted.

Jared put his arm around her, and--on camera, at least--Leah seemed to gather some strength from him. Jared said he managed to stay focused and keep his head throughout the whole ordeal because Leah was there. She claimed the same thing about him.

Sydney Jordan stressed it was
teamwork
that enabled the young couple to overcome the two armed, murderous thugs.

Harvey Ray Loach was pronounced dead--from electric shock--at the scene. Dwight Powell was treated for a mild concussion and second-degree burns on his face and neck. The scalding tea had indeed temporary damaged his eyes, and he was blind for a few days. "But my sources here say Dwight Powell should regain his sight in time to watch this broadcast from his jail cell at the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, where he's being held without bail." Sydney Jordan announced.

The picture switched to Sydney, walking with the elder Wongpooms through the wreckage of their restaurant. Sydney Jordan was limping slightly. There were close-ups of broken chairs, and all the shattered plates and glass on the water-damaged carpet. The camera pulled back to show Suchin pointing and wincing at the mess. The older woman started weeping on Sydney's shoulder. The reporter gently patted her back. Her voice-over continued, "Som and Suchin's insurance won't completely cover the cost of water damage, the destroyed aquarium and all its fish, as well as business lost while Thai Paradise remains closed for repairs."

They cut to Sydney Jordan flanked by Leah and Jared, and about a dozen other people outside Thai Paradise. Everyone looked chilled to the bone, but they were smiling. "That's why Jared, Leah, and several of their neighbors--all regulars here at Thai Paradise--have so far collected four thousand eight hundred dollars to help offset repair costs for Som and Suchin."

"Oh, Thai Paradise is one of my favorite places to eat," said one middle-age woman, in close-up. "And they're really wonderful people, too."

"My wife and I are regulars," said a forty-something man with a baseball cap. "It's the best Thai food around."

Sydney Jordan turned to Jared and Leah. "Some people might say you two have already done enough to help Som and Suchin and their restaurant. But I understand you don't intend to quit until you've collected eight thousand dollars for them."

Leah snuggled up to her fiance. "It's the least we can do for these nice people who have had us over to dinner so many times."

The pretty news correspondent turned toward the camera. "I'm Sydney Jordan--with two very special
Movers & Shakers
here in Portland, Oregon. Now back to you, Sloan."

The picture switched to dapper, silver-haired Sloan Roberts at his news desk again. Seated beside him was his pretty blond co-anchor. "Here's an update on that story since it aired last December," Sloan said. "Thai Paradise opened its doors again in early January. If you'd like to eat there, reservations are recommended. It's so popular, Som and Suchin plan to open Thai Paradise II some time next year. As for Jared and Leah, they've set a date and will be married in September."

"Maybe they could have the reception at the restaurant," chirped Sloan's co-anchor.

Grinning, he nodded. "They're sure to get a discount. Thank you, Sydney Jordan--for that moving story. Stay tuned for more as
On the Edge
returns."

A commercial for margarine came on.

The man in the Portland hotel grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. Funny, they reran Sydney Jordan's
Movers & Shakers
segment with Leah and Jared tonight. He'd started making plans for them shortly after watching that piece when it had originally aired six months ago. He'd been watching Leah and Jared for nearly a month now. He knew the old five-story apartment building where they lived in Portland's Northwest district. He'd learned how to get inside the place undetected. He'd acquainted himself with every inch of it--from the roof to the dark, dank recesses of the basement. He'd even broken into their apartment already, just long enough to study the layout and go through their closets to make sure they didn't keep a gun on the premises. Before making his clandestine exit, he'd left a calling card. He'd peed in their bathroom, left the toilet seat up, and hadn't flushed. He'd imagined Leah later bitching out Jared for being such a pig, and that had made him chuckle. Yet a part of him had wanted them to know someone else had been inside the apartment. Part of him had been
daring
them to figure it out. Last week, he'd been cocky enough to take risks like that.

But not anymore. He had to be very careful now that their
Movers & Shakers
segment had been recycled for
On the Edge
. Jared and Leah were in the limelight again, maybe not for long. But he had to pull back for a while, maybe even delay his plans for a few more days.

Turning away from the TV, he glanced down at the hotel's king-size bed, where he'd laid out his burglary tools--a collection of files, skeleton keys, and wires. He'd used them to break into Leah and Jared's building and their apartment. On the ugly maroon and hunter green paisley bedspread, he'd also set out a pair of gloves, a knife, and a 9-millimeter Glock handgun. And on the pillow was a neatly folded, lightweight, clear plastic rain jacket.

Everything he needed.

Just a few more days
, he thought. He could wait. He was a patient man.

And then Sydney Jordan's friends, Jared and Leah, would be on the news again.