Authors: Paul Watkins
He looks at me with an amused and possibly patient look on his face. He’s not going to cooperate now and he’s not going to cooperate later. This man is secure in his knowledge the law will protect him from me or anyone else who wants to mess with his constitutional rights.
“The boy must have been terrified and had every reason to be,” I continue. “He’s old enough to realize the danger of the situation. perhaps not the fact that his life hung in the balance, but certainly aware of the circumstances. You took him from his family and then tied him up and gagged him. Pretty helpless feeling, I imagine. To be beyond the reach of his family or anyone who could help him. And then you hurt him. It was somewhat like the situation you are in now. You’re beyond any help… and you’re about to get hurt.
“Let me guess what’s on your mind. You think all you have to do is wait until this part is over. Sooner or later I’m going to give you up to the police. After that, everything goes on autopilot. You don’t have to answer any questions. You get to call your lawyer. Then you can tell everyone how you were mistreated. you make bail and a few hours later you’re back on the street. It’s all very predictable except for one thing: I’m not the police and I choose not to be bound by their rules. Just like you in a way. In other words, you’re not going to make it that far. Got the picture?
“Now I’m going to ask you again, who’s in this deal, Fuck You?”
“I want you to know something,” he replies, ignoring my question, “and don’t forget it. You’ll be thinking about it every day and every night from hereon out. You’re a marked man. It’s personal with you and me… and I always collect my debts. I’ll never forget this… or you… and I will get even. I always do.”
Sometimes, with just a few words, someone can make a very difficult decision for you. In fact, they can make it appear to be quite easy. I raise the gun and…
POP!
His foot immediately jumps off the floor like it’s hot… which I suppose it is since a bullet just went through it. His eyes are as big as saucers. He yells and falls to the floor.
“You crazy motherfucker!” he screams. “I’ll kill you for this! I’ll hunt you and find you… you sonofabitch!”
Tears are streaming down his face. Damn, it must hurt.
“Listen up, Fuck You. You and your cretin friend out there picked up a little boy who didn’t belong to you. Then you heroes brought him here wrapped up like a mummy. You were going to kill him and maybe Bear, too, because he knew Bear and you couldn’t let them both live. Then you burned him. Was he already tied up… so you wouldn’t get hurt if he moved or cried out? The next thing out of your mouth is about lawyers. You act like I’m the bad guy for making your life tough. And now you have the audacity to threaten me! You are threatening me!
“So try to get this straight, shithead… you’re awake, but I’m starring in your fucking nightmare.
“For me this is a dream come true. I actually caught the bastard who kidnapped the son of a friend of mine. I know you think I’m some soft, white-trash mary who has never gotten his hands dirty. But you’re wrong on that score, too… I’ve not only gotten my hands dirty, I’ve gotten them bloody. I’ve not only killed before… I’m actually pretty good at it… better than you are as a matter of fact.
“Who’s in this with you?”
“You can’t do anything to us,” he hisses through the pain. “You’ve already done your worst and you’re in more trouble than we are. You’ll be right in jail with us when I finish with you. And when I get you in jail you won’t be able to hide. I’ll fuck you and then I’ll kill you. But I’ll make you hurt for a long time before I finish it.”
A loud grunt ends his speech.
POP!
This time the round goes into his gut, the soft nose projectile mushing around in his intestines. He thrashes for a moment and then draws into the fetal position, gasping for air.
“Hard to believe isn’t it, Fuck You? You just don’t seem to realize how much shit you’re in. I’ll ask you again… look around you. Do you see any witnesses? No? Gee. I wonder why not? Try this for an answer: you’re with a lunatic who doesn’t play by your rules… or anybody else’s for that matter. And I’m going to send you to Hell.”
I breathe deeply and take stock of the situation. If this guy started singing like a canary I probably wouldn’t believe him. He’s a lying sack of shit who decided to die when he bought into this caper. This time he’s going to get what he deserves. That’sprobably something we should all be concerned about… getting what we deserve.
“Look, I’m not going to drag this out. Maybe you had a chance up until a few moments ago. You could have answered my questions and I would have turned you over to the police. But now I would have to explain too much. Who knows, you might even be able to convince a jury I tortured you to get information. And then you had to go and frighten me so I wouldn’t sleep nights thinking you were out there somewhere waiting to get me. Right now I have control… somewhere down the road things might be different. Your kind never uses the sidewalk… you’ll come crawling out of the gutter to do your dirty work. So to be on the safe side, I’m going to finish you now… you’re going to leave us.”
“You’re crazy.” His words are lathered with spray from the sweat pouring down his face. “I’ll get better… and when I do… “ He stops and gasps for air. “… when I do you’d better be watching your back, because I’ll be coming after you if it takes the rest of my life.”
He’s right about one thing… that part about the rest of his life. It is quickly coming to a conclusion. I raise the gun and with great deliberation direct it towards my target. His eyes track the muzzle and grow wider as it centers on his head. I hold the position for several seconds so he can savor the moment… even though it’s his last.
POP!
A neat round hole with a black center appears in the middle of his forehead. His body straightens out of the fetal position, spasms violently… and he’s dead. His unseeing eyes can’t quite believe it.
I walk to the door and tell Jerry to bring Bear into the barn. I signal the rest to remain outside while Jerry removes Bear’s cuffs. Bear walks towards the center of the barn and stops suddenly when he sees his partner’s lifeless form on the floor.
“Well, ol’ buddy,” I say with a pat on the shoulder that sends Bear a foot in the air, “what were we talking about before you went outside?”
I pause while Bear continues to look at his friend. He’s soaking wet and breathing hard.
“Oh, I remember… you were going to tell me who was in this thing with you.”
Bear turns and looks at me with apprehension. He looks like he’s about to fly. He’s shaking like a leaf as I level the gun at his middle.
“You got to understan’ somethin’. I never wanted to take no kid. I wanted to hurt A.J. ‘cause he hurt me. What he did… it wasn’ right. I need money. He should do right by me.”
I look at Bear and can’t help but shake my head. It’s all so typical… with some people everything wrong in their life is always someone else’s fault. In his mind, he was wronged so anything that happens after that is okay, as long as he gets even. He’s one of those guys who spend all their time trying to figure out who’s at fault when bad things happen to them. Somehow the blame always rests elsewhere… never with him.
“Bear, I’m not going to kill you. I’m not even going to hurt you. Just tell me what I want to know and I’llturn you over to the police. But you have to do it now… right this minute. I’m out of patience and time is important.”
“It was Monte,” he mumbles. “It was all his idea. he tol’ me what to do. I don’ know the other guys. Today is the first time I ever seen ‘em. Tha’s the truth.”
“How many others?”
“Jus’ one… I think. only one other. He’s with him now.”
“Where?”
“I don’ know. I thought they’d be here. They never tol’ me nothin’. I don’ know where they are. They shoulda been here when we got back. They shoulda been here… “
His voice trails off and his eyes return to the corpse of his dead friend. He shudders and looks away.
“They used you, Bear. You’ve been had. They needed you to get to the boy, but they never meant to cut you in on the cash. They were probably going to kill you when it was over. Once they had Jeff-Jeff, you were a liability. At least one of you had to die… you or the boy. Think about it… you’re going to have plenty of time for that… plenty of time to think.”
Bear is so confused right now I’m sure he doesn’t know which end is up. He can’t keep his eyes off the dead man on the floor.
“Bear, I’m going to keep my word. I’m not going to hurt you, but I am going to tell you something.” Bear slowly turns and faces me. “You’re going to have a lawyer try to get you to say things about what happened here. If you try to involve me in any way, it will make me very angry. What you did today was wrong and you’re going to be punished for it. You not only took little Jeff, you tortured him… and then you were going to kill him. I’ll leave you out of that part if I can, but if you drag me into this mess by saying anything… anything at all… you will die. Believe it.”
“Jerry!” I call out while keeping an eye on Bear.
Jerry comes in the barn at a trot, gun raised in case of trouble.
“Call the police now.” I point to the man on the floor. “This one’s dead. He tried to come at me. I was lucky… I was able to get off three shots just in time.”
Jerry turns Bear away from the body and pulls his arms behind him to place the handcuffs on his wrists once again.
“Stay there, big boy,” he commands.
He turns again and looks at the body on the ground.
“You were very lucky, Philip, very lucky. You could have been killed.” He tosses the man’s gun on the ground near his outstretched hand. “You’d better be more careful in the future.”
He places his hand in the center of Bear’s back and shoves him forward.
“Let’s go, hotshot. I should tell you something though… I’m not softhearted like Philip. I’m still boiling over this whole thing… so please try something… anything. I’d love to off you right hereand now.”
***
The police arrive less than fifteen minutes after our call. I explain the killing as self-defense, describing the brief attack and making certain Bear is present when I talk to the sheriff. If he is going to cause any problems, this would be the time to do it, but he has no comment. The sheriff seems to accept the explanation at face value. He asks for my gun as evidence and I hand it over willingly. The silencer is in Hudson’s pocket.
If the sheriff was puzzled about anything, it was how we located the hideout so quickly. I decline to elaborate beyond saying that we decided to check abandoned buildings and just got lucky. Right now all I want to do is get out of here. The sheriff cautions me that he will want formal statements later on. I assure him he can reach us at the estate at any time. Whatever we do, let’s be certain we get the paperwork right.
Arriving back at the estate, the first thing that catches my eye is the presence of Karen’s car. What in the world is she doing here? I park to the side of the portico and head for the steps. There’s still a lot to do, loose ends. The last thing I need is Karen getting involved with the family, or worse, trying for some sort of story. The door opens before I get there and A.J. and Sheri stand in the doorway, their faces beaming. Sheri has tears in her eyes… this time they are happy tears, I think. A.J. extends his hand as I approach and wraps his arm around my shoulders. We hug briefly.
“I don’t know what to say,” he whispers in a husky voice. “I can’t thank you enough. They hurt him… but it’s not too bad. He’ll be okay.”
A.J. is fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes. I don’t blame him. I would probably be in bed under some kind of sedation if the situation were turned my way.
A.J.’s eyes shine with all the extra water he’s holding back. One of the few times I’ve ever seen him at a loss for words… I’ll just enjoy the moment. Sheri pushes him aside and throws her arms around my neck.
“I know what to say,” she exclaims laughing. She follows up with a big kiss and a hug.
“You’re the best friend anyone could ever have. We owe you the world.”
“Easy, Sheri, honey,” A.J. says with a laugh, his voice gaining strength. “I don’t want to wind up sleeping in the guest room tonight. I’ve told you before, you can’t trust him.”
I smile, but it’s too soon for me to join in the gaiety. I have a lot on my mind and there are several things left to do. So far everything has worked out in the best possible way. Given the circumstances, they couldn’t be better. Little Jeff is back safely and that’s all that counts. That’s the bottom damn line. Mission accomplished.
“Look guys,” I say in a voice that only A.J. and Sheri can hear, “there are a few things that need clearing up. After that, let’s have a drink and celebrate.”
My request is accepted with understanding and smiles all around. It’s a special moment and we don’t want to break it up, but we finally walk inside. Karen is standing near the library door. I turn to walk in the other direction towards my office when she starts towards me.
“I came out as quickly as I could,” she says with urgency in her voice, while half running, half skipping to catch up. “I called Sheri just moments after you left. She sounded very upset over the telephone so I asked her what was wrong. She told me and here I am. I just arrived a few minutes before you came back.”
I listen without comment and I have none now.
“Is it okay?” she adds. “I don’t want to interfere.”
I shake my head.
“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you could make it. Sheri needs all the support she can get. I’m sorry, but I havea lot going on right now… don’t mind me. I just don’t have any time.” I pause momentarily but find I have nothing more to say. “I have to go now. I’ll see you in a few minutes… please excuse me.”
I would like to know more about my reaction to Karen, but right now I’m devoid of any feelings. Thereis still some business to attend to.
***
The entire security staff is jammed into the hallway outside my office. Approaching the group I motion the shift leaders inside and quickly address the rest.