Deadly Moves

by Rodney Riesel

  Skip cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “I'm impressed, Dan the Man. That's pretty technical, for you. A few months ago you barely knew how to use a smart phone.”

  “Yeah, well, I figured it out,” Dan said proudly.

  “Maxine told him about it and showed him how to stream the video,” Mel said.

  Dan shot Mel a look. “I could have figured it out on my own,” he snapped back.

  “I know you could,” Mel said condescendingly.

  “Anyway,” said Dan. “When the killers—I mean thieves—show up, we'll rush in.”

  Skip threw up his arms. “Whoa, Dan the Man! What do you mean killers?”

  “I meant thieves,” Dan said.

  “But you said killers.”

  “The two guys who stole the money also killed at least four people that we know of,” said Mel. “Maybe even two others.”

  “Thanks, Mel,” Dan said.

  “Yeah, thanks, Mel” Skip said. “Were you just gonna leave the killer part out?”

  “I would have told ya.”

  “When?”

  “Probably tomorrow.”

  “Probably, dude?”

  “Everything will be fine,” Dan said. “Trust me.”

  “Trust you? Last time I trusted you, a man by the name of Omar Wheeler tried to bash my skull in with a gun and I laid in the bushes unconscious for an hour, bleeding to death.”

  “Come on. Bleeding to death? You're over-exaggerating a little, don't ya think?”

  Skip pointed to the back of his head. “Twenty-eight stitches!” he bellowed.

  “Calm down, calm down. We're gonna head out. We'll be back in the morning around seven.”

  “Should I go ahead and put some price tags on some things?” Skip asked.

  Dan shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”

  Dan and Mel got up from the table. Mel walked over and put his hand on Skip's back. “Don't worry, pal, we won't let the killers kill you,” he said, planting an affectionate peck on Skip's blond head.

  “Thanks, Melinator,” Skip said. “I really appreciate that.”

  As Dan and Mel were climbing back into the bug, Mel looked across the top of the vehicle at his best friend.

  “Hey, Dan,” Mel said.

  “Yeah, Mel?” Dan replied.

  “You think from now on you could call me the Melinator? I kind of like that.”

  Dan pondered the request for just a second. “No. How about if I call you the Mel-anoma?”

  “Isn't that like a mole or something?”

  “Yeah, but it's a special kind of mole. You know, like you're a special kinda person.”

  Mel smiled. “Thanks, Dan.”

  “You're welcome, pal.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At three-thirty that afternoon Maxine arrived from work at Dan's place. Dan was sitting in his recliner in front of the television and Mel was in the guest room taking a nap.

  “Wow,” Maxine said as she entered the house. “It's quiet in here. Not used to that.”

  Dan took a sip of the tequila, Seven, and lime he had balanced on the arm of the chair. “This is how it used to always be,” he commented.

  Maxine tossed her car keys on the small table next to Buddy's bed. “And then me and Mel came along.”

  “And filled my days with fun and excitement. Wouldn't have it any other way.”

  Maxine said, “I love you,” as she walked by on her way to the kitchen.

  “Who wouldn't?” Dan replied. He watched Maxine's ass as she made her way across the floor. When she disappeared into the kitchen his eyes went back to The Rifleman.

  “This coffee still from this morning?” Maxine called out.

  “Yut.” Dan heard the cupboard door open and then shut, then the same for the microwave oven, and finally the ding telling him the coffee was hot.

  “Mel napping?” she asked, as she returned to the living room.

  “Yut.”

  She grabbed a dining room chair and dragged it over in front of the TV.

  “You want to sit here?” Dan asked.

  “No, I'm gonna drink this cup of coffee and then jump in the shower.”

  “You hungry?”

  “I'm getting there. We'll grab something while we're out.”

  Dan made a face. “Out? Out where?”

  “I thought this afternoon would be a good time to start round two of the furniture shopping.”

  “I thought we were done with that.”

  “We're not done till you have furniture.”

  “I have furniture.”

  “We're not having this discussion again.” She blew into her coffee and then took a sip. “What are you watching?”

  “The Rifleman.”

  “Never call Lucas a sod buster.”

  “You're learning.”

  Maxine's cell phone rang and she reached into her breast pocket. “Hello?”

  Dan turned down the volume.

  “Is everything okay?” Maxine asked.

  “Who is it?” Dan asked.

  Maxine ignored him. “We were going furniture shopping and then grabbing something to eat.”

  “Who is it?” Dan asked again.

  “Just Me, Mel, and Dan,” said Maxine. “Sure.” She glanced at her wrist watch. “We'll pick you up in about forty-five minutes … bye.”

  Maxine slid her phone back into her pocket.

  “Who was that?” Dan asked.

  “Kendra,” Maxine replied.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did she want?”

  “She asked what we were doing. I told her we were going to look at furniture. She asked if she could come along. I said sure.”

  “Why would she want to hang around with us?”

  “I didn't ask.”

  “That douche Preston Harvey ain't coming, is he?”

  “No.”

  “Huh. Twenty-three-year-old single girl in Key West, and she wants to tag along to a furniture store. You would think she would want to go to the beach or hit some bars, or go shopping.”

  “Maybe she likes being around us.”

  “Because we're so much fun?” Dan asked.

  “Maybe because we're not so much fun.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Dan turned the volume back to where it was.

  Maxine downed the last of her coffee, set the cup on the dining room table and headed for the bedroom. “You give Mel his medication today?”

  “Yut.”

  “Morning and afternoon?”

  “Yut.”

  Maxine paused at the entrance to the hall. “So, everything went good today?”

  “Yeah, but if he mentions anything to you about ear pills, I have no idea what he's talking about.”

  “Huh, that's weird. He's never been on any medication for his ears.”

  Dan put up his hands. “I don't know. Crazy people, right? What are ya gonna do?”

  “I ask myself that every day.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Dan pulled into the circle in front of the Atlantic Inn and was swiftly met by Billy Denton, one of the valets. Dan rolled down the window of the Ford Focus.

  “Oh, hey, Mr. Coast,” Billy said.

  “It's just Dan, Billy and we're not staying. Just picking someone up.”

  “Ms. Hunt?” Billy asked.

  “Yes.”

  Billy smiled and his face reddened a little. “Nice girl,” he said.

  Dan grinned. “Nice girl, Billy? She's a year older than you.”

  “Um … yeah, I know.” His face darkened two more shades. “I spoke with her earlier this morning, after her run.” He backed away from the car. “I'll let you roll up that window, Mr. Coast, it's hot out here.”

  “Stay hydrated, Billy!” Mel shouted from the back seat.

  Dan rolled up the window and turned around to Mel. “Stay hydrated?”

  “It's hot out there,” said Mel.

  Maxine watched as Billy walked back
behind the podium. “Looks like someone might have a crush on little Ms. Hunt,” she pointed out.

  “Looks that way,” Dan agreed.

  “No I don't,” said Mel.

  Dan shook his head. “We're not talking about you, Mel.”

  “I was gonna say, she's a little young for me.” After a pause he added, “But she did suck my finger, though. Just like it was a lollipop.”

  Maxine whirled around to look at him. “She sucked your what?”

  “Oh, Christ,” Dan moaned. “I'll tell you later.”

  At that moment the doors parted and out walked Kendra. She was wearing a white sleeveless sun dress with spaghetti straps and red and yellow flowered print. She wore red Polo sneakers and carried a small white clutch. She smiled and waved at the car.

  “There she is,” said Mel.

  Dan and Maxine watched as Kendra paused at the podium and spoke to Billy. Billy said something back and Kendra smiled shyly.

  Billy watched as she continued on to the car. There was a spring in her step that Dan and Maxine had not seen before. She opened the car door and climbed into the back seat behind Maxine, next to Mel.

  “Billy's got a crush on you,” Mel blurted out.

  “Mel!” said Kendra. “He doesn't have a crush on me.”

  Dan put the car in gear and left the hotel.

  “Well, his face gets really red when he talks about you,” said Mel.

  “He was talking about me?”

  “Mel, that's enough,” Dan said.

  “Oh that's right,” Mel said. “I forgot. Sorry, Dan.”

  “Forgot what?” Maxine asked.

  “Don't tell women everything you know,” Mel recited.

  “Christ,” Dan whispered.

  Maxine let it pass but Dan knew he would be asked about it later.

  “Billy said he knows you really well,” Kendra said.

  “He did, did he?” Dan responded.

  “He said you helped him and his mom out with—”

  “So where's this place?” Dan quickly interrupted.

  “On Roosevelt, next to Publix,” Maxine said.

  Dan took a left onto Kennedy Drive.

  “He said you have a lot of money,” Kendra said. “He said you paid for his—”

  Dan cut her off again. “Across, and down a ways from the Home Depot?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that's it,” said Maxine.

  Kendra took the hint that time and changed the subject. “So, what type of furniture are we looking for today?” she asked.

  “Living room furniture,” Maxine said.

  “Dan only has one chair,” said Mel.

  “I noticed that,” Kendra said.

  Dan turned right at North Roosevelt Boulevard. He steered the car into a parking space in front of Royal Furniture and shut off the engine. “Come on, kids,” he said as he climbed out of the car.

  The four of them walked across the parking lot and into the store.

  As they walked up and down the aisles Maxine paused in front of a light brown sectional with two recliners and a built-in drink table. “Do you like this?” she asked.

  “Looks okay to me,” Dan said.

  “You like the color?”

  “I don't care.”

  “It's got a place to put your drink there between the two recliners.”

  “I see that.” Dan grabbed a hold of the tag and turned it around to see the price. “Holy Christ! It's forty-two hundred dollars.”

  “That's not a bad price for a piece of furniture of that quality,” the salesman said. His name tag read Hi I'm Larry.

  Dan turned to look at the man behind him and asked, “Do you have the same thing in a lesser quality, Larry?”

  The question made the salesman squint a little.

  “He's joking,” Maxine said to Larry.

  “Is he?” Dan asked.

  Larry gave a phony smile. “What exactly are we looking for today?” he asked.

  Dan gazed around the showroom. “I'm looking for the bar, Larry.”

  “I can't help you there, sir.”

  “We're looking for a couch and a couple chairs,” Maxine said. “Maybe even a coffee table and a couple end tables.”

  “We're looking for all that?” Dan asked.

  “Yes,” Maxine said.

  “But I already have an end table and a recliner.”

  “They're both going.”

  “Going? Going where?”

  “Goodwill? Salvation Army? Wherever. They won't match the new stuff.”

  “What the Christ,” Dan said under his breath and walked on down the aisle.

  “Feel free to look around, ma'am. If you have any questions just give me a holler.”

  “Thanks, Larry.”

  Dan paused to look at a sofa sleeper with a palm tree pattern. Maxine walked up next to him. “Did you hear what he called me?” she asked.

  Dan shot a look in Larry's direction. “No. What did he call you?”

  “He called me, ma'am,” Maxine said angrily.

  “So?”

  “I'm not a ma'am, I'm a miss.”

  “What's the difference?”

  “Age.”

  “Well, you're getting up there.”

  “Fuck you!”

  “Whoa! Don't think I ever heard that word come out of your mouth.”

  “Don't think I ever heard you be that much of a dick.”

  Dan continued to stare at the couch. “Really? I figured by now you had heard it all.”

  “You have some serious issues.”

  “Furniture shopping is really stressful. Look how we're acting. Maybe we better get out of here.”

  “This is the last furniture store in town. We're not leaving here until we buy something.”

  “Okay.” Dan looked around the store again. “Where did those two go?”

  “Kendra went out to smoke a cigarette and Mel followed her.”

  “I like this couch,” Dan informed her.

  “Now we're getting somewhere.”

  “You think they have chairs to match?”

  “I'll ask Larry.” Maxine turned and headed toward her favorite salesman.

  Dan and Maxine stood at the checkout counter. Larry was holding Dan's credit card in his hand and had paperwork lying in front of him.

  “So, we'll deliver the sofa sleeper tomorrow afternoon between noon and three,” Larry said.

  “I won't be home,” said Dan.

  “I have tomorrow off,” Maxine said.

  “And the two matching chairs, along with the end tables, will arrive in two weeks. We'll give you a call when they come in to schedule delivery.”

  “Thank you,” Maxine said.

  Larry handed the Visa card back to Dan. “Here you go, sir.” He tore the top copy from each of the three forms. “These are your copies, and these are mine.”

  “Thanks,” Dan said.

  On their way toward the exit Maxine said, “See that was painless.”

  “Really? I've never needed a drink so bad in my life.” Dan opened the door and held it for Maxine.

  “Thank you,” Maxine said on her way out.

  Dan and Maxine both scanned the parking lot for Kendra and Mel, and spotted them on a median between two rows of parked cars, near a palm tree.

  Two college-aged guys stood near them. Dan and Maxine started walking toward the group. The lava rocks crunched beneath their feet as they walked on the median, past the palm trees. Each palm tree was braced with four two-by-fours. One end of the brace was fastened to the tree trunk and the other end to a wooden stake driven in the ground. Dan and Maxine stepped over the two-by-fours as they walked.

  Mel had positioned himself between the two men and Kendra. Dan could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that something wasn't quite right. “Everything okay?” he asked. He put out his hand to halt Maxine and stepped in front of her.

  One of the boys was skinny and dark-complected; his face was terribly pockmarked. He wore Dollar Tree's answer to
Wayfarers, a black T-shirt, and old faded jeans. The other kid was shorter, rounder, and had long greasy hair. He was wearing a white wife-beater and navy-blue nylon track pants with the buttons running up the outside of each leg.

  “Take off, pal,” Skinny said.

  “Yeah, take off,” Track Pants repeated.

  “Kendra, you and Maxine go wait in the car,” Dan said.

  Skinny moved closer to Kendra; Mel didn't budge. “She ain't goon' nowhere. Are ya, sweetheart? Not every day a couple a regular guys like us get to meet a big famous porn star.”

  “It's okay, Dan,” Kendra said.

  “Yeah, Dan, It's okay,” said Track pants. “We just want her autograph. On our dicks!”

  Kendra's lip curled into a snarl. “Probably only room for my initials.”

  Skinny guffawed. “Good one, bitch!” Mebbe we'll settle for sumpin' else. Whaddaya say, porn star, how 'bout you give us a little peek a that shaved beaver uh yours?”

  Maxine tried to move forward but Dan put out his arm again to stop her.

  “Yeah, ya little whore, we know what you like. We seen all your—” That was all skinny got out before Dan hit him in the side head with one of the two-by-four braces he had ripped from a tree.

  As Skinny hit the ground, Mel grabbed Track Pants by the throat, lifting him into the air and slamming him on the hood of a nearby car. Mel raised his hands over his head and, interlocking his fingers, brought his fists down on the young man’s nose; it exploded like a rotted tomato. Mel hit him again, and as he raised his hand up a third time Dan grabbed his arm.

  “That's enough, Mel,” Dan said. “I think he gets it.”

  Dan and Mel stepped over Skinny as they walked away.

  Kendra did the same, and as she stepped over the unconscious turd lying motionless on his back, she paused, straddling him. “There's your beaver shot, asshole,” and then kicked him in the ribs as hard as she could.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It was six-thirty Saturday evening by the time Dan and Maxine dropped Kendra back at the Atlantic Inn. Harvey Preston had called her at least three times during lunch wondering what time she would be back.

  Dan rode the elevator with Kendra up to the seventh floor. Maxine and Mel waited in the car.

  “I'm really sorry about what happened outside the furniture store,” Kendra said for the fourth time that afternoon.