Cooksin

by Rick Alan Rice

  Repeating that we have a large man in dark clothing. He’s in the windbreak north of the house. Go ahead, Tom. Over."

  "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Bickering yelled, standing on the dark road, watching Lily drive on toward the house. He clinched his fist and cursed at the air, wondering what there was to do now. He imagined the worst, wondering what it was the young Walker girl was driving into, and he looked over at Glenn Tyler, standing helplessly on the other side of the fence, looking back at him. "Shit!" Bickering repeated. Neither one of them could hear exactly what was being said, but from their surveillance position, out in the middle of the dark pasture, they could hear something crackling through on their receiver.

  It was Agent Coverdal, pleading into his radio transmitter. "Tom, are you there? Come in, Tom. This is Coverdal, requesting direction. I can see a heavyset man in dark clothing. He is entering the back door of the Walker house. Do you copy? Are you there, Tom? He is in the house. We have an intruder and he has just entered the house. Over."

  * * * * *

  Py couldn't take it anymore. He got up and went to the window, looking out into the yard, appearing nervous.

  "What is it?" Pete said. "You see somethin '?"

  "Somethin' don't feel right," Py said spookily. "I think Jake's in trouble."

  Tory snapped out of her dream and stood up from her chair. "What do you mean?"

  Py turned around and looked from her to Pete, a thousand looks of indecision parading across his face. He looked over at the wall clock and saw that it was almost eleven o'clock, and he knew in his mind that if Jake was in trouble at Walker Ranch, it was happening right now. He looked down at Pete's rifle, leaning barrel-up against the door. "I'm goin' over there," he said resolutely, and he grabbed up the rifle and went out onto the front porch before anyone could stop him.

  "Py! Where are you goin'?" Pete said, following after him, but Py was across the yard and through the front gate before he could get outside. "Py! Wait!" yelled Tory, coming with her father out onto the front porch, calling after him to stop.

  Py wasn't about to listen. He jumped behind the wheel of the pickup and cranked the engine, then spinning his tires drove to the fence gate on the south side of the barn.

  Leaving the engine running, he jumped out and hurried to open the gate, as Pete and Tory hurried across the yard, trying to catch up to him, but as soon as he got the gate unlatched he let it drop to the ground, then he jumped back in the cab and drove ride over the flattened fence. Pete and Tory reached the gate just as Py drove off across the pasture, headed the back way to Walker Ranch. They couldn't stop him.

  Pete picked up the fence and pulled it back into place, watching as the tail lights of the pickup moved rapidly away from him, across the pasture. "Go get the car," he said to Tory. "We better try to catch him."

  CHAPTER 49 – Safecracker

  Jake turned the knob to the right, to the first set of coordinates, and he heard the tumblers fall, producing a barely audible click. Then he turned it back to the left, to the second set of coordinates, and felt another slight vibration at his fingertips. He turned the knob back to the right until he reached the third set of numbers, and again the lock offered a subtle click. He grabbed the lever and pulled it down, and the door to the safe swung open.

  The steel box was tri-leveled and on the top shelf he found a stack of greenbacks, which he grabbed and stuffed into the pillow case, along with the cash from the desk drawer. On the second shelf he found a small wooden box, which he opened to reveal Frank Walker's war medals. He put them back where he found them, then reached down and pulled out a sizable metal box, which he found on the lowest shelf. Finding it unlocked, he opened it, revealing a treasure trove of expensive jewelry: gold chains, necklaces and ear rings. There were emerald and jade settings, and an array of diamonds set in silver and gold.

  "Holy Moses," drawled Earl, dazzled by their find. "I'd wager there's a little money in those."

  Neither Jake nor Earl heard Ray Pierot slip into the room behind them, holding a 45 caliber handgun in his gloved right hand, until they heard the precise metal sound of the gun's safety being disarmed. Both suddenly jerked around, jolted by immediate recognition of the uniquely awful click, sending the tray of jewelry flying, scattering expensive trinkets around the room. "Don't do nothin' dumb, boys. Okay?" Pierot said coldly. He motioned with his gun for them to move away from the safe. "Go over there, in the light, where I can see you better," he said. "Keep your hands away from your sides."

  The two men did as they were told, stepping away from the cash and jewels, moving over toward the desk, and the little lamp that sat upon it. "You Jake?" Pierot asked, but Jake wasn't volunteering information. He had a pretty good hunch what the big man had come for. "Who wants to know?" Jake asked.

  Earl had been looking at Pierot harder and harder, and all the sudden he glanced at Jake, like he should know who this man was, then looked back at the gunman. "I know you," Earl said. He again glanced nervously over at Jake, and then looked back at Pierot, a little desperate at his recognition. "You're Ray Pierot," Earl said respectfully. "I know you." He said it like Pierot was a celebrity of the kind Jake should recognize. "I've heard all about you. I thought you was in prison, in Indiana some place. That's the last I heard."

  Jake kept his eyes on Pierot, whom he had never seen nor heard of before, and Pierot kept his eyes on him. "I suppose Pico sent you," Jake said grimly, already certain of the answer.

  Earl looked nervously back and forth between the other two men, anxious to disassociate with Jake and insinuate himself into Pierot's good graces. "Is it Jake Jobbs you're looking for?" he asked, talking fast. "This is him, right here. I work for Pico myself. It's my job to watch him." He knew all about Ray Pierot, though apparently Pierot didn’t know him. Earl knew all about how he had allegedly done more than a dozen mob hits, and legend had it that there were others besides; and how he was an acknowledged "master mechanic," who had supposedly killed a man once by breaking his back over his knee. "Who you here for, Ray?" Earl asked, nervous almost to the point of babbling. "You here for Jake?"

  Pierot pointed his gun at Jake and asked Earl – "Is he armed?"

  Earl started to shake his head 'no,' but then looked over at Jake questioningly. "Check him," Pierot said, and Earl, happy to be on his side, went over and patted Jake down. Suddenly he froze and looked up at Jake, reaching around and slowly retrieving the gun he discovered tucked into the waist band at the back of his pants. He took it out and looked at it, astonished to realize that Jake, who had been so worried about his having a gun, was packing himself. "Is it loaded?" Pierot asked, and Earl checked the cylinder. "Yep, it sure is," he said.

  "Hand it over," Pierot told him, and obediently Earl walked it over to him, handing it to him so he could grab it by the handle.

  As Earl approached him, Pierot transferred his .45 from his right hand to his left, and as soon as he accepted the weapon from Earl's hand he raised it and pulled the trigger.

  The muzzle flash of the .45 coincided with a bright flood of light that poured in through the window from outside, as Lily brought her car to a stop in the front yard. The bullet exploded out the back side of Earl's head, splattering blood and matter, and he fell limp and lifeless to the floor, his eyes frozen into permanent goofy compliance.

  Jake jumped at the sound of the blast, and looked in horror as Earl landed hard upon the floor, then looked up at Pierot who, in that moment, glanced toward the window as the car lights went off. Taking advantage of the split second of opportunity, Jake knocked the reading lamp off the desk, causing the room to go dark, and he jumped for cover, leaping out the door and into the hallway, scrambling on toward the back of the house.

  Pierot looked back just as Jake knocked the lamp off the table, ducking back a bit as it flew through the air in his direction, snapping to a mid-air halt as the electrical cord went taut, and falling to floor at his feet. The room went dark. He moved quickly to the hall, looking to see where Jake had gone,
and then suddenly, standing at the head of the second floor landing, he heard a sound at the front door, as the knob was being turned.

  Quickly, he ducked back around the comer and into the den.

  Lily Walker came in the front door and looked around. She didn’t like coming home to a dark house, and tonight was eerie, with the entire ranch being evacuated. She reached for a wall plate and turned on the light to the entryway, then headed toward the stairs and her second floor bedroom.

  * * * * *

  "Tom, Wheeler here. We've got somebody approaching Walker Ranch from the back side, from the Parker property. Do you copy? Over."

  Agent Bickering's walkie-talkie was squawking like a petulant parrot by the time he returned to where he had left it lying on the ground, at his surveillance position. He wasn't able to respond to Agent Wheeler before another call came through from Agent Coverdal. "Come in Tom. This is Coverdal. Do you read me? We've got a third party in the house. Come in, please! Over."

  "This is Tom. What've you got, John?" Bickering said, through labored breathing, into the transmitter.

  "Where have you guys been? We've got a third party, a big man dressed in dark clothing, who has entered the back door of the house. Do you copy? Over."

  "Copy," Bickering said, his voice edged with frustration. "We've got somebody else who may also have entered from the front. It's the daughter of the owner. Over." Then, to Arkie Wheeler, out in the field near Parker Ranch. "Arkie, Tom here. I see headlights coming from your direction. Advise. Over."

  "Wheeler here. It’s a pickup that is coming in the back way. Over."

  Then, from the agent stationed along the back road – "Riles here. He’s coming by my position right now, headed at a pretty good clip. Looks like a single passenger.

  Advise. Over."

  Bickering looked over at Glenn Tyler, sitting on the ground now, still over near the road, unable to move further on his swollen ankle. John Coverdal crackled through from his position at the back side of Walker Ranch. "Coverdal here. Please advise, Tom. This looks bad to me. Shall we move in? Over."

  "Tom here. I'm bringing my car up. Prepare to close, but wait for my go ahead. Riles, Wheeler – come in behind the pickup, but proceed with caution. Post up at the back of the barn and await my signal. Coverdal, hold your position and keep your eyes on the back of that property. Over."

  "Copy," came the reply, and the transmitters went quiet. Bickering, walkie-talkie in hand, began running back across the field, calling for his car and headed for the road as he went. He was simultaneously doing calculations in his head, trying to deduce how many minutes it would take for him and the others to assemble at Walker Ranch. They had to all go in together, that's what he was thinking: he didn't want any agent going into that house alone. He looked back toward the intersection and saw car lights go on in the trees, and he saw his driver starting his way.

  Beyond those, another set of headlights appeared on the road, closing the distance at high speed, coming out of the south, from Longmont.

  * * * * *

  As Lily reached the top of the stairs she looked down the hallway and noticed that the door to the linen closet was open. Then, reaching the door to Frank's den, she noticed that her father's desk lamp was knocked off onto the floor. "Hello," she said meekly, suddenly growing nervous.

  "Lily! Go back!"

  Jake heard her voice and hollered out from his hiding place in the bedroom at the far end of the long hall, but it was too late. Just as she was startled by Jake's voice, Pierot reached out from the doorway and grabbed her, wrapping his hand over her mouth and pulling her into the den. She kicked at whoever it was who had her, trying in vain to scream through his hold, but all she could feel was his overpowering strength, which was impossible for her to combat. Pierot held her so tightly that he lifted her feet completely off the ground, and then he came walking out into the hallway, backlit by rays flooding up from the first floor. He held Lily like a shield before him, one powerful hand wrapped over her nose and mouth, so that only her frightened eyes were exposed, draping her before him like a bib over his ample belly.

  "Come on out, Jobbs," Pierot said calmly. "I got a little girl here. You don' want her to get hurt."

  Jake listened from his hiding place behind a huge oak dresser in the back bedroom, where he huddled, breathing heavily, like a scared rabbit. He could hear the sounds of Lily's struggles, powerless to work herself free, and he looked around the room, hoping he might see something – anything – that could be used as a weapon. There was nothing.

  "Come out, Jobbs," Pierot repeated. "I got a little girl here."

  Jake knew Pierot wouldn't hesitate to kill Lily any more than he hesitated at killing Earl. The big man had come to do a job on him, and he knew he wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

  * * * * *

  Arkie Wheeler ran as fast as he could across the open back pasture, traversing terrain that was dark and treacherous, trying to get to the back of the Walker property. Agent Riles was closer, trailing the pickup which he watched pass by the livestock pens at the rear of the ranch grounds, and then turn on into the yard.

  Well to the south of the ranch, Tom Bickering waved his arms frantically, trying to announce his position to his driver, who drove the road in search of him. Glancing back toward the ranch, he saw the pickup approach from the east, rumble past the huge barn, and then drive right up to the front of the house.

  Py brought the truck to a skidding stop, grabbing Pete's rifle and jumping out of the cab. He saw Lily Walker's sporty Buick Y, parked out in front of the house, and to the side he saw the faded red pickup driven by the guy Jake called 'Earl.' Without hesitation, he ran to the front door, hollering Jake's name.

  * * * * *

  Jake had no good alternatives. He could hear Lily's painful struggles, and he couldn't stand it, he had to do something – anything! "Don't hurt her!" he yelled out. "Let her go and I'll come out."

  "You come out and I'll let her go," Pierot said, in no mood to negotiate.

  Jake was in no position to bargain. He took a deep breath, then stood up and walked slowly to the bedroom door, pausing there to look down the hallway. Pierot stood like a huge, black form at the top of the stairs, holding Lily so roughly that Jake feared he may squeeze the life from her. "I'm comin' out," he said. "I'm unarmed."

  He walked out into the open and stood at the other end of the hallway, facing Pierot and Lily. "Let her go now," Jake pleaded. "Please. She's just a kid. She's got nothin' to do with this."

  "Move toward me," Pierot said, motioning with his gun, aimed in Jake's direction. He had pocketed Jake's .45 – the one he had used to kill Earl – and now carried his own. "Come on, now – don' make this dif 'cult."

  Jake began to slowly move up the hallway toward him, his eyes fixed on Lily's, which were filled with terror and seemed to be losing strength. She no longer struggled, but rather draped down the big man's front like a rag doll, her feet still suspended above the floor.

  "That's it," Pierot said, encouraging him. "Come on now."

  Jake was about halfway down the hall when suddenly the front door opened and Py burst in, yelling – "Jake! Jake!"

  Without hesitation, Pierot swiveled around, still holding Lily like loose laundry, and fired two shots down the staircase.

  The first one slammed harmlessly into the wall, but the second bit into Py’s midsection and he let out a painful yelp as he collapsed to the floor.

  Hearing that, Jake leaped at Pierot, and suddenly the three of them, Lily in tow, went rolling down the hardwood stairs in a cavalcade of free flying legs and elbows.

  When they reached the bottom, Lily rolled free and desperately kicked away from the two men, entangled at the foot of the stairs. Jake and Pierot struggled against each other, Jake clinching his fists and taking a swing that caught the big man squarely on the jaw, knocking him back, but Pierot held tight to his gun. He raised it and pulled the trigger, and the bullet ripped into Jake's shoulder, knocking him b
ack to the wall. Pierot immediately moved in for the killing shot, standing over Jake with the revolver pointed at his head, but as he pulled the trigger Lily leaped from behind and shattered his aim, causing the bullet to smash into the wall next to where Jake had crumbled.

  Lily wrestled for the gun, struggling to pry it from the big man's right hand, but Pierot shook her loose and tossed her free. Dispatching her, he then looked back toward Jake just in time to catch another flying fist in the face, but this one didn't carry much steam. Pierot raised his hand and struck Jake across the face with his pistol, knocking him back to the floor, but as he once again took aim to deliver the fatal shot, Lily jumped onto his back, tearing at his eyes with her fingernails. He let out an angry moan and, with a lunge of his elbow, once again threw her off. Furious, he turned on her, fully intending to finish her, but as he put the gun to her forehead the front door burst open and a split second later a shot rang out.

  Pierot blanched and did a quarter turn away from the shooter. Frank Walker stood in the doorway, Jarvis at his side, the barrel of his revolver still smoking. Pierot looked at him and started to raise his weapon to return fire when Frank squeezed off another round, and the big man from the bayou fell backwards, dead onto the floor.

  Lily, bruised and beaten, a trickle of blood coming from a gash on her forehead, looked at Ray Pierot, who lay with his open eyes staring lifelessly at her. She began to shake, then looked at her father and cried – "Daddy!"

  Frank ran to her side, kneeling down next to her and pulling her to his chest, desperately stroking the back of her head. "It's okay, honey – it's all over."

  Jarvis, standing stunned in the open doorway, took a couple halting steps into the foyer and noticed Jake lying against the wall to his right, then walking in a little further noticed Py crumpled against the front wall. "Holy shit," he muttered.