In the Blink of An Eye

by Jerry Baggett

  He hadn’t slept well. The anxiety he’d felt the night before was still there, a low-grade fever in the blood, an itch that couldn’t be scratched. He called Hans back. “A change of plans, Hans. We have work to do. Get here as soon as you can, but stay under the radar.” Marino made his decision. The girl has to go.

  Chapter 25

  Dick pulled a half-gallon jug of ice tea out of the small refrigerator. “Grab those glasses off the table and let’s go out on the deck. We might as well enjoy the nice breeze coming in off the water this morning.”

  Grant propped his feet on the railing. “It’s the money, Dick. It’s always the money. I’ve found most of the prisoners incarcerated today are locked up for violent drug related offenses. It’s the damn money that’s behind so much inhumane brutality. I hope you never see it first- hand. The federal system, where I was, had some of the most violent killers. Big money in illicit drugs is too attractive for those people looking for an easy ride. It’s a cash business, drawing both men and women, with little to lose, down a fast road to hell. There’s no exit ramp on that slippery road.”

  He turned to Dick. “Looks like we have one thing in common. We’re both in temporary quarters here. I hope your relationship with Samantha’s more permanent.”

  “I’m with you, there. We’re in the early stages of something wonderful. Right now, we have to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. I’m more concerned about the threats to Sam, and I might say, to you, at the moment.”

  “I appreciate that. Hunt asked me to brief you on what I know about our adversaries. Hope you’re ready to find out just how brutal some in our human race can be.” He stared at the horizon for a moment. “I have no illusion about the personal danger to myself, or my niece.”

  Dick said. “What do you know about this bunch of people we’re facing? We need information on specific individuals. Have any been identified that you know about?”

  “Hunt has more information than he lets out. The prison inmates eventually began to trust me. They became a storehouse of facts in my quest for answers. There’s little evidence for some of what I’m giving you, but it’ll prove to be useful.”

  “You heard what Hunt said about Big Ugly, better known as Hans Hempel. He works directly for Harvey Marino. Harvey owns multiple nightclubs, or, as some call them, titty-bars. He serves good booze and dishes it up by hiring attractive young women as topless dancers and bartenders. Now, I’m going to shock you. Harvey Marino was Samantha’s little known step-father. At the time of her mother’s death, Harvey was well connected to San Francisco’s underworld. His club there was a hotspot of drugs and prostitution. The city fathers were bringing enormous pressure on law enforcement, demanding a thorough cleanup of the city. Samantha’s mother, Stephanie, caught his eye and he pursued her with everything in his arsenal. She panicked when my brother died and Harvey stepped up to the plate.”

  He hesitated several moments. “You and Samantha should know this. Harvey was only married to Stephanie a few months, before she divorced him. She had not seen him for three or four years, when she was killed. I’m convinced the man I glimpsed in that dark room, on that fatal night, was none other than her ex-husband. She probably had information he believed dangerous. Samantha knows nothing of this. After Stephanie had been shot dead and then stabbed, the man smothered the child with a pillow. I was told the child recovered, quickly, and screamed her head off for hours.”

  Dick sat quietly. I’m not surprised that Sam has no memory of that period in her childhood. Her aunt tried to protect her by avoiding much of what she felt would be too traumatic. She’d constantly discouraged a lot of curiosity about her mother.

  Grant continued, standing, looking out at the calm ocean. “My brother’s estate has been put into a family trust for his daughter. I don’t want her to know that until we prove who killed her mother.” He turned to face Dick. “I have also arranged for my assets to be placed into that trust upon my death.”

  Dick said, “Then, you’re positive that Samantha’s the daughter of your brother.”

  “Absolutely positive. Our parents were farmers. They would have loved her. As the last blood relative of our family line, Tom and I settled in here because this’s where most of the tech industry is located.”

  Dick listened carefully to details of Samantha’s inheritance. He wondered how it would affect their relationship. Samantha’s a very special person. She wouldn’t allow the wealth to influence her personal relationships.

  He stood and placed his hand on Grant’s shoulder. “I’m impressed with your tenacity and generosity, Grant. You managed to get all this done while serving a prison sentence for murder.”

  “Agent Keven Hunt had everything to do with my good fortune. He convinced the warden, and the court, there was reason to believe in my innocence. The evidence just wasn’t there to reopen the case, at that time.”

  Dick felt his phone vibrate in his hip pocket. “Is Samantha with you? It’s Hunt,” he said.

  “Yes, we’re having lunch. It’s her last day of vacation. Why, what’s up?”

  “Two men in a fast boat anchored offshore near Samantha’s place before daylight this morning and attempted to destroy her house. They knew she was on vacation. Obviously, you and she both were expected to be there for a double killing.”

  Dick listened for several minutes and clicked off. “It’s a damn good thing we stayed at my place last night. Your beach cottage has been attacked again. Two men armed with automatic weapons approached from the water and shot up your home. They expected us to be there for the kill. Hunt believes they were trying to burn the place down before being frightened off by a news helicopter circling in the area. A drape in the beachside casual room was set on fire. The drape slowly burned away, without setting the house on fire, due to the cool damp day.

  “Oh, Dick, I’m the luckiest woman in the world. What if we’d been home?”

  “There’s good luck and there’s bad luck, honey. Bad luck begins when good luck ends. Smart people create opportunity, increasing their chance for good luck. Our best defense will have to be an aggressive offense. We can’t stay at your place, now. The threat’s too great.” He pondered the situation for a moment. “They don’t know precisely where we are. I’ve an idea. We can temporarily rent part of the empty building next door. That’ll make it easier to keep an eye on activity around your cottage.

  “That was easy enough. We have the place for one week. Let’s pick up what we need from your cottage, and get this over with.” Dick removed the Glock from his waistband, and stuffed it into his front pocket. “Packing your personal valuables shouldn’t take long. We can be in and out within a few minutes. We’d better watch out for anyone loitering around the area before going inside. There could be a stakeout waiting for us to return home.”

  They walked hand in hand to the outside elevator of their new living quarters, changed direction, and headed for a row of picnic tables next to the building. “We’ll sit here a few minutes to see if we spot a watchman. If everything’s clear, we can sneak in and out quickly. It’s chancy, but worth a try.”

  They walked in the shadow between her cottage and the rental, intending to enter from the beach side. “Wait!” Dick said. “The door’s standing open. Would the sheriff’s people leave it open after being here?”

  “Not likely,” she whispered. “I smell gasoline. Someone’s inside. I saw a shadow move across the room. Get away from the door, now, Dick. Let’s go back and call the sheriff.”

  “You’re right. I see the bastard. Stand back farther from the door. I’m going in, it’s diesel fuel. He’s pouring diesel, all through the house. I can’t let him burn down your cottage.”

  He pushed the door open farther with the muzzle of the Glock and stepped inside the dark room. He knew he was too late to save the cottage. The hooded figure at the far end of the hall tossed another burning cloth into a puddle of diesel fuel. Dick yelled, “Stop where you are!” He raised the Glock, then
lowered it. The dark figure spun around and ran out the front door. Can’t shoot the bastard in the back while he’s running away.

  Dick backed outside, grabbed Samantha’s hand and pulled her away. “We’re too late, honey. The place’s on fire. They may have someone hanging back hoping to trap us inside with gunfire. Chasing that man would be a mistake.”

  They returned to their refuge under the neighbor’s house and called the sheriff’s department.

  “My beautiful cottage. Aunt Clara would be so upset.” She buried her face against his chest and quietly wept.

  “I’m sorry, honey. We’ll rebuild it. The cottage helped make you into who you are. I love this place too.” He saw the first firetruck arrive and reached for her hand. “If you walk onto the battlefield, you’re likely to have bad things happen. We’re in a battle for our life now.”

  Dick looked at his phone, then Samantha. “Agent Hunt again.”

  “Be careful how you break this news to Grant,” Hunt said. “His friend, Maria, is missing.”

  Chapter 26

  The noise was barely loud enough to set off the bionic alarm in his head. Dick eased himself out of the bedroom without turning on a light. Bright moonlight illuminated someone prying at the lock on the sliding door. He stepped back into the shadow and watched the door ease open. A massive rush of adrenalin flushed through his body.

  He slammed into the dark figure, forcing him against the metal patio railing. He hadn’t seen the knife before he felt the blade penetrate his buttock. The assassin’s arm pinned against the railing had prevented a mortal wound. He heaved the heavy man up and over the railing, knocking the knife away. He leaned out over the railing for a look below, sensed someone behind him, and spun around quickly.

  Samantha stood there with the light on behind her. “Dick, there’s blood dripping out of your underwear. What happened?

  “Call 911, honey. I’m going down to see how our assassin is doing after a fall from the third floor.” He pulled on casual shorts over the bloody underwear and rushed out to the elevator.

  The man’s body lay spreadeagle on the tiled apron. Dick studied the scene. The bastard had landed head first, crushing the skull. His head was driven deep in between heavy shoulders, brain matter, mixed with blood, oozed out where his face had been. He heard a door open behind him. He turned to see Samantha walking toward him. She had her medical bag. “Dick! We must do something about that injury. You’re still bleeding.”

  “I can’t drop my pants here, someone’s coming out to investigate the noise.”

  “Yes, we can! Drop your pants, they’re soaked. She opened her bag and pulled out a pair of scissors. “You’d better hurry or I’ll do it for you.”

  He looked for an out-of-the-way place to strip down. She’s right, I’m losing blood. He saw a picnic table farther out in the shadows, near the dark pool, and motioned for her to follow.

  “Dick! It’s a deep puncture. You need stitches, now. I’ll have to do it up in our room.” She ripped off a long strip of adhesive and pressed the wound closed.

  Dick pulled his bloody shorts up, keeping an eye on Samantha. She walked past a middle-aged couple, standing on their first-floor patio. The man held a cell phone. The woman stared at the body, with her mouth open. She might start screaming, at any minute.

  Samantha spoke in a hushed voice. “The sheriff’s deputy will be here in a few minutes. Please remain quiet. He will explain everything.”

  The heavy-set man said, “What happened to that poor bastard?” He pointed to the body.

  Dick said, “He fell from somewhere up above.” So much for sympathy. “You folks should return to your bedroom before the sheriff gets here or you’ll be dragged into court as witnesses to a horrible incident. The man you see there was attempting to break into a unit upstairs when he fell to his death. That’s all we can give you. Please return to your room.”

  Deputy Bennett removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash. “It’s in the hands of the coroner now. I can’t believe you’re not more seriously hurt. I know you’re a big man, but this guy weighs more than you. We know him as a badass. He’s known for cutting up his friends as well as his enemies. This will likely turn out like the last one; a hired trouble maker.”

  “We’re taking it more seriously than just trouble-making, Jonathan. Samantha’s been attacked twice. Her life’s in danger. Have you talked with DEA Agent Hunt recently about what’s happening here?”

  “The Feds are playing everything close to their vest right now, for some reason. The chief says they’re just overworked with Drug Enforcement. Why do you ask?”

  “I thought maybe you would have information connecting this to their other investigations.” He didn’t want to divulge something Hunt would object to.

  “Hunt asked us to follow up on this attack and fill him in after our investigation. He’s tied up across country, a meeting in DC. You and Samantha attract trouble and dead bodies like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’m not sure what you can do to protect yourselves any more than you are now. Maybe you should pack up and take Samantha with you to some place away from here until things settle down.” He looked at Samantha, “You’d better take him inside and get that wound taken care of.”

  He sounds cranky, or frustrated, Dick thought. “We appreciate your help, Jonathan. If more turns up on this guy, let us know about it as quickly as possible.”

  Dick left the shower, dried himself off and attempted to do as she had suggested. He grinned at her serious look. “I’m all bent over, honey. Just drive it home.”

  “This stab wound isn’t funny. It’ll be a little painful. You’d better be in a comfortable position because once I start stitching, I can’t stop until I’m finished. Remember now, big boys don’t cry.” Dick laughed.

  Samantha finished stitching and cleaned the area with alcohol. “A doctor will put you on antibiotics for a few days. Blood loss wasn’t as bad as it could have been.” She slapped his uninjured buttock and moved away. “Six stitches, not too bad. Another one of your nine lives all used up.”

  Chapter 27

  Dick stared at himself in the mirror. He needed to shave and dress for their meeting with Hunt. He wondered what Hunt had in store this time. It couldn’t be good. Hunt had encouraged Samantha to ask for a leave of absence until things straightened out. She had refused. Grant was tucked away some place safe, according to Hunt. DEA had turned over every rock in Southern California. More than twenty low level arrests had been made the week after the attack on Samantha and three delivery vans had been seized. Marino himself had not been seen in public for days.

  Hunt locked his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. “I just had my ass handed to me by that woman in DC. We all know women and cats get away with doing as they please. Men in my position, and dogs, have to live by discipline and training.” He waved them to seats in his office. “You should get completely away from this island.”

  Samantha’s smile faded. “I’ve taken a week’s vacation, Agent Hunt. That’s the best I can do. Nurses are in short supply on the island, as well as the entire state. Replacement for a longer period was not possible. I could never leave Doctor Peyton and his patients with only one overworked nurse.”

  “Don’t underestimate these people, Samantha. They will try again.” Hunt looked across at Dick. “We have to think outside the box now, and find a way to settle the issue of Samantha’s safety.”

  Dick glanced toward Samantha then back at Hunt. “I haven’t mentioned this to Samantha, but she may have an answer to the problem in her Aunt Clara’s storage unit. Grant has a lot riding on something important to Stephanie’s murder being stored there.”

  “Yeah, Hunt said. “I’m aware of his deep belief there’s evidence waiting for him in that toy box. He’ll probably be disappointed.”

  Dick grimaced. “I believe him. He told me Samantha’s childhood toys and her mother’s belongings were moved into storage immediately after her mother’s death. It’s a lo
ng shot, but he deserves our help. Let’s try to prove his hunch, one way or the other.” He turned to face Sam. “Do you have any idea what’s in storage, and where it might be located?”

  Samantha looked puzzled. “What storage? I assumed the furniture was sold with the house.”

  Hunt didn’t allow himself to visibly react. “Your aunt’s furniture was stored somewhere in Santa Monica after the house was sold. That’s where she lived with you, and she taught school there, didn’t she? Who arranged the storage?”

  “Aunt Clara died in a nursing home. She put the house up for sale and went into an elderly care facility while I was in nursing school at UC, San Diego. I don’t remember very much about that. She was very efficient and always handled things herself.”

  Dick said, “Somebody’s paying for the storage or it’s been sold off by the storage facility. You should have a record of everything somewhere.”

  She blanked on any of that. “Damn. I must have forgotten. Aunt Clara’s law firm in Santa Monica would have the records. The attorney handling her business passed away shortly after she died. He was with Lawson & Associates, there.”

  Hunt yelled, “Margie! Call this law firm and see what they can tell us about the estate of Miss Clara Brooks. Find out who’s paying the storage fees and where her belongings are stored. Demand to know everything we’ll need to find that stuff. If it’s been sold for storage fees, we want to know who bought it.” He handed her a paper, full of his handwritten notes.

  “While we’re waiting for Margie, let’s talk about something else; Maria, the missing person. We owe it to Grant. If Maria’s alive we need to find her. We’re grilling every low life we pick up for information. Grant feels we’ve all let her down. She should have been placed into witness protection as soon as her information became actionable. He’s probably right, in hindsight. We know she was followed from the club where she worked by two people in an old Ford van. She hasn’t been seen since. I’m sorry to say, we all know what that means.”