What’s With The Pants?
TUCSON, ARIZONA, MARCH 1998
Cody pursued the man in the black raincoat through the trees and was catching up to him.
As he was about to reach out for the man, the guy stumbled over a tree root and went tumbling. When Cody reached him, he saw a peculiar sight. The pants the man was wearing weren’t full pants. They were only the bottom parts from a pair of pants with elastic added at the knee to keep them up.
As the man struggled to rise, the raincoat parted, and Cody saw that the guy was naked beneath the coat from his knees to his waist.
“You’re a damn flasher? Is that why you were following my girlfriend?”
The man backed away while holding his hands up in front of him.
“Please, don’t hit me.”
Cody looked around and saw that Barbara had followed them. When she saw the man standing there exposed beneath the raincoat, she began laughing and pointing. Cody rushed toward the man and gave him a shove.
“Get out of here! And if I see you near those kids I’ll give you a beating.”
The man gathered his raincoat together and headed off in a different direction. Barbara’s face was wet with tears by the time she got control of herself.
“Oh, I needed that. That’s the first laugh I’ve had since Anna went missing.”
“That guy needs help.”
Barbara giggled. “It was rather small, wasn’t it?”
“He might want to have his head shrunk too.”
Cody reached out to take Barbara in his arms, but instead, she took his hand and began pulling him along.
“My groceries! I left them sitting on the bench.”
The food was still there. Cody grabbed the bag and carried it in one arm, as his other arm went around Barbara’s shoulders.
“Romeo and I have to leave town with our boss soon, but we’ll be back in a few days.”
“Where are you going?”
“Reno, Nevada. Our boss owns a parking garage and it’s been awhile since he’s looked in on things.”
Spenser did have a part ownership in a parking garage, among other businesses such as two laundromats, but they were in other states. If Spenser were ever questioned by the authorities or audited, he would be able to account for his spending by citing legitimate business income. Setting up this legal and financial structure was a lesson he’d yet to teach the boys, but he had mentioned it to them in passing.
“So, you’ll be back, but then what?”
“I’ll have to go away again… for good.”
Barbara stopped walking and stared at Cody.
“I wish you didn’t have to go. I really like you, Xavier.”
“I like you too, but I have to go where my boss goes.”
“What sort of business is he in?”
“He’s a negotiator.”
“You mean he’s called in when two parties can’t come to an agreement?”
“Um-hmm, and once he’s done his job there’s a satisfied customer.”
“That sounds one-sided. Does anyone ever complain?”
Cody smiled.
“They never say a word.”
Barbara made lasagna using her grandmother’s recipe and it was delicious, so much so that both Cody and Romeo ate two helpings apiece. Monique wanted to stay in and watch TV, but Cody had a suggestion.
“Self-defense?” Barbara said.
“Yeah. Some creep took Anna. I don’t want him taking you too.”
Monique was shaking her head.
“I don’t want a gun. I don’t like guns… or knives.”
“We’ll teach you how to fight with your hands, baby,” Romeo said. “This way, if you get like, grabbed from behind or something, you’ll know how to get loose.”
The boys moved the coffee table aside and pushed back the sofa and chairs. When they were ready, they demonstrated some of the moves Spenser had recently taught them. The girls were impressed. Once they’d made several attempts at learning a technique, they soon had it down pat.
“The main thing is not to panic,” Cody said, “and if you’re near other people scream your heads off. It may scare the guy away.”
“Don’t go anywhere alone either,” Romeo said. “A weirdo wouldn’t want to mess with two chicks at the same time.”
Monique put her hands on her hips.
“I’m not a chick, dude. I’m all woman.”
Romeo reached over and pulled Monique close to him, they then began kissing and moved over to the sofa.
Barbara took Cody by the hand and led him into her bedroom. He watched as she undressed, then lay back atop the bed.
“Come over here,” she said.
Cody moved toward the bed while removing his shirt, as Barbara sat up and began unzipping his pants.
“I’m going to make sure you don’t forget me while you’re in Reno.”
A moment later, Cody felt a shiver of pleasure pass over him, as he placed his hands on the back of Barbara’s head.
30
There You Are
NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 2018
Tanner spotted Hoyt on the fourth night.
It happened as he was walking toward the area where he’d last seen the man, and yes, he was positive he was looking at the man he’d known as Ray Hoyt.
The hairline was farther back and there were lines around his mouth, but it was Hoyt. Tanner hated the fact that he had failed to kill him all those years ago.
Hoyt was standing near a street sign and staring into a coffee shop on 38th Street. He was also holding a container with several cups of coffee and a white bag. The thing is, the name on the coffee cups was the national high-priced chain shop across the street, not the bargain coffee shop he was staring into.
He’s stalking that counter girl. Tanner thought.
Hoyt was staring at a young blonde woman who looked to be in her early twenties. The girl was cute and had a nice figure, but she moved slowly, like someone recovering from an illness. Tanner assumed the woman’s lethargy was the result of being on her feet while she worked, but there were also dark circles around her eyes.
Hoyt certainly found her mesmerizing. He stood staring at her for a good ten minutes before heading across the street. Tanner followed, and saw Hoyt knock on the door of an office building. Someone must have responded to him, because he was let inside moments later.
Tanner looked in and saw Hoyt handing one of the coffees to a young guy working a floor buffer. Once he was through talking to him, Hoyt grabbed a blue vest that was lying on the reception desk and put it on.
The vest had the words SANCHEZ OFFICE MAINTENANCE on the back. Hoyt, or Cliff, or whatever his name was, was working as part of an office cleaning crew. The crew likely did several buildings in the area each night. If Hoyt wasn’t the one they sent out for coffee, Tanner knew he might have never spotted the man.
Figuring he had the time to do so, Tanner walked back to his building and retrieved his car. When Hoyt and the crew left the building, Tanner would follow and see where they went.
He needed to get Hoyt alone. There were questions he wanted answers to and assumed he would have to make Hoyt talk. Once that was done, Hoyt would be put down before he could claim another victim, who was presumably the woman he’d been staring at earlier.
When he returned with the car, Tanner found a spot in a no-parking zone where he could keep an eye on the underground garage of the office building. The cleaning crew likely traveled about in a company van, since it seemed unlikely they would use their own vehicles.
His hunch proved to be correct. An hour and a half later, a bright yellow van exited the parking garage. On its side was the name of the cleaning company. There were seven people in the rear of the van with an older woman behind the wheel.
Hoyt sat toward the back. It looked as if he were talking with the same young guy Tanner had seen him hand the coffee to inside the lobby. Other than the driver, there was one other woman. She was good looking, but she was in
her forties. That placed her beyond the target range of Hoyt’s preferred class of victims.
The van entered a parking lot beside a twenty-eight-story building on 35th Street. The crew lugged their equipment to the front doors where they were let inside by a security guard, and once again, Tanner was left to wait.
His phone rang. It was Sara.
“You found him?”
“I spotted Hoyt as I was walking toward the last place I’d seen him. He was watching a girl who works in a coffee shop. He might be planning to make her his next victim.”
“That’s a scary thought. Thank God you came across him the other day.”
“How is your investigation going?”
“I think I know who is behind the thefts, now I just have to figure out how they’re doing it.”
“Is it that security guard you told me about, the fat kid named Darren?”
“I think so, but he has an accomplice, one of the girls on the night crew, Serena. She spends time in the security office some nights. The girl is beautiful, while Darren is anything but beautiful. I’m thinking they have a business arrangement and not a romance.”
“Maybe it’s love,” Tanner said.
“You wouldn’t say that if you’d seen Darren. The gods of glamour weren’t kind to him.”
“You mean he’s fugly.”
Sara laughed.
“You have such a way with words. But tell me, what’s your next move with Hoyt?”
“I’ll follow him until he heads home. Once I know where he lives… I’ll move in at the right time.”
“Before he harms that girl in the coffee shop, good. She’ll never know how lucky she was.”
They talked for several more minutes, but then Sara had to go to work, as her break was ending.
“Watch your back,” Tanner said, “and give me a call if you need me.”
“You do the same, that Hoyt sounds like a slippery character. If he was able to fool you once, he might do it again.”
“I was young and inexperienced then.”
“And now?”
“I’m a Tanner.”
“That says it all, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.”
The call ended, and Tanner went back to watching and waiting, and as he waited, he thought about the past.
31
Observation
RENO, NEVADA, MARCH 1998
Accompanying Spenser as he traveled to fulfill a contract was a learning experience for the boys.
They assumed that Spenser would spend time doing surveillance on the property where the hit would take place, but to their surprise, Spenser had other business to attend to first.
After checking into their hotel rooms, they had a look around the glittery town. The boys were too young to gamble, while Spenser wasn’t a fan of the activity. They took in a show, then had a late dinner. During the meal, Cody asked Spenser what the plan was for the next day.
“We’re going for a little drive. I’ve some business to see to.”
“Different business than why we’re really here?” Cody asked.
“I’ll explain tomorrow, for tonight, just relax and take in the sights.”
One of the casinos had an arcade which Cody and Romeo entered to kill some time. When they noticed a couple of girls giving them the eye, Romeo asked Cody if he wanted to go over and talk to them.
“I know we’re going to Mexico soon and it’s not like I’ll be staying with her, but I’d feel like I was cheating on Barbara if I hooked up with one of those girls.”
“Yeah, it would be sleazy, but damn, the short girl with the red hair is hot.”
Cody laughed. “You’re right about that.”
They rose early the next morning and met Spenser in the lobby. After driving to a park, they ran for over an hour and covered nearly ten miles. Once they were showered and had eaten, they were back in their rented SUV and headed west.
“Where are we going, Spenser?”
“Across the border to a town called Mystic, California. It’s only about a twenty-five-minute drive.”
“Why there?” Cody asked.
“I’m meeting a man who’s selling a piece of land. It’s not worth much now, but that area is growing. It might be a good investment.”
“And this is more important than scoping out the area where the hit will take place?” Romeo asked.
Spenser heard the impatient quality in the tone of the boys’ questions. Cody and Romeo were eager to see how he worked, and that was good, but being a professional assassin was more than just killing.
“If we got stopped by a cop after the contract was fulfilled, and he asked us why we were in the area, what would you tell him?”
Cody smiled, as understanding dawned.
“We could tell him that we traveled here to look over a piece of land, and after today, there will be someone who can back up our story.”
“That’s right,” Spenser said. “You have to think like the law while you’re planning to fulfill a contract. You also have to think like the target, then, you have to have a plan for both the hit and for what to do after the hit goes down. Contract killing is more than just pulling a trigger on someone. This business, when done at the level of a professional, takes thought, planning, daring, and keen execution of strategy. It is almost never run and gun.”
“Almost never? What’s the exception?” Cody asked.
“You’ll only be running and gunning if you become the target. Not every hit goes as planned, and when that happens, you may have to fight your way out. As a Tanner I know a dozen or more ways to gain an advantage over superior odds, but the last thing I want to do is be hunted. I want to get in, complete the hit, then get out. I plan to live a long life, and I’ll do so as a free man.”
The property Spenser went to see was actually in Truckee, California. The scenery was beautiful and large homes were being built in the area. The man who was selling the land was named Allen Carver. He looked like an ex-jock and chewed tobacco.
When Spenser asked Carver why he was selling the land, which was a little over an acre, the man’s mouth became a tight line.
“It’s my divorce. My ex is taking me to the cleaners after catching me cheating. Getting married was the stupidest thing I ever did. I knew I wouldn’t stay faithful, but I didn’t know she’d have me followed.”
Spenser had no intention of buying the land to build on himself, but he could see that it would be a good investment. He tried to talk Carver into dropping the price, but the man refused. Spenser went ahead with the purchase anyway. He felt certain that if he held on to the land it would someday double in value. The American population was aging, and Truckee looked like a great place to build a home to retire in.
The rest of the morning and afternoon were tied up with paperwork and details concerning the land purchase, but Spenser and the boys arrived back in the Reno area well before dark.
“I want to get a look at our target’s home,” Spenser said.
They drove to the location, which was twenty miles east of Reno.
After leaving the car to travel on foot, they found a wooded area where they could look down on the property. They were soon busy snapping pictures with a telephoto lens. The house was over five thousand square feet, while the entire property was walled-in with iron gates.
“This place is huge, and like a compound or something,” Romeo said. “But that Ray asshole was right, look, people built houses right next to the place.”
Homes had been built along the road to the right and left of Gregor Rossi’s compound, however, there were still none across the way from it. That side of the street was a sloping hill rich with trees. It was the location that Spenser and the boys were watching from.
Cody had a pair of binoculars. He used them to check out the cameras.
“I count eight cameras, and there must be more at the rear.”
A car arrived at 5:40 p.m., a blue Chevy Cavalier. It was followed by two more vehicles around six.
After sliding a plastic card through a slot on a keypad, the vehicles drove into a walled parking area that was located on the eastern side of the property.
It was the guards arriving during a shift change.
The guards were armed and worked for a legitimate security firm. They wore gray uniforms and caps and were well-trained. That made things more difficult. Spenser would kill one of the men if he had no choice, but that was not something he wished to do.
Despite their occupation, he didn’t consider the guards a target. Had they been hired thugs, he would not have felt the same.
After more observation, they circled around to get a look at the rear of the property. When Spenser was satisfied they had enough photos, he and the boys headed back to their vehicle.
Romeo put on a set of headphones, so he could listen to his iPod, then drifted off to sleep soon after. The terrain all looked the same and the miles along the highway were devoid of buildings. Cody felt himself drifting off to sleep, but he stirred when Spenser spoke.
“I want to be back there at that house no later than five-thirty tomorrow morning. I’ve a hunch those guards work twelve hour shifts and I want to see if I’m right.”
“It looks like it will be tough to get in and out of there,” Cody observed.
“Not with the right plan, but I need more information before I can come up with one.”
“What if you can’t think of a plan?”
“I will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m a Tanner and a Tanner never fails to fulfill a contract.”
Cody thought about that for a moment, then nodded.
“You won’t fail because you can’t.”
“We are what we believe ourselves to be, Cody, and we can only do the things we think we can.”
“I want to be the next Tanner.”
“It can happen, but you and Romeo are years away from being ready. Still, you’ll be learning a great deal once we get to Mexico.”
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