by Dale Mayer
“Yeah, we’ve got an ID on your dead guy.”
“Good, who is he?”
“Harry Gann, normally operates out of Italy, so Switzerland isn’t much of a stretch for him.”
“Who does he normally work for?”
“Private,” she said, “but we’ve got his bank accounts, so we’re tracking the money. He was paid fifty thousand last week.”
“Wow. Wonder if that was a two-for-one deal or just for me,” Eton said. “I’m flattered.”
Whereas Garret laughed and said, “I’m insulted.”
“Well, we don’t know exactly what the scope of the job was or whether he had to split that money either, so keep your shirts on. I’m sending you the information we’ve pulled, and you need to look for a partner. He often hangs around with another guy, an older guy. We are wondering if they work together or if they’re family. I’ve sent you a photo of him too.”
“I’ll take a look. I’ll call you back if I have anything,” Eton said, as Garret walked over to the laptop and brought up the email, then clicked on the photo.
“What about him? Do you recognize this guy?” Garret asked Eton.
Eton walked over to join Garret and started swearing.
“What? Who is he?” Garret asked.
“That’s the guy I found hurt. That’s Joe,” he said.
Garret stared at Eton. “Seriously?”
“Yes, and that means it was a setup from the beginning,” Eton said and started cursing heavily. He picked up the phone, called Ice back, and explained what they knew about the partner.
“Oh no, now that’s a very interesting tidbit,” she murmured. “Sucks too. But it looks like Joe was played.”
“But by who?” Eton said. “Was it a coincidence, or was this a long-term setup?”
“I don’t know, but you better check out the girlfriend too.”
“That’s bullshit,” Eton said. “She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
“No, she probably doesn’t, but we didn’t think Joe did either.”
“On the other hand,” Eton said, calming down, “Joe is in the hospital and still unconscious.”
“What do you want to do?” Ice said.
“I want him to stay there, until I have a chance to bust his chops for this,” he said. “And then I want to know who the hell is hiring everybody and to find out who Joe can lead us to.”
“That’s an interesting possibility,” she said. “I’m contacting the hospital right now.”
“Do you think they’ll hold him for you?”
“I’ll let you know.” And she hung up.
“Damn,” Eton said. “How the hell is that possible? Do you think she knew?”
“Who?” But Garret knew who he meant.
“Sammy, who else?” Eton said.
“No, I don’t think so,” Garret said.
But, as Eton sat here, he wondered. “I think I need to pay her a visit. Phone calls only tell you so much,” he said. “And, if she did have something to do with this shit, you can bet that I want to find out what else she might know,” he said. He got up and headed out the door.
“Don’t you want to call ahead or to take a shower first?”
“No, I’ll pass on that right now,” he said. “If she had anything to do with it, she needs to see a little bit of the destruction she caused.”
And, with that, he tore out of there. He walked out front to Joe’s vehicle, since Eton had taken it after his own had blown up and after Joe had been taken away in the ambulance. He hopped into Joe’s car and headed down the road to the turn off where Sammy’s house was. When he got there, he could feel his temper spiking even further. He didn’t want to go in there furious at her, but it was hard to believe that she hadn’t known something.
It wasn’t fair to blame her just because he was angry at himself for being a sap, taken in by an old man with a story. Eton wanted to believe she hadn’t had a clue, but a part of him hadn’t learned to trust very easily. As he drove up to her house and knocked on the door, he wondered if he was a fool for being here. Was he just using anger as an excuse to come visit? Because that would really suck too.
But, when she opened the door, and her face shone with joy, he realized he was in deeper shit than he thought because that’s exactly what he was here for. He opened his arms, and she ran into them. He closed them around her and held her tight.
“Come in. Come in,” she whispered, when she could.
He shook his head. “I need to go home and have a shower,” he said, “but we’ve had a rather ugly turn in the case, and I wanted to know if you had any insights.”
She looked up, frowned at him. “What ugly turn?”
He frowned too, looked at her seriously, and shifted, so he saw her face in the light. “We got an ID on the man blown up in my trunk.” He gave her the name, and she shrugged and said, “I don’t know him, at least not the name.”
“Here’s the kicker. Somebody he works with a lot or who might be family of is Joe Chronie.”
She stared at him, and her jaw dropped, and then he realized she truly didn’t know. “Joe?”
He nodded grimly.
“As in Joe, Joe? The one in the hospital right now?”
“Yes, that one.”
She shook her head. “Oh, my God, did he set you up? No, it couldn’t have been him…”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” he said. “I survived, but I’m not sure I was supposed to. So now I’m not sure who might have attacked him, but I know he didn’t do it to himself.”
She reached out and scrubbed her face. “This is so bizarre,” she said. “Who would have thought?”
“Right. Just so much to figure out,” he said, “but I wanted to know if you know anything about Joe’s regular activities.”
“I know he travels a lot,” she said, “for odd jobs, as I understand it, and I’ve always known him as a strong family man.”
“What does he have for family?”
“Two sons,” she said. “One is married, with the grandson who’s in trouble.”
“And the other one?”
She frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard much about him,” she admitted. “I want to think that maybe he’s adopted or something.”
“That’s the problem,” he said. “It sounds like that one might be the one who just died.”
“If it is, that would just break Joe,” she whispered, her hand going to her mouth.
“True, but considering I was probably meant to die in that vehicle with Gann, I’m hoping that, if we go to the hospital and talk to Joe, I’ll get some answers.”
She nodded immediately. “Please talk to him first,” she said. “Don’t go in there accusing him or anything. Whatever he has done, he’s done for love of family.”
“Yeah, but that love of family can kill people too,” he said.
“Apparently,” she whispered. “I just can’t believe it.” She looked up at him. “And take a shower first. Please. You are scary enough without looking like you just survived a bombing.”
He chuckled. “Garret told me to get a shower before I came here, but I didn’t want to wait.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t,” she said. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
He looked down and noted she was in pajamas. “Did I get you out of bed?”
“I was sitting in the darkness, staring at the night around me, trying to figure out what to do with my life,” she said.
“Do you have to make any decisions tonight?”
“No,” she said. “But sometimes, just because you don’t have to make them, decisions can be easier to make right now, instead of in a panic.”
“Well, that was confusing,” he said, with a smile, “but I think I understand.”
“I think you do,” she said. He turned to walk away, and she called out, “Who will tell Joe about his son?”
“I’m not sure the relationship has been very public,” he said, “and
I’m not even positive about the familial connection yet, so we’ll have to verify. It might end up being me telling Joe,” he admitted.
She winced at that. “That won’t be easy.”
“No, but it’s about the best way for me to get the answers I need.”
“Go easy on him,” she said softly.
He stopped, looked at her, and said, “I will, if I can, but I’ve had just about enough attempts on my life. I’d probably be dead now, if my car door hadn’t been open. And Garret was blown out of the sky over the ocean. I’m all out of patience.”
“Okay,” she whispered, and, as he walked away, he heard her whispering to the darkness.
“God help us all.”
His heart felt the exact same sentiments.
Chapter 10
Sammy watched Eton go but with foreboding in her heart. She really wanted him to go easy on Joe, but she also understood that she was speaking as someone who had known Joe for a long time. Even though it might be a terrible idea, she felt like she should go with Eton. As soon as she closed the front door, she swore at herself for not offering to join him. She brought out her phone and texted him. Come back and get me, she ordered, as she ran to get changed out of her pajamas.
Instead her phone rang. “Why?” he asked. “I’m already down around the corner.”
“I think you should come back. My being there will make it easier for Joe to talk to us.”
“How well do you know him?”
“I’ve known him for years,” she said. “I understand why he’s done this.”
“So do I,” he said, “but it doesn’t change anything.”
“No, maybe not,” she said, “but I still think I should be there.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“In what way?” she asked.
“It’s possible that somebody will go after him. That’s been a pattern, and that’s why we’ve had trouble getting any information.”
“Maybe,” she said, “but that’s not the issue right now.”
“Damn it,” he muttered. “I don’t like it, Sammy.”
“I don’t care if you like it or not,” she said, being as forceful as she could. “This needs to happen.”
“And if I don’t agree?”
She laughed. “Then I’ll drive myself and do my very best to get in the way.”
He started to swear.
She chuckled. “Don’t you know when it’s time to give in?” she asked.
“I know when it’s time,” he said, “but this is hardly it.”
“It’s definitely it,” she snapped.
“Then get the hell out the door,” he groused.
She opened the door, surprised to see him sitting in the vehicle, waiting for her. “Wow,” she said, as she arrived at the car door, still talking on the phone. “I didn’t realize you were already here.”
“How could you?” he said. “You were too busy giving me hell.”
She smiled at him, as she put away her phone and got into the vehicle. “There are times,” she said, “when that’s what needs to happen.”
“Maybe so,” he said, “but I don’t want to get you into more danger.”
“More danger?”
“Come on. You’ve got to know that anybody associated with me will be exposed to trouble. And I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“Well, in that case,” she said, “if I keep close to you, you have to look after me anyway. If I’m here without you, and somebody attacks, then you won’t be there to help me.” He just shot her a hard look. She smiled, touched his cheek, and said, “Deal with it.” He just shook his head. “Wow, you’re not used to people pushing back, are you?”
“No, I’m totally used to people pushing back,” he said. “My team and I discuss things back and forth all the time, and sometimes it can get heated, but rarely do I get outright resistance.”
“Well, if you would have taken the hint and said something I wanted to hear,” she said, “you wouldn’t have this time either.”
He burst out laughing at that. “Do you think life is that easy?” He asked the question sincerely, genuinely curious if she really thought that.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Are you telling me that it isn’t?”
“Yes. Life certainly isn’t that easy. And I’m definitely not.”
“No, you’re not,” she said. “You’re a good guy, Eton, but I need to be there when you talk with Joe.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said, “because it could be putting you in a bad spot.”
“Like I said, in that case, the safest place for me is at your side.”
He didn’t say anything to that.
She looked over and said, “No argument?”
“No,” he said, “in this instance, I don’t have an argument that works.”
“Good,” she said and settled back.
“What about your friend? Annie, is it?”
“Yeah. She says she’s moving to Amsterdam, to the Netherlands,” she corrected herself. “I’m not too sure how quickly, but I suspect it will be sooner than I’d thought it would be.”
“And why is that?”
“I think she’s a little afraid of her ex or whoever is causing her problems, so she wants to just get up and leave.”
“How fast can she go?”
“Pretty fast, I think,” she said. “I talked to her earlier today, but I haven’t heard from her since. So I think her discussion on this is over, and now she’s taking action.”
“You’re expecting her to leave soon? Like, just get up and go?”
“I’m wondering about it, yes,” she said. “I’m not too sure.” As she thought about it, she replayed the phone call in her head. “You know what? I’m not sure why, but I have a funny feeling she might have already left.” She pulled out her phone and dialed her friend.
When Annie picked up, Sammy said, “Hey, when are you planning on leaving?” After an awkward hesitation, she said, “You left already, didn’t you?”
“I talked to Jorge. He confessed to slashing our tires. He even followed me to your house that night, to see where I was going. He said he was sorry, but … I didn’t think I could stay close by and not worry about what he’d do next. He was mad at you for still having me in your life, when he’d lost me. Not to mention he was watching both of our houses. He said he wouldn’t do it again and begged me to still talk to him. But, after that call, I couldn’t think of anything else but getting a long way away from him. Once I got it into my mind,” she said, “I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it seemed like the best idea.”
“Got it,” she said. “I’d like to have seen you beforehand.”
“Well, we just spent time together,” she said, with a smile in her voice. “Besides, you’ll come and visit me, won’t you?”
“Of course,” she said. “It’s just weird to know that you’ve gone already.”
“I can’t explain it except to tell you these past few days have been very difficult for me.”
“That answer works,” she said. “We all have to do what we need to do to stay safe.” And, with that, she hung up the phone and looked at him.
He nodded. “I hear you,” he said. “Times are changing.”
“Very much so and that’s an awkward thing. I’m not sure I really want to think about it.”
“Got it, but, at the same time, we don’t have a whole lot of choice, do we?”
“Maybe not, but it still feels weird.”
“Not much to do but deal with it, huh?”
“Yep. Not a whole lot of choice,” she murmured.
They were only a few minutes away from the hospital now.
“What tact will you use to get in to see him?”
He looked at her, smiled, and said, “I thought I’d be his son.”
“Ouch,” she said. “When he finds out it’s you, and the news that you—oh, God.”
“That’s what you will be t
here to help me with,” he said.
“What help will I give you?”
“Hopefully, whatever we need,” he said, “because I need answers, no matter how they happen.”
“Got it,” she said, “but it’s all still a bit weird.”
“Unfortunately sometimes we have to do things like this.”
“I guess.”
When he pulled into the parking lot, she said, “I’m surprised to find it as empty as it is.”
“It’s evening,” he said, “and late at that.”
“Yeah. I’m afraid they won’t let us in.”
“Back to that immediate family member again, remember?”
She frowned, but, as he walked through the reception and found nobody there, he looked around.
“Someone should be here soon,” she said encouragingly.
He nodded, flipped around the reception book.
“Someone’s coming,” she said.
Just then he heard the footsteps, so he turned the book back around again, so nobody would know. When the receptionist arrived, she talked to Sammy instead of Eton, calling her by name, speaking in their native tongue. Very quickly they found out where Joe was. With a smile of thanks, she turned and headed to the elevators.
“See? That was easy,” he murmured.
She shook her head. “I don’t like lying.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Sometimes we have to do what we have to do.”
And his words brought absolutely no argument from her. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.”
“Of course not. Let’s go get some answers from Joe, so we have an idea of why he had to sell his soul.”
“I wish you wouldn’t put it that way.”
“How would you like me to put it?” he asked, his voice hard.
She glanced at him. “Like somebody in a hard spot who had no choice.”
“And maybe you’re right,” he said, “and maybe you just want him to be a nice person and to not deal with reality.”
When they came to the door of Joe’s room, she stopped Eton, frowned at him, and asked, “You’ll be nice, right?”
He gave her a look.