“Dad, those guys are really creeping me out,” she said.
“I know, and I’m going to get rid of them. Sorry you had to hear all of that yelling, are you all right, sweetie?” he asked her.
“I’m fine, Daddy. I was worried about Mommy when you weren’t here. They weren’t very nice to her.”
He looked up at Kate; he could see tears forming in her eyes.
“Do you feel better now that Daddy’s here?”
“Yes,” Emily replied and hugged him.
“Good. I would never let anything happen to you or Mommy,” he assured her, looking into her eyes and smiling.
“Or Ryan?” she asked.
“Or Ryan. Hey, hon, can you take our little sweetness into the bedroom and call out to Ryan in the backyard? Just tell him to stay in the backyard, and that everything’s okay in here. I saw him stretching near the picnic table when I was on my way up the stairs. If you could do that now, I have some pressing business downstairs. I don’t think Ted will leave unless I can motivate him,” he said, still hugging Emily and giving Kate an urgent look.
“Hey, Emily, let’s make sure Ryan stays in the backyard, and we can watch some TV,” Kate said, taking Emily’s hand and walking into the bedroom.
Alex followed closely behind and slipped into the walk-in closet. He reached high up onto the shelf and pulled his Mossberg shotgun down from the top shelf. He had moved the shotgun to the closet a few days ago, late in the evening, creating a nest for it behind a long stack of sweatshirts. He took a key from a small hook along the inside of the closet door trim, opened the trigger lock on the shotgun, placed the lock on the shelf, and leaned the gun against the door frame.
He kicked off his running shoes and pulled on a pair of old, faded jeans. Slipping his shoes back on his feet, he grabbed the shotgun and moved with purpose toward the staircase. On the way, he heard the men still arguing in the kitchen. Ted’s unsettled voice, reassured him that none of them were in the basement. Alex needed them all in one place for his plan to work.
He got to the top of the stairs and stopped for a moment. The shotgun was unloaded, except for the four shells inserted into the stock’s speed loader. Alex could load the shotgun in a matter of seconds, if they called his bluff and escalated the situation—but would he? Even a justified shooting under Maine’s Castle Doctrine laws would put his family’s safety in jeopardy—and those laws were tricky. Regardless of the outcome, his house would be turned upside down with a thorough investigation, crime scene evidence processing and likely removal of his weapons. He had to smart about this, not stubborn. He didn’t have several months to simmer in jail, waiting for a decision. He’d keep the shells in the stock, just in case.
Halfway down the stairs, Ted announced that he was going to grab a sledgehammer from the garage and break down the door. Jeff protested the plan immediately. The squabble in the kitchen quieted as they realized that he was back on the ground floor of the house. His plan was to get behind them and force them out of the house. He’d prefer to drive them toward the front door and not the mudroom. By moving them toward the front door, they would be visible to him the entire time.
He assumed the sight of the shotgun would scatter them pretty quickly, especially Ted, though he was slightly concerned about Carl. Carl struck him as fearless, and Alex wouldn’t be surprised if Carl called his bluff. All of these thoughts floated through his head as he rounded the great room corner and confronted the bickering trio.
“I agree with Jeff. I think you should all leave. Right now,” he said in a conversational tone, keeping the shotgun pointed at the floor.
Jeff spotted the shotgun first. “Take it easy, dude, we’re on our way out,” he said, raising his hands in front of him.
Ted’s eyes widened to fill his glasses. Carl immediately put his right hand down to his pepper spray pouch, as Ted gasped and fell back into Carl. Ted hit Carl’s solid chassis and stopped. Carl pushed him aside with his free hand, knocking him into the wall. The impact of Ted’s body knocked loose a framed picture from the wall. It became lodged between Ted and the wall. Ted caught the frame and lowered it to the ground behind him, unbroken, never taking his eyes off Alex.
Alex moved into the dining area, swiftly putting the kitchen island between him and the men. He raised the shotgun above the level of the island’s granite surface to keep it visible, but did not point the weapon at any of them; instead keeping it pointed toward the mudroom, hoping to dissuade them from moving in that direction.
“That’s not exactly a good instinct you have there, Carl. Sudden moves and shotguns? Not a good idea at all.”
They watched him intensely. Carl wore a look of sheer hatred, which worried Alex. He looked like the type of guy that didn’t make good decisions. Ted looked paralyzed, which wasn’t ideal either. He had hoped that Ted would order them out of the house at the sight of the shotgun, but it appeared that he was no longer in control of either himself or the other men. Jeff showed a composed fear, edging toward the front door, which slightly eased Alex’s concerns about the situation.
“Jeff seems like the brains of this operation, so I recommend you all follow his lead and head out the front door. I’ll place all of this equipment on the walkway, and then Ted and I can finish the inventory, while the two of you wait in the car. I’ll leave the shotgun inside. Let’s go. Out the front door…now,” he snarled.
Ted finally managed to speak; his voice cracked. “This is legitimate company business, and you have no right to point a gun at us. I don’t—”
“I haven’t pointed a gun at anyone. Right, Jeff? I just wanted to show off my brand new shotgun to a couple of firearms enthusiasts. And regarding all of this as being legitimate? Give me a break, Ted. I’m sure Michelle wouldn’t approve of your plan to bust down doors with a stolen sledgehammer. Then again, she’s out of her skull, too. Keep walking, all of you,” he said firmly, moving around the side of the island to herd them toward the door.
Carl’s eyes burned a hole in Alex’s face, and his hand was still defiantly placed on the pepper spray pouch. All three of them continued moving down the hallway to the foyer. Jeff reached the door first and opened the glass storm door.
“Jeff, could you press the button down there to keep the door open?” Alex requested.
Jeff nodded and pushed the button on the bottom hydraulic closer with his foot. He let go of the door, and it stayed open for Ted and Carl.
“You know, it was Michelle’s idea to hire these guys. She was pretty pissed at you. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted,” Ted told him smugly.
“Then you’re both fucking idiots, Ted,” Alex said.
Both Carl and Ted exited the house and started walking down the walkway, toward the driveway. Jeff was well ahead of them, almost at Ted’s car. Carl was walking away, still watching Alex, his hand still on the pepper spray case. Alex placed the shotgun against the wall on the inside of the house and stepped out onto the rough granite block steps. Carl covertly flipped open the cap on the pepper spray, staring at Alex and slowing his walk.
“Bad idea, Carl. Bad idea. Ted, I want you to pull your car into the street. I don’t want these guys on my property. Carl here has a death wish. I’ll start loading the gear onto the porch when these two are off my property,” Alex said, stepping halfway into the house and keeping his eyes fixed on Carl’s enraged face.
“We’ll just have ourselves a nice talk with the cops about your shotgun,” Carl yelled.
“Oh, I didn’t bother to call the police, Carl,” Alex said.
“What the…you said…?”
“That I was calling 911? Nope. Keep moving or the next town official on the scene will be the coroner.”
Alex watched as Ted moved both cars onto the street. Carl took a seat on the hood of Alex’s former company car and lit a cigarette from a pack he pulled from his back pocket. Jeff stood behind Ted’s car, keeping an eye on the front door of the house. Momentarily satisfied that Carl didn’t plan
to charge the house, Alex stepped back inside to grab the gear off the kitchen island.
He called up the stairs to Kate. “Hey, hon?”
“Yeah? Are they gone?” she yelled from the bedroom.
“Yeah, they’re outside waiting,” he said. He could hear her walking down the upstairs hallway, saw her appear at the top of the stairs, and shiver.
“Wow, that’s a chilly breeze. No more T-shirts, huh?” she said.
“Hey, the guys are out of the house. What’s Emily up to?” he asked.
“She’s watching the Disney Channel in our room.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She got really worried when I was downstairs alone with those idiots.”
He glanced back outside. Carl looked relaxed on the hood of the car. Ted was standing next to Jeff, looking over some paperwork on the hood of Ted’s car.
“Let’s get Ryan inside and upstairs. I’m gonna carry all of the computer stuff outside and sign whatever papers I need to sign to get them out of here. I’m really sorry about all this. I had no idea this would happen. Unreal.”
“Unreal is right,” she whispered, walking down the stairs to call Ryan inside. She walked to the sliding screen door and called him into the house.
Alex checked on the guys again. All in the same places. Good. He walked into the kitchen and picked up the laser printer, walked it over to the open door, and placed it on the walkway in front of the granite steps. I’m really going to miss that printer. Ryan walked up to him as he returned for the rest of the gear.
“Everything okay, Dad?” he asked before he spotted the shotgun leaning against the wall next to the front door. “Whoa, what’s that for? Is it real?” he said, pushing past Alex to get a closer look.
He grabbed Ryan by the shoulder. “Don’t touch that, just head upstairs. We’ll talk about it later,” he said, putting himself between the shotgun and Ryan.
“I didn’t know we had a shotgun. What is that, a Mossberg?” he asked, peeking around Alex while backing up to the stairs.
“How do you know what a Mossberg is?”
“Modern Warfare. Whenever I use a shotgun, I like to use the Benelli because—”
“Yeah, I know, semi-automatic instead of pump,” he said, ruffling Ryan’s hair. “Get out of here. We can talk guns later.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Kate added from the kitchen. She poured a glass of water from the sink and walked past Alex by the island.
“Why don’t you all stay upstairs until these bozos are out of sight,” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” she said, heading for the stairs.
Kate looked out at Carl again and shook her head before walking up the stairs. Alex made three more trips, offloading the computer tablet and the rest of the peripheral equipment associated with the computer. The last item he handled was Ted’s brown leather briefcase. He assembled the paperwork sitting on the island and stuffed it into the briefcase. He picked up Ted’s cell phone from the island and started to put it into a side pouch on the briefcase, when a better idea came to mind.
He scrolled through the BlackBerry’s contacts and found the regional manager’s contact information. He selected her cell phone number and pressed send. Michelle answered on the first ring.
Perfect.
“Hey, Ted, I assume the deed is done. Did you recover the samples?” Michelle asked.
“Actually, it’s Alex. I just killed Ted and the two thugs you hired. Shot them dead in my basement and beheaded them. I’m about to bury their heads in the backyard,” he said and paused. A few seconds went by. “Are you still there, Michelle?”
“Alex? Is this some kind of a joke?” she said.
He could tell she was unsure.
“Yes, this is a joke, Michelle. I didn’t kill Ted. Or the two criminals you hired. You might want to schedule a little HR review session for Ted. Somehow, he got it into his head that he could bust into my house when I wasn’t here, have his thugs restrain my wife, and ransack the place. They assaulted my wife and scared my little girl. This could have ended very badly, Michelle,” he said and motioned for Ted to come retrieve his gear.
Ted hesitated and started to edge around the front of the car.
“Come on, man, I don’t have all day! Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Sorry about that, Michelle. It seems that I gave Ted quite a fright. He looks a little scared,” Alex said, stepping forward from the doorway and away from the hidden shotgun.
“We should have this wrapped up in a few minutes, Michelle, then you and Ted can chat. Unless you’d like to talk with him right now?”
“No, that’s all right,” she said blankly.
“As for the samples, you can contact Dr. Wright at Maine Coast Internal Med, and see if he’d be willing to return them. Or even better, you could hire ten more meatheads like the two here and bust some heads over at Dr. Wright’s office. Hey, Ted, Michelle wants to talk to you,” he said and threw the phone to Ted, who was standing about ten feet away from him.
Ted barely caught the phone, juggling it a few times before gaining control. He put the phone to his ear.
“Michelle?” he asked and started nodding his head.
Alex could hear her yelling over the phone.
“I know, I know. No, no, everything was done by the book…look, the policy isn’t exactly clear about the verification process…no, I didn’t touch his wife…I don’t know. No, I didn’t see the…can we talk about this when I’m done here? He’s standing right here watching…yes, I’ll call you as soon as I’m on the road.” He disconnected the call and closed the phone, cursing under his breath.
“That didn’t sound like a career enhancing phone call,” Alex said, standing with his hands on his hips in front of the pile.
“At least I have a career,” Ted muttered, barely making eye contact with Alex.
“This is everything, so let’s get this over with. Where do I sign?”
Ted took the paperwork out of his briefcase, located the inventory sheet, and matched the listed items with the array of equipment sitting on the red concrete pavers.
“Looks like it’s all here,” he said, “except for the samples you stole.”
Alex walked over to sign the inventory sheet. As he started to enter the date, he caught movement in his peripheral vision and spotted Carl halfway across the front lawn, heading directly for the two of them.
Alex froze for a few seconds, unable to react, giving Carl enough ground to make it impossible for him to retreat into the house. Carl’s face was deep red, snarled in a malicious glare. His intentions were clear, so Alex pushed Ted directly into Carl’s path. Ted’s stiffened body collided with Carl, causing Carl to stumble forward, off balance. As he pitched forward, he desperately aimed the pepper spray canister in his right hand in Alex’s direction and activated the canister. Carl trampled Ted’s body as he staggered.
The direction of the spray was not accurate, and the unit shot a thick fog in his general direction, which, if better aimed, would have enveloped Alex’s entire upper body in a caustic pepper spray cloud. Instead, the majority of the blast saturated the air to Alex’s left, getting caught in the strong breeze. The wind dispersed the pepper spray fog over all three of them.
His eyes and nasal passages burned as he rushed to neutralize the threat. Carl whirled around, still focused on using the spray, which gave Alex an advantage. He slid his right arm under Carl’s right arm and reached up across his massive chest. Simultaneously, he placed his right leg behind Carl’s legs and twisted his own core to the left, toppling Carl onto his back.
Alex quickly put Carl’s pepper spray arm into an extended lock and pushed down on the elbow, creating an unbearable pressure on Carl’s shoulder. Despite the size and strength of Carl’s arm, he immediately dropped the canister.
“All right, that’s enough!” he yelled through the grass, coughing and rubbing his eyes with his other hand.
He kept Carl’s arm under pressur
e with one hand and picked up the pepper spray canister with the other. His hands, neck and face felt like they were on fire.
Pissed off, Alex aimed the canister at Carl’s face and released a point blank blast of pepper spray fog. The effects were immediate, as Carl groaned and started to scream. He aimed casually at Ted, who was on the ground behind Carl, and dispensed the rest of the canister. The fog enveloped Ted’s body, causing him to pound the grass and squeal.
Alex disengaged the arm lock and ran toward the open front door, tossing the canister behind him. Jeff walked slowly over to Carl and Ted, his hands in the air.
Alex closed the door and watched the scene unfold; barely able to keep his fiery eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. Jeff helped Carl back to Alex’s old Forrester, having to restrain him a few times from charging the house again. Ted continued to cry out in pain, barely rising to his knees. His hands appeared glued to his eyes. He looked pathetic; hunched over on this knees—wailing in a crumpled navy blue suit.
I hope he doesn’t have asthma. Alex could see grass stains on the chest of Ted’s blue shirt. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that to him. Now how am I going to get all of this junk off my property?
He opened the front door.
“Ted, I’d like all of this trash out of here immediately,” he said, coughing.
Alex locked the front door, checking the mudroom before lowering the garage bay. He walked across the house and stood by one of the great room windows, watching Jeff load all of the equipment into Ted’s car. Alex bet they’d have to sit there for a while—before Ted could drive again. He’d keep a close eye on them until they were gone.
Chapter 15
Alex and Kate snuggled together on the couch to watch a recording of the FBC Evening News. The anchor, Kerrie Connor, appeared on the screen alongside a large flat-screen monitor. The studio monitor showed an image of an American aircraft carrier plowing through rough seas. Alex stifled a cough and shook his head, the pepper spray still burning his lungs.
THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5 Page 9