by Paul Knox
◆◆◆
Lucky waited at the Green Valley Market, again. This time, there was nobody watching. Viktor claimed that Deputy Ethan Wilson was still in front of the Russian’s house, ignorant to their backyard exit.
This wasn’t the greatest situation.
Now that the Russians had been found out, they were a liability. If they talked, Lucky could be discovered.
That simply couldn’t happen.
It was time to do something about them. But what, exactly? The distribution network the Russian mafia provided was vast and reliable. The Ivanovs paid a pretty penny for the Columbian cocaine.
If Lucky could somehow sell the product he currently had for the same price the Ivanovs sold it, he could make his getaway to the tropical islands and stop worrying about his identity being discovered.
Maybe Viktor would be more willing to negotiate than Dmitry. And after Viktor sold everything, Lucky could take care of Viktor, too.
When the Russians arrived, Lucky instructed them to go around back by the dumpster. There was no one around. Lucky reached in his pocket and felt for his knife. It was gone.
Where did I leave that?
Instead, he picked up the duffel bag full of cocaine bricks and brought it over to the Russian’s unrecognizable Honda. Opening the back door, Lucky slipped inside.
The tension between Dmitry and Viktor was obvious. Viktor looked like a kid who had just gotten a spanking and was told to shut up about it.
Lucky felt for his gun. If he had to, he’d use it on them both. Finding a new distribution network would be tedious, but ultimately, better than getting caught.
However, a better idea popped into mind. He just had to test the waters first.
“I need a raise,” Lucky calmly stated.
Dmitry laughed. “After your mistakes and losing the Columbian connection for us? If you find an uninterrupted supply, I might keep paying you the same. Take the money and get out.”
Lucky glanced at the briefcase next to him. “Viktor would give me a raise.”
“I will never give Viktor the chance to do so.”
“You’re going to screw him his whole life? What do you think about that, Viktor?”
Viktor began, “I—”
“Shut up.” Dmitry turned and slapped Viktor across the face. “I’ve had enough from both of you.”
Lucky watched Viktor suppress his rage. The waters had been tested. Now was as good a time as ever to enact Lucky’s better idea. It’d be risky, but Lucky could see the foolish boy wanted to throw a temper tantrum.
How big a fool was Viktor?
“I think Viktor should make the decisions from now on. Don’t you, Viktor?” Lucky pulled the belt from his pants and quickly wrapped it around Dmitry’s throat, pulling him against the seat, choking him.
Lucky reached his left arm around the headrest, gripping Dmitry’s throat tight to the seat as he reached around with his right, pulling a gun from the man’s pants.
Viktor jumped back, watching with terror in his eyes. “Stop!” he yelled.
“Or, you can take over the business and the money.” In one swift movement, Lucky released his arm but pulled tight on the belt, coolly continuing his negotiation while Dmitry’s face turned blue. “You can have everything you deserve—and more. You don’t have to be the baby. You can be a man.”
Dmitry struggled and fought. He swung his legs up, attempting a back somersault or some kind of twist. He almost broke Lucky’s hold.
Almost.
Viktor grabbed his legs and held him down while Lucky finished the job.
Moments later, Lucky pulled the dead body from the car, motioning for Viktor to follow.
They threw Dmitry’s body into the Green Valley Market dumpster, only a few yards away. Lucky grabbed some bags of trash that were inside and covered the body.
Then he wiped his hands. “That was easy. And now we can just split the money. A considerable raise for both of us. What do you say, Viktor? Deal?”
Viktor stared blankly, seemingly trying to understand what he had just been a part of. “Yes. Okay,” he mumbled.
“It gets easier with time. The guy was a rotten bastard to you. He’s better off dead. I know you know that. Now, let’s get out of here. I trust you can get home without anyone knowing you’ve been gone?”
Viktor nodded before returning to the Honda.
“Viktor, wait. How soon can you get rid of this stuff? I have another batch—about the same size—ready to go, and I’d like to move it as quickly as possible.”
“Give me a day. The buyers are already lined up.”
“You’re a good man, Viktor. It’s been a pleasure.” Lucky put his belt back on. He had something else that needed attending to.
◆◆◆
Lucky had fastened Jessie’s wrists so tight, she couldn’t get the pocketknife from the sleeve of her robe into her hand. After the outside of her wrists started bleeding from the zip tie cutting into her skin, she realized getting the bulky knife through would be impossible.
She would have to get the knife back up her sleeve and out of her robe to the ground. Then, maybe she could tip the chair over and grab it with her hands.
If she fell sideways, on her arm, she wouldn’t be able to free it, either. She’d have to lean forward and get as upside down as possible for it to come back up her sleeve.
The uninviting tile floor felt cold against her bare feet. If she rocked forward, she would inevitably slam her head against the ground. But did she have a choice? From that angle, the knife should be able to get free, and then she could tip herself sideways.
Jessie prepared the best she could. She took a couple quick breaths, psyching herself up.
“You can do this, Jessie,” she whispered.
Then she lunged forward.
It hadn’t been easy generating the precise amount of momentum needed, while fastened to a chair in zip ties, dizzy with hunger. She went harder than she needed to, and only realized that fact as she flew to the ground.
Her forehead slammed against the tile, harder than she’d expected.
The knife came right out of her robe and clinked on the tile under her.
But Jessie didn’t know that.
She’d been knocked out cold.
Thirty
After Ethan told Reece about finding the green Lamborghini, she headed straight there.
On the way, she attempted calling Shanahan.
“This is Shanahan.”
“You answered!”
“Reece? I didn’t recognize this number. I hoped you’d be Jessie…I don’t know why.”
“Don’t give up hope, Shanahan.”
“That’s not what I mean. My number’s been on her speed dial for over five years. I think she presses one to ring me. I don’t think she knows anybody’s number anymore.”
“Shanahan, I need you to be honest with me. Did you kill M. Knight?”
“No.”
“Do you know who did?”
“Lucky.”
“Listen, I’m getting closer to solving this case. But I think you already know that. Ethan informed me he saw you. What do you know that I don’t?”
“I know they’re Russian mafia. And I know Ethan is sitting in front of the house.”
“Don’t go in that house, Shanahan. I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But if you kill anybody in cold blood, you’ll never get out of it. And worse, you’ll spiral further down that dark path.”
“If anything happens to her, I’ll never be the same, anyway. Besides, Zaki needs Jessie more than me.”
“I’m headed to you, right now, to search the place. Let me go in there.”
Shanahan didn’t answer.
“I’m almost there. If you go in, I’ll stop you, Shanahan. I won’t let you do this to yourself.”
“I’m going in.” Shanahan hung up.
◆◆◆
Tommy Shanahan ducked through a few neighboring yards so that Ethan wouldn’t
see him go into the Russian’s home. Once inside, he listened.
Completely silent, he realized the Russians must’ve snuck out.
“No!” he yelled. He ran through the rooms looking for Jessie. She wasn’t there. Then he did a quick search of the place for any sign or indication of her whereabouts. Nothing immediately stood out.
Shanahan dropped to his knees. “Think!” he yelled to the silence.
The numbers in his head started appearing, swirling in front and around him. He visualized everything discovered thus far, looking at the details from every angle.
The Russians were in Green Valley. Lucky went to Green Valley. The bullets from Mickey Money’s gun were purchased in Green Valley.
Jessie must be in Green Valley.
Then the phrase from Lucky’s notebook hung in the air, waiting for him to see the truth in it.
27 cactus royalflush777
Was 27 Cactus an address? Royalflush777 might be a password to something at that house, maybe the Wi-Fi.
Shanahan pulled out his phone and opened Google maps. He typed 27 Cactus Green Valley.
Sure enough, an address pulled right up.
Shanahan sprinted out of the house and back to his car.
Thirty-One
Lucky had just gotten to the casino and laid his first bet when Viktor called.
“That deputy is still watching my house. And now there are two of them.”
“A woman?”
“Yes, how do you know?”
“That’s Detective Reece Cannon. She shouldn’t cause you any trouble. Reece is a wanted woman right now. She can’t take you to jail. Don’t worry.”
“You need to do something about this, Lucky, or I’m bailing from everything. I’m not spending my life behind bars, especially not now that I finally have my freedom.”
“Do you have the stuff on you?”
“I sold what you gave me, before coming back here. Figure something out, or no more money.”
Lucky didn’t want to hear that. He only needed Viktor for a few more days, and to do one more job. Then, Viktor could say whatever he wanted and follow whatever stupid notions he had.
Viktor was probably too naïve to realize that Lucky had to kill him.
Even if Viktor was arrested and didn’t rat out Lucky, the Russian mafia would get him to talk—to tell them who murdered Dmitry. If that happened, a group much more dangerous than the Pima County Sheriff’s Department would be hunting Lucky.
Kids these days.
Lucky needed the ultimate distraction. Something that would get Reece off his back, once and for all.
Unfortunately, winning the next hand of poker would have to wait a few more hours.
◆◆◆
Jessie awoke with a headache from hell. Her forehead—probably massively bruised—rested on the tile.
But the knife lay right under her, next to a little puddle of blood. She felt the wetness dripping down her cheeks. Her head not only throbbed, but was bleeding, too.
Over and over she tried, but tipping the chair sideways from her upside down angle wasn’t working. She strained her neck one way and then the other, but the chair just slid around the tiles. It wouldn’t flip.
Her forearms felt seconds away from breaking, because of her body’s weight pulling on them against the back of the chair. No matter how violently she wiggled, she just hung there while the zip ties dug in her flesh, cutting her skin, causing more blood to spill from her body.
◆◆◆
Reece and Ethan had searched the Russian’s home. They had snuck out before the younger one returned. Now they sat in Ethan’s car, making sure they were both on the same page.
“Since we don’t have a warrant, I’ll need to get back in and officially re-search the place after we do.” Ethan busied himself making another sandwich.
“No one keeps a secret safe buried in a wall behind a painting, without putting something important in it. For now, just keep watching the house. The older one had to go somewhere.”
“At least we know Jessie isn’t in there.” He took a big bite and chewed.
“You didn’t see Shanahan go in?” Reece asked.
With his mouth full, Ethan mumbled, “Nope. You sure he was here?”
“Positive. I need to call Penny while you finish that…can you even call that a sandwich? Is there anything on that besides turkey?”
“Mustard.”
“Do you have taste buds?”
“Discipline, Reece, discipline.”
Reece called Penny’s direct line. “Penny, did anyone pull the hospital surveillance footage? There had to a camera feed that caught M. Knight’s killer on tape.”
“There was indeed footage, Reece. But no one could be identified. There wasn’t a camera on M. Knight’s hallway, and too many people coming and going on the others to single anyone out.”
“There has to be someone who came in and followed a path leading to his room, and then left directly after. The killer probably didn’t hang out and have a snack.” Reece glanced over at Ethan, thinking, or maybe he did.
“Landy assigned an entire team to search the feeds, Reece. He’s concerned about any of his deputies involved in smuggling and murder.”
“You mean, any of his Shanahans or Reeces.”
“Sounds like candy,” Ethan said, finishing his last bite.
“We’ll sort this out, Reece. I’ll try to get the tapes for a look, myself. Is this your new number?”
“Yes.” Reece hung up with Penny and turned back to Ethan. “Let me get one of those bread-and-meats. I haven’t eaten yet today.”
“Sure.” Ethan pulled two slices of bread from the loaf beside him. “Do you think Shanahan could’ve opened that safe?”
“Not without special tools. He’s smart, but not telekinetic. However, I think he found something else inside—some clue he’s now following.”
“Neither of you know who Lucky is?”
Reece thought for a moment. Did Shanahan know? He hadn’t said anything to her. Maybe he didn’t. She said, “No. But I will.”
“Here’s your sandwich, Reece—Ethan’s way. Get it?”
“Is that what you’re going to name your restaurant-gym?”
“That’d be a great name! I think you’re on to something. But wait, seriously now, isn’t there only two days left to pay the ransom?”
“We’re not paying the ransom. We’re finding her.”
◆◆◆
That evening, Lucky arrived to Nohpalli and parked outside the café, making sure he wasn’t seen. Through the café windows he could see some of Reece’s friends and Shanahan’s baby.
When you did things like kidnap and threaten people, you never knew when the ability to immediately print a picture would come in handy. Lucky’s preemptive purchase from Target would finally get some good use.
He started snapping pictures with his Polaroid camera.
After taking a dozen or so, he drove to Maisie’s home. There was no car around, and the inside of the house was dark. No one seemed to be home.
Lucky had a manila envelope with two big words he’d written on the back. It wasn’t as scary as a movie-style note that was pasted together from magazine letters, but he was positive it would do the trick.
In big, block uppercase, with a pen from the casino, he wrote: THEY’RE NEXT.
No one would be able to trace the handwriting. He dropped the pictures inside the envelope and went to the front door, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one walked by.
Shanahan’s not the only expert lockpick, he thought, chuckling.
Lucky was getting good at this whole criminal game. It was much easier than his real job.
Stepping inside, he went to the kitchen to leave the package on the table. Then he heard a big crash, a scream and lights flickering from the other room.
Somebody was there.
Just then, a teenage boy appeared from the hallway, but immediately froze as soon as he saw Lucky. “Dad! Someone�
��s in the house!” the boy called out.
Lucky dropped the envelope on the floor and reached for his gun. The boy vanished down the hall he’d just come from.
I guess I have to kill them all. The kid saw me.
Lucky went to chase him down the hall, but was greeted with a spray of mace. He fired the gun but with his eyes burning, the bullets missed and just hit the wall.
Lucky could barely see and had begun coughing and choking. He ran for the door and jumped in his car, miraculously not crashing as he sped off, barely keeping an eye open. The spray hadn’t hit him directly in the face, but still had been close enough to mess everything up for him.
He had been wearing his disguise as usual, but nonetheless, didn’t like this situation one bit.
Thirty-Two
While driving to Green Valley to look for Shanahan, Reece Cannon received a call from Penny.
Reece answered by asking, “Did you search the hospital feeds?”
“Not yet, but Reece, your friend Maisie’s home was broken into and someone shot at her!”
“Is she okay?”
“Yes—a bit shaken up, but not hurt. Jaxson and his son, Oliver, were also there. They were watching a movie when Oliver spotted a white male with a mustache, wearing a Hawaiian shirt.”
“I’ll call you back.” Reece hung up and immediately dialed her friend. “Maisie, I had to get a new phone.”
“I saw the news, Reece. How could anyone in their right mind think you had anything to do with Jessie? Especially now, with the mustache man shooting up my home. My home, Reece. I’m freaking out. He left pictures of Beryl and Austen and Zaki, here, in an envelope. You’re next is written in giant letters on the front.”
“Did you—”
“Wait, hold on,” Maisie whispered. “The deputies just arrived. I won’t tell them you’re on the line.”
“Make sure—” Reece began, but was interrupted by Maisie talking to someone, probably Jaxson.
She said, “Tell them what happened. I’m talking to…I’ll be right out.” Maisie returned to a whisper. “One sec, let me go into the bathroom.”