by J. T. Patten
Harrison struggled.
“Harrison, don’t make ligature marks on your hands or I will be forced to cut your arms off at the elbows to hide my tracks. I plan to let you go. I only have you bound so you can’t kill me. Me being a donut-eating intel guy and all and you being a badass snake eater.”
Relief passed over Harrison’s face. Maybe he would live through this after all.
“Draeger is going to hop in his car where I had my buddy X put a tracer. I knew he would find it but not before I tracked it to HQ. I also had X put some secret sauce in his coffee. You see, he always leaves coffee in his car. Draeger drinks half on the way to work hot and the other half cold on his way home. It’ll kill him in a couple hours, but not before he tears apart his own place. I wish I could see him smashing stuff and panicking. He’ll go into cardiac arrest after he tries to call me a half a million times. In the end it will look like someone tossed his place. Worst case it will look like he went berserk. No, I have no intentions of answering his call. That just enables a guy like Draeger. I’d like him to die without an audience. And since no one knows where he lives no one will come looking for him. That gives me plenty of time for the toxins to dissipate. Not that it matters to me because the number on the cell phone he is using is your number. It doesn’t make a diference that they are throw aways. The idea is you need to throw them away more often, Harrison. But I’ll make sure your phone stays with you.”
Havens smiled at Harrison. Harrison returned his gaze with wild eyes.
“So now you wonder why I am going to let you go. Frankly, I don’t dispose of bodies. Too much risk. And why am I telling you this? It’s not for you. I am grieving still and opening up more. I’m getting in touch with my feelings, Harrison. Even got a dog.”
Shit. My dog is still in the car down the street. Not that anyone would steal it. Dog or car with dog in it. Need to get Maggie back soon too.
Havens was now behind Harrison and cut the flexicuffs off. “Don’t move, Harrison. I am going to back away and exit stage left with Maggie. You will wait for a bit to let me go. I know you want to distance yourself from all of this too. Go ahead and rub off or shake out your wrists.” Let your mind think you are going to be safe. Resist the urge to escape.
As Harrison brought his arms forward in a stretch, Havens swung the pipe at Harrison’s head aiming for the upper brain stem. Havens had expected to hear the sickening sound of solid impact before Harrison collapsed forward but realized Harrison had moved slightly in an attempt to execute a last ditch offensive. The strike was only enough to knock him out.
Harrison, you are a bit of a sneaky one as well. I was all for letting you go Chicago style with another beat down with your wrists free…
While Havens took no pleasure in post-consciousness brutality, he finished the story by swinging at Harrison’s elbows, ribs, and knees. His mind blended pent up vengeance with a crime scene course of action that would solve a problem, create effect, and mitigate additional risk to Havens. It was business—mixed with pleasure.
Twenty minutes later he had completed the staging in the warehouse. He would soon light some papers and toss them onto the car seats of the small fleet they used for recce. Only one small truck was missing from this location. The other site may look like a chop shop or drug distribution center. No worries. He doused a bit of accelerant to spread the plan. Once each of the vehicles was lit, Havens would depart the scene. If the kill crew came back, the place would be locked and blazing inside. Not his problem what they did at that point. Even though Harrison had paid Havens through the shell company accounts, Havens had ensured that he used Harrison’s name for new accounts. Call it a gut feeling, but he wanted to make sure he had an insurance policy and someone to take the fall if this Silver Star was shining him on.
He looked at Harrison lying lifeless and walked over upon hearing some weak moans. Leary that his victim might wake from the dead and make a grab for his foot, Havens stood at Harrison’s feet out of reach.
You piece of shit.
Sean thought of Maggie and his wife. Harrison’s death would not make things right. It wouldn’t bring them back. It was just part of the solution to a problem.
Harrison was broken now. A bad soldier. Dead he would regain honor. They would be able to check his prints and give him a full honor guard burial. Would he have requested Arlington National Cemetery?
As he regarded Harrison wondering what to do, Havens thought of something his own father said about combatives. “When you are fighting hand to hand, you can grab a guy’s ear and rip it right off. Then step on it so it makes the guy feel bad.” Havens had just smiled at the time, not sure whether to believe it or not. Had he made Harrison feel bad enough? He didn’t think so. Havens reared his foot back and drove it straight into Harrison’s groin. He was certain that wherever Harrison was in near death consciousness, he’d feel that. The air escaping Harrison sounded enough like a grunt for Havens to savor the moment that much more.
Suddenly laughter began to well inside of him. For the first time in months, Havens started to really laugh. He thought of the tree brush chipper in the back lot that came with the building and could hardly contain himself. That would get rid of fingerprints. Harrison couldn’t have a funeral if there was no Harrison. Havens knew it was dangerous to deviate from a plan. But it was more dangerous to test a man who had practically lost everything. He sensed that he was losing self-control. It felt good.
Oh, what the hell. Things haven’t been exactly according to plan this past year anyway.
Havens opened the large service door and sprayed a quick Latino tag on the outside. It was a cliché set up, but it’s always easier for the public to dismiss acts of violence as gang related. He headed towards the back lot to get the industrial tree chipper that was left over from the lot purchase along with some other landscape equipment. Having gassed up all the equipment for potential resale to self-fund further operations, Havens now had an ideal disposal solution. He would need to hurry as he’d already spent too much time at the warehouse. Havens recognized that his time spent with Draeger and Mann was putting his daughter’s safety at risk, but rational thought was long gone.
Chapter 64
“Hey, ese, whatchu doin’ in there, man?”
Caught up in the events with Harrison, Havens neglected to consider the danger of the surrounding environment that made this site so perfect for his activity. Clearly, there were others in the area who also found the location to be perfect for crime away from the prying eyes of the law and nosy neighbors. He had wasted too much time letting his ego and revenge drive his negligent actions.
Havens sized up the situation for a moment before being struck from behind. Searing pain exuded from his lower back as he collapsed to the ground on all fours. He had counted three hooded individuals in front of him yet missed the consideration of another from behind. Mexican gangbangers. Cholos.
Before another blow could come, Havens spoke.
“Wait! I need your help. I’m new to this area and knew I needed to pay some respect. I’m looking for a crew that may want in on some action.”
The Latino who spoke earlier stepped up to Havens. He appeared to be motioning to the man behind to wait for a second.
“Whatchu mean action, man?”
“Well, my crew is no longer useful to me and I am looking to hire some guys looking to make some large cash. Fast.”
“Keep talking, man.”
“Actually, I need to keep moving. I have a dead cop in the warehouse. Need to chop him up and get rid of the body.”
The men each stepped back a pace at the mention of police.
“There’s cops in there, man? Dead?”
“Why you bringing 5-0 in our hood, ese? Man that’s just wrong, man. You gonna do somethin’ bout that man now.”
“I know. I’m trying to get him out of here so no one comes around.”
“Whatchu do, man? Got drugs? You talk too Harvard for drugs, man.”
“Dru
gs? No. I deal with paper.”
“Yeah, all books and shit, professor. What kind of paper, man?”
Havens saw the guy was reaching for something under his sweatshirt, likely a pistol in the waistband.
“Money!”
The third man spoke up. “We like money. Whatchu need help with for money except giving it to us, pinche.”
“I need help circulating it. You probably have guys in your organization that need help moving their stuff too. How would you like to pay for your stuff with fake cash? I’ll sell it 10% on the bundle.”
Havens hoped they knew nothing about counterfeit money as he had no clue what going rates were and just wanted to buy time.
“Let’s see it, man.”
Havens turned around to see the man behind him was likely no more than seventeen.
“Someone help me up?”
Haven extended his hand towards the hood who had been reaching towards a gun in his waistband. He knew that as the man leaned forward the weighted handle of the grip would slip back some and raise the barrel. It would be a third out of the waistband.
As the hood automatically reached for Havens’ extended hand, he clasped the wrist pulling up while simultaneously pulling the man off balance and taking another hand to find what Sean hoped what was a gun under the sweater.
Bingo! Coming right out to papa. Not as heavy as it should be if it’s fully loaded. Hope I have enough.
Pouncing up, Havens shot the leader in the forehead then swung the weapon around and fired at the second man’s temple. As the third reared back to swing the metal bar at Havens he was shot in the chest. The man who had landed on the ground was now devoid of a weapon and equally devoid of hope and pleaded for his life.
“Get up and get inside. Pick up that bat.”
“Man, I don’t want to fight you. Just lemme go.”
“Grab the bat or I will kill you.”
The hood picked up the bat and upon entering the warehouse looked down at Harrison who was moaning and gaining some lucidity. “Man, is that really a cop?”
“No. Sorry, I lied.” Havens shot the youth in the stomach twice. The slide remained back. Empty.
The perfect end to the story. Thank you, boys.
Killing the young men left no emotional scarring on Havens. To him, they were killers. Indeed he had chosen the location based on local gang and crime surveys. He knew that if they were not yet killers they soon would be. There was no hope for them in this area. He felt bad that the community was such a death trap and personally believed in social programs for improvements. They were just surrogates in this battle. Gang members who would have easily killed Havens if they’d had the chance. As a citizen, he wished there was change. As an operator, they were adversaries in his area of operation. Now he had taggers to match the sprayed tags. Preparedness meeting opportunity wins again.
Havens ran back out of the building to get the chipper. A few thousand pounds pulls easier with wheels on asphalt. The gravel was going to be murder. His lower back was badly bruise from the assault, but he had to wrap things up quickly. Havens unhitched the chipper and rolled it into the small warehouse with all his might. He started up the roaring Cummins diesel engine.
Havens read the warning above the chute, “105 fpm. Keep all hands and arms away from opening.”
A now groggy, broken Harrison was close to going into shock. Havens looked across to him.
“Harrison, good news! This does a hundred and five feet per minute, if that’s what this means. Since you only have two feet, this should be over soon!”
Havens smiled as Harrison regarded him with a new found horror.
“Harrison,” Havens continued to shout over the roar. “That was funny! Why aren’t you laughing? Two feet…aw, never mind. You’re not going to laugh. You’re no fun.”
Havens could see Harrison was trying to say something and shut down the engine.
“Huh? I can’t hear you. Your fate is too loud. Say again?”
Harrison was defeated. He wanted to say a big fuck you to Havens but knew that would seal his fate.
“There’s more I can tell you,” he gasped.
“Do tell, Harrison. Time waits for no man and I am just about out.”
“He’s doing it through planes and trains I think.” Harrison’s eyes rolled back. Havens bent down to slap him awake. The hood’s blood was closing in on Harrison’s head in an expanding slow dark tide. Havens watched it, mesmerized. He visualized Christina in a pool of blood.
“I figured,” he said, snapping back to the task at hand. “But sorry, I have no intention of saving you to go find a needle in the haystack of some train or plane on schedule somewhere in the U.S. That’s someone else’s job.”
“Chicago. Soon. Other places too.”
“Shit. You had to say Chicago. Where?”
“Don’t know. The phone.”
“Your other phone?”
Harrison closed his eyes and tried to nod.
“It will call the team. Call it when they pull in. Identify yourself on the phone before they get to you face to face. They can stop it.” Harrison knew he would not be saved from the shock and decided that if he could succumb to it, all the better. He tried to let himself go.
“Harrison! Where are the other spots?”
Fuck. He’s out. Question is, would he know or would Draeger have told him? Draeger would want to be here if it was something like that. If Draeger is dead then he can’t tell me. Shit! OK, clean up this mess and get your pound of flesh, Havens, then move on.
Havens started up the chipper again and saw Harrison’s eyebrow rise at the sound.
C’mon, Harrison. Open your eyes. You playin’ possum?
Harrison couldn’t resist the fear of the roaring machine. He had seen tree trunks chipped away in seconds. He opened his burning eyes wide to see what Havens was doing. Havens was crouching right over his head almost nose to nose.
“Hi, buddy! You up? You awake, my brother?”
Havens smiled down on Harrison. This time the demonic look came from Havens.
“Chipper time. Or do you have more for me? Up to you. I got what I came for.”
Harrison licked his lips.
“Your…brother…big guy they are too.”
Havens wasn’t a killer. He was bluffing. Harrison continued to convince himself of this.
“OK, Harrison, thanks. I know all about Lars. Sorry, but I have to get rid of you. Never wanted to be a cleanup guy, but in light of what you have done to my family, seems only fitting. Now that I am in a rush though, I’ll have to reflect on the moment instead of enjoying it now.”
The convincing was not working. Harrison struggled but his broken and damaged limbs would not respond. Havens hefted his limp ragdoll body up and Harrison screamed in both excruciating pain and protest.
“Last chance.”
“Fuck you!”
“Well fuck you too, Harrison. It’s been a peach. I figure this will either cause me years of therapy or save me from a lot of therapy. Anyone’s guess. Probably save you some too. And since you killed all the guys I would like to have killed, this will make me feel like I am killing you with a thousand cuts. I just wish it could last longer. Anywho. Ta ta. Ah, let’s go toes first so we can both see this for the best view. Give you a good seat. Box seat right in front.”
Havens looked over at the van to ensure his daughter, by some miracle, had not woken up and gotten out to see what her father was about to do. No daughter.
Swinging the body up into the chute, Havens slumped enough of Harrison into the opening for the grinding jaws to catch enough foot to start pulling him in. As Havens grabbed the second leg that was about to get hung up on the safety guard he noticed Harrison’s billfold was starting to come out of the pocket as its owner thrashed about like a fish out of water. Havens did a quick grab and caught a piece of paper that was walking out too. Havens jerked his hand back just in time to avoid the roaring monster of metal that was now spitting Harrison Ma
nn out on the warehouse floor like a snow thrower of dark multi-textured slush.
“Nice screams, Harrison. Is this how my wife and kid screamed? Were you even there? Man has a guy’s daughter raped, emotionally scarred, shot, kills the guy’s wife, kidnaps the helpless daughter. Fuck, man. I can’t kill you enough times. This is just going to have to do.”
Havens tripped the safety switch to give the moment a lasting picture in both their minds. The machine had Harrison up to the abdomen. Harrison had a blank stare. Blood frothed from his mouth.
“I’d love to take a picture of this for Draeger, but I know that sick fuck would just be entertained. Poor decision cost you your life. And mine. How do you feel knowing that you were just a pawn too? Another disposable soldier. Should have asked me. Draeger is about as dirty as they get. I always chalked it up to the business. Not really even sure why I considered him my friend, huh? Thanks Harrison, you are a great therapist. Very thought provoking.”
Havens lifted the guard back in place and the rolling jaws went back to work, spun effortlessly by the belts and wheels. The raised metal gnawed its prey. Havens turned away as the rest of Harrison was consumed by the machine. The loud roar drowned out any sounds of flesh ripping and bone crunching as the gears and wheels became lubricated with Harrison’s passing life.
As Havens stood beside the humming machine, he realized vengeance wasn’t so sweet after all. Although he had brought the man responsible for his wife’s murder to justice, it was a feeble sense of accomplishment. It couldn’t bring his wife back and his daughter still needed a lot of care. It didn’t reverse time. It actually took more away. Havens felt not remorseful, but ashamed. His wife would not have approved.
Sorry, babe, not feeling quite like myself these days. Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. I just don’t know what I can do to make it right. I suppose nothing. I miss you.
He blinked and filled his lungs with a deep breath.