by David Archer
Noah looked him in the eye. “Not sure where you’re getting your information,” he said. “I got hit up four different times and did a total of nineteen months in the SHU. First time was for insubordination when I told their psychologist she was a fat ugly cow who had no idea what was going on in the minds of men who were locked up away from society. Second time was for refusing a work detail. The job was going outside the prison to do highway maintenance, and somebody had put my name down. I didn’t have enough time in to qualify for off-site work, so I refused. I got a shot and was sent to the hole. It took them almost a month to figure out I was right and they were wrong. The third time…”
Morgan was grinning as he waved a hand to stop Noah. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “That was a test. I just wanted to see if you really were Rex Madison, or maybe just somebody using his name. We can’t be too careful, you know what I mean?”
Noah nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, I get it,” he said. “I think I already proved myself, though, don’t you? Or doesn’t murder qualify?”
Morgan kept grinning, but a steeliness came into his eyes. “You seem just a little bit bitter, Madison. Something you want to say to me?”
Noah locked eyes with Morgan for a moment, but then slowly lowered his own eyes. “No, sir,” he said. “I’m just a little shook up over it. It was the first time I ever killed anybody who wasn’t trying to kill me.”
“And yet you did it,” Morgan said. “Scott, here, tells me you want to get into some good paying work, and that he thinks you might be an asset. I’ve had several other people tell me they agree with that assessment, so I decided to give you a chance. Naturally, I wanted to make sure the test was something that would show me how far I can trust you, and I think you passed with flying colors.”
Noah looked up again. “Thank you, sir,” he said. “If you have a job for me, I can promise you right now I’ll do everything I can to do it for you and do it right.”
“Cheer up, Rex,” Morgan said. “You don’t mind if I call you Rex, right? And I’m Jimmy—none of that ‘sir’ stuff. Everybody calls me Jimmy, you got that?”
Noah grinned sheepishly. “Yes, s… Yes, I get it.”
Morgan leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together as he crossed his legs. “Rex, I’m always in need of good people,” he said. “The thing is, I’ve got plenty of people who will kill somebody if I tell them to. What I don’t have enough of is people who can think and react quickly. Now, last night, you were on your feet and had grabbed that stupid kid before my guys even saw there was a gun out. It wasn’t until you took the boy down that they realized something was going on and jumped up. Now, considering that they’re supposed to be on top of things every second so that they can keep me alive and healthy, I’m starting to wonder if I’m working with some modern-day version of the Keystone cops.” He grinned and watched Noah’s face, but there seemed to be no recognition. “Is that too outdated for you? You don’t know who the Keystone cops were? Bunch of silly characters that ran around like their heads were up their butts. Never could get anything done. What I’m saying is that I’m starting to feel like my personal security people are about that useless.”
“That’s not good,” Noah said. “I’m sorry to hear that—Jimmy.”
Morgan nodded, then leaned forward again and put his elbows on his desk. His fingers were intertwined with one another as he looked across the desk at Noah.
“Rex, you moved faster than most people could even dream of, and you realized what the threat was long before anybody else. I’ve even looked at the security tapes, and you reacted before anybody else. If you hadn’t jumped and grabbed Benny when you did, he might have gotten off a clear shot, or more shots, and managed to actually kill my boy. It certainly appears that I have you to thank for the fact he’s still alive, and likely to recover completely. Doctor says once the swelling on his brain goes down, we’ll know more, but at this point it doesn’t look like there’s any serious damage.”
Noah shrugged but added a grin. “I just did what I felt I needed to do,” he said. “I’m glad your son is gonna be okay.”
“Me, too,” Morgan said. “Rex, like I told you a few minutes ago, I got several people telling me I should try to keep you around. I think they’re right. I was already planning to offer you a job, but I’ve been thinking about this and I think I know just the spot for you. Rex, how would you feel about being in charge of my boy’s security detail? He’s going to be a lot more visible, now, and that naturally means he’s going to be more at risk. I don’t know what kind of insanity got hold of Benny last night, but it made me stop and think about the fact that there are people out there who would love to use my own son against me, if they ever got the chance. I don’t intend to ever let them have that chance, so that’s why I want to offer you this position. I’ll pay you five grand a week, and you can handpick your team from all the people I’ve got. You can take them out of my own detail, if you want.”
Noah pretended to be overwhelmed by the offer for a moment but then looked at Morgan. “Jimmy, the only problem with this is that I can’t even have a gun. I got a felony on my record, and that’s not even taking into account the fact I have to report to a federal probation officer every month. I mean, I’d love to take the job, but…”
“Apparently you don’t know as much as I thought you did,” Morgan said. “Federal probation, right? Who you got?”
“Craig Roberts,” Noah replied. “I just met him a couple days ago. He seems pretty cool, but this…”
Morgan picked up a cell phone and scrolled through its contact list for a moment, then punched one of the icons with a finger. He held the phone up to his ear for a moment, but then apparently someone answered.
“Craig Roberts? Yeah, this is Jimmy Morgan. I’m thinking about hiring one of your people and putting them on my security detail. Yeah, he actually helped keep my boy from getting killed last night, so I think he might be useful. Yeah, I didn’t think you’d have a problem with that. Let me hand him the phone so you can explain it to him.”
Morgan leaned forward and passed the phone to Noah, who took it nervously and put it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, Rex, it’s Craig,” he heard, and he recognized the voice of his probation officer. “Jimmy Morgan is looking to put you to work, huh? I was kinda hoping you’d get in with him. As long as you do what he wants, you don’t have to worry about me or anyone else coming down on you. Fact is, law enforcement around here pretty much does whatever he says, you know what I mean?”
“So, you mean it’s okay to take this job? I mean, I might have to carry a gun.”
“Yeah, I imagine you would. It won’t be a problem, don’t worry about it. Just do a good job, and good luck to you. I’ll see you next month, on schedule.”
The phone went dead, and Noah tried to look amazed as he passed it back to Morgan. “He says there won’t be a problem,” he said. “So the only thing I can say is, I’m in.”
Morgan stood up from his chair and came around the desk to shake Noah’s hand. “Damn glad of it,” he said. “I got people watching Ralphie while he’s at the hospital, but he’s likely to be released tomorrow morning. I want you ready to go ahead and take over now, though. Is there anything you need for this? I mean, do I need to advance you some money or anything?”
Noah shook his head. “No, no, I’m not hurting for money at the moment. I guess what I’d like to do is find out where I can buy some weapons, someplace that won’t ask questions?”
“Let me give you a head start on that,” Morgan said. “I’ve got a pretty good selection just down the hall.” He led the two men out of the office and a couple of doors down, then opened a steel door with a key. When it was open, he invited them inside, and Noah let out a low whistle.
The room was filled with guns. Three of the walls were lined with rifles, shotguns, and assault rifles, along with several that Noah was certain were full automatics. The fourth wall held pistols, and there were probably three hundred
of them there.
“This reminds me of a gun shop I was in several years ago,” Noah said. “Are any of these for sale?”
“You need a pistol, right? Well, you pick any one you want, it’s on me. The piece, holster, your first box of ammo, I’ll give it all to you as a bonus.”
Noah stared at him for a moment, then looked around the room carefully. He saw several that he knew were good weapons, but then he pointed at a particular weapon. “That’s a Springfield Armory XD(M) with a five-and-a-half-inch barrel. Nine-millimeter version, right?”
He picked up the gun and checked, then nodded. “I was right, yeah, it’s a nine mil. How about this one?”
Morgan grinned. “For a guy who’s been away for a while, you sure know your guns.”
“First Amendment, freedom of the press,” Noah said. “They can keep us from having guns, but they can’t stop us from ordering Guns and Ammo or any other good gun magazine. And if there’s one thing I love to do, it’s read about guns.”
Morgan laughed, then busied himself finding a holster and a box of 9 mm hollow-point ammunition. Once he had Noah outfitted, they went back to his office to talk a bit more.
“Like I said, you can take your pick of my men. My boy is the most important thing in my world, so I want the best I can get taking care of him. Right now, you’re at the top of that list. I need you to add more people to it. And the first one you should add is the one sitting right there beside you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“The first thing you need to understand about this is that it’s a job,” Forney said, “just like any other job. You know what you’re supposed to do, so you do it to the best of your ability and that’s all it takes.”
“That’s BS, man,” Noah shot back. “My job is to keep his son safe. How am I supposed to do that? I can’t be with the kid twenty-four hours a day.”
The two of them were sitting in Noah’s car, which was parked on a back road. Noah had told Forney to follow him, but a mile later he had suddenly pulled over and waved out the window for him to come up to the Charger.
“That’s not what Jimmy was saying,” Forney said. “Remember he said you can take as many of his men as you wanted? He knows you can’t be on the job 24/7. He wants you to be chief of security for Ralphie, not his babysitter. That means you pick the guys who will be with him when you’re not. It’s not as bad as you think, trust me. You got me, already. Believe me, I can show you a few others you can really trust. We can build a team in no time.”
Noah shook his head and pulled on his lower lip, as if he was nervous. “Okay, okay, I get it,” he said. “So you’re like my assistant, right? Well, then, I guess it’s time you start introducing me to everybody else.”
“Not a problem,” Forney said. “Let me set something up for tomorrow morning, okay? I’ll bring a few with me when we get with Ralphie.” He opened the door of the car and started to step out.
“That’ll work,” Noah said. “And, hey, Forney? Thanks, man.”
Forney gave him a thumbs-up sign and closed the door, then walked back to his own car. He started it and drove away, turning around and heading back the way they had come. Noah started the Charger, but then this phone rang suddenly. He pulled it out and saw that the call was coming from Bob Henson.
“Hello,” he said.
“Rex? Bob Henson. I’m calling to tell you that all the paperwork is done, and the house is ready to be yours. Incidentally, I took the liberty of having all of the utilities turned on in your name. I hope that’s all right?”
“Hey, that sounds great, Bob,” Noah said. “Listen, I’ve been talking to some people around town, and I keep hearing this story about that house. Do you know what really happened? Did the old man commit suicide in the kitchen out there?”
Henson sighed. “No, he didn’t,” Henson said. “Believe it or not, I had forgotten all about this issue. Here’s what happened: Lonnie Howerton had emphysema, real bad. Everybody knew it was only a matter of time. Poor old guy couldn’t even leave his house, because he had that big oxygen tank he had to carry around. Well, then I guess he got pneumonia or something, and he started coughing up blood. From what I understand, it was so bad he was spraying blood everywhere every time he coughed. He dialed 911, but the operator couldn’t understand him because he was coughing so much, so she just sent the paramedics out. They found him in the kitchen floor, and they said it looked like somebody had been hacked to death, because of all the blood. They took him to the hospital, and it actually looked like he might pull through, but then I guess the pneumonia got worse and he died pretty suddenly. The story about him killing himself came from rumors about the people who went out to clean up the blood.”
Noah chuckled. “Okay, so the house isn’t haunted?”
Bob laughed. “Well, I’ve never spent a night out there to find out, but I can say I’ve never seen or heard or felt anything strange when I’ve been there. I’ve probably been there more than anybody else since Lonnie died.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Noah said. “How soon can we get this done? I’ve gotten a job and I’m going to be pretty busy, so I need to get settled in as quickly as I can. I miss my wife, but she can’t come until I get moved in.”
“Rex, I’ve got it all ready right here on my desk. You can stop in whenever you like and we’ll get this done. Oh, and by the way, I’ve solved that problem about payment. I just transferred money from my personal account to my escrow account. When you give me the cash, I’ll issue the check from the escrow account to the sellers, and then I can deposit the cash over time. Save us all a bunch of headaches with the banks, right?”
“It’ll save you one,” Noah said. “I don’t trust banks. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes, Bob.”
Noah started the car and headed out, then punched the icon on his phone that would dial Sarah’s number. She answered even before he heard the ringing on his end.
“Hey, baby,” she said. “How’s it going down there? Do you miss me?”
“I do miss you,” Noah said, carefully leaving any feigned emotion out of it. He wanted Sarah to hear the words from Noah, not from Rex.
She was silent for just a couple of seconds, then said, “I miss you so much. Everything okay?”
“Everything is great,” Noah said, now slipping into the Rex personality. “I’ve got a great job as a bodyguard to the son of a big rich guy, and I’m on the way to close the deal on our house right now. Sure will be glad when you get here.”
“Well, I’ve got some good news on that score,” Sarah said. “I finished my classes a couple days early, and Professor Gary went ahead and gave me my certificate. You say the word and I can pack my clothes and help Neil pack up all his junk, and we can be on the way.”
Reading between the lines, Noah knew that she was telling him she had absorbed all of the information about Angie Madison that Gary Mitchell had wanted her to learn. That meant, Noah was sure, that he had managed to use hypnosis on her despite her objections. He didn’t ask about Neil, because she wouldn’t have suggested coming unless Neil was also ready to go.
“Baby, that’s awesome,” Noah exclaimed. “Yeah, come on. I can’t wait to see you. Hell, I can’t even wait to see that nerdy brother of yours. Maybe the Ozarks will get him out of his room once in a while.”
“Ooooh,” Sarah squealed in delight. She turned away from the phone for a moment and called out to Neil. “Hey, Rex says he’s ready for us to come on down. Start packing your crap.” He heard an unintelligible response from Neil, and then she was back on the phone. “It’ll take us a few hours to get packed, so we’ll probably have to stop somewhere tonight. But that means we’ll see you sometime tomorrow, so that won’t be too bad.”
They talked for a few more minutes as Noah drove, but then he arrived at Henson Realty and Sarah wanted to get on the road as soon as they could. They said their goodbyes, and Noah put the phone back into his pocket as he got out of the car.
He opened the trunk a
nd pulled out the rest of the money from the safe, then carried it inside. The weight of the pistol in its holster on his belt felt good, and it was the first thing Bob Henson noticed when Noah walked into the office.
“You got that to keep people from trying to steal your money, right?” Henson asked nervously.
“No, it’s actually for my new job,” Noah replied. “I got hired as chief bodyguard for Ralph Morgan.”
Bob’s eyes went wide. “The kid who got shot last night? How in the world did you end up with that job?”
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I saw the guy who tried to shoot him and jumped to stop it, but I was a split second too late. They’re saying I kept the shot from being fatal, though, so Jimmy Morgan offered me the job this morning and I took it.”
Bob was smiling broadly. “Rex, if you got in with Jimmy Morgan, you got it made. I’m not asking, but I bet your pay is probably pretty good?”
Noah put a grin on his face. “Let’s just say that, by the end of the year, I could afford another house like this. Maybe two of them, come to think of it.”
Bob grinned and nodded, and then they turned their attention to the business at hand. It took about twenty minutes to fill out all of the paperwork and sign it, and then Noah handed over $70,698, which included all of the fees required for transferring property in the state of Arkansas. Bob had already gotten the termite inspections and surveys done the day before, so in return for that much cash, he handed Noah a certified copy of the deed and a ring full of keys.
“I suspect they’ll be calling it the Madison Place before too long,” Bob said. “Believe me, it won’t be long before the whole town knows who you are and pays attention to what you’re doing. Between you and your sister, I suspect the name of Madison is going to make an impact on this town.”
Noah thanked him, picked up all the paperwork, and took it out to the car. He shoved it into the safe in the trunk for the moment, then got into the car and drove to Kate’s house. It was close to noon, so he wasn’t surprised to find her at home, awake and drinking coffee.