“Are you okay? You’re flushed.” she asked.
“Yea, I just got a bit light headed for some strange reason. I had to splash some water on my face.”
“Are you okay now?”
“Yes, it only lasted just a second. I’m golden now.”
“Alright, if you say so. It’s good that you are because there is another round on the way.”
Gary pressed his lips together, “Good enough, I’m ready.”
The drinks showed up, and they each drank quietly for a while. Gary sat and thought about the Russians, he thought about Julia being here, bringing him here, and that thought made him think that she was not aware that he was going to kill her. At that moment it also occurred to him that if that was in fact the case she was also really interested in him. That weighed pretty heavy on him.
“That day at Hal’s, the day you came and sat down with me, why’d you come talk to me?”
She flushed, a little smile crossed her lips and she nervously ran her finger around the top of her glass. “I don’t really know. I guess Milo, there was just something that seemed to me like I wanted to know more about the quite handsome man that came in to eat bacon and drink coffee.”
“Handsome man,” Gary smiled, “Thank you.”
She turned even redder, “You’re welcome.”
“So you just decided to ask me to watch the fireworks with you?”
“That just sort of came out, I was trying to think of something, and it was the first thing that popped into my head. I decided a couple of years ago, that I have reached a point in my life where when I see something I’m interested in, I’m not going to wait around for it to come to me.”
Gary raised his eyebrows. It was now late enough in the evening that the bartender was now accompanied by a waitress. A young girl that looked to be in her early twenties. A girl that from Gary’s approximation would likely be doing quite well on tips she got in here. Gary noticed that it also appeared that from the very low cut shirt she had figured out how to exploit the process a bit.
As if on cue she appeared next to their table, Gary pointed with his index finger down at the table and made a little circle motion a couple of times, and the waitress hurried away.
When the two fresh glasses showed up Gary raised his, “Here’s to going after what you want. I’m glad you did.”
Julia raised her glass and bumped it against his splashing a bit out of each of the glasses. They both took a drink, and Gary thought. “Now how in the fuck do I kill this one and then just walk away?”
***
The two of them had each had several more drinks and they were both just a touch numb when they stumbled out of the Burdette Bar. They stood on the sidewalk, both of them looking up and down the empty street.
“Walk you home?” Gary asked her.
“This way,” she said as she made a not so subtle motion with her head to her left.
They walked on laughing and weaving along the sidewalk back through to the park where they had met earlier that day. Gary stopped, and even though he knew he asked, “Which way to your house?”
“It’s this way.” She motioned to the right with her head.
“I’ll walk you the rest of the way.”
The two walked on the last few blocks to Julia’s house, and despite his mild inebriation Gary tried to act surprised as she pointed out the house when they got to the front walk, it was difficult as he tried to act as if he had never been there, never watcher her, never memorized her patterns.
“This is it.”
“Nice little place.”
“It’s not bad, it works for me. You have far to go back to your place?”
“Not far. My car is back by the park.”
“Your car? You’re not driving anywhere.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s not that far.”
“Look here mister,” her New England accent had been steadily thickening as the night went on; that with the slurring from the tequila she was getting hard for Gary to understand, “You’re not driving anywhere, I’m not arguing about it. You’ll sleep on my couch tonight.”
“I appreciate the offer, but...”
Slowly she stepped toward him as he was talking and as he protested she raised up on her toes and kissed him. When her lips touched his he felt as if he had hit a live electrical wire. She stepped back, “You’ll sleep here.”
Gary nodded slowly and followed her up the front steps. Once inside the door they pounced on each other, locked in another long kiss.
Julia’s hands around the back of Gary’s neck and running through his hair. As Gary wrapped his hands around her waist he became overly aware of the Colt in his waistband. Gary could taste the tequila on her breath, it was heavy and overwhelming, but even as her tongue lightly brushed against Gary’s lips his mind was racing, knowing that if she brushed her hands against the weapon the situation would rapidly change.
Gary moved her like a dancer heading for the couch, her body was pressed tightly against his, and he led her to sit on the couch. Gary positioned his right side where the Colt was, deep in the corner made by the arm and back of the couch. They kissed for some time like this exploring each other’s bodies through their clothing, and then Julia broke the kiss and stood up.
She walked away from the couch, and motioned with a finger for Gary to follow her. Julia kicked off her shoes and pulled the clip from her hair letting it fall gently as she walked in the direction of the bedroom. There was a short hallway from the living room to the bedroom and just before the bedroom was a bathroom.
Gary stopped, “Do you mind if I?” and he looked with his eyes to the bathroom.
“Whatever you need, I’ll be right here.” and she walked into the bedroom, he could tell she was unbuttoning her blouse as she walked away from him.
In the bathroom with the door closed, Gary lifted the seat and relieved himself, as he did he was looking around for a place to stash the pistol. Behind him on the wall was a shelf with a stack of four bath towels, he flushed and drew the pistol and slid it between the first and second towels. He ran the water in the sink washing his hands looking at himself in the mirror the entire time, realizing how far outside his normal operating procedure he was at this point. Gary shut off the water dried his hands and was reaching for the door knob and light switch, then stopped and reached back to lower the seat.
Gary stepped from the bathroom and into the bedroom. Julia was on the bed, already snoring. “This shit just keeps getting weirder.” he said to himself as he walked close to the bed.
Gary looked down at her, she had slipped out of her skirt and it was piled next to the bed, her blouse was unbuttoned and it was open as she lay on her back. Gary admired the wonderful shape of her breasts and the toned muscles of her thighs. He stood there for a long moment, deep down a part of him said just take her out right here, she was going to be last but you have been given gift.
Gary thought about that too, he could kill Julia right here, right now. He would hang out for a bit, sober up enough to make sure he made a clean getaway, then make it to Garcia’s place in time to put a bullet into his skull and be on the way south before most people were having their bicentennial breakfast.
Another part of Gary’s mind was overriding everything that was logical to him completing his work; making every damn bit of this that much more complicated. He walked back to the bathroom, and collected his Colt from between the towels, walking with it in his right hand he re-entered the bedroom and stood next to the bed again. Gary checked the chamber pulling the slide back revealing the brass at the base of the automatic pistol cartridge, he had known there was a round in the chamber but checked out of habit. He looked at Julia sleeping, the rise and fall of her chest, and her slightly disheveled hair. He thought about how close the houses next door were and how he had taken care of Ed. Gary leaned over her.
In the end complicating things had won out. He pulled the blouse back together and buttoned the middle button gently. He reach
ed across the bed and pulled the top cover over and across her, and he turned out the light and left the room. Gary walked to her kitchen where he found a note pad hanging next to the phone on the wall and a stubby pencil. He tore off a piece of paper from the notepad, and wrote:
Thank you for a very nice afternoon and evening. I would like to see you again, I have a few things to take care of first thing in the morning but I will try to stop by Hal’s around lunch.
I hope you don't feel too bad when you wake up.
See you soon
Milo
He left the paper where she would see it on the kitchen table and let himself out the front door.
***
July 4, 1976 08:20
Opening his eyes Gary noticed the mild dull ache brought on from his ingestion of Jack Daniels the night before, he rolled to the nightstand and grabbed a cigarette. As he took his first puff from the smoke he thought about how this was the last day he would be spending in Omaha.
He took another drag and closed his eyes. He pictured himself cruising south, thinking about the payoff. He smiled and thought he should take a year off maybe more.
The previous night’s events had proven to him that he was ready to end his time here. This morning he was going to take care of Garcia, he would go from there to Hal’s get Julia to take a walk with him and he would dispatch her as well.
Thinking of killing her hurt him, she had been nice to him, and she seemed as though she was genuinely interested him, in Milo. Gary tucked that thought away to a dark place, the place he kept the memories of his childhood, where his parents lived. Where he kept his dreams of what life might be like for a normal person.
Crushing the butt in the ashtray he got out of the small bed and went for a shower. After dressing and checking the Colt as was his habit he left the apartment.
***
Garcia was at home, the crew had the day off. Gary could see him moving around the small house the windows were open letting the cool breeze of the morning flow into the house. Gary waited looking for the opportunity to kill him.
Gary sat in his car down the street from Garcia’s house for over an hour, and then he saw Raul walk out to the old garage. Gary sat up in the seat straight, looked in both mirrors and saw that the street was clear behind him. He opened the door and stepped out of the car. Gary walked calmly and slowly to Garcia’s house and went around the north side, as he made his way to the back of the house he could hear activity in the garage.
Gary sat at the northeast corner of the house for a bit, just getting a feel for everything around him. He was looking all directions, making sure there were no eyes that could seem him right now, between houses, behind a tree. Looking for anyone that might just blend in as too normal in the neighborhood.
There was about forty feet between the back porch of the house and the walk in door to the little garage, and a concrete slab off the back of the house. Then a small sidewalk with bare dirt on either side of it, the remnants of grass dried in the cracked soil. Gary pulled his Zippo from his front left pocket, and from his left rear pocket he unfolded a 200 count pack of Black-Cat firecrackers. He made a tear at the top and exposed the fuse, with a flick the Zippo was open and a brush along his jeans at it was lit. Gary touched the flickering flame to the fuse and it jumped to life, hissing and spitting its small sparks. He tossed the lit pack onto the slab and reached for the Colt in his holster. As the first Black-Cat snapped, the pistol was at a low ready. Gary could not hear Garcia cussing from inside the garage over the noise of the dancing pack of firecrackers, but did see his massive form pass the small window facing him. Gary’s pistol came up and Garcia came into view in the doorway.
Gary was moving forward, and just before he squeezed the trigger the first time he noted a look of confusion, shortly followed by a forty five caliber pock mark showing up below Garcia’s right eye. Pink mist sprayed back into the garage from the back of Garcia’s head, his body fell to the ground heaped in the doorway. As it had fallen Gary placed two more rounds in Garcia’s chest. The Black Cat firecrackers were continuing to go off in the background, flipping and popping in the still summer morning.
Gary walked forward, stepped over the hulking body and into the small garage. He cleared the garage and holstered the Colt. Gary turned back to Garcia, and grabbed his right wrist and worked to drag him into the small building, once his body was inside far enough for the door to swing shut Gary dropped his arm to the ground.
He stood and looked at the Corvette, admiring the gleaming chrome, the sharp red interior that so closely matched, some of the blood around Garcia’s body, “I guess some guys really do bleed cars.” Gary thought and he smiled.
Gary turned to leave and noticed a small matchbox car on the window sill, a Corvette in black, he reached out and picked it from the sill, turned it over in his hands a few times and then slid it into this right front pocket.
From the bench he plucked a red rag and walked out the door, rag in hand he pulled the door shut and walked to the front of the house, across the street and back toward his car. He reached for his cigarettes and for his lighter, tucking the rag into his back pocket as he did.
***
Gary made a quick trip back to the apartment clearing it of everything he had brought with him, satisfied with his work he took his single bag down to the car, and sat behind the wheel, the day was heating up and he was sweating against the hot seatbacks. He sat there for a long while, thinking about his last target, it was the last thing keeping him here, correction, she was the last thing keeping him here.
Gary was not thinking about how he was going to kill Julia, not thinking about drawing a knife across her throat, not thinking about the life draining from her eyes and the hitches in her chest as she stopped breathing. Gary was thinking about her soft hair, her smile the lines at the corners of her eyes when she laughed. His pulse raced as he thought about her in that way, and he could not help to think of what he had to do to her. What he had to do so he could keep on living, to keep doing what he was meant to do. Gary started the car and put it in drive.
***
When Gary walked into Hal’s place and the bell above the door chimed, Julia looked at him and smiled, he smiled back but he felt empty. Gary walked to his usual booth and sat. Julia looked at her watch, and back at Gary, she held up her right hand all five fingers out and mouthed the words, “Five minutes”.
Gary watched as she served customers, collected the last of her tips and walked through the swinging doors untying the strings of her apron as she passed through the doors.
A few moments later she pushed back through the doors and motioned for him to follow her out onto the street. They stepped out into the bright sun, Julia shielded her eyes with her hand, and Gary donned his sunglasses. “I thought you were busy today?”
“I got up early and took care of things.”
“I am glad that you did, I’m really sorry about the other night,” she blushed, “that was pretty embarrassing for me, you were so nice, and I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”
Gary thought on that for a second, wondering what she would think if she really knew what he was up to, or what he had done this morning, “Its’ nothing really, we all have our moments of weakness.”
“So you are free for the afternoon and evening now?”
“I am, spending time with you is the only thing left on my schedule today.”
“You are a smooth one Milo,” She said laughing.
“Perhaps.”
“Oh, I see it, on the surface you are calm and collected but I think under the surface there is a lot going on, I’m going to keep my eye on you. Maybe both eyes.”
She laughed again after her last comment, and Gary laughed also, but behind the laugh he felt she might never know how closely she should be watching him. They walked for some time in silence, each enjoying the company of another, although Gary had the underlying sense of finality, an impending end to a comfortable situation for him.
“I really enjoy being around you also, and I have to tell you that the rest of today will be my last day here, I have other assignments to move on to, I finished my work up early this morning because I do want spend time with you today, because tomorrow, I’ll get on a plane and head north to look at some old warehouse in Fargo.”
She looked up at him, her eyes moved off to the side and then down, she smoothed her hair and looked back at him, “Okay, if that’s the case you and I have something we have to settle up on.”
“We do?”
She kissed him.
***
They walked mainly in silence to her house and they climbed the 4 steps to her front porch, and she pulled her keys from her purse and unlocked the door she paused, “I think you remember me saying that when I see something I want, I go after it. Last night I wanted you and the same holds true today. I’m sober and I hope you’re ready because I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
Julia reached over, and grabbed his hand, pushed the door open and they stepped inside. A second after she pushed the door shut she pressed against him with such force he had to take a step back and was soon sandwiched between her and the door. His hand explored her body and she worked on the buttons of his shirt. Gary, unzipped the short zipper at the top of her skirt and with a wiggle from her it slid off her hips and to the floor.
She peeled his shirt off and kissed at his chest, at this moment he was glad he had left the Colt in the car, a push dagger was sheathed horizontally on his belt in the small of his back. Together they stumbled to the couch, Gary kicked his shoes free as Julia worked to unbuckle his belt.
Killing Sanford (Gary Cannon Book 1) Page 10