“You know what’s been going on here don’t you?”
Drake felt his body tense. Sweat dotted his forehead.
He was aware they knew he did. The only question was whether they wanted him to lie to them. Or if they wanted to see if he would lie to them.
Not that it probably mattered either way.
Drake made a decision. Pushed out a breath.
“We do.”
“And what do you plan to do about it?”
Drake stared at them both. If his answer surprised them, they didn’t show it.
“I don’t know. Our only plan was to get our client the life insurance money she deserves. After that depended on what Jenks had to say.”
The two exchanged another glance.
Stared directly at Drake for several long seconds.
Eventually, the man raised the knife.
Drake braced himself. Held his breath. Gripped Ava’s hands so tight within his own he could feel her knuckles popping.
“We want Bargain Mart to suffer,” the man said. Looked at Drake.
Did something Drake would have never imagined possible.
He tossed the knife onto the ground between them.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Raquel stared at the pair.
Waited for the look of shock to wash over their faces.
Was not disappointed.
The young woman’s eyes bulged. Her body still shook uncontrollably with fear.
Behind her the young man did his best to mask the confusion on his face. Failed miserably.
He scrunched his forehead slightly. Gave his head a half twist. Asked a silent question.
It was not one Raquel and Hector had seen often. If ever.
Still, the intent was clear.
Why? Why are we not dead right now?
Raquel smiled. Enjoyed the fear of the female. The confusion of the young man.
Knowing they could evoke any reaction they wanted from their victims.
“The reason we are not going to kill you is three-fold,” she said. Cast a glance to Hector. “First, you didn’t disrespect us. Didn’t beg for your lives. Didn’t lie to us. Didn’t try to bargain.
“You accepted that whatever we chose to do, we would do.”
“Second,” Hector said. “Our fight isn’t with you. Bargain Mart has offended us. Has questioned our integrity. They will pay. Make sure you do your part in that.”
Together they took a step backward. Another.
“And finally,” Raquel said. “We have no reason to kills you. You didn’t disrespect us. Nobody gave us money for your death.
“We are craftsmen. We are not animals.”
The pair continued to walk backwards. Stared directly at the young couple standing back-to-back.
Both stared straight back. Neither one seemed sure what to do.
When over fifty yards separated them, Raquel and Hector turned back towards their car. Walked on through the moonlight.
Said nothing.
Neither one turned to see what was happening behind them. Neither one heard a sound.
They simply walked straight back to their rental.
Hector climbed into the driver’s seat.
Raquel took a folder from the rear passenger seat. Laid it on the driver’s seat of the truck.
Tossed the truck keys down atop it. The young man’s cell-phone as well.
Folded her long frame into the passenger seat of the rental. Reclined her seat. Rested her feet up on the dash.
Beside her, Hector maneuvered the car back towards the highway. Hooked a left onto Interstate-90.
Set the cruise control to eight-five. Aimed the car towards the west coast.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Drake waited until the pair was completely out of sight.
Waited even until he heard them climb into their car. The engine start. Lights circle up into the sky before disappearing.
Even though the tape over his mouth was removed, he said nothing.
Drake slowly bent at the knees. Lowered himself straight down. Dropped his hands towards his heels.
Stepped his feet over his wrists one at a time.
“Alright Ava, I have my hands in front of me. I need to walk us over to get the knife, okay?”
A muffled sound of agreement. A head nod that sent hair onto his shoulder.
Drake’s eyes found the knife lying in the dirt. Rotated in place so he was facing it straight on.
Started walking.
He could still feel Ava trembling against him.
For the first time, he could hear her sniffling softly.
The idea of squeezing her hands again entered his mind. Exited as he realized his were now in front of him. Hers were still pressed into his backside.
The combined movement was even slower than the walk out. Ava’s legs were wobbly. Her resolve was disappearing by the moment.
They’d both thought they were as good as dead.
The fact that they were still standing had a profound effect on each of them.
Drake was filled with renewed purpose. The desire to get the damn tape and rope off of them. To get back in the truck.
Grab his tire iron from beneath the seat. Keep it pressed against his leg as they got back to town as fast as possible.
From what he could tell, Ava was on the verge of breaking down. Her steps were awkward. Her crying was becoming louder.
Her hands grabbed at him from behind.
“Just a few more steps Ava. Keep moving. I’ll have this stuff off of us in no time.”
Drake hated playing the cheerleader role. Despised it even when he was playing ball.
Knew he had to keep Ava engaged. Needed her to know she wasn’t alone. It was going to be okay.
“Okay, we’re here.”
Drake stopped just short of the blade. Stared down at it.
It was impossible to reach from where he was.
With the blade extended, there was no way he could try to lift it into the air with his foot. Catch it in front of him.
For a moment he thought of bending at the waist. Lifting Ava off the ground on his back.
Discarded it. Didn’t like the idea of the rope biting into either one of them.
“Ava, on three we need to get down on our knees, okay? It’s the only way to reach the knife.”
Another muffled sound. Another brush of ponytail against his neck.
“Alright. One...two...three.”
Ava went first. Lowered her left leg to the ground. Extended the enormous walking boot out to the side.
Drake followed. Pressed his right leg against the boot.
They both dropped their second leg into position.
Once they were there, Drake snatched up the knife. Started with the half-inch white rope that enveloped them.
He pulled his stomach in as far as it would go. Used the extra inch of space to saw at the bottom loop.
With his hands clasped in front of him, the going was slow. Twice he dropped the knife. Numbness began to creep into his fingers.
Finally, mercifully, the rope began to fray. A few fibers gave way to a full strand. Then another.
When finally the last of it gave way, the entire thing loosened around them.
Drake flicked the knife down to the ground. Pulled at the remaining coils of rope. Once there was enough slack, he lifted them over his head. Took the knife back up. Turned to Ava.
She hadn’t moved an inch.
“Okay, I’m going to free your hands. Then you’ll do mine.”
Small, stiff nod.
With extreme precision, Drake ran the blade along the duct tape. He used as little pressure as possible, making just the slightest slit through it.
The tape was no match for the blade. Fell away without resistance.
Ava’s wrists fell limp by her side.
Still, she made no movement.
Drake thought about offering her the blade to cut him free. Turned to look her full in the face.
Drake fell to the seat of his jeans. Locked the knife upright between his feet. Very carefully ran the tape over the blade.
Once a cut was started, he tugged his wrists apart. Peeled the tape away from the cuff of his sweatshirt.
Dropped it to the ground. Left the knife and rope beside it.
Kicked it all into a loose pile.
“Ava?”
No reaction.
“Ava.”
Still no reaction.
Drake place a hand behind her shoulders. Another against her hamstrings.
Scooped her up from the ground in one sweeping motion.
Carried her back to the truck.
The only movement she made the entire time was to rest her head against his chest.
Chapter Fifty
Drake didn’t bother to even look at the folder.
Just shoved it to the side. Grabbed up the keys. Started the truck and blasted the heater.
For several long minutes, Ava remained inert. Fixed in the same position Drake had placed her in on the front seat.
Drake locked the doors. Tossed the folder and his cell phone up onto the dash. Slid across the front seat.
Wrapped his arms around Ava. Pulled her close to him. Rubbed her arms vigorously.
It took a full ten minutes for the effects to kick in. By the time they did, sweat was streaming down Drake’s face. Condensation covered the rear window.
One moment Ava was completely rigid.
The next she was pliable. Her body fell against him. Her arms slid around him.
She held tight for several minutes.
A full fifteen minutes after getting into the truck, Ava released him. Leaned back against the seat.
“Thank you.”
Drake returned to the steering wheel. Snatched up his phone.
“I’m sorry.”
The words brought a small wince to Ava’s face.
Drake pretended not to notice. Scrolled down his call log. Pressed send.
It was answered mid-way through the first ring.
“Where the hell have you been?!” Kade demanded.
Drake stared out the windshield. Grimaced. “Long story.”
Kade paused. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, we’re okay.”
“What happened?”
Drake paused. Considered the question.
“Are you at the house?”
“Yeah. We left Despo’s shortly after you did. Been pacing the hall’s ever since.”
“We’re on our way. I’ll explain everything then.”
Kade lowered voice. “You sure you’re okay?”
Drake looked across at Ava. Felt a pang of guilt at the state she was in.
Yet again, he had almost gotten her killed.
“Is Sage there?”
“She’s here.”
Drake nodded into the darkness. “I don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’re on our way.”
“Why don’t you know how long it’ll take?”
“Cause I don’t exactly know where we are.”
Kade paused. Sounded startled. “What the hell? Do you need us to come looking for you?”
“No,” Drake said. “We’ll figure it out. We’re on our way.
“We’ll be waiting.”
Drake signed off the call. Looked over at Ava.
She was now back to shaking uncontrollably.
He had to get her home.
Quickly dialed a second number. The Montana area code of 406. A string of seven 8’s thereafter.
A bland female voice answered after three rings. Sounded thoroughly bored.
“Missoula County Sheriff’s Department, Beverly speaking.”
Drake checked the clock. He had gotten in just under the wire. At one, all calls were directed to local 911.
An automatic trace of the call.
“Hello,” Drake said. Made no attempt to mask his voice in any way. “I’d like to report a crime.”
“Go ahead,” Beverly said. If possible, she sounded even more bored than before.
“This evening Thomas Jenks, store manager of Bargain Mart, was killed. His body was arranged to look like a suicide.”
A burst of sound on the other end of the line. Blast of keys clattering.
“You say this was Thomas Jenks?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And where is the body now?”
“Still at Bargain Mart.”
Drake considered adding that it should be there. Or that it was there as far as he knew.
Decided against it. Wanted to be as brief as possible.
“And who am I speaking with now?”
Drake hung up the phone. Dropped it onto the seat beside him. Rubbed his hands over his face.
He had done the right thing. Called and reported that Jenks was dead.
Other than that, he wanted no part of a long night of questions. All he really knew was two people he’d never seen before had done it. Tied him and Ava up. Drove them into the night.
Left them there.
Disappeared. Most likely forever.
The only part he still didn’t really know was why they hadn’t killed them before going.
Drake started to put the truck into drive. Was forced to pause by the reflection of the manila folder against the windshield.
Reached out and pulled it down onto his lap.
Thumbed it open.
Gawked at what he found inside.
Chapter Fifty-One
Dawn was slow in coming.
Part of that was because they were on the western seaboard.
The rest could be attributed to the thick grey clouds that hung over Seattle. Enormous, puffy clouds that threatened to deluge the city at any moment.
For the time being, they held off. Dropped nothing more than a thin mist.
The drive from Missoula had been easy. Hector made exactly one turn in seven hours. The very first left he took onto the highway.
After that it was just a matter of watching. Watching the road signs count out the remaining miles. Watching the gas gauge tell them if they needed to stop.
Raquel took the maxim ‘sleep when you can’ to heart. Dropped the passenger seat completely flat.
Was asleep twenty minutes after leaving the pair tied up by the river.
Hector powered into a low energy state. Set the cruise control. Shut off everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Kept a loose watch on the road. Let his body draw in as much recovery as possible.
The remainder he would grab on the upcoming plane ride.
The drive was completely uneventful. The rental car did its job. The flat, open landscape of Washington state presented no obstacles.
Even the clouds held off until they passed through Snoqualmie Pass. Started on their descent into Seattle.
The decision to head to Seattle was one they’d made a day before.
The minute Montgomery had called and changed the plan again, they knew their time in Montana was done. Considered their options.
All of the airports in Montana were too small to fit their needs. Didn’t offer the right kinds of flights. Didn’t offer enough anonymity.
From there, the only options within driving distance were Denver or Salt Lake. Boise or Seattle.
Portland was unnecessarily far. Calgary included having to cross the border.
The decision was easy enough to make.
Denver and Salt Lake both included driving deep into the mountains. This time of year, that was not an appealing proposition.
Boise was much the same. Only a mid-sized airport at best.
They had been through Seattle just a few days before. Were familiar with the layout. Knew it offered the flights they were looking for.
The heavy foot traffic they could get lost in.
Raquel slept until her phone summoned her up shortly after seven. Not so
much a wake up as simple opening of the eyes.
Completely alert, she raised her seatback. Didn’t bother to check the caller ID.
They both knew who it was.
Hector blinked himself alert beside her. Changed highways on the outskirts of Bellevue, Washington. Fell in with the flow of morning traffic.
“Yeah?” Raquel answered. Turned the speakerphone on.
“Good morning!” Montgomery said. Much too cheery. Forced bravado.
Hector and Raquel exchanged a glare.
“It’s done,” Raquel said.
“Oh,” Montgomery said. Momentarily thrown off. Quick recovery. “Well, excellent, though that wasn’t why I was calling.”
“Yes it was,” Raquel said. Noticed Hector’s knuckles grow whiter against the steering wheel.
Montgomery paused. Mumbled something incoherent. “Yes, well, thank you. Of course, payment was sent last night.”
Neither said anything.
Overhead, a freeway sign pointed them towards the outer belt and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“Listen,” Montgomery said. “I know this experience was a bit rocky, that we were forced to revisit our plans a couple of times.
“I did want to again thank you for your flexibility and let you know it was an absolute pleasure.”
Hector smirked silently.
Raquel snorted derisively.
The call ended abruptly.
Hector changed lanes. Continued following the signs towards the airport.
Raquel stared out the window. Turned a strand of hair around her finger.
“How much?” she asked. “How much money do you think it takes to think you are completely insulated?”
Hector smirked again. “I don’t know. But however much he has, it isn’t enough.”
A thin smile stretched across Raquel’s face.
“You promise?”
Hector matched the smile. Said nothing.
Overhead, the sign welcoming them to SEA-TAC International Airport passed by.
Five minutes later, they parted ways.
Hector to park the car in the long-term lot. It would be weeks before anybody noticed the rental there. Once they did, they would trace it back to a credit card for a man that didn’t exist.
Raquel headed on into the terminal. Went straight to the Virgin Atlantic ticket counter.
Dead Peasants (Zoo Crew series Book 2) Page 20