At a nearby florist shop, I bought a dozen yellow roses for Rebecca, my return of a thoughtful gesture she’d once made to me.
She was in a private room. I’d had C.J. see to that. As I strode to the elevator, the woman at the reception desk waved like she knew me. Once aboard, I fluffed the roses so they’d look their best. A gray haired woman in blue hospital garb flashed me a bemused smile before she stepped off one floor below Rebecca’s.
I inquired at the nurses’ station, where they directed me to a corner room down the hall and to my right. I stopped short in front of an empty chair that rested against the wall outside her door. Where was the guard? I knocked and poked my head inside. Rebecca sat propped up in bed watching the overhead television.
“Are you decent?” I said.
“Gabe!” She smiled and stretched out her arms.
I moved to embrace her but the roses got in my way. We shared a joyful, awkward moment before she took the flowers and plopped them in a water pitcher beside her bed.
“They’re lovely, Gabe.” She pulled one rose out of the bunch and fingered the stem before inhaling its fragrance.
“How are you? When will you be out of here? I was afraid I’d lost you.”
“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” she said. “You, of all people, should know that by now.”
“I do. You’re the strongest woman I know.”
“Thanks. Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll be here for another day or two at least. Still have a lousy headache. And my legs are a bit wobbly.”
“If there’s anything you need, just give me a call.”
“Actually, I’m being looked after rather well…” The tone in her voice was suggestive.
“If you mean the cops, I should tell you that the chair in the hall is empty. I was told they’d be protecting you but—”
“They are,” she interrupted. Rebecca looked beyond my right shoulder. “Come on in, Darrell. It’s Gabe.”
Officer Jackson entered with two slices of chocolate cake on a single plate and a cup of coffee. “Hello, Mr. McKenna. Nice of you to drop by.” He put the food and drink on the bedside table next to my flowers.
His clothes were disheveled and he hadn’t shaved in a while. Even his buzz-cut looked messy. “How long have you been here?” I snitched a finger of frosting from one of the cake slices.
“Ever since we brought Rebecca in. Except for when I drove home to change into my jeans and hoodie.”
“He’s using up his vacation days to stay with me. Isn’t he sweet?”
“Well,” I said, mostly to myself, “you two certainly surprised me. May I?” I pointed to the coffee.
“Sure,” Rebecca said. “And we have another surprise for you.”
“Oh? What’s that?” I slurped the lukewarm brew.
“We’re getting married.”
I managed to swallow without choking, but all I could utter was a weak, “What?”
Rebecca laughed and looked at the blushing Jackson. “I told you he’d be shocked!”
“Well, well…” I bought a few seconds to regain my composure. “I wish you every happiness. You know that.” I shook Jackson’s hand. “Congratulations.” Then I bent down and kissed Rebecca’s cheek.
“Darrell,” she said, “will you go get me a pitcher of water? Oh, and I’ve changed my mind. I think I’d like a Diet Pepsi with my cake instead of coffee.”
“Anything you want, dear.” Jackson disappeared down the corridor.
I turned to Rebecca. “Sounds like you’ve been married for years.”
She brushed off my remark. “Gabe, I wanted a minute alone with you. I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
“When Darrell and I get married, will you give me away at the altar? You’re the closest thing I’ve got to a real father. Please?”
I sat down on the bed and took her hand in mine. “Nothing in this world would give me greater pleasure. And the honeymoon is on me.”
Rebecca threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. We stayed like that and said nothing more. When I finally drew away, tears rolled down her cheeks. She kissed my hand.
My eyes welled up. I took a couple of deep breaths. “I should have worn my fucking shades.” I turned toward the door just as Darrell reappeared with a can of Diet Pepsi and a silver water pitcher. “Come with me a second,” I said, and backed him out into the hall.
“What is it?”
I stared at him and spoke in a forceful whisper. “You take good care of her. I’d hate to have to kill you.”
“Yessir. I will, sir.”
I got out of the elevator and headed outside. The late morning sun warmed the air. The frigid wind of the past few days lingered only in memory.
At my bank, however, Mr. Woolsey the Branch Manager was downright frosty when I informed him that the half million dollars would not be returning to my account.
Maria looked up in surprise when I walked into the El Camino diner just before noon.
“Did you forget something this morning, Señor?”
“No. I’m here for lunch.” My smile spread to her face. “I’ve always believed that you can’t get too much of a good thing. Is Lieutenant Archuleta here yet?”
“Your policeman friend?” She nodded to her left. “In the booth by the front window.”
“Thanks, Maria.” I slid in across from Sam and got right down to business. “So when do I get my car back?”
Sam pushed the menu across to me. “Oh yeah. I forgot that every couple of months you feel the need to total your Land Cruiser. Let me check on that and get back to you. Want your .38 back too, I suppose.”
“Keep the gun.”
“Smart.”
“And I promise you, no more surprises from now on.”
“That’s good,” Sam said. Then he paused. “Now I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“This seems to be a day for surprises. Shoot.”
“I’ve thought it over. I’ve decided to retire from APD.”
He could have knocked me over with a single puff of smoke. “You? Retire? Why?”
“Mahatma. That old bag got off three rounds at me from close range. If she hadn’t been such a pitiful shot, I would have retired right there on her living room rug.”
“I saw what happened. You took an extra second to aim carefully so you could stop the old lady without killing her. That’s commendable.”
He clicked his lighter on and off; on and off. “That kind of soft-headed response will get me killed next time. I’ve lost my edge. I’m going out alive, my friend. And, if you read today’s paper, I’m going out on top, too.”
Sam referred to the front page of The Albuquerque Journal, where his tough-guy countenance appeared under the headline “Heroic Local Cop Cracks Nationwide Crime Ring.” I wondered how many shades of red Carlson was wearing on his face today.
Maria came by. We ordered two combination plates and two beers. Sam added a side of carne adovada.
He put the lighter back in his coat pocket. “Just one thing…”
“What’s that?”
“Loose ends. I don’t like ’em.”
“Oh.”
“There’s the not so little matter of—”
“Stop,” I said. “Don’t you think I’ve realized it too? My own aunt.”
Sam held up a finger to stop me. Maria brought our beers and disappeared into the kitchen.
I took a chug and looked across the table. “That first body was Joseph Force Crater. Nellie had to be involved with him. All those weekly deposits—”
“That ended just about the time Dr. Holtzmann tells me Crater was killed.”
“I know, Sam. Crater bought the farm and Nellie bought the house. Or somebody from Klein Associates gave it to her. Mahatma knew her, too. Any way you slice it, my great aunt was on the inside.” I took another swallow of beer. “Hard to believe a member of my own family—”
“Relax, Gabe. We’re going to close this case and let that fl
oat. What you do with all her money is up to you. Me, I’m going fishing.”
“I’m going to miss you, Lieutenant.”
“You think so?” he said. “I have this dreadful foreboding that our paths will cross again. And probably sooner, rather than later.”
“That may be. Look, how about we get together one last time to celebrate your retirement? We could meet at one of those e-cig joints. You could vape while I nurse a club soda.”
“In a pig’s eye.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The morning sky of December 12th cloaked Albuquerque in a mantle of unrelenting gray. Thirty-mile-per-hour wind gusts brought a chill to the air and a hint of an impending winter storm, our first of the season.
I came into my house through the front door and put down the mallet I’d used to post a “For Sale” sign out by the street. The library phone rang. I was expecting a call from my real estate agent. Nope. It was Carol Something-or-Other, my travel agent.
“Your airline tickets are in the mail. Three seats together in Row 4. The fourth seat is right across the aisle.”
“Great.” Matty could sit between his mom and his Nana. I’d have extra room for my legs.
“Your hotel reservation is all set. Two adjoining suites. I got you a limo from and to the airport. It’ll all be in the envelope.”
“Wonderful, Carol. I thank you.”
“You should. You have any idea how hard it is to get good flights to New York and accommodations over Christmas? One last question, Professor.”
“What’s that?”
“How come you’re not staying over for New Year’s Eve? You know, Times Square, the ball, all that?”
I sighed and sat down in the chair. “This has been one hell of a year for me. I need to celebrate the end of it quietly. No excitement. At home. Just me and my family.”
I reached into the drawer for my checkbook and booted up my computer. The online banking page showed a balance of $24,236.16 in checking. Enough for our trip to New York and Rebecca’s honeymoon. Enough to get me by after that. For a while, anyway.
I clicked on my savings account, where I kept the rest of the money I’d inherited from Aunt Nellie. The balance read $412,325.05. I did an online electronic transfer of the full amount into my checking. Then I picked up my Mont Blanc and wrote a check to the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico in the amount of $412,325.05 for leukemia research.
I slipped the check into an envelope, attached a stamp and bent down to lick the flap. I stopped. Let it sit there on my desktop for now. There’d be plenty of time to mail it on Monday morning when I went out to look for a job.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
I drove downtown and stopped off at a bar for a quickie before heading to Nai’ya’s place for the night.
It was the El Tapado, the same bar I’d visited the day I inherited Aunt Nellie’s estate six months before. The place was just as cold today, just as unwelcoming. And just as on that day, there was only one other patron—a sinister hulk of a man seated off in the shadows at the far end of the bar, all the way down by the bathrooms.
I got the barkeep’s attention and ordered a double Black Bush. I savored it, reflecting on the joy I felt for my family and Rebecca. And on all the misery and violence of the past ten days.
The giant at the end of the bar interrupted my reverie. “Bartender!” he snarled. “Another!”
It was Sergeant Crawford. I glanced at him, but made no other move. He gazed my way, all watery eyes and blank, puffy face. I don’t think he even saw me. His massive frame and threatening bulk seemed to be receding, like a ripened grape shriveling into a raisin.
“Bartender,” I said. “That man’s next drink is on me.” I looked at Crawford once more and tipped my glass.
“Get lost.” He slugged down his drink and turned away toward the shadows.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert D Kidera’s debut novel, “Red Gold” received the Tony Hillerman Award for Best Fiction of 2015, and won Best Mystery of 2015, and Best eBook at the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards.
“Red Gold” is the first novel in the Gabe McKenna Mystery series from Suspense Publishing. Its sequel, “Get Lost,” will be released on March 8, 2016. A third volume, “Cut.Print.Kill.” will follow.
After an early fling in the motion picture industry and a long and successful career in academia, Kidera retired in 2010. With his desire to play major league baseball no longer a realistic dream, he chose to fulfill his other lifelong ambition and became a writer. He is a member of Southwest Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the International Thriller Writers organizations.
The author lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife Annette and two cats, Otis and Woody. He has two daughters, a grandson, and granddaughter.
PRAISE FOR “RED GOLD”
THE FIRST VOLUME IN THE GABE MCKENNA MYSTERY SERIES
“RED GOLD,” the first Gabe McKenna Mystery, debuted in April of 2015 from Suspense Publishing. It was named winner of the Tony Hillerman Award for Best Fiction, Best Mystery, and Best eBook at the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards for 2015.
Here’s what noted authors have said about this award-winning mystery:
“Author Robert D. Kidera owes me big time. His debut novel in the promised McKenna Mystery series, ‘Red Gold,’ kept me up all night. Who can resist a good old-fashioned treasure hunt? ‘Red Gold’ is a thriller packed with deceit and danger but also compassion. McKenna is a damaged hero, but also one to root for.”
—Vincent Zandri, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of “Everything Burns,” “The Remains,” and “The Shroud Key”
“If you enjoy first-class suspense and an author with a unique voice and style, then you will love ‘Red Gold.’ This novel is a masterful blend of mystery, action, and love story, all wrapped up in a wonderful cast of characters and beautifully-described scenes of New Mexico. Robert Kidera’s first novel is a real treat that will have readers demanding more.”
—Joseph Badal, Award-winning Author of the Danforth Saga
“In his stunning debut novel, Robert Kidera takes readers on a wild ride through New Mexico as a troubled professor gets caught up in the search for lost gold. Filled with lush detail and packed with thrills, ‘Red Gold’ grabs the reader and refuses to let go. Fans will look forward to more books featuring widowed protagonist Gabe McKenna.”
—Steve Brewer, Author of the Bubba Mabry Mysteries
“The often-told tale of lost gold, a treasure map, and various people attempting to find it, never grows old. And Kidera’s ‘Red Gold’ mystery is no exception. Kidera’s dialogue rings true and his descriptions allow readers to taste the dirt of a Southwest sandstorm, feel the prickly heat of late spring, relax in the cool of an adobe house. Gabe McKenna, laden with emotional baggage, arrives in Albuquerque from New York. In the process of settling his inherited estate, he discovers a map, hints of treasure and most importantly—himself. ‘Red Gold’ is a traditional story turned on its head and, oh so well written! Fast paced, plot twists at every turn, humor thrown in at just the right moments, Kidera’s debut novel is one that keeps pages turning. “Red Gold” is a gem.”
—Melody Groves, Award-winning Author of The Colton Brothers Saga
“Robert D. Kidera has written a winning mystery that incorporates the spirit of Raymond Chandler and his characters with an authentic feel for Albuquerque and many other places in New Mexico. Kidera has a native’s eye for quirky details in characters, architecture, and natural features of the Land of Enchantment. The suspense begins to build in the first chapter and Kidera never takes his foot off the pedal. The search for ‘Red Gold’ will evoke comparisons to B. Traven’s ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.’ Be there for the exciting finish.”
—Robert Kresge, Author of the Warbonnet Historical Mysteries and the Civil War Spy Thriller “Saving Lincoln” (Winner of the 2014 Tony Hillerman/Best Fiction Award)
Stay up-to-date with each new story by visiting http://w
ww.robertkiderabooks.com/
Or follow the latest developments in this series at the online author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-D.-Kidera/e/B00IP23642/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
Table of Contents
GET LOST
COPYRIGHT
PRAISE FOR “GET LOST”
GET LOST
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PRAISE FOR “RED GOLD”
Get Lost Page 23