For some odd reason, I remembered the bumper sticker I had seen on the bar in Florida. It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality it was just a little more than a week ago. ‘Cast not others on the devil’s side of heaven, lest you be cast in with them.’
I looked over at Ronald again and wondered, not for the first time, if I had cast myself in with the devil.
Chapter 35
By the time Jenny and Sam had reached the entrance to the Grand Mesa it had started to rain. The cool night air had hovered around freezing since nightfall but hadn’t crossed the threshold for snow. Jenny couldn’t help but think that someone should have told the roads that. She had grown up in the Deep South where, as a child, she could only remember her father becoming concerned with ice-covered roads a few times. Sam was from Washington State, so he was at least familiar with winter driving. Jenny had hoped when the roads had started to become slick that Sam would look over at her with that nauseating schoolboy crooked grin of his and assure her that everything was as right as rain. But he never took his eyes off the road. His white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel only added to her worries.
Sam had consulted several online maps before they had set out for the cabin up in the mountains and discovered that only Highway 65 corkscrewed its way up and over the Grand Mesa. It appeared on the screen as a paved two-lane blacktop that started about four miles east of Delta, off of Highway 92. The windy road made its way across the Mesa and past Powderhorn, the area’s only ski resort on the North side. Then it traversed through the town of Mesa and then down the other side, where it came out on I-70 in Debeque Canyon, about fifteen miles east of Grand Junction.
During the day the scenery on the Delta side was resplendent with brown colored adobes, which then turned gradually into the bright green of Douglas firs and shimmering white husks of the quaky Aspen trees. However, on the Debeque Canyon side, the entrance to the Grand Mesa had the sterling Book Cliffs. Their adobe mud mixed in with the brown colored rocks at its base, and then rose majestically into the air until its peaks stood shoulder to shoulder with the iconic Grand Mesa on the other side of the Colorado River. Locals and tourists alike were always in awe of the beauty that they encountered when they drove either through the canyon or up into the Grand Mesa National Forest.
At night, however, the landscape was altogether different. On a moonless night, it was like stepping into the abyss. The high peaks created shadows which kept any hint of moonlight at bay. When rainclouds emptied their contents down onto the unsuspecting landscape below, the road could go from safe and passable to unpredictable and out-and-out dangerous without any notice at all. Jenny squirmed in her seat and kept looking from the road to Sam. She was tempted to say something about his speed around the blind corners and had even started to speak up at one point, but Sam’s hand had shot out and he had wagged his finger at her to silence any concern she might have voiced.
At the top of the Grand Mesa was a visitor center. Sam turned east here and headed towards the Alexander Lake Lodge, driving onto a graveled road and carefully navigating the next four miles. A small parking lot sat out front of the lodge itself. Even though it was dark and raining they could still see rental cabins on both sides, and even further up the hill the small dining area, which had both open-air and closed-in facilities, was now bathed in darkness. During the winter and spring months, the parking lot and some of the trails leading up to the cabins were maintained. There were other areas of the lodge which catered to those who either brought their own snow machines or were willing to rent snowmobiles by the day or the hour.
The road up to Fritz’s cabin was private and not maintained by the lodge, which meant the only way to get there would either be via the Snowcat Fritz had bought to take him between the parking lot and the lodge, or by using snowshoes, which they could pick up from the rental shop during the day. However, as the rental shop was closed, it was either try and wade through chest-high snow or drive one of the two Snowcats up to his cabin.
There were many cabins situated past the lodge. They ranged from small summer cabins to cabins that were designed for winter stays. A few of the year-round cabins had propane tanks for heat and cooking. Most of the cabins, however, required firewood for cooking and heating and could be considered ‘rustic’, without running water and with outdoor outhouses. A few of the cabins did have electricity. The rustic cabins all had to carry their water from somewhere. However, Fritz had paid to have both water and electricity run up the three miles to his cabin. The resort normally stayed snowed-in until the middle of June, but an early spring warming trend had taken down enough snow to expose the tops of low-lying bushes.
The makeshift winter road that the Snowcats took went up a steep four percent grade for a mile and a half before it reached a plateau which then leveled off and spread out, giving him ten acres of prime land that looked out over the lodge itself and the valley below. The gravel road which wound its way upwards for three miles was used in the summer and was rarely used during the snowy season.
The cabin Fritz had paid to have built was designed by him. The sprawling five-thousand, five-hundred square feet came complete with a spiral staircase, six bedrooms with private bathrooms; and a main kitchen in the back which was large enough to accommodate a staff of ten chefs and wait staff. Off the kitchen, a door led to a state-of-the-art gym and off of that, he had installed an in-ground hot tub and pool, with a large sky view that could be retracted. A dry and wet sauna also featured, which was unique in the fact that you could enter it without having to leave the hot tub.
Upstairs, the master bedroom not only came with a closed-in balcony that spanned the entire face of the cabin and was equipped with heat and air-conditioning, but he could also throw open a set of windows and French doors, which allowed for the unobstructed views of one-hundred-and-eighty degrees of scenery. For those times when he wished for complete privacy, Fritz had also included a private kitchen.
Every time Jenny and Sam had been to the cabin, it always felt opulent and open. Now it felt closed off and more like a prison than a luxurious cabin.
The two men who were guarding Fritz had loaded him into a Snowcat and driven him up the winding road to the cabin instead of the normal route the Snowcats took. Jenny had tried in vain to reach what was left of Pete’s agents who, like Jenny and Sam, worked on the far reaches of the law. Out of the six who she knew were in town and available, four had told her they weren’t interested in making a stand against two men whom, as far as they were concerned, weren’t a real threat. The other two hadn’t answered her at all.
She wasn’t surprised. Most of the men who had worked directly for Pete Silas had loyalties that only extended to their last paycheck and the thought of getting entangled in an all-out war and quite possibly going to jail because of it didn’t strike them as a marketable skill. Sam had his own qualms about the road they were headed down but had decided to keep his own counsel on the matter.
By the time they reached the cabin, it was too late for Tony and Scott to leave and Fritz was nervously pacing in front of the fireplace with an automatic bouncing against his leg. Tony had pulled Sam aside and asked what was going on. Sam shrugged and had spoken vaguely about a threat they had received.
Scott, on the other hand, had been pessimistic and had voiced his thoughts rather loudly about the late night trip into the wilderness.
Jenny had told all of them to knock it off and to make sure the house was secure. They began taking shifts for the remainder of the night.
Fritz had taken her by the elbow into his master bedroom and had asked her when the rest of his security would arrive. She had danced around it until he finally had to cut her off and demand an answer. Her response hadn’t gone down particularly well.
“Why do I pay these tough guys in the first place if I can’t count on them?” he asked her hotly.
“Sir, the truth is these guys are in it for the money and the anonymity Pete gave them.”
“Anonymity? You can
’t be serious? These guys have been breaking bones and much worse than that for a long time. Now they develop a conscience?”
“Fritz, these guys are professionals and as far as they are concerned, this is about revenge and nothing else.”
“So why are you here then?”
“Sam’s here because we’re partners and I’m here because Ronald and his ex-cop buddy killed Pete.”
He nodded and rubbed his hands across his face. “So you’re committed?”
“Until one of us is dead, yeah, I’m committed.”
“So what happens now?”
“May not be a bad idea to call the cops and tell them about the threat you’re facing.”
He shook his head. “No, this stays personnel for now. Besides, what do we really have on them in the way of evidence?”
“I’ve got a picture Jacobs sent to me?”
“How do we know it came from him?”
“We don’t. But it’s all we’ve got.”
“I’ve been watching the news all night. So far Pete’s murder hasn’t been discovered,” he said dejectedly.
“Then we hole up for now and see what the day brings. In the morning you call in and tell your assistant something came up and you will be out of pocket for a day or two. If they don’t show up by then, we’re going to have to come up with a new plan of attack.”
“What about Tony and Scott?”
“Cut them loose in the morning. Tell them to return to the office but don’t let on that anything is amiss.”
“Scott’s out there fuming and threatening to call the law or worse.”
“Sam and I will take care of them. You worry about keeping everyone else in the dark about where we are and what you’re doing.”
“Take care of it, how?”
“Better you don’t know.”
Fritz started to speak but changed his mind. “Then what do you need from me?”
“Get some rest. We’ll talk more in a few hours.”
“I can’t sleep!”
Jenny smiled sweetly. “Try,” she said and then turned to leave.
“I treated Pete horribly over the years and the thought I got him killed makes me sick to my stomach.”
Jenny turned around at the bedroom door and faced him. “Buyer’s remorse is an ugly thing. Night, night Mr. Washington.” Jenny turned and pulled the door shut behind her.
Suddenly exhausted, Fritz collapsed onto the bed. He thought about all that he had set in motion. His mind wandered over what he and Pete had talked about over the last several months. If he was being honest, Fritz had concealed himself in the knowledge that Pete had orchestrated all of the events that had led to this moment. He had allowed himself to believe that he was insulated against any fallout from what they had talked about. Now though, he wondered why he had allowed his conscience to render itself to the justification of a bible verse.
He closed his eyes again and tried to sleep, but finally gave up and changed into a bathing suit. Maybe a dip in the pool followed by a nice wet sauna would allow him to relax enough to fall asleep.
Jenny left Fritz’s room and went looking for Sam. Tony and Scott were going to have to be dealt with before morning rolled around. The last thing they needed was the cops showing up as their honored guests arrived. She wanted payback for what Jacobs had done to Pete and a little redemption for missing the ex-cop in the parking lot. She couldn’t decide which one she wanted to kill more, or for that matter, which one she would worry about while Sam took care of the other one. What she was crystal clear about though, was that Tony and Scott had seen their last sunset. As she descended the stairs, her eyes swept the large foyer for activity. Finding none, she wrinkled her brow and began looking for the three men she knew to be lurking around. She stopped at the base of the stairs and listened for any sounds. After not picking up on any signs of life, she headed for the kitchen. When it came to men, Jenny always started looking for them in the room with the largest TV. After that, she would branch out to the kitchen and from there, the bathrooms.
When she walked into the kitchen, she was rewarded with the sight of all three of them moving from the fridge to the table. Fritz had made an agreement with the lodge to always have the fridge in both kitchens fully stocked. She shook her head at the predictability of all three of them.
Sam looked up guiltily from the sandwich he was consuming. He was expecting to be met with disapproval, but was happy to see she wasn’t openly mad or hostile. She smiled and then waltzed into the kitchen as if all was right in the world. Tony and Scott looked up from their sandwiches as well. When they saw that Jenny appeared to be happy and unconcerned about anything, they traded a look with each other. Tony shrugged at Scott as if to say “She’s not concerned, then I’m not concerned.”
“I knew I’d find you guys in here,” she smiled.
Tony and Scott again looked at one another. They both shrugged again and Tony said, “What’d you and the big man talk about?”
Jenny shrugged flirtatiously at the question and then moved over towards the fridge. Sam caught the gesture with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. He hesitated and then took a small bite. The flirtatious manner with which she answered the question was a signal that they had worked out between each other years ago. Sam watched her closely for tell markers of what the next play was supposed to be.
He glanced over at the two men to see if they had picked up on it or not. Scott seemed to appear to be unworried but Tony seemed to sense something was up. Sam knew Jenny always carried a two-shot Derringer with her at all times. If there was to be gunplay, then she would call the play that would set things in motion. Sam’s automatic was on the bar in front of him. Nonchalantly, he laid his arms down beside his plate. It was a natural enough move considering the plate and his drink were in front of him, but Tony picked up on it right away and eased away from the island. Now Scott picked up on his partner’s move and lay the sandwich down, his right arm disappearing from view.
Jenny had turned her back away from all of them and seemed to be studying the contents of the fridge. Over her shoulder, she said, “He’s distraught about this new threat that just came in, is all. He wanted us to dig in for the long haul. I told him he was foolish for dragging all of us out here and that he should have stayed with you two at his house in town. I said he should have called the police like Tony’s been saying and let them handle it.”
Out of the two men, Tony was a threat, but Scott was the real problem. He didn’t have the background the other agents who handled the messy assignments had, but Pete had pegged him for bigger and better things and had begun grooming him for those assignments. Sam watched him closely for any sign of violence. Jenny reached into the fridge and pulled out the makings of a sandwich of her own. She never looked back to see if her message had had the intended effect. Turning back around, she carried the fixings to the island and sat them down. No one spoke for a while as she made her sandwich, but all three men watched her closely.
Scott finally spoke up. “So we’re going back down tonight?”
Jenny shook her head. “Pass me the mustard please?”
With his left hand, Scott reached across his body and handed her the mustard. “So, what, this a game show now? We have to keep asking questions to get it all out of you? You could just tell us what the plan is?”
Jenny stopped what she was doing, put both hands over her heart and then batted her eyes at him. She giggled and said, “Sheez, Scott, who knew you were so edgy?”
Sam caught the move right away; putting her hands over her heart was the second signal. She was telegraphing the move to Sam that the action would involve both men. Tony watched Sam closely, but Scott never took his eyes off of her. The air seemed to suddenly get close. The tension went up several notches, but nobody moved.
Jenny dropped her hands to the table and went about making her sandwich. Her hands were the final piece Sam was waiting for. Dropping her hands now set things in motion. Both of these men were to die a
nd soon. He glanced over at both men. Scott’s eyes were locked on Jenny but Tony was watching Sam.
When their eyes met, Tony recoiled and yelled, “Setup!”
The next twelve seconds felt like years. Sam scooped up his gun and swung the barrel towards Scott. Tony nearly tripped over his own feet as he moved to his left and his hands dug for his gun. Scott’s arm glided upwards, the barrel of his gun peaked up over the countertop and was moving towards Jenny. At the same time, his feet pushed off the wall of the island, propelling him backwards. Jenny stepped to her left, which momentarily removed her from the line of fire as her hand reached into her parka for the Derringer.
Sam fired first. The bullet missed Scott but hit Tony in the shoulder, which spun his body around. His second shot caught Tony between his shoulder blades, which knocked him to the floor. Sam’s gun hand began to swing across his body toward Scott.
Jenny had her gun out now and was tracking Scott. Before she could fire, Scott got off a shot of his own, which passed through her parka but missed her entirely. He was in the middle of pulling the trigger a second time when Sam and Jenny fired at the same time: both bullets found their mark. Sam’s bullet hit center mass and Jenny’s landed just over his right eye.
The cordite hung over the room in a heavy fog. Sam stood up carefully and walked over to where Tony lay, firing a round into the back of his head for good measure. When he turned around, Jenny had moved back to where she had been standing before the gunfight and went about making her dinner.
“What kind of chips we got?” she asked innocently.
“Jesus Jenny, that was close. You could have at least given me a heads up.”
“Now where would be the fun in that?”
“So, now what?”
“Well, first I’m having some dinner while you pull these two out onto the back deck. The sight of bodies makes my stomach lurch when I’m trying to eat.”
On The Devil's Side of Heaven Page 34