by R. B. Conroy
Willie had already had some success in robbing Dr. Stone. He had stolen a diamond ring from his jewelry box in the master bedroom and pawned it for 5K not too long ago. The box was chock full of jewelry and Willie purposely chose a ring that was in the bottom of the box and didn’t seem to be getting much attention. He didn’t think the doctor would miss it, and so far, he apparently had not. The doctor’s friendly demeanor toward Willie had remained the same. If he did know that the ring was missing, he wasn’t blaming Willie. He had used the money to pay Tubs the twenty-five hundred he owed him and he was using the rest to fuel his nasty drug habit.
Earlier this morning, Willie had opened his sock drawer and counted out the three remaining hundreds from the five thousand he had put in the drawer after pawning the ring. That would only fund his habit a couple more days, then he would have to beg his pusher for credit, which he hated to do. The pusher would advance him the drugs for a few days, but if he didn’t pay up right away, he would cut Willie off from his coke supply and threaten him with serious bodily injury.
The phone conversation at Dr. Stone’s house was mind boggling. Willie now had a shot at a quarter of a million dollars if he played his cards right. He would have to muster up all of his limited creative resources to pull this one off, but he had to do it. With that amount of money at stake, he had no choice but to try and get his hands on that two-fifty. And even though Dr. Stone had become somewhat of a father figure to him over the past several weeks, he, regrettably, would have to leave this planet. Willie would wait a few days for the new will to be typed and then make his move.
Nearing the outskirts of The Villages, Willie flipped on his turn signal and exited south onto the always busy Highway 441 for his trip back to Orlando. All sorts of devious plots to rid the world of Dr. Stone were flashing through his mind. Suddenly, a wave of guilt rushed through him. Dr. Stone had been very kind to him. How could he do such a thing? He felt around on the seriously cluttered console between the front seats and located a partially smoked joint. He stuck it in his mouth and then felt around for his green Bic lighter. He found the lighter and lit up. He took several huge drags on the stale weed and held the hot smoke in his lungs as long as possible. His head felt fuzzy, his feelings of guilt began to lessen. After several seconds, he exhaled the remnants of the hot smoke and slipped on his sunglasses. Willie was surprised at how attached he had become to the kindly doctor. He had to do this, but he knew now that he couldn’t do it himself. He had to find somebody else to do his dirty work.
All of a sudden, a light went on in Willie’s pot-infected mind. Tito, maybe Tito can help me! The dark, brooding yard worker had become somewhat of a friend of Willie’s. Willie liked to run with tough guys in case one of his many enemies, like Tubs, tried to come after him. Tito was a powerfully built young man who could provide Willie with plenty of protection if the situation ever called for it. He felt safe as he frequented the many white and Hispanic night spots getting high and chasing skirts with the pugilistic Tito. And Tito had made no bones about his hatred for the rich gringos that lived in The Villages. He would flash a nasty grin and say, “I would like to kill the bastards, but I like their money.” Also, Tito had often spoke of his dream to buy his own customized Chevy Impala like his cousin Jesus owned. “If I had an Impala I could get all the snatch I wanted. The Mexicali girls all love the low-riders,” he repeatedly said to Willie.
Tito was an illegal and Willie knew it. He also knew that he needed fifteen thousand to get the Impala he wanted. Willie could pay Tito fifteen thousand to kill Dr. Stone and still have a fortune left for himself. With no official paper trail on illegals, Tito could hop in his fancy low-rider and go back to Mexico if things got hot. The trail would soon go cold and like Willie had seen so many other times, the authorities would eventually drop the case. Willie felt as if he had found his patsy. It was a perfect way to get his inheritance and not have to do the job himself, but first he must convince Tito of his plan. He would call him and make plans to go out with him tonight.
Chapter 30
Willie ogled the firm backside of the sexy waitress as she led him through the crowded dinning area and out to the long deck that overlooked Lake Sumter. Overjoyed by the revelations at Dr. Joe’s house earlier in the day, he had snorted a couple of lines before leaving Orlando to meet Tito at Cody’s in The Villages. He had requested the outside deck because it would be more private than the main dining room. It would be a good place to have a heart to heart with Tito.
The waitress smiled, “Will anyone be joining you?”
“Yea, a friend will be here shortly.”
“Wonderful.” She laid two menus on the table. “Something to drink while you are waiting on your friend?”
“Rum and coke please and bring my friend a Bud Light. He will be here shortly.” Willie’s stubble-covered face broke into a flirtatious smile.
“Rum and coke and Bud Light coming up.” Unaffected by Willie’s clumsy attempt at flirting, the business-like waitress hurried off.
A stiff breeze rolled across the lake drawing Willie’s attention to the rippling water just beyond the deck. He hoped the cool air blowing across the lake might sober him up a little before Tito arrived. He looked across the water at the long beautiful fairways of the Arnold Palmer golf course that ran along the shore line on the far side of Lake Sumter. He had suggested Cody’s because he loved the view and it would be convenient for Tito who lived just outside The Villages in Oxford.
“Hey gringo, wake-up!” Tito barked.
Willie spun around to greet the aggressive Tito. “Tito, what’s happening, man!”
“Dunno, my gringo drinking buddy ask me to meet him at Cody’s, so here I am.” The ruggedly handsome Tito was dressed in tight blue jeans and a light-blue silk shirt, covered with sombreros of varying sizes. He slid out of the chair and sat down.
“I ordered you a Bud Light, hope that’s okay.”
Tito nodded.
The waitress arrived and set their drinks on the table. “Ready to order?”
“We may have a drink or two first, if you don’t mind.”
“No problem. I’ll keep you supplied with drinks and you can let me know when you are ready to order.”
“You’re a sweetheart.” Willie tossed the waitress a pathetically forced grin and once again she ignored the clumsy gesture and hurried off.
“You horny tonight or what?” Tito snapped.
“Naw, just complimenting the help,” Willie replied.
“She think you full of shit!” Tito laughed out loud.
Willie ignored the jabs from his hard-edged friend. He took a sip of his rum and coke and leaned forward. “There’s something we need to discuss.”
Tito’s brow raised.
Willie looked around to be sure no one was listening and then he leaned even closer, resting on his elbows just a short distance from Tito’s broad face. “I think I’ve found a way to get you that low-rider you’ve always wanted,” he said quietly.
“Don’t play with me, gringo, or I kick your ass.”
“No, no, I’m serious. I have a plan that will get you the fifteen grand you need to buy yourself that Impala.”
Tito scanned Willie’s face up and down. He appeared to be suspicious, but still very absorbed in what Willie had just said. “Okay, shoot.”
Willie took a deep breath. His eyes looked away from Tito’s fierce glare for a second and then fastened again on him. “This plan must be just between you and me, no one must ever know about it.”
Tito glowered, “This sounds serious.”
“It is, but it will be good for you.” Willie looked around one last time. Satisfied that no one could hear him, he continued, “I was at the doc’s house today and I overheard him talking to his attorney on the phone and I couldn’t believe what I heard.” Willie paused to be sure he had Tito’s full attention.
“Okay, okay, what he say?”
“He told his attorney to leave my mom a hundred thousand in h
is will and to leave me thirty thousand.” Not trusting the aggressive Tito, Willie lied about the amounts being left to him and his mother. He wanted the volatile Tito to think that Willie was giving him half of his inheritance and not just a small part.
A skeptical Tito shook his head. “That’s a lot of money. I’m not surprised that he is leaving your mother money, they are a couple, but I don’t know why he would leave you anything.”
A cocky grin appeared on Willie’s face. “He likes me. I’m very nice to him, I kiss ass all the time.”
Now it was Tito’s turn to be certain that no one was listening. He scanned the room and then leaned in a little closer and whispered, “I think you want me to kill the rich gringo because you don’t want to do it yourself.”
Without commenting, Willie continued to stare at Tito.
Tito went on, “I think you lie about the amount you will get. I don’t think you give me half.”
Willie squirmed in his seat, “I didn’t lie, but what difference does it make if you get enough to buy your nice low-rider?”
Tito’s dark eyes narrowed. “So, I take all of the chances and I get fifteen thousand. You do nothing and you get the same or more. Is that right?”
“Where else are you going to get that kind of money? With what Jesus pays you, it will take you ten years to save that amount of money. I am offering you a chance to buy the car of your dreams. Think about it man, you would look awfully cool buzzing around Orlando in that fancy Impala. The chicks would love it. They would all be trying to get in bed with you.”
Tito fell back in his chair and took a long swig of his beer and then banged it on the table. “Shit man! I think we are going out chasing snatch tonight and now I find out that you want me to keel somebody. I feel like kicking your ass just for the hell of it.”
“Sorry man, but there’s no easy way to tell you about this, is there?”
Tito’s chin fell against his chest. “How do I explain to Jesus and Pedro where I got the money? They know I don’t have shit.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve thought about that and I think I have an answer for them.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“They are both related to you on your dad’s side. Is that right?”
“Yes, our fathers are brothers.”
“Then it’s easy man. It happens all the time. You just tell them that some distant relative on your mom’s side, who lives in Texas, died and left you the money. That’s all. They’ll be happy for you.”
Tito stared down at the floor. There was a disturbingly long break in the conversation. Willie froze in his seat, uncertain of how this was going over with Tito. Finally, Tito spoke very quietly without raising his eyes, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“You’ll what? I couldn’t hear you.”
“I said I’ll do it. I don’t like that little fat gringo anyway.”
“Great! You won’t regret it, my friend.” Thrilled, Willie continued, “Here’s the plan.”
Tito downed the rest of his beer. “Okay, go ahead.”
“The security at The Villages is really good so you will have to be very careful.” Willie felt someone bump against his back.
“Excuse me,” a white haired lady pushed by Willie and sat down at the table next to them. Willie watched as three more ladies filled the nearby table. He tipped his head toward the front door of Cody’s. “Let’s get out of here; the people are getting too close. We can talk in my car in the parking lot.”
Tito nodded in agreement. Willie downed his rum and coke and signaled to the waitress that he wanted the check.
Chapter 31
A cluster of gangly palms rustled in the cool evening breeze. Gas carts buzzed past on Lakeshore Drive as Willie and Tito wove their way across the busy parking lot across from Cody’s and crawled into his beat-up Honda. The vinyl seat, warmed by the evening sun, felt good on Willie’s backside. Tito settled into the passenger’s seat and then turned toward Willie. In the smallish car, it seemed like Tito’s face was only inches away from his. His dark steely eyes bore in on Willie. Willie was unnerved by the savageness in Tito’s stare.
Tito spoke first, “So tell me, what is this plan?”
Willie lowered the visor to block the glare from the setting sun and looked through the driver’s side window temporarily avoiding Tito’s glare. “Security is tight here in The Villages, we both know that. A young man, especially a dark-skinned Latino, driving around in The Villages after hours would definitely draw the attention of the guards at the entry gates. They would be suspicious and they would probably call the Community Watch right away. We have to find a way to get you to Dr. Joe’s house and back without being seen by anyone. It can be done, but it won’t be easy.”
“What about the day time, maybe I could get lost in the shuffle so to speak.”
Willie shook his head, “No way man! You’re not using….”
An angry Tito reached toward Willie, grabbing him by the face and squeezing hard on his cheeks. “So I’m the dumb Spic, is that what you say? I’m too stupid to figure things out? The smart gringo has to do it?”
A shocked Willie struggled to speak through his fish shaped mouth, “Let g…go damn it, somebody might see us!”
Tito grunted an obscenity and then released his vice-like grip. He fell back against his seat still fuming.
Willie took a big breath and tried to collect himself after the sudden assault. “You’re a smart guy, Tito. It’s just that I have been thinking about this all day. I want to get this done without anyone getting caught. I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
Tito shook his head, “I better not get caught or your ass is grass.”
Willie grinned nervously, “You won’t get caught.”
Willie waited for Tito to calm down and then continued, choosing his words very carefully. “There is way too much activity in The Villages during the day. It would be almost impossible for you to get to and from his house without being noticed by someone. Dr. Stone’s neighbors might recognize you from doing his lawn. Besides, you would be working during the day.”
“I could take a day off.”
“Even if you took a day off, when the police begin investigating the crime later on, they will start by looking at anyone who had access to or worked at the house. You would be checked out right away. If they find out that you were off that day, it would send up a giant red flag.”
“Red flag, blue flag. Go ahead with your stupid plan.”
Willie scooted a little closer to the door, putting as much space between himself and the volatile Tito as possible. “I know Dr. Stone well. I know his habits and I know the layout of his house.”
Tito was staring straight ahead, but he appeared to be listening closely to Willie.
“Dr. Stone goes to bed around 10:30 every night, so I think we should plan to be there around midnight. He will be snoring away by then. To get to his house without passing a sentry, you will need to drive to Wildwood and come across 466A and exit north on Buena Vista and then exit west onto Bailey Trail. You will be coming in from the south instead of the north and there is no guard at that gate. Just get in the left lane and push the red button to open the gate. Follow Baily all the way around to Sunset Ridge Drive.”
Tito snapped back, “I know, I know, I watch Pedro do it a million times.”
“Okay great. After you pass through the gate, there’s probably gonna be a Community Watch truck patrolling that area, so it is very important that you drive the speed limit--not too slow or not too fast so you won’t draw attention to yourself. If you get to the house and back without seeing the watch guys, we should be home free.”
“What if I do see one? Like you say, he will be suspicious of a Latino in The Villages at midnight.” Tito looked at Willie with anxious eyes.
“That’s easy. If they see you and start to follow you to the doc’s house, you just drive on past Sunset Ridge Drive and turn left into Cane Garden Country Club parking lot. There will be several other cars with
young guys in them waiting on their wives to get off work at the Cane restaurant about that time. Just pull in next to the other cars like you are waiting on your wife or girlfriend to get off work. I have seen husbands and boyfriends there several times after midnight waiting for their wives. You can wait there for awhile and then determine if you want to continue on or abort the plan. You can call me one time by cell and we can discuss what to do at that time. It’s better to abort and regroup later than to take a chance on getting caught. One cell phone call at night between two guys who know each other would not create suspicion.”
“What if I go ahead with the job and the watch guy sees me on the way out?”
Willie grimaced, “That will be a little trickier. Then you will have no country club to pull into to help cover your ass. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but if it does, you must act normal, keep your eyes straight ahead, and drive no higher than the speed limit. Even though you may draw attention, they have no right to stop you if you are not breaking the law.”
“Yes, but those gringos aren’t stupid. They will take my license number.”
Willie smiled. “No sweat, I have a phony plate you can use for the night. I don’t think they will take down your number if you aren’t doing anything wrong, but if they do they will find that the plate belongs to a man from Ohio who has been dead for six months.”
A slight grin spread across Tito’s face, “You think of everything. You’re not as stupid as I thought.” Genuinely surprised by Willie’s attention to detail, he stared at him for a moment as if trying to figure out who this guy was sitting next to him and then he continued, “Okay, so I get in and out, but what about when I’m in the house? Do you have a gun I can use?”
“Yes, I have a brand new .38 and it has a silencer on it so the neighbors won’t hear it go off. Can you shoot a gun? Do you have any experience?”