“Uh, no.” Rachel laughed, shaking Tobler’s hand. “Would you like to join us?”
“I’ll have a cup of coffee, thank you,” Tobler replied as their waitress appeared with Tobler’s order as if by prearranged agreement. “I only noticed one vehicle registered for both of your rooms. Are you all traveling in one vehicle?”
“Yes, we met in Las Vegas and decided to travel together,” Nick answered. “We have business in the East and decided to take the trip in my Escalade.”
“Where at in the East?”
“You ask a lot of questions, lady,” Jean piped in. “Mom says it’s rude to question people.”
Nice one, Danger, Nick gave Rachel a small head shake as he could tell she intended to rebuke Jean.
“Quite right, Jean, I suppose it is,” Tobler admitted. “I apologize if my questions are out of line. Our skirmish with the three young gentlemen last night caused quite a stir. It seems they are indeed responsible for many of the vehicle thefts in the area. The police wondered how I noticed their out of the ordinary behavior.”
“I see,” Nick acknowledged. “Did they have more questions for me?”
“No, I told them what you informed me of last night about the three as if I had noticed the odd behavior and not you. I explained you simply lent a hand when the young men became violent. I wondered if my taking credit for your exemplary perception was out of line?” Tobler watched Nick appraisingly.
“Not at all. The three of us are trying to travel with as little fanfare as possible. I’d rather we didn’t attract any unnecessary attention. Did it help raise your intrinsic value with the police?”
“It did.” Tobler stood up with her coffee. She shook hands with Nick. “I hope you’ll stay with us again in the future.”
“We will. Thanks for the help.”
“It was nice meeting you, Ms. Austen, and your daughter.” Tobler gave Rachel and Jean a small hand wave before turning to walk away.
“I owe you one, Danger,” Nick said. “You sure ended Leslie’s fishing expedition in abrupt fashion.”
“Does this mean we get to stay another day? My friends said they wouldn’t be leaving until tomorrow. They’re visiting family here for another day.”
“We’ll stay another day if I can keep off the police blotter, Danger.”
“Nick, we have some time this morning, can…can we go buy some stuff to play softball with?” Jean continued on a roll. “Mom was going to sign me up for the Mini’s Softball League this year.”
“I did promise to teach her the basics,” Rachel added. “I don’t suppose softball is one of your many talents, is it?”
“I’ve played most sports,” Nick answered. “I’m sure between the two of us, we could give Danger some practice. Deke will, of course, want to play, which could be a hindrance or help, depending on if he retrieves balls, or plays keep away. I do have to spend at least a few hours on research today sometime between baseball and pool parties. I have a couple solid Tanus hits on guys I’m certain they will be using in Florida. They fit the profile with large paychecks and no expertise in anything resembling the import/export business.”
“I can monitor the pool party while you -” Rachel began.
“I think not,” Nick interrupted. “I don’t want either of you on your own without me. Now, if you two are done eating, let’s go find a sports store around here and get some equipment. We’ll be on the road again tomorrow, so another activity to pursue while traveling is a good thing. I know Deke will approve.”
“Yuck! He’ll make the softballs all slimy,” Jean complained.
“I’m telling him you said that,” Nick warned.
* * * *
“Let’s get clear on our agenda for the next few weeks,” Nick said, as they entered the Sarasota, Florida city limits. “I contacted my friends who own condos down here shortly after hearing where the bank was located. We’re still in the off season. They were certain they would have one ready for us. I called them at the last rest stop after talking to Grace and -”
“How’d that go?” Rachel broke in.
“Don’t ask,” Nick cautioned with a shrug. “It’s a process. Anyhow, my friend has a condo we will all be happy to stay in. It’s part of a complex, where each building has a set number of condos and structures bordering different small lakes, with all the Florida wildlife inherent to the area, including alligators.”
“Wow, alligators?” Jean cried out excitedly.
“Yep. They can’t train them. They can’t make boots out of them. The damned dinosaurs traipse around anywhere they want.” Nick smiled back at Jean in the rear view mirror.
“Good. I like alligators,” Jean stated.
“Sure, they’re all cute and cuddly until someone’s pet or child ends up as dinner for one.” Nick supplied the counterpoint with some exasperation.
“Huh?”
“Nick, I don’t think -”
“I’m just giving Danger the Wild Kingdom rundown of Florida. Alligators are on top of the food chain. Everything else is on the menu for them. I could gun down five people in the street and everyone would be looking into my motives, childhood, and religious background. They would waive the death penalty and put me in a cushy cell with cable TV. If I put a bullet in an alligator, I’d be lucky to survive the week.”
Rachel was already laughing, but Jean watched Nick with uncertainty.
“What…what do we do about Deke?” Jean asked, hugging the dog.
“Teach him how to say ‘please don’t eat me’,” Nick quipped, earning an immediate punch to the shoulder from Rachel, who could not stop laughing. “We won’t let any alligators get Deke. Now, if we can move from the animal kingdom for a moment, I’d like to return to our actions while living at the condo. We can go swimming in the condo pool, play softball, and even fish in the lake. What we will not be doing is wandering around Sarasota. I have another friend who will quite happily look after Jean while you and I recon our target site, Rachel.”
“These friends of yours know something about you then?”
“I’ve used their condo as a retreat before when I’ve had business in the Gulf or down in the Bahamas. Gus Nason, the guy I’m having watch out for Danger, is an old associate. I have my own contacts. I’ve never revealed them to anyone.”
“Whatever made you establish a retreat in Sarasota? I mean, why not down further in the Miami area?”
“Weather plays less of a factor, and if something goes wrong I wanted to be further away from the trouble point,” he answered truthfully. “Your bank down here-SunTrust Bank-I’ve been looking at street level surroundings on Google. Everything about the place is perfect for our snatch and grab. It’s on Main Street and there’s a wooded parking lot across the street. We can set up very early in the morning and begin the tedious process of finding out who’s watching the bank at any moment. If a couple of the gentlemen I have pictures for turn up, we will definitely have some fun.”
“You scare me when ‘fun’ is mentioned anywhere in a dialogue we’re having. Although you did mention fun when we bought the softball equipment.”
“What was fun about that?” Jean questioned, looking around the seat at Rachel. “You beaned me on the second pitch, Mom.”
“I said I was sorry a hundred times!” Rachel lifted her clenched hands up in front of her. “Please…please…please forgive me.”
“Good thing Nick bought me a batting helmet,” Jean added, trying not to laugh as Rachel whipped around in the seat.
“Oh waaaahhhh! Get over it. That’s baseball.” Rachel gave Jean the wave off and looked at Nick’s solemn expression. “You got something to say, Hemingway?”
“Threw at her own kid in a Mother/Daughter softball game.” Nick shook his head mournfully. “Oh the shame! Oh the trauma!”
“Oh, barf,” Rachel retorted, hearing Jean laugh.
Ten minutes later, Nick turned into a gated community, complete with guard. Nick stopped and told the guard why they were there. He wav
ed them inside. Nick drove to a picture-book residential street, stopping in front of a house with beautifully manicured landscaped palms and flowers.
“I’ll get the keys and we’ll be on our way.”
“Don’t you want them to meet us?” Rachel asked.
“Deniability, my dear.” Nick got out of the Escalade. “If they don’t see a woman, child, and dog, I’m a single occupant vacationer.”
“It’s okay to admit you’re ashamed to be seen with us.”
“Why you…” Nick reached in through the open window on the driver’s side toward Rachel, evoking squeals of protest from both Rachel and Jean, while growing a Deke head with jaws around his wrist. “Why you…traitorous mongrel…see if you ever get a beer again. I’m going to cut your Frisbee up into tiny pieces.”
Nick backed out amidst jeers from his companions. Five minutes later, Nick exited the house and slipped into the Escalade driver’s seat.
“Our condo is right across the lake we passed,” Nick told them.
“Can we go swimming?” Jean asked.
“Of course, but let’s get settled in first before using the pool.”
“This place is gorgeous,” Rachel exclaimed in open-mouthed awe, looking around the condominium after they split up the bags and took them into the separate bedrooms. “A full kitchen, laundry, and balcony overlooking the lake. I could be happy here for a few weeks. I only saw a couple people coming up here. Is that because it’s the off-season?”
“When the winter hits full bore up North, this is the retreat from the cold. Let’s take Deke down and play some Frisbee. He’ll need exercise after our final road jaunt here. The refrigerator is stocked. My friends always have cold cuts, bread, cereal, and milk too.”
“You haven’t mentioned your friends’ names,” Rachel pointed out.
“No, I haven’t. Let’s bring along Deke’s water dish and the cooler. We’ll wear his butt out while sipping our drinks in the shade on lawn chairs.”
“What about alligators?” Jean looked out at the lake from their balcony.
“Good point, Danger.” Nick dropped down on his knees in front of Deke. “Repeat after me, Deke. Please…don’t -”
“Nick!” Rachel grabbed Nick by the ear, yanking upwards on it. “Stand up here. We’ll stay away from the lake while playing Frisbee, Jean.”
While Jean tossed the Frisbee to Deke, Nick and Rachel sat together in the shade. Nick handed Rachel two photos of men. They looked like mug shots.”
“These are the guys we’ll really be looking for first. Keep them and memorize their faces,” he told her.
“What do we do when we see them?”
“It will be more fun to show you.” Nick grinned over at her.
* * * *
At eight o’clock, Nick sat at the dining room table writing on his laptop while Rachel, Jean, and Deke watched Madagascar. Nick had been banished from the living room when he was unable to stop laughing at what was supposed to be a poignant moment in the movie. Knowing how infrequently he had been able to write lately, Nick decided against launching a protest. The doorbell rang right on time and Nick checked the security eye in the door before opening it. Rachel stopped the movie, looking back at the door anxiously.
A clean shaven black man, inches taller than Nick, walked in the doorway and shook hands with Nick. To Rachel’s surprise, they then hugged each other. Deke had crept nearer the entranceway in order to stay apprised of who came in. The dog sat attentively behind Nick, watching the reunion with interest. The man looked overly lean to Rachel, but with huge shoulders. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was cut very close to his scalp. Rachel left the couch with Jean in tow, curious to meet the man Nick had only mentioned.
“Gus Nason, this is Rachel, Jean, and Deke.” Nick gestured to his companions, while Gus smiled and shook hands with each of them in turn, including Deke. “Gus will be helping us out with logistics and support.”
“Did he save your life too?” Rachel smiled up at Gus.
“Ah, no,” Nick answered for his friend. “Gus handles anything and everything I need when I work anywhere in the Gulf. He lives in St. Petersburg and owns a very nice boat he takes fishermen out with when he needs money.”
“Or I transport the Kingfisher here to and from his work as he calls it, for quite a bit more money than my fishing enterprise pays,” Gus added.
“Is that a Boston accent?” Rachel asked. “I like it.”
“Born and raised there, but hated the weather. Usually, people are so shocked I don’t speak cornpone, they never notice the accent.”
“Sit down, Gus, and I’ll get you a beer.” Nick gestured for his friend to sit down at the dining room table. “You want to take a break from the movie, Danger, and sit with us?”
“Sure,” Jean answered happily, slipping into a seat opposite Gus and next to Rachel. “Do I get a beer too?”
“I don’t think so, young lady,” Rachel commented, giving Jean’s hair a tug.
“Did Nick just call you Danger?” Gus asked Jean.
“Yeah, like the girl in the comics. I’m Danger Girl. I can shoot and everything. Nick says I’m part of the Terminator team.”
“The Terminator?” Gus laughed long and hard, with everyone but Nick and Deke joining in. “Oh, very good…did you come up with that, Danger?”
“Yep,” Jean acknowledged proudly.
“These two know more about you than anyone, ever.”
“I’m in the process of changing my lifestyle,” Nick explained in deadpan fashion, which evoked more laughter from Gus. He turned to Rachel. “Unlike my friend in Denver, Gus here knows I’m not one of the good guys.”
“It’s true,” Gus agreed. “Some problems can’t be solved by good guys. Well, what’s my part in this enterprise, Terminator?”
“Rachel and I will be on recon during banking hours, starting tomorrow. I need you to look after Danger and Deke while we’re gone. When we’ve arrived at the moment for making a withdrawal, you’ll drop Rachel off at the SunTrust bank entrance and ride around until she calls for a pick up. There will be some excitement on her way from the bank to your car. We’ll handle that. You just drive the car.”
“Oh. ‘Drivin’ Ms. Daisy’, huh? Only in a hail of bullets?” Gus asked.
“There won’t be any hail of bullets, Gus. There might be a few guys dropping to the sidewalk on Rachel’s walk to your car. I also need you to rent a new car each day to come over here with. Rachel and I will drive it over to the bank.”
“I like that part.” Gus leaned forward. “What kind?”
“You pick. Don’t make it too flashy. We’ll need to have the windows all very dark.”
“Do you know how to play softball, Gus?” Jean asked.
“Sure thing, Danger. You a player?”
“Yep. I can hit pretty good. My mom beaned me, though, last time she pitched.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Rachel exclaimed, dropping her head to the table while the others laughed.
“I like your new crew, Terminator,” Gus announced.
“Danger’s been handled a couple times on our drive from the West Coast. I don’t want her touched again.”
“Count on that, brother. Swimming, softball, and I’ll teach Danger how to fish. Can we go to the beach? They have a spot here in Sarasota where dogs are allowed.”
“Can we, Nick?” Jean implored.
“Sure, if Gus is comfortable with the beach, I’m okay with it. Rach?”
“I…I guess it’ll be all right.”
“I see you’re worried, Rachel. Don’t be. I can imagine what happened to the guys who bothered Danger on the trip. With me, I’m more of a preemptive strike kind of guy, so we’ll be here waiting every day when you two get done at the bank.”
“Thank you.” Rachel grabbed Jean’s chin. “If she mentions the beaning one more time, she’ll need a bodyguard to keep me from pounding on her myself.”
Deke popped up to grip Rachel’s wrist with a sho
rt ‘grrfff,’ while Jean giggled appreciatively, wrapping her arm around Deke’s neck.
Gus chuckled. “Looks like she already has one.”
* * * *
“I really liked Gus,” Rachel mentioned as Nick slowly drove down Main Street at nearly ten o’clock in the morning. She watched Nick’s notebook computer screen, while the video transmitter Nick had mounted above the front door frame on the passenger side sent images being filmed. Rachel could direct it slightly, or zoom in.
“I really like this Buick Lacerne. You’re getting the license numbers clearly, right?”
“Yes, Obi-Wan, all is as it should be, Master. You guys talked for three hours and never said a damn thing about how you met or what stuff you two did together.”
“I think I like the sound of Master.” Nick ignored Rachel’s quick glare as he sidestepped the rest of her comment. “It may be vaguely entertaining to know every detail about everything, Rachel, but it does nothing for our safety, or the people we deal with. We’re in the thick of it now.”
“You mean we do it by the book,” Rachel said sarcastically.
“There is no book. We do it by the same rules I’ve stayed alive with for over a decade.”
“You admitted breaking all the rules getting here.”
“This is why I work alone.” Nick turned into a parking lot down the street and headed the opposite direction on Main Street. “Would you like to risk the lives of everyone Gus cares about so you can gather a few more interesting facts?”
“No, but -”
“But nothing,” Nick cut her off. “You and Jean were taken away from me with the most obvious of ploys. I make mistakes when I’m flying by the seat of my pants. If those guys would have needed to question you, instead of needing something only you could get for them, guess what? You’d have told them your entire life’s story.”
“What about you?” Rachel argued, changing the transmitter position slightly with the joystick Nick had given her to use. “If you were -”
“I’ll never be taken,” Nick interrupted again. “We can park now. Maybe I can find a spot under one of those trees in the parking lot across the street.”
Cold Blooded Page 21