Out Jumps Jack Death: A Clancy Evans Mystery (Clancy Evans PI Book 8)

by M. Glenn Graves

  “And Sai Leekpai?” I said.

  “Pleasant memories. Likely I’ll never see her again.”

  “I wouldn’t put money on that.”

  By the time we returned from our jog, Diamond had discussed her ideas with Starnes. The group needed to split up. Diamond didn’t think it safe for Marvin to remain alone even in his own home. Marvin raised no objections to Diamond’s plan. He left with Starnes and Laurel. Dog went along as well.

  I could have debated with Diamond regarding her distrust of the Feds, but there was a part of me who suspected that Rosey might still be a prime target along with the rest of us. Diamond could very well be correct in her skepticism with the word of the government. Perhaps even Marvin Dillingham was also a target since he had provided assistance for us.

  Rosey thought that since the Federal mandate against him had been removed it was safe for him to return to Sterling and lay low just in case he was still somebody’s target. I suggested that he go by Norfolk and spend some time with Rogers. He smiled and nodded. He knew what I wanted.

  For some reason I decided against telling him that the target was now on me since it had been removed from his back. I wanted him with Rogers for the time being.

  That left Diamond, Sam and me to fend for ourselves.

  “Where will you go?” Rosey said to me.

  “She’ll stay with me,” Diamond said.

  “Where precisely?” Rosey said.

  “Undisclosed location,” Diamond said.

  He looked at me and shrugged.

  “She’s almost as good as I am,” he whispered reluctantly in my ear.

  “Better,” Diamond said.

  “Not on your best day,” he countered.

  “We could find out,” she said. I don’t think she was bluffing.

  “You had your chance,” he said.

  “I wish you children would get along,” I interrupted their bantering. When trained snipers crow against each other, it makes for uneasiness with me. Not that I have ever been exposed to such talk many times. I did know the qualities that each of these two people possessed. I knew their capabilities as well. I knew that I never wanted to find out who was better in a head-to-head conflict. I valued them too highly.

  After Starnes and her little group headed back to McAdams County, Rosey waited an hour or so and then drove Diamond’s truck to Norfolk. I wanted him near Rogers so he could keep up with what was happening on all fronts. If a firestorm began, I wanted him to know about it and to come quickly. I also wanted someone to protect Rogers in case someone came to my place looking for me and wanted to wreak havoc on my belongings.

  “Where are we headed?” I said to Diamond.

  “The mountains around here are the safest place in the world for you, unless we could magically move ourselves to the Himalayas at this moment.”

  “Himalayas are Plan B? Why so far away?”

  “That’s where Shangri-La is located.”

  45

  I watched Diamond walk around Marvin’s house several times. It was her way of canvassing the area and contemplating her next move. She was like a wild cat, not the small, domesticated variety which most people take into their lives. More like a mountain lion or panther or lynx. After she finished her reconnaissance of the place, she was ready to head off.

  We decided to leave the doors unlocked in the hopes that whoever would come looking might not destroy Marvin’s home in the process. That was her decision, not mine.

  “How far are we walking?”

  “A few miles,” Diamond said.

  “And you know this place because?”

  “Marvin took me to some spots of interests and I have done some surveillance on my own as well. There are some decent hideaways.”

  I suggested early on that we pack some foodstuffs just in case we found ourselves staying longer than we wanted to in the woods. Diamond had already prepared us for such an adventure. We loaded our backpacks with canned goods, energy bars, and at least three canteens apiece for some early water sources. She also had tablets that would dissolve and purify any other water sources we came across.

  “You’ve done some of this before,” I said.

  “Many times.”

  “Girl scout?”

  “I read a lot.”

  The backpacks were heavier than I would have liked, but since my life was at stake, I trudged along without complaining. Diamond said nothing about the heaviness of our load. When she wasn’t looking, I lifted her backpack just to see if the weight was equally distributed between us. Hers was heavier, and that was before she added more items.

  I got the distinct impression that Diamond was a stronger woman than I. Comes from being the ever astute detective along with some hands-on research.

  After a few hours of climbing a mountain, I begged my resilient companion for mercy and rest. We sat on some fallen logs around what appeared to be a community campfire setting. It had been well used by former hikers.

  I told her about the money that I had appropriated from Wilkerson. I used that word, appropriated. Sounded better to me than stole.

  “So where did you put that oversized bundle of dollars?” she said as she stood and began moving along the upward trail once more. We were moving deeper and deeper into the Pisgah National Forest away from Barnardsville and Marvin’s home.

  “I don’t know,” I said after a minute or so.

  “Whattaya mean you don’t know?”

  She was leading our hike, abruptly stopped mid-trail, and turned around to look at me. Her gaze gave me the impression that I had done something stupid. Perhaps I was reading too much into her look. Perhaps it was what I had said. Either way I felt chastised through body-language.

  “How can you not know where you put that much money?” she said.

  “I created a blind program to put the money into several different accounts. The computer utilized a random selection process to choose which account and how much in each. That means I do not know which account has the money. Only the computer knows.”

  My lie was so plausible that I was proud of myself for having invented it right there on the trail under the close scrutiny of such a person as Diamond. Creative mind. And quite deceptive. I was also protecting Rogers.

  “But you can go into the computer and find out where it was put?” she seemed genuinely concerned.

  “It would take some time, but, yes, I would be able to eventually discover where the money is.”

  “Why so many precautions?”

  “It’s more money than I generally have about the place.”

  “And you don’t trust yourself?”

  “Why do you care?” I said.

  “Like you said … it’s a lot of money,” she said.

  “But I haven’t given much thought to keeping it.”

  “Why not?” she seemed surprised.

  I shrugged because I didn’t have a good answer.

  “The money came from Thailand, right?”

  “From Sai’s boss, I would think. At least it came through the criminal underworld of that country.”

  “So, if no one shows up from Thailand to claim it, then … who would you give it to?”

  She had a point. I had no ready answer. I would have to think about that. That two had a lot of zeroes following it.

  “I suppose you’re right,” she said without much feeling and then she turned back to the trail, continuing her trek upward. Was she demonstrating some ethical strain lurking in the shadows of her thinking? Perhaps. Nothing conclusive.

  Once she had asked her questions, I wasn’t so sure about my original plan to not keep it.

  By the time we reached her pre-selected spot for us to hide out, the deep shadows were beginning to cover the deep woods of our position. She had discovered a thick grove of rhododendron about a quarter mile off the trail. It was thick enough that it caused sufficient problems for us to get through it.

  “We have to crawl from here,” Diamond said.

  “Why
do we have to crawl through this stuff?” I said.

  “You’ll see.”

  “I see nothing.”

  “And that’s good. Believe it or not, there’s a empty space once we get past this intertwined, outside hedge.”

  “I have my doubts about getting past the outside hedge, as you call it,” I said as I scraped along on the forest floor moving like a snake. I was also dragging the heavy backpack. I must confess that it wasn’t the hardest maneuvering I had ever done. But even allowing that, I was already weary from the long hike and now crawling through a thick cluster of indigenous plants and dragging a heavy backpack was not something on my to-do list. We must have covered close to ten miles before we were forced to crawl and drag those heavy weights.

  “Don’t give up now. We’re almost there,” Diamond said.

  “Can’t wait,” I said not hiding my sarcasm.

  “I’m protecting you, my precious,” she answered with her own dripping sarcasm.

  “How on earth did you find this place?” I said.

  “I went looking for it.”

  We finally broke through Diamond’s hedge and found ourselves inside a secure place surrounded by some budding rhododendron. The buds were quite small, but at least they were showing signs that the warmth of spring was imminent.

  I was glad we had stopped moving.

  “Probably shouldn’t make a campfire,” she said, “at least not tonight.”

  “It’s warm enough in here. I think we’ll be fine.”

  I opened a can of cold beans while I watched Diamond devour a can of sardines with her crackers. I finished one of my canteens of water. I had already drunk half of it during the ten miles en route to this place of refuge.

  “Is there a water source close by?” I said.

  “Not far, but we’ll have to use caution going there. It can be seen from several vantage points. We shouldn’t get careless just because we’re high up in the mountains. Even if our enemies can’t find us, they might hire folks who could. Money talks.”

  “Too much and too loudly,” I said.

  Diamond had encouraged me to pack a lightweight blanket for the nights. She must have spent some evenings up here just to see what it would be like. I was guessing with good cause. No reason to ask her about it. Either I was correct or she had other experiences living out in the wild on the lam. Both made good sense to me about my strange friend.

  I was pleased to be with Diamond, my strong and ever-prepared companion. I was also happy to have the light blanket. It served me well. I slept soundly. And warm.

  46

  The drizzling rain awakened me. I quickly folded my blanket and crammed it inside my waterproof backpack. Something would have to stay dry for me to survive this ordeal for many more days.

  While the rain was steadily making sure that I was awake, I really needed some hot coffee to get through the damp morning as well as the less than comfortable night sleep.

  My keen detective skills told me that Diamond was not sleeping next to me any longer. There was neither blanket nor backpack evident. She was gone.

  I heard someone whistling softly. They were whistling reveille. I had no humor this early in the day. Especially without coffee.

  “If you crawl in the direction of the sound of my voice, you will discover that the rain does not completely penetrate the rhododendron hedge. It’s almost dry in here.”

  I followed the sound of her voice by crawling along on my stomach and dragging my backpack. This all felt familiar somehow. There had to be a better way to move in and out of our little campsite. I stopped crawling when I reached her. She was lying on her stomach.

  “How long have you been inside this section of hedge?” I said.

  “I don’t know, maybe an hour or two. It began drizzling early.”

  “This place is like a maze inside a maze.”

  “Precisely.”

  “This is not fun.”

  “Neither is getting shot,” she said.

  “You have coffee hidden somewhere?”

  “Do you smell coffee?”

  “Not yet, but I have every intent of making a fire and fixing some.”

  “I didn’t pack any coffee,” she said.

  “I have coffee.”

  “And a pot to fix it in?”

  “I thought you had that. Your pack weighed more than mine.”

  “You’re a funny lady, Clancy. There is no pot, so you’ll have to mix it in the water of one of your canteens if you intend to make any. I don’t suggest you do that.”

  “You don’t love coffee like I do.”

  “I can live without it.”

  “Don’t know if I can or not. Never tried. Not sure I want to start now. Too old to try such a thing. Helps me with my misery,” I said.

  “You miserable?”

  “Pretty damn close. I’m quickly moving in that direction,” I said and pointed away from the inner circle of our hideout.

  “A fire will be hard to do in this rain,” she said as I slithered away from her with my ever-present backpack trailing behind.

  “Hard, but not impossible.”

  I finally came to the end of the budding hedge and stood up straight with much relief. As secure as that spot was, it was wearing thin after only two trips, one in and one out. I could see this place getting old quickly with the bathroom breaks that would be forthcoming.

  I waited a few minutes and Diamond emerged from the thicket.

  “I need to stay with you.”

  “Let’s see if we can find some rocks for a shelter,” I said.

  “I know a spot, but it’s snakey.”

  “As in zigzag or full of slithery creatures that sometimes hiss and bite?”

  “The latter.”

  “Then the snakes will either share or leave. Easy call for me.”

  She led the way, marching off after slinging her backpack up to her shoulders as if it weighed nothing at all. I reminded myself never to get into a skirmish with her.

  Diamond guided us to a collection of boulders a little ways off the trail and down into a ravine. As luck would have it, there was a stream flowing past the rocks. It took a few minutes, but I finally found a dry place nestled under some of the rocks large enough for both of us plus a campfire. Imagine that. My motives are often pure, if not selfish.

  I found a few dried sticks and gathered some leaves at the bottom of a pile and had a fire going in no time. It felt good on a drizzly day. It felt really good.

  “Thought you were a city girl,” Diamond said.

  “Grew up in the country. Fished a lot. Cooked fish over campfires as well. I know a thing or two.”

  “I hope so. I may leave you out here.”

  “Have I rustled your feathers?”

  “Not so I would call attention to it. I just don’t want to stay here in the woods for too many days without going back down and checking on Marvin’s place.”

  “That’s several miles from here,” I said.

  “Your point being?”

  I let that one slide. She obviously had stronger endurance than my lazy self.

  “You expect them to find us?” I asked, more to the point.

  “I always expect that. Never lose your edge by thinking you have outwitted your opponents. If you do, you’ll pay the ultimate price. I’m not willing to pay that yet.”

  The coffee I had was some packets that Marvin had on a little shelf in his pantry. They may have been on that shelf since he first bought the place years ago. I poured them into one of my canteens. I shook it as long as I dared and then removed the lid and placed the canteen close to the fire so it would get hot.

  “Seriously? You gonna drink that crap?” she said.

  “I will try to drink this crap. It may be the worst coffee ever, but at least it contains caffeine. I’m craving the drug.”

  I kept a close watch on the canteen and felt it every few minutes. It took a while, but it finally was hot enough for me to try. I wrapped one of Marvin’s old d
ishrags around the hot canteen and slowly drank some of my fresh brew.

  I grimaced. It was horrible. Besides that, I ended up with a mouthful of coffee grains which I decided not to chew and swallow. After spitting them out, I drank more of my newly fashioned brew. I managed but only because I had this insatiable craving which had to be fed.

  Diamond passed the time laughing at me.

  “You want some?” I said.

  “Yeah, right. I’ll pass on the cowboy’s delight there. You drink that stuff, you’re one mean mamma,” she said.

  “If I wasn’t before, I will be afterwards,” I said, raised my canteen to her, and took another swig of my unpleasant brew.

  47

  Sometime mid-morning the drizzling rain stopped. It remained cloudy, but at least we had some time to dry out. The after-taste of my coffee experiment was still with me. It did little to squelch my desire for the liquid of the java bean. If anything, I was craving it more so.

  Diamond had been silent for a good while. She appeared to be napping underneath a large poplar tree. Her bedding was the soft moss growing all around it.

  “Why’d you come with me?” I said.

  “You don’t want my help?” she said.

  “Your help is greatly appreciated. I was simply wondering why you volunteered. You had to know that Rosey would’ve come.”

  “Yeah, I figured that.”

  “You got issues with Rosey?”

  “He’s been compromised,” Diamond said as she stood up from her soft green bed of moss.

  I smiled to myself thinking how funny it was that neither of them trusted the other.

  “Compromised,” I repeated to her to make sure that she meant that word.

  “He slept with Sai. I’m betting that she’s the one coming after you.”

  “He’s been my friend for a long time.”

  “You sleep with him?”

  “No.”

  “Then he’s compromised,” she said.

  “How do you figure?”

  “Testosterone and the male memory.”

  “You an expert?”

  “An observer.”

  “Limited experience?”