“Limited, but experienced.”
“I think you have a basic mistrust of men,” I said.
“Honey, I have a basic mistrust of people,” she said and lifted her backpack onto her shoulder in a quick motion as she began walking back towards civilization. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To find you some coffee.”
Four hours later we were sitting on some old barrels outside of a rough looking country store that had once been a gas station on the outskirts of greater Barnardsville. The gas pumps were long gone, but some stubby pipes in front of the store gave obvious evidence that the storage tanks were still buried there. I was drinking some fabulous coffee that Old Carl had brewed earlier in the week. Really.
Old coffee, but good.
Old Carl was the owner and operator of the gas station turned country store. He didn’t introduce himself to us when we entered. There was sign on the wall behind where Carl would stand when operating the antiquated cash register. The sign said, Old Carl Lives Here. When I had asked for coffee, I was informed that it wasn’t for sale. I assumed I was talking to Old Carl.
“Personal use,” Old Carl said.
“I’ll pay you handsomely,” I urged.
“Can’t do it. Stuff might kill you,” he shot back with a grin.
“I have a gun and I could steal it from you,” I said.
“Sounds desperate. But here’s the thing, lady … I have a sawed-off shotgun under this here counter. I don’t aim to have a gun battle with no broad over coffee today of all days. But if you go for a weapon and I see it, then you better be damn-quick at pulling that trigger ‘cause I’m gonna come up blasting if you hesitate for a second when I get my hands on that minimizer. You get my drift?”
“Takes a hard man not to give a lady a cup of coffee,” I said.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t give it to you. I said it weren’t for sale,” his gruff voice was somehow pleasant to me. He poured me a mug full.
That’s how I got my coffee thrill for the day. It tasted old, but it tasted good. The pot looked as if it hadn’t been washed since the end of WWII. The coffee stains appeared permanent as if washing would have had little effect. My mug had some similar aspects.
“You satisfied with that coffee?” Diamond said.
“It gives me courage.”
“Good. You’ll need some courage if we run into Sai today.”
I went back inside the tiny grocery store to return the mug to Old Carl. I thanked him profusely.
“More, missy?” he said.
“One cup of your brew will last me the rest of the day,” I said truthfully. His mug had been what I would call a double sized pint. Carl had filled the mug close to the brim.
“Good stuff, ain’t it?” his toothless smile was friendly.
“Best I’ve had in sometime. By the way, what’s your last name, Carl?” I said.
“Who needs to know?”
“Just curious.”
“Dillingham.”
“Everybody around here named Dillingham?”
“Pert’ near,” he said.
“You any kin to my friend Marvin Dillingham?”
“Yeah. That’s Myrna’s boy who went off to Washington to make money. I mean that literally,” he chuckled.
“Who’s Myrna?” I said.
“My half-sister. She died in ’97, God rest her soul. Good woman. Haven’t seen Marvin in quite some time. Friend of yours, huh?”
“Acquaintance, but moving towards friendship, I’d say. He hasn’t been in to see you recently?” I asked.
“Couple of months back he came in. Had some big city friend with him. Marvin’s a good egg, though. Always liked the boy. Can’t say the same for that friend he brought back from Washington. Uppity kinda fellow, you know what I mean?”
“I’ve run into the type,” I said.
“Yeah, don’t allow much for that fellow he was with, but ole Marvin’s okay, I reckon. I see it often, you know. Once the youngins’ go off to the big cities, they don’t come back much, except maybe when they make a fair amount of money and need to show off a bit, or when they get old … like me.”
“How old is that?” I said.
“Old enough to know better than to tell a good lookin’ woman like you my age. Don’t want to take no chances of keeping you from comin’ back, you know. You jest might think I’m too old for ya.”
I smiled. “I’m flattered, Carl. I just might return. That coffee of yours is addictive.”
“Welcomed any time, lady. You and your friend there.”
Diamond led the way out of Old Carl’s place and I followed.
“Have a good day, girlies,” he yelled after us.
I waved and hoped his goodbye wishes came true.
Half a mile down the road, Diamond turned to me as she continued walking. “Wonder who that obnoxious friend of Marvin’s was?”
Diamond did not miss much.
48
We decided to watch Marvin’s house for the duration of the afternoon. Diamond thought it best to approach the place after darkness fell. I agreed. We staked out a resting spot which provided us a good view of the house as well as the approaching road and driveway to his place. Diamond kept her binoculars handy as we passed the few hours waiting on the nighttime. We snacked in silence.
It was Diamond’s idea not to return to our spot in the woods. Her belief was that if we had been seen leaving Marvin’s place heading back into the mountains, then it was likely enough that those spotters would be trying to track us in the Pisgah forest. We had not come to Old Carl’s store via the same route. We had made a circular trail of it as we descended per Diamond’s hiking prowess. I simply followed her.
Every hour Diamond would leave our nesting spot and do a walk around the perimeter of Marvin’s land. If the woman had only one skill, it would be stealth. She could leave and return without making a sound. Once or twice I didn’t know she had left me alone until she had returned and spoke softly to me, so as not to startle me into some shock. My heart appreciated her kindness.
“You have any Native American blood in you?” I said after she had returned from her close-to-sunset walk around.
“Why do you ask?” she seemed a tad alarmed that I had posed that question. Perhaps I had hit upon some fact about her that might reveal her true identity. Or maybe a clue.
“Your abilities.”
“My abilities,” she repeated as if asking a question.
“Yeah. You walk on clouds. There’s no sound from your feet. It’s a skill.”
“And you think only Native Americans can do that?”
“My knowledge is limited.”
“To say the least.”
She said nothing more. I would try hard to remember that moment. Maybe I actually discovered something quite unintentionally. Detectives do that from time to time. You ask enough questions, then you’re bound to hit upon something occasionally. Accidentally. Chances of doing so are better than playing the lottery.
Twilight finally came. We had seen nothing.
“You’ve met her, I have not,” Diamond said. “Think she operates alone?”
“Sai?”
“Yep.”
“Considering what she does and how she handled herself the last time we were together, I could easily see her operating alone. Quite skilled in the usage of her weaponry as well as her mouth. She seemed fearless.”
“Her mouth?”
“A lot like me. She has a way with words.”
“You think you have a way with words?”
“Once in a while.”
“If you mean you can say nasty things from time to time, then I’ll give you that. A way with words might be a stretch.”
“Some friend you are,” I said.
“Never said I was your friend.”
“Cuts me deep.”
“But,” she said.
“But?”
“Yeah, I heard a but in your answer to my original questi
on about Sai operating alone.”
“Better to plan for all contingencies than to allow one’s adversaries the advantage of surprise,” I offered as an insight to where I thought her thinking was headed.
“The Art of War,” she said.
“Paraphrased,” I answered.
“Good answer. If she’s a wily woman and wants to remain alive, then it’s best not to restrict one’s capacities to be multifaceted.”
“Well said, Ms. Diamond.”
“I have a way with words.”
We waited for the darkness to consume us. Probably another hour or so. I felt my cell phone vibrate. Silence is golden. It can also be salvific. The phone was also glowing in the dark. Rogers was calling on Starnes’ burner. I actually missed my old cell, but I would never confess such.
“You okay?” Rogers said.
“Alive. Whattaya need?” I answered her in my soft voice.
“You might want to be nice to me. I’m the only one who knows where all that loot is,” Rogers said.
“I’m always nice to you.”
“You lie like a dog, too,” she said.
“You find anything on Sai Leekpai?”
“A few details, but nothing that will please you, I fear.”
“Not looking to be pleased. Tell me something.”
“Apparently, she has no weaknesses and has not lost any battles with any of her adversaries during the date-parameters I searched.”
“How far back did you check?”
“Birth to present time.”
“Yikes,” I said.
“Yeah, that would be the word. More than thirty years. She’s efficient, illusive and deadly. The Thai government has never been able to charge her with any crime, although she has worked for Phueng Pen-Chan for more than a decade.”
“She work alone?” I said.
“She has some disciples or trainees or pupils, whatever they choose to call it. She’s the Sensei, if that’s the right term in her culture.”
“I’ll bet she is. You have a number for this elite group that she trains?”
“Four, to date.”
“Good to know. You have any record that they travel together?”
“No. Stealth is their watchword.”
“I seem to be surrounded by folks with that skill.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Depends upon who’s around me.”
“Are you alone?” Rogers said.
“No. Diamond is here.”
“At least you have one helpful soul. Want me to send some troops?”
“Is Rosey with you?”
“Sleeping on the couch as we speak.”
“So what troops do you plan on motivating to come this way?”
“Honey, I have a contact list that would rival the Delta Forces.”
“We’re good for the moment. Stay close. If I need the cavalry, you’ll be my first call.”
“You’re a distance away. What if you get cornered quickly? It takes time to send out my special forces.”
“Yeah. That could be a problem. But nothing’s happening at the moment, so you stay cool. When Rosey wakes up, tell him … check that. I don’t know what to tell him. My imagination just might be running on high alert and nothing more. Hard to know what’s what with all this transition. See if you can track the location of Sai Leekpai. If you find her, keep a steady beam on her and note her movements. If you conclude that she is heading in my direction, then you can call out those special forces. At any rate, call me back in thirty minutes to see if I’m still alive.”
I clicked off after she verbally agreed to my requests. I knew she would call. It was the only fail safe I could think of at a moment’s notice.
“Who was that?” Diamond said.
“My secretary.”
“Didn’t know you had one.”
“Lots about me you don’t know,” I said.
“We’re good to go,” she said. “Count to twenty and then follow. Separation might protect us from being killed at the same time.”
“What a wonderful thought,” I said as I watched her move easily away in the darkness.
She moved out surreptitiously towards Marvin’s house in the blackness of the ever descending night. I counted to twenty and moved out with more noise than I wanted to make. My only excuse was that I weigh more than Diamond. Right. Despite the fact that I moved slowly hoping to emulate her furtiveness, I failed completely in that department. No one would ever accuse me of being light on my feet. Or stealthy.
49
I could see the outline of Marvin’s house in the evening shadows. A light from his kitchen reflected in the window. That was it. The rest of the area was black, but my eyes had managed to adjust as if I had nocturnal vision.
I stopped moving and looked for Diamond. There were no signs of her anywhere that I could see. I looked for her shadow. Nothing. We had agreed to meet at his back door and enter together. The meeting spot was about fifty yards in front of me. I could see well enough to know that Diamond had not yet arrived.
My suspicion grew.
I heard a sound. I had no idea what it was, but it was a noise and for me it had no connection to the night life of Marvin’s surroundings or to my furtive friend. I waited for verification. Nothing.
Time passed.
I approached the back door of Marvin’s place as stealthily as I could manage. That is to say, each time I made a noise by a movement, I paused, waiting for my presence to be noticed by whoever might be lurking in the shadows. Not a typical maneuver, but one that I was hoping to keep me alive in this present predicament.
It seemed like forever to relocate from the woods to the house. Stealth is time consuming. Not my cup of tea. I am more of a break-down-the-door and storm-the-Bastille type girl. I yell and scream a lot too. One must remember that I was raised on the fear-of-the-Lord preaching when I was a youngster in Virginia.
Opening the back door slowly to avoid any squeaking hinges, I slid my hand inside to find the light switch and enhance the dimly lit pantry next to the kitchen. Nothing happened save the movement of the switch up and down. I flipped it at least three times, hoping that there was some sort of short in the electrical mechanism. No such luck. Despite the singular, dim light inside, the power seemed to be off to the pantry switch. Or the light had burned out.
Despite the faint glow of the one light from the interior, it was darker inside Marvin’s dwelling than outside. I walked carefully but easily from the pantry through the kitchen into the area Marvin called the parlor. The kitchen claimed that singular dim light which guided me into the parlor.
The parlor was filled with chairs of varying descriptions and ages, lamps and tables in each corner, and a large oval rug that was centered underneath an ancient chandelier which Marvin said he had discovered at a flea market in Tennessee. The man had eclectic tastes.
I flipped the light switch in this room to no avail. Darkness prevailed, except for that one little kitchen light. Go figure. It made no sense to have one light and so many others which would not come on.
I was growing weary of my clandestine adventure into this dim interior. Dim would be an understatement. At least I had remembered the furniture layout and could walk about the house.
Suddenly, I tripped over something that I had not remembered in the archway between the parlor and the living room. I fell without grace and was prone momentarily.
A clicking sound and then immediately a light invaded the black parlor.
My eyes adjusted slowly to the brightness and I discerned the form of Sai Leekpai standing near Marvin’s favorite chair and reading stand. I looked back to see what I had tripped over.
Diamond lay unmoving on the floor in the middle of the archway. So much for my protection.
I stood quickly in order to face my imminent collision with this martial arts expert from the Asian world. I was no physical match for her, but I would use what I had and hope to last as long as I could. Perhaps I could outthink her.
Yeah, it was a long shot.
“We meet again,” Sai said to me.
“You should have called.”
“That would ruin the surprise,” she said.
Starnes’ cell rang in my pocket. I knew who it was.
“May I answer that?” I said to her.
“By all means.”
I retrieved the phone and clicked the button.
“I tracked her down,” Rogers said.
“Funny you should mention that.”
“Not so funny. She’s in Barnardsville, close to you.”
“You have no idea. Let me call you back. I’m in the middle of something.”
“You okay?” Rogers asked.
“For the moment, but call back in an hour. If I don’t answer, make some final arrangements on my behalf. Cremation is preferred.”
I shut the phone before Rogers could ask anymore questions.
“You are an amusing person, Clancy Evans,” Sai said.
“What if I told you I knew you were coming?”
“Before or after that particular phone call you just received?”
“How wise you are,” I said.
“To answer your question, it would ruin the surprise if you had known. And how could you?”
“Like you and your criminal machine of Bangkok, I do research. I like to know as much as I can about potential adversaries,” I said.
“Impressive.”
“I thought so.”
“But it would appear to me that your research,” she nodded at the phone still in my hand, “came a little too late for you to prepare for my arrival.”
“My apologies. I could go to the kitchen and make you a cake.”
“I discovered no culinary mastery in my research on you.”
“Yikes. Must’ve been thorough.”
“You do not sound as if you are afraid of me.”
“Not so much. More like I would treat running into a poisonous snake in the woods. I have a lot of respect for snakes. I give them a wide girth. And, I do my best to manage my fears.”
“This might prove to be a problem.”
“Respect or lack of fear?”
“More the lack of fear. Those who come against me more often than not make bad choices out of fearfulness. They tend to forget their training. Fear forces human beings to revert to the primal brain stem by which they are incapable of thinking. They react.”
Out Jumps Jack Death: A Clancy Evans Mystery (Clancy Evans PI Book 8) Page 25