The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock

by Edward Coburn

  “So, what are you going to do about my suggestion?”

  “I’ll mention it to my superior and let him take it from there. Maybe it’s something that can be done.”

  Everyone in the office was quiet again, and Adam took this as his cue. “I assume you remember Jenny mentioned Ronald before.”

  Ken nodded.

  “I would like to ask what you know about this man other than the fact that Ronald Wilkerson was the man who initially recruited Jenny into this mess.”

  “According to what Jenny said, she was pointed out to him by her pimp because her pimp knew she had two years of nurses training and had been helping out her friends on the street whenever they were injured or sick. Apparently, he thought that would make it easier for her to pass for a nurse in the hospital.”

  “That’s true,” Adam nodded, “but Jenny and I know something more about him than that. Or at least I do.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “When we were waiting for Agent Brood, Jenny knocked her purse off the table, and the stun gun that she used on Ronald fell out and landed at my feet. As I picked it up, I saw an image of Jenny stunning Ronald. It had been raining outside, so when she stunned him, she noticed that part of his makeup had washed off.”

  “Makeup?”

  Jenny nodded but didn’t say anything. She thought Adam was telling the story as well as she could and probably better. So she prudently let him continue.

  “Yes. He had used makeup to cover up a rather distinctive scar from the corner of his left eye to his chin that bisected a large birthmark on his cheek. When I was in Morgantown, Detective Drummond showed me the file from when his daughter was kidnapped. Some guy named Harold Morgan was originally a suspect, and his picture was in the file. Morgan supposedly died in a fire ten years ago.”

  “Supposedly? And what’s this Morgan got to do with this case?” Ken asked. His brows had drawn together forming a line between them.

  “Yes, supposedly. I said that because Harold Morgan also had the same birthmark on his left cheek bisected by a scar running from his eye to his chin as I saw in my vision. Now I ask you, what are the odds of two guys having the same birthmark and scar?”

  Ken smiled. “I’d say the odds are very long indeed. So you think somebody else that was identified as Harold Morgan got burned up in the fire and Harold Morgan is actually alive and living as Ronald Wilkerson in California.”

  Adam nodded. “I don’t see any other alternative unless you don’t trust what I saw and what Jenny confirmed.”

  “Now don’t get defensive. I didn’t say I don’t believe you or Jenny. Did Detective Drummond tell you why they thought Morgan was burned in the fire.”

  “His ID was found on the body, and they even sent a sample to a DNA lab to get confirmation.”

  “And the DNA lab confirmed the body was that of Morgan?”

  “That’s what Detective Drummond’s file said. I think somebody must have screwed up in the DNA lab. It certainly would have been easy enough to put Morgan’s ID on an already dead body, but you know as well as I do that no two people have the same DNA. So there’s no other conclusion to reach except that somebody blew the test.”

  “And I don’t suppose they checked for the cause of death?”

  “According to Detective Drummond, the body was too badly burned for any of that. Besides, there was no reason to believe whoever it was didn’t die in the fire.”

  “So instead of dying in a fire, Morgan moved to California, changed his name, and started using makeup to cover up his deformity.”

  “Could you possibly reach any other conclusion?” Adam asked.

  “Not a chance. I think it’s time to call the agent in charge in Washington so he can get the ball rolling to coral this Ronald Wilkerson AKA Harold Morgan.” Just as Ken reached for his phone, Adam’s phone rang. Adam held up one finger to indicate Ken should wait on his call while Adam answered his. Adam hoped it was Robert with some information. Adam glanced at his phone’s display, and it indicated the call was indeed from Robert.

  “Hello,” Adam said.

  “Adam, this is Robert Drummond. I assume you remember me?” Robert said with a grin.

  “No, I’m sorry I don’t,” Adam said going along with the joke.

  “Okay, I guess that’s enough of that. I checked into the lab the department uses to have DNA tests done. We don’t have the resources to do that kind of test in house.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought you would. What did you find out?”

  “The lab tech who did Morgan’s DNA test, a guy named Frank Montoya, died in a car wreck the very next day.”

  “That’s rather convenient.”

  “That’s what I thought so I had some of our guys check bank records and the like, and it turns out that Montoya got an infusion of cash three days before the DNA test was done.”

  “Do you know where the money came from?”

  “Not yet. We’ve got our forensic accountant on it, and we hope to find out soon. He’s already discovered the source of the payment is buried several layers deep. The payment came from an offshore company that is owned by another offshore company that is owned by a conglomerate. That’s as far as our guy has gotten so far, but he’ll keep digging.”

  Chapter 49

  Adam asked Robert if there was anything suspicious about the accident.

  “There wasn’t at the time,” Robert said. “It was thought to be just a run of the mill accident. Montoya was apparently drunk and missed a turn at a high rate of speed, and his car smashed into a tree. It happens all the time, so nobody suspected anything out of the ordinary. Knowing what I know now I doubt that the accident was quite so straight forward, but it’s way too late to check the car to see if it was tampered with in any way. Or to check Montoya’s body to see if it was anything more than alcohol that caused his wreck. Montoya’s body was cremated, and his wife spread his ashes on top of a hill were she and her husband used to picnic. It’s what he’d asked her to do long before he died. The car was junked right after the accident, and the parts that were still salvageable were undoubtedly used in the repair of many different cars. Some of those cars have probably themselves been junked. The rest of the car would have been just so much scrap metal and would have been made into something else by now.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. So where do we go from here.”

  “I’d say there’s nothing we can do about Montoya’s death, but as for Harold Morgan, he needs to be picked up. He was wanted for a variety of things, like suspicion of murder, gambling, drugs, and pimping when he was presumed dead. You probably know murder has no statute of limitations. Plus, as you mentioned, he was responsible for the kidnapping in California.”

  “I believe the FBI is going to round him up.” Adam turned to Ken who nodded. “I think they’ll probably want Jenny in California to make a positive ID.” Ken nodded again. “I’m going to go with her and see if I can get anything out of him. I do have some abilities at getting to the truth.”

  “So I’ve noticed,” Robert said with a heavy sigh.

  “Why the sigh? Is there something wrong?”

  “I wish I could go with you to California.”

  “Well, why can’t you? As far as I’m concerned you’re welcome to join us. I will just have to clear it with the FBI, but I don’t think they will object. Hang on just a second, and I’ll check…Is it permitted for Detective Drummond to go with us to California?” he asked Ken. “He wants to find out, if he can, if Harold Morgan is the one responsible for the murder of his wife and the kidnapping of his daughter, twenty years ago.”

  “As far as I’m concerned he’s welcome to go to California with us. We’ll be taking the department’s jet so there will be room. We’ll leave as soon as I get confirmation that Morgan is in custody.”

  Adam passed that information along to Robert who said he would try to clear his slate and let Richard and Mary Beth know he would be gone for a short time. He hated to leave no
w that he finally had his daughter back, but he needed to see Morgan get his due and wanted to see what Adam could get from Morgan. Robert knew the FBI could question Morgan all they wanted, but they couldn’t do what Adam could do. Adam might be able to find out things that the FBI agents couldn’t. He wanted to be there if Adam succeeded.

  As soon as Adam hung up, Ken immediately picked up his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. He identified himself to the FBI Washington headquarters and asked to be put through to the agent in charge of the kidnapping case. When connected, he explained why the California field office should round up Morgan AKA Wilkerson. The agent said he would put things in motion right away.

  Not more than five minutes later Ken’s phone rang. The California agent said he discovered Wilkerson had already been under surveillance and they should have him in custody within a few hours. “We’ll leave right away. We should be there in…,” Ken checked at his watch even though there was a large wall clock in the room, “about eight hours or so. Can you have a couple of cars meet us at the airport? There will be at least four of us on the plane. And can you also get four rooms for us at whatever hotel you guys use near the airport?” When he hung up, he turned to Adam.

  “Can you call the detective back and tell him we’ll meet him at the Morgantown airport in about two hours?”

  “I can do that,” Adam said with a smile. “Did I understand they already have Morgan in custody already?”

  Ken shook his head. “No. Not in custody yet. He said they have been surveilling Morgan and should be able to round him up in an hour or two. Therefore we should leave now. I’ll call the airport and have the pilots get clearance for our plane to go to Morgantown and then on to LAX.”

  “Good,” Adam said. “I’ll call Detective Drummond and let him know and tell him I’ll call from the plane about an hour into the flight. That way he won’t have to be waiting at the airport for too long.”

  Within an hour Ken, Adam, and Jenny were on their way to Morgantown. Adam noticed that the FBI jet was at least as luxurious as the private jets he had rented over the years. They were served supper on the plane, and their meal was better than any he remembered being served during his rentals. He decided the life of an FBI agent wasn’t too bad though he doubted every FBI agent had access to this kind of luxury.

  As soon as the jet had taxied to the terminal in Morgantown Robert joined them. He was on the stairs into the plane almost before they had been lowered to the ground. Adam greeted Robert warmly and introduced him to Ken and Jenny. The aircraft was back in the air and on its way to LAX about ten minutes after it had set down in Morgantown.

  The flight to Los Angeles wasn’t so peaceful. After two hours into the flight, Ken got a call from Agent Smithers. Morgan had been shot while the FBI was rounding him up and an agent was killed.

  “Is Morgan dead?” Robert asked dreading the answer. He wanted Morgan dead but not this way. He wanted to face Morgan and get the answer he’d been searching for all this time. Did Morgan kill Molly and kidnap Mary Beth? If Morgan was dead perhaps he would never know the answers he so desperately needed. He would never be able to get the closure he wanted and the closure that was due Richard.

  Ken shook his head. “No. He’s hanging on, but he may not have long. The doctor’s prognosis was not good.”

  “I don’t suppose this jet can go any faster,” Robert said.

  “Probably not, but I’ll go tell the pilots we need to get there ASAP,” Ken said getting up from his seat and heading forward.

  Ken was back in scarcely a minute. He shook his head. “They’re at their top speed now. But they are going to call the airport to get priority landing. And I’ve already made arrangements to have two cars meet us at the FBI’s private terminal.” Adam and Jenny already knew about the arrangements for the car, but Robert didn’t.

  Robert felt slightly better knowing they were getting to LA as fast as possible and from there, they would be taken directly to the hospital. He had to hope that Morgan could hang on until they got to the hospital. Morgan might not willingly tell them anything, but he certainly couldn’t tell them anything if he was dead. Robert thought Adam might be able to get something from Morgan he was reluctant to confess.

  “Did they catch whoever shot Morgan?” Adam asked.

  “No,” Ken said. “He apparently shot from a long distance. They think he may have used a sniper rifle. They’re looking for where the shot came from. After all, whoever it was killed an FBI agent. The FBI gets rather upset when one of their own gets killed. I’m sure they won’t rest until they find whoever did it.”

  After they landed at LAX, it took them a few minutes to taxi to the FBI terminal. As expected, two cars were waiting for them. They all hurried from the plane and into the vehicles. Adam and Ken got in one car and Jenny and Robert in the other.

  “It’s done,” Miranda said.

  “It’s not done!” Carlo Donati slammed his fist on his desk, the vibration sending the flowerpot on the corner smashing to the floor spreading flowers, water, and glass over his Persian rug. “He’s still alive!”

  “He couldn’t be. I hit him center mass like I’ve been taught and he went down like a sack of flower. The FBI guy behind him went down too. Who told you he’s still alive?”

  “That doesn’t matter. All you need to know is the FBI agent died at the scene, but Morgan is still alive. You apparently nicked his aorta, but your bullet missed his heart. He’s still alive!” Donati almost shouted through the phone.

  “But…but,” she stuttered.

  “No but’s. Finish the job before he opens his mouth.” Donati doubted Morgan would tell the cops anything, but he absolutely couldn’t take the chance. Taking no chances was how Carlo maintained his freedom and how his father had stayed free before Carlo.

  “It’ll be done. I guarantee it.”

  “He’s dead within 24 hours, or you are. And believe me, I’ll know.”

  She thought about telling Donati not to threaten her, but she knew his to be no idle threat. She also knew it wasn’t smart to argue with Donati. If Morgan was not dead within twenty-four hours, she knew Carlo would carry out his threat, and no amount of pleading would change that. Donati might even have arranged her hit before she called Donati. It was Morgan’s life or her own. No question about it. She knew Donati did not put up with failure and knew Donati would know if Morgan was still alive in twenty-four hours. Of that, she had no doubt. Donati had informants everywhere including in most police departments and, apparently, in the FBI as well.

  “I’ll call you again when I’ve taken care of him.”

  “Of course you will. I know you didn’t ask, but I thought I’d help you out. Morgan was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. It’s supposed to have the best trauma center in LA.”

  “Okay, thanks. That’ll save me some time.”

  “Get it done,” Donati growled slamming the receiver down.

  Chapter 50

  As their car approached the hospital Adam’s nose started to itch. Ken noticed Adam scratching his nose. He had to ask. “Does that mean anything or does your nose simply itch like a normal person’s nose sometimes itches?”

  Adam smiled at Ken’s attentiveness and insight. “My nose does sometimes itch like a ‘normal person’s,’ but I can generally tell when it’s more, and this time I think it’s more.”

  “Okay. What does it mean?”

  “It means something is about to happen. I…”

  “Nothing good I presume,” Ken cut Adam off.

  Adam shook his head. “No, I’m sure it won’t be. We’ll need to be extra attentive, and you’ll need to inform your people guarding Morgan to be on the watch.”

  “They always are, but I’ll still tell them to be extra diligent.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “So you think whoever tried to kill Morgan might want to finish the job?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t bet against it. After all,
we’re dealing with someone’s source of revenue.”

  “Any preference where you want me to park, sir,” Ken’s driver asked.

  “No, just make sure there’s a spot beside ours so the other car can park with ours.”

  He did, and the other FBI car stopped beside Ken’s car. “Come in with us, um. What is your name? I guess I never asked.” Ken said to the driver.

  “Kevin, sir, Agent Kevin Cox.”

  “Well, Agent Cox, come with us.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ken got out and walked to the other car. Their driver’s name was Agent Justin Baker. Ken ordered Agent Baker to accompany them as well.

  When everyone was out of their respective cars, Ken led the way into the hospital. Ken flashed his credentials to the FBI agent at the hospital door, and the agent accompanied them to Morgan’s room. Two more agents were guarding the door to his room. Ken had agents Cox and Baker wait at opposite ends of the hallway and check everyone wanting access to the floor. When they went into the room, he sent the agent who had left his post at the front door to go back down. Only two nurses and a doctor were in the room. The makeup hiding Morgan’s deformity had been removed, and he was hooked to machines that were monitoring his heart rhythm and whatever else the doctor thought needed monitoring. It crossed Ken’s mind that there was a lot of expensive equipment being used solely to monitor the rest of the life of a real scumbag. He was glad he wasn’t responsible for saving the lives of anyone and everyone no matter how worthless. It was his philosophy, shared by a lot of people, that some people simply needed to be killed and Morgan certainly would be among that multitude.

  Miranda had been watching for an opportunity to enter the hospital. She had noticed the man by the front door checking IDs as people went in when she saw two cars that appeared to be FBI SUVs drive in and park side-by-side. Her hunch was confirmed when five men and one woman piled out of the SUVs. Three of the men just had to be FBI agents. They had the self-assured walk and ubiquitous black suits. She didn’t recognize the other two guys who she didn’t picture as FBI, but she thought she recognized the woman. She raised her binoculars to be sure. She was right. It was the missing kidnapper. She smiled. She knew Donati had offered a reward for her corpse. So, she would be able to finish her contract on Morgan and kill the kidnapper at the same time. It would be a good night. She knew the FBI would be guarding Morgan, but she was always up for a challenge. She would complete the Morgan contract tonight and get the kidnapper too. Of that, she had no doubt.