He saw no one sitting in a car as if they were keeping watch and there was no one peering out from a window. After reaching the corner, Tanner turned around and ran back the way he had come. He slowed his pace to allow a man across the street and three houses away to head back up his front steps after checking his mailbox, which was at the curb. As soon as the man’s back was to him, Tanner quickened his steps and rushed up Weiss’s driveway, past the Mercedes, and into the backyard.
He heard no voices but there was the sound of a television playing. The blinds on the kitchen windows had yet to be lowered and he could see that there were two pans on the stove. The small table in the kitchen had place settings already. It appeared as if dinner was soon to be served.
Tanner was ready to pick the lock on the rear door but found it wasn’t necessary. The door was unlocked. As he eased open the door, he could hear the TV and discerned that there was a news station playing. He lowered the shades on the kitchen windows. Maybe Tinsley’s daughter didn’t like privacy, but he did.
He still had yet to hear any voices but that didn’t mean anything since there were probably only two people in the home. If they were in separate rooms, they wouldn’t be talking.
The kitchen smelled strongly of coffee. Instead of being pleasant, the odor was harsh. A look at the coffee maker on the counter revealed that the bottom of the carafe was a dark brown. It appeared that someone had left the coffee maker on when there was barely any brew left in it. What little remained was overheated and burned until the machine’s automatic shutoff kicked in. That usually took four hours.
Tanner left the kitchen to step into a dimly lit hallway. That was when he detected a second odor, one he had smelled too many times before. It wasn’t the sick odor of decay, not yet, but it was the scent of recent death.
Tanner moved deeper into the house with his gun in his hand and found the bodies in the living room. Alex Tinsley had a head of white hair and was dressed in a green robe. His daughter was blonde, her robe was pink, but her blood, and that of her father was red and a great deal of it was no longer in their bodies. The table in the kitchen wasn’t set for dinner, it had been set for breakfast.
Tinsley had been tortured and was missing several fingers on his right hand. His daughter had been gagged and appeared to have been violated with an instrument. A bloodstained rolling pin was on the floor between her legs. The daughter had been tortured to make Tinsley talk after the loss of several fingers had seemed inadequate. A knife blade across her throat had finished her.
One look at the scene told Tanner that there had to have been more than one person involved. Tinsley hadn’t been restrained. There were no marks on his wrists that would indicate handcuffs or other ligatures. There was bruising above the right wrist where hands had held him while someone else cut away his fingers.
Tanner killed the TV and moved around the rest of the home until he was certain that he was alone. When he returned to the kitchen to leave, he shut off the ceiling lights and saw the red light blinking on the small device above the doorframe. He had taken it to be a smoke alarm when he’d first seen it upon entering but now knew it for what it was. It was a motion detector. Someone knew that he was in the house.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway came an instant before the squeal of brakes, the opening and closing of car doors, and the distinctive sounds of shotguns being cocked.
Tanner saw a shadow sprint past a window. Someone had run to the rear of the house to block his exit through the back door. Tanner moved into the living room again and could see that headlights were aimed at the front of the house. He moved to the side of a window to look out and saw two men standing near the foot of the front steps. They were tall, had military buzz cuts, and wore ankle duster, black leather coats with snakeskin boots. Each man carried a shotgun, and not just any shotgun. They were Benelli M4s. They were partially hidden within the folds of the coats. If seen from the side or from behind, you wouldn’t know that they were armed.
One of the men reached through the open window of the car to dim the lights but left the engine running. The vehicle was a black 1969 Dodge Charger. Between the coats, the guns, and the car, Tanner had to admit they had style.
The man who had dimmed the car’s lights spoke in a clear voice that wasn’t loud but could be heard plainly over the sound of the Charger’s engine.
“Either you come out or we come in. What will it be?”
Tanner smiled. Maybe now he would get some answers.
8
The Power Of Choice
There was still a hint of orange in the sky to the west, behind the homes across the street from the house Tanner was in. The setting sun highlighted the homes’ contours and cast long shadows. None of those shadows looked like a man holding a gun, so Tanner thought it a safe bet that they hadn’t sent a man to hide across the street and snipe at him. Besides, he had seen their type before. They had triumphed over others so many times that they’d begun to think of themselves as invincible. It was one reason that they’d adapted the flashy clothes and the cool car. They weren’t all style and no substance; they just hadn’t yet had the misfortune of running into someone who was better than them. Well, that was about to change.
Tanner zipped open the jacket on his jogging outfit and tucked the gun in his waistband. When he opened the front door to go outside, he let the door swing wide then stepped into view with his hands held out by his sides. The men tensed for a moment but relaxed again when they saw that his hands were empty.
“Come on down the steps so we don’t have to shout at each other,” said the man who had spoken before. He appeared to be the mouthpiece for the trio.
Tanner came down the front porch steps and stood about fifteen feet away from them. The man who hadn’t spoken was smirking. He was confident that they were in control.
The other man whistled loudly three times. It was a signal for the third man, the one who’d gone to guard the rear exit. He came around the side of the house and stood at Tanner’s back, and about a dozen feet away. He was dressed like his friends and also had a shotgun within the folds of his coat. Tanner adjusted his stance so that he could keep all three of them in sight. It had the added advantage of turning him sideways, so that he presented a smaller target. Not that it would matter much given the weapons they had. With a flick of their wrists they could bring the shotguns up to fire. If hit with all three, there was a good chance that Tanner would be cut damn near in half. He used his head to gesture at the house.
“Are you responsible for that scene in there?” Tanner asked.
“Tinsley had it coming. Now, it’s your turn.”
“And what about his daughter, did she have it coming too?”
The man ignored the question and asked one of his own.
“Are you the dude that had a run-in with the people that were sent here before us?”
“Their names were Raúl and Felicia,” Tanner said.
The man smiled. “Is that so? Well, let me introduce us. My name is Mr. Smith, the man on my right here is Mr. Jones, and the guy at your back is Mr. Johnson. What should we call you?”
“Sir will do.”
Mr. Smith smiled. “Dude’s got a set of balls on him, don’t he, boys? It’s too bad we’ll probably have to cut them off to get him to tell us what we need to know.”
“I was hoping you would be able to tell me something,” Tanner said. “Raúl and Felicia didn’t know much.”
“What we know and what we don’t know is none of your business. We want to know what you know. We were told that you were looking for the bastards that robbed that festival. Have you found them?”
“No.”
“I don’t know if I believe you. If you do know something, you’re going to tell us where we can find them.”
“I don’t know where they are or even who they are. It sounds like you don’t either. Too bad. That makes you worthless to me.”
Mr. Smith huffed. “The balls on this dude.” He loo
ked past Tanner to catch the eye of his man, Mr. Johnson, then jerked his head to the right. He was telling Mr. Johnson to move away from Tanner and closer to himself and Mr. Jones. If they had to fire the shotguns, the way they were positioned, they might hit each other. Tanner adjusted his stance as the man moved. Once Mr. Johnson was standing to the right of Mr. Jones, Smith spoke to Tanner again.
“I don’t think you know shit, but there’s only one way to be sure.”
“Are you asking me to pinky swear?”
Smith laughed. “Damn if I don’t like you. It’s too bad we’re on different sides of this thing.” Smith’s face hardened and his voice lost all trace of humor. His tone was gruff when he next spoke, and his voice was a command.
“Put your hands in the air and turn around.”
“No.”
“You don’t have a choice if you want to keep breathing.”
“Yeah, I do,” Tanner said. He pulled the gun from his waistband and fired three shots. The first round struck Mr. Johnson in the center of his forehead, the second entered Mr. Jones at a point between his eyes, and the third round ripped open Mr. Smith’s throat. Once again, Tanner’s speed and aim were remarkable. Not one of the three men had the time to even twitch in reaction.
The shots were still echoing in the air when Tanner moved past Mr. Smith. As he passed him, he looked down to see a pair of astonished eyes. Those eyes would soon close never to open again. Tanner’s round had torn through Smith’s jugular.
He stepped into the vintage Charger and backed it out of the driveway, to roar away down the street as the front doors of the neighbors opened up to see what all the noise had been about. Tanner took the first left, drove to the end of the block, and parked the car in front of a house that had a For Sale sign on the lawn. After wiping down any surfaces he had touched, he left the car unlocked and still running. He didn’t care what happened to it.
In less than a minute he was back in the rented van and headed for home. He still had no idea of how to find the heist crew, and now he had killed three more of the people sent by whoever else was looking for them. Killing was how he made his living. He didn’t like working for free.
Tanner drove along US-77. He needed more information. When an idea struck him as to where he might find it, he used the van’s Bluetooth to make a call.
A familiar voice answered, saying, “Hello.”
“It’s me, Caleb.”
“Hey, big brother! How is everybody doing there?”
“We’re all good, and we’re looking forward to seeing you again soon.”
“I’ll be there for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to see how much my niece and nephew have grown.”
“Marian will be walking soon, and Lucas keeps asking me to let him ride a horse alone.”
Caleb laughed. “Man, they’re growing up quick.”
“I called to pick your brain.”
“About what?”
“Thieves.”
“I do know a fair amount about that.”
“I know, and maybe you can help me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Caleb said.
Tanner went on to tell him about the heist crew that robbed the festival. Whether Caleb could help or not, it felt good to talk to his brother.
9
The German
Caleb was a thief who went by the name of Stark. Stark didn’t pull heists, instead, he robbed other thieves to give them a taste of their own medicine. He was not well liked among the larcenous class.
Caleb didn’t know of the heist crew Tanner was looking for but said that he would ask his contacts about Marco Deering, the member of the crew that had been killed during the robbery. Regardless of the outcome he would get back to him.
One of Caleb’s contacts was a fence who dealt in high-value loot. It was possible that he or one of his friends might have had business with Deering or the bearded man before.
Baby Marian was sleeping but Lucas was still awake when Cody returned home. He read to his son as he put him to bed, then joined Sara and Franny in the kitchen.
Franny had been with them for less than a year but was already one of the family. Cody liked her and loved how well she treated the children. Franny was the widow of a Marine who had died in action overseas. She didn’t have children of her own.
Cody noticed that she was better dressed than she usually was for a night in and learned that she had just returned from going on a dinner date.
“With Crash?”
“I prefer to call him Raymond,” Franny told him.
“I don’t blame you,” Cody said.
Franny called it a day a few minutes later and bid the Parkers goodnight as she went off to her room.
“Are you as surprised as I am that Crash and Franny are dating?” Sara said.
“I did notice them talking at the festival, but yeah, I didn’t think Crash had the nerve to ask Franny out.”
“He’s got a lot to offer. He’s smart, kind-hearted, and he’s not hurting for money. I hope it works out for him and Franny.”
“Time will tell,” Cody said. His phone rang moments later. It was Kate Barlow.
“I hope I’m not calling too late, Tanner?”
“Not a problem. Were you able to blow up the still shots taken from the video?”
“Yes, and since I wasn’t certain what was important and what wasn’t I wound up having nearly a hundred of them. I’ve sent them in a zip file to the email address I have for you.”
“I’ll look them over tonight. Thank you, Kate.”
“You’re welcome, and I hope that they help.”
Sara followed Cody into their home office and opened her laptop so that she could look at the photos too. She also suggested that they print them out using their photo printer. Kate Barlow had done a fine job of enlarging the masked men. Unfortunately, there was nothing in any of the photos to help identify them or point to where they might have gone.
Cody had been hoping to see a class ring or maybe a unique tattoo. All he saw was the hairy knuckles that Henry had said the driver of the van had.
Kate had also enlarged the bystanders who were standing near the barn when the robbery went down. Sara recognized a couple she knew.
“Elijah and Heidi were there when the shooting was going on.”
“Let me see that,” Cody said.
Sara passed him a photo that showed the couple crouched down behind a tree that was too narrow to shelter them. Elijah had his arms wrapped around Heidi and was using his body as a shield in an effort to protect her.
“Here’s another one showing them,” Sara said. “Look at the man to the left of them. Does something look odd to you?”
Tanner took the new photo from her and scrutinized it. There was a man hiding behind another slim tree near Elijah and Heidi. Despite how grainy the quality was, Cody could see that the man was in his sixties. He was also dressed differently than everyone else around him.
“He’s got a suit on.”
“Yes,” Sara said. “Who wears a suit to an outdoor festival in the country?”
“Are there any other photos showing him?”
Sara shuffled through the stack and found two more. She handed them to Cody. One photo showed Elijah and Heidi standing and looking relieved after Steve Mendez and Clay Milton had arrived on the scene. The man in the suit was at the edge of the photo and running toward the parking lot. The last photo showing him captured the man as he was opening the door of a white car. Even blown up you could barely make the man out, but the car appeared to be a luxury model. In the forefront of the photo was Mendez as he pulled a mask off one of the Carrawell brothers.
“This guy in the suit could be the buyer that Tinsley was supposed to pass on the rare bill to,” Cody said. “If I can find him, he might be able to tell me something.”
“Finding him could be difficult,” Sara said.
“Yeah, but it’s a lead. I’ll send these photos of him to Steve and see if he knows anything about him.”
“No. I’ll come to bed soon.”
Sara kissed him. “I’ll read for a while after I shower. Don’t be too long.”
“I won’t.”
Steve Mendez did have news about the man in the suit. He told Cody that a man who fit his description and who drove a white luxury vehicle had skipped out of the hotel without checking out.
“The hotel still charged his credit card, but they reported that he left all his clothes and his shaving kit behind. That sounds like someone who wanted to put distance between himself and the town in a hurry.”
“Did they have a record of what kind of car he was driving?”
“They had a plate number. I ran it and it came back as belonging to a Honda Civic. The name the guy gave them was a phony too. His address doesn’t exist either.”
“He must have been the man coming to claim the thousand-dollar bill.”
“What are you talking about?” Mendez said.
Cody gave him the short version of what had happened the last few days. Mendez sighed.
“I didn’t think this would turn out to be dangerous for you, Cody. Maybe you should let it go.”
“I’ve never been known as a quitter. I’m also eager to get to the bottom of this now too. Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”
“Man oh man, is that ever an understatement, but be careful, and give me a holler if you need me.”
“I’ll do that.”
Cody ended the call and headed off to bed. In the morning, he’d go looking for the man in the suit.
He ate breakfast with his family again then headed off on foot to the small ranch office that was managed by Heidi Winhoffer. The young blonde was always in the office early and this morning was no exception.
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