We’re In The Money
Tanner and Henry took turns guarding Weber and his daughter until Weber received the call to come and pick up his new ID.
His contact lived in a house in the Oak Lawn section of Dallas. It was a quiet neighborhood with nice homes. Tanner and Henry accompanied Weber to the Tudor style house but stayed outside while the deal was done. When Weber returned, he and Amelie had new identification, including passports. Amelie was frowning.
“I’ve always loved my name. I don’t want to be someone else.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Tanner said. He’d had to change his name when he was sixteen and lived under numerous aliases. Nearly a quarter of a century passed before he was able to claim his name again, along with his land and legacy.
Weber asked Tanner to drop him and Amelie off at the bus station on Lamar Street. He didn’t mention their destination and Tanner didn’t ask. He had requested that the man do him a favor as repayment for saving his life. Weber assured Tanner that he would do as he asked.
Amelie had compiled the list that Tanner had asked her for. She had scribbled down a list of things she knew about the men involved in the robbery. Tanner had glanced over it and thought that much of it was useless—such as the fact that Bohdan Kushnir liked mushroom soup—but he also thought that there might be a few things that could turn out to be valuable. One in particular could lead to him finding, Gage Kline, the bastard in the van who had nearly run over Henry.
Tanner sent Weber and Amelie a nod when they were parting and received one back from Weber. That wasn’t good enough for Amelie. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed first Tanner, then Henry on the lips. Tanner noticed that Henry blushed a bit. Although he wasn’t a virgin, the kid was still just seventeen, and Amelie was a very beautiful young woman.
“Thank you for saving us,” Amelie said.
Tanner noticed Weber’s hesitation to leave. “Is something wrong?”
“That farm we were at. It’s quite a valuable piece of land. It is a shame I didn’t have time to liquidate it and move the money into an account under my new identity.”
“Walk away from it. If you attempt to keep it or sell it, Cipher might use it to track you down someday.”
Weber sighed. “It is such a waste.”
“Let’s go, Papa,” Amelie said, as she took her father’s hand. Tanner and Henry watched as they walked into the bus station as the first step toward their new lives.
Crash met with them at the airfield. He had decided to stay overnight and fly back home with Tanner and Henry. He was waiting outside the hangar.
When he saw Henry, he gave him a playful punch on the arm. “You scared the hell out of me yesterday. I really thought that something serious had happened to you.”
“That was the whole point,” Henry said, “But it was only meant to fool the men who were chasing us.”
“Did you find out what you needed to know, Cody?” Crash asked.
“Not all of it, but we’re one step closer. And that drone of yours was a big help.”
Crash grinned. “Good. I told Lannie what happened, and she said that she was glad she didn’t come. It would have scared her to see you facing off against so many men.”
“They won’t be the last ones, not until I find the thieves and that rare bill.”
“I’m not worried about you. Hell, you’re Tanner Seven, and you’ve got Eight here watching your back.”
“Eight?” Henry said.
“Yeah, you’ll be Tanner Eight someday. If there were ever any doubts you dispelled them yesterday.”
Henry shook his head. “I’m a long way from getting that title.”
“Maybe so, but Henry, I’ve studied top assassins for decades, and the Tanners in particular. Kid, you’ve got what it takes to be one. You not only defeated the men who were after you, but you protected the people who were with you. Cody chose well when he picked you to be his apprentice. And hey, I can’t wait to start collecting souvenirs when you get the title. I’ve collected items related to every Tanner.”
“That reminds me,” Tanner said. “I’ve got something for your collection. I figured it would be a good way to repay you for your help.” He reached into the backpack he was carrying and removed the damaged thermal goggles. They had been destroyed by one of the .223 rounds Turtle had fired from his AR-15, and the slug was still embedded in them. Tanner’s neck continued to be sore from having his head jerked around as the goggles were ripped off by the force of the bullet.
Crash grinned down at the goggles, then looked up suddenly. “Were you wearing these when the bullet struck them.”
“Yeah.”
“Damn. That was a close call, Cody.”
“A man named Turtle did what’s called spray and pray when he fired his rifle on full auto. His prayer was nearly answered.”
“Turtle? Why was he named that?”
“I don’t know, but he did seem to talk slow.”
Crash admired the goggles again. They were now useless junk to Cody, but a treasure to Crash. He held up the goggles.
“This is going into my collection. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s get back home.”
They landed on the ranch in the early afternoon to find Caroline and Sara waiting for them along with Henry’s grandmother, Laura. Cody had called and told them what time to expect them. Sara had brought along their dog, Lucky. The black Labrador practically tackled Cody over his exuberance at seeing him.
Laura and Henry went home to the house they rented on the ranch and Crash showed off his souvenir to Caroline. Both she and Sara looked worried.
“That bullet came awfully close to hitting you,” Sara said.
“But it still missed,” Cody said. He didn’t mention the two that had hit him in the vest. Sara would become aware of the bruise left behind soon enough.
Crash and Caroline headed for home in her blue SUV while Cody drove his pickup truck and followed Sara to the house with Lucky riding beside him.
Both of the children were taking naps with Franny keeping an eye on them. Over a cup of coffee in the office, Cody told Sara about what had happened in Dallas.
“Did you give the names of those three men to Steve?”
“Yeah, but I’m going to track them down. Even if he caught them and put them in jail, the people who want them dead would make certain they got out on bail so that they could kill them.”
“When are you going to look for them?”
“Early tomorrow, very early, and Henry and I will be heading out to the desert too. Cipher, through their lackey, Fortunato, will be sending another group after me. I want to deal with them in a place of my own choosing.”
“How will you lure them to the desert?”
“Karl Weber is going to make contact with someone he knows is connected to Cipher. He says that they’ve been friendly but that he expects the man will sell him out, either for a reward or out of fear. Once that happens, Cipher will send people, and I’m expecting that it will be more than before.”
Sara’s expression turned angry. “Steve asked some favor of you.”
“He had no way of knowing that it would have turned into this. I was just looking for a group of heisters for him. I’m still looking for them.”
“You make sure that you’re ready for what they send at you.”
“I’ll be ready, more than ready. If I had any doubts, I wouldn’t involve Henry. Then again, he needs to be involved. It’s a good way for him to learn.”
“How did he do in Dallas?”
Cody smiled and told her about Henry’s trick with the hoodie.
Sara laughed. “That sounds like something you would have thought of doing.”
“I’ve done similar things in the past. He’s going to make a great Tanner someday.”
“You’ve had less strenuous contracts to fulfill. Is there anything I can do to help you with this?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Amelie had recalled that one of
the heist crew, Cory Sparks, had a dog, a pointer, named Jolene. It was the same dog that the van driver, Gage Kline, had kicked for no reason. Amelie said that Cory loved the dog and that he had placed it in a kennel when they knew they had to run. If Sparks loved the dog, he would check on her by calling the kennel often. If they could figure out what kennel the dog was in, Tanner could have Kate Barlow or Tim Jackson hack into their phone’s account and find out what number he called from, and where the phone was located.
Sara volunteered to make the calls while Cody spent time with the children once they woke up from their naps. By dinnertime, she was still at it.
“I’ve spoken to just about every kennel in the state and there’s still no pointer named Jolene, but I’ll keep searching after dinner if you’ll keep watching the kids.”
“It’s a deal. And thanks for doing this.”
“Thank me when I find that dog,” Sara said.
She disappeared into the office after eating to make more calls. Cody had been about to text her to come and kiss Lucas goodnight when Sara entered her son’s bedroom with a big smile on her face.
“It took over two hundred calls, but I’ve found the dog.”
“Great. What’s the name of the kennel and where is it located?”
“The dog isn’t at a kennel. I called every kennel in the state and came up empty, then I remembered that Lucky’s groomer also offers boarding for pets. The dog is at a grooming shop named Petsense. It’s in Laredo.”
Tanner and Henry left the ranch early and drove to Laredo. Tim Jackson had come through again and found out that Cory Sparks called the grooming shop from a burner phone. Realizing that it wouldn’t help Tanner to know that, Tim hacked into the grooming shop’s computer and studied the files with their customer information. Cory Sparks had recently changed his emergency contact to a phone number that matched the burner phone number. He had also stated that he would be staying with a friend at a marina, in slip 129. This had been written down as a notation by whoever had taken in the dog. Tanner was thankful for their thoroughness and Sparks’ big mouth.
Breaking into a boat is nowhere near as easy as breaking into a house. The house doesn’t rock when you move around on it. Tanner left Henry to stand watch and took his time easing onto the vessel. He didn’t want to wake Cory Sparks and have to face a desperate armed man. He wanted to wake him up to a nightmare that would increase his sense of desperation.
Sparks believed that there were people out to kill him. Tanner would take advantage of that belief and use it to his advantage.
Sparks was only two years older than Henry, but he was pudgy and looked as if he were rarely out in the sun. The flab around his middle was easy to see as he was sleeping in only a pair of white boxer shorts. Instead of keeping the cabin dark, Sparks had a lamp set on low. Tanner had searched the small boat and confirmed that Sparks was alone onboard. Tanner had been hoping to find Sparks’ uncle, Bohdan Kushnir, on the boat as well. It didn’t matter. Not if he could get Sparks to tell him where his uncle might be.
Tanner slapped the teen awake then covered his mouth with a gloved hand. Sparks woke and tried to sit up. His hand reached for the weapon he’d left on the nightstand, but it was no longer there. His struggles ended when he realized that Tanner’s gun was pointed at his face.
“If you make too much noise, I’ll kill you right now. Do you understand me?”
Sparks didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on that deadly little black hole at the end of Tanner’s gun.
Tanner removed his hand from his mouth only long enough to slap him again, but harder. Sparks blinked away tears and stared up at Tanner.
“Are you going to be quiet when I remove my hand from your mouth?”
This time Sparks nodded, so Tanner eased his hand away. Sparks asked a question.
“How did you find me?”
“Your uncle ratted on you.”
“Bohdan? He would never do that.”
“He held out for a little while, but there’s only so much pain a man can take.”
Sparks’ pale skin grew whiter. “Is he dead?”
“Forget that. Where did you put the rare bill you and your partners stole?”
“What? Bohdan has it.”
“It wasn’t with him when we caught up to him. Where would he have hidden it?”
“It should be in his truck.”
“A pickup truck?”
“No. Bohdan has an old Peterbilt. He’s a truck driver. Well, whenever the damn truck isn’t broken down, he is. He told me when we split up that he would be staying in his truck until things cooled down. It’s got a sleeper cab. I figured that was where you found him.”
“Is the truck broken down now?”
“Yeah, it was. But Bohdan said he was going to get the cranking system fixed now that he had some money. Maybe it’s running.”
“Where is the truck parked?”
“It’s at that big truck stop in Dilley, on Highway 35.”
“Describe the truck in detail.”
Sparks did as Tanner ordered and then asked a question.
“If Bohdan wasn’t in the truck, then, where was he?”
Tanner pressed his gun against the side of Sparks’ head. “I ask the questions. You give the answers. Got it?”
“Yes. Yes, sir.”
“Where can I find Gage Kline?”
Sparks made a face of displeasure that reminded Tanner of the one Amelie had made when he’d mentioned Kline.
“I don’t know where he is or care, but I hope you find him and hurt him bad.”
“I plan to kill him.”
“Shit. Did you kill my uncle?”
“No.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“If I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
Tanner left Sparks tied up and gagged before heading to the small city of Dilley with Henry. He’d text Steve Mendez and tell him where the kid could be found. Tanner was betting that the weapon Sparks had on his nightstand would match one of the guns fired at the festival. It would tie him to the robbery and the killing of Marco Deering.
Tanner found Bohdan’s truck without much difficulty. It was a Peterbilt 379 that looked like it had seen several million miles and had received little in the way of TLC. It was no wonder it broke down often. Sneaking up on Bohdan Kushnir was even more difficult than surprising his nephew had been. A truck, like a boat, rocked when someone climbed onto it.
Henry stood nearby to keep an eye out for witnesses. Although the sun had yet to come up, the truck stop was active. Most of the activity was taking place by the restaurant but the fuel pumps were working, and one trucker had been pulling his rig out to get an early start when they had arrived. There were three other trucks parked near Kushnir’s. They all had out of state tags and looked at least a decade newer than Kushnir’s ancient truck.
Once Tanner had the lock on the door open, he moved swiftly into the sleeper cab where the bearded ex-prison guard was stretched out on his back. Kushnir didn’t so much as twitch when Tanner pressed a hand over his mouth. Tanner was wondering if he were dead when he realized how strong the odor of whiskey was within the cab.
Kushnir wasn’t asleep and he hadn’t been murdered. He was so drunk that he had passed out. Tanner removed his hand from Kushnir’s face and turned on the light inside the small compartment. There were three empty liquor bottles on the floor and a fourth bottle that was nearly empty. A stain was near one of the bottles. It looked as if Kushnir had vomited at some point. He also hadn’t bathed in some time.
The rare bill was inside the blue gym bag that had been used on the day of the robbery. There were no workout togs in there, but there were the empty wallets, rings, and other jewelry that had been stripped off the people who’d been inside the barn on the day the festival was robbed. Kushnir must have had enough sense to get rid of the cell phones so that they couldn’t be traced. At the bottom of the bag were the old comics, stamps, and baseball cards that had been stol
en from the booths. A bank’s night deposit bag held what was left of the money taken from the festival. Along with the amount of cash Tanner had gotten from Cory Sparks, it looked like he had recovered most of the money taken. Gage Klein would have the rest.
Tanner studied the valuable currency through its protective, clear vinyl case and was impressed with how little wear and tear the bill had suffered after being around over a hundred and forty years.
On the dashboard was a cell phone and a receipt from the truck stop’s garage. The problem with the charging system had been fixed. The eighteen-wheeler had a new alternator and a new battery. That was good. It meant that the truck should run. Tanner secured Kushnir with zip ties then left the truck to speak to Henry.
“Bohdan Kushnir is dead to the world from having drank too much.”
“Did you find the bill?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what’s next, call Chief Mendez?”
“If I do that the local cops will be sent to investigate and they might get the credit for recovering the bill. It would be better if Steve got the credit, so I’m going to drive the truck back to Stark. You can follow me in the pickup.”
Henry looked up at the massive old truck. “You can drive that thing?”
“Yeah, and I’ll teach you how to do so someday too, along with operating heavy machinery. Although, the new trucks have automatic transmissions.”
“That’s still a lot of machine to move around.”
“The hard part is backing them up. Go get the pickup and come back here, then follow me to Stark. We’ll be home in time for lunch.”
The old Peterbilt was sluggish. The trailer swayed some because it was empty, and the day was windy. Tanner was glad for the breeze and kept the windows open halfway despite there being a nip in the air. It helped to dispel the stink of the booze, vomit, and body odor. They arrived back at the Stark town limits after making one stop for a bathroom break and coffee. Kushnir never stirred but only mumbled in his sleep once.
To Serve And Protect (A Tanner Novel Book 39) Page 13