Moon Underfoot

by Cole, Bobby

He could tell Jake was disappointed and knew he wasn’t willing to risk breaking any laws, and his brokerage wouldn’t allow it anyway. Jake had wished him the best and hoped he could help Walter in the near future.

  Walter took a long sip of coffee and then changed mental gears to Samantha’s phone call yesterday telling him that Kroger had requested a meeting for Monday and that they had disclosed that they would have attorneys present. She was nervous—he could hear it in her voice—and that, in turn, made him anxious.

  At about seven thirty, Lucille and Bailey came down for breakfast. Lucille had toast with homemade blackberry jelly. Bailey drank a Mountain Dew. Her eye didn’t look as bad as Walter had expected.

  After a few more minutes, Walter tired of waiting for Sebastian and Bernard and pulled out the camera. “Bailey, this is what I want you to do. It’s real simple. This is a motion-sensitive video camera that makes no noise. I need you to position it so it can film Moon Pie entering the safe’s combination. If we can get that, we’re home free.”

  “How do I turn it on? Do I have to focus it?” she asked, a bit intimidated.

  “It automatically focuses, and all you have to do is turn it on by pushing this switch. Point it at the lock, and make sure it’s hidden. Make sure it’s at an angle so the person punching in the code doesn’t block the camera. You may have to experiment a few times. Here’s how you review it.” Walter demonstrated by filming Lucille.

  “Okay. I get it.”

  “From looking at your cell phone pictures, I seem to recall that there is a shelf with magazines and some other junk on the right-hand wall. Somewhere on that shelf would be perfect. You’ll just need a few minutes to set it up. Can you handle that?”

  “Sure. Levi always leaves to get us breakfast after he opens up. It takes him about twenty minutes.”

  “Be careful.”

  “This is a great idea,” Bailey said enthusiastically as she looked at the camera.

  “It should work,” Walter said confidently.

  “Now, if he’ll just show up and unlock the safe today,” Bailey said thoughtfully.

  “Bailey, honey, we’re really not in a hurry,” Walter said. Then he added, “Does your ex-boyfriend know that your grandmother lives here?”

  “Yes. Yes sir. He does,” she said, shifting her gaze to Lucille.

  CHAPTER 43

  MOON PIE OVERSLEPT and woke up pissed off at the world. He had a narrow thirty-acre property that he loved to hunt the first day of the season. It was basically a place to park his truck, but it bordered a nine-hundred-acre private farm in Noxubee County that was intensively managed for trophy whitetails. Every opening morning for the last three years he had killed a nice buck by being in the woods before the doctor who owned the fine place put out all his hunting buddies. The doctor’s friends typically made so much noise that nearly every deer on the place got spooked, and Moon Pie knew their primary escape routes. If the wind was calm or out of the northwest, he would be in great shape.

  He jumped into his hunting clothes, grabbed his rifle, and dashed to the woods as daylight was breaking. He needed to kill a buck on opening day because it tied directly to his sense of self-worth—saying to whoever saw it that he was such an accomplished hunter that he could take a wall hanger in the first few hours of the season opening.

  Moon Pie and Levi rarely missed a day of hunting during the season, and if they did, they went during that night. Levi also had two horses they occasionally rode on large, open properties. Horse tracks weren’t obvious signs of poachers and were often dismissed as merely signs of a neighboring landowner rounding up lost cattle. They also road-hunted the beautiful Natchez Trace, a 444-mile, ancient, wooded road that sliced through prime whitetail habitat between Nashville and Natchez.

  In all of Moon Pie’s illegal activities, he was as slick as a greasy BB. While law enforcement agencies were aware of his nefarious ways, Moon Pie had paid off so many locals with meat and drugs that they watched his back, making him that much harder to catch.

  By nine o’clock that morning, Moon Pie was already pissed at himself for oversleeping. He’d stayed up late watching a Swamp People marathon and the doctor’s friends had beaten him into the woods by at least thirty minutes. As a result, he had missed an excellent chance to poach one of the doc’s big deer. After hearing someone shoot three times, Moon Pie slithered down from his perch atop a blown-down white oak and headed back to his truck. There were too many hunters on the doctor’s place for him to slip across the property line today, and since he didn’t know exactly when Tam would be arriving to exchange the drugs for the cash, he felt an urgency to leave the woods.

  Tam Nguyen made Moon Pie extremely nervous. The late Johnny Lee had introduced them about four years ago, which was yet another reason Moon Pie felt compelled to avenge Johnny Lee’s death. Tam had been searching for trustworthy drug runners and compensated proven dependability through a unique profit-sharing program, and with greater reliability came greater base pay. In the Vietnamese criminal culture along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, trustworthiness was frequently challenged and constantly had to be proven.

  Historically, the Dixie Mafia, as it was known along the coast, had been run exclusively by good ol’ boys—white boys. Recently, however, a few Vietnamese—and Tam Nguyen specifically—had proven they not only were excellent shrimpers but also possessed other talents, and they had staked a significant claim to a piece of the Gulf Coast drug trade.

  Tam’s vision was to expand northward. To do so, he had to improve his distribution network. He would use Biloxi as a base, which worked especially well, since there was no port authority and any vessel could simply enter the bay and dock unchecked. Biloxi’s proximity to Interstate 10, a major drug route that went from Florida to California, and several interstates heading north, made Biloxi and the surrounding area ideal for drug trafficking.

  Moon Pie had met face-to-face with Tam only a few times. Tam lurked in the shadows as much as possible. His trusted lieutenants did the heavy lifting. Because of Tam’s notoriety, he had to work and sleep in a different location every day, all the while maintaining a powerful and growing criminal empire. Rumors were that he had numerous bay houses and houses on the intra-coastal canals. When Moon Pie needed to talk with Tam, he called a prepaid cell phone, which was rarely operational for more than two weeks.

  Moon Pie had heard stories of unfortunate souls crossing Tam. The tales ranged from more than one person being drowned in a shrimp net to another guy being hog-tied and partially fed to alligators; there was just enough of him hanging out of reach to be identifiable. One story circulated about a college kid on spring break who had been relentlessly hitting on Tam’s girlfriend. He went missing and was found three days later naked, frozen solid in a flash freezer at a seafood company. One of his shoes was stuck down his throat, and the other was up his rectum. The stories had the desired chilling effect—no one ever considered crossing Tam, ever. Moon Pie was one of the scores of true believers.

  When Moon Pie got back to his truck, he retrieved the key from behind the driver’s-side front tire. The hair on the back of his neck stood. He felt that he was being watched. He tried to act casual as he peeled off a layer of clothes and glanced around surreptitiously. Not knowing who was out there was killing him. That damn doctor probably tipped off the game warden, he thought.

  Moon Pie had resented the doctor since the day he had purchased the land. Moon Pie had hunted the place years before the doctor started raking in the big bucks from Jackson socialites’ boob jobs and face-lifts. Maybe it’s a damn good thing that I didn’t kill one today! With Tam coming up here and all, I don’t need any more hassles than I already got.

  Moon Pie climbed into the truck and backed out, and, not seeing anyone or any vehicles, he slung gravel as he stomped the gas. As he neared the doctor’s gate, he slowed and laughed as he tossed out a double handful of roofing nails in front of the fancy entrance.

  CHAPTER 44

  THE TENNESSEE MEXIC
AN criminals had their regular Saturday-morning staff meeting in the back room of Shoney’s. They conducted their illicit business in almost the same manner as any legitimate growing commercial concern. The ringleader read off a list of projects and asked his staff for updates. By all appearances, this was a typical business meeting for the development of a new software program, not criminal activities. However, the sixth discussion item was the money given to Moon Pie for the cocaína.

  “We have every reason to believe that this venture is on track, Jefe.”

  “When will the first transaction be concluded?”

  “By the end of business on Monday. We are electronically monitoring the money and Mr. Pie. We know exactly where both are.”

  “Excelente. Siga supervisando,” the ringleader said before taking a sip of water. Then he added, “Tell me as soon as the money moves.”

  “Sí, señor.”

  To the group, el Jefe said, “Sources tell me that his organization can supply us well. We need them to crezca grande.”

  With those comments about monitoring the money and growing their business, they moved on to the next item on the agenda—killing a known informant.

  CHAPTER 45

  BAILEY ARRIVED AT work worried that Woody was going to show up and cause a major scene. She wanted so badly to break away from him. She dreaded what was ahead of her if she didn’t. With the money they were going to steal, she would be able to get out of town—start over.

  Once the store was open for business, as if he had read the script, Levi offered to go get breakfast.

  “You want cheese in your grits?” he asked, walking out the door.

  “Yes, please,” she replied, anxious for him to leave.

  When the door shut, she went straight to her purse to get the camera. As soon as she laid her hands on it, the back door sprung open, and Levi was standing there with a goofy smile on his face.

  “I was just curious…what’s your favorite movie?”

  “Uh…what?”

  “I just realized that I don’t know what you favorite movie is. That really says a lot about someone.”

  Bailey was flustered and couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she asked, “I don’t know. What’s your’s?”

  “It’s hard to say. This chick that cuts my hair, she’s always talkin’ about movies and lines from movies. It made me realize that I might enjoy a movie, but the ones that I really remember are the ones with great lines.”

  Bailey wanted him to leave, but she nodded her head as though she actually cared about what he was saying.

  “Hell, I like so many, it’s tough to choose one. A Christmas Story is probably my all-time favorite, and that movie has got some great lines. I watch it every year when they play the marathon at Christmas. ‘You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!’”

  “I’ve seen that. I love it when the kid sticks his tongue to the light pole,” she said with a giggle.

  “Sometimes I kinda think me and Moon Pie are like Ralphie and his little brother.”

  Bailey laughed. “I don’t think so. Y’all might be those two boys that are always picking on him, though.”

  “I even drink Ovaltine sometimes.”

  “Well, you certainly take your movies seriously, and I’d love to talk some more about ’em, but I really gotta get to work.”

  “Tell me a movie you like, and I’ll let you go.”

  Bailey sighed and thought. “I did rent a movie recently called Double Jeopardy.”

  Levi was leaning on the doorjamb, intently watching her. He offered, “Ashley Judd. I love her.”

  “I watched it twice. I kinda identified with her character, and I loved it when she said, ‘Hello, Nick.’”

  “Oh yeah! That was really good. See…I learned somethin’ about you. Okay, be right back.”

  Levi was gone for ten seconds, and then he suddenly burst back through the door, scaring the crap out of her again.

  “Did you know Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice to play Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs? She turned it down ‘cuz it was way too scary.”

  “Really?” Bailey replied.

  “Yep. I love movies.”

  “I do too.”

  Levi smiled at her. “Great. Okay, now I’m gone to get breakfast. Be right back.”

  Bailey walked to the back door and peeked outside to make certain that Levi had indeed left. When she saw him drive off, she grabbed the camera and began looking for an optimum location. She figured that she had twenty minutes to set the camera and place the magnet inside the doorframe, all the while being mindful of Moon Pie’s static cameras.

  After setting up the spy camera, she stood on a chair and affixed the magnet to the inside of the metallic backdoor frame. She quickly shut the door and replaced the chair in the back room.

  When she heard the back door slam, she playfully called out, “Hello, Nick.”

  She could hear footfalls and assumed it was Levi as she turned to leave the office.

  “Who the hell’s Nick?” Moon Pie asked as he appeared.

  “Nobody. Levi and I were just talkin’ about something, that’s all,” Bailey said, hoping to hide her surprise at seeing Moon Pie.

  “Uh-huh. Where’d he go?”

  “He went to get us breakfast. It’s always slow Saturday mornings.”

  Moon Pie walked into the office and looked around suspiciously. “So, who’s Nick?”

  “He’s from a movie that Nick—I mean Levi—and I were talkin’ about before he left.”

  “You never talk about movies with me.”

  “I really don’t ever really talk movies with anybody. Levi just asked me what I liked.”

  “He’s so gay,” Moon Pie said, sitting down in his desk chair.

  “No he’s not.”

  “So tell me, does Woodrow know about Nick?” Moon Pie asked with a sly smile.

  Bailey rolled her eyes and, with a sigh, hurriedly walked toward the front of the store. The best thing about today was that Moon Pie would most certainly open the safe, revealing the code and putting her that much closer to freedom. She planned to call Walter with an update at her first break, when she could go outside for some privacy.

  CHAPTER 46

  TAM NGUYEN AND his fiancée, Alexa, sat in the backseat of his black Mercedes-Benz S600 sedan, heading toward Tupelo, Mississippi. They were three hours late because Alexa had had to shop for new clothes for the meet and greet.

  When she had received the e-mail inviting her, she had almost fainted. Tam really didn’t want to attend, but she had pleaded and begged. She finally resorted to insisting that, since it was their anniversary weekend of their first date, it was the only thing she wanted as a gift. He was more of a Black Eyed Peas fan, but since he could conduct business too, the long trip would be worthwhile—even justified.

  Following behind Tam’s Benz was a black Ram truck with a matching camper shell. In the bed was nearly $1.7 million of cocaine at wholesale value. The huge Mercedes and its blacked-out windows attracted a lot of attention; however, the Ram truck looked like one of the thousands of other pickup trucks that Mississippians loved to drive. The two drivers communicated via handheld CB radios and cell phones, but they were never out of sight from each other.

  Tam glanced at his watch and exhaled deeply. Alexa would have a screaming fit if they were late to the event. It was going to be close, but he couldn’t risk either vehicle being pulled over for speeding.

  Tam preferred military-like precision and was having to learn to be more flexible with Alexa around. She sometimes would take thirty minutes to simply put her hair up in a ponytail. That was hard for Tam Nguyen. Tight controls kept him unincarcerated, ahead of his competition, and alive.

  He decided that for the peace of his relationship with Alexa, he would have to make the exchange with Moon Pie the next morning. He studied Alexa as she slept. He knew that his wealth attracted women, but he still couldn’t believe she was his fiancée. She had been working as a swimsuit an
d fitness model after having been a Hooters calendar girl. Two years earlier, she had dropped out of Tulane University to pursue modeling full-time. How many guys can say they are engaged to a professional fitness model?

  Alexa was also good for his image. He made a mental note to check into leasing or fractional ownership of a private airplane like the King Airs hangared at the local airport. That not only would save him time but also would impress Alexa and his clients. On second thought, he realized that Alexa would insist on flying to Dallas and Atlanta just to shop or attend concerts. It could end up costing him a fortune.

  The six men Tam had killed with his own hands would have been surprised to learn that he even considered what others thought or felt. His reputation was one of brutal violence. He intimidated the competition, and rarely, if ever, did he blink at using force first. Somehow Alexa could look past his tough facade to see a caring person. She understood his lifestyle and seemed to enjoy the dichotomy of it. Tam believed that all people, at some point during their lives, would meet someone who appreciated their true being. Alexa was that person for him.

  Tam palmed his cell phone and searched for Moon Pie’s number. He typed a text message: “No time 2nite. 2morrow 4 sure. B ready.” Then he hit send.

  He laid the phone on the tan leather seat, made himself more comfortable, and pulled out a small notebook to review his coded financials.

  CHAPTER 47

  THE TWO NORTHEAST Mississippi Drug Task Force officers were working overtime preparing for the meet and sting, as they now referred to it. They discussed it only with those who absolutely needed to know. One of the officers had an old high school buddy who was a police officer in Tupelo, so he had called him in to help put together an undercover squad who could pretend to be concert attendees.

  The plan was to use the Hilton Garden Inn, which was adjacent to the BancorpSouth Arena, the concert venue. The task force had reserved the Hilton banquet room and paid an outside caterer and party planner to make the setting seem authentic. An undercover police officer acted as DJ, spinning Rascal Flatts’s hits to set the tone. Officers from several agencies played various roles, from road manager to groupies. Wearing an Ohio State ball cap, one sheriff’s deputy actually looked like Gary LeVox, the lead singer. They couldn’t find an officer thin enough, however, to portray Joe Don, so the play was that the other band members had yet to arrive. The meet and sting appeared to be authentic. Everybody had been briefed extensively on the target. Hopefully by the time Tam walked into the room and discovered the festivities were a fake, the trap would be sprung. The deception was on.