Moon Underfoot

by Cole, Bobby

  “You okay, Moon?” Levi asked.

  “What the hell do ya think?”

  “I’m just askin’. Here’s your clothes.”

  “Wadda them damn Mexicans say?”

  “That they’re gonna kill us if we don’t come up with the money, but he didn’t freak out or anything like I expected. He was actually calm, and it kinda spooked me.”

  “That’s cuz they stole it and they got somethin’ up their sleeve.”

  “How do you think they got the safe combination?”

  “No clue. Hand me those bullets.”

  Levi handed him a half-empty box of 9 mm rounds. “I just don’t see how they coulda figured it out.”

  “Those high-tech bastards probably got some kinda computer they hooked up to it and it went through the possible combinations. It don’t matter how they got the money,” he said as he tightly packed a bag with gear. “The point is, they got it.”

  “Hey, did you notice the plainclothes cop across the street, watching the building?”

  “You sure it’s a cop and not a freakin’ Mexican hit man?”

  “The car has a municipal tag.”

  “Dammit. I don’t need their shit right now! I gotta lose him. He probably followed me from the jail and saw me get dropped off.”

  “How ya gonna shake him?”

  Moon Pie stopped packing and then went to look out the front door. “We’ll switch clothes, and I’ll wear that cap you got on. Since we’re about the same size, and he woulda seen you come in too, he’ll think it’s you leaving and that I’m still here.”

  “What about me? They’ll be on me, and I need to get gone too.”

  “Let me think about it. I’ll figure out something.”

  “You still goin’ up north?”

  “Nope, change of plans. Since Tam’s got my good truck, I’m goin’ to ’Bama to stay awhile with my taxidermist buddy.”

  “That’s better. You’ll be a lot closer if I need you.”

  “True. Here, we’ll use these prepaid phones. I expect they’re listenin’ to mine.” Moon Pie handed Levi a throw-down.

  “I’m sure glad you’re stayin’ kinda close. Maybe we can talk our way outta this mess with the Mexicans or Tam might help us.”

  “Tam might…I’ve already thought about that. He owes me a favor now; I just don’t know if he’d consider it a million-dollar favor. I just need to buy a little time until I can get him involved. I think he might stick up for me.”

  “Hard to put a price on freedom,” Levi said as he sat down in a chair. “I’m serious. Maybe Tam would take us on full-time instead of this once-a-month shit and help us outta this bind.”

  “It’s possible. I just gotta talk to him. We may have to start over—you know, reinvent ourselves. It’s better than being dead. I’ll call Mike on my way outta town and see if he’ll talk to Tam.”

  “So whatcha need me to do?”

  “Let’s switch clothes. Can you get someone to come by and pick you up later?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Levi replied.

  “Good. I’ll leave your truck at the trailer. So when are you gonna skip town?”

  “I don’t know. I got this new girlfriend I really like, and I’m thinkin’ she may be the one. I may just get on the houseboat and move up and down the river until things quiet down. That way I can still see my girl,” Levi said as he pulled off his ball cap and shirt.

  Moon Pie looked at him with disgust to mask his jealousy. He had always wanted a serious relationship but never seemed to find the right girl. His lifestyle seemed to attract ones that couldn’t be trusted. “So who is it?”

  “Bailey.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Nope.”

  “That little uppity bitch wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

  “We’ve kinda hit it off.”

  Moon Pie was now standing in Levi’s clothes, and from a distance, he could probably pass for him.

  Moon Pie said, “Whatever. I’m goin’ to the trailer to pick up some things, and then I have a few business deals before I leave. Watch the cop and call if he’s followin’ me. And if he don’t follow me, I need you to stay here until I’m outta town. I’ll call you.”

  “I got it.”

  “Good deal. I’ll see ya, little brother.”

  “Good luck, Memphis.”

  Moon Pie stopped and turned. “This could get crazy. You up for it?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “You better watch out for Woody too.”

  “I got it.”

  “Okay. You take care of yourself, now.” Moon Pie smiled and walked out the back door.

  CHAPTER 84

  JULIO AND GUILLERMO Googled West Point, Mississippi, before leaving Tennessee and quickly determined that the nicest place to stay was the Old Waverly Golf Club. Julio called and made reservations for them in a lake-view cottage. They had long since realized that they attracted much less attention staying in finer accommodations than they did in budget hotels. They needed to get in and out of town without rousing any suspicions, so for the next few days, he and Guillermo became Mexican cheese importers looking for new outlets in the Golden Triangle. Everybody knew there had been a recent sharp rise in the Hispanic population in the area.

  Several hours later, once they checked in, they paid the lodging attendant with a black American Express card. The attendant later asked her boss if he had ever seen one. His eyes lit up in anticipation, and he nodded. He knew that these men could charge anything they wanted, even a house, a lot, or a lifetime club membership. The word quickly spread through the staff that high rollers were staying in cottage number three.

  Guillermo used the Wi-Fi to check the location of the money. The locator hidden inside the bag placed it at the local police station. Guillermo switched the tracking device’s identification numbers to find the ankle unit on the redneck. It appeared to be in the parking lot of a government housing project in Aberdeen.

  “What do you want to do, Julio?”

  Julio was looking out the window at several mallard ducks swimming on Lake Waverly. He said, “The clubhouse is closed today, so let’s first go into town to eat. Then we ride by the address to confirm the money is at a police station, and then we go find Mr. Pie. Me gustaría mucho que hablar con él.”

  Guillermo drilled down further into both addresses and wondered if Bing maps had any bird’s-eye views. While he was searching, he heard Julio work the tight action of his small pistol.

  “¿Guillermo, si le robaron nueve mil millones de dólares, qué haría?” Julio asked.

  Guillermo leaned back in his chair. He sat silent for a long moment, thinking. Finally he said, “If I had stolen the money, I would leave town quietly, never to be seen again. If I could not run—if I had to stay—I would claim someone else stole it.”

  “Lo que causaría que usted permanezca?”

  “Children, wife, parents, maybe even a girlfriend, would cause me to stay.”

  “Sí, these things are important to you. But most drug runners are cold-blooded. They know the risks. They don’t get attached to any place or person. You can’t.”

  Julio paused for a long while and then said, “This behavior doesn’t make sense.”

  CHAPTER 85

  TAM ARRIVED AT his gated hideout in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, exhausted from the stress of being hunted. Alexa had attempted to call him several times, but he didn’t trust her any longer. In his gut, he had known that the trip to Tupelo would be a mistake, but because Alexa was so crazy about Rascal Flatts and this was going to be her best bet to meet the band, he gave in. He should have trusted his instincts. He didn’t believe she had knowingly participated in the sting, but she was now a substantial liability. Tam spread the word within his organization that no one was to have any form of communication with her. No text. No e-mail. No phone calls. Nothing. She’s on her own, at least until I can order a hit on her. It will have to be up close and personal, preferably to appear natural—possibl
y a slip and fall in a hotel shower. I can’t risk what she might divulge under pressure.

  Moon Pie had been picked up for questioning, since he was in possession of the Mercedes’s ignition key and because of his now clearly established association with an alleged drug dealer and escaped prisoner. Through the jailhouse grapevine, Tam had learned already that Moon Pie had kept his mouth shut about even knowing Tam. He realized that he had probably lost the Benz but wrote it off as a cost of doing business, albeit a very expensive one. Tam had never been a big fan of Moon Pie because he seemed to fly by the seat of his pants, and he used him for the one trade route only because he didn’t have an alternative. Although Moon Pie had come through for Tam today, he had also lost the client’s money. This had to be resolved before he would continue using Moon Pie. Tam respected loyalty, but he also demanded dependability. About the only thing that didn’t go to shit this weekend is that I still got my load of drugs, Tam thought.

  Tam needed to relax, to think through his next moves, but first, he had one piece of important unfinished business. He placed a hand on a black monitor outside a heavy metal door. Once the pad read his palm print, the door unlocked with a click and a hissing sound. Tam walked into the vault room, put on a pair of white cotton gloves, opened one of several large safes, and withdrew four stacks of bundled hundred-dollar bills. He closed and locked the safe and then walked over to a metal table in the center of the room. He removed an appropriately sized Tiffany box from the shelf under the table, placed the cash inside the box, and taped it closed.

  After closing and locking the vault-room door, he called one of his most trusted associates. When he arrived, Tam gave him the box and a slip of paper with the name and address of a Vietnamese family in Biloxi.

  Tam handed him the box and instructed, “Take this box and give it to the family tonight. Do not say anything else. Do not tell them where it came from.”

  The courier nodded his understanding and bowed slightly, leaving Tam alone.

  Tam removed the gloves as he walked over to a bottle of Macallan eighteen-year-old single malt sitting on the bar.

  CHAPTER 86

  SEBASTIAN AND WALTER leaned against the rental van and looked up at the old Henry Clay hotel. Only one other building in town even came close to it in terms of height. The hotel had changed names and ownership several times since being constructed in the mid-1840s. Walter chewed his cigar and imagined that this old building had seen countless interesting events. But none could rival someone walking through that front door carrying over a million dollars in cash. Both the old men were unsure what to do about the missing money or the missing Bailey.

  “Bailey hasn’t answered her phone all day,” Walter finally said.

  “Would you?”

  “We should drive by her place. Maybe she told a neighbor where she was goin’.”

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  “What are we gonna do if we find her? Pull a pistol and rob her?”

  “Yeah!” Sebastian said immediately, and then thought better of it. He continued, “I mean…maybe. Hell, I don’t know.”

  They heard a car stop behind them and turned around at the same time. A police cruiser had stopped. The same officer they had bumped into Saturday night was smiling at them. Walter waved awkwardly.

  “How y’all doin’ today?”

  “We’re doin’ just fine, Officer,” Walter replied somewhat sarcastically, but the officer didn’t pick up on it.

  The cop, obviously happy to see them, said, “Big football game this weekend in Starkville. You guys goin’?”

  “Nah, we’ll probably just watch it on TV,” Walter said, looking at Sebastian. “We don’t really like crowds.”

  “Or long walks,” Sebastian added.

  “Yeah, I know. I gotta work the game. At any rate, I just wanted to stop by and thank y’all for the bag.”

  Walter and Sebastian traded looks of confusion.

  “Y’all didn’t have to do that. But I gotta tell ya, I really do appreciate it. It’s perfect for my gear,” he said.

  Walter struggled for what to say or ask. He wanted to learn more but feared asking many questions. All he could come up with was, “I hope we got all the magazines out.”

  “Yes, sir. It was empty and laying on my desk. Thanks again. Gotta jump,” the officer said. Then, with a salute, he drove off.

  Sebastian and Walter looked at each other. They knew who it had to be. Only one other person was there Saturday night. At the same time they said, “Bernard!”

  CHAPTER 87

  LEVI DIDN’T LIKE the idea of being alone in the Gold Mine, thinking about the Tennessee Mexicans that he assumed were lurking somewhere in the shadows. Anticipating that encounter was killing him. He used binoculars to make sure that the police officer watching the Gold Mine was still inside the unmarked car. Knowing that a cop was keeping an eye on him was comforting, in a weird, ironic sort of way, since he typically spent most of his time eluding the police. Now that he knew they were actively watching, he appreciated them.

  He chuckled to himself as he dialed Moon Pie’s cell phone. “It worked. He’s still out here,” Levi said, adjusting the pistol tucked into the waistband at his back. “And I’m kinda glad.”

  “As soon as I get my shit loaded and cross the state line, I’ll call ya.”

  “About how long you think?”

  “Maybe an hour and a half. No more than two.”

  Levi was now sitting on the floor at the back of the lobby in the dark, watching the police officer. “Sounds good. Adiós, amigo,” he said, chuckling mockingly, and then flipped shut the cell phone and exhaled. He was bait, and it wasn’t a good feeling.

  He leaned his head back and tried to think of Bailey. He wondered what she was doing. He couldn’t take her earlier call, and he was considering whether he should try to reach her. She was everything he wanted in a partner and was different from other girls he had dated. She was smart and hardworking, went to church, and was a stunning natural beauty with a giant, caring heart. Levi knew that he was smitten. He also knew to have any hopes of a meaningful relationship with her, he was going to have to get a real job. Love is a powerful incentive, and Levi was suddenly feeling motivated.

  After he had been sitting on the floor for about twenty minutes, a mud-covered Chevrolet pickup truck parked in front of the Gold Mine. Levi pulled himself deeper into the shadows as he watched the driver open his door and step out. Levi instantly recognized Jake Crosby, and a smile formed on his lips. Levi flipped open his cell and hit the redial key.

  Moon Pie’s patience had run thin with interruptions of his packing, but he resisted the urge to snap at Levi. He assumed the call was important. He answered, “Yeah?”

  “You’ll never guess who just drove up and is standing outside the Gold Mine,” Levi said in a whisper.

  “Who?”

  “I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seein’ him right now with my own eyes.”

  “Dammit, Levi! I ain’t got time for this shit. Just tell me who it is!”

  Jake had walked to the front door and put his face and hands against the glass to look inside. Levi was invisible in the shadows behind a table, less than ten feet away.

  “Jake Crosby.”

  “Well, hell fire. I’ll be damned.”

  “Live and in person,” Levi continued in a whisper.

  “Is the cop still there?”

  “Oh yeah. He’s still sittin’ across the street, pro’ly tryin’ to figure out what the hell’s goin’ on.”

  “What’s our boy Jake doing right now?”

  “Tryin’ real hard to see in…he’s lookin’ for something.”

  “That crazy bastard’s lookin’ for me!”

  “You think he’s got some gold he wants to sell?” Levi asked sarcastically.

  “I think that note you handed him pushed him over the freakin’ edge.”

  “He does kinda look nervous.”

  “Damn! I wish I was there. Shit!
Look, I gotta go. Call me if he does anythin’,” Moon Pie directed and then hung up.

  CHAPTER 88

  WHEN BAILEY GLANCED out the window and saw Woody aggressively walking toward the old hotel, she knew it meant trouble. He had been to her grandmother’s apartment, and locked doors had never slowed him down. He would pick the lock, or more times than not, he would just kick the door in.

  The old men and her grandmother were not around. As she looked for something to use to defend herself, she saw the cash-filled luggage and knew Woody would assume the bags were hers and that she was leaving. He wouldn’t hesitate to dump out the contents to make a point that she wasn’t going anywhere.

  In that moment, Bailey devised a plan. She grabbed her purse and the luggage and took off for the stairwell next to the elevator. She dashed down the stairs one floor and waited on the landing until she heard the elevator pass. She opened the stairwell door and quickly punched the down button. Then she retrieved the suitcases as she nervously waited on the elevator. She held her breath when the door slowly opened. It was empty. She quickly pulled the bags inside and punched the button for the lobby.

  Bailey hurried to her car, loaded it, and pulled away from the hotel and Woody as fast as she dared. She knew that he was inside her grandmother’s apartment at that moment, searching for her or any sign of where she was. If she hadn’t fled with the money, neither she nor it would have survived.

  She said a quick prayer of thanksgiving as she tried to think of a place to hide—someplace where no one would think to look. Places like the Best Western in Columbus or the Holiday Inn Express in Starkville would not work; they were too obvious and too close to home. She needed privacy, a quiet place to sort out what she had done and what she would do. The first place that popped into her mind was the Golden Moon hotel at the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It was only about an hour’s drive. With its luxury rooms, great restaurants, and a spa, she could be pampered while making plans.