"I need to buy a watch," Billy said.
"I can't believe you didn't," April answered. She was making an account of the money, which was out of the big melted brown suitcase and into two neon-pink knapsacks. The big kind used by hikers. It seemed less conspicuous to her than the big heavy half burned suitcase. Besides that, the suitcase had a bad smell. Gasoline, fire, and a lingering meaty smell. They had both noticed it this morning when they woke up. April had taken the Jeep back into the city and picked up the knapsacks, a large ice cooler, sodas, sandwich stuff and bread.
"I don't like mustard, I like mayo," April said now. "In a squeeze bottle. I got mayo. I got a lot of junk food too, chips, cakes, cookies, candy bars. We shouldn't have to stop until we hit the coast." She had also had him pull through the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant where she had picked up a half dozen breakfast sandwiches along with hot coffee.
"I like mayo to," Billy agreed. He was eating a large pastry as he drove. She had picked them up, about two dozen of them wrapped in cellophane. 600 calories each, the packet said. "It's all fat and calories, cholesterol, all the bad stuff," he grinned as he finished the pastry and tore open another one.
April looked at him and laughed. She was in the back seat with all the money stacked up. "So you eat something for breakfast that's half fat. Do you realize that one more of those will cover your calorie intake for the whole day?" she asked.
"Yeah... But something made me hungry," he grinned at her.
"Me too, but I think I'll stick to the breakfast sandwich," she said.
"I ate one of those too, but I was still hungry," Billy said.
"Poor, baby," April said. "I should feed you better. Now, shush so I can count this."
Billy turned his attention back to the road.
He had checked over the commander this morning by the sodium vapor lights in the parking lot. It seemed okay. One long scrape along the passenger side. The back bumper was a little banged up, but he saw nothing that would get them pulled over. The tires seemed okay and all the fluids were good too. It should be fine for now, he had told himself.
"No way," April said from behind him.
"What, honey?" he said a little self consciously.
She looked up and smiled and then looked back down. He looked back out at the road, his face red.
"Okay, each stack is $80,000," she said. "I didn't count every stack, but every stack that I did count was $80,000. They were packed into the suitcase 15 wide by 12 deep. There were a few broken stacks, but I think we got all that money back and replaced it. I got another hundred grand that wouldn't fit into the suitcase. So, 12 by 15 times 80 grand," she said. "I must suck in math, because I keep coming up with an unreal amount," she said.
"But you're a cashier?" Billy said.
"Yeah, in a store, not a bank. I never had to add up nearly fifteen million dollars before," she said quietly.
He turned around. "You're kidding?" Billy said.
"Honey, the road," April said.
"Oh!" He turned around. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I've counted it six times, fourteen and a half million, counting the extra hundred grand. Plus some more I didn't count," she said.
"But that's crazy," Billy said.
"But that's what it is," April told him. "We could just dump the drugs... We don't need it," she added.
"We could... But why throw away money. Wasn't it you that made me check everywhere... Every bag? Get everything?" he asked.
"Yeah... But almost fifteen million," April said.
"It could be almost thirty though. I mean, the drugs must be worth that much too... All that coke... All that heroin... So, we could probably double our money," Billy said.
"Jesus," April said.
"That reminds me, I gotta make that call," Billy said.
April worked on packing the bills back into the two knapsacks. She set them into the back cargo area and then climbed over the seat into the passenger seat up front. She listened to one side of the conversation as Billy talked, after a few minutes he hung up.
"I'm going to get back to him in a couple of hours or so. He has to make some phone calls. But he said he knows a few guys down south. Two in Florida, one in Alabama, and another one over in Texas that could handle it all. I asked how much. He said it didn't matter. So I said, listen, I'm talking multiple millions in coke and Heroin. He said that knocked out the Texas guy, and one of the guys in Florida, but he said he'd call the Alabama guy and the other one in Florida. We might really do this, babe. We might really do this," Billy said.
"This is crazy," April said. "Are you sure this guy won't go to the cops? Let them know where we are?"
"He can't, April, because he'd be in the shit too. He deals. Not on this level, but big for Watertown. What can he say? He can say nothing. In fact, he thought I was kidding. He told me I didn't want to play games with the guys that play at that level. When I told him I wasn't playing games, he said okay," Billy said.
"Do you think we have anything to worry about? Making a deal, honey?" April asked.
"No. I think it will be fine... We'll be careful. That's all we have to do is be careful, April." Billy said.
"Hey," April said after a few minutes.
"Yeah?" Billy asked.
"I like Baby a lot better, although I do like the way you say my name."
Billy smiled. "Okay, Babe." He looked at the clock, 6:20 AM. "Is that right, babe?" He motioned at the clock.
"Pretty much, a little faster than mine, or I'm slow," April said. "Why?"
"I have to call Rich back at about 8:00 AM. I don't want to forget it," he said.
"I'll remind you, baby," April said. She patted his thigh. Her hand was like electricity on his skin. She noticed he jumped and she strayed her hand over to his crotch and rubbed lightly.
"What are you doing! I'll wreck the truck," Billy said in a squeaky voice.
"Will you really?" April asked. "Then I guess I better not do what I was gonna do," she said. She took her hand away.
"What... What we're you gonna do?" Billy asked.
"You said you will wreck... Something I heard about," she said. Her hand came back. "But watch the road carefully so you don't wreck because I won't be able to see it." She said.
"Oh, god... I won't wreck... I'll watch the road... Also the cruise control so I won't speed," Billy blabbered.
"So you do want me to show you what I was talking about?" April asked.
"Yeah. I would. I do. I really would," Billy told her.
She showed him.
Jones Beach State Park
Route Three
Jimmy West
He had her tied to the top of the picnic table, but he had to wrap things up, the sun was coming up.
She hadn't known anything. Nothing at all. If she had, she would've told him, Jimmy knew, but he had enjoyed discovering what she didn't know.
He finished his cigarette, one of hers actually, and crushed it out on the table top. He wore latex gloves on his hands. A plastic slip over suit covered his clothes. He put the butt in a plastic bag.
He walked back over to the table and Alice's frightened eyes met his. Pleaded with him. He reached down and pushed the hair away from her eyes. Her mouth was gagged and wrapped with duct tape. She tried to talk as he walked around behind her.
"I'm sorry, Alice, I can't understand you," he said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a switchblade and held it close to his leg. She was already familiar with the switchblade. "It's time," he told her. He bought the switchblade up and showed it to her. Her eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets, but before she could more than barely react he bought the knife down into her throat and ran it from side to side in one quick, practiced motion.
He watched her eyes as the light flickered and then went out. Finally, he let her head go and walked away. He stripped off the gloves, the plastic suit, and stuffed it all in the black plastic bag. He lit one more cigarette and looked over his handiwork as he smoked. Perfect
he thought. He finally crushed out the last cigarette, dropped the butt into the bag and walked away.
He wondered how soon they would find her, or if the birds and other wildlife would find her first. He would love to stick around and watch, but he had to be moving.
He thought about what Alice had told him about being April Evans lover. He could use that. He could use that when he caught up to April Evans. Now they both had something in common. They had both been Alice's lover. He chuckled at the thought. He reached his car, climbed in and started it up. He picked up the cell phone and dialed Tommy's number as he pulled out of the parking lot and passed the empty toll booths.
"It's Jimmy," he said when the phone was answered. "Here's the license number of the vehicle were looking for." He ran off the license number, make and model of the Jeep that Billy and April had purchased from Bob's Easy Auto. He gave their names and descriptions, and then went into an explanation of what he believed had happened. Tommy assured him that he would have the vehicle looked for and let Jimmy know if it was spotted.
"They have the drugs. All of it. The cops have part of Carlos. I imagine the rest of him is at Neo's... I'll take care of that," Jimmy told him.
"I'll let Jefferson know about Carlos. I'm sure he'll be happy. I'll fill him in on the rest too... What else is there?" Tommy asked.
“Tommy... Tommy, it's not my business, forgive me, I don't mean to pry, but...”
“Small silver cases,” Tommy said with a sigh. “Three, to be exact. Small cartridges inside two of them... Look like those CO2 cartridges we used to have for our BB guns when we were kids... The other one is a glass vial...”
Jimmy waited, but Tommy said nothing else. “Okay... I needed to know what to look for... In case they opened the bags, Tommy.”
“Did you ever think about living forever, Jimmy?” Tommy asked suddenly.
“What? Live forever like... Like a vampire in the movies?” Jimmy asked, startled into the first reply that slipped into his head.
“No... Live forever like a man... Like a man who doesn't die, Jimmy... Never mind. Stupid question... Get me what I need and there might be something unimaginable in it for you, Jimmy. Unimaginable... Need anything else from me?” Tommy finished quietly.”
"Nothing for now," Jimmy told him. "I'll be in Rochester in a few hours. I'll let you know later in the day what I find." He hung up and concentrated on driving as best he could. The words Tommy had said echoing around in his head. A few miles down the road he called Vinny back.
"Yeah... I appreciate it... Tommy appreciates it... Listen, those two kids got a large amount of... Let's say product on them. I'm talking huge. Pounds. Up into the millions, high multiples of them... There can't be too many people that could handle a buy like that, still... I thought you would... No... No... Yeah, keep your nose to the ground. Let me know... Tommy will be very generous... Thank you," he hung up and concentrated on driving. He glanced down at his watch, almost 6:00 AM.
Jones Beach State Park
Route Three
Sammy and Don
The sun was up and Don circled carefully round the picnic table looking down at Alice. The gulls had been at her, but only for a little while. The rest of the cuts and missing pieces had been done by somebody with a sharp knife.
He was still in shock. He had been at the trailer park, April's trailer had held nothing: Missing clothes, same as Billy's place, when he and Don had been called to respond to the public beach which was only 10 miles down the road. They had only told him that it might be his missing female. He and Sammy had made it in under ten minutes.
He had been shocked when he had seen it was Alice tied to the table. And the torture marks on her body had been an even bigger shock. He had just left her at work a few hours before. How could it be her? But a call to the young kid, her boss, had revealed that someone he believed to be another cop had walked her to his car shortly after Don and Sammy had left. He had gotten to the bottom of that, and the description, tall, short cropped black hair, the gray at the temples, hard looking, casual clothes, pullover sweater and a dark colored coat had hit home. The guy who had walked into the store. He had replayed it two dozen times and the guy's description was now out on the radio. The car had been a gray sedan, and he had remembered the first three digits of the license plate number. It was the best he could do. The whole ID would get pushed statewide in a short while.
The techs arriving even now were shocked. It was a small area, crime happened, even murder, but not like this, not usually. They set about doing their jobs though. Don stepped back to where Sammy was, lit a cigarette and watched.
Sammy looked up at him.
"Sorry," Don said. Without offering to snuff the cigarette.
"Don't be," Sammy said. "This shit keeps up, I might take up smoking again myself." Sammy looked down at his watch. "Only seven. It's gonna be a long goddamn day," he said.
Watertown New York
Richard Dean
"Why would you tell them something like that?" Ronnie Lee asked.
"Listen," Rich said. "It's a couple of kids. The one kid used to work for me. Not the brightest..." He sighed "They have some shit that's hot. I mean real hot. I don't know where they came by it, but I know where it came from, and all those guys are dead. All you gotta do is take it off their hands. Sell it, you and me split the profit," he said.
"And how does that work. Take it off their hands? Steal it? Is that what you mean?" Ronnie Lee asked.
"Yeah, well, yeah, you'll have to. I mean you deal on a big level. You've done some shit same as me... Don't tell me you haven't... Look, I'll be blunt. I can send them right to you. Right to you. They will walk right in to where ever you need them to walk in to. Put a bullet in both of their heads and dump them in the nearest swamp: That's why you got gators down there. Take the shit off their hands. It's that simple, Ronnie lee. That simple," Rich told him.
"You are crazy, Rich. You want me to kill a couple of kids for a few pounds a weed? A little coke? How much H? Even if it's an ounce I'm not killing anyone for it. You're fuckin' crazy, Rich," Ronnie Lee told him.
"Listen, goddamn it! Do you know who Tommy Murphy is? Huh? Or Jefferson Prescott? Eh? Names ring some bells? Those are the guys who got ripped off. I'm talking serious, large amounts of money. It's out there that they want it back, and how much it is too. You just haven't heard about it yet," Rich said.
"And I don't want to hear about it if they're involved. It would be like stealing from them. They'll send someone to take care of me. Make me dead. No fuckin' thanks. How much, If it's so much, how much? I know I wouldn't touch it if it was a half million bucks. No fuckin' way. No way. It wouldn't be worth it," Ronnie lee said over the phone.
Rich held the phone away from his ear, when Ronnie was done he spoke. "Neither would I. How much would you do it for Ronnie? How much?" Richard asked.
"Don't be stupid, Rich. Don't be." Rich cut him off.
"How much? Just say it so I know where we're at," Rich said.
"I'm serious, man, you're talking shit. Just bullshit," Ronnie lee said. "I don't know man... I guess I probably would do it for a half a mil. That means a real mil. split between us," he said at last.
"Fifteen to twenty" Rich said.
"Time?" Ronnie lee asked.
"No. I mean fifteen to twenty million dollars of product. Those two kids are carrying it around the fuckin' country. Fuck the shit right out of half a mil. each. Do you think I'd fuck around with turning on Jefferson for any reason? I wouldn't, so you know it has got to be big. Fifty, fifty. Seven to ten mil. each," Rich said. “It's fucking incredible just to say it like that.”
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm down with that shit, man... Why didn't you just say so, man? Holy fuck. Yeah... Yeah... Okay, what do I got to know?" Ronnie lee asked.
Rich laughed and began to explain the situation and describe Billy and April. He looked at his watch, 8:00 AM he saw. "They'll be to you in about twenty five hours or so if they drive straight through," he said.
"I'll let you know as I know."
Billy Jingo
"Hey," Billy said. They were stopped by the side of the road where he had been able to get a signal.
"Billy," Rich said. "I got it covered, but it's gonna cost you a little for me, setting it up for you... Are you okay to say, a hundred grand?" Rich asked.
"You can guarantee it for that?" Billy asked.
"Right to his door. Money's not an object. He's a legit businessman too. Owns a couple of businesses down there, he won't screw you over. Whatever it's worth is what he'll pay. Only thing is," Rich said.
"A catch? I figured there would have to be a catch," Billy said.
"It's small. I can vouch for you. And I did, but he's not going to bring that kind of money someplace. You'll have to meet him on his turf. Where he says to, where he feels comfortable... That's all. You play by his rules, you get your money, he gets the stuff... Will that work?" Rich asked.
“Hang on a minute," Billy said. He turned to April and explained the deal. She agreed to the hundred grand, and Billy took his hand off the phone.
"Okay, but how do I get your money to you?" he asked.
"Easy. Get one of those air express envelopes, drop it inside and mail it to me," Rich said.
"After the deal is done?" Billy asked.
"Hell yeah. I Trust you, man. After the deal is done," Rich said.
"Okay," Billy agreed. "We're good with that."
"Cool," Rich said. "Call me tomorrow and I'll have better directions. For now it's just Southern Alabama. You're going to Mobile. I'll talk to my man, his name is Ronnie lee. Just like that, Ronnie lee, all one name. I'll talk to Ronnie lee and get you directions... It might be him who calls you back... I'll give him the number you gave me... Tomorrow morning? About this time?"
"Yeah," Billy agreed. "Until then," he clicked off.
Billy turned to April. She looked back at him.
"He did everything just right. Kissed my ass hard too, but it feels wrong," Billy said. "Rich was never that impressed with me. I wasn't in his crowd, you know? I didn't sell really big like some of those other guys. Now he treats me like gold? Like we were best buds? And he's okay with me sending his hundred grand fee after we make a deal.” Billy shook his head, glanced off into the scrub brush that lined the side of the road and then continued “The Rich I know would never do that... Something just feels wrong about it," Billy said.
Earth's Survivors: box set Page 153