“Does this amuse you, asshole?”
“Quite, my dear.”
“Good—I’m glad you’re having fun. Now why don’t you take off this blindfold so I can see who you really are. If you’re going to kill me, I think I deserve to see your face.”
“Not so fast, love—not so fast. Only Tommy knows what I really look like, and that’s the way I intend to keep it.”
“So what do you want with me?”
“I don’t want a thing from you, love. It’s all about Tommy.” Troyer’s laugh echoed from deep inside. “Haven’t you realized that yet?”
“So what do you want with Tommy?”
“In time, lovey—in time.” Troyer reached out, grabbed the top of her shirt, and ripped it open.
“Ahh, very nice, but oh-so-unnatural.” Troyer thrust his hand inside her shirt and squeezed. “Breasts are such an important part of a woman’s sexual identity, and inflating them artificially just sends the wrong message.”
Aurora squirmed. “Get your hands off me, you slime!”
“Then again, feistiness turns me on,” Troyer said, as his fingers softly painted their way down from Aurora’s chest until they reached her jeans. After a moment’s hesitation, he abruptly pulled at her waistband, tore open the zipper, and exposed the fine lace beneath. Aurora screeched.
“Relax, bitch. I’m not ready for you yet. I’m just curious to see what Tommy desires.”
“Is this the only way you can get a woman, you psycho?”
“Oh, how I love defiance. Please keep going.”
“Screw you. I won’t even give you the satisfaction.”
“Very well, then. Perhaps I can entice you with some food. You must be hungry, my dear.”
“I‘d never be hungry enough to eat anything from you. Go fuck yourself!”
“Now, now, I have a sandwich for you. Stop talking and open your mouth. I’ll feed you.”
“Not a chance. I don’t want your poison.”
“See here, love, if I wanted you dead, you’d be already, so wise up and have a bite. You’re going to be here for quite some time.”
“I’d rather starve.”
“Suit yourself,” Troyer said, ramming the sandwich into Aurora’s mouth. “Chew on this bitch and swallow it now, or I may have to stick something else in there to force it down.”
Aurora gagged and spit out the food.
“Not wise, my dear. That will bring the rats.”
“I’d prefer rats over you any day.”
“Really. We shall see. I think this may be the perfect time to go. Have fun with the rodents. Perhaps I’ll check up on you in a few hours; perhaps I won’t. Good day, love.”
“Fuck you, asshole!”
CHAPTER 27
The Schooner was moderately crowded when Tanner and Sung entered and walked over to the bar.
“Afternoon, officers. What can I do for you?” the bartender asked, looking at Tanner. “You’re in uniform, so you can’t be here for drinks.”
“You’re correct, Mr. . . .?”
“Mike. You can call me Mike.”
“Very good, Mike,” Tanner said. “We’re investigating the incident that took place outside the other night.”
“You mean the old man who took a beating?”
“Yes, the old man.” Sung said.
“Not much to tell. He was pounding them down for a few hours. I’ve seen him here a few times before. Keeps to himself, never gave a name.”
“He get into it with anyone at the bar that night?” Tanner asked.
“Not that I recall.”
“Well, then, do you recall who was in the bar?” Sung asked.
“Sure, a couple of old men and some young guy. It wasn’t too busy here.”
“The young guy—what do you remember about him?” Tanner asked.
“I don’t know—not much. Gimme a minute. I gotta serve some drinks.”
Mike headed down the bar, filled an order, and returned.
“Come to think of it, I remember that the guy had a Brooklyn accent, but he told me he was from Vermont, if that helps.”
“Was he with anyone?” Tanner asked.
“Nope. The guy was alone the whole time he was here.”
“How long would that have been?” Sung asked.
“I dunno—less than an hour.”
“What time did he leave?” Tanner asked.
“He came in late, so I’d have to say around midnight.”
“When did the old man leave?”
“Maybe a half hour after the guy.”
Sung took out a picture of Sullivan and showed it to Mike. “Could this be the guy?”
Mike took the picture in his hand and examined it. “Could be—kinda looks like him, but I can’t be a hundred percent.”
“Thanks. Take my card,” Tanner said. “And if he comes in here again, please call me right away.”
“Will do.”
CHAPTER 28
I’m sitting on the bed, sweating from places you don’t want to know, and watching the local news channel. I’m praying I don’t see a report about a girl found dead someplace nearby. Thankfully, the biggest news around is tomorrow’s weather. A knock at the door makes me jump. I don’t know if I should answer it. Maybe it’s the cops. Or maybe it’s Aurora. There’s no peephole, so I look out the window, but I can’t see anyone. I hold my breath and stand in front of the door feeling real stupid. As the knock gets louder, my heart pounds inside my chest.
“Open up, mate. I know you’re in there.”
Holy shit, its fuckin’ Troyer! How does he keep finding me? I pat myself down wondering if maybe he’s got some kind of bug on me. It’s useless though. I pull open the door and he’s standing there with this real toothy grin, looking all proud and shit.
“What did you do with Aurora?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, mate.”
“Don’t play that shit with me, asshole. I know you took her. Now whaddya do with her? If you hurt her I’m gonna kill you.”
“Ease up, you wanker,” Troyer says, waving his hand and smiling like he owns the world or something. “Lovey is fine. A bit tied up right now, but she’s just fine.”
“Why are you playing me like this?”
“I’m trying to protect you from yourself, Tommy Boy. Don’t you see that?”
“Get real. Just tell me where she is and get outta my life. I don’t need a psycho like you to look out for me.”
“Oh, but you do, mate. With every move you make, you are incriminating yourself more and more, so I’m here to make you stop. I know you’re still thinking about going to the police and telling them all about me, but believe me, my friend, if you do that they’ll arrest you, and you’ll spend the rest of your life in jail.”
“Right, and you’re here to save me.”
“That would be correct.”
“Yeah, so what should I do next, then?”
“Well, the first thing you must do is kill Aurora. She’s the only one who knows what you’ve done. And believe me, she will tell if I release her.”
“Get the fuck outta here. There’s no way I’m killing her.”
“It’s the only way, mate, and I can’t do it for you. You have to commit. You have to cut all ties, and you have to do it right away.”
“Not a chance in hell motherfucker!”
“Don’t be so sure. When you realize it’s either you or her, trust me, mate: you’ll see the light.”
“Let’s just end this now. Take me to her and let her go. We’ll be on our way, and you can go crawl into some hole and never come out. I swear I won’t go to the cops. I just want all of this to end.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen. Perhaps you need to think about this a bit more. Let’s go for a brew and a few shots of tequila.”
I look at the dude sideways, in total disbelief. He’s got Aurora locked up somewhere and he wants me to kill her, and he actually thinks I want to hang out with him and h
ave some drinks. Where the fuck did this guy come from?
“Come on, mate—lighten up! Things aren’t so bad. As long as we stick together, we’ll be okay. Forget the girl. She’s nothing but trouble.”
“You are one messed-up dude. Don’t you have a conscience?”
“Get real, Tommy Boy, if you want to survive in this world, you have to think about yourself before anyone else. Conscience has nothing to do with it.”
At this point, my blood’s boiling. I lose control, take a swing, and hit Troyer right across the chin. His head turns, he takes the blow like it was nothing, and shoots me a punch right in the gut. I drop to my knees, lose my wind, and can’t breathe.
Troyer gets on his knees directly in front of me, spits out some blood, and grabs my chin with his thumb and index finger. “Not a wise move, mate. You can’t hurt me, but nice try. I think I’ll come back later—after you’ve had some time to think. Meanwhile, I’m going to check on lovey.” He loads up, punches me in the face, and knocks me out cold.
CHAPTER 29
Tanner and Sung located the Surf Shop just down the beach from the Schooner and walked inside. The place radiated tourist. Walls were littered with campy T-Shirts, board shorts, and the like. Cylindrical metal stands overflowing with post cards and knick-knacks cramped the aisles. A middle-aged, balding man, sporting an oversized Quicksilver T-Shirt, stood behind the register.
“Is the manager around?” Tanner asked.
“Stock boy, manager, owner. Harry Gold at your service. I wear all the hats around here, gentlemen. What can I do for you?”
“Were you the one who called in the missing persons report the other day?”
“Yup. That’d be me.”
“Care to tell us about it?”
“What’s there to tell that I haven’t told the other cops who came here yesterday? My cashier girl didn’t show up for work for two days. She left me high and dry. I’ve been working twelve-hour shifts trying to find a replacement. You just can’t get reliable help these days.”
“What do you think happened to her?” asked Sung.
“Not quite sure. She’d been pretty responsible before, but you never know with girls like that.”
“Meaning?” Tanner asked.
“I dunno—a bit bizarre the way she dressed and all. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was good for business; that’s why I hired her in the first place. The kids find it trendy, but to me, she looked like she should have been working in a morgue. All dark and weird. The black nail polish never sat well with me, either.”
“So what made you call in the report?”
“Hell, two days with no calls—that’s not like her. She was serious about the job——needed the money, too. So when she didn’t show up on day two, I called her at home. The machine picked up, and I left a message telling her that if she didn’t get down here right away, she was history. I figured that would light a fire.”
“And then what?” Sung asked.
“When I still didn’t hear from her I decided to call the police. I knew she had no family, and in some strange way, I felt responsible for her. She was a good kid, whatever she was into, and I started thinking that maybe she was messed-up on drugs. That’s what I told the other cops.”
“Had you ever seen her on drugs?” asked Tanner.
“No, but looking at her with that diamond in her nose and the dark makeup under her eyes, it seemed to me that she traveled in those circles. You just know it when you see it. You follow me?”
“Uh-huh.” Tanner nodded.
“Hey, look: I’m not one to stereotype, but . . . anyway, like I said, she was good for business. She talked it up with the customers, made them feel at home here, and sales were always good when she worked the counter. So I looked past her appearance. Different generation, you know. But it wasn’t like her to miss two days in a row without calling.”
“What’s her name?”
“Aurora. Aurora Storm.”
“You know where she lives?”
“Yeah, I’ve got her address.”
“You know what kind of car she drives?” asked Tanner.
“Sure—a black Mustang. Nice car. She was proud of it, too. Parked it real careful, in the back of the lot, so no one would hit it.”
“Okay, then, we’ll take that address if you don’t mind.” Tanner said.
“No problem. Wait here. I’ve got all her info in the office.”
Gold rushed off, returned in a few minutes, and handed a sheet of paper to Tanner.
“Much appreciated. Please take my card and call me if you can think of anything else.”
“Will do. Good luck. I hope you find her and everything turns out okay.”
Sung nodded as they turned and left the shop.
Once outside, Tanner grabbed Sung by the forearm. “Aurora Storm?”
“Interesting name, to say the least. You want me to run it through the system?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
“Uh, sorry, boss.”
“Come on. You can check her out in the cruiser while we head over to her place.”
Tanner took the wheel. Sung clicked away at the keyboard. First, he mapped her address then he searched her name.
Fifteen minutes later, the men pulled up in front of a small apartment complex.
“We’re here, Sammy. You find anything yet?”
“I’ve got a Facebook page, but the public part is very limited. Not even a picture. I’d say this girl is very careful about keeping her personal life private.”
“I don’t suppose you have a way to breach and access?” Tanner asked, offering a sarcastic smirk.
“Give me a few minutes.”
“I will. But first let’s check out her apartment. Maybe we’ll find something in there the old-fashioned way.”
The two men walked through the complex and located her apartment. Sung knocked on the door. “Hello, police. Is anyone home?”
No answer.
Sung knocked again, more loudly this time. “Hello—is anyone in there? This is the police.”
Silence.
“All right, Sammy—just break the lock. She may be inside and helpless.”
“Are you sure, boss?”
“Of course—just do it.”
Sung stepped back, raised his knee, and threw a straight leg kick into the door. It flung open wide, splitting the wood by the doorjamb.
It was a small apartment—one bedroom, one bathroom, and a tiny kitchen set within the main living area. Opened mail littered the kitchen counter. Cups and dishes were soaking in the sink.
“Looks pretty normal in here—no signs of trouble,” Tanner said, leafing through the mail.
“Agreed.”
“Hmm . . . ‘A. Storm’ on all the envelopes. Here’s an electric bill. Same deal. No other names on the mail. Guess she lives alone.”
Sung moved into the bedroom. “Bed’s unmade, both sides turned down, could’ve been two people sleeping here. Can’t be sure, though.”
Tanner was in the bathroom. “Two towels hanging over the shower rod. Maybe she had a guest.”
Sung pushed the answering machine. It started playing.
“First message,” came from an electronic voice. “Aurora, its Harry. You’ve been gone two days, and I haven’t heard from you. I suggest you call and let me know what’s going on, or I’m going to have to replace you.”
“Surf Shop guy . . . called just like he said.”
Tanner nodded. “Yeah—any other messages?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Sung answered. “Strange—no friends calling.”
“A bit odd, but she could be a loner.”
“But Gold said she was a friendly type, drew people in, and boosted sales.”
“True—maybe her friends call her cell. These days, most people don’t even use their home phones anymore. Let’s dig a little deeper. Check the drawers in that desk over there. See if you can find a cell phone bill. If we can get a number, we can call it. B
etter yet—maybe we can locate it using the cell towers.”
“Provided it’s powered on, boss. And provided we have a general location.”
“I’m well aware, Sammy. Just do what I said.”
“Right, boss,” Sung answered, as he pulled open the top drawer of the desk and began rifling through it.
Tanner eyeballed the dresser and picked up a photo. “Check this out: here’s our girl standing right in front of her car. This should do the trick. We even have a license plate.”
“You’d think the local cops would’ve at least come in here,” said Sung. “It doesn’t look like they even came through the front door.”
“No, it doesn’t. Pretty sad police work, if you ask me.”
“I guess they’ll get around to it.”
Tanner chuckled. “Sarcasm from you, Sammy? I never would’ve thought.”
Sung pulled a sheaf of papers from the bottom drawer of the desk. “Here we go, boss: cell phone bills, bank statements, utility bills. It’s all here.”
“Okay, read me the phone number,” Tanner said, pulling his cell from his pocket.
Sung read it out as Tanner punched it into his phone. After four rings, it went into voicemail.
“I should have figured it wasn’t going to be that easy.”
“Well, boss, we can still try to track it. But what makes you think this girl has any connection to Sullivan?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“So why bother?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences, Sammy. And even if she isn’t involved with Sullivan, she is still missing. Don’t you think that any cop worth his salt would make an effort to investigate? Obviously Knox is too concerned with appearances to do anything.”
“I hear you. And with her license plate, we have a good chance of locating her.”
“How so?”
“Her car is only a few years old. I can run her info through DMV, get her VIN, and contact Ford. If she has GPS, they should be able to assist us in tracking the vehicle. It works like Lo Jack and GM’s OnStar. If we’re lucky, we may be able to find her via satellite.”
Tanner smiled. “I always knew that some day your tech savvy would come in handy.”
CHAPTER 30
Everywhere That Tommy Goes Page 10