“Jeez…what do you make of all this?” Marco asked, processing the plethora of information. “Do you think all these deaths are connected?”
“That’s what we need to find out, and Marco, you’ve just inherited the throne, unless Tank makes a bid, but the point is, if HH is behind this mayhem he might come after you as well. Stay out of sight and don’t go back to the rocks, he might have someone inside the club. Hold on…Johnny’s coming over. I think there’s more news.”
“Marco,” Kat anxiously whispered, “this is crazy. Maybe we should get back to L.A. Get away from the gang.”
“Let’s see what—”
“Marco, we have another victim,” Steve declared interrupting him. “Good news though, he’s still alive. We might have some answers sooner than we thought.”
“Who is it?”
“Travis Davis…Tank.”
“He’s alive?”
“Yep. Initial reports say his brake lines were cut. He’s banged up but he’s conscious. Sure seems like someone’s cleaning house, but you know how I don’t like jumping to conclusions.”
“Yeah, but Steve, the bodies are piling up.”
“That’s why you need to stay put. Which hotel are you at?”
“The Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa.”
“Nice.”
“We needed a break.”
“No problem, that’s a good place to lay low. If someone is looking for you they’ll be checking out the cheaper motels. Watch your back. I’ll call you when I know more.”
The call ended, and staring at his phone, a deep frown crossed Marco’s face.
“Steve’s right. As of this moment I’m the head of the Kratos Kings. Tank’s the only guy who might have fought me for it.”
“This is…wow…,” she muttered looking up at him. “It’s hard not to freak out about all this. Do you think he’s right? Could you be in the crosshairs.”
“Try not to worry,” he said putting an arm around her. “Things aren’t always what they seem. I’m going to have a beer and sit out on the patio. You want one?”
“No thanks. I want some coffee, and maybe a muffin or something.”
“After all that pizza?”
“What can I say? I burned up a bunch of calories, don’t you remember?”
“Order whatever you want and join me when you’re ready. We can watch the sun go down.”
“I’d love that. I’ll only be a minute.”
Grabbing a beer from the minibar and ambling out on to the deck, Marco leaned against the railing and stared out over the water. Why had Kratos and Nancy been on Kat’s bike, and why had it been repainted? Dennis in the trunk of a car at Mike’s Garage for several days? That just didn’t make sense. Mike was a slob, but he wasn’t careless, and who the hell would want Tank out of the way? He was a popular guy. It wasn’t adding up. None of it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Back at the site of the accident, Johnny had discovered a huge amount of cash stuffed into the motorcycle’s saddlebags, along with travel documents, passports, and birth certificates for a William and Sabrina Easterbrook.
“Looks like they were planning a new life,” Johnny remarked as Steve finished his call with Marco. “Could be HH found out and decided that wasn’t going to happen.”
“Or they simply got hit by a semi on their way out of Dodge, but why take Kat’s bike?”
“It has to be the New York plates. They would have ditched the bike, and by the time the plates were traced they’d be long gone. Kat’s arrival was just a lucky twist of fate.”
“Makes sense, but it’s all just supposition,” Steve suggested. “We need to talk to the two survivors of this mayhem. How about I deal with Mike and you pay Tank a visit?”
“Sounds good. We’ll compare notes later this afternoon.”
As Steve headed to FBI headquarters, Johnny called for a car to take him to the hospital where Tank had been admitted, and asked for an agent to stand guard at the hospital room door. If their theory was wrong, and HH was bumping off the top echelon of the Kratos Kings, Tank would still be in danger.
The Los Angeles FBI Field office had learned of Tank’s unfortunate mishap only because Tank had left the tavern before Kratos. The agent supervising the surveillance had decided to track the lone biker leaving the bar. The accident had been spectacular. Careening down a canyon road with no brakes, Tank had chosen to ride up the side of a slope and bail as the bike slowed down. He would have walked away unscathed, but the bike had flipped over and landed on top of him. The heavy machine had missed his head by inches, but had left him with a broken femur and arm, and several busted ribs. His helmet had protected his skull, but his face had been scratched up.
Entering the hospital room Johnny barely recognized the banged up biker. The once tough guy looked nothing like his photographs. He was pale, there was fear in his eyes, and he was obviously traumatized. Handled correctly Johnny was confident he’d be able to extricate whatever information Tank had to offer.
“Hello, Mr. Davis, “Johnny said moving slowly to the side of the bed. “I’m FBI Special Agent Fallon.”
“Great,” Tank muttered sarcastically and rolling his eyes. “FBI. Just what I need.”
“You’re a lucky man.”
“Oh, yeah, lucky, that’s me.”
“Very lucky. Other people didn’t fare so well.”
Tank frowned.
“What are you talkin’ about? What other people?”
“Kratos and his girlfriend were killed in an accident on the freeway, and your other partner in crime, Dennis Handley, was shot and stuffed inside the trunk of a junked car.”
“You’re shittin’ me?” Tank muttered as a cold chill suddenly shivered through his body. “Kratos? Dennis? Fuck.”
“Did you know your bike was tampered with?”
“Uh, yeah, but…”
“But what?”
“It don’t make sense.”
“Because?”
“Fuck,” he repeated, his eyes shifting from Johnny to stare at the ceiling.
“What does that mean?”
“I thought it was Kratos that messed with it, but if he’s dead…fuck. What’s goin’ on?”
‘You’ve lost me,” Johnny said genuinely confused. “Why would Kratos want to hurt you?”
“He’s like that, black and white,” Tank grunted, moving his gaze back to Johnny. “He says it all the time. Black and white. Things are black and white.”
“You need to explain what you’re talking about?”
“There’s a bad cat, a real bad cat, a cat you can’t say no to. He, uh, he got the better of me, and I thought Kratos had found out and screwed with my brakes.”
“I assume you’re talking about HH,” Johnny offered, throwing it out to test Tank’s reaction.
“You know about HH?”
“Of course,” Johnny said confidently, hiding his delight and surprise that Tank might have information about the elusive drug lord, “and I might be able save your sorry ass from him, but continue.”
“Oh, man, I can’t believe this shit is happening.”
“Travis, keep talking,” Johnny said impatiently. “I can easily have you transferred to a place far less comfortable than this cozy hospital room, and I’m under no obligation to leave an officer outside your door. If you’ve crossed HH, I’d suggest some protection.”
“Okay, okay. HH forced me to put a nanny cam in the office at the tavern, and yesterday Kratos sent everyone up to this place where we hunker down, but he told me to stay behind and keep an eye on the bar.”
“I assume you mean the rocks.”
“Fuck me! You know about the rocks too?”
“Like I said, keep talking.”
“Seemed like Kratos was the only one who could’ve screwed with my bike, so when I heard the brakes were messed with, I thought he’d found the camera and it was payback, especially since he was actin’ weird when he left to pick up Nancy.”
“Weird
how?”
“Just weird. Kept lookin’ around the place.”
“Did he tell you his plans before you left?”
“Yeah. He was goin’ home to pick up Nancy, and then they were goin’ to the rocks to join the gang.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, course I’m sure. Damn. I can’t believe Kratos is dead! Where did you find Dennis?”
“At Mike’s Garage. He’d been there for several days.”
“At Mike’s? No, that’s crazy.”
“Why?”
“Mike had no beef with Dennis, and if Mike had a problem with someone, everyone knew about it. Mike’s a motherfucker, but killin’ Dennis and leavin’ him in the trunk of a car? No. He’d never do that. Not for days, no way. If he popped a guy you’d never find him.”
Not wanting to forget anything, Johnny pulled a small notebook from his pocket and quickly scribbled down the surprising information. If Mike didn’t kill Dennis, who did, and why?
“Any word on Brooder?” Tank abruptly asked. “Is he okay?”
“You mean, Marco?”
“Yeah, Marco.”
“As far as we know, but Travis, it’s time for you to make a decision.”
“Whatta ya mean?”
“Us or HH. We can protect you, but you’re going to have to cooperate. HH might be cleaning house so he can take over the club.”
“HH wouldn’t want the Kings,” he mumbled. “He’s all mansions and fancy cars and limos and shit.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but you have to decide which side of the fence you want to be on. I’ll be in touch. Meanwhile you’ll have a guard outside your door.”
“What would I have to do?”
“Besides tell me everything you know? I’m still thinking about that. Like I said, I’ll be in touch.”
At FBI headquarters, Steve was having a tough time with Mike. When Mike heard about Dennis being found in the trunk of a car in his yard he flew into a rage, swearing he had nothing to do with the man’s death, then adamantly refused to answer any further questions. Steve was about to leave the interrogation room when he received word that the gun found in the tool box was probably the weapon used to shoot Dennis, and the only prints on it were Mike’s.
“NO!” Mike exclaimed vehemently. “No fuckin’ way. Someone is makin’ it look like I did this, but I didn’t. I had no beef with Dennis. Ask anyone.”
“The evidence says otherwise.”
“I wanna talk to my lawyer in private.”
“Fine, be my guest. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
As luck would have it, Johnny arrived a short time later, and after comparing notes, it was the two of them that resumed Mike’s interrogation.
“So, Mike,” Johnny said casually, “I understand you had no idea you had a body in the back of your yard. Kind of hard to believe.”
“That’s your problem.”
“Uh, no, Mike, actually, it’s yours.”
“Shit. Listen! The drugs, the cash, the guns, yeah, they’re all mine, but if I shot someone do you think I’d leave the body lying around my yard? Believe me, it’d be long gone.”
“My client has certain information,” his lawyer interjected, “information I believe you will find useful, but before he’s willing to share it with you we need to talk about a deal.”
“I’m not in a mood to make a deal.”
“Really? You don’t want to know anything about a certain dealer distributing high-grade heroin?”
Steve and Johnny shared a glance. It was an offer they couldn’t refuse.
“Go on,” Johnny muttered. “Let’s hear it.”
“We’ll discuss details of a reduced sentence for the possession of weapons and narcotics, and we must have your assurance that you will thoroughly investigate Dennis Handley’s demise. I am confident that man was not murdered by my client.”
“Fine,” Steve nodded, “you have my word we’ll investigate further.”
“Properly,” Mike said gravely. “I wanna know who killed him.”
“Yes, properly, now Mike, start talking.”
“Kratos was doing a bunk,” Mike declared. “He didn’t tell me, but I knew it. That smack you found, he gave that to me for half its value. No way he would have double-crossed the dealer and stayed in town. Not a chance.”
“The dealer being HH,” Steven offered, a statement rather than a question.
“Yeah, and Kratos had me paint a Harley that just came in from New York. I figured he wanted a bike that’d take some time to track down after he dumped it. I reckon that was a stroke of luck for him.”
“Tell us what you know about HH,” Johnny pressed, “and I mean everything.”
“I never met him, no-one has, but he and his gang operate out of this huge house in the hills above Sunset. I was up there once. I sat in this room and talked to the walls. He, or someone, talks through a PA. There’s a lotta shit that goes on in that place, and I know Kratos went over there yesterday.”
“What do you mean by a lot of shit?” Steve asked, relieved Mike was finally giving them some decent information.
“Parties, and I’m talkin’ movie stars, celebrities, politicians, and HH supplies them, but…” he said, pausing and lowering his voice, “I hear he’s got some kinda basement of horrors. I haven’t seen it but I’ve sure heard about it. You wanna find HH? You wanna find some serious shit? That’s where you go. It’s a fucking fairyland. All glass and fancy art, but some real nasty shit happens there.”
“Why were you there?”
“Guns and girls.”
“How did Kratos and HH get together in the first place?”
“There’s an actor who likes hangin’ out at the tavern sometimes, and he rides with the Kings now and then. He made the intro.”
“And this actor’s name?” Johnny pressed.
“Jason. Jason Dean.”
“Steve, do you have anything else you’d like to ask?”
“Nope.”
“I’ve got some reasonin’,” Mike volunteered. “Kratos went to see him, and if HH thought Kratos had crossed him, Kratos would never have left that house. An accident on his bike? That’s not an HH play. HH makes an example of people who screw with him. I don’t think he had anything to do with that accident.”
“Okay, Mike,” Steve said as he and Johnny rose from the table. “If you think of anything else you’ll let us know, right?”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll have my secretary get in touch,” he grunted sarcastically, “and again, I didn’t kill Dennis, and I sure as hell would like to know who did. Dennis and I…we were cool.”
As Steve and Johnny left the interrogation room they shared a satisfied glance. They could sense the case was breaking open.
“We’re getting somewhere,” Johnny declared opening the door to his office.
“I’ve had Marco in that frickin’ motorcycle gang for two years. It’s about time.”
Moving behind his desk Johnny sat down, opened a drawer, and pulled out a bottle of scotch and two glasses.
“I think he’s telling us the truth about not killing Handley.”
“And it was Kratos who messed with Tank’s bike because he’d found that hidden camera,” Steve said. “He was settling the score before taking off.”
“What about Dennis?” Johnny asked. “If it wasn’t Mike, who killed him and why?
“Maybe Kratos was pissed at both Mike and Dennis. He probably knew where Mike kept his gun, and with Mike having the missing delivery in his garage, it would appear that Dennis stole it. The logical assumption would be that he and Mike had an issue about it, and Mike shot Dennis and stole it. Both men wrapped up in a nice neat package with a big red bullet hole.”
“But then Kratos gets hit by a semi and…”
“And instead we’re left with a bunch of bodies and question marks.”
“Okay, let’s say you’re right,” Johnny said thoughtfully, “where are we?”
“HH is still in the dark abou
t his missing heroin, and we have an incredible opportunity here. Marco steps into the power position with the Kings, missing delivery in hand.”
“Or we could just get a warrant and bust into that glass mansion.”
“But we’d be flying blind, and what if we come up empty? If Marco takes over the Kings…”
“He’ll be dealing with HH.”
“Exactly,” Steve exclaimed, “but it’s one thing for Marco to take over the gang. What about the tavern itself? We know Kratos owned the place, but who inherits?”
“Good question, but even if he left a will, that will take time. We just have to hope it’s enough time for us to make something happen.”
“This is the break we’ve been waiting for. I’ll call them and let them know they’re out of danger. We’ll give them tonight to relax, and they can come back tomorrow and we can brainstorm.”
“I’ll talk to Tank again in the morning.” Johnny offered. “He might have decided to join our ranks by then. Looks like we’re going to have some interesting days ahead.”
“No shit. I’ll drink to that, and to finally uncovering the psychopath known as HH.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kat and Marco had enjoyed a relaxing hour on their deck, and were about to call room service for a light dinner when Marco’s phone rang.
“Let’s see what else is brewing,” Marco said lifting his phone from his pocket. “It’s Steve. Buckle up. Hey, Steve. You’re on speaker. What’s the latest?”
“Johnny and I want you and Kat to come back tomorrow. It seems HH wasn’t behind the body count after all.”
“That’s a relief,” Kat declared, “but are you sure?”
“As sure as we can be.”
“Is Johnny with you?”
“Yep, right here. I’ll put you on speaker. Go ahead.”
“Johnny, what do I do about a new bike?”
“It’s already in the works. By the time you’re here it will be in your shed. It’s identical to the old one. No-one needs to know your bike was hijacked by Mike and Kratos.”
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