Grizzly Season

by S. W. Lauden

  “As I was saying. I understand you might be in the market for work. I’m sure by now you understand the nature of my business.”

  “Yep. Internet porn. Mostly in Asia.”

  “It’s more than that, but fine for the purposes of this initial conversation. You have to diversify these days. So what do you think?”

  There were a lot of things Greg could have said in response. Being a smartass seemed like the best choice.

  “Are you asking me to star in one of your films? I don’t do the kind of bondage scenes you’re so famous for.”

  “They’re all actors, Greg. Total pros. Nobody actually gets hurt in the making of our films. Aside from a few broken hearts from on-set romances.”

  Lathrop waited for a laugh. He went on when Greg didn’t oblige.

  “I was actually thinking that you could head up my security detail. Make sure that only the right people have access to me, and the wrong people…go away.”

  “I’m not sure my references are very solid.”

  “What? Because of Maggie? She’s supposed to be a silent partner anyway.”

  “How’s that working out for you?”

  “Believe me when I tell you that I have other partners that are much bigger pains in the ass—but not by much.”

  This time they both laughed, at Maggie’s expense.

  “Think it over, Greg. We could really use you on the team.”

  Greg stood up. He really wanted to make sure that Maggie was all right.

  “I will. Tell Maggie I said hello.”

  “I bet she’d like it better if you told her yourself. Ain’t that right, Maggie?”

  Lathrop yelled to her, waiting for a response. He acted surprised when nothing came from upstairs.

  “She must still be in the shower. We had a long night, if you know what I mean.”

  Greg knew, but wanted to keep the image out his head. Lathrop’s game still wasn’t clear.

  “I’ll show myself out.”

  Greg headed for the front door, but veered left to the stairs instead. He didn’t think he would get very far, but at least wanted to gauge the response. Lathrop jumped up and screamed.

  “I said she doesn’t want to see you!”

  Two of Lathrop’s goons made their grand entrance at the top of the staircase. Greg had been in the room with the two goons on several occasions, but never got their names. It didn’t look like that was going to change today. Lathrop was suddenly standing beside him, a smug smile on his face.

  “Don’t worry, boys, he was just leaving.”

  Greg hesitated, waiting to hear Maggie’s voice. It was a real relief when she stepped out of the bedroom.

  “I guess I’m not the only one who won’t take no for an answer.”

  She was leaning in the doorway, wearing a tiny satin robe that barely covered her naked body. There was a towel on her head and her cheeks were flushed. Puffy eyes told him that she’d been crying, but her voice was calm and steady.

  “Did you bring my car back in one piece?”

  “Yes. Are you okay?”

  She nodded and blinked to avoid making eye contact.

  “Don’t worry about me, Greg. You’re the one with no job and a kid on the way. Focus on what’s important.”

  “Sure I can’t get you to change your mind?”

  “It’s too late for that. Besides, you make a better bartender than a bodyguard. Stick to what you know. And take care of Kristen, she’s been through a lot.”

  Maggie traded glances with Lathrop before closing the bedroom door behind her. Greg went back down the stairs, slipping through the garage door without another word. Lathrop was right on his heels.

  “Sorry about that. She has quite a temper.”

  “Not the first time I’ve seen it.”

  “My offer still stands. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Greg tried to look like he was seriously considering the offer. He would say almost anything to get out of there.

  “Let me think it over. I’ll get back to you.”

  “Sure thing. Give me a call and we can discuss it in more detail. Maybe even talk it over on my yacht. Bring your girlfriend too.”

  ›

  Greg was relieved when he finally made it into the water. He only had two days to dig up all the information he could on Lathrop. At that point he would either make a very informed business decision, or give Maggie the information she needed to destroy her partner. Greg had his work cut out for him.

  He could see the stand-up paddleboard recovery group, SUP Sober, holding their weekly meeting out past the break line. He wanted to paddle over and say hi to his old friends, but gave it a second thought. It seemed like drinking was always in the back of his mind these days. He’d managed not to act on the impulses so far, but only barely. He was what people in the program would call a ‘dry drunk,’ a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The situation with Marco wasn’t helping.

  Whatever had happened up in the mountains, whatever pressure his sidekick was under, Greg couldn’t find a way to forgive him. They had been through too much together to throw it all away. And for what? To work for a guy like Magnus? It killed him to think that Marco was partially responsible for the poisonous crap that was hitting the streets: The drugs that almost led Chris to take his own life.

  Maybe Greg had been completely wrong about their last conversation. He had relived that phone call many times in his head since that night. Trying to pick out certain words, little clues that could lead him to where Marco was still being held captive. But it always brought him to the same terrible conclusion. If Marco was still alive, it was only because he truly had gone to work for Magnus.

  It was too much for Greg to think about with everything else going on. Marco was a survivor who would probably outlive all of them. Greg dropped down on his board and paddled to catch a wave. Whatever the SUP Sober group had to offer was behind him now. He was barreling his way to the shore to make some big decisions.

  J.J. was sitting in the backyard when Greg walked in. A bong was on the table in front of him.

  “Please tell me you aren’t out here getting stoned where the neighbors can see you.”

  J.J.’s voice was raspy and his eyes were red.

  “They wouldn’t care anyway.”

  “Go in the garage if you have to smoke that crap.”

  J.J. stood up, trying to get the last word in as he left.

  “Go to hell, Greg.”

  Greg slapped him across the side of the head before heading for the house. J.J. was right behind him, bitching and moaning as he walked.

  “My goddamn ear is ringing.”

  “You’re lucky I didn’t snap your neck.”

  “Some things never change.”

  J.J. mumbled it loud enough for Greg to hear. Greg knew he should let it go, but there was no turning back once J.J. got under his skin. It was like having a little brother that he never wanted.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing. Forget it.”

  “No. Tell me. What hasn’t changed?”

  “You and this tough guy routine, punching your way through the world like some angry little toddler. Same exact thing you’ve been doing since we were in the band.”

  “Well, at least I wasn’t a junkie.”

  “Right, Greg, but I cleaned up. And you’re still exactly the same.”

  Greg leaned forward, his hands tightening into fists. His eyes were on the bong in J.J.’s hand. In that moment it became a symbol of everything going wrong in Greg’s life. The urge to break it in half was overwhelming.

  “You call that getting clean?”

  “It’s just a little weed.”

  Greg imagined landing one punch and watching J.J. go down. But he would never forgive himself once it was over. If anythin
g had changed, it was that regret had crept in.

  They were stuck in a standoff—rage-filled Greg and round-shouldered J.J.—when Kristen waddled up in a hurry.

  “That was Junior on the phone. She said you need to get down to the hospital now.”

  ›

  Barrett was still in the waiting room when Greg and J.J. rushed in. Junior was seated across from him, arms folded and a scowl on her face. Greg looked around for Eddie, but the old man was nowhere to be seen. Barrett laughed when he saw that the reinforcements had arrived.

  “Classic. Greg Salem to the rescue.”

  Junior opened her mouth to talk, but Greg beat her to the punch.

  “What are you doing here, Barrett?”

  “Heard the news about Chris. I came to make sure he was all right.”

  “Well thanks for your concern, but I think we’ve got it handled. You can go now.”

  Barrett stood up. It was looking like Greg might get the fight he was looking for after all. He couldn’t wait.

  “Chris called and told me to stop by. That’s the only opinion I’m concerned about.”

  Junior could no longer control her anger. She leapt from her chair, catching Barrett with a straight arm to the jaw. He recovered fast and threw her hard into the wall. Greg had him in a headlock before he could follow up with a punch. J.J. was already down at the nurse’s station yelling for them to call for security.

  Barrett was flopping like a fish on the line, but Greg kept his arms locked tight. They went through a few rows of chairs, slamming hard into the side of a vending machine. Greg’s grip slipped a little on impact and Barrett managed to wriggle free. He spun around and threw a jab into Greg’s gut. Greg came back with an elbow to the nose. Barrett’s blood was everywhere when hospital security arrived and pepper sprayed them both.

  Greg’s vision went blurry. Every inch of skin on his face felt like it was engulfed in flames. He tried to stay upright, but all he could manage to do was roll around on the ground, clawing at his own face. Barrett was doing the same when Junior snuck up and gave him a couple of rib-cracking kicks. She was rearing back for a third when the guards brought her down too. J.J. was the only one of the four of them still standing when the police sirens rolled up.

  The first voice Greg heard was the last one he expected.

  “Mr. Salem. I see you’re up to your old tricks.”

  “Just arrest me and get it over with.”

  “My pleasure.”

  They threw cuffs on Greg, Barrett and Junior before leading them outside. J.J. stayed behind in the waiting room to give his statement. After that he was supposed to stick around until Eddie came back. Greg knew the old man could bail them both out, but he wanted somebody there to explain what had happened. It wasn’t worth the shock to Eddie’s fragile health to come back and find the place torn up and empty. Especially while his grandson recovered from a suicide attempt in the next room.

  They all reached the station around the same time in three different cars. Officer Bob insisted that Greg ride alone with him. He fully expected a lecture, but neither of them said a word the whole ride. It wasn’t until they got into the police station that the older man finally spoke up, barking orders to the officer behind the front desk while pointing at Junior and Barrett.

  “Get these two into separate holding rooms. We need to get some information from them before we let them go.”

  “What about him?”

  Officer Bob turned to look at Greg, almost surprised to see him standing there.

  “He’s coming with me.”

  They made the familiar walk together and assumed the usual positions. Greg’s hands were still in restraints, but at least they weren’t behind his back. Officer Bob kicked his feet up onto the desk, leaning back in his chair. It was clear that he had something he wanted to get off of his chest.

  “I heard you joined a joint task force.”

  Greg could feel his blood pressure spiking. A flush of heat spread across his cheeks.

  “Come on. We both know that isn’t true.”

  “I know it’s not true because I checked on it, through the proper channels. I was wondering if you knew too.”

  Greg felt like he was fifteen years old again. He was more than happy to play the part.

  “I have no interest in coming out of retirement, but thanks for asking.”

  “Even as a private investigator?”

  “I’m no P.I., but I do have a family to support. Anything wrong with me working?”

  “Nope. As long as you have a license.”

  “Like I said, I’m not a P.I. Just helping a friend out with some of her business affairs.”

  Officer Bob grimaced. Greg knew he was about to find out the real reason he was being questioned. Whatever was going on, it was about more than a fistfight at a hospital.

  “I assume we’re talking about Maggie Keane. How long have you known her?”

  “We went to high school together.”

  “And you’re working for her now?”

  “I was. Until last night.”

  Officer Bob brought his legs down and leaned across the desk. His voice barely above a whisper.

  “When’s the last time you saw her?”

  “I was at her house this morning. I stopped by to drop her car off. Is everything okay?”

  Officer Bob cleared his throat.

  “There’s no easy way to say this, Greg. Her body washed up near the pier about an hour ago. A couple of fishermen found her.”

  Greg wanted to jump up and find Lathrop, but it would be hard to strangle him with his hands in cuffs. Besides, Officer Bob hadn’t mentioned anything about murder quite yet. The older man stood up and went over to a small refrigerator in the corner. He unlocked Greg’s cuffs, handing him a bottle of water. Greg took a drink and considered his options.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Hard to say. The medical examiner has the body right now…”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A patrol car dropped Greg off at the hospital sometime after sunset. Officer Bob was keeping Junior and Barrett for questioning, but only long enough to let them cool down. Greg warned him that it might take a while. Officer Bob said he was happy to put them up over night if that’s what it took.

  Bad Religion was blazing through “We’re Only Gonna Die” when the El Camino shot from the hospital parking lot. There was no doubt in Greg’s mind what he needed to do now, despite the promises he’d made back at the police station. Maggie might have been a shallow, money-hungry backstabber, but she was also a friend. A local.

  All of that only made the guilt worse. He couldn’t shake the idea that she might be dead because he hadn’t picked her up from Studio City. It was because of him that she had taken a ride home with that scumbag Lathrop.

  And who was he? Just some rich kid from Hollywood slumming it down at the beach. At least that’s what Officer Bob told him. The BCPD had been watching Lathrop ever since he came to town and started throwing money around. Which is really saying something in South Bay, where beach bonfires are lit with hundred dollar bills.

  Everything that had been building up inside of Greg for months was spilling over now. He couldn’t predict what he would do once he tracked Lathrop down. He guessed at least one of them would end up in jail, the hospital or the morgue.

  It made him sick to think about their conversation in her living room. How they’d laughed about what a pain in the ass Maggie could be when she only had a few more hours to live. But why? Did she finally dig up enough dirt to destroy Lathrop? Or did something else get her killed?

  A cold chill ran down Greg’s spine. He flashed back to the conversation he’d had with Lathrop that morning. To the very last thing that Maggie’s likely killer had said—“Bring your girlfriend too.” It hadn’t sounded like a threat at the time, but Gr
eg wasn’t so sure now. He wasn’t willing to chance it.

  Greg stepped on the gas and sped toward home. He needed to put Kristen someplace safe until Lathrop was found. She would be devastated when she got the news about Maggie, so he couldn’t tell her yet. He didn’t want to scare her, and he definitely didn’t have time to comfort her. But where could he take her? Greg was running out of friends fast.

  He parked his car behind the house and dashed through the back gate. Kristen wasn’t in her usual spot on the lounge chair. He took a few steps toward the house, listening carefully as he walked. He was relieved when she came into view through the kitchen window. He was greeted by the most amazing smell as he walked inside. Kristen was in a maternity dress and apron, pulling something out of the oven. He walked over and took a seat at the kitchen table. The scene of domestic bliss was almost enough to make him forget the terrible news he’d been given about Maggie, but not quite. He tried to play it off, sure that he wouldn’t be winning any acting awards.

  “Hey, sweetie. I baked you some brownies.”

  “It smells incredible. Hope it isn’t a recipe you learned at Grizzly Flats.”

  “Very funny. I just thought you could use a little pick me up, with everything that’s going on. You seem a little…off. I’m going to give some to Junior too.”

  “When did you talk to her?”

  The words came out faster than he intended. If she noticed the edge in his voice, she didn’t let it show.

  “A few hours ago. Looks like they’re sending Chris home earlier than expected.”

  “I heard.”

  “That kid’s a handful and she has two businesses to run. I told her I would come stay there for a few days, to help out. If that’s okay with you?”

  Greg couldn’t believe his luck. He tried to act surprised while being extremely supportive of her generous offer.

  “That’s great. I was actually headed over there to drop a guitar off for Chris.”

  “That’s weird. Junior didn’t mention anything about a guitar.”

  “She wouldn’t have. I was going to surprise him with it.”