“I always expect trouble. That’s how you stay alive. I sure hope we don’t run into any but I always want to be ready just in case.”
“Damn Angie,” Dan said.
“There, take that turn.”
Dan turned onto a single lane blacktop drive that wound almost a half mile back. There were trees all around until you got near the house. Then everything had been cleared so that there was a good line of fire on all four sides.
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Just pull...” A bullet ricocheted off the hood and lodged into the head liner just above my head.
“Back up, back up,” I yelled just as a second bullet hit somewhere on the front of the car.
The third shot must have hit a tire because the left front suddenly dropped down.
“Dan get out. Get to the back of the car,” I said flinging my door open and using it for a shield.
I heard a heavy ‘thunk’ as a bullet hit the door.
“Well that was pretty rude,” Dan said hunkering down behind the car.
“Guess they don’t know what a patrol car looks like after all.”
“I’m pretty sure they just don’t care.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“We call in and get reinforcements out here,” I replied looking over the back of the car.
“We won’t last that long. If there is more than one of them they will try to flank us.”
I looked over to the left and then the right. It was a good ten yards to the tree line. If we could make it there it would be much harder for them to flank us. Just as I was about to explain my plan the left rear tire exploded.
They had already started to circle around to the side of us. The next shot slammed into the rear fender.
“We have to go now. Follow me,” I said and started running bent over toward the tree line on my side.
Two quick shots rang out but I didn’t know where they went. I just hoped that if there were any more of them they hadn’t time to close the circle. Out of breath we reached the trees and slid down to the ground.
“Shit,” was all Dan said.
“You got that right.”
“So how many do you think we are up against?”
“According to the agent I talked to he sent almost everyone packing. I think he only has one other guy with him,” I replied.
Now that we were stationary I realized that my knee was throbbing. I looked over at Dan and saw that his pant leg was red with blood.
“Geez Dan, you got hit,” I said pointing to the back of his leg.
“It’s nothing. That last shot just grazed me. I didn’t really get shot but it was pretty close.”
“Do you have your phone on you?”
“Don’t. I always put it in the door pocket,” he replied.
“Mine is in the car too. I don’t know if I can make it back to get it or not. I’m not very fast with this knee.”
“I’ll go.”
“No. You have already been hit. Look, let’s work out way around to the side of the house. If there are only two of them they can’t watch everything.
“You’re forgetting the control room with the monitors,” Dan reminded me.
“No I’m not. They can’t be everyplace at once. I doubt they will be using the monitors.”
“You don’t know that,” Dan insisted.
“You’re right. I hope they aren’t using them. I’m going to have you create a diversion while I head for the house. I know the code to get in. Once inside, I’ll leave the door open so you can get in. Lock it as soon as you get inside.”
“Angie you can’t run for squat. You create the diversion and I’ll get to the house.”
“No arguing Dan. I go, you keep them occupied. I want you to go around to the north side and empty an entire clip at the house. If you can hit a window that would be great but what I really need is for them to investigate. Then haul ass for the back of the place. The door will already be open.”
“This isn’t much of a plan.”
“It’s the only one we have at the moment,” I told him glancing through the trees.
I spotted movement no more than a hundred feet from where we were. I rolled over and took a quick shot in that direction then rolled back. A bullet hit no more than six inches from where I had taken the shot. Obviously they were a pretty good shot.
“Get ready, I’m going to pin them down and then run toward the back of the house.”
“Angie, it would be better if I made a run for the house. Your leg puts you at a pretty big disadvantage. I can move much faster.”
He was right of course but I didn’t like the idea of him taking the chance. It’s one thing if I decide to do it but another entirely if I send Dan in my place.
“I know you are right but are you sure you want to do that?”
“Just give me the code,” he replied.
“55336,” I told him.
“55336. Got it.”
“Give me a few minutes to get to the north side. When you hear me start to shoot, count to ten before you take off running toward the house. I want them to have time to react,” I told him.
“Okay but be careful. We know at least one other person is out here with us.”
“You have the dangerous part. You keep your head down and run like hell,” I said patting his arm.
He smiled and then got ready. I cautiously made my way toward the north side of the house. It seemed like every step I took I managed to step on a twig that would snap. It took me longer than I had thought to finally reach the north side.
I aimed my Sig three or four inches above the window and fired a shot. It hit just above the window. The next shot caught it in the upper right corner. It’s hard to be accurate with a semiautomatic at fifty yards. I continued to fire until the slide stayed back. I ejected the magazine and quickly loaded another. I racked a shell in the chamber and headed for the back of the house as fast as my gimp leg would let me.
I could see the door standing open as I half ran, half limped, to the back stairs and rushed into the kitchen.
“Good Job,” I said to Dan who didn’t look too happy to see me.
“What?” I asked.
Falls stepped out with the gun pointed at the back of Dan’s head.
“Ah Detective Bartoni and her trusty partner Detective Roberts. You know I heard you were a tenacious cop but you really do get on one’s nerves. Why you had to come out here and stir everything up is beyond me. You simply couldn’t leave well enough alone could you?”
“You said it. I’m a bulldog. I can’t let go when something stinks and this sure did.”
“You know your problem Bartoni? You barge in where you don’t understand the bigger picture. Because of you I am going to have to change some of my plans.”
“Well I sure feel bad about that,” I replied.
“Always the smart mouth.”
“That would be me.”
“You won’t be quite so smart when this is over. In fact I doubt you will be anything. Dan, you are stuck with a rogue partner who has jeopardized you as well,” Falls said, telling Dan to lower first his right hand and then his left and cuffing them.
“So what’s the drill now? You going to kill a couple of cops?” I asked.
“Heavens no. You are going to die in an unfortunate accident when the place burns down.”
“And you really think you can get away with that?”
“Of course. Oh wait, this is the part where you tell me you called in and back up is on the way. Save your breath. We know damn well you didn’t call anyone. No one is on the way to save you.”
“Boy, you have it all figured out don’t you?”
“Actually I do. I need you to hand your gun to my associate who is standing behind you. It would help me to relax my finger so I don’t accidently shoot your partner,” Falls said, smiling.
“Tell me something. You don’t really work for the FBI do you?
He laughed.
�
��Hardly. They don’t know their a...well you know how the saying goes.”
“So who do you work for?”
“That my dear is privileged information that I see no need to share with you.”
“Ooooh a secret.”
I have to admit, he caught me totally by surprise. I was in no way expecting what happened next. I didn’t even have time to react before he smacked me across the mouth.
“Hey you bastard. Try that on me,” Dan yelled at him.
“The problem with you, no let me correct that, one of the problems with you, Bartoni, is that you open your mouth far too often without thinking about the consequences. Frankly, I don’t find you all that amusing,” he said.
I could feel blood running down my chin. He had either busted my lip or caught me with the ring he had on. Either way my face hurt like hell. For a wimp he hit pretty hard. I almost said so but figured this was one time that keeping my mouth shut might be a good idea.
“What did you do with Doctor Rotelli, kill him too?”
“Let’s just say if he is alive, it won’t be for much longer. The same for you and your devoted partner. Take them upstairs and get them ready,” He said to the man behind Dan.
“Go,” he said flicking his pistol toward the door. He took us through the front room and up the stairs.
“That door,” he said and Dan opened it.
Sitting slumped in a chair with duct tape around his wrists and ankles was Doctor Rotelli. It was hard to tell if he was still alive. He made no movement when we came in the room. I looked down and could see blood squishing out the ends of his toes. They were an angry purple. It made me hurt just to look at them.
“Is he dead?” I asked but he didn’t bother to answer us.
I started to go over to look at Rotelli but the guy yelled, “Stay.”
“Look, I just want to check him, okay?”
“Just stay where you are.”
“Still causing trouble Bartoni?” Falls said as he entered the room.
“Can’t I at least see how Rotelli is doing? What could it hurt?”
“What good could it do is a better question. None of you are going to get out of here alive so you see detective, it makes no difference one way or the other.”
“Do you really think you can make this look like an accident?” I asked.
“Of course. The brave detectives rush into the house to save the good doctor and are overcome with smoke and tragically die. I’m sure you will get another commendation,” he replied, smiling quickly then looking grim again.
“That won’t fool anyone. You won’t get away with this,” I said with more assurance than I really felt.
“I guess we shall see. Cuff Bartoni,” Falls said.
The other guy yanked my hands down behind my back and put the cuffs on. He pulled Dan and me down to the floor.
“Get the kit,” Falls said and the other guy went into the room across the hall and returned with what looked like a black zippered Bible. He unzipped it and I caught a glimpse of what was inside. Suffice it to say it was not a Bible.
Falls took out a hypodermic needle and filled it with fluid from a vial. He flipped the end of it a few times and shot a little of the fluid out the end of the needle.
“I hope you don’t mind shots,” he said and laughed.
A real comedian, this guy.
Pulling up my sleeve he jabbed the needle in my arm and injected half the fluid.
“No sterile wipe?” I asked.
“Oh Bartoni, you are such a kidder. You won’t be such a jokester in just a few minutes.”
He walked over to Dan and completed the same routine. He carefully removed the needle and put the hypodermic back in the case and zipped it up.
“Well kiddies, It has been fun but I have other things to do. The good thing is that even though it is cold outside you will be toasty in no time,” he said, laughing like an idiot on his way out the door.
I could hear them heading down the steps.
“We need to get out of here now,” I said to Dan.
“What?”
“Wez nad toz gets obut heer nowb.”
Whabat?”
Oh shit. This stuff was working pretty fast. I could feel the room starting to spin. Man this wasn’t cool at all. I saw Dan try to get up but he only fell over on his back.
“Shibbit,” he exclaimed.
My sentiments exactly. I could feel my eyes starting to get heavy. If we didn’t do something right this minute we were as good as dead. I managed to get to my knees and crawl to the wall. I turned around and stood letting my back help me stand. I staggered to the window and saw the glass was mostly out. It was the one I had shot earlier.
Looking over I saw that Dan had his eyes closed.
“Dabin, Ditup. Ditup,” I yelled.
Suddenly the room started to fill with smoke. I staggered over to Dan and tried to kick him but missed and fell down. Crap, now I would have to get back up again. The smoke was getting heaver and I could hear the roar of fire someplace off in the distance. I have always had a fear of burning to death. The sound and smell spurred me to get my ass in gear and get Dan to wake up.
It took longer because I was fighting to stay awake myself and the smoke was starting to take its toll. I was finally beside Dan and I carefully kicked him.
“Dabin, Dwam it Dabin, Ditup. Ditup,” I screamed at him.
He slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I drifted in and out of consciousness. I couldn’t move my neck and I felt like I was being squeezed. A pair of eyes suddenly entered my view but they were upside down. I would have laughed if I didn’t hurt so bad.
“You’re going to be fine. You have a broken leg but other than that you are doing great,” the upside down brown eyed person said.
I see. ‘Just a broken leg.” Now isn’t that swell. I tried to see if Dan was with me but I couldn’t tell.
“Dan?”
“Next door.”
“What about the guy in the chair? Dr. Rotelli?”
“Talk about weird. The guy was strapped in a chair and someone threw him out a window. There are some crazy people in this world.
Tell me about it I wanted to say.
“Is he okay.”
“His feet are a real mess and he has a pretty good goose egg on the back of his head but he should make it. I can’t imagine the pain with getting his feet crushed like that. I wonder how he did it.”
I started to say something but my eyes were getting heavy again and so I just let it take over.
**
That damned Dan, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. I did note with some satisfaction that he had a wrap around his left wrist.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Just dandy. Sprained my wrist when I landed. I rolled over on it and the cuffs caused it to bend the wrong way. No big deal.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Figured you would be. They tell me you broke both bones in your right leg. That is going to take a lot of time to heal. I understand they will have to operate tomorrow and put a plate and pin in to hold it in place.”
“You are so helpful. What about Falls and his buddy?”
“Both in custody.”
“What? How? Who caught them?”
“Would you believe the captain and Brad? It seems when you asked him to check out Falls he found that the real Byron Falls had been murdered a week ago and his ID lifted. This Byron Falls is really Reed Dillon. He is an international assassin who is wanted in five countries. Interpol has a file six inches thick on the guy.”
“So he was a professional hit man.”
“He does more than that but yes, that is his specialty. In this case he was hired to find out just how much Doctor Rotelli really knew. It seems that a very well-known Senator had been visiting The Club for some time and Mimi had video and photographs of the Senator that would not be good for his image if he decided to run for President.
“Indeed he was.”
“Back up a second. You said McGregor and Brad got them?”
“Yes. Once the captain realized that you were right, he grabbed Brad and had Marsha call for more back up. When they got to the house and saw it burning they initially thought they were too late. They were shocked to find Falls and the other guy, whose name is Andy Snodgrass, by the way, still sitting in the car. They were evidently waiting for the roof to collapse before they took off. Brad and McGregor collared them.”
“I can’t believe it. McGregor. Wow, who would have ever thought it?” I said.
“Thought what?” McGregor’s voice suddenly announced.
“Hey boss. Good to see you. Nice work on getting Falls and Snodgrass.”
“Not Falls. His name is Reed Dillon. Falls was probably killed by him.”
“Still, great work.”
“Uh huh. So you didn’t think the old man still had it in him.”
“I never doubted it for a second.”
“Bartoni you are the worst liar I have ever known. I should have you over to play poker with the gang. We would clean you out in five minutes tops.”
“Which is why, sir, I will never play poker with you or your friends. Anyway I’m just glad you got the bastard. I’m sorry about having to shove poor Rotelli out the window like that but we didn’t have much choice.”
“It was either a few bumps and bruises or he would burn to death. Frankly I’d take the bruises. They tell me you’re going to have a long recovery.”
“You know me sir. I’ll be back long before they think.”
“Yes. Lord knows you wouldn’t want to follow someone else’s instructions.”
“So what happens to Dillon?”
“FBI gets first crack at him and then the other countries I guess.”
“And who was he working for?”
“We only have circumstantial evidence and I doubt if we can get a conviction, however, he has decided to resign from the Senate and go into private life.”
“That still sucks. He caused the death of Mimi Rotelli and Asher and he gets to retire?”
“For a man like him who thought he had a chance at being President, it’s a pretty serious blow.”
THE CLUB - ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILE Page 12