“See!” Earl said, proudly, “I knew Walt could figure it out.”
The captain just rolled his eyes.
The next morning, we had everything in place. Earl had the money in a satchel and we had planted a wire in the button of his shirt.
Ox and I and a half-dozen officers were covering every entrance and exit to the building.
An officer with a battering ram was ready to bust through the front door of the apartment as soon as Earl confirmed that the exchange had been made.
“You, okay?” I asked.
“I just want this to be over,” he replied, “so that I can put this behind me and try to forget that Jessica ever came into my life.”
“Just follow the plan,” I said, “and it’ll be over soon.”
Earl stepped up to the door, wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and knocked.
The door opened just a crack. Seeing that it was Earl, Eric opened the door, dragged him inside and looked up and down the hall. Seeing no one, he closed and locked the door.
“Right on time,” he said. “I like that. You got the money?”
Earl held up the satchel.
Eric reached for it, but Earl drew back. “The video. I want the video first.”
“Sure,” Eric said, smiling, “why not? I’ve got no further use for it. Not exactly a turn on, watching an old geezer hump a chick.”
While Eric was getting the video, Earl noticed for the first time that Jessica wasn’t in the room.
“Where’s Jessica?”
“About that,” Eric replied, “let’s just say that she’s not part of the plan anymore.”
“Why not? I don’t understand?”
“YOU don’t understand,” he replied laughing. “I’M the one that doesn’t understand how a gal like Jessica could fall for an old dude like you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Jessica’s got the hots for you and couldn’t go through with our little plan, so I had to get her out of the picture.”
Earl was horrified. “You don’t mean that ---?”
“Don’t get your panties in a wad, Grandpa. She’s okay. Let’s just say that I’ve got her someplace out of the way until after we conduct our business. Then I’ll decide what to do with her.”
“So --- so that wasn’t all just an act --- all that we did?”
“How many times do I have to say it? She made a big mistake. She fell in love with the mark. Now let’s get this over with!”
It took a moment for Earl to process everything he had just heard.
“No! This changes everything! You can’t have the money until I see Jessica.”
“Don’t give me a hard time, old man. I’m trying to live up to my part of the bargain here.” Eric pulled out his pistol. “Maybe you’d rather I just shoot you and take the money anyway. Now hand it over!”
“That’s probably not a good idea,” Earl replied.
“Oh, and why not?”
“Because you’re going to need me to get out of this building. It’s crawling with cops.”
“You’re bluffing!”
“Am I?” Earl said, unbuttoning his shirt and exposing the wire.
“Son-of-a-bitch! You set me up!”
“Here’s how this is going to work,” Earl said, sensing that he had the upper hand. “You can have the money,” he said, tossing the satchel at Eric’s feet. “I don’t give a damn about the money. I want that video and I want Jessica. You can take me hostage to get out of the building. Take me to Jessica then get the hell out of town.”
Eric thought for a moment. “Can the cops hear me?”
Earl nodded.
“Here’s the deal. I’m coming out and I’ve got the old millionaire. If I even think I’ve seen a cop, I’ll waste him. You may get me, but you’ll never know where I’ve taken the girl. She’ll die a slow agonizing death.”
Eric picked up the satchel, handed the video to Earl and pushed him toward the door.
As they headed to the parking garage, Earl whispered, “I’m sorry, Walt. I had to do this. I hope you understand.”
CHAPTER 16
The minute I heard Earl say, ‘this changes everything’, I knew we were in trouble.
I keyed my mike. “Everyone stand down and stay out of sight. Earl and the perp are coming out.”
Thankfully, we had driven unmarked cars. Ox and I hurried back to the parking garage. When we saw the door to the building open, I hunkered down in the seat. Ox did his best, but a man his size doesn’t ‘hunker’ too well.
Earl came out first carrying the satchel full of cash. The perp was right behind him with a pistol pressed against his back.
“We’re screwed,” Ox whispered. “There’s no way we can jump them without endangering the old man. We’re just going to have to let this play out.”
The perp pushed Earl into a van with dark tinted windows.
“Well crap!” Ox muttered. “We can’t even see what’s going on in there.”
The van pulled into the street and as Ox followed him out of the garage, I called the precinct to brief the captain on our aborted takedown.
We followed the van north on Broadway. When he turned left on 31st Street, Ox said, “Looks like he might be heading to Southwest Boulevard.”
Sure enough, at the Boulevard, the van turned north.
My cell phone buzzed. When I picked up, it was the captain.
“Walt, I’ve got the perp on the line. He called 911 and asked to speak to the officers that were following him. His name is Eric Slade. After you left the apartment, our guys lifted some prints and we found him in the system. His rap sheet isn’t anything spectacular --- larceny and one aggravated assault. Seems that he and the Fisher woman have teamed up and moved on to extortion. That’s about all we have. Hang on. I’ll patch you through.”
“Who am I talking to?” came the voice over the line.
“This is officer Williams.”
“I know you’re following me. I just wanted to give you a ‘heads up’.
“And what would that be?” I asked.
“I’m heading to my safe house. You’ll see it soon enough. It’s called a ‘safe house’ for a reason. I’ve got the place wired and booby-trapped. If you or your buddies step one foot inside, the whole place will go up in smoke and none of us want that.”
“Just what do you want?” I asked.
“I’m still thinking about that. When I know, I’ll let you know.”
The line went dead.
“Captain, did you get that?”
“Got it. You and Ox hang tight and keep an eye on the place. Until we know different, we’ll have to take the bomb thing at face value.”
A few blocks farther up the Boulevard, we saw the overhead door of an old abandoned bakery thrift store roll up. The van slipped inside and the door closed behind it.
In just a few moments, Earl Lassiter would be reunited with the woman for whom he had risked his life. For his sake, I hoped it would be worth it.
“Out of the van, old man,” Slade ordered. “Go exactly where I tell you or we’ll all be blown to smithereens. Now move it!”
“Where’s Jessica? I want to see her --- now!”
“Keep your shirt on, old timer. You’ll see her soon enough.”
The dock opened into what used to be the retail area of the bakery. At the back of the building, a door led into an office.
In the office, Earl found Jessica, bound to a chair with duct tape across her mouth.
He could see the shock and fear in her eyes when Slade pushed him into the room.
Earl dropped the satchel of cash, rushed to her side and gently pulled the tape from her mouth.
“Are you all right? Has he hurt you?”
“No, I’m okay, but why are you here?” She turned to Slade, “You promised that you wouldn’t hurt him!”
Slade shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, it wasn’t my idea. It was his choice. He wanted to come. I wouldn’t have brought him
with me, but it turns out, we’ve got bigger problems. The old guy went to the cops. It was a set up, but when I mentioned that you’d had second thoughts, he trashed their whole operation and got me out of the building.”
“But why?” she asked, bewildered.
Earl put his hand on hers, “Because he said that you really cared for me. Do you? Please tell me the truth.”
She looked into his eyes, “I do, Earl. I really do.”
“Well ain’t this sweet?” Slade said sarcastically. “The two love birds reunited.” He pulled up a second chair and a roll of tape. “Now sit down and don’t give me any trouble. I need some time to figure this thing out.”
“But --- but you have your money. You said you’d let us go!”
Slade laughed. “Guess I lied, old man. Think about it. We’re in here and by now the cops have surrounded the place. The only thing keeping them out is my C-4. That money is no good to me unless I can get out of here, and the two of you are my ticket to freedom. Now shut up and let me think!”
The old thrift store was a two-story brick structure with a flat roof. I had actually been in the place years ago, buying discounted Twinkies and Ding Dongs. That was prior to the introduction of my healthier lifestyle by my wife. Such tasty treats are now banned from my pantry and it’s probably a good thing.
Unfortunately, I had never been past the snack cake aisle and the checkout stand, but I remembered seeing a small office and stairs leading up to a second floor loft.
The captain and Jake Briggs from the bomb squad arrived on the scene. We huddled together to assess the situation.
“It’s a real crap shoot if we try to go in without having eyes inside first,” Briggs said. “Any or all of the doors and windows could be wired. We can drill a hole in the brick and snake a camera wire inside, but it might take a while.”
Then I spotted a good-sized window on the second floor. The glass was long gone, probably shot out by kids.
“How about the drone?” I asked. I think it would fit through that second story window. It could give us a video of what’s going on inside --- maybe even spot the explosives.”
The captain thought for a minute. “Call the techs. Get that bird out here, pronto!”
Fifteen minutes later, the van carrying the X8 pulled up. The tech guys pulled the contraption out of the van and had it ready to fly in minutes.
It occurred to me how sweet this would be if the drone, donated to the department courtesy of Earl’s thirty-two grand, turned out to be the thing that saved his life.
I watched as the X8 silently lifted off the ground and headed toward the open window. It was a tight fit, but after a few adjustments, the bird slipped inside.
We all gathered around the screen as the tech adjusted the cameras.
The second floor loft was empty except for some old bread trays and shelving. A metal ladder went up one wall to a trap door that opened onto the flat roof.
After surveying the loft, the X8 drifted down into the first floor. The camera focused on the office. Inside, we saw Earl and the Fisher woman taped to chairs and Slade was pacing the floor and running his fingers through his hair. He had the look of a desperate man.
The tech then directed the cameras to the front door. “There!” Briggs said. “A little more to the left.”
The screen clearly showed a brick of C-4 with a trip wire running to the door.
“One inch and that thing goes off,” Briggs said.
“Can you disarm it?” The captain asked.
“Now that we have eyes inside, we can drill a hole in the door and snake in an arm with a wire snip. It’ll be tricky, but it can be done.”
At that moment my cell phone rang.
“Officer Williams?”
“Yes.”
“I presume that’s your little toy buzzing around my safe house. I’d suggest that you point it this direction.”
The captain nodded and the tech swung the camera around. Slade had his pistol pressed against Earl’s head.
“Get that thing out of here unless you want a video of the old man’s brains splattered against the wall.”
The captain nodded and the tech sent the X8 back up to the second floor.
“Very wise move, Officer Williams. Earlier, you asked me what I wanted --- well, here’s what I want --- a million in cash and a helicopter and pilot. I’ll be taking Mr. Lassiter and Ms. Fisher with me. When the pilot has dropped me at my destination, they will all be free to go.”
The captain took my phone. “Slade, this is Captain Short. Think carefully about this. Right now we can end this and work out an extortion plea. The penalty for extortion is up to twenty years. If you cooperate with us, I’m sure we can work out a deal with the DA for much less. On the other hand, if you persist, the penalty for kidnapping is life. Let’s put an end to this before someone gets hurt.”
“Nice try, Captain, but I think we’re a bit passed all that. No, this is my last shot. If this doesn’t work out for me, it’s going to get pretty ugly. You called me by my name, so you obviously know who I am. You probably think that I’m just a low-life with a rap sheet full of petty stuff, but I’ll bet you didn’t check my service record. I was in demolitions in the army and I’ve got one more little surprise for you. I can detonate all the C-4 in this building from right where I’m standing and make no mistake, there’s enough here to level this block, so I’d suggest that you get busy getting the money and that chopper. Hold on! The old man wants to talk to you.”
“Walt. This is Earl. Can you get Morty on the phone?”
I looked at the captain and he nodded.
“Yes, but it may take a few minutes. We have to fill him in on the situation. Will Slade give you the time?”
“He’d better,” Earl said. “That’s where his money is coming from.”
The station called Morty Friedman and patched him through. After we had briefed him, he took the phone.
“Jesus, Earl. What have you gotten yourself into?”
“Not to worry, Morty. It’s all good.”
“How can you possibly say that?”
“Because it is. I’m seventy-two years old. My wife has been gone for five years. My kids have their own lives to lead. I’ve got over a hundred million bucks in the bank and I don’t really give a damn. You know why? I’ll tell you why --- because I’m lonely. Until I met Jessica the only thing I had to look forward to was spending a few hours with you, and no offense, but you‘re not the most stimulating guy in the world.”
“No offense taken,” Morty replied. “Actually I could say the same about you.”
“So we’re even. Well, then I met Jessica and everything changed. I had something to live for. However this works out, Morty, you’re a putz, but you’re my best friend and I love you. Now I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything, Earl,”
“Get the money for this s.o.b. and give it to Walt. Keep your fingers crossed. If we get out of this alive, maybe you can find a girl of your own and we’ll double date.”
“It’s a deal!”
CHAPTER 17
I hung up the phone and turned to the captain. “So how do you want to play this?”
“You get with Mr. Friedman and get the money. Make sure you plant a dye-pack --- one of the new ones that can be activated remotely. I hope we won’t need it, but we might as well be prepared. I’ll start working on the chopper. We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours and decide how to proceed.”
By the time I returned, the captain had evacuated the surrounding buildings just in case something went sour and Slade decided to push the button.
There really wasn’t much there to be concerned about, there was a sleazy Laundromat on one side, and one of those ‘cash for your car title’ places on the other. The rear of the building backed up to the parking lot of the business one street over.
“Do you have the money?” the captain asked.
I held up the briefcase “Complete with dye-pack.”
“Great! The chopper is standing by, but I have some concerns.”
“Let me guess,” I replied. “Slade has no intention of letting Earl and Jessica go. Am I right?”
“I quite agree,” the captain replied. “He’s military, so he has to know that we’ll be tracking the chopper. He’ll have to keep them around for insurance. Even then I don’t see how he plans to disappear. Bottom line, we can’t let them get on that helicopter.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” I said. “Maybe we can convince Slade to trade his two hostages for someone else.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
“Me! I have a plan.”
The captain rolled his eyes. “Oh, boy! Let’s hear it.”
“Isn’t the drone still in the loft?”
The captain nodded.
“Once we get the hostages out, Slade will head up the stairs with me and the money. We’ll have to climb that metal ladder to the roof access where the chopper will be waiting. As soon as we get to the loft, have the tech guy launch the X8 right at Slade. First, he’ll be surprised, but then he’ll have to fight the thing off. While he’s occupied, I’ll zip up the ladder and out to the chopper. Once I’m out of there, it really won’t matter what Slade does. He’ll be trapped.”
The captain thought for a moment. “It could work. Walt, are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then let’s get Slade on the horn.”
“You got the money and the chopper?” Slade asked.
“We’ve got it,” I replied, “but you’re not going to get either one unless we can work out a deal?”
“No deals!” he roared. “We do it my way or I’ll put a bullet in the old man.”
“Oh, really,” I replied, “and then what would you have for insurance --- just your accomplice who we’re trying to catch anyway. Just listen for a minute. This can be a win-win for both of us.”
Lady Justice and the Lottery Page 13