by Bill Sage
“I’m dry,” Jake said in a dejected voice.
“I can’t believe we can’t come up with anything.”
They kicked it around for a few more minutes, then finally agreed there wasn’t anything they could do.
“This is hard to take,” Al said.
“I don’t like saying it, but we’re letting him down.”
They both hung up.
Al felt like crap, a hollow pit in his stomach. Of all the favors he’d done for people, some for guys he didn’t even care about, this was the one he really wanted to make happen.
Now I’m gonna just let him twist in the wind?
When he told Linda, she felt sad too.
He couldn’t bring himself to give Ziggy the bad news, so he put off calling him.
A week later, when they were eating dinner, Linda asked, “Did you ever call Ziggy?”
“No, I’ve been putting it off. It just breaks my heart to tell him, but I know I gotta do it.”
“Go to the phone and call him. Do it right now.”
Al got up and called Ziggy, giving him the bad news.
Ziggy was quiet for a few seconds, then said he understood. “I guess it was a long shot,” he muttered.
Al could hear the disappointment in Ziggy’s voice. That made him feel even worse.
“I’ll never give up, Ziggy. Something will pop up. It always does.”
14
Newport Beach
1988
ON THE DAY Ben and Phil nabbed Sands, the kidnapper phoned Roth. He was furious.
“You playing games with us?” he screamed into the phone.
“What…what are you talking about? We’re trying to cooperate, getting the money for you.”
“You don’t know anything about what happened?” the kidnapper asked, still screaming.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. We’ve been working on our part. I mean…”
There was complete silence, as if the phone had gone dead.
“You telling me you don’t know anything about the Toyota?” the kidnapper asked in an almost normal voice.
“You mean my neighbor’s SUV?”
After a few more moments of silence, the kidnapper said, “I wanna remind you that if I find out you went to the cops, forget about ever seeing Burns alive again. You got it?”
“We’re not reporting it. I promise.”
“All right, I’ll have to get back to you. Burns is doing fine. We have a nurse here.”
“I still can’t understand your reason for committing such a barbaric act.”
“Your lack of understanding is irrelevant. Get it, Mr. Judge?”
“Oh, that’s clever. You flunked out of high school but watch lawyer shows on TV.” Roth’s zinger slipped out before he could stop himself.
“Fuck off, Roth.” The kidnapper hung up.
Roth put down the receiver and stood up. He wanted to check on Linda. As he headed for the stairs, he mulled over how much he should tell her.
Up to then, he hadn’t told her anything about what he was doing. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell her; he wished he could. Then they could brainstorm together, looking for better ways of handling it and console each other when things didn’t turn out.
He knew she was highly intelligent and could be tough when she thought it was appropriate. For instance, it never bothered her when he handed down the death penalty.
In fact, one time, after he’d sentenced a guy who’d killed two children, she said, “I think scumbags like that don’t deserve to live.”
But could she really be objective when it came to her father?
Although he wanted to tell her and have her by his side, he had to admit he felt better with her not knowing. The main reason was that if something bad happened to Asher, Al wanted all the blame to fall on him. He couldn’t stand to see her second-guessing herself or feeling guilty for the rest of her life.
As he climbed the stairs to the bedroom, he wondered if he was being a macho pig. After a few seconds, he had his answer.
Of course, I am.
Entering the bedroom, he saw Linda sitting in an armchair reading a book. The floor lamp next to her was dimmed.
“What are you reading?” he asked in a tender voice.
“A book my mother gave me. It’s about having hope and trusting God.”
“I know it’s difficult, sweetheart.”
Clasping his hand, she said, “My mother says it made her feel better.”
“Sounds like it’d be worth a try.”
Linda didn’t respond for a second or two. Then, tearing up, she said, “It’s all I think about. Is he in pain? What are they doing to him?”
“We’ll get him back, I promise.” Taking her hands in his, he knelt on the floor beside her. “Before you know it, all this will be behind us.”
Looking Al in the eyes, she said, “Now I’m thinking we should’ve…you know, gone to the police.”
Shaking his head, Al said, “We couldn’t have done that. It would’ve been too risky.”
She nodded, then took his hand and cradled her cheek in it.
“I’m trying,” she said in an unsteady voice.
Roth went to the den, slumped into the couch. It broke his heart to see Linda so sad. He felt terrible, almost sick. Didn’t even want to have a drink.
Last year it was Ziggy. Al had let him down. Now it’s Linda and Asher. Doing things to help his family and friends had always been something Al had loved to do. He felt that way even before he started hanging out with the Purples at the Veterans Club.
Of course, he understood that it’d be impossible for him to be able to deliver every time.
But it still hurt when he couldn’t.
15
EVER SINCE YESTERDAY, the kidnappers had been running scared.
It started when Hank came storming into the motel room. “They got Sands. We gotta get out of here.”
“What?” Ed yelled. “What happened?”
“The car’s there, but he’s not. I don’t know if the cops took him or he just took off. But he’s gone.”
“Do you think Roth had anything to do with it?”
“That geek!” Hank scoffed. “He complained because I was saying ‘fuck.’”
Asher held back a smile.
Ed laughed. “Did he really say that?”
“The guy is the biggest pussy I’ve ever run into,” Hank answered. “I pity his poor wife.”
Tim said, “If Sands is gone, it’s not because he’s been arrested. The cops would tell his wife, or he’d call a lawyer. That can’t be it.”
“Everyone knows that,” Hank said, laughing. “That’s not the problem. It looks like the car’s been in an accident. I bet that asshole just took off. He crashed the car, whittled a few bucks out of me then got in the wind.”
“I don’t think we need him out there anyway,” Ed said. “Roth and his wife are scared out of their minds. They’ll never go to the police.”
Laughing, Hank said, “Yeah, that prick Roth is shittin’ in his pants. But he’s still demanding proof of life and that we turn over Burns at the same time they give us the dough. No way are we doing that. Takes away all our juice. And if we made it mutual, that’s when the cops could come swarming in all over us.”
While the other two kidnappers were taking stuff out to the car, Hank stepped over to Asher, bent down. “Your son-in-law is fucking you,” he yelled in his face.
Asher eyed him for a second then looked away. He was trying not to breathe in. Hank’s breath almost made him puke. Always smelled of white wine and garlic.
“He’s gonna get you killed,” Hank yelled, getting even closer.
Asher waited until Hank took a box filled with bathroom articles out to the car before taking a breath.
The kidnappers didn’t waste any time checking out of the motel. Asher thought Hank was playing it safe. He didn’t know what had happened to Sands, but whatever it was, he must have figured it couldn’t
be anything good.
Changing locations was a wise move. Especially if the police were involved. Asher thought he would’ve done the same thing if it had been him.
The kidnappers hustled him out of there and took him to what he thought was a business office. It had metal furniture—a desk, chairs, and two filing cabinets. Rags, boxes of junk, scattered tools, and stacks of work orders were lying on a low book case against the wall.
It wasn’t as big as the motel room. And instead of carpeting, it had a concrete floor. And to make matters worse, that’s where he slept, in front of the desk.
A small, windowless restroom was in the back. The toilet and sink were chipped and streaked with orange and green stains, just like some of the gas stations he’d have to use when he drove through areas of Illinois or parts of Chicago.
That’s where Asher washed up the best he could. Forget about brushing his teeth. He never thought of that as a luxury, but now he did. He needed a shave, but he was used to that. He never shaved when he went elk hunting in Montana.
During the day, they forced him sit in a chair next to a grimy couch. Grease and oil stains on the cushions and armrests. Playboy and fishing magazines were on the side table next to it.
He wasn’t tied to the chair, so he could get up. But other than when he ate or went to the toilet, his hands were tied behind his back. If he had to go to the john, they’d untie him and then tie him back up when he finished.
Other than watching TV, his only other entertainment was looking at the covers of the magazines. If he turned his back to the side table, he could pull a magazine from the bottom and place it on top. That gave him a new cover to gaze at.
His left hand had been bandaged by a nurse. An hour after Hank had snipped off his finger with a bolt cutter, they’d brought her in to treat him. It was Ed and Tim’s idea. Hank hadn’t thought it out that far.
The nurse had been very kind to him. When he asked her questions, she smiled and answered in a gentle voice. Her genuine concern for his comfort made him feel good about humanity again. He vowed that if he survived the abduction, he’d reach out and be kind to a stranger whenever he had the opportunity.
Asher’s finger still hurt, but that didn’t matter to Hank. He didn’t give a crap. A perfect example of that occurred on the day after Hank chopped it off.
Seeing that Asher was in pain, Tim offered to get him an aspirin. But Hank wouldn’t allow it.
“Fuck ’im!” he screamed. “Let him feel how it is to get his fingers banged up. See how it is to work with his hands for a living.”
“Jeez,” Tim said, shrugging. “One aspirin! What’s the big deal?”
“Get out of here,” Hank roared, pointing to the door. “Who the fuck you think you are?”
Asher noticed that Hank had been acting pissed off the whole day. What with Sands missing or taking off and Roth demanding proof of life and a simultaneous of transfer, things weren’t going as well as he thought they would.
Asher guessed that if one of their guys was missing, Roth probably had something to do with it.
I bet he had Jake snatch the guy.
Thinking of Al, Asher remembered how happy Linda was when she first brought him over to the house. He recalled liking Al from the beginning.
Their friendship really took off after Al and Linda got married. On weekends, he and Al would drink beer at beach bars near Newport Pier, eat burgers at local dives, and stroll down the boardwalk, looking at girls in their bikinis.
Al took him to Franco’s Trattoria and introduced him to Franco. Asher liked him and the food, so he and Donna became regulars.
It didn’t take long for Asher to figure out that Al was an extremely capable guy, and not just in the law. But it didn’t sink in until he was having a problem with a guy he’d fired. The ex-employee wouldn’t leave him or the other workers alone. Asher called the police, but all that did was make the guy more defiant and belligerent than ever.
Finally, after the guy had shattered two windows on Asher’s Mercedes, Linda mentioned he should try calling Al.
Asher remembered thinking that talking to Al wouldn’t do any good. “I know he’s an able guy, and you know I admire him,” he’d explained to Linda. “But what can he do? Issue a restraining order? That’s not gonna do any good.”
“Sometimes he can get things done.”
“I don’t know. What can he do that the police can’t?”
“You’ll see. Give it a try.”
At the time, he recalled thinking that it seemed as though Linda didn’t want to reveal too much about Al. That got him thinking, maybe he could help.
So, one night, he came over to the house and asked Al if there was anything he could do.
“Look,” Al said to him. “I’ve gotten to know and like you. I feel confident I can trust you, but I have to know for sure. If I do something, you’ll have to promise to keep it to yourself.”
“Al, we both grew up in tough towns,” Asher began. “We climbed out to have good lives. I can assure you that I know how to keep my mouth shut.”
The following week when the ex-employee showed up again, he was met by Ben and Hack. They didn’t utter a word. Never mentioned Asher’s name and didn’t threaten the employee in any way. They’d just given him such a brutal beating that he never showed up again.
16
HANK RETURNED TO the office with a pile of work orders. Asher was still sitting in the chair; the other kidnappers weren’t there.
Sitting down at his desk, Hank said, “If Roth keeps playing tough, demanding it be his way, we may have to send him another package.”
Then he laughed in a way that Asher thought made him sound deranged.
“I hope he listens to Linda,” Asher answered, trying to keep Hank calm. Didn’t want to lose another finger.
“Yeah. Otherwise, he’s gonna get you killed.”
A few minutes later, Tim entered the room. “Hank, I’m going to In-N-Out. You want the usual?”
“Whaddaya think?” Hank lashed out in a sarcastic voice.
Shrugging, Tim said, “Why you acting so offended? All I asked is what you—”
“You’re so fucking dense. Why wouldn’t I wanna get a burger? What’s your problem?”
“All I did was ask. Now you’re attacking me. I don’t get it.”
Laughing, Hank said, “If you can’t figure it out, it’s because you’re such a loser. Yeah, get me the same, but this time I want the large fries.”
Turning to Asher, Tim asked, “You want a burger?”
“Thanks. Get me a Double-Double, fries, and a chocolate milkshake.”
After writing down what everyone wanted, Tim left.
As soon as Tim walked out, Hank went back to attacking Roth and threatening Asher. “I can tell you this. With Roth screwing up everything, you’d better hope all we do is clip off another finger. You could end up at the bottom of the Pacific.”
Then he laughed.
Letting out a breath, Asher kept looking down. He was almost at the point where he didn’t give a shit anymore. It was the same barrage of rants and threats every day. Putting his faith in Al, he told himself to just hang in there. But still, that was easier said than done.
Girding himself for what could be coming his way, he thought of the stories he’d read about soldiers in war. The turning point for them was accepting death. Once they did that, they stopped worrying about themselves and focused on killing as many of the enemy as they could.
I’m not there yet. Soon, I hope.
“I don’t give a shit one way or another,” Hank went on. “The sharks will like it. That’s a good thing, huh?”
Asher stared at him, then looked away.
“I pity you with a son-in-law like that. He’s a scumbag.”
When Asher didn’t respond, Hank went on. “He’s manipulating your daughter. He does all the talking. Won’t let her near the phone.”
Hank stared at Asher until Asher had to turn away. Hank did that two of thr
ee times. Didn’t say anything, just stared. That went on for several minutes.
A few minutes later, Asher felt like Hank was staring at him again. This time, Asher kept his head down.
“Hey, look at me.”
Asher slowly raised his head. He saw Hank glaring at him, a cold look in his eyes. “Sometimes I think you’re bullshittin’ me. I think you hope they’ll get you out of here without paying us one cent.”
Taking a breath, Asher kept quiet.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? None of your precious fortune spent. All that money still yours.”
Shaking his head, Asher said, “You’ll get your money.”
Hank scooted his chair back, propped his work boots on the desk. Then, every minute or two, he shifted his legs, crossing them one way then the other.
Asher could tell Hank was fuming, working himself into a frenzy. He heard him breathing hard and saw his face getting redder and redder.
He expected Hank to freak out and go into one of his irrational tirades. About rich people, the police, politicians, and of course, Roth. And here he was alone in the room with him.
He’s losing it. He thought it’d be an easy score and now it’s all falling apart.
Asher understood how Hank could think that getting money out of Linda and her mother would be easy. Why wouldn’t he?
Hank must have known Asher was a rich guy; one or two million wouldn’t matter to him. And he probably thought Linda and Roth would do anything to settle the kidnapping as soon as possible. No games, trickery, or doing things behind the scenes.
They’d do whatever it took to get it resolved fast. The last thing Roth would want was to have something disastrous happen and have it hit the newspapers.
Yet, with all of that, the kidnapping wasn’t turning out like it was supposed to. Roth was no pushover. Suddenly, the easy $2 million wasn’t so easy. That’s what was driving Hank over the edge. He was losing control, had no idea where it was going or what he should do next.
But forcing Hank to the brink also concerned Asher. With Hank’s volatile temper, Asher was afraid he’d take it out on him. In case that ever happened, he was trying to prepare himself mentally.