by Bill Sage
“You better take a look, sir,” Lopez said, getting back to the script. “It’s spreading into the dining area.”
Waiting for Hack to finish up with Lopez, Miller kept glancing over his shoulder at Jake. But his wariness didn’t do any good. As he was eyeing Jake again, Jake suddenly took hold of his shirt and violently jerked him in close. “How’s my good friend Asher Burns?” he whispered in his ear.
Panicking, Miller pulled back. But it was too late, Jake’s massive fist came crashing into his cheekbone.
Although Jake wasn’t sticking to the script, Hack still followed his part of the plan. Grasping Miller’s arm, he jammed a .45 into his stomach. “Shut up or you’re dead.”
Just then Ben, who was parked in the loading area one store down, drove up in his Suburban. Jake immediately yanked the rear door open and shoved Miller inside. Climbing in after him, he rammed his arm into Miller’s neck, pinning him down on the seat.
Hack quickly slammed the door. “See you guys over there.” Then he and Lopez went to the coffee shop where their cars were parked.
As Ben took off, Jake’s pent-up anger and hunger for revenge erupted into a brutal barrage of blows to Miller’s face and throat. Despite Miller’s size and strength, he was no match for Jake, who was ferocious in his attack.
“You motherfucker,” he roared as he pummelled Miller to a pulp.
From the front seat, Ben shouted, “You chopped off his finger. We’re gonna chop off your fuckin’ head.”
Miller screamed and tried to cover his face, but Jake was relentless and kept bashing him until he passed out and fell to the floorboard.
Breathing hard, Jake sat back in the seat. Then wiping his bloody knuckles on his shirt and pants, he said, “God, that felt good. I could do that every day.”
Ben didn’t respond. It wasn’t a good time for talking. Not to Jake. Not at this time. Best to let him savor his revenge in private.
36
WHEN THEY ARRIVED at the safe house, Jake went to the phone and called Al on his direct line. Roth was sitting in his chambers, waiting.
“We got him.”
“Great. Now I’ll wait for those assholes to call the house. That should be soon.”
“He’s got a pager, so it’s just gonna be just a matter of time before they realize something’s up. When they see his car at the coffee shop, they’ll figure it out.”
“Good. It’s going according to plan.”
“As we drove off, I gave him a taste of what he’s got to look forward to.”
“Transparency… That’s how you earned your reputation for being such a compassionate guy. That’s why your victims love you so much.”
“Yeah, I’m a pleaser. No secrets with me,” Jake replied, going along with the gag.
Chuckling, Al said, “Okay, now getting back to the business at hand…”
While Al paused, Jake said, “I await your command.”
“It’s gonna be payback time.”
Jake was silent but Al knew he was happy about what he’d said.
“We’ll give them a taste of what they did to Ash,” Al went on.
“Like I always say, ‘You da judge.’”
“Tell Ben to call Doctor Greenbaum. Have him be on call for later this afternoon.”
“I like it, Al. You’re not playing games.”
“No more Mr. Nice Guy,” Al said with a laugh. “We’re gonna jam this kidnapping shit right up their asses.”
Roth told Judy he was ready to resume the heroin case. A minute later, he entered the courtroom and took the bench.
“Any redirect?” Roth asked the DA.
“Yes, Your Honor. Just two or three questions.”
“All right.”
“Officer,” the DA began, “I just wanna go over a few things about your crime report.”
“Okay…”
“Was it dictated, then typed up?”
“Yes. It goes to a secretarial pool, then one of the clerks is assigned to type it.”
“Did you have a chance to check it over?”
“My partner did. I was in the field.”
A half hour later, the boring direct-examination finally ended, and they broke for lunch.
Feeling good about his plan and with nothing to do but wait, Roth went to Franco’s for lunch again.
Franco was happy to see him so soon after he’d been there with Judge Mahler. He sat at Roth’s table and they chatted for a few minutes.
“It’s been really good for lunch this month,” Franco said.
Although Franco didn’t say anything, Roth thought he figured something was going on. They had known each other for years and it was hard for Roth to hide stuff from him.
Roth ordered lasagna and a small salad. As he was eating, he was thinking that he and Linda had to have dinner there as soon as they could.
When all this kidnapping crap is over. Be like old times.
After eating, he returned to courthouse and resumed the heroin case.
The DA called a county lab technician to the witness stand. He confirmed that the substance sold to the undercover officer was heroin. Following him, the DA put on the defendant’s next-door neighbor.
A retired county employee, he testified about a constant flow of foot traffic going into the defendant’s house.
“There was a steady march of these people going up to his front door. They’d go in and out.”
“Anything distinctive about them?”
“Yeah. If you ask me, they all looked like dopers.”
The defense attorney objected to the neighbor using the word “dopers” and made a motion to strike.
“How does he know who they are?” he argued to Roth. “What, he’s got ESP?”
Roth denied the motion. “It’s his opinion. The jury can give it the weight they think it deserves.”
Ten minutes later, Roth turned the witness over to the defense attorney for cross-examination.
“You’ve had a running dispute with the defendant about his dog for years, haven’t you?”
While the neighbor was answering, Judy, who was getting a workout handing messages to Roth, discreetly passed him a new one.
It was from Linda.
If she’s calling, they must’ve realized Miller was missing.
He read it.
“Sorry, gentlemen,” Roth broke in. “It’s that personal problem again.”
Then he went to his chambers and called Linda.
“It was bizarre,” she said in a concerned voice. “That guy, the kidnapper, he called. I never expected it in the afternoon. He was yelling and screaming. It was crazy.”
“What did he say?”
“He kept yelling over and over again, ‘We know you have him. We know you have him.’ Then just before he hung up, he said he wants to talk to you. Said he’d call back in an hour.”
“Okay, I’m coming home right now.”
“What’s he talking about? We have one of their guys?”
“All I know is that Jake talked to Claudio. So maybe they did something.”
“You mean the mob guy in LA?”
“Yeah. Jake talked to him. See if he could help.”
“So, you think they did something?”
“I haven’t heard. But if they did, why are they calling us? It’s not making any sense.”
“Maybe they think if they put pressure on you, you’ll do something to get their guy released.”
“If that’s it, that’d be good for Ash. It’ll give me negotiating leverage for getting him back.”
Linda didn’t say anything.
“We’ll just have to wait,” Al said. “See what they say.”
“It looks my dad is caught in the middle. If things don’t go right, he’ll take the brunt of it.”
“Whatever’s going on, they think I can help. That’s good. I’ll take advantage of it to make sure nothing happens to him.”
Al paused a moment then continued.
“Their guy is missing and th
ey’re calling us! That’s gonna give me the clout to demand a mutual exchange.”
“That’d be great.” After a few moments, Linda said, “But I have to say, the whole thing seems like something you and Jake—”
“Honey just sit tight. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
37
AS SOON AS AL came home, he went into the den, closed the doors, and called Jake at the safe house.
“Well, I’ve given them a chance to make this good, but they haven’t delivered Ash to my doorstep. So, we’re on for the next step with Doctor Greenbaum. Tell him to get over there right now.”
“Any instructions…? What you want him to do?”
“Just call me when he gets there.” Al had to admit he felt a little uneasy about ordering the next step. He could’ve done it right then but was holding back.
After pausing a moment, Al said, “When you call, I’ll give you more instructions. Meanwhile, tell Hack to contact Lopez and get ready for their part. They need to coordinate the time they’re gonna meet at the off-ramp.”
“They’re already doing that.”
“Okay, that’s it for now.” Then, after thinking for a moment, Al said, “Jake…one more thing.”
“What?”
“In case you haven’t taken off your janitor’s outfit, you can do it now.”
“Shit, Al, I was hoping you’d let me sweep your floors.”
Laughing, they hung up.
Al walked toward the family room, looking for Linda. “Honey…”
“I’m over here,” she said, sitting in a chair near the window.
He came in and kissed her.
“Who’d you call?”
“Jake. I wanted to see if he knew anything about what’s going on. He said he didn’t.”
Linda stared at him for a moment, then looked away.
“On the kidnappers…,” Al began, “I’m going to have to make them wait. So, when they call, tell them I’m not home yet. Tell them to call back in two hours. Say I’m finishing up at court.”
“Why are you doing that? You’re here. Are you up to something?”
Al knew Linda would think he was doing something behind her back. Nevertheless, it was important for him to put off talking to the kidnappers until the delivery prong of his plan had been completed. And that wouldn’t happen for another couple of hours.
“Okay, I know that doesn’t make any sense,” he answered. “I am here. But before Jake hung up, he said he was gonna try to get hold of Claudio. So, I’d like to hear what Jake says before I talk to those guys.”
“Yeah, okay…,” Linda responded. Then, after a moment, she said, “But I know you. If you’re here and you want me to say you’re not here, that could also mean you’re up to something?”
“I just think that it’d be better if I had all the known information. That’s all there is to it.”
“But still, putting it off could have adverse consequences. For my dad. I mean, we’re not dealing with one of the attorneys who come into your court…”
“Yeah, but why do the kidnappers get to dictate the time of our calls? They want my help, so they can wait. The more they wait, the more inclined they’ll be to letting Ash go.”
“Uh-huh,” Linda said, looking away.
Al thought she wasn’t convinced. “You want anything? I’m gonna get a Scotch.”
Linda shook her head.
Al went into the den and poured a glass of Macallan. Sat on the couch for a few moments, thinking. He didn’t like having to choose between telling Linda the truth and keeping the things he was doing from her. But he felt he had no choice.
Then he took a sip of Scotch and returned to the family room. “I don’t like the waiting any more than you do. But trust me, this is the best way.”
Smiling, Linda said, “I know. It’s tough on both of us.”
A half hour later, the phone rang.
“You better get it,” Al said.
Linda went to the phone and answered it. “It’s Jake,” she said, handing the phone to Al.
“What’s up?” Al asked, walking into the den.
“Doctor Greenbaum’s here. You wanna use some kind of anaesthetic?”
Al took a breath, thinking about how he’d answer.
After a few seconds of silence, Jake spoke up. “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but maybe this will help. After we got Miller over here, Phil was alone with him. Miller unloaded on him, telling him that we really fucked up nabbing him. Then he laughed in Phil’s face, saying we were all a bunch of morons and that Ash would pay big for what we did.”
“Did you talk to him?’
“After the way he talked to Phil? And that stupid smirk on his face…? Fucking A, I talked to him.”
“What did—”
“And you should see this guy,” Jake added. “He looks like a goddamn albino. So, I asked him if he was the guy who chopped off Ash’s finger.”
“Did he answer?”
“He just sits there with that ugly fuckin’ face of his. So, I ask him again. He looks me in the eye and says he wasn’t there when it happened.”
“Then what?”
“But wait, Al. Remember Sidney Bloom? His breath?”
“Onions and Limburger.”
“Multiply that by a hundred.”
“Okay, I know what you’re gonna say.”
“After almost retching, I knock him to the floor. I smack him in the mouth a few times, trying to kill what’s in there. Then I grab his hand. I say, ‘Is this the hand you used on Burns?’ He doesn’t answer, so I break his fuckin’ pinky.”
“Okay, okay, I’ve heard enough. No on the anaesthetic.”
“Good man.”
After pausing, Al added, “And make it two.”
“The Al Roth of old.”
“And don’t count the pinky.”
“I’m thinking the two in the middle. Make it look fancy.”
“Okay, that’s it on that,” Al said, wanting to get back to his plan. “Tell Greenbaum to dope him up after it’s done. While he’s under, attach your ‘specialty items.’ When he wakes, if he asks, tell him it’s a transmitter in case he takes off or something goes wrong.”
“We got him tied with a hood over his head. He won’t know shit.”
“Just to make sure, you got him separated from Sands?”
“Sands is upstairs, Miller’s down here.”
“Good. When you’re finished, come over here.”
Al returned to the family room where Linda was sitting. Shaking his head, he said, “Jake says Claudio doesn’t know anything. So, we’re back to square one.”
“At least he tried.”
An hour and a half later, the phone rang again.
Linda answered.
“I’m sorry, he’s not here yet,” she said, nodding at Al.
Linda remained silent for a few moments while she listened to the person on the phone.
“No, no, you got it wrong,” she responded in an angry voice. “He’s got a lot of things to do at court. He just can’t get up and leave.”
Al chuckled. Boy, she’s good at this.
“Hey, hold on a second,” Linda flared at the kidnapper. “If you really want to talk to him now, just leave your number and he’ll call you back from the court.”
Linda was quiet as she listened for a few seconds.
“Yeah, okay, I understand,” she replied. “But if that’s the way you want to play it, you’ll just have to wait. To be on the safe side, I’d say call back in about an hour and a half.”
Linda hung up.
“Sweetheart, you were great. I’m glad I wasn’t on the other end of that call.”
Smiling, she said, “He’s not a happy camper.”
“Fuck ’im.”
Nodding, Linda said, “Why did I think you’d say something like that?”
38
The Delivery
AN HOUR LATER, Hack arrived at the McFadden off-ramp on the 55 Freeway. Lopez was waiting ther
e in his brother’s landscape truck.
Hack parked next to Lopez. Then holding a flat cardboard box, he got into the truck.
“Pizza?” Lopez asked in a straight face.
“Finger food.”
Chuckling, Lopez said, “That’s good. Looks like you’ve picked up some of Al’s sense of humor.”
“It’s hard not to.”
“Al wants us to check the back of the building. You know, in case we don’t go with his plan and have to break into the place.”
“Yeah, I know. Go in as far as you can.”
“Yeah, that’s what I intended to do.”
Minutes later, Lopez pulled into the paving company’s equipment yard and drove as far back as he could. Machines and trucks used for road work were parked along the sides. Sand and gravel were piled in the back.
Seeing them drive in, a worker ran over to the truck. “Hey, hey, you can’t park here.”
Turning to Hack, Lopez whispered, “Okay, go.”
Hack pressed down on the door handle and stepped out.
Then Lopez opened his door and confronted the employee.
“What the heck you talking about?” Lopez asked in an annoyed voice. “Where the hell you supposed to park?”
“Out front, not here.”
“I don’t see no signs.”
“You can’t stay back here.”
Meanwhile, Hack was scouting out the back of the building, looking for doors and windows. He spotted a metal door but no window.
Stopping for a moment, he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Then he returned to the landscape truck. When he came up to Lopez and the yard employee, he asked, “What’s going on?” A second later, “Is there a problem here?”
“The driveway’s wide open,” Lopez said, pointing at the entrance. “No barrier, nothing. But this guy says we can’t park here.”
“Please, sir, you’re gonna have to—”
“This is bullshit,” Hack sneered. “If you don’t want customers to come in here, shut the gate. It’s that simple.”