by HD Smith
“Can I help you?” he asked in a weak voice.
Ronny took out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet. He showed it to the guard, whose eyes were fixed on the cash. “Was that Matthew Larson?”
The guard licked his lips, but didn’t break eye contact with the money. “I don’t know, maybe.”
Ronny pulled out another hundred.
“Yep, that was Matthew Larson.”
“What’s on the twenty-fourth floor?”
The guard shrugged. “I don’t know, an office? I only been here a week.”
Ronny dropped the cash on the guard’s desk and left the building. He took out his cell phone and dialed Lenny.
“Yeah,” Lenny answered.
“Boss, it’s Ronny. Guess who I just saw buying coffee?”
Lenny sighed. “Who?”
“Someone we haven’t seen in thirty years.” Ronny waited a beat, as if Lenny might guess.
“Ronny. I don’t have all day—who?”
“Lenny, you’re gettin’ grouchy in your old age.” Ronny could practically hear Lenny seething. Deciding not to push him, Ronny said, “Matty.”
There was a pause—for a minute Ronny thought Lenny had hung up. Then a calm voice said, “Who?”
“Matty Dunmore, but that ain’t the name he’s using now.”
Ronny heard Lenny’s chair squeak and a muffled command to clear the office. In a clipped tone, Lenny returned to the line. “You just saw Matty Dunmore buying coffee?”
“Oh, yeah it’s him. He’s got the same scar on his arm, and he’s telling the same lie about it.”
“What’s the name?” Lenny growled.
Ronny hesitated for a minute—Lenny wasn’t behaving at all like he’d expected.
“Ronny. What’s the name he’s using?”
“Matthew Larson.”
There was a pause, and Ronny could hear Lenny typing. “Why’s he here?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t follow him up in the elevator, but I can go back—”
“No,” Lenny cut him off, “let me do some checking first.” Ronny could hear more typing. “Which building was he in?”
“The old Lewis building, in mid-town.”
“Stay away from him, and leave Julian out of this.”
“Sure boss,” he said, but Lenny had already hung up.
Ronny was surprised by Lenny’s reaction. It had been thirty years, but they’d all been friends. It was weird, Lenny was behaving like Matty was a mark. There was no way Ronny was keeping this from Julian. He wished now he’d told Julian first.
Ronny had recently found out Mr. Hill, Lenny’s father, had never believed Matty was dead. According to his dad, Mr. Hill tried for years to find Matty and his mother after they disappeared. Ronny had always assumed Matty and his mom had been killed. He was glad to know they hadn’t been, so why was Lenny acting so strange?
~#~
Lenny tapped his pen on the desk. He couldn’t believe his luck. Matty Dunmore was back from the grave. After thirty years he was finally looking into the eyes of the bastard that ruined his life.
The smiling face of Mathew Larson taunted him from the L&B Consulting website. Matty was a founding partner of the Orlando based firm, and according to his profile he had a wife and a son. Lenny had done a few more searches, but Larson wasn’t the most unique name. He’d stumbled onto the website because the company Matty co-owned had been in the news lately, otherwise he could have searched for days and not found him. He’d have to hire a finder to dig around for the details.
Lenny grabbed his cell and dialed Tony Maddox. Tony’s guys worked all the jobs in mid-town, so if anything was going on he’d know the score. Did Matty really think he could come back to the city and not be discovered? No one walks away. His father had been soft where Matty and Matty’s mom were concerned. Lenny didn’t have that problem.
Lenny was now the guy that ran Nowhere. Ronny worked for him, just like Ronny’s father, Mr. Townsend, had worked for Lenny’s father. He’d have to keep Ronny out of this. He didn’t want Ronny’s false sense of loyalty to an old friend to get in the way. This thing was between him and Matty—no one else.
“Yo,” Rex, Tony’s right hand man answered on the first ring.
“This is Hill. Let me speak to Tony.”
“Just a minute.” Rex lowered the phone. In the background Lenny heard him yell, “yo Tony, it’s Hill. Line one.”
There was a click, then Tony answered, “What’s up?”
“Do you have any guys working in the old Lewis building?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Are you doing a job for L&B Consulting?”
“Yes and No. Atherton hired them to come in and sort things out.” Tony chuckled. “But they paid up. There’s a guy named Larson that Ryerson mentioned. Is he connected?”
“No, he ain’t connected, why?”
“Ryerson said he was acting cocky. Used Logan’s name like he knew it. Who is he?”
Lenny gritted his teeth. “He’s nobody. Just an old score to settle. I’ll handle it. When’s he leaving?”
“Friday, unless it needs to be longer?”
“No, no, keep the schedule. I don’t want him tipped off.”
“Will do.”
Lenny ended the call with Tony, and dialed the best finder in the business. He called Ruben Walsh—a man that could find out anything about anybody. And Lenny wanted to know everything about Matthew Larson.
~#~
Ryerson was giving the team a hard time as Matt stepped off the elevator with the coffee and pastries from downstairs. He sent the team on a break.
Matt was beyond annoyed. They’d already agreed on the price and the timeline. “What is it now, Ryerson?”
“Like I was telling the little lady, we have to move all the equipment. It’s in our contract.”
“You agreed to Friday.” Matt held up his hand, stopping Ryerson from interrupting. “That’s not changing. How many more guys do we need? What’s this going to cost?” Matt was tired of haggling. This needed to be resolved now. Matt motioned for him to continue.
Ryerson opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when his phone rang. He held up a finger as he answered, then stepped out of earshot.
Matt crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.
Ryerson returned a minute later. “It’s not going to cost you anything.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing extra. That’s what I was trying to explain to the lady. One of my guys has to work with them to move the equipment. That’s all. She’s the one that—”
Matt held up his hand, stopping Ryerson again. He didn’t want to hear his bullshit. “Yeah, okay, and no additional time either, right?”
“We agreed on Friday. We keep our commitments,” Ryerson said, indignant.
Matt snorted, then realized Ryerson was trying to be serious. Okay, but this about face seemed a little too convenient. “Fine, who’ll move the equipment?”
“Jenkins,” Ryerson yelled. A man in the next room stuck his head out. “You’re on moving detail. See the techies.”
“Okay, boss.”
Matt watched as a dark-haired guy in his twenties walked over to where Stacie and the team were taking their break. She looked over at Matt, and he gave her a nod. “Fine, but he better not delay my team.”
“Oh, no sir, it won’t. Jenkins is a fine worker.”
“Good,” Matt said, but he had an uneasy feeling about Ryerson’s attitude. The “no sir” comment just pissed him off, and it seemed out of character. He’d make sure Stacie had his contact information. He wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t another incident before the day was over.
~#~
Julian was in town on business. He’d been delayed by three days, handling a small problem down in the Florida Keys. He worked freelance jobs of a sort—the kind of jobs people with a lot of money and very few scruples needed done quickly, quietly, or permanently. He was in the city today for an overseas client. He rarel
y worked for the local Mob, and had no direct ties to the organization. He didn’t consider his brother Ronny, his father, or his past affiliation a direct tie. He’d never taken a job from Lenny, nor would he, and Ronny knew better than to ask.
Julian was already at the restaurant when Ronny called and asked him to meet in front of the old Lewis building. It was only a few blocks away, so Julian decided to walk.
Ronny was standing across the street from the building when he arrived.
“Why are we here?” Julian asked.
“Guess who I saw buying coffee earlier?” Ronny said.
Julian rolled his eyes. “Just tell me.”
“Lenny couldn't guess either.”
“Ronny, I don’t have all day.” This wasn’t completely true. He’d finished up part of the job he was in town for already. He just had a few loose ends to handle, but he had no desire to play twenty questions with his brother.
“I saw Matty. After thirty years, there he was.”
Julian raised his eyebrows in shock. His friend Matty had disappeared thirty years ago—and for thirty years Julian was sure he’d been killed. Ronny had to be mistaken. “Matty? Matty Dunmore?”
“Yeah, man. Matty Dunmore. Can you believe it?”
Julian shook his head. “No. Are you sure it was him?”
“It was him. I saw that scar on his arm—looks just like I remember. It couldn’t be anyone else.”
“Did he recognize you?”
“No. He didn’t see me.”
Julian rubbed his forehead, still not able to believe this was real. Then he scanned the area. They were exposed standing out in the open. “Where is he now?”
Ronny nodded toward the building. “He’s in there. Going by the name Larson now, Matthew Larson.”
Julian made note of Matty’s new name. “Are you waiting for him?”
“No, Lenny wants us to stay away from him. He doesn’t want Matty to know.”
“Oh, really. Lenny wants us to stay away. That’s reason enough to pay him a visit.” Julian took a step forward.
Ronny grabbed his arm. “Julian, don’t do this just to spite Lenny. Matty made it out—do you really want to pull him back in?”
Julian thought for a moment. He had so many questions, but Ronny was right. Matty was out—he probably had a normal life with two point five kids and a dog. “Fine, but you told Lenny. Is he going to leave Matty alone?” Ronny hesitated, which told Julian all he needed to know. “He told you not to tell me didn’t he?”
Ronny nodded.
Julian rolled his eyes. “You need a new job, brother.”
“I like my job. Lenny’s not that bad... Hey, there he is.” Ronny pointed across the street. “The guy in the white button down. That’s Larson.”
“Let’s follow him,” Julian said, taking a step off the curb.
Ronny groaned, but kept up. “He might see us.”
Julian glanced back, eyebrow cocked, but didn’t stop. “Ronny, people pay me to be invisible. I think we’ll manage.”
They followed Matty to a few souvenir shops, then back to his hotel. Ronny waited outside while Julian went into the hotel.
Hanging back, Julian watched as Matty stopped by the front desk, then got on the elevator. It was Richter time, he thought as he sauntered up to the front desk, tipping his imaginary hat to the young woman behind it. He smiled and used his best good ole boy accent.
“Well hey there sweetness. I was wonderin’ if you could tell me if that was Matthew Larson that just got on that elevator?” Julian paused, then added. “It’s been twenty years since I seen that boy. He and I went to college together.”
“Well.” The woman at the front desk was a little hesitant, so Julian flashed his megawatt smile. “I’m not really supposed to discuss the guests, but let me check.”
Julian waited patiently, trying to look like an innocent tourist.
“Yes,” she said, smiling, “that was Matthew Larson. I’ll just give him a quick call.” She grabbed the phone and dialed a number before Julian could stop her. Luckily no one answered. She hung up, frowning. “I’m sorry, he’s not there yet. Do you want me to take a message?”
“That’s not necessary. I’m gonna park these tired dogs for a bit in the bar. I recon he’ll be down directly for that afternoon libation. I’ll catch him then, darlin’.”
She nodded, giving Julian a girlish giggle.
“You don’t mind if I use your phone, do you, sweetness?” Julian smiled, showing his dimples. Women couldn’t generally refuse the dimples.
She looked over toward the side wall. He was sure she was about to direct him to one of the house phones. With a wink, he reached over the counter, and spun her phone around before she could object. He quickly tapped the redial, catching sight of Matty’s room number, then cleared it before she noticed. After a few seconds, he hung up.
“Seems nobody’s home today, sweetness, but you’ve been an absolute peach.” Julian tipped his imaginary hat again and headed toward the bar. He left the hotel through the street entrance at the front of the bar, which was out of sight from the front desk.
Julian and Ronny took a taxi to Mama Lucy’s where Julian had been waiting before Ronny called. He needed to know more about the situation. He didn’t trust Lenny to leave Matty alone. Julian wasn’t familiar with the exact specifics, but he knew Lenny had it bad where Matty was concerned. Julian had written Lenny off years ago, and while he’d prefer to leave Matty out of this, he wouldn’t let Lenny screw Matty over because of some perceived slight from thirty years ago.
Getting away from the Mob once wasn’t easy, but twice would be impossible. He wouldn’t pull Matty back into this life unless he had to. Julian had questions. He wanted to know why his friend disappeared all those years ago, but not at the cost of Matty’s freedom.
“What does Lenny want with Matty?” Julian asked, thinking Ronny might know why Lenny would go out of his way now.
Ronny shrugged. “Don’t know exactly, but he was different after Matty left. He was always jealous of Matty. He thought Hill treated Matty better—Matty got all the jobs, and attention. I think Lenny expected things to change when Matty disappeared, but they didn’t. Did you know Hill searched for Matty and his mother?”
“Did Lenny tell you that?”
“No, pop mentioned it a few weeks ago. Said Hill never believed the kid was dead.”
“Really?” That was news to Julian. A lot had been going on then, but he never remembered thinking Matty had just left. Maybe he’d made too many assumptions back then. There was a lot happening with the organization. Everything had changed after that, and to him Matty was just gone.
“I shouldn’t have told Lenny,” Ronny shook his head.
“Just keep me informed. Let me know what he’s planning. I’ll keep Larson out of this if I can, but I’m not going to let Lenny screw with his life.”
Chapter 6
1985
Things around Nowhere had really started to heat up. Everyone was being more cautious. Mr. Hill told Matty to let him know if he saw anything suspicious. Juli said that his father, Mr. Townsend, told him and Ronny the same thing. No one was above suspicion.
The hideout, as they all called it, was awesome. Matty had been sure they’d be discovered or the owners would come back to clean the place up, and they’d find the door, but no one ever returned—not even a realtor to put out a for sale sign.
As far as Matty knew, nothing had happened to Quinn or Parrish since the guy they’d seen being beaten up squealed. There had been no reorganization either, so Matty assumed they were both still around, but that didn’t mean everything was the same.
Hill brought in three extra guys for protection. The only one that seemed to know the ropes was a guy they called “the Russian”. He was a freelance tough guy. He’d worked for several different organizations over the years, and even spent some time in Vegas. But the Russian wasn’t even Russian. He was just some guy from Queens.
The way
Matty heard it, two years ago the Russian got caught cheating at poker. He had two options. He could take a beating from Little Joey or play a quick game of Russian Roulette. The Russian decided he had better odds with the gun. Matty thought they should have called him Lucky, because what he didn’t know was that the gun would be loaded with five bullets instead of one. At least that was the story told, but Matty “Mad Dog” Dunmore knew a few things about nicknames, and you couldn’t always believe what you heard.
Matty knew nothing about the other two guys Hill hired, but after Ronny called them Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, since they looked so alike—though Dum was the beefier one—and the names stuck within the gang. The Tweedles were probably good at something, but Matty hadn’t figured out what that was yet.
He and Juli were sitting outside Demarko’s when a man Matty recognized drove by.
Matty swatted Juli’s arm to get his attention. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
“That guy that just drove by. I think it was Max Kalen.”
Max “The Accountant” Kalen was Quinn’s right hand man, and the last person Matty expected to see in Nowhere.
“Really?” Juli craned his neck as if looking for the car. “Let’s go check it out.”
Kalen was already inside the back room by the time they reached the hideout. Matty lay down beside Juli on the roof in his usual spot. From there he could see everything below. Mr. Townsend’s arms were crossed over his chest. He stood behind Mr. Hill who was sitting at his desk with his hands steepled in front of him. The Russian was perched on the corner of Mr. Hill’s desk, but his back was ramrod straight. The Tweedles were off to the side glaring at Kalen. Tension was high and everyone appeared to be waiting on Kalen to speak.
Matty remained quiet. He didn’t want to miss a word.
Mr. Hill finally broke the silence. “What brings you into town, Kalen?”
“We need to talk,” Kalen glanced around at all the stern faces, “in private.”