Bubble Screen (Burnside Series Book 3)

by David Chill

  The house had that hollow, vacuous feeling of a home that hadn't been lived in. There was no furniture, no clothing in the closets, no dog wagging its tail. It was barren and empty and would serve our purpose fine, as far as I could tell. I turned to Amanda.

  "Okay, we're good here."

  "Excellent," she said.

  "Now you need to leave."

  "What?"

  "Leave. Get out. You can't be here," I told her.

  "No, no. I need to see this happen."

  "You can't. If Billy spots you, he'll figure out what's going on. He'll run and you'll never see him again."

  "I'll hide in the closet. He'll never know."

  "He'll see your car."

  "I'll move it."

  "We can't take that chance."

  Amanda looked pleadingly at Gail, but just got a shrug in return. "He knows what he's doing," Gail said. "You need to listen to him."

  "You'll call me when it's done?" she asked in a resigned voice.

  "Yes."

  Taking a deep breath, Amanda walked out the door and got into her black BMW and drove off. I sighed, relieved, and called Juan to give him an update. He said he'd send a cruiser over, but it might take a while in rush hour traffic. And he certainly didn't want the unit to engage the siren and alert Billy as to what was going down. After hemming and hawing for a moment, he said he might drop by too. We waited about 10 minutes before there was a loud knock on the front door.

  I opened the door to find not one, but two men standing there. One was a lean man about my age, with long sandy hair, a thick, blond goatee, and tattoos running up and down his arms. The other man was short and stout and his head was shaved.

  "Hey," the man with the goatee said. "I'm Billy."

  We shook hands and I invited them in. I didn't anticipate Billy bringing along an associate, a man he called George. This might complicate things. I introduced them to Gail and watched Billy give her the once over. A couple of times.

  "You're looking to get central air in this place," Billy said.

  "Right," I answered. "We're getting a couple of bids now."

  Billy looked around. "Nice house. Yeah you'll definitely want to get AC. People think because they're on the Westside it's cooler, but I'll tell you, summer days can get pretty toasty here."

  "Uh yeah," I said. "We don't take title until escrow closes next week. We don't live in the area. Heck, I'm not even sure what this neighborhood is like. It's just near our work."

  "Don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "You probably have a lot on your mind, buying a new place and all."

  "Oh yeah," I said. "I've been real busy lately."

  Billy asked if he could take a look around, and he and George moved from room to room, Billy jotting notes down on a pad, George following him, looking bored. George wore loose-fitting jeans and I noticed what seemed like the end of a box cutter sticking out of his back pocket. They crawled up in the attic for a few minutes and then went outside to look at the back yard. When they came back inside, Billy was nodding his head.

  "This should be no problem at all. In fact, I can get you a deal on an AC unit. You should also replace the furnace, it's not in great shape. I can throw that in for free."

  "Free?" I asked, wide eyed. "You'd do that?"

  "Sure, you seem like good people. And I can pull out the furnace that's there and take it away. I'll just give it to my church. There's always someone who needs it."

  "That's very generous of you," I said, marveling at Billy's Robin Hood act.

  "Hey I try to help. You're both Christians, right?"

  Gail and I looked at each other and then back at Billy. "Sure."

  "I knew it," he said, nodding his head and spending too much of his time on Gail. "I could tell you were good people. And you know what. I'm going to give you a special rate on that AC unit. It normally costs $12,000 to put it in, I'll do it for $9,000. And that'll include the furnace."

  "That, uh, sounds, very decent of you. It's a good price."

  "Yeah, I try and help people where I can. That's the best price you'll find anywhere. I know you won't take title until next week, but we can get started tomorrow if you want, doing the ground work, pulling out that old furnace. I'll just need a deposit."

  "How much?"

  "I usually do 50 percent up front."

  "That's a little steep," I said, trying to play this out realistically.

  "Hey no prob. What works for you?"

  "Hmm. maybe one-third? Maybe $3,000?"

  "Sure," Billy said. "Let me go to my truck and write up the paperwork. I'll just need the deposit check."

  I started to wonder if Juan's patrol officers would get here in time. I didn't have my checkbook on me and certainly wouldn't be giving any money to Billy Ray Fox. But I got the feeling if I didn't hand him something, Billy would leave and might never come back. Plus, he had George in tow. Taking on two potentially dangerous criminals didn't sound like a good plan with Gail standing nearby. Even with my .38 at the ready, too much could happen. But in an instant, everything changed.

  With a start, the front door swung open. But instead of two uniformed LAPD officers entering, we stood face-to-face with Amanda Hertz. Her right arm was fully extended, and in her hand was a snub-nosed Ruger LCP pistol. It was the type of gun a woman might carry. It was small enough to have the appearance of being a toy but it was a gun, and a gun that could do some damage. Aimed at the right part of the body, it had the ability to kill someone, especially if it was fired at close range. And it was pointed straight at the chest of Billy the Fixer.

  Chapter 16

  It was the third time this week that I found myself facing a person holding a gun. Things came in bunches all right, not all of them good. Everyone's eyes were on Amanda as her chest heaved unevenly and her hand appeared shaky. Her breathing was disjointed and her face radiated a toxic mix of fear and fury. She took a step forward, and instinctively, all of us took a step backwards. Billy continued moving until he was flush against a wall. George was closest to Amanda, a few feet to her right, and he seemed to be surveying just how close he really was.

  "Finally ... finally found you," she said, seemingly gulping for some air. "You ... seemed to have dropped off the face of this, this earth."

  Billy slowly shook his head. "Look, I tried calling you."

  "No, no, you didn't," Amanda countered, her voice still shaky. "You're a liar. And a thief. And a ... a piece of shit."

  "We can talk about this. I know you have to be upset. But I didn't mean to cause you any hurt. I swear, may the Lord be my witness ... "

  "Shut up!" she screamed, and waved the weapon dangerously at Billy. "Lies! I don't want to hear any more lies!"

  The room became silent once again. Amanda seemed to be trying to figure out her next move. Sometimes a person becomes so fixated on revenge, that when the opportunity finally comes to fruition, they momentarily lose the sense of what they had planned on doing. I watched George edge a small step closer to Amanda. Gail and I stood to her left.

  "Amanda," I started, trying to draw her attention away from George. "The police will be here any minute. You can't go forward with this."

  "No. The police won't come here."

  I paused for a long second. "I called them a few minutes ago. They're on their way."

  Amanda shook her head rapidly back and forth. "No. I papered over the address on the outside of the house. And I spray painted the numbers on the curb. The address is no longer visible from the street. They won't know we're in this house."

  Another very long moment of silence passed before I spoke again.

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked softly.

  "I've been taken advantage of," she said testily.

  "I understand. Totally. I do. But it's just money. Money can be replaced. Human life can't. Money can be paid back."

  "I'm well aware of that," she said, still aiming the gun at Billy. George slid a little closer.

  "What else did he do to you?"
I asked. Part of me wanted to keep her talking. Part of me wanted to learn the answer myself.

  "You want to tell him, Billy?" snarled Amanda. "Tell them. Go on."

  Billy's face held a lack of expression that was unnerving. It was as if Amanda was holding nothing more potent than a cup of coffee. "We were just doing what people do. We gave in to the moment. I think it was just our own human weakness."

  As placid as Billy's face was, Amanda's face was becoming more contorted with anger. "Is that what you call it, Billy? Or is that just your way of saying you took me against my will?"

  Billy held up his palms. "I admit to my failings. But you were willing too. I know I was wrong. We were wrong. I'm ashamed. I'm ..."

  "Stop it!" she screamed, tears now wetting her cheeks. "Stop the lies!"

  "What do you want me to do?" Billy asked. "You already went and had the abortion. You went against my wishes. Not to mention God's wishes. You took a human life. I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to persuade you not to. I'm sorry for everything, I really am. I want to make this right. I can ..."

  "God damn it! Shut the fuck up!"

  This would have definitely been a good time for Billy to quit talking. But like any snake oil salesman, his gift was his tongue, and in Billy's case, he thought it was his salvation. He continued to apologize and engage in Pollyanna chatter, pleadingly trying to invoke the name of God in a most generous way. And he was completely unaware of what he was about to set in motion.

  Right at that moment, apparently at her breaking point, Amanda leaned forward and extended her arm as far as it would reach. It was as if she were trying to put the gun inside Billy's heart and break it in as harsh a way as hers had been broken.

  But with her eyes filled with tears, and using a pistol that was not known for extreme accuracy, she fired the gun wildly in Billy's direction. The shot missed its mark and the bullet lodged into the wall directly behind him. George was now just a few feet from Amanda, and he charged her and tried to grab her arm. She pulled away from him and the two struggled. I started to move towards them but the gun went off once more. It did not appear to be aimed at anyone in particular. The gun simply fired randomly, the result of two people wrestling for control, and the trigger inadvertently pulled. But this time the shot did not come anywhere close to Billy Ray Fox who was moving swiftly to his right, along the wall. In what was a most horrible scenario, one that I could never have conjured up in a million years, the bullet was fired in a trajectory that sent it straight on a path towards Gail Pepper.

  There are moments in life when time freezes. When you have no control over what's happening and you become subject to the whims of fate and destiny. There is no good reason as to why an involuntary gunshot goes where it goes, why some people are magnets for tragedy and others are spared. The randomness of life is inexplicable to me. For some people, faith takes over and gives them a level of comfort. They think there is a grand plan and things are meant to be the way they are for a reason. But in the longest second of my life, the instant where everything would change dramatically, was now upon me. And as that bullet soared towards Gail, my heart stopped, my eyes bugged, and my soul prepared to leave me forever.

  It was close. As close as a whisker perhaps. I thought for a second that I saw the bullet skim through some strands of Gail's hair, but that may have simply been her movement prompted by the sound of the shot. As the bullet flew by her, much too close for comfort, it smashed through a large window sending shards of glass flying all over the lawn. Gail stood there for a moment, mouth agape and then turned to see the damage to the window. And she saw what we all saw. The fleeting figure of Billy Ray Fox jumping through the shattered window, rolling to his feet and scampering across the lawn towards his truck.

  I needed another moment to regain my bearings. The shock was still there, but so was a growing rage, cold and furious. George now had a solid grip on Amanda's arm and was trying to shake the gun from her hand. She squirmed one more time though, and started to dislodge herself. I moved a couple of steps towards them and positioned my right foot in front of her. I swung my right arm back and sprung towards Amanda. I unleashed a vicious back punch straight into the center of her face. The blow connected as solidly as any I had ever thrown, much harder than was necessary to disarm her. It was a punch that was intended to do a ferocious amount of damage.

  Amanda's head snapped backwards and her feet came out from under her. Landing on her back, the gun skidded across the floor. I raced over to grab it, but there was no need for any urgency. Amanda screamed in pain and her hands covered her face. Blood was emanating quickly. She screamed again and then began shaking and rocking back and forth.

  "What did you do?" she cried. "What did you do to me?"

  I didn't bother to answer. My breathing was deep and rapid. I looked around wildly, but there was no other movement in the room. George and Gail stared at her.

  "You don't know what he did!" Amanda screamed. "He violated me! He violated my life!"

  I looked at her and finally found my voice. "Maybe he did," I said huskily. "But you were about to violate mine."

  *

  The short vacuum of silence that followed lasted for less than 30 seconds. Gail, George and I looked at each other, but said nothing. Amanda wept, quieter now, but aside from some deep breathing, no other sound permeated the room. It was as if we were waiting for the next shoe to drop, the next piece of the scene to play itself out. And it did happen. Just not inside the house.

  We heard the sound of an ignition being turned over and an engine starting. A couple of quick pumps of the accelerator emitted a loud roar. A transmission was shifted and tires squealed. And almost as soon as the mechanical noise of a vehicle in motion began, it ended quickly. It ended with a very loud bang and with the jarring sound of crunching metal and shattering glass. The three of us looked at each other and then raced out the front door.

  Billy Ray Fox had wasted no time in jumping into his pickup truck and trying to vacate the premises. He had gunned the engine and was starting to peel away. In a few seconds he would have been gone, and it would have become far more difficult to catch him. When a criminal senses the authorities are on his tail, he often goes underground and his movements become very hard to trace. People like Billy Ray Fox live on the margins of society, moving in and out of the world the rest of us inhabit. They grab what they can and then they disappear. So it was perhaps sheer luck, or maybe divine intervention as Billy might have said. But in the hectic process of trying to escape the clutches of Amanda Hertz, Billy the Fixer went and plowed his truck straight into an oncoming car. It was a black sedan with chrome trim. And as Juan Saavedra got out to survey the physical damage to his vehicle, he didn't look very happy. Not one bit.

  The front end of Juan's car was banged up, but it looked repairable. The truck however appeared to be smashed beyond repair. The engine was badly damaged, and the hood was pushed up high and severely dented. The front windshield was cracked with a spider web-like design, the result of Billy's head vaulting directly into it. In the process of making his hasty departure, Billy of course failed to secure his seat belt. He lay motionless against the steering wheel, head bleeding, and a sick expression on his face.

  Juan walked over to the driver's side door, peered in for a moment, and then removed his cell phone from his jacket. He placed a quick call and two minutes later the paramedics arrived. About 15 minutes after that, the first of seven patrol cars arrived on the scene. I put my arms around Gail.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  "No," she said, in a voice that was unnaturally high pitched.

  "Pretty scary."

  "I'm just glad it happened quickly. I didn't have time to be frightened."

  "I hate to tell you this. But the bad part starts now. It's going to take a while to put something this traumatic behind you."

  "How long does it take?"

  I hugged her tighter and sighed. "It depends on the person. Sometimes it can take forever."r />
  The paramedics on the scene tended to Billy first, he appeared to have a concussion. Amanda had what was most likely a broken jaw and a few missing teeth. Both were taken off to the jail wing of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, hopefully with a floor or two separating them. Billy would be charged with multiple counts of grand theft and a parole violation. Amanda was actually facing the more severe charge, which would include attempted murder. And though I went to bat for George, no amount of persuasion would trump the fact that he was carrying a small bag of crystal meth in his back pocket, next to the box cutter. After a while, a pair of police tow trucks came and carted away Billy's truck and Juan's car. I decided it was time to approach Juan and try and make amends. If that were even possible.

  "Can I offer you a ride home, Lieutenant?" I asked, in as humble a tone as I could muster.

  "You can go kiss my ass, Burnside," Juan said, without any hint of humor.

  "I, uh, guess I'm going to owe you a few favors."

  "Oh I'd say that's accurate. I'm going to own you by the time this is through. I really ought to run you in and keep you there overnight for setting up this mess."

  "You know, there were some positives that came out of this."

  Juan cocked an eyebrow. "How's that?"

  "Three criminals have been safely removed from the streets of Gotham City. And you got to make the collar on all three."

  "Yeah. And one of these criminals would never have committed a crime if you hadn't set it up and made it easy for her."

  I shrugged and raised my palms. "There's only so much I can do, Juan."

  "Did you have any suspicion she was going to pull something like this?"

  I looked skyward and thought about it for a second too long.

  "Yeah," Juan said. "That's what I figured."

  "I warned her not to take matters into her own hands," I pointed out. "She didn't tell me about a sexual assault. She could have filed charges and probably would have gotten more attention than by pursuing fraud."

  Gail was standing a few feet away. She walked over and spoke quietly. "Once she let us in, Burnside ordered Amanda to leave."