Outside, Phil Daniels and Buddy Mahaffey were looking around the neighborhood for signs of anyone looking their way. The sky was darkening as the sun started to set below the tree tops to the west. The air was still and humid. The neighborhood was an odd mix of elderly retirees and young families. It seemed that most folks were inside eating dinner, or were out for an early evening. The houses were spread out at a pretty good distance as most of the lots in this subdivision were of about an acre each. Finally satisfied that no one was around, Phil turned to Buddy and nodded. Buddy turned square to the door and prepared to kick it in when they heard the sound of glass shattering from behind them. They both looked at Phil’s truck and saw fragments of the shattered driver’s side window fall to the ground.
“What the . . . ?” Phil asked perplexed at what he saw.
A moment later, while they watched, the back window splintered into a million pieces, most of which landed in the bed of the truck.
“My truck, Phil yelled. What the fuck is happening to my truck?” They both ran towards the truck to try and figure out what was happening. Phil walked through the chips of glass in the street while Buddy went around back. As Phil looked around at his truck, he heard a loud series of thuds. He looked down and saw three fresh bullet holes within a foot of his arm. He quickly realized that they were being fired upon.
“Get in the truck! Get in the truck now!” he yelled at Buddy. Buddy heard him and understood that they were in danger if they didn’t react quickly. They got in and Phil started the truck in a big hurry. They heard two more distinct thuds on the side panel of the truck bed and felt a slight vibration as the bullets penetrated the metal skin. As soon as the engine fired, he floored it and burned rubber all the way down the street. They left Dunnellon without looking back.
Diane heard the racket as they left her house, away from danger. She sensed that they were safe and moved into the master bedroom to look out the window. All she saw was the smoke of burning rubber from the big four wheel drive truck. Sean asked, “What’s all that noise from, Mommy?”
“It was just a big truck going down the road sweetie. Go back and finish Daddy’s drawing with your sister.”
“Okay Mom.”
Diane walked away from the front window and went to the side window just to see if anyone was still outside of her house. See didn’t see anyone because it was really starting to get dark, now. She noticed movement from a stand of trees to the side of their property. A man jumped down from one of the tree branches and walked casually away from their house. He was carrying something, but Diane couldn’t see what it was. That’s odd, she thought. I wonder if he saw the guys who were at the door. What was he doing in that tree? She walked back in Pat’s office, removed the clip from Pat’s gun, made sure no rounds were chambered, and locked the gun back in its place. She made sure everything was locked and went back in to stay with the kids. She had just settled down when the doorbell rang. It startled her a bit so that even Sean asked her if she was okay. She assured her inquisitive son that she was, and she headed back to the master bedroom to peer out the window. It was Brian and a young woman that she supposed was Ginny Parks. She went to the front door to welcome her guests. Boy was she glad to see them.
When she opened the door, Brian asked, “Who’s been drag racing in your street? There’s a line of tire burns for about 100 yards. Somebody was in a hurry.”
Diane wasn’t sure just what to say, so she told her guests about the truck and the guys that were at her front door. She left the part out about Joe’s phone call and the gun. No sense running Brian and Ginny off before Pat and Joe arrived. Pat arrived about twenty-five minutes later. Joe and Lisa arrived about five minutes after Pat. Pat hugged his wife fiercely for several moments, then hugged his children with just as much intensity. Brian introduced Ginny to everyone. Joe likewise introduced Lisa. Lisa confessed to Brian that she was a big fan and was thrilled to meet him in person. Brian’s face flushed with embarrassment. He still wasn’t used to being a rock star. Even the kids were introduced before they were escorted off to bed. Sean tried to put up a fight to stay with the grownups, but mom and dad won that argument.
After the kids were safely tucked into bed, Diane told her husband and her guests exactly what had happened earlier in the evening. When she told the part about the guy from out back, Pat and Joe looked at each other as if to say, ‘that’s the guy with our plan.’ Pat asked Diane, “Exactly which tree was he in?” Diane pointed out the tree, though it was very dark by now. Pat grabbed a flashlight from a kitchen drawer and motioned to Joe to follow him. Pat told everyone to sit tight that they’d be back in a jiffy. He and Joe headed for the tree.
When they arrived, it was easy to see where the mystery man had jumped down from the tree. In the light of the flashlight, they could also see where he’d picked up several items from the dirt under the tree. “Shell casings. I can still smell the cordite. He was shooting from here. Did you see all the glass in the street where their windows were blown out?”
“Yeah. But what gives? He could have easily killed them from here. It looks like he just wanted to scare them off. He’s already killed what, six guys? Why not a couple more? This whole thing is just weird.”
They headed back to the house agreeing that they didn’t find anything of interest, just some footprints. The rest of the evening was actually very enjoyable as both Ginny and Lisa got along quite well. Diane, as usual, was a great hostess and made everyone feel at home and very relaxed, despite the events of the evening. They stayed up late and were disappointed when Brian said he had to leave. He had to get back in the studio for another grueling day of recording music. Lisa asked for his autograph before he could get out the door. His cheeks again flushed.
“I’ll do one better than that,” Brian said. “You and Joe, Pat and Diane get the first copies of our CD. I’ll sign those. My signature really isn’t worth much, but the CD hopefully will be. Keep your fingers crossed.”
“Thanks so much, and it was a thrill meeting you. You too, Ginny and Diane.”
Joe said, “We better hit the road, too. You guys be sure to lock up. You get the alarm system working?” he asked Pat.
“Yep. I just hope I can remember how to arm the thing.”
Everyone said their goodbyes with hugs all around. Once the crowd was gone, Pat and Diane headed for the kitchen to clean up. Diane leaned against Pat and said, “So what are you keeping from me? You don’t get shot at for something that happened over seven years ago.”
“It’s nothing, really. Nothing that can’t be handled,” he said coolly. But on the inside he was wrestling with what to do next. He thought that he knew, but it wasn’t going to be easy. It could even be deadly. There was also the unknown assailant.
“I can see those wheels turning. You know something. Fess up now or you’re sleeping in the dog house.”
“But we don’t have a dog house.”
“I’ll build one. Start talking.”
Over the next hour, Pat told Diane about the guy named Jason Roberts and how he was a business partner to the guys that were killed. “This Roberts character must think we have something to do with it, because of Mike’s wife and all.”
“What’s the ‘and all’ part?” Diane asked,
Pat figured it was time to come totally clean. If he kept lying to Diane, even little lies, he’d get caught. He just wasn’t good at it anyway. So he gave it to her straight. “I am going to tell you everything I can remember about my life that may have anything to do with this. Can you handle it?”
Diane took a deep breath then Pat started talking. He told her about the drugs, the betrayal, the fighting, and the real business. He reaffirmed the bit about the legal business. He could tell this was a bit much to lay on her all at once. She’d suspected that he was involved in drugs somehow, but not to this extent. She was shocked and scared and confused.
“Pat, I need a drink and make it a stiff one.”
After Pat mixed their drinks a
nd sat back down in the living room, Pat asked, “Is there anything else that you’d like to know?”
“Surely there’s not more.”
“Not that I can remember right now, but some things I just can’t remember.”
Diane’s expression became stone cold serious. “Pat, promise me that you’ll never again get involved in that lifestyle. And I mean on your heart. If it happens, we, me and the kids, will leave you faster than you can bat an eye.”
“You have my word. That Pat is gone for good. I know it’s hard for you to trust me at my word right now, but you have nothing to fear . . . at least not about that.”
They hugged for a long time after that. They didn’t say another word, and they both dozed off to sleep for a time before they woke up and made it to bed. They stayed awake another forty-five minutes to make passionate, emotional love. Then they slept for a full nine hours. They’d have slept longer, but the kids came in complaining that they were hungry.
Chapter 42
Jason Roberts had lost his appetite. He sent out his best guys to do a job, and they’d botched it. What was he going to do now? He had to rebuild his organization from the ground up. That would take time especially since the team he had left would have to work extra hard to keep up with the flow of weed coming in. He wasn’t sure his suppliers would understand if he couldn’t handle the weight. He had to contact them and explain that his situation had changed a bit and that he’d like to slow down the flow for a short while. He’d explain that it would actually be good for business. With less dope on the street, it would be harder to get and the price would be forced up; simple supply and demand. They’d go for it, he thought. Or they’d tell him they’d get another dealer to handle it. Lots of folks were looking to move up in this business. Well, it was worth a try, Jason thought to himself. He definitely couldn’t keep up the pace with the crews he still had. It was just too few bodies to handle the volume. He was in a tight spot, and he knew it. Then he had another idea. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Or in this case, have ‘em join me.
“Phil, Buddy, get in here. I have an idea and I need you to tell me if I’m just going nuts here.”
Phil and Buddy listened. They weren’t the smartest guys in their classes, but they thought that Jason’s plan might work. It wasn’t going to be easy getting the McKinneys to join forces, but it was in both of their mutual interests. The way Mr. Roberts explained it they could either join them or die trying not to join. It was up to them.
The other issue that had to be dealt with was the mystery man. Maybe the McKinneys knew who he was. Maybe they hired this guy to do their dirty work, so they could keep their hands clean. Or the possibility still existed that this guy was from a rival dealer. But why would he camp out at Pat McKinney’s house? Because he knew that they’d be there.
“How close to either of you did the shots get tonight?”
“Real close,” Phil said. “I mean, when the bullets hit the truck, they had to be right next to my left arm.”
“Did any of the bullets hit on your right side? And how many bullets hit the truck on your left?”
“Well, none hit on the right. There were about three shots, and they all hit within a few inches of each other. What are you getting at, sir?”
“You should be dead right now . . . if he wanted you dead. He was just trying to scare you guys off. We’re dealing with a real pro here. I think this guy is paid protection. His first assignment was to even the score, you know, cause of the one brother’s wife. Now he’s just protecting them. We have to find this guy and take him out, and then we can get back to either dealing with or doing away with the McKinneys.” Buddy and Phil looked at each other, then at Mr. Roberts and seemed to shake their heads up and down in agreement. “I know a few guys that can handle this. You guys have a load to manage tonight. The details are on my desk. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Report back to me when you’re done.”
“Yes sir,” they both answered in unison, and left his office.
He went for the phone and dialed a number of an old acquaintance from the northeast. “Hello Antonio. Yes, it’s been a long time. How have you been? Are you still doing business? How would you like to help out an old friend? It’ll be worth your while to take a vacation to Florida, trust me.”
* * *
It was 2:42 AM on the digital alarm clock when the phone rang. Pat stared at the red LCD readout as the numbers seemed to come in and out of focus. The phone rang a second time, and Pat leapt from his side of the bed. He and Diane kept the phone on the dresser so that they had to get out of bed to answer it. That way they were somewhat awake by the time they had to talk with someone.
“Hello,” Pat mumbled groggily into the phone.
“Pat, is that you?”
The unsteady voice on the other end of the line sounded weak and shaky. He thought for a moment then recognized the voice of his youngest brother, Mike. “Yeah Mike, it’s me. You sound tired Mike. Are you alright?”
There was silence on the line for a few seconds, then Mike answered, “Pat . . . I can’t take it anymore . . . I . . . I really can’t. I miss her, Pat.”
He could hear Mike begin to sob on the other end of the line. It was breaking his heart to hear his brother in such emotional turmoil. “Mike, you’re going to be alright. You know that all the creeps are dead, right? They’ve paid for what they did. Come on, Mike, you don’t have to suffer anymore. You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Julie wouldn’t want you to suffer like this.”
“I know . . . she wouldn’t Pat. But I just can’t stand it anymore. I love you and Joe. I love Mom and Dad. Tell them that. You tell them that,” he repeated.
“Mike, I’m right here for you. You don’t do anything stupid, you hear me. Joe and I will come out and get you.”
“No . . . No Pat. It’s too late for that. . . . It’s too late.” There was a silence on the line that seemed to last forever. Then Mike said, “I’m going to see Julie.” And the line went dead.
Pat raced over and flipped on the light switch. Diane woke up hearing Pat moving about the room and asked, “What are you doing? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Mike. I think he’s going to kill himself. That was him on the phone. He said he was going to join Julie. He was really on the edge. I’ve got to call the Vegas Police and see if they can get over there and stop him.”
Forty-five minutes later, Pat’s phone rang again. “Pat McKinney?”
“Yes.”
“This is Sergeant Perez with the Las Vegas Police. I’m sorry sir, we found your brother. It appears that he took his own life. There was an empty bottle of alcohol and some kind of pill bottle on the bedroom table. We were too late. I’m sorry sir.”
Pat’s eyes flowed with tears. He couldn’t believe that Mike was gone. “Thanks for calling, Officer.” Pat hung up the phone. He sobbed for several minutes while Diane tried to comfort him with hugs and kind words, but it was no help. He’d feared that this day was coming. It was not unexpected. Joe and Pat both knew that Mike was devastated by his wife’s murder and worse that the murderers got off without so much as a slap on the wrists. Pat’s pain was intensified by the fact that they couldn’t exact revenge on the bastards by their own hands. He hoped that he would meet the person who did this someday. Somehow, he felt that he would. He wanted to shake his hand, but he also wanted to find out what motivation they had to carry out their rightful act of vengeance. After several minutes, Pat gained control again. He hugged his wife hard and thanked her for being there with him.
“I will never let this happen to you.”
“I know, darling, I know.”
“I have to call Mom and Dad . . . and Joe.”
The call to his mom and dad was very emotional. They both had feared that Mike would not recover from his loss. Pat’s mom sobbed as Pat had done. Pat’s dad simply spoke in solemn tones about how he was so sorry. He said that he would take care of their mother. He also offered to take care of getti
ng Mike’s body back to Florida. He knew that Mike wanted to be with Julie so he would make sure of that. He would let Pat and Joe know when the arrangements were set.
“Pat, your brother loved you and Joe. He just couldn’t see a life without Julie. He felt so guilty that he wasn’t there to protect her. There wasn’t anything that you or Joe or your Mother or I could have done to save him. Those bastards might as well have killed him when they killed her. They really did, it just took Mike longer to die.”
“Dad, I’m not sure I can handle this right now. I really do appreciate it.”
“Call Joe, Son. He needs to know.”
‘Bye Dad. Give Mom our love. The kids can’t wait to see you and Mom again. A funeral wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“Son, why don’t you and Diane let Sean and Anna come with us for a week or so. You both probably could use a break.”
You don’t know the half of it, Dad, Pat thought to himself. “I’ll talk it over with Diane and we’ll let you know. Love you.” The line went dead.
The call to Joe went as expected. Joe shed no tears, but Pat could hear the shattering of drywall in Joe’s apartment. After a few minutes, Joe and Pat agreed that they needed to meet to make some new plans. It was time to pay a visit to one Jason Roberts.
Chapter 43
Al Porecwzski couldn’t believe his eyes as they looked at the Crime Scene Investigation Unit’s pictures of the carnage at the grove on Kelly Park Drive. He and his partner, Rich, and Johnny Poleirmo were sipping coffee, going over every little bit of evidence that they could, to try and piece together what had gone on with Johnny’s partner. They had a story board with three by five cards plastered all over it. Each card contained little bits of information. They were trying to group the cards into logical groupings but they were coming up empty. Nothing made sense. No pattern, no real information from any source that pointed to Ray Krebs as a good cop gone bad. The only thing that they had was the stolen evidence from Ray’s home and Ray’s home itself. The way they looked at it, his standard of living was about four times his means. There were no credit card records. Everything apparently was paid for in cash.
A Lifetime of Vengeance Page 28