The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 1 thru 5 (Smoke Special Edition)

by Craig Halloran

  “Well, that’s one account. There was another club, the Night Ranger, where I met a pair of gals who’d stumbled on a murder victim. A guy was stabbed to death. No one saw anything.” Russ turned toward Sid and leaned forward. “After the detectives left, I asked if they noticed anyone standing out in the crowd. They mentioned those guys. The weird earrings and glasses. Their eyes haunting them. One gal said she blacked out just from looking at him. ‘Hypnotic,’ she said. ‘Evil.’”

  Sid’s throat tightened. Those sound like the guys. “Why do they call them the Buffalo Brothers?”

  “Good question. Simply put, they started this stuff in Buffalo, New York. Oh man, I haven’t talked about them in a long time. Uh, could you reach behind you? See those ratty books on the shelf?” He pointed. “Grab that one in the top right corner, third book over.”

  She turned, got up on her knees, reached over, and grabbed the book. “This it?”

  “That’s the one.”

  It was a small hardback book with a brown cloth cover. The title read The Buffalo Murders, by Jim Johann. She scanned the title page. “This was published in 1955.”

  Russ tossed his beer bottle in the trash can. “Yep.”

  Sid leafed through the pages. In the middle were some black-and-white photos of murder scenes. At the end of those pictures were mug shots. Her blood curdled. It was the faces of the two men from the range. “Impossible.”

  “You don’t really believe anything is impossible, do you?” Russ said.

  She’d already encountered more than a few corpses that came back to life. It was unsettling. “Says their names are Warren and Oliver Ratson. They were convicted. Went to prison for life and disappeared.”

  “There’s a lot of people that have gone to prison and disappeared. You’d be surprised. Especially back in those days.” He rubbed his thighs. “Legs’re starting to tingle. That’s a good sign. Anyway, the Buffalo Brothers are ghosts. Living and breathing ghosts. But you’ve seen them for yourself. Now what do you do?”

  She thought about Jake Miller. He had been a good man. You took him seriously, but he was warm and friendly. He was the kind of fella that would help you move furniture on a rainy day. “So no one investigates these guys.”

  “Seems so. Not unless they trifle with someone that really matters.”

  Sidney got up, still holding the book. “Can I take this?”

  “Sure. So what are you thinking about doing?”

  “I’m thinking I’m going to find these bastards and take them down.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Driving down the road, Sidney thought to herself, Who am I kidding? She had to take care of Megan. That didn’t leave her any time to launch her own investigation. But what had happened to Big Jake ate at her. She had to do something. Protecting people. Serving people. It drove her. Damn my pride!

  She missed being an agent, and it was beginning to catch up with her. She’d had access. Authority. The badge had given her an air of invincibility, and now that was gone. She’d given it up because she’d gotten mad. Because she felt guilty. She’d convinced herself that she couldn’t trust her fellow agents anymore. Cruising down the highway, she pulled over into a Wendy’s parking lot. She put the car in park, took out her phone, and sent a text.

  The text read, “Looking for the Buffalo Brothers.”

  Her thumb hung over the phone. She was about to dig into something that she might not be able to finish. But those men! The arrogant sneers on their faces riled her. They had a dangerous air about them. Same as all the other monsters she’d encountered.

  Morning glory, think about what you’re doing, Sid.

  Somewhere in her heart, she knew that she and Megan were safe so long as she didn’t go nosing around. That was the deal she suspected Allison had made with the Drake. It was a cop-out, too, but a sacrifice nonetheless. But if Sid moved out of that lane, trouble might quickly find them. She held her breath.

  I have to do the right thing. I have to be me.

  She pressed send. The text went out to Phat Sam and Guppy. Sid let out her breath. She figured they’d probably changed their numbers anyway. She gave it a few moments. Nothing happened. Probably for the better. She put the car in drive, eased on the gas. The engine rumbled, and the muscle machine surged ahead to the thrill of a few gawkers that showed a thumbs up as she passed by. She smiled.

  Maybe I should come here more often.

  While she was merging onto the highway, her phone buzzed. There was an emoticon with an excited mouth wide open.

  The message read. “Never heard of them. Doing research. Very interesting. We’re in. Meet at Smoke’s. Tonight.”

  At the stoplight she texted back. “No, tomorrow.”

  “No,” Sam’s text read. “Tonight. Bring Megan. We have plenty of ice cream.”

  Morning glory! I was afraid of that.

  ***

  “Where are we going, Aunt Sid?” Megan asked.

  They were heading down the highway after finishing up homework and dinner at Sid’s apartment. She’d chewed one of her nails off contemplating what to do. She needed to get back in the action. But it killed her to think she might be putting Megan in danger.

  “We’re going to go see Sam and Guppy. Remember them?”

  “Oh, that really pretty lady. Yay, I like her. She’s funny.” Megan checked her nails. “Do you think she’ll give me another manicure?”

  “I’m sure she’d love to.”

  “Good,” Megan said. Her face had brightened. “I love getting my nails done. BTW, it looks like you need yours done, too.” The little girl, now eleven years old, always carried some sadness within her.

  Sid felt guilty. She couldn’t keep Megan isolated all the time. They needed to get out. Be around people. It was finding people you could trust that was hard. Sam and Guppy could be trusted.

  “I know.”

  “So, are you going to be doing cop stuff again? I hope so.” Megan straightened the bow on a purple stuffed bear with burnt-orange plastic eyes. “I know you miss it. You can’t just sit around on your butt and babysit me all the time.”

  “Megan!”

  “Well, it’s true. Listen, Aunt Sid, I know I’m only in the fifth grade, but I’m reading at a twelfth-grade level. And I’ve always been able to take care of myself. Not that I don’t need you. I do. But you can’t stop living your life because of me.”

  Sid’s mouth dropped open. Recovering, she said, “You’re starting to sound like your grandmother Sally.”

  Megan slapped her head.

  Sidney laughed. Megan was a little adult. She had been since she was five. A lot of that came from taking care of her mother. Sid reached over and brushed her hand over Megan’s soft hair. “You’re something else.”

  “I know.”

  “Look, Megan. What I did before was dangerous, and I don’t want to dive back into that. If something happens to me, who’s going to look after you? It’s not worth it.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Aunt Sid. Besides, at some point you’re going to have to go get my mother. That’s what heroes do, right?”

  Sidney sank behind the steering wheel. Her eyes started to water. Of course Megan would expect her to go get her mother. Why shouldn’t Megan expect her to save her own sister?

  “Besides,” Megan said, “most of the time, Mom doesn’t know what’s best for her.”

  “Well,” said Sid, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I wish it could be easy.”

  “Haven’t you been looking for her this whole time? Like when I’m in school?”

  Lord, I’m a fool! How do I explain this? Megan was staring at her with her round pretty eyes. The young girl deserved an honest answer. “Megan, the people your mother is with are very dangerous. If I go after her and get too close, they’ll come after us. I can’t risk losing you again. Do you understand that?”

  Sadly, Megan nodded her little chin and curled up into her seat. She hugged her bear tight to her chest.

&nb
sp; “Megan, do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” the girl said, still looking away.

  Sid took a deep breath. “Then I promise I’ll find your mom, my sister. But you have to be patient.”

  Megan’s face brightened. “Okay. Thanks, Aunt Sid.”

  It’s going to be hard to find someone that doesn’t want to be found. And they’ll be waiting for it. “You’re welcome.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Smoke’s gas-station apartment hadn’t changed a bit since the last time she had been in there. The room was warm, and there was a lingering sent of oil in the air. Even after only being there a few times, Sid felt at home there.

  “This place is cool,” Megan said, gazing up at an old King Kong movie poster on the wall.

  Sam shook Sid’s hand. The gorgeous older woman was casually dressed in Buckle jeans and a snug designer T-shirt with a sequined design. She gave Megan a hug. “How about some ice cream while we get those nails of yours done?”

  Megan clapped her hands and bounced up and down like the kid she was supposed to be. “Yay!”

  It made Sid smile before she looked expectantly at Sam.

  Sam winked. “Good to see you. Once we finish with this little angel, we’re doing you next.” She took Megan by the hand. “Come on.”

  Eyeing the studio apartment, Sid’s eyes landed on Guppy. The short, burly man stood up from behind the computers as she approached. He gave her a warm embrace, locking his powerful forearms around her waist. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to come around.”

  “It’s not easy staying away. I’ll admit that.”

  “It’s in your blood,” Guppy said. “It’s who you are. It’s probably who you’ve always been.”

  Nodding her agreement, Sid sat down in the chair beside Guppy. “So, what have the two of you been up to?” She eyed him. “Have you still been bounty hunting?”

  “You know we keep our jobs confidential,” he said, smoothing his hand over his bald head. “But we’ve been paying the bills, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

  She wasn’t. She wanted to know if they’d seen Smoke, but she wasn’t going to ask. She set Russ Davenport’s book, The Buffalo Murders, on the desk. “Have you dug up anything yet?”

  “Maybe. Are you hiring us for a job?”

  She leaned back. Her chest tightened. “Well, no. I just thought—”

  “I’m teasing you, Sid. You’re family to us. You know that. Any friend of Smoke’s is a friend of ours.” His chestnut eyes locked on hers. He patted her knee. “Till the end.”

  Relieved, she said, “I don’t want to be any trouble. I just … you know … this guy, Jake Miller. He’s dead. I feel like I’m a part of it somehow. She clenched her fists. “Oh, I don’t need to drag you guys into this.” She went for the book.

  Guppy covered the book with his rugged hand. “Take it easy, Sid. Look, I’m not going to lie to you. We have things going on. That doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze you in.”

  Oh man, they’re going to blow me off. “Are you shelving me?”

  “No, no,” he said, picking up the book. “Now you should know better than that. We trust each other, right?”

  “A lot can change in a matter of months. For all I know, you have a really cushy gig.” She tipped her head toward the window. “I noticed that Porsche Cayenne outside. That looks pretty new. Nice cream color.” She started to get up.

  “Sid, please sit down and let me finish my thoughts. Geez. I guess I do talk too slow. Either that or all women are impatient. At least to me. Sam really wears me out telling me to spit it out all the time.”

  “You’re rambling now.”

  He sighed. “Okay, let me spit it out, then. Me and Sam have been talking. We want you in.”

  “In? What do you mean, in?”

  “Become a bounty hunter. Like us. It’s got great hours, and you’d be good at it.”

  Something ignited behind her chest. A spark. A flurry. She liked the idea. “I’m at a loss for words. Uh, how’s your dental plan?”

  Guppy rumbled a laugh. “And you’d fit right in.”

  “How do you do what you do and fly under the radar?”

  “We have a legit operation that’s our cover, and then we do other things as well.” He shrugged his heavy shoulders. “We manage.”

  “I just thought that Smoke—”

  “Did all the field work? No, no.” He rolled up the sleeve of his plaid shirt. “Dog bite.” He exposed his neck and ran his finger down a white scar. “Knife wound. I have many more, but I’m a gentleman. And nothing against Smoke, but he hasn’t been around. We don’t close shop without him. If I gotta bust heads to get my dough, so be it. ”

  “I didn’t realize you did that. And so does Samantha?”

  “Oh yeah. She’s the hook and I’m the hammer. Her face works like a stun gun. Men are putty in her hands.” Using his hands, Guppy made goggle eyes. “Thugs get that deer-in-the-headlights look.” He glanced at Sam, smiling. “Never seen a mortal man that can resist her wiles.”

  Sid laughed. “You make her sound like one of Charlie’s Angels.”

  “Lord, don’t tell her that. The last person that said that to her got punched in the throat.” He made a bitter face. “She just hates that show for some reason.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it. In the meantime, what have you dug up on the Buffalo Brothers?”

  Guppy leafed through the pages of the book. He stopped on the mug shots. “Them’s some ugly boys. Faces like that shouldn’t be too hard to recall.” He snapped a picture with his phone and uploaded it to the computer. He pulled the picture up on the monitor and cropped each face out. “I’m going to load this into the facial recognition database. See if we get any bites.”

  “What facial recognition database?” she asked.

  “The taxpayer-funded one,” he said, giving her a shifty glance, “that the FBI uses.”

  “You’ve hacked into the FBI?”

  “Not exactly,” he said. “Let’s just say we have people on the inside. You know, like you used to be.”

  Sid’s hands turned clammy. “They pick up on everything in there.”

  “No they don’t. Trust me. I’ve been doing this awhile.” He glanced at her. “Should I not have told you that?”

  “Hey, Guppy!” Sam shouted across the room. “Stop incriminating yourself!” She started laughing and resumed painting Megan’s nails. The little girl had headphones on, and her smile was as wide as the room.

  “We’ll be fine. He eased back in his chair and rested his hands on his stomach. Now tell me everything about these Buffalo Brothers.”

  Sid recounted the entire story all the way through her visit with Russ Davenport. “Say,” she said, “you guys didn’t put a copy of Nightfall DC on my windshield did you?”

  “No,” Guppy said.

  “Not me,” Sam said from across the room.

  She believed them. “All right. So there you have it. Look, these men or whatever they are, they’re bad. I want them.”

  “And if you find them,” Guppy said, “what are you going to do with them? So you think they killed your friend, Jake Miller. You need evidence to convict them.”

  She got up and started to walk the room. “They’ll have kept his gun, the one they shot him with. We find them, we find it. I’m sure of it.”

  “It’s pretty thin,” Guppy said. “Even if you root them out, you still have the powers that be to deal with. They might not even arrest them.”

  Sid made her way toward the door that opened into the garage. She put her hand on the knob.

  “Sid, come back here. Let’s sort through this conversation.”

  She pushed open the door. Her heart skipped inside her chest. The garage was empty. “Guppy, where’s Smoke’s Camaro?”

  CHAPTER 9

  “Hopefully in the junkyard,” Sam said, averting her eyes.

  “Guppy?” Sid said to him. “Any insights?”

  The stout man’s
brow furrowed as he twiddled his thumbs. “We just got here ourselves. We don’t know all about the comings and goings of Smoke.”

  “What do you mean, comings and goings?”

  “He’s got other people aside from us, you know. Perhaps one of them borrowed it.”

  Sid crossed her arms over her chest. “One of whom?”

  “Uh, them?”

  Agitated, Sidney brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Is he out?”

  “Can’t say if he is or isn’t,” Guppy replied. He turned back to the computer monitors. “All I can say is I haven’t seen him.”

  Sidney didn’t know whether to be mad or happy. She didn’t like the thought of Smoke being in prison, but if he was out, he could have contacted her. Why would he contact me? He doesn’t owe me anything. She sat down on the couch and eyed Guppy. He was hunched over the desk with his back to her. A quick glance over her shoulder, and she saw Sam had her back turned as well. They know something.

  “He’s out and working on the Black Slate, isn’t he.” She got up and poked Guppy in the meat between his shoulder blades. “Isn’t he?”

  “I can’t say.”

  “Damn! He is out!” She squeezed Guppy’s shoulders. “What’s he working on? Tell me.”

  “I can’t say. Look, Sid, we have to keep our mouths zipped. You know that.”

  “Then why did you bring me here?” she said.

  “Well, er, that’s more of a coincidence,” he said, pulling out of her grip. He looked up at her. “And, well, it wouldn’t be our fault if you happened to run into him. Seeing how you are a client and potential team member and all.”

  “All in favor of making Sidney Shaw a team member, say ‘Aye’!” Sam blurted out. She raised an arm.

  Guppy raised his hand. “See, you have two out of three. Of course, it has to be unanimous.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Sid said. “I’m not in the mood for games.” She huffed. “And I don’t guess it’s any of my business anyway.”

  “Yeah, but you miss him,” Sam said. “Or else you wouldn’t have come here. We miss him, too, you know. But we haven’t seen him. That’s word.” She squeezed Megan’s cheek. “So cute.”