by Sweet, Dell
It only stood to reason, in his mind, that if the two of them had cleaned out the Toyota, then they had cleaned out the Ford that Neo had been driving too. After they had realized what they had stumbled into, it was only a matter of seconds, most likely, before they had figured out the rest. And they had to know that someone would be on their tail and soon. It was too much money: Too much heroin; too much coke and they had to have taken all of it with them too, the cops had found nothing at all. And cops would maybe take a little here or there, but this was a lot more than a little. No cop had taken it: If they had they would have kicked a little into evidence, as in 'Found at the scene' evidence just to make it all legit. Nothing at all, the drugs, money, or even the other items had turned up in evidence. No mention at all. No, the cops didn't have any of it, the kid, Jingo and the girl had it.
They would be searching the girl's trailer soon, but Jimmy was convinced that they would find nothing there either. They were gone. They were gone together. And wherever they had gone to they had everything with them.
The money couldn't be traced. It was all clean. The cocaine and heroin could be traced. That would be a lot to turn up in one place. The pot, so-so, it was a lot, but any small city could easily absorb that much without a blip coming up on radar. The cocaine and heroin would make a splash no matter where it came down, if it came down altogether. He wondered if the kids would know that, or be smart enough to think about that. The other was a mystery. He would have to press Alice hard. He had to at least have an idea of what he was looking for. How else could he look for it?
He finished the pastry, stuck the napkins and waste back into the bag, crumpled it up, rolled down the window and tossed it toward the steel can that sat on the sidewalk. It missed. Jimmy sighed.
He sat his coffee on the dashboard, got out, picked up the bag and tossed it into the container. He lit a cigarette and pulled the smoke deep into his lungs.
Manhattan, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo: One of those four places. If he had to narrow it down even further, he'd choose Syracuse or Rochester. They were the closest. If you were here and needed to hide, those would be the two places to choose from. Narrow it further and you'd come up with Rochester, Syracuse would seem too close. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and punched in a number.
Lyell Avenue
Rochester New York
Vinny Westley answered the phone behind his bar and listened. He dragged a pad over and wrote as he listened. "Yeah... Yeah," he said at last. "I'll make some calls in a few hours... Maybe... I'll call you back, Jimmy. I'll see." He hung up the phone and looked down at the pad. Tommy Murphy was looking for a couple of young kids on the run with cash and drugs. There would be of good reward for finding them in any condition. Tommy only cared about the merchandise. Not the kids. If they tried to unload any of it here, he'd know. He looked at his watch, 3:45 AM. Fuck it, he thought. He picked up the phone and began to make his phone calls: After all it was Tommy Murphy, best to get on it fast. Not fuck it up. Tommy had a long memory, and that could be a good thing, or it could be a very bad thing.
Billy Jingo
"We really should get going, Billy," April said.
"Oh, like I didn't say that myself?" Billy asked.
"You may have," April said. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him.
"Okay," Billy agreed. April sat up and then stood from the bed. She padded to a large suitcase she had bought yesterday. She stood naked and pondered what to wear. She looked back over her shoulder at Billy, catching him watching. "Put your eyes back in your head, Billy. We have to go," she told him.
Billy sighed deeply. "But you're so beautiful." The sheet was tented around his waist. She smiled and then walked back to the bed. One hand slid under the sheet and circled him.
"How are we ever gonna get anything done?" she asked in a husky voice as her lips settled on his own.
He pulled her onto the bed.
Bob's Easy Auto
Lexington Avenue
Rochester New York
The phone rang.
"No... Nothing at all," Robert Robello said as he picked it up. "Well... Hey, I know that name... That... April Evans... That was..." He dragged forward some paperwork on his desk from the day before, nearly spilling his coffee as he did.
"Yeah... Sold her car yesterday... Cash... Her and her husband, Billy... Billy and April Evans... And... They coughed up about six grand altogether... Cash... From the bank they said... All hundred dollar bills: Hey, there's nothing wrong with that money is there?" he asked. "... Oh? ... Whoa! ... Jesus, who wants to piss him off..., No... No... I don't wanna know. Got a pen?” He rattled off the vehicle description and the plate number into the phone. “Just tell him it was me who passed it along... Fucking-A I will! … I see them again I'll snatch them right up... Yeah... Yeah... You got it, Vinny."
He hung up the phone and picked up the coffee cup. How did a couple of young kids like that rip off Tommy Murphy, he wondered? Best not to think about it, he told himself. He only wished he had known yesterday. He could have snatched them both up right then... Would have been a good pay off too, probably: Fuck... Well, he told himself, at least Tommy Murphy would know the lead had come from him. That could pay off in the future, he told himself.
He took a sip from his coffee and then snagged an éclair from the box on the desk. He glanced at his watch. 4:30 AM. "Fuck the clogged arteries," he muttered. He took a huge bite from the éclair.
SIX
Watertown Center
Shop and Stock
Jimmy West
Jimmy had called people in Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and in Manhattan to be safe. Someone, somewhere, had to have seen the two of them. He pulled into the Shop and Stock, noticing the unmarked cruiser sitting near the front of the store as he did. A dark haired cop stood outside smoking a cigarette. A thin punk-looking girl standing next to him was smoking her own cigarette. The cop was easy to spot, the clothes. It was always cheap suits: Off the rack; ill fitting. Cheap cotton shirts with frayed cuffs: Shiny plastic looking shoes with the thick rubber soles. The cop eyed him as he walked by.
"I wish I had known about the boy at the end of the road," the girl said to the cop in a low voice as Jimmy walked by: A random, barely overheard conversation. It shouldn't have meant something to him, but it did. He knew exactly who she was talking about. He looked up and the cop's eyes were staring back at him. They knew each other. It had been as easy for the cop to spot his kind, as it had been for Jimmy to spot him. Jimmy slid his eyes away and entered the store, leaving the two of them alone out in the cold. He looked around. The other one, they always traveled in pairs, was over by the office nursing a cardboard cup of coffee.
Jimmy headed down the aisles and picked up a few items: Road stuff. He'd be on the road again soon. He had hoped to talk to a few other people here. His source told him that the girl had worked here, but with the two cops here it wasn't going to happen. Maybe he'd hang around until the cops left, ask a few of his own questions. The skinny girl outside obviously knew something. She was kind of interesting herself: The kind of girl that drew him.
He was heading for the checkout when his cell phone rang. He opened it, said hello, and then tucked it between his shoulder and chin and listened. He stopped in the aisle and took the phone back into his hand so he could hear better.
"Right... You did good... I'm on my way there," he told the caller. Someone had dealt directly with the kid and the girl and that information had now made its way to him. He set the few items he had for purchase down on a shelf, and pulled out a small notebook and pen. "Uh huh... Hold on a sec... Go ahead, got it now..." He wrote down the make and model of the truck the two were driving, and the address in Rochester they had used when they bought it.
He recognized the address immediately. He had even been there himself. It was Neo's place, or one of them. He penned a check next to the address to remind himself to check it out. Pretty ballsy of them to go there at all. He gla
nced up and saw the cops backing out of the parking lot, picked up his items and walked to the checkout.
"Okay... Okay, thanks. I'll be in touch in," he looked at his watch, "About seven or so... Yeah... Okay." He closed the phone, slipped it into his pocket, paid for his items and walked back out. The girl was finishing up her cigarette as he came out.
She looked up at him.
"Hey, the detective told me you wouldn't mind answering a few questions?" Jimmy said.
"But I just talked to him... Who are you?" Alice asked.
"I know, but he works for the city, I work for the county. We may end up with the case because of what happened now with the girl," Jimmy said.
He continued past her on his way to his car, unlocked it, and placed his bags on the back seat. "C'mon, you must be freezing. I'll turn on the heater." He got into the car without waiting for her to reply. He started the car as she walked around the front of it and turned the heater up to high. She got in and rubbed her hands over the vents.
"I am a little cold," Alice said and smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Alice," Jimmy said. He slipped his gun out of his jacket pocket and pushed it into her chest. Fear leapt onto her face and her mouth began to quiver.
"Keep smiling, Alice. I'd hate to have to kill you right here," Jimmy said.
Alice quickly pushed a smile back up onto her face.
"We're going for a little ride, Alice. If you tell me everything you know, no problem. If you don't," he ground the barrel of the gun into her ribs hard until she cried out in pain. "Yes, I see we understand each other. Put your seat belt on, Alice." Jimmy shifted into reverse and backed out of the lot. He headed for the other side of the city where he could pick up route three for Rochester. There were more than a few isolated areas along the way that he knew about. He could have his conversation with Alice at any of them.
Billy Jingo
"Its 5:30," April said. They were on the road heading for the Pennsylvania border. From there they would have to work their way down to the coast: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Once there they would stick to the coastline and cut across to Texas and then into Mexico.
"I need to buy a watch," Billy said.
"I can't believe you didn't," April answered. She was making an account of the money, which was out of the big melted brown suitcase and into two neon-pink knapsacks. The big kind used by hikers. It seemed less conspicuous to her than the big heavy half burned suitcase. Besides that, the suitcase had a bad smell. Gasoline, fire, and a lingering meaty smell: They had both noticed it this morning when they woke up. April had taken the Jeep back into the city and picked up the knapsacks, a large ice cooler, sodas, sandwich stuff and bread.
"I don't like mustard, I like mayo," April said now. "In a squeeze bottle. So I got mayo. I got a lot of junk food too, chips, cakes, cookies, candy bars. We shouldn't have to stop until we hit the coast." She had also had him pull through the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant where she had picked up a half dozen breakfast sandwiches along with hot coffee.
"I like mayo to," Billy agreed. He was eating a large pastry as he drove. She had picked them up, about two dozen of them wrapped in cellophane. 600 calories each, the packet said. "It's all fat and calories, cholesterol, all the bad stuff," he grinned as he finished the pastry and tore open another one.
April looked at him and laughed. She was in the back seat with all the money stacked up. "So you eat something for breakfast that's half fat. Do you realize that one more of those will cover your calorie intake for the whole day?" she asked.
"Yeah... But something made me hungry," he grinned at her.
"Me too, but I think I'll stick to the breakfast sandwich," she said.
"I ate one of those too, but I was still hungry," Billy said.
"Poor, baby," April said. "I should feed you better. Now, shush so I can count this."
Billy turned his attention back to the road.
He had checked over the commander this morning by the sodium vapor lights in the parking lot. It seemed okay: One long scrape along the passenger side. The back bumper was a little banged up, but he saw nothing that would get them pulled over. The tires seemed okay and all the fluids were good too. It should be fine for now, he had told himself.
"No way," April said from behind him.
"What, honey?" he said a little self consciously.
She looked up and smiled and then looked back down. He looked back out at the road, his face red.
"Okay, each stack is $80,000" she said. "I didn't count every stack, but every stack that I did count was $80,000. They were packed into the suitcase 15 wide by 12 deep. There were a few broken stacks, but I think we got all that money back and replaced it. I got another hundred grand that wouldn't fit into the suitcase. So, 12 by 15 times 80 grand," she said. "I must suck in math, because I keep coming up with an unreal amount," she said.
"But you're a cashier?" Billy said.
"Yeah, in a store, not a bank: I never had to add up nearly fifteen million dollars before," she said quietly.
He turned around. "You're kidding?" Billy said.
"Honey, the road," April said.
"Oh!" He turned around. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I've counted it six times, fourteen and a half million, counting the extra hundred grand. Plus some more I didn't count," she said.
"But that's crazy," Billy said.
"But that's what it is," April told him. "We could just dump the drugs... We don't need it," she added.
"We could... But why throw away money. Wasn't it you that made me check everywhere... Every bag? Get everything?" he asked.
"Yeah... But almost fifteen million," April said.
"It could be almost thirty though. I mean, the drugs must be worth that much too... All that coke... All that heroin... So, we could probably double our money," Billy said.
"Jesus," April said.
"That reminds me, I gotta make that call," Billy said.
April worked on packing the bills back into the two knapsacks. She set them into the back cargo area and then climbed over the seat into the passenger seat up front. She listened to one side of the conversation as Billy talked, after a few minutes he hung up.
"I'm going to get back to him in a couple of hours or so. He has to make some phone calls. But he said he knows a few guys down south: Two in Florida, one in Alabama, and another one over in Texas that could handle it all. I asked how much. He said it didn't matter. So I said, listen, I'm talking multiple millions in coke and Heroin. He said that knocked out the Texas guy, and one of the guys in Florida, but he said he'd call the Alabama guy and the other one in Florida. We might really do this, babe. We might really do this," Billy said.
"This is crazy," April said. "Are you sure this guy won't go to the cops? Let them know where we are?"
"He can't, April, because he'd be in the shit too. He deals. Not on this level, but big for Watertown. What can he say? He can say nothing. In fact, he thought I was kidding. He told me I didn't want to play games with the guys that play at that level. When I told him I wasn't playing games, he said okay," Billy said.
"Do you think we have anything to worry about? Making a deal, honey?" April asked.
"No. I think it will be fine... We'll be careful. That's all we have to do is be careful, April." Billy said.
"Hey," April said after a few minutes.
"Yeah?" Billy asked.
"I like Baby a lot better, although I do like the way you say my name."
Billy smiled. "Okay, Babe." He looked at the clock, 6:20 AM. "Is that right, babe?" He motioned at the clock.
"Pretty much, a little faster than mine, or I'm slow," April said. "Why?"
"I have to call Rich back at about 8:00 AM. I don't want to forget it," he said.
"I'll remind you, baby," April said. She patted his thigh. Her hand was like electricity on his skin. She noticed he jumped and so she allowed her hand to stray over to his crotch and rubbed lightly.
"What are
you doing, I'll wreck the truck!" Billy said in a squeaky voice.
"Will you really?" April asked. "Then I guess I better not do what I was gonna do," she said. She took her hand away.
"What... What we're you gonna do?" Billy asked.
"You said you will wreck... Something I heard about," she said. Her hand came back. "But watch the road carefully so you don't wreck because I won't be able to see it." She said.
"Oh, god... I won't wreck... I'll watch the road... Also the cruise control so I won't speed," Billy blabbered.
"So you do want me to show you what I was talking about?" April asked.
"Yeah. I would. I do. I really would," Billy told her.
She showed him.
Jones Beach State Park
Route Three
Jimmy West
He had her tied to the top of the picnic table, but he had to wrap things up, the sun was coming up.
She hadn't known anything: Nothing at all. If she had she would've told him, Jimmy knew, but he had enjoyed discovering what she didn't know.
He finished his cigarette, one of hers actually, and crushed it out on the table top. He wore latex gloves on his hands. A plastic slip over suit covered his clothes. He put the butt in a plastic bag.
He walked back over to the table and Alice's frightened eyes met his. Pleaded with him. He reached down and pushed the hair away from her eyes. Her mouth was gagged and wrapped with duct tape. She tried to talk as he walked around behind her.
"I'm sorry, Alice, I can't understand you," he said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a switchblade and held it close to his leg. She was already familiar with the switchblade. "It's time," he told her. He bought the switchblade up and showed it to her. Her eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets, but before she could more than barely react he bought the knife down into her throat and ran it from side to side in one quick, practiced motion.
He watched her eyes as the light flickered and then went out. Finally, he let her head go and walked away. He stripped off the gloves, the plastic suit, and stuffed it all in the black plastic bag. He lit one more cigarette and looked over his handiwork as he smoked. Perfect he thought. He finally crushed out the last cigarette, dropped the butt into the bag and walked away.