Hard Case: Boxed Set Books 1,2 & 3 (John Harding Books)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  The two men not being held at knife point nodded their heads while locking their hands behind their head. They knelt down slowly, staring at the growling Tonto. Lynn eased back with her knife. Mustache man immediately locked his hands behind his head and knelt without a word. Clint called 911 with his cell-phone, identified himself with his FBI badge number, and explained the situation. The 911 operator promised backup within minutes. Tonto moved between the car and the men, crouching into an on-guard position. Lynn with a practiced snap of her wrist made the knife disappear back into her pocket. The little boy peered around his Dad at Montoya while drying his eyes.

  “Wow… you’re pretty good with the knife.”

  Lynn glanced inside at him with a big smile. “Thank you. I work at it. Are you okay now?”

  The little boy nodded. “Those guys scared me.”

  Montoya glanced back at Mustache man, the feral look of a killer causing the kneeling man to look away. She grinned when Clint hurriedly leaned in front of her and shook his head no. She turned again to the little boy. Sirens sounded in the distance. “The police officers coming will make sure with your folks’ help that they won’t scare anyone else for a while anyway. My name’s Lynn. What’s yours?”

  “I’m Bobby. I like your dog. He’s not afraid.”

  Lynn chuckled. “Yeah, these guys don’t impress Tonto. If they try and move, he’ll impress them though.”

  Two squad cars arrived, parking in an arrow formation facing the Honda Accord trunk. They shut off the sirens. Clint held up his ID in plain sight as the four police officers exited their vehicles. They converged on Dostiene with hands on their weapons. A clipped brown haired woman with sergeant’s stripes and Simpson on her nametag led her three male companions over. She looked carefully at Clint’s ID.

  “Tell me what happened, Agent Dostiene.”

  “My partner and I were on our way north on another case. We stopped here overnight. We heard a scream and a child crying, observing these three men in the process of robbing the family in the Honda. We intervened. The family wanted to press charges so we held them here and called for backup. We have not done a pat down on them yet, Sergeant.”

  “We’ll do that right now before I talk to the family. Can you and your partner hang around for the time being? I’d also like to talk with one of your supervisors.”

  Clint saw Lynn straighten and move toward the female officer. He shook his head at her. “We’d be happy to. Tonto, heel!”

  Tonto retreated to Clint’s side as the police officers carried out a search of their suspects. They found knives, drugs, and two guns. Clint called Sam Reeves. Reeves answered on the first ring.

  “Dostiene? I was just getting ready to call you. We have our three suspects flying into San Francisco to attend a patent law conference at the Hilton starting Friday. Where are you and Montoya?”

  Clint grinned over at Lynn’s questioning look. “Those three are something else to revisit their prior scene as innocent seminar attendants. We’re in Bakersfield. Can you provide Lynn with credentials in time for the seminar from the file I sent you?”

  “Already taken care of. Great job, by the way, on the Reeves’ background. Could you really not find another name for Montoya?”

  “Lynn predicted you’d say that. Can I give you over to a police officer for a moment? Lynn and I had to intervene during a family’s mugging here. I need to make sure the suspects get put away, and the family is handled with kid gloves.”

  Reeves sighed. “Tell me there are no dead bodies… please, Clint.”

  “Not a one.”

  “Outstanding! Thank you. Put the cop on. Head for SF tomorrow morning. Labrie and I will contact you there.”

  Dostiene acknowledged. He walked over and handed the phone to Sergeant Simpson. After identifying herself, Simpson questioned Reeves on what business his two agents were traveling on. Clint saw her redden in the face slightly and her lips tighten. She ended the call with a ‘yes Sir, I understand’. Simpson handed the phone back to Dostiene.

  “Agent Reeves explained you and your partner are to be kept out of this investigation. He said you would leave me with a deposition in the department’s e-mail. He also said you would insist on these suspects being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and he would be checking to make sure that happened. We will handle this family with all due respect.”

  Clint held out his hand and Simpson shook it with only a slight hesitation. “Thank you, Sergeant, they really had a scare, and we could tell those guys were getting ready to follow through on their threats.”

  “We’ll do our best. With the family’s cooperation, we should be able to get them to plea out and no one will have to go to court. Here’s my card with personal e-mail. If you can do a deposition for me officially, ASAP, it will speed things up.”

  “I’ll get on it right away. Thank you.”

  Simpson walked away. Montoya leaned in close. “Do you have an FBI card or something with our phone number that looks official?”

  Dostiene took out one of his FBI cards from the ID wallet and handed it to Montoya. She took it over to the family. The thugs had been loaded into one of the squad cars. Sergeant Simpson jotted down notes as she talked with the father. Lynn slipped over next to the little boy and crouched down to hand him the card.

  “If you or your folks have any trouble, call us, Bobby.”

  The little boy looked at the card with wide eyes. He hugged Lynn. “Thanks.”

  “You bet.” Montoya shook hands with the wife, but didn’t interfere with Simpson’s questioning. “We’re staying overnight at the La Quinta if you need us. Bye.”

  Clint and Lynn walked away with Tonto trailing attentively. When they reached their beers, they moved a little further away and Clint tossed the Frisbee again with Tonto doing his amazing fetch act.

  Lynn gulped down the rest of her beer with Clint smiling as he watched. She sighed, belched, and picked another beer out of the cooler bag. “I want a little Bobby, cowboy.”

  “All in good time, babe. I liked your mothering instincts over there, especially when you got called Lindsey Lohan. Very entertaining. Sam was most grateful with our restraint. He immediately assumed there were dead bodies. He helped change that cop’s attitude. I thought for a moment we’d get stuck here. That would have been bad. The three monsters we have a date with at the Harvard reunion decided to return to the scene of their last killing spree. They’re attending some seminar in San Francisco together which you will also be attending.”

  Montoya shook her head in disbelief as she tossed Tonto’s disc once again. “Those shits really are something. They’re going to land, check in, and toddle around like they’re just innocent babies in town for valuable instruction. The good part is I’ll get to play my role, and maybe get their attention.”

  “There won’t be any doubt you’ll get their attention. I wish I could see you do it, but there’s too much of a chance they know me from my work with Sam and Janie.”

  Montoya shook his arm. “Bullshit. You can play the limo driver and valet for me. I’ll make another entrance like I did at the Mandalay Bay. Wear one of those uniform caps, and let some stubble grow on your face. You can trim it nicely. They won’t recognize you. If there’s a hint they do, we’ll cut off their vampire heads and throw them in some waste dump in Oakland.”

  Clint laughed and took his turn with Tonto. “Okay… that might work. We’ll stop for you to buy another wardrobe. I’ll get a formal uniform somewhere. We’ll turn in this clunker and pick up a limo. I’d call John about borrowing one of his, but he’ll have enough on his mind with the fight. You’re right. I don’t want to miss this.”

  Dostiene got a text from FBI agent Reeves. “At least Sam is thinking about appearances. He’s booked us into a very nice suite at the Hilton where the Seminar takes place.”

  Lynn toasted with Clint, clinking their beer bottles together. “I get to splurge once again on another eye popping set of outfits and shoes, and a
Hilton Hotel suite. Do you think I should tone it down a little?”

  “No way! These three will need the Full Monty show to get the attention we want. Playing your valet/driver may have an added benefit. Who better for them to interrogate about you than the faithful man servant?”

  Montoya laughed while flinging another Frisbee throw. “Faithful man servant? Really? That sounds good. I’ve never had one before. I am going to put on such a show for you. I’ll drive you crazy, along with baiting our three serial shitheads into wanting to adopt me.”

  “You had me with the knifepoint in that guy’s throat. That was hot.”

  It was a few minutes before Lynn could speak, or throw the Frisbee. She hugged him, and gave Clint a lingering kiss. Lynn met his amused gaze with stark candor. “We are soul mates, punk. Don’t ever try and deny it. We may be the disruption in the cosmic balance that devastates the world, but we were meant for each other.”

  Clint cupped her chin in his hand. “When I heard you were taken in Mexico, my Montoya switch activated. Everything I did from that moment was meant to lead to where I held your dead body in my hands, or in a position to have you for all time… like now. If it was hold your dead body that happened, I would hate to put a number on the dead that followed.”

  Montoya grinned up at him. “Ooooh… cowboy, I think you just tripped a different Montoya switch. Let’s go inside and bring Tonto out later.”

  Clint nodded. “Oh baby… you know what I like.”

  * * *

  “Holy hell! Look at that,” Richard Jacoby whispered in a stressed voice. “Look at her. Damn! I know you two want to keep a low profile because of our extracurricular events in past months… but damn!”

  Tara Holt broke into laughter as she met Cheryl Kosygin’s amused glance. “She…she’s hot, but we have to tread carefully here, Rich. We’re enjoying the past moment. Remember?”

  “I know that.” Jacoby’s eyes followed the stunning blonde in a navy blue one sleeve dress that fit like her second skin. She strode through the huge lobby as if she owned it. A uniformed driver followed her with bags on a cart. “That’s not a hotel employee with her.”

  Just then the blonde slowed and turned to the man following her with the bag cart. She gestured for him to wait there and he nodded.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jacoby told his companions. He hurried over to the man waiting with the baggage cart as the blonde talked with a manager at the front desk. “Excuse me. Who is that woman?”

  “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m not at liberty to say,” the man answered.

  Jacoby took out a hundred dollar bill, pressing it into Clint Dostiene’s hand. “Please.”

  Clint acted as if he were wavering, glancing at Montoya talking at the desk, and down at the bill he’d been given. “Erin Reeves. She’s here for the patent law seminar.”

  Jacoby nodded and walked back with his companions, a big smile on his face. Kosygin and Holt waited with arms crossed in reprimanding form. Jacoby shrugged. “I had to know. Her name’s Erin Reeves, and she’s here for the seminar.”

  “You’re pushing,” Holt said. “So what? You have her name, and she’s a lawyer. What? You want a date?”

  Cheryl Kosygin squinted in Montoya’s direction as she walked toward her man. “I think we had a Reeves in our class. Did you ask him if she went to Harvard?”

  “First you’re mad because I found out her name, and now you’re wondering if I asked for her life story.” Jacoby busily checked screens on his iPad. “The answer’s no, but we can find out without questioning the help. It’s something to keep in mind her driver can be bought. Yes! She was in our class. Here it is right here, Erin Reeves. She’s done pretty well for herself.”

  Holt glanced over Jacoby’s shoulder. “What do you mean?”

  “She’s a partner at a prestigious law firm in LA. We haven’t seen her at anything before because our little Erin has been overseas. Hey, she’s walking this way. I’m going to play a little. Erin? Erin Reeves?”

  Montoya hesitated, but looked over at the approaching Jacoby with the same look of annoyed boredom she had perfected in Las Vegas. “Yes?”

  “I’m Richard Jacoby. We went to Harvard together. These are my colleagues, Cheryl Kosygin and Tara Holt. They attended Harvard with us.”

  Montoya shifted from annoyed boredom to bored indifference. “Small world. Anything else?”

  Jacoby was caught by surprise. “Uh… well… I thought maybe we could all get together for a drink.”

  “I don’t think so, but nice seeing you all. Excuse me. I need to get settled in.” Montoya walked away with Clint trailing her. Every eye in the Hilton lobby watched her progress.

  “That bitch just blew us off like we were three street urchins begging for money,” Holt said. “I want her. We need her at the reunion.”

  “We’ll have to be very careful.” Kosygin’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Montoya, a small smile spreading on her mouth. “I want to hear her scream.”

  Jacoby chuckled. “She’s perfect, but unless she already plans to attend, how the hell do we get her to come?”

  “Reeves is here obviously for the seminar. We’ll have to do our campaigning then,” Kosygin replied. “It would be better if Tara or I approach her, Rich. Maybe she’s into women.”

  “Yeah, maybe, but in any case, you and Tara would have a better chance than me. I wonder if that driver is constantly around her. If he’s a permanent employee who travels everywhere with her, maybe he’s been overseas with her too. I’ll get started finding out if they have adjoining rooms and where in the hotel they’re staying.”

  * * *

  Clint and Lynn rode the elevator up to their floor, smiling in satisfaction at the first run in with their targets. “Did you see Holt’s eyes when you blew them off? You got them good. I’m going right back down there to buy a drink for you somewhere before I come back up. I’ll ask at the desk about something. They might still be there, and decide to pump me again.”

  “They’re hooked. I hope they’re still down there. We don’t have anything real exciting so bring me up a Mai Tai.”

  Clint laughed. “I don’t think so. You may have a Martini, or a Manhattan. Besides, they have fully stocked bars in these places, and room service.”

  “Okay, bring me a Martini, shaken not stirred.”

  * * *

  Kosygin grabbed Jacoby’s coat sleeve. “There’s Reeves’ driver over at the desk. Let’s all go say hi. He’s attractive.”

  “Good idea. It will save us doing detective work finding out the room,” Jacoby agreed.

  “Don’t piss him off, Rich,” Holt said as they drew near to Clint. He had finished his conversation with the desk attendant and had turned, walking in their direction.

  Jacoby stopped Clint. He pressed another hundred into Clint’s hand. “Hey, big guy, my friends and I want to know what room your employer’s staying in. She was in our Harvard grad class. We want her to come to the big reunion.”

  “I can’t tell you the room number, Sir,” Clint replied, holding the card so Jacoby could see the room number.

  “Would you know if Erin’s coming to the Harvard reunion?”

  “I think I heard some mention of a reunion, but I don’t know if she plans to attend. I’m sorry she wasn’t more polite. She’ll be having a cocktail at seven in the bar. Maybe you’d have better luck talking to her then. I have to go.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Jacoby waited until Clint was out of hearing range before speaking. “Let’s make sure we’re down in the bar already when she comes down.”

  “If we need to distract the driver, let me handle him. I wouldn’t mind giving him a tumble,” Holt said. “If he goes with her to Harvard, we’ll have a hell of a time getting her strapped in for the scream-a-thon. We’ll need a plan better than any we’ve had to come up with so far.”

  “Maybe we’ll be able to get a better read on this Reeves bitch in the bar if the princess deigns to talk with us,” Kosygin replied.
“We better have a way to entice her.”

  “I know exactly how to entice her,” Jacoby announced, holding up his iPad. “I have a very good friend that is the son of Harold Cunningham, the senior partner at her firm. Brad took a look at her records. She’s been overseas for years. He’s working on an intro for me.”

  “I doubt that tying any of our names in with hers is a good idea,” Holt cautioned. “Your friend will remember this hook up idea of yours later on when the princess screams her way onto our table, and into eternity.”

  “It may work just the opposite though,” Kosygin replied. “If we establish at least a cordial relationship here, we can play that card once the deed is done. Think about it. We entertain Reeves. When the cops move in for the big investigation, we’re right in the middle of the whole thing, because no one else will even know who she is.”

  Holt laughed. “That’s the price you pay for being a stuck up bitch. The only people who know you, are your killers.”

  “And we’ll know her inside and out,” Jacoby added.

  Chapter Fifteen: Baiting Monsters and a New Home

  Lynn and Clint stood out on the balcony overlooking a beautiful San Francisco view. Dostiene had returned with her martini only moments before, and removed a beer for himself from the refrigerator near the bar.

  “I could get used to this. They must have still been down there, huh?”

  “Oh yeah, and you have a date to be down having a cocktail at the bar around seven. We have to figure out a way you can allow them to include you in a conversation without giving up your haughty act. You can’t just turn from Erin Evil to Suzy Sunshine in a heartbeat, babe.”

  Lynn sipped her martini. “I’ll think of something.”

  “I’ll bet. Maybe you can-”

  Clint’s iPhone vibrated. He looked at it. “Great… face-time with Denny. Hi, Den, how you doin’? We’re fine.”