The Complete Cooper Collection (All 97 Stories)

by Bernico, Bill

“Clever,” Gloria said. “Let’s see what they have to say.” She dialed the number and a young-sounding man answered. “Hello,” Gloria said. “Who am I speaking to?”

  “Dennis Cleary,” the man said.”

  “Dennis,” Gloria said, “we just moved and I want to make sure we’ll still get our paper. Could you verify that you have our current address, please? The name is Griffith, Leo Griffith.”

  “Just a moment, please,” Cleary said. A moment later he came back on the line and said, “I’m showing that you are currently taking delivery at 457 West Maple Street in Glendale.”

  “Thank you, Dennis,” Gloria said. “That is the correct address. You’ve been most helpful.” Gloria hung up and wrote the address down on the inside flap of the phone book. She turned to me. “Now that’s using your noggin.”

  I drove east on Hollywood Boulevard, turning north on Western Avenue until it turned into Los Feliz. I took that east into Glendale and turned north again onto South Central Avenue. Maple Street was another eight blocks north. The house was a blue-gray stucco affair with a red Spanish tile roof. I parked at the curb and the two of us walked up the winding red brick walk and ascended five stairs to the front door. I rang the bell and waited. I could hear slight movement inside but no one was coming to open the front door. I tried the bell again and then knocked on the screen door frame and stepped back to wait.

  Curtains on the front door parted slightly and then fell back into place. A second later the front door opened an inch and a man peered out at us. “Yes?” he said.

  “Leo Griffith?” I said.

  “Who are you?” he said and then looked over at Gloria. He must have recognized her because the door swung all the way open and he told us to hurry up and come inside. He closed the door quickly again, peering out once more beside the curtain.

  “Mr. Griffith,” Gloria said. “You remember me? You came to our office last night looking for help.”

  He looked at Gloria and paused, pointing a finger in the air, as if trying to remember. “Miss Candle, isn’t it?”

  “That’s Campbell,” Gloria said. “You came to us looking for help in getting out of town. What are you still doing here?”

  “I think they’re watching the place,” Griffith said. “I’m trapped in here. Are you going to help me get out of town or not?”

  “No one’s going anywhere,” I said, “until I get some answers.”

  Griffith got nervous and started pacing. There was a noise outside and he startled, looking toward his front door. I looked out through the curtains and only saw a paper boy throwing papers on the neighborhood porches.

  “Relax,” I said. “It’s just the paper boy. Now how about if we all sit down and see if we can’t work this thing out?”

  Griffith reluctantly sat but kept looking toward his front door every now and then.

  “Do you mind if I call you Leo?” I said. He said he didn’t mind. I gave him my name and then started in with my questions. “All right, Leo. Who are the two guys who are after you? Let’s start there.”

  “Huh?” Leo said.

  “The two guys,” I repeated. “Do you know who they are?”

  “They’re probably two of Mercer’s men,” Leo said.

  “And who is this Mercer?” Gloria said.

  “Ray Mercer,” Leo said. “He’s kind of a financial assistant, if you know what I mean? You can borrow money from him when you run short.”

  “A loan shark,” I said. “And those two goons who are after you are from his collections department, right?”

  Leo hung his head but managed a weak nod.

  “Well,” I said, “those two goons just beat my son to within an inch of his life this morning.”

  Leo looked up at me, alarm in his face. “Oh, Mr. Cooper,” Leo said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone else to get hurt. But now you know the kind of men I’m talking about. I have to get out of town now. Can you help me or not?”

  “I’ll make a deal with you, Leo,” I said.

  “Anything,” Leo said, desperate now for any assistance from anyone. He was truly scared.

  “You give me the names of those two animals,” I said. “And tell me where I can find them and we’ll get you out of town safely. But once we drop you off, you’re on your own. Is it a deal?”

  “If Mercer finds out,” Leo said, “he’ll kill me himself.”

  “So let’s make sure he doesn’t find out then,” Gloria said. “Now, let’s have the names of those two.”

  Leo looked around the room, as if someone was watching him even now and then turned to me. “The bigger of the two is a guy named Freddy Barnett and the other guy is Marvin Granger,” Leo said. “They’re both armed, but usually don’t use their weapons. They seem to get a kick out of beating people with their hands and feet.”

  I gave Leo my notepad and a pen. “Write down on there some place where you know they’ll be and when. And while you’re at it, give me Mercer’s info, too.”

  Leo hesitated, weighed his options and then gave me what I asked for. “When they’re not banging heads together, they both work at that auto repair shop south of here.” He gestured toward the notepad that he’d just written the information on.

  I passed the notepad and pen to Gloria. “Hang on to these for me,” I said.

  “What about me?” Leo said.

  “Pack your stuff,” I said. “We’re all leaving here right now. Let’s go.”

  “Where?” Leo said.

  “Where would you be safe?” I said. “Within reason. I’m not driving you to Omaha.”

  Leo thought for a moment. “Could you take me as far as Santa Clarita?” he said. “I have a sister there who’ll put me up.”

  I thought for a second.

  “Come on,” Leo said. “It’s only thirty or thirty-five miles and it would save my life.”

  I looked at Gloria and nodded. I turned to Leo. “Get your suitcase. We’re leaving in two minutes, with or without you.”

  Leo threw a few things in the suitcase and waited at the front door.

  “Is there an alley behind this house?” I said.

  “No,” Leo said. “My back yard butts up against the parking garage for the apartment building around the block. But my driveway goes all the way back to my back door.”

  “Great,” I said and turned to Gloria. “Stay with him. I’ll bring the car up the driveway and meet you both at the back door.”

  Gloria nodded and I hurried outside and slid behind the wheel again. I backed my car up into Leo’s driveway and stopped at his back door, pressing the release button for my trunk lid. Leo came out and hoisted his suitcase into the trunk, slamming it closed again and then crawling into my back seat and lying down below the window level. Gloria got in alongside me and I pulled out of the driveway and turned west on Maple. I dipped south for half a block and caught San Fernando Road north to the onramp for the Golden State Freeway north. When we were a couple of miles from Leo’s house he relaxed a bit and sat up in the back seat.

  “Thanks a lot, Mr. Cooper,” Leo said. “You saved my life.”

  “And I also know where to find you if your information is phony,” I said. “If you’re sending me on some wild goose chase, you can expect a visit from your two buddies. If I can catch up with them first, you’re in the clear, unless Mercer sends two replacements after you. The best advice I can give you is to somehow come up with what you owe him and pay him. It’s just that simple.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Leo said.

  It took me thirty eight minutes to find the address in Santa Clarita. I dropped Leo at the curb and pressed my trunk release button. He retrieved his suitcase and set in on the sidewalk. I looked out past Gloria and told him to stay put. He agreed and walked up the sidewalk to the house where his sister greeted him at the door. I pulled away again and headed back toward Hollywood.

  “What are you going to do if you catch up with Barnett and Granger?” Gloria said.

  “I’ll g
ive them a dose of what they gave Elliott,” I said, “with interest.”

  “Remember your heart, Clay,” Gloria said. “You know what the doctor said about excess strain.”

  “Well,” I said, “then I’ll just have to make every hit count, won’t I?”

  Gloria tried to hide the concern in her face and looked out her window. She’d never forgive herself if she let Clay go ahead with his revenge and something happened to him.

  “Are you going after them right now?” Gloria said.

  “No,” I said. “I’ll wait until tonight. It’s easier to slip around in the dark. They won’t know I’m coming until it’s too late.”

  “Then drop me at my house,” Gloria said. “I have a few things I need to do. I can’t hang around all day waiting for darkness. You can pick me up later, or I can meet you back at the office.”

  “Be ready to move at seven-thirty,” I said. “I’ll want some extra time to find a spot to watch them from and plan my attack.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Gloria said.

  Half an hour later I dropped Gloria at her house and then drove back to the office. I needed some time to cool down. I couldn’t afford any mistakes on a job like this.

  As soon as Clay had driven out of sight, Gloria hurried into her house and packed a few things that she knew she’d need. She brought these items out to her car, opened her purse and found Clay’s notepad. The page Leo had written on had the name of a car repair shop on it. She checked her cell phone and accessed the Internet, locating the repair shop in just a few seconds. She wrote the address down on the notepad next to the two names that Leo had provided. Then she entered a search for Freddy Barnett and Marvin Granger. Both of them had several hits that also provided a photo of each man. Gloria studied the photos until she had both faces memorized. She closed the phone and backed out of her driveway.

  The shop was on Lexington near Western. She got there in fifteen minutes and parked around the corner. She was dressed like a normal housewife, in a loose fitting cotton dress and low-heeled shoes. Her .38 snub nose was in her purse but she was hoping she wouldn’t have to use it.

  When Elliott had interviewed and hired Gloria, it was partly because she and her father had once owned and run their own private investigations service. Among the other reasons she got the job were because Gloria was a skilled marksman and had been trained in Tae-Kwon-Do. She was also a master of disguise and makeup. While she didn’t have need for her makeup skills today, she was sure her Tae-Kwon-Do skills would be put to the test soon enough.

  As she walked around the corner toward the auto repair shop, she spotted just one man working under a car that was hoisted up in the air. He wore coveralls and a greasy cap. He was shining a flashlight up onto the underside of the car. When he turned toward the street, Gloria could make out the name tag on his coveralls. It said, ‘Freddy’ in white stitching over a blue oval. Some other guy could be wearing Freddy’s coveralls, so Gloria had to be certain that she had the right man. She walked toward the garage and smiled when she got in Freddy’s line of sight. He smiled and wiped his hands on a rag that he’d pulled from his back pocket.

  “Well, hello there,” the man said.

  “Hello yourself,” Gloria hesitated, looked at the patch and finished with, “Freddy.”

  Freddy looked down at the name patch and smiled. He pointed to the patch. “Yup,” he said, “that’s me—Freddy. “How can I help you today?”

  Gloria turned on her charm and said, “Freddy, my car just quit on me right around the corner from here. It’s lucky that your shop is so close. I was hoping you could help me get it going again.” She smiled once more to cement the deal.

  Freddy looked around the shop. “I’m sorry, miss,” he said. “I’m here all alone, so I’m afraid I can’t leave the shop unattended. If you could wait just a few minutes until Marv gets back I could walk over there with you.”

  “Marv?” Gloria said. “Who’s he?”

  “My partner, Marvin Granger,” Freddy said.

  “You know Marvin Granger?” Gloria said. “What a small world. I met Marvin just last week and he was telling me about his partner at the garage. He said his partner could fix anything and that he was a genius with cars. I guess he was talking about you.”

  Freddy smiled. “I guess he was,” Freddy said.

  Gloria beamed. “Then that would make you Freddy Barnett, wouldn’t it?”

  Freddy nodded. “That’s me,” he said. “Say listen, how far away did you say your car was from here?”

  Gloria looked around and spotted a window back in a dark recess of the garage. She pointed to it. “I’ll bet you can see my car from that window. That’s how close I am. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  Freddy’s sly smile told Gloria that this was going to be like taking candy from a baby. He followed her like a little puppy until they were both out of sight from anyone on the street. Gloria pointed again to the window and said, “Take a look, Freddy. It’s the blue Mustang with the hood up.”

  Freddy turned toward the window and pulled an empty small twenty-gallon grease drum under the window and stood up on it. He peered out the window, turned around and said, “I don’t see any Mustang, blue or otherwise.”

  Gloria kicked the grease can out from under Freddy’s feet and he tumbled to the floor, hitting the cement floor hard. Gloria stepped back half a step and kicked Freddy in his ribs. The air rushed out of him all at once and his eyes bugged out. Gloria bent over and grabbed Freddy’s coverall collar and jerked him toward her. “That was for kicking my boyfriend in the ribs when he was down,” she said. She slammed Freddy’s head against the cement floor twice and then told him, “And that’s for kicking him in the head.”

  Gloria pulled Freddy’s arm away from his body and laid his right hand flat on the floor. Freddy was still conscious and couldn’t believe some meek little woman was giving him such a beating. Gloria raised her knee up to waist height and then brought her foot down hard on Freddy’s hand. She could hear several bones crackling under her heel. “And that’s so you won’t be using a gun again for a long time.”

  She grabbed Freddy’s collar and pulled his face toward hers and said, “Nighty night, Freddy,” and gave the side of his neck a chop with her flattened hand. Freddy’s eyes rolled back up into his head and he flopped over, out like a light. Gloria found a small toolbox and laid it at Freddy’s feet. She grabbed one of Freddy’s ankles and lifted his foot up onto the toolbox. She raised her knee again and brought her foot down hard on Freddy’s knee, snapping the joint like a twig. His knee now bent in the opposite direction that knees normally bend. “That’s so you won’t be coming after me,” she said, knowing Freddy couldn’t hear her.

  Gloria grabbed Freddy by the ankles and dragged him into a small storage room, pulled the rag out of his pocket and wiped the grime off her hands before she closed the storage room door and walked back out to the front of the auto repair shop. She took her place next to the hoisted car and just stood there, waiting for Marvin to return from wherever it was he had gone. She didn’t have to wait long. A black Monte Carlo pulled into the front lot and a man, who was also wearing coveralls, got out and walked toward the garage. He stopped when he saw Gloria and no one else.

  “Who are you?” the man said.

  “Just a woman with car trouble,” Gloria said.

  “Where’s Freddy?” he said.

  “Who?” Gloria said. “Oh, you mean the other mechanic? He’s in the bathroom. Said he’d be right out and asked me to keep an eye on the front until he got back. He told me that he was expecting you back any time and that you were the best mechanic anywhere. Is that right?”

  This caught Marvin off guard. “Freddy said that?” he said.

  “He sure did,” Gloria said.

  “I guess I am,” he said. “Car trouble, you say?”

  Gloria nodded and smiled her winning smile. “It quit on me just around the corner.” She turned and pointed to the same recessed window again. “
I’ll bet you could see it from that window,” she said, leading Marvin to it like a fly into her web.

  Marvin got a carbon copy of the treatment that his partner had recently experienced. Gloria wiped her hands on Marvin’s clean shirt and dragged his unconscious body into the same storeroom where she’d dumped Freddy. Gloria reasoned that by the time they both woke up, she’d be back home again, changing into her evening wear and getting ready to meet Clay. And by the time Ray Mercer’s two thugs were released from the hospital, Mercer would have already replaced them with two fresh henchmen, who weren’t crippled.

  Gloria parked her car in the driveway and let herself into her house, locking the door behind her. She made a beeline for the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes and ran a hot bath. She soaked in it for nearly forty minutes before she emerged without the slightest sign that she’d ever been in a one-sided scuffle with Mercer’s thugs.

  Gloria toweled herself dry and got dressed again. It was only six-thirty and she still had an hour before Clay was expecting her. She climbed back into her car and drove to the hospital. When she walked into Elliott’s room, she was surprised to see him sitting up and feeding himself. His color was coming back and he was beginning to look like his old self again. He smiled when he saw Gloria.

  “You ready to blow this pop stand?” Gloria said.

  Elliott laughed and then quickly stopped, grabbing the bandaged ribs and groaning.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Gloria said. “I forgot. How are you feeling?”

  “Not as good as last week, but better than this morning,” he told her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you, silly,” she said. “Why else would I be here?”

  “Did Dad come with you?” Elliott said.

  Gloria shook her head. “No,” she said. “He’s back at the office, probably planning on how he’s going to get even with the two goons who worked you over.”

  Elliott’s eyes widened. “He can’t do that,” he said. “His heart.”

  “Relax, Elliott,” Gloria said. “It’s already been taken care of.”

  “What do you mean?” Elliott said, looking sideways at Gloria.