by Dale Mayer
“Yeah, with the owners away on vacation,” she said, “it would have been an easy-enough job to go in and make himself at home, then come down during the night.”
“I didn’t hear anything upstairs last night. Did you?”
She shook her head. “No, it was quiet. So he must have found himself a place to crash, and then he stayed up there while we were down here and slipped in here while we were asleep.”
“It would have been easy enough to have waited outside until our lights went out, give it an hour, and then gone upstairs and made his way down.” He looked around the kitchen. “I don’t suppose you have coffee, do you?”
“I do.” She hopped up, walked over and busied herself making a pot of coffee.
Laszlo looked down at the guy. “The question is, who hired him?”
“It doesn’t say on his phone?”
“Bill,” he said. “That’s all there is in here. But I do have his number. And this guy’s also got his email attached to his phone, and he has Facebook. I’ll need a couple hours to go through this.”
“Do we call the cops?”
“Not yet,” he said absentmindedly as he started going through the phone in depth. He looked up at her. “I’ll need my laptop, and we’ll see if I’ve got a charger or some cables so I can download his contacts from this phone. Other than that, I also want his log-in information so I can go to his emails in his cell phone. And his Facebook.”
She turned and looked at him. “I might have something.” She went into her room and came back with a couple cables. “That’s how I put music on my phone. It might work the other way too.” She dropped them next to the laptop for him. “Get any information you can because, once the cops get here, you know perfectly well they’ll take him and the phone.”
He nodded. “Understood. You keep the coffee coming, and I’ll keep this happening.”
Chapter 10
She took a few minutes to get changed. With Geir arriving, she didn’t want to still be in her pajamas. And she knew somewhere along the line the cops would come too. She wasn’t sure what kind of an excuse she was supposed to give for not having called them earlier, but nobody could dispute the timing except her and Laszlo, and she didn’t get the impression he was in favor of giving the cops more information than need be. The fact that this guy was hired with his buddy to follow her was already disturbing. She wondered if Geir was on the lookout for the partner.
She stepped from the bedroom fully dressed, twisting her long reddish-brunette hair into a braid and tying off the end before flicking it down her back. “Is Geir looking for the red car?”
Laszlo nodded. “I texted him as I was getting results from the phone. He’s doing a quick search outside. The best-case scenario would be if we caught the other guy too.”
“I suspect he’s long gone though. If this guy didn’t make his rendezvous with him, then you know that guy isn’t sticking around.”
“But then he has to worry this guy’ll talk.”
“It’s a simple break-and-enter charge. He’ll probably get a hand slap, and the cops won’t care beyond that.”
“You’re not a big fan of law enforcement, are you?” He looked up, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Something to do with that lovely childhood of yours?”
She nodded. “That’s quite possible.” She brought over two cups of coffee. “Any wiser?”
“These two are petty thieves. They do all kinds of break-ins. They scan houses, decide what’s there, then go to the broker, tell him what they can grab, and he tells them what he wants. They go back into the house and take it.”
“Why wouldn’t they have taken stuff to pawn in the first place?”
“Because their broker only wants what he wants. He’s quite fussy. He knows what he can sell and what he can’t.”
She shook her head. “It sounds like it’s getting to be a high-tech business.”
“It is. Your strangler also does odd jobs, like trailing people. Sometimes he works for a guy who does jobs for a couple private investigators. And that includes taking pictures of meetings, lovers, husbands cheating, things like that. He hands them over to his boss and gets paid for the photos, and the boss does whatever he’s supposed to do with it.”
“Well, that could just as easily be somebody who wants blackmail material and not anything about handing it over to a PI,” she said. “Honestly that sounds terribly fishy.”
“I think he does whatever he’s asked to do, and, as long as it pays, he doesn’t give a shit.” He turned to glance at the guy on the floor and found him glaring at him. “Oh, look at that? You’re awake. Hey, Wallace. How you doing?”
The man stayed quiet, but his glare spoke volumes.
Laszlo chuckled. “Not quite where you expected to be, huh? And what did you think I was? Just an amputee? Therefore, an easy mark?”
The man’s face turned to disgust.
Laszlo nodded. “That’s what I thought. But that’s all right. You keep thinking that. Life often throws curves you have to react to. And you’ve got a mean reaction.”
There was a note of admiration in Laszlo’s voice she didn’t understand. The man on the floor didn’t say a word.
Laszlo shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I got your cell phone. I’m already going through all your shit.”
“No,” the man roared, trying to sit up. Because his hands and feet were tied together behind his back, it was more than awkward, and he tumbled over to the side. “Give me my phone back,” he snapped.
Laszlo looked down at him and shook his head. “Hell no. This is proof you were hired to do this job. What I want to know is, who the hell is Bill?”
The man wasn’t talking again.
Laszlo shrugged. “That’s all right. My partner is on the way. You don’t want to talk? He’ll fix that.”
The man shifted nervously, as if trying to free his hands.
Laszlo didn’t even bother looking up. “Don’t bother. You’re not going anywhere.”
She watched it all happen in amazement. Laszlo was so calm, and she was a wreck. She collapsed on the chair across from him, staring at the stranger. “Why me?” she cried. “I didn’t do anything.”
The man had the grace to drop his gaze and fall back on the floor. He wasn’t talking, but he particularly wouldn’t talk to her.
“Do you know if this has anything to do with my boss?” She looked at his face for some kind of recognition and then realized he probably didn’t know who her boss was. When she said, “Andrew Conley,” an odd look crossed the strangler’s gaze, but he shook his head.
“Somebody’s paying the handler—who turns around and gives these guys the low-end jobs because they aren’t smart enough to do anything other than that,” Laszlo said with a sneer.
She watched rage cross the man’s face and realized Laszlo was trying to upset him, to get him so mad he would talk. “Is that like having a pimp?”
Laszlo chuckled. “Exactly like having a pimp. But, instead of doing sexual favors, these guys do thuggery favors.”
“Thuggery.” She rolled that word around. “Where the hell did you get that term from? Ancient medieval times?”
Laszlo laughed. “Well, if it fits, I don’t care where it came from.”
She studied him, seeing his hard edge still, yet there was also a lightness to him. He’d gotten his man, and he was damn happy with what he’d found out. She realized she was too. “Considering you’ve only been here for one night, you’ve done a hell of a job.”
“Oh, it’s not over yet. Wait until we get to the cops,” he said. “We’ll get that statement from this guy, and then we’ll deal with that asshole of a boss of yours.”
“What? Breaking in? You know that won’t wash,” she said.
“Attempted murder,” he said and held up the phone.
And there in front of her was a text message that read Take her out. Don’t care how.
She felt all the color wash away from her cheeks. “He really meant to
kill me?” She turned and stared down at the man who wasn’t even looking at her. And then she lost it. “You little fucker. You were going to murder me? Do you think I went through all the shit I did all my life to have some punk asshole like you cut it short?”
Laszlo reached across and grabbed her hand. Both her hands were in tight fists, and she was already standing as if ready to pummel the strangler. She turned and glared at Laszlo. “No way in hell I’ll let this asshole get away with something like that.”
He tugged her gently toward him, and she half fell, tripping over his leg, and ended up in his lap. “He didn’t get you. If you’d been alone, he might have, but you weren’t, and he didn’t. We’ve got him now. And it doesn’t matter if his partner is out there or not, because we also have his name.”
She happened to be looking at the man on the floor when Laszlo said that. She watched the pinch of resignation cross his face. “Oh, now he sees how serious this is. Somebody’s taken a murder-for-hire contract out on me. But instead the table has turned. This asshole gets murdered in jail. At least if there’s any divine justice.”
The man on the floor said, “I didn’t plan on killing you.”
“You were choking the life out of me pretty damn bad,” she snapped. “The only other thing that probably would have been easier is to put the pillow over my face and suffocate me.”
“Kind of wish I’d done that now,” he said. “Probably would have been faster.”
Laszlo leaned forward. “It’s quite hard to strangle somebody. You’re a big guy, and you’ve got big hands, and obviously she wouldn’t offer much resistance at that point. But next time you should realize that strangling is not quite so physically easy as you might have thought.”
The man nodded. “I still would’ve done it, if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Yep, that was your intention.” Laszlo nodded. “And thanks for that, by the way.” Laszlo held up his phone. “Just in case you’re wondering what you just said,”—he hit Play, and the man’s voice filled the room. Everything they had discussed for the last ten minutes was on it, including his admission that he would have successfully choked the life out of her except for Laszlo’s interference.
“So this is an open-and-shut case of attempted murder. Actually, in this case, murder for hire. So you’ve got at least fifteen years, if not life, coming.”
He hugged Minx, who was still in his lap. “Any more of that coffee?”
She beamed, hopped up off his knee and got the coffeepot. She gave the asshole on the floor a wide berth. “Do you think Geir has caught his partner?”
“I haven’t heard from Geir, so no way to know. I did send a text to Levi, saying we now had a double need for a decent cop in town. So they could be here at any time.”
“What about this guy’s phone?”
Laszlo shrugged. “I’ve got all his log-ins. I can check his emails and his social media accounts with no problem. And I have a copy of his contacts already. They can take his phone now.”
The guy on the ground roared at him. “You won’t get to my partner anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter if we do or not. The cops can. His name is Rodney. Rodney Smyth.”
The man on the floor just glared.
Laszlo nodded. “Yeah, but, if I were you, I’d start talking. I don’t know how bad things could be for you in jail, and I don’t understand how high up in this business world your handler is, but chances are he won’t like it if you turn and talk about him. Still, you’ll save your neck somewhere along the line. Otherwise, you’re looking at a pretty hard sentence,” Laszlo said. “And your handler would turn on you in a heartbeat, as you well know.”
“No, he won’t.”
“Hell yeah, he will. And we’ll have him picked up in no time too.”
“What, because of the name Bill?” the man said in disgust. “You ain’t got nothing.”
“Oh, yeah. His name is Bill Fenders.”
The guy’s eyes widened. He started to shake his head. “Oh no, oh no, oh no.”
“We will be sure to tell him how we got the information from you.”
At that Minx started to laugh. For the first time in several days she started to laugh and laugh. “Oh, my God, this is priceless. Let you crooks fight it out in jail and see which one of you survives the showers. This town is so messed up. What I want to know is, will the asshole who hired Bill Fenders personally take me out?”
The guy on the floor shrugged. “Not my deal. I work with Bill, that’s all.”
“And that’ll be enough,” Laszlo said quietly. “Because we will get your partner, then we’ll pick up Bill, and we’ll know who’s up the food chain.”
At that came a knock on the door. Minx hopped to her feet, but Laszlo reached out a hand and shook his head. “His partner’s still out there somewhere.”
Instantly her stomach twisted in knots, and then she heard a voice.
“Laszlo, it’s Geir.”
Laszlo walked to the door and opened it. It was Geir, but he was with someone else.
“So you caught him.”
Geir pushed another stranger into her kitchen.
She took one look and said, “He was the driver of the truck.”
His hands were tied behind him, and he had a sullen look on his face. They made him lie on the floor beside his partner; then Geir and Laszlo high-fived each other.
She walked over and glared at him. “Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing trying to kill me?”
Neither man said a word.
“Any trouble picking him up?” Laszlo asked Geir.
“Hell no. Once he saw me, he realized the game was up. He came without too much fighting. I already told him that we had his partner. And, of course, this helps too.” He lifted his shirt to show the handgun he carried.
He heard the gasp from Minx. But he turned and said, “Yes, we’re licensed. Yes, we’re used to handling them, and obviously they’re very necessary right now.”
She nodded, her face pale and her lips pinched. “Thank you, Geir.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “You’re welcome.” He loudly sniffed the air. “I meant to pick up coffee, but I forgot. Is there any spare?”
She hopped up. “I’ll put on a fresh pot.”
As she did that, the two men sat down, and Laszlo went over what was in the first man’s phone. “Let’s grab the second phone and make sure we have all the information we need before the cops come.”
And that’s what they did. By the time they had all that taken down and stored away on Laszlo’s laptop, another knock came at the door. Minx called out, “What the hell is this, Grand Central or something?”
“It’ll be the cops. You sit still.” Laszlo walked to the door and opened it.
Two police officers stood outside. Both held up their badges. He took them, carefully studied them, pulled out his phone and called Levi. “Did you send me somebody?”
“One should be Carson Everett. If one of them isn’t, I wouldn’t trust either of them,” he said.
“We’re in luck. One of them is Carson Everett.”
Laszlo stepped back and let the cops in. Now they’d really get some action, he hoped.
Chapter 11
Minx watched the two cops approach warily. She didn’t recognize either of them. They stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, their gazes lighting in surprise at the two men on the floor tied up. Then they stepped back to search the other rooms. She stood while they did, and their attention afterward centered and locked on her.
She smiled. “Hi. These two men stalked me, then broke into my house this morning. I woke up with this guy …” she gave him a light kick with her foot. “I woke up being strangled,” she said, her hand instinctively going to her throat. “If it wasn’t for Laszlo here”—she motioned at Laszlo in front of her who was still standing beside the cops—“I’d be dead.”
The cops glanced at the two men on the floor and nodded. “We got a call about something l
ike that.” They turned and looked at Laszlo. “Laszlo Jensen?”
He nodded and shook their hands. “Levi tell you?”
“In a roundabout way. Detective Markham out of Houston did.”
Minx watched the exchange. She didn’t know any of the names mentioned, but, as long as it made this process easier, she was all for it.
“And the second man?” the second cop asked. His voice was neutral as he fished out the wallets from both men’s pockets.
She was glad they’d put the wallets back in their pockets. She had wondered if the men would get to keep them or if they’d be confiscated when they went to jail. She figured it should be like a hospital, where all personal belongings were removed and kept until they were allowed back out again.
Geir picked up the story. “When I got a text from Laszlo about what had happened, I came running. We already knew of the likelihood of a second man after being at the coffee shop last night.”
They interrupted him. “Did you report the stalking?”
“No, I didn’t figure anybody would care,” she said honestly. “And I had no way to prove it. However, Laszlo did report the stolen truck they used.”
Laszlo got Carson’s attention. “Did Levi tell you it was stolen?”
“Via Markham, yes. Okay, I’ll have that truck checked on when we get back to the office. Which one was driving the stolen truck?”
Laszlo pointed out the second man.
“And this first guy?”
“He was driving a small red car,” Minx said quietly. “I saw him in the restaurant parking lot when I was waiting in my car for Laszlo to come and rescue me from the guy who had followed me. We saw him having coffee, but then he got up and left, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Instead he was driving a second vehicle,” Laszlo said. “When we left the coffee shop, the driver of the truck was gone, but the truck was still there. We’d already reported it as stolen.”
“And was it still there when the cops arrived?” Geir asked the cops.