“No one died out there, but there may have been a casualty needing medical attention. John had to demonstrate why it’s always nice to be polite. I tried reasoning with them but they would not listen to anything I had to say… even in Arabic.”
“Are you sure you want to walk Deke tonight? That seems as if you’re asking for trouble.”
Nick did a quick toast with his friends before sipping again. “It serves a dual purpose. If anyone is prowling around the grounds Deke will let me know. He’s also been around here long enough to recognize a smell or item out of place. We’ll be on mission.”
“That makes sense,” Rachel agreed. “What if they decide to simply shoot you from a few hundred yards away like you would do, freak?”
“Let’s not blow this out of all proportion. I’m glad you didn’t take any chances with that bunch. The pump shotgun was the perfect choice. While the Unholy Trio enjoys their elixir of relaxation, perhaps we could get some idea how the Kader brood found out where we were and that we had Cala with us. Any ideas?”
“My take is they have Dimah’s house staked out, but with Bill the Marine there now, it isn’t likely they were able to threaten her,” Gus said. “They do know Cala isn’t there. The Kaders know you helped Dimah. How farfetched would it be for them to figure you took Cala with you on a book tour? The tour here in Washington State along with your capturing Kensky, and followed by the trial, they wouldn’t need to be rocket scientists to make an intelligent guess as to where Cala went.”
“You may be right. I would be the perfect one to have helped Cala from outside the family,” Nick admitted. “I don’t feel so weirded out if that’s what happened. I like your take on it, Gus.”
“Or it may be someone from the Kader family followed Cala from the East,” John said. “It matters little now. They know she is with us. Your family is nuts, Cala. I would have thought the setbacks in trying to kill Dimah would have deterred them from ever coming after you once you managed to get away.”
Cala looked at John with dawning realization. “Dimah never told you, did she?”
“Uh oh,” Nick said. “Tell us what?”
“I am betrothed to Omar Fontaine.”
“The Algerian oil magnate?” Nick poured another double. “No… Dimah didn’t mention that to us. No wonder the family doesn’t want to let you get away. I would imagine the dowry and prestige of having the Fontaine oil money even remotely connected would send the Kader elders into a frenzy. That was not a wise decision on your cousin’s part to hold back information of that importance.”
“She should not have,” Cala agreed. “Dimah may have been frightened you would not help me. I am sorry I did not realize her error in judgement before.”
“No apology necessary, but that does shine a different light on this. Truthfully, Cala, how taken is Fontaine with you? In other words how enraged would he have become with you fleeing and wanting nothing to do with him?”
Cala blushed. “He is obsessed with me. When he was told I would not fulfil my Father’s contract with him, he threatened our entire family with ruin. He is capable of anything imaginable. I would be but one of his many wives. I cannot live like that. Dimah is very brave. She speaks highly of you and your friends, Nick. She knows she would be dead if not for you. I hope you can forgive her for helping me in this way. I would have told you if I had known of her omission.”
“I believe you, and Dimah is a friend. I only regret she didn’t tell me all the facts so we would have been prepared. We’ll be traveling back to Pacific Grove soon. John, I’m sure, wishes to continue protecting you, right John?”
“Absolutely,” John used Nick’s signature response in relation to complicated questions.
“Oh John…” Cala hugged the surprised John in a very revealing manner. John grinned at his friends’ knowing looks.
“That settles it,” Nick said. “Cala is now adopted into our very odd family.”
Cala turned in John’s arms. “I am very honored and grateful. What does this mean, my friends?”
“It means anyone coming after you will have to deal with us,” Gus answered. “Dimah may not have realized the complications from unexpected consequences. What do you think about the guys from today’s meeting, Nick?”
“I will enjoy my drink, take a nap, and get ready for nighttime,” Nick answered. “I know the male line of the Kader family well enough that until we go home, we’ll need to watch our backs especially at night. We need to put in a couple days meeting with the prosecutor to confirm we’re available in case Kensky’s dismissal is ever challenged. Tim and Grace will need to be updated on the Kensky threat level as well as Sarah.”
“It will be interesting if Tim and Grace can find out who might have made the fake ID Kensky planned to use in this latest attempt at a kidnapping,” Gus said. “Do you trust them to keep quiet about where they acquired it?”
“I trust them, but I don’t trust the Justice Department, no matter what assurances we get about cover. If Tim and Grace can do the detective work concerning the ID, then great, I have no problem with them tracing the creator. If they need to go through Justice in following the lead, then we’ll have to pass on giving it to them. Whomever did the ID for Kensky knew what Kensky planned. I would like to have words with someone capable of giving out fake police ID’s to serial killers. We’ll have to do our own search for the culprit if I can’t let Tim and Grace have the fake ID.”
“Can I stay on watch with you tonight, Dad?”
“That would be no,” Rachel chimed in for Nick. “Don’t push anymore crap about anything to do with this, Daughter of Darkness, or you’ll be heading off to bed in the next few moments with nothing more than Deke to keep you company. Now that you have a plan for the murderous subjects on the day’s agenda, did you give any more thought to the Salvatores trying to get us kicked out of the Country Club?”
“I thought that was a dead subject, my dear,” Nick replied. “Julius handled it, and you don’t golf or do anything at the Club other than dinner anyway. Can we keep that subject off the agenda for a while? I promise I’ll have a word with Phil if they try pulling anymore stunts like that one, okay?”
“Okay, Nick, but I’m serious. I’ll go postal if I get word of another Salvatore attempt to crap on us.”
“Understood,” Nick replied. “The Salvatores are officially off the Christmas list.”
* * *
“Do you and Gus have the driver spotted, John?”
“Yes, Muerto. Let us know when you want us to take him.”
“The moment I get the three approaching, I’ll give you the signal. Do they have something with enough cargo area for the bodies?”
“They have a Dodge panel van,” Gus said. “There’s lots of room. I admit it. I thought you were paranoid thinking the Kaders would take this ‘family feud’ thing so far. What do you think they planned on doing?”
“I don’t know,” Nick answered, lining the first man in the crosshairs. “I’ll let you know in a moment. I’m sick of the Kader family. If it weren’t for Dimah and Cala, I’d be considering a pre-emptive strike on these cockroaches.”
Nick sighted in on the line of three black clothed men with full face masks trying to stealthily approach the mansion. He squeezed off three silenced rounds from the M107 sniper rifle, beginning with the man at the rear, and working his way forward. With all three men down, Nick added three more .50 caliber rounds from his perch atop the mansion roof. His night vision scope revealed no movement from the bodies halfway along the circular driveway.
“Done. Take the driver out, guys. I’ll meet you next to our other three uninvited guests.”
Three hundred yards away, Gus pulled open the driver’s side door on a Dodge van. John stun-gunned the driver before putting a plastic bag over his head. The man’s life ended minutes later. With the driver in the rear cargo compartment, John drove to the mansion’s driveway with Gus following in Nick’s SUV. Midway around the wooded driveway, Nick signaled f
rom the walkway. John stopped the van with Gus driving to the walkway behind him. Both men followed Nick to where the three bodies lie. It took only minutes to load the bodies into the Dodge van. Nick, equipment bag in hand, got in the back of the van with the bodies while John resumed driving duties. Nick meticulously took DNA samples, pictures, and gathered everything the men had with them.
Gus followed John. Nick had picked a spot in Shoreline, Washington where he figured to do the least amount of damage, but have the drop-off seen. There were no slugs to be found by any crime scene investigation teams. Nick used high velocity loads in the executions. At the intersection of Northeast 18th Street and 8th Avenue Northeast in Shoreline John parked the van in the middle of the intersection. He jogged to where Gus waited. Nick set off magnesium flares in the cargo area with the bodies. Minutes later, Gus drove them away from the scene. They were nearly a mile away when the van exploded, engulfed in flames. Without any further delays, the Unholy Trio returned to the mansion.
“I’ll clean the grounds of blood if it doesn’t storm before morning,” Nick said as Gus parked in one of the mansion garaged spaces. “On the plus side, they were only going to fire bomb the house, right?”
“Only you could say ‘only going to fire bomb the house’ with a straight face, Muerto.”
“Considering the last group with a grudge against me were fastening explosives to the sides of my Pacific Grove home, I’d say these guys and their homemade Molotov Cocktails were a step down in the threat department, Payaso. I’ll research their identities tomorrow. I have to meet with Tim and Grace at the courthouse. They told me the prosecutor will be there, so I can give my academy award speech about testifying at any further dead Kensky trials. I didn’t take any chances with saying anymore to Tim on the phone.”
“How much should I tell Cala?”
“I’ll let you be the judge of that, John,” Nick replied. “If she’s about to become part of the family, she will eventually know our business. We killed four men probably related to her tonight. They will be missed at some point because two others from the earlier group are still alive, possibly to spread the word across Kader nation. I trust you to relay our position about threats to our weird family ties to Cala. I doubt this will go away with Fontaine involved. I don’t know how many crazy Kaders will throw themselves into this mess, but I know how many won’t be – four and counting.”
“At least we are cutting down on the number of hostile in-laws.”
“You’ve been hanging out with Muerto too long, John,” Gus observed.
Chapter Three
Deadly Ring Shopping
“Thanks for meeting with us, Mr. McCarty. I wish this would have had a different ending. There will be greater attention paid to Gerald Kensky no matter where he goes or what he does.”
Nick shook hands with Davin Montrose, the Federal prosecutor as Montrose made ready to leave the small meeting room where Tim, Grace, and Sarah were seated at a table with Nick.
Unless of course Kensky had lived, in which case he would have killed again, and probably took off for parts unknown. “I’m sure he will be, Sir. Sorry about my testimony being disallowed. If not for the tragic death of my friend Dan, we would have nailed Kensky.”
Montrose nodded. “That was a bad turn of events for us. My condolences to you and Mr. Lewis’s family once again. I know he meant a lot to you.”
“Thank you. Dan Lewis was a good man. He died with his boots on taking out another scumbag. If anything does change in the future in regard to a new Kensky trial allowing my testimony, please count on me to testify.”
“I doubt that will happen, but I’m hoping he will make a mistake and the police can nab him. Goodbye for now.” Montrose left.
“Shall we adjourn our meeting to the parking lot, my fellow Marshals and victim?”
“That sounds like a good news tone, Nick,” Tim said.
“It is indeed.”
“It all depends on which side of the law you’re on,” Grace said. “I wish to hell the law we represent had more common sense and logic to it, making adjustments outside of it unnecessary.”
“That’s very inconsiderate of you, Grace. As an officer of the court you must keep in mind at all times that justice is blind, and I might add deaf and dumb too,” Nick joked.
Outside the courthouse on the way to the parking lot, Nick stopped the group. “Kensky is out of the picture. Details will be revealed about his murderous career soon. I’m going home tomorrow with the family. If any details about anything to do with Kensky or the case pop up, please do call. You can go home now, Sarah. The house you’re in is paid for until the end of next month if you want to try the straight and narrow.”
“We’ll call if we hear anything, Nick. Thank you,” Tim said, shaking his hand.
Sarah hugged Nick, but Grace simply waved as Nick walked off.
* * *
After Nick walked away, Sarah turned to Tim. “That did mean what I think it means, right?”
“If you’re thinking Kensky won’t be kidnapping, murdering, or threatening anyone ever again, then you are correct.”
“That information comes with a price, sweetie,” Grace said. “Never open your mouth about Kensky or Nick again ever. Is that clear?”
“I’m not stupid, Grace. I saw Nick in action. He’s a cold blooded killer. I know Kensky’s dead. I don’t know what kind of deal you two have with a killer, but it’s working. I’m going home and forget I ever walked the streets, knew Kensky, Nick, or you two. I’m sipping a bottle of wine to celebrate. Tomorrow, I’m looking for a new career. You two go on. I’m taking the bus home.”
Sarah gave both Marshals a quick hug and walked off.
“Nick did it again,” Grace remarked.
“Yeah… he did… thank God,” Tim said. “I wonder if there will be an ‘Unholy Trio’ video soon on YouTube with a gruesome end to Kensky on it.”
“Count on it,” Grace said. “Want to share a bottle of wine?”
“I’m thinking a few boilermakers might make this episode fade away for the night quite handily.”
“Even better,” Grace agreed.
* * *
Rachel brought Nick’s cell-phone to him where John and Gus were again in the kitchen with him sharing sipping whiskey. “It’s for you. Some lawyer named Ben Brock wants to speak with you.”
Nick took the phone. “Hello.”
“Gerald Kensky is gone. He hasn’t called, and I’ve checked his house in Everett. There’s no sign of him, and they found his car abandoned.”
“Thanks for the update, counselor. What does that have to do with me?”
“Ah… well… I wanted to touch base with you. I never had anything against you personally, Sir. I respect your service to our country. Kensky needed representation and I was merely doing my job in defending him.”
“Okay. Thanks for all that, but again, what does it have to do with me?” Nick sipped his Bushmills’ Irish Whiskey while grinning at his companions.
“There aren’t any hard feelings between us, are there, Sir?”
“Not that I know of, counselor. I admit I’m not fond of defense attorneys who defend murderous bastards they know are guilty, but everyone has a job to do, huh? In the future, I’d be very careful about whom I defend if I were you. I look forward to following your career. There really shouldn’t be any hard feelings between us in the future, should there be, counselor?”
“Absolutely not, Mr. McCarty. Have a good evening.”
* * *
“What’s wrong, Ben?”
Brock glanced at his wife, having not noticed when she entered the room. “Nothing Sue. I’m going to be very careful about the cases I take in the future.”
“Is this about them finding your client’s car abandoned?”
“Partly. Mostly, it’s my theory about how it became abandoned. I’m relieved now because I don’t think I’ll have to worry in regard to Kensky again. I plan on making sure I don’t have any Kensky types to
worry about in the future either.”
“I thought the Kensky case was going to make you a household name. It seems to be doing exactly that.”
“Yes… it is. A name to be cursed for helping a murderer go free. I’m done with that TV show crap about everyone having the right to legal defense. I’m beginning to think there are exceptions to that rule, and forces in place to make sure errors in the law get corrected outside of court. I don’t want to become one of the corrections.”
Sue sat down next to her husband. “Did someone threaten you?”
Brock hugged his wife. “More like a promise.”
* * *
“Wow, the great defender, Benjamin Brock, called you on the phone, Muerto,” Gus said after Nick disconnected from Brock. “What was that all about?”
“He called to let me know they found Kensky’s car. He also hinted at knowing actions have consequences. I agreed.”
“When do we go home then,” John asked.
“I think it will be safe to go home tomorrow. If Kensky’s lawyer doesn’t plan to pursue any wild theories, then I believe it might be time to quietly retreat to our home turf. The Kader mess will undoubtedly follow us. I’d rather face it at home than here. We have a storage freezer at home for unexpected arrivals from John’s future in-laws.”
“You have a wedding to give away the bride in too. John seems close to making it a double wedding,” Gus replied. “Maybe you can give away both brides.”
“I would disagree,” John said, “but if Cala considered my proposal seriously, I would ask you to do us the honor of giving Cala away too. Gus could be my best man, and Rachel might agree to dub in as Maiden of Honor at both weddings too.”
“I sense you are absolutely serious about this, John,” Nick said. “It would be a wonderful double wedding. I as Father of both brides would have the weddings at the Corral Country Club or Lover’s Point. Take my advice. Let’s get the best wedding planner around. We don’t want to deal with Dimah and Cala without a wedding planner to engage them on our behalf. Women can become so emotionally involved as to lose sight of the objective.”
Nightmare in Red Page 5