Covert Deception

by Kyle West

  Vivian responds, "No, you don’t worry about anything Mr. Guidry. Oh, this is Jesse's brother, Keith."

  Keith interrupts, "Don't worry about us, sir. We aren't hurt. We don't want to get you in any trouble." Keith looks at Vivian and motions that they must leave now. Keith hurriedly says to Mr. Guidry, "I'm glad you're okay. Those guys won't be coming back, don't worry."

  Keith pulls Vivian's arm for them to leave and says to Mr. Guidry, "You sure you don't want me to call an ambulance for you?" Mr. Guidry replies, no. Off into the distance Keith says, "We have to go now." He practically drags Vivian up the incline into her backyard, so they can leave. Vivian and Mr. Guidry exchange a hasty, distant good-bye as Keith and Vivian rush out of the backyard, into the front of Vivian's condo.

  Vivian says to Keith, "What was that all about? Mr. Guidry is hurt. I thought that was very rude."

  Keith tells her, "We don't, you don't need to see any police right now. You don't need to give Roussel any more reasons to have you locked up, so we got to go before they get over here." Vivian and Keith are now briskly walking towards the front gate as police cars, with sirens blaring, speed right past them, heading to Vivian's home.

  3:10 pm

  Det. Roussel is at the New Orleans East Police District 7 station, sitting at his desk, doing paperwork, when his phone rings. It’s Det. Huntley who is at Vivian's house. Det. Huntley is investigating Mr. Guidry's beating by McKenna, Starr and Rome. Some of Vivian's neighbors also called the police when they heard Mr. Guidry shooting at Keith and Vivian. He tells Det. Roussel that someone broke into the Baylor residence and so forth. He adds, "I think I got something for you. The manager here, Guidry, he took a beating over here. He'll be ok. He told me that the Baylor's mail has been forwarded to the Main Post Office down on Loyola since the 23rd."

  Det. Roussel, thinking out loud says, "The 23rd? Jesse Baylor was murdered on the 26th, and she didn't know that until the 28th."

  Det. Huntley responds, "You got it partner! That passport was gonna get a workout chief!"

  7:25 pm

  Vivian and Keith are at an Enterprise Car Rental on S. Carrollton.

  He needs another rental car after his accident with the trolley car earlier in the day. Keith with car keys in hand, and Vivian walk to their new rental car.

  Sarcastically, Vivian asks, "How did you explain what happened to the other car?"

  Keith explains, "I didn't. The other car was from Budget. Let’s go."

  7:50 pm

  Det. Roussel is now at the Main Post Office on Loyola. He is meeting with Terminal Manager Mr. Jeanerette in his office. Det. Roussel asks him who filled out the application for the P.O box, and who, if anybody comes in to pick up the mail.

  Mr. Jeanerette tells him that Vivian Baylor filled out the application and that he has never seen Mr. Baylor. He continues, "Mrs. Baylor hasn't come yet to pick up her mail. I call her at work, she's on leave. I call her at home, the phone just rings, no voice mail, no nothing!" Mr. Jeanerette hands the stack of Vivian’s accumulated mail to Det. Roussel and says, "These are her bills here! You'd think she'd need them!"

  8:14 pm

  Vivian and Keith are having dinner at Olivier’s on Decatur. The atmosphere is light and rather pleasant considering they have to meet with the three former M.I.C.O. soldiers. Vivian and Keith talk about life, love, the future. Their conversation then steers towards whether or not the three soldiers found the money in Jesse's car or not.

  Vivian says, "Well, looking at Jesse's car, it doesn't look like they were very happy when they left. They must've looked over every inch of that car."

  Keith looks at his watch and tells Vivian, "Please, don't remind me. I gotta meet with those guys at 9. I must be crazy because I don't have anything to tell them tonight. Again, I hope they did find that money and I hope they are on their way to Switzerland or somewhere right now! But anyway, I definitely don't want them coming to look for me so I will be there."

  Keith never told Vivian that the commandos want her at the meeting at 9 o’clock. Vivian says, "Keith, this is crazy. You might be killed tonight. Let's just call the police. Please!" Keith pulls out a number of twenty-dollar bills and puts it on top of the table. Vivian and Keith get up and leave the restaurant. They walk outside the restaurant and Keith gives the parking attendant his valet parking ticket. Keith asks Vivian if she enjoyed dinner. She rubs her stomach and says, “I'll just say this, I'm sleepy."

  Keith laughs and says, "Oh, you got the 'itis'. Yeah, that food was great."

  The parking attendant pulls up, and Keith helps Vivian in the passenger's side of the car. Keith walks around the car and gets in on the driver's side. As he is about to drive off, a hand reaches through the passenger side window and grabs Vivian on her shoulder, which startles both of them. It’s the maître d from the restaurant, Alan. Alan looks into the car and loudly s conveys, "Are you Keith? You have a phone call inside at the bar!”

  Keith responds, "What? Who is it?"

  "Sir, I don't know. They said it was important. What do you want me to tell them sir?"

  "Alright, I'll be right in. Hold on." Keith tells Vivian that he'll be right back. Keith goes back into the restaurant to answer the phone, "Yes, hello?"

  Vivian is sitting in the car, which is still running; Keith again asks who is on the phone, "Hello?" There is no one on the phone. Outside in the parking lot, out from nowhere, Starr jumps into the driver's seat of Keith's car! Vivian lets out a screeching scream! Rome then jumps into the back seat right behind Vivian and puts his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming! Keith, with the restaurant phone still in his hand, hears the commotion outside. He puts the phone down and rushes outside to see his car being driven by Starr, screeching off down Decatur St. Keith realizes there is nothing he can do as he stands there. Keith then sees McKenna's Suburban follow right behind Starr. Keith runs to the curb to see both vehicles cut sharp at the first left, onto Iberville.

  Keith quickly takes out his cell phone, dials, then says, "Shit! Man they got her! Yeah, those motherfuckers grabbed Vivian Baylor!"

  Chapter 10

  9:23 pm

  Starr speeds down Canal St. driving Keith's rental car. Rome is in the back seat, shouting and screaming at Vivian, who is in the front passenger seat.

  Rome constantly threatens her with bodily harm if she makes any noise. Starr turns onto I-10, doing about seventy-five mph, with McKenna in his blue Chevy Suburban still right behind him.

  Rome shouts at Vivian over her screaming, "Princess, will you shut yo’ ass up! Ain't nobody hurtin' you! Calm down or I will snap your goddamn neck! See if I'm playin'!"

  Starr calmly cuts in and slowly says to Vivian, "Lady, where is the money? Vivian that's all we want here. We don't want to hurt you. Once we get our money, you will never see us again. Promise."

  Vivian with tears streaming down her face, shouts, "I told you before, I don't know anything about that money! I'm telling you the truth! Where are you taking me?!”

  Rome strangely replies, "We goin` to get new shoes."

  Starr lightly laughs to himself then says, "I didn't think you'd be difficult about this. Did Jesse tell you about what the government did to us?"

  Vivian answers no.

  Starr then drills her, "Is the money here in Louisiana? Is it a check? Knapsacks? Fifty gallon drum full of cash? Just tell me. Me and my friend here will cut you a third of the cake ok. One hundred million dollars just for you pretty lady. So see, we want to help you, so help us.” Starr looks in his rear view mirror and continues talking to Vivian, "You see my man driving behind me? I can lose him Vivian, it’s just you, me and my man Rome here. One hundred million each Vivian, let's do this." Starr and Rome are trying to lure Vivian into admitting that she has the money.

  Vivian puts her head down in her hands, then snaps her head up and softly says to

  Starr, "My God. How many times do I have to say it?! I don't know where any money is. I wish I did! Really! So you guys can get what y
ou want and be on your way. Seriously, I do not know! So please stop the car and let me out? Please, I won't say anything to anybody. I promise!"

  Starr is frighteningly silent. Keeping his eyes fixed on the road, he accelerates the car to one hundred mph.

  Rome shouts, "Let's fuckin` push her out, Marlon! Right here!" As he unlocks Vivian's car door from the back seat; Vivian starts struggling with Rome to relock her car door. She pleads, "Stop the car! I'll get out, just stop!"

  Starr says to Rome, "Wait, wait. Roll your window down." Starr sees McKenna, who is still speeding right behind him, pull up on his right. Starr slows down a little as McKenna signals for him to follow him. McKenna makes a right off I-10, thirty miles outside of New Orleans, onto a dark, gravel road. The road leads to an old abandoned tackle shop right next to a dark, murky South Louisiana swamp.

  Starr and McKenna pull up to the tackle shop.

  Starr parks Keith's car in front of the shop, no one exits the car. McKenna parks in the back and walks around to the front of the shop, walking over to Starr. McKenna says nothing as he stares in the car at Starr who looks up at McKenna, saying nothing. He shakes his head no. Starr quietly tells McKenna that Vivian didn't tell him the location of the money. McKenna slams his hand on the roof of the car. Rome quickly exits the back passenger's side door, opening Vivian's door in front. Rome yanks Vivian out of the car and leads her inside the tackle shop.

  Vivian is crying and pleading, "Please don't hurt me! I've done nothing to you!" A frustrated McKenna shouts to Rome, "It's out back on the deck!" McKenna says to Starr, "I'm tired of fucking around with both of them. Get Keith's ass next." He pauses for a second then asks Starr, "Why is she so fucking stubborn man? What a few million isn't worth saving your life? What the fuck."

  Starr stares up at the stars in the dark blue sky, calmly telling McKenna, "She doesn't know where that money is man." McKenna looks over at Starr. Starr looks back at McKenna and softly continues, “She knows she's about to die tonight. Know me? I would lie knowing I'm about to get whacked, I'd tell you whatever you wanted me to. She does not know where that money is Greg."

  Rome comes out of the shop to join McKenna and Starr, he says to them, "Alright, she ain't goin' nowhere. I got her ass in a storage room. Ya` know, I forgot how fine she was. I was with Jesse the night he met her you know. Just walking around on the Riverfront, Jesse was following her. He wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave him her number. Later that night she came and met him in the Quarters. Me and Jesse had the best detail back then, so I covered for him when they went out for dinner. I remember she was having her picture drawn by those artist dudes down on Royal. Jesse stood there for like an hour, he was wide open right there, from Day one. I remember that night."

  McKenna dismisses Rome's story and asks, "Can she fucking breathe in that room Jerome?"

  Rome answers, "Yea, she's cool. Home girl is mad tough. Or real stupid! She's staring death right in the fuckin' eye and she goin’ down like a kingpin!"

  Starr cuts in, "Nah, she definitely ain't stupid."

  Rome takes a deep breath and responds, "Alright, so I'm not the only one who don’t think she got the money."

  McKenna nods his head, no.

  Rome ponders, "So now what?"

  McKenna softly responds, "That fucking brother of hers probably had it the whole time."

  Starr continues, "No. You think he would put his sister in the middle of the tempest like this? His slippery ass is trying to find it just like we are. No, Vivian Baylor has that money. She just doesn't know she has it."

  Rome is perplexed, "What the fuck are you talking about man?"

  Starr explains, "We talking about Jesse here. He fuckin' stashed that cash somewhere only his wife would find it!" McKenna and Rome now understand.

  Starr adds, "Jesse put that roll right under her feet for her to trip over."

  Rome continues, "Oh shit. That's definitely how Jesse would roll! I can't believe this shit! Like I said, what the fuck do we do now?!"

  Starr responds, "We still gotta figure Keith out. Maybe he figured all of this out and he knows already? Maybe he helped Jesse out with all of this shit. Whatever. But she, Vivian, don't know a damn thing fellas.

  McKenna, Starr and Rome stand together under the sinister moonlight, figuring out what their next move is going to be.

  10:47 pm

  In the lobby of the Westin Hotel, the front desk agent Tara is on the phone. A call comes in and Tara answers with her customary hotel greeting. Tara says, "Room 1513? Hold on sir." She looks up from her computer monitor, takes off her headset to hand it to someone… it’s Keith.

  He quickly grabs the headset and puts it on to talk. In a desperate manner, he gasps, "Yeah, hello! Hello?!"

  From a gas station pay phone, McKenna speaks to Keith, "You're a real piece of shit. Your sister don't know where the money is does she? And you knew the whole time, you was fucking lying right to my face. I owe you one Keith ol’ buddy."

  Keith snaps, "Where's Vivian?! I thought we were gonna meet? What the hell happened?!"

  McKenna states, "I don't trust you. And I don't like you."

  Keith yells, "Let me talk to Vivian right now!"

  "Shut the fuck up and listen! Your sister is fine. We're holding on to her until we make a trade. You've been dicking me around since I met your sorry ass. Everything out of your mouth was probably a lie and now I don't give a fuck. It’s on you now. You have until tomorrow morning to have that money. I swear, if I don't have my money I'm gonna dissect your sister into bite-size pieces. You fucking hear me!”

  Keith pleads, "Look, okay! Vivian doesn't have the money! I don't have the money! What do you want me to do?! Just tell me! Don't hurt her!"

  "You wanna talk to Vivian? Meet me at exit 194."

  Keith interrupts, "You guys took my car! How am I gonna get there?"

  "Bus! Take a cab, you fucking figure it out! Take route 55 to Exit 15, Manchac…just be there!"

  Keith cuts in, "I'm not meeting you at the swamps, no way, man. Bring her here to the hotel! I want people around. You think I'm stupid?!"

  McKenna snaps, "You know what Keith? Fuck you! Give me your address, I'm sending your sister to you. Keep an eye out for a package from…"

  Keith abruptly interrupts, "Look, I can't get a car or a ride at this hour. C'mon. There's an all-night supermarket right off I-10, about 6 blocks from here. At midnight that place will be empty. I can meet you there. We can talk and figure out where this money is, just don't hurt her."

  McKenna agrees with the plan and responds, "Keith, you better be there at 1200 hours, alone.

  I swear, I will feed your sister to these crocs over here and then I’ll figure out something much worse for you."

  Keith responds, "I'll be there waiting."

  Chapter 11

  11:26 pm

  Back at the Westin, Keith is feverishly going through Vivian's belongings, her luggage, briefcase and other personal items. He finds a set of keys in Vivian's luggage, which he takes clay impressions of. He also finds legal papers, ATM and credit card receipts, but nothing that could give him clues to where any substantial money is located. Keith shows his frustration as he kicks over the glass coffee table in front of the couch. He takes out his cell phone and makes a call. As Keith has his five-minute conversation, he continues going through Vivian's belongings. "How can somebody hide three million dollars so damn good?!" He continues, "Oh, don't worry. I will get that money. You know me, I will do whatever I have to do." Keith ends his call.

  11:50 pm

  McKenna is driving South on I-10 with Vivian in the passenger seat, and Rome sitting behind her in the back seat. Starr rides alone in his rented black Mustang, as they pull into the Breauxmart Supermarket parking lot on Magazine St. They park next to each other in the middle of the spacious parking lot, they see no more than about five to ten cars. Starr gets out of his car and steps over to McKenna's truck, "I'll go inside to see if he's here."

  McKenn
a responds, "We're early, he ain't here. Just relax."

  McKenna turns to Vivian, “Jesse was a brilliant soldier, he was a good man. The money, I don’t think you have it, Jesse wouldn’t have put you in danger like that. He also wouldn't have that package out in the open. He stashed it somewhere not easy enough to be found but at the same time, easy to be found. That's Jess. So this is what's gonna happen Vivian…We, ALL of us here, are going to help you find the money. Nobody gets hurt and everybody get a slice, easy. Can we do that Vivian?” She looks at McKenna and Starr sitting in the other car and doesn't respond.

  Rome comments, "Sounds good to me man! Shit, again then we don't need her brother dawg. We can handle this right here Greg."

  Vivian cuts in and softly corrects Rome, "Brother-in-law."…but no one hears her.

  Rome continues, "I don’t want to just be givin' away splits like that! Shit!”

  McKenna turns back to Rome and responds, "He's gonna keep Vivian here comfortable, and that's what we all want, right? The quicker we take care of this, the quicker we get the hell outta ‘Dodge’." The former M.I.C.O. commandos then see Keith running into the Breauxmart parking lot.

  Keith runs toward McKenna's truck.

  McKenna and Starr get out their vehicles as Keith reaches McKenna's Suburban. McKenna says to Keith, "Good. You're on time." Starr immediately walks over to Keith and searches him for weapons. Keith looks into McKenna's truck and sees Vivian sitting nervously in the passenger seat. Keith asks her if she is okay. Vivian smiles and sarcastically responds, "Never been better."

  Keith speaks to McKenna, "Okay, I'm here. Did you tell Vivian the plan?"

  McKenna looks at a nervously quiet Vivian and answers, "Yea, I think she's fine with it. She's a trooper. I like your sister, but I don't like you and I really don't trust you. Again, I'm ready to cut you from ear to ear right now. You wasted enough of my time with your bullshit." McKenna looks back at his truck and adds, “You put your sister in harm's way like it was nothing, you have just become very dispensable now that she’s on board with the plan. Very! But I will keep you alive a little while longer, just for your sister's sake. We'll find something for you to do to earn your keep."