“She’s living in your house, what do you think of her?”
“I think she’s odd, but Emma loves her.”
“May Ling doesn’t like her, and yeah, she’s odd.”
“But why would she kill this dude?”
“Maybe they knew each other. After Knox claimed that he came here with eleven other men he said something about a girl. He couldn’t have meant Emma or May Ling, so that leaves Vivian.”
Romeo shook his head. “Knox was just making things up to try to stay alive. How could he know Vivian?”
“Just keep an eye on her, okay?”
“Hell yeah, but I hope this guy spotting us was a fluke, otherwise we’ll have to drop everything and move on.”
Cody took the flyer from his pocket and stared at it.
“Jack Begley is becoming a problem. We may have to get inside the Citadel again and kill him.”
“As we both know, that’s easier said than done, and they won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Cody put the flyer away and turned to walk back toward the area where the trailer was.
“I’ll get a tarp and some duct tape, then we’ll carry Knox to the truck and put him in the ground somewhere.”
“With the amount of building that’s going on around here these days, someone will dig him up eventually.”
“By then, we’ll probably have moved on and will be using different identities.”
“Some business we’re in, hmm?”
“It beats working at a car wash,” Cody said, as he ambled off toward the tool shed.
118
Curiouser And Curiouser
ROBBIN’S COVE, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 2004
May Ling, Emma, and Vivian stayed at a hotel with the boys until Monday morning, then returned to their homes. There had been no new signs of trouble and Cody agreed with Romeo that Knox had just gotten lucky in spotting them.
Vivian’s acceptance of their explanation that Knox was a drunk who had shot at them just to scare them seemed odd to Cody.
She also never questioned their story about Knox being handed over to the police. If such a bizarre and violent event had happened in a small town like Robbin’s Cove, it would have made big news and landed on the front page of the local paper.
Cody had purposely given Vivian a flimsy story to gauge her reaction. When she accepted it without asking any questions, he wondered if she had known Knox, and thought she might be working as a spy for Jack Begley.
* * *
Cody smiled when Eddie Quinton answered his phone while laughing. It seemed that his ex-neighbor in London hadn’t changed a bit. Eddie was the happiest person Cody and Romeo had ever known. He laughed often with little provocation.
“Xavier Zane, how are you, mate?”
“I’m good, Eddie, and what about you?”
More laughter, followed by, “I’m tops. I’ve got a new TV show. We’ve just started filming last week. Get this, I play a hit man. Can you imagine me as a hit man?”
“Actually, no, but I’m sure you’ll do a great job at it.”
After catching Eddie up on how Romeo, May Ling, and Emma were doing, Cody let Eddie know that Vivian had followed them to America.
“Ah, I was really into that bird I was; it gave me a wallop to the heart when she broke up with me.”
“If you don’t mind me being nosy, why did you two break up?”
“I wish I knew, Xavier. I thought we were happy, then, one day she just packed up her things and told me to have a nice life.”
“You had no warning?”
“Zero, lad, but… I might know what was behind it. An actor mate of mine saw Vivian about a week later in Dublin. He said she was with another bloke, a tall man in his forties. Vivian probably went to the states to follow her new love; my mate says he had an American accent.”
“Are you sure your friend said he saw Vivian in Dublin?”
“Yeah.”
“And when did you two break up?”
“Oh, it happened right after you and Romeo left London. Hey, didn’t you all go to Ireland from here?”
“Yeah, and we were in Dublin too.”
“That’s a right odd coincidence.”
“This American man your friend said he saw Vivian with, did your friend catch his name?”
“He only saw them from a distance, and they weren’t kissing or anything, but he got the feeling that they were close. Anyway, lad, Vivian is in my past and I’m dating a new woman now.”
“I wish you luck with the lady, and the new show.”
“Thanks, and how are things with you and the beautiful May Ling?”
“Things are perfect with May Ling, and I’ll tell everyone you said hello.”
Eddie said, “Watch me on the telly,” and laughed as he was hanging up.
* * *
When Cody went over to Romeo’s house to speak with Vivian, he received news that surprised him. Cody was in the kitchen having coffee with Romeo and Emma.
“She’s moved out?”
“Last night,” Emma said, “Vivian said she’ll be staying with her new man.”
“What’s this guy’s name?”
“Gerald Hart, but I haven’t met him yet.”
“What’s up, Cody?” Romeo said. “Did you learn something new about Vivian?”
“She was in Ireland the same time we were. Did she ever mention that, Emma?”
“No, are you certain that’s right?”
“I got that from Eddie Quinton. He also said that they broke up right after we’d left, and that the break up surprised him. Then, a friend of his saw Vivian with an American man in his forties. Does that sound like someone we know, Romeo?”
“Begley has to be around forty or so,” Romeo said.
“Yeah, it could be Begley. If he’s willing to pay to have us killed, he might have traveled to Europe to find us. Emma, if Vivian comes by let me know. I need to have a talk with her.”
“All right, Xavier, but you’re wrong about Vivian. She wouldn’t be involved in anything shady. She’s my friend.”
“I hope you’re right, Emma, but we need to know for certain.”
Emma folded her hands on the table then stared down at them.
“I don’t like the idea of my friend being interrogated.”
“Hey, Emma.”
She looked over at Cody. “Yes?”
“I know a way we can check out Vivian without having to question her.”
“You do, how?”
“I’ll need your help; are you willing?”
Emma nodded. “I trust Vivian; however, I also need to know that she’s not out to hurt Romeo. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Cody smiled at her. “Thank you.”
* * *
Work resumed on the home they were building, with the added measure of hiring two armed security guards to man the entrance to the driveway. Cody had also employed a company to install additional cameras around the property.
They had made it possible to monitor the cameras by using a laptop computer. More motion detectors had also been added and could be monitored via the laptop.
Framing was completed on the home by Thursday. With the skeleton in place it seemed as if the grand home would soon be a reality. It was the largest project the boys had ever tackled; they hoped to turn a nice profit on it. Real estate prices in the area were on the rise. With its view of the cove in the distance, the completed home would be sought by many.
Roy Hutchins called Cody on Friday morning and asked him if he and Romeo were available to work. They were, as they had postponed the next phase of the building project in the hope of getting a contract.
Money was flowing out at a steady pace with none coming in. Although they were far from destitute, neither Cody nor Romeo wanted to let their available funds dip too low. Even if that happened, they both had cash squirrelled away under aliases in several banks scattered throughout Arizona.
If Hutchins hadn’t called them, they would ha
ve been calling him. The next day the boys took off for Washington state.
119
Love And Death
CAMAS, WASHINGTON, JANUARY 2004
Roy Hutchins lived in the city of Camas in Washington state, which was about a twenty-five-minute drive from Portland, Oregon.
Hutchins was wheelchair-bound and in his early-forties. His temples were graying, and he had vibrant blue eyes. There was a gun strapped to the side of his wheelchair in a holster. It was a .45 automatic.
The boys always met with Hutchins at his house. It was a two-story home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bedrooms had been a dining room, while the downstairs bathroom was a converted pantry. After his injury, Hutchins adapted the house to his needs.
Hutchins had grown up in the home before leaving at sixteen to travel the world. After the death of his mother, he inherited the place. Hutchins had put the house on the market until he lost the use of his legs. Now it looked like he would someday die in the home he was born in.
Behind the home was a meadow and a narrow band of trees, and beyond that an elevated roadway that was part of an exit ramp. The ramp led to the street that ran perpendicular to Hutchins’ block.
Hutchins’ live-in girlfriend was named Bev. Bev was in her thirties and had blonde hair that she liked to streak with color. This time the color was yellow. Bev usually dressed like a hippy in a tie-dyed poncho and sandals, but today’s outfit was jeans and a white knit blouse. However, there was a peace symbol hanging from a chain around her neck. She also wore a black eye and a puffy lip.
* * *
Bev pointed to her face as she opened the door to greet the boys.
“Before you ask, no, Roy didn’t do this to me. It was an asshole named Owen Fisher.”
“Tell us where we can find him, Bev, and he’ll never bother you again,” Romeo said.
Hutchins rolled into the living room from the kitchen.
“That’s why you’re here. I want to hire you to kill the bastard.”
Cody walked farther into the house and took a seat on a sofa.
“Tell us what’s going on, Roy.”
* * *
Years earlier, Owen Fisher had worked as a collector for a loan shark and was a friend of Hutchins. At the time, Hutchins had been working as an assassin for a mob family with connections in St. Louis.
“Owen always drank too much and later became a full-fledge alcoholic,” Hutchins said. “I lost touch with him years ago, then Bev and I ran into him when we were out shopping at the Walmart.”
“He has something against you?” Romeo asked.
“No, we were cool the last time I saw him, but Owen is in bad shape and looked one step away from the gutter. I swear nothing ages you like liquor. He looks fifty, but he can’t be much more than thirty-five. Anyway, Owen followed us home and pushed his way in here as Bev was wheeling me through the door. If I’d had my gun on me like usual, I would have blasted him, but I left it locked up here when we went out.”
Cody looked over at Bev. “Why did Fisher hit you?”
“Because I hit him first. I punched him in the face, then he returned the favor and knocked me down. When I tried to get up as he was going through my purse, he kicked me in the mouth. My teeth still ache.”
“Just tell us where we can find him,” Cody said in a cold voice. He liked Bev. The thought of someone kicking her in the face angered him.
“I don’t know where he is,” Hutchins said. “If I did, cripple or not, I’d go there and empty my gun into him. I was hoping you boys would track him down and kill him for me. Taking the money out of Bev’s purse was one thing, hurting her was another. I want that bastard put down.”
The boys shared a look, then nodded at each other.
“We’ll find him and let him know that he crossed the line,” Cody said. “Owen Fisher won’t ever bother you again.”
* * *
Thanks to a hidden security camera above his front door, Hutchins had film of Fisher and his car. Fisher had dark hair, but his face was lined with wrinkles, as if he were older. His vehicle had Oregon plates and he had told Hutchins that he was living in Portland, which was only about a thirty-minute drive away.
The security camera was a good one and filmed in color. They watched the tape on a TV with a large screen and Cody identified the car as being an old Dodge Challenger, but Hutchins corrected him.
“Nope, that’s a Barracuda, a Plymouth. A guy in the neighborhood had one when I was a kid.”
“I can’t make out the plate,” Romeo said. “But I’d recognize that car again because of the race decals on the rear window.”
Hutchins pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.
“I used one of my contacts to try to find Owen. The guy bribed a woman at the motor vehicles agency. She said that there were thirty-seven Plymouth Barracudas in the Portland area. Here’s a list of the addresses where they’re registered. None of them have Owen’s name on it, but a guy like him could be using a fake name to avoid an arrest warrant.”
“Thirty-seven is a lot for an old car like that,” Romeo said.
“I know, sorry about that,” Roy said.
“I wasn’t complaining, and Cody and I will track him down one way or another.”
“That’s why I called you. You guys are the best. Now, let’s talk money.”
Cody shook his head. “We’ll be doing this for free, Roy.”
“What? No way. I can pay you like any other client.”
“This dude hurt Bev, Roy. We like Bev, and you,” Romeo told him. “We’re not taking money for helping out a friend.”
Hutchins glanced over at Bev. “Do you believe these guys?”
Bev rose from her seat and gave each of the boys a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you, guys. We owe you one.”
“You’re welcome,” Cody said, “and we’ll call you when it’s done.”
* * *
After reaching Portland, Cody and Romeo found an out of the way place to stay, then called home. May Ling sounded worried and told Cody to be careful.
“I will be, but this guy we’re after isn’t much of a threat. He likes to beat women.”
“I meant to be careful about everything. You can’t be sure that someone still isn’t after you, like that man at the building site.”
“Romeo and I will watch our backs, but what about Vivian? Has Emma heard from her yet?”
“Yes, and Vivian told Emma that she was off somewhere on a beach with her new man.”
“If she was involved with Knox, maybe she got scared off and is gone for good.”
“I hope so,” May Ling said.
“I don’t know how long this will take, but I intend to be back home in a day or two.”
“Xavier?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, and I miss you. Come back to me in one piece, okay?”
“I love you too, May Ling, and nothing will ever separate us.”
May Ling giggled. “I like the sound of that.”
Cody ended the call and went outside to wait in his truck for Romeo. When Romeo came out moments later, he was smiling.
“Emma said to tell you hi and to be careful.”
“May Ling said the same.”
“Hey, Cody, I know this contract is a freebie for Roy, but I want to take another one soon that will pay some serious cash. I need to buy an engagement ring.”
Cody grinned. “You and me both. I want to spend the rest of my life with May Ling.”
“Emma is my life. God, how I love that girl.”
Cody put the truck in gear and rolled out of the lot. His mind was on the woman he loved, but he was searching for a man to kill.
120
Back-Up Plan
DALLAS, TEXAS, JANUARY 2004
Vince Ryker entered a bar on Main Street and said a name to the bartender, who was a Mexican man with a pencil-thin mustache. The bartender motioned for Ryker to stay where he was, then, he picked up a phone t
hat had been under the bar.
While the man had been whispering into the phone, Ryker had looked around the large room. There were six men sitting at a round table playing cards, while three couples occupied the smaller tables on the right.
The left side of the room had a pool table, juke box, and an old video game machine. At the rear were three doorways. One led to a hallway where the bathrooms and the small kitchen were. Another was a supply closet and the last one the bar’s back room and office.
The song on the juke box was Mariposa Traicionera by a band named Maná. Everyone in the room except Ryker was Mexican.
The phone conversation lasted only seconds before the call ended. Moments later, a pair of burly young men exited the back room and approached Ryker. These men were also Mexican. They had hard faces and dead-pan eyes.
“Is your name Ryker?” the man on the right asked. Although Mexican, the guy had no accent. Ryker assumed the kid had been raised in America.
“I’m Ryker.”
“Are you carrying a weapon?”
“I am,” Ryker said.
“You must give it up before you will be able to see Mr. Garcia.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
The two men looked Ryker over, taking in the white in his beard and the pale streaks in his hair. After smiling at each other, the man on the right jabbed a finger against Ryker’s chest.
“Give us your gun or get hurt, grandpa.”
Ryker grabbed the punk’s finger with one hand then shoved two of his own digits into the man’s eyes. The man’s reaction was instant and instinctive as he tried to back away from Ryker.
Young Guns Box Set Page 53