The Black Chip

by Gary Land

  “Son-of-a-bitch.” Noly, gun at his side, marched straight at Pony-Tail. In his mind, Noly dared PT to pick up his gun and make a play. Like the Old West, Noly was the fastest gun in this town, and he ached for some pay back.

  Lights popped on in the nearest apartment units and some doors opened to see what the disturbance was about. Noly hesitated, not wanting his tenants to get hurt. He watched as PT grabbed his gun and ran off. Mrs. H had come outside and retrieved her skillet.

  “Mr. Noly, you need help?” Mrs.H asked.

  Noly looked at her, skillet raised to her side, ready for action, and had to smile.

  “No, Mrs. H, I’m okay--go back inside...thank you.”

  Noly returned to his apartment, treated his wound with some rubbing alcohol and a bandage. He didn’t have much time; Jo-Jo would be waiting for him. There was no way he was going to lose Hutchinson again--he was the key. Hutchinson would lead him to Pony Tail and one or both of them would lead him to the man pulling their strings. Like the carnival game, he’d knock down one clown at a time until they were all gone, and the last guy standing--no mercy.

  Chapter 24

  Sarah and Kacy lay in bed trying to shut out the noises at the strip club and down in the street. Night time is the right time as far as Vegas is concerned, and it made getting any rest problematic at best. The lights in the main room were off, but Sarah had turned the bathroom light on, then closed the door save a few inches to let the light bleed through. A make-do night-light.

  “Mom, are you sleeping?” Kacy asked.

  “No, honey. You know, I think that clock on the wall is broken,” Sarah said.

  “It’s just going really, really slow like the hands are moving through pancake syrup.”

  “Mmm, pancakes.”

  “When we get home, can we go get pancakes...and bacon and sausage...”

  “And hash browns.”

  “Yeah, hash browns--love the hash browns,” Kacy said in a groggy voice.

  “Kacy?”

  Kacy had momentarily faded into a half-dream state but her body twitched her back awake. Her eyes felt so heavy. “What?”

  “I want you to promise me that if you get another chance to get away from here that you’ll keep on running. Don’t come back for me.”

  Kacy rubbed her eyes, and said, “Okay.” But she didn’t mean it. She would never leave her mother alone with these people.

  “Promise me,” Sarah said.

  Without hesitating, Kacy said, “I promise.” It was the first time Kacy could remember lying to her mother. Hoping to change the subject, Kacy asked, “What do you think Noly is doing right now?”

  “He’s probably sleeping,” Sarah said. “Like we should be doing.”

  “No, he’s looking for us. He’s flying through the sky using his x-ray vision to scan all the buildings.”

  “Now you’re being silly.”

  “Maybe he’ll find us tomorrow.”

  “Maybe.”

  Sarah heard a police siren in the distance, and jokingly yelled out, “Here they come; they’re coming to get us.” They listened for a long time, mentally tracking the sound. The siren passed by and faded away.

  Kacy said, “Next one.”

  They didn’t speak for a long time, but held each other’s hand. Kacy had wanted to ask her mom a question for a long time, but it felt awkward and she was afraid. Afraid of what the answer would be. So she never asked, but that was during a time when she thought she would live forever. Now she realized that was not realistic at all.

  Muffled voices rose up from the street, horns honked, an occasional swear word floated through the wall, and laughter echoed in the air vents. Kacy thought it was nice to hear laughter even if it belonged to someone else.

  The laughter gave her courage, so she took a deep breath and turned to her mother. “Do you love Noly?” Kacy asked. There was a hint of desperation in the question.

  Caught off-guard, Sarah could only manage, “Well...it’s complicated, Kacy.”

  “I hear people say that all the time and in movies, on TV, but I don’t think it’s complicated at all,” Kacy said.

  Sarah didn’t respond at first. She could hear the hurt in Kacy’s voice and knew that she was probably crying. “I care about him a great deal, but he’s changed the last couple of months. You’ve noticed too.”

  Ignoring her mom, Kacy said, “I love you...and I love Noly. It’s simple.”

  “Love is different at your age, it’s...” Sarah started, but didn’t know how to finish her thought. She sighed, and tried again. “I don’t think Noly knows how to love someone.”

  Kacy knew that was wrong. “Can I ask you a question?” Kacy asked.

  “Another one?” Sarah teased.

  Kacy remained silent. She let go of her mother’s hand and turned towards her.

  “Sure,” Sarah said, concern in her voice.

  “If I were afraid to get up in front of my class and make a speech, would you get mad at me?

  “Of course not.”

  “Would you help me learn to not be afraid anymore?”

  “Yes, I’d try, honey, you know that.”

  “Would you ever give up on me?” Kacy asked.

  “No, I wouldn’t,” Sarah reassured her.

  Kacy took a deep breath. “I think Noly’s afraid.”

  “Noly...afraid?”

  “He loves us,” Kacy cried, “and he’s afraid...afraid of that, and he’s afraid he’ll lose us, and...”

  Kacy couldn’t go on. She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, and cried softly. Sarah didn’t know what to say and only stroked her hair. When Kacy stopped crying, Sarah said, “How did you get to be so smart?”

  “Please tell me why you broke up with Noly?” Kacy pleaded.

  “We didn’t break up, Kacy, we just...it’s just a little different than it was. Like pausing and taking some time and thinking about stuff.”

  “Then you could get back together again, right?”

  “We’ll try really hard to make it work,” Sarah promised.

  The next time Kacy looked at the clock an hour had passed, but the minute hand seemed to be in the same position, so at first she thought the clock really was broken.

  “Mandy is really pretty, don’t you think?” Kacy said.

  “Yes. I don’t know how a girl like that can get mixed up in this type of business.”

  “I was thinking maybe we can help her after we get back home. Noly could help her like he helped us.”

  “I’m sure he would. He likes to fix things, help people in trouble.”

  “You know what he would do if he were here?” Kacy asked.

  “It’s a trick question, right? The answer is he wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

  Kacy laughed. “That’s true, but if they somehow caught him and he was here...he’d try to escape. He wouldn’t just sit here and do nothing.”

  “Maybe. I guess you’re right.”

  “Well, we should try to escape too,” Kacy said.

  “NO!” Sarah yelled. “I’m not taking any chances with you. You will not try to escape, do you understand?”

  “Mom...don’t be afraid, they’re not going to kill us. They need us.”

  Sarah looked somber. “I will not let anything happen to you, but we have to cooperate with them, then we’ll be okay. Please, Kacy--they don’t have to kill us, but they can still hurt us.”

  Even though it was too dark to see her face, Sarah could tell that Kacy was pouting.

  “Noly would try.”

  “You’re not Noly, Kacy.”

  As they endured the endless hours of waiting, Sarah heard another siren in the distance and said, “Here they come; they’re coming to get us.”

  Instead of the usual response, in a voice Sarah had never heard before, a voice with a hard edge to it, Kacy said, “The police aren’t going to save us. Noly is.”

  “I know he’ll try.”

  “There is no try, only do,” Kacy said
in her best Yoda impersonation.

  Sarah laughed. She hugged Kacy. “I love you so much. You’re a great kid, did you know that?”

  “That’s because you’re a great mom.”

  Kacy finally drifted into a fitful sleep. Sarah kept watch, pacing around the room, standing guard over her daughter. She walked to the door, felt silly trying the doorknob, then stood listening for any sound, something that would distract her and occupy her time while she waited for the sun to rise.

  Kacy moaned and balled her hands into fists. Sarah ran to the side of the bed, went to her knees, and gently touched Kacy’s shoulder. “Honey...”

  “No, look out...LOOK OUT!” Kacy yelled.

  “Kacy, wake up, honey, you’re having a bad dream.”

  “No...no...”

  Sarah grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wiped the sweat from Kacy’s forehead. She couldn’t wake her up.

  Then Kacy suddenly sat up, eyes wide, fully awake. “Noly!”

  “Baby, are you okay--what happened?”

  Kacy took a deep breath and let it out in one long sigh. “I saw Noly, in trouble, he almost...someone tried to shoot him.”

  Sarah rubbed Kacy’s leg and tried to calm her. “I...I’m sure Noly’s okay.”

  “He is,” Kacy said.

  Chapter 25

  Jo-Jo knocked on the door and waited. He pushed the doorbell, then knocked again.

  “Yo, man, pizza. Come on.”

  After a moment, a voice called from the house, “I didn’t order any pizza.”

  Jo-Jo knocked on the door again. And again. He kept knocking until the door was yanked open by Hutchinson.

  “What the fuck,” Hutchinson said. “I didn’t order any...”

  Jo-Jo looked surprised when the door finally opened. He felt silly standing there empty-handed. “Whoa, hey, uh...”

  “Thought you had a fucking pizza.”

  “Uh, no, man...I’m taking orders for pizza, see. Then I call it in and...”

  “And bullshit,” Hutchinson said. His hand moved behind his back.

  “Leave it there,” Noly said from behind Hutchinson.

  Hutchinson froze. He knew the voice and he knew the reputation behind it. He didn’t intend to move until given permission.

  Noly slapped Hutchinson’s hand away and took the Glock from his waistband. He grabbed Hutchinson’s collar and held him in place.

  Jo-Jo’s knees had buckled when Hutchinson went for his gun. Jo-Jo leaned against the doorjamb with a hand over his chest trying to get his breathing under control.

  “Boots, can I go home now?”

  “Yeah, JJ--thanks. There’ll be something extra in your paycheck this week.”

  “Great, I can buy some new underwear.”

  “Kick the door shut,” Noly told Hutchinson. “We’re going to have a talk.”

  Noly marched Hutchinson into what looked like a combination den and office. Couch, TV, desk, mini-refrigerator. One window with mini-blinds. Noly took his hand off Hutchinson’s collar, pulled the cord, and the slats closed down on themselves, shutting out the night. Hutchinson leapt at the opportunity and turned sharply to his left in an attempt to gain leverage on Noly, but Noly was ready for him and elbowed him to the side of the head.

  Noly pushed a stunned Hutchinson onto the recliner and did a quick walk-through of the room. There was only the single door access, no obvious weapons, a cordless phone on the desk that Noly threw against the wall. It cracked open sending the battery flying in the opposite direction.

  He turned and looked at Hutchinson. “Do you know who I am?”

  Hutchinson swallowed. “Yeah, Noly Boots.” He had been looking down at the floor, but as his head rose and he met Noly’s eyes, he scooted back in the chair looking for a place to hide.

  Noly walked towards Hutchinson, stood at his side, and went to one knee. He pushed the gun flush against Hutchinson’s temple, and watched beads of sweat trickle down his face.

  “Do you know how much willpower it’s taking for me not to pull this trigger?” Noly growled. Hutchinson squirmed in his chair and Noly grabbed the back of his collar to hold him still.

  “The two most important people in this world have been abducted...what do you know about it? Noly said, his face twisting with rage.

  “I...nothing, nothing. I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Sarah Benson and her daughter, Kacy...tell me,” Noly yelled.

  “I don’t know them. I swear!” Hutchinson whimpered.

  “I saw you in the casino video--you were following Joey Trainor. Why?”

  “I...”

  “Before you lie to me, and deny what I already know, I want you to picture an hourglass in your head, only it’s not for an hour, it’s one of those three-minute egg timers.” Noly moved the gun under Hutchinson’s chin. “And I’ve already turned it over--when it runs out of time...so do you.”

  “Yeah, yeah...I was following Trainor,” Hutchinson stammered. “But I don’t know about no kidnapping.”

  “Sarah is Joey’s sister, she...”

  “I didn’t know. I was just following Trainor.”

  “Why did Thornton want you to follow Trainor?”

  “Thornton?” Hutchinson couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t work for him,” he said with contempt, as if it was beneath his stature.

  He shook Hutchinson by the collar. “This isn’t a damn interview. I’m not going to ask you twenty questions. Tell me everything you know.” He readjusted the gun to remind Hutchinson that it was still there. “Next time you pause, you die.”

  Hutchinson’s hands were free, resting in his lap. They were only a foot away from the gun, and he thought hard about making a move. He would with anyone else. But Noly Boots wasn’t anyone else. He sighed.

  “I work for Morelli, he owns the PP Casino. He had me follow Trainor, because the moron was trying to blackmail Morelli. That’s the last thing you do with a guy like him. I promise I don’t know about these people that got taken. That’s it.”

  “That’s not it. But that bought you a reprieve...what did he have on Morelli?”

  “Trainor hacked into some private files--he found some...slush funds Morelli had collected. Account numbers, banks, stuff like that. We know he downloaded them to his workstation...”

  “Slush funds...” Noly whispered to himself.

  “Then we found out about him skimming the cash receipts, after...”

  “After you killed him on Morelli’s orders.” Noly said it as fact. Not a question.

  “No, I didn’t kill anyone,” Hutchinson said.

  Noly froze. The only other sound in the house besides himself and Hutchinson came from the air conditioning system that kicked on every half-hour or so. Now there was another noise. Noly held onto Hutchinson’s collar, shifted the gun back to his temple, and then looked at the doorway.

  Jo-Jo shuffled into view with a look of dread on his face. A second later, Pony-Tail shouldered him out of the way firing his gun indiscriminately. He refocused on Noly, but by that time, Noly had pulled Hutchinson from the chair and used him as a shield. Pony-Tail emptied his clip into Hutchinson. Noly couldn’t hold him up and so he went down with him. As he hit the ground, Noly fired three shots into Pony-Tail’s ankle, blowing it away. A scream and Pony-Tail went down hard.

  Noly scrambled to his feet, kicked Pony-Tail’s gun away and searched him for other weapons. He found none, but pulled out a wallet and cell phone. The driver’s license identified him as Paulie Shepherd, not Paul, it actually said Paulie like some movie bad guy. As Noly checked the cell phone contact list, Jo-Jo stood up and rubbed his head.

  “The guy hit me outside and dragged me in here. I’m sorry, Noly.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Are you okay?” Noly asked.

  “Yeah...” Jo-Jo just noticed the ankle. “Shit--dude’s foot is like hanging by a thread.”

  Paulie rolled over and tried to crawl his way outside. He left a trail of blood as he went. He soon realized it
was hopeless and turned onto his back to look at Noly.

  “Help me...I’m bleeding to death,” Paulie said.

  “I’ll call 9-1-1,” Jo-Jo told Noly, and pulled out his cell.

  “No calls.” Noly reached out his hand and took the phone from JJ. Turning towards Paulie, Noly made a show of pulling out Hutchinson’s Glock, checking the clip, and sliding a round into position. “This is Hutchinson’s gun; looks like you guys had a shoot-out here. You killed him...and he killed you.”

  Paulie’s eyes got big as he realized what Noly was saying. “No, I’ll tell you anything you want. I’m just doing a job.”

  “You tried to kill me twice--most men don’t get past the first time.” Noly lifted the gun. “I’m not going to let you have a third try.”

  “Please, please, don’t...” Paulie whined. “I’ll tell you all about Trainor...I killed him. Mr. Morelli put a contract out on him. Please.”

  Noly grabbed Paulie by his shirt. “What about Sarah and Kacy? Where are they?”

  “Who...I don’t know what you mean. Hutch and me...we worked for Morelli.”

  Noly shoved Paulie back, and put the gun down. He took Paulie’s belt off and wrapped it around his leg above the knee and the bleeding slowed down. Noly gave the phone back to JJ. “Here, call it in,” Noly told him. “When you’re done with 9-1-1, call the police department and ask for Jim Collins--tell him what happened, and I’m here waiting for him.”

  While JJ did his thing, Noly pulled out his own cell, called his apartment number, and waited for the answering machine to come on.

  “Confession of Paulie Shepherd to the murder of Joey Trainor,” Noly started, then handed the phone to Shepherd.

  “This is Paulie Shepherd. I killed Joey Trainor on orders from Joseph Morelli...”

  Collins arrived a few minutes after the paramedics. “Jesus, Noly--you shot the guy’s foot off.”