The Black Chip

by Gary Land

  Thornton stopped breathing as Noly’s face turned hard. He had overstepped himself. “It’s the blood--I’m not thinking clearly.”

  “Well, the wound’s not that bad. I need you to suck it up for when Morelli gets here.”

  Thornton went into a wild coughing fit. He bumped his head on the desk as he tried to scramble out of the room. Noly pushed him back under without much effort.

  “What the fuck did you do, Noly?”

  “The expression is, ‘I dropped a dime on you.’ You’re the bait,” Noly answered. “I had a picture of the chip and a copy of the printout delivered to one of Morelli’s lieutenants.”

  Thornton hung his head. “You do realize that, assuming he comes, he won’t be by himself, right?”

  “Oh, he’ll come--if he doesn’t, you’re going to deliver proof of his extra-curricular activities to the media.”

  “And you’re going to take down Morelli and the twelve guys he brings with him?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You know, you could have brought a med kit or something,” Thornton said.

  “You’re not even bleeding anymore.” Noly picked up Thornton’s gun from where he had thrown it, and tucked it behind his back. “I’m going to make a sweep of the house--I’ll be right back.”

  “What time is Morelli coming?” Thornton yelled.

  “He’ll be here at 3PM.” Noly’s voice boomed from another room.

  “How do you know that?”

  “That’s the deadline you gave him--he needs to save face, so he won’t be here before then.” Noly came strolling back into the office.

  “He’s going to kill me at 3:01,” Thornton said.

  “You’re going to have to crawl out of there, Paul. Morelli needs to see you first when he gets here.”

  “Shit. Can I at least get my gun back?”

  Noly looked deep in thought. He pulled the gun out from behind his back and handed it to Thornton. “This is just for emergencies--let me take care of things, okay?”

  “Sure, Boots.”

  Morelli was early. Must be anxious, Noly thought. The chime sounded and Noly could hear the glass patio door slide along its track. The barking outside intensified so that every dog in a two-block radius seemed to join in the howl-fest. Thornton looked nervous. Noly looked at him and nodded his head.

  “Thornton?” Morelli yelled.

  “Back here,” Thornton answered.

  Noly positioned himself on the other side of the open door. He could see three-quarters of the approach to the office from the crack in the doorway. He watched now as Morelli turned the corner, not in any hurry, like he didn’t have a care in the world. A bald, bloated, bastard in a three-thousand dollar tailored suit. And Morelli was unarmed. That was when Noly knew for sure. Sig in front of him, he stepped out from behind the door and confronted Morelli.

  “You don’t look surprised to see me, Morelli?” Noly said.

  Morelli grinned. “I’m not.”

  “Drop the gun, Boots,” Thornton said.

  “I’m really disappointed in you, Paul.” Noly’s voice sounded like sandpaper. “I don’t take betrayal lightly.”

  “I’m sorry, I really am...now drop the gun.”

  Noly did. He kicked it over to Morelli, who bent down and picked it up. Morelli then motioned for Noly to follow him. Thornton held the gun steady on Noly as he followed them out.

  They stood in the family room, which adjoined the kitchen. A slight breeze blew in through the open patio door. The dogs had stopped barking and were probably sleeping it off.

  Morelli frowned. He called out through the door, “Kevin! Joey! Where the fuck are they?”

  Noly turned and faced Thornton. “Do you know where Sarah and Kacy are?”

  “No, I don’t...but I also didn’t know about Joey until after.”

  “Don’t blame Thornton, we’re family,” Morelli said. “Blood’s thicker than water, hey?”

  “So, you put the hit out on Joey Trainor, right?” Noly turned back towards Morelli. “Because he hacked into your private little bank account?”

  “Yeah, I did--you would too if some punk tried to steal three and a half million from you.”

  “Morelli, where is Sarah and Kacy?

  “I don’t even know who the fuck they are, so I don’t give a shit,” Morelli spat.

  Noly clenched his fist and his jaw muscle seemed to be twitching. “I hold you responsible for whatever happened to them. You set this whole thing in motion when you killed Joey.”

  “Noly Boots--big shot fucking PI--you’ll be dead in a couple of minutes...Kevin!”

  “Kevin and Joey aren’t coming to the party, Morelli.”

  “Thornton,” Morelli yelled. “Kill this fucker.”

  “Hey, I told you, I’m not doing it,” Thornton said. “That’s what you brought the boys for.”

  Morelli raised the Sig and fired at Noly. Nothing happened. He fired again. Same result. The gun was empty. Thornton lowered his gun, dropped his head down to his chest, and shook it back and forth in defeat. He knew his gun was empty too.

  Noly took the gun back from Morelli and holstered it. He grabbed Morelli by his expensive jacket and threw him on the floor. He frisked him for other weapons then stood up and looked at Thornton.

  “How did you know, Noly?” Thornton asked.

  “I thought I had a reputation for being a smart guy--I guess that didn’t mean anything to you.” Noly swatted the gun out of Thornton’s hand. “That bullet hole is a little too convenient, a nice clean hole with minimal damage. Still, I give you credit for doing it.”

  “Wasn’t my idea,” Thornton growled.

  “Then Morelli shows up unarmed? Wasn’t surprised to see me.”

  “So you emptied both guns--when you did your sweep of the house,” Thornton said. “How did you know he wouldn’t come in here with Kevin and Joey, guns blazing?”

  “Because the two-dozen police and FBI agents outside had orders to only let Morelli in. He thought he had everything under control, so I knew he’d come in by himself. After all, you’re here to help him, right? Family.”

  Collins and Watanabe stood outside as Agent Braden and some Metro cops dragged Kevin and Joey into view. Both had their hands cuffed behind their backs. A uniformed Metro officer came in, handcuffed Thornton and walked him outside.

  Noly’s face twisted into something out of a nightmare as he dragged Morelli to his feet. He slammed him into the wall and slapped his forearm against Morelli’s neck, pushing his face into the wall.

  “If any harm comes to Sarah or Kacy, no jail will stop me from getting to you. Do you hear me, Morelli?” Noly roared. “You can hide in the bowels of perdition, and I’ll hunt you down and take my revenge.”

  Chapter 29

  Noly was tired and depressed. It had been the longest day and a half of his life. A time filled with worry and regrets. As much as he tried to block the negative thoughts from his mind, they kept creeping back in.

  When he walked into Sol’s Deli, the Saturday dinner crowd was already slurping down the soup of the day. Sol’s Deli looked like every other Jewish delicatessen. Tables, booths, chairs just like any other restaurant, with the addition of a long, refrigerated case displaying every meat and cheese known to man. And next to that, another case with so many pastries, cookies, and cakes your blood sugar spiked just walking by.

  Collins sat at a table against the window at the rear of the deli. He put down the menu and waved Noly over. Noly walked the length of the restaurant passing tables filled with phantom Sarah and Kacy look-alikes, struggling to come up with a plan, but he was fresh out of ideas.

  The overriding smell in the restaurant wasn’t pastrami, or corned beef, or salami, or even chopped liver--it was pickles. Sol’s served several different kinds of pickles: sweet, sour, dill, and the so-called “new” pickle, which tasted like fresh cucumber with only a slight dill flavor.

  When Noly reached Collins’ table, he wasn’t surprised t
o see a plate of pickles already there. Most restaurants served bread prior to the meal. At Sol’s, it was pickles.

  “How you holding up?” Collins asked.

  Noly sat down, looking defeated. “None of this made any difference.”

  “We’ll find them--you’ve got half this town looking, plus Metro, plus the FBI.”

  “Yeah.” Noly flipped through the book-length menu, but he didn’t have much of an appetite. The menu listed at least a hundred different recipes--Noly didn’t see how one kitchen could possibly stock enough food to serve them all.

  “I want to thank you for your help in solving this case for me...”

  Noly looked up sharply at Collins.

  “I mean the Trainor shooting, Morelli--it’s a good bust.”

  Noly slammed his fist down on the table. “How does that help me?” he demanded.

  A forty-something waitress with brown hair pulled into a tight bun approached their table and looked sheepishly at Collins as if she had done something wrong.

  “I’m sorry, honey--its okay. Listen--bring us two iced teas and two pastrami sandwiches--thanks,” Collins said.

  Noly’s cell phone rang. He flipped it open and checked the screen. The caller ID said “Unknown,” but he hit the button and answered anyway.

  “Boots.”

  “I’ve got something you want--in fact, I have two things you want,” a male voice said.

  Noly stood up so fast the waitress screamed. His chair went flying backwards as the entire restaurant turned to look at him.

  “Order the beef barley soup--it’s great,” the voice advised.

  Noly spun around looking for the source of the call. The caller had to be watching him. Collins stood up, concern on his face. The waitress scampered away.

  “If you hurt them--”

  “You’ll kill me,” Wagner said, finishing Noly’s words. “I believe you. I really do. They won’t be hurt if you do a little job for me. And I want you to understand something from the start...I didn’t know this was your wife and daughter.”

  “You didn’t--” Noly caught himself. His mind rapidly analyzed what he just heard. Sarah must have told her abductor they were married and Kacy was their daughter. For a moment, his mind drifted as he pictured that scenario. How he wished it were true.

  Noly continued to scan the restaurant looking for anything unusual. Collins picked up this clue and did the same. Several customers became alarmed and also stood, not understanding what was happening. One young mother hurried out of the restaurant pulling two children on either hand.

  “What do you want me to do?” Noly asked.

  Collins headed for the door to check outside.

  “Better stop your friend--if he goes outside the deal’s over.” Wagner said.

  “Jim!” Noly yelled. He motioned for him to return.

  Collins stopped and came back to the table. Noly held up his hand asking Jim to wait a few minutes.

  “I know your voice, don’t I?” Noly asked.

  “Yeah, we’ve crossed paths before. Look, it’s a simple job actually--Sarah had her purse in the car with her at the time she...disappeared. There’s something in that purse that I want. Unfortunately, the police are no doubt holding the purse as evidence in the Jennifer Thomas murder.”

  Noly paused. He had heard enough to remember.

  “Wagner.”

  Silence, then, “You always were quick Boots.”

  Wagner owned a strip club--this was how Glasser got his information. “Why did you take them?”

  “Well, believe me it wasn’t part of the plan. I have idiots that work for me--what can I do? Sarah and Kacy got caught up in something they shouldn’t have.”

  “Wagner--you think you know a place big enough to hide from me?” Noly’s voice was cold steel. “I’m telling you right now it doesn’t exist.”

  “Have a seat Boots--I’ll call you back in ten minutes. Tell the cop to leave. If he stays, I won’t be calling back.”

  Noly flipped his cell closed, bent down, and righted the chair he had knocked down. He sat down hard, followed by Collins who reached over and pulled the cell out of Noly’s hand. It took some effort, but Noly finally let go.

  “You were squeezing so hard, I thought you were going to crush it.” Collins flipped the phone back open and checked the caller id history. He confirmed the readout said “Unknown.”

  “You need to leave, Jim.”

  Collins looked at Noly. “I just ordered.” He smiled, but Noly was a statue. “What’s going on Noly? I’ve been giving you full access to this investigation, and now you’re shutting me out? This is bullshit--who was that on the phone?”

  Noly hesitated, but he trusted Collins. “Grady Wagner--he’s got Sarah and Kacy.”

  “How...”

  “I don’t have any details...he said it was a mistake.”

  “Wagner--Shady Grady. I know him. He has a two-inch thick folder, but he’s gotten smarter--he’s been flying under the radar for a while now.”

  “You have to leave,” Noly said. “They’re watching the restaurant. Do me a favor...”

  “Another one?”

  “Check out the latest on Wagner, all known associates, places of business...anything else you can think of.”

  While Collins ground his teeth and fumed in silence, the waitress brought their meals over and set them down. She slid Noly’s plate to him like she was handing a banana to a gorilla.

  “You better not be holding anything back on me, Noly. This is a two-way street, you know. Friend or no friend, I’m getting pissed off.”

  “I’m not holding back. He’s got Sarah and Kacy, and he wants to talk to me in private.

  Collins took his sandwich and drink to the counter and asked for a carryout. As Noly watched him, his cell phone rang. No funny tones or songs for Noly, just the default ring that comes with any cell phone. Kacy had wanted him to change it and had suggested several songs.

  He sighed. It seemed to Noly like everything in his life was now linked to Sarah and Kacy, and he didn’t want that to end.

  Noly stood and flipped open the phone, pushed the send button, and said, “Boots.”

  “Your friend didn’t look too happy.”

  “I want to talk to them.”

  “Not yet,” Wagner said.

  Noly wanted to hang up. In any other situation, he would have. Never let the bad guy think he is in control. But Noly couldn’t afford to play that game now. For the first time, Noly was emotionally involved in the outcome of a case.

  Sarah and Kacy had become his greatest weakness. But, of course, they were also his greatest strength. His fate was now irreversibly tied to the Benson girls. It would either sustain him, or destroy him.

  Karen and Beth. The memory of Woody’s wife and daughter forced its way out of that deepest corner of his mind where all the horrific thoughts were banished. Thoughts like these couldn’t survive in the light lest they drive a man insane. It almost destroyed Woody.

  History wouldn’t repeat itself. He wouldn’t let it.

  “Let me say this again,” Wagner started. “It was never my intention to take Sarah and Kacy. Joey Trainor was into me for a lot of money. He came to me with a plan to pay off his marker...”

  “Let them go, Wagner--you say it was a mistake. I’ll believe you. No harm, no foul.”

  “Yeah, well, I think we’re past that.”

  “What are you saying...they’re hurt?” Noly gripped the chair with his free hand until his knuckles turned white.

  “No...no, look, they’re a means to an end now. Joey stole three million dollars from that casino. We were partners--you do the math.”

  “Then why did you kill him?” Noly wanted to test him--see how he would respond. See if he knew about Morelli and his hit man.

  “I didn’t,” Wagner said.

  “He was killed execution style. That points to you, Wagner.”

  “I didn’t kill him. He had a plan...I believed him, and now the money’s mi
ssing, right?”

  “So, that’s what this is all about, three million dollars?” Noly asked.

  Wagner didn’t answer. Noly sat down.

  “I have three million, Wagner. I’ll pay you myself.”

  Wagner hadn’t been expecting that. He wasn’t sure what to say. “How do you...oh, yeah, I remember now. Twenty million, wasn’t it?”

  “Let’s do it now--tonight,” Noly said.

  “Banks are closed, Noly--I’m going to want cash.”

  “You know the banks don’t carry that much cash...I’ll sign a note. Have your lawyer draw something up. You’ll have your cash by the end of next week.”

  Wagner laughed. “How the hell is that going to work? You’re going to just forget the whole thing, and pay me next week, huh? And Sarah--she’s going to forget about it too. Then we have Joey. I didn’t kill him, but you know they’ll make me for it. Oh, let’s not forget Jennifer Thomas. My guy did that, so I’m good for that now too...and I want CASH, Noly. Cash.”

  Noly dropped the phone to his side. His scar throbbed. He rubbed at it absentmindedly as he closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and looked into the eyes of the waitress. She stared back, hand covering her mouth, fear gripping her face. Noly’s eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen. She didn’t know to whom Noly was talking, but she knew that person was as good as dead.

  Noly brought the phone back up. “Wagner, there’s going to come a time when you look back at this moment...and you will regret the decision you just made.”

  Wagner paused for a long moment, already regretting it. “Look, Boots, there’s a black chip in Sarah’s purse, a hundred dollar chip from the Platinum Palace. It’s a...special chip, hollow inside. Get it for me. Then we’ll make the swap.”

  Wagner gave Noly a phone number to call him back when he was ready. Noly wanted to say he already had the chip. He wanted to make the swap now, but that wasn’t the right move. Wagner might get spooked knowing Noly already had the chip, that he read it, and knew what was on it. And Noly needed some help, but not Collins. Collins had too many rules, like Miranda rights, probable cause, evidence, avoid killing bad guys.