by Gary Land
When they got back to the table, Kacy looked down at Sarah’s plate, but there was nothing there. She looked at Noly and Sarah, but they were both just smiling at her. Then she looked at her plate and saw the box. A small, black box tied with a pink ribbon. Sitting on the table in front of her chair. She didn’t understand.
“Look, honey,” Sarah said. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse, and showed Kacy the gold necklace.
“Noly gave it to me back at the apartment when you were getting dressed.”
“You thought we were going to fool your mom,” Noly said, “but we really fooled you. It’s the old double-backwards fool-around trick.”
Kacy laughed.
“It’s for you, Kacy. Open it,” Noly said.
She picked up the box, giggled, opened it, and pulled out a sterling silver heart on a pink leather cord. She undid the clasp and put it around her neck then closed the clasp.
Kacy looked up at her mom and smiled.
“It’s beautiful, honey,” Sarah said.
“Thank you, Noly.” Kacy stood up and hugged him for several seconds.
“You’re lucky,” Mandy said. “You have two parents that really love you.”
“I guess I am, but...” Kacy sighed. “Noly is not really my father. My real father...he abandoned me when I was just a baby.”
“Oh, I guess we have a lot in common then. Except, my mom is dead--I’ve been on my own for awhile now.”
“When Noly comes for me, you can come with us. He can help you get a place to live and a job--a real job.”
“Maybe--thanks.” Mandy smiled. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”
Chapter 33
Monday morning brought more headaches for Wagner and a sense of dread that wouldn’t go away. He almost died yesterday. Not something he could easily throw off. Killing Noly should have been easy, but he had underestimated him. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The only choice left was to pack and run.
“The money’s gone,” Wagner said. Head in his hands, he looked defeated. “Boots must have known about the chip.”
Wagner sat at his desk in the V-store warehouse. The phone lay on the floor where he had thrown it. He leaned forward in his chair and picked up the black chip, rolled it in his fingers. Opening the seal one more time, he stared at the microchip thinking what might have been. Then he chucked the whole thing into the trash.
“We kill him, the girl and her mother, they got no witnesses,” Finnegan said.
Wagner laughed. “Oh, well, that sounds easy enough.”
“When did you turn into a pussy, Wagner?” Finnegan asked.
“When Noly Boots got involved.” Wagner stood up, ready to leave. “In fact, I’ll give anyone 100-1 odds right now that you survive the week.”
Finnegan just laughed. “Where we going now?”
“Call the chopper--tell him to get over here. I’ll decide when we’re in the air.”
#
A passing off-duty Metro officer spotted a Bell-407 helicopter in an isolated location at the DOT facility. He called it in as suspicious to Sergeant Perez, the dispatcher on duty. Perez had just started his shift. By the time he worked his way through the duty logs and bulletins, handled active calls, and read the APB, he didn’t notify Collins for thirty minutes.
Collins called Noly who called Woody at home. They all scrambled and agreed to meet at the DOT facility. Woody sent his Huey ahead with orders to stop or follow the Bell as needed.
Fifteen minutes later, Woody’s UH-1N Huey circled around and approached with the sun at its back. It would be tough for the Bell to spot until it was right on top of it. “Colonel Baybell, this is Huey One, we have the 407 in sight. It’s rotors are moving, looks like they’re bugging out.”
“Huey, Baybell--delay 407, don’t let them leave.”
Like a bird of prey, the Huey went into a steep dive. It swooped down on the Bell hoping to force it back down. The Bell pilot panicked. He rolled hard to the left, then right and left again, trying to evade the Huey. It flailed wildly like a fish on a hook. It gained altitude as it tried to distance itself from the Huey.
Noly and Sarah screeched around the corner in the Escalade just as the Bell’s skids lifted off the ground. Woody was close behind them in his Jeep. Based on additional information discovered by Jerome Glasser, Collins headed towards the V-store. He sent a backup to meet Noly at the DOT site.
Noly and Sarah stood outside the car and watched helplessly as events unfolded in the air. He heard Woody yelling into his radio.
“Back off--back off. Give it room.”
Shots rang out from the Bell peppering the Huey cockpit. The Huey returned fire, but the Bell maneuvered out of the way, flinging the occupants of the cabin into each other.
“Hold fire, hold fire. You are not authorized for engagement,” Woody yelled into his radio.
The Huey sputtered. Smoke simultaneously wafted out of the fuselage and the engine. The pilot struggled to maintain pitch as the engine coughed again.
Noly had briefly looked towards the Huey. If the engine failed completely, he knew they could autorotate safely to the ground. That wasn’t his concern. He turned back towards the Bell and he felt as if the ground fell out from beneath him. He suddenly couldn’t breathe. He felt Sarah’s hand seize his arm in a death grip. They were both looking up at a body clinging to the skids outside the cabin of the Bell 407, legs swinging wildly from side to side. Sunlight glistened off silky, auburn hair. A hand slipped. Only one hand held on now, five small fingers separating life and almost certain death.
“Kacy.” It was an agonized moan from Sarah.
A hand came out of the cabin and reached out to help, but it was too late. As the helicopter pulled up sharply and rolled to the left, the force of the move caused the hand to lose its grip and fall. The body went tumbling into the void, screaming as it fell to the blacktopped parking lot below.
She hit the pavement hard, but the screaming didn’t stop. Noly took a moment to realize that Sarah was still screaming behind him as he ran towards Kacy. She was over a hundred yards away, but Noly ran full out, as if his life depended on getting to her in time. If he could only reach her while she was still alive, he could save her. He had saved her once--he would do it again. But in the back of his mind, he knew that was just a fantasy. No one could survive a drop like that.
The Bell hovered for a few seconds then pitched forward and rapidly flew away. The Huey still sputtered as it landed hard near the DOT parking lot.
After what seemed liked an eternity, Noly skidded to a halt in front of the body, and dropped to his knees, breathing hard. He knew immediately. The body was too tall. This wasn’t Kacy. He looked up at the receding Bell, marked its direction, and called Collins with an update.
The body lay on its back, hair matted against what was left of the face. Noly gently pushed her hair off to the side. Blood pooled under her head. Who was she? Her back, her ribs, were shattered. She looked like a deflated doll. With that hair, she looked like an older version of Kacy. This beautiful young girl lay dead at his feet, but all Noly could think was to thank God that it wasn’t Kacy.
Noly heard footsteps running towards him. He spun around expecting to see Sarah, but it was Woody. Badly winded. Age catches up to everyone, Noly thought.
“It’s not Kacy,” Noly said.
Woody looked both relieved that it wasn’t Kacy, and distressed at the thought of someone else’s daughter lying on the ground.
“You need to get back to Sarah, she’s almost catatonic,” Woody said.
Noly hurried to Sarah’s side. She lay slumped in the back seat of Woody’s command jeep. Noly touched Sarah’s face, but she didn’t react.
“Sarah, it’s not Kacy. It’s not Kacy,” Noly said urgently.
There was no response. She didn’t hear him, or maybe she couldn’t. Maybe she couldn’t handle what she thought was reality, so she burrowed into a safe place in her mind. Noly had seen this before, an
d he was scared. He knew some people never did find their way back, always afraid to poke their head out of the hole.
“Noly, let’s get her to the hospital,” Woody said.
“No--drive us over to...please.”
Woody pulled in front of the body, put the Jeep in park, and turned off the ignition. Noly stepped out, then guided Sarah out of the back seat towards the girl. He softly pushed Sarah down to her knees so that she was facing the girl.
“Sarah...Kacy is still alive,” he said gently. “Look at the face. It’s not Kacy.” He angled Sarah’s face so she was looking directly at the girl, but there was still no response.
Noly’s hand went to his scar. He closed his eyes and tried to rub the pain away. He looked up at Woody. “Alright, let’s call an ambulance.”
“Kacy.” A whisper. From Sarah.
“Sarah. Look at her. Please. It’s not Kacy,” Noly yelled.
Sarah kept repeating Kacy’s name in a soft voice, almost caressing the word as she spoke. Tears filled her eyes.
“Kacy’s alive, Sarah. She’s alive.” Noly grabbed her shoulders. “She needs you. She needs our help. Sarah! She’s waiting for you. You have to help Kacy.”
Noly must have hit on the right combination of words. Something raw and innate worked its way into Sarah’s mind--the desire to protect Kacy, to help her, to lay down her life for her daughter.
Sarah’s eyes focused on the girl in front of her. The tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “Mandy.”
She buried her face into Noly’s shoulder. “Her name is...was Mandy--she worked for Wagner. She was nice to us, to Kacy.”
Then Sarah couldn’t control it any longer. She sobbed hysterically. Whether it was for Mandy, or Kacy, or herself, Noly couldn’t be sure. She had been through a terrible ordeal, but it wasn’t over for her. She was safe. She was free. But as long as Kacy was in danger, it would never really be over.
#
Kacy and Mandy bounced around the cabin of the helicopter while Finnegan and Wagner sat in their rear-facing seats comfortably belted in place. The two girls held hands and tried to stabilize themselves with their free hands against opposite bulkheads. The copter swung wildly from side to side and then, without warning, Mandy’s hand left hers, and Kacy screamed as she saw Mandy tumble out the open doorway.
Kacy slammed herself to the floor and inched her way to the opening, afraid of what she might fine. Amazingly, Mandy had caught hold of the skids and held them with a death-grip. Then one hand slipped.
Kacy reached her hand out to Mandy yelling at her to grab hold. The helicopter rolled to the side and then Mandy was gone. If Wagner hadn’t grabbed Kacy’s leg, she would have fallen too. Mandy’s scream echoed in Kacy’s ears as she watched Mandy fall. Kacy couldn’t watch the final impact. She crawled back into a safe corner and buried her hands in her face. Poor Mandy.
Through red-rimmed eyes, Kacy glared at Finnegan and Wagner. Then she screamed at them. “You could have saved her! You’re...cowards.”
What had happened to her reality? This life she now led wasn’t the fair and safe one she had taken for granted. Her shoulders jerked up and down as she sobbed into her hands. As the copter hovered for a moment, Kacy lowered her hands and snatched a glimpse of her mom and Noly standing so far below. Noly had almost done it. He wouldn’t stop coming for her. That was real, that was a constant. Noly would come for her, and then she would be safe.
#
Noly drove Sarah to the hospital. He wanted to question her some more on Wagner and what she might have heard, but she was still too close to a breakdown, and Noly had to tread lightly.
Sarah told him about the strip club and about Jennifer. She told him about Finnegan and started shaking. “Where are they going to take her? What are they going to do now?”
“They’re going to regroup and get out of town,” Noly replied.
A nurse and an orderly arrived with a wheelchair. Collins called ahead and told them to expect Sarah and Noly, and to keep Sarah in a private room. He would send a police guard over to watch and protect her.
“Sarah, I have to go. I have to meet Collins at the Strip club,” Noly said.
He turned to leave and Sarah let loose all her pent-up anger, misdirected as it was. She shook with rage as she screamed at Noly.
“How could you let them take her? She counted on you and you just stood there while that pervert dragged her out of the warehouse.” She pounded both fists against Noly’s chest.
Noly held her arms and softly said, “He would have killed her, Sarah.”
Noly released her arms and backed away. He stared into Sarah’s face and wondered if he had lost her. He took a deep breath, turned, and walked away. He didn’t want to leave her, but Kacy was his first priority, and no one knew that better than Sarah.
The orderly gently put his arm on Sarah’s back and tried to guide her into the wheelchair, but she pulled away and ran after Noly. She called his name, and as he turned to see her, she threw herself into his arms and apologized.
“I’m sorry.” With red-rimmed eyes, she looked up at Noly and said, “Please bring her back to me. She’s waiting for you. She said you would come for us and you did.” Sarah was crying again. “She’s my baby, she’s everything...I can’t make it without her.”
Noly hugged her. “I’ll find her...I promise.”
Sarah pulled Noly down and whispered in his ear. “I want you to kill those bastards.”
Noly stood up, fists balled at his side and told her, “No Mercy.”
#
Noly stood in the center of the room and slowly turned in a circle. Collins leaned against the doorjamb and flipped through a notepad.
“Not much here, Noly. We interviewed a couple of strippers. They didn’t see anything themselves, but they said Mandy told them about Sarah and Kacy, so they were definitely here. We think in this room.”
“Why didn’t they find this out yesterday?” Noly demanded.
“It’s a big place. We’ve been going room by room--most of the strippers are gone Sunday night. “This room has been partially cleaned--professional job. The dresser, the floor. Lab guys can detect the cleaning solvents used. I’m guessing they cleaned up after Jennifer Thomas...I need to interview Sarah about this.”
“She can’t talk now. If she knew anything to help Kacy, you can be damn sure she would have told me,” Noly said.
“Well maybe she doesn’t know she knows something.” Collins was mad. “Come on, Noly. You know we need to talk to her.”
Noly didn’t answer. Instead, he walked towards the far corner of the room and went to one knee. He leaned in to the wall.
“What is it?” Collins asked, moving further into the room.
Noly put his finger out and touched the wall. “Blood--in the shape of a boot.”
“What?”
“Kacy has a rubber stamp in the shape of a boot. She gave me one, because of my name. She thought it was funny.” Noly’s shoulders slumped.
Collins walked over to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder.
“This is her blood, Jim. Her blood!” he yelled.
“She’s still alive. You know that. And this...this stamp, she was telling you she’s okay...she also left us evidence of a crime--that’s a pretty smart thing to do for a kid.”
#
Wagner’s 407 set down in an isolated spot close to Boulder City Municipal Airport. Finnegan went off to steal a car and drove back in forty minutes to pick up Kacy and Wagner.
Before Finnegan returned, Wagner’s phone chirped. He stood outside the copter and kept watch on Kacy, still huddled into a corner of the rear compartment. The phone displayed a blocked ID. Only a few people had his private cell number, and none of them had blocked their number. After a moment, he decided to answer.
“Who is this?”
“My name is Otto van Leesle, Jr. -- but please call me Junior.”
“van Leesle--yeah, I know you. What do you want?”
“I
have a proposition for you.”
Wagner sat down on what was left of a stone wall.
“I understand you have Sarah and Kacy Benson as...guests of yours. The wife and daughter of Noly Boots. Is this correct?”
Wagner confirmed nothing. “Where are you getting your information from?”
“Does it matter? You obviously have a leak within your organization. I have found that if you put enough money on the street, well...”
Wagner interrupted him. “What’s your proposition?”
“I wish to acquire these assets from you,” Junior said.
“I...I no longer have Sarah.”
“You still have the girl?” Junior asked anxiously.
“Yes.”
“Ah, wonderful. I hear she is quite attractive.”
“Yes, she is,” Wagner said, then quickly added, “she’s only twelve, van Leesle.”
“Excellent. The people she will end up with prefer them on the young side.”
“What’s this all about?” Wagner asked.
Junior paused for a moment, thinking of the right word.
“Revenge. I wish to destroy Noly Boots. Soon, I will have all his money and assets, and with your help, I will have his only daughter. And I will taunt him with that knowledge. And the knowledge of what my friends in Singapore will be doing to the lovely Kacy Benson. Or perhaps the Middle East. Hmm, I could hold an auction.”
Wagner actually thought about hanging up, but he couldn’t say no to the money, not after what had already happened.
He knew van Leesle mostly from news reports. When the old man died, his estate had been valued at over two hundred and twenty million dollars. The daughter was crazy--that meant Junior had control over all of it. Wagner learned a long time ago that when someone wanted to buy something he owned it was better to start the asking price at a ridiculously high, arbitrary amount. Negotiate down, not up.