Live Bait

by David Archer

  “Then don’t say it, Harry. I know, you’re going to tell me not to let my emotions cloud my judgment, right? Well, guess what, it’s a little late for that.”

  There was silence on the phone for a moment, and then Harry actually chuckled. “No, that’s not what I was going to say. Believe it or not, you are too much like me. Saying something like that to you right now, that would only make you mad. No, what I was going to say is that I have a message for you from Beauregard.”

  Sam leaned back against the seat and put a hand over his eyes. “What is it?”

  “He wants you to know that all of this is part of what he saw in the beginning,” Harry said. “He says to remember what he told you before, that Indie had to go along or none of you would survive. He says you will find her, and you will know what to do when the time comes.”

  “And that’s the very reason she was with me, Harry,” Sam said. “Because freaking Beauregard said so. If I had left her at home, left her at the safe house with you, she wouldn’t be in this position. Tell Beauregard I said—no, don’t say anything. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what I’m thinking, anyway.”

  He ended the call and it instantly buzzed to tell him he had received a text message. He read it, then looked at Denny and Darren. “We’re going to the Oceanside Hotel in Santa Monica, a cheap hotel where we won’t be noticed. Ron has rooms waiting for all of us. When we get there, we’ll check in and wait until we have some idea of what to do next.”

  “We’ll find her, Sam,” Darren said. “No matter what it takes, we’re going to find her.”

  Sam nodded his head. “You can bet the farm on that one,” he said. “Even Beauregard says we will.”

  “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better, Sam,” Denny said. “I know he’s supposed to be right all the time, but it sure seems to me that he gets you into an awful lot of grief.”

  “Yeah,” Darren agreed. “Too bad there isn’t a way to kill a ghost.”

  They arrived at the airport a little over an hour later and quickly gathered their gear and got onto the plane. The flight crew had been warned that there was a rush, and the attendant told everyone to get seated and belted as quick as possible for takeoff. Two minutes after the door was shut, the plane was turning onto the runway and then they were thrust back into their seats. Sam leaned back and tried to relax as the plane outran the sun to California.

  They had left the airport at Tucson at just before one o’clock. They arrived at LAX at two forty-five, and the plane taxied to the charter gate. Sam led them all to the car rental desk, where Ron had arranged several vehicles. It took about thirty minutes to get them all checked out, and then they headed for the hotel.

  * * * * *

  “Okay, I think I’ve got something,” Jade said, sitting on a bed in Sam’s room, using a laptop she carried with her. “An Arizona highway patrolman reported a number of SUVs traveling together on Interstate 10 just west of Phoenix, and one of them was driving erratically. He told his dispatcher he was pulling it over, and he was found dead beside his car twenty minutes later.”

  Sam nodded. “That’s got to be them. Of course, that means they will have changed vehicles. They wouldn’t continue to drive the same ones after that. Any auto thefts reported in that area?”

  Jade looked at him. “I already checked,” he said. “This only happened about two hours ago, so it’s possible they’ve not been discovered yet.”

  Sam was sitting on the other end of the bed, leaning against the wall. He had just showered and changed, wearing his own clothing instead of the Windlass uniforms. “Well, then maybe we know something Heinrich doesn’t realize we know. If they were on I-10, then I’d say there’s a very good chance they really are headed this direction. That means we are in the right place, anyway.” He let out a sigh. “Jade, go on to your room. Let me know if you come across anything else, but I just need to think for a bit.”

  She picked up the computer and walked out without another word, and then Sam looked over at Darren. “All we can do now is wait,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Darren said, sitting on the other bed with Denny. “Although, if only we had some idea what they might be driving, we could have a chance to spot them coming into the city.”

  “Boss?” Denny asked when Sam said nothing. “Are you doing okay?”

  Sam looked over at him. “Not really,” he said. “But I’m holding it together. I have to, right? Why do you ask?”

  Denny rolled his eyes. “Well,” he said. “I just thought maybe since your wife has been taken hostage by an international terrorist, you might be a wee bit over-stressed.”

  Sam gave him a weak grin. “I know,” he said. “What’s killing me is that if Heinrich decides to kill her before we get to him, the only thing I’d be able to do about it is kill him. On the other hand, if she’s still alive when we get there, I intend to do whatever it takes to keep her that way.”

  Denny frowned. “Sam, we are your friends. If you need to let it out, believe me, mate, we’re the ones who are going to understand.”

  Darren nodded. “He’s right, Sam. It would be a lot better to get through the emotional breakdown before we get into the middle of—of whatever’s going to happen. You can let your guard down with us, and it’ll never leave this room.”

  “I appreciate it, guys,” Sam said, “but I’m not ready to give up just yet. Sure, I’m worried, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I just can’t give in to the grief, though, because that would be like saying she’s dead already. As long as I don’t know for certain that she is, I’ve got to cling to the hope that she’s alive and I can keep her that way.”

  Darren looked at Denny and shrugged. “Sam’s right,” he said. “We’ve got to keep thinking positively, that we’re going to get her back safe and sound. That’s the only hope we have of getting through this without losing our minds.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Denny said. “I just hate seeing him sitting there looking like that. Makes me wish there was something I could do right now, you know? Something to help.”

  “I’m going to need both of you to help me,” Sam said. “Denny, you most of all.” He sat up suddenly. “Sooner or later, Heinrich is going to call. When he does, he’s going to tell me where I can meet him, and I need all the backup I can get. I want you to go get Rob, tell him to get all of his people ready. As soon as I have a location, they’re going to need to get into place before I ever get there. Tell him I want his best snipers, and I want them ready to fire on a split second’s notice. Then tell him to give you one of those long rifles, because I know you’re just about as good as anyone he’s got.”

  Denny perked up and got to his feet. “On the way, Sam,” he said. “I'll be back in a moment.”

  “Darren, I want you and Steve to work with the girls. Once we know where the trap is supposed to happen, I want everybody as close as possible to that location. Heinrich never saw the girls, so they can get closer than anyone else. You and Steve hang back, but be ready when the shooting starts. And send Reese in, I want to talk to him.”

  “You got it, Sam,” Darren said. He got up and left the room right behind Denny.

  Evan Reese tapped on the door a moment later, and Sam called out for him to enter. He stepped inside nervously and then took one of the chairs at the table in the room. “They said you want to talk to me?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Sam said. “I want you to give me your take on this situation. You know Heinrich better than any of us, what do you think he’s going to do?”

  “Well, that’s pretty obvious, I think,” Reese said. “Like that other guy said, he’s going to use your wife as bait for a trap. He’s going to want you to come to him, all alone, and there’s no doubt in my mind he plans to kill you, Sam.”

  “Yes, yes, I know all that,” Sam said. “What I want you to tell me is how he’s likely to do it. What kind of place is he likely to choose, for instance? Someplace public? Private? Come on, Reese, you’ve known the man for years, right? I need you
to help me figure out what he’s going to do, so I can be at least half a step ahead of him.”

  Reese looked down at the floor and scratched his head. “Look, it’s not like the guy and I were fishing buddies, okay? We didn’t hang out together, we weren’t exactly friends. If you want me to guess, I can try, but that’s the best I can get you.”

  “Then guess,” Sam said. “Think the way he does, think the way you know him. If you were going to set up a trap like this for me, and you were Heinrich Wegner, how would you do it?”

  Reese closed his eyes, his face still pointing toward the floor. He sat like that for a moment, then opened his eyes and looked at Sam.

  “Heinrich likes to put on a show,” he said. “He’ll choose a place that’s somewhat public, but not overly so. I’m thinking someplace like a bar, maybe a nightclub. That’s another thing, it’ll happen at night. He’ll want the cover of darkness when it’s over, so it’s not going to happen until after the sun goes down.”

  “Okay, that’s good, you’re giving me something. What else you got?”

  “I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” Reese said. He sat quietly again for another moment, and then a grin stole over his face. “He wants revenge for his sister’s kid, right? He can’t get that if somebody else kills you, so all of his people will be told that you’re off-limits. Wherever he sets up the meeting, he’ll have plenty of people around to make sure you don’t get away, but they won’t be allowed to actually shoot you. He’ll want that pleasure himself, and he happens to be the kind of guy who likes to see somebody suffer. If he gets the chance, you can expect a gut shot. He’ll want to watch you die slowly, not quick and easy.”

  Sam nodded. “Go on,” he said. “What else?”

  Reese stared at him for several seconds, then shrugged. “I’m afraid that’s it, Sam,” he said. “I can’t think of anything… No, wait. There’s one more thing. I only know of one other case where Heinrich went after somebody in particular, but the thing that makes it stand out in my memory is the fact that he shot the guy in a restaurant. The place wasn’t really crowded, but people started screaming and running, trying to get out.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “None of them got out alive. He had people waiting outside to gun them down as they ran.”

  A shiver ran down Sam’s spine. “Well, that sucks,” he said. “So he doesn’t like to leave witnesses?”

  Shrugging, Reese nodded. “That’s how I see it. It’s the only reason I can figure why he killed all those people that weren’t even connected to the guy he was after.”

  The door opened again and Denny stepped inside, followed by Rob Feinstein. “Sam, Rob had an idea,” Denny said. “It sounded good to me, but I thought he should tell you himself.”

  Sam looked up at the big man. “What is it, Rob?”

  “Couple of things,” Rob said. “First off, I wanted to give you this.” He held out a very small walkie-talkie. “I have enough of these to go around, so I’m giving it to everybody on the team. They’re all on one channel, so when you know what the plan is, you can tell us all at once.”

  Sam took it and looked it over, then set it on the bed beside him. “Good idea,” he said. “And the second thing?”

  Rob grinned at him. “I was just thinking,” he said. “If Heinrich sets up a meeting, it’s a safe bet you’re going to be patted down, stripped of any weapons, right?”

  “Undoubtedly,” Sam said.

  “Well, what if you had a weapon they wouldn’t recognize?”

  Sam looked at him, his eyes narrowing. “What have you got in mind, Rob?”

  Rob reached into a pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He tossed it onto the bed beside Sam.

  “A cigarette?” Sam asked. “I know they’re deadly, but somehow I don’t see them as much of a defensive weapon.”

  Rob chuckled. “Ordinarily, I would agree with you. These, though, they’re a little different. Q came up with these, and all of my people carry them. They’re for the last resort emergency, but they’re surprisingly effective. All you do is light one, then count seven seconds. When you light it, an electronic heat sensor buried inside it starts the timer. The bottom half of the cigarette contains a thin, twenty-two caliber gun barrel with a single shot. At exactly seven seconds, the round fires. All you got to do is keep a tight grip on the cigarette and make sure it’s pointed straight at your enemy’s face.”

  Sam looked at the pack and picked it up. “How do I know which one?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Rob said. “They’re all loaded. You usually only get one shot, but if it’s the one that counts…”

  “Then it’s the one that counts,” Sam said. “Thanks, Rob. I guess I can ask him for a last cigarette, right?”

  Rob chuckled again. “That’s exactly why Q designed them that way. He said he got the idea out of an old James Bond movie.”

  “Yeah, I think I saw that one.” He opened the pack and took out one of the cigarettes, then handed it to Rob. “Needs to look like I’ve already been smoking them, right?”

  “Yeah, good idea,” Rob said. He dropped the single cigarette into his pocket, tossed Sam a lighter and left the room. Sam picked up the lighter and put it and the cigarettes on his nightstand.

  “That’s a hell of an idea,” Reese said. “Of course, if you manage to kill him, you will still have to get past all his people who will be waiting outside. It’s a safe bet they’ll be told not to let you leave the place alive if anything happens to Heinrich.”

  “That’s why I’m trying to get out in front of him,” Sam said. “I need to figure out ahead of time what he’s going to be doing, so I can have measures in place to counter it.”

  Reese nodded. “Well, I told you everything I can think of. I'll say that I wish you luck.” He grinned. “For a guy who kidnapped me, you’re pretty much all right, Sam.”

  “And you’re not so bad for a scumbag,” Sam said, shooting him a grin in return. “Don’t waste the chance you’re getting, Mr. Reese. A whole new identity, a new life. Make it worthwhile, will you?”

  “I intend to, Sam. No more games, no more international deals. All I want to do is live my life from here on out.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  It was getting late. Sam had sent a couple of Rob’s men out to bring back dinner earlier in the evening, and everyone had already eaten. Rob and the rest of his people were sitting in their vehicles outside, ready for Sam to give them a location. Now all he had to do was wait for Heinrich’s call, and that was proving to be the hardest part of the job as far as Sam was concerned.

  The sun had been down for half an hour, but no call had come. Sam was pacing around the hotel room, trying to keep himself from panicking. The longer he waited, the more he worried that Indie might already be dead, that a different call would come anytime to tell him that her body had been found.

  No! No, I can’t think like that, he told himself. She’s alive, she has to be.

  He looked at his phone again to check the time, and nearly jumped out of his skin when it suddenly rang. The caller ID said RESTRICTED, and he answered it instantly.

  “Prichard,” he said.

  “Sam?” It was Indie’s voice that came through the phone, and she sounded shaken. “I’m sorry, Sam, they were hidden somewhere, and they caught me completely off guard. Sam, I’m so sorry…”

  “Hello again, Mr. Prichard,” Sam heard, and he recognized the voice as Heinrich’s. “I had planned on taking one of your people, having learned that you are such a conscientious man that you could never resist trying to rescue someone. Imagine my delighted surprise when the one we took turned out to be your wife.”

  “What do you want, Heinrich?” Sam asked. “Just tell me what it will take to get her back, and I'll do it. What do you want?”

  “Do you really think it will be that simple? Do you honestly think that you can save her, Mr. Prichard? You asked me what I want; what I want is vengeance, justice. Mitchell was very important to me, and he was only twenty-three. It seems
like only days ago that he was climbing up on my lap when I visited, and I was reading him stories. How dare you take him from me the way you did?”

  “I told you, Heinrich,” Sam said. “First, I didn’t know he was related to you in any way, and second, he was shooting at me. I was simply doing my job, and that required returning fire in self-defense. There was nothing personal about it.”

  “Really?” Heinrich asked. “And will it feel like a personal insult to you, Sam Prichard, when I put a bullet to the head of your pretty, young wife?”

  Sam suddenly felt the fear rising in him again, and forced it down. “Look, Heinrich, it’s me you want, not her. We both know what this is about, it’s about you getting the chance to kill me, yourself. How about we stop playing games and do this man to man? We can do it like a duel, the old-fashioned way, where only one of us ends up leaving alive. Isn’t that what you really want?”

  Heinrich laughed. “At last, you are beginning to understand,” he said. “Yes, we need to do this man to man, face-to-face, and we need to do it very soon. I want to see your face, Sam Prichard, as I kill your wife right in front of you. I want to see the pain and grief in your face as the person you love most in the world is taken away forever, laying dead at your feet. Then, and only then, will I offer you the peace that comes in death.”

  “Just tell me when and where,” Sam said. “You can name the place and the time, and I'll be there. I just want you to remember one thing, though: only one of us is going to walk out of this meeting alive, and it will not be you. I intend to leave you laying dead on the floor, and walk out of there with Indie alive and well right beside me.”

  Heinrich snarled through the phone. “We shall see, Mr. Prichard, we shall see. I am sitting in a nightclub, a place called The Fisherman’s Net. I have several of my own men surrounding the place, so sending the police would be rather foolish. I assure you, my men could handle any police response, and your wife would die before they ever got here. My men will wait outside, of course, to make certain you bring no weapons with you. Come as soon as you can, you will find me sitting here with your wife beside me. You can join us, have a drink or two, and try your best to convince me not to kill her. You may even be successful, if you really try. I am not an unreasonable man, and there are certainly ways that someone like you could be of benefit to me. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement that will allow you to continue living, both of you.”