Thirteen to None

by Claude Bouchard

  * * * *

  “Dominique, you might want to go have a look in the shed later,” said Cathy as she entered the sunroom with a machete and an axe she had found. “There’s a bunch of fertilizers and other products which you might find useful with your chemistry background.”

  Dominique looked up from the iPad and replied, “Yes, I will go see. I would love to make a bomb to blow up these monsters.”

  “I hope you’ll wait until we get our guys out,” said Cathy.

  Dominique smiled. “Mais oui. Did you find anything else we can use?”

  “Not really,” replied Cathy. “It’s mostly gardening tools and equipment. Josée’s almost done in the garage and hasn’t found much either besides hammers and crowbars.”

  “Hopefully, Leslie and Sandy will return soon with everything we need,” said Dominique as she returned her attention to the screen.

  The camera she had been viewing from was set at the front of the garage under the roof overhang and offered a perfect view of Dave’s SUV where the two men had been sitting and drinking. Now, the vehicle was unoccupied, one of the men was strolling off toward the front of the lot while the other was nowhere in sight.

  In a panic, she scrolled from one camera to the next, searching the grounds near the garage for the missing man. Not finding him, she moved to the camera inside the garage then to the one in the gym, and gasped.

  Leslie was at the far end of the vast room, facing the wall, her back to the camera and obviously intent on what she was doing. The missing man was halfway across the room and moving in on the unsuspecting woman.

  Dominique grabbed her phone and hit the direct-dial to Leslie’s but she knew it was too late.

  * * * *

  Because of their professional relationship, Leslie was fully aware of how to access Chris’ weapon vault and had done so in the past. Entering the bathroom, she opened the breaker box behind the door and flicked a particular switch which controlled the electronic locking mechanism.

  She left the bathroom and turned to the wood panelled wall to her right on which a number of laminated photos were affixed. By pressing on the appropriate photos in a particular order, the lock would release, allowing her to slide the wall panel aside and access the vault’s contents behind it.

  As she raised a hand to press on the first photo of the sequence, her phone began to vibrate in a pocket of her cargo shorts. At the same time, a voice behind her said, “Well, look what I found.”

  Spinning around, she saw the smaller of the two men from outside standing half a dozen feet from her with a pistol in hand.

  “Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

  Glancing down at his gun, he said, “I don’t see how you’re in a position to be asking questions. Now, how about telling me who you are.”

  “I’m April,” Leslie replied. “I live next door.”

  “That’s a pretty name,” said Tops. “What are you doing here, April?”

  “The Barrys let me use their gym,” Leslie explained. “I came over to work out. Now, what are you doing here and why do you have a gun?”

  “Like I told you, I ask the questions,” Tops replied. “Now tell me, what are you really doing here?”

  “Did I speak too fast?” Leslie snapped. “I’m here to work out.”

  “Sorry, April, but I think you’re bullshitting,” said Tops. “You’re not dressed for a workout.”

  Leslie sighed. “If you must know, I usually work out in the buff. It let’s my body breathe.”

  Tops grinned as he looked her over. “Is that a fact? With that sweet body of yours, that’s something I want to see. Why don’t you strip down and start working out?”

  “Uh, no,” Leslie replied. “That’s not going to happen with you here.”

  Tops’ smile faded as he spoke. “You got that wrong, cutie. Get out of your clothes. Now.”

  “And what if I don’t?” Leslie challenged. “Are you going to try to rip them off me? I won’t let you without a fight.”

  “I can always shoot you if you don’t do what I say,” said Tops.

  “That’s a better option than stripping for you,” Leslie shot back.

  Tops smiled and said, “I’ve got an even better option than that.”

  “Sure you do,” said Leslie. “Tell me about it.”

  “No problem,” Tops replied as he pulled a phone from his pocket. “I make one quick call and in a minute, a bunch of my buddies join us. I betcha we could get you outta those clothes pretty damned quick. Ever been gang-banged, April? Here’s your chance if you wanna try or, we could just have a bit of one-on-one fun. You decide.”

  Leslie glared at him for a moment then started untying the belt of her cargo shorts as she replied, “Okay, you win, but I doubt you’ll enjoy what’s going to happen.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I will,” said Tops just before Sandy caved in the back of his skull with a twenty pound, cast iron dumbbell.

  * * * *

  “We should have everything we need here,” said Leslie as she set a second large duffel bag on the floor before closing the vault. “Where is he?”

  “He’s still down by the entrance from the road,” Sandy replied, referring to the other man who had been by the garage. “Nobody else is out there for now.”

  “So far, so good,” said Leslie. “Let’s get these downstairs.”

  They hurried down the inside staircase with the heavy duffel bags and, after making sure nobody was around, they lugged them to the rear of the garage and loaded them into the back of Chris’ SUV.

  “What about him upstairs?” asked Sandy. “Should we at least hide the body somewhere?”

  Leslie peered out the open garage door and noted that the other man was still in the same spot near the property entrance, almost one hundred yards away.

  “I say we bring the body with us,” she replied. “If they can’t find him, they won’t know he’s dead. They might assume he simply took off in Chris’ truck. The more doubts we leave these bastards with, the better.”

  They returned to the gym and dragged the body the short distance to the top of the stairs where Leslie let gravity do most of the work.

  “It’s not like this is hurting him,” she commented as the body slid and bumped on its way down.

  At the bottom, they picked the dead man up and soon had him loaded next to the duffel bags and covered with a tarp.

  Sandy closed the rear gate and, looking out in the distance, exclaimed, “Crap, the other one’s coming.”

  “We’re good,” said Leslie, gauging the distance and line of sight. “He shouldn’t notice us if we get in on your side.”

  She hurried to the passenger side and opened the door just enough to squeeze in, climbing over the centre console while Sandy piled in behind her.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Sandy whispered.

  “In a minute or two,” Leslie replied. “I want our friend to get just a little bit closer first. I’d suggest you buckle up.”

  * * * *

  Olly approached the garage and looked up toward the second floor windows, wondering if Tops was still up there.

  ‘The horny bastard is probably naked in the hot tub and jerking off,’ he thought. ‘Maybe I should go freak him out and take a pic with my phone.’

  Pleased with his plan to humiliate his colleague, he strode off with purpose, heading directly for the open garage door ahead of him. As he got closer, the engine of the Lexus LX inside the bay suddenly rumbled to life and the high beams came on, bringing him to an abrupt halt.

  “That you, Tops?” he called out, squinting in the sunlight but unable to make out the SUV’s occupant within the unlit garage.

  The only response he received was the repeated revving of the engine from twenty-five feet away.

  “Stop screwing around, Tops,” Olly warned, “Or I’ll kick your ass, you little shit.”

  With a screeching of tires and the smoke of burning rubber, the powerful SUV fired out of the garage, its engine
roaring as it accelerated and headed straight for Olly. Frozen in place by surprise and panic, the beefy outlaw simply stood there as the heavy vehicle smashed into his legs and torso, sending him flying into the air and crashing into the ground in the truck’s wake.

  His death instantaneous, he did not witness the SUV as it veered across the lawn toward the house, demolishing the motorcycle parked on the walkway near the front door before racing back onto the driveway and away to the road beyond.

  Chapter 12 – Saturday - 5:41 p.m.

  Butch stormed into the dining room and went straight at Chris, bringing his face mere inches from his captive’s.

  “Who the fuck was driving your truck?” he screamed, spittle flying. “The bastard ran over my bike.”

  Chris gazed back at him and replied, “I know it wasn’t me or my friends here. We’ve been kind of tied up all afternoon. You might want to check with the guys in your crew. They’ve been known to take stuff without permission.”

  “Don’t get smart with me, asshole,” Butch shrieked. “My bike is totalled. Completely fucking smashed.”

  “There you go,” Chris replied. “It must be one of your guys. You told me yourself they’re clumsy so they break stuff.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Butch snarled. “I don’t need to listen to your shit.”

  “All I’m saying is, my car was stolen and likely damaged,” Chris continued. “Looks like we’re both having a bad day.”

  Butch stood straight, swung his arm across his chest and backhanded Chris in the face, almost knocking him and the chair over.

  Breathing heavily, he leaned close to Chris once more and said, “I don’t want to hear about your shit and I don’t need your advice. Now, shut the fuck up or I’m gonna hurt you real bad.”

  He stepped back and rubbed his face in frustration before turning and yelling, “I want everyone in here, now!”

  Like a caged tiger, he paced back and forth with impatience as he waited, swearing under his breath, kicking a chair over and smashing a jar of relish still on the table against the wall in a burst of rage. After a couple of minutes, having regained a modicum of composure, he stopped and turned toward the group which had assembled at the entrance to the kitchen.

  “I said everybody,” he snarled as he scanned his crew. “Where’s Willy? And Tops?”

  “Nose ain’t here either,” said Shades.

  “So, where the hell is he?” Butch demanded.

  Shades shrugged. “Don’t know. He just ain’t here is all.”

  Rat cleared his throat. “Uh, last time I saw Willy was probably almost two hours ago. He was taking one of the Sea-Doos for a spin.”

  “Is the Sea-Doo back?” asked Butch.

  “I’ll go check,” Rat replied and hurried off.

  “What about Tops?” Butch repeated. “Where the hell did he go?”

  “He was out front with Olly by the garage for a while,” said Dibs. “Then I saw Olly walking across out front toward the tennis court but I don’t know where Tops went.”

  “Did you look for him?” Butch snapped. “He can’t just have disappeared, damn it.”

  “Yeah, I did look for him,” Dibs replied. “After the Lexus took off, I checked out the garage and the gym upstairs but he wasn’t there.”

  “My fucking bike is finished,” Butch growled. “Whoever ran it down is dead.”

  “Can I say something?” Chris called out.

  Butch turned and glared at Chris. “What part of shut up don’t you understand? You gonna whine about your damned car again?”

  Chris shook his head. “No. You’ve made it clear you don’t want to hear about that. I’m just trying to help you here.”

  “Alright, what do you have to say?” Butch scoffed, his tone mocking. “I’m all ears.”

  “I’m just guessing here,” Chris replied, “But did Tops have any gripes with you?”

  “Like what?” Butch demanded, eyeing Chris suspiciously. “What kind of gripes?”

  “I don’t know,” Chris continued. “You told us these guys work for you. Maybe he thought you weren’t paying him enough or something. Maybe you pissed him off somehow.”

  Dibs cleared his throat and spoke up. “Uh, there was one time when Tops told me he thought your cut was pretty deep, Butch.”

  Butch’s face darkened as he turned toward Dibs. “He was bitching about me and you never bothered to tell me about it?”

  “H-he wasn’t bitching, Butch,” Dibs replied hastily. “It was just a quick comment he made and I backed you up. I pointed out that he had a great place to stay and I explained all the shit you do to keep us organized.”

  “Little whining bastard,” Butch muttered. “When was this? When was the son of a bitch ranting about me?”

  “It was a while ago,” said Dibs. “But he wasn’t ranting and it was only once. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. It was nothing, Butch, so don’t worry about it.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Butch mimicked. “It’s not your bike the little bastard destroyed when he stole that fucking truck.”

  “And don’t forget he also killed Olly,” Dibs reminded him.

  Butch shrugged and nodded absently. “Uh, yeah, there’s that too.”

  “The Sea-Doo isn’t there,” Rat announced as he returned, “So I guess Willy didn’t come back after all.”

  Butch shook his head in disgust. “Did anyone try calling them on their phones?”

  A muttering of negative responses emanated from the crew.

  “Damn it, how useless are you guys?” Butch bellowed then pointed to three members of the gang in succession. “Call Willy, Nose and Tops, now.”

  He paced back and forth with impatience, waiting until one then the second and third shook their heads as they cut the phone connections.

  “Where the hell are they?” Butch hissed in frustration.

  Jonathan suddenly laughed from where he sat, getting everyone’s attention.

  “What so damned funny?” Butch demanded.

  “If you really want to know, here’s how I see it,” Jon replied. “To start, one of your guys goes off with a twenty thousand dollar Sea-Doo and never comes back. Then another one drives away in a ninety thousand dollar truck and disappears. You even have a third guy missing who’s probably in on this. Say they meet somewhere and load the boat into the truck. Those things weigh almost a thousand pounds which is why I’m thinking your third guy is with them. Anyhow, off they go and sell the package to some chop shop. They’re probably splitting thirty grand, maybe more, between the three of them right now.”

  “You’re full of crap, man,” said Butch with little conviction. “How would they know where to find a chop shop around here? This ain’t exactly our usual neighbourhood.”

  Jonathan laughed again before responding. “I’ll ask you a question but you don’t have to answer, okay? It’s just to make a point.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” said Butch. “What’s your damned question?”

  “Are cars part of the merchandise you deal with in your business?” Jonathan asked. “Like I said, don’t bother answering that because I don’t care. I’m just pointing out that if your boys deal with any car buyers back home, they could easily get connected with someone local, even on short notice by simply making a call or two. I’m sure you know that some of these businesses are quite, how shall I say, ‘organized’.”

  “Bastards!” Butch screamed, kicking the chair once again before turning to his crew. “I want us to go over every inch of this property just in case those three shit-heads are still around, passed out or drunk somewhere. I can’t believe they pulled a stunt like this on me. When I find them, and I will, they’re dead. Come on. Let’s go.”

  On that note, he stormed out through the kitchen and onto the terrace with his crew trailing behind him, leaving the dining room deserted save for the three captives trussed to their chairs.

  “Way to go in seeding the conspiracy theory, Jon,” Chris murmured after a moment.

 
“I was just picking up on what you started, my friend,” Jonathan replied.

  “It certainly got these idiots going and out of our faces,” said Dave. “Let’s just hope it keeps them busy for a while.”

  “Yeah, I can use a break from these guys,” Chris agreed. “Not the nicest bunch I’ve met.”

  “Yep, and we’ve met some nasty bastards,” said Jonathan. “How’s the arm doing?”

  “A bit of a sting now,” Chris replied. “It hurt like hell when he crushed that cigarette on me but it was worth it just to stare the punk down. The kid was turning green.”

  “You freaked him out, buddy,” said Jonathan, “And now I’m pretty sure we’ve convinced Butch he has defectors which should keep his mind off of us for a while.”

  “As long as those three don’t show up somewhere,” said Dave.

  “They might show up but I doubt it,” Chris replied. “The girls had two choices after I spoke to Sandy, either call the cops or deal with the situation themselves. With Leslie in the mix, my money is on number two and if I’m right, those three guys won’t be coming back.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Dave exclaimed. “This is a police matter. I know you two, and Leslie, might see things differently but I can’t believe Cathy and the others would agree to vigilante tactics. I certainly don’t.”

  “I have to agree with Chris,” said Jonathan. “Leslie wouldn’t stand back from something like this and the police would be here by now if the girls had gone that route. I don’t know what they’re doing but I can tell you Josée has done two fly-bys so far. I’d recognize the sound of that plane anywhere.”

  “I can’t argue with what you’re saying,” Dave admitted, “But our wives aren’t trained for this kind of thing. Surely, they’d realize that. They wouldn’t try to take on a bunch of thugs, right?”

  “We’re married to three intelligent ladies who have supported what we do for years,” Jonathan replied. “I know Josée wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to help me if I was in danger and I think I know Sandy and Cathy well enough to say they’d do the same. And then they have Coach Leslie.”