Chance Reddick Box Set 1

by David Archer

  “Mr. Baldizon, please.”

  “Who’s calling?” replied a soft, feminine voice.

  “Tell him it’s Felipe,” he had answered, using the name of one of the men who had tried without success to snuff out his life.

  “One moment, please.”

  Within seconds the man came on the line. “Did you get him?”

  “I’m going to make this real short, Baldizon, so don’t interrupt because in exactly one minute I’m going to hang up.” Chance’s voice expressed all the anger he felt over his having to leave Gabriella.

  “Who the hell is this?” retorted Baldizon.

  “This is Chance Reddick, and I’ve got two messages for you. First, those clowns you sent after me are all dead, and if you send any more, the same thing will happen to them. Second, I’m not sure what was really happening, but I have reason to believe that Benito Morales was never the one who stole your money. I think you need to look closer to home for the real culprit, but I can guarantee you that Gabriella Morales not only doesn’t have the money, she doesn’t know anything about it at all. And that’s why you’re going to leave her alone, because if anything happens to her, I’ll be coming for you. Mr. Baldizon, if there’s one thing you know about me, it’s that I don’t make threats lightly.”

  Chance was about to hang up, but Baldizon’s voice came through the phone. “Wait, wait,” he shouted. “Mr. Reddick, speak with me, please.”

  Chance put the phone back to his ear. He didn’t know how long it actually took to trace a call, but he figured he was far enough away from Silver Bell that it would be difficult for Baldizon to have anyone get to him before he could disappear.

  “What?”

  “Mr. Reddick, I have no idea what you’re talking about. What is this about Benito Morales? Benito was my friend, until he died two years ago. I know nothing about him stealing any money.”

  Chance heard what he said, but couldn’t believe he was hearing it. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Oscar Reyes showed me a photograph of Benito and his family and said that Benito stole money from you. According to him, Benito would never tell you where he hid the money, so you beat him to death. He told me that Benito’s widow, Gabriella, had the money, so he sent me to find Gabriella Morales and try to find where she had it hidden. If I could find the money, he said you promised me half a million dollars; if I couldn’t find it, I was supposed to kill Gabriella.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and then Baldizon came back. “This is the truth, what you’re telling me? Because, Mr. Reddick, Oscar told me that you had decided you were not able to take the employment I offered you. He said that you took my money and ran away, and that he was looking for you.”

  Chance chuckled. “Well, sounds like you and I are both being played. Are you telling me that you never suspected Benito of stealing three million dollars from you?”

  “Of course not,” Baldizon said. “Benito was my dearest friend. He would never have stolen from me, because I would have willingly given him whatever he needed. When he chose to retire, he needed money to buy some land. I gave it to him, freely, as a gift.”

  “Okay, this is not making a lot of sense. If there was never any missing money, why would Oscar want me to go out there and kill this woman? He said it was so that people would know that stealing from you was always going to invite some angel of death to come for them.”

  “You are right, this makes no sense. I would never want any harm to come to Gabriella. And you say Oscar told you to go and kill her?”

  “He gave me a photograph of her and her children, with Benito. He said Benito stole three million dollars from you, and that you wanted the money back, or you wanted her dead as a lesson to everybody else. I went to Nevada and found her right where he said she’d be, but I also found that she didn’t know anything about any missing millions. I’m not sure what kind of game he’s trying to play, but I’ll be honest and tell you I don’t like being a pawn.”

  “Of course not, Mr. Reddick. And I would never ask you to kill a young woman, even if she did steal from me.” He hesitated for a moment. “Mr. Reddick, where are you?”

  “I’m not ready to tell you that,” Chance said. “I just dealt with a whole quartet of cartel boys who wanted to kill me, and I’m not a bit happy about that. If you didn’t send them, then Oscar did. Any idea where I can find him?”

  “You see, Mr. Reddick, this is why I want to speak to you in person. A few weeks ago, Oscar chose to leave my employment. He is now working with one of my rivals, within the cartel. I do not know where the story of this missing money came from, nor do I know why he would want Gabriella to be dead, but I now suspect that there may be something she knows that he does not wish me to learn. You have been set up, Mr. Reddick. And apparently, so have I.”

  “Yeah, sort of sounds that way, doesn’t it? The question is, what do we do about it?”

  “But that should be obvious,” Baldizon said. “Come back to me, Mr. Reddick, and I will allow you to deal with Oscar. I have many men who will help you to do this.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Chance said. “You know what I figured out? It wasn’t the fact that I killed those guys that got me all worked up that night. It was the fact that they dared to kill my sister, and thought they could get away with it. It was the fact that I delivered justice to them, that’s what got me so excited. I don’t think killing for a living is really for me, Mr. Baldizon. I think it was more about serving up justice than anything else.”

  “Very well,” Baldizon said. “Then come to me and we will deliver justice to Oscar for what he has done. Afterward, if you wish, you and I will part as friends. Neither of us will be indebted to the other for anything. Is this agreeable?”

  Chance thought about it for several seconds, then began nodding into the phone. “It’s agreeable,” he said. “I’ll let you know when I’m back in town.”

  He had hung up the phone, then turned and walked away. He got into the car he had bought and started driving toward Kentucky.

  None of this is making sense, he thought. What possible reason could Oscar have for wanting Gabriella dead? Why come up with this elaborate story about Benito Morales stealing three million dollars? Obviously, it was Oscar who wanted the woman to be killed, and the more I think about it, the more reason I have to think Baldizon is right. Gabriella must know something that Oscar wants kept quiet, but for some reason he doesn’t want to go near her himself.

  A dozen different scenarios went through his mind as he drove, but none of them seemed to add up. The biggest problem, as Chance saw it, was that Oscar might send more of his goons to the ranch after Chance, but there was no telling what they might do when they got there. Gabriella and the boys would be on their own, and Chance couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to them.

  He took out his cell phone and dialed Gabriella’s number. His heart started to race when it rang four times, then five times, but finally she picked up.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Gabriella, it’s me,” Chance said. “I just had an interesting conversation with my old friend Mr. Baldizon. It seems that he was never behind the orders to harm you, and he never believed that Benito stole any money from him. It’s been Oscar behind this the whole time.”

  “Oscar? But, Oscar and Benito were very close. Chance, the boys used to call him Uncle Oscar. There’s no reason in the world he would want me dead, at least, not one that I could imagine.”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Chance said. “Baldizon figures there must be something you know that Oscar doesn’t want him to find out. Would you have any idea what that might be?”

  “Not a clue. Chance, I never knew Mr. Baldizon. I can’t think of anything Benito ever said that would be important.”

  Chance let out a sigh. “Well, keep thinking about it. Baldizon has asked me to come back to Kentucky, to see what I can do about Oscar. He and I have an agreement, that if I take care of Oscar for
him, then he and I are finished. That means no more having to look over our shoulders, so we can be free to be together.”

  He could hear the happy smile she was wearing in her voice. “Chance, that’s all I want. I want to be with you, for the rest of my life.”

  An idea suddenly occurred to Chance. “Gabriella,” he said. “You said that Benito bought the ranch with money that he already had put away. Baldizon told me that he gave Benito money to buy it. How much did it actually cost?”

  “Well, the land with the house and the barn and everything, Benito paid a little over two hundred thousand dollars for it all. But, Chance, I went through all of the financial records. That money came out of his personal bank account, and it had been there for a long time. He’d been saving up for this for years.”

  “Then, what happened to the money Baldizon gave him? Do you know anything about that?”

  She thought for a moment. “Baldizon says he gave him money to buy the ranch, right? That would mean that he must’ve given it to him right around the time Benito bought it. Let me dig through the records and see if there was any money that came in at that point, but I can’t remember any off the top of my head. Can you give me a couple hours and call me back?”

  “Okay, sweetheart,” Chance said. “Give the boys a hug for me, will you?”

  “I will when they get home from school,” Gabriella said. “And before you ask, I’ve got the shotgun loaded and I’m keeping it close.”

  “Good girl,” Chance said. “Has anybody been around asking questions?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said suddenly. “I meant to tell you. The sheriff came by this morning, asking questions about Dr. Naples being murdered. He wanted to know where you were, and I told him you’d been riding the range since day before yesterday, looking for some stray yearlings.”

  “Did he seem to know anything?”

  “Well, he said a witness saw four men come out of the doctor’s house, and Mrs. Naples got home a half-hour later and found her husband dead. Nobody seems to have any idea why the doctor was murdered.”

  “It’s best if it stays that way, for now,” Chance said. “I think you’ll be safe for a few days, but the sooner I get back to Kentucky and take care of Oscar, the better I’m going to like it. You see what you can figure out about the money, and I’ll give you a call back in a few hours. I love you, Gabriella.”

  “I love you, too, Chance.”

  Chance used that as a goodbye, and dropped the phone into his pocket.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Gabriella had not found any reference to Baldizon’s “gift” to Benito, so Chance began to wonder if Baldizon was telling him the truth. He didn’t want to risk another phone call to the man while he was on the road, so he forced himself to keep driving through the night. Rather than going straight to Silver Bell, he went to Lexington and checked into one of its many cheap motels.

  For the next fifteen hours, he slept. He had arrived in the midafternoon, so when he finally awoke it was 8 o’clock in the morning. He got up and took a shower, then went to a small restaurant across the street for a bite of breakfast.

  Coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast got him going again, so he decided it was time to swing into action. He drove to another part of the city, then took out his phone and called Baldizon.

  “I’m close,” he said when the cartel leader answered. “You learn anything new?”

  “Nothing as yet,” Baldizon said. “I have not spoken to Oscar, because I do not want him to know that you are coming, or that I know anything about Gabriella.”

  “All right, that makes sense. Now, I got a question for you. You told me that you gave Benito Morales money to buy his ranch, but Gabriella can’t find any trace of it. How did that go down?”

  “Why, Benito told me that he needed money to buy the land, and did not have enough. To buy the place he wanted, he needed seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but he had only two hundred and fifty thousand. I gave him half a million dollars, and had the money transferred to his bank in Reno.”

  “Okay,” Chance said. “I suppose it’s possible Gabriella doesn’t know about that account. Benito actually paid about two hundred thousand for the ranch, so there must’ve been some other reason he needed the money. Would you still have the information about the account the money was sent to?”

  “Of course,” Baldizon said. “I am a businessman, I keep all records. Give me a minute to find it, and I will give it to you.” He set the phone down and Chance could hear him moving around, and a moment later he came back on the line. “I have it,” Baldizon said. “Tell me when you’re ready to write it down.”

  Chance had already dug out a pen and a scrap of paper. “I’m ready, go ahead.”

  “The money was sent to the First National Bank of Reno,” Baldizon said. He read off the account and routing numbers, and then gave Chance the date of the transaction. “If you are in touch with Gabriella, tell her to contact that bank. Perhaps some of the money is still there.”

  “I sure will,” Chance said. “Now, about Oscar. Where is he hanging out, these days?”

  “Oscar is working for Philip Gonzalez, in Louisville. He is Gonzalez’s top enforcer, now. This is the position he wanted with me, but I never gave it to him. He tells me this is the only reason that he went to work for Gonzalez, and that he is still my friend, but all of this tells me that there is more going on than we know.”

  “It definitely does look like it. All right, let me check this out about the Reno bank, and I’ll be back in touch.” He hung up the phone and called Gabriella.

  She answered the phone sleepily, and Chance remembered that it was only six thirty back in Nevada. When she heard his voice, however, she came instantly awake and was obviously thrilled. He told her about his conversation with Baldizon, and she wrote down the information about the bank in Reno. It would be a few hours before she could contact them, but she promised to call him back and let him know what she found out.

  The boys were already up and getting ready for the school bus, so Chance spoke to each of them for a couple of minutes. As far as they knew, he was just gone on a trip. They told him they wanted him to hurry back, and he promised to be home as soon as he could.

  They gave the phone back to their mother, and Chance and Gabriella pledged their love to each other again before saying goodbye. Chance put the phone back into his pocket and then decided it was time to pay a visit to his old hometown.

  Oscar’s advice about nondescript cars was definitely good advice. No one paid any attention to the old Dodge he was driving as he came into town, and he was able to make it all the way out to the farm without anyone noticing him. He parked next to his own pickup truck, and wasn’t surprised to see his grandmother standing on the porch holding a shotgun when he stepped out of the car.

  She broke into a huge smile when she saw him, and set the shotgun down to lean against the wall. She came down the stairs with her arms stretched wide and threw them around him.

  “Chance,” she said. “Oh, Chance, I wondered if I was ever going to see you again.”

  “I’m here, Grandma,” he said, “but it may be just for a visit. I have to settle a few things so that I can move on with my life, but I do want to tell you that I’ve met an absolutely wonderful woman. If I can straighten out a few things, she and I plan to be married soon.”

  They went inside and Chance took out his phone to show his grandmother pictures of Gabriella and the two boys. He told her an abbreviated version of the story, leaving out the fact that he had hired on to Baldizon as a killer. He let her believe that he was only paid to locate the woman, and that falling in love with her had only been a bonus.

  “She looks lovely, Chance,” Grandma said. “And those boys, they’re going to be fine young men.” She looked up at him. “Especially if they have you for a role model.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Chance said. “I’ve made my share of mistakes, Grandma. Have the detectives been back around lately?”
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  The old woman nodded. “The one from Hinckley, his name is Masters, he was here again yesterday. I just keep telling him I haven’t heard from you, and I promise to let him know if I do. What do you plan to do about that?”

  “Well, I can’t live my life with that hanging over my head. You got his phone number?”

  She got up and fetched a business card. Chance looked at the number, then took out his phone and dialed it.

  “Detective Masters,” came the answer.

  “Detective Masters, this is Chance Reddick. I understand you wanted to talk to me?”

  “Mr. Reddick,” the detective said. “I certainly do. Where are you?”

  “I just got back to my grandmother’s farm,” Chance said. “I’m only planning to be around for a few days, just to take care of some personal business. I’ll be happy to get together with you whenever you like.”

  “I like right now,” Masters said. “Can you stay put till I get there, if I head out right now?”

  “No problem,” Chance said. “I’ll be sitting here waiting for you.”

  Later, Chance decided that Masters must have broken every speed limit, because he arrived in just over half an hour. Grandma met him at the door and invited him in, and he and Chance sat at the kitchen table.

  “You’ve been a hard man to find, Mr. Reddick,” Masters began. “Was there some reason you didn’t want to come around and talk to me?”

  Chance shrugged. “Not that I can think of,” he said. “I’ve just been busy. I called you soon as I got back here today.”

  Masters nodded. “Okay. Well, I’m sure you’re aware that the men who killed your sister were murdered, right? Well, what would you say if I told you that we’ve got two witnesses who can put you at the scene of the murders?”