Murder on the Front Nine

by Steve McMillen

  Barry, Bill, and Ted had just taken their shovels out of the garage and started digging a deep and treacherous hole with no way out.

  Chapter 12: The Oil Company

  (Earlier)

  Gary Sherman is president and CEO of Derrick Oil Drilling & Production Company in Houston, Texas. He is fifty years old with graying red hair, in good shape, and most people would guess he was maybe forty. If you met him at the mall, you would probably think he was a schoolteacher instead of the president and CEO of a Texas Oil Company. Derrick does mainly offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico but they are planning to expand their operations to the East Coast.

  Gary has been funneling thousands of dollars to North Carolina Senator R. Gene Brazile’s re-election campaign fund because Senator Brazile heads the sub-committee in Washington that is about to decide on whether or not to allow offshore drilling off the coast of the Carolinas. He wants to keep the senator in office.

  He has moved these illegal funds through Dean Rutland, the senator’s right-hand man. Dean is being paid thousands of dollars to get the money into the fund without a trail of where or from whom the money came. Therefore, the Senator’s closest associate is in the back pocket of Derrick Oil. Gary has a built-in lobbyist.

  Derrick Oil owns several lease blocks off the North Carolina and South Carolina coasts. Each of these blocks are four miles long by four miles wide and consist of sixteen square miles of offshore drilling potential. Derrick invested several million dollars before bidding on these lease blocks by running sonar and seismic geological tests to try to determine where the best possible areas may be to drill along the coast. They then had to submit a onetime sealed bid to the federal government and hope that they were the highest bidder. They got six of the nine blocks for which they bid. These lease blocks cost them four hundred thousand, non-refundable dollars each and the lease is good for two years. At the end of the two years, the government has the right to renew the lease to Derrick for another two years for the same amount. They can also decide to have another bidding process or they can just discontinue the entire program. Offshore drilling is very costly and very risky. It is not for the faint of heart.

  Gary has learned from some of his friends along the Carolina coast that the main consultant for Senator Brazile, Trever Byers, may come back with a negative report for offshore drilling. Trever may believe that offshore drilling can cause harm to the plant and fish environment along the coast as well as tourism. If this happens, Gary could lose his lease blocks and the entire amount of money he has invested so far. We’re talking millions of dollars. However, if the committee approves offshore drilling and Derrick is successful in its search for oil and gas, they stand to make billions.

  Gary calls Dean, “Dean, I am looking at a big problem with our lease blocks if Trever Byers’ report comes back negative for the oil companies. What have you heard?”

  “I haven’t heard anything definite, but I think Trever is leaning toward a no vote,” Dean replies with a small sense of unrest in his voice.

  Gary continues, “Well, what can we do to change his mind?”

  “I’m afraid there’s not much we can do, Trever is a pretty straight shooter and I don’t think he will change his report, although I am not positive what his report will say.”

  Dean knows that if he offers Trever any type of financial incentive to bring back a positive report, he will go directly to the senator and the Feds. That would not be good for anyone involved.

  Gary is silent for more than a few seconds and Dean is starting to get nervous.

  Finally, Gary says, “Dean, I can’t take any chances with a bad report and if I end up losing millions of dollars, a lot of heads will roll and yours may be the first. Now I am willing to invest some more money, let’s say one hundred thousand dollars, to make sure we do not get a negative report. Do you understand what I’m talking about?”

  This time Dean is silent for a long time, “Yes sir, I understand. I will make sure your lease block interest and drill sites are secure.”

  The next call Dean makes is to Barry Green at SIL.

  Chapter 13: The Contract

  (Earlier)

  The assassin accepts the contract. He directs Barry where to wire one-half of the fifty thousand dollar contract fee and he wants specific information about the target. Barry agrees to get him the information.

  Before he goes any further, it is time for a board meeting. Barry, Bill, and Ted have a very important sit-down meeting before making any final decision, although Barry has already made up his mind. The meeting is just a formality.

  The big problem with Trever Byers is that he is a rather high profile target. In other words, many important people know him and that he is working with Senator Brazile as a consultant. Therefore, what the guys have to decide is whether there will ever be a way to link the hit back to SIL.

  Barry makes a suggestion. “I have a problem with actually killing a non-enemy person for money, which of course we are not going to do. I do not have a problem getting rid of a murderer, or in this case, a known assassin who can possibly black-mail us at a later date.”

  Bill replies, “So if I understand what you’re saying, is that we hire an assassin to kill Trever Byers and then we kill the assassin to cover up our tracks. And since he’s a hired killer, it’s okay.”

  Ted then comes back with, “So what about your contact person who got you in touch with the assassin? And what about Dean Rutland, do we kill them also?”

  Barry thinks for a minute and then says, “I would not rule out any of what you just said Ted, they would be the only two people who could ever trace the hit back to us.”

  Bill jumps in, “Now I know you know how to find Dean and your contact person but how will we ever track down the assassin?”

  Barry does not know the answer to that question but he is sure there is a way.

  He continues, “For right now, let’s make a decision on hiring the assassin, okay? We can worry about the other part later. I don’t believe my contact person or Dean wants to go to jail. They will keep their mouths shut. How do you guys vote? I vote to order the hit.”

  Bill thinks for a minute and then says, “I’ll go along with hiring the assassin.” He figures Barry is going to do this with or without their approval.

  Ted looks at Barry and Bill and says, “Since my vote means nothing, I vote no.”

  The vote is two to one for the hit so Barry gathers the information about Trever, e-mails it to the address he received and wires the twenty-five thousand to a Singapore account.

  The plan is in motion and irreversible. The e-mail address disappeared the same day the assassin received the information and confirmed the wire deposit. There is no way to trace anything back to him. He is a ghost.

  Now Barry has to figure out a way to find the assassin after the hit and solve one-third of his problem. The other two-thirds will not be difficult. He knows where to find Dean and Griff. They can easily have a fatal accident with no problem. Barry is not concerned about killing any of these three people. Then there is only Bill and Ted.

  Barry’s plan is for the hit to take place in an area where the police are not as sophisticated as in a big city. After researching Trever Byers habits, he makes a trip to Bald Head Island and likes what he finds there. He selects the island because it has a one-man police department and there has not been a murder there for as long as anyone can remember. The worse crime anyone can ever remember on Bald Head is someone once stole a golf bag off the ferry, or it was misplaced. The company found it and returned to its rightful owner the next day.

  Chapter 14: SIL Receives Payment

  (Earlier)

  The local police department and the Feds are drawing a blank on the murder of Trever Byers. The assassin did a great job of not leaving any evidence around for anyone to discover. The condo was clean, the murder area was clean and the drawing of the bird watcher doesn’t match anyone in anybody’s mug file. It is fast becoming an acute cold case.
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  Judge Cadium is the only connection to Trever Byers that day but his whereabouts are verifiable and after all, he is a retired federal judge. Any leads are few and far between. Everyone involved with the case thinks it has to do with politics and big oil, but thinking and proving are two different things

  The day after the killing of Trever Byers hits the papers, Barry calls Dean. “Let’s get together in the park again and since you did such a good job with the menu the last time, you can bring lunch. And by the way, don’t forget to bring my dessert.”

  Dean replies, “I figured you’d be calling so dessert is ready. Same place, same time tomorrow?”

  “Sounds good to me, see you then.”

  Barry is starting to become paranoid because after hanging up he thinks to himself, maybe I should bring lunch in case Dean tries to poison me. Then he decides Dean is not the killer type or he would have taken care of Trever Byers himself.

  Barry meets Dean at the appointed place at the appointed time the following day. After a few pleasantries and lunch, Dean thanks Barry for taking care of his problem and tells him dessert is in the canvas bag. Dean leaves first while Barry sits on the bench and takes in the park scenery for a few minutes. He does not touch the bag in case this is a trap. Nothing looks out of place in the park. He picks up the bag, walks out of the park, and gets into his SUV. Instead of going directly back to the office, he follows Dean back to his house, which just happens to be in the Culpepper area.

  Barry has to make some major decisions: Can he afford to allow Dean to live since he is one of only two people who can trace the killing of Trever Byers back to SIL? Barry doesn’t include Glenn Griffin. He doesn’t think Griff will put together the murder of Trever Byers with their conversation about hiring a hit man unless the assassin actually did contact Griff as a reference. If that has happened, Griff will have to go also. He will have to consider all options.

  Barry does not believe Trever’s murder was Dean’s idea alone. Someone else had to have ordered Dean to get rid of Trever. However, since Dean is no dummy, he doubts that he would have told that person about SIL. Moreover, that person probably does not want to know anyway.

  Barry does a quick review of the property where Dean lives and draws a small map for future reference. His death will be tricky because one person dying within an organization is bad enough but if two people are killed, the police and the Feds start digging deeper and more intently into the case. For now, Barry elects to let things cool down a little bit and see what happens.

  About a week after the assassin realizes he has been set up in the Vegas park, he calls Glenn Griffin, “Glenn, this is Mr. Smith.”

  “Mr. Smith, what can I do for you?”

  “I’m calling to tell you that you owe me $25,000.”

  “Why would I owe you money?” Glenn asks in a rather irritated, direct tone of voice.

  “Because the last client you referred to me tried to kill me and of course I did not get paid.”

  “What do you mean, they tried to kill you?”

  Mr. Smith goes into detail about the attempt on his life and when he finishes he says, “Now you both pay me and eliminate the problem or I will eliminate the problem and then I’ll start looking for you. You know the rules, they have to go.”

  Glenn Griffin is still holding his phone to his ear and staring into a blank world. However, there is no one on the other end. Mr. Smith has hung up. He remembers giving Barry a warning when he said, “Don’t screw up, these guys play for keeps.”

  Chapter 15: The Suspects Arrive

  (Present)

  All of the suspects get into town on Sunday except for the assassin who is already here. He came a few days early to blow up an airplane. They all check into different condos or resorts. They are all here for the same reason, to play in the World Am. They all plan to practice, play golf, and most likely gamble. They will be looking for a sucker or two on the golf course and probably a poker game.

  There is casino boat gambling out of Little River and I will venture to say they will try to take an afternoon or evening cruise at least once while they are in town. It’s a five-hour gambling cruise. It takes the boat about an hour to get out beyond the three-mile limit, you gamble for three hours and then another one-hour trip back to port. It’s not Vegas, but it’s about as close as they are going to get to Vegas while being in Myrtle Beach.

  I am planning to play a lot of golf the week prior to the World Am and I hope I run into several of my suspects along the way. I now have photos of four of them; also, it’s an expense so SIL will be paying the bill for my golf. Life is good.

  Kenney (the player) Bellinger checks into The Villas at The Legends Resort just off 501 in Myrtle Beach. The villas where he is staying reminds him of a Scottish village complete with a Scottish pub, The Ailsa Pub. He has stayed here before. He really enjoys the resort and especially the location. He actually took a lesson from Matt, the head pro, once and was very pleased with the outcome. There are three golf courses here, The Heathland, The Moorland and The Parkland, all beautiful courses. There is also a 30-acre lighted practice facility, which he probably won’t use much, except for chipping and putting, because of his bad knees. Maybe he’ll get Matt to help him with his short game this time around. He is planning to play golf every day this week and hopes he can find out which courses he will be playing so he can practice on those courses. He always enjoys coming to Myrtle Beach. The weather is always good, the food is great, and the golf courses are fantastic.

  He is looking forward to playing in the World Am because he has heard about it but has never made the effort to establish a handicap and participate.

  As he unpacks his bags, he makes sure the snub nose .38 special he carries with him on all trips is fully loaded and then puts it back in his bag. In his line of work, one can’t be too careful.

  Andrew (the farmer) Bottier checks into Sea Trails Golf Resort located in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. He rents a villa at Sea Trails because it’s away from the hustle and bustle of the beach scene in Myrtle Beach. It is almost a rural setting, which reminds him more of his farm and log home in Michigan.

  Sunset Beach is located just outside of Calabash, North Carolina. Calabash got its name for a style of preparing fried food, usually seafood. Andy plans to eat in Calabash every chance he gets.

  Sea Trails is a beautiful resort with three beautiful golf courses; The Maples, The Jones, and The Byrd, all named after the architect who designed them. There are two clubhouses, a lighted driving range, and a Golf Learning Center on site. Everything Andy needs to get ready for the World Am is here. His only problem is going to be playing it straight during the tourney. He has been working on that and plans to play several practice rounds without betting while playing. It won’t be easy.

  Andy checks on his .25-caliber pistol. Twice people tried to rob him because they thought he was carrying large sums of cash. Neither attempt was successful. One of the bodies is still missing. Andy is capable of taking care of himself and he comes prepared for the worse.

  Steve (the sign man) Griggs checks into a condo at Myrtle Beach National just outside of Conway. He knows the golf director at Myrtle Beach National, A.J., so he always gets a good deal when he comes to town. He stays at Myrtle Beach National because of one thing; Kings North.

  Kings North is an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and Steve thinks it is one of the greatest courses in the country. It has one of the finest golf holes ever built. The Gambler is a par-5 with water everywhere. It has an island landing area for the brave and not so faint of heart. It’s the ultimate risk-reward golf shot ever. Hit a perfect drive to the end of the island landing area and you have a mid-to long-iron over water into the green which is wide but not very deep. Take the conventional way around and it is a three-shot hole.

  There are two other great courses at Myrtle Beach National but Steve will only play Kings North.

  Actually, this will be Steve’s second attempt in the World Am. He played three
years ago but it rained all week and he is not a mudder. He hopes the weather will be better this year because he plans to win. He loves the Myrtle Beach area, the food, the golf, the casino boats, and the shows. He will attempt to take it all in while he is here.

  The only weapon Steve has with him in the room is a six-inch switchblade knife. He leaves it in his room where he can get to it if need be. He keeps his gun locked in the trunk of his car. Steve likes to keep a low profile when he is out on the road. He does not enjoy drawing attention to himself. He has never had a problem but several of his fellow gamblers have, so he also is prepared.

  Stan (the man) Hutchinson checks into a condo at Tidewater Resort in North Myrtle Beach. Tidewater is an up-scale gated community with a beautiful golf course and a great practice facility. It is quiet and out of the way. He feels safe and secure here. It fits well with his solitary lifestyle. He wants to be able to come and go without drawing attention to himself. He found Tidewater because Keith, the marketing director, e-mailed him about his computer service. He decided this was the place for him. He can play and practice without being disturbed or threatened.

  He brings several laptops with him when he is out on the golf circuit. He can actually run his computer business from his condo and this provides cash flow to take care of his golf habit. He also can keep abreast of world news and the local police reports. He has been planning a trip to the World Am for years and everything just sort of fell into place this year. Now that he’s here, his goal is to win.

  Stan has several weapons in the condo with him; a 9mm Glock and a sawed-off shotgun, which fits in his duffel bag. He has other weapons locked in his trunk. Being an ex-Seal, he enjoys having weapons at his disposal.