“Well, her father is a great tracker,” Wolf said. “It’s probably in her DNA.”
“Ha, ha. Why’d you have to go and tell her for?”
“She called me wanting to talk to you when I was getting rid of our two pinches. Which, by the way, was a bit complicated due to our buddy, Myron’s, little nose injury.”
“They took him?”
“They did,” Wolf said.
“Good. The son of a bitch had it coming. Manny pay you?”
Wolf reached into his pocket and held up the check. “Right here. I’ll deposit it first thing in the morning.”
“First thing in the morning, hell. We probably should do one of them electronic deposits tonight to beat the bill collector.”
Wolf chuckled, knowing that Mac was joking.
Or was he?
He put the check back into his pocket.
“Reno said we could drop the car off tomorrow,” Wolf said. “I’ll get up early and clean and wash it. We’ll also need to pick up the rental from Manny’s.”
“Damn straight. I’m going to have to lean on the body shop extra hard to get the Escalade back before fourteen-hundred.”
“Fourteen-hundred?” Wolf said.
McNamara reached up and carefully lifted part of the green cloth away from his face. His grin was obvious.
“Right,” he said. “We gotta be at the airport.”
“The airport?”
“Yep,” McNamara said, slowly lowering the cloth. “We’re picking up Ms. Dolly and the P Patrol.”
Wolf felt a thrill at the prospect of seeing the three women again, especially Yolanda, but also wondered how Kasey was going to react. Their brief meeting after the Mexico fiasco had been anything but cordial.
“Ms. Dolly called me a little while ago,” McNamara said. His tone was slow and mellow now, as if anticipating the pleasure of the coming reunion. “She’s got a lead on that matter Manny was telling us about and wants to cut us in on it. So we’ve got to get busy on that one tomorrow.”
Wolf tried to recall the particulars … Mob lawyer on the lamb. His sister in the Phoenix area. Big recovery fee, but they’d have to split it at least two ways.
“So let’s you and me plan on taking them out to dinner tomorrow night,” McNamara said. “What do you think?”
“Sounds good,” Wolf said.
As long as it’s not at Charlie’s.
Chapter Eight
The Mcnamara Ranch
Phoenix, Arizona
The next morning Wolf got up at first light and began running in the pre-dawn darkness. Running along the roadway as a nascent sky turned from black to gray to orange, he contemplated the events of the previous day and his current situation. At least they were making progress on the financial front, but they still had a long way to go. As far as his own quest about finding out what had really happened in Iraq and how it tied in to Mexico, he still had way more questions than answers. A disconnected phone number for Fallotti and Abraham Law Firm in Manhattan, Cummins, Eagan, Nasim, two of whom were dead, and somebody named Von Dien—who’s supposed to be my worst nightmare.
The whole scenario was the stuff that nightmares were made of, that was for sure. And after the fiasco in the Emergency Room the night before, he doubted he was going to get much help or cooperation from Kasey in tracing down what meager clues he did have.
But it’s not like I’ve got a lot to go on anyway, he thought.
After finishing his run, he toweled off and drank a bottle of water before going back to the Hummer, which was parked in the driveway next to his garage apartment. He grabbed a roll of paper towels, a couple of rags, a toothbrush, and some cleaning liquid and proceeded to give the inside a thorough cleaning. Mac’s blood decorated the front passenger dashboard and door, and Kites had bled profusely all over the back portion. After working the better part of an hour, he’d managed to scrub and wipe away all tell-tale traces of the blood splatters.
Wolf was still ensconced in the rear seat area putting the final touches on the job when McNamara came sauntering out of the house in a t-shirt, jeans, and with two cups of steaming coffee. He handed one of the cups to Wolf. The ER crew had shaved back some of Mac’s hair on his forehead and he now sported a trimmed gauze pad that was secured by three Band-Aids. Despite the injury, he seemed to be walking with a renewed spring in his step.
Wolf wiped the floor area with a crumpled-up paper towel and sat up. “Where’s your cane?”
McNamara shook his head. “I’m retiring that thing, unless I need to look distinguished or use the blade. I hung it on the clock.”
By the clock, Wolf knew that he meant the grandfather clock by the door where he kept his pistol secreted.
“Besides,” McNamara said, taking a sip from his cup. “I can’t be looking old and infirm in front of Ms. Dolly and the P-Patrol.”
Wolf sampled some of the brew. It was hot, strong, and black. He straightened his legs and slipped out of the vehicle.
McNamara looked in and gave the Hummer and appraising once-over. “You got the War Wagon all cleaned up I see.”
“Yeah, I figured I’d top it off and then drop it off to Reno.”
“Good idea. But first, we gotta go back to Manny’s to get that loaner. They promised me they’d have the Escalade ready by noon so we can go pick up Ms. Dolly.”
Wolf recalled the airport commitment.
“I thought you said it was at fourteen-hundred?”
“It is,” McNamara said. “But I want to run the Escalade through the car wash and get one of them pretty-smelling dandies to hang from the rearview mirror. You know, maybe mint, or something.”
“Or something.” Wolf sipped some more of his coffee and smiled.
“You think I oughta get ’em some roses, too?” McNamara grinned. “I mean just for Ms. Dolly and Brenda. You can get Yolanda’s.”
“Why don’t we just get an extra couple of air fresheners and call it even?” Wolf drank some more coffee and tossed out the remainder. After handing the cup back to McNamara, he turned and headed back toward his apartment.
“I got to hit the shower,” he said.
“Sounds like a good idea. You want me to have Kasey put on a couple of extra eggs for you?”
Wolf recalled the drama in the trauma of the night before and said, “No thanks. I’ll grab something later. Reno invited me to do a little working out in his gym this morning.”
“Okay,” McNamara said. “See you in a bit.”
Wolf pushed open the side door of the garage and walked past the workout equipment he had spread out over the cement floor, pausing to give the hanging duffle bag a couple of kicks and punches. He stopped almost immediately.
Better save some energy for the gym, he thought and proceeded over to the shower next to the staircase and stripped off his clothes. It made little sense to shower since he’d be getting sweaty at the gym in a couple of hours, but he hoped the flowing water over his skin would revive him a bit. Besides, he hadn’t showered last night after the fracas and he needed to shave, too. The downstairs bathroom was small, consisting of the shower, a sink and a toilet. Luckily, Mac had put a second toilet on the second floor so it wasn’t necessary to negotiate the stairway for any middle of the night calls.
He splashed some hot water on his face and lathered up, staring at his reflection in the small mirror fastened to the wall. In a lot of ways it reminded him of his army time. Usually, the camps had adequate facilities but nothing elaborate. Shaving in Leavenworth had been more complicated, not to mention always having to watch your back.
He took a deep breath and wondered how much longer he would be stuck here at Mac’s. Not that he minded so much, nor could he afford much more. McNamara didn’t even charge him rent, so the price was right. But the price was also steep and growing steeper. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being a freeloader and wondered how much longer he should sponge off the largess of his mentor and friend.
It can’t go on forever, he though
t as he pulled the safety razor across his cheek. The blade made a scraping, bristling sound. No, not forever, but for the moment anyway, for better or for worse.
At least until he could get things unraveled, whenever that might be.
The Elegant Suites Hotel
Phoenix, Arizona
Cummins watched as Zerbe loaded the drone into the rear of the Lexus and pressed the button to lower the tailgate. At least he thought it was Zerbe. The man had changed his appearance substantially, shedding the prescription sunglasses for contacts, and dumping the worn, filthy white sport jacket for a tan polo shirt and brown slacks. He’d even slicked down and combed back his hair so it looked almost presentable. Perhaps Cummins’s admonishment that Wolf knew what they both looked like had struck a nerve with the sleazebag.
He didn’t know but one thing Cummins was certain of was that he didn’t want to cross paths with Wolf again unless it was with a small army. Cummins hoped those South African mercs were as good as Zerbe said they were.
They’d better be, he thought.
They hadn’t eaten yet and Cummins was feeling that familiar gurgling in his abdomen. Zerbe walked around to the driver’s side and motioned for Cummins to get in. Cummins adjusted the baseball cap on his head and shifted his bulk up onto the high seat. It was still relatively early and the inside of the damn vehicle was already insufferable. He left the door open until Zerbe started the engine.
“Turn on the air-conditioning, will ya?” Cummins said, taking off his cap and fanning himself.
Zerbe smiled.
“You know,” he said, pausing to shake a cigarette out of his pack. “This time of the year’s our winter back in South Africa.”
“Big deal,” Cummins said. “Why’d we have to leave so early?”
“Haven’t you ever heard that old saying, the early bird catches the worm?”
“I don’t like birds. And what the hell does that have to do with anything?”
Zerbe smirked and lit the cigarette. “Well, my reworking of that aphorism is the early bird never gets caught. And you were the one pissing and moaning about Wolf catching a glimpse of us yesterday.”
“I wasn’t moaning,” Cummins said. “I just think we were taking too many chances he would.”
The smoke was starting to make him feel nauseous.
“Exactly why we’re going to renew our efforts to surreptitiously plant one of our trackers on their car.”
“And how we gonna do that?”
“Easy,” Zerbe said. “We stake out that bail bondsman’s place until they show up.”
“And what if they don’t?”
Zerbe started the car.
“They will. That place is their bread and butter. And I haven’t ruled out a ruse to draw them in.”
“What kind of ruse?”
“Mr. Sutter, the bail bondsman, has seen you in Las Vegas.” Zerbe shifted into gear and the backing camera feature activated posting a live-action depiction on the dashboard. “But he’s never seen me. I might pay his office a visit.”
“And what if Wolf happens to stop by while you’re there?”
Zerbe braked and shifted into drive.
“That’s why I took steps to make myself less recognizable,” he said. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”
Cummins didn’t reply but thought Zerbe looked like an asshole. And he still smelled like a B.O. factory. At least the cigarette smoke would fade after he tossed the damn thing out but the body odor was a permanent fixture.
“Once we get the tracker on him,” Zerbe said, “it’ll be a simple matter of shadowing him until we find the right moment.”
“If you say so,” Cummins said.
“I do,” Zerbe replied. “I’d like to have things in place before the Lion Team arrives.”
The Lion Team, Cummins thought. At least then I’ll have some protection around me.
Chapter Nine
The Mcnamara Ranch
Phoenix, Arizona
After fixing himself a liquid breakfast of two raw eggs, a load of carrots, a banana, and some orange juice in the blender, Wolf pulled on his workout sweats and packed a ditty bag with his regular clothes and a towel. Hopefully, Reno wouldn’t mind him taking a shower there after the workout. He hoped that this newly formed friendship would extend to him getting a couple of MMA fights with the prospect of making some good money. Granted, he wasn’t that familiar with the sport, but from what he’d seen, he felt he could hold his own. It looked brutal and grueling, but so did the prospect of Mac losing the Escalade to the bank, or worse, should he not be able to recover from the financial hit he’d taken due to the Mexico fiasco. On the onset, it had appeared to be a cakewalk to some big and easy money.
Best laid plans, he thought.
It had been a risky venture from the get-go and anytime there was risk involved, he knew from experience that you should always plan for the worst.
So getting in the ring and maybe getting busted up a little seemed like an acceptable risk for the possibility of staying ahead of the bill collectors. He owed Mac that much.
He grabbed the ditty bag and the keys to the Hummer and trotted down the stairs, hoping that he wouldn’t have to stop by the house to get Mac. Wolf had no desire to be subjected to Kasey’s withering gaze first thing in the morning. For a moment, he thought about Rodney Shemp and actually felt a twinge of pity for the poor guy. Kasey obviously thought that she was quite a catch.
Maybe one day she’ll wake up and find that there was a pea under her mattress and that’s what was making her so irritable.
To his surprise, Mac was waiting for him outside with Chad and a child car-safety restraint device.
“We got to drop Chad off at pre-school on the way,” McNamara said.
Wolf wondered why Kasey couldn’t do that but said nothing. He also remembered that she had a rather heavy course load this semester and probably needed the time to complete her assignments.
I’d better start trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, he thought. After all, she doesn’t have it easy being Big Jim McNamara’s little girl.
After managing to secure the child restraint device in the rear seat area, Chad insisted he ride up front with grandpa. Never one to disappoint his grandson, Mac cast a furtive glance at the house and then hopped in the front passenger seat with Chad on his lap.
“Let’s vamoose,” he said, slamming the door. “Before she sees us.”
Wolf jumped in and started the Hummer, shifting into gear and proceeding down the driveway. He was just making the turn onto the highway access road when he caught a glimpse of Kasey coming out the front door and running down the driveway after them.
“I think she saw us,” he said.
“Well, remember what old Satchel Paige used to say,” McNamara said. “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.”
Chad squealed in delight and Wolf grinned as he stepped on the gas.
As soon as they were on the highway McNamara’s cell phone began to ring and ring. He took it out of his pocket, looked at the screen, and pressed the button to ignore the calls.
“This is fun, grandpa,” Chad said. “Mommy never lets me ride up front.”
“Well,” McNamara said, chuckling as he held the child close to his chest. “After today she probably ain’t gonna let me ride up there either.”
You got that right, Wolf thought.
Office of Emmanuel Sutter
Bail Bondsman
Phoenix, Arizona
Zerbe looked through the rangefinder binoculars as he peered through the front windshield. They were about a hundred yards away and Cummins was sure that given the hour, which was just past eight, no one, least of all Wolf and his buddy, McNamara, was going to show up at some degenerate bail bondsman’s office. He was about to say just that when Zerbe lowered the binoculars and grabbed his notebook. After paging through it he grinned.
“That Chevy Malibu,” he said.
“What about it?” Cummins asked. They�
��d skipped breakfast at Zerbe’s insistence, and rushed over here to do nothing but sit and watch the bail bondsman’s office through a pair of binoculars. Cummins could feel his innards becoming more unsettled.
“It’s the same car they were driving yesterday,” he said. “That means they’re probably still using that big Hummer.”
“So it’s obvious that they’re not here,” Cummins said. “So why don’t we come back later, or something?”
“Huh-un,” Zerbe said, opening the door. “You get behind the wheel.”
“What for?”
His stomach was already queasy.
“So I can put a tracker on that one.” Zerbe opened the rear door and started digging in a black nylon bag. “Then we’ll be able to track them from a distance.”
“Is all this really necessary?” Cummins started to say. Then he felt it: the distinctive roiling in his gut that meant another episode of regurgitation was about to begin. He threw open the passenger door, leaned out, and puked.
Since they hadn’t eaten yet, hardly anything came out. Just a bunch of sour-smelling bile. It burned his throat and just when he thought it was over with, another subsequent attack occurred.
“Don’t you ever get tired of doing that?” Zerbe asked.
“It’s because we skipped breakfast,” Cummins answered back, his tone defensive.
“I’m glad you at least didn’t do that while we were driving,” Zerbe said with a laugh.
Even after dropping Chad off at the preschool location, Mac’s phone continued to ring incessantly as they drove to Manny’s office. McNamara looked at the screen and smirked.
“I wonder if I should just toss this damn thing out the window,” he said. “Tell her I lost it.”
“What if Ms. Dolly’s flight gets in early?” Wolf said. “She’ll need to call you.”
McNamara sighed and answered the call.
Once again, Wolf could hear Kasey’s shrill tone even though he was a few feet away.
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