A Man Of Respect

by Remington Kane

  Wicks managed to clip the banger with a corner of the van and sent him tumbling across a lawn.

  His partners… his friends… were gone, he had suffered a wound to his shoulder, and people on both sides of the law wanted him dead. Wicks stared at the glove box in the van where a bottle of whisky was stashed. Once he was safe, he’d drain that bottle dry.

  32

  One To Go

  Tanner and Caleb discovered that Wicks’ childhood home was abandoned like most of the town of Peaksville. Caleb had located the residence by researching online for old property records in the area.

  The house had been neglected even before its abandonment. Inside, there were signs that the roof leaked, and cockroaches had made the place their home.

  As for the sparse woods behind the house, all was tranquil. Near the small stream that meandered through the land, Tanner found the remains of an old lean-to.

  Caleb pointed at it. “Wicks might have built that when he was a teenager. It looks old enough.”

  They had stopped on the way and gathered supplies such as food and a sleeping bag. There were also gloves, bandanas, and cleaning supplies, to make certain that they left no prints or DNA behind.

  They agreed to give it two days. If Wicks didn’t show by then they would assume that they missed their chance and that he and the others had gone somewhere else to hide.

  During the trip, Caleb had read an account of what had transpired back in the town of Tranquility. Initial reports stated that investigators believed the explosion had been caused by dynamite. Tanner heard the concern in Caleb’s voice when he told Tanner that Agent Eriksen had come close to dying.

  “You like the woman, don’t you?”

  “She first came to my attention when we were both going after a gang of jewel thieves who injured a child during a robbery. She’s the real deal, Cody, and relentless. If we don’t get Wicks, Eriksen will.”

  “However this ends, I want you to come back with me to the ranch. I’ll need your help with something.”

  “Sure, and I want to see the changes you’ve made.”

  “Most of them are hidden, and they were performed in secret. Thomas Lawson helped with that too.”

  “You’ll be able to defend the ranch if someone like Alvarado attacked you again?”

  “Yes, Caleb. The Parkers will never again be defenseless or taken by surprise.”

  “And what about Ordnance Inc.?”

  “I’ll have to deal with them someday, unless Healy is replaced by someone who doesn’t hold a grudge against me.”

  “How likely is that to happen?”

  “It’s always a possibility. Everyone in Ordnance Inc. is a mercenary, and I know at least one man who has his eye on Healy’s position.”

  “You’re talking about the mole you have on the inside, that guy Billy?”

  “Yeah, he’s got no morals and he craves money and power.”

  “I hope you don’t trust him.”

  “Never, but he’s been useful so far.”

  They walked back to the house where they set up a spot inside to keep an eye on things. Caleb would watch the front while Tanner kept vigil at the rear. The Land Rover was tucked away inside the detached garage and out of sight. If Wicks showed, they would have him for sure.

  In the meantime, all they could do was wait.

  Eriksen was informed of the gun battle in the south section of Laredo. As she drove there to take in the scene of Taylor’s and Hendrick’s demise, she decided to interview Sherry Wicks by phone. The woman’s ex-husband was on the run. Eriksen wondered if Sherry might not have an idea where Wicks might hide.

  “Whenever he got in trouble as a kid or wanted to avoid his father, Roy would camp out in the woods behind his house.”

  “He’s an outdoorsman?”

  “You could say that. He and those friends of his were always fishing or hunting. They even rented a boat once in Florida and lived on it for a week. Roy was so dark when he came back from all the sun he got.”

  “Where did he like to go camping, what sites?”

  “He only camped out as a kid as far as I know, and that was when he had no friends.”

  He has no friends left now, Eriksen thought.

  “Agent Eriksen, am I going to get the reward?”

  “That’s not up to me, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”

  “If you see Roy…”

  “Yes?”

  “Tell him I’m sorry.”

  “Maybe you’ll be able to visit him in prison.”

  “No, that would only make me sad.”

  Eriksen ended the call as she neared her destination. Once she established that two of the dead men at the scene were indeed Taylor and Hendricks, she was going to check out Wicks’ childhood home.

  Wicks drove the van along the streets of his old town while drifting the vehicle from side to side. He’d been gulping from the bottle of whisky as he made the trek from the drug house. He’d entered the town along a back road to avoid the speed trap set up near the highway. He knew one of the men he used to lead would be set up to catch speeders, or drunks.

  Darren Stepp, Carl Taylor, and Stephen Hendricks were dead, and if he wasn’t careful, Wicks knew he’d spend the rest of his days locked behind bars.

  The wound he’d suffered to his shoulder was superficial; however, the muscles ached beneath the bloody groove the slug had carved across his flesh. With his mind growing numb from the alcohol he was consuming, Wicks scarcely noticed the pain.

  In the passenger seat of the van was the package of cash he’d taken away from the scene of his latest crime. It was only fifty grand, and Taylor and Hendricks had paid for it with their lives. More loot was inside a duffel bag in the rear of the van. It contained the valuables from the home of the Mulberrys, including Jean Mulberry’s diamond necklace.

  When it was safe again and he could get to a fence, Wicks figured he’d have another twenty-thousand dollars or more. The money wouldn’t last him the rest of his life, but it would buy him time to lay low and regroup. It could also buy a helluva lot of whisky.

  Wicks lowered his head as a sense of sadness overwhelmed him. He was moving along the desolate streets of what had once been a vibrant community. He figured there weren’t more than a few hundred people left in the town. As he drew near the home he had lived in with his ex-wife, Wicks laughed when he saw the For Sale sign on the lawn. Who the hell would buy a house in a dying town?

  A memory came to him then, of the day he and Sherry had moved in. He’d been an optimistic man with a sexy young wife and a great future as a police officer. Now, he was wanted on murder charges and was a damn drunk.

  As he took another gulp from the bottle, Wicks swerved and scraped the van against a street sign. The mirror on the passenger side of the van shattered. Overcompensating, Wicks steered the vehicle to the other side of the street where he jumped the curb and took out a section of a white picket fence.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Russell,” Wicks muttered to the woman who once lived in the home. Like most of the other residents on the block, Mrs. Russell had moved on to greener pastures.

  Several doors opened along the block as the remaining residents stepped onto their porches to see what had made the noise.

  Unaware he had been observed, Wicks found his way back onto the road surface and continued toward his old neighborhood. Although he’d been jostled around violently in his seat, he hadn’t spilled a drop of whisky.

  “Someone’s coming,” Caleb called, as he looked out the front window of Wicks’ childhood home.

  Tanner came from the rear of the house to view the street while keeping low. He spotted the van zigzagging along while slowing down. When he lifted the binoculars to his eyes, he saw Wicks’ slack face through the van’s damaged windshield.

  “You did it, kid. That’s Wicks out there. It looks like he’s alone, and he’s been wounded in the left shoulder.”

  “Wounded and alone? That sounds like he might be the sole survi
vor of his gang.”

  “You may be in for a payday, that is, if he made off with any money for his trouble.”

  “I can see his bloody shirt now, and that old van has seen better days too.”

  “By the way he’s driving, I’d say he’s drunk; Wicks shouldn’t give us much trouble.”

  “I still want to take him alive if possible; I say we let the bastard rot in jail for all the evil he’s committed.”

  “It wouldn’t be my first choice, but this is your show. I won’t kill him unless he forces my hand.”

  “As drunk as he seems, he may pass out before we ever confront him.”

  After parking in the driveway on an angle, Wicks stepped from the van, fell back upon it, got his bearings, and weaved his way toward the garage.

  He’d left the shotgun on the seat but still carried a pistol in a holster. After raising the garage door, he looked on in puzzlement at the rented Land Rover that was parked inside. He was standing there like that, while still holding the handle on the door, when Caleb called out to him.

  “Freeze, Wicks!”

  Wicks spun around and watched two men with guns coming out of the home he’d grown up in. He saw no badges, but still took them for cops or Feds. His booze-soaked brain told him that running would be useless and that his best bet was to hide. Wicks stepped inside the garage and slammed the door down behind him.

  “There’s a side door in the garage,” Tanner said, “but it’s facing us. He can’t leave without us seeing him.”

  “He’s trapped himself?”

  “Yeah, but he’s still armed.”

  “Damn it. I don’t want to wait here until he’s forced to come out, and if we go in, we’ll have to kill him.”

  “That might be what he wants,” Tanner said, as he moved toward the van to check it out.

  Inside the garage, Wicks huddled in a corner behind a stack of old cardboard cartons. He was screwed and he knew it. More cops would come, they’d surround the garage and sooner or later kill him or take him to jail. After that, life would be a prison cell and a long wait for the release of death.

  “Why wait?” Wicks mumbled, and in the dark, he took out his gun.

  When the sound of the single shot came, Tanner nodded his head in understanding. Wicks had reached the end of his line. The ex-cop preferred death over life in prison.

  Tanner entered with caution through the side door in the garage; the light that illuminated the space revealed Wicks’ body. Roy Wicks had shot himself while the gun was in his mouth. He had done so in the very spot his father had performed the same act decades earlier. The police would have no difficulty determining that it was a suicide.

  Caleb followed Tanner inside the garage, and Tanner heard a sigh escape his lips.

  “I wanted to hand him off to Eriksen alive.”

  “Wicks had other ideas,” Tanner said.

  Caleb smiled at Tanner when he realized what was wrapped up in the tattered plastic package sitting on the front seat of the van. The money was mostly undamaged although a few of the bills had suffered mutilation from the rounds that had passed through them.

  After coming across the jewelry and other valuables in the duffel bag, Caleb left them in the garage with Wicks’ body.

  Once they had sanitized any surface they came in contact with inside the home and garage, they were ready to leave. Tanner released the parking brake on the van and let it drift out into the empty street, then the Parker brothers drove away, while headed for home.

  33

  Someday

  FBI Agent Amanda Eriksen was informed that Stark had left her another message via the tip hotline. In it, he told her where she could find the body of former Peaksville Chief of Police Roy Wicks.

  At the time the message reached her, Ericksen was standing inside the garage and staring down at Wicks’ corpse. The body was barely cold, which meant she had missed capturing Stark by less than an hour.

  As she took out her phone to call the local police and her office, Eriksen made a vow to herself. She would see Stark behind bars someday, yes, someday.

  Tanner and Caleb arrived at the ranch after dark where they were greeted by Sara and Doc. The two had been seated out on the front porch as they waited for them to show.

  After greeting the brothers, Doc bid everyone good night, as he had to rise early. The others went into the kitchen where Sara served a meal of salad and lasagna. Caleb recounted their adventure to Sara who listened with interest. When Caleb described saving Jen from the fire, Sara frowned with concern.

  “It sounds like this doctor owes you two her life.”

  “She showed her appreciation by kissing Caleb.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I didn’t rate a kiss. I’m not even sure she knew I was there.”

  Caleb laughed. “Some of us have it, some of us don’t.”

  “I saw a story about her on the news, Caleb; she’s beautiful.”

  “You’re right about that, Sara, but I’m not in a position to date her, and anyway, I’ll never see her again.”

  “Too bad, you could use a woman in your life.”

  Caleb chatted a few minutes longer before calling it a night. When they were alone in the kitchen, Sara told Tanner that she had spoken to Duke.

  “He says that there’s been no sign of Ordnance Inc. returning to his apartment. I still recommended that he and Lisa stay at the penthouse for a few more days.”

  “I talked with Trevor Healy and asked him to back off Duke. He agreed to do so.”

  “You called him just for Duke, or to get a sense of him?”

  “Both, and Trevor Healy no longer fears me. If I had to guess, they’re planning on getting revenge someday.”

  A worried expression came over Sara’s face. Tanner reached across the table and took her hand.

  “I know what I just told you wasn’t good news, but there’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”

  She nodded. “That law enforcement think tank Blue Truth announced that they’ll be looking into the legend of Tanner. That means they will be digging for facts and looking for you, and they’re very good at discovering the truth.”

  “I’ll handle it, Sara.”

  “How? Do you have a plan?”

  “I have the beginnings of one.”

  Sara rose from her seat to walk over and settle herself atop Tanner’s lap. He held her and they kissed.

  “Tanner?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve been wondering if I’ve been putting too much pressure on you by insisting that you reclaim your identity. Ordnance Inc. is already aware of who you really are, and now Blue Truth is coming after you. On top of that, you’ve committed to helping Duke fight off this rival of his, Harkness. Maybe, maybe we should postpone the wedding until things calm down.”

  “You mean until our circumstances change?”

  “Yes. I want to marry you more than anything, but I don’t want to endanger you.”

  Tanner gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger as he gazed into her eyes.

  “We’re getting married on the date we planned, and nothing will stop that.”

  Sara smiled at him. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, Sara. One of the first things Spenser ever taught me was that a Tanner makes his own circumstances. Trust me when I say we’ll work our way through any trouble that comes at us.”

  Sara caressed his cheek. “I trust you, and I love you so much.”

  They kissed again, and when it ended, Sara took Tanner by the hand and led him to their bedroom.

  34

  I’m Back!

  Tanner slept very little that night, as his thoughts raced, and he refined the plan he had in mind. When Doc rose before dawn, Tanner already had the coffeemaker going.

  “You’re up early, son.”

  “I have a big day ahead of me.”

  “That so? What have you got planned?”

  Tanner smiled at him. “You’re going to like thi
s, Doc.”

  When Sara emerged from the bedroom bathed and dressed just after eight o’clock, Tanner was on the phone in the living room with Thomas Lawson. Prior to calling Lawson, Tanner had made other calls, as he put the first step of his plan in motion.

  After hearing something Tanner said to Lawson, Sara’s eyes widened in surprise. When he finished the call, Sara greeted him with a kiss, and a question.

  “Today?”

  “Yes, today.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Caleb had risen earlier and had taken a walk about the ranch. As he entered the living room, Sara beamed at him.

  “Did he tell you, Caleb?”

  “He sure did, and I can’t wait.”

  “We have an errand to run first, after we eat breakfast,” Tanner said.

  “What sort of errand?” Sara asked.

  “We’ll be visiting someone who can help us. She’ll come with us and make what I have to do go smoother.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  An hour later, Mrs. Emily Sounder opened the front door of her home and gazed out at her guests. She was a lifelong resident of Stark and had been the best friend of Tanner’s mother, Marian Parker. Despite the warmth of a late spring day, the old woman was wearing a coat and a hat.

  She looked at Tanner and Caleb as her eyes welled up with tears. The brothers were dressed alike, as both had on jeans, boots, and polo shirts.

  “Look at you two, oh, Marian would be so proud of both of you.”

  “Are you ready, Mrs. Sounder?” Tanner asked.

  She smiled. “Just let me grab my handbag.”