David Putnam - The Replacements

“Don’t do it,” Marie said. “Don’t you say it.”

“Come on,” I said, “we have to get some clothes and make a phone call.”

I moved Drago up into the front seat next to me while I waited in the Walmart parking lot for Marie. No matter how hard I tried to put the feeling out of my head, I couldn’t help but think this guy was going to make a move on me at any moment. In the front seat was bad enough; you add in leaving him unrestrained by handcuffs-that just went against the grain of twenty-five years chasing his type.

Marie carried the cash she’d brought from Costa Rica and size orders for clothes. She was also going to make a stop in the pharmacy area and pick up some supplies to treat the gunshot wound.

Having the lion sitting in the seat next to me kept my adrenaline pumping, which kept fatigue at bay, which kept my thoughts clear. Somewhat, at least.

“You know,” I said, “this gold thing changes the scenario. We aren’t going to have time to convert it to cash. I’m going to call Jonas and ask for a meet.”

“Jonas is the one? This shitass punk who took these kids?”

“That’s right.”

“Good, maybe we can get your end of the deal settled right away before we even get to mine,” Drago said.

“No, I don’t want you to do anything, and I mean nothing at all to spook him. You understand? If this goes down the way I think it will, I just want you there to verify that we’ll have the money coming, but in the form of gold. I want you to tell him the story you told us about how and what you did with the gold.”

“Let me get my hands on him. Believe me when I tell you, he’ll give up his grandma when I’m done with him.”

“No, I’ve already tried that and it didn’t work.”

“What, you think you’re me ? You don’t understand-”

“I want your word you won’t try anything. This end of the deal is mine and mine alone to call.”

He looked at me for a moment and then nodded.

“No, I want to hear it. Tell me I have your word.”

“All right, ease up on it, homeboy. You got it. You have my word on it. And don’t think for a minute that I believe that you and your slit don’t want the money.”

“Her name is Marie, and you will refer to her as such, or we are going to have a big problem.”

“Yeah, yeah, I gotcha, I’m sorry. I didn’t really say it on purpose, it just comes out. It’s hard to talk different after twenty-five years in the can. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

I did know.

I hit the speed-dial number on the burner phone Jonas had given me. One ring and someone picked up. “Yeah?”

Drago leaned over to listen in, his breath sour and hot, with burnt pepperoni and kung pao chicken. I didn’t like him that close, and involuntarily tensed in anticipation of a knife slipping in between my ribs.

“It’s me,” I said.

“I know, Deputy Johnson, no one else has this number. You’re not supposed to call until you have the money. No way could you have the money, not this quick. Not unless you’re working with the Feds with a phony bag. You working with the Feds, Deputy Johnson?”

“No. And I think you know me well enough that I wouldn’t do that. All I want is to get those kids back safely. I’ll give you the money, you give me the kids, and we are done with each other.”

“Heh, heh, right. Who’s to say we’re done? What if I do this again?”

I didn’t know the answer, the one he wanted, anyway. “I guess I’ll have to deal with that problem if and when it comes up.”

“So then, I’ll ask you again, Deputy Johnson, why are you calling? Do you have the money?”

“No, I don’t have the money, but I have something better.”

“What?”

“Forty pounds of gold.”

Jonas didn’t say anything for a long moment. He was mad at the change of plan and was deciding if he would hang up, walk away from the whole deal, leave the children down in some hole to smother, alone and scared. My imagination ran full tilt. Sweat broke out on my brow.

“One million, one hundred and twenty thousand,” he said.

His words sent a chill down my back. How had he computed that figure so quickly? He not only knew the price of gold, but he’d computed all of the figures in his head. Jonas Mabry was far more intelligent than I had thought. With intelligence came a higher risk assessment and threat level.

My voice cracked, “That’s right.”

“Gold will work. I’ll call you back in an hour to tell you where to bring it.”

“No, wait, don’t hang up.”

“What?”

“I’m calling because we don’t have it. I know where to get it, but we need a little more time.”

“Deputy Johnson, you don’t know me, not at all. I don’t play games, never have. I lost my childhood. It was stolen from me by you. But you know all about that, don’t you, Deputy Bruno Johnson? I told you the time frame.”

“I’m going to get the gold, I promise you that, and if you wait you can have an additional one hundred and twenty thousand. Hello? Hello.”

Damn, he hung up .

I waited for him to call back. He’d only hung up to mess with my mind, and he was doing a great job.

“Yep, he’s a punk ass for sure,” Drago said. “I didn’t really believe your bullshit story about the kidnapped kids. Now I do.”

The phone rang, I answered.

“You can have twelve more hours,” Jonas said.

“I need until Saturday night, that’s forty-eight hours total. Twelve more hours in addition to what you just offered. That’s not a lot, not really, not when you consider what’s at stake.” I hated to beg a criminal, any criminal.

Silence on the phone. He was thinking about the new offer. I said, “Gold works better for you, anyway, think about it. You can take gold into any jewelry store, a little at a time, and trade it for folding money. If I gave you cash, there would always be the threat of marked bills or wafer-thin tracking devices.”

More silence.

I continued on, talking faster. “This is a good deal, much better than what you wanted.”

Silence. Then, “How do I know this isn’t some sort of game you’re running on me?”

“I can prove it.”

“How? What store or bank are you going to hit?”

I really didn’t want to tell him the where and the how. “I have with me a guy who just got out on parole after twenty-five years. He did an armored car job twenty-five years ago and hid the proceeds after converting it to gold.”

“Right. And he’s going to just hand over the money to you, just like that?”

“No, not just like that, I had to persuade him.”

“Like you persuaded me?”

“Yes, but I was more successful with this guy.”

“Is he dead?”

“No.”

“Bring him to me. I want to confirm it with him. I don’t want you running some kind of stupid little game on me, Deputy Johnson.”

“Fine-when and where?”

Marie came across the parking lot pushing a shopping cart. Items in the cart came up to the top rim. What had she purchased? I got out and checked around to see if anyone took particular notice. The cell in my pocket buzzed. I answered.

“Bruno?” Mack sounded peeved, as though speaking through clenched teeth to suppress his anger.

“Yeah, Mack, how’s it going?” As I spoke, I opened the back of the van and helped Marie pile in her purchases, which, besides what she’d gone in for, included an empty five-gallon bucket, some tie-down straps, white grocery bags filled with different types of snacks, and other not readily identifiable items.

“You took Drago?” asked Mack. “Why’d you take Drago, Bruno?”