Don Winslow - California Fire And Life

Whispers into Jack's ear, "You should have learned the last time."

Which is when Jack realizes he's been set up.

Big time.

Is what Jack's thinking as he races back to the Vale house, hoping he's not too late.

The setup. Nicky Vale wasn't happy just to collect on the claim. Nicky wanted the big bucks, the winning ticket to the California Litigation Lottery, so he put out just enough bait to lure you into denying the claim and then snap.

The hook.

And reeled you right in.

You are very stupid, Jack Wade.

He is too late.

They bulldozed it.

Jack pulls up to the house, he can see that the west wing is down.

The only thing standing there in its place is Accidentally Bentley.

With a uniformed deputy.

"Thought you might show up, Jack," Bentley says.

"When did this happen?"

"This morning," Bentley says. "I advised Mr. Vale that the burned portion of the house represented a safety hazard and that he needed to take care of it. You wouldn't want a liability claim, would you, Jack?"

So the evidence is gone, Jack thinks. The holes in the flooring, the splash patterns on the joists.

He says, "I have two sets of photos and videotape, you asshole."

"Yeah, you have samples, too," Bentley says. "Get out of here, Jack. You're trespassing."

"Where'd you get your samples?"

"From the house," Bentley says. "Before you came."

"How much is Nicky paying you?"

"Get out, Jack. Before I arrest you."

"No, what's your cut?" Jack asks. "How much pension do you get off the dead woman?"

"Walk away now, Jack."

"You set me up, Brian."

"You set yourself up," Bentley says. "You always do. I tried to tell you, don't dick around with this thing. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"This isn't over."

"Believe me, Jack. It's over."

Jack gets back in the 'Stang and drives over to Monarch Bay.

Pulls up to the gate.

"May I help you, sir?"

"Where's Derochik?"

"Guy who usually works this shift?"

"Yeah," Jack says. "Do you know where he is?"

"No, do you?" the guard asks. "He just calls up, says he isn't working anymore. Puts us all in a jam."

"Do you know where he lives, where I could get hold of him?"

"You find out, you let me know."

Jack knows he'll try to find out but he also knows that he's not going to find Mike Derochik. Derochik is probably in another state already.

Jack drives over to the Monarch Bay Shopping Plaza, to the drugstore. He already knows what he's going to find.

Or what he's not going to find.

Which is Kelly.

There's another chemist behind the counter.

"Is Kelly here?" Jack asks.

The woman smiles at him. "Another broken heart. No, Kelly quit. Very suddenly."

"Do you know where she went? Where I could get hold of her?"

"Yes and no," the woman says. "Yes, I know where she went — no, I don't know how you could get hold of her."

Jack's not in the mood for games.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sorry," the woman says. "It's just that I've had my fill of Kellys. If you were smart, so would you. Kelly flew off to Europe last night. Met a 'great guy' who's going to give her the world. So unless you can give her the world, I think you're out of luck, Kelly-wise."

I don't think luck has anything to do with it, Jack thinks.

They knew every move.

Every move I made.

He drives over to Pacific Coast Mortgage and Finance.

He's not even out of the car when Gary comes bopping out.

"Hey, Nicky came through," Gary says. "Paid the balloon early."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, dude, we were worried for nothing."

Yeah, dude.

Like very fresh.

Surf on.

Jack finds Ng at home.

A nice tract house on a cul-de-sac in Laguna Niguel. The house newly painted a pale blue. Basketball hoop bolted to the garage at the end of the driveway.

The medical examiner comes to the door in a T-shirt and pajama pants.

"I was sleeping, Jack," he says.

"Can I come in?"

"Why not?"

Jack follows him into the house. Ng leads him into a small room that must be the doctor's study. Antique wooden desk. Walls lined with bookshelves more full of books than knickknacks. Ng sits at the desk chair and motions for Jack to sit down in a big leather chair by the window.

"Anyone else home?" Jack asks.

"Wife's at work," Ng says. "Kids are at school. What do you want?"

"You know what I want."

Ng nods. He reaches under the green blotter on the desk. Pulls out a small stack of Polaroid pictures and hands them to Jack.

Two Asian kids walking out of a playground. A boy and a girl. Each in their little soccer uniforms. You don't need an Ident-A-Kid packet to know that they're Ng's children.

Jack hands the pictures back.

"He killed his wife," he says.

"Probably."

"And he's going to get away with it."

"Probably."

And he's going to make $50 million doing it.

Jack stands up and says, "Okay."

Ng nods.

Back in his car Jack knows that road is closed. Knows that the blood and tissue samples are already parked at a hazardous waste disposal somewhere.

It isn't just money, because if money wants to intimidate a coroner, money sues the coroner, or calls his boss or otherwise leans on him. Money doesn't threaten to hurt his kids.

No, that's a gangster thing.

Jack goes back to Cal Fire and Life, does the whole computer and phone run again and it's the same story.

Nicky's accounts are solid.

Credit card payments up to date.

Money in the business accounts.

And I am one dumb claims dog, Jack thinks.

Nicky set me up. Left evidence out there, waited for me to deny the claim and then jerked the evidence.

Set me and California Fire and Life up for a gigantic bad faith suit.

And he knew every move I was going to make.

Jack pushes in the door marked NO ADMITTANCE.

He blows right past the sign that says AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY and one of the SIU guys lays a hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him. Jack brushes him aside and shoves open the door to Sandra Hansen's office.

She's sitting behind her desk.

Jack leans over it.

"You been reading my file, Sandra?"

Most of the SIU guys are ex-cops and this one — a slab of meat named Cooper — asks her, "You want me to take him out of here, Sandra?"

Jack doesn't turn around as he says, "Yeah, why don't you take me out of here?"

"It's all right," Sandra says.

She gestures for Cooper to leave.

And shuts the door behind him.

She says, "I told you that we were going to monitor this file."

"You didn't tell me that you were going to tip Vale off to every move I was going to make."

"You're paranoid, Jack."

Yeah, Jack thinks, I'm paranoid.

Fucking A, I'm paranoid.

He says, "Vale knew every move I made."

"Then you'd better get some new moves."

"He wants $50 million now."

"You should have settled it before."

She goes back to shuffling papers.

"He's mobbed up, isn't he?" Jack asks.

"What makes you say that?"

Jack says, "He intimidated three witnesses and did a magic act with his money. He set me up, and you guys helped him, and I want to know why."

"You had your chance to play," Hansen says. "Too late now."

Jack slams his hand on her desk. "I'm not playing!"

"That's my point."

Jack sighs. "Okay, what do you want?"

"I don't want anything now," Hansen says. "You can't give me anything now. Before, I wanted you to back off. You wouldn't. Now they're going to make you back off, so you have nothing to trade."

"Give me what you got on him, Sandra," Jack says. "I'm dying."