Robert Crais - The First Rule

“Jakovich?”

Grebner’s eyes narrowed as if Pike had finally surprised him. He glanced at his men and then toward the front door, almost as if he couldn’t believe he was in this position and if he only pretended hard enough Pike would go away.

“You got no idea what you are saying.”

“How about if I say, ‘Kalashnikov’?”

Grebner slowly opened his mouth, staring as if Pike were mystical.

“How can you know these things?”

“Are the rifles in Los Angeles?”

Grebner did not answer. He was still trying to figure out how Pike knew.

Pike reached for his shoulder, and Grebner jerked.

“Yes! Yes, this is what I hear. I don’t know this-I don’t see them-but this is what I am told.”

As Grebner answered, Cole reappeared, now carrying a grocery bag tucked under his arm. He motioned Pike over, and spoke so Grebner couldn’t hear.

“The guns are here?”

“That’s what he says.”

“How about Darko? He have a location?”

“He has a pager number. That’s it.”

Cole patted the bag.

“I scooped some billing records and files, but it’s lame. I don’t know if this will help.”

Pike and Cole returned to Grebner, who was watching them like a cornered rat would watch circling dogs.

Pike said, “Where are the guns?”

“How would I know? The old one. He has them.”

“Jakovich.”

“You do this for the guns? You want to steal them, buy them, what? Who are you working for?”

“Frank Meyer.”

“I don’t know a Frank Meyer. Who’s that?”

“Darko sent a crew to a house in Westwood almost a week ago. Do you know about that?”

“Of course, I know. This was Frank Meyer’s house?”

“Frank, his wife Cindy, their two little boys. Darko’s crew murdered them after his son was snatched.”

Now Grebner’s eyes narrowed again.

“Michael’s son?”

Pike nodded, but this seemed to confuse Grebner even more.

“Michael has no children. This was the old man’s child he took.”

Cole and Pike shared a glance, then Cole took the picture of Rina’s son from his pocket and held it out. The baby with the wispy red hair.

“Peter. Petar. Is this the kid you’re talking about?”

“I have not seen the child. All I know is what Michael tell me.”

“Which is what?”

“Michael took the child to get the guns. He thinks he can force the old man to make a deal, but the old man is crazy like these old fucks back home. He went insane.”

“So now they’re at war.”

Grebner laughed.

“You would have to be Serbian to understand. This is beyond war. The old man, he tells Michael he will kill the child himself. The old one will kill his own child to show he has no weakness, and cannot be threatened, and he will kill Michael. Do you understand what I am telling you? This whole mess has blown up in Michael’s face.”

Cole said, “Jakovich’s child? Not Michael’s.”

“Yes.”

“Who’s the mother?”

“Who can say? I don’t know these people.”

“How many children does Michael have?”

“Some? Many? None? You think we go on picnics? I never see Michael with anyone but whores.”

The phone in Pike’s pocket rang with a high-pitched jangle that made Grebner jump. Grebner’s phone.

Pike glanced at the incoming number, but it was only a number and meant nothing. Pike answered, but said nothing. The person on the other side was silent. Pike heard breathing, then the person hung up.

Pike slipped the phone into his pocket, and saw that Grebner was smiling, his teeth filmed with blood.

Grebner said, “This will be Michael, yes?”

“Probably.”

“I am sorry for your friend, Frank Meyer, but he should not have involved himself in our affairs. Neither should you. We are terrible enemies.”

Pike studied him for a moment, then glanced at Cole, whose eyes were wide, the eyes saying, What in hell just happened here?

Pike said, “We’re done. I’ll be right behind you.”

Cole headed for the front door, and Pike turned back to Grebner. When Cole was gone, Pike drew the.357 and thumbed back the hammer. The locking steel spring was a breaking bone in the quiet house. Grebner, eyebrows lurching, wet his lips and breathed faster.

Pike touched the muzzle to Grebner’s head. Grebner clenched his eyes, then opened them, wide and glistening, dancing like moths trying to escape a glass.

Pike said, “Where did Jakovich get the guns?”

“I got no idea. I don’t know.”

“Was Frank involved?”

“What? Who?”

Grebner was so scared he had already lost the name.

“The man who owned the house. Frank Meyer. Was he involved in the deal for the guns?”

“I don’t know. How could I know?”

“What did Darko tell you?”

“He said nothing about this Frank Meyer. He told me he knew where the old man had his son. That’s all he said.”

Pike pressed the muzzle into Grebner’s head. It would leave a perfect, circular mark.

“Did he tell you why the child was with the Meyers?”

“No, just he was going to get the old man’s boy. That is what he say.”

“Darko went with the crew to the Westwood house?”

“That’s what he say. To make sure they not fuck it up. Please-” Pike looked out over the white terrazzo floor and the fine white furniture and beyond the two trussed men with their frightened, watching eyes, to the infinite, hazy sky. Knowing was good.

“Deliver a message.”

Grebner opened his eyes. He had expected Pike to kill him.

“Tell Michael nothing he does or can do will stop me.”

Grebner slowly nodded, staring into Pike’s invisible eyes.

“I think maybe you are a terrible enemy, too.”

Pike holstered his gun and left.

Pike flagged Jon to pick them up, Cole tugging his arm as soon as they were out of the house.

“Refresh my memory. Whose kid is this we’ve been trying to find?”

“Your memory’s fine. She said Darko is the father.”

“Only Darko tells this guy that Jakovich is the father.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t get it. Everything she told us checked out when I spoke with Ana’s friend.”

In the car, Pike explained about Grebner as they drove down the hill, and asked Jon to stay at the scene to follow Grebner in case he left for a face-to-face with Darko. Stone told him it would be no problem, then had a few questions.

Stone said, “This guy Grebner, was he in on killing Frank?”

“No. Says he knew about it, but it was Darko’s play.”

“So he didn’t know if Frank was involved?”

Pike realized Stone was staring at him, and realized why.

“He doesn’t know if Frank had anything to do with the guns or not. He doesn’t think so, but he doesn’t know.”

Cole said, “The guns are in Los Angeles, and Jakovich has them. Way these people keep secrets, Darko may not even know how he got them. He just wants them.”

Stone didn’t say any more. They drove the rest of the way down in silence, but Stone was likely thinking much the same things as Pike. The field of fire was growing confused. Rina hid her baby with her sister to keep him from Michael, or Jakovich hid his child with Ana or Frank for the same reason, which meant Jakovich had a relationship with Rina’s sister or with Frank. Frank and his family were either innocent collateral damage, or Frank was somehow involved with Jakovich in the acquisition of three thousand automatic weapons. Pike thought about these things, but didn’t try to get his head around everything at once. Pike knew how to remain calm during the chaos of combat. He had been trained for it, and had survived withering fire in overwhelming combat situations dozens of times. He had learned to keep his head by thinking about one thing at a time. Access the situation, plan a single action, then commit yourself to that action. A war is won one maneuver at a time.