Jeff Abbott - Cut and Run

‘I didn’t kill Paul.’

‘I don’t think you did. You know they found Gooch’s van where Paul died?’

Bucks said nothing.

‘Wasn’t in the paper. I know that from Whit Mosley. Now, what does that suggest to you?’ Frank said quietly.

‘Whit killed him.’

‘Getting Gooch back.’

‘I’m not gonna kill Whit Mosley because he killed Paul,’ Bucks said. ‘I’m out of the ring. I don’t do revenge.’

‘Then get rid of Whit because he can bring you down. Keep you from the money. If Eve’s dead, he has no further reason to try to deal with you. Eve is his mother.’ Frank watched Bucks blink. ‘So Whit, eventually, will tell everything to the cops. That you tried to have him and Eve killed, you kidnapped his friend, you’re in with drug dealers. But if you and I have Eve, the money, and plane tickets, our worries are pretty much over.’

‘You act like you know where Jose has the money,’ Bucks said.

‘Oh, I do.’ Frank pulled a Sig Sauer out from under the table, leveled it at Bucks. ‘But you get rid of Whit for me. He’s willing to meet you because he thinks you know where Jose has Eve. And Jose called him, told him Eve was still alive.’

‘Why do you want him dead?’

‘I want Eve with me, not her kid. He’s a judge down on the coast. She goes with him, she gives up our life together, and I’m not letting her go.’

‘Wow, you’re a really romantic old fart. So where’s the money, Frank?’ Bucks asked, the low growl coming back into his voice. ‘Tell me or no deal at all. You want Whit dead, that’s sweet with me.’

‘They’re at an old warehouse off Mississippi,’ Frank said. ‘I know the dealers in this town, the big ones who like to come to the club, and I got more eyes than a fly. Our time’s running out, son. You take Whit with you, he’ll fight these guys to save his mom, you get the money, we get Eve. But make sure Whit doesn’t make it out alive.’

‘Can I state the obvious?’ Bucks said. ‘I could risk getting killed, take the money myself, and why should I worry about saving Eve?’

‘Because, if you don’t, I’ll tell the cops you killed Kiko.’ Frank watched Bucks. Frank knew that Bucks probably thought Jose had the movie, had taken it after killing Kiko, because if the police had found it, then his Brooks Brothers ass would be behind bars, getting warmed up to be a jail boss’ new bitch. Bucks didn’t know Whit and Frank had both seen the movie.

‘But I didn’t.’

‘But you had every reason to, didn’t you, Bucks?’

Bucks tented his cheek with his tongue. Frank waited. Let the greed and the fear work their magic. It wasn’t that different from dealing with music promoters. If you appeared quiet and relaxed, not desperate to sing, even if every fiber in your body was screeching please, God, book me, please let me get up onstage because I know they will love me then the other person usually blinked first. Frank never wanted a real agent, not when he had Tommy to cut the infrequent deals. He had watched and learned.

‘All right,’ Bucks said. ‘You got a deal. Get Mosley here.’ He gave Frank a wicked little smile. ‘Chad Channing always said you should turn enemies into friends if it shortens your to-do list.’

*

‘Gomez will kill me for pulling this stunt,’ Vernetta said, changing lanes to get around a stalled bus.

‘You don’t work for him,’ Claudia said.

‘No,’ Vernetta said. ‘But he’ll kill my boss, and then, with his dying breath, my boss will shoot me.’

Tasha Strong lived in one of the many complexes near Hobby Airport, along Telephone Road. The complexes lay in a steady necklace, with withered yards and peeling paint. Monday evening was settling in for another long stretch of unease. Claudia had hijacked Vernetta at the Harris County Courthouse as she got off work, insisting that Vernetta come with her to find Tasha Strong.

‘He won’t shoot you. He’ll fire you. Think positive,’ Claudia said.

‘I’ll see if the Bellinis are hiring,’ Vernetta said. She pointed at one decrepit apartment building. ‘Love what they’ve done with it. A Chinese gang here took over a wing of one of these complexes, ran a whorehouse and peddled dope out of it. They had elementary school kids as their gofers.’ She shook her head. ‘If I don’t sound caustic, I’ll cry.’

‘Here. This is the address.’

‘Gomez and his team already tried to get in touch with her,’ Vernetta said. ‘No dice.’

‘Yes, but we’re not the scary police, are we?’

‘You are. You’ve scared me since you came into town,’ Vernetta said. She pulled into the parking lot, past three hard-faced working girls. The bored ladies watched them ease into a slot and walk across to the stairs, up to apartment 325.

Claudia knocked. No answer. But she could hear the soft strains of a radio playing on the other side of the door.

‘Tasha? Tasha Strong?’ she called softly. ‘I’m a friend of Robin Melvin’s. She’s worried about you. Please open up.’

The door opened. An old woman stood there, dressed in a faded pink robe and a maroon baseball cap. ‘Tasha don’t live here,’ she said. ‘Sorry.’

‘Hello, ma’am. Do you know where we could find her?’ Claudia said, ignoring the woman’s blunt manner.

‘No,’ the old woman said. ‘She’s gone for good.’

Claudia and Vernetta looked at each other, then at the old woman. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am, when did Tasha leave?’ Claudia asked after a moment.

‘Who are you?’

Vernetta and Claudia both showed their official IDs. ‘Oh, God,’ the old woman said. ‘She’s in trouble, I’m sure of it, but she won’t help herself get out and she sure won’t listen to me.’

‘We can help her,’ Vernetta said.

‘Come inside, then,’ the woman said. They came inside the apartment. It was small but clean, although there was a clutter of a tea mug, tissues, a rumpled newspaper. A cane was next to the door and the woman used it as she headed back for a chair. ‘Gettin’ over flu,’ she said. ‘Shouldn’t be contagious any more. Sit.’

‘Are you Tasha’s mother?’ Claudia asked.

‘Grandmother,’ the woman said. ‘Mrs Annie Strong.’ She sat. ‘I don’t hold with lying, and I haven’t slept well since the police called looking for her. Tasha asked me to lie for her, and I can’t do it no more because you folks are gonna keep knocking on my door.’

‘What lie did she want you to tell?’

‘First Tasha told me that if anyone came looking for her, say she was dead. Not to say she moved, or gone on a trip, but dead. Killed in a car accident in New Orleans, that was her story. Showed me what looked like a death certificate she’d faked up. I said you’re crazy, girl, what kind of trouble you in?’ Mrs Strong shook her head. ‘That’s a tall order to give me, after I done half the raising of her. I told her I’d tell people she’d left town, but not that she was dead.’ Mrs Strong spit out the last word.

‘So where is she?’

Mrs Strong shook her head. ‘I don’t know. She ain’t lived here in years.’

‘She gave this as her address to her employer.’

‘Huh. She got her community college degree, she moved uptown fast. Left me in the dust. Came to see me when it suited her.’

Claudia remembered Robin’s mention of the photos. ‘Does Darius live here?’

The old woman closed her eyes for a moment. ‘Darius, he really dead. Five years ago. Out playing basketball down the street with a group of boys who dealt. Other group of boys shot at ’em all. Killed Darius. He was fifteen.’ She leaned against the door. ‘Fifteen-year-olds killin’ each other for crack. Tasha, got everything in the world going for her, she tells me to tell the world she’s dead because she’s in bad trouble she won’t let nobody help her fix. Like I could bear her and Darius both dead. It would kill me. I can’t pull off such a lie for her. I ain’t doing it. No. Ain’t doing it. You find her. Please.’