James Grippando - When Darkness Falls

“A nickname,” she said. “None of those men in his position used their real names.”

“So, who is El Oso?”

Her eyelids flittered as she struggled to keep her whole body from trembling. “That’s the reason I’ve come to you,” she said in a voice that faded. “You are dealing with such a very dangerous man.”

T heo could feel it in his bones that something big was about to break loose.

He’d overheard Falcon’s end of the last telephone conversation with the negotiator. As best he could tell, they’d cut a deal that somehow involved Jack coming to retrieve the injured girl. Theo was all for getting the girl out safely from that hot, stuffy motel room. He just hoped that Jack wasn’t stupid enough to try and be a part of any rescue effort.

Falcon, for his own part, was proving to be anything but stupid.

“You two slobs,” he said, pointing at Theo and the weatherman. They were seated next to each other on the floor, their backs to the wall, bound at the wrists and ankles.

“Are you talking to us?” said Theo.

“Yeah, the both of you.” This time he pointed with his gun, which drew a whimper from the weatherman. It was everyone’s biggest fear that Falcon would shoot a hostage, but no one wore it more plainly on his face than the weatherman.

Theo said, “What do you want?”

“You’re going to carry the wounded girl outside and lay her on the stoop.”

“Is that the deal you cut?”

“It’s none of your business what deal I cut.”

“I just didn’t hear you mention anything over the phone about me and lover boy stepping outside the motel room.”

“All I can tell you is that it ain’t gonna be me who opens that door. You think I don’t know there’s snipers out there?”

“Snipers?” the weatherman said nervously. He leaned closer to Theo and whispered, “What if they shoot us by mistake?”

“Then you don’t have to tell your wife what you and those girls were doing in here last night,” said Theo.

The response almost seemed to satisfy him. Almost.

“No talking between prisoners!” shouted Falcon.

Prisoners? Here we go again, thought Theo. Next he’ll be telling us we can’t drink any water. “You’re going to have to untie us if you want us to carry the girl anywhere.”

The look on Falcon’s face suggested that he hadn’t considered that part of the plan. His eyes darted across the room, as if he had no idea where the solution lay. “Okay, forget what I said about it being both of you. One of you is going to carry her.” Again, he pointed with his gun, this time only at the weatherman, which made him gasp. “You carry her,” said Falcon.

“I can’t carry her by myself,” the weatherman said.

“I can,” said Theo.

“Who asked you?” Falcon said sharply.

Theo said, “The girl may be alive, but she’s deadweight. If you want it done right, not to mention quickly, then let me do it.”

The part about “quickly” seemed to register with Falcon. “All right, big mouth. You got the job. But if you try to run for it…”

“I know, I know. It’s a bullet in the back.”

“That’s just for starters,” said Falcon. He pulled his strand of beads from his pocket, rolled the little balls of metal around in his hand, then added, “You can’t even imagine what will happen to the ones you leave behind.”

JACK HESITATED BEFORE hitting speed dial on his cell phone. It suddenly occurred to him that, depending on how Paulo’s latest plan played out, this might be the last time he would ever dial Theo’s cell.

Theo was numero uno on Jack’s speed-dial list, which Jack liked to think said less about his love life and more about the kind of friend he had in Theo. Having a bad day in court and needing a guy who really knows how to pour a drink? Dial 1 for Theo. Your classic Mustang’s been torched and you want to find the punk who did it? Just punch 1 for Theo. Is your client a hit man who needs to show his attorney a little more respect? Theo again. There was no limit to what Theo would do for Jack, which only exacerbated Jack’s feeling that he wasn’t doing nearly enough for Theo in his hour of need. For most people, it probably would have made perfect sense to follow orders and stand aside so that the police could do their job. That wasn’t Jack’s style, however. Couple that with the guilt Jack felt about having gotten Theo into this mess in the first place, and Jack was glad to take on a more active role in the rescue operation.

He hit speed dial, and Falcon’s voice was on the line. “Are you coming to get the girl, Swyteck?”

“Is that what you want?”

“I couldn’t have made it any clearer. You and Paulo. The dumb leading the blind.” He laughed way too hard at his own joke.

“That’s a real knee-slapper, Falcon.”

“Lawyers,” he said, his laughter ending with a scoff. “No sense of humor.”

“It’s hard to laugh when you know the truth.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know who you are.”

“Well, that makes one of us.”

“I know all about Marianna Cruz Pedrosa.”

“What’s there to know? It’s just a phony name on the access list to my safe deposit box.”

“No. I know much more than that.”

“You’re so full of crap.”

“I know about El Oso.”

Jack wished that he could have seen Falcon’s reaction, but it was almost unnecessary. The silence on the line was profound.

Finally, Falcon said, “Exactly how much do you know?”

“Enough.”

“How much is enough?”

“Enough to keep my friend Theo alive. Unless you’d like me to share what I know with the media.”

“What makes you think I care?”

“The fact that you changed your name, lied about being from Cuba, went and lived in a burned-out car. The fact that you climbed up on a bridge and got arrested for trying to talk to the mayor’s daughter, and then holed yourself up in a motel room with hostages, and yet for some reason, you’ve never mentioned your dark side to anyone. Or should I say darkest side.”

Falcon’s voice took on an edge, rising with agitation. “I’ll mention it when I’m good and ready.”

“Or I’ll steal your thunder and do it for you.”

“You keep your mouth shut!”

“No problem. Just keep Theo and the other hostages alive.”

He didn’t respond right away, but Jack could hear him breathing out his anger. “Don’t push me, Swyteck. I don’t like it.”

“Nobody’s pushing you. All I’m saying is that if you harm any of the hostages, you lose your stage, your soapbox, your platform-whatever the hell it is you’re angling for.”

“How do you know I want a stage?”

“Because none of your other demands makes sense. And I don’t think you’re anywhere near as crazy as you lead people to believe.”

Falcon’s tone changed again, less argumentative, more respectful of Jack’s insight. “I like you, Swyteck. Deep down, I really like you.”

“I’m truly honored.”

“That’s why I want you and Paulo to come get the girl.”

“Fine. But then what?”

“Then…” Falcon’s voice trailed off, and for a moment Jack thought he’d lost him.

“Falcon? Then what?”

“Then, it’s curtain time,” Falcon said, and the call ended.

T he drive back to the mobile command center was practically unbearable for Alicia. At least a half-dozen times, she had to fight off the impulse to jump onto I-95 and just keep going. She had no particular destination in mind. It was simply about getting away. Running, however, was rarely the answer. With the lives of at least four hostages still hanging in the balance, it wasn’t even a remote option.