“Back inside!” Gary shouted, and, surprisingly, most of the residents retreated to the safety of their homes.
Yola reached B2 first. Without any hesitation, she kicked the door beside the deadbolt and handle, and there was the unmistakable sound of wood breaking. As she brought her leg down, Gary charged forward, lowering his shoulder and slamming into the door with enough force to tear the deadbolt the remainder of the way out of the wood.
He tried to twist out of the way, but the man in front of him was faster than Gary was. A long carving knife flicked out and caught Gary across the forehead. Blood spilled down the front of his face and blinded him.
Yola’s sidearm roared twice, and there was a thud as the knife-wielding man crashed to the floor.
Furious, Gary wiped the blood out of his eyes and saw the attacker flat on his back, mouth agape, and blood frothing from a pair of entrance wounds in his chest.
Chapter 4: More Information
Sunday, 8:15 PM
The roar of sirens took Shane by surprise, and he paused to watch as a pair of ambulances went racing past him on Concord Street. He continued to observe them as they hurtled past Greeley Park, then turned left into one of the new developments. More sirens joined those of the ambulances, and Shane counted a trio of police SUVs that followed a moment later.
Never a good sign, Shane thought. He shook out a fresh Lucky Strike, popped the cigarette into his mouth, and lit it. Should probably quit these, he told himself, exhaling through his nostrils as he put the lighter and the pack away. But I’m not going to. Bad enough I’m cutting back on the whiskey.
No, that’s not true. I’ve gone almost cold turkey on the damned whiskey.
He tried not to think about it too much. Shane missed the constant, slight buzz he had kept himself in. But it had been done to numb him against old memories and perceived failures.
Were they failures? Yeah, more than a few were. But that’s the way it goes. I need to deal with it. Simple as that.
As he smoked and walked, he made the decision to cross Concord Street to go and see what had happened. By the time he reached the scene, one of the ambulances had already pulled away. The other remained parked in front of a recently constructed apartment building. A few of the residents were gathered outside, speaking with one another, and police were moving in and out of the front doors.
Shane glanced around at those watching the drama, and he spotted a ghost. She had been an attractive woman in life, but her good looks were marred by a foul expression. It was as though someone had personally slighted her, and he wondered what had happened.
The dead woman stood off a short way from the rest, her arms folded over her chest, fingers tapping rapidly on one bicep. Her death-wound was close to her navel, a small-caliber gunshot wound if Shane had ever seen one before, and it appeared that she had bled out. She was far enough away from the living that Shane felt comfortable approaching her.
He drew within several feet and waited for her to notice him. A few times, she glanced at him, and Shane repressed a smile. Finally, after almost five minutes, he asked, “So, what happened?”
She looked around to see if he was speaking to her, and when he grinned, she took a startled step back.
“Sorry,” he added. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She snickered. “That’s a good one. You scaring a ghost. How come you can see me?”
“I just can,” Shane replied. “You’ve never met anyone who could?”
She shook her head. “No. Not a one.”
“Huh.” Shane finished his cigarette, lit a fresh one, and asked, “Any idea what happened here?”
“Yes,” she grumbled. “Idiot killed his gal because she wanted my sunglasses.”
Shane looked at her, and she continued.
“I didn’t want him to kill her. Hell, that’s not the way it’s supposed to work. When it’s time, I get someone else to kill the guy, you know?” She shook her head, her expression that of someone having been extremely inconvenienced. “Now, I got to wait and try to make the move again. I just got with this guy, too, you know? What a jerk.”
“Sounds rough,” Shane stated, keeping his tone mild. “Want I should go in and try to get the glasses for you?”
She looked at him, smiled, and then, her smile faded. “There’s something wrong with you.”
He waited, watching her.
The dead woman shook her head. “No. You stay away from my stuff. I don’t trust you. You’re not weak, I can tell. I like guys like you, but you can’t be controlled. I don’t need that right now.”
Unable to stop her, Shane watched the dead woman hurry into the apartment building.
He stood there, silent, finishing his cigarette as the police continued with their investigation.
I’ll need to call Jack, Shane thought. Or Tom, but Victor gets upset if Tom prowls around through too many police networks.
Still, Tom might be best. I don’t think I should put off talking to Thorne any longer, either. I guess it’s a good thing I waited to call them.
With a last glance at the building, Shane turned around and headed for home.
Chapter 5: Burner
Sunday, 11:30 PM
Marty Feldman sat by the Veterans Administration in Manchester, New Hampshire. His back was against a tree, and he could see all avenues of approach. He needed to.
Marty was almost positive Alex Kallistos was having him watched. Waiting for Marty to slip up and reveal where his wife and daughters were hidden.
I’m not going to tell you that. I won’t make a mistake that will jeopardize their safety, Marty thought. From his pocket, he took out a flip-phone, one he had purchased earlier in the week. It was activated, with enough time on it for a quick call to his wife’s phone. He needed to know they were okay. Needed to make sure that Shannon was doing what she was supposed to.
Marty dialed the number and listened as the phone rang.
After four rings, it was answered, but not by his wife.
It was a pre-recorded message, and it told him that the owner of the phone hadn’t set up the phone’s mailbox system.
Marty shook his head, ended the call, and tried again.
He got the same result.
What the hell is going on? He tried a third time.
When the message started to play, he snapped the phone in half. Furious, he tore the back off, ripped out the battery, took out the SIM card, and broke that as well. After a moment, he dug a small hole, swept the remnants of the phone into it. He kept the SIM card’s pieces and stood up.
Marty took several deep breaths, cleared his mind, and decided upon a plan of action.
I need to go up north, see if I can find out what’s going on. He started the long walk back to the Clubhouse. Passing by a storm drain, he dropped the two pieces of the SIM card into it.
I know Kallistos doesn’t have Shannon or the girls, Marty assured himself. He would have bragged about it by now.
Despite the truth of the statement, it offered Marty cold comfort.
***
Monday, 6:00 AM
Alex Kallistos stood in the doorway to Professor Abel Worthe’s cell. The old man lay on his bed, mouth partially open, revealing chipped and broken teeth. Worthe snored, passed gas, and rolled onto his side.