Slaughter (The Agency: Young Guns Book 5), page 5
“Good, Mick’s here to help us out. He’s filling in for…?”
“Farrell sent me. Him and Annie are doing something.”
Blaine smiled. “Right. Farrell seems to be extremely busy with personal business.”
Casey chuckled.
“Come on,” said Blaine. “Let’s go find the kid before he swings that axe again.”
Marble Falls.
On the trip to Marble Falls, Montana talked more than Tommy had ever heard her talk before. She was so fuckin wound up and he couldn’t believe the stuff she was telling him.
“So, Tommy, I didn’t even know this was happening and Neil calls and says the Texas Rangers gave him a new deal.”
“They did?” Tommy hollered. “Is it a no-trade deal?”
“Yes, and some money too,” said Montana. “That’s not what I’m upset about.”
“Some money? How much money? They had to offer him fuckin millions to get him back.”
“He didn’t say, but then we had to go look at houses and he’s buying this big, huge house that we don’t need and it cost like a couple of million dollars and it almost made me sick thinking about it.”
“Are you quitting the squad?” asked Tommy.
“Neil wants me to quit real bad. He asked me to do it.”
“He wants you in Arlington. He doesn’t like it up there by himself. I know that much.”
“I have to say something to Blaine, but I’m not sure what I should be doing.” She turned and looked at Tommy with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I love my job. Neil said not to let the job come between us.”
Tommy nodded his blond curly head. “He wants you to quit and move up there to Arlington. I’d like to see that goddamned house and I’d like to know how much they offered him per year. I heard some of them players was getting… like twenty, thirty million per year.”
“Every year?” asked Montana.
“I bet the club offered Neil over a hundred million to come back,” said Tommy.
“A hundred million dollars?” Montana shook her head. “No, Tommy. That’s not possible.”
“Oh, I think it is possible. Neil is a huge drawing card. Neil Donovan, MVP of the World Series. Neil Donovan sells fuckin tickets.”
“I’ve never seen him play… like at the park… only on TV before I knew him.”
“You can go to every game now,” said Tommy. “Why don’t you keep working on the squad, and I’ll go live with Neil in Arlington and go to all the games? I love those fuckin road trips.”
Montana started to cry.
“Jesus, Montana. Don’t you cry in my truck.”
Brookdale Hospital. Marble Falls.
Blaine had called ahead to ensure that the administrator would be there when he arrived. He was meeting with Mrs. Gamble to talk about Malcolm Lewis.
As soon as he and Casey arrived, they were shown into Helen Gamble’s office just off the lobby on the first floor of the large building.
Four floors of hospital rooms. A fully fenced property with a guard at the gate and security cameras well placed at intervals all around the high fence.
“Appears secure,” said Blaine.
Casey took it all in and nodded. “I wonder if any of the other patients Malcolm was buddies with knows how he got out.”
“That could be a problem,” said Blaine. “If they know how or if they helped him do it.”
“If they know how he got out, he won’t be the only one goners,” said Casey.
“That’s a fuckin scary thought.” Blaine walked into the admin office and introduced himself and Casey. He placed one of his cards on her desk. “Good morning, Mrs. Gamble. We have reason to believe that your missing patient, Malcolm Lewis, has murdered a man on a ranch not far from here. My crew is here to help the sheriff track Malcolm down before he hurts anyone else.”
“No, that isn’t possible. Malcolm is a gentle boy and well-behaved. He would never kill anyone. You must be mistaken.”
“He’s our most viable suspect, ma’am,” said Casey, “and he is still missing. He’s a danger to others and we have to find him as quickly as possible.”
“I want to find him just as badly as the police do, for his own wellbeing. Malcolm will be frightened out there on his own.”
“Possibly frightened,” said Blaine, “but that’s not how I’m seeing this. I have a different picture. Anything you know about Malcolm that would help us zero in on him, ma’am? Favorite places he talked about? Family and friends that came to visit him?”
“He may go back home, but the sheriff has a squad car positioned there,” said Mrs. Gamble. “I’ve talked to his mother and she’s watching for him.”
“Uh huh,” said Blaine. “That base is covered.”
“Malcolm’s friends here at the hospital, have they been questioned?”
“Yes. I talked to each one of them myself and they don’t know where he is.”
“I’d like to take a look in Malcolm’s room, ma’am,” said Casey.
“The sheriff already looked in there,” said Mrs. Gamble. “He didn’t find anything.”
“Just a quick look, ma’am,” said Blaine. “Won’t take more than five minutes of your time.”
Casey nodded his head. He wanted to get in the kid’s room for a look.
They took the elevator to the second floor and Mrs. Gamble showed them Malcolm’s room—two thirty-one.
Blaine stood in the doorway while Casey went through the room methodically touching all the surfaces. He was trying to pick up Malcolm’s energy.
When Casey was done, they went back to the truck.
“Get anything?”
“Not much. There was a key hidden under his mattress at one point. I think he might have stolen a key to a vehicle.”
“Nothing was reported,” said Blaine.
“I’m going back inside to ask,” said Casey.
He ran in and asked the girl on reception his question. “Have any vehicles been stolen from the parking lot recently?”
“Not that I know of. Sorry.”
“Okay, thanks.” He ran back to the Navigator and shook his head. “She says no.”
“I’ll have the crew ask around the neighborhood.”
Austin’s Finest Gems. Downtown Austin.
Annie and Farrell entered the glittering store and wandered around a bit before locating the showcases holding the diamond rings. “What did you have in mind, sugar?”
Farrell laughed. “I’ve got nothing in mind. That’s why you’re here, Mom. Pick out the ring.”
“Make the ring match the personality of the wearer,” said Annie. “Laine isn’t a fancy person, so she won’t want a fancy ring.”
“Okay. I guess that makes sense. What should we look for?”
“I’m thinking a nice solitaire with a beautiful setting. Let’s talk to a salesperson and have her pull out some trays. We need a closer look.”
With a tray of solitaires on the counter in front of him, Farrell didn’t take long picking out the one he liked best.
Annie nodded and agreed with his choice. “That’s the one I’d pick too, sweetheart. Gorgeous ring.”
The ring was boxed and placed in a fancy little shopping bag with pink tissue paper and the deal was done. They went back to the truck and the conversation turned to the wedding itself.
“The hotels do a wonderful job if you buy a package,” said Annie. “They do everything for you and even help you get the license. Pick any hotel and we’ll look up the packages and book one. You need to know the date before we book it, but we can pick out the package ahead of time.”
“I want to get a package deal because Laine ain’t feeling that great yet and her shoulder gives her hell every fuckin day. I want to look at houses too and get that cooking before the wedding.”
“Where do you want to live?”
“I’ve given that a lot of thought and Elgin is the winner. In or near Elgin. I’d like some acreage and a barn for Diablo. I also want a couple of dogs of my own.”
Annie raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite a list. I’ll call Kevin Bennet and get him on it today. He’ll come up with a place for you. Got a budget?”
“Under four hundred K. I’ve got a big down payment saved in the bank.”
“You can use money from your trust if you want. You’re over twenty-five and you have access to it.”
“I’m not touching it unless I have to,” said Farrell.
Annie smiled. Farrell and Neil were both great money managers. Her cell rang in her purse and she dug it out.
“Hey, Mister, how’s it going?”
Chuck laughed. “Better since I saw you in my office, Annie. How about driving up to Wednesday’s game and sitting with me to watch Neil’s comeback? I’d love to have you as my guest.”
“Sure, I guess I could do that. What time should I arrive?”
“Around six?”
“Six, it is.” Annie ended the call smiling.
“Who’s asking you for a date, Mom?”
“Chuck Rogers. He wants me to come for the game.”
“The owner of the Rangers?”
“Uh huh. He probably wants something. High powered men like that always want something from you, but I want something from him too and it might work out.”
Farrell frowned. “What do you want from him?”
“I’ve been thinking of buying into the club if there’s an opportunity to do so. I want to have some clout so they can’t screw Neil over again.”
“How many investors are there?”
“Chet is finding out how many owners and we’re zeroing in on who needs cash. That’s the person I could potentially buy out.”
Farrell smiled.
Central East Austin.
Farrell met Laine at her apartment to help her get her things packed up. When she did anything involving her right arm, she was in a lot of pain and distress. Her range of motion was extremely low.
She had agreed to stay with Farrell and Adam until the wedding and until they got their own place.
Laine let him in and he hugged her. “You haven’t been doing too much, have you? You’ve got the pain look on your face.”
“Not much at all. I’m a slug.”
“Sit down for a minute, I want to show you something.”
Laine plopped down in an easy chair near the sofa and rubbed her arm without thinking. That set Farrell off. He watched her like a hawk. Every move she made.
“You shouldn’t be lifting.”
“If I don’t try, Donovan, I’ll never get over this.”
He took the box out of his pocket and handed it to Laine. “Mom helped me get sorted out, but in the end, I picked it out myself.”
Laine opened the lid of the velvet box and smiled. “This is a gorgeous ring, Donovan.”
“Try it on. Let me put it on your finger.” He slipped it on and smiled. “Not a bad fit. They can size it if you want it—looser or tighter.”
“It fits fine. I love the ring, and I love you, Donovan. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Same.”
Boots and Saddles Roadhouse. Giddings.
Tyler was behind the bar and he could see his cousin Shane Quantrall hitting on Scarlett again. It had been a constant thing since the first day Shane started working in the pool hall.
Three times Tyler had told him to stay away from Scarlett and Shane wasn’t listening. Scarlett wasn’t helping matters either. She talked to him and laughed at his jokes and she seemed to like Shane a little too much to suit Tyler.
“I’ll have to fire him,” Tyler mumbled to himself. He left one of the servers watching the bar while he followed Shane back to the pool hall and cornered him.
“Thought I told you to stay away from Scarlett.”
“Aw, come on, Tyler. I was only talking to her. You can’t be that jealous. You live with her, for chrissakes. I know that.”
“You’re done, Shane. I don’t want you working here. Clean out your locker at the end of the night.”
Shane gave a growl, took a swing, and knocked Tyler down. As Tyler fell, he hit his head on the leg of the pool table they were next to.
Tyler was out cold for a minute and one of the bouncers helped him up. “You okay, boss?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Wasn’t true. Tyler was dizzy and he thought he might puke. He grabbed onto the table beside him to steady himself. “Walk Shane to his locker, then see that he gets to his truck, would you?”
“Sure, boss. You should sit in your office for a couple minutes. You hit your head hard on the pool table leg.”
“Yeah,” said Tyler. “Maybe I’ll do that.”
Chapter Five
Tuesday, May 30th.
Fisher Lake Trailer Park.
“Nice shiner you’ve got, bro.”
Glen rubbed his face. “I hate those fuckin Russians, Deano. I think we should quit making collections for them.”
“Working for the Russians is the only thing keeping us alive. The club ain’t paying anything. We can’t survive on air.”
“They scare me,” said Glen, “and not too much does.”
“We’ll collect for them for a bit longer. Then quit.”
Marriott Hotel. Arlington.
Neil didn’t sleep well. He tossed and turned unsure of what Montana was going to do about the squad. He had the uneasy feeling that she wouldn’t quit her job and they’d be heading into a long-distance relationship that would fizzle out.
Even asking her to marry him wouldn’t change anything. It wasn’t the living together that was the holdup, it was all about the job. The main aim in Montana’s life was to be a Texas Ranger. She was deeply into making her father proud of her. Not much else mattered.
“I want her to be a different Texas Ranger,” Neil mumbled to himself.
The Blackmore Agency. Austin.
Blaine was in the shower and he could hear his cell ringing on the vanity. He stepped out, toweled off his dripping long hair so he could see where the phone was. He dried his hands and grabbed for his cell, but he was too late.
Missed a call from the Chief.
He called back. “Sorry, I was in the shower.”
“Granite Shoals Camp Ground, son. You’ve got another guy with an axe in his head.”
“Oh, no. How is the kid getting around like that? He can’t have a driver’s license. What the hell?”
“Don’t know, son. And we’re not sure it’s the missing kid. Just get out there as soon as you can.”
I’m pretty sure it’s the missing kid. There are no coincidences.
“Sure. Casey and I will leave right now. The rest of the crew can follow in an hour.”
“Copy that.”
Quantrall Ranch. Giddings.
Scarlett wasn’t in the bed beside him when Tyler woke up. The sheets were cool to the touch. He glanced at the clock and realized he’d overslept. As soon as he sat up, he knew why. He had one of the killer headaches that came quite often after his brain surgery. His head was pounding and he needed the pills he had in the bathroom, but first he needed coffee and to talk to Scarlett.
Feeling unsteady on his feet, Tyler walked into the kitchen, his head thumping and the sunlight pouring through the window hurt his eyes.
Glancing up from her coffee mug, Scarlett didn’t waste any time saying what she wanted to say. “I’m moving out, Tyler. I’m sick of your jealousy and I’m moving back to Bryan.”
“Don’t, Scarlett. Please don’t move out. I love you and I don’t want you to leave me.”
“We gave it a good run, Tyler, but I can’t stay any longer. Sorry, but I’ve made up my mind.”
Pecan Creek.
Lukas sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee after breakfast. Dale was in the bathroom dying his hair for the undercover job and Lukas was waiting to see how he looked.
When the dye job was done, Dale paraded into the kitchen for show and tell.
Lukas laughed when he first saw him. “Jeeze, you look so different with black hair, Dale. I wouldn’t even recognize you.”
“That’s what we’re going for. I get recognized and I get dead.”
“Shit,” said Lukas, “I don’t want that to happen.”
“Me neither.”
Granite Shoals Campground.
On the way to the campground, Casey called Tommy at VCS and told him to bring the squad to the scene.
“Give me directions,” said Tommy.
Casey gave him what information he had and Tommy said he’d find them. The call ended and Casey said, “The kid must have money if he’s buying axes. Can we track him through the stores he’s been to?”
“Yep,” said Blaine. “Good thought. Call Lil and have her call all the hardware stores and Lowes and Home Depots in the Marble Falls area.”
“Yep, doing it now,” said Casey. “If the kid was smart, he would’ve bought a bunch of them all at once.”
“Don’t even say that out loud,” said Blaine. “No way I’m going with the buying-in-bulk theory. Can’t think about it.”
“He might not be a planner,” said Casey. “If there’s something seriously wrong with the kid’s head, he might not think too far ahead.”
“Yeah, that makes me feel better.”
“You’re welcome.” Casey grinned.
The victim at the campground was one of two fishermen. John Robinson and Walter Wicks were two retired guys camped at the lake to do some fishing.
Walter Wicks was the man with the axe firmly entrenched in his skull and his buddy John Robinson was close to having an infarction over the murder of his best friend.
After introducing himself and Casey, Blaine sat down at the picnic table opposite John Robinson. “So sorry for your loss, Mister Robinson. Did you hear anything during the night?”
Blaine placed his card on the table and waited.
“No, Ranger Blackmore, I wish I had. I would have got out of my sleeping bag and shot the fucker.”
“You have a firearm with you?”
“Yep. Never go anywhere without it.”
“So, Walter must have got up and come outside for… a smoke, the bathroom…,” said Blaine.
