Gray Days and Wicked Ways, page 15
part #4 of Layton Shayne Mystery Series
“I love you, Layton. And I’m glad we can be so honest with one another.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said. “Neither would Ronnie. He asked me if I would tell you about the kisses and I said yes.”
“Good boy,” Alex said. “Will you be back in time for dinner at seven?”
“Yes,” I said. “And expect to be ravished after dinner.”
“OK, then” Alex said. “I’ll write that into my schedule.”
We talked some more before I had to hang up to concentrate on the last part of the directions. Apparently Natasha’s husband was well enough to be moved to the recovery home for vets. The large yellow Victorian building had a familiar name on the outside: Keene House. A surge of pride filled my gut. I was proud to have known General Keene. The building was across from the hospital and had a nice size parking lot. After parking, I got out and headed toward the front porch that had a ramp on the side. I stopped halfway up the ramp and bent down to pretend to tie my shoe. Ronnie was getting a show, but that wasn’t my intention. This was what I did when I wanted to get the lay of the land with no one noticing. Well, maybe one guy was noticing. I smiled at the mischievous thought then walked up to the porch and inside the building. The inside of the premises looked like a cozy home, and the original molding and hardwood floors were still there. The style was comfortably modern though and furniture was spaced out enough that wheelchairs could get around easily. I was surprised to see an elevator in the back, behind the wood staircase.
“Most people are surprised by the elevator,” a nurse said from her small desk in the entry. “One of the former owners had it installed when this was still a private residence.”
“This is a nice place,” I said. “General Keene probably liked it—it feels homey. And boys returning from battle like to feel like they’re back home.” I was surprised when my eyes watered up a bit.
“You sound like you were a soldier,” the nurse said.
“Yes I was, Ma’am,” I said. “I knew General Keene and admired him a great deal.”
The nurse was stout and I would guess was at least in her late forties with short brown hair.
“I knew the general,” the nurse said. “You carry yourself like one of his boys. I’m nurse Loni, which one of his boys are you?”
“Layton Shayne, Ma’am.”
“Oh yes, I remember him mentioning you a few times. The general loved all his boys equally, like a father would. But he had his favorites and you certainly were number one on his list of favorites.”
Her comment choked me up and I took a quick second to control my emotions. She’d said something I had needed to hear more than I realized. “Thank you, Ma’am. What you just said means a great deal to me.”
“You act surprised that he thought so highly of you, Mr. Shayne.”
“It’s just that I hadn’t seen him for a while before he died. I didn’t realize I still had questions about why that was.” I shook my head and smiled. “I’m actually here to see Dewey.”
“Yes, of course,” Nurse Loni said. “He’s waiting for you in his room. You go down the hall to the right and he’s in the second room to the left. Natasha is with him.”
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.” I walked down the hall and stopped for a moment. It wasn’t like me to be emotional, but between buying the general’s house, then being in this place with the nurse saying what she did, things had gotten to me for a second or two. Next to my father, the general had been the most important male figure in my life—then I needed to remember I was one of his boys and act like it. I stood tall and walked up to the second room. The door was open so I went inside. It was a small room but nicely set up to look like a bedroom in someone’s home. Natasha was sitting next to her husband on the bed.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello, Layton,” Natasha said, then turned to face me.
“Shit!” I said, the anger rising in me when I saw the large, hand-sized bruise on the side of her face. She was in a short-sleeved top and when she tried to cover her left arm I noticed a bruise there as well. “Damn it!”
“Natasha, honey, can you give Layton and me some guy time,” Dewey said.
Natasha kissed his cheek then walked up to me. I stopped her before she could walk by, and gently put my hand on the side of her face where the bruise was.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t have any clue he was going to do this to you. This guy is going down, trust me on that.”
“I do trust you,” Natasha said. “And it wasn’t your fault. I’m just sorry I had to tell him about the auction.”
“You should’ve told him about it before he slapped you,” I said. “Don’t be brave on my count. He would’ve found out about it one way or another.”
Natasha smiled then walked away and I prepared myself for what was coming.
Chapter 26
Brother to Brother
BURN VICTIMS WERE not pretty sights to see, especially if their burns weren’t fully healed. Dewey had been home for so long that his auburn hair had grown long enough that he could cover half his face with it. Callum was right when he’d told me Dewey was good-looking—at least half his face was anyway. Leaning over Dewey, I softly moved his hair away to see his scars. They were deep, but looked fully healed.
“They got you good, my brother,” I said, then started to brush his hair back in place with my hands but he stopped me.
“It’s cool, Layton. If I wasn’t in this damn bed most of the time I’d go after Jack Baker myself. It’s my duty to do so as head of my family.”
He was angry and I wasn’t going to argue with him or lie to a fellow Marine. “Yeah,” I said. “But you’re not fit for battle, soldier, and you know it. That’s why you need a brother to step in.”
He held his hand out to me and we firmly shook hands. Dewey told me his rank and other information he thought was pertinent about his place in his unit and I shared my rank and information with him—something I never did. But he was a wounded brother and this situation was different.
“When I saw the anger in your eyes at what Jack did to my wife, I knew you were a true brother,” Dewey said to me. “I knew you’d experienced the same things I had as a soldier but hadn’t let them fuck with your mind. You can still feel. Don’t worry, I could tell because we have similar training and backgrounds. A civilian might think you were a cold bastard.”
I chuckled and Dewey did too.
“How much longer do you have to be in this place?” I said.
“A while yet, but it’s a decent place. This house is built up high off the ground. You actually walk in on the second floor. The first floor is beneath us and has all sorts of equipment to help us get well enough to go back out in the world. I’m able to walk short distances now, and I’ll get better, but I’ll never be like before.”
“None of us are ever completely like we were before battle,” I said. “But some of us are luckier than others. You, brother, were somewhat unlucky. Not as unlucky as the group in front of you from what Callum told me, but unlucky nonetheless. When I was on the field, I helped a medic care for a man with the kind of chemical burns you suffered. You’re strong as hell to have survived.”
“I had two things to live for… my wife and my boy,” Dewey said. “Natasha has been by my side every fucking day since I came back. She… she…. Can you close the door please, Layton?”
“Sure,” I said. I got up and walked to the door.
It wasn’t often you’d see a Marine cry, but Dewey was past his breaking point. The burns he’d endured were bad enough, and he was dealing with therapy which I knew was tough. But a soldier could endure all those things. Sitting by helplessly when his family was being threatened and brutalized by a worthless prick was harder to handle. I sat on the side of the bed and held Dewey while he cried silently into my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, man,” Dewey said. “I’m a fucking Marine… Marine’s don’t cry.”
“Yeah they do,” I said. “When their hands are tied and they can’t find a way to help their families when they’re being hurt… they cry.”
“I’ve never felt so damned helpless in my whole fucking life!”
“Then you do what we’d do in the field. You send someone else in to get the job done. Who’s better to send in than another Marine?”
“No-fucking-body,” Dewey said, then lay back down. “God must’ve sent you, man. Jack screwed poor Callum over so badly that Callum couldn’t do a damn thing in regard to his family. The only thing that’s keeping him calm is knowing you’re here… and you’re one of us. That motherfucking Jack Baker has no idea what he’s in for.”
“That’s for fucking sure,” I said. I took hold of his hand and clasped it hard. “Nobody hurts a fellow Marine’s family and gets away with it on my watch.”
We talked some and Dewey seemed more at ease.
“Damn, you’re actually one of the legendary General Keene’s boys,” Dewey said.
“That I am,” I said.
“Holy shit, I should’ve saluted you when you walked into the room. General Keene really was a legend in these parts. He’s the reason I signed on. He came recruiting at my school one day and the man was a true inspiration. Hell, joining up turned Callum around. Before becoming a Marine he still had a lot of anger in him. I know you and he talked, so I’m not saying anything he didn’t already tell you.
“Don’t worry, we’ll fix things for Callum too. At least we’ll clear his name with his wife.”
“Did his kid really hire you for a quarter?”
“Hell, I would’ve done it for free,” I said.
“You’re an old-school Marine, like General Keene was,” Dewey said. “I swear to God, one day I’ll do the same as you’re doing for a brother in need.”
“We’re a family,” I said. “I come from a long line of Marines. It’s a true brotherhood to my family. When my pops needed his fellow soldiers they were there. Same for my grandpa and for you now.”
There was a knock on the door and Natasha walked in. “Is it OK if I come in?”
“Sure, honey,” Dewey said. “You two probably need to get going anyway. Natasha, listen to Layton and do as he says. Promise me that.”
“I promise,” Natasha said.
“No more bruises,” I said to Natasha. “Your fight is done. I want you to just worry about yourself and your son. If you do that then Dewey will be happy, understand?”
“Yes,” Natasha said.
“No more heroic gestures,” I said.
“Yeah,” Dewey said. “Next time just tell Jack Baker what he wants to know,”
“Oh no, brother,” I said. “There is no next time for her and Jack Baker. This situation is coming to an end.”
“I’m worried about Dewey here with no real help,” Natasha said. “What if they come after him to get to me?”
“Callum keeps an eye on me,” Dewey said. “And Nurse Loni’s tougher than she looks.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said, then closed the room door again and bent over to get my gun out of my ankle holster. “It’s loaded.” I gave the gun to Dewey. “In a pinch you can handle that, right.”
“Yes, Sir,” Dewey said. “My shooting arm’s fine.”
“Keep it under your pillow and don’t hesitate to use it if need be,” I said. “Jack Baker’s getting desperate, so we don’t know what he or his goons will try. I’ll make sure someone’s with Natasha and your boy twenty-four-seven.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Dewey said. As Natasha and I left, he saluted me and I saluted him right back. I let out a sigh as soon as Natasha and I were past Dewey’s room.
“It’s hard for a soldier to see one of his fellow soldiers hurt,” Natasha said. “There’s a true bond formed by men on the battlefield even if they weren’t serving together.”
“That is very true,” I said. We saw Nurse Loni at her desk and I turned to her. “Good-bye Nurse Loni.”
“Good-bye,” Nurse Loni said. “It was nice meeting you, Layton.”
As soon as we were out on the porch my cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket—it was Ronnie.
“A cop car has circled this place twice, Layton,” Ronnie said. “Take Natasha home in your truck, we’ll arrange to get her car later.”
“Will do,” I said, then closed my cell and took Natasha gently by the arm. “Did you hear that, Natasha?”
“Yes,” she said.
We quickly got into my truck, and buckled up. I started the ignition and backed the truck, keeping an eye out for a police car.
“Give me directions to your house,” I said. Even though I’d been to Natasha’s home before, it was from a different direction.
“Do you want to try to lose anyone that might be following?” Natasha said. “Should I give you less direct directions.”
“No, do the exact opposite of that, please. I want to see what they’re up to—maybe we can get them to show their hand.”
I drove a while without looking back. Natasha was tense, but there was no way I could help her relax, since it was a tense situation.
“Where’s your son, Natasha?”
“He’s at home with Brother Thomas, a boy named Norris, and the boy’s mother,” Natasha said.
“I’ve met Brother Thomas,” I said. “If there’s trouble he has people he can call for help.”
My cell phone rang again, it was Callum—I’d given him my number at The Green Parrot while we were eating fries and talking. I put him on speaker and answered.
“What is it, Callum?” I said. “We’re busy right now.”
“Yeah, I can see you’re entertaining surprise visitors. The cops are on your tail, but I’m close too. What’re your orders, boss?”
“My orders are that it’s time to get into this game and force all the cards on the table.”
Chapter 27
Rough Games
“MEANING WHAT EXACTLY?” Callum said.
“What are you prepared to do, soldier?” I said.
“My vehicle is armed to the teeth, Sir,” Callum said.
“Good, then take out the enemy,” I said. “Put a hurt on them, but leave ‘em alive so they can crawl home to daddy. Keep in mind, one of Dimitri’s men is on guard behind us somewhere.”
“I spotted him a while back—Ronnie’s cool,” Callum said. “I’ll let you know when I’m in position, Sir.” He hung up and I turned to Natasha.
“I don’t know what to expect, Natasha, so hold on tight when we get the call from Callum.”
“I can do that. You’re looking to end this mess with Jack Baker quickly—I’m glad.”
We were on a busy four lane street, and coming to a yellow light when my cell rang again.
“Stop for the incoming red light, then when it turns green, haul ass,” Callum said. The cops will go after you and I’ll be ready. Ronnie’s been informed and knows what to do.”
“OK,” I said. Callum hung up and I turned to Natasha who nodded, then gripped her seat.
We were stopped at the red light and there were no cars in front of us, I didn’t give into the temptation to look for Callum—it would’ve given his position away if I was being watched. When the light turned green I stepped on the gas hard, and we flew. Instantly I heard the sound of sirens. When I glanced in the rearview mirror I saw something hit the cop car and explode. The sound of cars screeching as they stopped to avoid the cop car filled the air. I continued driving. The phone rang. This time it was Ronnie.
“Layton, drive the regular speed limit and keep going to Natasha’s house. Callum used a small rocket to flip the cop car over. The fire and smoke was all for effect, nothing more. Both cops got out OK, but their car will be out of commission for a while.”
“Thanks,” I said, then hung up. I put my hand on Natasha’s shoulder a moment. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. You boys are good.”
“Yes we are,” I said. “We’ve got skills Jack Baker and his gang won’t see coming.”
“You were someone big when you were a Marine,” Natasha said. “Callum, Ronnie, and even my husband talk to you with deep respect. They don’t act that way toward a lot of people, so I know you were a leader of some sort.”
“Something like that,” I said.
“Take the next left,” Natasha said. “You don’t like to talk about those times too much, do you?”
“Nope,” I said. “I’m not ashamed of that time in my life, but I don’t see the need to discuss it unless necessary.”
“Turn at the next right, then the immediate left. While I was out of the room, you spoke with my husband a little about when you were an active Marine. I could tell by the way he was looking at you in awe and admiration when I returned to the room.”
“We shared our military ranks and talked about what we did,” I said, after making the first turn. “But you’re wrong, you know. It wasn’t awe or admiration… it was understanding. He knew I understood what he’d been through in battle. And he knows I understand how helpless he feels now.”
“Will he be OK when this is all over?”
“Yeah. He’s got you by his side and the most important thing to him is that you and Rocky are safe.”
“He won’t feel ashamed or guilty that he couldn’t be the one to help us?” Natasha said. “Take the next right. I don’t want him to feel like he failed us.”
“I talked to him and explained that it was OK to pass this task on to a fellow soldier like we would’ve done in battle,” I said. “He’ll be fine.”
“Once you cross that main street ahead, my home is three blocks down,” Natasha said.
“You’ll never know what your being there for Dewey—helping him deal with his burns and his therapy has meant to him,” I said. “Some people couldn’t be as strong as you’ve been.”
“I love Dewey,” Natasha said. “What else could I do but be there?”
We finally arrived in front of Natasha’s house, and my phone rang.
“Layton, It’s Ronnie. Callum is making himself scarce… he’s probably checking on Dewey. I’m parked at the end of the block where I can keep an eye on things.”
