Guns [John Hardin 01] (29 page)

Stan hadn’t realized he was backing up until his chair bumped against his calves. He stooped down, heard his knees crack, and watched for movement inside the limo. He knelt on the floor balancing himself, his hands on the windowsill. He thought about gangsters, hit men sizing up a hit. Or maybe terrorists hiding out in apartments nearby, preparing for an attack. He was about to reach for the phone on the end table when an orange glow appeared in his peripheral vision.

The big sport ute that had been parked at the far end of the lot beneath the overhead light had moved out and was coming this way, only its parking lights lit. Maybe the police were already watching. Maybe someone else had seen the limo and now there would be a sport-ute-limo confrontation. The sport ute with oversized wheels had a spotlight mounted on the driver’s door. He waited.

The sport ute’s parking lights lit up the bumper of the limo ahead. A foot apart, limo and sport ute stood motionless. Limo with headlights on, sport ute with an unlit spotlight.

A man got out on the far side of the sport ute and walked quickly to the limo. Big shoulders, small head, just like the man from the previous night. Still no courtesy light inside the sport ute, and now no courtesy light visible inside the limo as the man opened the rear limo door and a tall thin man got out and stood next to the big-shouldered man. The tall man raised his hand. Not like a stickup, not like a wave. Like the Pope giving a blessing. Then the big-shouldered man opened the dumpster and the thin man lifted something in. At first the package had been hidden by the limo. But as the man lifted it in, Stan saw the shopping-bag size of it for an instant before the lid was closed.

The tall man got back into the limo, and after the other man closed the door he returned to the sport ute. Then the two vehicles drove slowly out of the lot, and when they turned onto Elmwood Drive sped through the curve in one swift movement like a snake. Just before they disappeared between the darkened gas stations, the headlights of the sport ute came on.