The Rented Mule (22 page)

“Yo, girl, where are you?” Clarence said loudly.

“Let’s see. I’m, um, twenty-five miles to Montgomery, according to that sign. What’s up? Is our
friend
with you?” She could tell by his voice that something wasn’t right.

“Yeah, she’s with us, but it wasn’t pretty—not our style,” Clarence said, letting out a deep sigh.

“What happened?” she asked, nervously blowing smoke out the crack in her window.

“Too long of a story and too risky to discuss on the phone. Let’s just say, I broke a long-standing rule and improvised—we chased her down and snatched her out of her car, just like a bunch of lowlife hoods.”

“Were there any witnesses?” Jenny asked, shocked by what she was hearing.

“A really old couple… but I was wearin’ my Sammy Davis mask, and Jesse Ray was looking like Oprah in a cheap joggin’ suit. They didn’t see Larry King here… I don’t think. I’m so pissed off I could chew nails.”

“Is our
friend
restin’ comfortably?”

“Yeah, and I have some shootin’ muffs on her. I’m lookin’ for a place to ditch her car, which, by the way, is a
brand-new
silver Suburban,” Clarence said, slowly emphasizing the difference between it and what Jenny had told them.

“What? Are you positive you got the right woman?” she asked incredulously.

“Absolutely. I heard her say her name before things went to hell.” Clarence added, “She’s the woman you photographed.”

“I haven’t seen a silver Suburban, and she hasn’t gone by any dealerships since I’ve been watchin’ her,” Jenny
commented. “Damn! I shoulda stayed and helped y’all. I didn’t get anything… worthwhile.”

“I’m ninety-nine point nine-nine percent sure it’s her. But I’ll check her purse when I can.”

“Good idea. Y’all be careful of surveillance cameras in all the high-traffic areas. Montgomery’s full of cameras. Put down the visors, at least. What’s next?”

“Go to the hotel, and wait on my call. We’re going straight to our spot to get our
friend
comfortable, if you know what I mean.”

“Okay. You sure I don’t need to go and clean anything up?”

“I don’t think so. I’ll think about it and call you back,” Clarence said with a sigh and a groan.

“Don’t leave any trace in her car,” Jenny reminded him. “Use the Clorox wipes, and wipe down every surface inside and out that y’all may have touched.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Clarence replied, trying to slow down mentally and focus on the details. “We will.”

“I’ll monitor the scanner for any chatter.”

“Good. All right. I’ll call,” Clarence mumbled. He was barely audible.

“Are you okay? You sound terrible.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just pulled some muscles in my back. Bye,” he answered and then ended the call.

Maynard nervously sucked on a whitening strip, glancing over periodically at Clarence.

“Just drive, Larry, and let me think… and whatever you do, don’t get us pulled over,” Clarence groaned in disgust as he stared out the window.

The conversation with Jenny had made him anxious to look through the woman’s purse for her identification.
It’s gotta be Kelly Dixon,
he thought. He knew it was. He had studied the photos. He heard her say her name. Still, a brand-new, expensive SUV created some doubt. What was really upsetting to him was that he had deviated from his plan. Clarence strongly believed that the world belonged to those with strategies, and he felt as though he had betrayed one of his core values while placing the group in danger. Clarence Armstrong feared incarceration more than anything else. He had kids to provide for, and he couldn’t do that behind bars.

“Okay Maynard, turn left at that light, and go straight… there are some softball fields up ahead at Lagoon Park. We’ll ditch her car there. There shouldn’t be any cameras in the parking lot. If there are, just keep drivin’.”

Clarence moved his seat back as far as it would go and then tried to straighten his legs. His back was hurting, and he had a throbbing pain in his groin. He knew he was going to be extremely sore in the morning and feel even worse the next day.

Maynard pulled into the parking lot and drove to the far end. The lot was only at about 25 percent capacity. Jesse Ray pulled in beside them.

Clarence got out with the Clorox wipes and began instructing Jesse Ray to wipe down the steering wheel and anything else he even thought about touching. “Hit the radio controls, seat controls, ignition, the door handles inside and out, rearview mirror.”

Jesse Ray didn’t say much. The drying blood on his face spoke for him.

“And make certain you didn’t drip any blood on the seats or carpet,” Clarence instructed as he rummaged through the woman’s purse. He looked at her driver’s license.

“It’s her. I already checked.”

Clarence read aloud, “Kelly Martin Dixon.” He clapped his hands together, “That’s good, real good. Come on, Jesse Ray, hurry up, man; let’s go.”

“I’m ready,” Jesse Ray said as he shut the door of Kelly’s new vehicle and then wiped off the handle.

“Let’s roll,” Clarence shouted, slamming the door to his SUV.

After everyone was back inside the vehicle, Maynard stomped on the gas, causing the tires to lightly squeal. Their passenger was still out cold.

“Slow down,” Clarence barked.

“Relax, Big Dog. We had a great show tonight,” Maynard said with confidence and then turned up the radio volume.

Clarence reached over and turned off the radio. He glared at Maynard and then directed his attention to the backseat. “Jesse Ray, what the hell happened? We’re lucky as hell that we ain’t in handcuffs right now.”

“She heard me step on something and then turned to run. I think she broke my nose.”

“I oughta break your freakin’ neck is what I oughta do,” Clarence said angrily.

“Dog, it wasn’t my fault, and it wasn’t my idea to chase her down.”

“You’re right. You’re right. That was my bad. I just lost it when I saw her runnin’ and thought we only had one chance to save the operation,” Clarence said, shaking his head as he turned around to face forward. “I probably won’t be able to walk in the mornin’,” he said with a groan as he readjusted his position. “I pulled muscles that I ain’t used in years.” Clarence stretched, pulling his shirt out of his pants. More gravel fell onto the seat.

Maynard started laughing. “Man, you slid like a major leaguer!”

“I didn’t slide on purpose, dumbass!” Clarence exclaimed, tossing the gravel out of the window. “Just get me to the hideout so that I can take some painkillers.”

“Yes, sir, boss.”

“Jesse Ray, keep an eye on our girl and let me know if she starts to wake up… and don’t
ever
ask to do anything but tech stuff again. You ain’t cut out for the physical side of this business.”

Jesse Ray didn’t respond. He knew he blew it.

A moment later when Clarence realized that he had hurt Jesse Ray’s feelings, Clarence added, “You’re way too smart.” Even though Clarence was pissed off, he needed Jesse Ray to know that he was invaluable to the team. He continued, “We can hire muscle anywhere, but there’s no way I can replace you. We need you to concentrate on what you do best. Okay? Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It only hurts when I breathe.”

Clarence glanced at the clock and calculated how long they had been driving, and then he said to Jesse Ray, “Hand me my bag from back there.”

To Maynard, Clarence said, “In a few miles, after we cross the Tallapoosa River, there’s a rest stop on the top of this big hill. Pull in there, and park away from anyone. I need to give her a shot.”

Clarence pulled from the bag one of the prepared syringes, rocked the liquid in the syringe, and said, “I may need some of this ’fore the night’s over myself.”

“Me and you both,” Jesse Ray said as he felt his nose.

“We can’t all be knocked out. That would only leave Larry King, here,” Clarence said as he turned, looked over at Maynard, and laughed. He continued, “By the way, you did real good back there. That was some fine driving. I’m impressed.”

Seeing the Rest Stop sign, Clarence slightly pressed the syringe’s plunger. The small squirt of fluid ensured that there was no air inside. “Make a list of anything you need from the drugstore, and we’ll call Jenny and get her to bring it to us.”

“I need some teeth whitener,” Maynard exclaimed, with a glowing, toothy grin as he turned into the Rest Area.

Clarence ignored the request as he steadied the syringe in his left hand and grabbed the door handle with his right. When the Escalade came to a stop, Clarence groaned, straining to climb out.

J
enny spent the past two hours shopping for last-minute supplies before driving to the hideout. Evidently, both Jesse Ray and Clarence were in serious pain from their injuries. She was concerned about them and was anxious to hear all of the details of the night’s activities. She touched her brakes after checking her rearview mirror to make sure that she wasn’t being followed. The darkness reassured her, and she pressed her brakes harder turning left onto the gloomy gravel road that led to the hideout.

The gate was closed and locked, but the key was hidden right where Clarence promised. It made a low, steady creak as she pushed it open. An owl hooted, scaring the crap out of her. She quickly jumped back into her car, slammed the door, and locked it.

Gravel crunched under her car tires as she drove up to the old mansion. When she saw the house, she couldn’t help but think how beautiful it would be restored, with horses grazing under the canopy of huge live oaks that nearly surrounded the home. She parked next to Clarence’s SUV.

Entering the house, Jenny was immediately struck by the sight of Maynard. She had never seen anyone impersonate Larry King. His hair color was a bit off and there was more of it, but other than that, he was a dead ringer. Maynard smiled and introduced himself politely using his best King voice, teeth glowing brightly.

Through the greatest of effort, Jenny hid her surprise, saying, “Hello,” and then slowly turning to make wide-eyed contact with Clarence.

“This is Jesse Ray’s second cousin,” Clarence explained, anxious to watch Jenny’s reaction, “on his momma’s side.”

“Oh… yeah. Oh… huh, I guess I… you’re not at all what I expected,” she finally just came out and said it.

Clarence laughed deeply and patted Maynard on the back. “He’s all right. He’s a hell of a fine driver.”

“Where is she? Has she woke up yet?” Jenny turned the conversation to business.

“She’s in the cellar. Sedated. Jesse Ray’s down there with her. I don’t expect her to wake up for another couple hours.”

“If you go downstairs, put on your mask. It’s on the counter. I’m Sammy Davis Junior; Jesse Ray’s Dean Martin, when he’s not Oprah; and we got you Marilyn Monroe,” Clarence replied.

“What about me?” Maynard asked.

“You’re Larry King, remember?” Clarence said. “You probably shouldn’t go down there just yet.”

“Whatever you say, Big Dog,” he answered, reaching into his pocket for a whitening strip.

“It’s Mad Dog,” Clarence rolled his eyes at Jenny who had to bite her lip.

Clarence turned serious and then swallowed two painkillers. “I think everything’s in order, Jenny. We just wait to
see how long it takes for her to be missed and the police to get rollin’.”

“I wanna hear how Jesse Ray got punched.”

“He wanted to be the one to grab her, and I made the stupid decision to let him. I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Clarence said with a sigh.

“And she wasn’t in her Volvo?”

“Nope. She was drivin’ a brand-new Suburban. It only had twenty-three miles on it.”

“That’s really odd. You’re sure you got the right woman?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good thing you guys were so observant.”

“Larry King there recognized her from your recon photos, and if I hadn’t heard her say her name on her cell phone, I’da called it off.”

“I bet Jesse Ray was gung ho,” Jenny cut her eyes over at Maynard. She didn’t want to say anything bad about Jesse Ray in front of his cousin.

“Maynard, take a flashlight and this pistol, and go patrol the yard. Make sure the gate’s locked too. You know how to handle a gun?”

“Yeah, I left it open,” Jenny explained.

Maynard walked over to Clarence holding out his hand, palm up, for the gun. Clarence put the Smith & Wesson M&P compact .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol into Maynard’s outstretched hand.

Maynard pointed the muzzle in a safe direction, checked the visual port for a chambered round, dropped the loaded magazine, and quickly racked the slide several times to ensure there wasn’t a round in the chamber. He replaced the magazine, racked it once, chambering a round, and then slid the pistol inside his waistband at the small of his back.

“So… I guess that answered that question,” Jenny remarked admiringly.

“You expectin’ trouble, Big Dog?” Maynard inquired as he picked up the flashlight from the table.

“Well… let’s see, we just kidnapped a woman, that’s a felony, and we have her sedated in the basement, which is probably another felony as well, so yes and no. I’m not expectin’ trouble, but you can bet your ass it’s out there looking for us. So go lock the gate, and keep your eyes peeled. Make sure you got your phone with ya. When Jesse Ray gets back up here, he’ll get us all set up with walkie-talkies. Until then, you’ll have to use your cell. And my name’s not Big Dog!”

“Gotcha,” Maynard said as he walked toward the kitchen door.

SUNDAY—DAY 1

M
aynard was carefully leveling the fourth cinder block when Jenny’s curiosity finally got the best of her. She had tried to get a catnap on the couch, but Maynard kept shuffling in and out, disturbing her.

“Just what in the hell are you doin’?” she finally asked, smiling at Maynard’s enthusiasm.

Maynard was startled. He had thought she was asleep. “Uh… well… uh—”

“Maynard, what’s with the cinder blocks?”

“Oh, I’m just buildin’ us an entertainment center. All I got left to do is bring in the boards. I’m just tryin’ to make it more comfortable in here.”