Trifecta (25 page)

She almost felt like the despised paparazzi as she made
preparations.  She had never done a clandestine night shoot before, in disguise. 
And she had never taken pictures of anyone without their knowledge and consent. 
It was a slimy kind of shoot, and she didn't like the way she was feeling about
it. 

Julia chose black slacks and a black turtle neck sweater. 
She would be feeling like a thief anyway, taking the pictures.  Might as well dress
the part.  She chose a soft black felt cap she could tuck her hair under.  Then
she realized that she didn't have to cover her blond hair, noticeable as a beacon
in the dark.  She gave a grim smile and decided to take the cap anyway.

Julia got her rental car from the garage.  She wanted to
scout out a good location to take the pictures.  If it was dark enough, she could
climb up the side wall and have a good view of Quijada's front door from her perch.

J
ulia was going to be mad as hell when she found
out that Quijada wasn't going to be arrested tonight, Robin thought as he drove
up the winding hill through quiet blue twilight.  He was also worried that his telephone
message would be leading Julia directly to Quijada's home, but she would have been
suspicious if he had said that they were planning to pick him up for questioning
from any other location.  Anyway, Robin consoled himself, he'd get there early enough
to intercept her and explain why he had misled her. 

Robin looked into his rear view mirror and saw one reason. 
In the car following behind him up the spiraling road was a retired police officer,
Thomas McQuery.  Robin had hired Tom to keep Julia safe while she was in Los Angeles. 
Even if Julia wouldn't speak to him, Robin had that consolation. 

If Julia showed up it would prove that she was still listening
to his phone calls.  It had to mean something if she came.  On the other hand, it
could just mean she was using the information he provided.  She had never picked
up the phone even once when he called, which was pretty depressing.  Of course she
was angry, but after all this time he thought it was stretching the point.  Robin
believed that underneath the outrage she really cared for him.  Either way, he would
find out tonight.

Robin drove slowly past Quijada's residence.  He couldn't
see inside the grounds because of the high, thick walls which enclosed the property. 
Then, as he passed right in front, he saw that the tall iron gates were open and
that there were men standing on either side of the opening.  He couldn't tell if
they were armed. 

Quijada must be exceptionally worried if he would obviously
post guards.  But it was common knowledge now that Quijada might be indited for
smuggling illegal drugs.  There were narcotic sharks trying to break into his position
in the drug trade already.  It made Quijada's situation precarious.  Snitches were
giving him away and he was losing respect with his own people.  An inside assassination
wouldn't be unusual under the circumstances.

On top of that, Quijada had to worry about the police picking
him up at any time.  If he appeared to be under siege, it was exactly true.

Robin could see the guards studying his car from the corner
of his eye as he slowly continued on past.  Doubling back and driving past again
would make them suspicious.  He couldn't park anywhere near the house or they might
come to check him out.  At the very least, they would take his license number and
trace ownership of the car.

Robin decided he would have to scout around on foot for
Julia to warn her that the place was under guard.  He was early enough.  There was
no sign of her.  It was getting dark rapidly and if he was careful the guards wouldn't
see him if he snuck around the back of the property.

Robin went a few blocks up the winding road and around
a sharp bend, parking in front of another huge mansion.  There was no traffic at
all on the road.  Tom parked right behind him in a dark blue Mustang.  Robin went
over to the car and told Tom to wait until he came back. 

He started walking in the lowering darkness toward Quijada's
residence.  Skirting around the backyards of several gigantic homes, tramping through
wild weeds and brush, he finally reached the back of the property.  It took some
time.  He was getting worried that Julia would arrive and get caught by the guards. 
Robin saw the tree that he had used to scout over the fence the last time he had
been there, when Julia had been inside stealing Quijada's drug records. 

Robin was thinking of climbing the tree to peek over the
fence and get an overview of the whole property, when he noticed that there was
a dark figure standing beside the tree. 

Robin stood stock still, hardly breathing, and very slowly
squatted as low as possible in the rough brush, hoping the thick weeds and shrubs
would hide him.  Quijada must have posted surveillance outside the property as well. 
It was a little guy, standing there, but he did have something that he was gazing
at very carefully in his hands.  Probably a gun. 

Robin was too far away to see clearly in the twilight. 
But now he was anxious.  He should have parked in front and waited for Julia there. 
She might get caught by guards posted around the outside perimeter of the property,
although all he could see was the one man.

Robin backed up slowly and went to the side of the wall
and peered around.  He couldn't see anyone guarding that side of the property. 
He started down the rough brick wall toward the front to see if there were other
guards, keeping close to the fence.  The luminous dial of his watch said he still
had about fifteen minutes before Julia would probably arrive.  It was almost dark
now.

Robin retraced his steps along side the wall to the back
again.  He decided to go around behind the tiny guy and check out the other side.

Then he noticed that the shadowy figure was awkwardly climbing
up the rough brick and stone wall.  The man had piled some loose rocks against the
fence so he could get high enough to reach the top.  He was clumsy and almost fell,
but Robin got the feeling that this man was not one of Quijada's guards. 

Maybe he was an assassin, hired by one of the other Mexican
Mafias, there to take Quijada out for a rival in the drug trade.  Robin crept closer
to the fence.  The guy almost fell.  Then he grabbed hold of the top of the wall
and pulled himself up, kicking wildly.  He wasn't very strong for an assassin, Robin
thought.  Watching the little guy was almost comical as he balanced carefully to
a squatting position on top of the wall.

Robin started backing up so he could go around behind the 
fellow.  He was on a steep upward incline and he continued until he was behind the
guy.  Robin was high up enough now that he could see over the wall and into the
back of the grounds. 

The little guy stood up and walked carefully along the
top of the back wall.  He rushed until he got behind a tree and then stopped and
furtively looked around.  Robin stood staring at him as the man made his way to
the corner and started toward the front of the property.  He was very dainty, almost
mincing along, and Robin could see that the big Rottweiler, Bruno, was keeping pace
with him from inside the fence.  The dog was jumping up and down in excitement. 

Robin had a horrible thought.  If the guy fell inside,
the dog would kill him.  Then he noticed that Bruno wasn't acting like he wanted
to attack at all.  The dog was whining and jumping up and down like a pogo stick
on springs, but it was more like an excited, happy bark he was making, not a snarling
growl.

Robin felt a chill go through him.  He looked carefully
at the person standing on the fence and noticed for the first time the feminine
silhouette.  He remembered how delicately and gracefully the person had moved. 
The lack of strength. 

That little guy was no guy at all.  It was Julia!  She
had her hair tucked under some kind of cap.  He cursed his stupidity.  He had put
her up to this and she was behaving just as he would have expected.  Tiptoeing right
into danger.

Now Bruno was barking loud enough to attract attention. 
Damn, Robin thought, she's going to get caught.  And who knew what Quijada would
do once he got her in his clutches.  He had already demonstrated his anger by ruining
her apartment. 

Robin plowed forward through the thick undergrowth as fast
as he could until he was about ten feet behind her.  He could hear her talking to
Bruno.  He thought he'd made quite a racket, but she was involved in quieting the
dog.

"Shh, be quiet now, Bruno," Julia was whispering. 
"Yes, you are a very good boy, a darling doggy, and I love you very much. 
Such a good boy.  Shh, now.  I've got something nice for you, sweetheart.  Look!"

Sweetheart?  Darling doggy?  That animal was a hundred-fifty
pound lethal killing machine.

Bruno was yelping his fool head off in excitement.

Julia reached into a pocket and almost lost her balance
and fell inside.  "Here you go, baby Bruno.  A nice chew bone for the cute
puppy."  She threw an enormous rawhide bone inside for Bruno.

Robin wished it was poisoned.  That dog would raise the
whole neighborhood.

"That's a good baby dog.  Eat your nice bone,"
Julia was saying soothingly.  "Yes, it's yummy.  That's a good doggy."

There was silence for a while, punctuated by ominous crunching
noises.  It sounded like Bruno was devouring the bone.  There were wet smacking
noises.  And Julia was moving again on the wall, closer to the front of the property. 

Robin stayed behind her and kept pace.  He knew he would
have to get her off that wall, but he was reluctant to startle her.  She was balanced
precariously and if he started talking she might fall inside.  He didn't think she
could climb up over the wall to get outside again.  When she got closer to the front
there was the added danger of the guards discovering her.  At least the dog was
quiet now, except for slavering crunching noises from the other side of the wall.

"Julia," Robin whispered.  He was only about
six feet in back of her.  He saw a visible shiver go through her and she suddenly
became still as a rock.

"Julia, it's Robin.  Behind you."  He was whispering. 
"You've got to get out of here.  It's too dangerous."

The minute Robin stopped talking he knew he'd made a serious
mistake.  Julia had heard him.  But so had the dog, who  started barking violently. 
It was the noise an animal makes when it notes severe, threatening danger.  From
close range it was almost deafening.

"Oh, damn," Julia said.  She slowly and carefully
turned around on the wall.  "You're ruining everything."

"Get down off that wall," Robin commanded as
he walked up to her, standing right in front of her.

"Don't you tell me what to do," Julia answered,
looking down at him furiously.  She was so irate she stamped her foot and almost
fell off the wall.  When she regained her balance with some vigorous arm movements,
Robin made a huge effort not to smile.  She was so cute standing up there.

"The guards will be here any second!" Robin said,
trying to be rational and hurry her up. 

"I can't believe this," Julia said irritably.

Bruno was still barking his idiot head off.

Julia sat down on the wall facing Robin.  "I had everything
perfectly under control.  Now you've ruined it."

"They're not arresting Quijada tonight," Robin
said.

He saw her look of comprehension just as the lights went
on in the second story of the house.  Then, suddenly, the whole outside grounds
was drenched with blinding flood-lights.  Julia turned her head quickly and looked
behind her.  "The guards saw me!"

Robin grabbed her hands, which she held out to him, and
steadied her as she leaped to the ground.  They both crouched down next to the wall. 

"They're coming this way," Julia whispered. 
"I think they have guns."

Normally Robin would have held his ground and bluffed his
way out of any situation, but if Quijada got hold of Julia there was no question
that she would be seriously hurt.  And Quijada probably knew, or guessed, that Robin
had been behind the serious charges that were pending against him.  There would
be no mercy for either of them.

Robin yanked her up and they ran blindly down the side
of the wall toward the back of the property.  He was thinking that if the guards
let the dog out he was a dead man, unless he could find a good sturdy tree to climb. 
Then, if he was treed, the guards would catch him, but maybe Julia could get back
to her car.  The dog wouldn't go after her.  Not when he had a nice juicy stranger
to attack.

They reached the end of the wall and kept going, stumbling
through rough brush up the hill.  It felt like they were making an enormous amount
of noise, crashing through the undergrowth which had grown wild on the hill.  Robin
was getting scratched by brambles and he tried to help Julia along and protect her
from the worst of the thorns.  Julia must work out, he thought, as he struggled
on swiftly, because she was keeping up with him admirably.  Or else she was very
frightened.  He glanced back.

The lights were behind the two men who had opened the back
gate, so he could see them clearly for a moment while the gate was still open. 
The guards started slowly up the hill, each taking a diagonal out from the gate
in roughly parallel paths, to spread out the area to be covered.  Visible projections
were pointed in front of them. 

It would be easy for the guards to say they had killed
intruders and just drag him and Julia back inside the property.  The men were silently
peering through the gloom, trying to see.  Robin grabbed Julia's arm to stop her,
"Don't move.  They're behind us."

Julia gave him a scared, wide eyed look and stood still. 
They were behind a large prickly bush of some kind and if they stayed perfectly
still there was a chance the men wouldn't see them. 

"Go back to your car," Robin whispered as they
started moving again, crouched over like scurrying crabs, from one clump of brush
to the next.  "I don't think they can catch us if we go in opposite directions."

"Are you crazy?" Julia said, jerking him down
behind a mound of weeds.  "If they let the dog out, he'll kill you."

"Quijada might kill you, if he catches you.  I'll
climb a tree," Robin said, looking around for a tree.  There wasn't one.  Just
clumps of thorny bushes.

"God, I hate it when men try to be heroic," Julia
said.  She had grabbed hold of his arm and was pulling him along, both still crouched
low.

"You're going to save me from the dog?" Robin
whispered.  This was almost funny.  "He'll probably go into a feeding frenzy. 
He's already devoured my favorite jacket."

"When was that?" Julia asked.  She didn't wait
for an answer because there were powerful flashlights suddenly invading the gloom. 
They both fell flat on their stomachs and didn't so much as twitch a muscle as they
saw light beams piercing the brush around them.