Walking After Midnight (39 page)

„Come on, doggy. Here, doggy,“ the young cop coaxed. Muffy growled, the first hostile sound Summer had ever heard her make. Her respect for the little dog, already far higher than when Muffy had arrived for her visit, increased again.

„What’s the damned thing’s name?“

Summer didn’t reply. A hand gripped the back of her neck, hard. She glanced around to discover Shiny Shoes’ grayish eyes on a level with her own.

„He asked the dog’s name,“ Shiny Shoes said sofdy.

„Muffy,“ Steve answered for her as he was hustled past. „The dog’s name is Muffy.“

The guy in the Sansabelt slacks approached Summer, cellular phone bulging from his breast pocket, pad and pencil in hand. „Miss, can I ask you a question? I’m James Todd of the Bryson City
Post.
Were you really kidnapped, or…“

„This isn’t the moment, buddy,“ Shiny Shoes growled.

„Steve didn’t kill those women in my basement. He did,“ Summer said clearly, nodding toward Shiny Shoes behind her as she seized this heaven-sent opportunity to talk to a real live reporter.
He
was surely not involved in any of this.

„Him?“ Todd looked with lively interest at Shiny Shoes, who shook his head at him and tightened his grip on Summer’s neck.

„Talk to her later,“ Shiny Shoes said, and dragged Summer away.

As she was shoved toward the patrol car, she heard the snap of fingers behind her. Glancing back – not easily, because Shiny Shoes’ hold on her neck could more properly be described as a death grip – she saw that one of the young cops was bent over, snapping his fingers at Muffy, calling her by name.

„Put them in the Lincoln,“ Black Mustache said. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, one foot resting against the Lincoln’s front fender as he watched the proceedings with an eagle eye.

James Todd approached him, pad and pencil at the ready. „And you are?“ he asked hopefully.

„No comment,“ Black Mustache snapped, and moved toward where one of the uniformed policemen stood with Steve.

„Hey, kid, I said put them in the Lincoln.“

The cop getting ready to push Steve down into the back of the patrol car glanced up at Black Mustache, surprised. His hand was already on top of Steve’s head. „They’ll be more secure in the patrol car, sir.“

„Do what you’re told,“ Black Mustache snapped. The two uniformed cops – one had finally succeeded in snagging Muffy – glanced at each other, gave the impression that they exchanged invisible shrugs, and escorted Steve toward the Lincoln. With Shiny Shoes’ hand still on her neck, Summer trailed behind.

Summer had a gut feeling that if she got inside that car, she was going to die.

Shiny Shoes opened the rear door and released her neck at last. A hand settled atop Summer’s head. Seconds later she was pushed down into a plush velour seat. A combination shoulder/lap belt was pulled across her body. With her hands cuffed behind her back, she was as securely bound as if they had tied her to the seat. Steve, equally trussed up beside her, looked grim, Summer saw to her dismay. Muffy, set inside by one of the young cops, scuttled across the gray-carpeted floor to vanish beneath the front seat.

Smart dog. Summer only wished she could do the same thing.

The rear door closed. She, Muffy, and Steve were locked in the backseat together. Black Mustache and Shiny Shoes had yet to get in the car. The trunk opened, and both uniformed policemen walked past, lugging the motorcycle between them. From the way the car rocked, it was hefted into the trunk. The trunk was secured with something, but it would not close all the way. If she twisted around, Summer could see that it remained slightly open. She assumed the motorcycle’s front or rear tire must be sticking out.

„What do we do now?“ she whispered to Steve.

His reply scared her. „Pray,“ he said.

An explosion from behind the car, quickly followed by a second and then a third, widened Summer’s eyes and snapped her head up. Goggle-eyed, she watched through the front passenger-side window as James Todd, who had been talking into his cellular phone again while he peered in at them, started to topple forward. The phone dropped from his hand like a stone. A neat black hole punctuated the space between his eyes. A thin trickle of blood was just beginning to run down the bridge of his nose as he fell from sight. It hit her with the force of a revelation: He’d been shot!

Of the young policemen there was no sign.

„Jesus,“ Steve said, and closed his eyes.

Only then did Summer realize that the two young policemen had been shot too.

She guessed that made them the good guys.

It was a heck of a way to find out.

Shiny Shoes and Black Mustache got into the car. Shiny Shoes took the driver’s side, dropping a palm-size object onto the dashboard with a solid-sounding thunk. The object slid toward the junction of dashboard and windshield before Summer could get a good look at it.

„What’s that?“ Black Mustache asked as Shiny Shoes shut the door and started the car.

„Cellular phone. I’ve been wanting one for a while.“

„A cellular phone? You don’t mean to tell me that – damn it to hell, Clark, you are one dumb shit! If you use that phone, they can trace it to you. If you don’t use it, and it’s even found in your possession, your ass is burned. It belongs to that reporter, you lughead! How’re you gonna explain how you got it? That’ll finger you for his murder right there!“

Clark glanced over at his partner. „I didn’t think of that,“ he said shamefacedly. Reaching for the phone, he added, „I’ll throw it out.“

„Damn right you’ll – no, wait a minute.“ Black Mustache pursed his lips thoughtfully. „I’ve got an idea. Leave it. Just don’t use it.“

Clark obediently withdrew his hand and concentrated on driving. As the Lincoln gained speed, leaving behind the scene of the carnage, Black Mustache leaned an arm across the back of the seat and twisted around to grin at his prisoners.

„You shouldn’t have done that, Calhoun,“ he chided with a reproving shake of his head. „Killing cops is not nice.“

„They were just kids, Carmichael. What’d you have to do that for?“ Steve asked.

Carmichael – of course, that was his name – shrugged. „One of em – Geoff Murray – knew me. He used to date my daughter. Some people back there at the grocery store called the local yokels to report that they thought some armed and dangerous fugitives – that’s you two – had been there and left. Apparently the reporter heard it on a police scanner and hurried over to get in on the big scoop. It was just pure bad luck for those dudes that you were recognized at that grocery store, and more pure bad luck that young Murray was the cop who showed up at the scene just as we got out of the car to take a look at the area around the telephone.“ He shook his head, then waggled a forefinger at Steve. „Oh, by the way, it was pretty dumb of you to make that call. We had your ex-wife’s phone tapped and as soon as you made it, zingo, we had you.“

„That still doesn’t tell me why you killed three men.“

Carmichael shrugged. „When Murray recognized me, what was I gonna do, give him a chance to start thinking about how he ran into me up here, checking out a grocery store that he was also checking out? For two fugitives who later wound up dead? With him out of the picture, nobody has a clue that Clark and I were here. Besides, that reporter was nosy.“

The careless prognostication of her and Steve’s fate sent a chill racing along Summer’s spine. But had she ever doubted for an instant that Carmichael meant for them to wind up dead?

Not since their encounter in her basement.

„Did you hear what that bitch back there said?“ Clark growled, jerking his head in Summer’s direction. „She told that reporter that I – that we – killed those cunts at her house.“

„Well, we did,“ Carmichael said, and grinned.

„But she told him! And he’s a reporter!“

„Don’t go ballistic, Clark. He’s dead, remember? He ain’t gonna tell nobody nothin’.“

„Oh, yeah,“ said Clark, and subsided.

„I had to cover my ass,“ Carmichael continued to Steve. „Much as it goes against the grain to waste fellow cops. Oh, well, Murray was a prick to my daughter anyway.“ He chuckled suddenly. „You’ll get the blame for this, Calhoun, and when I blow your head off later tonight I’ll wind up looking like a hero for catching a cop killer. They’ll even find that reporter guy’s phone on your body. With that evidence, it’s an open-and-shut case. Pretty stupid of you to keep the phone, they’ll say, but it sure makes a tidy package. Funny, ain’t it, how life tends to work out? Even Clark’s dumb-ass goof winds up helping the program.“

There was a moment’s silence. Then Steve spoke: „I’ve got a deal with some buddies of yours. But I guess you know all about that.“

Carmichael grinned. „Oh, yeah, you mean the deal where you show up at some funeral home and tell everybody where you hid the van and then we give you back your daughter and you all ride off happily into the sunset?“

„That’s the one.“

„Ain’t gonna happen,“ Carmichael said cheerfully. „At least, not like it’s supposed to. You’re gonna tell me where the van is, and I’m gonna make sure you’re telling the truth. Then I’m gonna kill you like the interfering asshole you are.“

„If you’re going to kill me, why should I tell you where the van is?“

„Because I can make you hurt an awful lot before you die. Because I can make the lady here hurt even more. Because we’ve got your daughter, and if you’re real nice and make this real easy, we might still be able to just let her go.“

„Yeah, and pigs might fly.“

Carmichael laughed. „Hey, you shouldn’t be so cynical. I’m really a nice guy at heart. I’ve got daughters of my own, four of ‘em. I don’t want to hurt a little girl that don’t know nothin’ about nothin’. Not even your little girl, Calhoun.“

Summer got the chilling feeling that he enjoyed hurting people. Any kind of people. She thought of Corey Calhoun, of the two cops back there on the road, of James Todd and Linda Miller and Betty Kern, and felt sick. Her diagnosis was that, cop or not, Carmichael was primarily a sadist who enjoyed hurting people for its own sake.

Not an ideal criminal to be held hostage by.

„If I give you the van, what guarantee do I have that my daughter won’t be hurt?“

„Just my word as a gentleman.“

„That makes me feel a lot better.“

„Watch your mouth, Calhoun.“

There was a moment’s silence. Then Carmichael said: „Look at it this way. You don’t tell me where that van is, you
know
your daughter’s gonna die.“

Summer could feel the sudden tension in Steve’s body all the way across the seat. The thought of anyone hurting his daughter drove him nuts. She’d already seen ample evidence of that.

„Why are you doing this, Carmichael?“ Steve asked quietly. „Man, you’re a cop. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?“

„Not diddly-squat. I don’t get paid enough for it to mean anything.“

Steve’s eyes narrowed. „Since you’re going to kill me anyway, mind telling me what’s in the van that you all want so much?“

Carmichael frowned, then shrugged. „Hell, I don’t suppose it makes any difference if you know: money. Fifteen million smackeroos, to be precise. Cash. Moola. Hidden in the lining of the coffins, stuffed in the satin pillows, even tucked right inside those nice little dead bodies so it would sail right through customs. You did find the bodies, didn’t you? Bet they gave you quite a turn.“ He snickered.

„They did,“ Steve said ruefully. Summer couldn’t believe the almost friendly tone he was taking with a maniac who meant to kill them. „I guess the shit hit the fan when I took off with your van full of money.“

„Everybody went apeshit.“ Carmichael nodded in agreement. „We had a rendezvous with some bad dudes scheduled for that night, too. You heard of the Cali cartel? Out of Colombia? We were supposed to give them the cash. They already gave us the dope. A play-or-pay deal. They weren’t real pleased when we had to tell ‘em that you stole their money.“

Carmichael picked up his pistol suddenly and took bead on Summer’s forehead. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared into the tiny black mouth. She was going to be shot just like that cop was shot. There would be a tremendous blow shattering her forehead and a litde black hole would appear and then – how long would it take her to die?

„They gave us seventy-two hours to get the money back. Which means we got till about two a.m. tomorrow morning. You can tell me where that van is now, or I can speed things up by blowing your lady friend away. I owe her one anyway, for Charlie. He’s in the hospital, by the way, his face cooked to a crisp. I know he wishes he could be here with us right now.“ Carmichael smiled at Summer. She felt her blood turn to ice. His eyes flicked to Steve. „It’s up to you, Calhoun.“

There was an instant of silence. Steve and Carmichael locked gazes in a silent duel of wills. Summer stopped breathing.

Then, „Head for Cedar Lake,“ Steve said. „The van is in a boat warehouse on the west side of Cedar Lake. I think the warehouse is called Watersports Sales, Service and Storage.“

„I wouldn’t’ve shot her yet,“ Carmichael said, sounding both surprised and a tad put out as he lowered the gun. Summer’s impression that he was a man who enjoyed hurting people was reinforced. He sounded disappointed that Steve had given in so easily, as if he’d been robbed of a pleasure he’d been anticipating. „Not here in the car. Think of the mess.“