Текст книги "Jack Taggart Mysteries 7 - Book Bundle"

Автор книги: Don Easton

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 136 (всего у книги 141 страниц)

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Oh my God!” said Stew after a prolonged period of sitting in stunned silence on the edge of the bed in Willy’s room. He had been introduced to the team and after police identification had been shown, Jack had told him the real reason they had been hired.

“Sorry, we didn’t tell you earlier,” said Jack. “We were afraid it would rouse suspicion and ruin our chances of ever finding out who Oskar answers to.”

“Oh my God,” repeated Stew. “Oh my God!”

“I want you to meet Oskar in his room and tell him that you talked with your wife. Tell him she is having a nervous breakdown and that you need to go home immediately and look after your children. Say you’re sorry, but you need to quit and get a job without travel.”

“Oh my God,” Stew replied, shaking his head as his brain tried to comprehend what he had been told.

“I’ll go to the pool and tell Oskar and Pike that you are extremely upset by something going on at home. I’ll tell them that the maid is in your room and that you wish to meet Oskar in his room to talk to him. As soon as you tell Oskar what I told you to say, tell him you are expecting another call from your wife and want your privacy. Then go straight back to your room. After that, I want you to catch the next flight back to Canada.”

“We already checked the airport,” said Tina. “The next available flight leaves at 7:55 p.m. tomorrow night. There are a few connections, but you basically should land in Victoria about thirty-three hours later.”

Stew stared at Tina with his mouth gaping open, but didn’t answer.

“Stew, you are safe,” said Jack. “You will receive protection until such time as you are officially terminated —”

“Oh my God!”

“I meant from your employment. Until such time as the life-insurance policy on you is no longer in effect.”

Oskar listened to what Jack had to say and asked, “Any idea at all what it is about?”

Jack shrugged and said, “He was fine when we checked out the property this morning. It wasn’t until he got back to his room that something upset him. It has something to do with his wife. He’s almost in tears, which is why he didn’t want to come out here. I suspect he’s waiting outside your room right now.”

Oskar and Pike exchanged a puzzled look and Pike said, “Maybe I should go with you?”

Oskar looked at Jack. “Did you get the feeling it was something personal?”

“I don’t think it would hurt for both of you to go,” replied Jack. “For whatever is bothering him, maybe two heads will be better than one, but I don’t think he wants me there.”

Oskar, Pike, and Stew were just entering Oskar’s room when Jack entered Jim’s room to join the investigative team and listen.

Stew blurted out the story he had been given and said he was quitting. He stuttered as he spoke and recited his lines like a bad actor with stage fright.

“It’s only one or two more days,” pleaded Oskar. “If your flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow night, you could be finished by that time.”

“Finished!” stammered Stew. “I … I’m not working for you! Weren’t you listening? I’m out of here!”

“But just one more day,” said Pike. “If we leave first thing in the morning, I could get you to Hat Yai and back before your flight.”

“Maybe I can get out earlier on standby,” replied Stew, with genuine optimism. He looked at Oskar. “My wife is calling back. I have to go.”

“Stew, come on … Stew —”

Oskar quit talking when Stew hurried from the room and slammed the door behind him.

“That fucking little weasel,” said Pike. “Running home to mommy. She’s probably having her period or something.”

“I don’t like it,” said Oskar. “He was really scared about something.”

“Scared we were going to beat his ass for being such a chicken-shit,” growled Pike.

“Maybe,” replied Oskar.

“So now what?”

Oskar let out a deep breath. “We’ve still got Jack.”

“The big guy wanted two. Aren’t you meeting him on Tuesday?”

“Yes.”

Jack sighed. It was good news they knew when Oskar would be meeting his boss. It could be bad news if Virgil was arrested before then and clued Oskar in as to who Jack really was. He knew he would also have to figure out how to delay going to Hat Yai before then.

“First Rabbit and now this,” continued Pike. “He’ll be really pissed.”

“I know. I’ll make some calls and meet you back at the pool for lunch.”

Pike returned to the pool and the investigative team waited in anticipation of Oskar making some phone calls, which he didn’t end up doing. Instead, Oskar went to the lobby and used the Internet before joining Pike for lunch.

“On Tuesday, we’ll need to identify every guy Oskar meets,” said Jack. “If he even stops to give some tourist the time, I want to know who that tourist is.”

“It might be too late then, if you are suppose to be in Hat Yai on Monday,” said Tina.

“I’ll figure out a way to stall,” replied Jack. “Maybe arrange to have a small car accident on the way to the ferry. We could get the police to detain us for questioning.”

Stew remained holed up in his room, so later that afternoon, Oskar went and knocked on his door. Stew refused to open the door and said he wasn’t feeling well.

Oskar cursed to himself as he returned to the pool.

The rest of the day slowly passed and Jack hung out with Oskar and Pike at the pool. Oskar made another invitation through the door for Stew to join them for dinner and was rebuffed. Back at the pool, Oskar told Jack that his trip to Hat Yai would be postponed until Tuesday, in the event he could talk some sense into Stew before he left.

Jack was pleased. With luck, he hoped he would not arrive in Hat Yai before Oskar talked to his boss. Arrests could be made and Jack would no longer be left dangling like raw meat in a pool of sharks. Providing Virgil doesn’t screw things up …

It was five o’clock Monday morning when Jack was awakened by a panicked call from Stew.

“I’ve been poisoned. Help me,” he gasped.

Chapter Thirty-Four

It was July 1, Sunday morning in Vancouver when Virgil checked himself out in the bathroom mirror. He had finished shaving … and not only his face. Except for his eyebrows, there was no other hair on his body. Gee, you didn’t find any DNA, officers? Such a shame …

He carefully examined his scrotum one more time and then grinned at his reflection before padding barefoot out to the kitchen to look out the window.

The clouds had disappeared and it was going to be a warm summer day. Perfect for Canada Day. A day for families. What woman would take her child to a park by herself … unless there was no man in her life …

Virgil came out of his house and went for a brief walk around the neighbourhood. He did not see anyone who could have been suspected of conducting surveillance, nor did he expect to.

On Friday evening, Virgil had driven around in remote urban areas. He was certain he would have spotted anyone if they tried to follow him, but repeated the scenario again last night with the same effect.

Taggart lied to me when he said I was being watched. How stupid does he take me to be? How stupid is Taggart? Perhaps Oskar will succeed in killing him …

Virgil returned to his carport and flicked on a portable radio on his workbench before sawing off a short piece of broom handle. He smiled as he drilled two holes in the short stick of wood before attaching a piece of cord. When he was finished, he glanced around to ensure that nobody was watching, before seeing if the rope would fit over his own head.

It did easily. Too easily. He adjusted a knot in the end of the cord until it was the right length. A simple roll of the wood and a twist of his wrist would tighten the rope around a person’s neck. With one hand he could operate the device and allow a person to breathe … or not to breathe.

Virgil felt the blood surge to his groin as he fantasized. He imagined a naked woman under him, squirming her flesh against his as she struggled for breath. He visualized relaxing the strangle hold to keep her alive and slow his ejaculation, then repeating the process over and over. When he was ready for the final climax, he envisioned her arching her back in death … her body writhing … struggling for another breath of air. A breath that he would not allow her to have.

He would still bring a knife to help ensure her co-operation until he had her under control, but this time his fantasy did not include using it.

Ah, my lovely. This will be much more pleasurable than rattling a knife across your headboard. Yes, it is unfortunate that you must die, but changing my routine … well, like I said, you have Taggart to thank

for that.

When Virgil was finished, he reached to shut off the radio, but paused as the news talked about another drone attack killing terrorists in Pakistan. Yes, eyes in the sky, he mused, before flicking off the radio.

As he turned to walk away, a new thought flashed into his brain. He stepped outside his carport and looking up at the sky, before glancing back at his car. Are you as stupid as I thought, Taggart?

Virgil popped the hood on his car and looked inside. He did not see anything out of place. He closed the hood and slowly walked around the car. On the bumper under the trunk he saw something. It looked like two sets of finger marks in the dust. Marks that looked like someone had gripped the bumper to pull themselves out from under the car.

Seconds later, Virgil smiled from where he lay on his back under his car. The magnetic car tracker was stuck to the side of his gas tank. He carefully pulled it off and put it on his workbench.

Oh, Mr. Taggart … how thoughtful of you to provide me with an alibi!

Moments later, Virgil backed out of his driveway. He was still cautious and drove in an out of neighbourhoods, often doubling back to ensure that there really was no physical surveillance on him. When he was finished, he drove to a small playground and parked.

As he waited, he pretended to be using his cellphone. Anyone passing by who should happen to see him, would not suspect his real intentions.

Minutes after he arrived, a woman with three small children arrived to use the park. Virgil guessed that she was about thirty and had her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was a heavy-set woman and her horizontally stripped T-shirt hung over her blue jeans. It did nothing to make her look attractive, but Virgil was willing to forego beauty over his lust to dominate.

Virgil watched as the woman sat on a bench and lit a cigarette. Are you the one? Sorry if I don’t let you enjoy a cigarette when I am done with you tonight …

Virgil’s attention was distracted by an image that appeared in his rear-view mirror. It was that of a young woman in her twenties, walking up the street with two toddlers who clung to her fingers.

The woman was beautiful, with long blond hair and a good figure. She was wearing cut-off blue jeans and a white, short-sleeved blouse. Virgil decided that her long, bare legs looked particularly inviting. He unrolled the car window to see if he could pick up any of their conversation as they passed.

Ah, you really are lovely. Virgil briefly closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he fantasized again. There will be no need to hide my face under a sweaty mask. I do look so forward to putting my bare face on your body.

“Mommy! Can I play on the slide? Can I?” one toddler asked.

“Go for it! Have fun!” she said with a smile and let go of their hands.

Yes, have fun. Tonight your mom and me will have fun, too …

Virgil watched as the young mom went and sat on the bench with the other woman.

Talk about beauty and the beast …

Half an hour slipped past before the young mom took her children by the hand and walked back down the sidewalk. Virgil stayed in his car until they were far enough away that nobody would notice he was following her.

Ten minutes later, he watched as they entered an alley and then cut across a small patio on a ground-floor apartment complex. The patio was strewn with children’s toys and she paused to watch as one toddler pushed the other on a small plastic car.

A moment later, she unlocked the sliding patio door and disappeared inside, while the toddlers took turns, using their feet to propel themelves in circles around the patio. Seconds later, the woman slid open a kitchen window and fussed with the screen for a moment, before disappearing from view.

Virgil continued to walk down the alley, but heard her shout out, “Tomorrow I’m going to take you on the bus to visit Grandpa and Grandma. What do you think about that?”

“Yippie! Candy!” they each replied.

“It means you’ll have to go to bed early tonight. No putting up a fuss.”

“We won’t,” one replied.

“I’ll be good,” replied the other.

Virgil glanced back. Your mommy won’t be riding any bus tomorrow. Neither will either of you, if you see my face tonight … so you better be real good … just like your mommy will be …

Chapter Thirty-Five

Back in the hotel in Langkawi, Jack listened as Stew sat on the toilet, wearing only his underwear while holding a waste-paper container in front of him.

“How long have you been sick?” asked Jack.

“For the last two hours. Going at both ends at the same —”

Jack grimaced as the sound of vomiting interrupted and asked, “When did you last eat?”

“About midnight. I couldn’t sleep, so I had some of the chicken.”

“That you bought at eleven o’clock yesterday morning?” asked Jack, glancing at the takeout food container on the coffee table. “Tell me you had it in the fridge.”

“No. I was upset yesterday after coming back from what you guys told me, I simply tossed it on the table and forgot about it. The air-conditioning was on all day, though, so I thought that would be enough to keep it —”

Jack waited until the next round of heaves quit before saying, “Well, at least we know they didn’t poison you. Get dressed and I’ll take you to the hospital.”

By seven o’clock in the morning, Stew was in a hospital bed with an intravenous tube in his arm to treat him for dehydration. The investigative team met with Jack in the reception area of the hospital.

“If he dies, they’ll collect the insurance legitimately,” said Randy.

“I’m sure he will be okay,” replied Jack. “Might miss his flight tonight, though.”

“Which means we better stay and cover him off,” noted Willy.

“Definitely,” replied Jack. “Oskar mentioned that there were a couple of other guys available to replace Rabbit, so we’re going to have to be vigilant.” He glanced at Randy and said, “Guess we’ll need to divide the team again. Watching Oskar will be a priority, plus a team on Pike in case they split up. Of course, Stew, as well.”

“You forgot to mention yourself,” noted Randy.

“I think I’m safe until they send me to Hat Yai. This is a small enough island that we can quickly call on each other for help if the situation calls for it.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” said Tina, rolling her eyes.

Jack saw Randy giving him a hard look and said, “I expect I’ll only be hanging out at the pool. If anything seems the least bit fishy, I’ll call you. We’re spread too thin as it is, so there’s no use in wasting manpower watching me tan.”

Randy sighed, then nodded in agreement. “Ahmad, could two of your men stay in the hospital with Willy to supply cover for Stew? Perhaps even have your people in the bed next to him?”

“I will arrange it so,” replied Ahmad.

“Thank you. I would then like you, Jim, and Tina to watch Oskar. That still leaves one of your men, Ahmad, to watch Pike, along with myself and Pom. Hopefully, Oskar and Pike will also stay around the hotel. Except for the hospital detail, the rest of us will be there, too, which means we’ll be able to help each other with surveillance.”

“Sure,” quipped Willy. “You’ll spend your day watching Jack guzzle martinis at the pool. I think I prefer my shift of keeping an eye on the nurses.” He grinned.

“Sounds like an excellent plan to me,” Jack said, chuckling. “We just need to keep everything together until tomorrow when Oskar meets his boss, then we might all be celebrating at the pool.”

“Providing Oskar meets his boss in a place we have wired,” said Tina.

Jack glanced at Jim and said, “I’m counting on you for that.”

Jim nodded nonchalantly. Jack had seen him in stressful situations before and admired how he could appear to look so calm and stress-free. The success or failure of the entire investigation might hinge on his ability, yet you wouldn’t know it by looking at his face. Note to self, never play poker with this guy … besides, he’d probably have a hidden camera directed at my cards …

Two hours later, Jack knocked on Oskar’s door and told him that Stew was in the hospital with food poisoning.

“Food poisoning!” replied Oskar, as his face lit up like he won a lottery ticket.

“He’ll pull through and should still make his flight tonight,” added Jack. “I think he’s mostly suffering from dehydration.”

“I see,” said Oskar, frowning. “Perhaps I’ll go visit him and see how he’s doing.”

“He’s in a ward with other people. I think he wants to sleep.”

“Are you going back to bed?” asked Oskar.

“No, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Maybe grab breakfast or hang out at the pool,” he replied, trying to keep his options open. If Oskar and Pike got together to talk in private, he wanted it to be in their rooms and not the restaurant.

An hour later, Jack found a lounge chair at the pool and lay down. Pike was working out in the gym, so when he saw Oskar heading for the restaurant, he decided to stay where he was.

As Jack lay there, he watched a couple with two small boys arrive at the pool. It made him think about Natasha, Mikey, and Stevey. He missed them and wished he was home to give them all a hug and tell them he loved them. Maybe I should write them a letter and give it to Randy to hold before going to Hat Yai …

“Hey, Jack! How the hell you doing?”

Jack looked up and saw John Barfoot smiling down at him.

“John! What are you doing here?”

“I said I would join the company if they hired you. Didn’t think I would let you down, did you?”

Jack stood up and Barfoot gave him a warm embrace.

“Where you staying?” asked Jack.

“A little ways down the road at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club,” Barfoot said, gesturing with his thumb.

Damn it, your timing couldn’t be worse.

“Is everything okay?” asked Barfoot.

“I’m just surprised,” said Jack, giving a smile. “A nice surprise, though.”

“I told you I had a home in Malaysia. Hope you hadn’t planned on coming all this way without looking me up.”

“Well, uh, I’ve been busy. I’m working on Oskar’s schedule, so —”

Barfoot chuckled and said, “I’m teasing you. Where is he?”

“In the restaurant. I’ll take you there.”

“Thanks, but I’ll find him. I need to talk to him about a few details before signing on any dotted lines.”

“So you’re not officially with the company yet?” asked Jack.

“Not yet. He contacted me last night and sweetened the pot a little. Once a few details are worked out, I’ll be on board. Maybe I’ll tell him I’ll think about it for a couple of days. Make him sweat a bit,” added Barfoot with a grin.

“A couple of days sounds great,” replied Jack.

“I’m looking forward to working with you. Any good golf courses around or a place that makes burgers as good as the Country Rose?”

Jack smiled and said, “I haven’t had time for golf, and after you’ve had the Rose burger, any other would be a disappointment.”

Barfoot grinned and told Jack he would be back as soon as he talked with Oskar.

As soon as Barfoot left, Jack caught Jim’s eye and met him in the poolside washroom and started to tell him what happened.

“I heard,” said Jim, touching his earpiece. “People really are creatures of habit. Didn’t you notice the new night light in the flower bed?”

“No,” replied Jack.

“Good. You weren’t supposed to. If Oskar and Pike come out, make sure they sit there.”

“I’ll always leave a towel or something there and try to reserve it for them,” replied Jack. “But now we have another problem.”

“Yeah. Stew is leaving, so the bastard has another fish on the line,” growled Jim. “Randy won’t be happy with that. One more person to protect.”

“Barfoot hasn’t signed any papers yet. Until that happens, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

“And if we see him signing any papers?”

“Get Tina to walk by and spill a drink on them.”

“Think that would work?”

“Probably not,” admitted Jack. “We only have to stall one more day. Hopefully nothing else goes wrong.” He glanced at his watch. In Vancouver it was Sunday night and almost midnight. No call from Laura. Virgil must be behaving himself …