The curtains shut off view into each room now. Nick, dressed completely in black, including a pullover face mask, stepped soundlessly next to the sliding glass door. He and Gus had observed the rooms from Point Pinos Lighthouse parking spaces with clear vision of the rooms’ rear area. Munsun, Palamo, and Tracy met in Munsun’s room with the curtains open at the time. Nick used a parabolic dish to listen in on the three. Because of the wind, Nick could only hear bits and pieces of heated conversation. At one point, it looked as if Palamo would come to blows with Munsun, which would have worked out well for Nick. Tracy calmed them down though, and the three split up. Tracy and Palamo went back to room 143 by way of the rear area accessed through the sliding glass door. Nick paid close attention with his range finders. Munsun had closed his sliding glass door shut. He then latched it, finishing the lockdown by moving a room chair in against the curtain, making a line where the chair top pushed the curtain material into the glass. Palamo didn’t bother to close his all the way. Gus and Nick relaxed from watching when the curtains closed, but Nick kept listening with the parabolic dish. The wind died down, and the fog blanketed the area so the buildings were no longer visible anyway.
Nick remained at the sliding glass door now at nearly 3 AM for a few minutes longer, willing himself into calm contemplation. He could hear Palamo snoring like a buzz saw. Nick inched the sliding glass door open in fractions of silent movement, enough to permit his slipping inside, careful to avoid rustling the heavy curtain. He stood still, marking the position of room table, chairs, and bed. Palamo’s huge bulk lay uncovered on his back. Not worried about Tracy, Nick slid the silenced 9mm Glock from inside his black leather jacket while stalking to the bedside. He shot Palamo in the forehead twice, waiting to see if Tracy stirred. Although she had been tossing a bit due to Palamo’s snoring. With the cessation of his noise, Tracy settled into a deeper slumber, the covers pulled tightly to her.
Nick extracted the small container of ether and a cotton fiber pad. He moved to Tracy’s side. After dousing the pad with ether from the bottle, Nick put the bottle into his pocket again, and held the pad near to Tracy’s nose. After a few minutes, Nick pulled it away, and shook Tracy’s shoulder. She did not stir. Now comes the tricky part, Nick thought, passing again through the sliding glass door.
Outside Munsun’s rear entry, Nick positioned himself horizontally on the ground against the outer wall next to the sliding glass door with Glock 9mm in reach next to him. He withdrew the eighteen inch baton stun-gun from his leather jacket lining holder. Clicking it on into the ready position, Nick tapped on the glass a couple of times, waited for a moment, and then tapped again once. Moments later, he tapped on the glass lightly three times, waited again only a moment before tapping once. Nick grinned, hearing Munsun stirring inside. He tapped twice, adding a slight scraping over the glass surface. The chair moved away from the curtain and door. Munsun’s slipper appeared through the glass, but the curtain moved only a fraction as Nick imagined Munsun peering out into the fog.
The moment Munsun moved away, Nick scraped against the glass near the middle. This time Nick heard the latch disengage. When Munsun opened it slightly, Nick stunned his leg with the twenty-five million volt baton nightstick. Munsun discharged a silenced shot from the weapon he carried before it clattered to the entryway floor. Nick moved through the opening, continuing to zap Munsun without pause, the crackling arc eerily lighting the darkened room. Nick retrieved Munsun’s dropped weapon in his gloved hand, noting it was a Berretta 9mm. He moved inside, while opening the sliding glass door more widely.
*
Munsun awakened with a start, grabbing his silenced Berretta on the nightstand. He heard a few taps, but could see the chair he had propped against the curtain had not moved. Just as he relaxed again, three more faint taps sounded. When something scraped against the sliding door glass, Munsun gripped the Berretta, his lips tightening into an angry sneer. Fuckin’ raccoon or something. He moved the chair away from the curtain and positioned himself so he could see outside, noting the heavy fog. The cement deck outside the door was empty of animals or anything else. Munsun no sooner released the curtain than the scraping noise sounded again. He cursed under his breath, and slid open the door slightly. Munsun yelped as the stun-gun buckled him, his finger inadvertently firing a round into the ground. His spasmodic groan in rhythm with the continuing arc went on until he passed out.
When he woke, Munsun shook in the grip of residual shock from the stun-gun attack. His eyes blinked in the darkness. He could feel restraints on his arms and ankles keeping him immobile on a chair. The gag pinched painfully into the corners of his mouth. He was not in his room. He could see the outline of a bulky body lying on the bed in front of him. The moving black outline of a figure held something against someone’s face on the other side of the bed away from the unmoving large body. Munsun assumed with horror he was looking at Tracy Aldirin, and Luta Palamo. He made a gagging noise as the realization of who moved near the bed attracted the figure’s attention. The shadow left the bedside, and approached Munsun while removing his black pullover mask. The smiling face nearing his awakened a primal urge within Munsun to scream.
“Derek… my old friend… you have been a very bad boy. Sorry for the delay, but I had to put Tracy into a deeper sleep for the moment.” Nick McCarty sighed. “I must admit I have dreamed of our meeting again like this. Let’s get to work shall we. I can’t stay much longer or I’ll lose my darkness and fog. First question: did you think I still had the ‘Hack Chip’?”
Munsun hesitated, and Nick fired off an arc. “Nod yes or no, buddy. Otherwise, I’ll have to goose you a little if you know what I mean.”