“You got it, Nick. What do you have in mind?”
“I heard from Formsby you were starting a task force overseas to bring him down, including partnering with the DOJ and the IRS to take the lead here in the states. I’m going to make everyone here disappear. That will leave you with an open field to get warrants, and bring his empire down without interference. Whatever you had on him was pure gold, because Milty knew you had him. The rat in your government minion circles who thought taking you out would end the hunt for Milty’s head is Lee Collister.”
“Holy shit! The National Security Advisor? Your advice is solid. I’ll raid everything tomorrow morning. I already have the warrants, and people in place to hit everything he owns overseas, and in the States, including his Carmel Valley estate near you. I held off, because we heard he was planning to battle us in the courts forever until he had his cleaners fix things. I have a guy at the Department of Justice I trust implicitly. He’s already told me you’re pretty popular with the Attorney General. Are you moonlighting on a steady basis now?”
Nick made snorting noises. “Good one, Paul. Anyway, here’s the deal I need. I’ll be on security cam footage all the way from the restaurant to the limo Milty awaited my arrival in. Once you bang down Milty’s empire, the dragnet searching for him might run across my back trail. Since you now know Milty will be impossible to find, I’ll need you to steer the investigation somewhere else after they raid his places.”
“Done deal,” Gilbrech replied. “I’ll find out what I can on Collister, but he wasn’t even on my radar. I’ve met him a bunch of times, both socially and professionally. Formsby sold anything to anybody overseas, including regimes, and terrorist enclaves in places we’re at war in. That made him a traitor, and a murderer. The National Security Advisor taking money from a bastard like Formsby can’t be allowed to stay in a position like Collister has. If I can’t get him legally, would you take the sanction, Nick?”
“Since that lowlife Milty possibly whispered in Collister’s ear about me, I’d certainly consider it. I’m not going to commit suicide killing him, but I’ll await any information you can gather. You’re taking a big chance going after the National Security Advisor legally. You’ll need eyes in the back of your head for that kind of caper, my friend. Stay in touch. I have to get going – miles to go before I sleep.”
“I’ll bet. Thanks for all this, Muerto, especially not taking me as a sanction. How much did the prick offer?”
“Twenty-five million, buddy.”
“Lord have mercy! I would have killed myself for twenty-five mill!”
Nick was still enjoying Gilbrech’s line after disconnecting minutes later, traveling to his Carmel Valley place where John stayed. That Paul had used Gus’s favorite exclamation of surprise at anything of a Muerto nature continued to entertain him on his way. He drove very carefully with three dead bodies sharing the vehicle with him. There was blood of course everywhere. John had the attached garage open with the light on. Nick drove in, and John closed the electronically controlled door. John had the three body-bags waiting along with a gurney near the door. Nick motioned him back.
“I’m covered in blood, John. Hand me a wet towel, and a plastic garbage bag.”
“There is what is called an ‘understatement’.”
“Great… another smartass,” Nick mumbled. John returned with the towel and garbage bag. Nick wiped off his hands, put his personal things off to the side, and his outer clothing into the garbage bag. “I just bought that jacket too… damn it.”
Nick slipped his shoes back on. He then loaded the body-bags himself, before lining them in front of the door entrance to the house. After wiping down the bags, he again wiped himself off, and his shoe bottoms. “Okay, John, let’s load them. We should never have taken so long emptying the freezer out. Gus kept making excuses about his boat. No more procrastinating for the ancient mariner.”
John grabbed one end of the first bag. “Yes. One week later, and we would have had no freezer room. Despicable! This cannot be tolerated. The Bloody Muerto nearly left without a space for the victims of his killing sprees. Inexcusable!”
“Very funny, John. We need to speed things along. We’ll have to load these suckers on the cart to take them out to the freezer. One day soon I’ll show you the workings in the rest of my subbasement under the trees. I have to wipe the inside of the limo down a bit before I drive it to Jerry’s place.”
“Does Jerry know about this?”
“Not yet.”
“Can I listen to that conversation?”
“No.”
*