“Oh… DL,” Lynn grabbed my arm. “Quickly! Call Nick. He’s in danger from the big bad Jack.”
Lynn and I enjoyed that one for a while, as I unstrapped Flo.
Chapter Nine
Pilot Hill Preliminary
“Stop here.”
Neil smiled in the rear view mirror at his former prisoner Jack Gichki. He had asked to be let out at the Sea Breeze Motel as listed on the arrest warrant. “Stay out of trouble, Mr. Gichki, and don’t leave town.”
“Where are my friends?”
“As I told you, federal custody.”
“What of McCarty? Has he been arrested for the Kader murders?”
“No. Mr. McCarty had an alibi and I received solid information the Kaders ran afoul of an Isis group.”
“That is a lie! We both know the truth. McCarty killed them!”
Neil kept a professional tone and posture. “We’re looking into all possibilities, Mr. Gichki. You drove a vehicle plotted to be used in the kidnapping of Mr. McCarty’s daughter. If I were you, I’d stay away from Marshal McCarty.”
“It would be very wise for McCarty to stay away from me. I will find my friends.”
“You have the FBI Agent’s card. Call in a day or so,” Neil said. “Have a nice evening. Your court time is 10 am tomorrow morning. Do not be late.”
“I will be there. I did nothing. I drove my friend’s vehicle as requested. You should be pursuing the murderer McCarty instead of harassing and profiling Muslims.”
“Whenever you Muslims stop kidnapping children from their schools, I’ll pursue some other avenue of criminality. Until then, I’ll be forced to keep arresting you actual perpetrators.” Neil drove away, leaving Gichki cursing under his breath.
*
Gichki hurried to his room. He knew Al-Kadi would be waiting to receive word from Majd. Gichki played the dummy as instructed - open mouthed surprise at every question, and a shrug of the shoulders for an answer. Jack prayed he would get a chance to kill McCarty. It gave him pause that McCarty handled Nazari, Bhatti, and Kamboh like children. Jack would kill him from a distance.
He opened his apartment door. As he walked into the room, Jack felt something at ankle level and tripped. Falling forward to the carpet on his hands and knees, he felt the smooth surface of plastic. A knee, in the small of his back, drove him onto his chest and face. He felt the wire cut into his throat, severing everything in its path. Gichki choked, his blurring vision and convulsing body heralding Jack’s last moments on earth. Tongue protruding from nearly severed head, the tension was released, allowing Gichki’s head to drop forward to the black and red plastic surface.
*
Nick gathered his razor wire garrote from around Gichki’s neck, carefully slipping it forward from under the dead man’s head. “Perfect trip, guys.”
Gus gathered in their trip wire from Johnny. Gus took digital pictures, fingerprints and a DNA swab for filing with CIA, where Gichki’s death would be catalogued, but remain secret. His two friends wrapped Gichki in the black tarp and duck taped it tightly to make sure no blood escaped. They transferred the wrapped body to a large moving trunk on large casters. Nick had already packed Gichki’s bags. The weekday patronage at the Sea Breeze was minimal. Gus drove his Ford SUV in front of the room. In moments, the three men packed away everything from the room, including the deceased. Johnny added the final touch. He resembled Gichki slightly. With ball-cap in place, hoodie covering it, and sunglasses on, Johnny entered the office to turn in his room cards, complementing the staff for their service. The woman behind the counter took the cards with a small smile of acceptance.
“Thank you, Mr. Gichki. We hope to see you again.”
“If ever I am in the area, I will certainly stay here. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Sir.”
Johnny exited the motel office and entered the front seat of Gichki’s Toyota Camry which Nick drove. “Did you leave a tip, Muerto?”
“Of course and Gichki was no cheapskate. It was nice of the Dark Lord to worry about us. I assured him we had not forgotten about our innocent driver. Neil’s boss was the one who made the decision not to send the driver with the rest of the pack because Nazari claimed he had merely hired Gichki.”
“Do you think we should have questioned Gichki?”
“Lynn milked the other four so thoroughly I doubt we could have discovered anything new. This way, Jack disappears without a trace, misses his court date, and when they come to collect him, the cops or whomever find his place vacated completely. Neil will be off the hook. The staff here will only remember a nice guy who left a big tip. Case closed. On to our Toyota Camry rebirth. Did Jerry say whether now was a good time?”