No Time to Hide (18 page)

Cutter nodded. “Good planning. We’ve got the car. You want to lead or follow?”

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” Johnson said. He held the door to the crypt open and they walked into the main hall and then outside.

The fog was just as thick as it had been earlier and there was no evidence of an abundance of police or federal vehicles still there.

“It’s a shame you weren’t able to get more out of Giancarlo,” Johnson said. “Although we’ve got enough to get him on attempted murder now.”

“Oh, we’ve got a little more than that.”

Kerry looked over her shoulder at Cutter. “Daddy didn’t lie? He had the information?”

“He didn’t lie. Of course, I won’t know for sure until I can get to a computer, but if Willie isn’t lying and what’s on the USB drive equals or betters what we’ve seen, we’ve got the real deal. I think we have everything we need to put the whole Giancarlo family behind bars for a long time. I also think with a little time and effort, there’s enough information to tell us who in the Buffalo office is on the mob’s payroll.”

Kerry whirled and hugged Cutter. “Really? This is wonderful. This is great. It means everything will be over. Finally.”

“Yes, darling, it does.”

“Well, as nice as all this is, we’d better get a move on. Now more than ever, it’s vital we get you somewhere safe,” Johnson said. “Since Denver left me in charge of keeping you two safe and whole, I think we’d better ride together.”

***

Tuesday, 12:45 A.M.

Cutter seemed relaxed as he drove their car out of the cemetery. Kerry was sitting next to him and Johnson was riding shotgun. She should be feeling incredible joy. Instead, she kept feeling like she should look over her shoulder.

“Do you know your way around Elmira?” Johnson asked Cutter.

“Not really. We didn’t do much exploring—just got here, found Willie, and checked out the cemetery.”

“Well, that’s okay. Denver made me check-in with the locals almost from the get-go. Turn left now and then take a hard right. The station house isn’t too far from here.”

Cutter executed the turns and they drove along a darkened, tree-lined street. Kerry tried to catch the passing street signs, but it was almost impossible. She bit her lip. It was just a small, sleepy town. There was no reason to still be fearful. She was safe. Dom was in police custody. The ordeal was over.

She scratched at a strange itch on the back of her neck. She didn’t know if she should say something, but she thought they were going away from the downtown part of Elmira.

I must be confused. Johnson wouldn’t be taking us away from the city.

As the car began an uphill climb, Kerry got even more agitated.

This is the wrong way. According to the maps and travel guides, the only thing on the hills outside of Elmira is the Soaring Museum. It was on something called Harris Hill.

She moved a little and glanced covertly at Cutter. He still seemed relaxed. She wondered if he didn’t realize what was going on. When he spoke, she knew she had misjudged him—again.

“Johnson, don’t you think it’s time you told our little companion here what’s going on?”

Kerry felt as if she had been knocked in the solar plexus. She had been duped again.

Tuesday, 1:45 A.M.

“What are you talking about?” Kerry knew asking the question was dumb. But she couldn’t—wouldn’t—believe where her thoughts were heading.

Cutter had pulled into a scenic viewing spot on the top of Harris Hill, high above Elmira and a long, long way from any help. He and Johnson had escorted Kerry out of the car to stand on a grassy area. Johnson was holding a gun on her now. Below her, the fog had disappeared and she could see the lights of the city and the dark, quiet, winding shape of the river that circled it.

“It’s your show, Johnson, so you can have the honors,” Cutter said.

“Hey, don’t be so modest,” Johnson said. “This whole thing was your idea. You should take the credit.”

“What was your idea?” Kerry hated the idea of turning her back on Johnson. She’d always felt he wasn’t what he seemed. But it also seemed she’d been clueless about Cutter as well.

“No, I insist. You tell her,” Cutter said.

“Well, you see, we knew you were the card to bring your Daddy out of hiding,” Johnson began, speaking nonchalantly. “We also knew if we wanted Dom Giancarlo to slip up, we needed to get to your Daddy. You were the key.”

“But why would Dom want Daddy? He didn’t know about the documents.”

“Oh, yes, he did. We told him about them,” Cutter said.

“You told him?” Kerry knew she was sounding like a parrot, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Yeah, we leaked it to some people inside his prison. We knew it would get back to Dom. And it worked perfectly,” Cutter continued. “Dom had been trying to get to you and he was fairly successful at finding you but you were smart and always got help. He was hoping if he kept up the hits on you, eventually Willie would come to your rescue. Or we’d screw up one time and the protection surrounding you would fall apart. Then one of Dom’s hits would’ve been carried out, and that would’ve made Dom almost as happy.”

“But Daddy didn’t come to my rescue. And you didn’t screw up,” Kerry said, still trying to grasp the enormity of the betrayal.

“No. Unfortunately, your Daddy has the parenting instincts of a rat. Figures for a hit man.”

“But how and why?”

“The how was easy,” Johnson said. “Dom was putting the heat on finding you. Money was the incentive. Throw enough of it around and it’s incredibly easy for anyone to be found, no matter how good the protection or the cover. Of course, when you have inside information on stuff like that, then it’s like child’s play.”

“From you?” she turned on Cutter.

“No, from me,” said Johnson. “Cutter was just the muscle. That’s what he’s been his whole career. Good with the physical stuff. Great marksman. I’m more of what you’d call an idea man.”

“You’ve known this all along?” Kerry turned back to look at Cutter, feeling his betrayal cut clean through muscle, and bone. It cut all the way to her soul.

Cutter just stood there looking like the muscle Johnson proclaimed him to be. Johnson was now doing all the talking and the answering.

“No, my dear, Cutter didn’t know who he was working with. My boss wanted it that way. Less chance of a foul-up.”

Kerry spun back around to Cutter. “Is that true?”

“Yeah. I just took the money and followed orders.”

“I see. Good with the physical stuff.” Kerry swallowed against the rising bile of fear nearly choking her.

“I didn’t even know who was sending the orders until Johnson showed up tonight,” Cutter continued.

Kerry fought against the tears and tried to find the anger that would help her through the next few minutes of her life. Because she knew there was only one purpose for them bringing her to this isolated place. She had to think, she had to keep them talking, and she had to come up with an idea, any plan to buy her some time. Because there was no way she was going to just stand there and let these two men who’d promised to serve and protect, murder her. She would not die like a mouse, but a tiger.

“So why are we here now?” she asked. Her voice sounded calm, disinterested even. She straightened her back and willed the strength to return to her legs. “You’ve got what you wanted. Dom’s in custody.”

Johnson laughed. It was a sound that dried all the spit right out of her mouth.

“We didn’t care whether Giancarlo was arrested or not. We wanted him out of circulation. Hell, it would’ve been just as good for him to be dead. I was hoping Cutter would take care of that. How did you slip up like that, old man? You really must be losing your edge.”

“Well, you know that need-to-know-basis military crap is good up to a point. But when it comes to a fluid plan of action, some information is necessary if you don’t want things to go awry. If someone had warned me Dom and his men would be watching for us, I’d have been ready.”

Johnson shrugged. “Hey, all’s well that ends well.” He turned back to Kerry. “I think we’ve had enough of this storytelling time. Let’s just get this over with.”

“But you didn’t answer my question. Don’t you think I, at least, deserve an answer?” She didn’t pause long enough for either of them to answer, but plowed ahead. “With Dom out of the way, Cutter has the information my father had. Why kill me? What will that accomplish?”

Johnson held his gun casually, but Kerry didn’t doubt that in an instant it would be trained on her heart or head and nothing else would matter. Cutter, it seemed, was completely unarmed and still unconcerned.

“My dear, Ms. Bonaface with you alive, the government will not stop its investigation. They’re going to want to know how Dom got the information to find you no matter where or what ID they gave you. If you’re dead, the investigation will die. It’ll be just another one of those classic government snafus.”

Cutter folded his arms across his chest and stroked his chin. “There’s a problem with that rationale, Johnson. How’re we going explain to the brass about her death?”

What was up with Cutter? She’d never heard him sound like such a boob before. It was like he had suddenly become a brainless twit.

“Well, duh,” Johnson sneered. “I swear that bender you went on after Helen’s death killed more than a few brain cells, didn’t it? Don’t worry about that, old man. I’ve got everything under control.”

Kerry seized the moment. “Don’t believe him, Cutter. He’s got it all figured out. He’s going to make you the fall guy. He’s going to pin my death on you.”

“Shut up,” Johnson snapped.

Kerry thought she detected a slight panic in his voice. Good. She’d push that button a little more before making her move. She thought she’d seen a nice little undergrowth of bushes just to her left when the clouds parted and the bright moon shone on them. All she had to do was cause a diversion, maybe get the two men fighting and then she’d make a run for it. It wasn’t a great chance, but it was the best one she had.

Cutter tilted his head slightly. “She’s got a point, Johnson. That would make sense. If you kill her, then kill me, who’d know the difference.”

“Hey, buddy, we’re partners in this. I wouldn’t betray you.”

“Right. Just like you didn’t betray Helen?” Cutter’s lazy, befuddled tone was instantly gone. Back was the voice she’d known. This was a ruthless, dangerous, competent warrior.

“What do you mean?” The verbal curveball Cutter had hurled had Johnson stepping back—mentally and physically. She could almost smell his fear and desperation. “Betray Helen?”

“That’s right. You were the newcomer. The ringer. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I just couldn’t understand how things could have gone so wrong. The whole team had practiced that operation until we could do it in our sleep. Everybody had their assignment and the timing was perfect. Except you.”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Johnson’s voice had gone from extremely confident to whining child. “The review board cleared me. I didn’t do anything wrong. What about you? If you’d been there, I never would have been. It’s your fault Helen died.”

Cutter shook his head. Kerry stood quietly. If she was smart she would have made her move by now. Neither man was paying her any attention. But she was just as trapped as Johnson by Cutter’s riveting words. Just as trapped by the menace in Cutter’s stance.

“Nice try, buddy, but it’s no good. One of the things I found out on my bender, as you called it, was I was never really up for that promotion. It was ruse. The call was made to Denver from inside our office. I just could never prove from whom. Until now.”

“But how would I be able to do it? That would take some massive strings. I was just a rookie. I’d hardly been in the service more than eighteen months.”

“Oh, I know all about your background, Johnson.”

Kerry realized Cutter was moving. He was doing it slowly and stealthily, but he was moving closer and closer to Johnson. She did the same, but from the opposite direction. As far as she knew, Cutter was unarmed. Johnson was not. So the best she could do was help Cutter keep Johnson between them, while at the same time, moving closer to the car.

“Let’s see… Dean Johnson, born to Mabel and Bobby Johnson in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. But then you moved into the Heart of Italy section. That’s where you began running with a group of guys known as the Westside Boys.”

“Hey, I was a kid. It was the thing to do.” Some of the bravado was back in Johnson’s voice.

“Yep. I’m sure it was. Especially when Geravacious Morrelli was your old man’s boss on the docks. And your best friend was one Salvatore Morrelli.”

“So, Sal ran with us. What of it? Haven’t seen him in years.”

“That’s not quite true, is it, Dean? You and Salvatore went to Notre Dame together. Right up until Salvatore got kicked out of school for gambling on football games. You were a member of that team, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. So were a lot of guys. It was my ticket out. I might’ve been able to go pro if I’d had your size.”

Kerry was almost close enough she could take the chance to turn and run full speed to her destination. For a conversation that had started out so promising, it was suddenly veering off the point. And the men had completely forgotten about her.

“Didn’t the dean of students question you about your involvement in that scandal?”

“Yeah, but no charges were brought. I was cleared.”

“That happens a lot to you, doesn’t it, Dean? Just like you weren’t responsible for Helen’s death? But I think you were responsible. Responsible in the gambling and in Helen’s death.”

Johnson laughed. Kerry inched closer to her only possible safety. “Yeah, but do you have proof? I don’t think so. If you had the proof you needed, you wouldn’t be here with me alone. You’d have had me arrested long ago.”

“I didn’t have the proof. I have it now.” Cutter’s voice was so quiet she almost didn’t hear him. “It’s in the files Willie Bonaface had.”

Kerry held her breath. Instead of exploding like she expected, Johnson sighed. “I was afraid the old coot had something on me. Where did he get it?”

The last question sounded almost absentminded. “I don’t know. I didn’t have a chance to ask him before Dom’s people arrived. But you can bet one of those two-thousand-dollar suits you favor that he’s singing like a boy band to anyone who’ll listen right now.”

“I don’t think so.”

Kerry couldn’t be sure, but she thought Johnson sounded worried again.

“What would it benefit him? Another stint in the program? Like that would stop Salvatore from finding him.”

“Ah, yes, your old pal Salvatore. I forgot to mention him, didn’t I?”

“What do you mean?”

“How long before you did your
freeze
bit in the crypt had you been listening in on what was going on?”

“Long enough. You know those guys from the bureau. They love their gadgets.”

“Yes, I do know those guys from the bureau. In fact, my former brother-in-law works for them. Bet you didn’t know that, did you?”

“Helen’s brother is a Fed?”

“That’s right. On special assignment for the last five years. He’s working on the casino gambling in western New York. He’s the liaison to the Seneca Nation. They asked for him because of his native heritage and because he’s had great success helping other native governments keep the mafia out of their gaming operations.”

“Your point would be?”

“Well, when we decided to make our little trek here and find Kerry’s father, or should I say he found us, I called in a few special reinforcements. While you were watching us, he was watching you. By the way, I think I forgot to mention my brother-in-law, when he isn’t on special assignment, is the head of technology for the FBI. He knows things about computers and gadgets that you can only dream about. He’s the top man in the bureau.”

“I’d have known if I’d been tailed.” There was a real sound of panic in Johnson’s voice now.

“You’re not that good. Not even close. We’ve had you tailed, wired, and watched every minute since this whole thing broke loose. We know you’ve talked to Sal and we know what you promised to do for him. In fact, if things have gone according to plan, the Northern District of Illinois Office should have him booked and in custody even as we’re talking. In fact, I bet ole Salvatore has already joined in with the chorus of people lining up to sing about your involvement in every failed racketeering and money laundering case since you’ve been with the service.”