The Road to Round Mountain: The Betrayal by (15 page)

“Before you kill everything, send him all the data that  you’re going to put on the flash drive, with a message that  we’ll be in touch with instructions regarding the data”. “Sure  thing Frank, are you going to let me in on what our new plan  is”? Frank was busy punching in a number on his phone, “as  soon as I know, so will you”.

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gordon And I
 
made our way back across the street  with our beverage of choice, mine being a Dr. Pepper and his  was a Mt. Dew. There are five old fashion steel chairs outside

the main building set up in a semi-circle with a small wooden  table within reach of the chairs. The ashtray on the table was  full which didn’t effect either one of us since we don’t smoke.

The chairs are fairly rusty and looks like when they were new they were Aqua blue in color. We were the only ones outside so I figured that three of the four horsemen were inside dis-cussing pending business. We both sat and enjoyed the taste our soft drinks when I said, “When you told Agent Marrick about the diamonds coming in, I was wondering if you hap-pened to hear Frankie talk about what they will be looking for, or are they just going to steal as much as they can carry”?

Gordon put the cap back on his drink and sat it on the table. “It’s weird because he was saying that they will picking up three figurines of some kind and I wasn’t able to hear all of it, but what I could make out was that there are diamonds in the figurines that are being smuggled in, you know, not part of the regular shipment”. Maybe Frankie’s Uncle does have some kind underground business going on, and perhaps  Frankie and the guys will be rewarded with some type job with the family business if they succeed.

“Do you think the FBI will be able to help us Billy”?  I didn’t have a pat answer for that one, “They’re going to

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have to”. Our conversation got cut short by the sound of the  door to the Rec hall opening and out steps Frankie walking out towards us. I really wasn’t in the mood for any of  his shit but I had to remember to control myself. Come to  think of it, it would be so much easier if I took off my gloves  and nuked the four horsemen then the problem would be  solved. The thought of me spending the rest of my life behind bars for nuking trash like that quickly put an end to  the previous scenario.

Frankie walked a couple of laps around us. He didn’t say  a word but slowly kept walking around us. If this were musical chairs he would have plenty of options. Frankie finally  stopped right in front of us. He looked over at Gordon then  at me and said, “I’ve got two words for you”, he pointed a  finger at Gordon and said, “Dead”, then pointed a finger at  me and repeated, “Dead”. I couldn’t help myself, “What’s  the second word”? Frankie looked confused, “What the fuck  are you talking about Pepe’’? “Well, you said dead twice and  that’s technically one word, so what’s the second word”?  Gordon had a frightened look on his face, it looked like all  of the blood in his face had vanished. Frankie directed his at-

tention to me, bent down to where he was maybe a foot from  my face and said, “Dead Pepe’, how’s that you glove wearing  piece of shit”?

I have to admit that when he got close to me I started to  get scared, but when someone lobs a fat one down the middle of the plate, I’m swinging away. Satisfied with his scare  tactics Frankie returned to take refuge in the Rec. Hall. By  the look on Gordon’s face I guess Frankie’s tactics worked.  I know he was more concerned than I was since his friend

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Joey died from the beating they administered. Don’t get me wrong I’m concerned almost to the point of being scared but  I’m angry more than anything else. I won’t let anything hap-pen to Gordon, so I suppose I should tell him that before the rest of the blood leaves his body and passes out.

“Don’t sweat it Gordon, I think I can help you with the  Mafia wannabes, especially if you and I stick close together.  We’ll even sleep in shifts if you think that will help”. That seemed to bring a little blood flow back into his face. “I appreciate that Billy, I wish I could defend myself the way that you can”. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t exactly defend-ing myself so much as I was just reacting to what Sully was trying to do. I have a long way to go before I get my black belt in Telekinesis.

“So how does the sleeping arrangements go around here?  Are we watched, or locked inside overnight”. “Not exactly”,  Gordon replied, “They have another shift of Goons that  come in to work the overnight shift. One of them stays in  the Rec. Hall, and the other two are parked right outside  the door of the building where we sleep, and they have two  way radios”. “Of course that didn’t matter when I went flying  through the window last Friday”.

“What can you tell me about the four horsemen”?  Gordon rolled his eyes in disgust, “What we have is a collection or a montage if you prefer, of murderers, drug runners and thief’s. Sully killed his entire family when he was  fourteen. He used a shotgun on his parents and nine year  old sister. B.B. has been selling drugs since he was twelve,  and using since he was ten. Jimmy drugged his neighbors by  spiking their pitcher of tea with something, and then stole

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most everything of value in their house. That brings us to  Frankie, if there’s anything missing around here you can bet  that he took it. He’s the only one around here with money  because he sells the stuff that he took. You can’t confront him

about it without having to answer to Sully”.

That was a disturbing account of our troubled residents  here at Camp Crap. I felt sorry for Gordon, its bad enough  not having any family and then to be put through this type  of ridicule and abuse. This has been one hell of a first day  already. I was more than ready for it to end except we had  dinner and whatever evening activities awaited us. I was even  more ready for Friday to be over. If everything played out,  our two agents will take care of the four horsemen before  they set foot in the jewelry store, and nobody gets hurt. One  can always hope, right!

Dinner was not too bad, Spaghetti with meatballs and  garlic bread sticks and I remembered to have the water this  time. It wasn’t the type of cuisine that I would brag about,  but not too shabby. Gordon and I worked off our dinner by  watching a couple of episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  They were always good story lines even if they weren’t allowed to show any gore; they left that up to your imagination. We were the only two watching TV. Two others were  playing ping pong, another pair were tossing darts, and three  of the four horsemen set up residence at the usual spot, the  card table. The only missing member was Sully, who was still  stewing in the time out room.

Gordon suggested we go outside as the sun was setting. He said he needed a smoke. I didn’t even know that he  smoked, I’ve only known him for eight hours, so I’ll forgive

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him for keeping that from me. We parked ourselves in the  same spot outside the Rec. hall as we did earlier today. It felt  nice outside, it felt like it was in the low 60’s with a slight  breeze. That’s one of the benefits of living on the coast,  there’s always a breeze.

Gordon pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket  pocket and lit one up. He offered me one but I turned him  down. I keep remembering my dad saying, “Smoking causes  stupidity”. I’m not sure what research he did to come to that  conclusion. In keeping with dads’ subtle hints I never took  up smoking.

The setting sun cast an amber glow to the west. It was  a rarity since most days around here are either filled with  clouds or fog. We sat in silence and enjoyed the view.

It was a little after 9 and Gordon said we had to be inside

our sleeping quarters by 10:30, so we had some time to kill.  We heard some car with those loud tailpipes spinning his  way out the parking lot across the street at the convenience  store. While I was watching the car take off down the road I  looked back at the store and saw that the Agent’s SUV was  still parked there when I saw a flash of light. “Hey did you  see that”? “See what”, Gordon replied. As he turned to look  at the SUV another flash of light shot out. “That, did you  see that”? Gordon didn’t reply but nodded. That’s when we  noticed the back door of the SUV opened up and one of the  agents fell out onto the ground.

I shot up out of the chair and took off towards the store.  Before I knew it Gordon had not only caught up with me, but  passed me as we got to the parking lot. We stood and looked  at each other for a second when the sound of moaning came

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from the back of the SUV. I stood in shock as I was Agent  Marrick bleeding from the head, he’d been shot, but how, we  didn’t hear any gunshot. “Gordon go check the front and see  if I can help him. I went to the front of the store, pushed the  door open and saw the clerk inside. I yelled at him to call  911, that someone had been shot.

I saw Gordon just standing by the passenger door with  his mouth hanging open. When I got next to him I could  see what made him look like that. Agent Landers also got  shot in the head except unlike Marrick, he wasn’t moving.  I heard the moaning again, so I dashed around to the back  of the SUV. Agent Marrick was on his back but seemed to  recognize me, as he motioned for me to come over. As I got  closer to him I could see him pulling something out of his  suit pocket. He was trying to say something but couldn’t.  Whatever he had in his hand, he was holding it out for me.  “You want me to take this”, I asked as I bent down to him?  He was trying to gather his thoughts and finally said, “Take  these……they will…….keep you……safe”. As I took them  from his hand, his arm dropped to the ground, like Landers,  he was dead. I didn’t look to see what he gave me I just put  them in my pocket and went back around to Gordon.

Gordon had managed to close his mouth but had yet  moved from that spot, it was like his feet had rooted to the  ground. “Come on Gordon, time to go, whoever shot them  might shoot us as well”. That comment freed Gordon’s feet  as he once again passed me as we ran back across the street  as fast as we could. We didn’t stop at the chairs outside so I  followed Gordon to the back of the building where we were  earlier when I made that rock fly.

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Gordon was trembling and barely managed to get a ciga-rette lit because his hands were shaking so bad. “What the hell was that Billy, did you……………oh my god, I can’t believe this”. I was as shocked as Gordon and almost asked

him for a cigarette, that’s how upset I was. “Billy, did you  hear any gunshot, I saw the flash but no noise, and the blood,  oh god I never saw that much blood. Do you think it was”,  he pointed in the direction of the Rec. hall. “If you’re asking  if Frankie and the boy’s did this, I’d have to say no. For one  thing they were still inside when we saw the flash, and two,  where would they come up with silencers”? Gordon wasn’t  shaking as bad and agreed with my logic with a nod and a  huge exhale of smoke.

I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared, I was concerned  not only about my own welfare but for Gordon’s as well.  If I was going to get help from anyone it would have been  Agents Landers and Marrick……….. Then it hit me, there  was only one person who knew of the other two agents being here, and by disposing of them the path was then clear of  roadblocks to get to me.

“Hey, are you okay over there; I think my case of the  shakes is starting to clear up”? I looked over at Gordon,  “Yeah I guess, I was just trying to grasp what just happened.  Now what I’ve got to tell you must stay between you and me,  no one else is to know, even the sheriff”. “Sure, no problem,  what is it”? “I think the person responsible for this is, was  my nurse who just happens to be an FBI agent”. Gordon  couldn’t believe it, “Are you fucking kidding me, why would  she”……………..His voice trailed off as the sound of the

sirens got closer.

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22

“brAvo 2 thIs
 
is Alpha 1 come in, over”. “Bravo 2 this  is Alpha 1 come in, over”. Alpha 1 this is Bravo2, go ahead”.  “Bravo 2 this is Alpha 1, did you and Bravo 4 acquire said  targets”? “Alpha 1 this is Bravo 2, that’s affirmative, targets  were acquired and eliminated, do you copy”? Bravo 2 this is  Alpha 1, copy that, are you sure targets have been eliminated”? Alpha 1 this is Bravo 2, that’s affirmative”. “Copy that  Bravo 2, this is Alpha 1, out.

Agent Boling put down her two way radio and picked  up her cell phone to call the Director of the news. “Good  evening Agent Boling, I take it everything went as planned”?  “It did, our situation has been remedied”. “I do so enjoy good  news, might you have more for me”. Agent Boling replied,  “There is some activity on Friday which will provide us the  means to acquire our prodigy, I hope that will suffice”? “It  will, but only if it proves successful”. “It will sir, now if you’ll  excuse me I need to get to the scene and get the locals out of  the way so I can get all of the equipment out of their vehicle  and turned over to the techs. Are they on the way”? “They  should be there in fifteen minutes Agent, and make sure the  crime scene looks clean”. As always the Director ended the  call immediately. Agent Boling started her Navigator and  headed for the convenience store.

Agent Boling pulled her Navigator off to the side of the road across the street from the convenience store. The

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parking lot was occupied with three Astoria police cars all  with lights spinning brightly. She crossed the street and was  immediately met by a Police officer guarding the entrance  to the parking lot. Agent Boling flashed her credentials at  the officer and waved her through. “Officer, who’s in charge  here”? “That would be Detective Hargrove, the only one in  a suit”.