The Road to Round Mountain: The Betrayal by (27 page)

Silence ruled the moment as the delivery guy took a

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couple of breaths, opened his Pepsi, looked up at the Sheriff  and started with, “I’m not positive but I think she got out of  a Toyota. It wasn’t a fancy one, and it was pretty old; dark  red, maybe maroon color”. He looked up at the ceiling as if  the answers were printed there, then continued, “From the  chevron station, she turned right. That’s all I can remember  except that she seemed friendly, always smiling”. Yeah, smiling like a snake ready to attack a mouse.

“Okay kid, you did well, you can go”, the Sheriff said.  “But in the future, be wary of people offering you money for  almost nothing”. The delivery guy shot up and out of the  jailhouse just as quick as he came in. The Sheriff opened the  package and examined the contents, “Oh crap”.

“Balcofen, holy Mother of shit”, the Sheriff mumbled.  “Is that what they expect me to take”, I asked? “I’m afraid  so Billy, if you took this stuff, you would be brain dead for  a few days”. “Damn that Miss fussy britches, she sure does  know her drugs”. Gordon and I sported a confused look on  our collective faces. “What exactly is that, I’ve never heard of  it”, I inquired?

The Sheriff ran his hand through his hair, and motioned  for us to join him in his office. We all sat in our usual spots  and the Sheriff began. “I recognized the name of that stuff  from when my wife’s Mother was sick. She had a brain tumor  and an operation was a last hope. They didn’t think it would  work but wanted to try it anyway. Balcofen, is needed to basically eliminate brain activity while an operation is being  performed. They said it would help keep all vital functions  stable. One of the side effects of the drug was that her eyes  were fixed and dilated, kind of like when you’re in a coma”.

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That sounded like some heavy duty shit that I didn’t want any part of. Though if we’re able to pull off my idea then no one would have to take the Coma pill. We dis-cussed various options available to us to skirt around the issue of the drug, but the bottom line was, it all depended on how Boling wanted to play this out. I was hopeful she would play nice, but my intuition told me otherwise. Our plan was a good one, but not without risks. That didn’t mat-ter to me right now as all I was concerned with was getting  Jennifer back safe and sound. For shits and giggle’s I could always nuke Boling in the process. Some visuals just make you want to smile.

We took the hint that the Sheriff wanted some alone

time when he called his wife, so being the obedient minions  that we were, we headed outside for a couple of Marlboro’s  finest. We puffed in silence, watching what little traffic was  cruising Marine Drive. It was a clear evening. We don’t get  that many of those around here. You could still make out the  orange hue from the sunset on the western horizon. Gordon  started to say something when I coughed out some smoke  while smacking Gordon’s shoulder. “Ouch, What”? I pointed  to Marine Drive and driving right past us was an old but  cherry looking GTO. It was starting to get pretty dark but  we could still make out the canary yellow paint job. Wow did  that thing ever sparkle under the street lights.

I started running after the vehicle while Gordon must  have thought I was nuts for doing so. I heard Gordon holler for the Sheriff and then he quickly caught up to me  like I was hardly moving. I knew it would take the GTO  a few minutes to go around the bend, so I motioned for

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Gordon to follow me as we took a shortcut through some of the small side streets. Gordon looked back toward the

jailhouse, “What’s wrong”, I coughed out. “Heard the front  door of the jailhouse slam open”, he replied not winded at  all. Show off. And how does he hear stuff so far away. To  me that was just as spooky as some of the stuff I can do  now. Damn Vulcan hearing.

We made it to the western edge of the bend. I had my  hands propped on my knees while trying to catch my breath.  Gordon wasn’t even breathing hard. I was tempted to check  to see if he was actually breathing at all. There was something about his cardio that just wasn’t human; at least not  to me. Gordon turned as he heard a noise behind us. Really,  well I guess I didn’t think that my hearing would last forever;  though I was hoping it would hold out until I was at least  eighteen. Damn his Vulcan hearing. The Sheriff pulled up  beside us at the side of the road about a block before you get  to Marine Drive. “This better be good, I too damned weary  to go chasing after you two; get in”. We obliged and told  the Sheriff we had seen the GTO that was going to be used  tomorrow night by the Four Horsemen and we were waiting  for it to come around the bend. It did not. I looked at the

Sheriff and I guess he knew what I was going to ask, “Fine, we’ll turn and take a peek at where they might park it”. I don’t know if it was the look on my face or his years in law enforcement that told him what I wanted. Or it could have

been the fact that we just ran like a couple of scared rabbits  and he wanted to corral us before we got hurt. Whatever the  reason, he’s pretty sharp.

The Sheriff turned right onto Marine drive. We were

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starting to come up to the West side of the bend. Numerous  shipping yards filled with old fishery warehouses and canneries lined up on the edge of the Pacific and the mouth of  the Columbia River. The Sheriff slowed as we got close and I  noticed headlights down the first side road to the warehouses.

The Sheriff acknowledged my sighting but kept driving.  “But what if that’s it back there”, I asked? “Settle down Billy,  we don’t want to startle anyone, especially if they happen to  be armed”. We turned into a small strip mall, mostly empty  these days but there’s still a dry cleaners surviving the times.  The Sheriff killed the lights as we parked away from the  parking lot light and was pointed at that first side road. Two  large cars, dark in color and I couldn’t tell what kind they  were, turned right on to the side road as did the first car, the  one that already had his lights off.

“Gordon, you want to hand me that box right behind my  seat”, the Sheriff asked? Gordon located said box and handed it to the Sheriff. “What’s that”, Inquiring minds want to  know? He brought out a set of night vision goggles. “Sweet,  when do I get to try them”, I asked? “As soon as I know that  you have twenty two hundred dollars to replace them if you  break them”. Ouch, I can take a hint. He started making  adjustments to the goggles as I started trying to focus in on  the cars parked a few hundred yards away. I do not have that  much focus unfortunately, but I was checking out the warehouses. There were six of them on this side of the bend. Each

one just about the size of a football field. I noticed that the  other two vehicles had turned off their headlights. I noticed a  flicker of activity at the warehouse just to the right of the one  where the three cars pulled into. Not many windows in these

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buildings. Mainly corrugated metal covering the frames in  kind of a Quonset hut shape.

I saw it again, there was a light that came on, down at  the far side of the building, farthest away from us. According  to my Dad, most of these warehouses had closed shop some  years back when they made changes in the fishing laws causing many businesses to go belly up. The Sheriff had just put  on the goggles. It reminded me of the guy in Silence of the  Lambs, right before he kidnapped the Senator’s daughter.  “Sir aren’t these warehouses closed up, I mean nobody has  opened up any new business in them have they”? He slowly  turned his head to me and I could swear he was going to say,  “She puts the lotion on its’ skin, or else it gets the hose again”.  It looked creepy.

“No, these first five huts have been unoccupied for a  while. Ray’s Fishery still operates out of the last one, but  we don’t know for how much longer; fucking regulations”.  A second light came on in the same building. If there’s not  supposed to be any one in there the…… “I never thought  I would see this piece of shit again”, the Sheriff exclaimed,  temporarily bringing my attention back to the parked cars.

“That’s definitely a GTO, I would say maybe 1966 or  1967, sweet car, and that heaping pile of sheep dung I was  referring to is Nicholas Langella; Little Nicky”. “You know  him Sir”. “Know of him, and his buddies”, the Sheriff replied  in a reserved tone. “Are they the Mob”, Gordon chimed in?  “They haven’t called them the Mob for years, it’s a sensitive  issue these days, but yeah they’re the Mob”.

“Little Nicky and four goons; from what you told me,  they might be up to more than just dropping a car. The

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way they’re talking over there, it’s more than a social gathering. Crap, just when I thought things couldn’t get any  worse”……………….. He trailed off as he faintly heard the  passenger side door close shut. I wanted to get a closer look  at the second hut as the Sheriff calls them. I made my way  to the edge of the parking lot and had a pretty clear view of  the second hut when I saw headlights flicker on at the back  of the second hut. A car was pulling up the gravel side road.  The Car turned left, away from where we were, when, “Holy  shit”. I ran back to the Sheriffs car, he was still tracking what  our Mob guys were doing. By the look on his face I don’t  think he knew I was gone. “It’s her, Boling, just left the second hut….maroon Toyota….. I think she’s”…….. I was out  of breath but got out of the patrol car and started running  across Marine Drive towards the second warehouse hut. I

heard the Sheriff cuss before I slammed the door.

I know this has to be where they’re keeping Jennifer.  I started to slow down once I realized that if Boiling left, then someone still has to be there to make sure she doesn’t

get away. I slowly went around to the other side of the hut,  away from where Boling pulled out. I heard shuffling feet  behind me. I turned quickly and relieved to find out it was  the Sheriff and Gordon.

“Damn it Gordon, I thought I told you to stay in the car”?  “Yeah like I want to be seen by Little Nicky and they have  me sleeping with the Fishes”. I looked over at the Sheriff  and gave a sympathetic shrug of my shoulders. The three of  us were walking slowly around towards the back of the hut.  The Sheriff put Gordon in charge of being on look out and  listening for any and every thing. I stopped at the midpoint

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of the hut. I started to put my focus and concentration on  the walls of the hut. “You think she’s in there Billy”, Gordon  asked in a mere whisper? I didn’t turn to acknowledge, but  nodded my head and kept the focus going. I was starting to  see some shadows, a lot of old pallets stacked up against a  wall. I could see the source of the light.

I slowly moved my head so not to lose the foggy sight I  was trying see through. I could make out the hanging light  fixture, and there was a table maybe ten feet off to the right,  and, “She’s there, sheriff, she’s in there, they got her at a table”,  I almost shouted. The sheriff held up a finger to his mouth  to indicate that I need to shut up. I almost blew it. “Can you  see who else is in there with her”, the sheriff muttered in a  barely audible whisper? I put my focus back on, trying to put  the excitement behind me so I could concentrate. I wanted

to hurry because I had no clue when Boling would be back.  That’s when a thought crossed my mind.

What if that wasn’t Boling in the car. What if that was  an accomplice and Boling was still in there. There was a part  of me that wanted her to be there just for the satisfaction  of seeing the look on her right before I turn the burners on  her. I would have to be careful not to lose control. The most

important thing was getting Jennifer out of there, and out  of harm’s way if they decided that collateral damage was a

necessary means.

My focus was coming back online. I could see Jennifer  sitting at a table. I was also able to see a spot of trouble. They  had her ankles cuffed to a ring on the floor. So much for a  grab and go. Now coming in to view was a big no neck guy  with a crew cut, why is it always a big guy. I’ve grown very

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tired of them lately. Maybe he and Sully could have a match  to see who could bite the most cars in half. He was walking  around the table, saying something to her. He reached over  and started stroking the back of Jennifer’s hair. She pulled  her head in protest and he slapped her across the face.

Anger was building quickly, but how was I going to get  her out. I changed my focus from the inside of the building  to the outside. The inside showed me wooden framework.

The outside was corrugated steel. I noticed a power line coming from the back of the building connected to a power pole by the first hut. That was my play.

I ran towards the back, the Sheriff and Gordon tried to say something, but stopped so not to panic anyone inside. I notice that the power line was hooked up right above the single door. I took my plastic gloves off, rubbing them for a second, and thrust out my arms towards the power line.  Blinding orange flames came shooting out of my fingers, maybe the thickness of a sharpie and headed straight for the line. The line immediately popped off the side of the build-ing sending a family of sparks scattered about the back of the building. I saw the light go out in the building. Now I wait.  Come on no neck show yourself.

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FIre wAs spreAdIng
 
from above the door. I could