Book Three: Part 6 - Facing Evil - Chapter 10

12:52 p.m.

“F & J Construction.”

“Frankie, my man.”

Frank Marsh recognized the voice right away. A voice from his past he never expected to hear from again.

“Reid Thurston?”

“You always did have a good memory, Frankie. Long time, no see. How’s life treating you? Must be good, then again, maybe not. The way the economy is, seems its about ready to flush its ass down the shitter. Hell, at least you can fall back on your wife’s money if things go south.”

“Cut it, Reid. What do you want? I know this isn’t a social call.”

“That really hurts my feelings, Frankie. Man, it’s been eight long mutha-fuckin’ years since I seen you, and you tellin’ me to fuckin’ cut it!

“Listen to me, Frankie, and you listen real good. I’m short on funds and from what I know and what I’ve seen so far, you can help me get my money right.”

“Reid, if you need a couple hundred, I can help you.”

“Don’t come off to me with chump-change, chump. I’m talking twenty-grand. Tomorrow morning, or I go to your wife, and then the press about your past. Twenty-grand, or I ruin you, Frankie.”

Frank started laughing.

“What the hell’s so funny?”

“You and your idea. Reid, my wife has always known about my past, and so have my kids. They have known since day one. Even the people I do business with; so buddy-boy, you can kiss that twenty-grand bye-bye. It’s not happening.

“Always thought drugs was your bag, not blackmail. My offer still stands. I can give you five-hundred, and then you move on, or move on without the money; makes no never-mind to me.”

Reid became angry and shut off his phone.

“All right mutha-fucka’, I got a surprise for your ass. And Frankie, you will pay big time for being a smart-ass punk.”

Lazy Rest Inn – 1:41 p.m.

Returning to his room after driving past Frank’s house again, he started putting together some ideas.

“I know his wife, kid, and I guess his grandkid are home. I could just walk in on them, wait for Frankie to come home, and tell him to get my money or I tap his family. He knows I’d do it.

“I could snatch the kid. Tell Frankie to get my money or he gets directions to a dead body. He’d believe that, too. He knows I don’t fuck around.

“That’s the deal. Check the place out again tomorrow. See how the traffic in and out of the house goes with the kid, and first chance I get, I grab the kid and go. But I won’t be able to stay here more than two days. It won’t take long before the cops start searching for the kid. I’ll give Frankie one day to get the scratch, or I pop the kid and move on. Fuck it, he ain’t mine. Frankie will wish he had given me the money every day for the rest of his life!

“That’ll work.”

1:59 p.m.

Freddy heard everything.

“The wonderment of evil is a beautiful thing, but this is a dangerous man. I will allow him his deadline if he succeeds, but if he fucks up my plans, he can say goodbye to this earth.”

Reaching for one of his Bowie knives, he began to slowly and methodically, sharpen an already balanced steel-edge.

2:49 p.m.

Baker and Manning were at a scene they didn’t want to particularly want to see. Nor did a few others who were on-scene.

Baker signed off on a few forms with her initials to indicate procedures were met.

“How long, Carl?”

“From the discoloration of the skin, the tears in his neck, under the armpits and behind the knees and stomach from bloating, my best guess is seven to eight days. I can have it narrowed down after the autopsy.

“Damn shame. He seemed calm, level-headed. He always had a kind word for everyone.”

“We never know until crap like this gets throwed at us, Carl,” said Ed. “The only pictures in the house are of his wife and daughter. Inwardly, he was a very lonely man waiting for the right moment to end it all.”

“This is just sad, Ed,” replied Baker. “We come into contact with him several times a month at the Medical Examiner’s Building, and like Carl said, he always had a smile and a good word or comment to share.

“We need to look around and see if he has a will, so his final wishes are carried out. Sweep the place good, Carl. If you find it, bring it to me. I do know he has no other living relatives.”

“And if we can’t find it?”

“We bury him next to his wife and daughter … with full honors.”

Turning, she looked at Ed.

“Let’s go. This is one of those times when I just can’t hang with the big boys.”

Looking into her sad, glistening eyes, each one holding back tears that wanted to burst like a dam. Tears she would shed after they left Stan’s house.

5:16 p.m.

In the Pit-Stop, a local hangout for school kids, at one of the booths were Stevie and Ellie. They were talking while waiting for two burgers and French-fries.

“I see you like the necklace.”

Reaching down to fondle the necklace she said, “Why wouldn’t I, Stevie? It was your gift to me, but yeah, I love it.

“Question for you.”

“Go for it.”

“Mom and dad are going up to Cavern Falls this weekend and we won’t be back until Monday night.”

The smile on Stevie’s face disappeared. He wouldn’t see her for practically four whole days.

“Come on, smile. My parents want to know if you would like to come along?”

Stevie started smiling again.

“Yeah, I would, but that’s going to be expensive, isn’t it?”

“They have a plan. Mom and me in one room, you and my dad in another. They would have had to get a second room for me anyway, and besides, they like you a lot!”

“Cool. I can let you know later tonight or tomorrow morning. I’m pretty sure mom will let me go.”

“We can only hope,” she smiled.

Ellie reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands in both of her’s.

“I don’t want to sound silly or stupid, but of all the different boys I’ve seen in school, and the couple I’ve dated, you are the very first one that has come along and made me feel like a special person.”

“That’s because you are special, and important to me. I don’t know if we’ll go beyond just going steady, but right now, I know you are the only girl I love enough to want to spend the rest of my life with.”

So, we fly away from them as their food arrives, and we center back to other things, at another time.

4137 Monroe Avenue

The Marsh’s – 8:30 p.m.

It was dark and very cold.

Reid parked across the street from Frank’s home, and in his hands, is a pair of binoculars attached to his eyes as he continued watching what movement he could see.

A single-story ranch-style home. A large front window gave way to a huge living room and beyond that, another open area that looked like a dining room.

After sitting in the car over two hours, he knew enough that the kitchen was off to the right, unseen, and that the bedrooms were on the left side of the house.

More movement.

“There! About damn time. She’s takin’ the kid out of the front room. Which room is she takin’ him to? Shit, I hope he ain’t in the same room with his mother. That would mess things up.

“Okay, looks like the first one on the left, a light in there went on. Sweet. Looks like she’s laying him down for the night. If those damn curtains weren’t in the way, I could tell better. Let’s see if she comes back to the front room alone. There, there she is, and she is alone. Good, now I know where the kid is.

“Frankie and his wife are getting up. Turning lights off, and the bedroom lights are coming on but not where the kid is. I knew this would work.

“There goes a third light, but the window is small, must be the bathroom.

“But, I’m in. The kid’s room isn’t being used by anyone but him. Easy in, duct-tape his mouth shut, snatch him up and go. Tape his wrists and ankles together after I get him in the car.

“I hate rush jobs, but I need the cash and quick. Get my ass down to Mexico and hunt up a Bro’ that can get me to South America and I’m good to go.

“Frankie, come to papa, baby.”

Reid was about to get out of the car and walk to the boy’s window after the other lights finally blinked off for the night. As he was about to set his left foot on the street, in his side mirror, he spotted headlights approaching. As they got closer, Reid pulled his left foot back inside the car, closed the door, and slid down so he wouldn’t be seen.

It was a cop car, and it stopped three doors down from where he was parked.

Reid slowly inched his head upward and saw two boys in blue, one male, the other, female, help a man to the front door.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable about snatching the kid tonight. He started the car after the police got back in their car and went up the street, turned right and were out of sight. Reid decided to head back to his motel. He could feel too much tension after that. He didn’t want to make any mistakes.

He decided instead, to come back early in the morning to make sure the kid was still in the house. After all, him and his mother could be there just for the holidays.

If that proved to be the case, the kid would be his by tomorrow night, and he’d have fifty, not twenty-grand in his hand the next day.