Chain of Vengeance: Chapter Nine - Part Ten

SAN FRANCISCO

 

Molly let her speed drop as the blue sedan containing the man who had put David Eden in hospital pulled into a parking lot at the back of a bargain basement motel. She spotted a space on the opposite side of the motel about fifty yards down and pulled into it.

From there she had a good view of both the front of the building and the entrance he would have to drive out of if he left. It was called the Blue Ridge Mountain Motel and looked like more of a hangout for hookers and dealers than vacationers. It was on the opposite corner. Down the side of the street to Molly’s left was a line of stores that were mostly shuttered up. It was a dying neighbourhood; more than half the stores were closed for good.

She felt scared with a sharp chaser of excitement. Following cars across town wasn’t something she did on a regular basis but pretending to be an undercover cop did give out a peculiarly pleasant buzz. On the other hand, the guy she was following was a bone fide nut and she wasn’t dumb enough to push it any further. She could leave the arrest to the police.

A phone booth with broken windows on every side stood part way between her little car and the junction. That was perfect. She got out and locked up, trotted down the street and got into the booth. She got as far as dropping the first couple of coins before she noticed there was no dialling tone; no cable connecting the receiver to its box.

“Damn.”

There was no other phone booth visible either way and she couldn’t be sure how long he would stay inside. If only she had her cell. But she didn’t.

It was starting to get dark. Molly scanned both sides of the street, hoping for some sign of a phone but there wasn’t any. One of the open shops near her car was a Seven Eleven. She went in there. A Vietnamese girl was tending the cash register.

“Hi. You got a phone?”

“There’s a booth outside.”

“I know but it’s broken. Do you have a phone in here I can use please?”

“No. Sorry.” The girl squinted and tried to smile but she wasn’t sorry in the least.

“It’s an emergency. I need to call the police.”

“No phone; sorry.”

A queue started to form behind Molly. She tried not to lose her temper. “Look, I can see you have one right there behind you on the counter. I just need to use it for a minute.”

“Sorry,” said the girl. “That phone not for customers.”

“Give me a break. It’s an emergency.”

“No phone.”

“Please.”

“No phone. No.”

The man waiting behind her cleared his throat impatiently.

“All right,” said Molly, “All right fine. Can you tell me where the nearest public phone is then please.”

The Vietnamese girl pointed across the street. “There’s phone in motel over there.”

Molly followed where she was pointing. In the growing twilight she could see into the lit interior of the motel lobby. There was a vending machine and a counter and next to that a smudge that could have been a payphone hung on the wall.

In the same building as the man who was after her.

Chain of Vengeance: Chapter Nine - Part Nine

THE ALPS

 

“You look like you’re about to fall asleep,” said Gaston, “It’s late.”

Jack started a little. He had been dropping off. He felt so comfortable slumped in this big dusty old armchair in front of the fire in Gaston’s little farm house. “I am.”

The room was fairly big, though nothing compared to the monster space Jack had become quickly accustomed to in San Francisco. It was a kitchen, dining room and lounge all in one, most of the space dominated by an eight seater table in the centre of the room whose surface flowed like a calm river with gentle bumps and troughs. The only light was from the flames in the hearth. They made Gaston look younger than he was.

“It must be the beer,” said Gaston. There were half a dozen empty half size beer bottles next to each of them. “And the altitude; the change in air.”

“The altitude?”

“Oui. It happens to visitors every time. This high up in the mountains the air and  pressure are different. You will probably feel drowsy for days. And that isn’t to mention the change in time zones.”

Jack stretched long, pushing his legs out straight in front of him and linking his hands high above his head. He groaned. “I am sleepy.”

“Perhaps you should go to bed? We can talk more in the morning.”

Jack started to reply but his words became a broad yawn so he nodded, covering his mouth with his palm.

“I’ll show you to your room. You’re upstairs in the attic space. I hope that is okay.”

“That’s fine.” There were only two floors.

Gaston led him to the narrow corridor that went off the room. The first door concealed a steep set of steps climbing into darkness. Gaston surprised him by flicking a light switch. It was so rustic out here in the mountains Jack had started to imagine they were in a different time.

“Before I show you your bed,” said Gaston with a grin and a flash of his eyes, “are you sure you want to risk going to sleep in a house with a man so obsessed with murder? It is always possible that I could come and slit your throat while your eyes are shut.”

Jack smiled gently back. “Maybe you should be the one who’s worrying. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Chain of Vengeance: Chapter Nine - Part Eight

Sam burst out into the daylight of the car park and instantly knew that he’d lost her. Her Porsche was no longer there. The space was empty. After a few moments a long hatchback pulled up in front of the slot and backed into it.

He sagged, tired. Everything was going wrong. He couldn’t even tail a woman.

Feeling as though he had just finished a long workout, Sam trudged back to his own car and got in, his mind dull. He knew he had to consider options now but it was hard to motivate himself.

He’d lost Molly. That didn’t matter; he knew her address; he could always find her there. It was a higher risk and he had hoped to catch her alone somewhere else but that was the only option now.

He was tired. He had gone to bed the night before but had only dozed. Without more rest he wasn’t at his best. Perhaps it was better to try to catch up on that first: head back to his motel and sleep for a few hours. That was the best course of action. It didn’t stop him feeling guilty though.

Sam started the car and pulled out of his parking slot.

He didn’t notice the little Porsche parked in the row behind his and he didn’t notice it pull out and start to follow him.

Chain of Vengeance: Chapter Nine - Part Seven

How many times in his professional life as an insurance investigator had he tailed someone? A hundred? A thousand? He knew every trick and strategy to avoid notice, every rule of caution.

Then why was he ignoring so many of them now?

The shopping centre was full of average retail fools, tipping money needlessly out of their pockets to buy bright coloured things for no other reason than that they caught their eye. Men and women of every shape criss-crossed his path. There was a greater proportion of fat people than there would have been in England. Even so he had an almost continuous view of Molly as she made her way through the spacious corridors without stopping to look at any particular shop-fronts, torso erect and steady, arms swaying gently; legs placed one in front of the other in a ripple of soft athletic muscle, hair swaying back and forth, left and right.

This was wrong. He was letting himself find her attractive; staring at her, trying to memorise every detail. How far was he away from her? Less than ten feet? It was ridiculous. He was risking everything.

Get a grip.

He dropped back, letting the number of shoppers between them multiply. He could still see her. That was fine. She couldn’t get away. All he had to do was not lose sight of her. This wasn’t a direct engagement. It was only surveillance.

Molly entered a department store. Sam held back for a few moments then went in after her.

Another possible scenario came into his mind of what might happen when he finally made contact.

A dirty little motel outside the city; following her to her room; knocking on the door; her calling out that it’s open. Stepping inside to find her lying on the bed waiting for him, dressed in her underwear; beckoning him.

Pinning her down; not asking any questions this time; tearing off her bra and panties; pressing his face against her neck; breathing in, groping her breasts, touching her stomach, squeezing the soft flesh then moving down toward—

He stopped dead.

There was no sign of Molly.

He was at a junction in the department store. To his right and behind him was make-up, ahead jewellery, to the left the start of the clothing department. He couldn’t see her at all. There were women everywhere, too many people to get any kind of clear view but scanning the heads gave him nothing. She was nowhere in his field of view.

Stupid.

Stupid sex crazed idiot.

He started to jog.

Chain of Vengeance: Chapter Nine - Part Six

There were maybe fifty yards from Molly’s car to the entrance of the mall and no witnesses were in sight. That made her nervous.

It was still highly unlikely he would do anything in broad daylight but she couldn’t be sure. A man capable of what he did to Eden was capable of risking capture to do it again. But she couldn’t risk him clicking that she was on to him by running either. Not to mention the heels she was wearing. If he decided to give chase she wouldn’t get very far in them before he caught up.

The only thing for it was to keep walking, hurrying, but not so fast that he might realise what she was doing. She kept her eyes fixed on the glass doors leading inside the mall, on the chrome push-bar at waist height she’d be using to open them. In the edge of her peripheral vision she could see the blue blur that was his car, parked near the centre of a row. The mall was busy, there were thousands of cars, but still no people in sight.

She wanted to chance a look across to see if he was watching but it was too big a risk. If she’d had her cell phone she could have called ahead to a police precinct to get them ready, then pulled up outside. When the man had pulled up behind her they could have grabbed him. Using herself as bait like this was crazy, but what other choice did she have? At least now she was in control of the situation. Nominally.

There were only twenty yards left to the doors. Through the glass she could make out the movement of people. It was packed. He would have a hard time keeping track of her in those crowds. But her plan relied on him following her in, and he was still just sitting there in the car. Only about ten yards left. It wasn’t going to work. Then she saw the blur of his car shift. The driver’s side door was opening. He got out.

She got to the glass doors and paused, ostensibly checking her hair in the reflection. She patted it down at the top then fluffed the bottom a little. Behind and to her left she saw him coming toward her, trying to look casual. Her pulse jumped up a notch, but she smiled.

He’d taken the bait.