“I don’t like bad news,” Alex answered, walking up to the dead woman. He shot her again in the head. “Not ever.”
His guards looked down at the body, their faces carefully neutral.
“Burn her,” Alex ordered. “We don’t need her coming back and being all whiny because I shot her. Make sure her stuff gets destroyed, too. All of it.”
The men nodded and dragged the body away.
“You know, Worthe used to do that crap, too,” Timmy mused.
“Uh-huh.” Alex nodded, closing the door behind him. “It was a good idea.”
Ignoring the increasing volume of the buzzing in his head, Alex went back to his desk and put the pistol away.
Chapter 36: Frustration and Insomnia
Tuesday, 5:00 AM
Shane hadn’t been able to get close to the Fallon house. The Nashua Police Department had posted an officer in front of the home, making sure no one else tried to get inside.
At least she’s not going to get out, Shane thought. Cops tend to have a little more strength of will than the guys Miriam likes.
In addition to his inability to gain access to the house, Shane had spent a significant amount of time disposing of the equipment from the men who had tried to kill him, as well as having to report the sudden appearance of an ambulance in the driveway.
These past few days have just been miserable, he thought.
He sat up in bed, a closed book on the sheet beside him. A deep sense of frustration had settled within him, and it had played havoc with his need for sleep. He glanced at his phone, hoping to see a message from Jacinta, but there wasn’t one.
I would have heard the damned thing, he reminded himself. He rubbed at his eyes and once again regretted the absence of whiskey in the house. No, don’t think like that. It’s better that I’m not drinking. Rather be sleepless for a night than fall back onto that damned crutch.
No, I’ll stick to smoking.
He reached for his cigarettes but stopped when he saw Carl standing in the doorway. “Hey, come on in. You okay?”
Carl smiled and shook his head as he entered. “My young friend, you have had a terrible few days, and yet you are the one to inquire as to my well-being. I am dead, Shane Ryan—I will never be okay.”
Shane chuckled. “Yeah. You got a point there. What’s up?”
“I came to check on you,” Carl explained. “There is some concern over you. Eloise. Thaddeus, even the Davis sisters have expressed their worry in their own, peculiar fashion.”
“Oh?”
Carl nodded. “They wanted to know if you needed someone else killed.”
Shane laughed, picked up his cigarettes, shook one out, and lit it. “That’s sweet.”
“If you say so,” Carl replied.
“Come on,” Shane sighed. “You were a killer, too, Carl, when you were younger.”
“Of course, I was a killer,” Carl retorted, straightening up. “I was a stormtrooper, the finest type of soldier in the Deutsches Heer.”
“So, you know it was damned sweet of them,” Shane winked.
Carl’s mouth twitched into a smile, and he nodded. “Yes. Yes, it certainly was.”
“Any new ghosts in the house now?” Shane asked.
Carl hesitated, and then he shook his head.
“Hold on. You paused. Why?”
“Well, there had been a new ghost. Briefly.”
Shane straightened up. “And what happened?”
“Eloise happened,” Carl began, and then added, “and I happened.”
Shane refused to allow his disappointment to show. “Tell me.”
“Well, one of the men, one of those who arrived in the ambulance,” Carl continued, “he was here as a ghost. We attempted to speak to him, to ask him why they had attacked.”
“Anything?” Shane inquired.
Carl shook his head. “Nothing. Instead, he tried to come upstairs. He knocked down Thaddeus, shoved aside one of the Davis sisters. I swear, Shane, I still cannot tell them apart.”
“Carl.”
“My apologies,” Carl sighed. “He tried to push past Eloise, and you know her, she dislikes bad manners. As do I. He would not listen, and when he slapped at her, Eloise and I lost our tempers.”
“Where was this?” Shane asked.
“The root cellar,” Carl explained. “I had been hoping to trap him there, but things got out of hand. There was nothing more to trap.”
“When was this?”
“It was only a short time ago, my friend,” Carl said.
“Okay. Thanks for telling me, Carl. If any more show up, though, let me know before you and Eloise decide to shred them, okay?”
Carl nodded and stood up. “Have you slept yet, my friend?”
“No,” Shane answered, then he yawned. “Maybe now I will, though.”
“Do not worry, we will watch over you, as always.”
“I know,” Shane nodded. “You always do.”
Chapter 37: Marty’s Decision
Tuesday, 10:30 AM
Marty’s entire body ached.
Shane Ryan had hurt him worse than Marty had realized, and there was a nagging fear that the man would find him and question him.
That will be an unpleasant situation, Marty thought. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out under torture. Marty also suspected that Alex Kallistos knew that as well.
Which means, Marty reflected as he finished packing his bag, I have to watch out for both Shane Ryan and whoever Alex Kallistos sends after me. All I can hope is that he doesn’t send a ghost to try and chase me down. Iron will work, or so he says, but it would be better to be far away from here.
I definitely can’t go to Doc, even though he offered help, Marty sighed. I may need his medical expertise again and I can’t exactly get that if he’s been killed for lending me a hand.
Anyway, I can just as easily operate from my safe house as from here. No reason to try and hide. Not yet. I need cash to get away, and any large withdrawals from the accounts may trigger some sort of reaction from Kallistos.
Marty didn’t know how much information the boy had access to regarding Marty’s finances, but he wasn’t going to play any games when it came to his own safety.
Right, he thought, zipping up his knapsack. Let’s make one last call from here and see what the boy has to say.
Marty walked to the Clubhouse’s landline, picked the handset up out of the cradle, and dialed the number for Alex Kallistos.
It was answered on the second ring.
“Go,” a man stated.
“This is Marty Feldman. I need to speak with Alex Kallistos.”
“Hold.”
Before Marty could say anything else, the line went quiet.
Okay. I wonder what he’s going to say. Kid has some serious mental issues.
“Marty?” Alex asked, interrupting Marty’s thoughts.
“Yes.”
“Why are you calling, Marty?” Alex inquired, his voice unnaturally high and excited. “Did you do something wrong again?”
Marty grimaced, clenched his hand into a fist as he answered, “No, not at all. I wanted to know if there was a house you wanted me to go after next.”