Hard to Kill - Debt Collector 4 (A Jack Winchester Thriller) Read online

“Who do you work for?” Frank asked. If he was going to die he at least wanted to know who sent him. Not that it mattered. The stranger didn’t reply. He got up from his seat and stubbed out his cigarette. Then he removed from his pocket a small Ziploc bag and placed the cigarette stub into it. He pocketed it and proceeded to pick up the shells expelled from his Glock. They went into a separate bag and in his left pocket.

  “Who do you work for?” Frank asked again.

  The man didn’t smile or make light of anything he was doing. He had no need to tell Frank anything, neither did he have any reason to keep him alive.

  “You know if you are going after him you are making a big mistake.”

  Something in what Frank said caught his attention. The man came over to Frank as if he was about to do something. He then took his seat across from him.

  “Tell me about Jack Winchester.”

  By now the pain level had become almost unbearable. The carpet was soaked in blood.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  Frank stared back at him knowing that this was going to be his last day on earth. It had all come down to this. Years of doing what was right meant very little now. Could he have avoided this by locking Jack up? Maybe, maybe not. The Mafia cared very little about the level of involvement in an incident, only about who was considered a potential problem. Judges, police or another member of the crime syndicate, it didn’t matter to those at the top. If you were a liability, nothing could protect you. Not even a witness protection program. Frank knew this when he became a cop. It was the reason why many officers chose to look the other way. It was the reason most officers didn’t pursue advancement. It only meant dealing with more shit.

  “So?”

  Frank snorted a little at the irony of it all. He had always imagined that he would retire and spend the remainder of his days golfing or sipping an exotic drink down in the Florida Keys. He shook his head slowly, looking at the stranger. No, and the irony was, he wouldn’t even know his killer.

  “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  Frank smiled for a minute; a final act of defiance.

  “No.”

  The last image he had was of his gun being raised, then everything went black.

  Chapter Nine

  The image of him on the video was blurry at best. The information Frank had provided enabled her to filter down on a timeline that Greyhound buses left L.A. for Louisiana. From there she had watched lines of people stream in and out of buses. If it wasn’t for a second camera she might have not spotted him. As the bus for New Orleans pulled out, it paused a few feet away, partially out of view. From the rear of the bus she saw a figure run up along the side. After she got the guys at the bureau to enhance it, they were able to get a shot of his face. She now knew where he was heading to in Louisiana and she had a name. It was the break she needed. Her boss would be pleased. Simon had been breathing down her neck for the past week. The guy had no idea. All he understood were results.

  “Surely the bureau has another agent that can go with you?” Cooper asked.

  “You would think so. No.”

  “Has Simon got in contact with the U.S. Marshals?”

  “And set up a fugitive task force? No.”

  “You are joking. This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Of course it does. They are looking to cover their ass. We get the U.S. Marshals involved and the media gets wind of it, what happens then if they don’t catch him? The bureau is going to look like complete fools. Never mind the fact that they are going to have to explain themselves to the powers that be.”

  It might have been hard for people to imagine that the FBI would risk the chance of losing Winchester just to save face but it wouldn’t have been the first time the left hand didn’t know what the right hand had done.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Don’t be stupid. Your doctor said you have at least another two months to heal.”

  “To heal, yes, but not to discharge me.”

  “No, I’ve been given strict instructions on this.”

  “What? He’s keeping me out of the loop? I didn’t just take three bullets for nothing. I want this asshole as much as you do.”

  “Remember, it wasn’t him who fired at you.”

  “It doesn’t mean he’s any less to blame. If we weren’t occupied with him, we would have seen those men come in.”

  “Would have, should have.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “If you are going to complain to Simon, save it for someone who gives a shit. I’ve already been down that path and it got me nowhere. They will just take us off the case and shuffle us into some godforsaken part of the country to work behind a desk.”

  Cooper sighed. “So what is new?”

  She brought him up to speed on what Frank had told her.

  “And the girl? Any luck with that?”

  “I’m still waiting on an address and place of employment.”

  “What hotel are you going to be staying at?”

  She told him and he made a comment about how he would book in there.

  “Are you in a sling?”

  “No, just bandaged up. The wounds have been healing nicely. I’ve got a stack of pain meds.”

  “To be honest, Cooper, I think you might just slow me down.”

  He went quiet.

  “What can I do then?”

  “Well, I already have a flight booked for late this evening. If you could follow up with the head office and let me know when they’ve got that address, that would help.”

  “I still can’t believe they are not getting the U.S. Marshals involved.”

  “There’s a lot I don’t believe about the bureau but one thing is for sure, I’m not going to question their instructions. I want this guy and if I have to bring him in alone, so be it.”

  After hanging up, Isabel began packing her belongings. She tossed back a few pain meds that she’d been given for her own gunshot wound. Contrary to what most might have thought, recovery from a gunshot wound was different for everyone. There were a lot of factors involved. How healthy a person was, their age and the path the bullet took all factored into how quickly a person might get discharged. Two weeks was common, longer if bones were shattered. She was fortunate, Cooper not so. A bullet had torn through a bone and there was a strong chance he was going to have to use a cane for life. Of course he wouldn’t admit it. Typical guy. But the probability of him returning to fieldwork was small. He would have to pass a secondary medical examination before they could determine if he was ready. Isabel had already jumped through the hoops and been given the clear. She’d entertained the thought of returning to being a cop in San Francisco numerous times. She never imagined that was something she would ever want to do again but after all the political bullshit she had experienced, she wasn’t sure now.

  She phoned down to the front desk to let them know that she would be checking out and could they finalize all charges and send the invoice on to the office. When she hung up she cast her eyes around the room. A deep sense of loneliness took a hold of her. In all her efforts to advance her career, she hadn’t truly considered the cost. There had been no time to develop any relationship. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had numerous opportunities but they always ended up being one-night stands. It wasn’t the guy who left in the morning, it was her. In the heat of the moment under the intoxication of passion and alcohol, she would imagine what it would be like to have a normal life. It wasn’t like anyone was stopping her. There were tons of cops and FBI agents that came home to a family but she had always had her eye on the ball. The only way to climb the ladder, her father would say, was through pure grunt work. You have to do what others aren’t willing to do, to get where others won’t get. It had become almost a mantra to her. But in the past few years that mantra had begun to wear thin. She wasn’t getting any younger. If she wanted to have kids, now was the time.

  As she continued pack
ing, her phone started buzzing on the side table and shifting around. She walked over still folding her clothes. She glanced down at the caller ID and saw it was Simon.

  “Sir?”

  “When did you last speak to Frank Banfield?”

  She frowned for a minute wondering how he had known about her call. She hadn’t told him.

  “Yesterday.”

  “He’s been found dead in his apartment. Execution style.”

  Her mouth widened a little as she soaked in the news. Her heartbeat increased a little.

  “You think Jack did it?”

  “Cops don’t know right now. There were no witnesses. No one heard anything.”

  “CTV?”

  “Not in that area.”

  Isabel took a seat on the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of her nose feeling a tension headache coming on.

  “You don’t want me to go to New York, do you?”

  “No, we’ll have the branch there handle it. You need to find this man and find him quickly.”

  “But what if he’s there?”

  “Then I guess someone else will do your job for you.”

  She clenched her jaw. Simon was about to hang up when she asked another question.

  “Cooper is being discharged, he wants to get back on the case.”

  There was a pause.

  “You don’t think he’s up to it?”

  “That’s not for me to decide. He has to be cleared medically but…”

  “You don’t think he’s up to it,” he repeated himself.

  She exhaled hard. “It’s my not my place to say. Look, have you got anyone else you can send with me? Who knows what I’m going into here. Also, why aren’t the U.S. Marshals getting involved here?”

  “They are.”

  “Oh,” she said, her eyebrows rising.

  “So there’s a task force that you can put me in contact with?”

  “Just leave that to me. Right now get yourself to Louisiana.”

  Chapter Ten

  It took a lot of convincing to get Theresa to call her husband. When Billy Dixon showed up, Jack wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see. By the way Theresa talked about him, Jack assumed he would be dressed in business attire. What he imagined was far from it. Billy wore a red plaid sleeveless shirt, his arms were covered in tattoos and his jeans were torn up. He was also sporting a black eye and a cut lip. Jack was sitting in a chair when he came in. He wasn’t in the direct line of sight when Billy came in and went over to Theresa.

  “Baby, what the hell?” He wrapped his hands around her face and kissed her forehead. As he stepped back he saw Jack out the corner of his eye.

  “Who are you?”

  “Billy, this is an old friend of mine, Jack Winchester.”

  “You never told me about him. Why are you here?”

  Jack never said anything, he just let them talk between themselves while he stepped out. There was no yelling or tears to be heard, just the quiet murmur of voices. When Billy stepped out into the hallway he looked pitiful.

  “She says you’ve helped her in the past. Is that true?”

  He nodded.

  “I appreciate that.” He stepped in a little closer. “But what are you doing here?”

  “Better question. Where’s Ruby?”

  “She’s with a friend of ours.”

  Jack nodded. “Do you know who might have wanted to do this?”

  “I have a good idea.”

  “Give me a name.”

  He looked Jack up and down. “What are you? A cop?”

  Jack stifled a laugh. “What do you do for a living, Billy?”

  A look spread across his face. “I just got out. Couple of weeks ago.”

  “How long were you inside?”

  “A year.”

  “For what?”

  “Misdemeanor crime. What’s it to you?”

  A doctor passed by and the gap between them widened. Jack could feel the tension. He knew Billy wasn’t seeing him as the old friend who had just come into the picture. No doubt he was wondering how long Jack had been in the picture. How long had Jack been seeing his woman? Jack pursed his lips and bit down on the side of his inner cheek, keeping his eyes on Billy as the corridor filled up with nurses and patients. He motioned with a nod for them to step into another room. They entered a small waiting area where a kid sat on the floor playing with toys while a young mother tapped away on her smartphone oblivious to them.

  “Who did you piss off?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before you got put away, who were you working for? I’m guessing the misdemeanor was drug related?” He paused waiting for Billy to jump in. He didn’t, which only annoyed Jack even more. Instead Billy took a seat and got this worried look all over his face.

  “Look, I used to deal in methamphetamine for some guy but I don’t do it anymore. I’m trying to go straight, you know.” He paused. “For Theresa and Ruby.”

  Jack could relate to that. “So?”

  “When I got out, they approached me for the money I owed them.”

  “How much?”

  He hesitated before he replied. “Forty grand. I told them I was good for it but they…” He pointed to his face.

  “Looks like you got off lightly.”

  “They did this, didn’t they?”

  His head dropped.

  “Did you know?”

  “No. Do you think I would have allowed them to touch her? I just thought they were empty threats. You know, to scare me.”

  “How long have they given you?”

  “Forty-eight hours.”

  “Or what?”

  He stared back at Jack. Jack didn’t need him to answer, he already knew. This was the kind of work he had to do back in the city. Though he never roughed up a woman or child, he knew that some of Gafino’s men had. Some would say it wasn’t personal, just business. That was bullshit. It was always personal. Any loss of money was a jab to the ego. People had to be taught a lesson. Theresa was the lesson. They didn’t bother roughing Billy up too much, they knew they could get their point across more effectively by hurting those he cared for. It was an old-school approach. Some people would take all manner of beatings and threats on their life but threaten their family and you soon had their attention.

  “So what are you going to do?” Jack asked. The woman across from them must have overheard as she scooped up her child and briskly walked out of the room looking concerned. The door closed slowly behind her and it was just the two of them. Billy scratched his forehead leaving a red mark just above his eye.

  “I don’t know. I can’t come up with that kind of cash.”

  Jack didn’t bother to ask if he had thought of running away. That was a fool’s approach. If they were anything like Gafino, they would have men watching his every move.

  “Who is it?”

  “A guy by the name of Tex.” He shook his head. “He runs a meth lab in Covington.”

  “That’s where you live?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded looking despondent.

  Jack wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. Though he couldn’t help think that Billy was like him in some way. Perhaps, he was just someone looking to escape his past.

  “Can you get me in contact with him?”

  Billy frowned and then chuckled. “Are you kidding? If he even knows that I have told anyone about him, I’ll be dead before the day is over. And besides you don’t find him, he finds you. I have never dealt with him direct. Just his men.”

  “Then let’s go pay them a visit.”

  “Are you out of your mind? I’m not going anywhere.”

  Jack stepped in real close to him. “Your girl is laying in another room because of you. She was raped, beaten and had her daughter’s life threatened because of you. You want to be responsible? You want your life back? Then you need to start listening.”

  “Look, I don’t know who the hell you are, and I appreciate you being here for Theresa but this i
s my family. And I will decide what is best. I will take care of this.”

  He brushed past Jack and left the room. Jack could have told him about Ruby but perhaps he knew. He could have slapped him around but it wouldn’t have helped. He took a deep breath and exhaled hard before leaving the room and going back to where Theresa was. Billy hadn’t even returned to her room. Billy was scared and didn’t know what to do. It was a bad combination.

  When Jack came back in, Theresa still looked concerned.

  “Jack, I need you to keep an eye on Ruby.”

  “She’s with a friend, at least that’s what Billy said.”

  She shook her head slightly. “I don’t trust him, Jack.”

  “And you trust me?”

  She cocked her head slightly before groaning.

  Did she even know what Billy had got her involved in? He wanted to tell her, if only for Ruby’s sake. Everyone was entitled to a second chance but now if he told her what Billy had got himself into, there was a chance she’d walk away. He hadn’t decided if that was a good thing or not. He didn’t know Billy, only his past and if the past determined the future, could anyone be trusted? Everyone in the world was marred in some way by those they had crossed paths with, for some, more than others.

  “Give me the address of your place. You need to rest up. I’ll look into this.”

  He didn’t want to make any promises. He had no idea what he was up against except what Billy had told him, and he wasn’t exactly convinced by anything that had come out of his mouth. There was the slim possibility that he was still caught up in it. That this had been the result of a deal gone wrong, or maybe he had attempted to flex his muscles and branch out on his own. It was common in the world where drugs and money flowed like milk and honey. A little bit off the top, a little bit of distribution over here without the head guy knowing and before long word gets back and they are staring down the barrel of a gun.

  Before he left, Theresa reached out for Jack’s hand. She ran her thumb over the back of his hand. She hesitated before speaking.

  “Do you think things might have worked out between us if I had told you about being pregnant?”