Art and Murder. Don Easton

have known he was an easy target and lowered his gun.

      “I said drop it! If I intended to kill you, you’d both be dead already.”

      Anton dropped the gun.

      “The both of you, no talking, put your hands over your head and turn around and take three steps,” Jack demanded.

      Anton and Bojan nervously complied. Jack came out, scooped up the Beretta, and stuck it in his waistband before making them lean against the wall to be searched. He took a phone from Bojan’s pocket and two phones from Anton. He then had them both lie face down on the floor. He was going to use their belts to tie them up, but spotted a roll of duct tape and a box cutter lying on a pile of bubble wrap.

      He ordered Anton to tape Bojan’s hands behind his back and bind his ankles. When he was finished, Jack had Anton bind his own ankles and then lie face down on the floor again while he tied his hands behind his back.

      After checking to ensure that Bojan was secure, he yelled, “Where’s the rest of the stash hidden?”

      “You got what we had left,” Anton said.

      “That’s a lie.” Jack ground the side of Anton’s face into the cement floor with the sole of his shoe. “The brick I have was busted off a kilo. Where’s the rest?”

      “That was all of it,” Anton protested. “I swear on my mother’s grave.”

      “Okay, I tried to be nice,” Jack said. “Looks like we have to do it the hard way.”

      Anton and Bojan glanced at each other in panic while Jack wrapped duct tape over their mouths. He then dragged Anton by the ankles into the room at the back of the shop.

      Once Jack had Anton out of Bojan’s view, he started the band saw and let it run for a moment, then shut it off. “Fuck it, too messy.”

      Anton’s body twitched when Jack fired a shot into a pile of wood near his head before walking back to talk to Bojan. As he did, he felt his phone vibrate. He had received two calls earlier, starting when he ducked behind the table saw. He decided to ignore this call, as well, so as not to lose the momentum of fear he’d induced in the two men. Instead, he ripped the tape off Bojan’s mouth. “I know the stash is here someplace. I’ll find it one way or another, so why not make it easy on yourself and tell me where it is?”

      “There is no stash,” Bojan insisted. “Besides, you’re going to kill me, anyway, so even if there was a stash, why should I tell you where it is?”

      Jack’s phone vibrated again and he saw it was Laura’s number. He hesitated, then shoved the phone back in his pocket and put his gun to Bojan’s temple.

      Bojan shut his eyes tight and a few seconds ticked by, then Jack muttered, “Too easy for you. Messy or not, let’s see how the band saw works. If you don’t talk in the next ten seconds, I will use it.”

      He grabbed the tape around Bojan’s ankles and slowly dragged him toward the back room while counting down from ten. By the time he reached four, they heard Anton’s muffled voice through his gag. Jack silently cursed to himself, then dragged Bojan the rest of the way and laid him face down beside Anton. “I decided to give you guys one more chance to tell me where the stash is. Think about it while I make a call.” He speed-dialled Laura’s number.

      She answered right away. “Are you okay?”

      “Yes. Sorry to take so long to get back to you.”

      Laura took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Damn you,” she muttered.

      “I know you’ve been calling, but I was too busy to pick up. The two guys here tried to kill us. I’m okay, but things didn’t turn out so well for Clive.”

      “In what way?”

      “The dead way. But everything’s under control now, so relax. Both guys are hog-tied and kissing the concrete.” He gave Bojan a nudge in the ribs with his foot. “Their stash is around here someplace. I’ve got a band saw, and if they don’t tell me where it is, I’m going to use it. Once I find out where I am, I’ll need you to come over here with some heavy duty garbage bags.”

      Laura understood that Jack was in earshot of the men who were trussed up, but her stress over the situation was still running high. A situation Jack knew nothing about.

      “We’ll need to talk,” Jack continued.

      “No shit we need to talk!”

      Jack realized how stressed she still was. “Did something happen there?”

      “Not here, but … I’m with Brandy and driving out of the hotel parking lot. I’ll drop her off in a moment and call you back.”

      “What’s going on, Laura?”

      Laura felt sick. “Oh, man … call Rose immediately, then call me back. I’ll be clear by then.”

      “Rose?” Jack questioned. What the hell does she want at this hour?

      “She called because of what you’re doing. That’s all I can say at the moment … except call her!”

      Jack hung up, but hesitated before calling Rose. How did she find out? He looked at Anton and Bojan and then over at Clive’s body in the main part of the shop. Okay, so I’ve got a body … and two bad guys hog-tied. Everything is under control.

      * * *

      Halfway around the world Maurice Leblanc stared at the lifeless body of his partner on the floor of the public washroom. Kerin was sprawled on his back with his eyes staring at the ceiling. A man’s gold-and-silver watch and a .32 Beretta pistol lay alongside his head. Maurice felt like his chest was being crushed in a vice. Two years ago I was best man at his wedding. Gabrielle is pregnant. How do I tell her she no longer has a husband?

      Chapter Twelve

      “Thank God! Are you okay?” Rose asked when Jack called.

      “Of course I’m okay,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He tried to sound casual.

      “Are you with someone?”

      “Yes. Give me a sec.” He walked to the front of the workshop so he could talk while still watching his captives. “Okay, Rose Alice Wood, I’m clear.”

      “Your life is in danger,” she said. “I received word that the guys you’re with are going to kill you.”

      “You received word?”

      “I don’t know if I have time to explain. What’s your situation?”

      “The situation you are no doubt referring to has been rectified,” Jack said.

      “Rectified? How? What the hell is going on?”

      “Rose, how did you —”

      “I’ll explain, but first tell me what you’re doing.”

      “Well, uh, I’m with three bad guys, but one has a bullet in his head and I’ve hog-tied the other two.”

      “You killed one them?” Rose asked.

      “No, let me start at the beginning.” Jack paused a moment, wondering what the staff-sergeant could possibly know and whether it included his antics in the hotel room.

      “I’m listening,” she prodded.

      “An informant called me tonight. She needed help after meeting with a client I had asked her to report on.”

      “A client?”

      “The informant’s a hooker.”

      “Was this client, by chance, Clive Dempsey?”

      “Yes.” Jack felt a little nervous that Rose knew.

      “Keep talking,” Rose said.

      “Dempsey