Good morning. It’s Monday and I’m back at it. I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Remember, this is just a rough draft. Obviously these chapters are short, but I felt that was the best way to keep things in some kind of order for ease of finding and reading them. Here we go, one more time.
——– ———- ——-
“So, are we all clear on the plan?” David asked as he stood up. Susan and David answered with a strong, “yes.” The three left the makeup room and headed for their respective vehicles. They were each taking their own car. David had the weed and the garage door openers with him. They all knew the plan.
Susan stopped in her living room and found a bottle of Southern Comfort sitting on the bar. It was nearly empty. She opened the bottle and poured in the clear liquid that she always had hidden under the bar. “You never know,” was her motto. She was like a girl scout and always prepared. She closed the bottle and put it in her purse. She looked in the mirror and thought that the black wig she was now wearing set her eyes off nicely. She had darkened her eye brows to match.
The two men were gone by the time she locked up her front door and got into her long white Cadillac. They were all going to Oscar’s, but by slightly different routes. They were parking in different strategic locations for safety and ease of escape from Oscar’s. Jay was to park down the street on the same side as Oscar’s but south of it. Susan was parking on the cross street to the north, near the mouth of the alley. David was to park down the street from Oscar’s and in the dark.
Jay called them after ten minutes on his cell phone on a three way call. “Are you parked out front David?” “Yes. Right where you told me to park.” “Susan?” “Yes, I’m near the alley.” “Good, I’m going in. You both know what to do. We’ll talk in half an hour or so. I’ll call you then if all goes well.”
Susan left her car and slowly walked down the street to the alley. She turned and headed down the alley for fifty feet or so. She saw the guard at the corner of the building as usual. She pulled the bottle of Southern Comfort from her purse. She saw the taser sitting in her purse and wondered if she might have to use it. She approached the guard slowly and with a walk that suggested that she wasn’t too steady on her feet.
The guard smiled as she approached him. “Men are so easy,” she thought, as she walked. Susan talked slowly and with a quiet voice as if she were approaching a stray dog when she was within ear shot of the man. She sounded slightly intoxicated. The guard noticed. “How are you on this lovely evening handsome? Would you like a sip?” She took the lid from the bottle of Southern Comfort and held it to her mouth. She didn’t drink. She then offered it to the man and he took a long slow drink. He almost finished it off. It was Southern Comfort, after all.
While this was gong on, David had walked into the parking lot and unlocked the door to Cheeto’s black Escalade. He pulled the fuse for the alarm as fast as he could. David slid the bag of weed under the front seat. He pulled his lighter out and burnt the fuse for the alarm. He found the fuse for the car’s break lights and burned that as well. He let them cool and then put them back in place. Susan was keeping the man talking to her with his back to the parking lot. Even if the drug didn’t kick in soon, David had done what he was supposed to do, at least for the moment.
Sam was in route to Oscar’s as was Jason with the two men who were to meet with Sam there.
David crouched down in the dark parking lot and watched Jay walk slowly by him. He couldn’t see Jay enter the bar. The man that Jay was hoping to meet sat at his regular spot at the bar, as usual.
Jay sat next to him and ordered a beer. The man looked at Jay and wondered why he had sat next to him. There were several empty seats near by. “Hello Cheeto, how are you tonight?” Cheeto was surprised that Jay knew is name and it showed on his face. “How do you know my name?” “It isn’t important, but I’m not a cop. I need to talk to your boss about a business deal. My name is guy Madison.”
Jay stood up and pulled something from the back pocket of his pants. He saw Cheeto tense up. It made Jay take notice. “No problem Cheeto, I have a peace offering for you, or Sam.” Jay placed a bundle of fifty dollar bills held together by a wide rubber band on Cheeto’s thigh. Cheeto looked down and saw the thick pile of money. Jay spoke first. “I’m interested in buying something from your boss, Cheeto. This is my attempt to show good faith and set up a meeting with him. The money is yours if you like, or you can give it to Sam Cornel. I don’t care what happens to it. I just need to meet with Sam.” “How do you know him?” Cheeto asked gruffly.
“I have deep connections up north in Humboldt County. One of my contacts there is involved with Sam and some of his operations. That’s how I know about Sam. That’s why I am sitting here right now with you. That mutual contact thought it would be good for us to meet considering what has been going on around here lately. I just need you to get me in front of Sam.”
Cheeto ran the information offered to him through his brain. Surely this fellow had to know someone that Sam knew for him to know of the problems now facing Sam and his enterprise. “I can keep the money?” Cheeto asked. “Sure, let’s just call it a gift for setting up the meeting.” Cheeto stood up and placed the money in his tight pants. It wasn’t easy, but he managed. Sam noticed that Cheeto had his killer boots on as usual and remembered that he had to keep them away from his head, if things got ugly.
Cheeto looked at his watch. It was eleven forty five. A band played loud music behind them. People were dancing on the small dance floor. Sam wondered how many men Cheeto had sitting in the club. Sam looked around and saw four detectives that he kew sitting scattered around the place. Two of the people dancing were a married cop couple. He felt relieved to a small degree. “Sam will be here around midnight. He is usually on time.”
David was still in the parking lot waiting for Sam to arrive. Sam usually parked there when he stopped by to pick up his money or check on things. David had moved close to the building as Susan kept the guard talking and looking at her. She was a good looking woman even if she was just a little older than the guard.
In the darkness the difference in age didn’t show, even if the guard had cared, he wouldn’t have known that she was older than he. He was feeling just a little more relaxed than usual. The drug was kicking in. Susan hoped it didn’t kick in too soon.
In a few moments a dark Bentley arrived at the parking lot. It slowed down and pulled into the entrance. The lights of the car flashed on the wall above where David was now hiding as the car came up the slight incline of the driveway and into the roughly paved lot.
The lights jiggled on the wall as the car drove over the many pot holes. Soon the car stopped and Sam Cornel emerged from it. In a moment a black van pulled into the lot next to Sam’s car. It was Jason and his two companions. The four men joined together and walked toward the rear of Oscar’s. Susan kissed the guard on the cheek as the van pulled into the parking lot and walked away with a promise to return another time. The man smiled and felt as if he might fall asleep.
After Sam was far from his car, David opened the door quickly and placed the other bag of weed under the driver’s seat along with the pair of ladies panties. He then pulled the garage door opener down from the vizor. It was the smallest of the ones he had bought. He cracked it open, saw the pins and put that code into the two small openers that he had bought. He would leave the larger ones in the bag to take back to Susan’s. David then walked out of the parking lot and got back into his car. No one had seen him.
Sam went to the bathroom at the same time as the man in the alley opened the rear door for Sam and to let his three pals to enter. Sam saw them enter and looked at Cheeto. He hadn’t seen Sam Cornel come in. Jay made eye contact with one of the undercover detectives as he came back from the bathroom and sat back down at the bar.
Cheeto looked at Jay and spoke. “I’ll go see if Sam is here yet, it’s almost midnight.” ‘I think I just saw someone come in through the back door.” “‘ll go check.” “Great Cheeto, I’ll wait here.”
Cheeto walked through the crowd in the bar. They moved like small fish move in front of a shark. He reached the door and looked in to see Sam sitting at his desk and Jason leading two men down the stairs.
“Hey Boss, a guy named Guy Madison is here and wants to talk with you. He says you have some mutual contacts up in Humboldt County.” Let him wait while I have him checked out. Tell him to have another beer on me. Come back in ten minutes and I’ll let you know if I want to meet him or not.”
Cheeto left the room and headed back to Jay.
Sam picked up the phone and called one of his contacts who had access to police files. “Hey sweetie, this is Sam, I need a favor. Can you pull the rap sheet of a guy named Guy Madison up in Humboldt County? Sure, I’ll wait. A few minutes passed and finally Sam fax machine started humming. “Thanks dear, I’ll see you in a few days.”
Sam looked over the file and the photo. The photo was old. Guy Madison had a record of sorts. He had been busted for possession of narcotics with intent to sell a few times. He did a year in the county jail. He had a drunk driving arrest and a charge of battery against a police officer which was knocked down to drunk in public. All in all it wasn’t stellar but Guy might have possibilities with the right coaching. Sam saw himself as a coach of sorts, a father figure to men who had a different view of the world. Men who often played by their own set of rules.
Susan got back in her car called Mrs. Cornel one more time. That made six calls this evening so far. When she answered, Susan hung up on her. Mrs. Cornel cussed a streak of expletives and headed out the door to Oscar’s in swirl of anger. Susan didn’t hear them.
Susan changed into her tennis shoes and waited for David to arrive. David soon appeared in front of her and parked. He climbed quickly out of his car. She thought that his disguise looked very convincing as he approached her. The hair of his wig moved nicely as he walked quickly toward her. It looked very natural.
“Hey Susan, how’d it go?” “Fine I think. The guy was still standing when I left him there. “Great job.” David handed her one of the small garage door openers and left quickly in his car. Susan then headed out to Sam Cornel’s house. She wondered if Mrs. Cornel would be home when she arrived there.
David parked across the street from Oscar’s and ran across to the front door. He came in and saw Jay at the bar. He sat as far away from Jay as he could and waited for anything to happen. He scanned the room with anticipation. It had been a while since he had been in a bar room brawl. He looked forward to it, secretly. Cheeto came back from the rear of the building and asked Jay to have another beer while Sam took care of some important business. “Yes, “he may meet with you in a few.” Jay was elated.
Cheeto checked is watch and after ten minutes he went back to Sam’s office. Cheeto knocked on his door. “Come in.” “So what do I do Mr. Cornel, do you want him back here or not?”
“Yes, bring him back her in a few minutes. I’m going to make a call.”
Susan drove out past her house and down the highway as she often did for shopping excursions and a night out. She liked a drink now and then in a cozy lounge she had come across in her travels out this way. The food wasn’t bas, either. It was called Tony’s.This time however, she stopped and turned into the very fancy gated entrance of where Jay lived. She gave the guard gate on duty her name. The man on security duty looked at the guest list and found her name. He pushed the button and soon the wide gate opened slowly.
As she waited for the gate to open so she could pass through it, Mrs. Cornel came out of the exit gate next to her and left quickly in a cloud of dust. As Mrs. Cornel turned in front of Susan’s headlights, they illuminated her car. It looked to Susan as if Mrs. Cornel might have been crying. Susan called her again as she drove to Mrs. Cornels home. She had another pair of under ware to plant in her husband’s desk. When Mrs. Cornel answered, Susan hung up again.
——– ——– ———-
More to come tomorrow afternoon.