“Yuh… the doc said it’s on account of my weight but what the fuck does he know? Anyway….” He lit his cigarette and exhaled. “You got news for me?”
“Sure have! Callahan tracked down Carl’s SUV to a quaint little country road on the edge of St Louis,”
“St Louis? What the fuck’s he doin’ there?”
“And there’s somethin’ else. The car was on fire. I mean literally burnt to cinders. But no bodies,”
“The clever bastard…” Angelo sucked on his cigarette angrily. “He thought he could lose us….”
“I reckon he walked the four miles to a small truck stop on the edge of town,” and Jerry rifled through his pocket to look for the scrap of paper he’d written the name down on. “An Evergreen Motel… that’s where I think he went,”
“What’s with the motels? He seems to have a thing for them,”
“I reckon it’s where he keeps the girl,”
“The girl…. Such a shame she got dragged into this,” Angelo looked to the smoke drifting from his cigarette. “But too bad,”
Jerry nodded solemnly.
“So… Call Jorge. I want the both of you out there immediately. With a bit of luck you’ll find them both holed up in their new love nest,”
“On it boss,” and Jerry gave a thumbs up as he turned to leave.
~
When Carl finally woke up it was dark.
“Shit… how long was I out?”
“Pretty much all day,” Anna held onto his hand.
His head was foggy as he looked out the window to figure out where they were. He squinted into the darkness and Gerald saw his confused look.
“We’re just comin’ up to Austin,” he announced.
“Already?”
“Yup… So your wife here has been telling me all about you being a Navy Seal!”
Carl looked to Anna with a befuddled expression.
“Wife?” he silently mouthed to her.
She shrugged nervously and rolled her eyes.
“Oh… yeah. Just a regular job you know,” he lied to end the awkwardness.
“Oh. Nonsense Sir. You’re a real hero,”
“Thanks,”
“So… Folks, where should I drop you off?”
“Anywhere I guess,” Carl replied.
And they drove in silence until central Austin came into view. Anna thought it looked like a charmingly modern yet clean kinda place. A place she wished she had more time to explore, but as had become normality over the last few days, they had to dash.
“How about here?” Gerald asked as he pointed at an empty parking spot.
“Lovely,” and Gerald pulled in. “Well I guess it’s goodbye,”
As Anna looked to Carl, he had that fierce look of control and determination that she loved so much. He sensed her fear and held her hand tightly.
“We’ll be fine,” he whispered. “We’re nearly there,”
And she nodded.
“Ok… Let’s go,”
They jumped out the car with Carl making sure he definitely had everything this time. Gerald tipped his hat and smiled as they closed the doors and thanked him profusely.
“Good luck!” he waved and then he was gone.
His car disappeared to a pin point in the distance, and Anna wondered where the night would take him.
“It’s funny… meetin’ people like that. They’re the most important person in your life for a little while and then they just go,” Carl remarked.
“I wonder what happens to them,” Anna was still looking into the distance.
“And I wonder if they think about us,” and Carl put his arm around her.
He kissed her on the cheek and swept her hair back behind her ear. He leant in and kissed her cheek softly. She cuddled into him close and turned to kiss him back. But then she pulled away. Carl felt her tension and looked her in the eye.
“What’s wrong?”
“Now what? Another empty road… another night on the run,”
“I promise as soon as the night is over we’ll be hurrying our way over to Mexico. We can get the first bus and we’ll be there in no time,”
“Hmmmm…..”
“You don’t seem happy about that,”
“I’m just scared….” and she cuddled back into him.
“Come on… let’s go find somewhere for the night,”
“Yeah, hopefully we can find a cheap motel around here.!”
Carl laughed and looked to the briefcase of money under his arm.
“I think I can do better than that,”
And he led her down the street until they arrived outside an old, opulent looking hotel.
“Wow, this must be five stars!” Anna looked up in awe.
“I think it is. Come on… we deserve a treat,”
And they entered the magnificent hallway, to be greeted by a concierge who eyed them up somewhat suspiciously as they walked to the reception. After convincing the arrogant girl at the desk that he could indeed afford it he booked the most expensive suite they had, a penthouse on the top floor. As the bellboy took them up in the elevator they smirked to one another and burst out laughing the second they walked out onto the top floor.
“That girl…. With the bad smell under her nose,” Anna giggled. “Her face when you just showed her all that cash,”
“Yeah, I wish I’d taken a picture,” he held out the key as their door approached. “I hope you’re ready. This should be really special?” and he slid in the key card.
As he pushed open the door the most spectacular scene was revealed. Anna gasped as she looked around at the plush living area that looked out through tall glass windows. Next she popped her head around the bathroom door and squealed when she saw the Jacuzzi.
“I’ve always wanted to sit in one of these!”
“Ah you just want to sit on the bubbles,” he laughed and tickled her in the ribs.
She giggled and squirmed under his touch and he picked her up and carried her away.
“You gotta see the bedroom,” he declared.
And he carried her through the suite before playfully tumbling her onto the bed.
“Oh my God. This bed is huuuuuuuuge!”
“Yeah… King sizes are the best,”
“We have loads of room to play,” Anna lay on her back and flirtatiously opened her legs while she stared at him seductively.
Carl couldn’t resist and jumped on top of her. Kissing her passionately he held her tight as if he could never get enough. She wrapped her legs around him and they pressed up against each other as if they never wanted to let go. Eventually Carl broke away and glanced to the phone.
“What’s up?” Anna asked anxiously.
“Fancy ordering room service?”
CHAPTER 16
The two men were in Jorge’s Buick as the night descended on them.
“You ever been to St Louis?” asked Jorge.
“Never, but I hear it’s a shithole,” Jerry answered grumpily.
All he wanted was to grab a beer and get some sleep but here he was carpooling with a psychopath on the hunt for a runaway hit man. If anybody came out alive from this scenario it would be a miracle.
Jorge was looking straight ahead into the night with his hands loosely on the wheel. He was also getting anxious with the lack of sleep and he bent over and rifled through the glovebox for some cigarettes.
“Fuck man, I’m all out,”
But Jerry held up one of his and Jorge took it from his chubby fingers with his thin lips. He expertly lit the end while driving.
“So you have no luck with Carl’s old man?” Jerry wondered.
“That pussy just cried for three days. Didn’t tell me shit,” Jorge was furious and spat out the words.
“Bummer,” Jerry yawned and scrubbed at his face with his meaty hands. “So are we nearly there yet?”
“What are you? A kid?” Jorge smiled wryly.
“You shut the hell up,”
And silence resumed to th
e car. After a long while Jerry grew irritated and he switched on the radio. But being in the middle of nowhere all they could pick up was a late night local radio station. The dulcet tones of two faceless killjoys spoke solemnly about local crime rates.
“… and cars are being burned out too James. I mean one was found just recently,” a woman’s voice was borderline delirious.
“That’s right Suzanne. Looks like the work of upstate vandals that have spurned their decadent vehicles on our land and set them on fire,”
Jorge and Jerry turned to each other with sheer amusement in their eyes.
“What the fuck is this shit?” Jorge pointed his cigarette at the radio.
Jerry turned it back off preferring the silence.
“Upstate vandals,” and he shook his head.
“Hey,” Jorge pointed to a sign that was hung back in the bushes.
It read Gibson Rd and Jerry finally perked up.
“Finally!”
“Yup. So four miles from here,” and they carried on.
Jorge sped up for the last stretch of road and was driving so fast that he nearly missed the turn off for the Evergreen Motel. He screeched to a halt at the last minute and they jumped out.
“Right, Jorge I want you to look around. I’m gonna go have a little chat with the manager,”
Jorge nodded and they went their separate ways. The motel was a clean and quaint building that had none of the usual sleaziness of its urban counterparts. It was instead surrounded by a beautiful forest and a multitude of flowers were outside each door in little hanging baskets. He wondered how a man like Reiner would have been accepted here with his hostage in tow. It looked like the kinda place where everyone noticed everything.
The bell above the door rang as Jerry entered the reception. A short, obese man with an asymmetrical toupee was behind the desk. He smiled awkwardly as Jerry approached.
“How can I help sir? We have basic rooms starting from $49.99 or….”
“No I’m not looking for a room,” Jerry interrupted.
It took the manager aback and he stood slack jawed for a moment.
“Are you police?” was all he could think to say to the intimidating man
“Er…. Yeah…. I’m police. Chicago PD,” he placed his hand into his jacket as if he was going to pull out his ID but he didn’t.
“Chicago? What are you doing down here?”
Jerry didn’t have a good answer for that so he began talking quickly and gesticulating his hands wildly.
“We’re looking for guy who was seen staying here a couple nights back, a Carl Reiner. Does the name ring a bell?”
“Hmmmm…. It does not,” the little manager shook his head nervously.
“Well can you check your book?”
“Sure. Two seconds,” and he started to flick through pages of names. “Nope, no Carl Reiner,” he finally concluded.
“May I?” Jerry held the edge of the book to signify he was taking it with or without permission.
He traced a finger down the middle of the pages to try and see a name that stuck out. Eventually he found one.
“Joe Adonis!” Jerry was outraged. “You didn’t think a name like that was suspicious?” he angrily chucked the book back at the manager.
“Wha…. Who…. Who’s Joe Adonis?” he stuttered.
“Are you serious? Please don’t tell me you’re being serious! Joe Adonis was one of the most infamous Mafia hitmen of all time. Freakin’ Joe Adonis,” and Jerry shook his head in disbelief.
“Why would I know who that is?” the manager was deeply confused.
Jerry just looked to him with sheer hatred.
“Anyway... He still here?”
“No! Actually he and his girlfriend did a runner,”
“Oh yeah? Where to?”
“I have no idea!” the manager shrugged.
“Hmmm. So that’s it?”
“I assume so. The last I saw of them they were running out of their room with their belongings,”
“Did you notice anything else? Jerry prodded for more information.
“No… I mean they left the TV on in their room but that’s no big deal,”
“What was on?”
“Eh?”
“What was on the TV when they left?”
“Well I went in to check the room was ok and I saw that they’d left the news on,”
“Hmmmm….” Jerry thought hard. “So you think it was something on the news that made them run?”
“Again I’m sorry. I have no idea,” the manager swallowed nervously.
Jerry was scratching his chin in thought. They must have seen the reports of their previous motel being burned down. There was no other reason they’d flee while the news was on. They must have thought they were being threatened.
“Ok thanks. But one last thing,”
“Yes?”
“Which direction did they run?”
“That way,” the manager pointed south. “In the direction of the Richardson neighbourhood,”
“Is there anything special about the place?” Jerry asked as he stifled a yawn.
“Not really. Just a rundown area with loads of foreclosed houses,”
“Ok thank you for your time. Appreciated.” and Jerry turned to leave.
But as he put his hand on the door handle there was an almighty scream.
CHAPTER 17
Anna thought the night was passing too quickly. She looked to Carl as he sat in bed beside her and saw the stress on his face. More than anything she wanted to hold him and make him believe his sacrifice was worth it. She’d be lying if she said in her moments of doubt she hadn’t wondered whether he should have killed her or not. Now he was in all this trouble and it was because of her and the kindness in his heart.
She leaned into his side and watched the flicker of the TV screen against the pale skin of his chest. She didn’t know what they were watching and she didn’t much care. She just wanted to feel like she was doing something normal.
Carl put his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head.
“You OK sweetheart?” he asked while knowing full well she was not.
“Yeah… As ok as I’ll ever be I guess,”
“Is there anything I can do to make you ok?” he stroked her arm.
“Just hold onto me as tight as you can,”
“That I CAN do,” and he wrapped her up in his arms and pulled the covers up over their heads.
He kissed her softly, moving downwards steadily.
Anna wriggled as she felt the softness of his lips tickle her skin. She squirmed for a second but then stopped as she felt his mouth drift over the top of her panties. Then she felt his strong fingers pull them to the side and she felt the pleasure of his tongue run slickly over her slippery lips. She groaned and flung her head back.
“Fu…..uck!” she screamed as he hit a sensitive spot.
Her legs quivered as her thighs contracted around Carl as she reached orgasm quickly. He pulled the covers back and took a deep breath. He kissed her softly and then lay beside her.
“What about your turn?” she asked.
“No. Tonight can be all about you.” he breathed into the side of her neck.
He brushed her hair back as he stroked her head and soon she could feel her eyelids grow heavy.
“Carl?” she asked with a yawn. “What do you see in me?”
“What do you mean?” he kissed her on the shoulder.
“I mean… like what do you actually like about me?”
“I like just about everything,” he spoke honestly.
And she could hear a genuine quality to his voice. Finally, feeling safe and free she relaxed into his arms and fell asleep.
~
When Jerry exited the reception the first thing he saw was Jorge running for his life. His nimble and fast legs were carrying him at speed as his snakeskin boots crackled on the gravel. Behind him was a burly man wearing nothing but socks and boxer shorts. He was trying his best to k
eep up with Jorge and was maniacally swinging a bike chain.
“What the actual fuck?” Jerry was flummoxed.
The manager was close behind him and looked panic stricken at the scene unfolding in front of him.
“Hey!” the manager shouted. “The police are here!”
And the two men stopped dead in their tracks.
“Yeah police!” Jerry shouted while looking Jorge dead in the eye.
The man with the bike chain looked mildly embarrassed but he stepped forward and eventually dropped his weapon.
“This fucker was looking in through the window as I was having sex with my girlfriend!”
Jerry looked to his partner with a look of total exhaustion.
“Well I’ll take it from here,” and he walked over to Jorge and held his arms from behind. “You’re comin’ with me pal,” he said in his best cop voice while bundling him into his own Buick and driving away.
“What the fuck man?” Jorge was livid. “You’re police now?”
“Yeah sure I’m police. What the fuck were YOU doin?”
“I was lookin’ around like you said!”
“Whatever. Did you see anything?”
“Nah. He’s definitely long gone from here. But I did find this?” he pulled something metallic out of his jacket pocket.
“What are those? Dog tags?” Jerry tried to focus on them while driving.
“Yup,” and Jorge dangled them even closer to Jerry’s face. “And it has his name right on them?”
“You’re kiddin’ me!”
“Look!”
Jerry screeched to a halt in the middle of the empty road. And Jorge was right. Carl Reiner’s name was etched expertly into the dog tags.
“Where the fuck you find these?”
“Outside that maniac’s room, in the gravel. He must have dropped it as he ran away,”
“He couldn’t have got very far without his car though could he?”
And he looked ahead into Richardson.
CHAPTER 18
The Texan sun was beaming like heaven through the tall windows of the penthouse suite. Anna had slept soundly but as she woke up she was confused as to where she was. It took her a moment to recognize the room. Carl was at the window looking out to the city with a cup of coffee in one hand. He had a serious expression on his face as he stood in deep thought and Anna thought it was best to not disturb him. Eventually though he sensed she was awake and turned to her.
“I thought you were still asleep,” he yawned and sipped at his coffee.
“Hmmmmm….” She stretched out on the bed and hoped he’d come back and join her.
“How do you look so beautiful first thing in the morning?” he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.