The Boardwalk Read online

  Uh-oh, Gullie thought. Rigo went back and got a hunting rifle. Rigo may have been fat, but he was a good hunter. Gulliver was in big trouble now. He didn’t hunt. He didn’t like being hunted. He might have no choice but to shoot back at Rigo. It might not matter. His SIG was built for short-range shooting. Good for only a few hundred feet at best. Rigo’s hunting rifle was built to hit small targets from hundreds of yards away. If Gulliver stood up now, he was dead for sure. If he ran, he was dead. If he waited, he might end up dead. But if he waited, Rigo might well get within range of Gulliver’s SIG.

  Gulliver got out his pistol. Undid the safety. Racked the slide to put a cartridge in the chamber. He forced himself to relax. He used breathing tricks he’d learned from his jujitsu and karate teachers. It was a while before he heard Rigo’s footsteps snapping twigs. For such a heavy man, Rigo made much less noise than Gullie had thought he would. Just because Gulliver got judged by how he looked didn’t mean he didn’t do the same thing. He had misjudged Rigo. Fat or not, Rigo had a big advantage over Gullie. He listened as Rigo got closer. Closer. Closer. Then, when Gulliver thought he would have a clear shot, he poked his head up. Rested his weapon on the top log. Aimed. But Rigo was not there.

  “Over here, you stupid little prick. Put your piece on the tree and turn around. Slow. Real slow.”

  Gulliver did as he was told. Put the SIG down. Turned around. Rigo didn’t see the knife Gulliver had slid down into his palm from the sleeve of his coat. Rigo was standing about twenty feet behind him.

  “I know these woods like the back of my hand,” Rigo said. “You wasn’t gonna get away from me, you shrimpy bastard.”

  “You killed Stevens.”

  “Yeah. But by the time I get done, it’ll look like you done it.” Rigo was proud of himself.

  “I don’t think so. You screwed up, Rigo. You shot him while he was still standing. If he was sitting on the bed, maybe.”

  “How can you know that?” Rigo was mad. So mad he wasn’t keeping his mind on the rifle in his hands. The tip of the rifle was now no longer aimed right at Gulliver.

  “The blood spatter on the wall behind him was way high up on the wall. I would have to stand on a ladder to shoot him like that. And I’m not sure he would’ve stood still long enough for that. Plus, that Colt is a beast. You think the cops will believe Stevens just stood there while I climbed up the ladder and hoisted the Colt up?”

  Rigo raised the rifle. “It don’t matter nohow. You’re gonna die. You little piece of shit.”

  “Think for a minute, you moron,” Gulliver shouted. “You’re here to tie up loose ends. But you’re a loose end. After you killed Stevens. After you’ve killed me. They’re going to kill you. Why not tell me what’s going on here? I can get you clear of it.”

  The look on Rigo’s face said it all. He realized what Gullie had said was true. At least, the first part. He was as good as dead himself. But he was in too deep to get out of it.

  “Too late in the game, Dowd. I’ll kill you and split. By the time anyone cares, this will all be over.”

  “It won’t be over until you’re dead, Rigo.”

  Rigo hesitated just long enough for Gulliver to throw his knife. It was a waste. Before the knife had traveled a foot, another shot echoed through the trees. Rigo’s body swayed sideways. The knife missed. It stuck in a tree next to Rigo’s right shoulder. Rigo’s face went blank. Blood poured out of his mouth. He fell face first. His head smacked into the trunk of a fallen tree. It made a sickening sound. But Rigo was too dead to care. The snow-covered ground around Rigo’s body turned red. Gullie was right. Rigo was a loose end that needed tying. One bullet had just done that.

  But while the bullet had tied up someone else’s loose ends, it created new ones for Gullie. And new questions. Stevens and Rigo were dead. Sam was dead. Who was behind their deaths? Why? Why had someone killed Rigo but not him? Those were questions for later. The shooter might change his mind and take Gullie out.

  Gulliver dug his knife out of the tree. He ran as fast as he dared through the woods. He didn’t hear anyone behind him. But he could not afford to be too sure. By dusk he had found a state highway. A trucker hauling spare auto parts down to New York City gave him a lift. Gullie laughed to himself. He thought of himself as being made out of spare parts. Parts that didn’t match. That didn’t matter. At least he was alive. He had left two dead men behind him. He had no wish to join them.

  FOURTEEN

  It was nearly 8:00 PM when Gulliver got back to the apartment. He tried calling Mia’s cell many times. It always went straight to voice mail. He left messages. She never called back. He wondered if she was really mad at him. Or if Ahmed had told her to keep her phone turned off so she couldn’t be tracked. Gulliver hoped it was that and not that she was angry with him. But even if she was mad, it didn’t matter. He had promised her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He already felt guilty about what had happened to her last year. It was his case that had gotten Mia kidnapped and almost murdered. And all because he had brought a dog into her vet clinic. He wasn’t going to let that happen again. Even if it meant ruining their love. Even if it meant sacrificing himself. Just like how he never backed down from the truth. He always tried to keep his promises. With this promise, trying wasn’t good enough. Gulliver still didn’t know what this was all about. But one thing was clear as crystal. The people who had murdered Sam Patrick meant business. They had killed Officer Stevens and Detective Rigo just to cover their tracks. And someone had tried to run Dowd off the road. He could not let Mia anywhere near this case.

  Ahmed rapped a coded knock on Gulliver’s apartment door. Gullie unlocked the door and stepped back. He pointed his SIG at the door. Ahmed stepped inside. He latched the locks behind him. Gullie put down his 9mm.

  “Is Mia safe?” he asked.

  “Yeah, man, she’s safe.”

  “Where is she?” Gulliver asked.

  Ahmed shook his head. “Sorry, little man. It’s safer for her if you don’t know. They can’t get to her, it’s harder for them to get to you.”

  Gullie didn’t like it. But he knew Ahmed was right. It was another layer of protection for Mia.

  “If it makes you feel better,” Ahmed said, “I don’t even know where she’s at. I put her in the hands of people I trust. When it’s safe, they’ll bring her to us.”

  He handed Gulliver a cell phone. He didn’t speak. Instead, he handed a note to Gulliver. It said:

  Can’t be sure someone ain’t listening.

  Have your apartment checked for bugs.

  This is a prepaid cell you can use to call Mia.

  The number was written down as well. Gulliver put the cell in his pocket. He memorized the number. He tore the note into tiny pieces. Threw the pieces in the sink. Washed them down the drain.

  “Come on, let’s take a ride,” Gulliver said. “I’m hungry.”

  But they didn’t take a ride. They just stepped out into the hall to talk. Gulliver told Ahmed all about what had happened with Detective Rigo.

  “That’s some scary shit, little man.”

  “Tell me about it. You see why I’ve got to protect Mia.”

  Ahmed nodded. “These guys mean to clean house. To tie up loose ends. You know what it’s about?”

  “No. But some stuff is clear. Sam Patrick, Detective Rigo, and Officer Stevens all knew each other. They all shared a secret. It’s a secret that involves at least one other person. And that other person will do anything not to have the secret come out. He’s willing to murder his friends. He’s willing to murder me. But now I finally have an idea why Keisha was murdered.”

  Ahmed’s eyes got big. “She knew the secret too.”

  “Bingo. She knew the secret. And they were afraid she would tell. It must have been about something going on in the Seven-Five precinct. Maybe she overheard guys talking. Who knows?”

  “But why start killing all these dudes now?” Ahmed asked. “It’s been seven, eight years since Keisha been de
ad. It don’t make no sense.”

  “Maybe it does. What if one of the people who knew the secret decided to tell me?”

  “Sam!”

  “That’s right, Ahmed. That’s why Sam wanted to meet with me the night he was murdered on the boardwalk. He was going to tell me why Keisha had been killed. These other guys must have been keeping an eye on Sam. When they figured out he was going to give them up—”

  “They had to get rid of him. Man, Dowd, this is crazy.”

  “Once Sam Patrick was killed, the dominos started falling. Stevens killed Sam. Rigo killed Stevens. He was going to kill me.”

  Ahmed said, “I guess they figured if Sam could decide to tell, they couldn’t trust each other no more.”

  “That’s how secrets fall apart. Once the wall cracks a little, the whole thing crumbles.”

  “You got any idea what the secret is?” Ahmed asked.

  “No. Could be drugs. Could be prostitution. Could be something big or small. Right now it doesn’t matter what it is. Only two things matter for now.”

  “What’s that, little man?”

  “One, keeping Mia safe. And two, finding out why Sam wanted to tell me now. He could have told me anytime in the last year. So why now? I think if we find that out, we’ll have the rest of our answers.”

  Ahmed nodded. It all made sense. Twisted. Deadly. Bloody sense.

  FIFTEEN

  Gulliver listened to the rings. His heart beat hard. Very hard. He wanted Mia to pick up more than he had ever wanted anything. In that moment he realized again how scary love could be. There had been many such moments since Mia had said the words, I love you, Gulliver Dowd. I love you more than I thought it was possible to love anyone. It had felt as if she had stolen the words from his mouth. He felt exactly the same way. And their love was a grown-up love. It made the love he had once had for Nina Morton seem almost silly. With Nina it was more a dream of what love was supposed to be than real love. It was a teenager’s dream of love. Gullie had to admit that the teenage love for Nina had lasted many years. Too many years. But it could not touch the deep feelings he had for Mia. He trusted Mia. He trusted Mia’s love.

  “Hello.” Her voice was sleepy.

  “Hi, you,” Gullie said. Afraid.

  “When I get out of here, I’m going to make love to you for a week. Then I’m going to kill you, Gulliver Dowd.”

  He smiled. His heart beat even faster. “I love you too, Mia.”

  “I’m mad at you, Gullie. Why—”

  “I just had to make sure you were safe. I’m sure Ahmed told you. Things are dangerous for me. For anyone around me. I can’t let anything happen to you because of me. Not after last year.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, hon. Call me selfish. But I need you. I love you. I want you forever. What would I do without you, Mia?”

  “You’d survive.”

  “I wouldn’t want to without you.” he said.

  “Come on, Gullie. People always say that.”

  “But I mean it. Be as mad at me as you want. But nothing can happen to you on my watch.”

  “Okay.”

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I was blindfolded and driven somewhere for hours. Then I got on a plane. I could be anywhere. It’s warm here. I can tell you that.”

  Gulliver knew this part was probably a lie she had been told to tell him. The truth was, Mia was probably still in the New York metro area. But anyone listening to their call wouldn’t know that.

  “Enjoy the sun. You are so pretty with a tan,” he said.

  “And I’m not pretty without one?” she joked.

  “I love you, Mia.”

  “I love you more.”

  “Not possible,” he said. “Not possible. Bye.”

  He held the phone in his hand for a long time. It was as if he was holding Mia.

  SIXTEEN

  Gulliver was sitting at the table missing Mia when his phone rang. It was Sam Patrick’s ex-wife, Mary. She sounded like she had been crying.

  “Gullie,” she said. “Gullie, I don’t know what to do.”

  “What’s wrong, Mary?”

  “It’s Sam’s will.”

  “What about it?” Gulliver asked.

  “His lawyer hasn’t called me about it yet. I’m the executor. I have a copy of it. But Sam has been dead for days and I haven’t heard a word from the lawyer.”

  “That’s weird. Unless the lawyer lives under a rock or he’s on vacation, he should have called. Have you called him?”

  “So many times I’ve lost count. His phone message says nothing about him being away. The funeral is tomorrow and—”

  “It’s okay, Mary. I’ll pay a visit to his office and check it out.”

  “Oh, Gullie, that would be great.”

  “Glad to do it. Just give me his address, and I’ll handle it.”

  Gulliver’s first call after he’d gotten off the phone with Mary was to his childhood friend Steven Mandel. Gullie called Steve Rabbi. Steven wasn’t really a rabbi. He was a hotshot lawyer. But Gulliver had always called him Rabbi. Why? Gullie couldn’t remember why. He had started calling Steve that when they were kids. He thought it might be because Steve was always wise beyond his years. He was always big-hearted, a caring guy. Whatever the reason, the nickname had stuck. Now even Mia called him Rabbi.

  “Hey, Gullie, what’s up?” Rabbi asked.

  “You know a lawyer named Arnold J. Gold?”

  “Sure, I know Arnie. He used to have a big criminal practice. Big cases. Lots of mob work. Then he gave it up a few years back. Went into estate planning. Stuff like that. Last I heard, he was running a one-man office out in Forest Hills. Why do you ask?”

  Gullie didn’t want to get Rabbi involved in this mess. So he told a small lie to his pal. “A friend of a friend wants to use him for a will. He asked me if there was anything shady about this Gold guy. So I’m asking you,” Gullie said.

  “Nothing shady that I know of. Arnie did quit the criminal practice kind of out of the blue. But I never heard whispers or anything. Sometimes people just can’t deal with the pressure anymore. That it?”

  “For now, yeah.”

  “How’s the beautiful Mia doing?” Rabbi asked.

  “Safe and sound.”

  “You guys up for a double date this weekend? I met somebody.”

  Rabbi was always meeting somebody. Dark. Tall. Lean. He had movie-star looks. Women loved him. And he loved them right back.

  “Maybe not this weekend, Rabbi. Can we take a rain check?”

  “You know it,” Rabbi said. “But I can’t promise my date will be the same woman as would have come this weekend.”

  “Your idea of settling down is a second date.”

  “What can I tell you, Gullie? Not all of us are lucky enough to have a Mia in our lives.”

  “Amen to that. Talk to you soon.”

  * * *

  Arnold J. Gold’s office address was on a small side street off Yellowstone Boulevard. It was in a red brick house that was attached to the houses on its left and right. Gold rented his office space from a family that lived on the top floor. His office was in the downstairs apartment. There was a sign out front on a wrought-iron pole:

  Arnold J. Gold

  Attorney-at-Law

  There was a black Mercedes Benz 300 parked on the street near the driveway. It had once been a nice car. Now it was old. Its paint faded. Its body dinged up. The license plate was a vanity plate—GO 4 GOLD. Gullie figured it had to be the lawyer’s car. He had Ahmed park in front of the Mercedes. When they got out of Ahmed’s Escalade, they knew something was wrong.

  “Look at the windshield, little man.”

  “Tickets for illegal parking. You’re supposed to switch sides of the street every day but Wednesday.”

  “Do the math,” Ahmed said.

  “He hasn’t moved his car since the day Sam was killed.”

  “True, that. Let’s be real careful
.”

  They walked slowly to the entrance of Gold’s office. The door was closed. Not locked. The knob turned in Gulliver’s hand. Even before they got the door all the way open, they smelled it. Death was in the air. It was thick with it. Gulliver and Ahmed covered their mouths and noses. Gullie turned to Ahmed.

  “Give me five minutes in here. Then use one of those prepaid cell phones I gave you. Call it in. Don’t use your name.”

  Ahmed nodded. Went back to his Caddy to wait. He was happy to get out of the stink.

  Gulliver put on the latex gloves he always carried. He walked into the office. He found the lawyer’s body behind his desk. From the ugly marks on Gold’s neck, it looked like he had been strangled. The dead man’s eyes were open. They had turned a milky white in color. Gulliver had seen many dead bodies. Some close up. He didn’t like it. He would never get used to it.

  He moved carefully around the body. He searched the file drawers. Just as he knew it would be, Sam Patrick’s file was gone. The computer monitor and keyboard were still on the lawyer’s desk. The computer tower was missing. But Gold’s killer had made at least one mistake. He had left the lawyer’s old-fashioned appointment book on the desk. Using a pencil, Gullie turned the pages to the day Sam was killed. Scribbled in red was the entry Emergency meeting Sam P. 1 PM. Package for GD.

  GD had to stand for Gulliver Dowd. But what was the package Sam had meant to give him? Now Gullie was sure there was a secret. A secret Sam was going to reveal to Gulliver the night he was killed. The secret was so important that now a fourth person had been killed to protect it. But what was the secret? Was the secret in the package? Was the secret the package itself ? And why was Sam finally going to tell Gulliver about it? Gullie didn’t have time to think about that now. He had to get out of the office. On the way out, he rubbed his fingerprints off the front doorknob.

  It was good to smell fresh air again. But the image of Gold’s milky eyes would haunt Gulliver for days to come.