Color of Blood(102)

Dennis drove west along the track toward the red ball of a sun. Jimmy and Snippy disappeared in the dust trail he left behind. He knew Judy would be worried that he had not been able to take her to the airport, but she would have gotten a ride somehow and not missed Simon’s play. Of that much he was certain.

Wait until she hears about Jimmy, he thought.





Chapter 37


Dennis parked the burned plastic-reeking LandCruiser behind a small building near the hotel. Exhausted, he sat in the hot vehicle for several minutes collecting his thoughts. Nothing from here on was going to be easy, and he was determined to get out of the dangerous little town of Newton. He debated the wisdom of returning to his hotel room, but he felt he had a good enough head start.

A kill order, he thought. What the hell was I disturbing that would justify a kill order?

His hand shook as he checked to make sure the pistol had a charged round. He took out the small silencer from his pocket and attached it to the end of the barrel. After getting out of the car he poked the gun down in the small of his back and pulled his shirttail over it.

It was dark as he approached the hotel. He slipped in through a side door and walked up to the bar. A man in his fifties, face darkly tanned and wrinkled, sat staring at the TV set above the bar.

“Pint of Emu Bitter,” Dennis told Maggie.

“Good lord,” she said. “You look famished.” She pushed the glass across the bar top to him. “Schooner, mate. Pints are down in Melbourne.”

She stood on the other side of the bar and leaned forward conspiratorially.

“You’re in for a nice surprise,” she said, smiling.

“Surprise?”

“I don’t want to spoil it.” She winked. “But you’ll see.”

“Come on,” Dennis said, taking a huge gulp of ice-cold beer and feigning a dose of good nature. “What surprise?”

“Won’t be disappointed?”

“Of course not,” he said, taking another huge gulp. His Adam’s apple throbbed, reminding him of his adventure in the desert.

“Your brother is here—from America. For your surprise engagement gift! When he asked for your room number, I couldn’t give it out, of course. But when he told me why, well, I couldn’t resist.”

“Really?” Dennis said, trying with every ounce of energy to force a grin.

“He’s waiting in your room with Judy and a bottle of champagne. You’ll act surprised, right?”

“Oh, that knucklehead,” Dennis said, finishing the beer. “I can’t believe he did that. We’re always playing tricks on each other. That practical joker!”

“Well, just act surprised,” she said.

“You know what would be really fun right now?” Dennis said. “It would be a great way to get him back. Are you up for a little mischief?”

“What?” Her eyes twinkled.

“Well, the room next to us is not occupied, right?”

“I guess not,” she said.

“Well, it would be really hilarious if I could get in there. There’s a locked door separating the two, and I could sneak up on my brother and surprise him instead. Maybe the maid could knock on the room we’re staying in while I slip through the connecting door. When my brother turns around after answering the front door, well, I’ll already be in the room. It’ll surprise the hell out of him.”

“Good lord.” She giggled. “You Yanks are so bloody devious!”

“Can you talk to the manager to get the key for me? It would be so much fun.”

“He’s not here right now, but I can get the keys. You wait here.”

Dennis’s stomach was in turmoil as the cold beer swirled and foamed. He felt a nauseous wave of guilt wash over him as he thought of Judy. What had they done to her? Why in God’s name did I allow her to come? he wondered.

Waiting for the bartender to return, he patted the small of his back for reassurance. The silencer was still attached, and he would probably need it.

With each passing second, rage built in him. The thought of Judy being harmed made him flash with anger. He put the thought out of his mind. He had never killed a person, but he was suddenly more than willing.

By the time the bartender came back with the maid, Dennis was so angry he had trouble speaking.

Wearing a dull smile, he explained the gag to the young woman. She was to call out “Room Service,” and persist until his brother came to the door. After he answered the door, she was to leave promptly and not worry about the yelling as Dennis surprised him from within his own room. Dennis said he would bring down the master key right afterward.

He took two twenty-dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to her.

As they approached the two rooms, Dennis tiptoed, and she followed his lead. Using the master key, Dennis let himself into the adjoining room as quietly as he could, and motioned with his head for the maid to start knocking.

He slid the key into the door lock between the rooms as she knocked on the other door.

Dennis waited and heard nothing from the other room. She continued to knock and call out “Room Service!”

He wondered whether anyone was in his room and began to sag a little before he heard a man’s voice say, “Go away. We don’t need anything.” The man sounded as if he were sitting on the bed, which was to Dennis’s left in the opposite room. If the maid did what she was supposed to do, she would keep knocking until he answered the door. That would require the man to stand up and walk down the small hallway in front of Dennis, answering the door to his right.