Savage’s SUV wasn’t in his driveway when I got back home, so I figured he was busy getting things ready to take down the senior citizens at SEAL. I parked Nick’s car in the driveway and dug for my house keys before I got out of the car. I should have grabbed my gun too.
A dark shadow appeared just behind me and slapped a hand over my mouth before I could scream. He held a knife to my throat and I felt the nick against my skin. I whimpered once and knew this time was it. I was going to die.
He pushed me forward and somehow my legs started moving. My front door was already unlocked, and he opened it and pushed me inside. My back door was barely on its hinges. And there was a body on the floor. That was new too. The sight of Anthony Franco lying on my floor with his neck gaping open was more than I could bear. I crashed to the ground in a dead faint.
When I woke up I was tied to one of my kitchen chairs. Smash Nose was still dead on the floor, but my attacker was nowhere in sight. My body was in shock and my skin was clammy and ice cold with fear. I scooted the chair toward the kitchen hoping I could make it to a knife, but the noise brought him back again.
I recognized Victor Dawson instantly, though I’d only met him the one time. His black shirt and slacks were wet with blood. Slitting throats was a messy business.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a pain in the ass?” he asked.
I didn’t feel like that question deserved an answer, though I’d been told I was a pain in the ass on a fairly frequent basis.
“Why did you kill him?”
“I was doing you a favor.” He shrugged and straddled a chair in front of me. “He was here waiting for you to show up. Besides, he and Sakko were getting to be too much trouble. Sakko keeps demanding more volume for less money. We’re running a freaking business, not a charity. But Sakko is a greedy bastard. He’ll be having an unfortunate accident before too much longer.”
“I don’t understand any of this.” My teeth had started to chatter, and I was trying hard not to let him see how afraid I was. I was failing miserably.
“Don’t you? We knew who you were when you came sniffing around the first time. But we let you in to see what you wanted. Deloris was able to find out quite a bit when you were all drinking. You have a loose tongue when you have too much wine.”
I would’ve rolled my eyes if I hadn’t been so terrified.
“We’ve been running a profitable business out of the center for almost a decade now. Norman Hinkle is a horticultural genius, and he grew premium quality plants that could be sold for a premium price. It’s not cheap running a home that size you know, and most old people don’t have a lot of money. We try to absorb as much of the cost as possible so they’re comfortable in their declining years. We want those staying with us to have every luxury at their fingertips.”
“They all know what you’re doing?”
“Of course they know. Everyone helps with the crops and packaging. Like I told you. We have a business. It costs a million dollars a year to keep the house in good upkeep and employ all the staff.”
“But then a couple of years ago Johnny Sakko moves in from somewhere up north and has his own drug trade. He manages to sniff us out and wants to work out a deal, but it’s mostly in his favor. Our profits start shrinking. And then you come along and tell us exactly what we needed to hear.”
“What was that?” I asked. I’d loosened the ropes around my wrists a bit, and I figured if I could keep him talking another couple of minutes they’d be free.
“Norman has actually known for years that he was the bastard son of Frank Tannenbaum. He didn’t particularly care one way or another. His mother told him all about it before she shot herself, but he knew he’d probably never get hold of any of Tannenbaum’s money.”
“And then Deloris got me drunk and I told her he’d had his will changed.”
“Exactly. And that’s when we knew we weren’t going to need Sakko’s business any longer. All we had to do was get rid of Frank Tannenbaum and the money would go to Norman, which means it would go to the whole operation. We would’ve had enough to keep the house open for the rest of our lives without having to rely on the cannabis crops to see us through. Every year gets riskier.”
“So you killed Mr. Tannenbaum?” I caught a flash of something at my back door, but I couldn’t be sure what it was.
“Yep. I knocked right on the door and he let me inside. People are too trusting. I bashed him on the head with the heavy end of his cane and tried to make it look like a robbery. It was pretty easy all in all. I was in and out in just a few minutes and the rain helped keep me hidden. “
I was struggling in earnest now to get the bonds off my wrists, and he just sat there smiling. My time was running out.
“Right now there are Feds swarming all over our home. All of those elderly people are being taken from their beds and questioned like criminals. And their livelihood is being confiscated. All because of you.”
Victor had done a pretty good job up until this point of masking his anger. His voice had been calm, almost soothing, as he explained what had happened. But now he was very aware that I was the person who ruined him and everyone else who lived in that house. The hand that held the knife shook as he gripped it tighter and his lips were white with anger.
I pushed back the chair as he slashed the knife in front of me. The only thing that saved me was that I’d tipped the chair over when I’d tried to get away. I’d also landed on my back. Again. I laid there waiting for the next downward stroke of the knife when I heard a war cry from somewhere in the vicinity of my back yard.
Gandalf the Grey broke through what was left of my back door and dozens of Hobbits swarmed inside the room. They all had tiny swords and staffs and were beating the hell out of Victor. He was curled up in the fetal position on the floor.
Sirens sounded in the distance and spotlights shone on the front of the house. And then I looked up and Nick was standing over me. He knelt down and worked at the knots on my hands and feet.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he said. His hands shook as he tried to get the ropes off. When he finally did, he scooped me into his lap and sat down right on the floor.
“You scared me to death. Dispatch got a call from your neighbor saying you’d been attacked.”
I recognized Spock across the room, rallying the other Hobbits as they gave cheers of victory. “Samwise Gamgee is a hero. NAD Squad to the rescue.”
“I’ve got to tell you, this is weird, even for you. I’m not sure what to say about the Hobbits.”
“Let’s leave them here. I think I’d rather sleep at your house anyway. There’s less traffic.”
“I also have a bigger bed.”
“That too.”