Crossing the border on foot had become second nature to John and Curt. They didn’t want a car wearing stolen plates seen too often. With the border patrol guards, Paulo and Ernesto, in their back pocket, passing into the US was a breeze.
On the US side, John flagged down a cab and gave the driver Luca’s address. “Park a half block away. It’s our friend’s birthday, and we want to surprise him.”
The driver nodded with a quick grin. “Sounds like a good reason to party.”
Curt agreed. “We’ll definitely be partying today.”
Ten minutes later and after being dropped off at the nearest intersection, John and Curt walked the remaining distance to Luca’s house. Wiping the sweat droplets that had already bubbled up on his forehead, John whispered instructions to his brother. “Take my knife. A gunshot will alarm the neighborhood. I’ll keep Luca’s attention on me with some bullshit questions while you come up from behind and slit his throat. If he fights you, just kill him any way you can. No loose ends, remember?”
“Got it.” Curt opened the nine-inch pocketknife and gripped the handle as he entered the backyard.
Watching until his brother was out of sight, John turned and walked to the front door then gave it several loud thumps. He heard footsteps approaching, then the doorknob turned.
“John!” Surprise covered Luca’s face, and he peered out, looking across the porch. “Where’s Curt?” He waved John inside. “Come in, come in. Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. I just have a few questions about banking in Mexico. Do you think it’s safe to keep a large balance in savings? I’m sure the US would scrutinize a new account more thoroughly than Mexico would.”
Luca scratched his cheek and appeared to be in thought. John’s eyes darted to Curt as he tiptoed in barefoot behind Luca. Shoes would definitely have clacked against the tile floor, and the element of surprise would vanish.
“Well, if I were you, I’d—”
It took only a second for Curt to wrap his thick arm around Luca’s head and pull him in against his body. He lifted Luca’s chin as the man struggled to get free, and with a quick and silent sideways pull, he opened Luca’s neck, and blood pumped out.
Backing up to avoid blood spray, John entered the kitchen and pulled two beers from the refrigerator. After returning to the living room, he took a seat on the couch and waited. “Drop him.”
Curt did, and he watched as Luca continued to squirm.
“Stab him in the heart a few times. We can’t sit here all day.” John tipped his wrist and checked the time then took a swig of beer.
Five minutes later, with his eyes wide open, Luca had lost the fight. With two fingers, Curt checked for a pulse at Luca’s wrist. “He’s gone.”
John handed the second beer to Curt. “Come on. We have to look through this place to make sure our names aren’t associated with anything. Find a rag and carry it with you. We can’t leave fingerprints or any evidence that we’ve been here.”