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BILLY SHOWED UP AN hour after I called him. The tow truck had already left with my car hooked up on the back. The driver offered me a ride, but couldn’t take me out to Neptune Beach.
We drove in Billy’s smooth, new Lexus with plush leather seats. “Raz was at Alex’s house, on the couch,” he said. “Not Alex, though. She wasn’t there. And her Jeep was gone.”
“She’s not answering her calls,” I said as Billy turned into the parking lot. He parked in front of Carla’s apartment complex.
I opened the door to step out and turned to him.“You want to wait here while I go see what’s up?”
He shook his head and stepped out from the Lexus.
We walked toward the building and up the stairs. We stepped off onto Carla’s floor and turned the corner toward her apartment. Her door was cracked open.
“I smell weed,” Billy whispered as he sniffed in the air.
I pushed on the door and walked in ahead of Billy. Carla was on the couch. But she wasn’t alone.
Frank and Jayray stood across from her, the coffee table between them. All three turned and looked toward me and Billy. Frank with a gun in his hand, he turned and pointed it toward us. He waved the muzzle of the gun upward, gesturing for us to put our hands up. “Get ‘em up,” he said.
I looked from Carla to Frank. “What a surprise,” I said. “Mind telling me what the hell this is all about?”
He waved the gun toward the couch. “You know what it’s all about. Go ahead and sit your ass down. Both of you. Nobody’ll need to get hurt if you behave yourself.”
Billy and I moved toward Carla and sat on either side of her.
“Where’s Alex?” I said, my eyes up on Frank’s.
“Who the hell’s Alex?” Frank said.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Where is she?”
He laughed. “Throwing demands around like that...but I’m the one with the gun?”
I looked down at his ankle, the bracelet they put on him no longer there. “Don’t you think the Sheriff’s Office will come looking for you?”
Frank looked at Jayray and gave him a quick nod with his chin. Jayray stepped toward me and knocked what looked like a Saturday Night Special against the side of my head. I turned my face just as he stepped toward me and somewhat softened the blow.
I felt the warmth of my own blood running down my face.
“Was that really necessary?” I said, my eyes on Frank.
Frank said, “I told him you do a lot of talking, do what he needs to shut you up.”
I turned and looked at Carla. Her eyes were red. More than normal. It was hard to tell if it’d been from crying or the smell of weed in the air.
“Carla here refused to tell me where the pelican is. And I’m having a hard time believing anything that comes out of her mouth.”
Carla said, “I told you already, I don’t know where it—”
Frank pointed his gun at Carla and put his other hand up to his mouth, holding his finger in front of his lips. “Shhhh.” He slowly shook his head. “Remember what I said? Only speak when spoken to.” Frank turned to me. He shifted the gun my way. “Are you ready to tell me where Philip is? I’m sick of playing games.”
“I already told you I don’t know if he’s even alive.”
“Yeah?” said Frank, his thick eyebrows up high on his head. “Is that right? What if I told you I know he’s alive. And I know he’s hiding the pelican? He thinks he can hide in that piece of shit he’s been driving? You know he showed up at my door, dressed up in a costume. Like Jayray didn’t know it was him.”
“If you’ve seen him, then why the hell are you asking me where he is?”
“Did I say I saw him? I haven’t. Not personally, anyway.” Frank pointed the gun back at Carla. “Who’d you meet at the bed and breakfast? Was it Philip?”
I gave Billy a quick look. He seemed calm, not saying a word. But I could tell by looking at him his wheels were turning. His eyes bounced around the room.
Carla said to Frank, “Riverdale Inn. I didn’t meet anybody, I was paid to pick up a box—a crate—and deliver it. It was there waiting for me. It’s just some jewels.”
Frank had his eyes on me, bobbing his head. “You believe this bullshit?”
I looked over at Jayray, sweat coming down the side of his face. He was quiet, a bit lazy with his gun hanging down by his side.
Out of the corner of my eye I watched Billy shift himself forward toward the front of the couch cushion. He gave me a quick glance without turning his head.
There was a cup of what looked like black coffee on the coffee table next to a tall vase filled with cut flowers in water.
Frank had his eyes on Carla and held up his .45. “You keep playing dumb with me, Carla, and I’m going to have to use this. To be honest, I’d hate to have to mess up such a pretty face. But I’ve had enough.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” she said. “That crate was waiting for me. We picked it up and delivered it. That’s all there was to it.”
For the first time since we walked in the door, Billy opened his mouth. He nodded toward the corner. “Is this crystal sculpture I keep hearing about—does it look anything like that?” He looked toward the space behind Frank and Jayray.
They both turned at the same time.
Billy got his foot up on the edge of the coffee table and grabbed the vase as he propelled himself toward Frank. He had the vase up in the air and smashed it on the top of Frank’s head.
Frank’s eyes went white and rolled up into his skull. He stumbled backwards and crashed on top of the television behind him.
I grabbed the cup of coffee and threw it at Jayray’s face. The coffee splashed all over him as he ducked but the cup bounced off his head. I stepped over the table and knocked the gun from his hand.
His Saturday Night Special slid under a chair behind him. But instead of reaching for it he ran for the door. I dove and wrapped my arms around his feet and took him down hard to the floor. His head bounced off the flowered linoleum in the kitchen.
Jayray tried to break free from my hold. He kicked his feet. But I squeezed tighter. I wouldn’t let go of his legs. He reached for the cup on the floor and threw it behind him, trying to hit me. As I put my hand up to knock it away I had to let go of his legs. He kicked me under the chin and broke free, up on his feet and out the door.
I turned and saw Billy standing over Frank.
Frank didn’t move. He had blood coming down his face, then moaned as he opened his eyes and looked toward Carla.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught the Saturday Night Special pointed right at me. I turned and looked at Carla, her arms extended, her finger on the trigger.