The Red Mohawk Page 20

  ‘Evenin’ Silvio,’ he said with a tired grin.

  ‘Hey Reg. Good to see you. How’s things?’

  Reg blew out his cheeks. ‘It’s been one helluva day.’

  ‘Tell me about it. I’m still in my fucking dressing gown. Take a seat. Fill me in on what you’ve been up to.’

  Reg pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the desk. He collapsed into it and let out a deep sigh. ‘The walk up your stairs nearly killed me,’ he gasped.

  Mellencamp smiled and reached into his desk drawer. He pulled out two thick wads of twenty-dollar bills. He tossed them across the desk to Reg who caught them on his stomach. He grabbed them with his sweaty hands to stop them sliding onto the floor.

  ‘What have you done with the FBI agent?’ Mellencamp asked.

  ‘I’ve got her body in the back of my truck,’ said Reg. ‘What do you want me to do with her?’

  ‘Is that her blood?’ Mellencamp asked, noticing a red stain on Reg’s undershirt.

  Reg tugged at his undershirt and pulled it away from his chest to get a better look at the stain Mellencamp was pointing at. ‘I think that’s ketchup,’ he said.

  ‘You sure?’

  Reg rubbed two fingers on the red patch and then put them in his mouth and licked them. He rolled his tongue around for a few seconds. ‘Actually, you’re right, it’s blood,’ he said, shrugging. ‘That bitch has bled on my best shirt.’

  ‘That’s too bad,’ said Mellencamp. ‘I’ll get Clarisse to wash it for you later. While she’s doing that you can indulge yourself with a few of the girls downstairs. On the house of course.’

  ‘If I can muster the energy.’

  ‘Let the girls do the work. Jasmine can sort you out without you having to make any effort at all. Trust me.’

  ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

  ‘Good. Now this FBI agent you killed. She has a partner. Some guy called Munson. Have you seen him?’

  ‘Nah. Last I heard he was at Litgo’s.’

  ‘You know Litgo’s dead now though?’

  ‘I heard yeah. Tragic. Poor fucker never hurt anyone.’

  The phone on Silvio Mellencamp’s desk started ringing for the hundredth time that day. The sound of it had begun to seriously piss him off. He snatched at it and answered it before it could ring a second time. ‘Yes,’ he snapped.

  One of the female staff was on the other end of the line. ‘There’s a Doctor Chandler from Lewisville Hospital here to see you,’ she said.

  ‘Oh good. It’s about time. Send him up.’

  ‘Yes sir.’

  Mellencamp replaced the receiver on the phone and sat back. He stretched his arms out and yawned.

  ‘You expecting someone?’ Reg asked.

  ‘It’s the doctor. He’s come to do Baby’s abortion.’

  ‘She’s pregnant?’

  ‘So she says, although the doctor doesn’t know about it yet. He thinks he’s come to fix that gunshot wound you inflicted on her earlier.’

  Reg laughed politely. ‘I should leave you to it then. What do you want me to do with the FBI agent’s body?’

  Mellencamp swilled his glass of cognac around while he pondered what to do. ‘Don’t worry about that,’ he said. ‘I’ll get some of my henchmen to throw her in the incinerator later on. You can stay here for a while because I’ve got another job for you. You’ll like it. It’ll appeal to your twisted sense of humour.’

  There was a gentle knock on his door. ‘Come in,’ Mellencamp called out.

  The door opened and a young gentleman in a brown tweed jacket, light blue shirt and a pair of creased beige chinos stepped inside. He had thick brown hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a week. He was also wearing a pair of spectacles that were held together on one corner by a piece of sticky tape. He looked more like a schoolteacher than a doctor. ‘Are you Mr Mellencamp?’ he asked, timidly.

  ‘Dr Chandler, I presume?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘Well come on in then. Would you like a drink?’

  Dr Chandler stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. In his right hand he was carrying a brown leather briefcase.

  Reg stood up from his seat opposite Mellencamp. ‘Hey, you can sit here doc,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you. That’s very kind of you.’

  Dr Chandler perched himself on the edge of the chair and placed his briefcase on his lap, holding onto it tightly with both hands.

  ‘This is a very nice place you have,’ he said, throwing a glance around the room.

  ‘I know,’ Mellencamp replied. ‘Do you know why you’re here?’

  Dr Chandler nodded. ‘I understand you have a patient with a gunshot wound in her upper arm that needs tending to.’

  ‘That’s correct. She’s been shot in the arm. It’s not terribly serious, at least I don’t think it is, but then I’m not a doctor which is why I thought it best to get you in to take a look at it.’

  ‘I’m not a specialist on bullet wounds,’ said Dr Chandler. ‘But I do have some experience.’

  ‘That’s okay. You were recommended because this is one of those incidents where it’s difficult to get quality healthcare without any awkward questions being asked.’

  Dr Chandler frowned. ‘You mean you didn’t want to take her to the hospital?’

  ‘That’s correct. Lewisville is a long way to go. And in case you hadn’t noticed there’s a nutcase in town chopping people up, so the hospital is probably snowed under with emergencies right now.’

  ‘Actually it’s not too bad,’ said Dr Chandler. ‘I’ve been there all day. It’s the morgue that’s busy.’

  ‘Yes, thank you for that,’ said Mellencamp, not appreciating the interruption. ‘But there’s also another issue. The patient you’ll be looking at has a history of behavioural problems, the kind that can’t be explained away easily in a hospital with nosy doctors and administrative types around.’

  Dr Chandler smiled. ‘That’s fine. Confidentiality is one of my strong points. It would never cross my mind to discuss a patient with anyone in say, the police department.’

  ‘That’s good,’ said Mellencamp. ‘And when you say police department I’m assuming you include the FBI in that?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Excellent. So you’ve done this kind of thing before then?’

  ‘As I said, I don’t have a great deal of experience with gunshot wounds, but I have been in the operating room before when other doctors have tended to them. I’m fairly clued up on the etiquette.’

  ‘Well that’s a relief,’ said Mellencamp. ‘There is one other thing though.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘The patient is in the very early stages of pregnancy and we need you to carry out a termination as well as tending to the bullet wound.’

  Chandler grimaced. ‘Oh.’

  ‘Is there a problem?’ asked Mellencamp.

  ‘Well, I have even less experience of terminations. I know how they’re done, but I’ve never actually carried one out. And I’m not sure I have the right surgical equipment with me.’

  Mellencamp waved a dismissive hand. ‘You know more about these things than anyone else here. You’ll be fine. The pregnancy isn’t that far gone. I doubt you’ll need too many tools.’

  Dr Chandler looked unconvinced. ‘Well, yes but I don’t have anything to sedate the patient. I mean, I could do a kind of hack job, if you’ll pardon the term, but it would be extremely painful and distressing for the woman in question, particularly one who has already suffered the trauma of a bullet wound.’

  Mellencamp reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a thick bundle of cash. He placed it on the desk in front of the doctor. Dr Chandler stared at the money.

  ‘How much is there?’ he asked.

  ‘Five thousand dollars. That’s the upfront payment. When the job is done there’s another five for you, you know, as a thank you for coming at such short notice. And for the confidentiality, of course.’

&nbs
p; The doctor stared hard at the money as he took a moment to weigh up his options. Eventually he took a deep breath and replied. ‘Of course. Well, I guess I’ll be happy to give it a go Mr Mellencamp. I’ve not carried out an abortion before, but I think I know enough about how they work to be able to do a decent job.’

  ‘Excellent. That’s all I’m asking for. Just give it your best shot.’

  Dr Chandler reached across the desk and picked up the bundle of cash.

  ‘There is one other thing I forgot to mention,’ said Mellencamp, causing the doctor to hesitate and take his eyes off the cash momentarily.

  ‘What’s that?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, the girl doesn’t actually want an abortion. She’s mentally unstable and confused. As her legal guardian I’m making the decision to have the termination for her.’

  Dr Chandler looked horrified. ‘She doesn’t want a termination?’

  ‘She’s confused, that’s all.’

  ‘But I told you I don’t have anything to sedate her with. Do you have anything? Because if she’s going to struggle then this could be extremely dangerous.’

  ‘I’ve taken care of that,’ said Mellencamp. ‘We’ve tied her to a bed. She’s bound and gagged. She won’t be able to put up a struggle, or even scream if you do her any damage.’

  The doctor looked at the bundle of cash in his hand again. ‘Five upfront and another five afterwards,’ he said, thinking out loud.

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘That’s for the abortion, right?’

  ‘Uh huh.’

  ‘So, I should expect say, another five for tending to the gunshot wound as well?’

  Mellencamp raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he swiftly followed it up with a big grin. He nodded at Reg. “I like this guy!’ he said.

  ‘Me too,’ Reg agreed like a total kiss-ass.

  Mellencamp reached back into his drawer and threw another bundle of cash onto the table. ‘There you go,’ he said. ‘Another five up front.’

  Dr Chandler opened his briefcase and piled the cash into it, then quickly sealed it shut. ‘So where do I find the patient then,’ he said, standing up.

  ‘Reg here will take you down to see her. And he’ll sit in and oversee the whole thing to make sure you don’t have any unforeseen problems. That okay with you?’

  ‘That’s fine with me Mr Mellencamp.’

  ‘Good.’

  Reg opened the door for Dr Chandler. ‘I’ll lead the way,’ he said. ‘We’re going down to The Booty Parlour. You’ll like it.’

  Mellencamp called over to him. ‘Reg, Mack is down there with Baby at the moment. When you get there, tell him he can have a break. He can take ten minutes to do what he likes with one of the girls then I want him back up here. I’ve got an important job for him.’

  Thirty Seven

  Munson crouched down in front of Candy and held Fonseca’s cell phone in front of her face. He made sure she got a good look at the picture of the girl with the blue birthmark on her cheek. ‘You know who this girl is don’t you?’ he barked.

  ‘She was the girl with Arnold this morning,’ said Candy sobbing.

  ‘I know that. You know who she is though, don’t you?’

  ‘No.’

  He grabbed her by the face, squeezing her cheeks hard and keeping her face pointed directly at his. ‘You know her, don’t you?’

  Tears streamed down Candy’s face. ‘Yes.’

  ‘What’s her name?’

  ‘Baby.’

  He squeezed her face even harder. He could feel his strength returning, as if the effects of all the alcohol he had consumed were beginning to wear off.

  ‘Baby. Everyone calls her Baby. She’s one of the girls at The Beaver Palace.’

  ‘Did my partner Milena Fonseca know who she was?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  Candy’s sobbing grew louder, and more annoying. Munson slid his hand down from her face to her throat and squeezed gently, but firmly enough to let her know he was willing to haul her up by it if he had to.

  ‘Is Silvio Mellencamp behind all this?’

  ‘He runs this town. He’s behind everything. He’ll never let you leave. Half the town is looking for you already.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m just telling you because I want to do the right thing.’

  ‘Do the right thing? It’s a bit fucking late for that.’

  ‘Mister, I’m trying to help you out. They’re going to kill you.’

  ‘They? Who’s they?’

  ‘The cops, Reg, Mellencamp’s henchmen, basically anyone in this town. There’s a bounty on your head.’

  ‘That’s ridiculous. You’re talking shit.’

  ‘I’m not. That’s how things are done in B Movie Hell. You should leave town now. Forget you were ever here.’

  Munson reached down and hauled Candy up off the floor by her throat. ‘You’ve already killed an FBI agent. There’s no way you’re getting away with this.’

  Candy wiped some more snot away from her nose with the clump of kitchen towel she was clasping in her hand. ‘So where’s the body then?’ she sneered, indicating that she was tiring of his intimidation.

  Munson looked around. ‘Well, I don’t know. But it’s in B Movie Hell somewhere.’

  ‘Face it mister. You’re in over your head. When someone dies in B Movie Hell, that’s it. They’re gone. Vanished forever. Ask all the questions you like. She’s gone.’

  Munson still had a firm grip on her neck. He slipped Fonseca’s phone into his pocket to free his other hand. Then he yanked Candy forwards and swung her round disorientating her. Before she had a chance to steady herself he wrapped an arm around her neck and put her in a chokehold. She didn’t have the strength to put up a struggle, so within a matter of seconds he had rendered her unconscious. He’d not had to choke anyone into a state of unconsciousness for a long time, but the old skills hadn’t deserted him just yet. He let go of her and eased her body down to the floor.

  He figured she’d be out cold for a few minutes, buying him just enough time to find something to tie her up with. He couldn’t allow her to contact anyone and inform them of his whereabouts, or what he knew. As he looked around the kitchen for some rope or binding he caught a whiff of the smell of fresh coffee coming from the diner. He had time for one cup of the stuff. Hell, he needed at least one cup. Caffeine was a priority. He had to figure some serious stuff out. And quick.

  He tied Candy to a table leg in the kitchen using her apron strings. The knot he’d tied wasn’t perfect but it would be strong enough to keep a waitress incapacitated for a fair time. He headed back out into the kitchen and waited for the filter coffee to finish brewing. He cast his mind back to the asylum and the questions he and Fonseca had been asking the staff. The pieces of the jigsaw were beginning to fall into place. No one at the asylum knew how Joey Conrad had escaped. Munson now knew why that was.

  He pulled Fonseca’s phone back out of his pocket. He took one more look at the picture of the girl before he flicked through the phone’s directory until he found Devon Pincent’s home number. He hit the speed dial. Pincent answered almost immediately.

  ‘Hi Milena, how’s it going?’

  ‘Milena’s dead.’

  ‘Jack?’

  ‘Yeah. We need to talk.’

  ‘Seriously? Where’s Fonseca?’

  ‘She’s dead. Devon, you got that woman killed.’

  ‘Who killed her?’

  ‘The same people who are probably going to kill me any minute now.’

  On the other end of the line, Pincent took a deep breath. ‘Was I right to send you there Jack?’

  ‘You should have told me what was going on.’

  ‘I wanted to. I’ve been waiting for you to call for ages. What have you been doing?’

  ‘I’ve been busy trying to work out what’s going on here. And following a trail of dead bodies around B Movie Hell. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? Or at least drop me
some hints?’

  ‘I tried to, but I couldn’t take any chances with Fonseca around. I got in trouble for this once before, and I was wrong about it that time.’

  Munson thought back to something Fonseca had said earlier. ‘You were using company resources for personal use, weren’t you? That’s why you got in trouble.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I get it now. I should have worked this out back at the asylum. I just haven’t been using my brain much these last few months so I’m a bit off my game. I’ve got it now though. Joey Conrad didn’t escape from the asylum, did he?’

  Thirty Eight

  Reg led Dr Chandler down one of the Beaver Palace’s many long corridors until they reached an elevator at the end of it. He pressed a button in the wall and the doors parted immediately. Both men stepped inside and turned around to face the doors as they closed. Reg pressed the button on the control panel to take them to the basement.

  ‘Been a doctor for long?’ Reg asked, not particularly caring about the answer.

  ‘I qualified two years ago.’

  ‘That’s nice. You know that if you ever speak about anything you see here, you’re a dead man, right?’

  Dr Chandler swallowed hard and nodded to show he understood. ‘To be honest with you, I’ve always wanted to come here. This place is legendary. Do you come here much?’

  ‘All the time.’

  The lift doors opened and they were greeted by the sight of a whole bunch of women walking around outside the elevator. They were all wearing sexy lingerie. Reg had seen them all before, with and without the undergarments. Dr Chandler on the other hand, looked wide eyed at all the flesh on show.

  ‘This is the basement, also known as The Booty Parlour,’ said Reg. ‘Don’t get a boner just yet. You’ve got some surgery to do first remember?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Reg led the way through the parlour. The girls in the lingerie all stopped what they were doing and watched the two men walk past. A few of them smiled politely at Reg, but the sight of Dr Chandler and his brown briefcase brought only looks of scorn, fear and in some cases contempt. It seemed that they all knew what was about to unfold in Baby’s room.