Chapter 13: Nick Bracco
Nick
had to lie flat on his stomach before he could see it. The imperceptible rectangle underneath the
bus.
“You
lose something?” Matt asked.
“Remember
that shell casing I kept from the Morrison homicide?” Nick asked while scrutinizing
the compartment in the undercarriage of the bus.
“The
one I told you to tag and inventory?”
“Yeah,
that one.”
“What
about it?”
“It’s about to pay dividends.”
Matt
got down to his knees and following Nick’s stare. “What are you looking at?”
“See
that bulge under the bus?”
Matt
got ever lower to where his face was pressing against the cool grass. “Yeah?”
“I
believe that is where Karl Saxon is currently residing.”
“Damn,”
Matt said. “I am very impressed. How did you come up with that one?”
Nick
pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “That
kid just told me.”
“Oh.” Matt sighed.
“You want me to get him?”
“No,”
Nick said, coming to his feet. “Just
cover me.”
“I can
handle that.”
Nick
strode toward the gathering of detectives and forensic techs preparing to
inspect the bus and said, “Give me five minutes alone before you guys get
started.”
Detective
Herman Clark gave Nick a half-shrug. “Sure.”
Nick
slowly made his way up the steps into the interior of the bus, then cautiously
walked down the aisle to the exact location where the compartment was
situated. He noticed a slight interruption
in the rubber floor mat that ran down the center of the passageway. There was a clean break in the rubber pad, almost
seamless to a casual inspection. Nick
was very quiet as he subtly pulled up on the mat and peeled away the layer of
covering that exposed the hidden door.
Nick
pulled out his gun and moved a few feet back before crouching low and saying, “You
can come out now Karl. We all know you’re
here.”
Nothing
happened for a few seconds so Nick added, “I have a very tempting proposition
for you that could make your day.”
When
the silence lingered Nick said, “Karl, if all I wanted to do was apprehend you
I would’ve sent the SWAT team over to smoke you out, but I’m here by myself because
of my proposal. If you make me wait
another five seconds I will leave and send in the muscle.”
The
hidden door hinged open and Nick could see a hand pushing up on the
platform. Then Karl Saxon’s head came up
wincing from the tight quarters he’d just subjected himself to.
“That
seems very uncomfortable,” Nick said, holding the pistol out just for affect.
Saxon
rubbed his neck and sat upright. Half
his body was still beneath the floor level.
“Please,”
Nick said. “Do me a favor and place your
hands on the floor.”
Saxon
complied. A huge scowl of dissatisfaction
on his face. “Okay,” he said. “I’m listening.”
Nick
pulled out a plastic baggie from his inside jacket pocket. A cylinder-shaped object sagged to the bottom
of the bag. “Do you know what this is?”
Saxon
shrugged. “No clue.”
“It’s
the shell casing you left behind at the Morrison homicide.”
A flicker
of recognition flashed across his face.
“Ah,”
Nick said. “Suddenly you remember that
little mistake.”
Saxon
waited.
“Well,
here is my proposition,” Nick said, dangling the baggie like a treat for a
hungry dog. “This bit of evidence would
surely tie you to the Morrison murder.
Something you’ve been able to avoid your entire career. But I’m willing to keep my tiny souvenir if
you tell me where the missing girls are.”
Saxon was
about to speak, but Nick interrupted. “Please
don’t insult me and say which girls.”
Saxon’s
scowl wilted into resignation. “How do I
know you won’t introduce it once I tell you?”
Nick
shook his head. “You’re just going to
have to trust me Karl. Morrison was a
terrorist. You did me a huge favor by
getting rid of him. Now I’m willing to
return the favor.” Nick held up the
baggie once again and dangled it.
Saxon
seemed to be cursing himself, muttering indecipherable words under his breath.
“I didn’t
hear you,” Nick said.
Saxon’s
face was taut with anger. “They’re
inside the bedroom closet.”
“Which
bedroom?”
“The
Master bedroom in the main house. Have
Stone look at the pull down hatch to the attic.
That’s where they are.”
Nick
returned the baggie to his jacket pocket.
“Pleasure doing business with you Karl.”
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