Adrift: The Complete Novel (12 page)

Chief Darryl Knox drove carefully through town, avoiding the raging torrents that had engulfed large chunks of pavement. His staff had already been to the scenes of nine traffic accidents, one involving a bus full of churchgoers. No one had been hurt, but the wreck had clogged traffic for miles.

Despite all that was happening, Knox had an errand to run. He’d called Max Laney as early as he’d dared, not wanting to incur his benefactor’s wrath again.

Pulling into the roundabout in front of the Laney home, Knox’s eyes took in the restoration that was underway, the workers away probably because of the rain.

Knox managed to get to the front stoop without his umbrella turning inside out. He knocked. A moment later, Max Laney answer the door, still wearing stylish pajamas.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Morning, Mr. Laney. Thank you for having me.”

Laney ushered him into the house, where Knox respectfully removed his shoes and left them by the front door.

“What is so important that you had to drive out here in the storm?”

Knox opened his oversized coat and pulled out a file he had tucked under his arm. “I got some more information on Daniel Briggs and thought you might like to see it.”

Laney’s eyebrow rose. He almost told Knox that he shouldn’t have bothered, but was curious. “Why don’t we go in the kitchen. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, please. Cream and extra sugar.”

While Laney got the chief’s coffee, Knox sat down at the kitchen table and opened the folder.

“What did you find?”

“I think you were right, Mr. Laney. Mr. Briggs is a very dangerous man.”

Laney sat the coffee down in front of Knox. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I did some calling around, had to pull some strings with an old buddy of mine in St. Louis, but I finally got the guy’s military records.”

“Military?”

“Yes, sir. He’s a former Marine, actually he was a sniper.”

“So he was…I mean
is
dangerous.”

Knox nodded. “He left the Marine Corps a couple months ago. Spent a lot of time overseas. Some of his stuff was censored and not even my buddy could recover it, but the information he did give me describes a very interesting character, someone who knows how to kill.”

Laney slid the file over, scanning the documents.
Honor graduate from Parris Island. Scout sniper. Meritorious promotion to Lance Corporal. Meritorious promotion to Corporal. One tour in Afghanistan. Five confirmed kills. One tour in Iraq. Twelve confirmed kills. One tour in Afghanistan. Recommended for…

Laney looked up. “He was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor?”

“That’s what it looks like, but if you read further, you’ll see that he also suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after his last tour in Afghanistan. I think that held up the confirmation proceedings.”

Marine sniper. Medal of Honor.
The words rattled around in Laney’s head, breeding doubt, not for what he’d done, and not for killing a hero, but…

“Based on this information I think we should alert the Marine Corps and the FBI, as a courtesy.”

“Let’s see how this plays out first, chief. No need to scare the whole town. I suggest you conduct a thorough investigation, keep it quiet, then reap the rewards once he’s in custody. You’ll be a hero.”

Knox nodded, thoughts floating on clouds of glory. “That sounds like a good plan, Mr. Laney. I sure do appreciate you letting me run this by you.”

“Any time, chief.”

+++

Hollie spit out another gob of blood, a trickle running down his chin. Johnny had worked him over well, careful to inflict the damage on the old man’s torso, avoiding his face. Hollie was pretty sure he had at least two broken ribs. The stabbing pain came with every breath.

He was alone in the basement. They hadn’t bothered gagging him, knowing that the reinforced structure kept all sound in the bunker-like complex. Bound to a steel chair, Hollie, rendered useless, could only hope the end would come soon.

Chapter 26

The attorney, Henry Ellison, arrived just before lunch time, driving up in a modest Cadillac De Ville. Renley Watts, back on duty at the Laney compound, met the lawyer at the front door and led him in to see his boss.

Max Laney rose from the table. “Henry, so good of you to come.” The two men embraced.

“You know I’m around whenever you need me, Max.”

Laney clapped his old friend on the back fondly. “When do I get to take your money on the golf course?”

Henry Ellison chuckled. “I’m getting too old for golf. My back’s not what it used to be. Besides, you’ve got me too busy working. Speaking of which, did you really convince Hollie to sell?”

“I did. We came to an arrangement. Did you bring all the paperwork? I want this to be quick and easy. Hollie isn’t feeling well.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Mr. Watts, can you fetch Mr. Herndon for us?”

“Yes, sir.”

Watts left to get the prisoner, who’d already been given new clothes and a swift clean-up. Watts couldn’t wait to see what happened next. His respect and admiration for the Max Laney’s cunning had only increased over the preceding days. Watts hoped it would be the beginning of mutually beneficial relationship.

+++

They’d warned him not to make a scene. It took every ounce of control for Hollie to hold his tongue when shaking Henry Ellison’s hand. He knew the attorney to be an honest and hard-working man, who’d been duped into believing Laney’s lies for the last thirty years.

“I heard you’ve been a little under the weather, Hollie. Everything okay?” There was genuine concern in the attorney’s tone.

“Just getting’ old. I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll keep this quick. Mr. Laney’s already signed everything. I’ll give you a summary. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.”

Hollie nodded and took a seat, feeling Laney’s stare burning into him.

Ellison proceeded to explain the quit-claim deed, and how the transaction would transpire. Hollie wanted to vomit. His whole life’s work, the sweat and toil of generations of Herndons, gone with the swipe of a pen.

True to his word, the paperwork took less than ten minutes. Smiling from ear to ear, the attorney shook everyone’s hands, gathered the legal documents and headed back out into the storm.

Max Laney patted Hollie on the back. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

Now that the lawyer was gone, Hollie’s head hung, tears falling into his hands. “Are we done here?”

“We are.”

+++

Renley Watts returned from securing Hollie in the basement. “What now, Mr. Laney?”

Laney puffed a well-deserved cigar, ignoring his latest health kick, enjoying the pungent taste on his tongue. It had been a productive day. The fee he’d have to pay Watts was a small price to pay to gain control of the Herndon estate. “Take care of Mr. Herndon.”

“Yes, sir. You want me to do it now?”

“Wait until the storm dies down, then have Johnny take you out in the boat.”

Watts was being paid twice his annual income to do Laney’s dirty work, and he loved it. He hadn’t had as much fun in years.

Chapter 27

The storm hadn’t subsided by the time dusk came. Watts was anxious to get paid. “I don’t mind going now, Mr. Laney.”

“I’m still waiting on Mr. Ellison to call and confirm the transaction was recorded with the state. Last thing I want is for some government employee to need one more signature and Hollie’s at the bottom of the ocean.”

“So…Mr. Ellison doesn’t  know anything about your…extracurricular activities?”

Laney stared daggers at the hired gun. He was beginning to have second thoughts on hiring the man again. Watts had his uses, but something about him made Laney uneasy. It was prudent to keep such men at arm’s length. Watts already knew too much. “Henry Ellison and I go back to our toddler days. He is a fine and upstanding lawyer, as honest as the day is long. My father once told me that there are only two things a businessman needs, God and a damned good lawyer.”

Watts smiled. Hearing his employer talk of God made him want to laugh. He and Laney were cut of the same cloth. Do what you need to do to get the job done. “You just tell me when.”

+++

An hour later, Max Laney had finally lost patience and placed a call to his attorney’s office. The secretary answered, “Ellison and Garvey.”

“Max Laney for Mr. Ellison please.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Laney, but Mr. Ellison isn’t back yet. We thought that maybe he was still with you.”

“Um, no. He left hours ago. Maybe he had other appointments?”

“No, sir. Mr. Ellison had us cancel the rest of his appointments when he scheduled yours.”

Laney stared at the wall. “Well, when he gets in will you please have him give me a call?”

“Yes, sir.”

Henry Ellison missing. Maybe it was the storm.

Laney dialed another number.

“Defuniak Springs Police,” answered the dispatcher.

“Max Laney for Chief Knox, please.”

+++

Darryl Knox was just sitting down for dinner when his phone rang. He groaned when he saw it was dispatch. It had been a long day dealing with the havoc caused by the storm. “I thought I told you I was busy for the next two hours.”

“Yes, sir, but I’ve got Mr. Laney on the line. He says it’s an emergency.”

Knox put his glass down and got up from the table, motioning for his date to continue eating. Once in the lobby, Knox asked for Laney to be patched through.

“Chief Knox.”

“Chief, I’m sorry to bother you.”

“Not a problem, Mr. Laney. How can I help?”

“Do you now Henry Ellison?”

“The attorney?”

“Yes. Mr. Ellison was here earlier in the day, and I’ve been waiting for his call. I just talked to his office and they say he never returned. I wonder if maybe he ran off the road somewhere.”

“It’s been happening all day. I can’t remember the last time we had to call Eddy’s Towing so many times.”

“Would it be possible for you to send out a couple units to look for him? He’s a very old friend. I would hate it if anything happened to him.”

Knox closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, wishing he could get back to dinner. “I’ll get right on it, Mr. Laney.”

+++

Patrol cars scoured the routes to and from the Laney residence, spotlights shining off the roadways. They found Henry Ellison’s car an hour after beginning their search. Chief Knox called Max Laney from the scene.

“We found Mr. Ellison’s car.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s not in the car, Mr. Laney. The first officer on the scene found the car off the road, crashed into a tree. The driver’s side door was open, but no sign of Mr. Ellison.”

Laney’s face paled. Of course he was concerned for his friend, but he was more concerned with the purchase contract. He’d already transferred funds into a pair of Hollie’s accounts to make the deal seem legit, despite the low price. “Was there…anything in the car? Any sign of him?”

“We searched it inside and out. Nothing. Couldn’t even find a footprint what with the rain and all. I’m about to have the boys start looking in the woods. Maybe he wandered off and got lost.”

“Please hurry. I’m scared to think of what might happen to him.”

“We’ll do everything possible. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

Laney stood in silence, save the pounding rain. Where was Henry Ellison?

+++

Lights flashed in the dreary night, trying vainly to cut through the darkness and sheets of rain. They called out as they walked, methodically sweeping the area.

“I’ve got something!” came the shout.

Darryl Knox sloshed his way toward the voice, the others continuing the search. “What have you got?”

The officer pointed with his flashlight. “Looks like a white suit coat.”

It was pointless trying to take pictures in the rain. Besides, it wasn’t a murder investigation. Knox bent down to search the coat. On the inside pocket, clearly stitched was
Henry Ellison, Jr
.

“Dammit.”

“Is it his, chief?”

“It is. Now keep looking.”

The cop moved off to continue the sweep. Knox peered into the soup, hoping they’d find the old lawyer soon.

+++

Hollie’s head lolled to the side at the sound of the basement door opening. Max Laney walked in a moment later, a look of disgust plastered on his face.