Torch Scene Page 12

  I typed ‘Chen artist’ into the search engine.

  “There’s an Alexander Chen, but he’s ‘The Master of Hyper Realism’, whatever that is. And it doesn’t look like he does any sculpting.”

  “And there’s a Daniel Chen, a Carey Chen, Hua Chen, Lucy Chen and more.” Cal was looking on the internet, too. “Does any of the artwork look familiar?”

  “No,” I said. “Try searching ‘Chen sculpture’.” I typed and an echo came through the phone as Cal worked on his end.

  “Wenling Chen,” I said. “Maybe this is the one.” I clicked on the images page. “That’s it!”

  “You found it?” Cal asked.

  “Hey, maybe I can’t break into government websites or banks and such,” I said. “But I can handle a web search.”

  “Touché.”

  I could hear the smile in his voice.

  I typed ‘Chen Wenling’ and clicked on some of the sites. “His stuff sells for a lot.” I scrolled through a site that was selling a few of his pieces. Many were large sculptures, colored red. “Look, this small one is worth over $20,000.”

  “That’s a nice chunk of change,” Willie said. “You think that’s enough to pay off the bookies?”

  I shook my head. “They were looking for more. And it wouldn’t make sense that they killed him, and then came back to get it.”

  “Unless they found out about the sculpture after they killed him,” Cal said.

  “And so, we’re back to the question of the week: why kill him if he owes them money?” I rubbed my hands over my face. “I think it’s time I paid Tony another visit.”

  He grunted. “He’s not going to tell you what’s going on.”

  “He might if he knows that I know what’s going on,” I said. “I could let the police know about their operation.”

  “And then they kill you.” Willie’s fear was palpable, even though she was trying to hide it.

  “Yeah, you’re on your own there,” Cal said.

  “I’ll help,” Willie offered.

  I moved closer to the phone. “You hear that? You’d let her face danger?”

  A huge sigh rippled through the phone. “Calling on my chivalry. That’s not fair.”

  “I can handle it,” she insisted.

  “No, if he needs help, I’ll come.” Cal did not sound happy.

  “Relax,” I said. “No one’s going anywhere. I need to come up with a better plan than us all going in with our guns blazing.”

  “Your gun,” he said. “I don’t have one.”

  “Noted.”

  With that, he hung up.

  “He’s not happy,” she said.

  “You think?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “I know that look,” Willie said.

  “What look?” I tried to make my face expressionless, but I wasn’t succeeding.

  “You’re going to talk to Tony.”

  I swiveled in my chair. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “You just said that wasn’t a plan,” she protested.

  “No, I said all of us going in wasn’t a plan.”

  “What do you hope to get from Tony?”

  “I’m not sure.” I pondered that. “I want to know where that sculpture is. Maybe I can get him talking and he’ll tell me what’s going on.”

  “They don’t strike me as the friendly type.”

  “True, but they think I have something I don’t. That’s my bargaining chip.”

  “But you don’t have anything.”

  I smiled. “They don’t know that.”

  “What’s your plan?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to deal with Ray, just Tony.” I got up and went into the bedroom, put my holster on and got my Glock. “I’ll go through the back alley entrance and surprise Tony. The problem is Tony and Ray seem inseparable.” I thought about that. “How successful do you think Cal would be keeping Ray busy while I bust in on Tony?”

  “I can do it.”

  “No way.”

  “Hey,” she said. “This isn’t one of your film noir, where I’m the helpless female.”

  “You’re right. This isn’t a movie.”

  “I know that, but Reed, listen to me.” She waved off my protest. “First, Cal’s a great guy, but he’s not Mr. Sociable. No matter how hard he tries, he’ll look out of place in there by himself. Second, you know he’s been busy with a deadline, so how long will it take for him to get cleaned up and then drive down here? And do you want to wait that long? Third, I can handle this.”

  I contemplated her. Her spunk was certainly refreshing, given that she was usually so anxious and worried about my profession.

  “I can handle it,” she repeated.

  I finally relented. “Okay then, but promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

  “As long as you do the same.”

  “We need to take your car,” I said.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

  “They’ve been watching me, and I’d rather not announce our presence before we even get there.”

  “We can park far away and walk.”

  “Which wouldn’t be good if we need a fast getaway.”

  She paled. “Why would that happen?”

  “Who knows, but it pays to be prepared.”

  Her expression said the reality of the situation had sunk in.

  “You want me to call Cal?” I asked.

  “No. I’ll be fine.”

  ***

  “Let’s go over this again,” she said as I parked her car around the corner from Easy Street Café.

  I turned sideways to face her. “Go to the café and order something at the bar. That way you’ll be close to where Ray sits. It’s lunchtime so you won’t stick out. I’ll sneak down the alley and look through the back window into Tony’s office. If someone’s placing a bet, I’ll wait until they leave, then I’ll let myself in.”

  “What if the door’s locked?”

  I chewed my lip, thinking. “I guess I’ll knock and wait for him to answer.” I patted the bulge under my jacket. “And I’ll persuade him to go back inside where we can talk.”

  “What’re you going to do if Tony yells for Ray?”

  “He’ll be dealing with me and my Glock, so I think he’ll be quiet.”

  “Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “It’ll be fine,” I said.

  We got out of the car and headed toward the café.

  “If someone else comes in to make a bet, text me,” I said. “That way I’ll have some warning.”

  “So this is what being a detective is like,” she said dryly.

  I nodded as I pulled out my cell phone and changed it to vibrate. Last thing I needed was to have my phone ring while I was scoping out the alley.

  “How about I make a commotion, do something to distract Ray and give you some extra time?” she said.

  I stopped walking. “If I say no, will that make me a chauvinist?”

  “Probably.” She reached out for my hand. “I can handle myself, and I won’t do anything stupid or dangerous.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “For the same reasons I don’t believe you.” She smiled. “If I run into any trouble, I’ll hightail it out of the restaurant and call you. Let’s go.”

  We separated at the corner. Willie headed down the block and inside the restaurant. When she disappeared, I ran around to the alley, then stopped short. Ray and a guy I didn’t recognize were smoking by the back door. Ray’s pal wasn’t the flashy dresser that Tony was. This new guy was in faded jeans and a blue tee shirt. I ducked behind a Dumpster and waited, wondering if Tony was in the office.

  A moment later, my cell phone vibrated. Even though I knew the two thugs couldn’t hear it, I yanked it out of my pocket and shut off the signal. Then I glanced at the screen. Willie had sent a text. “Ray isn’t there.”

  I texted back that he was in the alley and to watch for him. Within a minute, Ray and his pal finishe
d their cigarettes and went back inside. I waited ten seconds and then ran up to the back window. I peeked inside. The man in the tee shirt was sitting at the desk, typing notes. Where was Tony? Was it his day off?

  I watched for a minute more, but nothing happened. I didn’t like that Willie might have to face Ray by herself, so I stole back down the alley to the end of the building and texted her.

  “Tony’s not in the office.”

  “What’s he look like?”

  I texted back and described him, right down to his flashy Trilby hat and lisp.

  “I don’t see him,” she replied.

  “Meet me out front.”

  “Will try one thing first.”

  “No! Don’t do anything!”

  She didn’t text back.

  I cursed, then hurried back to Colfax and waited at the corner. After an eternity of worry, I threw reason aside and headed for the restaurant. I had to know what she was doing.

  I neared the restaurant and glanced in the big front window. I couldn’t see anything in the glare, so I moved to the edge of the window, cupped my hand against the glass and peered inside.

  Willie was at the back, talking to Ray.

  Oh man! What was she doing?

  I saw Ray raise his hand and I thought he was going to hit her, but he made a shooing gesture at her. She said something else and a smile spread across his face. She shrugged and then turned and strutted toward the front door. She finally emerged from the restaurant.

  I was frantic. “What did you do?” I grabbed her arm and propelled her away from the building.

  “I asked if I could see Tony.”

  “You did what?”

  Her nostrils flared. “He didn’t tell me, he just laughed in my face.”

  “Are you nuts? I told you not to put yourself in danger!”

  “I didn’t. Look, I want to get to the bottom of this. Someone burned down my house!”

  I gritted my teeth. “Okay, calm down.”

  I glanced over my shoulder, then cursed. Ray had come out of the restaurant.

  “Look the other way,” I ordered.

  “What?”

  “Just do it!” I hissed.

  We crossed Colfax and I dared a glance again. Ray was looking down the street toward us, but I couldn’t tell if he recognized me. We hurried to her car.

  “If he saw you, now he’ll know you’re involved with me,” I said.

  “So?”

  I stared at her. “These guys are probably hooked up with a bigger mob. That means you’re in danger. This is my job, but I don’t need to be worrying about you while I find out who started the fire.”

  “Well, I…” Her anger dissipated and she looked at me ruefully. “What do we do now?”

  “Let’s get out of here.” I started the car and headed south, away from Colfax. I checked the rearview mirror, watching for a tail, but saw nothing.

  “What happened with you?” she broke the silence.

  “There was some other guy in the office, I guess Tony’s replacement.” I gripped the wheel hard. “What a waste of time.”

  “They wouldn’t come after us, would they?” Willie asked.

  I didn’t have an answer to that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  When we got back to the condo, Willie went on upstairs. I needed to run a few errands, so I headed for the garage behind my building. I strolled through the yard and around the side of the detached garage to the side door. I reached out to unlock it and paused. The door was closed, but it looked like someone had tampered with the lock. I was suddenly very cautious.

  I grabbed the knob and turned. It was unlocked. Huh. It was never unlocked. I shared the garage with the Goofball Brothers, and they never left the garage unlocked. They didn’t have expensive cars or anything of value stored in the garage, but for some reason they always remembered to keep this door locked.

  I slowly pushed the door open but stayed where I was. The inside of the garage was full of shadows. What lurked in them? An image of the specter outside of Willie’s house came to mind, and I waited for someone to jump out now.

  I counted to ten and then reached in with one hand and felt around for the light switch. The sudden brightness didn’t illuminate anything unusual. I listened but heard only the normal sounds of the neighborhood. I dropped to my knees and looked under the cars. Nothing. Slightly mollified, I crept on into the garage, my arms up, ready to ward off any blows. Ace’s Subaru was parked closest to the door and I tiptoed up to the front of it and peeked over the hood. No one was there.

  Still cautious, I backed up and slipped around the back of the car and then checked between the Subaru and my 4-Runner. I don’t know what I thought I’d see, but fortunately no one appeared. I was starting to feel silly as I walked on over to the driver’s side door of the 4-Runner. I was about to get in when a buzz sounded and the big garage door started up on its track. I jumped and cursed.

  “Hey, Reed, what’s up?”

  Ace was over by the side door, and he looked as surprised as I was.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “I thought maybe you were that guy.”

  A shiver rushed through me. “What guy?”

  He came around the vehicles. “I was fixing lunch and I saw a guy trying to get in the garage. By the time I ran out here, he was gone. Then I saw the door open and I thought he came back. Only it’s you.”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “You think whoever I saw stole something?”

  I glanced around. “They think I have something, so they’re looking for it,” I muttered. “But if they don’t have it, and I don’t have it, then who does? They have the Chen, so what else were they looking for?”

  “Huh?”

  “Uh, nothing,” I said. I clapped his shoulders. “Something with some mob guys.”

  “Oh, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Raw Deal.” Arnold was Ace’s favorite actor. He knew as much about Arnold’s movies as I did about film noir, and that was saying something.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said. I’d seen the movie, but it didn’t compare to the film noir of the same title, Raw Deal, with Dennis O’Keefe and Claire Trevor. That movie dealt with a mobster, played by Raymond Burr. Ironically, it ended with a dramatic fight in a house fire.

  “You think whoever started the fire at Willie’s house would start a fire here?” Ace asked, trying to be helpful. “Should we look around?”

  “Good idea,” I said.

  We searched the garage but came up with nothing that appeared like an arsonist’s work.

  “Maybe there’s something we can’t see,” Ace suggested. “I could move my car, but the keys are in the house, so how about I move the 4-Runner out and you can get a better look.”

  I gave him my keys without thinking.

  “Did you ever see Raw Deal?” he asked as he got in the 4-Runner. “Arnold deals with the mafia, and they were pretty smart in the movie. They even called in a phony bomb threat to clear out the police station. That was pretty funny.”

  “What?” I said.

  “They called in a bomb threat,” he said. “To the police station.”

  “Don’t start the car! Get out!” I yelled, moving toward the 4-Runner.

  Ace looked up at me through the windshield, his mouth open. Then I saw him look down.

  “No!” I waved my hands, as if that would help.

  Ace held up his hands. “Dude, okay. I’m not starting it.”

  I reached the car, grabbed his arm and pulled him out.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he said as he stumbled onto the garage floor.

  “Come on.” I helped him up and we headed out of the garage. I was sure Tony had wired the car to blow up. A mob hit. As we walked into the backyard, I explained what was going on. I couldn’t believe I didn’t think about the possibility of a car bomb sooner, but I chalked it up to stress.

  “A bomb? Really?” he said.

  “Maybe. No sense taking any chanc
es.”

  “Whew!” he said. “I’m glad I didn’t start it.”

  I nodded as we stared at the garage. “Now, how do I find out if the 4-Runner is wired to a bomb?”

  A flash of bright yellow and orange light exploded upward, and the roar deafened us. A blast of scorched air knocked us to the ground. I raised an arm, shielding my face against intense heat as I stared at what was left of the 4-Runner. The explosion had rocked it violently and the front half was burning. The garage door had come partially off its tracks and was hanging down at a sharp angle. Glass and metal were strewn about the backyard. Next to it, the Subaru was scorched, and fire licked at it.

  “Get back!” I pulled Ace farther away, then pulled out my cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

  “But I didn’t start the car,” Ace whispered. A couple of small cuts dotted his forehead, and he wiped at the blood.

  “Must’ve been on some kind of a timer,” I muttered. I started shaking. We’d come that close to being barbecue.

  ***

  “You see?” I jerked my head toward the burning 4-Runner. “These guys mean business!”

  Willie nodded, then opened her mouth, but no words came out.

  The explosion had broken some windows. It had brought Willie and Deuce running, along with a gaggle of our neighbors. We were leaning against the backyard fence, watching the fire department attempt to save the garage. The smell of burning gasoline and rubber hung heavily in the air.

  “I want you out of here,” I said to her. “You can go to Cal’s for a few days.”

  She wasn’t arguing this time. “I’m scared. What if they’re watching us?”

  “I’m free right now,” Ace said gallantly. “I can stay with Willie.”

  “How am I going to get to Cal’s?” she asked. “If I take my car, you won’t have one.”

  We all looked at the garage. The 4-Runner couldn’t even be called a car anymore, and Ace’s Subaru was water-soaked and partially burned. I highly doubted the fire department would let him drive it.

  “I’ll drive them up in my truck,” Deuce said.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’ll work.”

  The plan agreed upon, I called the last person who’d need to agree to it.

  “Oh Great Detective,” Cal answered.

  “They blew up the 4-Runner,” I said. “I need your help.”