something that she didn’t want to do. Said it had something to do with the casino. Then these people showed up and Susan left with them.”
“So tell me Jake, how are you paying your bills?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your gambling markers. Who’s picking them up for you?”
“I…Why do you ask?”
“I think Susan was carrying you here . Then you sold her out to someone on the promise that she would tell them where the money was from the casino robbery I scored fifteen years ago.”
Shaking his head, Jake said, “You got that all wrong. It was Susan’s idea to tell them. Said she had to because of some people she was involved with.”
“Go ahead and tell me all about it. We have plenty of time.”
Shrugging his shoulders as if to say ‘what’s the big deal’, he began to tell me about Susan, Sonny Cap and Hightower. He said that they wouldn’t leave Susan alone. Hightower always wanted her to go someplace exotic, like Rio, Havana, or St. Kitts.
“ Hightower had a plane he would send up to Jacksonville to pick Susan up and bring her back. It was always first class,” said Lockman. “As to your question about helping me out with some debts, yeah, she did. Said she was happy to do it. Susan seemed to always have plenty of money. I don’t know where she got it. Couldn’t make that kind of money working the street, I can tell you.”
“Was she on one of her trips when she died?” I said.
“Let me think.” After a few minutes his eyes brightened like turning on a light bulb. “Yeah, when these guys came to get her, she said she was going over to the casino and then from there, she was going to the islands with this Cap. Next thing I knew, she was found in one of the rooms at the casino beat up pretty bad and someone had done some bad things to her.” Dropping his head, Jake seemed to be catching himself. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do without her. I should have said something. It might have made a difference.”
I thought about sticking the rag in his mouth and ca pping him, but for what. The guy was scared and he didn’t really know anything I could really use.
“Who did she hang out with at the casino , Jake?”
“Some couple. A husband and wife team. They both worked at the casino. The wife worked as a security guard and the husband, I don’t know what he did. Their name was Marks. That much I know.”
“What do you know about Hightower that you haven’t told me so far?”
When he didn’t answer on the first bell I started to stick the rag into his mouth before I put a round into his right knee.
“Don’t shoot. I’ll tell you.
“He’s some sort of partner in a casino with this Sonny. Place is located just up the way on an island called Cumberland.”
Now I knew the answers to some of the questions. All fifteen million of them. I took out the address book I found in my sister’s room and started to go through it page by page reading off the names. Lockman didn’t know a lot of the names, but he knew five or six that had Atlanta telephone numbers and one with a Jacksonville number. I thought it was interesting that Lockman’s name was not in the directory. Probably on a speed dial on my sister’s cellphone, which brought me to my next question?
“Did my sister have a cellphone?”
“Yes, but she always took it with her.”
“Who’s Billy Marks?”
“He’s the husband of the woman friend of hers who I already told you about. He works at the Casino. I think your sister talked to him a lot.”
“What about you , Lockman? She talk to you a lot?”
“ Yeah, sure. What kind of question is that?”
“Just wondering. Here you are. The light of my sister’s life and you’re not listed in her address book. Don’t you find that interesting, Jake?”
“Yeah, well…we were good friends. We trusted each ot her… I…”
“Jake, shut up. I can’t stand you lying to me.”
Reaching around, I removed the deed form I
“So tell me Jake, how are you paying your bills?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your gambling markers. Who’s picking them up for you?”
“I…Why do you ask?”
“I think Susan was carrying you here . Then you sold her out to someone on the promise that she would tell them where the money was from the casino robbery I scored fifteen years ago.”
Shaking his head, Jake said, “You got that all wrong. It was Susan’s idea to tell them. Said she had to because of some people she was involved with.”
“Go ahead and tell me all about it. We have plenty of time.”
Shrugging his shoulders as if to say ‘what’s the big deal’, he began to tell me about Susan, Sonny Cap and Hightower. He said that they wouldn’t leave Susan alone. Hightower always wanted her to go someplace exotic, like Rio, Havana, or St. Kitts.
“ Hightower had a plane he would send up to Jacksonville to pick Susan up and bring her back. It was always first class,” said Lockman. “As to your question about helping me out with some debts, yeah, she did. Said she was happy to do it. Susan seemed to always have plenty of money. I don’t know where she got it. Couldn’t make that kind of money working the street, I can tell you.”
“Was she on one of her trips when she died?” I said.
“Let me think.” After a few minutes his eyes brightened like turning on a light bulb. “Yeah, when these guys came to get her, she said she was going over to the casino and then from there, she was going to the islands with this Cap. Next thing I knew, she was found in one of the rooms at the casino beat up pretty bad and someone had done some bad things to her.” Dropping his head, Jake seemed to be catching himself. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do without her. I should have said something. It might have made a difference.”
I thought about sticking the rag in his mouth and ca pping him, but for what. The guy was scared and he didn’t really know anything I could really use.
“Who did she hang out with at the casino , Jake?”
“Some couple. A husband and wife team. They both worked at the casino. The wife worked as a security guard and the husband, I don’t know what he did. Their name was Marks. That much I know.”
“What do you know about Hightower that you haven’t told me so far?”
When he didn’t answer on the first bell I started to stick the rag into his mouth before I put a round into his right knee.
“Don’t shoot. I’ll tell you.
“He’s some sort of partner in a casino with this Sonny. Place is located just up the way on an island called Cumberland.”
Now I knew the answers to some of the questions. All fifteen million of them. I took out the address book I found in my sister’s room and started to go through it page by page reading off the names. Lockman didn’t know a lot of the names, but he knew five or six that had Atlanta telephone numbers and one with a Jacksonville number. I thought it was interesting that Lockman’s name was not in the directory. Probably on a speed dial on my sister’s cellphone, which brought me to my next question?
“Did my sister have a cellphone?”
“Yes, but she always took it with her.”
“Who’s Billy Marks?”
“He’s the husband of the woman friend of hers who I already told you about. He works at the Casino. I think your sister talked to him a lot.”
“What about you , Lockman? She talk to you a lot?”
“ Yeah, sure. What kind of question is that?”
“Just wondering. Here you are. The light of my sister’s life and you’re not listed in her address book. Don’t you find that interesting, Jake?”
“Yeah, well…we were good friends. We trusted each ot her… I…”
“Jake, shut up. I can’t stand you lying to me.”
Reaching around, I removed the deed form I
Similar Books
