Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

" W e have to be careful in Bearton," Luke said. "There's actual law there. It's the other world."

"Right." He was referring to the world we'd been outside of when we'd been players, where normal people, or what passed for normal, lived, worked, played, and died. Where they worried about utility bills and mortgages and the price of gas while our world was, in essence, about life and death.

The two-lane highway was following the river to the left with steep slopes to the right, occasionally with blasted rock where they'd punched the original railroad through the riverbed, then widened for the road. A lot of turns, and Luke was taking the curves cautiously because, after all, we were in a minivan.

"Do you have a plan?" Luke asked me.

"I know Junior is staying at the Bearton Lodge. I assume Mom is with him."

"How do you know that?"

"Rose swiped his wallet and there was a room key in it."

Luke shot me a glance. "Rose stole his wallet?"

"She has talents. She lifted mine twice."

"Maybe I should have left you in Rocky Start and brought Rose," Luke said. "Okay, they're at the lodge. And the plan?"

"What do you suggest?"

He shot me another look. "So you don't have a plan. And I assume you don't have this microfilm she wants."

"Nope. But Rose and I will look when I get back. She's probably already searching. Pike says he has no idea where Oz might have hidden it. If he still had it."

We had just passed a sign welcoming us to Bearton (held by a big wooden bear, which made me wonder if Rocky Start needed a sign held by a big rock), and he pulled over to the shoulder, stopped the car, and looked at me.

"I've been thinking about what Pike told us," Luke said.

"And?"

"Herc let Serena live. Knowing she was a traitor."

"He was inside the blast radius."

"Yeah," Luke said. "There's more to this."

"There is. I asked Herc yesterday if I could kill her. He said no."

Luke frowned. "That complicates things."

"It does."

"I was wondering if that was your plan," Luke said. "Simple. Direct. Like you."

I tried to figure out if that was a compliment or a slam.

He went on. "Not that we have to do what Herc says." Luke cut to the chase. "We either have to kill her and Junior or convince her the film doesn't exist, or if it does exist, that it won't see the light of day." He frowned. "Pike should have dealt with this right away." Before I could comment on that, he added, "But Oz was the enforcer between the two of them. Pike's tough, no doubt, but they were a team. And three decades away from the field can slow you down." He leaned back in his seat. "We need a plan."

"We do it like cops," I said. "Good cop, bad cop. I'll be the good?—"

He cut me off. "Max, you'll never be the good cop, okay? And Serena isn't some two-bit hood. She runs the Cauldron. I'm surprised we haven't seen more of her muscle in town. "

"She might be traveling light," I said. "To keep her own people from asking questions. They're all dogs anyway. Not trustworthy."

Luke nodded. "True. Well, let's see what's what."

And that was our plan as he pulled back on the road. To see what was what. I'd gone into missions with a lot less. What I didn't focus on was that those missions had usually turned into clusterfucks, which I'm sure amused the entity controlling my simulation greatly.

Bearton was bigger than Rocky Start, lying in a wide valley among the mountains. We passed a Walmart on the east edge of town, always a sign of too much civilization and definitely one of the levels of Hell. Luke turned us into the quaint old downtown. He pulled up to a four-story brick building on the main drag that had a large marquee boasting it was Bearton Lodge and found us a spot for the minivan. He turned off the engine.

"Are you armed?" I asked Luke.

"A little late to be asking that," he said. "No. I'm not armed. When I retired, I renounced all forms of violence and committed myself to a path of peace and tranquility."

"Oh. Well, that's nice, and I'm happy for you, but?—"

He gave me a pitying look. "Geez, Max, of course I'm armed. You think I'd have come with you if I wasn't?" He pulled a forty-five out from a shoulder holster under his loose jacket and showed it to me. "Happy? And I've got a locker in the back of the minivan with heavier firepower if we need it. Because this minivan has lots of storage space. MP-4s. Barrett fifty-cal. Grenades. Claymores. Hold on." He reached back to what looked like a cooler and opened it. Pulled out several flash bangs. "Here. In case we have to make an impressive entrance. Or, more likely, an expedient exit."

"Thanks." I took one and put it in a jacket pocket. "Let's go talk to Serena."

There weren't many people out and about mid-morning in the bustling metropolis of Bearton, Tennessee. We entered the lodge's lobby, which was festooned, as was common in these here hills—cue the banjo—with the heads of various wildlife which had had the misfortune of meeting the wrong end of a hunter's rifle. There was no one behind the counter. I leaned over, hoping they might have one of those old-time sign-in books and I could get her room number from that, but there was a computer and its screen was dark. There was no military-grade shotgun in a sheath, so I took some satisfaction in the fact that our post office in Rocky Start was better armed.

"Can I help you?" A heavyset girl, probably a bit older than Poppy, dressed all in black with a red Mohawk and more piercings than I could count came down the curving stairs to the right of the counter. She wore a black leather corset that pushed her ample frontage up in a way that would give Coral a run for her money. Her name tag read "Jane," which was like Luke driving a minivan. I'd expected "Golgotha" or "Elvira."

"We're looking for a Serena Stafford?" I asked, realizing belatedly that she probably wasn't using her real name.

But Jane was looking at my erstwhile partner. "Hey, man, anyone ever tell you that you look like Luke Cage, but with, like, a white beard?"

Luke gave her a wide smile. "My son has mentioned it."

Her eyes widened. "You have a son? How old is he? Does he look like you?"

"He has a girlfriend," I said, which earned me a dirty look from both Jane and Luke. He not-so-gently nudged me aside simply by stepping forward.

"Well, he does," I muttered, letting Luke take the lead.

"We're friends of a woman who is staying here," Luke said. "Serena Stafford?"

Jane tapped the keyboard with fingernails that were chewed down and the remnants painted black. She looked at the results. "No one here by that name."

"Tall woman," Luke said. "Pale skin? Her son also has a room here."

Jane frowned, so I decided to help. "She looks like a vampire."

Two more dirty looks but also recognition from young Elvira. "Oh, her." She nodded. "You're friends?" she added doubtfully, giving me the once-over .

"We go back a long way," I said. "To the old country in Transylvania."

She frowned harder at me, which seemed to be the look I was good at getting from people. "You should hang with better than him," she said to Luke, shaking her head sadly.

He nodded. "I know."

"She's a sharp dresser," the girl said. "Room 201. The presidential suite. It's at the end of the hallway."

I really wanted to see what the presidential suite in this joint looked like.

"The elevator is busted," she added. She nodded her head and her earrings to the right. "Stairs."

"Thank you," Luke said.

We walked to the stairs and started up.

"What did she mean you can do better than me?" I asked as I drew my gun.

"Eyes on the mission, Max," Luke said, bringing out his forty-five, pulling the slide back, putting a round in the chamber, and then letting it rack forward with that satisfying noise confirming one in the pipe and ready to engage.

We stopped at the second-floor fire door. I edged it open, but the hallway was empty. There were only five rooms, two on either side, and 201 was at the end, facing the hall. We moved up to it. The hall had a drop ceiling and that awful dark carpet they must sell by the truckload to cheap motels to hide bloodstains. It was dimly lit by fluorescent lights, one of which was flickering slightly.

As I reached out to knock on the door, it opened.

"Come on in, gentlemen," Serena called out. "But lose the weapons first. Or else."

I looked at Luke, who raised his eyebrows at the "or else," but then we heard the distinctive sound of a bolt slamming forward in an M4 behind us. Jane stood at the other end of the hallway inside the stair door, weapon tight to her shoulder, finger on the trigger. It had a suppressor on the end of the barrel and I had a feeling it was capable of automatic fire, which meant she could put thirty rounds into us in a few seconds.

It was a pretty good "or else."

"Drop the mags," Jane ordered. "Then clear the pistols and drop them on the floor."

Luke and I did as ordered. This wasn't Jane's first rodeo.

"Nice plan," Luke muttered.

"Stick with me, kid," I said. "I've got an ace up my sleeve."

"Step inside, gents," Jane said.

Serena was seated to the left, out of Jane's field of fire. The chair was high-backed with big armrests, almost a throne, if a throne were upholstered in cheap fabric with cigarette burns in the arms. She wore, of course, black. I looked around for a coffin, but there was just a king-sized bed against the wall. If this was the presidential suite, it was for the president of a very small, very poor country.

"To the right," Jane ordered.

Luke and I shuffled that way while Jane went to a position flanking Serena, keeping enough distance that she could waste both of us if we charged.

I was not planning on charging.

"Thank you, darling," Serena said to Jane.

"My pleasure, Mistress."

That was something I really did not want to know more about.

"It is not nice," Serena said to us, "to come calling with firearms."

"It was his idea," Luke said, nodding at me. "I suggested we send a telegram."

"Junior showed up in Rocky Start packing," I pointed out, but it was one of those "what-abouts" that are a waste of time and that we're supposed grow out of in elementary school. "Where is he, by the way?"

"Tiny and Mad Max." Serena shook her head sadly. "I've heard of both of you. I expected better."

So did I. This was a pretty sad situation for two highly experienced ex-players.

I decided to get right into it. "We're very happy that Junior can finally spend quality time with his father, now that he knows who he is. Good old Norman. Are they off fishing somewhere? Bonding?"

Luke shot me a look, and it wasn't a good one, but he deserved payback for the "not my idea" line.

"If anyone ever told you that you were funny," Serena said, "they lied."

"What did you do with the real Jane?" I asked the girl.

She frowned. "My name is Jane."

"Right," I said.

"Did you bring the film?" Serena asked.

"There is no film," I said.

"Oh, there most certainly is a film," Serena said. "The KGB made a microfilm copy of every file sent and received in a SCIF. Just like we did back then. When Oz and Pike airdropped the SCIF to me, there were paper files but no films. Thus, Oz and Pike kept the films."

"Pike says he never saw them again," I said. "And he has no idea what Oz might have done with them." Before she could argue, I hurried on. "Listen. That film has been buried for over three decades. We have no idea if it even still exists. And it if does, we don't know where it is."

"That Malone woman in the shop also acts like she doesn't know where the money is," Serena pointed out.

"She doesn't," I said. "I found fifty K in cash in Oz's go bag. That's it. And she's got to give the lawyer ten K of that for handling the estate. Junior can confirm that. Oz and Pike spent a lot of money buying up the town."

"But she's going to look for the rest of the money, isn't she?" Serena pointed out. "And wherever Oz hid the bulk of the money is probably where he hid the film. A man like Oz doesn't ever give up leverage."

She had a point.

"Oz gave Herc the film in exchange for cover for the town," I said.

"Not the particular film I want," Serena said. "That was too hot to put in Herc's hands. He didn't want to touch it. Oz kept it. "

I took a different approach. "Listen, in the unlikely event the film is found, it will stay buried."

Serena laughed. "In essence you're saying, ‘Trust us'?"

"Yep," I said. "There's no upside for anyone screwing with you. Especially after all this time. Let sleeping dogs lie. You go your way and you'll never hear anything from Rocky Start ever again. I know you thought Junior might have been Oz's son, but that turns out not to be the case. So, really, no need for you to hang around."

"You're speaking for the town?" Serena asked, which was a good question that I didn't answer. She looked at Luke. "Are you as stupid as him?"

"No," Luke said.

"Would you believe him?"

"Yes."

Serena raised a thin black eyebrow. I was watching Jane. She was perfectly still, the weapon pointed in our direction. She had good stamina, I'll give her that.

"Why?" Serena asked.

"If we had the film we'd give it to you," Luke reasoned. "No benefit for us doing anything else with it. The whole point of Rocky Start is we fly below the radar. Surfacing that microfilm, any sort of file like that, would bring a lot of unwanted attention." He indicated me. "I really don't need this shit in my life. None of us do. Since we haven't turned it over, it means we don't have it. And if we do come across it, we certainly aren't going to do anything with it."

I was trying to process if Luke meant me when he said "this shit in my life."

"And this Rose person?" Serena asked. "She's really a civilian?"

"Yes," Luke said.

"And her daughter isn't Oz's?"

"No," Luke answered.

"Is she Herc's?" she asked.

" No ," I said, almost gagging at the thought.

"Bullshit," Serena said. "She lifted my gun like a pro. "

"She worked with a magician before she came to Rocky Start," I said.

Serena scoffed. "What? She was a carny? Give me a break. Besides the film, where's the other stuff?"

I was confused. "The money?"

Serena shook her head. "The rest of what Pike and Oz stole from the Russians. Off the books."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said.

" That I believe," she said. "I bet Pike and Oz never told another person, not even Herc."

Luke and I exchanged a confused glance.

She tapped a fingernail on the arm of the chair. "But the film is what I want. Oz had to have told that bitch living with him. It was the only leverage he had against Herc. It wasn't mentioned in the will unless he gave it to Pike. Did he give it to Pike?"

"No," I said. "If he had, Pike would have given it to me to give to you. He wants trouble even less than I do. He's getting old."

"We all are," Serena said, and for a moment she was almost human.

Nah. She was a cold snake. Time to play the ace up my sleeve, which was actually in my coat. "May I?" I held out my off hand, then pointed at the coat pocket.

Serena gave a nod while the muzzle of the M4 shifted ever so slightly to zero in on me.

I pulled out the satphone. Punched in Herc's number.

"What?" Herc demanded when he answered.

"I'm here with a mutual friend," I said. "As we discussed."

"Fuck you, Max," Herc said. "Put her on."

I held out the phone. Serena grandly gestured for me to step forward and hand it over. I did so and then stepped back, Jane tracking me with the muzzle of the weapon.

"I haven't heard your sweet voice in a long time," she said into the phone.

For the first time there was a flicker in Jane, her eyes down to Serena then back to us .

Serena listened for almost a minute, a long time to just stand there with Elvira junior pointing a weapon at you.

She snapped, "Yes," clicked the phone off, and tossed it to me.

"Not much reminiscing on old times," I said as I put it back in my pocket.

"All right," Serena said. "I believe you. You can leave."

Luke and I exchanged a glance.

"Leave," Serena snapped.

Jane gestured slightly with the muzzle of the M4. "Out."

Luke and I backed up to the door, Jane taking a step forward for each we retreated. As soon as we were out, she slammed the door shut in our faces. We scooped up our guns and magazines and headed for the stairs, reloading. Neither of us said anything until we got to the minivan.

Luke settled behind the steering wheel. "That was weird."

I buckled up. "Yeah."

"Think she'll back off?"

"I've got no idea," I said.

"Me either. Why didn't you tell me Herc was your ace?"

"I was hoping not to have to call him. Now he has some leverage on me."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "What do you think Herc said to her?"

"Enough to get her to stand down."

"If anyone can keep her in line," Luke said, "it's Herc."

"That is so," I said and put no faith in that whatsoever.

Serena was going to keep coming for that film.