A Bone to Pick Read online

  She’d have to affix a tracking device on him. This was going to be tricky. She had to have physical contact with him and that couldn’t happen. She did have a pneumatic blowgun that could send the tracker to Mike. It would attach to his clothing, and had to be something he wore every day. Essentially, she would only need it to track him to his home, but it would be helpful to know his movements and his routines. She’d crawled in somewhere before dawn.

  “It’s freaking six in the morning, ladies. What in the hell are you doing up so early?” she asked, looking at both women who sat across from her on the couch.

  “We’re always up early,” Wanda said, taking a bite of her muffin.

  “Well, dammit. From now on, don’t come over until after eight,” Hellen said, rubbing her eyes. She looked up when both women sniggered.

  “What?”

  “You sound just like your sister,” they said in unison and grinned foolishly, causing Hellen to snort.

  “I’m surprised you survived Viv if you woke her this early,” she grumped.

  “We mean well,” Nora chirped.

  Wanda got right to the point. “When you gonna kill that little bastard?”

  Hellen looked up at each woman. “I don’t think you want to know that. Be careful what you say to others. I can only do this if no one knows what’s going on. Y’all need to have deniability. Otherwise, I’ll head back to Atlanta,” Hellen lied.

  There was no way she’d leave here without making good the promise to herself. She didn’t know these women well. Most people didn’t know when to keep their mouths shut. Hellen didn’t need these hens clucking to whomever would listen, especially talking about her wolf. She still couldn’t believe that Vivian had told them about her wolf and felt a little violated.

  “Hellen, dear, we’d never breathe a word to anyone. We’ve known and loved your sister for over twenty-five years. If we thought we could do this ourselves, we’d do it. Trust me,” Wanda said, her eyes narrowed into faded brown glints.

  Hellen nodded. “Fine. But the less you know, the safer it is for you. First, I’m going to pay Mike a visit. I’m going to get as much intel as I can. He’s small potatoes. Someone up the food chain is pulling the strings. You don’t go in and kill someone without a say so from someone higher up. I’ve hacked into the Charlotte PD’s infrastructure, snooping around. There are several gangs around Charlotte and there is a major drug syndicate, along with prostitution and human trafficking.

  “Mike is but a cog in a larger wheel. I’ll deal with him, then I’m going after whoever put him in this neighborhood.” Hellen flattened her mouth ominously.

  Both the women sat openmouthed, staring at her.

  “You didn’t know this had farther reaching ties?”

  The women shook their heads.

  Hellen scratched her head. She’d have to shave today. Her hair was getting too long and was beginning to be uncomfortable under her wigs. She sipped her coffee in the silence while the two women across from her digested what she’d revealed.

  “So someone sent him to kill Vivian?” Nora asked in a tiny voice. Her fingers were pleating and folding the material of her blouse.

  “Look, we know that Viv was a force to be reckoned with, but like all forces, someone had to subdue her. This neighborhood, is only one of many that are being swallowed up by crime. Mike’s a small fish in a bigger pond. I’m going after the leviathan. That is why it is vital you keep your mouths shut and speak to no one. Unless you want someone coming to your home in the middle of the night?” she asked them cruelly.

  She needed them to understand that the trail of destruction could not lead back to them. Both women blanched. Good. They needed to understand. Their lives depended on it.

  “You’re gonna see a lot on the news over the next few weeks or so. A lot of people are going to die. If I’m to be successful, I’ll need to do things that, well, aren’t very civilized. You can in no way comment outside your little circle about it. If you do talk or let something slip, speculation has a tendency to get out and spread. If it does, then I stop and I leave. The scum will move back into this neighborhood. Is that what you want?”

  “Goodness no. I’m sorry. I guess we didn’t realize how far this extended,” Wanda said.

  Hellen nodded tiredly. She really needed another hour of sleep.

  “No, you don’t. I work alone. But, if ever I need an alibi, I’ll expect y’all to provide me one, should the need arise. I don’t think it will, since no one has connected Mike to Vivian’s murder. But knowing crime organizations like I do, I know that the players have their fingers in local law enforcement and even local government.” Hellen took a sip of her coffee. “When or if the police come calling, you act old and ignorant. I know you aren’t; my sister didn’t suffer fools and so I know she held you all in high esteem. This is for your own protection. Trust me. The less you know, the safer you’ll be. It’s gonna get bloody, and soon.”

  “Just so you know, Betty said some little thug approached her. Told her he wanted her to fill a prescription for him. She played dumb and deaf and he gave up and left her,” Wanda said, chewing on her bottom lip.

  Nora nodded, her eyes large and frightened.

  “It sounds like the organization is trying to establish a pill mill from this neighborhood. Because they took out Vivian, I think they are going to go after those in this neighborhood to exploit that murder. Do what we say or else,” Hellen said.

  “What should we do?” Nora asked.

  “Just like Betty, play dumb and deaf. I’ll be taking care of this very quickly.”

  §

  Dr. Kevin Winter looked up at Berry Cleves, annoyed. Berry Cleves wasn’t called Ballbuster for nothing.

  “I’m telling you, Cleves, you’re sendin’ too many shills to the same pharmacies. Fucking spread them out! Dammit, it isn’t rocket science. There are plenty of pharmacies all over, just get the shills to different locations.”

  “You know what a fucking pain in the ass that is? Those fuckers stink and I’m tired of their whiny-ass bullshit,” the large man huffed, his dark skin flushing with anger and frustration.

  “Then get one of your crew to move them around, but stop dumping them all on a few pharmacies or I’ll fucking talk to Leon. If you can’t handle your shit, I’m sure he’ll find someone who can.”

  It wasn’t like they hadn’t had this conversation before. Winter ran the pain clinic, but also a doc-in-the-box. He gave real patients a ration of shit and rode them hard, going by the book. That was for the legit side of the house. He hated doing this shit, but he’d been compromised years ago by Leon.

  Leon was a hypocrite without a soul. Kevin was involved with kiddy porn. He’d met Leon fifteen years ago and both were mutual in their desire for young children. Kevin liked them younger. Leon learned about his job at the pain clinic and had threatened to turn him in for child pornography. Fifteen years later, he was running one of the biggest oxy pill mills in the south.

  Leon was sinister that way. A few scripts here and there, nothing big. That had lasted all of six months and then the real fun began. At least he had unfettered access to the kids. Though not as young as he’d like, it was enough. He raked his fingers through his graying hair. It was thinning. No wonder, dealing with jackasses like Cleves.

  “Look, just spread them out more. Don’t bunch them all up. Divide them up and have your people move them around a bit more. Section Charlotte up into a pie, and move your people around like that,” he said tiredly.

  “Sorry, Doc, just a lot of shit goin’ on. Mr. E is expanding and I’m feelin’ it.”

  “Hey, it’s good money, no doubt about it. But we have to be smart. I can’t have this shit floatin’ back on me or it ends and I’m out of here. I’ve already got my exit strategy, do you?”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Cleves asked, his voice rising an octave.

  “Berry, sooner or later, some dumbshit is gonna say somethin’ to the wrong person. Or so
meone is going to look too closely at some of these scripts. Or something, somehow, someway is gonna fuck things up. As careful as we are, you know this.”

  “Yeah, I get your meaning, Doc.”

  “I’ve put money away in offshore accounts. I’ve got several different identities, so I can get the hell out of Dodge if shit goes sideways. If you haven’t, then you should. It’s like an insurance. It’s there if you need it. You don’t want to use it, but it’s there, just in case.” Winter sat back in his chair, his hands spread out in explanation.

  “Yeah, that’s real smart. Shit. Guess I better pull my own shit together.”

  “Can’t hurt. You gotta put that money somewhere, where the Feds can’t touch it. Might as well have a place to go and an identity no one knows about. Just in case.”

  “Okay, Doc, and okay on spreadin’ the shills out more. You’re right, I know you are.”

  Kevin shook the bigger man’s hand and bid him farewell. He looked around his office. It was a shit box. He scrubbed his hands over his face. He was tired. Maybe he’d bug out and call it quits. He was careful, but shills were unreliable, as most drug addicts were. He was sure it wouldn’t take much for them to buckle and fold. The problem was his family. The kids were almost out of the house. Maybe another year, then he could dump his wife and head out for Mexico and disappear.

  His wife, Brenda, was an albatross around his neck. With her beady eyes, always watching him, always checking his phone and the computer. Well, she couldn’t check the computer at work, now could she? She’d caught him years ago with their oldest daughter, Alice. Alice had been two and Brenda had walked in on him. Since then, she’d watched him like a hawk, threatened him and had made his life a living hell. He was like an outsider in his own home and every day, his lovely wife made sure he remembered it. Bitch.

  He pulled up a site on the computer, it was properties in Mexico and Belize, down along the coast. With Berry up his ass and Leon expanding, maybe he should get out while the getting was good? He had a couple million stashed and it would just be a matter of fading out of the scene. But the trafficking aspect of the house was irresistible. All those juicy girls. He switched gears and found another, more enticing website.

  §

  Hellen adjusted her eyesight, using her wolf’s vision. It was near 3 a.m. and she was down the block from Mike’s house. It was a shitty neighborhood. No surprise there. Placing the tracker on Mike was easier than she’d thought possible. He’d been drinking a beer and was outside a bar when she sent the tracker his way. It had lodged in the bottom of the jacket he wore. Hellen sat across the street in her car. She probably could have walked up to the shit stain and just placed it on him.

  She did have to keep a low profile though, and so had tagged him. She tracked his movements for two days. She’d seen texts, though poorly encoded, about gathering shills. So she was right, they were trying to establish a pill mill in Vivian’s neighborhood. She huffed softly with dark humor. She would put a fast stop to that. Her werewolf shifted under her skin. Her wolf wanted to get out and tear Mike apart.

  “Patience, I’ll let you have him,” she said softly to her wild self.

  Wearing dark clothing and a hoodie, she scanned the area around her and jogged to his home. It had only taken her a half hour to find his house and then she’d taken a little drive. She drove around the neighborhood, looking for escape routes should she need them. She’d brought her 9mm Beretta Nano, and had the suppressor on. She didn’t like surprises and she wanted to make sure she could deal with surprises if or when they came up.

  Hellen moved to the back of the house, careful of her footing. There was trash and debris all around. Luckily, there were no dogs around to alert the neighbors or Mike. She could easily kill them, but that would raise questions that didn’t need to be raised. The night was cool, not the humid heat of the day. She stopped at the back door and listened. Nothing. Most people were in their deepest sleep around this time. She knew she should be asleep about now and her body was telling her so. Getting old wasn’t for sissies, that was for sure.

  Vibrations of the low rumble from the growl deep within her chest tickled. Hellen was starting to get used to the increased activity. It was a shock to her system, but her ego as well. She’d thought herself indestructible. Her body was telling her otherwise, kind of like a tit punch. Her werewolf didn’t like it either and Hellen thought that perhaps this activity was good for both of them.

  She had her small tool kit and easily opened the back door to the structure. Her nose twitched; the house stunk. It was a combination between filth and ass, like some third world shithole. She knew, she’d been to plenty. She stood still for a few moments, her weapon ready. She didn’t hear anything and moved into the living room. The sweet sting of adrenaline began to run through her veins. She noticed someone asleep on the couch, a tall, thin, black man with long dreadlocks. She shot him in the head. His body jerked but stilled. No more movements or sounds. She picked up the spent shell and slipped it into her pocket. There were no prints on any of the casings, but why leave any evidence? She might be crazy, but she wasn’t stupid, and she sure as hell wasn’t careless.

  Hellen moved across the room, carefully maneuvering around beer cans, bottles, and other trash that littered the floor. She glanced at the graffiti spray painted on the living room walls and grimaced. Her world was of neatness and tranquility, this place was the opposite. She moved to a room and cautiously opened the door. She could make out two forms in a bed, a woman and man were asleep. The room smelled of burned chemicals, sour sweat, and body fluids. She shot both in the head and picked up both casings.

  Hell took note of the spoon and hypodermic on the nightstand. She stepped back out into the hallway, moved to the last door, and opened it. There he was. Mike. She holstered her weapon and walked up to the bed. She brought out a small aerosol can, something like a breath spray. Holding her breath, she sprayed a bit just under his nose. He twitched for a second and then was still. She glared down at him and laughed softly.

  Hell went back to the living room, found a chair, and carried it back to the bedroom. She checked the windows and found heavy black curtains across the glass. Good. A lamp sat leaning cockeyed on the nightstand, and she turned it on.

  Mike was semiconscious as she moved him onto the chair. She grunted with effort, letting her werewolf help her, cursing her weakness and her body’s betrayal. She wasn’t used to feeling weak and it was really starting to piss her off. She was having to access more and more of her animal side, when she had never done that in the past. She might be a small woman, but she’d always been strong.

  Pulling out the plastic zip ties, she secured Mike’s arms and legs to the chair. Once done, she shoved one of the expanding gags in his mouth and it began to swell. While she waited for him to come to his senses, she went to the bodies and took out her titanium clippers. On each right hand, she cut the first knuckle off the index finger. Later, she’d harvest the tiny bone from the flesh. That was her prize. She was sure she’d get a whole bunch of them when all was said and done.

  Four for tonight’s work. It was a good beginning. She tucked the fingertips into a plastic bag, then pocketed it. Walking back into the bedroom, her quarry looked up, his eyes bulging from his sockets. He was trying to speak, but of course, could not. She stood in front of him.

  “Hello, Mike, I’m Hellen and I have a bone to pick with you. You killed my sister Vivian. So, I’m gonna ask you some questions and you’re gonna answer them. Oh, I guess I don’t look like my sister. I was adopted. So you know that I’m serious and we don’t waste my time, let me assure you, you will answer my questions.”

  She stepped behind him and cut off the tip of his index finger. He screamed through the gag, his body and arms jerking helplessly. Coming back around, she pulled out the plastic bag with the other fingertips and dropped it in. His eyes were huge and he screamed behind the gag. Tears slid down his red face and he shook his head in either denial or to dislod
ge the gag.

  “These are my souvenirs. I always take a little something. You know, as a memento. I expect that I’ll be getting a lot of these little beauties while I’m visiting Charlotte. Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. I suggest you answer them honestly. I’ll be cutting off a few more things if you don’t,” she said, her voice teasing, though there was no humor in her eyes.

  She let her eyes glow gold and allowed her canines to elongate into sharp fangs. A low rumbling snarl come forth from the werewolf and her face pushed out, the bones trying to rearrange. Mike screamed and thrashed wildly, nearly tipping the chair over. Hellen chortled when she noticed the tiny hairs rise all over his body.

  “I’m going to take the gag out. If you scream, I’ll shove a claw into your gut and yank on whatever I find and then I’ll cut something off. Like an ear, or maybe just pull out one of your eyeballs.” She held up her hand and took off one of the gloves. A long black claw emerged. It was sharp and curved in lethal threat. She ran the claw along his boxer shorts and Mike screamed into the gag, his body jerking wildly. Her werewolf pushed harder and she felt the muzzle grow, though pushed it back in.

  “I see that you understand. Trust me, I can cut things off for hours and you won’t die but you’ll wish you did. I want us to be very clear, Mike. I want your full cooperation.” She put the glove back on.

  At his vehement nod, she reached for the gag and removed it, dropping it into the bag of fingertips. His eyes watched it and he gagged. Hell grinned at that.

  “Okay. So tell me, who is your boss?” she asked, standing with hands on hips, her body relaxed now.