Featured image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay
I know the type of cleaners our firm sends these days. If you had the bodies buried and they were down for days, that crew isn’t going to dig them up just to acid wash them away. If the job paid enough, they had the company buy the plot of land through some real estate investment front so nobody would ever go poking around there.”
Difficult to buy a forest preserve” muttered Giant.
Boy, you guys did blow that job” I uttered though I swear I only said it in my mind. That fast path from the back of the mind to the jaw I just can’t control. When I realized what had happened I asked “Did I say that out loud?”
Noticed you have a problem with that” Slim stated.
It’s been a life long flaw” I responded.
How the Hell did you live so long then?” asked Giant.
I told you, that swirling cloud of dumb luck. Had I uttered that earlier today, before you learned just how fucked you were, I would have died right here. Dumb luck made certain it happened now, at a point in time when we all realize we have to stick together to find a way out, if there is an out. It does answer one question though.”
What’s that?” asked Stretch.
Why you?”
Why you what?” asked Giant.
This company has a lot of mechanics. Why you? Why did they choose to throw you away on this? There had to be a green team which would have done it and possibly not even required the sanction of disposal. Why a seasoned team like you? One I’ve worked with before. Physically I’m past my prime. A decent sniper could have been sent to use me for target practice. Henry was supposed to kill me. Why didn’t he? Too many questions.”
So far only one answer. Management knows about that botched job. Perhaps the bodies were recently discovered and they are worried about repercussions. Most likely the client paid for full disposal, not dumping. I don’t want to know anything about the job, but, you should get a cheap computer of some kind while picking up supplies. When we stay at a hotel you can surf around to see if any of the names have surfaced recently. Just don’t use Google! They track everything. Personally I consider them the for-profit wing of the NSA.”
And if they have?” asked Giant.
It will confirm why you suddenly became disposable, but not why I was an off-book job. It was obvious I was the job. They put us all in the same room together. Close quarters, that’s how you guys work. Perhaps it was a timing thing like uncle said. We were each supposed to get our assignments independently. Me to whack you and you to whack me. Whoever survived would be sanctioned for the non-sanctioned killing of a mechanic. HR was the throw away cut out character. No matter how this went she was dead.”
If we end up in Texas” Slim volunteered, “I know a place to get a clean car like this. Might be an SUV though, it is Texas. Any preference on model?”
Armored.”
What?” blurted Stretch.
If it has to be an SUV I would prefer armored. Today’s fancy SUVs aren’t going to go off-road for very long. That “trail rated” badging is bullshit. Something that rides and handles nice on the highway can’t take the serious rough and tumble. With a tail wind you are looking at 18 MPG at best. If you push one past 120 MPH, even an Atheist would find God hanging onto the steering wheel.”
This thing can’t go off-road” pointed out Giant.
Remember the 160 MPH speedometer and ability to bury the needle?” I asked. “Some police pursuit vehicles are governor limited to 180 and they have helicopters, but, anyone the company sends will come in a rental vehicle. If they are trying to hide, it will be a Ford Taurus, the standard government vehicle. That’s why the Taurus has such high sales numbers. The car isn’t loved, it’s on the GAO approved list for government fleets and offered to rental car companies. Every government agency from the DOD on down has a fleet of them. It’s also the base model for the police Interceptor. Different drive train and suspension of course, but, the body and dash parts are interchangeable. That’s why you see the things selling thousands of units every month even in a down economy. Police vehicles get wrecked and government fleets have replacement schedules which don’t depend on the economy.”
I know you said it before” said Stretch, “but I’m finally starting to see why you are so into vehicles. It’s not a fascination, just straight forward weapons assessment.”
For the record, or better yet for future information, always keep at least 3 body bags and a sealed bucket of that lime mix the cleaners like in a vehicle. Always have some kind of clean ID which can rent a vehicle storage locker. The next time you need to dump, put them in body bags with the lime, toss them in the trunk of a clean car and back them into the storage locker. Cleaners won’t bother to dig anyone up, but they will drive a car out of a garage. That lime stuff keeps them from getting too ripe too quickly and it doesn’t seem to interfere with their chemical washes.”
So you are telling us we will find three body bags and a tub of that lime in your locker?” queried Giant.
Yes. Along with funds, weapons, tools and two containers of clothes for me along with some laundry detergent and dryer sheets if you must know. I keep close what I need to do a job.”
All of your questions about what is in the locker are about to be answered” stated Slim. “We are here.” It was night and thankfully there had been some rain so the windows were covered in drops. I gave Slim my hat and the code. He didn’t even ask why I gave him the hat. The view of the security camera was obviously blocked by the way he wore it. Once the gate opened I said “Third row, fourth from the far end.”
You didn’t bother to memorize the locker number?” He sounded rather annoyed with that concept.
No, because it is the third row, fourth from the far end. Yeah, over there. The row on the right, just back up to it. I’m actually glad you guys are here. Now I don’t have to stand on that pile of stuff.”
What?” Stretch uttered in a confused manner.
Once I get out the flash light I bought at the gas station and we close the door again, you will see.” I said as I got out of the car. The key made short work of the lock. The door made a noisy journey up, the tiny flashlight came on and the door went down. When I shined the light up, their questions were answered. Strapped to the ceiling via two drywall screws and a six inch wide hunk of some kind of non-plastic tarp was an old Italian military courier pouch. Nice leather. I picked it up at some military surplus place long ago.
The cordless drill is over here” I said as I went to get it. Giant came with me because he managed to figure out what his role in this was. “Here’s a screw driver in case it runs out of juice” I said as I handed him the tools. “Don’t leave the tarp hanging up there, I need it.”
What for?” he asked.
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