CHAPTER 25
Dan was certain that Louis would not come armed since he probably figured he and Slate would just be talking and, at most, this was only a business deal that could be settled with words. Besides, Louis’ new image was as a successful entrepreneur, and a gun would be out of the question. Even if Dan were able to escalate the meeting into a confrontation, there was nothing to indicate that he could push it into actual physical violence or that Louis was capable of murder himself. Unless something happened in that house to at least one of the individuals who were now major obstacles to Dan’s own survival, all of this planning and scheming was for nothing. In order to ensure success, therefore, Dan decided to bring a weapon on his own. Hopefully he could induce Louis to use it or…if it came down to the bottom line…he could find it in himself to make sure neither of the two men left that house alive. This was a desperate time for the wonder boy, but the speed with which things were happening actually made it easier for him to arrive at such immoral conclusions since he really didn’t have time to think through the consequences. There was now a sense of desperation which was overruling common sense.
Arturo Roez, vice-president in charge of sales, was a ruthless bastard who trusted no one and alienated everyone except for the firm’s customers. Dan knew that he kept a small caliber gun in the drawer of his office desk as protection. Since Arturo made bitter enemies with almost every employee that ever worked under him, he felt it necessary to have a weapon at his disposal at all times in case of a confrontation; and he had plenty of those that almost reached the level of violence. He didn’t want to carry a gun on his person, but he was known to keep one in his car and another at his home for the same reasons. It would be easy to get that gun in the office, which Dan was sure would already be loaded, and to take it with him to Slate’s house.
Since he was the corporate genius, he had keys to everywhere, including places where lesser employees like Arturo thought were safe. It was not difficult to get the gun and conceal it in his pocket as he left the building and started the drive to Slate’s house. On the way, he was trying to think of ways he could push Louis’ buttons to enrage him against Slate. He knew that whatever he did had to be fast before any of the other two men could stop to reason out why things were happening as they were. Finally, he decided that the best avenue he had was to admit to Louis that they had both been deceived and that Slate was a fake and a killer who would drag them both down if he wasn’t stopped. Dan was sure that would set the unstable Slate off; then the only problem was for Dan to get out of the way of what he hoped would be a violent conclusion.
He arrived outside the house at 10:45, and a black car pulled up in front of him and parked a few minutes later. It wasn’t a limo, so Dan figured Louis had come alone. He saw Louis step out of the driver’s side and come toward his car; but with his focus being directed solely toward the big man, he failed to notice that another car, with its lights out, had stopped two hundred feet behind his.
Rolling down his window, Dan spoke first.
“He’s inside,” Dan said. “I checked on the tablet just a minute ago. He’s upstairs in the bedroom. What’s our strategy?”
He was still totally unaware of the other car where an individual, dressed in dark clothing, stepped out and stood watching the scene transpire between the two men.
“We go in and see what he wants?” Louis answered. “I look and see if we can still trust him to serve our purposes, that’s all.”
“But what if he plays hard ball?” Dan asked trying to pour a little gasoline on what he hoped were embers.
“We deal with that when and if I say we do,” Louis replied.
“Don’t you think we should have some sort of back up plan?” Dan said trying to prod Louis. “What if he threatens to call the cops? I mean we did bug his place; and that’s illegal.”
“I’ve dealt with these types of people before,” Louis answered. “Usually it comes down to money. Since he has no idea what kind of money we’re dealing with, his demand will probably be low ball at best. I’ll haggle, bring him even lower, and we all walk away happy. If we find he can’t be trusted, then later something might happen to him. First, let’s try it the easy way and not go off half-cocked.”
That was exactly what Dan didn’t want to hear. Without a confrontation, only his goose stood a chance to be cooked. He was deciding when would be the right time to tell him about Slate’s checkered past; if he did it now, Slate might not be riled…if he did it inside, then there was the chance for all of this to end happily…for Dan at least.
“Let’s go,” Louis said. “It’s time.”
As Dan got out of his car and started to walk with Louis, he still failed to notice the dark figure who had slipped behind a nearby tree and was waiting to follow silently.
“Let’s use the back door,” Dan said. “I know where he keeps his key.”
Removing the flower pot, Dan retrieved the key and went to the door, opening it quietly; then he stopped.
“Here,” he said thrusting the pistol into Louis’ hand; “take this just in case.”
The suddenness of the action caught Louis by surprise and he instinctively took hold of the weapon. Dan quickly turned to enter the house giving his companion no time to return the gun or even to protest.
The inside was dark as Dan had witnessed on the tablet, so he took out a small flashlight to navigate the way. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, he whispered, “He’s up there, first room to the left.”
Slate was, indeed, in that bedroom having moved from the desk when he heard the key turning in the lock downstairs. He had shut off the light and was waiting in the darkness beside the door, his hand firmly clutching the letter opener so he could stab downward.
Dan started up the stairs slowly leading the way for his companion. He expected they were going to surprise Slate at his desk, and Dan would have time to yell out accusations against him while physically pushing Louis forward so he’d have to defend himself. It was a crude plan but the only one Dan could come up with.
At the top of the stairs, he motioned Louis to go first whispering, “Let’s just go in and gain the element of surprise. He should be sitting at his desk.”
As Dan reached around Louis to open the door, both men were instantly confused by the darkness with Louis being the one who occupied to open door space. Slate, seeing only one man, lunged out with the letter opener raised and drove it into Louis’ neck, just above his breast bone but through the soft tissue. From his years of practice with the corkscrew, he knew enough to turn the blade to silence any outcry and to get the maximum killing power. Louis staggered backward as Slate fell upon him drawing back on his weapon and stabbing the bleeding man once again, this time in the heart. The rage and intensity of the moment fed his brutal desires making him lose all awareness of what else was going on around him. It took a few seconds before he looked up to see Dan frozen in position, unable to move or scream from the horror he had just witnessed.
