"No way, dude. C'mon, are you being serious?"
"Have the girl where I can see her. I have to see she's alive. She looks okay, I'll send Rainey with your half of the money. They meet at the halfway point, she comes to me, he goes to you. Sound better?"
"Waitaminute. What if the sonofabitch runs?"
"Shoot him."
It was a stupid scenario filled with holes, but that's what Pike wanted. Vincent would see the holes as opportunities. Pike's only concern was jamming Vincent into showing Dru Rayne. Vincent would not expose himself, but he would stay near the girl, watching from a hidden location with a clean escape route. Pike knew he would want this because this is what Pike would want. Vincent would watch from a hide and try to kill Pike. Pike could almost hear him thinking about it.
Vincent said, "Okay. We're getting somewhere."
"How about Rainey's house, on the canal? It's empty."
"Too tight in there."
Which is why Pike suggested it, pushing Vincent to think of escape routes and a wide field of view.
"Wherever you want, Vincent. You want to think about it, call me back?"
Vincent fell silent again, then mumbled something Pike couldn't quite hear. Pike thought he was talking to Dru, then realized Vincent was talking to himself.
Two minutes later, they had a time, a place, and had worked out the details.
Pike rolled down the Jeep's window and motioned to Cole.
"We're on. Let's roll."
45
Daniel Daniel lowered the phone and stared at the waitress. They were back in the van's bay, all four of them.
Daniel said, "You fuckin' that boy?"
Tobey snorted, "Yeah, she's fuckin' him."
Cleo giggled, "Fuckin'm real good."
Her eyes were narrow and smart, like some tough-ass Bogota hooker planning to grab a wallet. But she also looked scared. Damn well better.
"No, we're not like that."
"Why he wants you, he ain't fuckin' ya?"
She glanced away, then down and up.
"I don't know. I haven't known him very long."
Tobey snickered, "Slut's fuckin' him."
Cleo hissed, "Slut, slut."
Daniel hoped they were right. The arrow dude might be some kinda bad-ass mercenary, but if he had a hard-on for the waitress, he was way past the money stage. Men stayed sharp when it came to money. Men got stupid when it came to women.
Daniel ripped off a fresh piece of silver tape, and pressed it over her mouth.
"You know what you are?"
Tobey said, "Tramp."
Cleo said, "Cooze, cooze."
She shook her head, talking now being beyond her.
"You're a staked goat. These Swahilis in Africa, they stake a goat under a tree as bait for a lion. They cut it, make it bleed, then they wait up in the tree. That lion, all he can smell is the blood. That's a pretty good way to hunt a zombie, too."
Daniel left her in back, and climbed up in front behind the wheel. He reviewed what the Bolivian had told him about Pike, which was pretty impressive by anyone's standards, and thought he had a pretty good idea how Pike would come at him. Daniel had no doubt Pike would try to kill him, and he figured Pike knew Daniel would be trying to kill him, too. It went without saying. Daniel just had to stay ahead of him in the planning department.
Daniel pulled out into traffic, considering the variables for their upcoming meeting. He wanted to get up to the location as quickly as possible, but there were a couple of things he needed to pick up.
Daniel cruised through Hollywood, running different tactical scenarios until he found one he liked.
Three minutes later, he slipped under the overpass at Vine, and spotted an old dude taking it easy on a bus bench, skuzzy gray beard, fading gray hair, none of that talkin' to voices you get with the schizos. This one, a dedicated drunk on hard times. Even had a little sign: will work for food.
Tobey's voice rumbled, all hoarse and hungry.
"Looks good to me."
Cleo rasped, "He'll do."
Daniel pulled up by the bench and called out the passenger window.
"Yo. You mean it, that sign? I got two hours' work."
Dude eyeballed the Hero-Rooter van, then shook his head.
"I ain't no plumber."
"I'm not a plumber, yo. All I need you to do is hold a light for me. My regular guy took sick."
Lazy fuck didn't budge.
"What kinda light?"
"A fuckin' flashlight, yo. I need a helper to hold a flashlight. There's forty bucks in it for you. Two hours' work. You want it or not?"
"Forty dollars?"
"Job's up the hill here. C'mon, man, I'm running late. You want the forty?"
Tobey said, "What is it with this guy?"
Cleo said, "Sheesh, eesh."
Dude finally peeled himself off the bench.
"I want twenty up front."
"No way. Forty when the job's done or I'm moving on. Let's go."
Dude gave him a look like he was doing the world a favor, but finally climbed in, smelling like rotten cabbage. Slammed the door, checked out the van as he settled himself, and clocked the back bay, but by then it was too late.
Daniel pushed him between the seats right on top of the waitress.
Tobey screamed, "Kill him."
Cleo purred, "Kill."
Daniel said, "Later."
46
Pike considered the van in the fading brass light. Hero-Rooter. CALL A HERO TO SAVE THE DAY! DRAINS CLEANED AROUND THE CLOCK! Based on the little he knew about Gregg Daniel Vincent, Pike judged the location as close to perfect. Pike would have picked an identical place.
The Hero-Rooter van was parked in the brush on a flat, undeveloped ridge a hundred yards off Mulholland Drive, overlooking the San Fernando Valley. On the south side of Mulholland, the mountain had been cut away, leaving a steep slope dotted with dying pines and no good place to run. The Valley side was better. Vincent would have an unobstructed view in both directions along Mulholland, and of the houses that filled the canyon below. Mulholland was the only way in or out, but if the police appeared, a man with Vincent's skill could easily slip down through the brush to disappear in the winding streets and houses.
Pike lowered his binoculars and whispered into his cell.
"He's smart. It's a good place to kill."
Cole's voice came back.
"See anyone?"
"Just the van. It's on a ridge where they're clearing the hill. Rainey will see it."
Cole and Rainey were parked in a turnout a quarter-mile to the east, three-quarters of a mile from the van.
"Stand by-"
Pike studied the van again. Dru was probably inside, but Vincent would be on the slope. The setup was easy. When Rainey turned onto the ridge, Dru would get out of the van so Pike could see she was healthy. Rainey would then get out of his car, and advance halfway with the money. Dru would walk out to meet him, check the money, and then Rainey would continue with the money to the van while Dru went to the Prius.
This was the plan Pike and Vincent worked out, but none of it would happen. Pike knew it, and Vincent knew it, too. Vincent would be looking for Pike, just like Pike was looking for Vincent. If Vincent won, he would kill Rose Platt, then torture Rainey until Rainey produced the rest of the money, and then he would kill Rainey. Everything in Vincent's history affirmed this. Vincent liked to torture and kill.
Pike studied the brushy area off Mulholland where Rainey would stop, then a gentle rise behind the van. Vincent would be in one of those two places. When Rainey turned onto the ridge, he would be facing the van. Vincent would be behind him, in a high position where he could see Rainey and also watch for Pike. Pike searched the two areas, but saw nothing, and returned to the phone.