BENNINGTON P.I. “BONITA” (20 page)

The young man stood frozen in place, his mouth hanging open as his fingers clasped tightly onto the petition as if it was the only thing left keeping him from spinning off into the abyss.  He stood like that for several seconds before straightening his rounded shoulder posture and shaking his head at me.  I could sense him preparing a response, causing me to point back at him and growl a warning.

“Not another fucking word.  You get walking - that way.”

I was grateful to see the pathetic, skinny little bastard disappear down the sidewalk as a cab finally stopped alongside the street.  Once inside the backseat, I remembered Arman was still holding Talbot for me.

He might have gotten Walt killed, but I’m no killer.  I can’t do that.  Let him stew in his own corruption.  I won’t be a party to it.

I phoned Arman.  He answered on the first ring, and as was his nature, the Russian enforcer got right to the point.

“What do I do with him?”

I paused for a moment and then responded.

“Let him go Arman.  Just…let him go.”

“You sure about that?  You don’t want to question him?”

I detected a hint of disappointment in Arman’s voice.

“No, I got all the answers I need, for now anyways.  Let the piece of shit go.”

I heard background voices, and then Arman telling someone to shut up.

“He wants to talk to you.”

I contemplated ignoring the request, but decided, for whatever reason, to speak to Talbot.

“Yeah, ok, put him on.”

The strain in Jacob Talbot’s voice was apparent.  He truly believed he was going to die.

“You really letting me go Frank? God, thank you.  Thank you.”

I closed my eyes, sensing the part of me that did in fact want Talbot dead.

“Frank, did you meet with them?  The T3 Group?  Are you with them now?”

I was only slightly surprised that Talbot already knew about the T3, having already considered it as I sat in the congresswoman’s office.

“None of your fucking business Talbot.  I’m done with you now.  So---“

Talbot cut me off, the volume of his voice rising exponentially.

“If you’re with them, you need to understand - it’s a war Frank.  You and me, we’re just foot soldiers in a much bigger conflict.  There’s one side, and then there’s another side.  If we die, they could give a shit about any of us.  They only care about winning.”

I could feel my rage over Walt’s death returning in full force.  How easy it would be to just have Arman put a bullet in Talbot’s head and be done with him for good.

“I already know what side you chose Talbot – the one that kills old men. The one that tried to kill me.  You and me, if we cross paths again, it won’t end so well for you Talbot.  Stay out of my way, you understand?  Live with yourself, or die trying, I don’t care, but you leave me the hell alone. Go back to Ohio, and stay out of my town.”

The sound of the phone being ripped from Talbot’s hand was followed by Arman’s voice.

“So let him go?”

I nodded to myself in the back of the cab while responding to the Russian.

“Yeah, let him go Arman, but kick the shit out of him before you do it.”

Although I couldn’t see the Russian’s wide, enthusiastic smile, I pictured it perfectly in my head.  He would be more than happy to put a hurt on Talbot.

“You got it Frank.”

The call ended and I looked up to see the cab driver glancing nervously back at me from the rear view mirror.  He was dark skinned, with thinning grey hair, likely Pakistani, and his now wide eyes continued to glance back at me as the cab made its way toward my apartment.

“Hey buddy, how about some music back here?  And not any of that regular cab music shit you guys play.  It’s been one hell of a few days.”

The driver’s fingers scrambled nervously over the stereo controls.  I smiled and shook my head in disbelief as the sound of Sinatra singing of Bonita filled the cab’s interior, while outside, it started to snow.

END.

FRANK
BENNINGTON WILL RETURN IN:

BENNINGTON P.I. 

Take two and call me in the m
orgue

COMING FEBRUARY, 2014
!

EXCERPT:

Dedra was staring at me again, likely wondering if I was up to the task of another assignment.  Actually, this would be my first full assignment with the T3 Group.  Walter, who was now dead, had done most the heavy lifting the last time.

“I’m good to go Dedra.  No need to worry.  Now what’s this about?”

Dedra glanced around the room, her eyes pausing for a brief moment on the two older men who sat at the bar, and a younger couple who sat at a table eating breakfast some twenty feet from us.

“What do you know about the Food and Drug Administration here in D.C. Mr. Bennington?”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, still trying to quiet the thunder in my skull.

“Powerful, mean sons-a-bitches.  Most of the politicians are scared to death of that agency and their relationships with the very deep pockets of the drug and healthcare industry.  There’s no cure for dead.  Everybody’s gonna get sick and everybody’s gonna die.  Lots of money to be made off that undeniable fact.”

Dedra continued.

“Do you have any contacts associated with the organization?”

I focused on who I might know with ties to the FDA.

Bruce Morehouse. 

That was a name I hadn’t thought of in nearly ten years.  I wasn’t even sure he was still working for the drug industry lobby.  In the 80’s and 90’s, Bruce Morehouse was the most consistent and influential link between the drug corporations, D.C. politicians, and the Food and Drug Administration.  The guy had made millions, and likely spent tens of millions more from the people he represented, buying up influence and votes when and where it was needed.

“Yeah, I might know someone.  Why?”

Again Dedra’s eyes scanned the room before answering.

“There is pending legislation in the House regarding fast-tracking FDA approval for newly developed cancer drugs.  Congresswoman Mears is a co-sponsor of the bill.  We’re having a terrible time gaining support within the House Subcommittee on Health.  The entire bill is going to be killed unless we can gain some traction.”

Reg delivered my eggs and coffee, pausing at the table to smile down at Dedra.

“Can I get you anything ma’am?”

I noted a twinge of jealousy as Dedra looked up at Reg’s tall, athletic form and smiled back.

“No thank you.”

Reg squeezed my left shoulder with his right hand while nodding at Dedra.

“Ok then, I’ll just leave you with my boy Frank here.  You change your mind, just let me know.”

Dedra’s eyes followed Reg’s departure for a brief second before looking back at me.

“So Mr. Bennington, the legislation is stuck in committee, and we need ideas, information, anything to help us push it through to an actual vote.”

I sat eating my eggs, not responding to Dedra’s explanation.  Frankly, it didn’t sound like much of an assignment. 

“Did you hear me Mr. Bennington?”

I stopped chewing long enough to wash down a delicious mouthful of soft poached eggs, English muffin, and rich, creamy Hollandaise sauce. 

“Yeah, I heard you.  What I didn’t hear is anything that involves my services.  I don’t work in Congress anymore – you know that.  So if the congresswoman has some piece of legislation stuck in committee, I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

Dedra straightened in her chair as her eyes flashed a brief signal of frustration with my less than enthusiastic response.

“We believe there are certain forces within the FDA responsible for the committee’s push back on this Mr. Bennington.  It is our hope you have the contacts to find out if that belief is in fact true or not, so that we can then plan, and act, accordingly.”

I knew Dedra was holding out on me.  There was more to this than just some bit of legislation stuck in congressional purgatory.

“So is this a T3 assignment, or something specific to just the congresswoman?”

Dedra’s hands folded tightly atop the table as she leaned forward slightly, her voice a barely audible whisper.

“Both, Mr. Bennington, and we need your help.”

I took another sip of coffee and felt my eyes narrow as I stared back at Dedra.

“I do know somebody with connections to the FDA.   That said, before I go looking them up, I need to know how this involves the congresswoman.  Your tone…you seem almost rattled.  So spill it – what’s this really about?”

Dedra was staring at the two older men still sitting at the bar.  She was nervous, and that made me nervous, because Dedra Donnigan was a woman who had been to war and back, a journey that had left remnants of her body and soul spread across the sands of Iraq, so whatever it was that had her jumping out of her skin was enough to put me on edge as well.

“You ok Dedra?  Something about those two guys over there you don’t like?”

Dedra lowered both her voice and her head as she replied.

“You come in here a lot, right Mr. Bennington?”

I nodded, watching Dedra stare at the two men at the bar.

“Yeah, several times a week.” 

“And have you ever seen those two men in here before today?”

I turned around slowly to glance toward the bar and then looked back at Dedra.

“No, but there’s a hotel upstairs. Those guys could be anybody, tourists, businessmen, whatever. Why are you so uptight?” 

The left side of Dedra’s face, the only side that could still form expressions, gave a brief smile as her shoulders shrugged.

“I felt like I was followed here today.  Let’s just say there are people who don’t want the FDA fast-track legislation being passed.  Anyways, back to the assignment Mr. Bennington.  Could you utilize this source of yours to try and find out who is specifically blocking us in committee?  And not just the members of the committee, but the money behind them.  We need to know who, or what, is putting up the opposition.”