The Outsider (James Bishop 4) (30 page)

‘Talk when the boss asks you something,’ Geraldo said. ‘Not before.’

‘Why, what’s he afraid of?’

Bishop expected more pain for that one, but the man on the screen said, ‘Wait, let him speak. Señor, you are either very brave or very stupid. Which is it?’

‘Since I’ve got four guns aimed at my head, probably the second one.’ Bishop sat up again. ‘You are
the
Rafael Guzman, I take it?’

‘You have heard of me?’

‘Word gets around, Señor Guzman, even in my circles. I have to say I’m curious as to how you even knew about this place.’

Guzman smiled. ‘Curiosity. Now that is a quality I value. It is because I am
also
a curious man that I have remained in my current position for so long, while the more ignorant have fallen by the wayside, bleeding, often begging for their lives. Do you understand?’

‘Sure. Information is power, especially in your business.’

‘Exactly. And over the years I have collected a great deal of information on associates and competitors, as well as people close to them. I believe you can never know too much about anybody. As for Señor Strickland here, a few years back I simply had one of my people compile a complete dossier on him, just as I have done with many others in Hartnell’s employ. Such a simple little strategy, yet you would be amazed at the kind of results it can produce. I am surprised those in my position don’t do it more.’

‘Maybe they don’t have your kind of unlimited manpower.’

Guzman tilted his head as though this thought had never occurred to him, although Bishop was sure it had. ‘Perhaps. In any event, I soon learned of this long-term friendship with his little friend from high school and filed the information away for possible future use. Once I learned of Strickland’s escape with you yesterday I decided to post some of my men at that apartment in case he decided to drop by. It seems my instincts were correct. And now you will answer some questions for me.’

‘Seems only fair,’ Bishop said.

‘Firstly, am I correct in assuming your name is James Bishop?’

Bishop frowned. ‘How’d you know that?’

‘My sources are everywhere. Now why
did
you come to this apartment, Señor Bishop?’

‘We’re running low on gas, Strickland and I don’t have any money, and Clea here’s down to her last twenty. And we can’t use her credit cards for obvious reasons. So Strickland told me about this old pal of his and said he might be able to supply us with enough to send us on our way. Instead, we ran into your boys here.’

Guzman was silent for a few moments, thinking. Then he said. ‘Next question. From the photo I saw on the news, it appeared as though Strickland’s son also escaped with you, yes?’

‘That’s right.’

‘So where is he?’

‘He’s currently in the hands of your business partner, Felix Hartnell.’

Guzman sighed. ‘Geraldo.
Barriga
.’

‘Yes, boss.’ Geraldo got up, took a few steps towards Bishop and kicked him in the belly with everything he had.

It felt like somebody had just pitched a four-seam fastball straight at him. Bishop let out a whoosh of air and doubled over at the sudden flaring agony, clamping both arms around what was left of his stomach. He wheezed and hacked as he tried to take in more oxygen, and it took him about thirty seconds before the pain lessened enough that he was able to breathe more like a human being.

Clea was looking at him with wide eyes. He shook his head at her, hoping she wouldn’t ask if he was all right. She was supposed to be their unwilling hostage. He looked up and saw Geraldo had already sat back down and was watching the laptop screen, where Guzman was watching the scene with mild interest.

‘Listen to me very carefully, Señor Bishop,’ he said. ‘I do not have, and never have had, a business partner of any kind. I have only associates with whom I do business, that is all. Do you understand the difference?’

‘I do now,’ Bishop said, wincing. ‘You make your point very convincingly.’

‘I find it saves time. Now you were saying, about the boy …’

Bishop took a few more deep breaths, and when he felt he was more in control of himself he said, ‘Two of Hartnell’s men ambushed the three of us yesterday morning outside Vegas. There was gunfire, Strickland’s son panicked in the confusion and they grabbed him and took off. Later on, Hartnell’s man – Callaway – called and said the boy dies unless we get to Ohio by tomorrow before dawn and hand Strickland over instead.’

Guzman raised a single eyebrow. ‘Ah, things begin to fall into place now. And if you go to the police …?’

‘Hartnell will find out, and he’ll kill the boy. He’ll probably wait until the trial’s dismissed, but he’ll still do it. There’s no reason for him not to.’

Guzman nodded. ‘Yes, of course he will. But I still do not understand. You are clearly not a member of the law enforcement community, so why does any of this concern you?’

‘I made a promise that I’d keep the boy safe.’

‘I see. And do you always keep your promises?’

‘If I can. It’s what separates us from the animals, after all.’

Guzman nodded in approval. ‘We have something in common then.’

‘In that case, you mind if I ask you another question? Or do I risk getting another kick in the stomach?’

Guzman’s smile returned. He seemed to be enjoying himself. ‘Everything in life is a risk, as you know. Ask your question.’

‘Well, it’s pretty obvious why Hartnell wants Strickland, but I don’t get
your
interest in him. Mind enlightening me?’

Guzman tilted his head a little. ‘It is very simple. Hartnell is an important business associate of mine. If he is convicted my organization will be forced to seek other outlets for its product. That takes much time and effort. Also, buyers for my product are often unreliable when it comes to payment. In my business, I stick to what works and make changes only if I have no other choice. And the system Hartnell and I have developed over the years works. Also, with Strickland now in my possession, my negotiating power with Hartnell instantly increases by the power of ten. So as you can see, by keeping Hartnell out of jail I am simply looking out for my best interests. And all with the very minimum of effort.

‘Unfortunately for you,’ he continued, ‘my interest is
only
in Strickland here. I have enjoyed this chat, but I’m afraid you and the woman are now surplus to requirements.’

Geraldo slowly got to his feet and said, ‘Orders, boss?’

‘Yes,’ Guzman said. ‘Finish them both.’

Clea began to cry. Strickland kept his gaze on the floor and said nothing. Bishop thought furiously as he watched Geraldo take the huge Desert Eagle from under his jacket and pull back the slide. The noise echoed loudly throughout the room. Bishop knew they only had seconds left, but he also knew there had to be a way out of this.
Had
to be.

He quickly went over the main parts of the conversation in the diner this morning, when Strickland had been talking about Guzman, and decided there
was
a possibility there. Just a very tiny spark of something, but would it be enough?

‘Please,’ Clea said, wrapping her arms round herself. ‘I’ve done nothing to you people. God, I just work in a
shop
.’

‘It was just your bad luck to get involved, lady,’ Geraldo said. ‘But I’ll make it quick.’ He slowly raised the gun and aimed it at her head.

‘Don’t we get a last request?’ Bishop said.

‘Wait, Geraldo,’ Guzman said, holding up a hand. Geraldo lowered the gun. ‘And what do you want, Señor Bishop? A cigarette, maybe? A shot of whiskey? What?’

‘Just some answers to a few questions.’

Guzman frowned. ‘And what difference will the answers make to you, knowing what will happen afterwards?’

‘Maybe no difference at all, but I think I can offer you some food for thought. Why not indulge me? Other than a few minutes of your time, what have you got to lose?’

After a short pause, Guzman said, ‘Very well. Talk.’

‘Okay, you said you’re doing all this to protect your business interests, to keep the whole operation running smoothly, as well as to increase your bargaining power with Hartnell. But that’s not the
only
reason, is it?’

Guzman raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that a question?’

‘Just a rhetorical one. The thing is, I know the media paint all you cartel boys as bloodthirsty psychos and maybe a good percentage of you are, but I’ve also met enough of your countrymen to know personal debts carry a lot of weight in your part of the world. You people are big believers in honour and paying off obligations, all that stuff. Which is something I can relate to.’

‘So?’

‘So, it’s my opinion that there’s also a personal element to your involvement here, over and above the business reasons. To be more specific, I think you’re doing all this as a way to pay off an old obligation to Hartnell.’

Silence from Guzman, whose face remained impassive. Geraldo was looking at Bishop open-mouthed, as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. The other three guards just stood still, mutely watching everything, waiting for the word.

Finally, Guzman said, ‘Go on.’

Bishop continued, choosing his words with great care. ‘Okay. Now Strickland told me about how a rival cartel grabbed your sister a decade ago, and what they did to her. He also told me how Hartnell helped you track her down. And when that ended badly, how he then brought those responsible right to your door so you could deal with them in your own way. Have I got the general gist of things or am I totally off the mark?’

Guzman’s eyes were now two dark marbles. ‘I’m still listening.’

‘Now the way I figure it, an act like that from a business associate would surely leave a large impression on an honourable man. And it’s just possible that if the opportunity ever presented itself, this man would then want to try and pay that associate back in kind. If he could.’

‘Such as handing him the source of all his current troubles, for example?’

‘It’s possible, don’t you think?’

‘I think you are seriously mistaken if you believe there is room for
any
kind of sentiment in my business. And even if you
were
right, what is your point?’

‘My point is, if that is the case then I think you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, because I don’t think you actually owe Hartnell any favours at all. In fact, I think Hartnell knew a hell of a lot more about your sister’s initial kidnapping than he claimed.’

There was silence in the room. Everybody waited to see how Guzman would react, Bishop most of all.

After a few moments, Guzman said, ‘You will now explain yourself, Señor Bishop. And if I suspect that you are wasting time in order to delay the inevitable for a few extra seconds, then I will make sure your death is very slow and very, very painful.’

Bishop tried not to think about that part. He went on, ‘Okay, do you remember an accountant of Hartnell’s called Paul Mechner? He left under a cloud about ten years ago.’

Guzman frowned. ‘Mechner. Yes, I remember this name. According to my informants he stole some money from Hartnell and then tried to disappear.’

‘That’s him. And the way he tried to disappear was by arranging new identities for himself and his wife. So, conscious of the fact that Hartnell would undoubtedly be scouring the earth for him, Mechner decided to approach the country’s number one private security company, RoyseCorp, to keep them safe while they waited for the finished documents. And if you know as much about me as I think you do, then you’ll know I worked for RoyseCorp around that time.’

Guzman nodded. ‘Yes, I know this. And you were part of his protection team?’

‘I was in charge of it. And over the following weeks I got to know Mechner pretty well, and one time he let slip that he had something on his old employer that if it ever got out would cause serious trouble for the man. And not legal trouble, either.’

‘What, then?’ Guzman said.

‘He told me it was an audio cassette tape,’ Bishop said, ‘and that on this tape, Hartnell was boasting about how he manipulated his business partner over a personal matter. He also said this tape was safely locked away and he’d use it only as a last resort. Now after Hartnell found us and made a failed attempt on Mechner’s life I managed to convince him to forget about running and go to the feds instead, which he did. Yet Hartnell still got to him somehow, and so it appeared that Mechner’s secret tape ultimately died with him.’

Guzman shrugged. ‘All very interesting, but what is this to me?’

Bishop swallowed. This was it. The moment of truth. Except this part was all a bluff, based on a throwaway comment by a dead man ten years ago. Still, Mechner wouldn’t have mentioned it if it hadn’t existed. He had an accountant’s logical mind, and wasn’t prone to flights of the imagination. But none of it changed the fact that Bishop was grasping at straws here. If he blew it now they’d all be dead, without question.

‘I don’t think Mechner’s secret
did
die with him,’ he said. ‘I think whatever he had on Hartnell is still out there, and moreover I think it relates directly to you and your sister.’

Guzman pursed his lips. ‘You are implying Hartnell had something to do with Luiza being taken from my compound?’

‘That’s what I’m implying. I mean, I don’t know too many of the details, but when Strickland told me about it, it did strike me as odd that Hartnell could send a bunch of his own people down to Mexico and then
some
how they manage to find Luiza’s location. Whereas you know the country back to front and yet you couldn’t find one clue as to her whereabouts. I mean, what are the chances?’

Guzman gave a patient smile, as though Bishop were a child. ‘Do you not think that this thought occurred to me also? I am a suspicious man, Señor Bishop, and I had the same doubts concerning Hartnell’s motives, but I conducted my own long investigation into the matter and finally came away satisfied. And I am not an easily satisfied man. As you say, you do not know all of the details, but I can tell you that Hartnell’s men were only
partially
responsible for locating Luiza. Besides, they were all working under my direct supervision anyway.’