They met at a roadside turnoff six miles from the entrance to Bruce Andrews’s estate. It was getting on toward late afternoon on Sunday, and traffic on the secondary road was slightly higher than usual, many motorists heading back into Richmond after a weekend in the country. Trucks and cars whizzed by, unaware of who was meeting at the rest stop or why. Had they known, most would have taken more than just a passing interest in the conversation.
“How did Buchanan get to Richmond?” Bruce Andrews asked the other man as they walked slowly through the deserted parking lot.
“As I suspected, he chartered a plane, a Lear 31A. He paid up front for three days but called as the deadline was approaching and paid for another week. Obviously, he wants air transportation nearby and ready in case he needs it.”
“Where did the call to extend the charter on the plane come from?”
“Somewhere in Richmond. They’re not sure.”
“What about call display? The charter company doesn’t subscribe to it?” Andrews asked.
“Yes, they do. But Buchanan called from a pay phone. Somewhere in northwest Richmond. He probably traveled a ways from wherever he’s staying just to use the phone. For a rank amateur, this guy is no dummy.”
A cloud drifted across the sun’s path and the ground darkened with its arrival. The intense heat diminished and a cool breeze accompanied the respite. Both men were dressed in khakis and short-sleeved shirts, and the shade felt good. Another car pulled into the rest area and stopped a hundred feet farther along the parking lot. Well out of earshot. Three kids piled out of the car and made a beeline for the grassy expanse bordering the parking lot. The parents walked slowly to one of the seven anchored picnic tables and sat down, the father lighting a cigarette and watching the kids as they played.
“Everything else okay?” Andrews asked.
“Busy but fine. We’re exactly where we want to be.”
“Good. Do you have time to take care of Buchanan if he sticks his head up?”
“I’ll have to. Who else have you got? Ziegler is out of commission.”
A perturbed look crossed Andrews’s face. “That was stupid. You didn’t have to slaughter them. You could have killed them and dumped their bodies in some remote mountain gorge. The local bears and wolves would have picked the bones over long before hikers would have found them. That was really dumb.”
Andrews’s associate didn’t look amused at being chastised. “You take care of things on your end, I’ll take care of things on mine. And if I want to have a little fun while I work, well, so be it.”
“Fun is gutting that woman and slicing the kid’s throat right to the bone? Jesus, you are one sick son of a bitch.”
“Keep that in mind,” he said.
Andrews ignored the remark. He sat on one of the wooden posts that delineated the parking lot from the surrounding grassy area. The father finished his cigarette and returned to the car, the three kids in tow. A puff of exhaust accompanied the ignition’s turning over; a quick flash of the brake lights and the car pulled back into the traffic. The area was deserted again. The cloud passed and the sun returned, its rays hot and unwelcome. “I want them dead,” he said.
“Who? Buchanan and Pearce?”
“Yes.”
“I’m busy, Bruce. I have to be careful right now.”
“That’s fine. Just find them and kill them. But this time, don’t have quite as much fun as you did in Denver. Just find them, kill them, and dump their bodies somewhere remote or anchor them down and sink them under water. Nothing too difficult. Not for someone with your resources.”
“All right. I’ll find them and shut them up. But right now they’re second on the priority list.”
“Of course. Priorities are important right now,” Andrews said. He walked to his car, got in, and adjusted the air-conditioning. The man was irreplaceable. He could never hope to achieve his goals without his help. But to that end, his partner was being paid well. Very well. And that often elicited the highest degree of loyalty. Right now, loyalty was crucial.
He pulled out of the rest stop and headed home. Sunday night. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day. And a very profitable one.