Stroke of Genius (Archie Lemons #3)

  "Elise!"

  "Hold on." She finished her first call then walked back over to me. "What?"

  "We so stoopit, we have this asshole's cell number. The odds are pretty goddamn good he's got a smartphone for all his business dealings."

  "Oh shit. We can totally track him. Call him and get his connection."

  I dialed his phone number. When he picked up, I talked as if our signal was bad then hung up. Our hope was to get him to call us back. It worked. The call came in a few second later. I picked up and told him sorry for bothering him. I had simply dialed the wrong number. He voice was calm and collected. There were noises in the background. He was somewhere with a large crowd of people. I hung up and tossed my phone on the desk. "Got it!"

  Elise got up and dug through my bag, retrieving my iPad. Every phone number has a code, and that code can be obtained, if you know how, every time someone places a call to you. It's illegal but at this point I wasn't very worried about it. This code could be used to hack into mobile tracking devices and used to monitor the movements of someone without their knowledge. It’s a lot easier to do, and legal, when you own both phones and simply want to keep close tabs on your children or whatnot. It proved to be much more difficult and outside the law when you hacked someone without their knowledge. That's what we would be doing now. Nobody had to know. My ethics had dropped pretty low lately, but for a rapist, a possible multi-offending rapist, my ethics reached the nether regions of the planet. Fuck this guy.

  I turned the iPad on and linked it with my phone with Fatty's connection code. After a few minutes of snooping around, I noticed he didn't even have a Mobile-Me account. This would be easier than I thought. All I had to do was set up an account for him and turn on his Find My Phone feature. I had all the information I needed after a quick background check Elise conducted on the MacBook. After the account was set up, I clicked on Locate. A GPS map popped up on the screen and dropped a pin up north about four hundred and fifty miles away, in Reno.

  Map Quest told us it would take around eight hours. Elise checked her watch, deciding it was early enough. "Pack it up, Stud, and let’s move it out!"

  "All our equipment is already in the car."

  "Gun?"

  "Oh, I never leave home without that, anymore."

  "Good. I'll go get our clothes and meet you back down here in ten minutes."

  "Good luck in the elevator."

  "I'm not the weirdo in this duo, remember?"

  29.

  We stopped at a gas station on the edge of town, filled the tank on the company card and picked up plenty of caffeine and snacks. It was going to be a long drive. A long and boring drive, actually.

  We got into Reno a little before 8pm, less than seven hours after we left. The town wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It had vague similarities to Vegas, but was actually quite different. I haven't been here in twenty five years when my dad toted me along with him for some random, distant family member's wedding. We parked in a hotel's parking lot and got our bearings. I needed a Wi-Fi signal so we ended up driving to a Starbucks and sitting inside with our laptop and iPad like a couple of shaggy-haired, broke-ass hipsters.

  We located Larry. He was less than a mile away. The map had him pinpointed almost exactly.

  "Well, what's the final plan here?" Elise asked. We had discussed several during the long car ride up. Elise had also placed a call back to the Myra Hotel and left a message for Mulroney. We still hadn't gotten through to Detective Howard, either. Elise had left him a message before we left and two more during the drive, but he had yet to return them. Common sense would have told us to wait and let the police deal with this, but I told common sense to go fuck itself. We had a dirty rapist to catch.

  "We need his DNA. I don't care how we do it but we just need a sample of it."

  "Well, let's just find him and follow him around. He'll have to leave a few strands behind eventually. If that doesn't work, just run up to him and rip out some of his hair."

  "Yeah, I'd like to not be killed, thanks. We'll save that as a last resort."

  "Agreed. Let's go."

  We packed up our stuff and left the Hipster's Paradise. We followed Larry's marking on our map to Reno Heights Hotel and Casino. We parked and went inside. I was holding my iPad, keeping tabs on the blinking blue dot of Larry. I added our location to help us. We were the solid red dot. And we were close. We followed the screen for less than a minute before I spotted him at a blackjack table. He was wearing a flannel shirt and a baseball cap. If we could snatch that hat it would surely have a few hairs in it.

  "That's him," I said as I pointed him out to Elise.

  "Holy shit." She moved in front of me, stopping my forward progression and faced me. "Archie, let's just shoot the fucker."

  "Yeah, that’s a hell of a plan. Walk into a crowded casino and open fire. You feel free. I'll stand here and watch."

  "Argh! Fine. What now?"

  "I'm going to sit at his table, get a feel for him."

  "Seriously?"

  "Yeah, why not. It’s worth a try. Can you extract DNA from a cup someone drinks out of?"

  "How should I know? You're the expert!"

  "Google it and text me. Here, take this." I handed her the iPad and my bag full o' gadgets. "Go find somewhere close to sit and watch."

  "Ay yi."

  I began walking through the small crowd of people loitering around the casino floor. I took a seat directly next to Larry. "Hey hey, how’s the table treatin' ya?" I asked.

  "It's been rough," Larry answered. I recognized his voice from the phone. He still had that easy demeanor to him. Thinking of what he was capable of sent chills down my back.

  "That's okay. I like it rough." (What the hell was that, Lemons! He's going to think you're hitting on him! stupidstupidstupid!)

 

  "Right. Well, good to know. Are you going to join in or just sit there?"

  "I'll join." I had forgotten to lay some cash on the table. Good thing I still had plenty left over from Vegas. I pulled out two hundred dollar bills and threw them on the felt. The dealer, whose name tag identified her as Georgia, pushed me a stack of chips and I put out a twenty dollar bet. The dealer got blackjack. Of course. I had no idea what to say to a rapist, so I just winged it. I turned to him and said, "Fuckin women. Am I right?"

  "Ha. Yeah."

  “Georgia, you are NOT on my mind!”

  Georgia gave us a well-warranted dirty look as I pressed on with Hairy Larry. "Hey, what do you do when your dishwasher stops working?"

  He gave me a puzzled look and asked, "What?"

  "Your dishwasher. What do you do when your dishwasher stops working?"

  "Um. I have no idea."

  "You punch her in the face!"

  This actually caused him to laugh a little and got me another fuck-you look from the dealer. I set out another twenty dollar bet. The dealer got blackjack again. "Good god, are you fucking kidding me?" I asked her.

  "Sir, watch the language," she instructed.

  "I think you're bad luck," Larry said to me.

  "Meh, what can you do." I put down another bet. "Hey, what do you tell a woman with two black eyes?"

  "I don't know," he sighed. "What do you tell a woman with two black eyes?"

  "Nothing, she's already been told twice!" I held up both my fists to add a little emphasis. This one didn't get a laugh, although I did get another fuck-you look. That's three in like a minute, that’s got to be some sort of a record. Elise must have noticed my struggles and decided to put me out of my misery. She came over to the table and took a seat on the other side of Larry and greeted us both. Larry gave her a friendly greeting in return and I was assuming that Elise just pulled an audible. I had failed and now I should retreat. I grabbed my chips and stood up, excusing myself from the table.

  I sat at a slot machine and watched Elise cast her spell over Larry. I could only imagine how disgusted she was, but s
he is a trooper and will always get the job done. Twenty minutes later she stood up from the table and walked away, signaling towards me to meet her around back. I watched her leave then watched Larry watch her leave. This was a good sign. I stood up and walked outside once Larry's attention was back on the game. Elise was waiting for me.

  "So?" I asked.

  "Well, I flirted the shit out of him."

  "Yeah, and?"

  "Then I shot him down."

  "What? Why?"

  "Because, he's a rapist. Don't we want to catch him in the act of attempting to rape someone? Wouldn't that make it a lot easier on us?"

  "What are you...wait. No way, Elise! I'm not letting you set yourself up something like this. No way, out of the question."

  "The gauntlet has been thrown, my friend. We need a new plan."

 

  "No, we do not need a new plan. I would rather walk away and go home and forget about this whole fucked up case than put you in harm's way again! No way no how!"

  "Not a chance. We can do this! He's interested! I know he is. I mean, come on, how could he not be?" She smiled at her own witty remark of false modesty. Or whatever you would call that.

  "Elise, no way we are-"

  She cut me off, "We're doing this, Archie. There is no way I'm letting this bag of shit get away with what he did to that girl. And who knows how many other girls he's harmed."

  There was no winning the argument. She was right, too which just annoyed me even more. Neither of us could live with ourselves if we walked away now. We needed a plan.

  "Here, you have all your stuff in the car. All you have to do is wire me up. That way we can communicate. I'll strut myself around, making sure he sees me, you can track both of us. You still have him on the map and I'll take your phone. You can watch the screen and know right where we both are so there will be no surprises. In the very least I'll grab a chunk of his hair and you can frighten him away. Say I was attacked and even have some DNA. It will work. I promise."

  "Fine. Let's go get you wired. I really don't want to do this, though. I'm unreliable and...weak...and I don't- Christ, I'm about to have a panic attack just thinking about this. I don't think-"

  "Archie. You are not weak. And neither am I. I'm a lot stronger than you think. I'm going to do this. Okay?" She leaned in and gave me kiss on the cheek and I was all hers. We walked back to the car and got the communications devices. We put a small speaker into Elise's ear and an even smaller speaker taped to her shoulder under her sleeve. I held a small walkie-talkie-like receiver that easily picked Elise’s voice, even in a whisper. I went to the front of the car, out of earshot, and tested the equipment. Everything seemed to be working. Now she just had to get inside before Larry's dot starting moving and risk him seeing us together. I handed her my phone and told her to be careful. I dug out my gun from the back of the car and tucked it into the back of my shorts. Elise jogged back into the casino as I monitored her on the iPad screen. Larry was still in his same spot. I walked back inside and sat at a table in a little cafe area, pretending to work. I ordered a water. The only visuals I had on both of them were their dots. My stomach began to feel uneasy. I had a really bad feeling about this. I tried talking to Elise, just to test the equipment again. No response. Fucking great, it’s not working. I began to sweat even though I wasn't warm. A surefire sign of an impending panic attack.

  I shut my eyes tightly and tried to calm my breathing. I braced myself on the table and scooted my chair back to give myself a little room. I was nervous for Elise. I hated this. I promised to never put her in harm’s way, but here we are again, for the second time where I have broken my promise. Circles of light formed on the inside of my eyelids and terrifying silence overtook all forms of sound in the room, leaving me completely alone. After a few minutes sounds eventually returned to me, like someone slowly turning up the volume on a muted television. I took a drink of my water and waited out the rest of attack. When it finally passed I looked at the iPad and noticed Larry's blue dot coming up fast on Elise's red.

  30.

  Larry's desires were overtaking him. He had made small talk with an attractive woman at the blackjack table. He had even tried to ask her for a drink. An offer she rejected. This enraged him. He tried to do it the correct way and it got him nowhere. No matter, though. The sex was only part of the thrill. The rest came from the violence. The empowering feeling of dominance.

  He continued sitting at the table playing blackjack, absentmindedly hitting or standing strictly according to the book. His thrills were not gained from gambling. He weighed his risks. He had never before been seen with one of his subjects before capturing her, but then again, she had approached him and simply played a few hands. If any questions were brought up, even the dealer would say she heard Larry ask her for a drink and her decline. He would stay at the table long enough after her departure to clear any suspicion. Besides, he had only about three hours’ worth of business to do tomorrow then he was catching a plane out of this shit hole. Would the woman even be found by then?

  A thought occurred to him. He remembered his last encounter when he choked the life from that man. Now that was an empowering feeling. Taking the life of someone with your own, bare hands. He mulled over the prospects of such a decision. That would be a sure fire way of keeping his victims from talking. It would also almost guarantee that he would be long out of town by the time her body was discovered. Yes, he thought, this would definitely be a very real possibility.

  He pushed the rest of his chips in the betting circle and took his cards. He hit until he busted then stood up from the table. He had a woman to find.

  He walked into the men's restroom and emerged two minutes later, eager to stalk his prey. The piece of shit casino they had put him up in, (one of the worst hotels his company had ever placed him,) was uncrowded. And rightfully so. They have some nerve even calling this a hotel, he thought, as it's obviously just a motel with a casino. He continued surveying the floor and spotted her in the corner by an exit. He walked slowly towards her and watched as she opened the door and stepped out back towards the pool area.

  "Archie, Archie, are you with me?" Elise whispered in the direction of her mic. She got no response. "Archie, can you hear me? I'm going to step outside and make sure this thing is working. Can you hear me? I'm out here by the pool. It's totally deserted." She waited a few seconds more then decided to walk around to the front of the casino and re-enter through there, hoping to avoid being seen by Larry and risk being followed to Archie. "Okay, I'm coming around to see you. I don't think it is working."

  Larry slowly opened the door, taking one last look around the casino to see if he was being watched. He was in the clear and stepped out into the freezing night's air. Up ahead he could see his subject walking through the darkness. He quickly surveyed the area, noticing a stairwell coming up on her left. He took off at a sprint towards her. She never heard him coming. He grabbed a handful of her dark black hair, snapped her head back quickly then smashed it into the stucco of the wall next to them, leaving behind little droplets of blood. He pulled her hair backwards and she fell right into his arms. He slung her over his shoulder and headed up the stairs.

  His rental car was parked around front and it would be far too risky to chance it by walking with the girl. He needed his suitcase. She looked like she would fit. A bulge wouldn't matter, it was dark out and no one would pay attention.

  He took the stairs to the third floor and entered his room, dropping Elise on the floor with disregard. She moaned a little when she hit the ground then quickly slipped back into darkness. Larry watched her.

  When she was still again, Larry opened his suitcase, removed his clothes and put the empty case on the floor. He rolled Elise over the bag then proceeded to fold her contorting her to the dimensions of it. She was a little taller than the usual subjects and it took few hard tugs on the zipper to get it fully closed, but it worked. He walked to the table and grabbed his
knife. His heart was pounding with anticipation.

  31.

  "Call 9-1-1!" I yelled to the woman behind the cafe counter. She gave me a snotty, confused look. "Call the fucking cops! Now!" I grabbed my iPad and walkie and ran through the casino following the two dots that were now right on top of each other. When I reached the end of the room I stopped to look around. The GPS said I should have been right on them, but at this close of range, the accuracy is hard to pinpoint. I looked around some more with no luck then realized she must be outside. The walkie finally crackled to life and I heard a small moan followed by deathly, horrifying silence. I ran out the side exit and began yelling her name. More heartbreaking silence. I withdrew the gun from my waistband.

  The bottom floor of the hotel was all casino so I took the stairs up to the second floor, walking slowly, listening for even the slightest of sound. Again, nothing. The two dots still on top of each other. I had to be close. I should have been right next to them; I just had no way of knowing which floor they were on. I headed up one more flight, iPad in one hand, gun in the other.