Chapter Forty-Nine
"Look who I found!"
Mick heard Josef's cheerful voice from the doorway of the torn up shed. Where the hell had he been? What, was he just cruising the warehouse district in his limo and happen by?
"Uh, hi, everybody." All eyes went towards him and the speaker flushed.
"Hi, dad."
Jacob sheepishly moved into the doorway, looking to Mick like he had minor scratches and bruises. Of course, the fifth heartbeat. Jacob must have been on the other side of the shed when the blast hit and had been knocked out.
Robert was lying on Beth's lap but when he saw his son he tried to get up. "Jacob. Didn't I tell you to stay put?"
Jacob leapt to help his dad up but it was Josef, after giving Jacob a stern look for disobeying him, who answered, "What and miss all the excitement?"
Ben Talbott heard the voice and looked up. He had a concussion and his head was aching but that voice sounded familiar. He just wasn't able to place it. Certainly he knew that face from newspapers and the internet.
"You're Josef Kostan. I - Have we met before? No? I'm Los Angeles County District Attorney Benjamin Talbott."
"I'd say it's nice to make your acquaintance but under the circumstances ..." Josef gestured around him and then out towards the door. "I think I saw one of your compadres, State A.G. Robert Mercer, outside the building across the road, on the ground." Josef looked disconsolate at the death.
"Mercer? What was he doing here?" Ben walked stiffly outside to investigate.
Beth said, "Nicely done for the time being, but he'll be back ... and this time he'll want answers."
Mick lifted the body of Carl Davis, who had just died from loss of blood. Josef quirked his eyebrow. Mick explained, "Gerald Stovsky fed on him and he just now died. I've done a little knife work to disguise the wound but Beth, did Talbott witness the attack?"
"No, I'm the only one who saw Gerald. Carl had a lead on where you had been taken, Mick, and it brought us here. Gerald must have been on guard and saw us pull up. He acted fast and before we could get out of the car, we just passed out. I came to just before he blindfolded me."
"So he'll have lots of questions but all he needs to know is that the perp - Gerald - is dead." Josef looked at Mick. "What? It wasn't me. Pierre did it."
Beth exclaimed, "Pierre! When did he get involved?"
Josef and Mick heard Ben returning and saying into his cellphone, "We need the coroner here at ... Beth, I can't remember where this place is ...?"
Beth looked at Josef, who answered,
"Ben, I've already made the call to the right people. If you wish to stay, feel free or I will be happy to give you a ride back into town."
"Everyone needs to stay and make statements to the police." Ben looked aggravated when Josef smiled.
"Mick, leave Carl's body for Mr. Talbott here to deal with and then why don't we get everyone loaded up? Time enough tomorrow to get their statements but for now I'm sure Beth is anxious to get back to her baby."
They dropped off Robert with Jacob at a discreet clinic and then got the Mercedes. As they were getting out of the car, Mick had waited long enough for Josef's explanation of what had happened and said,
"Later - at my house - this better be good."
"All in good time, Mick. Go get your baby, get some blood and sleep with your wife. Then we'll talk."
