Road to Heaven
Chapter Fourteen
When Frank came to, he found he was bound, hand and foot, to a chair. His mouth had been taped shut. He looked around, wincing as his head argued with the movement. Over on a bed, near the far wall, lay his brother. He had been tied to the bed and his mouth, too, was covered with tape but Frank sincerely doubted if Joe would have been able to talk even if it weren't. His eyes held a kind of far-away expression and Frank knew Joe was no longer fully aware of what was happening.
Frank had read enough of his father's books to know this was the beginning of an addiction. The heroin transported the user and made him feel as if nothing mattered. This was one of the reasons heroin had obtained Heaven as one of it's street names. The downside came when the user had to keep increasing the dosage to feel the same effect.
As Frank looked at his baby brother, lying helpless in his stupor, he felt a burning rage. Now he understood what had driven Kenny to kill the men responsible for his son's death. And he also understood why the money had been in the trash. Kenny hadn't wanted the money. He had only wanted to hurt these men in the only way they could be hurt. For these men obviously had no scruples and the Paper God was the only thing they cared about.
Frank pulled at his bonds, trying to get enough slack to free himself, but to no avail. Unwilling to admit defeat, he kept at it until the bedroom door opened and in walked Benton, Andrews, and the jeweler, Davenport.
"You should have waited until tonight," Davenport told Frank, removing the tape from his mouth.
"Joe would have been dead," Frank responded, his eyes full of hatred.
"Nonsense!" Davenport declared. "Why, young Joesph is on his way to becoming a client of ours. You, on the otherhand, have seen me. I knew when you came into my shop you had discovered I was in charge of the action on this side of town."
"No," Frank denied with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face. "I had no idea until you told me you had seen Joe and Matthews walking past your window yesterday. Matthews surprised Joe from behind. That means Joe had to of walked past your window by himself."
"I see," Davenport said softly, as he looked over at the bed. "Isn't it time for our young friend's next injection?" he asked Benton.
"Leave him alone!" Frank shouted.
"Tsk, tsk," Davenport told Frank, shaking his head. "If he doesn't get anymore now, he'll probably die. Withdrawal can be a killer, you know," he added, a smile playing around his lips.
'Where are Chet and Biff?' Frank thought wildly as he watched Benton insert the needle into Joe's arm.
Chet and Biff had followed the Subaru at a discreet distance. They had watched as it pulled off the highway and down a side alley several miles from where they had started.Biff stopped the van long enough to let Chet out while he went to park. Chet saw Frank pulled out of the car and carried into a run-down apartment building.
Biff caught up with Chet and they followed Frank and his kidnaper inside the building and up the stairs to an apartment. There they eased the apartment door open, thanking their lucky stars it was left unlocked, and watched as Frank was dropped onto the sofa.
"We got the other Hardy boy," Smyte said. "What are we going to do with him?"
"Mervin called," Benton said. "He wants us to tie him up and keep him with the other one."
"We're letting Hardy have them both?" Smyte demanded.
"Nah," Benton replied. "Only Blondie. By the time Hardy gets him some help it'll be too late. He'll be hooked and he'll be ready to work for us." He paused and looked down at the unconscious youth on the sofa. "This one saw the boss," he said. "He has to die but the boss wants him to suffer first."
"I don't see why Mervin had to have the money back," Smyte complained. "It was only half a million. We make that much in a month. It isn't worth all the trouble the Hardys have caused."
"It's not the money," Andrews explained from the bedroom doorway. "It's the briefcase. There's over ten million dollars of diamonds stashed inside the lining."
Smyte whistled. "And Testerman didn't notice?" he asked in disbelief.
Benton shrugged. "Looks like the dope would bring in enough money, but oh no, HE has to smuggle diamonds too."
"Watch it," Andrews warned him. "Mervin killed his last partner becasue he didn't like the way he petted his dog. Mervin comes off cool, but he's a live wire."
Smyte picked Frank up and carried him into the bedroom. Biff quietly closed the door and he and Chet raced back down the stairs and outside.
"You stay and keep watch," Biff told Chet. "I'm going to find Mr. Hardy," he added, running back to his van.
Chet took a post at the side of a beer joint across the street. When he saw a car pull up which had been parked on Baker's Street just minutes earlier and a gray haired man get out and go in the building, he followed.
Unlike before, Chet could not get the apartment door open. This man had been smart enough to lock it after entering. So he left the building and returned to his post across the street. A few minutes later, Biff pulled up with Mr. Hardy in the passenger seat. He walked over tot he van. Mr. Hardy told Chet the police were closing in as they spoke.
Chet looked around. Apart from a few bums, he didn't see anyone. He looked back to Mr. Hardy who was smiling. "We thought it best if these men didn't see any police until it was too late."
At that point, one of the bums ambled over to the van. "We're in position," he told Fenton. Chet's jaw dropped as he recognized Con Riley.
"Chet, Biff and I are going inside," Fenton told Con. "You can follow, but wait until we get in before you make a move." Con nodded and slowly strolled down the street, coming to a stop near another shabbily dressed man beside the apartment complex's entrance.
Biff and Fenton got out of the van and entered the apartment building. They had almost reached the apartment when they heard the unmistakable voice of Frank screaming, "You killed him!"
Chapter Fourteen
When Frank came to, he found he was bound, hand and foot, to a chair. His mouth had been taped shut. He looked around, wincing as his head argued with the movement. Over on a bed, near the far wall, lay his brother. He had been tied to the bed and his mouth, too, was covered with tape but Frank sincerely doubted if Joe would have been able to talk even if it weren't. His eyes held a kind of far-away expression and Frank knew Joe was no longer fully aware of what was happening.
Frank had read enough of his father's books to know this was the beginning of an addiction. The heroin transported the user and made him feel as if nothing mattered. This was one of the reasons heroin had obtained Heaven as one of it's street names. The downside came when the user had to keep increasing the dosage to feel the same effect.
As Frank looked at his baby brother, lying helpless in his stupor, he felt a burning rage. Now he understood what had driven Kenny to kill the men responsible for his son's death. And he also understood why the money had been in the trash. Kenny hadn't wanted the money. He had only wanted to hurt these men in the only way they could be hurt. For these men obviously had no scruples and the Paper God was the only thing they cared about.
Frank pulled at his bonds, trying to get enough slack to free himself, but to no avail. Unwilling to admit defeat, he kept at it until the bedroom door opened and in walked Benton, Andrews, and the jeweler, Davenport.
"You should have waited until tonight," Davenport told Frank, removing the tape from his mouth.
"Joe would have been dead," Frank responded, his eyes full of hatred.
"Nonsense!" Davenport declared. "Why, young Joesph is on his way to becoming a client of ours. You, on the otherhand, have seen me. I knew when you came into my shop you had discovered I was in charge of the action on this side of town."
"No," Frank denied with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face. "I had no idea until you told me you had seen Joe and Matthews walking past your window yesterday. Matthews surprised Joe from behind. That means Joe had to of walked past your window by himself."
"I see," Davenport said softly, as he looked over at the bed. "Isn't it time for our young friend's next injection?" he asked Benton.
"Leave him alone!" Frank shouted.
"Tsk, tsk," Davenport told Frank, shaking his head. "If he doesn't get anymore now, he'll probably die. Withdrawal can be a killer, you know," he added, a smile playing around his lips.
'Where are Chet and Biff?' Frank thought wildly as he watched Benton insert the needle into Joe's arm.
Chet and Biff had followed the Subaru at a discreet distance. They had watched as it pulled off the highway and down a side alley several miles from where they had started.Biff stopped the van long enough to let Chet out while he went to park. Chet saw Frank pulled out of the car and carried into a run-down apartment building.
Biff caught up with Chet and they followed Frank and his kidnaper inside the building and up the stairs to an apartment. There they eased the apartment door open, thanking their lucky stars it was left unlocked, and watched as Frank was dropped onto the sofa.
"We got the other Hardy boy," Smyte said. "What are we going to do with him?"
"Mervin called," Benton said. "He wants us to tie him up and keep him with the other one."
"We're letting Hardy have them both?" Smyte demanded.
"Nah," Benton replied. "Only Blondie. By the time Hardy gets him some help it'll be too late. He'll be hooked and he'll be ready to work for us." He paused and looked down at the unconscious youth on the sofa. "This one saw the boss," he said. "He has to die but the boss wants him to suffer first."
"I don't see why Mervin had to have the money back," Smyte complained. "It was only half a million. We make that much in a month. It isn't worth all the trouble the Hardys have caused."
"It's not the money," Andrews explained from the bedroom doorway. "It's the briefcase. There's over ten million dollars of diamonds stashed inside the lining."
Smyte whistled. "And Testerman didn't notice?" he asked in disbelief.
Benton shrugged. "Looks like the dope would bring in enough money, but oh no, HE has to smuggle diamonds too."
"Watch it," Andrews warned him. "Mervin killed his last partner becasue he didn't like the way he petted his dog. Mervin comes off cool, but he's a live wire."
Smyte picked Frank up and carried him into the bedroom. Biff quietly closed the door and he and Chet raced back down the stairs and outside.
"You stay and keep watch," Biff told Chet. "I'm going to find Mr. Hardy," he added, running back to his van.
Chet took a post at the side of a beer joint across the street. When he saw a car pull up which had been parked on Baker's Street just minutes earlier and a gray haired man get out and go in the building, he followed.
Unlike before, Chet could not get the apartment door open. This man had been smart enough to lock it after entering. So he left the building and returned to his post across the street. A few minutes later, Biff pulled up with Mr. Hardy in the passenger seat. He walked over tot he van. Mr. Hardy told Chet the police were closing in as they spoke.
Chet looked around. Apart from a few bums, he didn't see anyone. He looked back to Mr. Hardy who was smiling. "We thought it best if these men didn't see any police until it was too late."
At that point, one of the bums ambled over to the van. "We're in position," he told Fenton. Chet's jaw dropped as he recognized Con Riley.
"Chet, Biff and I are going inside," Fenton told Con. "You can follow, but wait until we get in before you make a move." Con nodded and slowly strolled down the street, coming to a stop near another shabbily dressed man beside the apartment complex's entrance.
Biff and Fenton got out of the van and entered the apartment building. They had almost reached the apartment when they heard the unmistakable voice of Frank screaming, "You killed him!"