I sat down on a stool across from her. "It was Brewer and Mason and Rose who were pulling that scam off. Not me. I didn't know about it until the night before I shipped out of Pearl. Mason got all liquored up and babbled on about it. I thought it was just all bullshit until now." Reggie let out a sigh. "I always thought Rose was into something a lot deeper than working for a call girl service. She was a sweet girl really. Just real mixed up." "What do you think happened to her?" "Her last known whereabouts was supposedly at the house of an admiral in Pearl. He denied everything and his alibi checked out. It's been too many years. Nothing will come of it." Reggie stared deeply into my eyes. "But I'm telling you straight right now. Whoever has that photo album, if it does exist, is in very serious danger. There are people in our government who are willing to kill to get their hands on it. Things have changed since 9/11."
"I don't have it if that's what you're here for.
Anyway, people working for the government are the
last people that I'm going to lose sleep over. You
could say that I have a much more hardcore bunch
who would like stumble on to my ass these days. If
they found me a prison cell would be a cakewalk
compared to what these assholes would do to me."
She paused for several seconds and then
took a deep breath. "Did you really kill those two
people after you broke out of that security
hospital?"
I walked over to the cooler and grabbed two
beers and handed one to her. "So you do know. I
guess your agency does have big ears. Doesn't it?" I
sat back down across from her. "I had to or I was
one dead motherfucker. It was just one bad thing
after another in my life that started when I was
barely out of high school and led me to that
moment. A fucking nightmare."
She nodded her head. "la Favor."
I gave a short laugh. "I forgot I told you
about him. I guess I never could keep my mouth
shut once I climbed into your bed. You sure could
work your magic."
"Did you really walk away from that trailer
with 150,000 dollars in cash?"
"150 large? Is that what they said? Hell no!
It was closer to 200 grand. It was so heavy I could
hardly carry the bag into the airport. Whoever said
150 either couldn't count or they had been
skimming on the cut."
Reggie's face turned serious. "Those Nazis
still have a contract out on your ass! Still, after all
these years. That's what Brewer's game was.
Through all his Internet research, prison ties, and
government flunkies and informants he was talking
to, he devised a plan. He'd get the Feds interested in
the old NIS murder and grease the wheels with that
idea about the photo album and they'd track you
down. Once you were in custody and inside a
federal prison you'd be an open target for the AB or
the Nazis. Our intelligence reported that he was in
almost constant contact with them about you. And
then he'd collect the reward. It's nothing to sneeze
at. A quarter of a million is a shitload of money,
especially for a scumbag like Brewer. I just don't
think he realized how dangerous a game he was
playing."
"Who killed Brewer. The Feds, the
skinheads, who?"
She took a sip of beer and looked out the
window. "I really don't know. Brewer was piece of
shit. No one is crying in their beer that's he's dead,
that's for damn sure. The world is better off without
him."
I didn't want to ask the next question. "Then
why are you here? Don't even tell me that you're
here to catch some sun and relax. That this meeting
is just a coincidence."
She didn't answer. Just kept sitting there
looking out the window. I slipped my shirt over my
head. "Look at this." She turned and looked at the
tattoo over my heart. "You broke my fucking heart
the day I saw you in that courtroom. I've never
gotten over you, that's a goddamn fact. But if you're
here to arrest me or shoot me, either way, let's get
this shit over with. I'm getting to old to keep on
running."