Three Simple Words - A Finding Sam Novella

Chapter 14

"Why don't you show me exactly which rock your partner moved since you said it was... one per guy?" Dr. Ecklund asked.

"If you think we labeled each rock, then you're crazy, Doc. It's a fucking labyrinth. You pick a rock... a boulder, depending on how you looked at it, and you set it down."

"You got that right, Josh, only this rock's worth a million bucks to me," Douglas said, pointing the gun at Josh. "Now out there–"

"–and move a hundred rocks for you? In this rain?"

One million dollars in hundred dollar bills weighed twenty pounds, give or take, Josh thought, which would have gone into a duffel bag. He couldn't remember if Ray had brought one with him to the casita but it wouldn't have made sense for him to do that, not unless it was in his car. When the rest of the guys left, Ray probably returned and buried it under the labyrinth. The rain would have softened the ground then, when they were moving the rocks around. Still, it was crazy. Hell, the doctor, whoever he was, was crazy.

"Go," Douglas said and Josh knew the man meant business. The doctor's finger was on the trigger.

"Be careful with that, Doc. I'm going to open the door, alright?"

"No sudden moves."

Josh twisted the knob and pulled it open, one hand still raised, still holding his beer as calmly as he could even though his heart was racing. Who knew a bottle of beer would end up buying him time?

But a bottle could only do so much. He needed a distraction.

A flash of lightning crackled in the distance and the lights flickered as if in response. And so did Josh. He threw the bottle at Douglas and dashed outside as the wall next to him splintered, driving shrapnel through his skin. He ran across his deck toward the hillside but knew he'd have a difficult time navigating up the slippery slope heading toward the inn. Even with the hand rails, he'd slide. He'd only be a moving target even for a terrible shot like Douglas Ecklund.

Two more gunshots rang through the air as Josh turned toward the side of the house, where the breaker was. So Douglas had been the one who broke into his house searching for whatever Ray must've owed him. But how'd they work together? Josh hurried toward the back of the casita, wondering what he could use to protect himself. He'd brought his duffel bag with him but it was in the bedroom.

"You're one lucky son of a bitch, do you know that?" Douglas yelled as Josh made his way to his woodshed, by the back of the house where he stored firewood for his wood burning stove. He fumbled through his woodshed but found only dry wood that he'd chopped ahead two weeks earlier for kindling. He cursed out loud, wondering if he'd find an ax at least, but his hand landed on a shovel instead. It would have to do.

"You got shot twice, Josh. You even died, but son of a gun, you came back from the dead," Douglas said. "No one could go near you, did you know that? Your doctor friend sat with you the entire time, and if not him, his bitch of a sister."

Oh, man, you did not just call Olivia a bitch because you're gonna pay for that.

The thought of Olivia made his heart skip a beat. If Douglas managed to kill him, what would stop him from going after her? Not if Josh could help it. He couldn't allow that to happen, not to his precious Livvy.

Douglas was still rambling, this time about how long he had to wait until the time was right to finally start searching for the money Ray owed him for doing his part of the job even if Ray didn't make it. The money was his. "He was in charge of getting the drugs and the money going. My job came after but only after, you hear me? My job was to paint you as erratic, emotionally unhinged, and that any moment you'd probably shoot yourself from the stress of going undercover or worse, do something stupid on the job. But instead, you guys shot him."

"But I never saw you until after the shooting."

"It didn't matter, Josh. Your name was already on my books. He gave me all your information, thanks to his clearance. Who was there to disprove me once you were dead?"

From the sound of Doug's voice, Josh knew the doctor–or pseudo-doctor, for that matter, was on the opposite side of woodshed. It was now or never. He wasn't about to let himself be cornered by someone like Douglas.  

Josh pushed the pile of broken lounge chairs in front of him, sending the pieces clattering to the ground. The commotion was greeted by a round of bullets as Josh made his move. He lunged forward and swung the shovel, the bulging end side of the blade hitting Douglas' arm. The gun discharged again, the man's arm flinging upward as he struggled to maintain his balance and dropping the gun somewhere in the darkness. But although Douglas seemed more formal with his thick rimmed glasses and graying head of hair, he charged at Josh, knocking the younger man to the muddied ground.

They rolled, punching and grabbing and choking, neither refusing to give in even as the rain soaked through them and the mud coated their faces and clung to their hair. Josh punched him in the face and the man's shirt turned crimson from the blood gushing from his nose. Josh pulled away and stood up.

They were back on the deck where light illuminated their mud-slicked faces and their rain-soaked clothes. Josh had dropped the shovel somewhere during their struggle and his only option was hand to hand combat with his bum leg. But if he had to do it, hell, he would.

"I can't believe you're willing to go down like this over a million bucks," Josh taunted as Douglas reached for his jacket pocket and pulled out a switchblade. "Come on, man, you don't even know how to use that."

Douglas flicked the blade and it glistened in the patio lights. Ah, crap. "Even if you do manage to kill me–because I sure as hell am not going to dig up the whole damn place for you–do you really think you can get away with this?"

Before Douglas could answer, Josh heard the sound of voices shouting, flashlight beams aimed at him and the doctor.

"Hands overhead! Both of you!" Bernie yelled as he stepped out from the darkness, accompanied by four to five men. Josh could sense movement behind him as the beams of about six other flashlights landed on the doctor still holding his switchblade. How long had they been there, he wondered? Did they hear everything?

"Doctor, listen to them," Josh said. "Drop your weapon."

"We know you were working with him, Doctor," Bernie said, his gun trained on Douglas. "It took awhile to comb through the records... who Ray spoke to last the night of the shooting and then you notifying Josh that you were his psychiatrist. We've subpoenaed the cameras for the inn and it will show you running to your car the night you came here and attacked Mr. Morin. And maybe we'll even find the crowbar."

The doctor cursed again. Then he charged toward Josh, the switchblade held out in front of him even as the deafening sounds of gunfire filled the air. 

And then it was over.