Page 23 of Special Agent Raven
He rifled through the contents on purpose while still carrying on a conversation. “Hey bud, you said the chick was going to cook some food. How about I can join you?”
“How about you help her. She’s as useless as tits on a bull.”
“Cool. I’m Cane by the way. What’ll I call you?”
“Dale’s my name and killin’s my game.” Laughing as if he cut a good joke, he rubbed his razor short blond hair with the muzzle of his gun. Cane couldn’t help but notice that his terrible skin – pasty white like an old man’s – seemed shocking in one so young. Worse, when he looked up, he stared right through you with dead eyes blacker than marble. The sores on his face made one wonder if he’d done too many drugs and they’d taken to eating his flesh from the inside. Finally, he yawned. “Hurry and get busy.”
Cane breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure the killer would accept his portrayal of a lowlife, but he was certain the girl hadn’t from the piercing stare she’d given him.
“Okay, Dale. Look, I know how to fry eggs for sandwiches.” He grabbed a bowl filled with them. “Bet they got lots of ‘em… youknow, because of the chickens out in the henhouse.” On purpose, he grinned sheepishly. “I took a look around the joint. It’s a fine property… isolated, yeah? A guy could hang out for a while.”
“Kinda what I had in mind.” The assassin sat on one of the high stools and leaned against the island. “How about you get started. Like you said a few minutes ago, a guy could starve around here… especially with the likes of Val here whining about everything. And after what I did for her. No appreciation at all for getting rid of her loser boyfriend.”
“Chrissakes Dale, I told you. That man wasn’t my boyfriend. He hijacked me and Bonnie when he stole my car.”
“Yeah, it’s why we nicknamed him Brick cause his head was hard like one and no brains inside. I told him to get a car. And what does he come back with? A whole family for fuck’s sake. Now I gotta clean up his mess.” Dale lunged toward her as if he would grab or hit her but then he stopped and laughed at her panic. “Christ Almighty, just get the food ready, will ya? I’m getting testy from hunger here.”
Cane moved to the corner and turned his back to take his jacket off without revealing his badge and gun. Careful to untuck his flannel shirt from under his belt so it would cover both issues, he rolled up his sleeves and dug in.
While keeping a watch on the window, he swung a frying pan from where it hung from the ceiling and lifted the butter dish from the counter. “Any bacon and tomatoes?”
Val slipped closer and handed him a huge bowl filled with ripe tomatoes that looked better than any he ever saw in a grocery store. Then she brought him a pound of bacon and began to organize another pan to cook it in. Soon, the smells filled the space, and the room seemed to get lighter as the sun began to peep out from behind the dark rain clouds.
Keeping an eye on the window, he worried about how Raven would deal with his disappearance. That’s why he missed seeing the bedroom door slowly moving.
Chapter Eighteen
Raven had returned to the broken window and thankful now that it hadn’t been repaired, she snuck inside. Taking a long time, she slowly twisted the doorknob and prayed it wouldn’t creak or give away her presence.
Once she had it opened enough to be able to hear the voices and what they were saying, she listened carefully, hoping to get some idea of what was going down. Holding back had been a good thing because she soon realized that Cane had chosen to play a role and did a good job of portraying a lowlife. His tone had become whiny, and the slang he’d adopted gave him a whole different personality… even his body language had changed from one in control, to a sloucher who didn’t give a shit about anything.
Holding her breath, she opened the door wider to look left, then took a moment. She scanned the living room to see her old friends very uncomfortable, tied together in a chair, and passed out. Suddenly, she felt eyes on her and saw Helen sitting on thefloor in the corner, holding a child and trying to keep the baby quiet. She raised her hand to her lips in a signal to be quiet, and Raven nodded.
In the opposite corner, Raven made out Helen’s hubby Mac, who’d also been tied to a chair, and he too seemed to be out of it. What worried her was the red blotches and dried blood on his face that looked as if he’d been pistol whipped.
Turning away from the sight, Raven angled herself better to be able to see into the old-fashioned kitchen. There appeared to be only three people inside. Cane, a young woman who she took to be the baby’s mama, and an asshole holding a gun on them both.
The afternoon suddenly brightened with the storm clouds letting in some sunshine, making it easier to see into the dim areas. Soon, Raven got a whiff of the food being cooked on the old-fashioned gas stove and hoped that it would keep those in the kitchen focused on their stomachs.
Removing her shoes and taking her time, she slithered out of the bedroom to quietly ease herself behind the open kitchen door, still out of sight from anyone not paying attention to her exact location.
Helen’s eyes had followed her, using her hand to shield the sleepy baby from seeing anything. The worried expression she couldn’t help, made Raven aware of just how vital her intrusion would be. She’d have one chance at making this happen without anyone getting hurt, and she meant to make the most of it.
Through the gap between the door and wall, Raven watched as Cane slid a filled plate of hot food in front of the scumbag. Praying he’d lay down his gun, she waited.
Fooling her, he waved the girl to come sit on the stool next to him and dragged her over to be close enough for him to lick her face with his sloppy tongue like an untrained dog.
Though she tried to pull away, the knife he’d slid from his pocket and held to her throat stopped her. Then with the grin ofa sick monster, he laid down the gun, keeping it close to his right side, and started to eat with that hand.
Cane had filled another two plates with food and after putting one in front of the woman, he sat himself across the counter and began to stuff himself.
“Hey buddy, help yourself why don’t you?”
Cane smirked, his grin lopsided and disrespectful. Yet Dale didn’t seem to mind. “Figured since I did all the work.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dale pointed his fork at Cane’s plate. “Go ahead. Just messin’ with you.”
Cane suddenly lifted his head, and Raven knew with a certainty that had no explanation, he’d sensed her close by. His keen gaze picked out her hiding spot immediately, and he shook his head very slowly, making it appear as if he was reacting to the food. “Man, this tastes good. First, I’ve eaten since yesterday before my car got washed away.”