Page 141 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“Ah, that’s right. Youcoulddecide to cooperate with us, and by that I mean do everything we tell you to do. If you do that, when this is over, we’ll put in a good word for you with the DA.”

“That should knock a few years off your sentence.”

Rudy stared at them, waiting for more. When it was clear nothing else was coming, he said, “Is there an option that doesn’t involve me going to jail?”

“Youcouldtry to run, I guess, but you won’t get far.” Stone turned his head toward the stairs. “Lewis!”

The basement lights came on and revealed five unsmiling Strategic Services security officers standing near the stairs.

“Rudy, let me introduce you to my friend Lewis. He’s in charge of your minders.”

A man on one end stepped forward, nodded his head, and stepped back.

“Myminders?”

“The day shift, anyway. Another crew will relieve them later.”

Rudy looked from the Strategic Services crew to Teddy andDino and then to Stone. The realization of how truly screwed he was was written all over his face.

“W-what do you need me to do?”

—

Their visit with Rudy had taken longer than anticipated, so Stone, Dino, and Teddy didn’t reach Simi Valley until almost five p.m.

The location where Petry’s car had stopped turned out to be a defunct car wash on the east side of town. The place was encircled by a chain-link fence that looked like it had been there for a few years.

They parked at the curb and climbed out.

“I don’t think they came here to get their car cleaned,” Dino said.

“What was your first clue?” Stone asked.

“Could be they parked here and walked somewhere else,” Teddy suggested.

Across the street was an eight-foot-high cinder-block wall behind which stood a housing development. The closest road into the neighborhood was two long blocks away. If that had been their destination, any sane driver would have parked closer to it.

“Someone could have picked them up and they drove away in another vehicle,” Stone said. “If so, maybe they got caught on a security camera.”

Teddy looked around. “I don’t see any here. Let’s have a look around.”

The fence enclosed the building but not the entire lot, allowing them to circle the structure.

“Take a look at this,” Stone said.

They were on the side opposite from the street, hidden from the view of passing traffic. There was a break in the chain link held closed by several short lengths of wire, like stitches. Unlike the surrounding fence, the wires weren’t weathered, so they couldn’t have been in place for long.

“I’ll be right back,” Teddy said.

He went back to the car, then returned soon after with his duffel bag. From inside, he gave Stone and Dino each a pair of rubber gloves.

“Just in case we don’t want anyone to know we were here.”

He then used a pair of pliers to untwist the wires and open a gap large enough for them to get through.

“After you,” he said to Stone.

The lock on the nearest door into the building had been busted long ago. It led into what had been the shop and waiting area, its walls now covered in graffiti, its floor littered with broken shelves and trash.

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