The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (25 page)

He walked to the back of the café and, unbeknownst to him of course, sat at the exact same table where Adela had had coffee and had spoken to Jill and Sammy.

Jill was on duty today too and walked over to him with a friendly smile, ‘what can I get for you today, sugar?’

Hennessey smiled at the endearment, a common enough one in this part of the world. He said, ‘I’ll take a full breakfast, coffee and orange juice, freshly squeezed if you have it.’

Her face said she approved of his choice and said, ‘freshly squeezed it is, I’ll get that and the coffee while you wait for your food.’

‘Thank you.’ He looked at her name badge and added, ‘Jill.’

The smile she gave him was coy as she walked away shouting out his order to the cook while she saw to his coffee and juice.’

Hennessey looked around but could not see anyone that resembled the description of Sammy he had been given. No matter, he would track him down.

Jill came back with his coffee and Hennessey wanting to engage her in conversation while she was not too busy said, ‘it looks like it’s going to be another hot one.’ Referring to the weather.

Jill said, ‘yep, certainly looks that way. We could certainly use some rain.’

‘Really? I actually like the heat, it doesn’t bother me. Maybe because I’ve lived in even hotter climates.’

‘Oh really, hotter than this?’

‘Yes. Take Saudi Arabia or Egypt, it can get into the high thirties or low forties even in their winter.’

‘Really?’ Jill seemed put out that other places could get even hotter than Alabama.

‘Yes, although I like the sun, I also enjoy the cooler places, and even the rain, it makes a nice change from too much heat. In fact I’m visiting Europe next week for a vacation, and I hear it’s only fourteen or fifteen degrees there.’

‘Well, that’ll certainly make a change from hot old Alabama now won’t it?’

Hennessey laughed. He put his head on one side and gave Jill an appraising and appreciative look.

Jill, no amateur at steering unwelcome advances away from her did something she had not done in a long time, she blushed.

She had seen quite a few handsome men come and go in this little café over the years, some very handsome, some devastatingly so, but this stranger was not just handsome but compelling, and those eyes, as blue as, as blue as what? She did not think there was a word to describe what kind of blue they were, but they were certainly something to behold.

Hennessey knew what impression he was making on Jill, he had seen that expression in the eyes of many women in his lifetime and he had taken advantage of it more than once. He wanted to find out whether Miss. Faraday had been back here, maybe even yesterday. He did not believe that she was stupid enough to bring Desi in here of course, but then he had learned over the years that people did unexpected and very stupid things sometimes.

Jill said, ‘where about in Europe are you heading if I may ask?’

‘You may ask, Jill. I’m starting in France then Germany then onto England, well, London to be precise. See if the Queen of that fair country is at home and in need of a southern boy's company.’

Jill laughed out loud, ‘if it’s
your
company you’re referring to I’m sure she’ll give you a private audience.’ Jill could have kicked herself, why had she said that? She was being much too obvious.

Hennessey laughed now too, ‘why thank you, Jill.’

Jill blushed again, my goodness she thought, I never blush and now twice in as many minutes, she must watch herself she was losing her usually cool demeanour.

She said, ‘it’s funny because we had an English lady in here a few days back, she was doing a tour of the south. And there’s you a southerner doing a tour of Europe, and both coming in here for refreshment. She actually sat in that very seat.'

‘Now that is a strange coincidence. Was she staying around here?’

‘I’m not sure, she only came in the once, but she was a very nice lady,’ Jill grinned, ‘and a great tipper.’

Hennessey returned her grin, ‘a real pity she didn’t come in more often then.’

Jill missed the sarcasm because she was still having trouble dealing with the fluttering in her stomach. Just then a man called, ‘Jill, full breakfast for one.’

Part of her was relieved to get away from those probing, experienced eyes and part of her was disappointed to turn her back on them.  She said, ‘that’ll be you.’

She went to fetch his meal and when she returned he thanked her and said, ‘it’s a pity that you don’t know where the woman is staying I could have asked her advice, places to see, where to go and where to avoid, that kind of thing.’

‘Yes, that would have been nice and you could have done the same for her.’

‘She was travelling alone then?’

‘Oh yes, but she’s probably moved on now, she said she was staying seven days or so in each state, the next stop was Mississippi.’

Jill was telling him things he already knew but he wanted to find out for himself that the “German” woman was in fact Miss. Faraday and not an authentic German tourist. If so the Faraday woman might still be here thinking she had fooled the goons completely. Something else he had discovered in his time was that people once they had gotten away with something became complacent and too full of their own cleverness.

He said, ‘really? Another coincidence, Mississippi is my home state.’

‘How strange. You could have returned the favour and advised her on where to go, what to avoid and so on.’

Hennessey laughed, ‘pity she isn’t here now.’

‘Yes. Although she hasn’t been in here since, a friend of mine saw her in Mobile only yesterday.’

Hennessey was an old hand at not giving away his feelings, so his surprise nor excitement showed in his expression. ‘Mobile?’

‘Yeah, with a young girl apparently, she said she was travelling alone but maybe she met up with someone, maybe even one of her own countrywomen.’

‘Yes, maybe.’

‘But then you have to take some of what Sammy says with a pinch of salt, he’s a bit, well, you know, simple like, he sometimes gets a little confused.’

Hennessey thought, Sammy again. He said, ‘he didn’t speak to her then?’

‘No, she was in a car, so he said.’

Hennessey did not question her further for fear of appearing too inquisitive about a woman he had never met. But it seemed he wasn’t going to get much more out of Jill anyway. He smiled, ‘this looks great,’ he nodded down at his food a subtle hint that he was ready to eat.

Jill said, ‘oh, oh yes. Well, I hope you enjoy it.’

‘Thanks, Jill, I know I will.’

She smiled at him as she turned to walk away and there was no doubting the invitation in her eyes. He smiled as he tucked into his food.

He needed to find this Sammy person, the goons had called him a dimwit and according to Jill it seems they were right. They’d also said he was a regular and had sat in the café for almost two hours the time they had seen him. They also said that he seemed to become suspicious suddenly and clammed up a little, therefore might know more than he had actually told them. He had checked her credit card transactions and he had discovered that she had taken thirty five grand out of her account in dollars and Euros…the Euros thing was interesting to say the least…in Tallahassee the day before yesterday, but there was no mention of a hire car company. Maybe she had paid cash, it was unusual these days but still in order. He intended to keep a constant check on her credit card activities so he might find something else later, she might have used it since for something else, plane tickets perhaps.

He spent over an hour in the café eating and getting three refills of coffee which he drank  slowly.

In the end he knew he should leave, he did not want to question Sammy in here anyway and certainly not about the Faraday woman, it would look too suspicious. He rose and peeled a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and threw it on the table. He walked past Jill as she stood at another table taking an order from an elderly couple. He said, ‘nice talking to you, Jill.’

She looked disappointed that he was leaving but smiled, ‘I hope you enjoy your trip.’

‘Thanks, I’m sure I will.’

‘And if you’re ever back this way call in, the coffee’ll be on me.’ There she went again, being obvious, what was wrong with her, must be those damned eyes of his.

‘Thanks, Jill, bye now.’

‘Bye.’ Jill looked longingly at the door as he closed it behind him then sighed wistfully before reluctantly turning back to the waiting couple.

Hennessey sat in his car and leaned his head back against the headrest. He was tired, he had been awake for twenty four hours, although that was nothing, one time he had stayed awake for almost four days. He didn’t dwell on the fact that he had felt quite ill afterwards and had started to hallucinate, but still, he was quite proud of his stamina.

He checked his laptop again for any movement on the Faraday woman’s credit cards but as yet there was nothing, she was being very wily, probably paying cash wherever she could. He looked again at the paper Glissando had given to him with the name of the woman Glissando had hired him to kill at the top of the page. First he would go and have a look at this cabin Miss. Faraday had stayed in, make absolutely sure she wasn’t there. After that he would go and have a chat with the hermit in the woods.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a blonde wig and a case containing contact lenses, he selected the brown. He had parked in a quiet area of the hotel car park so was not concerned about being seen whilst he “changed.” When he was satisfied that he looked as unlike his normal self as he could he got out of his car and stood in the street where he looked up and down looking for someone who could be Sammy, but there was hardly anyone about. He crossed the street and made his way into the woods.

He found the cabin he had been told the German/Faraday woman had been staying in. He approached knocked on the door and waited. When no one answered as he knew they wouldn’t. He could always tell when a house was empty even from the outside, it was a sense he had. There was no German family staying here that was for sure. He knocked again just to be absolutely certain, then when again his knock went unanswered he made his way around to the right of the cabin and found the living room window. It had drapes over it so he couldn’t see inside, undeterred he made his way around to the other side and the bathroom window. This one was mottled glass so he couldn’t see in anyway. Still he had found out what he wanted to know, English spinster or German Freu whoever had stayed here was gone now.

He walked back around to the front door and after casting a swift but thorough glance around, he slipped a little silver pick from his pocket and in ten seconds flat he was in the cabin. He closed the door behind him and looked around.

The first thing he always noticed in any house he entered, either by invitation or stealth, was the smell. This place smelled of women, women’s shampoo, women’s perfume, women’s natural scent. And that was the tell,
women’s
odours. There had been two females sharing this place. He had been close enough to Desi to have smelt her perfume, both natural and chemical and he could smell her now. The other was Miss. Faraday’s obviously. He went into the bathroom and looked around, he drew back the shower curtain, there was nothing there, no shampoo or soap, no ladies shaver, no flannel, nothing. He went back out to the living room cum bedroom, he sat down on the bed and  picked up the pillow, it smelled of Desi. So the ever considerate and kind hearted English woman had given her bed to the stranger in need. A real Good Samaritan.

He searched through the drawers of the dresser and looked under the bed, nothing. They had done a very good job of hiding the fact that Desi had been here.

He then went and sat on the coach picked up one of the cushions and pressed his face into the soft fabric. It smelled differently than the bed, so this then was where the woman had slept, he breathed deeply of her fragrance. Nice. Not too heavy on the perfume, natural, womanly, he liked that.

He rose and squatting down looked under the coach and chairs then searched the kitchen, everything was clean and tidy, exceptionally so. They had either gone over-board trying to hide Desi’s presence or the Faraday woman was a stickler for cleanliness.

He made his way to the door and had half opened it when something caught his eye.

He crouched down and reached under the cabinet that stood against the wall by the door. His opened his fingers and saw what lay between them, a small buckle, obviously from a shoe. He had no need to ask whose it was, he had seen the shoes with these very same buckles, two on each shoe. Desi had worn them on several occasions in his presence. This of course only confirmed what he already knew, but it was proof, proof he needed to shove under Miss. Adela Faraday’s nose if she tried to deny she had had Desi here.

He smiled to himself as he very quietly let himself out but the smile froze on his face as he felt a hard prod in the small of his back. He knew immediately what that prod was, the barrel of a rifle.

A voice right behind his left ear said, ‘keep absolutely still, Mister.’

Hennessey complied and stood rigid, the door knob still in his hand, while the guy searched him; he found his weapon immediately of course, but he still had the buckle and the pick in his other hand. The guy said, ‘who are you and what were you doing in this cabin?’