With Cruel Intent (41 page)

leaves the field wide open for you to step

in and sweep her off her feet, eh Felix?”

Iggy joked.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with a little

meat on the bones once in awhile Iggy, I

would have thought her just your type,” he

countered. As far as that goes, I was able

to line up a small investor that is

interested in taking a look at the property,

now that the Okala Group has pulled out.

He’s not dying to purchase but has enough

interest that I can approach this Ms. Davis

and get my foot in the door.”

“Good, real good. I’ve tried to

look at this from every possible angle and

I think we’re covered. When this thing

goes down there will be a shit storm

coming at me from every possible

direction and I need to know that you guys

have got my back. You don’t speak to

anybody. You don’t know me. Is that

understood? Iggy, we have a very casual,

business relationship from years past but

we’ve not talked in years. You got that?”

he said, looking back and forth at both

men.

Iggy and Felix shook their heads in

agreement, verbally confirming that they

understood, and were in full compliance

with Jeremy’s directions.

“You think they’ll figure you were

involved somehow?” Felix asked.

“Her lawyers will do anything to

collect their fifteen million, so yes, I think

they will try to persuade the authorities

that I was involved, otherwise, they lose

their payday and I end up with the entire

estate, less your and Iggy’s share of

course.”

“I have a question about that.”

Ignatius became very serious.

“Of course,” Jeremy encouraged

his ‘friend’ to continue.

“Just how is it that we get paid

out? I mean not the little bit you’ve been

dishing out till now, I mean the big money,

the millions?”

“I know what you are referring to.

I’ve set a couple of offshore accounts in

countries with no treaty agreements with

the US, I will steadily, through a source

that you need not concern yourself with,

funnel money into those accounts until you

have received the amounts we talked

about. Some of that money is there today,

but I can’t give you access until we

finalize this little arrangement.”

“And just how much money was

that again?” Felix asked.

“I’ve told you I was not willing to

discuss the amount that you are both

receiving. Those terms were negotiated

separately, Iggy has been involved and

working for many more years than

yourself, therefore, he is getting paid

somewhat more than you but the sums are,

at this point, no longer negotiable and

confidential, as we agreed.”

“But I’m assuming so much more

of the actual risk, if you know what I

mean. When you think of it, you’d be

nowhere if I hadn’t found our guy and

convinced him to come on board,” Felix

countered.

“And you are being compensated

very handsomely,” Jeremy reminded him.

“Yeah, I guess, but just seems to

me that my piece should be bigger. I mean

you’re coming out of this with something

worth a hundred million bucks.”

“On paper, remember, that’s not

cash. If the property doesn’t sell for what

we think it’s worth, I may end up with just

a very large farm,” Jeremy tried to assure

him.

“Okay, I get your point, I was just

asking.”

The men continued to nail down

some of the logistics that needed to work

themselves out over the coming week.

Jeremy summarized before they

split up, “Iggy, tell me again, what are you

doing this week?”

“I’m getting the information, as

I’ve done before, to our guy, The Stalker.

The locksmith that has been doing our

keys wants more money, but I’ve handled

it. He won’t be a problem. He’s been very

helpful in providing me with information

about possible homes to hit, but he’s got

two strikes against him, so he won’t screw

with us and risk going back to prison for

good. Anyway, I’ll secure a key, photo,

and everything else, just like before, so

he’s good to go,” Mr. Savard relayed,

confident that he had his directions

straight.

“That’s right and Felix what do

you need to do?”

“I need to hook up with your

stepmother and screw her to death,” he

said, laughing. “Sorry, I just couldn’t

resist that one. Guarantee you though that

she’d go out with a smile on her face.”

“If it were only that easy, I would

have done that myself,” Jeremy said.

All three enjoyed a good laugh,

finding the image of such a conclusion to

all their hard work rather funny.

“Okay, okay, what do I need to do

this week? Okay, I’m going to contact Ms.

Davis through her realty company, and let

her know I’m representing this little

corporation that’s interested in the section

out by the base. I think I’m free to

schmooze her as I see fit, right?” he said,

questioning the direction he was going.

Jeremy nodded his approval.

“Good, then I hook up with the hot

librarian and your mom for a ménage,

phone you to collect my money and life is

good. Guess that’s about it,” Felix said,

turning his palms up in a sign of

completion.

“Felix, you ever think about

anything but women?” Iggy asked.

Felix looked up thinking, “Uh, no.”

Jeremy was finally able to get

Felix back on topic, and once convinced

he understood the plan as well as he and

Ignatius, they concluded their meeting with

no intention of ever meeting again. Any

further contact or correspondence would

be done through the online sources, and

under new user names, which they would

need to create. Jeremy had gone to the

trouble of assigning the names, logins and

the other information his conspirators

would need to complete the online task

and prepare for the next round of

communications, as needed.

The three agreed that their plans

should

move

ahead

as

previously

discussed and each went their separate

way. Iggy to work, Jeremy back to

Washington D.C. and Felix Unger -- his

parents, being fans of the popular

television show, could not think of a more

appropriate name -- was excited about his

prospects at Caroline's Bed and Breakfast,

so off he drove.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Blanche had a hard time focusing

on anything related to the library Friday

morning.

Her

thought

drifted

and

meandered between her impending date

with Seymour and the quasi date, hastily

arranged, with Jasper for the following

evening, or was it a date with Jasper and

Rufus, she wasn't quite sure. Thankfully,

the decisions on this particular morning,

or any morning for that matter, did not

dictate life or death, just the ability to find

a book, when shelved out of place, or a

late fee charged to the wrong account. The

librarian had just managed to complete her

morning’s work when Marcus wandered

through the main foyer on his way to the

second floor.

“You’re looking lovely, as per

usual, Blanche,” he said, giving her a

friendly smile.

“Why thank you my good man,”

she retorted, with an English accent.

He could see from her evident

glow and demeanor that something was

up. “So what’s the deal?”

“What do you mean, what’s the

deal? I’m just working my little keister off

trying to keep this place in tip top shape,”

again with the accent.

“Oh, I think there’s more to it than

that. You seem, I don’t know, kinda

bubbly,” he said, for lack of a better

word.

“Is that a compliment, or bubbly,

as in bubble headed beach blonde?” she

jokingly replied.

“Both,” he laughed. “No really,

you got something going on today?”

“Am I really that easy to read.

After all you’ve only known me a short

while?”

“I don’t know, you do kinda wear

your emotions on your sleeve. But that’s

not a bad thing,” he said, as an

afterthought.

“If you must know, I have a date

tonight that I’m really looking forward to.

I can’t remember the last time I was this

excited about a date.”

“Can I ask who with? Do I know

him?”

“I think you know him alright, but

you must promise me that you won't say

anything to Mrs. Anderson, she will likely

frown on me dating a coworker,” Blanche

said more quietly, looking to make sure

they could not be overheard.

“For goodness sake Blanche, don’t

tell me you’re going out with Jared, he’s

still in high school. Ester will have a

conniption and what will his parents say?”

he carried on, not giving Blanche a chance

to stop him, even though he could see her

waving her arms in an attempt to slow him

down. “I’ve seen him ogling you and I

should have put a stop to it right from the

start, but I never dreamed you would

agree to dating him. Doesn’t sound like a

very good idea to me, nope, no siree,” he

finally stopped.

“Marcus, I’m not that stupid. It’s

not Jared, it’s Seymour,” she whispered.

“Oh, oh, that’s better. Ain’t he still

a little young for you?” he questioned.

“Now you just tell me if I'm overstepping

my bounds.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind you being

interested, and after all you are sort of my

adopted father, apparently. I have been a

bit hesitant to encourage Seymour, but

he’s just so sweet and I think he likes me

for me, and not the other,” she said,

looking down at her protruding chest.

“Actually looks me in the eyes when we

talk, I kind of like that.”

“He’s one hell of a lucky guy,

either way, and he’s a good boy to boot.”

He reached for Blanche, giving her a hug,

and patted her gently on the back.

“Thanks Marcus, your approval is

important to me for some crazy reason.”

They chatted about a number of

things before Blanche asked, “So what are

you up to this morning?”

“I’ve got to check all the safety

issues throughout the library today. County

safety inspectors are coming the middle of

next week. You know, to certify the fire

extinguishers, make sure we have the

proper signs, that kind of stuff. Has to be

done every year so I just double check

everything before they show up,” he

explained.

“Well, don’t let me hold you up

any longer, get to work and I’ll do the

same,” she said, returning to her desk.

The attractive young librarian

would have been less excited about her

day had she known that at the same

moment she was discussing her date that

two men, Marcus would have been much

less approving of, were thinking of

Blanche in much more lewd ways.

* * *

Lester sat at his plywood desk, his

feet pushed against the edge, the chair

tipped back on two legs, as he lustfully

turned the pages of his newly pilfered

book. The thoughts of a naughty librarian

stirring his imagination, he looked up from

the book long enough to refresh his

memory, by looking at the pictures of

Blanche pinned to the wall. “Oh yeah

babe, won’t be long and you’ll have a real

man. The Lester Train is on the tracks and

headed your way,” he said, returning his

attention to the book before him.

* * *

Felix pulled his black Lincoln

Town car into the lone parking spot

behind Caroline’s and exited the vehicle,

a single bag in his hand. He entered

through the rear door, off of the kitchen;

scarcely making a sound, but no one

appeared to be home. Setting the bag at the

bottom of the stairs, he hollered,