Last Man Standing

49

Web and Romano met Nemo Strait on their way up to the mansion to attend the party.

“What happened to you?” asked Romano. Strait’s arm was in a sling.

“Let a damn horse get the drop on me. Thing kicked me. Felt like my collarbone was in my throat.”

“Anything broken?” asked Web.

“They x-rayed it up at the hospital in Kentucky and they didn’t see anything, but they put me in this thing for the time being. Now I’m a one-armed farm manager and Billy’s probably going to be pissed at that.”

They were welcomed at the house by Billy. Web was surprised at how he was dressed. He had on nice, pressed slacks and a blue blazer, his hair was neatly combed and he had even shaved. Yet as they passed through, Web could smell on the man’s breath that he had begun the party a while back.

Billy led them down to the lower level.

Next to the bar were two men Web didn’t know. They were dressed expensively if casually in Armani, Bruno Magli with no socks, Tag Heuer watches, and gold necklaces that were visible because the men’s shirts were open about two buttons too many. They were deeply tanned, fit and trim, nails professionally manicured and hair perfectly coifed, and for many reasons Web’s initial impression was that they were gay.

Billy led Romano and Web over to them. “Wanta introduce y’all to a couple new friends of mine. Giles and Harvey Ransome, they’re brothers, now, they ain’t married.” Billy was the only one to laugh at that remark. “They’re my neighbors from next door. Finally got them to come over for a drink.”

Web and Romano exchanged a quick glance.

“This is Web London and Paul—no, make that Paulie,” Billy added with a wink. “From the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The Ransome brothers both looked ready to run at that. Harvey Ransome, Web thought, appeared as though he might faint.

Web put out his hand. “We’re off duty tonight.”

The Ransome brothers cautiously extended their hands, as though they feared that there was a real threat of handcuffs being placed on them.

“Billy didn’t tell us the FBI would be here tonight,” Giles said, giving his host an unfriendly stare.

“I love surprises,” said Billy. “Ever since I was a kid.” He looked over at Strait. “What in the hell happened to you?”

“Horse got the better of me.”

“This is my farm manager, Nemo Strait,” said Billy to the Ransome brothers. “He just made me a small fortune up in Kentucky selling a bunch of horse meat to some new suckers.”

“We did real well,” said Strait quietly.

“Where the hell are my manners?” said Billy. “You boys need some drinks.” He pointed at Web and Romano. “I know you boys are beer drinkers. How ’bout you, Nemo?”

“Whiskey and water, best kind of painkiller there is.”

Billy went behind the bar. “I’ll join you in that one.” He looked toward the stairs. “Well, come on down and join the party.”

Web looked toward the stairs, expecting to see Gwen. Instead there was Percy Bates.

“Billy was nice enough to give me an invite,” he explained as he joined them. He smiled at Web, but in that smile Web could see something that he didn’t particularly like.

Once they all had drinks in hand, they broke up into small groups. Web went over to the Ransome brothers and began subtly probing them as to what was going on at the Southern Belle, but the men were being exceptionally guarded, which made Web even more suspicious. Nemo and Romano were looking over Canfield’s collection of shotguns, while Billy was standing all alone and scowling back at the grizzly bear in the corner.

One by one all their heads turned when she came down the stairs. If Billy was more overdressed than usual, his wife looked ready to attend a Hollywood premiere; she was as far removed from her normal boots-and-jeans horse-rider persona as it was possible to be. The red gown was long, body-hugging and ran down to her ankles; the slit came to midthigh, right at the precise point where decency was still maintained but where male fantasy was compelled to sprint. The shoes were open-toed, with ankle straps that, to Web, at least, suggested the concept of bondage if one hadn’t already been thinking about it. The gown was strapless, her bare shoulders tanned and muscular but retaining much feminine allure despite the ripples. The gown’s bodice was cut low enough to make maneuvering difficult without revealing too much, and perhaps that was the intent. Her hair was piled high on her head, her jewelry tasteful and the woman required very little makeup.

There was complete silence as she descended to them until Web heard Romano whisper, “Amore,” and then he took a gulp of beer.

“Now the party can really get started,” said Billy. “What you having, Gwen?”

“Ginger ale.”

Billy filled this order. He looked over at the Ransome brothers. “She’s stunning,” said Harvey.

“A goddess,” echoed Giles.

“She’s also my wife.” He brought the drink over to her. “Nemo got himself all banged up with a horse.”

Web noted that she barely glanced in the man’s direction. “So I see.” She nodded toward the Ransomes. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” she said coolly.

Harvey and Giles fell over themselves to see which of them she would meet first.

Web just stood back and watched all this happen. The woman was, without doubt, exceptionally beautiful, yet the way she was dressed, the magisterial way that she was acting, seemed totally out of sync with Gwen Canfield, at least as he had pegged her. Perhaps he had been wrong.

He didn’t notice Bates at his elbow until the man spoke.

“A going-away party, I understand.”

“Yeah, case closed. Good guys win again,” Web added dryly. “Time to get drunk and pat ourselves on the back, at least until all the shit comes back tomorrow.”

“We need to talk later. It’s important.”

Web glanced at him. To someone who didn’t know the man well, Bates looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. To Web, who did know him about as well as anybody, the man seemed ready to implode with whatever he was carrying around inside.

“Don’t tell me I won the lottery?”

“I guess it’s all in how you look at it. I’ll let you decide. You want to slip outside and discuss it now?”

Web eyed the man steadily. So it was pretty bad. “No, Perce, right now I just want to enjoy my drink and go over and talk to a very beautiful woman.”

He left Bates and managed to extract Gwen from the fawning Ransome brothers. They settled in twin club leather chairs, and Gwen cradled her drink in her lap and looked over at her husband.

“He’s already been partying hard for about six hours.”

“So I see.” He looked her over without seeming to. At least he thought so until she shot him a glance.

“A little different attire than you’re used to, I know,” she said. Her cheeks reddened slightly at this remark.

“Hey, you got it, flaunt it. I’m just glad there aren’t any other women here, because they’d really be out of their league. They wouldn’t just be wallflowers, they’d be part of the wall, as far as the men here are concerned.”

She patted his hand. “You’re sweet. The fact is, I’m about as uncomfortable in this dress as I can be; worried that I’m going to fall out any second and embarrass myself, and my feet are already killing me. These Italian shoes are pretty to look at and absolutely impossible to wear if your feet are over a size four.”

“So why the getup, then?”

“Billy picked it out for me. He’s not the sort of man who tells his wife what to do or wear,” she added quickly. “Quite the contrary. I usually pick his clothes out. But he wanted me to look really knock-’em-dead, he said.”

Web raised his glass. “Consider your mission accomplished. But why?”

“I don’t know, Web, I really don’t know what’s going through his head right now.”

“Maybe it has something to do with that damn tape. Again, I’m sorry.”

Gwen just shook her head. “It’s not just that. This has been brewing for some time. Billy’s been changing over the last few months or so, and I’m not sure why.”

To Web it seemed like the woman did know why but wasn’t to the point where she was going to reveal it to a semi-stranger like him.

“His behavior has been becoming more and more bizarre.”

He looked at her curiously. “How so?”

“Well, he’s become obsessed with his stuffed animals, always down there messing around. My God, that is the most repulsive thing.”

“It is pretty gruesome.”

“And he’s been drinking hard, even for him.” She looked at Web and spoke in a lower voice. “Do you know what he told me while we were getting dressed?” She took a sip of her ginger ale. “He said that they should put all the heads of the Free Society members up on poles and parade them around, like they used to do hundred of years ago.”

“Why? To send a message?”

“No.”

They both looked up and saw Billy standing there.

He downed the rest of his whiskey. “No, you do it because the best place to put your enemies is right in front of you, so you know exactly where they are all the time.”

“That’s not always easy to do,” commented Web.

Billy smiled through his drink glass. “That’s right. And that’s why folks’ enemies get the drop on ’em more often than not.” It was just a quick glance, but Web was almost certain that Billy looked at Nemo Strait when he said this.

Billy held up his glass. “Ready for a fresh one?” “I’m still working on this one.”

“Well, let me know. Gwen, you ready for a real libation?”

“Dressed this way in a room full of men, I think I need to keep my wits about me tonight,” she said with a coy smile.

For the record, Web noted, her husband didn’t return the smile.

Right before they went up to dinner, Web heard a scream and looked over to its source. The gun cabinet was swung open, revealing the secret room. And Harvey and Giles were both holding their chests after having been surprised by Billy’s slave mannequin. And the man himself was leaning against the wall laughing so hard he was gagging. Web just had to smile.

After dinner, coffee and snifters of brandy that Billy insisted everybody try, they all took their leave. Gwen gave Web a hug and he felt her soft breasts push into his own hard chest. Her fingers seemed to cling to him a beat too long. He didn’t know exactly how to take that and so all he managed to say was good-bye.

They went outside and Strait climbed in his truck and one-armed it back to his house. A limo pulled up in the front circle and Harvey and Giles Ransome piled inside. They had both made fools of themselves over Gwen, Web had thought, but she had taken it with good graces. She was no doubt upstairs right this minute slipping out of the painful shoes and the uncomfortable dress. In fact, she was probably naked right now, and Web felt himself glancing toward the upstairs windows—in hopes of what? he asked himself. A glimpse? It didn’t happen.

Bates came up to him and Romano.

“Romano, Web and I need to talk.”

The man said it in such a tone that all Romano did was turn and walk toward the carriage house.

Web and Bates faced off. “Okay,” Web said, “what’s the deal?” Bates told him and Web took it silently until the man finished. “What about Romano?” asked Web.

“Buck didn’t mention him, so I’m assuming he’s okay.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“I don’t know what to do, Web. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“No, you’re not. I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll resign.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“It’s time for me to move on, Perce, do something else. I’m not getting any younger, and to tell you the truth, I’d like to find out what it’s like having a job where people aren’t shooting at you.”

“We can fight this, Web. Winters doesn’t have the final say on this.”

“I’m tired of fighting, Perce.”

Bates just looked at the man helplessly. “I didn’t want it to end this way.”

“Me and Romano will finish up here and then I’ll be moving on.”

“You know the heat this is going to generate, with what happened with the Frees. And with you leaving HRT, the timing of that will make everyone assume you’re the scapegoat. It’s going to get dicey. The media will come after you. In fact, it’s already starting.”

“There was a time when that would’ve bothered me. But not now.”

The men stood there quietly for a few seconds as many years of fighting the good fight together suddenly had abruptly come to an end for them and it seemed neither of them was prepared for it. Web finally turned and walked away.