Redemption: Tommy Avon Mysteries

By charles fisher

Vicky Avon continues to pursue Georgette Graham, who continues to rack up a tremendous body count.

• Language: English
• Publisher: charles fisher
• Release date: May 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386297451

Book preview

Table of Contents

Redemption | In God’s Name  Part 2 | A  Tommy Avon Mystery

The End | To be continued in Damnation, In God’s Name Part 3

Redemption

In God’s Name  Part 2

A  Tommy Avon Mystery

––––––––

Don K. Chevrolet

6219 Highway 93 S.

Whitefish, Montana

June

––––––––

Georgette pulled into the Chevy dealership and drove into the back, where all the new cars were parked. She had to work fast; she didn’t have enough cash with her to buy a car; that would come later. The dead cop’s Camaro would be too hot, even with the plate switch. The VIN number would give it away if they managed to stop her. Stealing a different car would give her the time she needed to get back to Choteau, which was about 165 miles away. She drove up and down the aisles until she spotted another new ZL1.

She got out and looked around; no sales people came out. She walked over to the red ZL1, pried the cover off the dealer alarm attached to the window, and shorted out the correct contacts, disabling it. She took it off the window and threw it under the car next to it. She tried the cop’s key fob; amazingly enough, it opened the doors.

Excellent, Georgette said as she got into the car and started it. She pulled it out of its spot, replaced it with the dead cop’s car, put her plates on it, grabbed the gym bag, and slowly meandered out the back exit of the car lot. While she was still within range, she performed the alarm / GPS disablement and did her thing with the DMV. She took the car out onto Route 2 East to 89 and headed for Choteau at 90 mph, the  purloined Glock next to her.

Stop me, she grinned as she drove. I dare you to try. Nobody can stop me.

Kalispell  Regional Medical Center

310 Sunnyview Lane

Kalispell, Montana

June

––––––––

I’m Detective Avon, this is Detective Di Mattio, Vicky said. We are working the Georgette Graham case in Chicago.

I’m Phil Jannsen. I am the C.E.O. Come in and have a seat.

We have the police report. Is there anything else you can add?

Not really. We never expected anything like this to happen here. We’ve had other suspects here, and none of them ever escaped.

None of them were  Georgette Graham, Vicky said.

Are you sure she’s a cop? Jannsen said, eyeing Katie. She looks awful young.

I am awful young, Katie said. You like to fuck little kids? You could have a shot at me if the price is right, she grinned.

Stop, Vicky said, kicking Katie. She’s a cop. She likes to make jokes, because she is stupid.

Well, I don’t know what else to tell you. The security cameras don’t help much, because you already know who she is.

Is there one in the room that shows her killing the officer?

No. That would violate privacy laws. You should know that.

I don’t know everything. I’ve never been in the hospital, Vicky said.

Wait, Katie muttered.

How did she get her hands on surgical tools? Vicky said.

She stole Doctor Martin’s kit.

Nice move, having something like that in your pocket in a convict’s room.

All doctors carry those. It is hospital procedure.

Better change your procedure, Slick, Katie said as she stood to go. Come on, Vicky, we’re wasting our time here. Doctor Kildare doesn’t have shit for us.

You watch your mouth, young lady, Jannsen said.

Yeah? You wanna make me, you asshole? It’s your fault that cop is dead, and it’s your fault a serial killer is out there running around doing God knows what, Katie said.

Get this foul mouthed child  out of my office, Miss Avon," Jannsen said.

I’d rather see you do it, Vicky said. Go ahead, tough guy.

I’ll call security.

Oh, okay, Vicky said. She reached over and ripped out Jannsen’s phones. Go ahead.

You can’t do that, Jannsen said.

I just did. Call the police. I’m sure they’re thrilled with you right about now.

Come on, shit for brains, Katie said, beckoning to Jannsen. Throw me out.

Just leave, Jannsen sighed. This was not my fault.

So you say, Katie said. Are you going to the dead cop’s funeral? Jannsen just stared at her. I didn’t think so. So long, asshole.

What she said, Vicky said as she stood to go. Here’s my card. Any time you want to tango with me, you let me know. Look forward to a subpoena from a Chicago Grand Jury.

Are you really going to subpoena him? Katie said as they left. He has no information.

No, I just wanted him to rethink his stupid hospital polices about who goes into a convict’s room, and what they carry.

The world is full of assholes, Katie sighed. What do we do about that?

Nothing, Vicky said. You can’t stop human stupidity. You can only stand against it and clean it when you find it.

Clean it?

Yeah, clean it, Vicky said. You know what I mean. Some day you are going to be a great lawyer, Vicky said. The best. A top prosecutor. You’ll put a lot of people away, because you believe in justice. You’ll lose a few along the way, but that’s the way it goes. The legal system doesn’t work the way I do. If you want to be a lawyer, you have to disassociate yourself with me at some point, because if you really believe in law, you may have to come after me some day.

I could never do that, Katie said.

Then don’t be a prosecutor. Don’t be a hypocrite who protects her friends. You know what I do. Make your choice, kid. It’s us or them, on my terms. Otherwise, get the hell out of my life and let me do my job. You can’t have it both ways.

Then I’m with you, Katie said. I’ll get my law degree, but I’ll never turn on you.

Maybe you should, Vicky said, looking away.

What does that mean? Katie said.

Ask your God. Maybe he’ll tell you. He sure as hell never told me. Let’s go. We have work to do. Stop asking me questions, okay? I’m not in the mood to explain myself to you or anybody else.

Okay, Katie said. I’m with you all the way. You’ll see."

Home of Gerald Graham

Choteau, Montana

June

––––––––

Not again, Gerald said as Georgette pulled into the driveway with the stolen Camaro. Over there! he waved wildly at barn number two. Georgette put the car away and came out of the barn twirling in circles. How are you, she gushed. I’m good. Nobody can catch me, no matter what I do.

You better hope they can’t, Gerald said. Get inside. Why do you do this to me?

Because I can, and because you love me. You do love me, don’t you?

I do, Gerald sighed. Although  some days I wonder why you do this.

Do what? Georgette said as she made coffee.

Kill people.

"Oh, that. They deserve it. Don’t you read the bible? Those who stand against me shall find their end in the pit of fire."

It ain’t up to you. You ain’t God.

Yes I am, Georgette said. I am his emissary here on Earth. He spoke to me, she said, looking out the window. You don’t believe me, do you, she smiled. You think I’m crazy, like all the others.

I don’t know, Gerald said.

You will, Georgette said. All good things will be revealed to you. Jesus is coming, and his will shall be done. We have to get rid of the trash before he gets here. Do we have chop meat? I’d like a hamburger.

In the freezer, Gerald said.

I like hamburgers, Georgette said. So does she.

Who is that?

Never mind, it’s just somebody who wants to kill me. You don’t care about that, do you?

‘I don’t want anybody to kill you, Gerald said. And I don’t want you to kill anybody else."

Too bad, Georgette said. Get the hamburger. And don’t get any funny ideas.

If I wanted to rat you out, you’d have been gone a long time ago. Like Patty Collins.

That was necessary. She talked to the police and told them about the Dodge. If I’d waited a bit, I would have gotten that Avon character, too.

I hear the Dodge ain’t around any more. When that hit the news, I thought they had you this time.

They did have me. They just weren’t smart enough to keep me.

You cut a cop’s throat. Why?

So he would die, Georgette shrugged. Dead cops can’t chase you. I took his car, and traded it for a new one. The red one I came in here with.

Traded? You went to a car dealer with a stolen cop’s car?

Yeah, but they don’t know it yet, she smiled. I had to buy myself enough time to get here. Is Nicky the Crook around? That Camaro has to go. Too bad; it’s really fast.

I’ll call him. You’re going to need some wheels.

I still have the Impala, Georgette shrugged. I’ll have Nicky paint it again. Maybe he has something I can use around here.

Gerald called Nicky; he arrived an hour later with a car carrier.

What you got for me? he grinned, staring at her chest.

Not what you want, Georgette said. I have a new ZL1 Camaro I borrowed from Don K., and my Impala needs a color change. No fancy-shmancy paint jobs, either. Just change the color. Gold would be nice. And I need something to drive locally that nobody is looking for. Fast, if you have it.

I can get rid of  the Camaro in Mexico. That’s easy; the Beaners love those things. I’ll paint the Chevy, and I have.........let’s see now.......an old Ford LTD with low mileage. It’s got a 460 cop motor. The drive train is perfect, the body and interior are faded. It ain’t hot or anything, I won it in a poker game. Fucker flies. I’ll trade you even up. You could throw me a bang to sweeten the deal if you wanted to, he grinned.

No thanks, I only fuck humans, Georgette smiled.

Same old Georgie; all that sweater meat, and you make everybody a vegetarian.

Shelly told me there are a couple of things you refuse to eat, Georgette grinned.

Hey, you gotta draw the line some place. That thing is for sticking, not licking.

No wonder she dumped you, Georgette laughed. Go load up the cars. I disconnected the battery in the Camaro and disabled all the GPS shit.

I’ll bring the LTD over this afternoon. You can use one of my dealer plates. You get caught again, I don’t know nothing.

Chicago Police Department

Violent Crimes

Office of Detective Sergeant Vito Antonelli

June

––––––––

Here you go, stick figure, Vito grinned as he handed Vicky a report. She ditched the dead cop’s Camaro at a dealer in Montana. Don K. Chevrolet is the dealer’s name, it’s in some crap hole called Whitefish.

Not to be confused with white snake, Katie grinned. You do know what that means, don’t you?

Yeah; your lunch. She stoled another Camaro ZL1 out of their inventory.

Stoled? Vicky grinned.

Yeah, like in took without paying. You stupid or something?

Not me, Beauty School dropout, Vicky said. "Okay, after she stoled the Camaro, what did she do? I bet she droved away in it and nobody ain’t seen her since."

Now you’re talking, Vito said. You ain’t as dumb as I thought. My guess is she went to Canada again. That Whitefuck or whatever the name is ain’t too far from the border.

Oh, I see, Vicky said, trying not to laugh. Let’s see if I have this right. She switcheded the cop’s ZL1 for the one she stoled, then she droved a hot car into Canada, where there’s an APB for her ass now that says she’s driving a ZL1. Gee, that fits her profile. She’d do something that stupid.

Hey, Vito shrugged. Maybe she’s on the rag. You know how that screws up a woman’s head. Makes you null and void.

I have something for you, ass face, Katie said. She dug through her bag and tossed a pamphlet onto Vito’s desk.

What’s this crap?

It’s from the Department of Education. I  thought you might want to finish grammar school.

Yeah, you’re real funny; you and the genius over here who can’t catch cold.

I bet you catch, Katie grinned. While your boyfriend pitches.

You shut up, you Guinea brat, Antonelli said.

Make me, dead dick, Katie said.

I’ll throw your ass out of here and you won’t get back in, Antonelli said.

You can’t, Katie smirked, holding up her new badge. Clarence made me a Lieutenant. I outrank you, Dago Dan.

"That badge ain’t real, and you ain’t real," Vito said.

"He memorized Lethal Weapon, Katie sighed. Oh it’s real, all right. It’s damn real. The Chief approved it."

I don’t give a shit what the Chief approved! He’s a bigger asshole than you are. Moron got his job because he’s a stupid fucking nigger.

Thank you, Katie said. She took off her baseball cap, which had a small video camera in it. She attached it to Vito’s TV and replayed his comments about the Chief. Vicky laughed so hard she fell on the floor.

Oh my, she gasped. You’re a dead man, Antipasto. You’ll be working at Wal-Mart by the end of the week.

Katie unplugged the device and waved at Vito. Bye, she said. I have to go talk to the stupid fucking nigger.

You get back here! Antonelli shrieked. You can’t use that!

We ain’t in court, Katie said. You can tell the Chief I can’t use it while you’re cleaning out your locker. She left the office, trying not to laugh. She stood outside a few feet from the door and waited. Antonelli jumped up from his desk and ran into the hall.

Go get ‘em, Dago Dan, unemployed man, Vicky keened as tears streamed down her face.

Looking for something? Katie grinned.

You little creep, Antonelli scowled as he grabbed her camera. Now what do you have, you piece of shit? I ought to beat your little ass.

Wouldn’t you rather lick it? Katie said. You could run your tongue up and down my butt crack, and then you could lick my.......

Shut up, you pervert. Get back in there.

Katie went back in and sat down. Buy us a pizza, she said.

Fuck you; I got your camera, you blackmailing little bastard. That just proves I got more smarts than you. First rule of evidence; run when you got some, and don’t let the perp catch you and take it away from you, Antonelli smiled. You been out thunk.

Really? Katie said. She attached her phone to the TV and went to her web site. There, for all the world to see, was the video. I uploaded it in the hall, genius. Now who got out thunk?

Oh shit! Vicky screeched, grabbing her groin. She ran for the bathroom.

I assume you know what kind of pizza to order, Katie said. And Manicotti, and Lasagna, and Antipasto, and Chicken Marsala, and Eggplant Parmesan, and  Chicken Parmesan, and Stuffed Shells, and extra meatballs.

Is this what this is about? You wanna blackmail me for food?

No, I want to blackmail you because you’re an asshole who thinks he’s smarter than me. You forget where I grew up. I know more ways to fuck you over than you could ever dream of.

Here, Antonelli said, putting his Glock on the desk. Shoot me and get it over with.

I don’t need your gun; I have my own, Katie said.

Vicky came back out, wiping her eyes. That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in twenty years, she sighed. You should have seen the look on your face, Antipasto.

This fucking kid is a rat, Vito said. Trying to set up  another Italian  like that for some spade. Go ahead, show him the fucking video. I don’t give a shit. He might fire me, but one thing is for sure, he’s still a nigger and I ain’t.

I looked at your file, Vicky said. Eleven years ago, you intentionally took a bullet for your partner in a shootout. Saved his life; you got the Police Medal.

Yeah, so what, Antonelli said, looking away.

Your partner was black.

He was my partner. That’s different.

You keep telling yourself that, Vicky said. Kid, take down that video.

I already did, Katie said. Maybe. Vito has to order our food to be sure.

You little bastard, Vito laughed. Typical Guinea crook. Always got an angle. You’ll do time if you keep this up, or they’ll find you dead someplace.

Not me. I’m going to live forever, Katie said as Vito phoned in the order. Here, she said, putting two C-notes on the desk. This one is on me.

I’ll never figure you out, Vito sighed as he put the bills in his wallet.

Don’t even try, Katie said. I haven’t figured me out either.

You steal that money? Vito said suspiciously. Where’s an eleven year old kid get that kind of dough?

Twelve, Katie said. I just hit puberty. Invest in battery companies. Do you know where I can buy a jackhammer?

Yeah, Vicky said, eyeing Katie suspiciously. Where did you get two hundred dollars?

Katie did the invisible toothbrush thing, simulating oral sex.

Avon, you got to get this little tramp shock treatments. Nobody is going to want her. She got brain damage.

And you believe everything she says, don’t you, Vicky said.

She got cash. Where’d she get it?

Milk money, Katie said. Don’t worry about where I get my money. You got any information about Graham other than what’s on the wire?

Yeah, Vito grinned. You two assholes can’t catch her. This dummy over here is home whacking her beaver in the shower all the time, and you’re out cruising the bus station sucking off bums. You got no time for real police work.

We do no such thing, Vicky huffed. We’re virgins.

So am I, Vito said.

That’s believable, Vicky shrugged.

I ain’t  no virgin. I got proof; I got kids, Vito grinned.

Yeah, you got kids, but are they yours? Katie said. I saw pictures of your daughter. She has red hair.

That’s a dye job, Vito said.

"Sure. She has milky white skin, just like the Irish guy who delivers your mail. She also has a bib that says I Swallow."

My wife bought her that when she was two, Vito said.

Information, Vicky said as two delivery boys brought in the food. Never mind your mail man’s kid.

I got nothing other than what came over the wire. Hike your ass back out west, you think you’re so smart.

You said she was going to Canada.

Maybe she is. I don’t know for sure.

Okay, Vicky said as she helped herself to a plate. I’ll go back to the west and waste my time.

Pinedale Outlook Hotel

Pinedale, Wyoming

June

––––––––

This is beautiful, Vicky said as she looked out at the Wind River Range. "This place is full of history and legendary people. Right Hand Johnson, Jim Bridger,