bulge under the shirt of the man that accosted him, and high-tailed it to Mary’s apartment.
“Mary! Open up!” he shouted, banging on her door.
“What now, Feeney?” Mary asked, obviously perturbed. “Don’t tell me you stopped up the crapper again. I’m not in the mood.”
“No! No! Nothing like that. Two guys are upstairs looking for the new fellow in #6. I think one of them has a gun!”
“Great! Just great!” Mary muttered, grabbing her ball bat. She dialed and handed Feeney the phone. “Tell Mr. Walt what’s going on and tell him to get over here --- fast. I’m heading upstairs.”
Randy and Dominick paused beside the door to #6.
“I’ll handle this,” Randy said, tapping gently. “Maintenance. Just checking to see if you need anything.”
“No, I’m fine,” James replied opening the door. “Thanks for ---- Hey! What the hell?”
Randy shoved James onto the bed, brandishing his .380.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” Dominick said. “Sammy’s real pissed, you takin’ off like that. He wants his money --- NOW!”
“I --- I don’t have it, but I’ll get it. I promise. I wasn’t trying to skip out. I know I owe the money. I just had to move somewhere cheaper so I could save up.”
“Likely story. Sammy said if we found you, to send you a message he means business. What do you think, Randy? Maybe a pinkie off at the first knuckle?”
“Sounds about right to me.”
“Come on, guys,” James pleaded. “You don’t have to do this. Tell Sammy I’ll pay. I promise.”
“Oh, we’ll tell him all right, but if we don’t bring back some proof we delivered the message, our butts will be in a sling. We can’t have that, now can we?”
Dominick pulled a pair of nippers out of his pocket. “Give me your hand, James. I’ll make this nice and quick and we’ll be outta here.”
“BACK OFF, ASSHOLE!” Mary roared, bringing her Louisville Slugger down on Dominick’s wrist.
“Owww! Holy crap!” he muttered grabbing his arm.
Randy swung the .380 in her direction, but her second swing caught him on the arm and the gun skittered across the floor.
Seeing James grab the gun, Randy shouted, “Dominick! Let’s get the hell outta here!”
Pushing Mary aside, the two ran for the exit at the far end of the hall.
Mary grabbed the gun from James. “I’ll teach those creeps a thing or two.”
Mr. Barnes stepped out into the hall to see what the commotion was all about just as Mary fired off two shots.
“Geez Louise!” he shouted. “Now I’ve wet myself!”
The slugs crashed into the door frame above Randy and Dominick.
“Mark my words, Walker,” Randy shouted as they slipped out the door, “Get Sammy his money or next time it won’t just be a piece of pinkie.”
My brother-in-law and partner in Walt Williams Investigations, Kevin McBride, and I were in my home office discussing a case when the phone rang.
“Mr. Walt! Two guys came lookin’ for the new fellow and Mary’s gone after ‘em with her bat!”
“Whoa! Slow down. Mr. Feeney?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Mary said to get you over here, pronto!”
“Okay, start from the beginning. What’s going on?”
After several aborted attempts, I finally got the straight story.
“Tell Mary I’m on my way and not to do anything stupid.”
“Crimeny! It might be too late. I think I just heard shots upstairs.”
I hung up and grabbed Kevin. “Let’s go. It sounds like there’s a gunfight at the hotel.”
On the way, I gave Kevin the details.
Needless to say, he was stunned. “So you’re telling me that this stranger, who turned out to be her nephew, just showed up on Mary’s doorstep and told her about her long-lost sister, and now two goons are
“Mary! Open up!” he shouted, banging on her door.
“What now, Feeney?” Mary asked, obviously perturbed. “Don’t tell me you stopped up the crapper again. I’m not in the mood.”
“No! No! Nothing like that. Two guys are upstairs looking for the new fellow in #6. I think one of them has a gun!”
“Great! Just great!” Mary muttered, grabbing her ball bat. She dialed and handed Feeney the phone. “Tell Mr. Walt what’s going on and tell him to get over here --- fast. I’m heading upstairs.”
Randy and Dominick paused beside the door to #6.
“I’ll handle this,” Randy said, tapping gently. “Maintenance. Just checking to see if you need anything.”
“No, I’m fine,” James replied opening the door. “Thanks for ---- Hey! What the hell?”
Randy shoved James onto the bed, brandishing his .380.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” Dominick said. “Sammy’s real pissed, you takin’ off like that. He wants his money --- NOW!”
“I --- I don’t have it, but I’ll get it. I promise. I wasn’t trying to skip out. I know I owe the money. I just had to move somewhere cheaper so I could save up.”
“Likely story. Sammy said if we found you, to send you a message he means business. What do you think, Randy? Maybe a pinkie off at the first knuckle?”
“Sounds about right to me.”
“Come on, guys,” James pleaded. “You don’t have to do this. Tell Sammy I’ll pay. I promise.”
“Oh, we’ll tell him all right, but if we don’t bring back some proof we delivered the message, our butts will be in a sling. We can’t have that, now can we?”
Dominick pulled a pair of nippers out of his pocket. “Give me your hand, James. I’ll make this nice and quick and we’ll be outta here.”
“BACK OFF, ASSHOLE!” Mary roared, bringing her Louisville Slugger down on Dominick’s wrist.
“Owww! Holy crap!” he muttered grabbing his arm.
Randy swung the .380 in her direction, but her second swing caught him on the arm and the gun skittered across the floor.
Seeing James grab the gun, Randy shouted, “Dominick! Let’s get the hell outta here!”
Pushing Mary aside, the two ran for the exit at the far end of the hall.
Mary grabbed the gun from James. “I’ll teach those creeps a thing or two.”
Mr. Barnes stepped out into the hall to see what the commotion was all about just as Mary fired off two shots.
“Geez Louise!” he shouted. “Now I’ve wet myself!”
The slugs crashed into the door frame above Randy and Dominick.
“Mark my words, Walker,” Randy shouted as they slipped out the door, “Get Sammy his money or next time it won’t just be a piece of pinkie.”
My brother-in-law and partner in Walt Williams Investigations, Kevin McBride, and I were in my home office discussing a case when the phone rang.
“Mr. Walt! Two guys came lookin’ for the new fellow and Mary’s gone after ‘em with her bat!”
“Whoa! Slow down. Mr. Feeney?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Mary said to get you over here, pronto!”
“Okay, start from the beginning. What’s going on?”
After several aborted attempts, I finally got the straight story.
“Tell Mary I’m on my way and not to do anything stupid.”
“Crimeny! It might be too late. I think I just heard shots upstairs.”
I hung up and grabbed Kevin. “Let’s go. It sounds like there’s a gunfight at the hotel.”
On the way, I gave Kevin the details.
Needless to say, he was stunned. “So you’re telling me that this stranger, who turned out to be her nephew, just showed up on Mary’s doorstep and told her about her long-lost sister, and now two goons are
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