Spoils of the Game (28 page)

Badeau moved, powered by near-panic. He opened the back of the van and moved two of the canvas bags at one time to the back of Austin’s car. With Austin’s help, the transfer took only minutes. Austin walked to the back of the van to make sure everything was gone. Simon rose up, looked Austin in the eye, and said, “I will get you and your little slut as well. You don’t know who I know.”

Under the current circumstances this was the worst thing to say. Immediately Austin punched Simon in the face, and he fell to the ground. Taking the metal rod, Austin stood over him and said, “You know, I just do not like people with only one name, and I think you need a last name of your own. Now, I could call you by your real last name of Bassett, or I could give you a new name, like Hurtsalot.” And with that, Austin brought the metal rod down on Simon’s right knee, causing him to scream out in pain.

“Mr. Hurtsalot, if I hit you again, we will only be able to use you for second base. And remember this—if Madeline or I ever see or hear from you again, I will take this rod and shove it up your ass and turn you into a fuckin’ weather vane. And please understand that you are talking with me when I am in a good mood.”

“You are in deep shit, Monsieur Clay! Deep shit!” called out Simon.

Austin was still holding the iron rod. Within two seconds, Simon’s other knee was shattered. Simon screamed again.

Austin knelt down over him placing his knee and much of his 240 pounds on his chest and looked into his eyes. “Now you listen to me, you little shit. I have friends too. Tonight I am going to call some of my friends and put a couple hundred thousand in escrow. The money will be used to hunt you down and kill you if anything happens to anyone I know. I will give special instruction that you should be burnt to death, but I want you burnt slowly with acetylene torches. So if you think that you are some big, tough guy, you don’t know me when I am pissed, and I assure you that you have officially pissed me the fuck off.”

Austin went toward his car, and there stood Madeline and Badeau. Madeline was shaking. This man she knew as a lover had become a monster capable of inflicting harm on people that had crossed him, but in this case she knew he was her hero. Madeline was still trying to understand what was going on, and it was beyond her.

Badeau stood next to Madeline, hoping to make peace and praying that he would not be Austin’s next victim.

“Monsieur Clay, you must understand that this was not my idea,” said Badeau, speaking rapidly in a trembling voice. “I made the unfortunate mistake of trying to make everyone happy, and I am afraid that I have not been successful. Simon was sent to oversee our plans, but I am afraid he had selfish plans of his own, and it quickly got out of control.”

Austin stood in front of Badeau, looking down at the little man, a finger pointing at his face. “Badeau, you are a weak, slimy little man, and I must say that I have never liked you. You started all of the crap, but in the end, you may lose the most. You know, when I get back to Paris, your career at the Louvre is over. I do not understand how you kept your job this long, but trust me when I say that they will not even allow you to clean out your desk. You’re fuckin’ done.”

Austin helped Madeline get back into the car. She was so scared that she could not even cry. Perhaps it was shock, but she did not have the capacity to understand or handle the last few minutes.

With his car loaded with gold, Austin turned it around and headed north, leaving those he had confronted broken.

* * *

Badeau helped both Simon and Andre into his car and promised to get them some medical attention. Down the road was a turnoff from the highway, and a gravel road wandered along a small stream that flowed north into Lake Como. The rain had stopped, and the sunlight in the east was promising a beautiful morning. A man and his two boys who were fishing saw Badeau’s car drive along the road on the other side of the stream and come to a stop.

“Why are we stopping here? I thought we were going to get help,” said Simon.

Badeau opened his door and exited the vehicle. Through the open window he told Andre and Simon that he had something in his trunk that might help their pain. Badeau moved to the rear of his car, opened the trunk, and removed a double-barreled shotgun he kept there, knowing that someday he might need to protect himself. The father fishing with his boys across the stream was watching.

Badeau moved with purpose as he dropped two twelve-gauge shells into the gun and then slowly but deliberately went along the passenger side of the car. He placed the muzzle of the shotgun eight inches behind Simon’s head and pulled the trigger. Simon’s head exploded, its contents collecting on the inside of the car’s windshield.

With the same premeditation, Badeau aimed the gun at Andre Bertrand, who was in the back seat and who was now in complete shock. Bertrand tried to find some location in the back seat to hide, but Badeau’s second shot caught him in the throat, forcing his head back, now attached to his body by a small bundle of muscle and some body fat. With both men dead, Badeau returned to the rear of the car and reloaded with two new shells. He placed the butt of the stock on the ground, placed the muzzle on the bridge of his nose, and managed to pull both triggers at once. The boys and their father were stunned when Badeau’s head was transformed into a bloody pink mist.

Chapter 10

Northern Italy

Austin and Madeline headed north to pick up the highway back to Milan. Madeline had not said a word since Austin showed his bad side, but her shaking had diminished. Just before getting onto the highway, Austin pulled over, reached into his travel bag, and pulled a bottle of wine and a glass. He filled the glass and handed it to Madeline, who accepted it without comment. Within a few minutes the wine in her glass was gone, and he quickly refilled it. Austin had a problem. He had a car with a few hundred pounds of gold and no plan. Madeline turned her head and looked at him almost as if he were a stranger, and Austin could feel her stare.

“Austin, you scared me this morning. I am not sure if I even know you. I don’t like violence, and Austin, that was all that you were. You almost killed that man Simon, and that man Andre had his face punched in. You could have been arrested for what you did.”

Austin just sat there and let Madeline talk.

“There is something else that is bothering me. Austin, you seem like you are playing a game. I think you play games with everything that you do, and I pray that you are not playing a game with me. You were playing a game with your dead wife’s project back at the Louvre, and you were playing a game with finding the gold. You don’t understand that you do not have the day-to-day issues in your life that keep many people responsible and under control. Most people are trying to pay the rent, and all you have to do is win your next game. I am not playing games, and I don’t play games where people are hurt!” At this point Madeline was screaming and pounding her hand on the dashboard of the car. Her clothes were still wet and covered with mud, and there was dirt and blood in her hair.

Austin continued to allow Madeline to vent.

“Here I sit in a car with you and bags of gold, and I am waiting for someone to come along and cut our throats. You don’t have a plan, and if we get stopped by the police, we’ll go to jail.”

Austin remained quiet, and Madeline poured more wine.

“Austin, I wanted us to go away together and just relax, and now you have made me into a wreck. I wanted to be your ally, and I actually wanted more, but you scare me, and now I don’t know what I want.”

Austin waited for Madeline to quiet down and then stated his side, hoping he had one that made sense.

“Madeline, those men deserved everything that came their way. Simon was a gangster who tried to kill you. He was a minor gangster, but still a gangster, who worked for some guy in Marseille. If I believe your boss, Badeau, Simon was even double-crossing his boss and acting on his own behalf, and he was a threat to both of us, and things could have been a lot worse. If you believe Bertrand, he was trying to save Badeau from the mob, but I think he was behind much of the shady crap that Badeau was up to. But everything they may have done means nothing when I compare it to the fact that they slapped you around, and if it were not for the book in your pocket, Simon would have killed you. If I didn’t care, we would have just left and let them have the gold. Forgive me if I got a little pissed off, but I did not start it—they did. My confrontation with these clowns had everything to do with you, and whatever minor beating they got, they deserved. Your friend Badeau was an amateur and clumsy. He deserves whatever he gets, because he was operating on the edge of honesty, and the Louvre should have fired his ass long ago. The gold was a separate topic, but there was no way I was going to allow them to benefit in any way. I will be the first to say that this was a game to me. The gold represents a lot of money, but to be honest, I probably can’t spend what I have, so what is another ten million? Perhaps I do look at it as points on a scoreboard. Points have value at the time you win them, but soon they are meaningless. If the gold means anything to anyone, I would love to see that you are taken care of with some real money in the bank. It’s getting late, and I am exhausted. To be honest, I can’t talk any more, and I don’t know what else to say. I respect what you said, and the problem is more complicated than we know at this time. I am going to find us a place to stay, and you can get cleaned up and get caught up on your rest. We can continue this later.”

“Are you going to leave the gold in the car?”

“I will have to find a motel where I can pull the car up near the room, and I’ll move the bags into the room. It should work.”

Austin got back on the road, and at the next exit he found the type of accommodations that would work. Madeline insisted that they get two rooms. It was a good idea. Perhaps a break was in order, and it would give Austin a chance to get on the phone. Austin and Madeline were exhausted. Austin wiped his face on a towel to get most of the mud off before checking into a motel that might not rate one star. The clerk did not seem disturbed by Austin’s appearance and gave him two keys. With Madeline settled in, Austin stripped down to his underwear and fell asleep. It was about ten in the morning.

Around one, Austin used the house phone to call Madeline.

“Hello,” said a tired Madeline.

“Are you still mad at me?” asked Austin.

“I’m not mad. I am just very tired and very confused. I took a shower. I had to get the grime off of me, and I have been trying to sleep. Good-bye, Austin. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Is there anything we should talk about?”

“No, my brain needs a rest. I just want to sleep, or escape, or both. Good-bye, Austin.”

“Talk to you later,” said Austin. He hung up the phone, laid back on the bed, and tried to take an audit of the current situation and his life. Madeline was right. He had been very fortunate. He had been raised in a good family and had been taught to do the right thing. Having more money than he could ever spend and an ongoing business that provided millions in personal income, the whole concept of money had become a nonissue in his life. Money was more a measure of success than a means to pay the rent. Walking away from the treasure would clean up everyone’s life, but there had to be a better way. Before getting in the shower to remove his own share of filth, Austin checked the door and arranged the gold so that it was less obvious. He positioned a chair under the doorknob as a crude backup barrier.

In the shower he replayed the day’s events in his mind. Had he gone over the top with the beating he had given Simon? Simon had asked for it, and he had slapped around Madeline and tried to kill her, which destroyed any defense he might have had. Having them on the loose was an issue. Any action they took to squeal on Austin also put them in jeopardy, but what if they did it anonymously? Perhaps Simon would talk with his gangster connections and seek revenge on Austin and Madeline. Had his counter-threats to Simon been convincing? Was his imagination getting the best of him, or was he deadly accurate in his analysis?

The hotel they were in was not the best, and Austin laughed when he thought of Madeline’s previous comments about his hotel selection skills. Sounds filtered through the thin walls, and conversations in a variety of languages could be heard. The blankets on the bed were thin, and the mattress was populated with lumps. He had not seen any insects or other vermin, but he knew they were there somewhere. In a strange way, a cheap hotel was a good hideout.

Austin wanted to keep the situation secret, but he needed advice. He did have people that he could trust and good relations with the law firm that handled his company’s legal issues. He knew the lawyers very well and had played golf with several of them on occasion. He checked his watch, confirmed that someone should be in the office, and then made a call.

“Andy, this is Austin Clay.”

“Austin, someone told me you were over in France, chasing those French girls.”

“Well, to be honest, Andy, I have been, but there has been a complication.”

“You didn’t marry some stripper or anything?”

“No, it is crazier than that. In fact, I wish it were that simple.”

“You sound rattled, my friend.”

“It is not that I am rattled as much as I am disappointed in myself. I got caught up in a project, and it got a lot deeper and more confusing than I had imagined, and now I suspect it might have been for nothing.”

“Okay,” said Andy. “You are now talking with Father Andy, and I will hear your confession. You of course know that I got out of bed about thirty minutes ago, so my legal mind may not be at full power yet.”

“Andy, I do not want to bore you with the details, but I found a treasure. It took a little detective work, but while I was over here, I found a treasure.”

“You mean like a pirate chest full of diamonds and gold?”

“Well, there were no diamonds, but there is a big pile of gold.”

“You’re serious?”

“Oh, I am very serious, but now I have the question of what to do with the gold. As I recently learned, Italian law states that any treasure belongs to the state. One side of my brain says that this straight arrow must turn in the gold. Another part of my brain says sneak it over the border into Switzerland and either fence it or melt it down into bars.”