“Yeah. Stew is leaving, so the bastard has another fish on the line,” growled Jim. “Randy won’t be happy with that. One more person to protect.”

“Barfoot hasn’t signed any papers yet. Until that happens, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

“And if we see him signing any papers?”

“Get Tina to walk by and spill a drink on them.”

“Think that would work?”

“Probably not,” admitted Jack. “We only have to stall one more day. Hopefully nothing else goes wrong.” He glanced at his watch. In Vancouver it was Sunday night and almost midnight. No call from Laura. Virgil must be behaving himself …

Chapter Thirty-Six

At ten o’clock at night, Virgil sat parked in the alley where he could see the rear of the blonde’s apartment. Somewhere in the distance he heard the sound of a couple of firecrackers as someone celebrated Canada Day.

Her silhouette appeared behind the screen on her patio door as she looked out. It was evident that she had heard the firecrackers, as well. She then slid the patio door shut and fumbled with the lock before disappearing inside. Fifteen minutes later, the apartment lights went out.

Virgil smiled as he stared at the kitchen window. A light breeze ruffled the curtains like a welcome sign. He waited another two hours before reaching under his seat for a paper bag. Out of it he took the noose, a steak knife, a penlight flashlight, latex gloves, and a pair of heavy wool socks.

He took his shoes off and pulled on the socks, leaving the shoes in his car. Not only would he not leave any identifiable shoe prints to be traced, but the socks would also silence his footsteps.

As Virgil slowly walked down the alley, he took in everything around him. The two hours he had waited had given him plenty of time to study the surroundings, but he was still cautious.

Few apartment lights had been left on in the building. The night was warm and three floors above, the sound of a television could be heard through an open balcony door.

The alley itself was deserted, but the sounds of passing cars and buses could be heard on the street facing the apartment. Enough noise, Virgil figured, to cover any sound he might make upon entering.

The alley was also dark, giving him an escape route if something went wrong, as it did one time when he discovered a woman had a yappy little dog. At that time he was halfway through a window and had to turn and run when he heard the woman calling for the police.

Virgil padded quietly across the patio and stood outside the kitchen window, before moving the curtains aside and peering in. His view looked over the kitchen sink, but he could see a dim glow of light emitting from a hallway.

Is she still up? No sound of televison … maybe reading a book in bed?

Virgil hesitated, then smiled when he realized it was a nightlight plugged into a hall outlet. He lifted the screen from the kitchen window, set it on the ground, and reached for his flashlight.

A quick scan of the counter revealed a soap dispenser and an empty dish rack. He shut off his flashlight and reached in to move them to one side. After another glance over his shoulder to make sure it was safe, he climbed through the window and softly swung his feet down off the counter and onto the kitchen floor.

A surge of adrenaline pumped through his body as he listened. Everything was quiet, but he stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, before slowly moving to the hallway.

The nightlight was in a wall outside the first bedroom door. The door was closed and on it was a poster of Batman. At the end of the hall, another door was open, revealing the washroom. At right angles to the washroom, there was another room with an open door.

Virgil moved silently toward the doorway and peeked in. There was enough light that he could make out the young woman’s face against the white pillowcase. Her breathing was heavy and one bare arm lay on top of the sheet.

Ah, my lovely…

Virgil stepped back from the doorway and undressed, taking everything off but his socks and latex gloves. When he was finished, he plucked the condom from its wrapper, then picked up the noose and his knife, before creeping into the bedroom. At the foot of her bed, he paused to stare at her.

For a moment, he visualized his fantasies again. The blood filled his groin until it began to ache. His own breathing had become heavy and he knew it was time.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Late in the morning, Jack was invited to join Oskar, Pike, and Barfoot for lunch at the Seasonal Tastes restaurant inside the hotel. He readily accepted.

The lunch itself was uneventful, although there was some talk from Oskar that if Stew didn’t change his mind, that he better not ever ask Oskar to be his reference.

When they finished lunch, Barfoot said he was returning to his boat and invited everyone to join them.

“Thanks, but no,” replied Oskar. “Ben and I are going up to the hospital to visit Stew.”

“See if you can talk some sense into him?” asked Barfoot.

“Exactly,” replied Oskar.

“Yeah, that’s one guy whose priorities are completely fucked up,” said Pike.

“He’s got a family and is worried about his wife,” noted Barfoot. “I would say he has his priorities in the right order. Still, it does show a lack of obligation to what he was hired to do. Maybe he made his choice out of panic.”

Oh, yeah. He was panicked all right, thought Jack.

“Perhaps things have settled down,” continued Barfoot.

“That’s what we’re hoping to find out,” replied Oskar.

“And you Jack? Are you up to sun-tanning on the deck, drinking a little beer, and perhaps throwing a line in the water?”

“I’d love to,” replied Jack, “providing my boss says it’s okay?” he added, looking at Oskar.

“Why not?” Oskar shrugged. “Make sure you’re back by tomorrow morning for your trip to Hat Yai.”

Jack was pleased to have been invited. Even though Barfoot hadn’t signed any documents yet, he still felt the need to be around him in the event something changed.

Jack made an excuse to go to his room for a moment and quickly alerted Randy as to what was planned.

“We hadn’t planned on you going on any boat ride,” said Randy. “Oskar and Pike won’t be at the hospital long. I’m not risking letting Stew say anything to them. What if Oskar changes his mind and decides to take Barfoot up on his offer? You could be out of range to wear a wire, not to mention we don’t have a boat.”

“Forget the wire, I’m suppose to be sun-tanning. Don’t worry about it. Even if they do show up, Barfoot hasn’t joined the company yet and I don’t see them trying to murder me with him around.”

“Barfoot might also offer to take you to Hat Yai tomorrow on his boat.”

“That, we don’t want,” said Jack, quietly. “Especially if he becomes insured.”

Minutes later, Jack met Barfoot in the lobby and they took a short taxi ride to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.

As they walked along a pier at the marina, Jack could not help but feel stunned at some of the beautiful yachts. One in particular caught his eye. It was called the Malaysian Princess.

“That’s mine,” said Barfoot, nonchalantly, as they approached.

“The Malaysian Princess is yours?” exclaimed Jack.

“Yup. Actually it was built in Italy. Ninety feet long, four cabins, and she can do up to twenty-six knots if need be.”

“My God!” said Jack. “It’s huge! And beautiful! You handle it by yourself?”

“She’s supposed to have a crew of three, but I consider myself part of the crew, so I’ve only got two Malaysian chaps on board to crew with me. Their names are Razak and Khalid. Expensive guys to have as sailors, but worth it.”