The Tickleton Affair, Book #6 of the Janitors Series - "Three Toes" identified.

Today’s excerpt is from The Tickleton Affair, Book #5 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  Mark identifies “Three Toes” and Dan forcefully explains that he will help keep Arnold alive.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day.

m.j.

 

The main road through the southern portion of Sedona led directly to Cottonwood and Dan soon reached it and the clinic there.  He walked in with Mark at his side.  Then Dan inquired about how to find Arnold and was given directions.  When they reached his room, Evan was stationed outside the door.  He watched as the tall, handsome Dan walked up with the shorter, stocky Mark.

They stopped in front of Evan.  “Hi, I’m Dan Orf, with Gold Rush Insurance, and this is Lieutenant Mark Yomo of the Honolulu Police Department.”

Evan looked the two men over.  “I’m Evan Nelson, FBI.  What’s a Honolulu cop doing here in Cottonwood?”

Mark grinned.  “Hope to identify a bombing suspect for you.”

Evan softened his tone slightly.  “How’d you find out we don’t know who we have?”

Dan smiled.  “Vee have our sources.  Actually, my boss called the Sedona police and found out the situation after a Miss Knight called us to report an attempt on Buchanan’s life and that his house, which we have insured, was blown up.  I understand you have the suspected bomber in custody, but don’t know who he is because he has no fingerprints and had no ID on him.”

Evan looked back at Mark.  “What makes you think you can identify him?”

“I know a bomber with no prints.  Busted him three times, but only got one conviction.  Obviously, if it’s ‘Two Toes’ you have, I didn’t get him sent away for long enough.”

Evan rubbed the back of his neck.  “Two Toes?”

“Yeah, if it’s the guy I think it could be, his name is Harold “Two Toes” Morris.  Blew off three toes on his right foot with a bomb he was making that never got used on anybody but him.  Pity he didn’t kill himself with it.  The no fingerprints was another little goof-up on his part…slipped and tripped hands-first into a vat of acid.  But don’t let those two incidents fool you.  He’s a well-known and quite successful bomb expert.”

Evan nodded, reached behind him, and tapped on the door outside Arnold’s room.  A few seconds later, Carlos opened the door and was introduced to Dan and Mark.  Then Evan smiled.  “Carlos, take them down to our basket case without a name.  Lieutenant Yomo thinks he can ID him for us.”

As Carlos walked off, he said over his shoulder, “Follow me.”

Inside Harold’s room, Mark looked at the swollen head and face of the man, lifted up the bedsheet covering his right foot, and nodded his head.  “You’d never know from looking at his face, but this is old Two Toes.  Never seen you looking better, you sorry piece of shit.”

Dan, who obviously knew Mark well as a kindhearted man, was taken aback by Mark’s total lack of sympathy for Harold’s condition.  “You don’t seem to like this guy too much, pal.”

Mark grunted.  “Son-of-a-bitch blew up a nice young couple that saw something they shouldn’t have.  We never could make the case against him, but I know damn well he did it.  I’m just sorry this Buchanan guy didn’t kill him with his baseball bat.”

As the three men walked back toward Arnold’s room, Carlos asked for and received as much information as Mark could remember on Harold, and Mark promised to fax the complete file on Harold to the Phoenix FBI office, marked to Carlos’ attention.

When they got back to Evan, he was brought up to date on the identification.  He nodded his head in acknowledgment.  “Thanks, Lieutenant Yomo.”

“Mark’s fine.”

“Fair enough, I’m Evan”

Mark held out his hand and shook Evan’s.  “You may not be so friendly when I give you one more piece of news.”

Evan looked questioningly at Mark.  “Oh, what’s that?”

“The guy does a lot of work for the Chinese.  Our guess is that it’s not just for the Tongs…the Mainland guys, too.  Dan said some of the stuff they have insured is so secret, they don’t even know what they have insured.  If I was you, I’d look west—far west, past Hawaii.”

Evan set his jaw.  “Damn, you’re right.  I’m not too thrilled to hear that, though it doesn’t surprise me.”

Dan changed the subject.  “I’d like to see Buchanan.  One of my jobs is to protect him until we get this mess sorted out.”

Evan looked calmly at Dan.  “The FBI can handle that.”

Dan showed no anger at being rebuffed.  “Agent Nelson, I understand your feelings, but I am gonna see him, and I am gonna protect him.  I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, and I don’t really want to go over your head, but if I have to call John Engle, I will.  Why don’t we just try to work together on this?”

Evan looked at Dan and felt the man was neither bluffing nor blowing smoke.  “I take it you know the Director?”

“You take it correctly.  We went to school together.  And since my wife, Janet—who works with me—helped solve a case for you guys recently, he thinks my shit doesn’t stink.”

“Orf.  Janet Orf.  Sure, I remember your name now…or at least your wife’s.  That was good work on the sabotage on the LV Charter plane.  You’re right…your shit doesn’t stink.”

Dan grinned.  “Well, at least not Janet’s.”

Evan held out his hand.  “Okay, let’s work together on this.  I’m Evan.”

Dan took the offered hand.  “Good, I’m Dan.  Let’s go in and talk to Mr. Buchanan.”

 

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