THE BRIDGE TO CARACAS (Volume 1 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 67

Marty Piniero turned his white, 1977 Cadillac Eldorado into Servito's driveway and accelerated toward the house. He leaped from the car and ran to the double front doors, anxious to see his old friend again and to learn how much money he was going to make. Immediately following his false confession to the Ontario Provincial Police in Fort Erie, Piniero had returned to his native Venezuela. To finance the trip, he used a portion of the fifty thousand dollars Servito had paid him to implicate both Mike and Karen in gasoline theft. He pressed the doorbell button and whistled happily while he waited.

"What do you want?" Carlos growled.

Piniero gulped and stepped backward, his eyes riveted on the gold skull and crossbones dangling from Carlos's neck. "Is...is Jim here?" he asked.

"Who are you?"

"Marty...Marty Piniero. He...Jim's expecting me."

"He's okay, Carlos," Servito said as he stepped into the doorway behind his huge bodyguard. He smiled as his eyes shifted to his guest. "Marty, baby!" he said, shaking Piniero's hand and patting his back. "Good to see you. Come on in. We have a lot to talk about...how have you been?"

"Good," Piniero replied. "You?"

"Fantastic." Servito led Piniero to the swimming pool deck, and Carlos followed. "Have a seat, Marty. I'll get Carla to bring us drinks. What'll you have?"

"You got any beer?" Servito turned to Carlos. "Tell Carla to bring us two cold Corona."

Carlos nodded and returned to the house.

"You got a great place here, Jimbo," Piniero said as he relaxed in one of Servito's deck chairs.

"Thanks. I'm very happy with it."

"How come you're here so soon? I thought you were gonna stay in Canada for a couple more years."

Servito shrugged. "Long story—I'll tell you later. Right now, I have a job for you to do, and I want you to listen very carefully."

Piniero quickly hoisted himself to an erect position.

"That prick, Mike King, is in Caracas."

"You're shittin' me! I thought he was in jail."

"So did I, but he isn't. He's here with my beloved wife, who also isn't in jail."

"How the hell did they find you?"

"I don't know and I don't care, but I'm going to make sure they never find me again!"

"What are you gonna do?"

"Set up a nice little surprise party for them. I want you to phone King at his hotel and introduce yourself as Pedro Montoya, first cousin of Luis Martinez. Tell him Luis asked you to call because you work for the City of Caracas. You're in the tax department. Tell him how sorry Luis is about not being able to get the names of the people living in this house."

"I don't understand. Why the con?"

"I want you to tell King and my wife that you'll bring them up here and get the job done. Tell them you'll pick them up at their hotel. Carlos and I will be joining you and I want to be sure they're going to be there."

"You gonna kill 'em?"

Servito flashed an evil smirk. "They'll be taking a nice, long swim."