Unsettled: Episode 78

Donahue pulled to a stop outside Green Harvest, a small shop near Greenway Park.

“What is this place?” Randi asked.

“A health food store,” Donahue said. “They don’t sell junk food or anything processed. All healthy, all natural.”

“You’re sure the juice box came from here?” Randi asked.

“This is the best place to buy healthy organic snacks, herbal teas, gluten free and low sodium food. They don’t sell meat. Only vegan food with no animal testing and all natural,” Donahue explained.

“Sounds like a fun place,” Randi said.

“My wife loves it,” Donahue said, getting out of the car.

Randi winced for a moment then slipped out of the car and followed Donahue toward the shop.

“Plus I’m pretty sure this is the place where our killer bought that juice we found,” he added.

The detectives waited for traffic to clear then crossed the street.

When Donahue pulled open the shop door, Randi was hit in the face with the strong smell of patchouli.

No one was minding the cash register.

“Wait here,” Donahue said and started searching the shelves.

After a few moments just as Randi was about to hit the bell, Donahue said,

“My wife has been looking for this. She is going to be so happy.”

“Is anyone here?” Randi called out.

“He’s probably in the back,” Donahue suggested. “Ring the bell on the counter.”

Randi tapped the bell once and waited. When no one appeared, she rang it again.

Suddenly the door to the back opened and a tall thin man with a long braid and bushy beard walked out. The hem of his faded t-shirt didn’t quite reach the waistband of his shorts, and his bare feet slapped on the tile floor as he made his way up to the counter.

When he reached the counter, he looked at Randi for a moment then said,

“You are not like the other children Mother Earth sends to me. You must have just begun your journey to healthy eating. Let me be your guide to a younger happier you.”

He reached out and took Randi’s hand.

“I am Rain. What is your name?” he asked.

“Detective Miranda Lawrence,” Donahue said, stepping out from behind the shelves.

Rain’s shoulders dropped. He looked out the window then back at Donahue.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his demeanor changing along with his voice. Hunching over, he spoke with an aggressive tone.

“Meet Kevin Two Toes Foster. Former accountant for the Drakos crime family.”

“Two Toes?” Randi asked.

“Birth defect,” Foster said.

“What are you doing here, detective?” he asked Donahue. “I ain’t done nothing wrong. I’m clean. Swear on my mother.”

“Kevin, your mother shot at officers who came to arrest you,” Donahue said.

Foster shrugged and answered,

“What can I say? She’s got spirit.”

“I need your help, Kevin,” Donahue said.

“I’m way ahead of you,” Foster said. “The special soap your wife has been waiting for finally showed up. It’s in the back.”

“Already got it,” Donahue said. “I’m here for something else. You let a killer in here.”

“Whoa!” Foster said. “I ain’t got nothing to do with no killer. I’m clean.”

Donahue stared at Foster for a moment then said,

“I believe you. But I’m almost certain he came here.”

Randi held up the juice box.

Foster took a pair of glasses out of his shirt pocket and examined the box.

After a moment he said,

“Yeah, I sell this stuff. It’s a rip off. Ninety percent apple juice.”

Foster handed back the box and added,

“That was my last one, too. I got more on the way.”

“I need to see your security footage,” Donahue said.

Foster raised his hands.

“I don’t have security cameras in here. My customers prefer their privacy.”

Donahue looked over at Randi and said,

“You know I hear Carl Costigan took over as head of the family when Mr. Drakos retired. I wonder what he’d think if he found out that Two Toes Foster was still alive.”

“Big Carl Costigan?” Randi asked. “I hear he fed some guy’s family to a wood chipper. Made the guy watch.”

“Seriously?” Foster said.

“I need to see that footage,” Donahue repeated.

“Look. The footage ain’t going to help you. Someone broke in and wrecked the system a week ago. But good news is, I remember your guy. He bought some Kava tea and my last juice box. Paid ahead for more. Said he wanted them shipped to his place,” Foster explained.

After digging around under the counter, Foster came back with a piece of paper.

“In fact, he called this morning and changed the address,” Foster said.

When Donahue and Randi saw the address, Donahue said,

“This is the address for a warehouse.”

Foster raised his hands,

“Look, I got people who literally buy imported dirt. I don’t ask no questions.”

Donahue considered the address again and said,

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Foster said. “Hey, next time don’t be so loud. Last thing I need is somebody from my old life finding me. I hear things about Big Carl, and he scares me.”

* * *

Across the street in the darkness of a narrow alley, Truman Wicker watched the two police detectives following the clues his father had told him to leave.

There had been no sign of the vigilante, and these two detectives were close on the trail.

Just then his cell phone rang. He removed it from his pocket and answered without checking the id.

“Yes, Father?”

“How is the hunt coming along?” Thaddeus Wicker asked.

“No sign of the vigilante, but two detectives are close on the trail,” Truman said.

“We weren’t hired to kill two detectives,” Thaddeus Wicker pointed out. “If they get too close, deal with them. We’ll blame it on the same person. Let me know if it comes to that. I’ll have to rework my killer’s profile.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it,” Truman said.

The call ended and Truman Wicker put away the phone.

As he watched the detectives for a moment longer, he heard a voice behind him say,

“Don’t worry.”

Truman felt a cold shiver run down his back. The voice was his own. As accurate as if it were a recording.

He slowly turned around. Standing behind him was a figure dressed in dark clothes with a black hood covering his face.

“I’ll take care of it,” the figure said in Truman’s voice.

His hands trembling, Truman reached for his gun, but before he could get it, the figure lunged at him.

When he tried to scream, the only sound was a whimper just before everything went dark.