too experienced for someone claiming to be an innocent accountant?”
“I didn’t really think about it. It all seemed like a joke, at first,” she went on. “Then I could see he was serious. He said he had money to get something started. I had this idea. So it all started to sound pretty good. Ron knew how much oil was going into the line and figured that they would be taking so little that no one would ever notice. So far that’s been the case, but they’ve only made their first couple runs in the last week.”
“So Lugano just pretended to be a guy looking to invest in something? You were the one who thought up the scam?”
“Yeah. He said he had money to get it off the ground. He needed me to help him find the property, and he needed a couple of other guys to actually run the operation. That’s where my brother and Eli came in.”
She shook her head slightly and stared out the window. Then she said, “It all seemed like a little game. Nothing serious. Like Ron always said, he and I would never get in trouble because from the outside it would seem like Eli and Eddie were doing everything.”
“But what about your brother? Why get him involved in something like this?”
“They were eager to do it. They’d been laid off and didn’t think twice about getting a little revenge. And, they don’t know I’m involved. Ron’s never told them how he happened to find them and how he happened to think up the plan about drilling into the pipeline. I just put everyone in touch.” She shook her head again.
“Obviously, I regret it now.” And then she spoke more forcefully. “But it was never supposed to be like this. It was always supposed to be a little thing for some quick money. I figured it would give Eddie and me what we needed to get the hell out of town. You know, do it for a few months and then split. How the hell was I to know Ron was a psychopath?”
It was a legitimate question, and Hank had no answer. They drove on in silence for a few minutes, and then the car came over a rise and at the bottom of the hill sat the cinderblock warehouse surrounded by its piles of rusted junk and ancient equipment.
Hank slowed the car, taking it in. Beyond the gravel parking area in front of the open mouth of the building, the brush was high and thick in every direction. It would be easy to hide, but deciding where to lay in wait would be the question.
They parked in front of the warehouse and got out. Janie pointed off through the brush where the sage was lower and thinner than the rest. “That’s where the pipeline comes through,” she said.
Hank nodded, but was more interested in the building. He looked back up the hill to where the road disappeared over the near horizon. He imagined how they would approach, returning with their trucks. Where they would park. Where Ron would likely leave his truck when he arrived.
Janie explained the operation to him. She had not been out to the warehouse since it all started, but she’d been there before, over the years. “We came out here now and then when we were in high school and had parties. You know, built a fire, got drunk and passed out on the ground.”
She explained what the pieces of equipment were. She speculated that the first person back would put their truck in the warehouse and start filling it again. Hank went around the side of the building and found a spot where part of the cinder block had crumbled away. It would be a good place to wait and watch. He could see the inside of the warehouse and most of the lot out front. The biggest problem was the distance he would have to cover to get around the side of the building to where the action was. It was a risk he would have to take.
They stood around next to the car for a few more minutes. Finally, Janie asked, “So what do you think?”
Hank shook his head. “I don’t like it, but there’s not much I can do about that.” He reached into the back seat of the Camaro where he had placed his bag that morning after checking out of his room. He pulled his gun from the bottom of it and inspected