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    Brennan's Way
    Brennan's Way
    Brennan's Way
    Ebook271 pages4 hours

    Brennan's Way

    By Mike Poppe

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    About this ebook

    Mickey Brennan is back, continuing the Mickey Brennan mystery series. Mickey's sister is almost murdered by a professional hit man named Tony Rossi. Because the police have no evidence or witnesses, they are unable to arrest Rossi for the crime.
    As long as Mickey's sister lives, she has a potential testimony against Rossi, if any other evidence was to surface, so Rossi cannot afford to let her live. With no legal means available to protect her, Mickey sets out to do what he has to do, in order to protect his sister.
    Rossi and his men play the game outside the rules of law. Mickey Brennan knows how to play the same game when it's necessary. The action is fast paced, and danger lurks around every corner. The first man to make a mistake - dies.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMike Poppe
    Release dateDec 30, 2013
    ISBN9781311180810
    Brennan's Way
    Author

    Mike Poppe

    I was born in Rector, Arkansas, a small farming based town in Northeast Arkansas. Later, my parents moved to St. Louis in search of better economic opportunity. At age 16, disallusioned and bored with the “One Size Fits All” educational system, I dropped out in the 10th grade.Just as soon as I turned 17, I joined the Marine Corps. The education the Corps provided, wasn't always polite and pleasant, but it most certainly was not boring. My four year enlistment included one year in South Vietnam. 7 November, 1965 to 6 November, 1966. At the end of my enlistment, having attained the rank of Sgt E-5, I returned to civilian life.After nine months as an Industrial Engineering Clerk, I took advantage of an opportunity to move into transportation. For the next 34 years, I was a dispatcher and driver supervisor in the Trucking Industry.In 2011, the rise in popularity of E-books caught my attention. A life long avid reader, I'd always believed I could write a book, but didn't know how to go about getting it published. The birth of E-Books changed all that. In the fall of 2011, fulfilling a life long dream, I published my first book, The Sparrows Whisper.Today, my wife, Mary Katherine, and I, live in a small rural town in Southwestern Illinois. With the encouragement of family and friends, I've published a total of 13 novels. The split between my books has been divided pretty evenly between Mysteries and Westerns. Work on number 14, is under way.For all those that have taken the time to read my books, I appreciate your interest very much.

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      Book preview

      Brennan's Way - Mike Poppe

      Brennan's Way

      A Mickey Brennan Novel

      Story and Cover by Mike Poppe

      Copyright Mike Poppe December 2013, Revised May 2014

      Smashwords Edition

      Brennan's Way is a work of fiction, and is the second novel in the Mickey Brennan mystery series, serving as a follow up to Scarlett Women.

      When Brennan's sister is almost killed by Tony Rossi, a professional killer, the police are unable to do anything for lack of evidence. Mickey decides to throw away the rule book, and ensure that his sister will not have to live in fear of Rossi coming after her again.

      Up against Rossi and his men, the hunter becomes the hunted, as Mickey is forced to use all his skills just to stay alive. The action is fast paced, and death awaits those who make a mistake.

      Table of Contents

      start

      Prelude

      A New Direction

      01 The Phone Call

      02 Tammy

      03 Waiting

      04 Lost Opportunity

      05 News On Ann

      06 Jennifer's Story

      07 Bad News For Jennifer

      08 Kerri Carey

      09 Kerri Guards Ann

      10 Safe House

      11 Questions

      12 Time To Kill

      13 Gwen To The Rescue

      14 Time To Leave

      15 Back To Lenny's Place

      16 Darlene Steps In

      17 Meeting At The Police Station

      18 Give It A Try

      19 Charlie

      20 Charlie's Gone

      21 A Maybe Girlfriend

      22 Kerri's Surprise

      23 And Then Came Lenny

      24 The Trojan Horse

      25 A Dark Cloud

      26 Trip To Virginia

      27 Westward Bound

      28 The Informer

      29 A Desert Visit

      30 Finale

      Prelude

      Ma'am, I'm sorry, but if you are not going to buy more chips, you will have to move away from the table and make room for people who are waiting to play.

      The attractive redhead stared into the blackjack dealer's eyes, as she struggled to comprehend his words. Something was wrong. She simply could not be broke. As someone took her by the arm and gently led her away from the table, she kept mumbling quietly.

      No, this is a mistake. I'm supposed to win. You don't understand. I'm telling you, this is not right.

      One of the hotel employees escorted her over to a section of chairs along the wall and because of her shattered state of mind, stayed with her long enough to ensure that she was able to sit down without falling and injuring herself. With a face as lifeless as a tombstone, she stared in the direction of the black jack table. Her hands began to tremble as she fought desperately to make sense of how her world had suddenly turned upside down.

      ***

      Twenty four hours before flying to Las Vegas, this same woman had even then, been in desperate financial straits. With no apparent way of resolving the problem that seemed to be poised to destroy her, she had given up hope, and was now simply reacting to the moment, having accepted that she was stuck with a bleak future.

      Sitting at the bar, in a tavern close to her home, she was wallowing in self pity, when Jo-Ann, the bartender, set a drink down in front of her. Before the deeply troubled woman could ask, Jo Ann smiled, and motioned toward the end of the bar.

      Compliments of the hot guy at the end of the bar.

      Looking in that direction, she spotted a tall good looking guy in a business suit smiling back at her. When she smiled and nodded a gesture of thanks, he stood up and walked around to where she was sitting, and sat on the bar stool next to hers.

      Hi, he said. I'm Donald Howard. Why don't we move away from the congestion at the bar, and have a seat at one of the tables, where we can talk and get to know one another?

      She looked into his pale blue eyes, smiled politely, and introduced herself. Her initial intent was to decline his invitation, but feeling she had nothing to lose, she tossed her hair, and said, Why not?

      After downing a few more drinks at their table, she fell into a crying spell. When he inquired about what was troubling her so much, she gave a tearful explanation of just how desperate and hopeless her financial situation had become.

      Donald held her hand and comforted her with words of sympathy, as he slipped his other arm around her shoulders, and pulled her closer to him. It wasn't long before he started overwhelming her with stories of his many trips to Las Vegas, where he had time and time again returned with huge sums of money won on the blackjack tables.

      But, don't you ever lose? she asked.

      Sure, he replied. Nobody wins every game, but I just follow my system, and before the night is over, I've won that money back a dozen times over. It's just a matter of knowing what you are doing, and following my system to the letter.

      Suddenly, she sensed what might be a light at the end of her tunnel. Scooting even closer to him, the woman ran her fingertips up and down his arm.

      Do you think you could teach me how to win like that?

      He leaned back, stared intently into her face, as he rubbed his chin.

      Possibly. Besides being beautiful, you appear to be a rather intelligent woman. I believe I could teach you how to win. However, it's not something I would, or could do for just anybody. We would need to get to know each other a lot better.

      Despite the fact that she was three sheets in the wind, the desperate woman understood exactly what her new friend was saying. Before he was going to help her out, she was going to have to make it worth his while. This was no time for indecision, and she made her choice without hesitation. Placing her hand on his thigh, she leaned over and kissed his lips, then did it again, with even more intensity. After a few more kisses, the two of them walked hand in hand across the street to the hotel where Donald was staying, and took the elevator to the fourth floor.

      Once in Donald's room, no sooner had the door closed, than they embraced, and kissed. When his hands reached for the zipper to her dress, she suddenly had second thoughts, and stepped back to consider what she was doing.

      After several seconds of contemplation, desperation won out. "Well, what the hell," she finally said to herself, What do I have to lose? Besides, he is damn good looking. She reached back, unzipped the back of her dress, and let it drop to the floor. She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Donald's neck, and whispered in his ear. All right, let's you and I get to know each other.

      The next morning, Donald told her that he had a plane to catch, but was confident that he could devote an hour to teaching her enough to guarantee her a successful gambling trip, by use of the basic premise of his system:

      ' The more you lose, the higher you bet. '

      He explained that by doing so, when she did win a hand, all of her losses would be immediately wiped out, and she would be able to walk away with a huge profit for the night. Any doubts she might have had in his system were dashed away by his reassurances of his deep affection for her, and his enthusiastic retelling of the stories of his many gambling successes over the years.

      ***

      Randy Millikin, an old boy friend, ran a used car lot on the outskirts of Cheyenne. The attractive redhead dropped by his business and appeared to show renewed interest in him, offering vague suggestions and promises that she knew would excite him. Randy had always been easy for her to manipulate, and it hadn't taken long for her to convince him to buy her car. The money derived from selling her car would, she believed, enable her to stay at the blackjack tables long enough for Donald's system to work.

      Armed with Donald's system, a nice supply of cash, and renewed optimism, she caught a flight to Las Vegas that afternoon. Staring out the plane window, her excitement was tempered with a feeling of peace. Fate had delivered her from certain disaster. In a few hours, Sin City was going to turn her life around.

      ***

      In the hotel room in Vegas, her hands were nervously adjusting her dress and jewelry as she stared at herself in the full length mirror and smiled. What an amazing whirlwind turn around she was experiencing. Staring at her reflection, she adjusted a few wayward strands of hair, then smiled and spoke aloud to the reflection.

      Mirror, mirror,on the wall, take a good look. The next time you see me, I'll be looking at the reflection of a woman on her way to riches.

      Her plan was simple. As soon as she won fifty thousand dollars, she would cash in, return to her room, and stay there until it was time for her flight back to Cheyenne. Nothing was going to stand in the way of this opportunity to solve her money problems once and for all.

      Half an hour after sitting down at the blackjack table, she was ten thousand dollars ahead. Her heart was pounding with excitement. Now, she could finally admit to herself, that out of desperation, she had buried her doubts about Donald's stories and his system. It was now clear to her, that her fears had been unfounded, and that her meeting Donald in that bar, had indeed given her a new lease on life. When one of the girls set a fresh drink down in front of her, she tossed it down, set her shoulders, and boldly placed her next bet.

      Even when she went on a losing streak, the decidedly confident woman refused to let it dampen her enthusiasm. Following Donald's system, all she had to do was to win once. It was just a matter of time.

      Then, less than an hour later, her chips were gone, and she was being told to move away from the table.

      She was broke.

      A New Direction

      After hours of crying in her hotel room, the devastated woman fell asleep. The next morning, she somehow summoned the strength to climb out of her bed. With all hope gone of turning her financial world around by gambling, it was now time to face the ugly truth. Donald had been a fraud.

      As hard as it was to accept, she now realized that he had recognized the signs of desperation in her, and had set about to sell her an empty dream, for no other reason other than to score an easy one night stand.

      Strangely enough, it was facing that fact, and the anger resulting from her humiliation, that resurrected within her, a measure of strength she didn't know still existed. Donald had sent her on a gambling trip that was doomed from the beginning. In sending her to certain failure and shame, he had unknowingly given her another option. If she could be used to satisfy his desires, then surely there were people out there that she could use to fix her own problem.

      First, she must shake off all appearances of the devastation to her self esteem, that she had suffered as a result of her crushing defeat in the casino. After a shower, she slipped on an old dress and walked down to the hotel beauty parlor.

      When she returned to her room, her hair had been cut significantly shorter, and what hair was left, was now blonde, not red. Her eyebrows had been narrowed and their appearance lengthened. In addition, she had the girl fix her up with false eye lashes which were much lighter and longer than her own. All of this work had been charged to her room.

      Off came the dress she was wearing, and out of the closet came a replacement that up until now, she had always considered too daring for her to wear in public. When standing, the hem was more than halfway up her thighs, and it offered a plunging neckline that dramatically exposed her cleavage. In days past, that would not have been an option. Today, it was just the bait she needed to hook the victim she was about to go trolling for.

      The unpleasant memory of her gambling experience in the hotel casino, left her reluctant to return to those same tables. So, after leaving the hotel, she followed the crowd moving down the sidewalk to her left, then entered the first casino she encountered.

      It took no more than fifteen minutes to find the guy she was looking for. The truth was, he would have been impossible to have missed. Her intended victim was a huge man. She guessed him to be two or three inches over six feet tall. With the muscular body of an avid weightlifter, he must have weighed well over two hundred and fifty pounds. His size alone, made him stand out from the crowd, but his physical presence was in some ways overshadowed by his flamboyant personality. Everybody seemed to be his friend, and the man was throwing money around like there was no tomorrow.

      Being careful to not be too obvious, she managed to bump into her chosen quarry. When she began apologizing, he laughed, and slipped a hundred dollar bill between her breasts.

      No, no. I'm clumsy as an ox. It was my fault.

      Then, stepping back and taking a good look at her dress, he grinned. Actually, now that I think about it, bumping into you may be the best thing I've done today. Are you with anybody honey?

      I was, she lied. I came here with my boss, but he abandoned me for a girl who was young enough to be his daughter.

      Wrapping his arm around her waist, the big man kissed her and said, Remind me to send your boss a thank you note. Stick with me baby. You and I are going to have a great time.

      Together, they went from gambling table to gambling table. Then, from slot machine to slot machine. All the while, her intended victim, whom she learned was called Tony, continued to gamble extravagantly.

      As the hours passed, He consumed huge amounts of alcohol, filled the casino with his loud boisterous laughter, and actively flirted with almost every woman in the place. Despite the large bets he constantly made, Tony seemed to have little concern over whether he won or lost. The more alcohol Tony consumed, the more his hands began to roam around her body. Instead of objecting, she laughed and teased, as she rubbed up against him, encouraging him even more.

      She had lost track of time, but at a point when she was nearly exhausted, he took her by the arm, and together, they walked toward the elevators.

      As they waited for the elevator door to open, pretending innocence, she asked, Where are we going honey?

      To my room, he replied.

      She smiled and kissed him. I thought you'd never ask.

      There was a different look in his eyes along with a different tone to his voice when he replied.

      I didn't.

      Once in his room, Tony wasted no time on pretense. When he told her to get undressed, there was something in his eyes and voice that told her that saying no, was no longer an option. Not that it really mattered. Getting into his bed was an essential part of her plan.

      A couple of hours later, the enormous amount of alcohol in Tony's system finally took effect, and he fell into a deep slumber. Carefully, she slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. It only took a few seconds to find his wallet and remove the large amount of cash. Something told her to check his other pockets, and much to her surprise, they held an even larger amount of money.

      Taking another look to be sure that her victim was still deep in sleep, she slipped out the door, and returned to her hotel. Once inside her room, she sat down and counted the money she had stolen. It came to a little over eight thousand dollars.

      Once she calmed herself, her first temptation was to stay a few more days in Vegas, and find a few more victims. Just a few more victims like that, and she could return to Cheyenne and pay off all her bills.

      Staring into the mirror on the wall, she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. After considering the situation for a few minutes, she realized that her main objective must be to get out of town as quickly as possible. Tony did not seem to be the type to turn to the police for help. There was something about him that suggested that he would search for her himself, and that when he found her, he would not be forgiving.

      Quickly, she decided to pack and head to the airport. There, it would just be a matter of catching the very first flight out of town, regardless of it's destination. After arriving safely in another town, she could then catch another flight back home. Fortunately, she had thought ahead, and let the false information slip to Tony, that she lived in Kansas City, so there would be no reason for his looking for her in Cheyenne. The most important thing, was to get out of Las Vegas before he found her.

      It only took a few minutes to pack. As she reached for the door to leave, the door slammed into her face, knocking her to the floor. Stunned, she felt him grab her by the hair, then violently yank her back to her feet.

      Tony's eyes were boiling with pure hatred as he hurled her face first into the mirror on the wall.

      Bitch, nobody plays me for a fool and lives to tell about it.

      Then, he grabbed her by the throat, and suddenly, she saw stars as his huge fist crashed into her face, putting her back down on the floor.

      Desperation gripped her as she tried in vain to rise and apologize. Suddenly, she felt blinding pain, as she was kicked in the ribs, once, twice, then a third time. From there she was pummeled without mercy, as a cascade of vicious punches and kicks assaulted her head and body, until relief finally came when everything went black.

      01 The Phone Call

      My name is Mickey Brennan. Five years ago, after serving four years in the Marine Corps, and three years as a Nashville police officer, I opened up my own investigation/security business. That third floor office is still in the same place as it was then, located just a few blocks from the river, in downtown Nashville.

      One day, about three years ago, I had just returned from lunch, when all hell broke loose across the hallway. A disillusioned customer of Gray and Associates, an investment firm located across the hall, had entered their office with the intent of blowing Ned Gray's brains out. Ned was the sole owner of the business. The Associates tag listed on the business name was simply to make investors feel more comfortable about turning loose of their money. Against Ned's advice, this customer had invested everything he had, hoping for quick riches. Instead, he lost it all. Ignoring his own stupidity, he blamed it all on Ned. Fortunately, Gwen Cruz, Ned's secretary, ran across the hall and asked for my help.

      The irate customer had a lot of things to get off his chest before he pulled the trigger. That gave me enough time to enter Ned's office, and take out the attacker before he got around to doing what he came for.

      As a sign of his gratitude, Ned assigned Gwen, at his expense, to devote a portion of her daily duties to serving as my answering service and secretary. That generous gesture turned out to be a bit of heaven that eroded over time, into a slice of personal hell for me. Some parts of that experience are essential to the telling of this story, so they will be worked in where I deem it to be appropriate.

      One of the first things you learn being a private investigator, is that you have chosen a feast or famine occupation. During one of my recent famine periods, I'd been staring out my third floor office window, watching the city being pounded relentlessly by a downpour of rain. The effect of the rain was intensified by periodic gusts of thirty five mile per hour winds.

      The storm had been raging for well over an hour, and showed no signs of letting up. The few people daring to race to or from their cars in the parking lot, or from the building, ran as fast as they could, but none of them were fast enough to to escape a good soaking.

      The dreary scene outside my window was all in all, a fitting match for my mood on that day. It was pretty much the same mood that had been tormenting me for awhile. Just three months before, I'd been hired by Tammy Thomas, to help her mother Darlene, a famous country music singer.

      Darlene had been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of Scarlett Stone, the biggest selling New Country female singer. Her daughter wanted me to prove that her mother was innocent, in spite of the fact that the police, and quite frankly myself, considered it to be an open and shut case, As it turned out, I was able to uncover the truth, and Darlene Thomas was released from prison. A very grateful Tammy Thomas cheerfully paid my fee, and included a large and unexpected bonus.

      The down side of the story, was that certain events occurring during the course of that investigation, ended up taking a severe toll on my personal life.

      Gwen Cruz, the secretary I shared with Ned Gray, was also the woman with whom I had fallen in love. While Gwen was pledging undying love and commitment to me, she was actually dreaming of lifestyles with the rich and famous, while getting it

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