Bad Company

by Jen Schoenbein

  It was really too bad Sally wasn’t an open book. That would make this whole investigation so much easier, I thought.

  Back on the floor, I checked on my tables and went back to the bar for a pitcher refill and to run a credit card payment for one of my tables. I nodded to Sally as I walked by.

  “I need a refill on the Miller Light, please,” I said, handing her the pitcher.

  Sally took the pitcher and wordlessly filled it for me.

  I pulled up the other table’s bill on the computer and swiped the card. “You know, it’s surprising they don’t keep more cash in the drawer. I guess most people pay with plastic nowadays,” I said, hedging for information.

  Sally gave me a sideways glance and shrugged her shoulders. “Guess so,” she replied.

  Huh. Well that was informative. I found Sally exasperating, but honestly, I wouldn’t be dishing out information to a newbie either. I was filled with a frustrated respect for the sassy brunette.

  Meanwhile, back in a disgustingly scummy betting parlor,

  Furiously banging on the door, Suzy cried for help. She had been tearing through the building, trying to find another way out. She felt very similar to her first night in the place, 13 long days ago. Unfortunately, she wasn’t doing any better than she had the first time.

  Suzy slid down the door, tearing up, her head in her hands. She banged her head back to the door and looked up, searching for answers. The ceiling was plaster, not a hung ceiling, so there weren’t any access panels she could use to escape. However, for the first time, she did notice something. There were smoke alarms.

  It was officially 1 o’clock. I finished my clean up at Mantovani’s and hung up my apron in the back. It had been a long shift, but I had made it into the back two more times to poke around. Marco and Tom were pretty chatty as well and I felt I had a better lay of the land. Not a total waste of a night.

  I knew Sam would be at my office waiting for me, even though I told him not to meet me there until 2 a.m. I didn’t want to get to the bet shop until after the evening crowd died down. 3 o’clock would probably be better, but Sam was bouncing all over the place to break Suzy out. I agreed, but with the risk of running into Jeremy or other thugs, I wanted to show up when no one was around. I could stall a bit while we went over the plan, but knew I couldn’t drag it out too far.

  I stopped by my place to change out of my oregano-infused, red Mantovani’s shirt and into a dark blue v-neck tee and my black skinny jeans. I wanted to blend in with the background as much as possible. In the dark, my hair wouldn’t be too noticeably red and a black cap would attract more attention in the warmer May evening.

  By the time I got to my office I noticed that sure enough, Sam’s black Audi was parked on the side of the road. I pulled up behind him as he jumped out and ran to the Jeep. He was dressed all in black, but with a stocking cap and black gloves. He looked like was preparing to rob a bank, or break into a building. It was just a little obvious.

  “I’m ready!” he exclaimed, bouncing on his feet at my passenger door.

  It was then that I noticed the utility belt. It had a batman symbol on it and looked to have been blacked out with a black magic marker. I unlocked the door and lifted an eyebrow.

  “You do know you are staying in the Jeep, right?” I asked.

  “But I can help you out!” Sam complained.

  “Sam. We’ve been over this! You’re safer in the Jeep. I am not going to wiggle on this one,” I held up my hand. “I will leave you here.”

  Sam looked like I kicked his puppy. Then, he started to tear up.

  “I just don’t know what to do without Suzy. I have been going crazy over the past 2 weeks. I have got to get her back.”

  “I know, Sam. Don’t worry. We’ll get her,” I promised. I would do everything in my power to uphold that promise.

  I went back over the rules. He stays in the Jeep. If cops are involved, he was just tagging along on an investigation. He stays in the Jeep. He doesn’t know anything. He stays in the Jeep. I may have reminded him about that last one a few times.

  By the time we finished going over the rules, it was 2:15 a.m. Close enough. I started the Jeep and headed toward Humboldt Park.

  Meanwhile, in a grungy betting shop,

  Suzy had been trying for the last hour to find something to light a fire. There was plenty of paper around, but nothing to cause the spark. There was a small kitchen with a sink and a fridge and a microwave, but no stove or toaster oven. She tried to microwave towels, but that didn’t work either. She tried dried towels and wet towels, but only a little steam came off the wet towels.

  She was getting pretty frantic microwaving everything she could think of. At one point, Suzy finally remembered there were a few metal utensils. She tossed a metal fork into the microwave and let it rip. It sparked a bit, but then nothing happened. She was so shocked, having always believed metal would catch on fire in a microwave. She left it on for a full 5 minutes and still nothing happened.

  Feeling out of luck, she lumbered back to the bathroom to dry her eyes. She was starting to feel hopeless again. Leaning against the sink, she eyed the faucet.

  Suzy remembered a time, not long after she and Sam had first married when she took a really long, really hot shower. After opening the door, the steam made its way to the smoke detector directly outside the door.

  She had spent the next 10 minutes waving her towel at the small, shrieking mechanism until it finally cleared out. She then realized Sam was behind her the whole time, leaning up against the hallway wall, watching the entire show with a grin on his face.

  Suzy smiled at the memory and twisted the sink to full blast with hot water. She was determined to get out and see Sam again. She closed the door to get the steam built up enough and prayed it was enough to overwhelm the smoke detector.

  When we got to the street with the bet shop, we drove by the place first, checking for lights or any sign that the place was open. It looked like it was already closed up for the night. I didn’t see Jeremy’s yellow car out front. So far so good.

  I parked a couple of buildings down and told Sam I would be back. I gave him the hairy eyeball and told him to stay put. He promised he would, but I had my doubts. It was my goal to do this quickly and quietly.

  I grabbed my duffle bag of tools from the back of the Jeep and said a small prayer. Walking up the sidewalk, I rounded back to the rear entrance like last time and once again picked the rear lock.

  Meanwhile, in a dirty, yet steamy betting shop,

  Suzy swung open the bathroom door to let a small whoosh of steam escape the bathroom. She stood next to the door with a towel and furiously beat the steam to the smoke detector. The steam rose and drifted toward the smoke detector, but started dissipating before it got there.

  She cried, “No, no, no! I’m getting outta here!”

  Suzy ran into the bathroom and started waving the towel furiously up and down. More steam escaped the bathroom and then she ran back out and beat it out towards the smoke detector. Almost, almost!

  The store room looked the same as it had the other night, messy and filled with boxes. I crept forward and used my penlight to light my way. The wire was still attached at the top of the door. I figured it was attached to a personal alarm system and not a commercial alarm company.

  As soon as the wire tripped, I wouldn’t have much time. I figured less than 10 minutes, but maybe closer to 5. It was a good guess that it went straight to Jeremy, but it could go to an internal security team, owned by Dessi. I was praying it was just Jeremy.

  I wasn’t sure what condition Suzy would be in; if she had been abused or if she was shackled. I had bolt cutters and a small first aid kit in my bag, as well as my taser strapped to my leg. I wasn’t carrying my glock. If something went wrong, it showed intent and the taser should suffice for one person.

  I scanned the door again. I wasn’t sure I could pick the lock and the hinges would take too much time to cut through, so my best bet was to take
out the door knob. It looked to be the weakest spot in the door. I picked the car jack from the supplies in my bag and placed it on the floor, ratcheting it up to the door knob. The alarm was likely to sound as soon as the connection between the door and the frame was broken.

  Once the door knob was broken, I would use a screwdriver to release the latch and had a crowbar ready in case the door bent at all and stuck. I readied myself and started ratcheting the car jack against the door handle. Just as I was getting purchase against the handle, an alarm went off inside the shop. I jerked back, shocked. That was a fire alarm. After the initial fear that Suzy had a real fire hazard going inside, I decided it was less likely that a real fire was going on inside and that Suzy had found a way to trip the fire alarm. Yeah, Suzy!

  If she had set off the alarm she was not likely tied up. So, I made a quick decision to let this play out. I pulled the car jack out, let down the tension, dropped all my tools back in the bag and made my exit back the way I came. I ran right into Sam.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the Jeep?” I scowled. I knew he wasn’t going to stay in the Jeep. “Change of plans. Suzy set off the fire alarm.” I tossed him my bag and told him to put it back in the Jeep.

  Dialing 911, I went around to the front door, watching Sam scurried off to follow my orders. I reported the fire kicking the front door open. It was now an emergency situation and I had the opportunity to break in legally.

  There was a fire department on North Kedzie Avenue, only a few blocks away, so I knew it shouldn’t take long for the crew to respond. I was betting less than two minutes. There should be plenty of time before Jeremy or Dessi’s security could get there. Once the fire department arrived, we’d have all the muscle we needed to keep Jeremy or Dessi’s goons at bay.

  The front door had the same metal door with no windows and alarm wires around the frame. I tried kicking down the door, but it was a sturdy and not budging. I knew it was a gamble that Suzy wasn’t in trouble and that the fire department could get there before anyone else, but I thought the odds were in my favor, finally.

  “Suzy!” I yelled through the door. I wasn’t sure if she could hear me over the alarm, but I was going to try. “This is Detective Malone. The fire department is on it’s way. I’m here to take you home!”

  I heard a female voice, but I couldn’t make out any words.

  “Just hang on there another minute! They will be here soon!” I yelled again, watching Sam run up the walkway. He frantically wrung his hands, staring at the door. Sam’s anxiety and frustration at not being able to help was palpable.

  A light flipped on at several nearby residences to see what was going on with the alarm. A few of them stuck their heads out the door or stepped out in robes, eager to be in on the drama. Finally, the welcome sound of the fire alarm pierced through the night.

  The fire trucks pulled up right in front of the shop, lights whirling. The men poured out of the vehicle with axes and my own anxiety dropped substantially just seeing them arrive.

  I pulled Sam down the stairs out of the way as the firefighters headed up the stairs. When I called it in, I had told them that there was a metal door and we believed a woman to be inside. They had a wedge with them that they inserted a into the latch part of the door and hammered at it until the door sprung free. The sound of the alarm barely covered up the sound of Sam’s name as it was shouted from the pretty brunette on the other side of the door.

  I had never found the sight of a woman so desirable, greasy hair and rumpled clothes included. Weeks of frustration and doubt slid off me as Suzy shakily stepped over the threshold. I could tell that she was going through some adrenaline let down herself as she practically fell into Sam’s arms.

  A couple of the firefighters gently led the couple to the truck to assess her health. The rest of the firefighters went into the building to make sure the scene was clear. The crowd outside had grown, and I spotted Jeremy at the edge of the crowd, with a buddy in tow. The look they gave me would have melted me on the spot if I was worried about them in the least. Good for me that I wasn’t.

  They didn’t stick around long. I pointed them out to the cops that had finally showed up, but there were too many people in the crowd. They took off before the cops could get to them. I welcomed the opportunity to let Jeremy know what I thought of him, but that wasn’t my priority tonight. Jeremy would get his due.

  Suzy let out the whole story to the cops and firefighters. She was surrounded by concerned faces, covered in blankets and given warm coffee and a cookie. I wasn’t sure where the coffee and cookies had come from, but was glad to see the small smile on her face as she relaxed for what looked like the first time in weeks. The poor lady looked exhausted, and the look shared between her and Sam was a beautiful thing. Sam occasionally rubbed her back or tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

  It was nice finally seeing her in person for the first time. I was impressed to hear her story about how she was able to maintain her wits while manipulating Jeremy like she had. When she told the story about setting off the smoke detector, we all laughed along with her, even though her and Sam had tears in their eyes as well.

  After what seemed like forever, they decided she was fit enough to go home. I promised the cops I would see the Mennon’s home safe and bring them downtown sometime before noon. Sam had hired security to monitor their house overnight.

  We all needed some rest before we wrapped this thing up. Suzy had gone back into the building and handed over the two sets of books to the cops. They had already called out an APB for Jeremy and Dessi for questioning. I planned to bring in all the intel I had gathered on them the next day.

  As I drove back to my office, Suzy and Sam snuggled in the back seat, constantly holding onto one another. I gave Suzy my card, so she could call if she needed anything. I followed them home after we got Sam’s car, to ensure they made it inside safe and sound, and saw the security van at the curb next to the house. Sam had a state-of-the-art security system, so I wasn’t worried about them once they got in for the night.

  Driving home, I felt a real sense of accomplishment and peace. This was the reason I did this job. It was the best job in the world. I prayed that I wouldn’t have another one like this for some time, but this is why I did the type of work that I do.

  I felt a deep need to help people out, especially those that had been taken advantage of. It was with deep satisfaction that I went to bed and rested like I hadn’t in weeks.

  Chapter 9

  When the sun came in the window the next morning, my good mood had partially evaporated. I couldn’t sleep in because I still had work to do to wrap the case. I had to take Sam and Suzy downtown to file their official statement, formally pressing charges against Jeremy Jones. I also had to see what I could do to make it stick with Fabian Dessi.

  I was still exhausted from the night before, but reluctantly drug myself into the shower, stopping only to brew a fresh pot of life essence. After a quick scrub and a couple of cups of coffee downed while dressing, I was out the door to get the Mennons.

  Sam and Suzy were ready when I showed up, as I had texted them on my way out. Sam was grinning like a fool and Suzy exhausted but happy.

  “Morning, Mal!” Sam exclaimed happily, hand wrapped around Suzy’s hand.

  “Morning, Sam,” I replied, not nearly as excitedly. I was glad Sam finally had Suzy back, but his perkiness was going to wear on me. I could tell. Still, it was an improvement over the last few weeks of depression.

  “Looking good, Suzy,” I said.

  “Good morning,” Suzy said, walking over to me looking clean and composed. “I never properly thanked you last night. All the work you went through to find me. I appreciate it. Also, thanks for never giving up on me.”

  She surprised me by hugging me. I wasn’t much for physical affection, but I patted her awkwardly on the back, her straight mahogany hair brushing my arm.

  Stepping back, I said, “Well, you ended up having the situation well under contro
l. You were the one that set off that alarm.”

  “Sure,” she grinned back, “but you called in the alarm. Who knows who would have gotten there first if you hadn’t.”

  “Well, it all worked out in the end,” I replied, climbing in the Jeep. “Now we just have to put a nail in Jeremy’s coffin. I only have one really important question to ask you.”

  Suzy looked at me with a quizzical expression, “Sure.”

  “How good did that shower feel last night?” I asked smiling at her in the rear-view window.

  “Ah, that was heaven!” Suzy replied, eyes rolling back in her head at the memory. “It felt so good to wash my hair and put clean clothes on. I took a shower, then I took an hour-long bath, shaving my legs and scrubbing every last inch! Sam sat with me the whole time. He was afraid to leave my side.”

  Sam stole a glance at Suzy, a special smile spreading across his face. I could imagine they had a nice reunion. Sam reached his arm across Suzy’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. I softened a bit, smiling inside.

  I kept an eye out for Dessi’s guys on the way to the police station and in the station’s parking lot. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to intercept us from filing a complaint.

  I ushered the Mennons into the building, covering them from behind, but didn’t see anyone unusual watching us. The police station was already buzzing with activity, as it should be, this close to noon. I told the officer at the front desk we were here to see Officer Murphy about last night’s kidnapping case.

  “Officer Murphy’s off; the case has been given to Detective Rodriguez. He’s waiting to hear from you,” the young rookie replied.