Jane calls me a serial stomper since that is my goto move when defending myself. I may or may not have even been arrested for stomping the toe of a kidnapper once. But it has been expunged from my record now so you can't prove it.
The woman shrieked like I had just landed a mortal blow and she limped back a couple steps. I hugged the bag and a snarling and yapping Killer to me. “Why are you doing this? It is over, and you know it. My wife is a NYPD Detective, and if I figured this out, then you know she probably had it figured out long before me.”
This... caused them to hesitate and look at each other. They didn't like the fact that the police were likely already onto them. Their only intelligent options were down to two logical ones, either run or surrender to the authorities.
They proved to me that they were beyond reason when the man tightened his grip on the board and looked to have made a decision. I swallowed, and then something odd happened. Instead of the rising panic attack and mind-numbing fear that had been building in me... I felt calm. I was doing the right thing protecting a defenseless dog, so I had no regrets. Standing taller, I jutted out my chin in defiance.
My cell had been buzzing incessantly during all of this. The Broken Leash knew where I was, and I was sure that they were on their way. Like me, most of them felt like they were doing something important when they helped out like this and wouldn't listen to my imperative that they only observe and not get involved. They had come to my rescue on multiple occasions.
So my best chance was... I moved my eyes from the man who was being held off by Calvin, who was growling menacingly while avoiding the improvised weapon like a champ, and I locked eyes with Mrs. Larkin. All I had to do was get past her.
The one thing I could do, and do well, was run. I had leg strength and endurance because of my job, and I knew neither of them could keep up with me. And I may have a lack of strength otherwise, but Mrs. Larkin? I'd bet Calvin's favorite squeaky toy I could run her over like a stampede of long-haired Dachshunds. Don't laugh, I've seen a stampede of those little wiener dogs before, and it brought an entire city block to a standstill.
I watched her confident sneer turn into worry as I slowly smiled at her and prepared to charge. All I had to do was get to the street where hundreds of people were crowding the walks. I had just started to move, as Calvin dodged another swipe of the board, snapping his jaws at the man's fingers to make him back up again, when someone said, “Hey, fuckwaffle, try picking on someone your own size.”
I spun to see Kerry in her uniform standing behind Mr. Larkin. He swung his improvised weapon at her. She seemed to just stand there until the last moment then did what looked like an effortless sidestep, and her hand barely moved as she slapped the board away, causing the man to overextend.
Then she shoved him in the direction he was off balance in, he stumbled past her, and she was already done with him as she took a step toward me, her eyes scanning me for injuries. The man made a glurking sound as he ran right into Jessie's outstretched arm as she clotheslined him, and she followed his fall down with her hand, slamming him hard on the asphalt.
I blinked as another woman kicked the board away and landed on his chest with a knee, her gun right in his face.
Jane said, “NYPD, I suggest you calm the fuck down right now. Harold Larkin, you're under arrest for, among other things, assault.”
She stood, holstering her weapon as she grabbed her cuffs and twisted his arm until he turned onto his stomach and she cuffed his hands behind his back.
I spun toward Mrs. Larkin when she started to run. Then with a loud crack, her head snapped back and hit the brick wall behind her, and she slumped down the wall in a daze as... as... as my mother said while she shook her hand like it hurt, “Nobody messes with my daughter.”
Then she looked over at Jane and looked at her hand and mouthed, “Ow,” as my girl moved over to Mrs. Larkin to zip tie her hands.
I was just blinking in shock that the girls were here... and my mom. And I was pulled out of my shock when I heard the screeching of tires. I looked from where my wife was praising Calvin for protecting me to the alley entrances that were now blocked by police cruisers behind lines of dog walkers with dogs. Officers came swarming into the alley, weapons drawn.
Jane just stood and held her badge high and pointed at the Larkins while she identified herself unnecessarily as I recognized the four uniforms as being from the 19th Precinct. She added, “Read them their rights, would you? I need Kennedy here to take statements, this is his case.”
One man nodded and spoke into his mic on his shoulder. “He's already en route.”
Then as Jane just about crushed the wind out of me as she pulled me into a tight, desperate hug, I wheezed out, “What... what are you all doing here?”
My wife held me at arm's length and cocked an expectant eyebrow as Jessie made a pained face behind her as she held up her cell and mouthed, “Broken Leash.”
I looked around my girl and squeaked out, “You sold me out, Mable? And... why are you on the walker's network?”
Mom, Kerry, and Jane all held up their cells, looking at me like I was dense. They were all monitoring the group? Then I pouted. “I am not a trouble magnet,” as the officers brought the Larkins to stand at separate cruisers.
Then Mom was looking me up and down as Jane asked with a serious tone, “Are you ok, Fin?”
I nodded and shuddered once, trying to burn off the last of the adrenaline. I said as mom slipped Killer out of my bag to give him puppy kisses, “Killer's a clone of Darius.”
Jane smirked as the others looked shocked. I slapped her shoulder. “You did not know that.”
She sighed and said, “I figured it out just before Jess texted about the Broken Leash, right before you sent your 911.”
Kennedy and Garcia showed up before she explained, and the men were smirking as they took our statements. I growled at the two like Calvin would, and the mother fluffy jerks just chuckled. Hey, I'm menacing. What? Shut up.
I smoothed down my skirt nervously and looked at my girl. “I was trying to get him someplace safe, but they must have done a public record search on me because they figured out I was heading to Gar's.” My eyes widened. “Garrett and Alyx! He hasn't heard from me since I...” I trailed off as my smirking mother held up her cell with a, “Duh,” look on her face.
Mom supplied, “Some of us know better than to not let anyone know they are safe after sending a 911.”
I blushed and tucked some hair behind my ear, feeling sheepish. “I planned on being safe in the 855. Then these... these jerk-faces showed up to try to take Killer.”
Then I was thankful when Jane stepped past me, said with concern as an ambulance showed up to check out Mrs. Larkin, “Winnie... mom, is your hand ok? That was a hell of a right cross you laid Mrs. Larkin out with.”
Mom just shook her hand and made a fist. It looked red and a little swollen. “I've hurt it worse when I was the Liberty women's boxing champion eight years back.”
I sighed, yup, that's my mom. What do you mean what happened to me? Just shush your face and listen.
Jane wasn't having any of that, and she looped an arm around her waist and dragged her toward the EMTs who were checking out Mrs. Larkin. I smirked at mom. Ha, now she knew what it was like to have someone be overprotective of her. Gleep! Kerry and Jessie looped their arms in mine and lifted me off the ground as they followed the intrepid detective.
I said sheepishly as Cal trotted beside us, “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
Kerry shrugged and said, “Always, Tempe.”
Then Jess cocked an eyebrow salaciously at my mom's butt! “Damn, did you see the hurt Winnie laid down on that biotch? I think I may have orgasmed a little.”
I snerked when Kerry sighed and used one of my terms. “Eyes front, Little Red Perving Hood.” But then she smiled crookedly and said, “It was pretty legendary though.”
Of course. Mom is a grade A badass.
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When we passed by Mrs. Larkin who was being led back to the police cruiser with a bandage at the back of her head, still limping from my foot stomp, Jane snapped out, “Mom!” My mother who had her foot raised to re-stomp the woman's foot stopped what she was about to do.
I looked back to see the glare the woman had for me as they had her get into the back seat and closed the door. Jane was asking in frustration, “What is it with you May women and stomping people's feet? That's battery.”
Jess answered as the girls set me down, “They are fierce and mighty. How else could Finnegan catch you?”
My girl glared at me with humor in her eyes, and I asked in a little voice, “Love you?”
She sighed heavily and smiled. “Love you too, pipsqueak.”
I pointed at Calvin. “Hey, why aren't you chastising him too? He was there.”
She chuckled and said as mom put Killer back in my shoulder bag as Jane indicated my mom's hand to the paramedics, “He was the only one in the alley with any sense. Someone has to be the adult in the room.”
Oooo she was so getting angry sex tonight for that one.
“Fine.”
“Fine!”
Ker asked Jess, “Are they just going to do it right here in the street?”
Jane ignored them as I tried to blush myself into another dimension, and my girl said, “Hey Finny, is there something you can do about this?” She indicated the huge crowd, and I realized most of them had dogs.
Oh! I hadn't canceled the Broken Leash! I pulled my cell out and quickly texted a cancellation and thanks for all the help. Then the crowd on either side of the alley started to disperse.
Once mom was given a clean bill of health, her hand wrapped, Jane signaled Garcia who ran up to us. “Jorge, I'm bringing everyone to the 855 Building, to Fin's brother's if you need anything.” The young man nodded as he reached out to squeeze my shoulder in support, and my jerk cop added, “And thank Kennedy. Sorry about dropping this shit storm on you two.”
Jorge chuckled as he head toward his partner assuring us, “Oh, some of Fin's cookies will be thanks enough.”
I saluted. Roger dodger, time to make a double batch of snickerdoodles.
Ok, now I tried to make myself as small as possible as the ladies sort of formed a phalanx around me as they led me across the street and to my brother's place. The only bright spot I could see in this whole mess was that I'd get to see Alyx when I was up there getting the third degree.
Chapter 14 – Explanations
Rebecca joined us during the long and grueling question and answer session, and I felt as if I were in one of Jane's interrogation rooms with a bright light shining down upon me. The only thing keeping me from breaking was the adorable little girl in a pretty blue sundress I bought her, bouncing on my knee through it all.
I had tried to take the focus off of me at the beginning with a diversionary tactic, but failed as I blurted, “Mom, Jane and I are going to have a discussion about children.”
For an instant mom brightened like the sun going supernova, but then she narrowed an eye in suspicion and declared, “Nice try Finnegan Temperance McLeary-May, but no cigar.”
Oh dear lord of all that is good and fluffy in the world. I wasn't just three named, she had four named me. I smiled inwardly though that she seemed to be just putting a pin on that announcement so we could circle back to it later. Jerk Cop looked awfully smug that my diversion hadn't worked.
I had a few questions myself for my copper. “How did you figure out Killer was a clone?”
She studied me intently for a moment and shook her head, curiosity painting her features as she offered, motioning toward me, “You first. I don't know how you always manage to stay a step ahead.”
Shrugged I said, “Gut feeling. Once we found that Darius had died and his humans threatened the vet not to disclose the fact to anyone, things weren't adding up. The Larkins would have to have somehow gotten two separate labs to conspire to change Darius' DNA profile to match Killer instead, whether through bribery or other methods, but the database timestamps would have been suspect.”
I started playing with the hem of my skirt with my free hand as I balanced Alyx on my bouncing knee with the other. What did people normally do with their hands when everyone was looking at them? Hands are just so awkward. I kept looking at Alyx's playpen, and the disorganized jumble of toys in it. Maybe I could... my brother stepped one step sideways to block my view of it. Smartass was always too smart for his own good.
Looking around I added, “There was no way that Killer's DNA could possibly be a match for Darius.” I held a stalling finger up when Jess started to open her mouth. “I would have run around in circles over the incongruity, had it not been for one tiny fact.”
I let that dangle for a moment as I looked around at all the faces prompting me to continue with my eyes. Everyone was looking at me... that playpen was a mess and was distracting my thoughts. I pulled my niece to me and started to stand, but Jane's hand on my shoulder, gently forcing back to sit, and that evil woman who gave birth to me stealing the gurgling bundle of cuteness from me, left me no choice but to focus.
Kerry blurted out in frustration, “What fact, runt?”
Ok, I smiled, feeling all powerful at the moment with everyone looking at me expectantly except my wife whose smirk was growing, telling me she knew, probably with her detective-y investigation. Becky looked like she was going to squish me. I swallowed knowing she could easily do just that, then I smiled sheepishly at them all and shared, “Well, just a mile from Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown, I passed a certain building, twice, when I had gone to meet with the Larkins to see if they could help me find Killer's parents. A pretty nondescript glass and steel structure that...”
Jessie's shadow loomed over me in threat. Eeep! I made myself small as I wrung my fingers. “Carradine Biotech.”
Mom warned me, an expectant look on her face. “Tempe.” What? Didn't they know what Carradine was? Oh yeah, I sometimes forget that some people... fine, most people aren't as versed in the canine world as me.
Jane provided, showing me her investigation had come up with the same thing, “A bioengineering lab that specializes in pet cloning.”
I nodded looking at the others to see if it saved me from a good squishing. They were smiling and nodding, and I warmed up a little at the look of appreciation Jane was giving me. Shrugging I supplied, “I figured it would have been much easier to convince someone there to 'accidentally' forget to register Killer as a cloned animal than to get two reputable labs to fake their data.”
My wife sat beside me and hugged me to her. “We figured it out without the famous Finnegan gut. The Larkins had refinanced their house a little over a year ago and cashed out over a hundred and twenty thousand in equity.”
She started to rub my shoulders, eliciting a groan of pleasure from me as she continued, “We followed the money. A fifty-three thousand dollar payment was made to Carradine Biotech. On closer inspection, Kennedy found that they were a pet cloning clinic. He got Tarrytown PD involved, and they got some warrants for the fraud case, and found where the other fifty thousand went.”
It was her turn to pause and watch the frustration of everyone in the room grow. I saw the little tick of amusement at the corner of her mouth that you would have missed if you didn't know her well. I exhaled before the others could threaten her with bodily harm and sighed out my guess, “One of the techs there made a mysterious fifty thousand dollar cash deposit into their personal bank account.”
She tickled my sides for a moment as punishment for stealing her thunder, causing Calvin, Oscar, and Killer to rush over to see what the new game was. I crinkled my nose at her then kissed the tip of her nose, causing her to smile as she nodded. “As the little pipsqueak said, one tech had made a substantial cash deposit into her account. Tarrytown PD says she sang like a canary when it was brought up how much time she could spend in jail for conspiracy and fraud.”
I whined, “I didn't do anything. I was just trying to get Killer to a safe place when I figured it all out... after I... got my vet and... sent a few... emails. Fine! Whatever.”
She hugged me and said as if it was a chore, “And that's why I love your impulsive, reckless, butt.”
This got some, “Daww ”s from the peanut gallery. And after a few moments, mom prompted, “Umm, what happens to little Killer now?”
Jane watched me carefully as she slowly said, “He's sort of evidence in two cases. Tarrytown's fraud and conspiracy case, and now unlawful detainment, assault, breaking and entering, and pissing me the fuck off here.”
She paled for a second then said, “Sorry Winnie.” She dug a dollar out of her pocket and held it up, and Becky snatched it up and placed it in the swear jar. I really needed one of those at home.
Mom exhaled as she narrowed her eyes and flicked them down to my niece. “Jane Marie McLeary-May if her first words are cuss words...” She swung her gaze toward Jessie. “Or something that came out of your mouth, sweetie. Then you'll have me to contend with.”
That... was a pretty good threat. And my wife got her shapely cop ass four named too. I grinned like a loon at the cowed women.
Jess squeaked out sheepishly, “Yeah Five-O.”
I reached over to slap her arm.
My girl went on, trying to give mom a cute look that mom just deflected with her mom chastising ways, “So Killer will have to be remanded into Animal Control...” She placed a finger over my lips as I was about to blurt out my strong dissent to that, and she finished while looking at me expectantly, “...custody. But I'm sure that a licensed and approved shelter or another venue could be utilized.”
Case of the Yorkshire Pudding Page 12