Grolnick said that when they had pinpointed the possible location for the remaining girls, to keep him fully informed by radio every step of the way. He said he’d coordinate CSI and the paramedics and as soon as he had confirmation that they’d been found, he would handle the fall out and follow up with the media. Finch understood and was glad to have his support in the absence of Ramirez.
Tariq’s computer made a pinging sound, he swung his chair back around and checked his inbox.
‘It’s here. I’ve got a .dwg file of the subway network. Give me a few minutes and we may have something.’ Tariq opened up the file and superimposed the layer onto his existing geo-map.
He clicked on the legend and found the layer containing the subway routes that ran through Brooklyn from Manhattan Island. He assigned the color yellow to the lines and saved the file. Finch and Stone were following his mouse moves on the big screen.
‘Okay, let’s see what we’ve got?’ said Tariq, and the beauty of the software and its facilities were there or all to see. ‘Oh my god, look, there’s just one single coincident of all three colors. We’ve got it guys.’ Tariq jumped out of his seat and ran over to the big screen and hit the point with his finger. ‘Look!’
On the bottom quarter of the map, over near Brooklyn Heights by the east river, three lines converged and produced a brown spot. The red helicopter route from JFK to Newark airport crossed the yellow ‘L’ line subway from Rockaway Parkway to 8th Avenue and they both intersected the blue thirty-minute radius line. It was the only place on the map where this happened.
‘It’s got to be,’ said Tariq.
‘Tariq, you’re a genius, you might just have saved two girls lives,’ said Finch.
Tariq enlarged the part of the geo-map around the brown spot, a road passed through the spot in an area near the docks. On the road were five large rectangular buildings all in a line. The subway route cut across the line tangentially and passed directly underneath building number four along the line.
‘Guys, I’m pretty confident that this is the building here,’ he circled it with a black marker pen, ‘...helicopters fly in a band,’ he explained. ‘It could be anywhere up to a hundred yards wide, and our thirty minute estimate of the outer limit, is just that, an estimate. Subway maps are accurate to within five yards, they have to be, so this is the building where the girls felt the vibrations.’
Stone and Finch could only look on amazed at Tariq’s ability to sift and compile all the technical data and come up with the right result.
‘We should move Finch, we have the location, thanks Tariq,’ said Stone.
‘Okay, let’s go.’
Finch and Stone set off for the area that Tariq had circled, enlarged and printed off. They had a road and satellite photo of the surrounding buildings. Finch grabbed a radio from the communications room and tested the reception with Tariq, who was going to stay in close contact with them the whole time back in the precinct. Finch had arranged for a SWAT team to be ready and he left all other back-up to Grolnick who could, in a real emergency, call on a chopper to speed up logistics.
Mac and Ramirez heard footsteps in the outer corridor and realized that the other Arab was on his way back. Ramirez rushed forward and hid at the side of the furnace. Khaled opened the door and started to walk across when he noticed Abdul’s body lying on the ground in front of Mac. His hand went automatically to his holster but Ramirez had his gun up to his temple before his hand was half way there.
Ramirez clicked the gun to let him know he meant business, ‘Freeze. Police, put your hands up,’ he said. Khaled had probably watched enough American movies to know what to do. Ramirez removed his gun from the holster and passed it to Mac. ‘Walk,’ he said and gestured with the barrel of his gun over towards Abdul’s body on the ground. ‘Stop.’
Ramirez removed all the ties from Mac’s feet and hands and asked him if he could stand. He said he would try and placed his hands on the chair arms for support and pushed himself up to a standing position.
‘How’s that?’ asked Ramirez. All the time keeping his gun trained on Khaled, watching him out of the corner of his eye.
Even though it must have been only forty degrees inside the basement, Mac was sweating from the exertion, he could cope with the head wound a little now and his jaw had reduced down to a throbbing ache, but it was his legs he was most worried about. The hammer blows had seriously bruised his legs just above the knees, he was lucky they weren’t broken, he thought. He tried to move forward one step, the pain was excruciating, but he winced and moaned and swung the other leg and almost lost his balance. Ramirez grabbed his shoulders and steadied him up. When he was a few paces away he told Khaled to sit down in the same chair. Mac stood still and had Khaled’s own gun pointed at his head whilst Ramirez tied him up in the same way they’d tied Mac and stuffed the same gag deep into his mouth.
Ramirez walked forward and removed Scarface’s weapon from his limp hand, ‘He won’t need this anymore,’ he said.
Mac asked Ramirez to go over to the bench and bring him the ball-peen hammer, the handle was sticking out and was plain to see. ‘What do you need this for?’ he asked.
‘Watch,’ said Mac. He hobbled to within a foot of Khaled’s legs, he raised the hammer high above his shoulders and held it there, ready to drop it. Khaled’s eyes closed, his hands gripped the chair legs in terrified expectancy of the pain he knew he was about to experience.
It didn’t come.
He opened his eyes in incredulity, then they narrowed in disbelief, as if to ask Mac ‘Why didn’t you?’
‘I don’t play your cowardly games,’ said Mac, and flung the hammer as hard as he could towards the bench.
‘Come on buddy, he’s harmless now,’ said Ramirez.
Mac continued to take short, stilted steps forward and got faster and faster until they were by the metal door.
‘Ramirez?’ said Mac. Ramirez stopped as he was opening the door, his hand still on the handle. ‘Thanks. You saved my life back there.’
‘No sweat man, let’s get out of this dungeon. There’s someone I want to find. By the way Mac, here’s your cell phone, you left it in the car.’
They were standing in the lobby, Mac took the phone and Ramirez headed up the stairs, ‘Wait for me, I won't be long.’
Mac suddenly realized what he was going to do.
‘You're going after Maloof, where’s your back up?’
‘Don’t need it, this is personal,’ he said. Ramirez stopped for a moment, took Scarface’s gun from the back of his pants and gave it to Mac. Before Mac could talk him out of it, he disappeared up the flight of stairs.
Chapter 64
Stone took the wheel of Finch’s squad car and drove on the edge all the way over to Brooklyn Heights, Finch was navigating and talking to Tariq who was in the precinct at the same time, he’d asked him to call Dr. Harper at the hospital to get her advice on how to care for the girls once they’d found them. She did more than that, she said she’d head over there herself and bring a team of medics to deal with any consequences. Finch gave Tariq further instructions on where Jack and his SWAT guys, and Dr. Harper’s team, cold hold up until they’d located exactly where the girls were, and neutralized any risks.
Stone was tense; his hands were gripping the wheel. Finch realized that he must be going through an unbelievable ordeal and tried to ease the tension.
‘Is she your only child?’
‘What? Laura? Yeah, she’s all I've got.’
‘You're married though aren’t you?’
‘Separated. We’re not in a rush to divorce until Laura’s a little older. If she gets older.’
‘We’ll find her Stone.’
Stone’s face relaxed, the penetrating stare and tight mouth he’d fixed ever since leaving the precinct eased a little.
‘What about you Mike? Can I call you Mike?’
‘Sure. You mean am I married? No. All I have is my sister, Samantha, I call her Sam, you know. My parents d
ied some time ago.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Stone.
‘You see her often?’
‘Not as much as I’d like, she’s in Washington, has a kid, a beautiful four year old daughter called Emily. She’s married to a big shot Senator.’
‘You should get up there, see them.’
‘I will. Let’s get this done first, and I will.’
Finch’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket, it was Tariq.
He gave Finch the good news that they’d found the fourth girl, Neesha Patel, yards away from her home, alive.
Finch told Stone. Stone breathed out a long nervous sigh.
‘Good news,’ he said to Tariq.
‘There is some bad news I’m afraid.’
Finch didn’t want Stone to hear in case it involved Laura, so he turned his head as far away as possible.
‘Dr. Harper went to see Jessica’s body, the ME was there too, they found bruising on her throat. She’d been strangled Finch.’
Somehow Finch managed to end the call without alerting Stone to the new finding, it was wrong maybe, but he didn’t want Stone to know just yet.
Finch had lost all track of time, he looked at his watch, it was just after six p.m. With the news about the fourth girl being found at six, his theory was still holding true.
‘There’s still time Stone.’
He didn’t answer. He floored the car like a madman.
After following Tariq’s directions to the letter they turned off the main road and into an industrial area by the river. They crossed over a rail line that looked like a goods line to the wharf area.
Finch said, ‘That was the line where the girls heard the bells, it’s got to be close Stone, Tariq isn't usually wrong about these things.’ Finch counted out three lanes down from the main road and told Stone to turn left. ‘Drive down Stone the building is on the right, it’s the fourth building down.’
Stone looked out into the darkness at the old docks area. Most of the buildings were empty and had fallen into disrepair. Stone looked around at the old and sinister buildings, casting threatening shadows, behind which, rusting and echoey warehouses lay dormant and forbidding. Just the kind of place that evil might be perpetrated, he thought.
‘God help the girls if they’re in any of these places,’ said Stone.
The moon wasn’t out yet and there was no street lighting, all they had to help them search was the car headlights, the buildings on either side were in darkness.
‘There! There it is,’ said Finch. He was shining the flashlight across to the face of the building.
‘You’re sure that’s the building?’
Yeah, don’t you remember what Tariq said?’
‘I don’t believe it.’
‘It must be, Tariq is never...’
‘No. I don't mean that...Mac’s in there.’
Finch looked at Stone is utter disbelief, he wasn’t making sense.
‘How the hell do you...’
‘Shine the flashlight near the entrance again.’
Finch shone it out of the car window and saw that there was something on the wall by the door. ‘What? What is it?’
‘See that sign?’
‘You mean the squiggly white mark?’
‘The only person, who could possibly have put that there, is Mac. When we were in Iraq his team of bomb disposal and mine clearance experts would sweep building ahead of my construction crew. Mac took full responsibility and after he’d checked it for himself, would make that mark on the wall himself.’
CSC
The letters were scrawled hastily on the wall in white chalk, by Mac, just before Khaled knocked him unconscious.
‘Yeah. It means Checked, Swept and Clear.’
‘What’s Mac doing in there?’
‘I don’t know, we’re about to find out.’
Ramirez neared the top of the last flight of stairs to the top floor and saw a large room and a door in the distance. It was a reception area with a secretary’s desk, but the whole room was in darkness. The door at the far side of the reception must be to Maloof’s office, he thought. Ramirez could hear voices, several voices coming from the office. He kept his gun un-holstered and put his back to the wall and slid towards the door very slowly until he was inches away and able to get a glimpse inside.
Maloof was behind his desk in front of the window, he was laughing along with some other men who were just out of sight. Maloof was smoking a cigar and had a glass of whiskey in his hand and there was a good looking woman sat on the edge of his desk, he’d never seen her before.
He needed to know how many men were on the other side of the office that he couldn't see. He crawled on his knees, below the glass and stood up on the other side. He could now see that there were four men sitting around a coffee table, they also looked like Arabs. There were five suitcases on the floor in front of them, going on a journey, he thought. They looked like businessmen, not gangsters, and were probably not armed. He saw no bodyguards and reckoned the two in the basement were the only ones on duty. How long it would be, he thought, before they were missed. His eyes were fixed on Maloof, he hadn’t made his mind up yet what to do. Unguarded and with four harmless businessmen he would have no problem storming in and arresting Maloof, but the woman, he needed her out of the way.
He looked at Maloof again.
The sight of the man who had made his life a misery and threatened his family sent his blood pressure up, he could feel his heart beat in his chest.
Ramirez rested his head back against the wall and tried to calm himself down.
Stone got out of the car and took out his cell phone as he walked over the gravel to the building where Mac’s mark was on the wall. Finch followed him a few paces behind, he had his gun in his hand ready in case of any surprises. As they reached the door they felt a rumble beneath their feet, they both said the same thing at the same time, ‘The subway!’
Stone dialed Mac’s number. It answered.
Mac was leaning against the lobby wall when the call came through; he flipped it open and saw seven missed calls and Stone’s name calling.
‘Stone?’
‘Mac are you okay?’
‘Yeah, where are you?’
Ramirez had left the front door to the building unlocked, so when Stone pushed against it, the door opened and Stone and Mac saw each other.
‘What the ...how did you know where to find me?’
Finch walked in behind Stone and stood on guard looking around.
‘We didn’t, we weren’t looking for you. We’re here to find the girls. You look pretty messed up what happened?’
‘I’m okay. This is the address I found at the house, Maloof is upstairs somewhere, I ran into two of his boys, they took me by surprise.’
‘Where are they now?’
‘One’s dead, the guy that planted the bomb, and the other one’s tied up, down there...’ Mac nodded towards the big metal door down to the basement, ‘...if it wasn’t for Ramirez, I’d be dead.’
‘Ramirez?’
‘Yeah, I gave him the address. He came to back me up and...’
‘Where is he now?’ asked Finch.
‘Up there somewhere.’
Stone and Finch looked up the stairs.
‘Mac, we have to find Laura, what else is up there?’
‘Not sure mate, I heard Ramirez go up two floors at least, so try the first floor.’
‘Okay, we’ve called Grolnick for back up and medics and a Dr. Harper may be with them, when they arrive, will you sort them out? Can you do that?’
‘Sure. Go.’
Stone raced up the flight of stairs with his heart in his mouth. Laura had been missing now for five hours and since he saw her being led away to a vehicle by a suspicious looking character on the hotel security video, two girls had been found drugged and sexually assaulted and one poor girl was dead. There’d been no ransom demand and no solid proof that Laura might suffer the same fate, apart from the fact that all th
e girls were in the same literary club. It all pointed to a planned act of pedophilia by a sick man like ‘Bad’ Billy Thompson, but they now knew it couldn't be him. He was dead.
Please let her be alive, please.
Stone had always hoped that it was all a bad dream, that any minute she’d call his phone. Now he and Finch were following the last lead they had, it had to be reliable, he thought. Tameka and Sofia wouldn’t lie.
They wouldn't.
At the top of the stairs there was a double door leading onto a corridor on the first floor. Stone looked at Finch and said, ‘This is it.’
Stone pushed open the door, it creaked and Finch crept through it and it swung closed behind them. Along the corridor they could see five doors. There was light streaming out the window of the end door only, the others were in darkness.
Finch stepped up to the first door and opened it up, keeping his gun ready. Once inside he switched on the light and saw a double bed on the far wall next to the window, the covers were left messy. It was like a hotel room, he thought. He left the room and shook his head to Stone.
Stone took the next room; he found the room in exactly the same condition. Finch quickly checked room’s three and four and there were in an identical state to the first two.
That left the last room, the one with the lights on.
In the darkness of the corridor they saw flashes coming from the window just yards ahead of them. There was no other noise, no screams, nothing.
They inched up to the side of the door, Finch whispered, ‘I’ll open the door, the guy might be armed, when I shout clear, you follow in behind me, okay?’
DEAD MAN'S JUSTICE - A Place of Evil (Stone & McLeish Thriller Series of Stories Book 2) Page 28