‘Vultures, they’ll screw the whole dammed operation up if they’re not careful.’
Finch closed the phone and turned to see Stone disappear through the doors at the end of the corridor. Stone met Dr. Harper at the top of the stairs and told her that Laura was in the end room, ‘Finch is down there, he’ll show you’, he said.
Stone ran up the stairs to the top floor and slowly checked around and saw a light coming from the door leading to an office. He walked over and peered through the window and saw Ramirez pointing a gun at Maloof with one hand and pointing a gun at four Arabian guys with the other. Stone slowly opened the door.
Maloof was sitting behind a desk and had his hands out flat in front of him. The Arabs had their hands on their heads. Stone saw the look of horror on their faces; they knew their little game was up. One of them was a killer, he thought.
‘I don't know why I don’t kill you right now?’ said Ramirez. Stone walked out from behind Ramirez and told him to think things through.
Maloof’s face was even more in shock at the sight of Stone. He was told by Scarface that Stone had died in the Delicatessen bomb.
‘You’re dead,’ said Maloof.
‘Sorry to disappoint you. You need to get more reliable staff. What’s going on here? Grolnick’s downstairs, it’s all over Ramirez.’
‘This man needs to suffer for all the crap he’s dished out, he sent a man to kill Conchita, he tried to kill you, he grabs young girls off the street and feeds them to these animals,’ Ramirez waved the gun he had pointed at the four Arabs and sneered at them.
‘Go ahead, shoot me. The FBI will track you down and you will disappear off the face of the earth,’ said Maloof.
‘What are you talking about, FBI?’ It only served to make Ramirez more angry and nervous. He clicked the gun and straightened his arm taking direct aim at Maloof’s forehead.
‘Woow steady Ramirez,’ Stone walked over to him and talked calmly to him, ‘...he’s not worth it, you’ll ruin your career, take him in, let him face the music for what he’s done. He won’t see the light of day ever again, Maria and Conchita are safe now,’ said Stone.
Ramirez relaxed the tight grip he’d had on the gun and lowered it down, but kept it pointing in Maloof’s direction.
Stone walked around the back of Maloof’s chair and looked out of the window. He saw the activity on the quayside below him. A merchant ship was being readied for leaving the wharf; a guy was unwrapping ropes from the capstan. There were two FBI officers standing around as if they were guarding or supervising, Stone didn’t know which.
‘What’s that down there Maloof?’ asked Stone.
Maloof laughed.
Stone could see boxes through the hold doors on the ship which hadn’t been closed yet. He then read the baggage labels on the Arab’s suitcases lined up in front of the coffee table. One said the Yemen, another said Jordan...Stone put two and two together and realized the guys were buyers, and that the abuse of the young girls was probably a sweetener as part of the deal.
‘There’s something else going here, these pedophiles are just a side show, I’m sure of it. We need to get them downstairs Ramirez; the bust will be all yours.’
Finch opened the door and saw what was going on. Ramirez turned to look at him and shot a quick glance back to Stone.
‘Detective Finch, arrest these men. Cuff them and read them their rights. This one’s mine,’ said Ramirez, referring to Maloof. It wasn’t necessary for Finch to take any action; Jack burst into the room followed by his six SWAT guys who immediately closed the whole room down and starting cuffing the four Arabs and then led them away down the stairs. Ramirez and Finch handcuffed Maloof and they led him towards the stairs and to ground level. Stone stopped them just before they reached the door, ‘Maloof, I’m sorry to have to tell you that Rachel Parker is dead, we think she was shot by the FBI who was aiming at me.’
Maloof’s facial expression hardly changed, his lips creased into an empty smile, ‘and?’ he said.
‘Forget I mentioned it Maloof, she obviously meant as little to you as all the innocent young girls.’
Agent Wade thumped the dashboard of the car as it pulled into the side road when he saw the melee of lights and vehicles before his eyes. TV crews were being held back behind a cordon of incident tape that had been hastily installed by the backup brought in by Grolnick. The police cars and ambulances still had their lights flashing illuminating the whole area in front of the warehouse.
Wade saw Grolnick talking to his officers and he turned to Gray and told him to get the marksman to stand down and to disappear pronto. Wade and Gray stepped out onto the gravel and walked over to Grolnick.
Dr. Harper was coming out of the main doors followed by two medics pushing a gurney carrying Laura Stone out to a waiting ambulance. A drip was suspended above her on a metal pole and the tube from it looped down into an IV in Laura’s arm. She was wearing a breathing mask and Wade heard Grolnick ask Dr. Harper how she was doing and she answered ‘Just fine.’
The squad of four officers walked out from the warehouse and led the five Arab guys away to black and whites waiting on the gravel. Two more were rounding up Maloof’s guards from the basement, for one they would need a body bag.
Maloof then emerged from the darkness of the lobby; he was wearing handcuffs and also a demonic smile on his face. Ramirez was not far behind with his gun still pointed at his back.
‘Stop right there Ramirez,’ said Wade.
Grolnick walked over to back Ramirez up. Stone was helping Mac by supporting his shoulder as he limped across from the warehouse and heard what was going on.
Grolnick stood right in front of Wade stopping him from going any further.
‘He’s mine,’ said Wade. Gray was standing by his side with his hand hovering near his shoulder holster, ready to draw his weapon.
‘Sorry. No can do. He’s under arrest for...well how long have you got?’ Wade smirked in his face. Grolnick continued, ‘...Murder, causing death by explosion, corrupting an officer in the course of his duty, the procurement and abduction of underage girls for sexual gratification...’
‘You don't understand...’ started Wade.
Stone shouted out from behind Grolnick, ‘How about the illegal sale of arms, there’s a ship out back loaded with crates and boxes bound for the Middle East.’
Agent Wade told Grolnick to get everyone away, he needed to talk privately, it was a matter of National Security, he said. Grolnick reluctantly told the SWAT team, backup officers and medics to move away ten yards at least. They did as was instructed.
‘Ramirez and Finch are staying,’ he said.
Wade rolled his eyes and conceded. Grolnick got his retaliation in first, ‘Why have you been standing back watching this sordid criminal activity go on? Four young girls are scarred for life, and one is dead, strangled by one of these animals Wade. And you could have stopped this illegal arms traffic. Why didn’t you?’
Maloof laughed again. They all turned to look at him and he turned his face away.
‘You still don't understand do you, any of you,’ began Wade. ‘We’re here to make sure the arms sale goes ahead without any problems.’
The look on Grolnick, Ramirez and Finch’s face was hard to describe, somewhere between shock and total disbelief.
‘It’s bigger than you, bigger than any of us, if you quote me, I’ll deny it...’ Wade didn’t get a chance to finish. Stone overheard what he had said and rushed towards Agent Wade.
Stone said, ‘I’m not a cop, you can’t silence me, my daughter could have died here today, the public needs to know just how sick and twisted your misplaced priorities are.’
‘You wouldn't, and if you did you’d be wasting your breath, from me right up to the President, what you say Stone will be categorically denied and you will be ridiculed, you’d be watching over your shoulder the for rest of your life,’ said Wade.
‘Try me; I’ll blow your cover.’
‘You wo
uldn't dare.’
Stone turned back again towards Wade and Mac tried to hold him back, he went within inches of his face, ‘Screw you Wade and everything you stand for.’
The standoff ended. Ramirez un-cuffed Maloof and handed him over to the FBI. Grolnick told Ramirez and Finch to ship out and take the five Arabs into custody. Grolnick turned to them and took one last look up at the dark warehouse and said, ‘We’re done here guys, this really is a place of evil.’
They all looked up and silently recalled the illegal trading, the torture room in the basement, the sordid degradation and suffering to the young girls. The remark was not contested.
Ramirez and Finch shook hands with Stone and Mac and there was an unspoken sense of respect and admiration between them all. The Detectives followed the Lieutenant who was suddenly accosted by a wall of baying reporters and Grolnick walked over to them with his hands up in an attempt to stem the questions. Several microphones were thrust into his face and camera flashes lit the night sky like a firework display.
Stone and Mac walked off towards the ambulance where Laura was being treated. Mac needed to see a Doctor too. They reached the ambulance and out of the corner of his eye Stone saw the black bag containing Rachel Parker’s body being loaded into the back of a coroner’s wagon. He then looked across and saw Ramirez who was calling his wife, Stone heard his words even over the clamor of the media and vehicle sirens filling the night sky. He said just three little words that would bring relief and closure to him and his family, ‘It’s all over!’ Ramirez was crying, the tough matchstick-chewing New York Detective reduced to a spent wreck, a relieved husband and father.
Chapter 67
A medic closed the doors to the ambulance as a cluster of baying reporters were running towards them trying to interview Stone and Mac. Dr. Harper was tending to Mac’s wounds and Stone looked out of the back door and saw Grolnick in the distance being interviewed by a TV crew. The lights from the cameras bathed his face which stood out in the blackness, his shoulders were shrugging up and down and he faked a smile every now and then. The reporters, with their notebooks out, were hanging on to his every word.
It was a shame that he couldn't tell the truth, Stone thought.
The ambulance pulled away and Stone saw the warehouse become smaller and smaller and as they turned a bend it was gone from view completely.
Laura stirred in the bed, ‘She’s coming round,’ said Dr. Harper. A nurse took off Laura’s breathing mask and when she saw her father her face broke out into the broadest smile he’d ever seen. He had to fight back tears. He hugged her and held her so tight she couldn’t breathe again.
‘D-a-d-d-y,’ she said.
He realized he was smothering her and sat back just staring at her, so relieved that he had found her.
No further words were necessary.
She was alive and well and he hoped he would never ever have to tell her the whole story about what happened to her and the other girls. Not for a very long time anyway, he thought.
There was one more thing Stone needed to do, call someone who would have been worried sick waiting by the phone at home the whole time. He took out his cell phone, dialed a number and put the phone to Laura’s ear.
‘Hello...?’ said Laura.
When she heard the voice on the other end, Laura smiled so hard, Stone did cry.
‘Laura, baby, is it you?’
‘M-u-m-m-y...’
###
The End
About the Author
Gregory Stenson has worked around the world in Construction and as a Consultant for many years and now writes full time, ‘So many stories – so little time.’
He divides his time between his birthplace, Nottingham, UK and Trinidad in the Caribbean.
This is his second Stone and McLeish novel.
For more information visit and connect with Gregory Stenson at:-
http://www.gregstensonwriter.com/
http://www.twitter.com/gregorystenson
or email him at:- [email protected]
Author’s Note
The places and locations described in Dead Man’s Justice are as accurate as the writer recalls them having visited New York and scouted for the locations, some license and imagination has been used however for the Rehab facility and the details for the warehouse in Brooklyn Heights.
The Seventh Island
Stone & McLeish’s first thriller by Gregory Stenson
Available exclusively at Amazon UK and US.
Reviews for The Seventh Island
@arthurwooten wrote:- (21.01.12) (twitter)"The Seventh Island by @gregorystenson …unputdownable, clever, intelligent..."
★★★★★ Review Patricia G, US, wrote:- (26.02.12) (Amazon US)
"I recommend this book to anyone that reads. It is fast moving and has interesting characters & a great
location! Cant wait for the next book with my new friend, Brad Stone, in it."
★★★★★ Review esme123, UK, wrote:- (04.02.12) (Amazon UK)
"Fantastic Read! I have just finished reading this book and I enjoyed the plot very much. Can't wait for this Author's next book. I really enjoyed reading about the island of Trinidad and the story seemed to bring the place to life.
★★★★★ Review J .Scott Sharp, US, wrote:- (13.01.12) (Amazon UK/US)
"Great Read! Can't wait for another book! Gregory Stenson is the man to watch! His first book, "The Seventh Island" kept me up for two nights, unable to put it down! Brad Stone is a great character and the action and suspense are jarring! I am reticent to be too descriptive because I don't want to ruin the surprises, but the New York mob and voodoo?! This book can't go wrong and in the skilled hands of Mr. Stenson, it doesn't! Bravo! And thank you for a novel worth reading!
★★★★★ Review Fiona Johnson, UK, wrote:- (09.12.11) (Smashwords)
"I just loved this book. It has a really great story with lots of twists and turns but mostly I loved it because of the setting. It made such a great change to be taken to the Caribbeanand to get a glimpse of life on the islands that perhaps tourists don't always get to see.
Hope there's more like this to come!
★★★★★ Review Ralph, US, wrote:- (03.12.11) (Goodreads.com)
"I actually could not put this book down ... It's beautifully written , with a great storyline - suspense that keeps you going until the end. Definitely a recommended good read !Well done Greg. I'm looking forward to your next book
Coming Soon
Stone & McLeish’s third thriller novel.
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DEAD MAN'S JUSTICE - A Place of Evil (Stone & McLeish Thriller Series of Stories Book 2) Page 30