by Alex Siegel
A woman and a child peeked out through the open door. The mother had a puffy eye and a freshly bloodied lip. The sight made Marina angry and brought up some bad memories from the dark depths of her mind. Keeping still became difficult.
Hanley remained under the deck. He obviously wasn't sure about how to proceed with the operation. She decided to give him another moment to make up his mind. She wanted to see him in action.
Eventually, he crawled out, stood up, and aimed his assault rifle at the three Hispanic men. "Freeze!" he barked. "You're under arrest. Lie on the ground, hands behind your backs."
Marina smirked. You're not an FBI agent anymore, she thought.
Instead of lying down, the men turned. Tension in their bodies suggested they were thinking about using their guns. Their backs were facing her. She decided it was time to intervene before somebody got shot.
She ran across the backyard in total silence. She stabbed her black fingernails into the necks of two men and injected venom directly into their carotid arteries. They never saw her coming. They collapsed before they had a chance to fight back.
Quintero was the one left standing. She smashed his face with a vicious spinning kick. He was a big guy, but the blow sent him sprawling onto the grass. You like to hit women? Marina thought. How does it feel when they hit you back? She crushed his nose with her heel.
She had had enough fun for now. She quickly swept his flailing arms aside and gave him a dose of venom. He was unconscious seconds later.
"Help me get him into the van," she ordered.
Hanley ran over. "That was impressive."
"Save the compliments. We have to move fast."
Working together, they dragged Quintero across the yard and heaved him into the back of the van. Marina slammed the door closed.
Before she left, she glanced back at the doorway. The expression on the mother's face was hard to read.
Marina got into the driver's seat, and her heart was beating fast. As soon as Hanley was safely seated, she drove off.
She wanted to stomp the accelerator, but she forced herself to maintain a reasonable speed. Getting stopped by the police wouldn't be helpful. There was no rush anyway.
"That went much better than I expected," Hanley said.
"I wish I could've killed those other guys."
"Really?"
"But it wasn't justifiable," Marina said. "Following the rules is hard sometimes. At least I get to have my fun with Quintero."
"Torture is fun?"
She nodded. "Oh, yes, especially the way I do it. You're in for a treat."
He grimaced.
* * *
Marina looked up at a sliver of a moon. A thin layer of clouds made the edges fuzzy. She couldn't see many stars because the lights of San Francisco were washing them out, but it was still a beautiful night. Her body armor protected her from the chilly air.
She lowered her gaze and looked across the black waters of the ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge was on her left, and lights on the towers and roadway made it look magical. She had driven north across the bridge leaving San Francisco behind. She could just see the shoreline of the city in the distance.
A moan of pain made her look at Quintero. This interrogation was taking place on the beach. The sand here was dark gray instead of the usual yellow. Waves crashing onto the shore were so loud they sounded like explosions. The raw, untamed energy of the ocean invigorated Marina.
With Hanley's help, she had pounded thick, iron stakes through Quintero's wrists and feet. He was pinned to the beach, face down, completely unable to move. His fat, brown body was naked and exposed to the damp chill. He was already shivering. Occasionally, a big wave would carry water up to his face and make him sputter.
"In a crazy way, this reminds me of my Navy Seal training," Hanley said. "We spent a lot of time on beaches like this one. The water was always cold."
"I'm glad I never had to do that," Marina said. "Sounds perfectly miserable. I think he's finally waking up."
Quintero moaned again and lifted his head. He struggled to move, but the stakes had been driven deep into the heavy, wet sand. He wasn't going anywhere.
She crouched down near his face and smiled. "Hello," she said cheerfully. "Lovely night, isn't it?"
"Who are you?" he grunted in a Mexican accent.
"That's not important."
"You're a cop?"
"No." She shook her head. "I'm just a citizen doing her civic duty. I only have one question, so this shouldn't take long. Who is your mole inside the Gang Task Force?"
He sneered and tried to spit at her. The angle was bad, and he missed.
Marina walked up the beach a few paces. She had laid out her implements of torture on a blue plastic tarp. Darkness made it hard to see, but she didn't dare use a flashlight. Somebody in a boat on the ocean might see the light. She wasn't as worried about Quintero screaming in pain. They were miles from any populated areas, and the sound of the waves was much louder than he could ever be.
She picked up a bottle of highly concentrated sulfuric acid. It seemed like a good place to start.
She went back to her victim and leaned over him. She carefully squirted little drops onto his bare back using a dropper. The liquid began to bubble when it came into contact with flesh. He clenched his jaw and breathed rapidly.
"You're used to running with a tough crowd," she said calmly as she worked. "I'm different. I'm truly a monster."
"Do you know who I am?" Quintero said through his teeth.
"Yes, of course."
"My people will hunt you down and kill you. They'll kill your family. They'll kill everybody you love."
Marina snorted. "That's not much of a threat. My family is already dead. I only love one man, and your gang is welcome to go after him. He would enjoy the exercise."
She put a few drops on his cheeks and watched them roll down his lips. The ocean noise covered the sound of sizzling flesh. His breathing became ragged.
She checked on Hanley. Her new recruit was standing a few yards away with his lips pressed tightly together. He clearly had no desire to get more involved. It was fine. She didn't mind hogging all the fun.
Marina used the acid for a half-hour until dark red burns marked Quintero's skin from head to toe. She tried to space the wounds evenly. Nerve endings could only be stimulated so much, so there was no point in overdoing any one spot.
Finally, she was ready to try something else. She went back to the tarp and grabbed a spice jar containing red powder. This will feel good on fresh wounds, she thought.
"Feeling more talkative, yet?" she said.
"Fuck off," he replied, "puta. I'll die before I talk."
"Insults will just inspire me to be more creative."
Marina unscrewed the lid on the spice jar. Without warning, she sprinkled some red powder on his eyes and mouth. This time, Quintero screamed. He shook his head violently as he tried to shake off the powder. He rubbed his face in the sand.
"That's Naga Bhut Jolokia or ghost pepper," she said. "Spicy, isn't it? Some people put it on food, but that seems crazy to me. I'm as masochistic as the next girl, but even I have limits."
She shook a little more powder on his burn wounds. His whole body clenched. The spice was making her eyes water despite a fresh breeze blowing off the ocean.
"I will... not... talk," he said through his teeth.
"You're wrong, but you are forcing me to take this to the next level."
Marina worked with the spice for a while until she eventually decided it wasn't going to do the trick. Quintero was impressively tough. Even though his entire body was a molten mass of pain, he held his tongue.
"Hanley," she said, "grab a flashlight. I'll need to see what I'm doing for the next part. Make sure you keep the light pointed down."
"Yes, ma'am," Hanley replied in a soft voice.
She went over to her supplies and grabbed a pair of rubber gloves. She snapped them on dramatically. She then picked up a long, very sh
arp knife.
Hanley stood over Quintero with a small flashlight pointed at his back. Marina knelt over her victim.
"Pay attention," she said. "This is educational. I'm not going to hack into him like a mad butcher. I'm going to perform delicate, precise surgery. In particular, I won't cut any major arteries or veins. This technique requires a thorough knowledge of human anatomy. It's very important to keep the subject alive until he talks."
"I understand," Hanley mumbled.
"Quintero, hold still. You don't want me to nick the wrong thing."
Marina sliced into Quintero's lower back near the spine. She carefully carved away chunks of muscle and fat until she could see his kidney and intestines. The pain made him shake like a leaf.
"We're going for the pelvic splanchnic nerves," she said. "Getting at them from this side is tricky. The pelvic bone gets in the way. Fortunately, I know exactly where they are."
"You've done this before?" Hanley murmured.
"Yes, but Ethel is the true master. She could probably find any nerve in the body with her eyes closed. I'm just a journeyman torturer in comparison."
"What about Aaron?"
"His interrogation techniques are more psychological than physical," Marina said. "He likes to use darkness, helplessness, and terror."
She wiggled her hand into Quintero's abdominal cavity. The organs felt like misshapen water balloons. She pushed flesh out of the way until her hand was in the right spot. He suddenly let out a long, hysterical scream, and he emptied his bowels.
"Found one nerve," Marina said calmly. She was glad for the fresh breeze. "Let's see if I can find another."
"No!" he cried. "Please! En el nombre de Dios, no!"
She smirked. "Speaking of names, I'm still waiting."
"Rogerson."
She looked up at Hanley. "Call Min Ho. I told him to stay at his computer tonight. Have him check it out."
"Yes, ma'am." Hanley took out his phone and stepped away.
Marina whispered into Quintero's ear, "I hope you're not lying. You have a lot of nerves."
He wept.
After a few minutes, Hanley came back and reported, "Frank Rogerson is a member of the Gang Task Force, but he seems clean. Min Ho couldn't find any financial irregularities. On the other hand, his brother, Adrian Rogerson, has been receiving large payments through a sophisticated money laundering scheme. Min Ho traced the money back to a drug cartel in Colombia. It looks like we got the information we need."
"Great." Marina nodded. "Tell Min Ho to write up a summary and leave it on my desk. Then he can go home and sleep in tomorrow."
Hanley nodded and spoke into his phone.
She pulled her hand out of Quintero's body. She used the knife to cut his renal artery, and she watched the blood spurt out. He would die slowly. She stood up and pulled off the gloves.
Hanley put his phone away. "What now, ma'am?"
"We pick up our stuff and go," Marina said.
"What about him?" He pointed at Quintero's still twitching body.
"Leave it for the birds and the crabs."
Hanley was very quiet as they cleaned up. He used the tarp as a sack and slung it over his shoulder. He and Marina started hiking up a dirt path which led back to the van.
He had a very troubled expression.
"What's wrong?" she said.
"That was the most psychotic thing I've ever witnessed. I'm starting to understand what kind of woman you are, ma'am."
"And you don't approve?"
He paused. "It will take some getting used to."
The climb was very steep and winding. Marina was glad she wasn't carrying the heavy sack.
"Regardless, you're stuck with me."
"Yes, ma'am," Hanley said. "I have to admit your methods are effective. I didn't expect that guy to talk."
"I wasn't worried. Criminals like him have weak minds and no discipline. Religious nuts are much tougher to crack. It can take weeks of continuous interrogation to break them down."
He was silent.
Marina picked up the pace. "Let's hurry. I want to get some sleep tonight."
* * *
Marina was strolling along Market Street in downtown San Francisco. She was still enchanted with the nice weather in February. A bright morning sun shined down from a clear sky. Trees growing out of holes in the sidewalk still had leaves on them. People were riding bicycles on the street.
Market Street was a commercial area. Marina saw banks, a dollar store, sandwich shops, convenience stores, a breakfast place, hotels, a hot dog stand, and much more. Some buildings had apartments on the upper floors. There was a lot of foot traffic on the wide, brick sidewalks. People came here to wander and shop.
She also saw plenty of vagrants. They were much more pervasive here than in Chicago. She reasoned the mild weather allowed homeless people to live on the streets year-round. Back home, the bitter winters forced them to find shelter at some point.
Marina spotted the chief of police walking towards her. He was still wearing his crisp, blue uniform, but he had removed his nameplate and rank insignia. He had become a generic cop. As they crossed paths, she turned and joined him. They continued down the street together at a brisk walk.
"Quintero's body was found on a beach this morning," the chief murmured.
"Oh?" Marina said innocently. "Where?"
"Up in the Marin Headlands."
"Curious."
"There was evidence of brutal torture," he said. "He was staked out like Jesus on the cross. Hundreds of burn marks. A horrific abdominal wound."
"Shocking. Perhaps a rival gang is responsible."
"That's what my department is telling the media. It's the obvious conclusion."
She nodded. "No reason to doubt it."
She took a piece of paper from her pocket and passed it to him. It was Min Ho's report from last night. He studied the paper for a long moment while they walked. Then he tucked it into his own pocket.
"Mr. Spade never left any bodies behind," he said in a very low voice. "He was always very neat and tidy."
"I wanted to make sure there was no ambiguity this time. I'll be more discreet in the future. Did I pass the test? Do I meet with your approval?"
He took a deep breath. "I suppose so. If this information is good, the city is in your debt. Of course, we can't use it as evidence in court. We'll have to find other, legitimate evidence."
"That won't be hard now that you know exactly where to look."
"Yes." He glanced at her. "Were you the one who actually did the work last night? You're such a beautiful woman. It's hard to imagine..."
She gave him a warning look. "Let's not ask questions like that. OK? It doesn't matter to you."
"Sure." He frowned.
Marina and the chief walked in silence for a minute. She instinctively looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was following them. The crowded sidewalk made that assessment difficult.
An electric bus passed them, making very little noise. Overhead lines supplied the electrical power. A man in a tattered, green jacket begged for money and was completely ignored.
"Is anything strange happening in the city?" Marina said.
"What do you mean?" the chief said.
"An unusual pattern of crimes? A surge in violence? A major story that isn't in the news? I'm sure Mr. Spade asked a similar question when he talked to you."
"Nothing very interesting is going on as far as I know. It's been a terrible month for domestic violence, but I have an explanation for that."
She looked at his round, pale face. "Which is?"
"Dr. Carefree." He spoke the name with disdain. "He gives a public sermon in Golden Gate Park every afternoon. His anti-marriage message is breaking up families all over the city. It's disgusting. He's a huge public nuisance."
Her interest was piqued. She clearly needed to know more about this preacher.
"Why haven't you arrested him?" Marina asked.
"He's very popular. I
don't understand it at all." The chief shook his head sadly. "If the police arrested him, it would be seen as a violation of his First Amendment rights. The whole thing is a hot potato. Until he commits an obvious, provable crime, we can't get near him. Why? Are you going to do something?"
"I don't know. I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way of free speech. I think we're done. Thank you for your time. I'll be in touch."
She abruptly turned and headed in a different direction. Where did I park my car? she wondered.
Chapter Seven
Marina walked into her new headquarters. She immediately went over to the computer area on her left.
It looked like Min Ho and Jia had finally settled on an arrangement of computers and furniture. Four tables were placed at right angles to create a cross. Min Ho sat between two legs of the cross, and he had two computers on each leg. He could reach all four keyboards by turning his chair. Jia had a similar setup on the opposite side of the cross. Both hackers were busy working.
Marina went to Min Ho first. He was the more experienced of the two, so he would understand what she needed. He could get Jia involved if he needed help.
Min Ho was wearing a red velvet shirt with a high collar. His shoes were shiny and white. Clearly, he was trying to be stylish, but Marina had to question his choices. She decided it wasn't her role to give him fashion tips.
"Are you guys finally done setting up your computers?" she said.
"Yes, but it's just temporary, ma'am," he said. "We ordered much better computers and furniture, and they should be here in a few days. I hope you don't mind that we paid for all that stuff without asking you."
"That's not a problem. If you really need something, buy it."
"We didn't buy the new networking yet. The Society standard is triple redundancy over dedicated fiber optics with divergent physical paths."
"OK." Marina shrugged. "So?"
"It's going to be very expensive, ma'am," Min Ho said. "We'll have to run new fiber up to San Francisco and down to San Jose. The monthly service charges alone will be tens of thousands of dollars. That's a lot of money to spend on a headquarters that we're using for only a year."