City By Night: Requiem: A Sam Stevens Mystery

by J. D. Dunsford

  He considered Robert for a moment. ‘But if she gives up Sam he loses any loyalty. He becomes as much a threat as you are.’

  ‘That’s where you come in,’ Robert said. ‘You’re going to kill him, right? That’s a crucial part of the bargain.’

  ‘It makes sense. Except for one thing. If I trade you for Sam, Lucinda will kill you. Which makes it a less than ideal plan for you.’

  ‘Well, that depends on the execution of the plan. And there is one factor here that we have not considered.’

  ‘Which is?’

  Robert smiled. ‘What my brother will do.’

  In comparison to his previous surrounds, being back in the Realm was a welcome change. But Sam could have done without the circumstances. Most of Lucinda’s kingdom was opulent and pretty, but considering most of it was built in basements it should not have been so much of a surprise that some parts were plainer than others, and it was in one of these parts that Sam and Sarah sat tied to chairs as Lucinda circled them in the dim lights.

  ‘I want to assume the best in you, Sam,’ Lucinda said. ‘But assuming the best tends to confirm the worst. You’ve spent days under police guard, and when we found you, this cop was doing her best to save your life. Now, why would she do that unless you had something she wanted?’

  ‘I do have something she wants,’ Sam said. ‘That doesn’t mean I gave it to her.’

  ‘He’s telling the truth,’ Sarah said.

  ‘And I should believe you?’ Lucinda raised an eyebrow. ‘He’s going to be your star witness against the Realm, right?’

  ‘At this rate, I can probably fulfil that role myself,’ Sarah said. ‘And don’t bother threatening me. You’re not stupid enough to kill a cop.’

  ‘A clean one maybe,’ Lucinda said. ‘Judging by the deal you offered Sam, you don’t hold a huge grudge over removing corrupt ones. And a little corruption is what got you in this mess, right Sarah?’

  ‘I’m not Hector O’Neil,’ Sarah replied. ‘You want to equate us, be my guest. The vaguest suspicion of you having killed me will give my department all the reason they need to wipe out the Realm for good.’

  ‘Can we all calm down for five seconds?’ Sam said. ‘Nobody has betrayed anyone, and no-one is going to. Lucinda, give me the benefit of the doubt here; I wasn’t going to sell you out only to get knifed by a bunch of your friends in prison. Granted, I thought you might have sniped me–’

  ‘Which is deeply offensive.’

  ‘But if that were true I’d hardly be alive now, right?’ Sam said. ‘Come on. What other option was there? And if you have one in mind tell me, because I’m at a loss as to who wants me dead so badly.’

  Lucinda looked between them, considering. Then she nodded to someone behind them, and within moments Sam felt his bonds being untied.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, rubbing his wrists as he eased himself to his feet. He still wasn’t quite steady.

  ‘Follow me,’ Lucinda said, then turned and walked out the door.

  Flanked by Lucinda’s men, they moved up the hall, around a couple of corners and up a flight of stairs until they were in the familiar surrounds of Lucinda’s large, wood-paneled, carpeted office. She took her usual seat behind her oak desk and gestured for Sam and Sarah to sit in front.

  ‘If I am to assume you are telling the truth,’ Lucinda said as they sat, ‘then the problem of Robert remains.’

  ‘Am I supposed to sanction you killing him?’ Sarah said.

  ‘You’re supposed to sanction me not killing you,’ Lucinda said.

  ‘Noted.’

  Lucinda looked at Sam. ‘He’s vanished from the hospital. The only explanation I can think of is that the attacker took him. Why would they do that?’

  ‘If I had to guess?’ Sam said. ‘To make a trade.’

  For a moment nobody spoke as they considered what that meant. Sam kept his focus on Lucinda, whose expression gave nothing away.

  ‘Well?’ he said quietly.

  ‘We’ll deal with it when it happens,’ she said.

  ‘That doesn’t explain how you’ll deal with it. Will you give me up?’

  Lucinda looked at him, considering. ‘Not if I can help it,’ she said. ‘But you have to understand, Robert being alive threatens a lot of people. The Realm has to remain a safe place to keep the balance, otherwise, we’ll have open war on the streets. Now I accept that sending you after him was a mistake on my part, but nonetheless a solution has to be found. Sam, I like you, and I want to protect you, but don’t doubt that if push comes to shove and a better solution can’t be found, I will hand you over.’

  Sam nodded. He appreciated the honesty at least.

  ‘This is all premature,’ Sarah said. ‘For all we know the attacker interrogated and killed Robert.’

  ‘That still leaves somebody knowing about the deal,’ Lucinda said. ‘Somebody hellbent on killing Sam. So all of our issues remain the same, just bundled into one convenient package instead of two. And at least with Robert, we can safely assume a few things. But this attacker is an unknown quantity. Sam, why would this person be willing to shoot up half a hospital to bring you down?’

  Sam looked away, trying to think. He wished he had an answer. But all of his enemies, the ones capable of this at least, were somehow affiliated with Robert. None of them would have reason to shoot his brother as well. Which left him at a loss.

  The door opened, and a tall, thin man entered. He ignored Sam and Sarah and went straight to Lucinda. In his hand was an envelope.

  ‘A message for you,’ he said. ‘From Robert Stevens.’

  Lucinda met Sam’s eye, then took the envelope. Sam watched as she read over the contents, then placed it down with a grimace. ‘You were right,’ she said. ‘We got a call from Robert, reading demands from the kidnapper. They want a trade. They’ve given a location and a time. You’re to be sent in alone, then they’ll send Robert out. They won’t settle for anything less.’

  Sam could feel all eyes on him. He looked sideways at Sarah.

  ‘What do we do?’ she said.

  ‘We give them what they want,’ Sam replied. ‘We give them me.’

  Chapter Six

  The night before he had been shot, before this situation had escalated from difficult to nightmarish, Lucinda had taken Sam in a secret elevator to a floor high up in a skyscraper, overlooking the city. Then it had served as an expansive and impressive dining room, the perfect location to make an offer. Now, empty of people, in the dark early hours of the morning, it was a place to think.

  Sam sat cross-legged, looking out over the expanse of the dark city, the first hints of sunlight creating the barest glimmers of light reflecting off the buildings. There were times he thought the city was beautiful, and he felt like now should be one of those times. It wasn’t. He wanted to feel contemplative, or scared, or excited, or angry or anything. But he didn’t. He just felt tired and burned out.

  ‘You okay Stevens?’

  He didn’t speak or turn as Sarah sat beside him.

  ‘I’ll take that as a no.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Sam said. ‘Just another job to do, right?’

  ‘You sound pretty calm for a man who might be facing his last day on earth.’

  Sam almost laughed. ‘You know for a while now every day has been me facing my last day on earth. To tell the truth, at this point it being a definite would be practically a relief.’

  For a moment there was silence.

  ‘You don’t mean that,’ Sarah said.

  Sam shrugged. ‘Don’t I? Where does it end Sarah? I thought I was out when I walked away. Then I found that dead girl at the construction site. I thought I was out when I killed O’Neil. No. Then when Lucinda sent me to remove Robert. Every time, it just kept going. If I do survive tonight, if everything goes to plan, then what? I go on and be Lucinda’s private one man army? Or does Robert’s syndicate come for me for revenge or the police try to track me down again? Because none of those things sound palatable.’ He
looked away, but all he saw was more city. ‘I meant it when I told Robert I wanted out, all those years ago. I really did. I never wanted to see him again. Never wanted to pick up a weapon again. And yeah, I made certain I had contingencies and whatever, but I was dedicated to living a peaceful life. I really, really was. Even after Sally died, I kept my head down, did basic jobs, stayed out of trouble. But when Lucinda asked me here, after O’Neil got removed, asked if I wanted to work for her, I actually thought I might. Sure, she dressed it up and made it sound pretty, but if all it took were a few bad run-ins for me to slide back into working in the underworld, then how long before I’m back to exactly where I was when I worked for Robert? How long until I’m worse?’ He shook his head. ‘I promised Sally I would be better. I promised her I would never ever be Robert.’

  Between the buildings, he could see the first rays of sunlight. But they did little to make him feel any better.

  ‘You’re not Robert,’ Sarah said quietly. ‘You never were, and you never will be. The mistake you’re making is equating all criminals. Same mistake so many cops make, same mistake so many criminals make. Assuming that once you’ve crossed one line, it’s a slippery slope to crossing more. All the people you killed Sam; all of them were in self-defense. It was you or them. If you did work for Lucinda, well, at least you wouldn’t be another drug dealer. At least you’d be working for someone who mostly keeps their hands clean. Sam, you made some bad choices in the past. We all did. But I don’t think that should damn you. Not for a second.’

  He looked at Sarah, but her eyes were on the city.

  ‘Good people, law abiding people have one big disadvantage,’ Sarah said. ‘They have to follow the rules. Rules the bad guys ignore. You and me Sam, we’re the grey area. The ones who sit in between and try to do the right thing, even if we have to break the law to do it. You know how many lives destroying Robert’s operation will have saved? Or killing O’Neil? You know how many young cops won’t fall into corruption under his influence? Don’t ever think you haven’t done good Sam. Whatever happens tonight, never think you’re the same as your brother, or that Sally wouldn’t be proud of you. Things might not be easy for you, but you hold to the person you are, and you’ll be okay. That’s all.’

  Sam kept looking at her for a few moments, then returned his attention to the city. The sun was higher now, painting all the mirrored buildings brilliant gold. Looking out at it all, he almost felt like he could believe her.

  He didn’t make a big deal of his departure. He neither needed nor wanted to. He took the few things he needed then he left the Realm via one of Lucinda’s secret exits and next thing he was out on the street, dressed in dark clothes with an overcoat and a hood, hands in his pockets as he walked up the bustling nighttime street. As he walked, he took in the sights and smells. It seemed like a long time since he had walked freely through the city. Maybe even now it wasn’t a great idea, but he wanted to enjoy it. If the police found him, well, so be it. But nobody would expect injured, kidnapped Sam Stevens to be doing what he was doing right at that moment, and so he was willing to bet he was more or less safe.

  It wasn’t a long walk; more was the pity, he wanted to enjoy it, but before long he was standing out the front of a half-finished skyscraper surrounded by large fences. Almost funny; this had all started in a construction site, now it was going to end in one.

  He knew his way around sites like this of course. He snuck over the fence, moving through the shadows to avoid the cameras until he found the service lift the workers used. He keyed in the right number and up he went. He could feel the air rushing around him, and he pulled down his hood. No need for it anymore and besides, he wanted to feel the wind in his short hair.

  The thirty-first floor was about half finished. Much of it was only framework, but several of the walls in the more central part of the floor had already been covered in concrete. A workers strike meant the place was more or less abandoned for at least the next week. It was the perfect hideout. Quiet, out of the way, not the first place you’d think of. Sam had to hand it to the person hunting him; they weren’t stupid.

  Every footstep echoing, he walked until he reached a plain door in one of the concrete walls. He paused only a moment before he opened it and stepped through.

  He saw Robert first, leaning against the wall, looking pale and sweaty. But swiftly his attention was drawn by the other person; a towering, muscular man dressed in black, with a hard face, dark eyes, and a pistol aimed directly at Sam’s face.

  ‘You called,’ Sam said. ‘I’m here.’

  The man said nothing. His gun never wavered.

  ‘Are you going to kill me?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Soon,’ he replied. ‘Not yet. After the trouble you’ve put me through, I want to savor it.’

  ‘I trust you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?’ Sam said. ‘Send my brother out. Lucinda’s men will be waiting at the bottom.’

  ‘I can barely walk Sam,’ Robert said. ‘How the hell do you think I’m going to manage that?’

  ‘I don’t care how,’ Sam said without looking at him. ‘The deal is that you go.’

  ‘The deal has changed,’ the man in black said.

  Sam grimaced. ‘I was afraid you’d say that.’

  A look of confusion crossed the hunter’s face then was swiftly replaced by fury as the sound of several helicopters filled the air. Sam dived to the side just as the man fired, his bullet blowing a hole in the concrete behind him. Sam hit the floor and rolled, then pulled out his own gun and fired fast, but the man had already run, disappearing through another door.

  ‘Happy hunting brother,’ Robert said.

  Sam ignored him. He hurried after the hunter.

  Where previously the space had been dark and shadowed, now there was light everywhere from the two helicopters that circled the half-constructed building. Not to mention the torches of several armed men who now moved through the pillars and frames around the fringes of the unfinished floor.

  Sam saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye; the hunter was running up a staircase. Sam fired after him, then followed, feet pounding on the metal of the stairs as he went up one level, then another. The higher they went, the colder it got; there were not even the meagre amount of walls here; just sparse frames, floors and the wind.

  Two flights up the attacker moved out onto the floor itself. He fired at Sam, ducking behind machinery as he did. Sam fired back; once, twice, then heard a grunt of pain.

  For a moment there was only the wind. Then Sam heard a clatter and saw movement as the figure staggered out from behind the machine, moving for the edge of the floor. On the ground behind him was the small, dark shape of his gun.

  Sam followed; slowly, cautiously. Nearing the edge, the city loomed up, darker and colder than it had been this morning, it framed the solitary figure of the man who had gone to such lengths to kill him.

  Sam kept his gun levelled at the man’s head. ‘Why?’ he called.

  The man seemed to crumple. He fell to his knees, held up only by his hands.

  Sam moved towards him, keeping the gun raised.

  ‘You never thought, did you?’ the man said. ‘Never thought about the families of all those people you killed.’

  Sam stopped. Just feet behind the man now. ‘What?’

  ‘All of Robert’s guards. And Hectors. And the rest. Just criminals, right? Thugs, lackeys. Not important. Not when you have a target.’ The man’s breathing was labored now, his voice wavering. Sam lowered the gun and took another step closer.

  ‘James Carney,’ he said. ‘A war hero. Came back damaged. Didn’t have the head for normal jobs. So he took other ones. They all treated him like a freak. None of them saw what he went through. What we both went through. The best goddamn man I ever knew and you put him down like an animal. All to end some pointless criminal feud. And then the cops protect you. And we’re meant to just accept that. Way of the world, right? Well, no world I want to live in.’

&nb
sp; For what felt like forever, Sam just looked at him. Then he walked over and sat next to him. Together they looked out into the night.

  ‘You killed innocent people as well,’ Sam said. ‘All those cops.’

  ‘They were protecting you,’ he said.

  ‘And James Carney was protecting someone worse,’ Sam replied.

  The other man made a sound. It might have been a sob. It might have been a laugh. Sam couldn’t tell.

  ‘What is your name?’ he asked.

  ‘You don’t get to know that.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sam said. ‘That any of this happened. I lost someone too. I know how it feels.’

  ‘If you knew how it feels,’ the man said. ‘You never would have done any of this.’

  He didn’t say anything else. There was a thud as he fell sideways and hit the ground.

  Sam couldn’t have said how long he sat there, just staring out in the night beside the body of the nameless soldier. He couldn’t have even said what was going through his head. A maelstrom of thoughts and memories, ideas, and feelings he didn’t want to confront.

  Eventually, he got to his feet. He didn’t look back at the body. He wasn’t sure he could bring himself to look at his face again. So he just walked, heading back the way he had come, down the stairs again until he reached the thirty-first floor. He opened the door to that central room and found it occupied.

  About ten armed men stood in a semi-circle, guns aimed at Robert, who knelt in the middle of the room. Off to the side stood Lucinda, who watched Sam coolly as he took in the scene.

  ‘You’re alive,’ Lucinda said.

  Sam nodded.

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘You’re here in time to see us put an end to this.’

  ‘No I’m not,’ Sam said. ‘I’m leaving.’

  Confusion crossed Lucinda’s face, and Robert’s expressionless face followed as he walked past them all, heading for the door he’d first come in through.