“You too Garrett. You may be a private citizen but I don’t want to attend your funeral either.”
“Thanks, but I’ll take care of myself.”
“Alright then, it’s a go. I’ll talk to Krishner and the narcotics squad and make the assignment. We will draw up the plan for the rest of the team like we are just in the planning stage. He will be the only one who knows the real purpose of the plan.”
“Then we need to get everything in place as well,” I said.
“You people just be damn careful,” he warned us once more.
“We have a lot of work to do to get ready,” I told Dan and Garrett when we got back to my desk.
“I’ll talk to tech and get them going,” Dan offered.
“Garrett, could you talk to the people on the street and act like you are still trying to get a handle on what is going down.”
“I had planned on that. I usually touch base with them once or twice just to cross-check my sources.”
“Good. I’m going to go to and make sure the armory is loading all the narcs ammunition with blanks just in case something goes wrong.”
“Good idea. The last thing we need is for one of them to shoot someone.”
“The ‘bad guys’ already know they aren’t supposed to try anything. Just put their hands up,” I said.
“Then all we can do now is hope for the best,” Garrett replied.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The tension was so heavy I swear I could taste it. We had been cramped up in the semi-trailer since 3:00 a.m. I had nodded off a few times but it was hot and stuffy and we couldn’t do anything about it. An air conditioner might have given us away.
Garrett and Dan were content to drink coffee and talk to the tech guys about everything from cars to guns. I would catch an occasional sexiest remark but what was I going to do?
As the sun came up, the trailer got even warmer. Where the hell was the rain when I needed it?
“What time is the drug deal going down?” one of the tech guys asked for the hundredth time.
Not really, but it was starting to get on my nerves. How many times can you ask the same question? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Give it a rest I wanted to tell him but I just let it go. I realized it was just pent up anxiety. These guys don’t often get out in the field so this was a big adventure to him. Of course he didn’t stand the risk of getting shot either.
“Hey,” one of the techs said.
“It’s the trash men,” one of the others told him.
“Sanitation technicians,” another kidded.
“Whatever. The point is, why would they be here?”
“To pick up trash?” the first one said.
“This place is abandoned.”
“Yeah, but there is still a dumpster.”
We all gathered around the screen and watched as the truck used the front forks to pick the dumpster up but instead of dumping it, the truck backed out of the alley, taking the dumpster with it.”
“Just picking it up and taking it wherever the take them,” the other guy observed.
I didn’t like it. Why now? This place had been closed for a couple of years. Why would they suddenly need to pick up an old dumpster?
“Guys, does this bother you?” I asked finally.
“Bother? That they picked up the dumpster?” Dan said frowning.
“Why now?”
“Hell Angie, maybe they keep track of where they are and decided it was doing them no good here. They can’t make money off a dumpster that is just sitting here abandoned,” he said.
“But why today of all days?”
“You may have a point,” Garrett said.
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Okay, what were we all just doing?”
“Watching the garbage truck pick up the dumpster,” Dan replied.
“Who was watching any of the other monitors?”
We all just looked at each other.
“And how noisy was it?”
“Oh crap,” one of the techs said and started rewinding the video feeds.
We all gathered around and watched. It seemed to take forever but finally when he started playing it forward we saw exactly what we had missed.
Slipping up the side of the stairs, almost out of the view of the cameras was a dark figure. It had been a diversion to draw us away from the monitors. Geez this guy was good.
“Do you think he knows we’re here?” Dan asked.
“No way. If he did, he would have aborted and waited for another chance,” I said.
“Man this guy is really good,” Garrett said.
“We need to be very careful. I have the feeling he has senses that we don’t have. Look how he almost skirted the cameras. Even though he thought they weren’t working, he didn’t take a chance. We are going to have to be really quiet as we make our way up the stairs,” I warned them.
“We need to get started. We are going to have to go slowly and quietly. The bust takes place in twenty minutes and we need to be ready to stop him,” Garrett said.
“Let’s do it,” I replied.
Dan shook his head and we quietly slipped out of the semi-trailer and made our way toward the building. It seemed to take forever to get to the building. We were mostly in the open and I felt like he could pick us off at any minute if he knew we were there.
I was more than a little relieved when we were finally standing next to the brick building. While it wasn’t much, it offered some protection at least. We made our way over to the door and very, very carefully stepped into the building one at a time. I went first, then Dan, followed by Garrett.
There was just enough light to see the steps and we made our way to the stairs and slowly began to climb them. We were on the second floor when I heard a slight commotion coming from outside. I glanced at my watch. It would be the first of the ‘drug dealers’ arriving. If everything was going according to plan, the ‘buyers’ would be arriving a few minutes later. We continued making our way up the stairs. It was slow going, one step at a time. We would stop after each step and listen for any sound.
“He is on the roof,” the tech guy said into my ear phone.
It seemed so loud I almost jumped. Holy smokes, when you are that tense and concentrating that hard and a voice suddenly pops in your ear you automatically jump. I looked at Garrett and Dan. They hadn’t flinched. Maybe it was because I was in the lead or they were just better prepared. My heart rate dropped back to normal and I started moving up the stairs.
We were on the fourth floor landing when I heard the second commotion. That would be the ‘buyers’ coming in. We had five minutes to make it to the top of the building and get him while he was distracted with the narcotics team arriving. It was imperative that he be distracted so we could rush out and get him in our sights before he could react.
I glanced at my watch. It seemed the second hand had stopped. We couldn’t go too soon or we would give our position away and he would have nothing to distract him. Too late and he might be able to get the shot off.
Garrett leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Easy. We are doing just fine. I want to go through the door first.”
I shook my head at him. No way Jose. I was going through the door first come hell or high water.
Suddenly it was time.
“Narcs arriving,” came over my head set.
I pushed the door open and burst out onto the roof. I immediately saw the shooter ducked down behind the parapet wall. He was crouched, ready to lean over and take the shot. The rifle looked long and lethal. If it was a Mosin-Nagant, it wasn’t one like I had ever seen before. It was obviously custom made.
A case lay on the ground beside him and next to his knee was a hand gun. He must have caught the movement out of his peripheral vision because he started to turn toward me.
“Freeze. Police. You move, you die,” I shouted.
By now Dan was on the roof and Garret was on the other side of me. They were fanning out
to cover him.
“Lay the rifle down,” Garrett yelled at him.
He just stayed there. I could see him thinking about his chances. I figured he was trying to decide what course of action to take. His chances of getting all three of us was slim to none but then the thought of going to jail obviously didn’t appeal to him either.
“I’m only going to tell you once more, then I will shoot you. Make no mistake about it. You aren’t the first and you won’t be the last,” I told him.
He turned his head and looked at me and then slowly laid the rifle down.
“Now the other gun. Kick it away. Don’t even think about going for it,” I warned him.
He was fully facing me now with his back to the wall. He used his foot to shove the gun further away from him. I didn’t like it. It was still within reach if he really tired.
“Dan, go behind me and get the gun. Stay away from him.”
Dan crossed behind me and slowly walked over and bend down and picked up the gun and put it in his pocket. I felt a bit more relieved.
“Now get up, turn around, and face the wall. If you try to make a sudden move…well you can figure it out yourself.”
He slowly turned and just as he did a gun appeared from nowhere and I heard several shots. The next thing I knew I felt something slam into my chest and I was flying through the air and landing on my butt. The back of my head bounced off the pavement and then everything went totally black.
***
“Angie. Angie, can you hear me?”
My head was splitting and my chest felt like I had been hit with a baseball bat. I tried to sit up and strong hands pushed me back down.
“Just stay there. You are going to be okay. Don’t try to move,” I heard Garrett’s voice say.
Dan looked down at me and I could see the pained expression on his face.
“You are going to be fine partner,” he told me.
What the hell just happened, I wondered as I lay there looking up at the sky. I remember seeing a gun and then a ball of fire come out the end of it. I think I pulled the trigger of my gun at the same instant. I must have been just a little slower.
“Easy,” a face I had never seen before said. I could hear a lot of medical speak being tossed back and forth.
Being the totally brave person I am, I decided this was a good time to check out. I closed my eyes and just drifted off. That or they had given me some of those really good drugs.
When I came to, I was lying on a gurney in the back of an ambulance.
“Angie, can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” I croaked.
“Good. That’s good. You got shot in the chest. The good news is that your vest stopped the bullet. You are going to be really sore and bruised but it isn’t life threatening,” the voice said.
“Did we get the guy?”
“Oh yeah. He had about ten rounds in him.”
“How about my guys?” I asked.
“They are all fine. Not a scratch. They want to see you but I won’t let them in just yet. You need to rest,” she said.
Suddenly the back door of the ambulance was yanked open and the ugly face of Doctor Sorenson hovered over me.
“Well crap, I thought you were dead,” he said.
“Nice to see you too,” I replied.
“Damn you Bartoni, I about soiled my pants when they told me you had taken one in the chest. You piss me off young lady. My heart can’t handle that kind of stuff anymore.”
“Geez doc, that’s the nicest thing you have ever said to me,” I replied.
“Well don’t expect to ever hear it again. Now I have to go check on a real dead body,” he said and was gone.
I really love that old coot.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
McGregor was waiting for me when I came in to work the next day. I was moving slowly. He handed me donuts and a Diet Coke.
“Damn you Bartoni. What was the last thing I told you?’
“Don’t get shot.”
“Correct and what did you do?”
“Got shot.”
“Correct again. You just have to do exactly the opposite of what I tell you, don’t you.”
“Well if you know that, why didn’t you tell me to get shot?” I quipped.
“Lord Bartoni, you are the most stubborn woman I know, and by the way, excellent work. At least the bastard is no longer a threat.”
“Glad to be of service,” I said and dragged my sore body over to my desk.
“You have to go see the shrink,” he said in parting.
“Why? I wasn’t killed.’
“Yeah, but your shot got him right between the eyes. That means the shrink.”
Well isn’t that just ducky.
Dan came in and placed a box of donuts on my desk. This was ridicules.
“How you doing partner?”
“Sore.”
“I would imagine. The guy had a .45 cal.”
“No wonder it packed such a wallop.”
“Thank God you had the vest on.”
“Who was the guy,” I asked.
“We still don’t know. So far we haven’t turned up a thing on him. According to everything we have run so far, he doesn’t exist.”
“Rogue CIA?” I asked.
“Or some other black ops operation.”
“What about Taylor and Sparks?”
“We have their phone records. Everything has been turned over to the DA’s office. We found the shooter’s cell phone as well. Guess what?”
“He has a call from Sparks?’
“Bingo. And a couple from Taylor.”
“Both of them are going to be arraigned.”
“What about Jonny’s boy?”
“He died yesterday of complications.”
“Man. I do really feel sorry for him from that standpoint. I don’t know how I feel about the baby. Part of me says it is for the best. It ends his suffering but what a tragic life the poor kid had and all over a stupid address mistake.”
“They asked about letting Jonny attend the funeral of the child.”
“Absolutely. I’ll go see the DA personally,” I said.
“I’ve already done it. He has agreed as long as he is escorted by the police,” Dan said.
“Good work Dan. Thank you. It would be wrong to deny him that,” I replied.
A few seconds later Garrett came up the stairs with a box of donuts. I just looked at him.
“What?”
“Don’t you two think this is a bit of an overkill?”
“Overkill?” he said with a shocked look.
“Bad choice of words. I mean a tad excessive?”
“A woman needs her strength,” he said and pulled a cold Diet Coke from behind his back and set it on the table.
What are you going to do?
“We need to debrief,” the captain’s voice drifted across the room, “and bring the donuts.”
***
I looked one more time in the mirror. It was as good as it was going to get. When I walked into the squad room I saw Dan look up and almost drop his coffee. The captain looked out, stood up and walked to his door and just leaned against it.
“What?” I asked.
“Angie?”
“No, a clone,” I said, “What’s the big deal?”
“I just…I mean…I…”
“Spit it out boy,” I said to Dan.
“You look stunning.”
“Wow,” the captain chimed in.
“Oh come on guys, I do clean up you know?”
“But…Wow,” the captain said again.
“I take it, this will do?” I asked.
A woman should always fish for compliments when she has the chance, especially when they don’t come your way often.
“I would say. What is the occasion?” Dan asked.
“I have a date tonight. A real date.”
“Oh my Lord,” the captain muttered.
“What, you didn’t think that was possible?” I asked.
“I just didn’t think you would ever agree to one.”
I have to admit, I did look better than I normally do. I had on a black flared dress with spaghetti straps. It came just above the knee and had two mesh bands running around the bottom hem. I accented it with clear dichroic earrings and a small dichroic pendent on a silver chain.
I had on a pair of black open toe high heels that had two straps that crossed at the ankles. They were my only worry. I didn’t want to be a klutz and fall and break my ankle.
While Dan and the captain were taking it all in, Garrett came up the stairs in a black suit with a burgundy pinstripe, a light blue shirt, and a burgundy power tie. I have to admit, he looked great.
He stopped dead in his tracks and just looked at me. Oooh, I liked that. Damn Angie, are you that starved for attention, I thought.
“You look beautiful,” he finally said.
“Well….”
“No, I mean it. Absolutely lovely.”
“So you two have a date?” Dan asked.
Did I detect a note of protection in his voice?
“We do. We are going to the ballet after dinner,” Garrett informed them, “Shall we?” he said holding out his arm.
I placed mine through his and off we went. I knew it would cause a stir downstairs but I just didn’t care.
The last thing I heard the captain mutter was, “Good Lord, Bartoni at a ballet. What is this world coming to?”
- CASE FILE: CLOSED -
Marshall W. Huffman did not begin writing until after he retired from teaching. He decided to start with a trilogy based on a cataclysmic event. Marshall’s first trilogy is THE EVENT and consists of THE END, THE BEGINNING, and THE REVELATION. With THE EVENTS success he decided to write a second trilogy that is a frightening look at the events that could lead to THE SECOND CIVIL WAR. It is made up of: Book I – A NATION DIVIDED; BOOK II – A NATION AT WAR; BOOK III – A NATION HEALING.
Marshall was born in Bainbridge, Georgia and grew up in Indiana. After spending eight years in the Navy, he attended Ball State University, earning a B.S. degree in Business.
During and after college, he was involved in the restaurant business and spent the next twenty-five years in all types of venues, eventually owing his own fine dining restaurant. After years of long hours, he decided on a career change. He attended Eastern Illinois University earning a MBA. Because of his business background, Eastern Illinois University asked him to teach in the hospitality management program. He was recruited from Eastern to Parkland College and soon took over as the Program Director for the Hospitality Program. During his tenure there, he became a chef and had a television show called Cooking around the World with Chef Marshall and taught a series of Gourmet cooking classes for Continuing Education as well.
Payback (Angie Bartoni Case Files Book 13) Page 15