by Matt Lincoln
“Like I said, I was an idiot.” She offered the injured hand to Sadie. “I was working on a report, and the dripping finally drove me nuts.”
“Don’t call yourself an idiot,” Sadie calmly told her. “Ethan’s right that you should’ve waited, but that didn’t make you an idiot.”
Sadie unwound the gauze. Blood crusted through the inner layers, and that’s when she stopped. “Let’s move to a table or something. I want a flat surface for this.”
She laid a waterproof pad on one of the conference tables at the back and finished unwrapping Stark’s makeshift dressing. The wound’s clots peeled away with the gauze, and Stark flinched. The jagged edges showed where the edge had torn through, and it was deep. Blood oozed from the wound as Sadie opened sterile nonstick pads. She pulled out some betadine and quickly cleaned up the area before placing the pads and holding them in place.
“Can you move your thumb and fingers?” she asked.
Stark obliged, but not without hissing.
“Yeah, you need to get some attention,” Sadie told Stark as she rolled fresh gauze over the injury. “I can drive you over to the hospital if you want.”
Stark winced as Sadie applied tape to the gauze’s outer layer. “I need to talk to Marston,” Stark answered. “Thank you, though. You’re great.”
Sadie studied the bandage for a moment. “I think the bleeding has stopped. Sorry for pulling the gauze off, but it was worse than I expected.” She shook her head. “If it weren’t so deep, I’d have steri-stripped it so you wouldn’t have to go in.”
“You cleaned it up better than I did,” Stark admitted. “That’s less time to fester.”
Sadie nodded before she glanced toward the office. “Is the leak bad?”
“It can wait. I thought I could find a shut-off valve myself.” Stark grimaced and turned to me. “I was going to take the Suburban back to the hotel so we could leave from there to pick up Bonnie and TJ in the morning.”
“I’ll take a look at it,” Sadie decided. “That is if you don’t mind waiting a little longer for your hand. The bleeding stopped, and it’s not going anywhere.”
Without waiting for an answer, Sadie stood and took off her uniform shirt. The t-shirt underneath was of the comic book character Deadpool riding, I kid you not, a unicorn-cat over a rainbow. I couldn’t help chuckling, and Stark smiled.
“Hey, I like a few comics,” Sadie informed us with a slight smile. “Yeah, there are real heroes, like you guys and the people I work with. When I was a kid, escaping into comics helped me keep my head above water. So now I have a bit of a t-shirt collection.”
“That’s really cool,” Stark said. “Are you sure you want to go look at that leak?”
“I’ll go take a quick look,” she answered. “I’ve been in a few of these old buildings, and I bet I can find that valve in no time.”
She marched to the office before we could protest.
“Are you sure you’re okay to wait?” I asked Stark. “That’s a hell of an injury.”
Stark rolled her eyes. “Another ten or twenty minutes won’t kill me,” she said. “You better go watch. You might learn something.”
I went to Sadie and found her atop the ladder. She poked around above the water-stained drop ceiling. She was up to her waist into the space where Stark had popped a panel to get access. As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice how Sadie’s pants showed off her perfectly shaped rear end. Damn, she was cute as hell. I reminded myself that she was just being helpful…
“Are you going to stand there or help?” The ceiling panels muffled her voice but didn’t block the tone. “See if you can find a wrench. This valve is a bit rusty.”
“Hang in there a minute,” I told her. “I think I know where to look.”
I ran across the bay to where the fire extinguishers had been. Sure enough, a toolbox sat on a shelf next to the door. I didn’t know how much of the equipment room had been stocked by MBLIS, but it didn’t look half bad.
“She found it?” Stark asked as I rushed back with the box.
“I think so.”
When I got back to Sadie, she stuck her hand down for the wrench. I handed it to her and then heard the telltale crack of complaining iron. Nearby pipes rattled, and Sadie froze until the ruckus died down.
“It stopped dripping,” she announced. She sneezed. “It’s moldy up here. They’ll have to tear out this drop, but there’s a neat relief up here that someone hid.” She pulled her phone from a cargo pocket and took a photo. The flash lit up her face, and I loved the big smile she had from her find. She set the phone and wrench on a ladder step, and when she climbed down the ladder, she clapped the dust off of her hands with a satisfied grin. “Check this out.”
She handed me her phone. The image was a bit washed out from the flash, but the pattern of the relief was plenty clear. It looked like the edge of a sea turtle’s flipper.
“Why would they hide this?” I exclaimed.
“They covered a lot of stuff like this in mid-century madness.” Sadie scowled. “Restorers are fixing a lot of it up, but a lot more is lost.”
“I bet they wanted to hide the pipes and sprinkler systems,” I mused. I handed the phone back to her. “You like architecture, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “I used to lead tours to make a few dollars. I also learned some things thanks to my ‘sweat equity’ house.” She smiled. “I hope to it get onto the historic homes registry someday.”
We walked back out to Stark.
“About time,” she half-heartedly complained. “Thanks for the help, Sadie. I’m sorry you got dragged into my mess.”
“No worries.” Sadie yawned. “My house is close. Call any time if you need me to pop on over.”
We walked out to the cars together. Once Stark was settled in the Suburban’s passenger seat, I went over to Sadie’s window. It was almost two in the morning, and she looked beat.
“We don’t have to go swimming tomorrow,” I told her. “Get some sleep.”
“I’ll catch up on sleep in the afternoon. I have three days off because of the twelve-hour shifts.” She cocked her head. “Unless you are too tired.”
“Me? I’ll be fine.” I patted the spot on the door where the window went down. “See you bright and early.”
Back at the Suburban, Stark gave me a slight frown.
“Sadie lives here, not in Miami,” she reminded me. “Be careful not to hurt her, okay?”
“I have zero intention of hurting her,” I said as I drove out of the parking lot and to the hospital.
Sadie had a different personality than I was used to, and I felt that a spark like hers was missing from my life… but it wouldn’t be fair to start something when I’d be leaving within a week or two. Worse, I’d be busy trying to find Robbie’s sister.
“She’s nice,” I told Stark. “And she’s funny, but yeah, you’re right.”
I had no wish to hurt Sadie. There was something sweet and free-spirited about her that I felt the need to explore, but it was not my style to love and run.
I felt like I had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Both sides fought to win me over when all I wanted was to find a way that would work for them both.
CHAPTER 12
Stark and I didn’t get back to the hotel until dawn. She had ten stitches, no permanent injuries. Considering she was left-handed, she wouldn’t be able to hold a pen for a while, let alone her sidearm. I saw her to her room and then went to crash in the room I shared with Holm. He was already up.
“Where the hell have you been?” he grumped. “Did you stay at that girl’s place?”
“No.” I told him about the leak and what happened with Stark. “Why didn’t anyone stay with her?”
Holm sat on the edge of his bed. “Meisha brought us here in her car so she could deal with an issue at the registration desk. Abbie was supposed to finish the report she was doing and then come back in the Suburban.” He blinked. “Is it here?”
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p; “Yeah.” I tossed him the key. “You go get TJ and Bonnie. I’ve been up a full twenty-four.” Although we’d trained and had missions that involved major sleep deprivation, it wasn’t on my list of favorite things. “I’ll catch you guys at the office later.”
“At least you didn’t have to be at the office this morning.”
“This morning…” I groaned. “I told Sadie I’d meet her at Hamauna Bay this morning. I gotta cancel.” I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms and then texted that I couldn’t go.
“You made a date for this morning?” Holm narrowed his eyes. “Unbelievable. That’s just great, Ethan. I’d love to have fun, but I can’t do that while my sister is missing.”
Holm wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t right.
“What do we tell families who are in your shoes?” I asked him. “What do we say when there is literally nothing we can do for hours at a time?”
“What we say depends on the circumstances.” He stood and walked over to the door. “When we tell people to go back to their routines, it’s because we don’t have much hope left that their loved ones are alive. Is that the case here?”
“No,” I protested. “I got invited to do something fun during an unplanned block of time. Since we aren’t doing anything until this afternoon, I told her I’d go snorkeling with her.”
“You and girls, Ethan.” Holm shook his head and turned back to me. A corner of his mouth twitched. “I guess I’d do the same in your place.”
“We’re snorkeling,” I reminded him. “That’s all.” Despite my protest, I had a feeling he didn’t buy it, even though it was the truth.
After Holm left, I dropped onto the bed. A text from Sadie buzzed my phone before I drifted off.
Reschedule for after lunch? she asked.
Will get back to you when I know.
I then crashed for a few hours. Our slamming door woke me just before lunch. Before I remembered where I was, I jerked upright and rolled out of bed. A familiar voice called out as I reached to a weapon I no longer kept at my bedside.
“Sorry, sorry,” Warner apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you up, Agent Marston.”
I sat back on the bed and willed the adrenaline rushed away.
“Hi, TJ. For the love of God, call me Ethan or Marston. Please.”
“Yes, sir.” Warner looked around at our vacation bags. “Where do you want me?”
“Wherever.” I got up and checked my messages. “I’m going to the office. You can come with me to meet everyone and get set up. I need to work with the others to get our undercover op planned and see if we have any new leads.”
“Bonnie is ready,” he reported. “She barely packed clothes because of all the stuff she brought for the new lab.”
I paused at my bag. “Say what?”
Warner sat his small carry-on on the dresser. “This is all I have for overnight because I brought equipment to get a rudimentary Cyber center up and running,” he explained. “We brought extras that our office probably won’t use. Diane and some others are working on getting more resources diverted to this and two other underfunded offices. She said you might have a good idea of who one of the ‘influencers’ might be.”
“You brought some of our surplus, huh?” If the influencer was who I suspected, things were about to get more interesting. “Let’s roll. We have a shit-ton to do if we want to find Ronnie.”
We met Rosa Bonci, a.k.a. “Bonnie,” at the Suburban. Holm was with her, but I didn’t see Stark. A swank white Corvette rumbled into a parking spot near us, which Davis jumped out of to join us.
“The boss wants everyone on deck ASAP,” he announced. “I just spoke with her, and she said that Gary Redding has been released from the hospital. Holm, you’re going in with Meisha to interview the guy. Stark is out of action.”
“Like hell, I am,” Stark said from behind me. She approached from the hotel with her arm in a sling and shadows beneath her eyes. “I’m sliced and diced but not incompetent… except for pipe repairs.” She turned to Holm. “I would rather you don’t have to be in on an interview. I know you aren’t happy, but this is the best way.”
Holm’s face darkened, but he didn’t say a word. He went and got into the Suburban’s driver’s seat.
“Wow,” Bonnie said in a solemn tone. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
“You and me both, sister,” I told her.
It was a quiet ride over to the office. Not even TJ knew what to say, and I developed a strong wish to be in Davis’s Corvette. I would’ve felt the same if he’d been driving a banged-up four-beater. This was half of my regular team, but it didn’t feel like it.
We found two police cars when we arrived in the parking lot. Holm had to maneuver around to get the back of the truck lined up to the station’s side door so we could unload the equipment. I got out to help spot when Davis walked up from where he’d parked.
He laughed at the sight, and my wish to take a ride in his car evaporated. “You do realize we have two enormous doors at the front of the building, right?”
I had Holm put the truck in park.
“Two retired doors…” I ventured. “I thought they don’t work anymore.”
“You never asked.” Davis leaned in through the side door we’d been using. “Meisha, they’re here. Bay One?”
I didn’t hear her answer and didn’t need to. Holm leaned out the window as I walked up to him. The large door at the front of the station began opening with whines and screeches that cried out for heavy doses of WD-40 and silicone spray. Holm thumped his forehead on the steering wheel and then drove out to the front.
While he resituated the truck, Meisha met me at the entrance. She had Stark get out of the truck and join us as well. I groaned as I noticed a police officer standing guard at the door to the old office, the room with the moldy ceiling.
“Why did they bring him here?” I asked. “We’re not exactly set up for questioning people.”
“Redding turned himself in and wants protection,” Meisha informed us. “Robbie is not to go in there. Ethan and Kyle, you’ll come into the room with Abbie and me. Your role is observation. Looking tough won’t hurt. This guy is so afraid that he’ll tell us whatever he can, so a strong front on our side should help him feel safe.”
“This is the one who got mixed up with the Yakuza, right?” I asked.
Davis nodded and rolled his eyes. “He claims the deal he made has scared him straight.”
I glanced over to where Holm, Warner, and Bonnie spoke with Little Jo, who looked overwhelmed in a good way. Holm looked over at me, and I shook my head. Not yet. Hurt flashed across his face, but he kept to his task. I hoped our partnership, let alone our friendship, survived this hell week.
“How badly was Redding hurt in the shooting?” I asked Meisha.
“Flesh wounds on his side and thigh,” she reported matter-of-factly. “He’s mighty uncomfortable. Ethan, get an ice pack and bring it in, and then we’ll get started.”
Holm snagged me on my way to the temporary break area.
“I want to know everything,” he whispered.
I pulled him along with me. “You’ll know as much as I can tell you. If this guy gives up the antique ‘expert,’ we’ll have a good place to move from.”
“I’m trying to keep a level head, man.” Holm stepped back. “It’s hard. Waiting to find out these things? I just can’t hold on much longer.”
His whispered implication hung in the air. I knew exactly what he meant. If Redding talked, we’d have our best chance at finding Ronnie alive. If he didn’t, Holm was as good as promising to do something about it on his own.
“Stay cool, brother.” I pulled an ice pack from the freezer. “Have faith in us.”
“Find Ronnie,” he countered. “Bring in more of these bastards and shake them down.” He stalked off toward the others who were unloading the Suburban.
I shook off my worry and entered the impromptu interview room. Redding sat at an odd angle on a wobbl
y wooden chair. He wore sweatpants and a plain, white t-shirt. His hands were cuffed in the front, and he hunched over as he shifted to a less painful position.
“Hi, Gary.” Meishaset a metal chair close to him and took her seat. “I hear you had a story to tell us.” At Redding’s jittery look around the rest of our crew, Meisha added, “You’re a little concerned, I imagine. These are Agents Stark, Marston, and Davis. They’re here to help keep you safe.” She signaled to Stark to turn on a recorder.
Stark gave the time, date, case number, and names of everyone present. I slid another metal chair next to Meisha, and Stark sat on it.
“Tell me about the figure you sold to Mr. Sugiyama,” Meisha prompted him.
“I borrowed money,” Redding stated. He fidgeted and swallowed. “My business was about to go under, and I couldn’t pay the bills, let alone my employees. We were on the verge of a huge deal that would set us for a long time. I just needed a quarter mill to survive that long, but the banks wouldn’t extend credit.”
Meisha crossed her arms and leaned back. “How did the money exchange take place?”
“I…” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “When Mr. Sugiyama had the money for me to borrow, we went to a man and told him we had a sale. We needed it done clean and legal.” Redding started to bounce his knee but stopped with a flinch.
“What do you mean by ‘clean’?” Meisha took the ice pack from me and handed it to Redding. “Help me understand.”
Redding held the ice pack against his thigh. With the cuffs, it quickly grew difficult. He gave up and set it atop said thigh.
“The cash had to be trackable to the sale,” he explained. “Herman Jones, the sales guy, he helped us get in touch with someone who found a small statue for the first sale and a vase for the sale that would repay Mr. S.”
“Who was this someone?”
The air felt ready to crackle. Redding shrank in on himself.
“I don’t know,” he said in a barely audible voice. “I thought you needed a witness against Mr. Jones. The… Mr. S took care of the antiques.” He fidgeted some more. “It was the same for both sales.”