by David McLeod
Elwood listened as his boss gave him orders.
‘Okay, I’ll know more when I get him x-rayed, I’m sure our friends here will be happy to help, and I’ll get his body flown back to you as soon as I’ve finished. Then, I’ll pay a home visit to his contact. Yeah, I’ll give you a call when I know more.’
Elwood hung up and then dialed the number of his contractor.
‘Why haven’t you completed the contract I gave you to do?’ he asked matter-of-factly the moment the phone was answered.
‘It’s being done tonight.’
Tardy, Elwood thought, ‘You’d better make sure that building is just ashes by the morning.’
‘Have I ever let you down?’
‘No, but believe me, this is not a good time to start. And one more thing, let me know if your dwarf lifts anything from this job.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘It’s very important that NOTHING leaves this office — so if your torch has anything, I want to know about it. Got it?’
Elwood hung up without hearing the answer; he knew his point was made.
Before heading off to the medical facility, Elwood pulled out his micro laptop and typed up an e-mail report. He punched in his boss’s address and the BCC, and then hit send.
Chapter 13
With Logan having called Daniel to tell him he’d do what he could to trace his mother, Shannon, Daniel decided he wanted to fly to San Francisco to see if there was anything the Director of Schools — or Abbess as he called her — could do to assist his search. Plus, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a nostalgic look at the place he’d grown up in.
He’d booked his flight for late that afternoon and was discussing getting a lift to the airport with Malone when the phone rang. Daniel picked it up.
‘Hi, Daniel here,’ he answered, and then listened to the voice on the other end.
‘Oh hi, yeah he’s here.’
Malone watched with curiosity as Daniel covered the mouthpiece and told him it was Erin Costello.
Malone took the phone.
‘Hi Erin, what’s up?’
‘They’ve found Joshua’s bike, and they’ve got the kid who took it,’ she said excitedly. ‘He’s at the station now, and they’ve said I can come and talk to him. I wanted to know if you’re free to come with me.’
‘Is there any news about Joshua?’ Malone asked.
‘They haven’t said anything, so I would think not. The kid’s clammed up too. That’s why I want to talk to him.’
‘Good enough. Do you need picking up or shall I meet you there?’
‘I’ve already ordered a cab, so I’ll see you there,’ she said and hung up.
‘What’s happened?’ Daniel asked.
‘They’ve found Joshua’s bike, and they’ve got the kid who took it at the station, but he’s not talking.’
Malone was looking for a jacket as he spoke.
‘Do you think I should come along? He may open up to me; plus, I can go straight to LAX from there.’
Malone considered it for a moment.
‘Sure, it can’t hurt.’
While Malone went to tell Taylor what was happening, Daniel threw a few things into an overnight bag and reached for his coat.
Despite the traffic, Malone felt they made good time to the station. He was still getting used to both the driving and the new Ford he’d bought. He opted for the same model as the one he’d recently hired, but it was a little older, so the switches and buttons were still a discovery. The MP3/CD player remained a complete mystery to him, but Daniel had quite happily fiddled with it till he found some music he liked; now, the doof-doof music was still ringing in Malone’s head.
When Daniel and Malone entered the station, Erin was already there.
‘You took your sweet time,’ she said abruptly. ‘Where’s Taylor, and who’s that?’ she asked pointing at Daniel.
Malone was going to respond as curtly, but then decided it was probably just her nerves talking.
However, Daniel chimed in, ‘Have you seen the movie Driving Miss Daisy?’ he asked, nodding towards Malone.
‘Taylor thought three of us would be overkill, and I don’t think you’ve met my smart-mouthed colleague — this is Daniel.’ Malone countered.
Daniel’s comment had already put a smile on Erin’s face.
‘Pleased to meet you,’ she said as she shook his hand.
They moved up to the desk sergeant and asked to see Detective Rodriguez. The sergeant took their names, and as he picked up the phone he pointed towards the seats in the waiting area.
It wasn’t long before Detective Rodriguez came out to meet them, and after a brief introduction, he moved them to an interview room neighboring the one that housed the kid. Once they were all seated, the detective began, ‘As I told you Ms. Costello, we’ve picked up the kid who has your son’s bike.’
‘So, I guess now you believe that someone has taken my Joshua! I want to say you lot really haven’t been that much help, have you? Thought my boy was a runaway or off with a bad crowd!’ Erin barked.
‘I assure you, Ms. Costello, we’ve been doing all we can to find your son…’
‘No stone unturned I’m sure,’ she interrupted.
Daniel opened his mouth to speak. However, now it was Malone’s turn to butt in.
‘This isn’t getting us anywhere. Let’s get back to the kid in the next room. What’s his story so far?’
Folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the detective, Erin reluctantly fell silent.
Detective Rodriguez took his cue.
‘Joshua’s bike has been on the watch list since he went missing. In cases like this, we circulate the details to as many sources as we can. Beat cops and traffic cops, school security guards, and even the odd snitch and trader. It may surprise you that despite the bad press they get; most of the used goods traders and pawn shop owners are legit — and often very helpful. Anyway, this has been just such a case. Yesterday, that kid took the bike into a pawn brokers in Inglewood; the bike’s serial number flashed up as stolen, so the owner told him the bike looked expensive and he’d have to get it valued by a professional, and could he come back this morning.
Greed often overpowers the smartest of criminals, and believe me, this kid is no brainiac. Anyway, he agreed, and the shop owner called us. Poor kid’s face when we met him — there he was, expecting a big pay out and all he gets is a trip downtown!’
‘How did the little bastard get the bike? Does he know anything about my boy?’ Erin couldn’t stay silent any longer.
‘All he’s come up with is that he found it — such a great defense. But he won’t say where or when he managed to find it in case it incriminates him. Like I said, not the smartest of kids…’
‘What have you found out about him?’ Malone asked.
‘His name is Azibo Massey He’s fifteen years old, so still a Juvi. I’ve run a trace, but so far he’s come up basically clean — just some minor misdemeanors inside,’ he said as he tapped the kid’s record. ‘He lives around your area, and like most kids, knows his rights, but at this stage doesn’t want to use anything but the Fifth.’
‘Doesn’t want a lawyer or his family?’ Daniel asked.
‘Like I said, he’s happy to keep repeating the same I found it story, and that’s it.’
‘When can I speak to him?’ Erin asked.
‘Whenever you’re ready; I don’t know what you’ll be able to get out of him, but like I said on the phone, I can’t see any harm in it.’
The detective showed Malone and Daniel into the viewing room behind the two-way mirror, and then escorted Erin in to see Azibo.
As they entered the room, the detective nodded to the officer guarding the kid, who took his cue to go grab a coffee and join Daniel and Malone in the viewing room.
‘Who’s this?’ the kid asked as he eyed Erin up and down.
‘Good to hear you’ve managed to extend your vocabulary in my absence,’ the d
etective said sarcastically.
‘This is Ms. Costello. Her son is the owner of the bike you stole.’
She remained at the doorway looking at the boy.
‘I told you, I found it! Now, you gonna charge me with something, or let me go?’
‘If only it was that simple. You see…’
‘Can I talk to him?’ Erin interrupted. She turned to face the detective and added, ‘Alone.’
Deciding not to object, the detective nodded. ‘I’ll be outside.’
With the door closed, Erin pulled up a chair beside the kid.
He had shrunk down in the seat and his hands were deeply embedded in the pockets on the front of his baggy grey sweat.
‘I ain’t got nuffin’ to say,’ he grunted.
Her eyes flitted around the boy looking for an opening, searching for some common ground to bond with the kid. Baggy pants and hooded tops, urban wear for street kids around the world, she thought to herself.
‘My son dresses the same way as you,’ she began.
‘So what!’ he replied.
‘So nothing… I guess I’m just saying that in some strange way my son wants to be like you, like all of you in fact. His father is nowhere to be seen; it’s just him and me, so he wants to belong to a group or a gang; he wants to fit in. My son, Joshua, is a small boy, but he acts tough. Like I said, he doesn’t have a father and is always searching for someone or something to follow. Hell, in some ways, you and boys like you are the closest thing he’s got to a hero. He so much wants to be part of something.’ She knew she was lying; Joshua was perfectly happy to be a loner.
Azibo began to sit up a bit when he heard the word hero.
‘I want to tell you that I have no interest in pressing charges; for all I care, you can keep the bike, sell it, do whatever you want with it. All I want to know is how you got it. But one thing I will tell you,’ she leaned forward, ‘if you’ve hurt my son when you stole the bike from him, I will find any way to get you…’
‘Why won’t you people believe me? I FOUND IT!’ He yelled.
Having joined Malone, Daniel and the officer in the viewing room, the detective was watching the conversation unfold.
‘He’s certainly sticking to his story.’ The detective said.
‘If he’s telling the truth, then why won’t he say where he found it?’ questioned Malone.
‘I think I know. Can I have a look at his file?’ Daniel asked.
Knowing it was against regulations, the detective put the file on the desk and told the officer to join him in getting some more coffees.
With the officers out of the room, Daniel picked up the file and leafed through it. Malone had a bewildered look on his face.
‘What are you looking for?’
Daniel remained quiet as he read the file. It didn’t take him too long to find what he was searching for.
‘Just as I thought,’ he said, tapping the folder under the part marked AKAs and aliases. ‘I think this kid’s a tagger!’
‘How do you know?’ Malone asked.
‘All good taggers have their own signature. If I’m right, I’ve seen some of his work before; this is the infamous Azmass — he’s quite creative.’
When Detective Rodriguez returned, Daniel told him what he thought. Rodriguez then ran the name Azmass through the computer and came up with some hits.
Armed with the new information, the detective joined Erin and the boy in the interview room.
‘Seems that we’ve underestimated you Mr. Massey. I didn’t realize you were so eloquent after all, or would you consider yourself an artist?’
Azibo knew he’d been sprung
‘Who’s the rat?’ the boy snarled.
‘That’s not important. What’s important is that we’ve got you for a list of property damage charges now. So, what do you say? Do you need some time to come up with a different story, one that includes the truth?’
Elwood exited the private medical center and took out his cell phone to dial his boss.
‘Yeah, it’s me... X-ray confirms that he hasn’t swallowed the device, so if it’s hidden in the office I’ve got it covered, if not, then we’re back to he’s either ditched it with the LA contact or the hired torch has got it. My suggestion is I go after Cain’s LA contact – but the choice is yours... Ok, I’ll call you with an update.’
‘Did everything go okay with the office job?’ Tims, AKA Harrison, was on the phone to Vince.
‘Of course, burnt well, what with all the paper they had stacked up in there — why?’
It’s probably nothing, but I’ve got to ask, did either of you pick up anything from there, a memento, a valuable, a brochure?’
Vince went silent for a moment before answering.
‘Course not; we never take anything from the jobs!’
It was Harrison’s turn to be silent; he knew for a fact that Vince liked to take keepsakes, but he also knew of Vince’s temper.
‘Alright then, thanks, good job. I had to ask.’
Chapter 14
Despite threats of what would happen if he was lying, Azibo remained adamant that he had found the bike, so Detective Rodriguez organized a road trip.
Leaving Daniel to make his own way to the airport from the station, Malone and Erin followed very closely behind the unmarked squad car with the detective and the kid in it. Malone had a vague idea of the suburb they were heading for, after all, it wasn’t too far away from Erin’s, but the detective assured him he knew a shortcut. However, both cars were having trouble battling through the LA traffic, and Malone was reconsidering their decision not to wait until the afternoon commuter traffic had eased.
Finally getting into the right suburb, Azibo directed the detective to the dead-end road. As they made the turn off the main street, the boy spoke.
‘Right there,’ he said as he pointed to the ground near the curb.
‘Are you sure?’ the detective asked as he pulled the car to a halt.
‘Yeah, sure I’m sure. It was just layin’ there in the road.’
They both got out of the car and walked towards where the boy had pointed. Having parked behind their car, Malone and Erin got out and joined them.
‘So, where did he find it?’ Malone asked the detective as he surveyed the area.
‘He said it was right here,’ Rodriguez replied
‘What, here in the road? Is he sure?’ Malone continued.
‘I’m here, you know — you could ask me all about it!’ the boy said, disgruntled
‘Oh, so now you want to talk,’ the detective said sarcastically. ‘Come on then, son, tell us all about it.’
‘Like I told you, I’d just finished, um, I’d just been round there um…’
‘We get it, you were round the corner tagging; now get on with it,’ Erin snapped.
‘Yeah okay, I was around the corner doing my thing, and I heard sirens coming my way. I thought it was Five O, so I ditched my markers and got out of there. I ducked down the alley and came out round there.’ He was pointing towards an alleyway behind where the cars had parked.
‘Funny thing was, I ran straight into the sirens. Lucky for me it was the LAFD fire trucks that were making all the noise. That warehouse was burnin’ hotter n hell.’ He was nodding towards a burnt and blackened building.
‘And where was the bike?’ Erin asked, trying to catch him out as he told the story.
‘I told you, it was here, right in front of me. It was just lying there, with no-one around it. I was spooked. I didn’t stop to see if anyone owned it, just grabbed it and rode off.’
‘Where was my son? Did you see him?’ she asked.
‘Nah lady. As I jammed outta there, I looked back to see if anyone had spotted me taking it, but it was mostly the FD and a couple of onlookers, definitely no kids.’
‘So, you’re telling me that Joshua’s bike was here, but he was nowhere to be seen — that’s Bullshit!’
She moved towards him. ‘Why don’t you tell me what really
happened. The cops were after you for spraying your crap on some wall around there, and you went rabbit. You came round here, spotted Joshua on his bike, and stole it from him. You’re just a fucking cowardly vandal that mugged my son for his bike. Now, what did you do to him?’ she yelled as she grabbed him by the hood.
‘Get the fuck off me lady! I’m telling you the truth.’ His voice was shaking.
Malone jumped in and broke her grip on the boy.
‘Let’s all just calm down,’ he said as he moved her to one side.
The detective spoke up. ‘Let me jump on the radio and get some time stamps on when the LAFD got here.’ He turned his attention to the kid; ‘In the meantime, you tell these good folks what time you were here — and for your sake, it had better be the same.’
Chapter 15
Arriving in San Francisco in the early evening, Daniel took a bus to the city and found a cheap hotel near the city center and only a few blocks away from the Sacred Mary School. Despite it now being a Catholic school, Daniel still called it an orphanage, because to him, that’s what the place represented.
It had been quite a while since he’d been in the city, so once he’d checked in and dropped off his bag, Daniel decided it was time to take a tour and see some of the sights. ‘What better than grabbing the tram?’ he said to himself as he came out of the hotel.
The SF trams still filled him with joy and a little wonder. He’d been told the burgundy, red, and golden carriages were powered by cables that continually ran under the ground around the city. The drivers effectively used some form of clamping mechanism to grab hold of the cable and drag the tram up and down the steep hills of the city. Daniel didn’t know if this was true or not, and to be honest didn’t care; all he knew was that the sawdust smell of the wooden brakes burning against the rails and the clanging of the big brass bells always brought a smile to his face.