Cala gripped her adversary by the nose, mimicking Nick’s hold with controlling force, bringing the man’s companion to her feet with the same dancing result.
“Perfect. If you don’t apply the strength to rip their nose off, they believe on the way up they can slap at your hand or twist away.” Nick slapped the man he held across the face. “Listen closely. My friends will frisk you for weapons. I am US Marshal McCarty. You are both under arrest. Marshal Deke will be watching you both closely. Any bad movements and Marshal Deke tears off pieces. Listen closely to your rights.”
Nick stated the Miranda Warning to the couple while Johnny restrained them with the Unholy Trio’s ever present plastic tie restraints and took a movie of it as well as the Miranda Warning. Gus frisked the man with professional thoroughness, while Cala mimicked Gus in doing the same procedure with the woman. They placed the items gathered at the feet of their captives. Minutes later, Lieutenant Neil Dickerson drove to the curb near the group in his squad car. Without a word, Neil put on Nitrile gloves and gathered the items in evidence bags, including the weapons found. Johnny filmed the entire operation. He then handcuffed the couple and guided them into the backseat of the squad car. The woman began to protest but was motioned to silence by Neil.
“Shut up. You don’t know how lucky you both are to be alive.” Neil closed the door, turning to shake hands with everyone. “Nice seeing you again, Nick. I heard about many things happening in Chicago, including specifics of the last couple days, involving Marshal McCarty, the New York Times Bestselling author phenomenon.”
“Gee… it’s the newly minted Lieutenant Neil, the comedian,” Nick replied. “I’ll bet that BMW fob opens a stolen vehicle somewhere around here. Would you like me to question them as to what they were walking the street for?”
“No thanks. Let me use the leverage I have now to find out the facts. Thanks for the bust. It’s a great one.”
“I uploaded the video to your email, Neil,” Johnny said. “Everything is on there, including Nick’s Mirandizing them.”
“Thank you, Johnny… or should I say, Marshal Groves. I’ll let you know if I get anything of interest from these two. Talk at you later.”
Neil hurried around to the driver’s side of his squad car, waved and was on his way.
“Wow.” Jay petted Deke. He had been silent the entire time, taking his cue from Jean and Sonny, who watched the entire process with the utmost interest. “Does this happen a lot?”
“A few more times than we’d like,” Nick replied. “We brought Cala the lightning rod with us this morning, so naturally, we became involved in yet another episode of Pacific Grove criminal apprehension. You had a hunch about those two, didn’t you, Cala?”
Cala nodded, taking Johnny’s hand during the continuation of their walk to school. “They walked, hogging the sidewalk, despite the kids and Deke, not to mention three grown men. It seemed insane they would try something like that in any normal circumstance.”
“Well thought out,” Nick complimented her. “Your moves were first rate too. Well… this has been an eye-opening return to my quiet coastal city. On the very first walk to school, we collect two armed robbers. I think it best if we don’t attract any more attention.”
“You sure have Deke performing in sync with you,” Gus said. “When the heck did you have time to do that?”
“He loves the training and treats. I like how well Clint’s dog Tonto reacts to situations. I decided to train Deke the same way. I’m glad we left Quinn at home today. Otherwise, Rachel would have fired on me like a Reaper Drone.”
“You could have skipped telling her,” Gus suggested.
“Sure, if I wanted the retribution doubled when she eventually found out. Hey… look… no riots, demonstrations, or angry parents,” Nick pointed out as they approached the school. “I take this as a sign it would be okay to walk Quinn down to Otter’s Point for a couple of Irish coffees, to celebrate my first morning home without snow or wind chill factor of sixty below zero degrees.”
“What was Mom screaming about last night?”
“Leg cramp,” Nick answered to appreciative amusement from his friends.
“Maybe you need to gag her,” Jean remarked. Seeing Nick’s Terminator face, Jean skipped ahead with Sonny and Jay hurrying to keep pace. “Bye everyone.”
Deke and the adults waited until the kids entered school before turning to walk their return path. “I swear that girl channels a thirty-year-old sarcastic barmaid whenever I’m home.”
“She does so many things right, Jean should have plenty of leeway in her actions,” Cala replied. “Besides, she is most entertaining.”
Nick growled, invoking hilarity. “You are not yet a parent, Cala. Did it seem to any of you Neil was more anxious than usual? I figured he’d be excited by the armed robbery suspects, but he took off with them as if he figured we’d try and take them back.”
“We have not heard of anything weird going on,” Johnny replied. “He’s only been a Lieutenant for a short time. Maybe the job has him a bit out of sorts, Nick.”
“You’re probably right. I hope he follows through on the missing car, and what they were doing around here. Rachel may be ready to walk down to the beach too. I’ll save the discussion explaining our apprehension of armed banditos until after she has a sip of the Irish.”
“Wise decision, Muerto,” Johnny agreed.
* * *
Rachel listened patiently while placing the napping Quinn in his crib. Nick explained all parts of the morning walk to the school. “Thanks for the update. Will they be letting those two go anytime soon?”
“Not unless they mishandle the case. Neil believes he’ll get a plea deal. You’re not as upset as I pictured you’d be. Thank you.”
“There wasn’t anything you could do about it.” She signaled Nick to follow her to the bedroom, where she quickly took off the robe she wore. Rachel modeled the sheer, black silk, hip-length teddy for Nick’s inspection.
“When do we need to approach the beach?”
“How long will Quinn be napping?”
“An hour.” Rachel’s breath caught as Nick’s hands roamed over her sides and back.
“That long.”
* * *
By the time Nick, Rachel, Quinn, Deke and refreshments reached Otter’s Point, Johnny acted as birdman of the beach once again with his horde of scavengers hovering around him.
“We’re dying here, Muerto,” Gus complained.
“Rach questioned me in a thorough manner regarding our morning event. I explained we would follow through on everything.”
“Yeah, right.” Gus gestured for the huge thermos. “I can almost taste it from here. I talked Tina into walking down with me for a sip, and here you are, late for our date.”
“Girlfriend wearin’ the ‘I got smoked like a two-dollar whore’ look,” Tina observed, making a shaming gesture at Rachel.
Rachel gasped. “How dare you speak such foul talk in front of my baby.”
“I bet it wasn’t so foul before Quinn woke up,” Tina needled her. “Sit down and spread the good cheer, woman. I told you on the phone it was a blessing we didn’t go with the cartoons to school this morning.”
“We kicked ass!” Cala moved down one chair to allow Rachel to sit between her and Tina. “Little Jay never made a peep either. I think Jean and Sonny will help him a lot.”
“I heard his parents read Muerto’s Pulp,” Rachel replied, taking a loaded cup from Nick.
“Dale is a fanboy,” Gus said. “They’re good people. I could tell Muerto plans to adopt Jay too, along with Sonny.”
“Can’t do it.” Nick finished with passing out refreshments, including to the birdman of the beach who ended his latest wildlife incursion. “The Salvatores are on my hook. Dale and Beth will not be joining us on our darker path. I approved the notion with Jean to instruct Jay. He can try doing all the martial arts and weapons training he’s allowed to do. I don’t think it’s a good idea to share any
more than that.”
The conversation quieted to weather and wave observations. The rough surf surged nearly to the beach chairs at times as it pounded the surrounding cliffs and outcroppings. Nick sipped through three Bushmills laced coffees, watching the waves while listening to his friends and Rachel comment on his observations about Chicago. He felt a presence at his back beyond the rock wall. Turning to investigate, Nick saw Neil’s squad car park along the curb.
“There goes the neighborhood,” Nick announced. “I’ll see why Neil’s haunting our morning excursion in full uniform.”
Nick felt a tremor pass under his feet as if the ocean itself didn’t want him to meet with his police officer friend. Waving with a jovial smile he faked, Nick met Neil by the squad car. “A personal update was not expected, my friend.”
“Damn it! I’m sorry, Nick. I hoped I hit your beach before the celebration began. Are you drinking Irish to wash away the windy city from your soul?”
“That obvious, huh? Yeah… I’ve imbibed while enjoying this wonderful snowless scene, mixed with brisk salty aroma. What’s the problem? Johnny told me he sent the videos from this morning already.”
“He did. They will make a plea deal a walk in the park. Pacific Grove residents have another problem: home invasions. Apparently, some pros have targeted our tourist trap, knowing the neighborhoods around here are peopled with well to do families because of the skyrocketing housing costs. I could use your help to crack this ring. We won’t find them otherwise. There’s no pattern. Some are hit because they’re on vacation, probably announcing it on Facebook. Others were hit with the family home by a gang of no nonsense, violent pros. I have the entire department on it, banging on doors, looking for connections, and increasing patrols.”
Even in Nick’s buzzed state, he saw Neil’s deductive reasoning. “I get it. You think our two, armed robbery strollers, are running point for the pros.”
“I nearly shot through the roof of my squad car when Johnny texted me about those dimwits. The pros won’t canvass any area in person and they certainly wouldn’t let those two dweebs in on any actual action at the houses. The judge went along with the DA on no bail for the idiot thug strollers you and your crew hijacked this morning.”
“You’re wondering whether to set them free for a personal consultation with more aggressively themed interrogators, huh?”
Neil shrugged. “I can’t beat it out of them. They obviously are connected with the home invasions. The two low brow thieves’ faces lit up like Christmas morning when I grilled them about the invasions. I could also tell they know the pros will hunt them down and kill the punks if they talk. I played it by the book though, and separated them with the usual TV show traps, telling each one that the other was talking. I offered them a deal for short prison time if they gave me the pros. They laughed at me.”
Lieutenant Dickerson saw the Terminator face grimly surface on Nick’s features. “Don’t go crazy on me, Nick. What struck you between the eyes about what I shared?”
“They pistol whipped a teen cashier in a damn 7/11 store for the fun of it. They would have killed the bunch of us in the street this morning. Those two need to be put away or disposed of. They feed off each other and have been for a while. Whatever they’re suspected of… they’ve done worse. What home invasion range have the pros been working? I saw the iPhones those two carried. They plotted and marked their canvassing efforts.”
“They did indeed. There were no outgoing calls or uploads, so the pros made sure the two dweebs left no trace on anything electronic we found. Their names are Gerald Kondalis and Francis Carstairs. You were right about the stolen car too. They parked it two streets away during their canvassing efforts. The car looked lived in, but we’re still searching for where they may have been staying. They may have the room cards hidden in the BMW. We impounded it only an hour ago. The pattern so far is our sleepy hollow of Pacific Grove.”
“That could be a real key to this,” Nick replied. “If they’re staying somewhere locally, you may not need an interrogation, although I’d be happy to do it. Those two would disappear for all time though. That could prove problematic for us. Find the room keycard. Keep the two imbeciles out of touch with anyone for the maximum time allowed. I’ll stay in their room and wait with the BMW they were driving. I’m betting the pros get worried about their ding-a-ling assistants and check out their lodging. It would be helpful to know how they do communicate. Perhaps I should take one into federal custody.”
“Let me work the lodging plan. That is a hell of an idea. Does it mean more arrests if successful or simply no more home invasions?”
“I can’t answer that. Let me know what you find and what you’re comfortable with. Make it easy on yourself. If you don’t want anything at all to do with it, we’ll cut ties for a time. The cartoons will investigate it.”
“Thank you. That was some nasty business in Chicago. How much good do you figure will come out of it?”
“Not much,” Nick admitted.
“You had them running down the rabbit holes for a while, brother. I’ll be talking to you one way or the other. I appreciate you hearing me out. At least I won’t be sitting at my desk wondering what the next move should be.”
“This is our home. After Chicago, I know I ain’t goin’ anywhere. I know my partners feel the same way. Be careful of who knows about the lodging keycard.”
“I will, Nick.” Dickerson drove away.
Nick rejoined his family and friends, deciding not to have any more celebration drink. He explained the connection Neil pursued for the day. “He was thinking about the other case when you texted him, Johnny. It makes sense now why Gerald and Francis were strolling around where we walk. It explains Neil’s excitement. Nearly every house in the area is upscale.”
“Leave it to you cartoons to unveil a sinister plot,” Tina said.
“Cala outed them,” Nick said. “When the kids hear the extended crime-ring attached to this, they’ll want to hit the streets following leads. Cala’s hunches are very impressive.”
“Cala needs a cartoon name,” Tina said. “You know… like Black Canary, or something. If she works full time with the cartoons, Cala needs a name. Cleaner is a job description we can use. She needs a crime fighting name.”
“The one I used in an interrogation is too long. Avenging Angel needs shortened to something cutting. No bird references though,” Cala stated. “How about Seductress?”
“You’re not turnin’ tricks, girl,” Tina admonished.
Cala nodded. “Good point. What do you think, Muerto?”
“Jay picked Predator,” Nick replied, enjoying the lighter side of a grim episode. “Why not Reaper. It fits your excellent work with recycling the bad people into the environment. It also fits our cartoon group.”
“I like that very much,” Cala said. “Reaper and the Unholy Trio. Awesome.”
“That would be the Unholy Trio and Reaper, my love.”
“Not if you ever want to share my bed again.”
“Reaper and the Unholy Trio it is,” Johnny acknowledged with fist in the air, amusing his companions.
* * *
Nick finished his last line edit on the new novel, Blood Beach. He and Deke again shared the upstairs deck. His phone buzzed with Paul Gilbrech’s image, meaning the call came in on a secure line. “Hi, Paul.”
“Chicago recovered from your Muerto visit, but the cops were waiting. It may not mean much. Citizens turned in names, places, and even photos of bad guys. Leia Zhoe has secretly organized friends and family into a recording gang, taking HD movies of any crime scene, including extortion attempts. They concentrate on following any suspect until a revealing photo or video clip can be obtained without the suspect’s knowledge. Her identity has remained a secret so far. Clyde texted her on my behalf to not allow anyone to find out her identity, even the police. I know the message probably freaked her out a bit from an anonymous source, but I wanted her on guard at all times while she energizes thi
s network.”
“I want a hand in it if she needs one, Paul.”
“Of course. Thank you for, at the very least, taking my stepdaughter off the gang’s radar. The attempted assault on you and your US Marshal friends caused a stir not seen in Chicago for decades. Muerto killing dozens received all the press, although he did kill dozens of bad guys in spectacular form. Do you get jealous of your alter ego cartoon, when you don’t get swamped with media during a dangerous public event like the bar gunfight? I haven’t seen a single mention of it. You shot down two bad guys without a hint of coverage.”
Nick chuckled. “Are you kidding. If the media truly begins heralding justice with a gun, the Cubs will win the World Series twice in a row, and they will have ski slopes in hell. I might get some mention on a book signing but that’s about it. Besides, that’s a good thing. Muerto disappears and no one wants to make me a headliner. My agent, Cassie, noticed my gunfight. She rolled out the press releases for my new novel ‘Blood Beach’. They include a list of my legitimate consulting assignments with the DOJ, along with the incidents as in Chicago, and the jewelry store robbery I stopped, to name a few. She believes we’ll sell millions.”
“You sure live a simple life for a guy who can buy his own country to live in. Harding’s crew have set themselves in a comfortable spot too. They already own their own island where they port their larger naval force.”
“We took care of the terrorists at our remote air base near Lake Tahoe too. Laredo Sawyer’s hangar at the place is set for taking care of the new Harrier and our helicopter fleet. Denny’s trying to buy up extra land around it too. Maybe someday we’ll all be able to sneak away for an outdoors vacation there without the press finding out our location.”
“I like it. We may indeed be able to work something like that out. I heard US Marshal McCarty arrested two armed robbers this morning on a school walk. Very impressive. That was sweet handing the arrests over to your buddy, Neil.”
“You have a wire into our Pacific Grove PD, huh?”
“I have to watch out for my favorite cartoon. How’s Cala doing on the flying lessons?”
Hell on Earth Page 14