by Tom Barber
It dinged a few moments later and he stepped inside, jabbing 14.
‘The four gunmen who tried to wax our families are Russian Mafia,’ Hendricks explained. ‘They’re part of a crew who operate down in Little Odessa in Brooklyn. The shooter at Mount Sinai claimed that eleven of their guys have gone missing over the past year and this was a revenge attack.’
‘Eleven?’ Marquez said incredulously. ‘And why us? What the hell have we got to do with it?’
Hendricks walked over the desk and picking up the phone, dialled a number.
‘I’ll let someone else explain,’ he said, the receiver to his ear. ‘Mark, it’s Jake. I’m back; I’m putting you on speaker. You’re with the investigation team.’
‘OK.’
‘This is Mark Massaro. He’s a detective at the Organised Crime Control Bureau in Brooklyn. Tell them what you told me, Mark.’
‘The four guys who visited your homes belong to a group called the Prizraki. My team’s been working them for months; once Jake told me what happened earlier, I wanted to speak with you personally. Hopefully it might help your investigation.’
‘What can you tell us, Mark?’ Shepherd asked.
‘The Prizraki are one of the most feared of thousands of Russian criminal organisations. These groups used to be outlaws but after the USSR and communism fell in the 90s, more than 6,000 separate Mafia factions emerged and the Prizraki was one of them; the literal translation into English is ghosts. We also know for a fact they operated under an old code called Thieves Law.
‘Thieves Law?’ Shepherd repeated. ‘What the hell’s that?’
‘It started in the gulags generations ago. Sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie I know, but believe me, it’s some brutal shit. It’s a load of rules they’ve been following for hundreds of years. Don’t underestimate it.’
‘What kind of rules?’ Ethan asked.
‘A mix; some of them are bizarre. Members of these gangs are never allowed to serve in the military for example. Senior members never pick anything up from the floor.’
‘What?’ Archer said.
‘The leaders regarded the ground as dirty because in those days they lived among animals in the gulags,’ Massaro explained. ‘Now it’s more a sign of hierarchy, enforces position. Another rule is any man being considered to get promoted to the top level, becoming what they call a vor, must disown their relatives, because their only family is the group. Many gangs demand their members have their life stories tattooed on their bodies, like business cards.’
‘None of our dead guys had any ink,’ Archer said.
‘The Prizraki are different; they’re called ghosts for a very good reason. Although we think they follow most of the other Thieves rules, only the highest-ranking guys in their organisation are permitted any tattoos, just two stars to signify the guy’s a vor. They’ve run the docks on Brighton Beach for decades.’
‘I had some interaction with a group from Little Odessa once when I was at Brooklyn South,’ Marquez said. ‘They were in a different league to the gangs we normally had to deal with.’
‘They are. And these sons of bitches are as intelligent as they are violent. That’s what makes them so dangerous and difficult to deal with.’
‘What’s the structure in the crew?’ Archer asked.
‘It’s not based on personalities, but on networks. The shot-callers are in Moscow, but they have separate factions in scores of major cities, an entire web. They’re tough bastards too; other Mafia organisations have been trying to acquire those docks here for years and have never succeeded; most of them stay well clear now. Before the last ten months, we figured the Prizraki have only lost one guy in the past two years.
‘Who?’ Archer asked.
‘Their top guy here. Got picked off by a high-powered rifle when he was getting out of a car outside his home in Brooklyn. Shot through the forehead.’
‘You know who killed him? Shepherd asked.
‘Afraid not. Probably a rival, maybe the Georgians or Ukrainians. His replacement took over at the end of last year; we think he came from another faction, like Philly, Boston or Pittsburgh, but whoever, he’d have been carefully chosen. That’s how they operate. Like I said, people have been after that piece of Little Odessa for years. One of my CIs on the street said he heard there were some Chechens in town preparing to make a push, but we haven’t seen or heard shit.’
‘Who are they?’ Archer asked. ‘These Chechens.’
‘Real dark bastards; they call themselves Volki. We know next to nothing about them, except our intel says they’re in the city somewhere. But these attacks on you guys is a mystery. Gangs at this level will do anything to avoid going against the police, which is why what they did to you tonight is so confusing.’
‘No wonder they were pissed,’ Archer said. ‘They lost eleven guys and wanted to send a message.’
‘The wounded man said they had no idea we were cops,’ Hendricks said. ‘I believed him.’
‘So why feed you guys to the Prizraki?’ Ethan asked. ‘Use them to get revenge?’
‘Or to give them time to find me,’ April suddenly said quietly.
Everyone glanced at her.
‘No disrespect, but that’s a hell of a lot of effort to find just one person,’ Ethan said. ‘And why you?’
‘I have no idea,’ April replied. ‘Not to mention that these sons of bitches killed ten of my friends and I still don’t have a clue why.’
‘Do the Prizraki run girls, Mark?’ Archer asked.
‘Not on the street, that’s for sure. They’re sharks amongst fish; they don’t go in for that small-time shit.’
‘What about high-end stuff?’ Archer asked.
‘I don’t think so. It would give us something to put on them. We think they smuggle people in through the docks and sell them on. That’s as far as their involvement goes.’
Archer swore. ‘That breaks the pattern. If these disappearances are Henderson, Tully and Lister’s work, which they almost certainly have to be, these Russians are the first non-street sex-trade gang they’ve targeted. Why?’
‘And how did Henderson and Tully get those addresses?’ Ethan asked.
‘Christ only knows. These organisations have people everywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a hook.’
Looking at Hendricks as he listened to Massaro, Shepherd glanced back down at the phone.
‘I’ll call you back, Mark. Thanks.’
‘OK. Just one request, Sergeant; if you make a move, you’ll let me know? We’ve been working this case for a while.’
‘Of course.’
Hanging up, Shepherd shifted his attention to April. ‘Until this is over, you have an armed detective with you everywhere you go. This thing stops right now. No-one else is going to die tonight.’
She nodded; then taking a deep breath, she rose from the table for the first time in over an hour.
‘Excuse me.’
‘Where are you going?’ Hendricks asked.
‘The restroom.’ She forced a smile. ‘Do I need security for that?’
Hendricks returned the smile and shook his head. ‘No, I reckon that’s OK.’
She walked to the door, Hendricks stepping to one side so she could pass. Archer rose too and pulled his phone, scrolling for Josh’s number, leaving the room to call his partner and get some air, trying to work through how this all tied up. As he left, he looked back at the victims’ screen, twenty eight faces, soon to be joined by eleven more.
Three sex-gangs, the top guys and then low-level pimps, killed and flushed away.
Then a Russian Mafia organisation targeted who didn’t run escorts and were so tough they’d run the Little Odessa docks for over four decades.
He glanced at Henderson and Tully’s mug-shots on the other screen.
Why the hell did you take on the Prizraki?
At St Luke’s, the elevator opened for the 14th floor and Josh stepped out, walking down the corridor then turning the
corner.
The moment he did, he frowned.
There was no sign of the two night shift cops who were normally outside Vargas’ door.
Before he could take another step, he heard the bell ding behind him, announcing the arrival of the second elevator. He turned just as two officers appeared in the corridor behind him. Seeing Josh standing there, one of them challenged him.
‘Who’re you?’
‘NYPD,’ Josh said, motioning to his badge. ‘Counter-Terrorism Bureau.’
One of the officers stepped forward, checking it. ‘What are you doing up here?’
‘Came to see my colleague,’ he replied, pointing down the corridor. ‘You guys shouldn’t leave your post.’
‘Not us,’ the other said. ‘That’s why we’re here. Our two guys aren’t responding.’
Josh stared at the man for a moment; then he turned and sprinted down the corridor, closely followed by the two men. Trying the door, Josh found it was locked. Pulling his pistol, he dipped and smashed it open.
The moment they breached the room they saw a cop lying on the floor beside a load of empty grey canisters.
‘Oh shit!’ one of the men said, immediately calling it in and moving swiftly out of the room to clear the immediate area.
Looking back at the bed and seeing there was no-one there, fear settled over Josh. He was aware of a harsh chemical smell lingering in the air, making his eyes water. Moving forward, stepping over empty cans, he moved into the bathroom and felt his heart skip a beat.
The plug was up and the tub was empty but still wet.
And he could see tiny pieces of white hospital gown stuck around the rim of the bath.
THIRTY SIX
Standing on the walkway inside the Bureau Archer frowned, looking down at his phone. Josh wasn’t picking up. He considered trying him again then decided to leave it for the moment. His detective partner’s wife had just been in surgery; no wonder he was occupied.
Returning the cell to his pocket, he glanced left and saw April sitting alone in the Conference Room next door, having returned from the ladies’ room but taking a moment alone. He guessed she’d wanted some space and knew she didn’t feel comfortable surrounded by police detectives; he could understand that. She was still wearing the blue NYPD jacket someone had loaned to her; it was too large but was giving her an extra layer of warmth as well as acting as a literal reminder that the Department was watching her back.
Walking in quietly, he perched on the table beside her; he didn’t speak but just stayed there, providing reassurance. All in all, she’d had one hell of a day.
There was a period of silence.
‘I can’t stop thinking about what happened to them,’ April said quietly. ‘It’s so horrible. I thought Leann getting shot was as bad as it could get.’
She sighed.
‘It wouldn’t have been quick, would it? To do that to someone would take some time. You said Alex hadn’t…finished before you found him. Perhaps they might even have been still alive when they were put in the bath.’
Archer thought back to that bathroom.
‘I don’t know,’ he said eventually.
‘They would have known they were about to die. They must have been so scared.’
She looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes.
‘Have you ever been in that situation? Thinking you were about to die?’
He smiled. ‘Once or twice.’
‘But you survived.’
‘Somehow.’
‘Did you get lucky?’
He nodded. ‘And I fought back.’
‘What kept you going?’
Archer went to reply but then remembered a Harlem rooftop six months ago when he’d been sure he was finally done for. Vargas had been beside him, Isabel too, the three of them seemingly trapped with no way out.
‘Just stubborn, I guess.’
There was a pause. Glancing over, Archer saw April staring at him.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘You’re different from the others.’
‘It’s the accent.’
‘No, not just that. You’re different. You actually listen to me when I talk to you. I’m not used to that.’
He grinned. ‘I grew up with a mother and sister. Had to learn pretty fast.’
She smiled back; there was a pause.
‘Do you have any family left?’ he asked.
Her smile faded. ‘I guess; I don’t know. I haven’t called them in almost three years.’ She paused. ‘They have no idea what I do here. I wouldn’t know what to say to them.’
‘You can change this.’
‘No. I can’t. I’ve been trying to leave ever since I got into this shit but someone or something always stops me.’
‘Palmer wants to help you.’
‘And then what? Be real, Archer. I’ve got hardly any money; all my friends are dead. I have no qualifications, no real skills. They’ll be getting in line to employ me.’
‘If you had a choice, what would you do?’
‘It’s dumb.’
‘Tell me,’ he said.
She looked at him for a moment, as if daring him to laugh at her.
‘I’d like to be a mechanic. I love cars.’
He grinned and shook his head. ‘That’s not dumb.’
‘You think I’d fit into your typical auto-shop?’
‘You think I fit in here?’
She looked at him and nodded. ‘Yes. I think you do.’
She paused.
‘What was your ambition?’
He thought for a moment. ‘I’m living it.’
‘Was it what you expected?’
He shook his head. ‘It hasn’t exactly all gone to plan. Right now I’m suspended.’
‘For what?’
‘I hit someone.’
‘So? Who was he?’
‘A Lieutenant; he was running the investigation into Leann’s death.’
‘Did he deserve it?’
‘He deserved a hell of a lot more.’
As April went to reply, the pair sensed movement at the door; turning, they both saw Marquez standing there. She was looking at Archer, a strange look on her face.
‘Hey, Marquez.’
She took a breath and tried to speak but nothing came out, tears appearing in her eyes.
Archer immediately pushed himself off the table.
‘Lisa?’
*
The news about what had happened at the hospital hit him like a locomotive, leaving him dazed, as if time had suddenly stopped. As Marquez broke it to him April was caught up in the moment too, seeing the devastation it’d caused to these two police detectives who’d been kind to her.
Outside the room, Hendricks watched them from the walkway. He turned to Shepherd, who’d taken the initial call from Josh who was still over at St Luke’s with an NYPD team, cordoning off the hospital in the hunt for the two suspects.
‘How the hell did they get to her?’ Hendricks asked quietly.
‘Apparently they killed both cops then put Vargas in the bath,’ Shepherd replied, keeping his voice low so Archer couldn’t hear him. ‘All that was left were a load of empty canisters and pieces of her gown stuck to the top of the tub apparently.’
He took a deep breath.
‘Josh said the hospital is on lockdown but the cameras on 14 were busted up; Henderson and Tully will already be gone.’
Hendricks didn’t reply as Shepherd walked slowly into the room to join the others, Hendricks following.
Then Shepherd shouted in rage and frustration, kicking one of the chairs, taking it off the ground and thumping it into the wall, making everyone jump.
‘Shit!’
A beat later a large overweight man in a suit and with bruising around his eye suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking left and right. The moment he saw Archer, he headed straight for him, Shepherd immediately stepping into his path to block him.
‘Son of a bitch!’ Royston shouted at Arch
er, pointing his finger. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
‘Not now, sir!’ Shepherd said.
‘I said what the hell is he doing here?’
‘I wanted him here,’ Shepherd said.
‘I want him out! He’s suspended; he shouldn’t be on site and you know it, Sergeant.’
‘This isn’t your case anymore, Lieutenant.’
‘You giving me orders?’ Royston asked.
He made to step towards Archer again who was standing watching him impassively but someone else stepped forward.
‘This isn’t your case anymore,’ Hendricks repeated quietly.
‘Back up, both of you.’
Hendricks didn’t move. Neither did Shepherd.
Royston glared at them both, everyone in the room watching the confrontation.
Then after a few seconds Royston dropped his gaze and took a pace backwards, smoothing down his tie and tucking his shirt back into his belt over his gut, his left eye socket yellow and purple from where Archer had punched him a week ago.
He stood there for a moment then looked around the room and started clapping sarcastically.
‘I just got a call from my Captain telling me the Leann Casey investigation has been blown wide open; apparently my team and I have over a dozen more homicides to solve, and they’re still coming thanks to you. Outstanding work, people.’
‘Excuse us for doing our job,’ Marquez said. ‘And are you saying murders don’t exist if you close your eyes and stick your fingers in your ears? What are we, ten years old?’
‘Watch your mouth, Detective, or I’ll suspend you along with this asshole here,’ Royston fired back, spitting the words at Marquez but glaring at Archer who was still watching him expressionlessly.
‘Forgive me for being blunt but the only reason we uncovered these other murders was because we dug deeper, sir,’ Shepherd said, trying to stay cool. ‘You got the wrong killers.’
‘No, we didn’t.’
‘Yes, you did. And we did more with this thing in one day than you did in four weeks. If you’d moved faster, these girls would still be alive.’
‘Hookers.’
‘Human beings.’