I watched in the rearview as two officers in pressed uniforms approach us. They both had their hands on their service weapons.
A tall blonde officer tapped on my window. The female officer walked on Dick's side, tapping on the roof of my car with her baton. I slowly lowered the window.
"License, registration and proof of insurance," said the officer named Ferguson.
I handed him the requested paperwork. "Why are you boys in Banbury Cross?" asked Officer Ferguson placing emphasis on the word ‘boys’.
Before I could respond, Dick said, "We're going to Merchants to do some shopping. Is there a problem?"
"That depends on the way in which you behave, boy," said Officer Ferguson still placing emphasis on the word ‘boy’. "I'm going to ask you to step out of the car while I run the information and Officer Robbins does a quick search to make sure there are no weapons or other illegal contrabands."
"You don't have a search warrant," said Dick. "That is considered an illegal search."
"I have probable cause," said Officer Ferguson. "Now get out of the damn car!"
Looking at Dick, I said, "Just do as the man says."
We got out and slowly made our way to the front of the car. People going down the street gawked at us.
"Place your hands on the hood boys," said Officer Robbins. Cops in Banbury Cross were fond of using the word ‘boy’. We complied. Officer Robbins began her unlawful search by frisking Dick.
At that exact moment, Lucy Locket walked by and said, "Detective Whittington and Detective Horner, I thought you were the good guys."
"What did you say ma'am?" asked Officer Ferguson.
"These men are detectives with the GCPD," said Lucy Locket.
"Who are you ma'am?" asked Officer Ferguson.
"I am the personal assistant to Henry Emperor," said Lucy. "I can vouch for these men."
"Show me your identification," ordered Officer Ferguson. "Do it slowly."
Turning, I slowly opened my jacket so he could see the GCPD shield attached to my belt. "My identification is in my left inner pocket," I said as I held my hands over my head.
From my inner pocket, Officer Robbins retrieved my I.D. Opening the billfold, she said, "They're the real deal."
Officer Ferguson snatched the billfold from Officer Robbins. Looking at my I.D. he said, "Sorry Detective Horner."
"This is a disgrace," said Lucy Locket.
"We were just doing our job," said Officer Robbins.
"If being bigoted is your job then you performed exceptionally well," said Lucy Locket.
"No, you weren't doing your job," I said as I took my badge and service weapon from Officer Ferguson. "You stopped us based on how we looked and what we were driving."
"I know all of your names," I said. "I will personally see to it that you are reassigned to Babylon or Pippen Hill."
"We were just doing our job," moaned Officer Ferguson. "There's no need for reassignment."
"You got two minutes to get out of here," said Dick as he took his service weapon from Officer Robbins. "I'll be seeing you in Pippen Hill." The officers all went back to their cruisers and departed the scene.
"Thanks," said Dick to Lucy Locket.
"No problem," said Lucy. "They gave me the same treatment when I first started working in Banbury Cross."
"Where are you from?" asked Dick.
"Pippen Hill," said Lucy with a smile. "Pippen Hill High Class of 2010."
"Pippen Hill High Class of 1995," I said. "It's good to see someone get out of the Hill." She smiled.
"As I was leaving March Winds, I saw what was happening," said Lucy. "I couldn't walk by and not say anything."
"Have you heard anything from Emperor?" asked Dick.
"No," responded Lucy. "He's still incommunicado."
"I really would like to talk to him as soon as possible," said Dick.
"If I hear from him, I will tell him that," said Lucy. "Well, I have to get back to the office."
We watched as Lucy walked away. "What are you thinking about?" I asked Dick.
"I'm just thinking about opening the Locket," said Dick with a smirk.
"Take your mind out of the gutter. Let's get to Merchants," I said.
"Are you really going to get those guys reassigned?" asked Dick.
"Yes," I said. "Yes, I am."
"Remind to never get on your bad side," Dick said.
Leaving the car, we walked to Merchants.
Chapter 17
Entering Merchants of London we were detained by a security guard. We quickly identified ourselves to avoid another ugly scene. After the encounter with Ferguson and his crew, I was no longer in a congenial mood.
Using his keycard, he opened the internal foyer door giving us access to the main showroom floor.
The main showroom had three wall counters, a center island, and twelve cameras. Three employees controlled each wall counter and four controlled the center island. In the store, counter attendees were busy assisting four other customers. An armed security guard stood at each counter.
Making our way to the center island, we were welcomed by a rather attractive brunette. She identified herself as Mary Gray, the showroom floor manager. To make this easier, we identified ourselves as GCPD detectives.
"How may I be of help?" asked Mary congenially in a European accent. It was obviously fake.
Removing the evidence bag containing the locket, I put it on the counter. "Who was this locket made for?"
Taking the bag from me, Mary said, "The locket is the work of Mr. Merchant himself."
"I am aware of that much," I said. "I would like to know who it was made for."
"That information is confidential," said Mary with a stiff upper lip. "It is strictly against policy to divulge that information."
"Let's try this another way," I said. "This was at the scene of murder. This may belong to the murderer."
"That is just not my problem," said Mary as she handed the bag back to me.
"Is there someone else I can speak with?" I asked.
"No," said Mary staunchly. "There is no one else."
In places like this, there always is someone else. Looking around, I saw a door in the rear of the showroom. "Fuck this," I said. I quickly made my way to the rear of the store.
"Where are you going?" asked Mary. "You can't go back there! Security! Security!"
Dick did what any good partner would do; he ran interference. "You boys don't want to get involved in this."
Suddenly the door in the rear of the showroom opened. Out came a short man wearing a leather apron wiping his hands with a rag. On top of his head were a pair of jeweler's glasses. "How can I be of assistance Detective Horner?"
Caught completely off guard, I asked, "Who are you?"
Smiling, he said, "I am Mr. Merchant. Now how can I be of assistance?"
"I'm very sorry Mr. Merchant," pleaded Mary.
With a grandfatherly smile, he waved Mary away. She promptly went back to her station at the center counter. Dick finally joined me.
"My apologies Detective Horner," said Mr. Merchant. "I'm afraid Mary can be somewhat of a stickler when it comes to policy."
"It's okay," I said. "She's just doing her job. By the way, this is my partner Detective Whittington."
"Please to meet you Detective Whittington," said Mr. Merchant. "Now how can I help you?"
I removed the bag with the locket and gave it to him. He carefully studied the locket. "Follow me."
Mr. Merchant led us down a narrow corridor. We walked past several work benches with workers hand crafting jewelry.
We finally came to a white-walled room with three work benches. Numerous old books and a radio were on one of the benches. On the radio, a song by the Kilkenny Cats played. I immediately recognized the silky smooth voice of Kitty Fisher. In a far corner sat a dorm size refrigerator.
"I remember this piece," said Mr. Merchant as he held it under a magnifying glass with a lamp. "It took me six months to fin
ish. May I?"
After opening up the evidence bag, I dumped the locket on a black velvet cloth. Putting on black latex gloves and using a magnifying glass with a lamp, Mr. Merchant inspected the locket. "I crafted this piece for Dame Dobb."
I knew the Dobb name. They practically owned all of the banks in Goose City. They were old money like the Shaftoes.
"She must have given this to her daughter Jill," said Mr. Merchant as he flipped over the locket. "The young lady came in with a young man to get this inscription."
"Is it the young in the picture inside the locket?" I asked.
Opening the locket with a pair of tweezers, Mr. Merchant said, "Yes, he is the young man. A very odd fellow if I must say so."
Mr. Merchant had blown my case wide open. There was no question in my mind that Jill Dobb and Jack Jingle were the murderers of Jack Wellington. "Thank you so much, sir. You've helped solve a case."
"Is the young Ms. Dobb in trouble?" asked Mr. Merchant.
"Yes," I said. "Yes she is. Again, thank you very much."
We left Merchants of London and went to back to headquarters. I needed arrest warrants for Jack Jingle and Jill Dobb.
******
An angry Robin Redbreast paced in his study. Last night he received several calls for a ‘no show’. His favorite prostitute Lavender Blue failed to show for several additional appointments. A ‘no show’ meant he lost money and he hated when someone messed with his money.
Mr. Redbreast’s personal assistant Hector “The Protector” Maldonado, dressed in a green suit, came into the study. In his hand was a box which he placed on Mr. Redbreast’s desk.
“Any word from her?” asked Mr. Redbreast.
“No,” replied Hector.
“What’s that?” asked Mr. Redbreast, looking at the box.
“It’s for you,” said Hector. “It was delivered a few minutes ago.”
Mr. Redbreast sat behind his desk and took the package. Utilizing a letter opener, he cut away the decorative wrapping. “When you find her, bring her back for reconditioning,” said Mr. Redbreast. He opened up the box then gasped loudly.
“What is it?” asked Hector.
Mr. Redbreast turned the box so Hector could look at the contents. Hector’s lower jaw dropped.
Chapter 18
With a towel draped around his waist, Robert Barnes walked out of his hotel bathroom. On the right side of his neck was an omega tattoo. Everyone who was a Covert Team Omega member received the tattoo. It symbolized the end of their enemy. The red and black shield of CTO covered his left biceps.
After being discharged from CTO and spending five years in a military prison, he became a contract killer. He was damn good at his job. He had never failed to fulfill a contract. He never used the same method to kill. His favorite method was the finger pricker laced with poison from the marbled cone snail. He would simply walk past his target and lance them. Later they would die a horrific death from muscle paralysis and breathing failure.
After pouring himself a glass of triple-filtered spring water, he inserted a flash drive into his laptop. Making a few clicks on his mouse pad, information quickly populated the screen.
Carefully studying the information, he memorized the faces of the two men he was hired to kill. Information supplied by Lucy Locket told him this would be an easy job. The pair was holed up in a dirty motel on the east side of Pippen Hill near the abandon amusement park. His plan was simple. Knock on their door and double tap them.
Going to a silver carrying case sitting on the kitchenette table, he punched in a security code. Lifting the lid on the case, he looked at the tools of his trade, a pair of silver Y99 with laser targeting. He smiled. The Y99 would be more than sufficient enough to kill the two men.
Dropping the towel, he sat in a chair facing a large window. From his fifteen floor suite at the luxurious St. Ives Inn, he had a nice view of the city. Closing his eyes, he took a couple of deep breaths. He smiled as he thought about the pay he would receive. A trip to a tropical island was in his future. He smiled.
*****
The double room at the East Pippen Hill inn occupied by Dick Redcap and Little Fred was littered with pizza boxes, beer cans, and empty Mist vials. A shirtless, Dick Redcap, a thin Caucasian man with sandy blonde hair and cold blue eyes watched TV. Little Fred, a muscular bald black man, sat at a table smoking mist with Caucasian female companion.
His real name was Fred Smyth, Jr. He was called Little Fred because his father was much larger.
“When we getting’ outta this place Fred?” Redcap asked as he changed the channel.
“Once we get the remainder of our money,” responded Little Fred as he exhaled blue smoke.
“What if she don’t give us the rest?” Redcap asked.
“Then we send a nice little package to the police,” said Little Fred as he held up his cell phone.
“What’s that?” asked Redcap.
“One thing you gotta remember,” said Little Fred as he passed the mist pipe to his female companion. “When you’re dealing with people like Lucy Locket, you need an ace in the hole. This is the ace of spades, my man. ”
“That's just your cell phone,” Redcap said over Little Fred's giggling female companion.
“When we first met Ms. Locket, I recorded our entire conversation,” said Little Fred with a smile. "I got every word."
The room phone rang and Redcap answered it on the first ring. “Hello, he’s right here. Little Fred, it’s her. ”
Getting up from the table, Little Fred took the phone from Redcap. “Hello, Little Fred speaking.”
Little Fred smiled while he listened to Lucy Locket. After a few seconds on the phone, he hung up. “She’s bringing the rest of the money tonight,” said Little Fred with a huge grin.
Redcap hopped off the bed and started dancing jubilantly. “We gonna be rich! We gonna be rich!”
Looking around the room, Little Fred said, “We need to clean this place and ourselves.”
The two men quickly gathered the empty pizza boxes and beer cans. “What’re you gonna do wit your share?” asked Redcap as he crushed empty beer cans.
“I’m going to a tropical island my friend,” said Little Fred with a smile. “I just may buy a damn island.”
"I'm going to buy me a new pickup and drive through the countryside," said Redcap. "It's time to get out of the city."
Looking at his female companion Little Fred said, "I have a job for you.”
Chapter 19
Sitting in our cubicle, I waited for my warrants for the arrest of Jill Dobb and Jack Jingle. Dick combed through what little evidence he had gathered in the Emperor's case.
"Shouldn't this case have been given to theft," said Dick as he looked through his notes. "I'm a homicide detective."
“We are what the Fatman say we are,” I said. "But you are right."
“The only thing I have to go on is the information Lucy Locket gave me,” said Dick, “and I haven't been able to get in contact with this Savoy fella."
"Who's Savoy?" I asked.
"The French designer who recommended the fabric designers to Lucy Locket," responded Dick. “She then told Emperor about the designers and the fabric."
"If this fabric was so revolutionary, why would this Savoy fella give it to Emperor?” I asked.
"I don't know, but I'll ask Lucy Locket when I speak with her again,” said Dick.
"Anything else?" I asked.
“The room these men used was cleaned and renovated," said a pissed Dick. "Any DNA evidence they may have left behind was destroyed."
"That sounds kind of suspicious," I said curiously. "Why wouldn't they wait until we had a chance to send in forensics?"
"Ms. Locket says Emperor didn't want to be reminded of how he had been swindled," said Dick.
"This all sounds suspicious" I said.
Before Dick could answer me, his telephone rang. He listened and scribbled names on a piece of paper. Dick turned and showed me the name
s on the paper. “Fred ‘Little Fred’ Smyth and Richard ‘Dick’ Redcap,” I read aloud.
"Inquest came through," said Dick as he logged into his computer and did a quick search for Little Fred and Dick Redcap. “Both have priors and warrants. I’ll put out a BOLO for them both.”
I gave Dick a hearty slap on the back. “Well done Mr. Whittington.”
“I’m not done yet,” said Dick as he glared at the face of Little Fred and Redcap. “I have to apprehend these two and then I’ll be done.”
I was glad Dick had a major lead in his case. I began doing computer work of my own. I logged into the Young Rats website to research Jack Jingle. Born in Pippen Hill, he was a high school dropout with a few misdemeanors and possession charges. His mother was deceased and father incarcerated at Green Gravel.
When I searched for Jill Dobb, I came up empty. There was nothing on her in our system.
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