“Let’s hope,” Jason said as he started walking back down the hallway.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m tired, Mike. I’m going find a chair to sit in.” Jason continued down the hall through the big door, which was now propped wide open, and took a seat in one of the ratty chairs in the lobby. Mike plopped down next to him. He stripped off the latex glove he had been wearing and tossed it toward a trash can, missing badly. Jason pulled of his glove and lobbed it into the can. “Swish,” he said with a smile. Then he turned to Mike and said, “You should call Michelle and tell her we’re OK.”
Mike looked at his partner and nodded. “You got a cell phone on you?”
Jason let out a quick laugh and handed Mike his phone.
Chapter 48 – Fallout
Monday, April 22
THE FOLLOWING MONDAY MORNING, the day after Easter, Mike and Jason sat quietly in the two most uncomfortable chairs on the planet – the ones in front of Captain Sullivan’s desk. The captain had already read the reports from the officers who responded to the scene in Brooklyn, as well as the report from the responding detectives. He had also read the article on the front page of The New York Times.
The article included a quote from Commissioner Ward, which was more entertaining in the video version on the paper’s website. Standing in front of a podium emblazoned with the seal of the City of New York, Ward sent a message to any cops who might think about straying from the straight and narrow. "Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity. The people of this department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe."
What The Times didn’t have was the full picture of the carnage inside the Alexander Hamilton Hotel. Bruno Falsetti, who was identified as a low-level hood with a lengthy rap sheet, was found very dead in the front hallway. T. Warren Magnan was found dead on the floor of Room 108, just a few feet away from Darren Curran. Both men had succumbed to gunshot wounds to the chest. Meanwhile, Officer Eddie Goddel was found unconscious with a severely beaten face and two broken ribs. Eddie was taken away to the hospital before any of the responding officers could question him.
Mike and Jason were thrilled when Steve Berkowitz and George Mason showed up at the crime scene. Mike and Jason explained that they had been investigating the Christine Barker murder with Darren and had followed a group of hookers into the hotel on a hunch, since they had visited the same Starbucks where Christine had made purchases with her gift card. When they arrived, Bruno behind the desk confronted them, which led to the shootout in the hallway. Magnan and Eddie had been in the building because they were involved in the prostitution and drug operation, and they confronted Mike, Jason, and Darren, leading to the shoot-out in room 108. They didn’t mention Steph. While she was certainly a material witness to the events, Magnan and Bruno were dead, Steph had never seen Ricky the Runner, and Mike and Jason could testify about Eddie’s involvement, including the fact that he had shot Darren. They also left out any mention of Darren being anything other than part of their investigation team.
The story had satisfied the responding detectives. Captain Sullivan, however, was not as easily placated. “So, Detectives, is there a reason why you two were running a night-time operation in Brooklyn – on overtime – chasing down this phantom murder case without telling me?”
“Sir, it was a murder, not a phantom,” Mike couldn’t keep himself from blurting out a defense of their investigation.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass whether it was a murder or a petty theft, you pedantic jerk! What I care about is that two of my detectives were out there naked without any backup on a fly-by-night operation where two cops got killed. Now I’m facing an inquiry from Internal Affairs and I’m caught with my dick in my hand because I had no idea you two cowboys were even out there. I want an explanation, because you’re usually a by-the-book guy, Stoneman, and this was a fucking shit-show. So please tell me what the Hell happened to get your former partner shot and killed.” Sullivan stood behind his desk, both hands resting on the faded wood as he glared down at the two detectives.
“Sully, there’s nobody on the planet, save for Marie and the kids, more sorry than I am that Darren went down. I blamed myself for him getting shot the last time. I’m sick about this. So, I’m going to do something really stupid here and tell you the truth. The actual, complete, truth.”
“Mike–” Jason interrupted.
Mike held up his hand toward Jason. “No, Jason. I know what I’m doing. It’s time I took responsibility here. If there are consequences, then I’ll take them. It was my operation. It was my call. You should not take any heat for this.”
“I was right with you, Mike,” Jason said softly, looking at Mike with eyes that pleaded for him to be careful.
“I know you were, and I appreciate it. You’ve been a good partner. You were there because I needed you and because I asked you. You put your ass on the line for me, and I respect that and thank you for it. But you shouldn’t get a black mark on your record because you were backing up your partner.” Mike turned away from Jason and faced Sully. “It was my fault, Cap. Give me a few minutes and I’ll explain everything.”
Over the course of the next half hour, Mike came clean about nearly everything. He explained how he and Michelle had traveled to Washington State and met Steph, how Steph had shown up in New York unannounced, and how she had run away and gone off by herself to Brooklyn. He explained that Steph insisted that she was going to track down her sister’s killer and that Mike and Michelle felt responsible for her and needed to prevent her from doing something stupid. He told the whole story about the mock operation that wasn’t supposed to be anything but a way to get Steph to give up and go home. He explained that he had mentioned the operation to Darren at the rehab center, and that Darren had insisted on helping out. And he told the whole story of what happened inside the Alexander Hamilton Hotel, including that he had let Steph leave the crime scene. He left out the part about Darren admitting his involvement with the prostitution ring, which he and Jason did not know about until they heard Goddel, Magnan, and Darren talking about it in room 108. Instead, Mike made sure to emphasize how Darren had saved their lives and sacrificed himself. When Mike was finished, Sully looked at Jason with piercing eyes. He asked no questions. Jason nodded his head to confirm that he agreed with Mike’s story.
“Get the fuck out of here, both of you. You’re both suspended pending the Internal Affairs inquiry. No desk duty – just get out and don’t let me see your faces until I call you back. And make sure you both call the union and get some counsel.”
Mike and Jason both left silently, gathered up their things, and exited the bullpen without speaking to anyone. They walked over to the Amsterdam Avenue watering hole where the cops tended to hang out after work and had a few drinks without talking much. As they were settling up the bill, Mike said, “Thanks, Jason.”
“For what?”
“For backing me up, and for not being pissed at me for exposing you to discipline by telling the truth.”
“I’m glad you did, Mike. I’m not sure I could have lived with it if we had lied to Sully.”
“Well, I didn’t lie, but I also didn’t give him the whole truth.”
“Yeah, but you took the responsibility. It’s plausible that you would not have known about Darren being involved in Magnan’s little skin den.”
“Well, don’t get too comfortable with the truth. You repeat any of that to anyone and we’re both fucked.”
“True that,” Jason agreed.
Chapter 49 – Farewells
Tuesday, April 23
THE NEXT DAY, MICHELLE TOOK A PERSONAL DAY and she and Mike took Steph for a walk along the High Line on Manhattan’s West Side. Spring was finally starting to make an appearance and they only had to wear light jackets to enjoy the April sunshine. Steph talked about her sister, and repeatedly thanked Mike and Michelle
for all they had done. The young girl had a backpack containing all the clothes she had brought with her on the impromptu trip to New York, along with a few additions provided by Michelle. When they reached the end of the walking path, they continued to the mammoth structure of intertwining stairs known as the Vessel, situated behind a new shopping and residential complex. Steph was impressed. Mike thought the thing looked like a LEGO tower.
They walked across 34th Street to the Port Authority bus terminal. As they waited for the bus to Seattle to board, Mike asked, “Are you sure we can’t change your mind and take you to the airport?”
“No, thanks. You’ve done so much for me, I can’t take any more from you. I’d rather take the bus.” Steph turned to Michelle and then lunged forward to give her a lingering hug. When they finally detached, Michelle promised to stay in touch. Steph then turned to Mike and repeated the hug. She had a tear in her eye when she stepped back. “I love you guys. I’ll miss you.” She wiped away the tear, turned, and climbed up the stairs into the bus.
Michelle laughed, grabbed Mike’s right arm, and drew him close to her as they walked back out to Eighth Avenue.
Ж Ж Ж
While Mike and Michelle were walking toward the subway, Captain Sullivan, Police Commissioner Ward, and Mayor Douglass were in the mayor’s office in City Hall, deep in a heated discussion of how to handle the “Hamilton Hotel incident.” The Internal Affairs team, aided by the FBI, had already rounded up six other cops who were implicated in the prostitution operation, thanks to T. Warren Magnan’s careful financial records. The mayor had his public relations people working on a press release announcing the arrests and decrying the breach of public trust committed by these men, who had sworn to protect and serve and instead had exploited the innocent. He was going to use the opportunity to call for a full house-cleaning of the police department and a complete overhaul of all undercover vice operations. The mayor had hoped for a chance to pull cops off of victimless crime operations and focus more on violent crimes and street-level policing. This was a political windfall for him and he did not intend to miss it.
“What about the misconduct of Stoneman and Dickson?” the commissioner asked. “We can’t let them walk away unscathed here.”
“Well, we can’t tell the public that two recently decorated heroes put a civilian into an undercover operation without authorization or backup, and that she was nearly killed. I’ll tell you for damned sure that’s not a story I want in the papers.” The mayor stared at the two other men, looking for affirmation. He got a quick nod from Ward, and a grudging one from Sullivan. “The story they told the detectives on the scene is plausible. Magnan and Goddel were involved in the murder of that other young woman. Goddel will take a plea if we don’t charge him with murder. He’s already told the DA that Magnan killed her, along with the three others.”
“He’s probably lying,” Sullivan pointed out.
“Sure, but it makes sense, and it plays well on TV. The dead guy is never going to say anything else. Goddel will do enough hard time, and we’ll see if the feds can get anything useful from him about the Gallata gang.”
“What about Curran?” Sully asked.
Ward answered before the mayor this time. “Curran is a hero cop who was injured in the line of duty. He was there backing up his former partner, and he got killed protecting Stoneman and Dickson. That’s all true. Even if he was involved in Magnan’s operation–”
“He was involved,” Sully interrupted. “Magnan’s records listed payments to Curran. I can’t say for sure whether Stoneman and Dickson knew that or not, but I doubt it.”
Ward said, “Besides, even if he took some money and let Magnan use his ID and shit, there’s no reason to think he was involved in any of the murders. There’s no reason to besmirch Curran’s reputation. No reason to take his pension away from his wife and kids. Let’s just let that one lie.”
The Mayor agreed, and Sullivan did not object.
“What about the witness?” Sullivan finally said after a few moments of silence.
“What about her?” Ward asked rhetorically.
“Do we need to tell the public that she was involved?”
None of the men spoke for a full minute. “I guess not,” the mayor finally said. “I hear she went back to Idaho.”
“Washington,” Sullivan corrected.
“Wherever!” Douglas yelled, exasperated. “She’s gone. Nobody knows she was ever here. She’s a non-issue.”
“Fine,” Ward said.
“Fine,” Douglas agreed.
“Done,” Sully said, standing up and walking toward the door.
“Make sure your detectives keep their damned mouths shut,” the mayor called out to Sullivan.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Mayor. They know that their asses will be pinned to my bulletin board if they don’t.”
Chapter 50 – After Effects
Sunday, May 5
TWO WEEKS LATER, Mike woke up on a sunny Sunday morning in Michelle’s apartment. He stretched out in the bed and noticed that Michelle was not there, which was not unusual; she was an early riser. Mike pulled on a t-shirt over his gym shorts and walked out into the bright living room, then padded off to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He surmised that she had gone out for bagels, fresh fruit, and the Sunday Times, which was their normal routine on such days. He stopped himself and smiled at the thought that he and Michelle had established a Sunday morning routine. His role was to make the coffee and set out the plates, knives, and forks on the little dining table so that when Michelle returned, they could split up the sections of the paper and dig into the food without delay.
Later in the day, the plan was to hit a little Mexican restaurant that had recently opened, to see if their Cinco de Mayo party was up to the many banners and balloons that the owners had put up during the prior week. The coffee had barely stopped dripping when Mike heard the apartment door open and close. The heavy deadbolt locked with a loud ker-chunk and Mike called out, “Welcome home, Doctor.”
Michelle walked slowly into the kitchen, dropped a brown paper bag on the counter, and handed Mike the New York Times without a word. Mike took the paper with a puzzled expression, but when he glanced at the front page headline in the upper right corner, he stopped, then sat down and started reading.
The article was titled, “Teen Escaped Brooklyn Death Trap.” There was also a subtitle, “Dirty Cops Ran Prostitution Ring Where Three Died.” The byline identified the reporter as Dexter Peacock. For the next ten minutes, neither of them spoke. Peacock’s article went into detail about the Brooklyn prostitution operation run by the corrupt cops. This was not really new ground; the story had been all over the local papers since the mayor made his announcement and identified Magnan, Goddel, and six other cops as disgraces to their uniforms. The lead was the story of “Sara,” who was identified as a young girl who was there the night that T. Warren Magnan and Darren Curran had died in the Alexander Hamilton Hotel. Peacock acknowledged that Sara was not her real name and that her identity was being shielded to protect her from retaliation from the Gallata family.
Sara, the story went, had come to New York from an unnamed town in the West to search for her sister. Peacock described the unnamed sister’s struggles with drug addiction and how she had come to New York and became ensnared in the corrupt cops’ prostitution ring. The article implied, without providing any proof, that the cops were also selling drugs out of the hotel. Sara says that she was hiding in a closet when the gunfire broke out, and that Detectives Stoneman and Dickson saved her life. There was no mention of Darren Curran, and no suggestion that “Sara” had gone into the hotel as part of an unauthorized undercover operation.
“Wow,” was all Michelle could say.
“Wow is right,” Mike agreed. “How the Hell did he get this?”
Before Michelle could answer, Mike’s cell phone rang. He answered and then listened without speaking for several minutes, uttering only an occasional “uh huh.” He eventually
punched the END button while Michelle sat at the table, nibbling on a bagel and looking on intently.
“So?”
“So, that was Dexter Peacock.”
“What?”
“Yep. He called to tell me that he got the story from Steph. She told him everything, including that she had gone to the hotel undercover with my help, but he left that part out at Steph’s request. He also left out any mention of Darren because Steph asked him to. He said he hoped that I would appreciate him leaving out the embarrassing details, and he hopes that someday I will return the favor. Can you believe that shit?”
“I believe it, coming from him,” Michelle said, reaching for a strawberry.
“When could he have spoken to Steph?”
Michelle paused and thought deeply. Finally, she said, “Steph first reached out to me after she read the story in The Times about Christine’s death. That article was written by Dexter Peacock, so she would have known to contact him if she wanted to tell her story.”
“Yeah. Maybe. Whatever. We can’t control what she does, but I’m disappointed and a little pissed off that she didn’t keep her story to herself. I guess she wanted Peacock to write another story about her sister, to clear her name so to speak. But the douchebag wrote it more about her. You can’t trust the press.”
“Well, at least he kept out the details that would get you in trouble.”
“Hmmff,” Mike grunted. “I’m sure he’ll hold that over my head forever.”
Chapter 51 – Facing the Music
Monday, May 6
THE DAY AFTER THE TIMES RAN PEACOCK’S STORY, Mike and Jason returned to work, having been cleared by Internal Affairs of any misconduct. Lucas Gomez had been the investigating agent and he pushed the process through quickly. He told Mike, privately, that he would have come along as backup for the operation if Mike had told him more about it in advance. The corrupt cops were all dead or in custody, so Lucas was satisfied that justice and right had prevailed. He was also comfortable that Mike and Jason had acted out of innocent and good intentions.
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