by M. Ravenel
Darin nodded.
“Seems to be a case of mistaken identity on Curt’s part. Either way, Luanda is still in trouble. You took a big gamble, Darin.”
Darin shrugged. “How the hell was I supposed to know he was gonna take Lu?”
“He’s taken his con game to the next level.”
“What!” Alex spun around. His eyes widened as he white-knuckled the receiver at his ear.
I looked up at the tone of terror in the trainer’s voice.
“Is he there now?” Alex asked. His gaze darted around the room then settled on Darin. “Well, you tell that son of a bitch to lay off, or he’ll get what’s comin’ to him.” He slammed the receiver on the cradle and ran his hands through his thick hair.
“Problems?” I called.
Alex glared. “Some wiseguy stopped at the gym to give Primo a message.”
“What kind of message?”
Alex returned to us. “For Darin. He said something about Darin being ‘due to pay in full.’ Some ‘arrangement’ has been made, and Darin’s going to be picked up at the gym at one p.m. sharp. And he better be there, or his career will be over for good.”
“That’s a little over four hours from now,” Darin said.
“It’s obviously a trap,” I said flatly.
Darin rubbed the back of his head. “I know. I owe Curt money for not throwing that fight. Last night’s winnings will barely make a dent. I don’t know what he’s gonna want me to do…”
“Did they happen to say where they were intending to take Darin?” I asked Alex.
Alex shook his head. “Nope.”
Yeah, of course not. I rubbed my chin. It was then that I realized Curt and his friends most likely didn’t know about this bar. “I think I have an idea on how I can spring a trap on the trap. I’m going to need you, Darin.”
“Hell no!” Alex exclaimed. “He’s gonna go train. Maybe we oughtta go back to Philly and train there instead.”
Roy inched closer to Alex and crossed his arms. “Hey, man. If Tootsie says she has a plan, then listen to her, damn it. She’s the smartest person in this room and Darin’s best bet in getting these goons off his back.”
Alex growled at him.
I slapped my forehead. Roy’s chivalrous intentions were admirable, but they weren’t helping this delicate situation. “Roy, now’s not the time—”
“No, Tootsie. I don’t like the way he talks to you.”
Alex turned to Roy. “Listen, you son of a…”
Roy unfolded his arms and bowed up to him fearlessly, though it did nothing to match the other man’s height and girth. “You’re free to get the hell out of my bar anytime you want.”
“Guys…” Cheryl called.
“Everyone, stop!” I stood between Roy and Alex and pushed them away, anticipating stray fists flying my way. Thankfully, none came. “None of you are helping right now. If you would please just listen to what I have to say…” I waited a beat. When I had everyone’s attention, I continued. “First of all, I want Alex and Cheryl to stay here. Based on what Alex said from that telephone call, I have a strong suspicion that Curt and his gang don’t know where Darin is, which means we can consider this place safe for now.”
Cheryl nodded. “If it means getting Lu back safe and sound, I’ll keep my ass here for as long as I need to.”
Alex exhaled through his nose as he gave me the stink eye. “I’ll stay here one day and not a day more. You follow? One day.”
I smiled and nodded. One day was all I needed. Heck, it was all I had. “Right on.”
“So, I guess I’m the bait, eh?” Darin said.
“You got it. We need to know where Curt intends to take you. I want you to already be at the gym before he comes. When they come get you, make absolutely certain you leave out the front of the building. We need to make this as casual as possible so no random bystander gets suspicious enough to call the cops.”
“Cops…” Darin grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. “I’d rather not get them involved.”
“Oh, they’re definitely getting involved. Just not right away. First, we need to make sure Lu is returned safely. If those goons see one badge at the rendezvous point, I’m almost certain that’ll be the last we’ll see of them and Lu.”
“And where are you going to be in all this, Tootsie?” Roy asked, concern in his voice.
“I’ll be staking out the place, waiting for Curt’s gang to show. Once he does, I’ll follow him to his secret meeting spot.”
“You’re not doing this alone.”
“I never said I was.”
Roy’s face brightened. “You’re gonna finally let me help you?”
“Yeah. Your junkyard-quality car is perfect to hide in. It’ll blend in nicely with the other beat-up, abandoned cars. Curt and his friends won’t suspect a thing.”
He bristled. “There’s nothing wrong with my car. It runs just fine. Purrs like a kitten.”
“Yeah, a kitten whose tail got smashed between a door.” I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, that’s the base plan. Any questions?” I looked to everyone in turn.
Roy opened his mouth to say something, then he closed it. Smart on his part. I could already sense this was going to be a long day.
We set the plan in motion. While Cheryl and Alex remained in the speakeasy, Darin took a bus over to the gym. Roy and I met in his office to discuss one other matter.
I handed Roy his desk telephone. “Call Mitts.”
He wrinkled his nose as he gingerly took the black receiver from me. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to need a bit of enforcement in case things turn south.”
“You don’t think I’m perfectly capable of protecting you?”
I fought down an amused smile then gave him a skeptical, arched brow. “Let’s just say, if I hadn’t come down to the speakeasy when I did, I’d be scraping your remains off the ground by now.”
Roy’s mouth opened and closed, like he was fighting with himself for a logical explanation. Then he tilted his head at me curiously. “Were you worried about me?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I was worried about you.”
He beamed. “It’s nice to know I have a place in your heart.”
I snorted. Yeah, a place smaller than my pinky, you turkey. “Look, you’re a good businessman. I’ll give you that. But leave the street fighting to the knuckleheads.” I pointed at the receiver. “Call Mitts.”
Roy sulked then punched in Mitts’s number. I opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a small black case that contained his mini binoculars. “I need to borrow these,” I said, slipping the case into my trench coat pocket. I swore that one of these days, I was going to get myself a better set of binoculars. Roy’s was state-of-the-art and always kept in pristine condition, as if he’d barely used them. But I doubted that was the case. I didn’t know a ladies’ man who didn’t own a pair of high-quality binoculars.
Roy covered the speaker with his hand. “Hey, those cost me a pretty penny, y’know.”
“Geez Louise. I’ll give them back.”
“If I didn’t care about you so damn much…” He grunted. “You’ve no idea how lucky you are to have someone like me around. You know that?”
“I wholeheartedly agree, Roy. You’ve no idea how lucky you are to have someone like me around.” I quirked a smile at him then left the office. I scoured the rest of the bar, making sure there was nothing out of the ordinary. I figured there wouldn’t be, but I checked around anyway for my own reassurance. No wire bugs, no broken windows or locks, and no other clues that could suggest this bar was no longer safe. Everything checked out as clean as a whistle.
By nine forty-five, Roy stormed out of his office, looking like he’d just sucked on a lemon.
“Well? Is he coming, or what?” I asked.
Roy shook his head. “He said he has to go on his morning jog first, then he’ll come.”
“What! Doesn’t he realize how urgent this is?”
“I told him, but you know Mitts. He just does what he does when he feels like it. Maybe you should’ve talked to him instead. He might’ve listened to you, especially after you managed to coerce him into that cab with you last night.”
“Hey, he came willingly… eventually.”
“Right. Well, I told him where we’ll be. One can only hope that he decides to come.”
“For his sake, he’d better.” I sighed, already brainstorming an alternate plan should Mitts leave us hanging, because I had a strange gut feeling that today was going to go anything but smoothly.
Chapter 11
Traffic never let up as Roy’s jalopy crawled its way to Hunt’s Point. The engine had sputtered several times, threatening to cut off, but by some miracle, that old ticker just kept on going. By ten o’clock, we were parallel parked along the curb on Whittier Street, which crossed Randall Avenue, where Primo’s Boxing Club sat. A couple of old stripped cars sat in front and back of us. I had a clear view of everyone coming in and out of the gym. So far, Darin hadn’t exited. Before Roy and I had left the bar, I had called Primo and instructed him to keep all doors locked, except the front entrance. There would be no way for Curt’s people to get the drop on us and sneak in without my knowing. Primo was swell to cooperate—well, that is, after I kind of told him it was official police business. Technically, it was—well, it would be, soon enough.
“Y’know, you’d have more leg room if you sat up here with me,” Roy said from the driver’s seat.
You’d like that, wouldn’t you? “No, thanks. I’m fine,” I replied, not lowering the binoculars. My legs and knees were aching from the cramped backseat, and my muscles were still buzzing from the intense vibrations of the car’s thunderous, rumbling engine, long after Roy had shut it off. Sitting in the front seat would not have been easier, because being that close to Roy would get distracting, if not annoying. No, I couldn’t give the helpless romantic any more ammunition than he already had.
“Hey, I took a shower, y’know,” Roy said. When I didn’t respond, he continued, “Are we really going to be sitting here for three hours?”
“We sure are. Maybe longer. Who knows?” I lowered my binoculars and raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong? Bored already?”
“Well, I ain’t exactly on the edge of my seat here.” He flicked on the radio to a low volume. Music from his favorite jazz-funk station thrummed from the speakers.
“You’re the one who wanted so desperately to join me on my case so you can ‘be closer’ to me. Well, welcome to my world, where sometimes sitting in one spot for hours on end, waiting for something to happen is the exciting part of the job.”
Roy wrinkled his nose. “How in the hell do you find this exciting?”
I shrugged and then returned to my stakeout. “Guess I’m weird like that.” Suddenly, I was met with a big blurry image as Roy moved his face in front of the lenses. I started, yanking my face back. “Hey, you mind?”
He pulled the binoculars away. “I was thinking. After this case is over, I want to take you out to dinner.”
“After this case is over, I’m going to be too tired to go out anywhere.”
“Okay, then. I’ll make you dinner. You can stay at my place.”
I snorted. “First of all, you can’t cook. And second, if you think for a second I’m going to sleep in your shag-motel apartment…”
“Hey, you’re the only woman allowed in my apartment.”
“You’re a terrible liar. Your apartment is too fancy to enjoy alone.”
“Well, it’s true, you know. And for your information, I can too cook.” He lifted his head proudly. “I made spaghetti last night, and it was perfect.”
I couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or facetious, but the idea of Roy trying to find his way around the kitchen was amusing in itself. Though, I had to admit, he did make great drinks. All I could say was “I’m sure it was.”
He pouted. “You don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I didn’t say that.”
“All right. So it’s settled. You’ll come over and have dinner with me.”
I fought down a smile. Never had I ever met a man so persistent. Especially when that same man used to be the annoying little boy on the block who hated girls like the plague. “I’ll think about it. Now may I please get back to my work?” I held out my hand for the binoculars.
He cracked a smile and gave them back. “Eight o’clock will be perfect.” He nestled more comfortably in the driver’s seat and closed his eyes.
I blinked. “Did you not hear what I said?”
He smirked. “Yeah. You didn’t say no.”
Slick. Real slick.
Two uneventful hours ticked by. Mitts still hadn’t shown up, and I figured he wasn’t coming at all. It baffled me that he would miss out on a potential fight. By half past noon, I’d decided it was time to check in with Chief Lewis. I reached under the front seats and groped around, snagging paperclips, crumpled slips of paper, and balls of lint.
“Got a dime?” I asked Roy.
Roy furrowed his brow. “Calling Mitts?”
“I’m done with Mitts. I need to call the chief.”
“I thought you said you weren’t getting cops involved?”
“I’m not—yet.” I pulled my empty hand from under the seats. “Look, you got a dime, or what?”
Rolling his eyes, he pulled one out of his pocket. As I was about to take it, he held it up slightly. “Kiss me for it?”
I grunted and pulled away from him. “Don’t push your luck.” I opened the back door. “I’ll call collect.”
“All right. Fine. Here.” He shoved the dime at me as I swiveled my legs out of the car.
I was still annoyed at him, but I took his dime anyway. I headed over to the nearby telephone booth and slipped inside, carefully avoiding a foul-smelling puddle of yellow liquid near my feet. I wedged the door open to let in the fresh air, but it didn’t help much. I quickly dialed the chief’s personal office number.
“Tootsie, where are you?” Chief Lewis asked with deep concern in his voice.
“Hunt’s Point.” I filled him in on the details while I kept one eye on the passersby and another on the gym’s entrance in the distance. “Think you can spare a couple of your boys in a bit?”
“Yeah, sure. Trevor and Joel are heading out to a ten-thirty-nine, but I’ll keep Andrew and Lenny on standby. Just say the word. One p.m., right?”
“That’s what they said.”
There was a brief pause. “Listen, Tootsie, and listen good. Don’t go and be a hero, all right? Curt might have outside help, and you could be caught in the crossfire. You call me the second you see him leave that gym. Got it?”
“No can do, Chief. I have no idea where they’re going. I’ll have to call you again when I get to the meeting place.”
He let out a deep sigh. “Damn it, Tootsie. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to you…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. Promise.” I ended the call and cut out of the booth. There was still no activity at the gym, so I returned to the car. As I reached for the door’s handle, I started. The passenger’s seat was now occupied. Mitts?
He took a hefty bite out of a jumbo-sized submarine sandwich, met my gaze, and waved with an awkward, cheek-bulging smile.
Geez Louise! I couldn’t believe that big lug had actually come through! I squeezed into the backseat, the pungent odor of onions and salami wafting in the car’s interior.
“Hey, Tootsie. Look who decided to finally show up.” Roy eyed me from the rearview mirror as he propped his elbow against the door and rested his cheek in his palm.
“I told you I had stuff to do.” Mitts took another bite of his sandwich.
“Yeah, yeah… And you bring all that food up in here and don’t even share?” Roy motioned to the other half of the sandwich.
Mitts rolled his eyes and tore off a tiny end-piece for Roy.
“I’ll pass,” I sa
id, before Mitts could offer me any. “You sure had me fooled. Didn’t think you’d show up, honestly.”
“Well, I’m here now, ain’t I? Though it don’t look like I missed much.”
“Tootsie finds sitting in a car for three hours staring at a building ‘exciting.’ Can you believe it?” Roy said flatly.
Mitts snickered. “Yeah, I can believe it.”
“You boys will never understand.” A wave of anxiety began filling my body as one o’clock neared. The minutes ticked by steadily, and it seemed like an eternity. A chill traveled through my body, as if someone had dropped an ice cube down my back. I should’ve been used to this by now, with all my police training, but moments like these always felt like a new experience. This plan could go very well or very, very badly. I took a few deep breaths, suppressing the ugly monster called fear. I got this.
Mitts wolfed down the rest of his sandwich, finished it off with a bottle of root beer, and belched. “Damn, that was good.”
“Sounds like it,” I said, watching the gym’s entrance. One o’clock. People came and went, but Darin didn’t leave with any of them.
“For crying out loud, man. Show a little class. There’s a lady present,” Roy grumbled.
“Tootsie ain’t a lady,” Mitts said.
“He’s right, Roy. I’m not a lady—not today.”
“Hmph. You’re always a lady in my eyes, Tootsie.”
“Yeah, well, in the eyes of criminals, I’m their worst nightmare.”
Mitts laughed. “For real.”
1:03. I tightened my grip around the binoculars as sweat began beading on my palms. Where are they? Or is this another set-up? I spotted a man in a funky brown blazer approaching the entrance. I noted the slight limp in his step, which he seemed to be trying to hide. The awkward gait made him look like was trying to find the nearest restroom instead. He placed his hand on the door, paused, and looked around. His face turned in my direction. A pair of sunglasses concealed his identity but not enough to fool me. Well, well. Hello, Mel. “Looks like they came through,” I said to Roy and Mitts as I watched Mel casually slip through the entrance. “Roy, start ’er up and get ready to go.”