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Chasing Shadows

Page 14

by C Paradee


  * * *

  Tony set the bag of Chinese food on the table. Megan was changing clothes. Neither of them had wanted to cook tonight, so they had stopped at their favorite take out place.

  Her thoughts turned briefly to their plans for tonight. She wasn’t supposed to make an appearance until 9pm even though Brian and the others would be there earlier to get in place.

  Kris was going to pick up Megan at 8pm. Brian thought very highly of the policewoman, and she had not come to the apartment for the meeting, so her identity, if they had been observed, would be unknown to Tony’s antagonist.

  Tony planned to leave around 8:30pm. She would be driving her Jeep, it would be easy to spot. Her thoughts turned dark and she smiled grimly, thinking, and then let the game begin.

  * * *

  John was casually leaning against the building near the mouth of the alley. He was hidden from the casual observer, but his position allowed him an unobstructed view of the sienna Jeep in the parking lot across the street. Should anyone see him, he looked every bit the part of someone waiting for a friend, and he added to the illusion by occasionally raising his wrist to peer at his watch.

  All the volunteers knew that the chance of a successful conclusion to this operation was small. It had not deterred any of them, though. Every officer involved in the sting considered Tony one of their own. The fact that she was an FBI agent no longer mattered. She had earned her place among them and they would do their best to protect her. They had all been at their posts for over an hour and John knew that the likelihood of their target showing up now was slim.

  John shifted his weight to his other foot and suddenly felt a blinding pain crash through his head before everything went dark.

  Sherman put the blackjack back in his pocket and smiled, satisfied that his first objective had been reached. He pulled a roll of duct tape out of his cargo pocket. The cop shouldn't wake up for a couple of minutes and when he did, Sherman wanted to make sure he couldn't give an alarm. If everything went according to plan, he would be leaving the area by the time he woke up anyway, but he would leave no room for error.

  Tearing off a strip of the duct tape, he laid the roll on the ground next to him and slapped the tape over the unconscious man's mouth, making sure it was tightly adhered to the skin. Rolling the cop over, he began securing the man's hands behind him by winding the tape around his wrists. Satisfied that he would not be able to get loose, he tore the tape and moved down to his feet, quickly and efficiently binding his ankles together in the same manner. Standing he put the duct tape back in one of his cargo pockets the whole procedure taking less than two minutes.

  Grabbing a hold of the cop under his arms, Sherman dragged him further back into the alley behind a dumpster. He had already ascertained that they were on radio silence so he shouldn't be missed anytime soon. Completing his task, Sherman melted back into the shadows intent on seeking out his next target.

  Sherman had been in place since early afternoon and had waited for the police to arrive. Their operation had been organized and planned well. The cops were strategically placed in and around the restaurant, and were well hidden. The officers inside the restaurant and the adjoining buildings would not hinder his effort. He would only concern himself with the cops stationed outside because of the potential for interference.

  * * *

  Tony sat in her car, all senses tuned to her surroundings. Brian and two other officers were in commandeered second floor locations on both sides of the street watching everyone who approached her car. If anyone got too close or looked suspicious, they were to key the radio once. There had already been three false alarms.

  Sherman sauntered down the street toward the Shopper’s Mart with his hands in his pockets. Entering the parking lot from the street, he casually ambled across the blacktop in the general direction of the Jeep. Noting nothing out of the ordinary, he moved up to the blind spot on the vehicle, just standing there nonchalantly looking around. Satisfied that no one was watching him, Sherman began moving silently up the side of the vehicle. He was pleased to note that Viglioni had her eyes trained on the restaurant across the street.

  Tony heard the radio key a moment before her acute hearing picked up the sounds of stealthy movement. Using her peripheral vision she saw a casually dressed man slowly moving forward from the rear of the Jeep. Watching his progress in the side mirror, she saw him pull a gun from his pocket and begin to raise it.

  Waiting until precisely the right moment, Tony lifted the door handle and simultaneously slammed her weight against the door, hoping to dislodge the gun. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain and the dull thud of metal impacting against blacktop.

  In one fluid motion, she grabbed her nine-millimeter and began exiting the car. The force of the blow had backed her assailant away, and she knew she would have to use the small advantage she had gained very quickly.

  Sherman had just begun to turn toward Tony, when the door caught him squarely in the stomach and he doubled over in pain, muttering, "Fucking Bitch." At a distinct disadvantage, he knew he needed to get the gun from the ground, but she was getting out of the car way too quickly. Raising up from his bent over position, Sherman balled up his right fist and drove it upward into her chin.

  Watching her stumble backward and hit her head against the door frame of the Jeep, he snarled, "You've met your match this time."

  Bending over and reaching for the gun, he was startled to hear, "Stop. Police," accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. Growling a curse, escape foremost in his mind, he forgot about retrieving the gun and began running down the street with Brian and another officer close behind him.

  Momentarily stunned by a combination of the vicious sucker punch and the impact of her head against the door frame, Tony saw an amazing multicolored light display in front of her eyes. Right after Sherman voiced his threat, she heard someone shout, "Stop. Police," and saw her assailant take off running, with Brian and one of the locals in hot pursuit.

  Megan was inside the store furtively watching Tony. Her view blocked by the Jeep, all she could see was the top of her partner’s head when she began exiting the vehicle. When Tony fell back against the car, Megan bolted through the door of the store, any thought of danger to herself secondary to the automatic response to her lover’s distress.

  Pushing off the car, Tony barely regained her balance before she was off and running. She heard the sound of shoes hitting pavement behind her and knew another officer had joined in the chase. Her long legs ate up the ground quickly, and within seconds she left the sound behind, steadily gaining on Brian and the other officer pounding down the street in Sherman's wake.

  Megan got to the Jeep in time to see the back of her partner as she raced off down the street. She called out to her partner to stop but the plea met deaf ears, and Megan shook her head and leaned against the vehicle, thinking, at least she must not be hurt too bad. Did I really think I was going to stop her? Shaking her head at the silly notion, she walked to the door of the jeep that was still hanging ajar, and sat down in the front seat.

  Tony lengthened her stride and her adrenaline filled body responded to her demands with a burst of speed. She drew even with Brian and the other cop and surged ahead closing the distance between her and her target. Dodging people walking down the sidewalk, and focused solely on the man in front of her, she could no longer hear the other pursuers.

  Sherman had purposely stayed on the well traveled street darting around the people out for a stroll on the warm, humid night. He needed to increase his distance from his pursuers and knew they wouldn't take a chance of firing their weapons at him because of the civilians on the street.

  Taking a quick look over his shoulder, he was startled to see the tall, dark woman closing the distance between them rapidly. The cops had been left far behind. Sherman thought quickly. She still had the gun in her hand, and while he was confident he could disarm her, he couldn't take the chance of locals catching up and overwhelming him by sheer
numbers.

  Seeing a group of civilians across the street oblivious to the ongoing chase, he ran out into the middle of the traffic dodging cars running directly into the group of people. Brutally shoving his way to the center of the group, he grabbed the arm of a young woman yanking her forward and then kicking her feet out from under her before forcefully shoving her to the ground. Savagely elbowing his way past the others, he broke into a dead run again, knowing that the chaos he had caused should slow the other operative down.

  Tony followed close behind losing a couple steps while dodging cars in the busy street amidst the sound of squealing brakes and honking horns. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Sherman knock the woman down, but she was already being helped to her feet by one of the other women in the group. Dodging the innocent bystanders who had been drawn into the drama on the street, but losing a few precious feet in the process, she once again delved deeply within herself, demanding more from her body and began closing the distance that remained between her and the man she was chasing.

  Sherman looked back over his shoulder and felt a brief flicker of concern. Raising his hand and wiping the sweat from his face, he thought, Damn woman just keeps coming. He suddenly smiled at a gift fate handed him. Two boys were riding their bicycles toward him. Running between them, he grabbed the smaller of the two, jerking him off his bike and kicking the bicycle into the other youth causing him to fall.

  Sherman savagely smacked the kid hard across the face stunning him. With his large hand gripping the thin arm of the youngster, he half carried and half dragged him to the curb. Picking up the kid by his T-shirt and the waist band of his shorts, he heaved him into the street with enough force the boy stumbled, unable to get his balance and fell into the path of the oncoming traffic. The boy lay there frozen, his eyes wide with terror, as cars began slamming on their brakes, burning rubber into the road, attempting to avoid the living obstacle in their path. The angry honking of horns broke the silence of the evening and pedestrians began screaming and yelling when they realized the kid was petrified and unable to move.

  Sherman faded behind the gathering group of civilians, too caught up in the terror in the street to notice him. Making sure he caught Tony's eye as she altered her path, he nodded, giving her a cocky two finger salute before turning and sprinting down the street.

  Cursing silently at the ruthless maneuver, Tony reacted instantly and altered her path into the street. After several near misses while dodging the moving cars, she grabbed the kid by the arm and pulled him to his feet shielding him from the oncoming traffic with her body until they reached the safety of the sidewalk.

  Leaning over, placing her hand on his shoulder, Tony asked, "You ok?" Sherman had slapped him pretty hard and there was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. Shaking, the kid looked at her with awe filled eyes and shook his head up and down.

  Satisfied that he was just scared and not hurt, she raced off down the street. Brian and the other two cops had caught up, but their target was gone. He could have turned down any one of a number of alleys or side streets. Not willing to give up, she began loping along at an easy pace, the locals joining her, as she ran up the street glancing down each opening she passed, hoping against hope to catch some glimpse of him. The few minutes it had taken her to rescue the child and make sure he was all right was all the head start her adversary had needed. Finally giving up the futile search, she slowed to a walk, the evening breeze cooling the thin sheen of sweat covering her body.

  Sherman had reconnoitered the area earlier and planned several avenues of escape should they become necessary. When he finally succeeded in delaying Viglioni, he turned down the first alley he came to. Sherman ran across several backyards, vaulting several fences in the process until he came to the mouth of another alley. Running down the alley, he approached the rear of a three-story apartment building. With practiced ease, he jumped up and grabbed the bottom rung of the fire escape quickly making his way to the roof.

  Sherman lay flat for a half hour to make sure he wasn’t being observed. When he was satisfied, he took off his jacket and then removed the thin surgical gloves he was wearing. Pulling a cap out of the jacket pocket, he put it on his head. After thoroughly checking the area again, he exited the roof.

  Walking nonchalantly up the alley in his baseball cap and T-shirt, Sherman turned onto Fleet, walking some of the very same ground he had run down earlier, giving every indication of being one of the locals on his way to the bus stop.

  Tony and Brian walked side by side back toward the Red Chimney restaurant. Brian was concerned about the whereabouts of two of his men that had not joined in the pursuit.

  Taking his radio off his belt, he said, "Unit one to Unit three. Come in." He was relieved a moment later to hear, "Unit one, this is Unit three. Over."

  The big man asked, "What's your 10-20?"

  "Parking lot across from the Red Chimney. Units 5 and 6 are with me," the officer reported.

  Brian said, "Unit One, out." He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat from his face. Musing out loud, he said, "Doesn't make sense. What in the hell are they doing back there? Kris is the only one who was supposed to stay behind."

  Tony had no idea and shrugged her shoulders. Her thoughts were on her assailant. Ruthless Bastard. What kind of lowlife places a child in jeopardy just to save their own ass? What if she hadn't got there in time? It was common practice to use diversionary tactics when being pursued, but there were certain lines a professional just did not cross and Tony knew she was dealing with a professional of some kind.. Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled grimly thinking about what she'd like to do when she got a hold of him.

  Brian looked over at Tony and felt a chill. She had a professional aura that was frightening, even to him. But right now, she literally oozed danger. He had only seen this persona once before, and he still remembered the fear he'd felt when she had literally dragged him from his chair blaming him for placing Megan into the hands of a madman. Looking away, Brian almost felt sorry for Sherman. Almost, but not quite.

  Megan, Kris and the other two officers saw Tony and Brian approaching. Megan left the group and quickly walked toward her partner, feeling a sense of relief. Tony appeared to be fine. But she was not prepared for the cold faraway look in her partner's eyes and felt a chill when she gazed into them.

  Softly, she asked, "Tony, what's wrong?" and tentatively placed a hand on her forearm. She had been listening to the radio conversation between Kris and one of the other officers and knew Sherman had gotten away, but normally her partner would've just taken that in stride. Something must have happened to elicit this kind of reaction, and Megan found it frightening.

  Tony shoved her dark thoughts aside and looked at her concerned lover. The dangerous glint began fading from Tony's eyes and she said, "The bastard tossed a kid into the middle of the street to get away." Tony looked away for a moment. "I expect that from the lowlife's I usually deal with, but he is supposed to be a professional."

  No wonder her partner was angry. Worried, Megan asked, "Is the child ok?"

  Tony placed her hand on Megan's shoulder needing the comfort the contact afforded her. Meeting her partner's worried eyes, she said, "Yes. He's ok. Two of Brian's guys are with him now getting a statement. They'll contact his mother and make sure he gets home ok."

  Remembering Brian's comment about the officers that were left behind, she asked, "What's with Kevin and John? How come they stayed here? Kris was the only one that was supposed to stay behind."

  Megan narrowed her eyes. She had her own suspicions about that. When she asked the officer why she wasn't joining in the chase, Kris had told her she wanted to make sure he didn't circle back to the restaurant. "She stayed behind because of me, didn't she?"

  Tony looked at her lover, a small smile appearing on her face. "You didn't think I was going to leave you out here alone with this guy on the loose, did you?" she said, gently squeezing Megan's shoulder.

  The irritat
ion Megan had initially felt faded. She knew on occasion Tony could be overprotective, but it was so comforting to know she could always count on her partner. No, Tony wouldn't leave her alone if she thought there was any chance of danger and she loved that feeling.

  Smiling wryly at her partner, she said, "No. Don't guess you would."

  Tony grinned, and said, "Glad you see it my way. So, why did the other two stay behind?"

  Megan looked at her partner, shaking her head. "You're not going to believe this. After you guys took off, Kris came over to the Jeep where I was sitting. She asked me if I'd seen John or Kevin. When I told her no, she tried to raise them on the radio and couldn't get an answer. So then we both went to their posts." Megan brushed a stray hair out of her face and continued, "We found both of them bound with duct tape. The last thing they remembered was being hit on the head. Neither one heard a thing. I checked them out and they're ok."

  Tony listened silently. He had the advantage by knowing what they looked like. Had he been suspicious it was a setup or was he just being extremely cautious and not taking any chances? She didn't know, but then it really didn't matter any way. The operation had failed.

  Just then Brian came stalking over, his face dark with anger. Looking at Tony, he said, "Do you know what that bastard did?"

  Tony met his gaze, and said, "Yeah. Megan just told me. He had a trump card and he played it. He knows what we look like. That gave him an advantage."

  Brian nodded, still angry. "Well, this was a total bust. Now what?"

  Tony ran a hand through her hair, and looked off into the distance. Good Question. Now what was right? Turning back to face Brian, she said, "We wait for him to make the next move. The ball is in his court. Right now, we have no idea what he looks like or anything else about him except it's likely he is a professional, so we just wait."

  Brian sighed. "All we can do really. Watch your ass," Brian said, and began to walk away. Turning around looking pointedly at Megan, he added, "Both of you."

 

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