by Rick Polad
“Well, as it turns out… seems another guy went in the back door. He finds Billy in the kitchen sneaking a piece of cherry pie and grabs him by the collar. Billy yells, and your dog appears out of nowhere and clamps onto the guy’s leg. He’s screaming and pulls his gun. As he’s trying to aim it at the dog Maxine runs in, grabs an iron skillet, and bashes him in the head.”
By the time he was done, I was laughing too. I would have loved to have seen that.
“Extra biscuits for Watson,” I said. “Are either of these guys talking?”
“Front door just wants his lawyer. Back door is a bit out of sorts. Doc says he has no idea how long he’ll be unconscious.”
“I’m having dinner with Stosh. I’ll fill him in and see what we can find out on this end.”
“Probably nothing, but I’ll keep working on this guy.”
“Thanks, Chief. I owe you.”
“Add it to the list. You want me to keep my man there?”
“I think so. Probably over, but doesn’t hurt to be safe.”
“You got it. He’ll be happy. He’s raving about the food.”
We hung up, and ten seconds later I saw Stosh walking toward the car. He got in, and I filled him in. By the time I was done, we were both laughing.
“These guys aren’t your top-of-the-line thugs,” Stosh said as I pulled out of the spot. “Beaten by an old guy in a rocker and a lady with a skillet.”
“And Watson the wonder dog,” I said.
He nodded. “And Watson the wonder dog.”
***
When I got home, I called the inn and got the story again from Aunt Rose… with a few embellishments. She couldn’t wait to tell her bridge group.
Chapter 44
I figured the pool hall would be crowded on a Saturday night. I was right. Ralph was sitting on a barstool watching two games and sipping a scotch on the rocks. If given a choice, that was his. He saw me, nodded, and joined me in the last booth before the bathrooms. Not exactly the best ambience, but more private. He set his drink down, and a waitress showed up. I ordered a Pabst.
“You want to do act three?” Ralph asked.
“Yes, but it’s a different scene. As you and others have pointed out, Bast did and said things that are suspicious and perhaps incriminating, but they won’t hold up in court. Everything about this has his name all over it, so we’re going to up the ante.”
He was sipping his scotch, waiting for me to explain. I told him about Raymond and the affair I was sure Bast had with Jeanne and the incident in Door county.
“If I’m right, Bast has been behind everything, including trying to get rid of me. And I think Nadem is in it with him.”
“So every time you poke Nadem, Bast hears about it.”
“And Nadem tells Bast to do something about it.”
He nodded. “Makes sense to me.”
“We need a different trap, one that’s more alluring. He has two interests, drugs and me. I’m hoping he’ll think he can kill two birds with one stone.”
“And where do I come in?”
“He already knows you’re a blackmailer. So I figure he’ll have no trouble believing the story you give him.”
He finished his drink and signaled the waitress.
“Speaking of which,” he said, “I told him I’d get back to him yesterday. Probably wondering what the hell is going on.”
“I think that works in our favor. You’re going to tell him something better came up. We’ll give the mouse a piece of cheese he can’t resist.”
I explained the plan, part of which was I needed a building somewhere on the near north side for a meet, a warehouse with cover. He said he’d start looking.
Ralph wasn’t one to sit and chat. I downed the rest of my beer, and he took his drink back to his barstool.
I was tempted to stay and watch him play, but it had been a long two days. An early evening sounded good.
Chapter 45
I was in the office when Ralph called on Tuesday. He had found a building he thought would work. It was two blocks south of North Avenue on Pierce in the first block west of Ashland. It was a warehouse owned by a friend of a friend who was willing to provide access for a mere two fifty. The location was perfect… not in Bast’s precinct but in Stosh’s. If the layout was right, we were on. I called Stosh. He was available at three. I picked him up and then drove to the pool hall and got Ralph.
Ralph had the key to the rear entrance off the alley. I drove through the alley first. There were warehouse or manufacturing buildings on both sides. I parked on the street, and we walked around the back. The meeting would be at night, but even in the afternoon we saw no one else in the alley.
There was enough light to see during the day from high windows along the rear wall. But at night we’d need lights. I sent Ralph to find the switches.
The layout of the warehouse was perfect. There was an open space with tables in the middle of several aisles with twenty-foot-high shelves stacked with boxes. Plenty of spots for cover.
Stosh and I stood and waited. The place was dead quiet… as quiet as a Monday church.
A minute later a bank of lights came on, and Ralph joined us a minute after that. It was too bright for my liking, and I asked Ralph if some could be turned off. He said he had flipped two switches and would try one. The lights dimmed to what I thought would work.
The three of us walked the aisles and laid out a plan. The open space was perfect for meeting Bast, and there were spaces between the boxes on the shelves that would let someone in adjacent aisles see the open space. Stosh and Ralph agreed that it would work. They then added the opinion that if I was wrong about all of this, there would be hell to pay on many fronts.
I went over my plan again. We had the same options we had in the apartment. There were only two possibilities. Either Bast was guilty or not. If he was and bit on the cheese, then Stosh would be there with the troops. If Bast pulled out his badge and acted like a cop, then Ralph and I would plead guilty, and Stosh and his troops would stay hidden and slip away.
Stosh pointed out that Bast would probably come with backup either way. I agreed.
“So, what’s next?” he asked.
“The first step is to send another note to Bast inviting him to a meeting.”
“And if he ignores it?”
“Can’t see him doing that. The cop would want to catch the bad guy. The bad guy wants the cheese. Either way, he shows up. And second, I drop in on him and see if he shares the note with me.”
Stosh smiled. “You do like to poke at hornets’ nests.”
“Might tell me something,” I said.
Ralph was leaning against a large steel table pretending he didn’t have a horse in the race. But I knew he was paying attention. The table top was just above his waist and had a shelf halfway down to the floor.
“Won’t tell you crap,” Stosh said. “He reacts the same way no matter which way he leans. You won’t know until he plays his cards at the warehouse.”
“Maybe not. But a fellow’s gotta have some fun.”
I looked at Ralph. “You have any questions?”
He stood away from the table. “We still have our go-to-jail deal?”
I assured him we did.
“Great, looks like I’m going to need it.”
On the way out he turned off the lights.
While I was driving them back I told them I’d send Bast a note Wednesday morning and stop by his office in the afternoon. The note would say there would be a meeting Thursday at nine PM. He’d find out the location Thursday at five. We wanted to be set up before he had a chance to look at the warehouse. So we’d be in and ready by five. I told Ralph I’d pick him up at four. Stosh would meet us.
After I dropped Ralph, Stosh asked, “What the hell’s a go-to-jail deal?”
I told
him if any of my people were ever arrested they would get a bonus large enough to make it worthwhile… and a free attorney. He said that was a benefit most companies didn’t offer. I pointed out that I wasn’t like most companies. He agreed, but he didn’t sound like he thought that was a good thing.
I pulled into the station lot and said, “I haven’t gotten the usual lecture about the crazy things I do.”
He took his hand off the door handle. “Nope.”
“And not only are you not lecturing, you’re participating.”
“Yup.”
“Can’t help wondering why.”
“Because they went after our family. This is personal.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. This wasn’t about Reynolds anymore… it was personal.
“And you’re doing it without any hard evidence,” I said.
“Nope. Listen, kid… I don’t usually agree with how you do things, and you haven’t been doing it very long in the grand scheme of things. But you’ve been right every damn time. I’m going with your gut. If you say this is Bast, and it does look like it, this is bad… it’s worse than bad. And I want part of it.”
“Thanks, Stosh. That means a lot to me.”
He smiled and popped the door open. “And if it ain’t him, I ease on out of there like fog and you’re on your own.”
“Nice.”
As he walked away, I thought about what he had said. I had grown up thinking Stosh was part of the family, kinda like an uncle. But the word family had never been mentioned by him until now. I smiled as he walked into the building.
Chapter 46
I sent a message to Bast Wednesday morning.
There’s a new plan. We are in control of a large shipment. We don’t want to do business with the gangs and need help with marketing. We believe we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement. The evidence in our possession would be part of the agreement. If you are interested, meet us at nine PM tomorrow evening. Come alone. The location will be sent to you tomorrow.
***
I walked into Bast’s office a little before three. His desk was covered with a map of the west side and several files.
“Looks like fun,” I said.
“Not much fun, but good job security. Close the door, and have a seat.”
I pushed the door closed and pulled the wooden chair in front of his desk. “If I’m going to be coming here this much I’m gonna buy a better chair.”
He ignored that, pulled out a drawer, and handed me a piece of paper. “What do you think of this?”
What I thought about it was that something I was hoping for had appeared. It was obviously a copy of the note I had sent, but the sentence about evidence had been removed. That would have prompted questions he didn’t want to answer, if anyone saw it, like me. But if he wasn’t dirty it wouldn’t have mattered.
“Who was this sent to?” I asked.
“Me.”
“Really? Pretty vague. Any idea what it means?”
“No clue.”
“Large shipment of what?”
He shook his head and looked confused. “My guess is drugs, but it could be clown hats for all I know.”
“Okay, let’s assume drugs. This is worded like whoever it is is cutting you in on the deal.”
“It is, isn’t it.”
“And you have no clue?”
“None.”
“Could be tied into whoever planted the drugs in my car.”
“Could be.”
Someone knocked on his door.
“Later,” he said.
“How was it delivered?”
“It was in this envelope.” He pulled an envelope out of the same drawer with Bast’s name and “Personal” written below it. “It was left with the desk sergeant. Nobody needed a signature… just dropped it off and left.”
“Prints?”
“None.”
“It says they’ll let you know the place tomorrow.”
He nodded.
“Could you detain whoever delivers the next message?”
“Already got it covered. But it probably won’t help. Just a messenger service, and my guess is there’s a paper trail that won’t lead anywhere.”
There was another knock with the same response from Bast.
“So are you going to meet?”
“I am. Would you like to come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. What about the come alone part?”
“They got that from TV.”
“Maybe. But you gotta assume these people aren’t stupid. Probably be watching.”
His phone rang. He answered and told whoever it was he’d get back to them.
“Probably, but I can say you’re my partner. No deal without you.”
I nodded.
“Manning, last week you said you hadn’t told Lieutenant Powolski about the evidence.”
I nodded again.
“How much have you shared about all of this?”
“Nothing. I haven’t seen him much since all this started.”
“Good. Keep this under your hat, okay?”
“Sure.” I smiled. “You want all the credit, eh?”
He smiled back. “Doesn’t hurt. I wouldn’t mind moving up. I’ve got retirement to think about.”
***
I’d have to call Stosh and Ralph and let them know about the change in plans. Bast was going to let me know when the meet time would be, and he wanted me to meet him a block from the location and walk in with him. I didn’t like that idea, but I didn’t see any way around it without making him suspicious.
Chapter 47
I was sitting in the office waiting for Bast’s call with the luxury of knowing when that call would come. The message with the location would be delivered at five. I was sure Bast wouldn’t leave the office before then. I was also sure he had been lying about giving the desk sergeant a heads up about the delivery service… unless, of course, I was completely wrong about all this. Then Ralph would get his bonus, and we’d all have a good laugh.
Bast called at ten after five and gave me the address and time. He wanted me to meet him a block away from the building at eight thirty. That gave us a half hour to talk about strategy. I figured the strategy had already been decided on with whomever else he was bringing to take care of his hidden agenda… hidden from me, that is.
I called Stosh and Ralph and told them the bait had been taken. I had no worries that both of them would take care of their end of things.
***
I turned onto Pierce and parked at twenty after eight. I got out of the car and adjusted my shoulder holster with the .357 Magnum in it under my jacket. Then I reached back in and took my Taurus out of the glove compartment and snugged it into my belt in the small of my back. Bast pulled up behind me five minutes later. He sat in his car until another car pulled in back of him two minutes after that. Bast got out of his car, followed by two men from the car behind him. They were both bigger than me or Bast. I joined them on the sidewalk next to Bast’s Buick.
“I thought you were told to come alone,” I said to Bast.
He laughed. “Right. Like this guy’s gonna be alone. I’m not walking into a trap without backup.”
“You think this is a trap?”
“Wasn’t born yesterday, Manning. If it goes down smooth, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
I glanced at the two thugs. They were just staring at me with blank expressions.
“You carrying, Manning?”
“Yup. My .357 Magnum in a shoulder holster.” I showed him.
He nodded. “Good. Might come in handy.”
“Let’s hope not.”
As we walked, I asked, “These two guys cops?”
“Sort of.”
I just nodded.
***
The alley door was unlocked.
“You stay right behind me, Manning,” Bast said.
He didn’t have anything to say to the other two. They’d already been told.
The lighting was dim, and there was no noise. Bast led the way slowly down an aisle toward the center of the floor, walking like he owned the joint. His confidence made me nervous. As we walked out of the shelving units into the open area the light brightened a bit. I looked behind me. The two men had disappeared. Bast had a plan that he hadn’t shared with me. And I was sure dealing with me was part of that plan.
Ralph and another man I didn’t know were standing on the opposite side of the table from us. On the table was a clear plastic bin filled with several baggies full of some white substance. My guess was powdered sugar.
Bast walked to within twenty feet of the table with me at his side.
“So, we meet again,” he said to Ralph. “Okay, I’m here. I hope you have more to say than last time.”
“Last time?” I asked.
He ignored me.
“I told you to come alone,” Ralph said.
Bast laughed. “Right. I’m just as alone as you are. Who’s the goon next to you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“And both answers are meaningless. Let’s just say insurance. So talk,” Bast said.
“I have the evidence that puts someone away for the killing.”
“But you’re keeping that in your pocket,” Bast said. “So you either don’t have any evidence, or you want something else.”
Ralph nodded. The man next to him was slowly scanning the area.
“As I said in the note, we have come across a deal that’s too good to pass up.” He nodded at the bin. “This is a sample. But we need help, and we don’t want to go to the Prophets. Your name came up.”
“Yeah? How did that happen?”
Ralph shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is whether you want in or not.”
“And if I say yes, the evidence comes along with the deal?”
So far, no one had mentioned drugs. Bast already knew Ralph was fond of recordings.
