“She’s probably up in the canyon preparing an ambush.” Vonne spun the van around and headed back down the dusty road. At the end, she took a left toward the gate.
“I doubt she’s there yet. I turned all the horses out to pasture before I left.”
“Then they’ll take the truck.”
“Not on four flat tires.”
“Damn, you’re good!” She could see several sets of headlights gathered at the gate. “I’m going to let you out here and head back. I think Liza’s in for trouble.”
“All right. Take that last cutoff before you get to the barn. There’s a horse tied behind the bathhouse, saddled and ready.” Dominick took the automatic pistol from his belt and replaced the clip. “And take this, Lieutenant.”
Vonne smiled at the address, one she hadn’t heard for several years. “Thanks. And be careful with that gate.”
“You be careful. Astrid Becker’s crazy.”
yx
“Is ... that ... all you ... know ... how ... to do?” Vonne groaned as the horse bounced her mercilessly in a trot up the path to the supply shed. A quick look around the ranch had confirmed all of the hands were gone, most likely headed on foot to the canyon, where Astrid would make her stand. She had to get to Liza, no matter what.
Vonne brought the obstinate beast to a stop when she crossed the zigzag road for the third time. She was less than two hundred yards from the shed, but it would be suicide to continue on this path. She had to find another way into the canyon, and the best bet was the stream that crossed the road about fifty yards from where she was now stopped.
“You get to stay in the woods and eat all the weeds you want.” She tethered the reins and hurried as quietly as she could along the road, entering the woods again at the stream to start her trek uphill.
After fifteen minutes of steep climbing, she crested the ridge. From this vantage point, she could see lights moving about, as though people were carrying flashlights or lanterns. She heard shouting, including one voice that was unmistakably Astrid’s. Carefully, she picked her way down the rocky slope into the thick brush that lined the canyon wall. She could make out the shapes of vehicles, probably jeeps and trucks, moving into a broad semi-circle around the mouth of the canyon. This was where they would stage their ambush.
Vonne crept closer, straining her eyes in the dark to find Liza. She spotted a lone figure sitting at the base of a large boulder near the entrance. Several hands worked nearby, positioning two 55-gallon drums on either side. Gasoline bombs. Astrid intended to blow up the agents as they stormed the canyon, and Liza would be right at the center of the explosions.
Vonne scrambled back up the ridge and down the path by the stream, frantic to stop the assault. When she reached the road, she could see the caravan zigzagging up the hillside. She waited in the woods until they reached her, six four-wheel drive vehicles, each carrying four or five agents. Then she jumped into the center of the road and waved her arms wildly.
“You can’t go through the pass. She’s got it rigged to blow up.”
Dominick nodded and looked to his chief, who was driving the lead vehicle. “Is there another way in?”
“Follow me. You might want to drive a couple of these vehicles up that way so she won’t get suspicious. But get the hell out of there when you reach the shed.”
The senior agent pulled to the side of the road and relayed their strategy to two of the trailing vehicles, which continued on to the shed. Then, two dozen armed agents set out on foot behind Vonne. When they reached the top of the ridge, she showed them the lay of the land. Dominick added more information from his brief stint working in the canyon on Astrid’s military drills.
“We’ll take it from here,” said the agent in charge. “You should go on back down to the road and wait.”
“You can do whatever you want,” Vonne answered. “But I’m going for Liza. It’s my fault she’s down there, and I’m not even sure whose side she’s on. I just hope I can get her to trust me.”
Dominick spoke up. “We’ll cover you if we can, but look out, because things are going to get pretty wild.”
“You guys too.” And with a final nod, Vonne was gone, slinking through the brush around the perimeter, stopping within only a few yards of Liza’s position. Even in the dim light, she could see that the woman was bound and gagged, left as bait for the would-be rescuers. “Psssstt ... Liza!”
Their eyes met, and Vonne could see her fear and desperation.
“Are you wired?”
Liza shook her head, and Vonne scrambled forward and pulled the duct tape from her mouth.
“The barrels are full of gas,” Liza whispered. “Astrid’s going to blow them up when somebody tries to get through.”
“We need to get you out of here fast!” She worked hard to pull the ropes from Liza’s wrists.
“You’re clever, Vonne. I’ll give you that.”
Both women turned to find Astrid emerging from the shadows, her pistol aimed directly at Vonne.
“We’re not part of your war, Astrid. Let us go.” As she locked eyes with her assailant, Vonne reached slowly behind her for the pistol she had tucked into her belt.
“Your kind is the whole reason for this war,” she practically growled. “Get away from her.”
Vonne took a step backward and drew her gun. “Run, Liza!”
Her words were drowned by the retort from Astrid’s pistol, a shot to Vonne’s shoulder that knocked her to the ground and caused her to drop her gun. Astrid drew closer as Liza cowered, but Vonne’s long leg swept her off her feet. She fell backward, striking her head against a rock.
“We have to hurry,” Vonne grunted, pressing hard against her bleeding wound.
Liza worked her ropes and finally shook her hands free.
Astrid struggled to sit up, her hand going immediately to the knot on the back of her head. Liza jumped up and kicked the gun out of her reach. “Let’s go!” She helped Vonne to her feet and they hobbled quickly toward the perimeter.
“Stop them,” Astrid gasped, her voice not strong enough to reach the ranch hands, who were in position deeper into the canyon. “Stop them ... Now!” she shouted.
From a hundred yards away, the two hands heard the command they had been instructed to wait for. One nodded to the other, who touched the two wires together, igniting the massive fireball that would claim Astrid Becker.
yx
Vonne opened her eyes suddenly and blinked, aware she wasn’t alone in the dark room.
“Hey.” It was a warm voice … from someone sitting in the chair by her right shoulder.
“Liza?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” She stood and took a step closer to the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Sore.” Vonne squirmed in her bed to loosen up her stiff joints. “What time is it?”
“Almost ten. You’ve been in and out of it all day.”
“I don’t remember coming here.”
“You lost a lot of blood.” Liza sat down on the edge of the bed. “They said you’d be all right, but it scared us all anyway.” She rattled a vial. “Did anyone show you this? It’s your bullet.”
Vonne took the vial and turned it in her hand. “Was anybody else ...?”
“No, just you ... and Astrid, of course. The agents got the drop on the others when the bombs went off. Those guys never had a clue they were surrounded.”
“I’m sorry about Astrid. I didn’t want that to happen.”
Liza took a deep breath and sighed. “Ironic … she got caught in her own trap. I can’t help but feel like it was my fault.”
“Why? You couldn’t have stopped her.”
Liza shrugged. “I should have realized it, though. So many secrets … I just didn’t want to see it so I tuned it out. They’re never going to believe my statement.”
“Yes, they will. I’ll tell them the same thing.”
“But you didn’t let Astrid manipulate you the way I did.”
“She wasn’t wrong about everything, Li
za. She was a smart woman, and some of the things she believed in would make this country a better place. She just carried things too far.”
“And we all helped her, whether we knew it or not.”
“I always knew you weren’t part of it.”
An uncomfortable silence reigned as each woman gathered her thoughts about what else needed to be said. Liza scooted closer, resting her hand on Vonne’s leg. “I met your friend Jerry.”
“You didn’t kill him, did you?”
Liza chuckled slightly. “No, he was in here with you most of the day. I felt sorry for him and let him live. But I’m not letting him inside my head.”
Vonne reached up and cradled Liza’s cheek with her palm. “There’s nothing wrong with your head.”
Liza took her hand and intertwined their fingers. “I guess I’ll be heading back to Orange County day after tomorrow.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I need to help Robb sort out the company’s mess. We’ll meet with the board and probably file for bankruptcy.”
“Then what?”
Liza shrugged. “Then I’ll have to start looking for a job … or run away again to another ranch.” She said the last bit with a wry smile.
“Come to Sausalito.”
Liza shook her head. “I don’t think I should.”
“Why not?”
“Because … I don’t trust where we stand, Vonne. I don’t know what parts are real for either of us.”
“Everything I felt about you was real.” Vonne struggled to sit up. “I admit that I took advantage … When I asked you that night to leave with me, I thought it would be the easiest way for both of us to walk out. But everything I said about wanting you to come back to Sausalito with me was true.”
Liza pulled their joined hands to her chest. “It was real for me too.”
“Then give us a chance.”
Soft white light flooded the room as the door was pushed open by a uniformed nurse. “You’ll need to be going soon. Our patient needs her rest.”
Liza nodded and looked back at Vonne. “There’s something else. When Ray and Lorna took you away ...”
“Dominick—”
“I know. He told me. But …” She shook her head and sighed.
“What is it?” Vonne took her hand and tenderly rubbed her thumb across the knuckles, finally pulling them to her lips for a soft kiss.
“How do I live with knowing that I almost got you killed?”
“You let it go because it didn’t happen.” Vonne’s words had no effect on Liza’s look of guilt. “When I saw you tied up at the canyon pass between those two barrels, I knew I was the one who had put you there. We’re both going to have to live with regrets about things … but they didn’t happen, Liza.”
Liza nodded solemnly.
“And it will be easier for me to forgive myself if I can look up and be reminded by your smile that everything turned out all right.”
The mention of a smile was enough to soften Liza’s worried look. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” She lowered her head and they shared a gentle kiss. As she started to leave Vonne grabbed her hand.
“Thanks for being here.”
Liza squeezed her hand and dropped one more kiss on her brow. Then she was gone.
Vonne lay still for almost an hour, her mind bombarded by the brutal images from the past couple of weeks—the young couple that disappeared, Billy’s lifeless body, and Astrid shrieking as she burned to death. She envisioned Liza, captive between the two deadly bombs, and imagined her screaming as the barrels blew.
Each time, she calmed herself with the memory of Liza’s warm hand, her soft lips, and her promise to return tomorrow. And finally, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
Narc Redux
Susan X Meagher
The Set-Up
I started to walk toward the restaurant as usual, trying to put on my game face. It shouldn’t be that hard to look like a slightly used, morally flexible waitress, but it was kind of a stretch for me. It probably sounds silly, but it actually takes the whole ten-minute walk to get into character. I was so intent on putting the wiggle in my hips that I almost made a big error, a very big error. Luckily, I put on the brakes before anyone spotted me. Anyone that I could see, that is. I’m sure someone’s on his radio right now, ready to wet his pants, saying, “Detective Grady’s approaching Sergeant Randolph! Please instruct!”
Calm down, fellas. I’m not gonna wave and cry out, “Hi, Sergeant! Ready for the big bust?” It’s not my fault you guys scheduled this for half an hour before my shift starts. Of course, I assume no one bothered to check to see when my shift starts, but if you’re gonna stick a girl in this dump for six months, it might be nice to make sure she’s on duty when the payoff hits.
I was just about to make a hard left to go into the service entrance of Taverna Ptomaine when I paused just long enough to check her out. I’d only seen her once before, but I had to admit I had what could unkindly be called a schoolgirl’s crush on Sergeant Randolph.
Yes, it’s childish, but she’s the kind of cop I’d like to grow up to be. She’s probably in her mid-thirties, and everyone knows she’ll make lieutenant this year … even if this bust doesn’t go down. She’s one of those women that people don’t fuck with. But looking at her up close, all you notice is her cool professionalism. She looks like she really owns that sweet BMW she’s driving. And that suit looks like it cost two thousand dollars. It’s a good return on investment though, ’cause it makes her look like a million bucks. She looks exactly like a big time drug dealer who never touches the stuff. All business.
I looked away, not wanting to take the chance of her seeing me. Not like she’d know me if she did. As I said, I’d only seen her once, and she was addressing a crowd big enough that it could have started its own slow-pitch softball league. It must be nice to get a hot car, a great wardrobe, and enough manpower to fill an articulated bus; and I intend to find out for myself … eventually.
But before I can convince people I’m a high-level drug dealer I’ve got to start looking more like an important woman and less like a cheap whore.
I’ve got a few special outfits to match my cover. My bra is far too small, but it makes my boobs look like they’re going to escape at any minute. The guys here love that. And I always wear a blouse that might have fit me in grade school. If you’re in the market for a lot of attention to be paid to your boobs, The Gap makes the perfect blouse. It’s a cotton/poly blend, short sleeved, tailored, and it has a bit of stretch in it. I bought it in pink, lime, and orange, and I always leave two buttons undone. Thank God my husband never sees me leave for work. He’s up and gone by seven, so I have time for a leisurely breakfast before I have to get into my strumpet clothes. It’s barely spring, so I’ve been able to wear a long coat home every night. Tim’s aware of my comings and goings, but we’ve been married for three years and we’re past the point where he jumps up and follows me into the bedroom just to watch me undress. Still, it’s for sure that he’d notice the makeup, so I bought some of those makeup remover pads and keep them in my purse. I get a few looks on the El when I’m cleaning my face like a twelve-year-old girl going home to her overprotective parents, but even at that, I’m far from being the strangest sight on the El.
Tim knows about my assignment, of course. It’s just that he knows Sonny and the types of goons who hang around him. No man would like to know that his wife is trying to get a bunch of perverts to hit on her so she might be able to squeeze a little info out of them.
Actually, even though I’ve done my best to keep Tim in the dark about my daily activities, I’ve been amazed that he hasn’t noticed most of the bruises on my butt and thighs. Luckily, I’m a bit of a klutz, so I was able to explain away the one lurid bruise he noticed when we were making love in the shower. Since then, I’ve tried to lure him into bed, where we keep the lights nice and low or, even better, off.
You might wonder why Tim knows anything about Sonn
y. That’s because we’re a two-cop family. Tim’s a legacy. His dad and his uncle were both cops. I’d deny having said this, but even though it was a natural choice for him, Tim doesn’t have police work in his blood. Not like I do. He’d be just as happy, and just as successful, as a mortgage banker or a teacher or in the Vatican. He likes being in charge, and he’s good at managing people and projects. That’s why he’s a lieutenant, heading for captain, and he’s only thirty-six.
I, on the other hand, just want to be a detective. I want to work on ridding the streets of rats. I know there will always be more than we can catch, but I have a real need to pick them off … one after another.
We’ve had some problems with our different views of the job. Tim, as I said, has been very successful, and he doesn’t understand why I don’t model my career after his. But I don’t have any interest in playing the political game. I want to be on the street, working leads, interviewing people. It’s not going to get my name in the papers and it’s not going to put any gold braid on my dress hat, but it’s what makes me happy.
If I were to model my career after anyone, it might be Sergeant Randolph. I’ve never heard of a person worth his badge who didn’t respect her. No one was surprised when she was given this assignment, and not too many people complained. That alone is cause for celebration. Officers are not known for wishing other people good luck when they get a prime assignment. We’re a catty bunch.
What did surprise me was that Tim didn’t have much to say about the sergeant when I asked about her. He didn’t say anything bad … he just damned her with faint praise. That puzzled the heck out of me. It wasn’t until I went to a meeting of everyone assigned to the sting that I figured out what Tim’s problem was. I think I mentioned that the task force for this sting was huge, so huge that the meeting was held in the auditorium at police headquarters. I found a seat next to a buddy from the academy. When Sergeant Randolph took the stage, Jim Krakowiecki leaned over and said, “Can you believe she’s a dyke? What a waste!”
Undercover Tales Page 28
