The Fall Guy

by Simon Wood

  “Son of a bitch,” Todd groaned.

  He waited for the light to change, then made his right and pulled into a parking lot with signs proclaiming ‘For Authorized Personnel Only.’

  The driver of the Malibu followed into the parking lot. He popped out of the car and put his hands to his face when he saw the damage to Todd’s car.

  “I’m sorry, man,” he said. “I totally misjudged my braking.”

  “Yeah, well,” Todd said. He was more pissed at the inconvenience than the damage. Besides, he’d never invested in any insurance for the Toyota. The damage to his car was pretty bad. The bumper dangled and the impact had caved in the back to the extent that it popped the trunk lid.

  “Look, I was about to scrap this car.” Todd attempted to reattach the plastic bumper. “I don’t want to go through insurance.”

  “And I don’t want to shoot you.” The driver had come in close, jammed a gun in Todd’s ribs and forced him against the trunk.

  “Just take my wallet. Take the car if you want.”

  The driver ground the gun hard against Todd’s ribs to shut him up. Todd complied.

  “What were you doing with Jeremiah Black?”

  Oh God, Todd thought. Who the hell have I upset this time and more importantly, which side does he play for?

  “Nothing.”

  The driver bounced Todd’s head off the Toyota’s trunk. “Try again.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to tell you?” Having his head bounced off the trunk pissed him off. He wasn’t about to be taken for a ride twice in one night and he wasn’t about to sell Black out to just anyone. He wanted some answers first.

  The driver reached inside his pocket and filled Todd’s vision with a San Francisco Police Department’s detective shield.

  “Oh, shit,” Todd murmured.

  ***

  “And you expect me to believe that pile of horseshit?” Redfern asked.

  But he did. Todd watched the gears working in the detective’s head as he spoke. A plan was forming in Redfern’s brain. Todd wouldn’t be going to jail tonight. If he worked this right, he might have just found the backup he needed to go after Cochrane.

  They were sitting in Redfern’s car a few blocks from the parking lot Todd had stopped in. Todd’s battle weary Toyota still sat in the parking lot with the doors unlocked, the key in the ignition and the .357 sitting in the glove box.

  “I know it seems crazy,” Todd said.

  “That’s a word for it.”

  “But it’s all true.” Admittedly, Todd had kept a number of the details from Redfern. He’d muted his encounters with Moran, Charlie and the Carlsons. It would only create clutter.

  “So what are you expecting to get out of this?” Redfern asked.

  “Freedom. Cochrane has already shown me that his reach exceeds mine. Unless I do something to put him down, I’ll always be looking over my shoulder.”

  “Put him down? Are you thinking of killing him?”

  Todd wasn’t sure how he should answer. Redfern was a cop after all, but Todd saw the hunger in his eyes. He wanted a big score and Cochrane might just fit the bill.

  “I don’t know what I’m thinking,” Todd said. “It might come down to that.”

  “Is that why you met with Jeremiah Black? You thought you’d use his muscle to get the job done, is that it?”

  “Something like that,” Todd conceded.

  “You know how to pick your friends, don’t you?” Redfern shook his head. “And what was that he took from your trunk?”

  Todd said nothing.

  “Have it your way. You told me Cochrane planted six kilos of coke on you. If you don’t turn six kilos over to my custody, I’ll know where to find the rest.”

  “So where does this leave us?” Todd asked.

  “I don’t know. You present a number of interesting possibilities, but it’s just as easy to turn you in for a quick bust.”

  Redfern was trying to scare Todd, but he wasn’t buying it. That look of hunger on his face was still there. Redfern needed Todd. He wouldn’t get voted off the island this week.

  “Help me bring down Leo Cochrane,” Todd said.

  A police unit blew by with its lights and sirens going. Redfern watched its passing with professional interest. He was a bulldog of a man, but a tired one at that. Muscle had given way to fat, but Todd had no fears that if Redfern wanted to knock him down, he wouldn’t get up in a hurry. If it weren’t for the badge, Todd wouldn’t have believed Redfern was a cop. The hunger he’d seen in Redfern was a product of desperation. He looked like a gambler on a long losing streak. The man was a burnout. Given the choice, Todd would have preferred a different partner.

  Redfern gunned the Malibu’s engine. “I’m going to check you out. Where are you staying?”

  Todd told him. “Aren’t you frightened I’m going to run?”

  “Where are you going to run? You told me Cochrane would find you wherever you go. You need me.”

  “And if I check out, then what?”

  “Then you’re bait.”

  ***

  Redfern left Todd on the street. It was a cheap play. No doubt a demonstration to show who was in charge. Todd let him play his games. He found his car just as he’d left it, .357 and all. He thanked whoever was watching over him and drove back to his motel. He found Redfern waiting for him in the parking lot in front of his room.

  So leaving Todd on the street wasn’t such a cheap play after all. Redfern just wanted a head start.

  “It didn’t take you long to make up your mind,” Todd said, unlocking the door to his room.

  “I’m a fast thinker,” Redfern remarked.

  Todd flicked on the lights and the TV. The walls were thin and he didn’t want to be overheard.

  “Can I see the coke?”

  “It’s not here. It’s in a luggage locker in the city,” Todd said. It wasn’t. The coke was under the bed, but it wouldn’t be by morning. It would be in a luggage locker. The stuff was drawing too many flies.

  “What if I were to check the contents of the toilet tank?” Redfern asked with a smirk.

  “Be my guest, but you’d only find water.”

  Redfern checked the tank and a couple of other places, but gave up before he looked under the bed. “I want to see it tomorrow.”

  Todd sat on the end of the bed. “Okay.”

  “Got anything to drink around here?” Redfern asked, looking about the room.

  Todd’s stomach clenched. Did Redfern have a problem? He hadn’t smelled booze on his breath in the car or the telltale cover up smell of Altoids. He hoped to Christ Redfern wasn’t a drunk. Chances of success just took a nosedive if he was. “There’s the water in the toilet tank.”

  “Ha, ha, very funny.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  Redfern sat in a threadbare chair that represented the only other place to sit. It sagged under his weight. “Cochrane doesn’t know you’re here?”

  “No.”

  “You’re going to tell him that you are. You’re going to tell him that you’ve got his coke and you’d like to give it back. In return, you want to be off his shit list.”

  “Sounds tricky,” Todd said. It sounded more than that. It sounded lethal. But it also sounded like the only way.

  “You’ll be wired for sound and videotaped.”

  “And where will San Francisco PD be when this exchange happens?”

  “I won’t be far away. You’ll be totally safe.”

  “Only if you can travel faster than a speeding bullet, because if Cochrane pulls a gun, I’m screwed.”

  “For this to work, you have to be seen giving the drugs back and Cochrane needs to acknowledge that they were his in the first place. You’ll be in good hands. It’s not like we’re breaking new ground here. There have been plenty of operations like this.”

  “Sounds like a cakewalk.”

  “Hey, watch the mouth.”

  Todd brushed the warning aside. “
Don’t you think Cochrane will check me for a wire, weapons and undercover cops?”

  “That’s why we’ll test the waters tomorrow.” Redfern pushed himself free of the chair. “Meet me outside the Metreon tomorrow, the 4th Street side, at eleven. You’re going to give Leo a call.”

  ***

  Todd found Redfern standing under the vertical neon sign for the Metreon. He’d stashed the remaining five kilos of Cochrane’s cocaine in a locker and it felt good not to have it in his possession again.

  “You’re late,” Redfern said.

  “I slept in.”

  Redfern took him inside the complex and bought coffees. They sat at a table in an unoccupied area of the dining section. The lunchtime crowd had yet to arrive.

  “I’ve been doing some checking up,” Redfern said.

  “And?”

  “Paul Helfers, the drug dealer you had that fender bender with, hasn’t been seen since the traffic stop.”

  “That’s because he’s in a hole in the ground a thousand miles from here. So you believe me now?”

  “Let’s say your story has some credibility. What makes me like it more is that when we bust Cochrane for the drugs, we can tack on a murder rap.”

  “Well, I do know where the body is buried.”

  Redfern fished in his pocket and handed Todd a scrap of paper with a number on it.

  “What’s this?”

  “Leo Cochrane’s private cell phone number.”

  “How’d you get that?”

  “Police work. Now listen.”

  Redfern walked Todd through the call to Cochrane. He provided Todd with a cover story for how he got the number and the line he was going to feed Cochrane. Redfern made him rehearse. There was no judging what Cochrane would say exactly but there were likely outcomes. Redfern changed the script every time to counter for the possible scenarios. They role-played for an hour until Redfern was satisfied Todd sounded genuine enough to make the call.

  “Ready?” the detective asked.

  “About as ready as I’m ever going to get.”

  They left the Metreon and searched for a phone booth, which proved harder than it should. With so many cell phones out in the public domain, phone booths were a dying breed. They found one in the lobby of the Moscone Center and Redfern handed Todd a phone card.

  “I don’t want you running out of quarters.”

  Todd took out Cochrane’s number from his pocket and the nerves hit. Until now, he’d been feeling cool and calm about the call. Cochrane couldn’t harm him while they talked on the phone. He was untouchable. But now his stomach clenched and he had an overwhelming desire to take a leak. Cochrane was connected. He could get to anyone. He was the bogeyman. Todd was screwed.

  “What are you waiting for?” Redfern demanded.

  “Nothing,” Todd said and punched in the number.

  The phone rang for a long time. Todd thought it was going to switch to voicemail when it was answered.

  “Yes.”

  It was Cochrane. Todd’s legs went weak, but as the adrenaline flowed, his fear evaporated.

  “Remember me, Leo?”

  There was silence, but it wasn’t from confusion. Cochrane had recognized Todd’s voice. Todd felt his surprise coming down the line.

  “That sounds like my friend Todd.”

  “I didn’t know we were friends. Especially after the wild goose chase you sent me on.”

  “You know what they say, you only hurt the ones you love. How’d you get this number?”

  “Know a guy called Ruiz?”

  “That piece of shit. Remind me to squash that bug.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “You sound edgy, Todd.”

  “Understandable, don’t you think?”

  Redfern, eager for feedback, motioned to Todd. Todd gave him the thumbs up.

  “Are you close?” Cochrane asked.

  “I’m in the city.”

  “We should meet.”

  “Under the circumstances, you’ll understand if I’m not too eager.”

  “Fair enough. Why don’t you tell me what you want?”

  “I want to be off your shit list.”

  “What makes you think you’re on it?”

  “Don’t piss about. I’ve been reading up. I know how important Paul Helfers was to you and you iced him and stuffed him in the back of a Lexus. That was my fault. You aren’t going to forget it in a hurry.”

  “If I remember, when we last spoke, you weren’t too kind to me.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m sorry. I didn’t really know how big a hole I was in and at the time, I was angry. I thought I was working off my debt, but you were setting me up.”

  “I was angry too. Maybe I was overzealous. I certainly underestimated you.”

  “Likewise.”

  Todd took a second to assess his performance. Cochrane sounded like he was taking the bait, so far. Todd didn’t put it down to his acting or Redfern’s coaching abilities. The script had gone out the window. There were no lies or deceptions at work. He was speaking from the heart.

  “Look,” Todd said, “I know how much I cost you.”

  “You have no idea how much you cost me.”

  “I think I do—a dead body, a gun and six kilos of coke. The body and the gun told me enough and throwing in a little coke was overkill, but six kilos—that’s a vendetta.”

  “Like I say, I was overzealous. Heat of the moment stuff. But I’m listening now. How are you proposing to heal the rift?”

  “The blow. I should have thrown it out, but I kept it. I don’t know its street value, but it can’t be cheap. You can’t afford to be throwing away that kind of money. I’ll return it and then we’re quits. Agreed?”

  Cochrane paused for effect. It was to make Todd sweat. Todd knew this because he was sweating up a storm.

  “You’ve thought this out.” The suspicious note in Cochrane’s voice was difficult to ignore.

  “I’ve had plenty of time to do it. Living the underground life teaches you what’s important.”

  Cochrane laughed. “Been having a hard time of it, Todd? Well, it’s not a lifestyle that suits everyone. Okay, Todd, I like you. Give me back my coke and you’re a free man. Remember the shop in Oakland where you picked up the Lexus? Come there in an hour.”

  Redfern flashed him a hand signal to wind things up.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  “I like the idea of neutral ground with plenty of witnesses.”

  “You have come a long way. Have it your way, Todd. When and where?”

  “I’ll call with instructions,” Todd said and hung up. He sagged and leaned against the lobby wall before his legs gave out.

  Redfern grinned. The grin took years off him. “Very nice. I couldn’t have done better myself.”

  “I have a real incentive to make this work.”

  “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I doubt Cochrane was linked up to anything to trace the number, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

  The phone on the wall rang. Todd and Redfern froze.

  “Him?” Todd asked.

  “Just trying his luck.” Redfern picked up the phone and dropped it back down on the cradle. “C’mon.”

  Outside the Moscone Center, Redfern talked Todd through the arrangements for tomorrow’s sting. It sounded straightforward enough. Well, as straightforward as anything that had happened to Todd in the last month.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” Redfern said.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think? These operations don’t just appear. There’s a lot of preparation.” He fished in his pocket and handed Todd a key and another scrap of paper with an address on it.

  “What’s this?”

  “Keys to a safe house. Not exactly a safe house. They’re keys to my place. I want you there. Now that I’ve got you, I don’t want anything happening to you. Check out of that motel and hole up at my place. I don�
�t want you out there advertising you’re back in town.”

  Now the machine was in motion. It would be all over by tomorrow.

  Redfern called an apartment at a four-unit, three-story townhouse on the edge of Noe Valley home. Individual garages occupied the first floor and the apartments the second and third. The exterior paint job the color of boiled-cabbage sapped the building of its art deco charm. Todd parked the Toyota on the street and went inside.

  The interior was exactly what Todd expected. It resembled Redfern’s appearance—shabby and neglected. Takeout containers filled the trash and towered on the kitchen dish drainer. The bed in the apartment’s only bedroom looked as if someone had danced on it in their boots. The neglect carried over to the other rooms as well. The absence of a woman’s touch was obvious, but a photo above the fireplace of a woman with two teenage boys painted the picture of a broken marriage.

  Poor bastard, Todd thought. Never thought I’d find someone worse off than me.

  He dumped his meager possessions on the floor next to the pullout sofa, but kept the .357 on him. He took out the trash and tried tidying up, but it was a job for a professional. He couldn’t bum around all day in this place waiting for Redfern to return, especially when there was nothing to eat or drink. He locked up and went in search of groceries.

  On 24th Street, he found an overpriced specialty market, but for once, it didn’t hurt his bankroll. He still had plenty of cash left over from his various jobs he’d picked up. He and Redfern wouldn’t eat like kings tonight, but they would eat food that didn’t feature delivery.

  On the walk back to Redfern’s apartment, Todd played the next twenty-four hours through his head. There was little for him to do now. He would simply hand over the coke and Redfern and the SFPD would do the rest. Obviously, Cochrane could ice him on the spot, but if he got him to say the magic words right off the bat, there wouldn’t be time. Still, he wished the cops weren’t involved. Redfern had yet to tell him where he stood in all this. He’d disposed of a body. That made him an accessory after the fact or something. And that seemed to be the least of his crimes. No matter how he sliced it, there were going to be charges of some sort.