Two hours had passed and Jaeger was a no-show.
We were all stiff and cramped from crouching behind the big overstuffed furniture that we hoped would protect us from the hail of bullets that never came.
Mark was discouraged. “I can’t believe that he hasn’t hit us. Do you think something tipped him off?”
I was at a loss for words. I wanted this thing to be over. The waiting and uncertainty, knowing that a cold-blooded killer was out there, was weighing on us all.
“Let me check with my men,” Mark said, “and if they’ve seen nothing, we’ll call it a night.”
After speaking with each of his posted sentries, Mark said, “Nothing! Quiet as a grave yard out there.”
I wished that Mark could have come up with a different simile.
“I’ll drive Henry to the Anderson house,” I said. “That way you can wrap things up here.”
“Great!” Mark said. “Give me a call after you’ve dropped him off so I’ll know everyone is safe.”
We pulled up in front of the Anderson house. The lights were on inside.
“Looks like they waited up for you,” I said. “I’ll walk you to the door and then give Mark a call.”
When I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, I realized that I hadn’t powered it back on after the broadcast. The anchor was adamant about not being interrupted by an errant call, so I had turned it completely off.
We were almost to the door when my phone powered up. It immediately rang and I saw Willie’s smiling face on the screen.
I was about to answer when I noticed that the wood on the door jam had been splintered.
I hit the ‘ignore’ button, shoved the phone in my pocket and drew my pistol.
“Something’s wrong here,” I whispered. “Stay behind me.”
We had just stepped onto the porch when I felt the cold steel of a gun barrel pressed against my back.
“I’ll take that, cop,” the skinhead said, grabbing my gun.
Two more skinheads emerged from inside.
“Jaeger!” Henry exclaimed. “Where’s my family? What have you done with them?”
“Yes, Henry, it’s me,” Jaeger said with a snarl. “Your family is safe --- for now. But not for long. I told you what would happen if you crossed me. First I’ll do the old man, then his wife, then Marsha. Little Billy will get to see his mommy die. Then I’ll do the kid. You’ll get to see them all die before I finish you off very slowly. I’ll do the old cop last. That way he can see what happens when the law tries to screw around with the Brotherhood.”
Then he turned to me. “Did you really think that I would fall for your pathetic little ruse?”
Under the circumstances, I thought it best not to speak.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Maybe I should just cut it out of your mouth right now!”
He looked at his watch. “Naw, plenty of time for that later. Let’s get Henry to his family. I’ve been looking forward to this reunion for a long time.”
Jaeger pushed us into an SUV.
As we drove across town, I thought about how I was going to call Maggie and tell her that I was okay and on the way home, right after I gave Mark the ‘all clear’.
It was beginning to look like I wouldn’t be making that call.
Willie, Louie and Darius were in the Caddy in the alley behind the old Payday Loan store.
“Give Walt another try,” Louie said.
Willie dialed the number, but as before, the call went to voice mail. He shook his head.
“Then let’s do dis,” Louie said. “Darius, go see if you can pick dat lock on de back door.”
He slipped out and was back a minute later.
“Piece of cake.”
“Good,” Louie replied, handing Darius a snub-nosed .38. “Den take dis an’ we be ready to go.”
“Uncle Louie!” Darius protested, “You know I don’t do no guns!”
“I respect dat, son, but sometimes you jus’ gotta do what you gotta do. I promise I won’t tell your granny.”
The three of them slipped out of the car.
Darius went to work with his lock picks and a few minutes later, they heard the ‘click’.
“Okay, Willie,” Louie said. “Grab yo’ pizzas and do yo’ thing. Be seein’ you inside.”
Willie went back to the Caddy and retrieved three large pizza boxes out of the back seat.
He carried the steaming boxes to the front door and knocked.
“Who’s there!” a voice called from inside.
“Pizza guy!” Willie shouted through the door. “I got yo’ delivery.”
“Didn’t order no pizza,” the voice said.
“Well somebody did,” Willie replied, “and dis is de address dey give me.”
The door opened a crack and the cheesy smell drifted inside.
“Jocco! It’s pizza all right! Maybe Jaeger ordered it for us.”
“Let ‘em in,” Jocco ordered.
Willie stepped into the room and saw Henry’s family huddled together in the corner.
“Just put them on the table,” the first man said.
Willie did as he was ordered and then looked at the ticket.
“Dat’ll be $27.50,” he said.
“Ain’t got that much. Jocco! You got some money?”
“A little,” Jocco replied. “Get out your wallets and let’s get this guy out of here.”
As the three of them huddled in the middle of the room, peering into their wallets, Louie and Darius stepped in from the back of the building with their weapons drawn.
“Don’t forget to give the guy a tip,” Louie said.
“Jocco started to go for his gun, but Louie waved his automatic menacingly. “I wouldn’t do dat, Skinhead. Willie, tie up dese jokers den we can all have some pizza.”
Jaeger pulled to the curb near an old storefront on Troost. At that hour, it was the only building on the block with lights glowing inside.
Henry and I were ordered out of the car and stood waiting with guns at our backs while Jaeger knocked.
When no one answered, Jaeger kicked the door. “Shit! Where are those idiots?”
He motioned to one of his buddies, “Unlock it.”
When we were inside, Henry’s family was lined up against the far wall.
The minute we walked in the door, Billy broke away from his mother and ran to Henry grabbing him around the knees.
“Dad!”
Jaeger looked around the room. “Jocco! Where in the hell are you?” he screamed.
“Jocko’s a little tied up right now,” Louie said, as he, Willie and Darius stepped into the room with guns drawn.
“Well, well,” Jaeger said with a sneer. “Looks like we’ve got a black posse here. You’ve got guns and we’ve got guns. Looks like a Mexican standoff.”
“Ironic,” I said. “Mexicans and blacks. Two of your favorite groups!”
“Shut up old man!” my captor said, giving me a whack on the head.
“We definitely have a problem here,” Jaeger said. “It looks like people are going to die here tonight. I promise you that if one shot is fired, the first person to die will be this coward in front of me. I promised Henry that if he crossed me, he would pay. I think it might just be time to collect.”
“You leave my Dad alone!” Billy shouted, and kicked Jaeger savagely in the shin.
At that moment, all hell broke loose.
Jaeger screamed and lowered the pistol to little Billy who was wailing away at his leg.
Henry grabbed Jaeger’s arm and the two of them rolled onto the floor.
At that instant, I dropped to the ground. I heard the blasts from Willie and Louie’s guns and the two Skinheads crumpled around me.
Henry and Jaeger were locked in each other’s arms, each desperately trying to gain control of the gun.
I was about to leap into the fray, when the gun went off.
Everyone held their breath as the two lay motionless.
/> Finally, Henry pushed Jaegers’ lifeless body aside and laid the gun on the floor.
Billy grabbed his father around the neck and cried.
Some might call it fate. Some might call it karma.
Henry Martin had indeed become an assassin.
EPILOGUE
I heard Louie’s old Cadillac pull way from the alley just as Mark Davenport and his men entered the old storefront.
“Jesus, Walt!” he exclaimed as once again he looked at the carnage strewn around the room. “Don’t tell me you did all this single-handed.”
“Actually, I didn’t do any of it,” I replied. “I had some help, but they thought there might be less red tape if they left and I just filled in the blanks.”
“I don’t suppose that it was the same ‘help’ that assisted you in wrapping up the Vipers?”
“It might have been.”
Mark just shook his head. “If they keep this up, we may have to give them a badge.”
“I think they’d rather remain anonymous,” I replied. “By the way, how did you find us?”
“GPS on your phone,” he replied. “When I didn’t hear from you, I tried to call my man at the Anderson safe house. When he didn’t answer, I figured something had gone sour. I had the office run a trace on your phone and followed you here.”
He looked at the body in the middle of the floor. “Jaeger?”
I nodded. “When the coroner does the autopsy, he’s going to find some nasty bruises on the guy’s shins courtesy of little Billy. I don’t know how all of this would have come down if the kid hadn’t attacked him.”
“So it was Billy that may have prevented Henry from shooting the president and Billy that led the attack on the Skinheads. Maybe Billy is the one that should be shaking the president’s hand.”
“I think I remember something I heard from Pastor Bob one day. Something about ‘a little child shall lead them’. Anyway, rather than shaking the president’s hand, I’m pretty sure that Billy would rather have his Dad back. Any chance of that?’
“I’ll see what I can do,” Mark said with a knowing smile.
It was several days before everything was sorted out and all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed on the voluminous report that chronicled the failed assassination attempt on the president.
True to his word, Mark had spoken to the president about amnesty for Henry. Truth be told, all he was actually guilty of was conspiracy, and in one sense, if it were a cop that had been sent undercover to do the things that Henry did, exposing two very dangerous groups, he would have been hailed a hero.
Unfortunately, the only two people that knew which powerful interests had financed the attempt were Brant Jaeger and Terrance Cobb. Since Jaeger was dead and Cobb was in the wind, Henry and his family were still in jeopardy.
All five of them were placed in witness protection. Since both of the family homes had been destroyed along with all their possessions, Henry was allowed to keep the money in the offshore account to help finance his new life.
Somewhere out there in our great land, a young family, having overcome tremendous obstacles, is getting an opportunity to rebuild their lives, and isn’t that what America is all about?
As I reflected on my last two cases, I couldn’t help but wonder what had instilled the hate that I had witnessed in the Vipers and the Aryan Brotherhood.
One of my favorite musicals is South Pacific and perhaps one of the hardest hitting scenes is when Philadelphia born Lieutenant Cable falls in love with Liat, a Tonkinese girl, but can’t commit to her.
The words of his song speak volumes about the human condition.
You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year.
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. Yes, you’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid, of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade. Yes, you’ve got to be carefully taught!
Rashon Rippe and Brant Jaeger had been carefully taught, and the hate that festered inside them touched the lives of countless people.
How does one explain why men such as these can wage war on people just because they are different, and then on the other hand, there’s Louie and Willie, two black men that were willing to lay their lives on the line for an old white cop.
What is the thing that keeps one man from pulling a trigger while another man can take a life without regret or remorse?
The dictionary tells us that conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment that distinguishes right from wrong.
The experts tell us that somehow, that faculty is absent in sociopaths like Brant Jaeger.
Unfortunately, there are thousands more like him walking our streets and endangering the lives of innocent people.
When those without a conscience tip the scales of justice, the Lady with the blindfold needs brave men to come forward to balance those scales.
My name is Walt Williams and that’s why I’m a cop!
*************************************
Author’s Note
As the author of the Lady Justice series, my main goal has been to bring a smile to my reader’s face and a bit of laughter into their lives.
Nevertheless, some of Walt’s fictional adventures have taken him face-to-face with some very real but also very controversial topics.
In Lady Justice and Dr. Death, it was euthanasia; in Lady Justice and the Sting, it was the collusion between the FDA, corrupt politicians and the pharmaceutical giants; in Lady Justice and the Watchers, it was government conspiracies and in Lady Justice and the Candidate, it was our political system.
In this latest installment, Lady Justice and the Assassin, Walt finds himself pitted against foes filled with hate and racial bigotry.
It is my hope that these controversial subjects, presented in the context of Walt’s improbable exploits, will stimulate thought along with the lighter side.
I, like Walt, often find myself struggling with how the human moral compass can get so ‘out of whack’, but also like Walt, I have faith in the basic goodness inside each of us and a belief that Lady Justice will prevail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in four short years has penned fifteen novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders and Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2013 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 26 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
LADY JUSTICE TAKES A C.R.A.P.
City Retiree Action Patrol
Third Edition
This is where it all began.
See how sixty-five year old Walt Williams became a cop and started the City Retiree Action Patrol.
Meet Maggie, Willie, Mary and the Professor, Walt’s sidekicks in all of the Lady Justice novels.
Laugh out loud as Walt and his band of Senior Scrappers capture the Realtor Rapist and take down the Russian Mob.
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LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOST TAPES
In Lady Justice and the Lost Tapes,
Walt and his band of scrappy seniors continue their battle against the forces of evil.
When an entire eastside Kansas City neighborhood is terrorized by the mob, Walt must go undercover to solve the case.
Later, the amazing discovery of a previously unknown recording session of a deceased rock ‘n’ roll idol stuns the music industry.
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LADY JUSTICE GETS LEI’D
In Lady Justice Gets Lei’d, Walt and Maggie plan a romantic honeymoon on the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, but ancient artifacts discovered in a cave in a dormant volcano and a surprising revelation about Maggie’s past, lead our lovers into the hands of Hawaiian zealots.
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LADY JUSTICE AND THE
AVENGING ANGELS
Lady Justice has unwittingly entered a religious war.
Who better to fight for her than Walt Williams?
The Avenging Angels believe that it’s their job to rain fire and brimstone on Kansas City, their Sodom and Gomorrah.
In this compelling addition to the Lady Justice series, Robert Thornhill brings back all the characters readers have come to love for more hilarity and higher stakes.
You’ll laugh and be on the edge of your seat until the big finish.
Don’t miss Lady Justice and the Avenging Angels!
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LADY JUSTICE AND THE STING
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL ---WINTER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
[Lady Justice 13] - Lady Justice and the Assassin Page 14
