by K T Brodland
Olivia exhaled softly. “This may come as a surprise to you, Cat, but not everyone is eager to join the dating game. And, as you may have noticed, I am not exactly surrounded by potential suitors.”
Cat lightly tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “And I’m an idiot. I’ve presumed all along that you played on the same team as I do. Was I wrong?”
“No. I just choose not to play. Well, at least not unless you count the occasional one-night stand when I go away on vacation. Other than that…” She shrugged, dismissing the subject. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to head home. I need to get a few things organized before the stuff I bought is delivered.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. In fact, since I have appointments and clients to deal with for the next few days, and your schedule sounds even busier than mine, I’m going to close up shop for the rest of the week. Perhaps I can catch up with you on Wednesday?”
“Sure. That’ll be fine.”
By the time Cat pulled up in front of the farmhouse, Olivia was preoccupied, thinking about the way the inside of old house was going to look once the new furniture was in place. So much so that the presence of a nondescript tan Ford sedan parked in front of the mobile took a second or two to register. Roused from her musings by Cat’s muttering, she glanced out the passenger window and added her own two cents. “What the hell?”
The minute Cat pulled up to a stop behind the sedan, Olivia threw open her door and jumped out of the car. The owner of the sedan chose that moment to take the steps down off the porch two at a time and make a dash for his car. He never made it. He abruptly found himself dangling a foot above the driveway, an icy, unseen hand gripping his throat.
He kicked his feet, struggling to get free, all the while gasping for air as whatever held him fast tightened its grip.
From ten feet away, Olivia surveyed her prisoner. “Well, what do we have here?” She glanced over her shoulder at Cat, who was occupied taking pictures of the man, as well as the license plate on his car. “What’s the going rate for B&E’s, Cat?”
Cat took in the scene, tried hard to conceal her surprise at what Olivia was doing. “Oh, I’d say at least five to ten years, easily.”
Olivia checked out the mobile’s front door. “Well, at least you didn’t try to kick that door in like the last of your kind did. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you and I are going to have a little chat.” She lowered him to the ground but kept a grip on his throat when he tried to break loose. “Ah, ah, ah! Naughty, naughty. I haven’t even started on you yet. Now, do you have a name?”
A gurgle was the only reply.
“Oh, sorry. Having a hard time talking? Well, we can’t have that. Especially since we have a lot to talk about. Now, what did you say your name was?”
“Fuck off.”
“Hm. Interesting name. Well, I think I will just call you dickhead. Dick for short.”
Olivia fell silent for a moment, eyeing the bottom-feeder still struggling to free himself. “Okay,” she said after a moment’s consideration. “First off, I’m guessing you are from the Alphas and their enforcer, a gentleman known mainly as R sent you. Yes or no?”
Dick’s eyes were bulging and his face was starting to turn an interesting shade of red as he fought against the grip on his throat.
“I’m going to take that as a yes. I’m also thinking you might know something about the Wilkes brothers.”
There was a touch of bravado in Dick’s voice when he managed to croak. “Don’t know what the fuck you are talking about.”
“I see. Well, perhaps I need to jog your memory a bit.”
Dick suddenly yelled and doubled as he clutched his crotch.
Olivia bared her teeth in a smile that promised more to come. “How’s your memory now?”
“Fuck. Off.”
“Tsk. Such language. Shall we try again? Or would you like to find out just how much pain you can take?”
His voice barely audible, Dick ground out his next words. “Ain’t telling you fuck all.”
“I see. Well, as I see it, you have two choices. Go with what R might do to you if you talk. Or face what I will do to you if you don’t. What’s it going to be?”
His reply was a stream of profanity that impressed even Olivia. Her response was swift. In seconds her prisoner was writhing on the ground, clutching the family jewels, and screaming in agony.
She sighed and released her mental grip on the man. “Okay, that’s enough of the histrionics. I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me what I want to know. First off, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for the fucking money Steve stole.”
“I guess the last people to try that didn’t believe me when I told them there wasn’t any money. Well, you’re out of luck. That money was found and has been turned in to the police. Next question. Where is R keeping the boys?”
Blubbering like a baby, snot running from his nose and down his chin, Dick gasped out an answer. “His place. That’s all I know.”
Olivia nodded. “Now, see, that wasn’t so hard after all, was it. Amazing how a little motivation can jog one’s memory. Now get on your feet and run along home to your masters like a good little boy and tell them they are about to meet their worst nightmare.” she snapped, her voice taking on an arctic chill.
Gulping for air, Dick managed to get to his feet and make it to his car. He had to try twice to get the driver’s door open. Tears streaking his ashen face, he put the car in drive and slowly backed down the driveway.
Olivia watched after him then turned to Cat. “Could you unlock your trunk please so I can get my overnight case and the doggy bag out. I really should get that food in the fridge.”
If she noticed that Cat seemed a bit distant, she didn’t let on. She smiled, thanked Cat for a lovely day, then hurried up the steps to her door. She turned and waved as Cat turned the car around and headed back down the driveway. Once the Mustang was out of sight, she entered the kitchen and slumped down on the nearest chair. She sat there for a time, gazing at the big paper bag from the diner, until anguished sobs shook her body as she gave way to the pain of realizing what she had just done.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
B y the time Cat pulled into her garage she still wasn’t sure which pained her more, seeing for the first time just what Olivia was really capable of, or the realization she had just stood there while Olivia tortured the perp.
She sucked in air, then managed to get out of the car and head indoors. She didn’t even think twice about making a beeline for the liquor cabinet. She grabbed the bottle of Glenlivet and poured an entire glass full of the amber liquid and downed the contents in two long swallows. She gasped as the alcohol burned its way down her throat, then leaned against the cabinet, her hands flat on the cool wooden surface, her forehead against the shelf. When her eyes stopped tearing, she carefully measured out two fingers of whisky. This time she merely sipped her drink before making her way to the nearest chair.
When she could focus and form a coherent thought, she pulled out her cell phone and just sat there staring at it for several minutes while she debated her next move. She should contact Jean and let her know she knew the location of the Wilkes brothers. Would that be enough to get a warrant to search R’s house? And what would she tell Jean about how she got that information? An informant?
She groaned and slapped her hand against her forehead. It would help if she actually knew where R lived. Olivia probably knew but she wasn’t about to phone and ask her for directions. Of course, Jean would probably have that information anyway. Still, it would look better if she could have the address when she phoned.
Feeling as though she had aged fifty years, Cat slowly made her way into her office. As luck would have it, the address was in a file she and Olivia had put together on the gang. She pushed aside that thought. Olivia was the last person she wanted to think about right then. For that matter, after what she had witn
essed earlier, she didn’t care if she ever had contact with the woman again. It wasn’t so much what she had done to Dick or whatever his name was. It was the way she did it, without actually even touching the guy. That and the ice-cold manner in which she did it.
She shuddered and realized her hands were shaking again. If she’d ever had any doubts that Olivia was more than capable of taking care of herself, they were long gone now. What had Olivia said the day she discovered what was done to the mobile and then her pickup? They would need a sponge to clean up the mess after she got through with whoever was responsible.
Finally, bracing for what might lie ahead, Cat punched in the sergeant’s office number. It rang twice, then went to voicemail. Damn. Cat hesitated, then dialed Jean’s cell phone. When Jean picked up, Cat came close to losing it. “Jean. How fast can you get a search warrant at this time of night?” she said, when she could speak without wanting to burst into tears.
“All depends. What’s up?”
“I think I know where the Wilkes brothers are. With any luck they’re still alive.”
“Should I ask where you got this info?”
“Let’s just say I had a reliable informant.”
“Okay. I’ll get in touch with Judge Barnston. He owes me a favor or two. I’ll get back to you ASAP. Where are you now?”
“At home.”
“Okay, stay put. I’ll let you know when I have the warrant and we’re on our way.”
Once Jean hung up, Cat shook her head at her friend’s assumption that she would do just that.
Jean, you know me better than that.
Her eyes fell on the empty glass on her side table. Oh shit, she’d better have something to eat before she went anywhere. She headed for the kitchen, snagged a couple of protein bars and wolfed them down. She changed into her leathers, then moved smartly toward her office. Her gun was snugged into its holster, and she was armed as well with her camera and the camera-mounted directional mic. She made tracks for the garage and the Harley. The bright red Mustang was too conspicuous for this job. With her equipment secured in the Harley’s panniers, she mounted the big black bike. The minute she was astride the Harley, she hit the remote control for the garage door, keyed the ignition, then roared down the driveway. With the GPS marking off the route, she made the cross-town trip to R’s neighborhood in just under than an hour. She could have made better time if she’d opened the throttle all the way, but the noise the Harley’s engine made would have drawn too much attention.
While she waited to hear from Jean as to when she might arrive, Cat cruised the street, with its well-kept homes, looking for a vantage point where she could set up her surveillance. She soon found the house she was looking for and parked across the street in the shelter of a big oak. There were a few lights showing on the main floor. Setting up her gear, she removed her helmet, put on her headset, then aimed the mic at one of the windows where she could see shadows moving back and forth. She picked up dialog almost immediately.
“How’s our remaining guest doing?” a male voice said.
A second voice rumbled. “As well as can be expected, considering how much smack we’ve pumped into his veins lately.”
“And the other two?”
Cat scowled at the direction this conversation was taking.
Voice number two rumbled. “Dead. What are we going to do with them?”
“Same as we always do. Get rid of them where they won’t be found. But hold off until I’m through with Sonny. I’m thinking we can do one more round with him before finishing him off. He’s not much use to me anymore.”
This was followed by a chuckle that made Cat’s skin crawl.
“He wasn’t even as good a fuck as his brother was. My, that kid could scream! Good thing the basement walls are more than a foot thick.”
Cat was relieved when her phone rang. She hastily answered the call. “What’s the word, Jean?”
“I got the search warrant and I’m on my way with the team.” There was a moment of silence. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that you’re still at home?”
“You got it. And when you get to R’s place, I think there are at least two men on the second floor. Oh, and check out the basement. I have reason to believe that’s where he’s holding Sonny. There may be two bodies down there besides him.”
“You have the place under surveillance?”
“Yes.”
“Stay put until I get there.”
Cat puffed out her cheeks. Good thing she and Jean were friends, otherwise her ass would be grass. She kept the mic trained on the house but didn’t really pay close attention to the mumbled conversation she picked up. For a moment she almost wished Olivia was with her. Much as she hated to admit it, Olivia was the one who had provided her with the information that was going to make tonight’s arrests possible. Even so, she shuddered at the memory of the ice-cold manner Olivia had dealt with the perp who had shown up at the mobile.
Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of two cruisers and an emergency response team’s van. They pulled into the driveway and came to a halt by the front door. Five heavily armed men spilled out of the van and came into formation by the front entrance. Two officers broke away, heading around to the back of the house. She aimed her mic at the leader of the team and heard the familiar announcement. “Robert Rhodes. It’s the police. Open the door. We have a search warrant.”
When there was no response after the request was repeated twice, through the telephoto lens she could see the ram brought out and used to smash open the front door. Weapons drawn, the team charged inside. Seconds later, she heard shouted commands, followed by sporadic gun fire and screams. Then silence.
Long moments passed, then she picked up the sound of booted feet from somewhere inside the house. Then, Jean’s strained voice taking command. “Get a bus here as well as the coroner. Stat.”
Cat hunkered down to wait as the scenario inside the house played itself out. Shortly, she heard an ambulance come screaming up the road and turn into the driveway. Close behind it came the coroner’s black van. From where she stood, she could see Rhodes, hands cuffed behind his back, being marched to a waiting cruiser. A second male was given the same treatment. Not long afterward, two body bags were brought out and gently laid inside the coroner’s van.
Almost immediately afterward, a gurney bearing a blanket-covered form was wheeled out to the ambulance. The gurney was smoothly put inside the ambulance. Doors slammed shut, one of the EMPs got behind the wheel and turned the vehicle around. Siren screaming, it roared down the driveway and turned left, heading for the hospital.
Once the area was put behind crime scene tape, Cat turned to head back to her bike. There was nothing more she could do here tonight. She didn’t count on Jean’s silent approach until she heard a familiar voice from right behind her.
“And just where do you think you’re going?”
Cat heaved a sigh, then slowly turned to face her former staff sergeant. The bulky personal armour made Jean appear even rounder than she actually was, but she was formidable all the same. “What can I say, Sarge? I was never good at following orders. And this was personal. I just had to be here.”
“Personal, eh? Well, I haven’t time to discuss this with you right now, but I will expect a statement on my desk by tomorrow morning. Is that clear?”
Cat almost saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jean scowled at her, muttered something that sounded like “Cheeky bugger,” then turned on her heel and marched off to her cruiser, her back ramrod straight.
Cat shook her head. It was going to be a long night for Jean. It was going to be a long night for her as well. She hated writing up statements, but it had to be done. She made her way back to her bike, placed her gear in one of the panniers, then swung her leg over the seat. She remained motionless for several minutes, staring up at the darkened house, before keying the ignition and heading home.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
T hree weeks passed b
efore Cat saw Olivia again. They were both seated in a back row in the courtroom where Robert Rhodes and his accomplice, Leo Winters, were on trial. Both men had been denied bail and held in remand ever since their arrest. Cat was tempted several times to contact Olivia but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Neither could she come up with a reasonable explanation for her reluctance to do so. Seeing Olivia now, dressed in a severe black pantsuit, her silver hair bound up in a French braid, her expression cold and remote, she did her best to avoid eye contact. Sooner or later, she knew she was going to have to talk to her. She owed the woman an explanation for her silence, if nothing else.
She breathed a sigh of relief when the judge entered the courtroom and the defendants were ordered to rise while the jury foreman read out the verdict. Robert Rhodes was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. Leo Winters was found guilty on three charges of second-degree murder.
The second court was adjourned, and she turned her head in time to see Olivia get to her feet and hurry out of the courtroom. Cat was close on her heels but was intercepted by Jean Gordon and Pat Wallace in the hallway. Both women were in uniform, and both of them greeted Cat with somber expressions.
Jean spoke first. “Thanks for your assistance throughout all this, Cat. It’s too bad we weren’t able to save Sonny Wilkes, he could have answered so many questions. Unfortunately, he was too far gone by the time we got to him the night you called me.”
“Yeah, well, at least we got the bastards who were responsible. Oh, and thanks for sharing the coroner’s report with me. Made for some difficult reading. What they did to Jimmy was horrific enough…”
Jean cut in. “What you didn’t see was the logbook that showed the increasing dosage of heroin mixed with fentanyl both boys were injected with while they were being held prisoners. It was clear they were being used as lab rats to determine the optimum amount of drug to provide their clients with the biggest bang for their bucks.”
