The Ninth District - A Thriller

by Douglas Dorow

  “No problem, just remember who you got it from.”

  Jack held the cold bottle of water against his neck and nodded towards the police tape. “So what’s going on over here that’s important enough to drag you out on a hot day like today away from breakfast in the air-conditioned bistro?”

  “Screw you, Miller. Give me back my water.”

  Jack laughed and held the bottle out and away from her. “Very eloquent. I always said you had a way with words. Really, what’s going on?”

  “Pay any attention to the news?” Patty walked towards the edge of the bank to the yellow tape keeping the public away from the scene and looked down to the river’s edge. Jack followed.

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Well, a body was found down along the river bank. Just past the old mill ruins down there.” Patty pointed down towards the park along the riverbank. “It had to have been there a while. We haven’t heard how long yet.”

  “Somebody fall into the river?”

  “Yeah, something like that. Well, they strung some crime scene tape to keep the strollers and joggers out, hoping to be done before the people came out to start their day. Didn’t make it. The ambulance was here to get the body and the detectives are still looking around. Somebody called it into the station and I got a text to get out here.”

  Jack looked down at the activity below and took another swig from the water bottle.

  “There was a guy here giving the uniforms a hard time. He’s the developer of these condos here in these old warehouse buildings. It’s a big part of the rejuvenation of this area. He threatened to call the mayor.”

  Patty was on a roll, so Jack just took another drink and looked at the buildings behind them. The condos in this development were going to have a draw as the river front development continued. The view was great. The Guthrie Theater right here and the new Twins outdoor ballpark a short walk away.

  Patty continued on. “Well, mister dog walker, developer has his undies in a bundle. Wonders when the tape is coming down. He’s got some big open house planned for the night of the Fourth to showcase the condos. Wants to show off the views, treat the potential buyers to the balcony view of the fireworks across the river and sell some units.” The frustration was showing in her voice. “There’s a dead guy down here, maybe foul play, and he doesn’t care. He has to sell some units. I’d love to tell the story about that.”

  “Well I’m glad you’re here; you saved my life. Doesn’t sound like a federal case so I think I’ll finish my run and get back to work.” Jack handed her the empty bottle. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Patty grabbed the bottle, but didn’t pull it away. She stared into his eyes in a way that made him blink. “I heard you might be looking for a running partner. I like to run in the morning.”

  Jack thought he caught her meaning. “I kind of like running alone right now.”

  “Well, if you’re looking for company or another bottle of water, let me know.”

  Jack didn’t know how to respond. Nobody had seriously hit on him in a long time and seeing other women hadn’t even entered his mind. He let go of the bottle, mumbled, “Thanks, good luck with this mess,” and turned to head off down River Road to complete his run. His legs were a little stiff from the stop that had let the lactic acid build up in his muscles, and had left his brain spinning from Patty’s offer.

  Chapter 17

  The Governor sat in his car listening to the classical music station, not wanting the words of others to interrupt his thoughts. He needed the classical music to soothe him.

  Anything harder and he was afraid he’d punch the window or tear the steering wheel from the column.

  He was torn. Walking Vince this morning, he’d discovered that it looked like Mike McDonald hadn’t made it. The police had cordoned off an area down by the river and there was a body in the water. From what he could see, the clothes matched what Mike had been wearing and the Chute would’ve dumped him in the Mississippi. That had turned out OK.

  But, Sandy had shocked him at lunch yesterday. First, she asked the question about the murder of the woman at the bank. Then, she told him about Agent Fruen’s visit. He couldn’t believe she had been talking with the FBI agent again. It worried him. She was attracted to the man in the suit and she wasn’t as smart as she thought she was. She might say the wrong thing. Playing detective against a trained agent, she would probably give up more than she learned about the bank investigation without even knowing it.

  Now here she was at the club working out with the agent. She had served her purpose. With her temp jobs in banks, she had been able to get information, learn who’s who, office configurations, and routines. Her beauty and brains went well together to gain the trust of others as she worked the inside helping him. She was a good worker. And, as a temp, she would be hard to track. She needed to quit working, to disappear.

  The blue car he had been waiting for pulled out of the club parking lot ahead of him. The Governor followed in the stolen Tahoe. Its tinted windows served two purposes today. It helped keep the interior cooler as he sat in the sun, and those on the outside couldn’t see who was inside. From the vantage point of the large SUV, he could keep an eye on the car ahead of him, looking over the smaller cars on the road.

  He stayed back, but close enough to keep track of where the car was going. He switched the radio station from classical to something harder to match the quickening of his pulse and the anger surging from deep inside his body. His head nodded with the beat and his hands kept time on the steering wheel as he followed the car off Highway 100 towards the Uptown area by Lake Calhoun. He got closer now that they were off the highway. He didn’t want to lose the car at a traffic light.

  The Governor worked to control his fury; he couldn’t make a mistake now. He took a deep breath and dialed his mobile phone as he tailed the blue car through the intersection and they pulled onto Lake Street by the parkway on the north side of Lake Calhoun. There were bikers and joggers out on the trails and at the intersections, but the Governor was barely aware of them as he focused on the car ahead of him.

  He listened intently in his earpiece, waiting for the ring as the cellular system linked his phone to the one he dialed. As the cars hit the section of road that divided into six lanes of traffic, three in each direction, around the north side of the lake, the Governor heard a ring, maneuvered into the lane to the right of the blue car, and pulled up alongside. He glanced over and kept pace with it. He could see a hand digging in a bag on the seat looking for the ringing phone. He turned down the radio and waited for an answer.

  “Yeah?” the Governor heard in his earpiece and glanced to his left.

  “Haven’t you heard it isn’t safe to talk on a cell phone when you’re driving?”

  “Who is this?”

  Without answering, the Governor accelerated and swerved left driving the large Tahoe into the side of the blue car. Both vehicles continued left until the wheels of the car bounced off the curb dividing the east and west bound traffic. It all seemed slow motion, surreal, as the Governor felt the jolts, and heard the sounds in his vehicle and the sounds in the car next to him through the earpiece of the phone. There was cursing, but he couldn’t be sure of the source of the words. Was it the agent or himself?

  He pushed left and accelerated again, first driving the left wheels of the blue car onto the curb and with a final twist of the wheel, up and over it. Horns honked and tires squealed and finally, there was a tremendous crash as the blue car collided head on with a large delivery truck from Room and Board. The Governor continued eastward on Lake Street with only a glance into his rearview mirror to assess the chaos behind him. He moved quickly to the right lane and turned right onto a neighborhood street, accelerated, and turned right again at the end of the block where he quickly pulled into an alley and parked next to a dumpster behind an apartment building.

  He glanced down the street as he pulled the latex gloves from his hands and put them in the fanny
pack/water bottle carrier. The Governor broke into a jog towards the lake. It was a hot day for a run, but he was just another jogger as he headed for the trail system along the chain of lakes he was going to follow on his long run home. He heard the sirens and headed towards the lake and the scene of the accident to see what had happened.

  Chapter 18

  Jack ran by the bronze statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat into the air on the Nicollet Mall in front of the Macy’s store. He tried to block it, but couldn’t stop it. Damn it. The theme song from the old television show burst into his brain. You’re going to make it after all! It happened every time. With just a few blocks left to reach the YMCA and a shower, the song played in his head, threatening to be there all day. The second verse started, then a voice called out, “Jack!”

  Jack slowed and looked back over his shoulder, first at the statue, at the hat still just leaving Mary’s hand as she flings it into the air, and then he scanned the faces behind him on the sidewalk. The lunch crowd on Nicollet Mall had thinned as the downtown office workers returned to the land of the cubicles in the surrounding office buildings.

  “Miller, over here.”

  He looked to his left and saw Patty sitting in the passenger seat of the news van next to the curb. She motioned him to come over to the car, the look on her face telling him she wasn’t here just to offer him water again.

  He jogged a few steps over to the car, nodded at the driver, looked at Patty, and asked, “What’s up? For a minute I thought Mary was calling my name.”

  “We got a call, Jack.” Patty locked her eyes on his. “One of yours, an Agent Ross Fruen’s been in a car accident.”

  “Where is he? Is he OK?”

  “He’s over at HCMC. That’s all I know. We heard some calls over the radio, thought you’d like to know so we came to find you.”

  “I need to get there. Hennepin County Medical Center handles all the trauma cases. Can’t be good.” Jack looked anxiously up and down the mall.

  “That’s why we’re here. Jump in.”

  “You sure? It’s just a few blocks. I can run there.”

  “Come on, Jack. Let’s go.”

  Jack settled in the back seat of the van among the video equipment and leaned forward in his seat. “So we don’t know anything?” Jack asked.

  “Sorry, Jack, you know what I know. But we’ll be there soon enough.”

  The driver took off.

  “So who’s Agent Fruen?” Patty asked.

  “You met him when we were in Wayzata.”

  “The new agent? Shy guy with the sunglasses?”

  “That’s him.” He looked at Patty. “I wonder what happened.”

  They pulled up in front of the emergency room at the hospital and rocked to a stop. Patty climbed out and opened the back door for Jack. “Thanks,” Jack said. “I have to get inside.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Patty gave a wave to the driver and told him she’d call him.

  “There goes your ride. I didn’t even thank him.”

  “Don’t worry, Jack. He knows. He’s glad to do it and he’s used to waiting around.” Patty started for the door and grabbed Jack by the elbow to get him moving. “Let’s go on in. I’ll hang around if you need me for anything. A call, another ride, anything.”

  Jack followed Patty inside. Once they were in, Patty headed for a chair while Jack went up to talk to a couple of agents in suits who were leaning against the wall.

  “How is he?”

  “Hey, Jack.” The closer of the two agents kept leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets while he spoke. “He’s not dead, that’s about all we know. We’re waiting for the doctor. He’s supposed to be out soon.”

  The second agent stood with a Diet Coke in his hand. “It’s a miracle Junior’s still here. You know what saved him?” He took a big swig of soda and waited for Jack to answer. When all he got was a shake of the head, he let out a quiet belch and continued, “That piece of shit car of yours. The Rino or whatever you called it. Should’ve called it El Tankay, ‘cuz that tank took a beating but saved Junior’s ass.”

  The doctor had approached the group.

  “Gentlemen, you’re with the FBI?” The first agent quickly flashed his badge in answer.

  Jack answered, “Yep, that’s us. How is he?”

  The doctor looked at the second agent. “You’re right that the car probably saved him. That, and he’s young and in good physical shape. He’s beat up. He’ll be bruised and sore, but I think he’ll be fine. We want to keep him overnight, treat the pain and observe him, let him rest, but he should be able to go home tomorrow or the next day.”

  The agents all looked at each other and then at the doctor. “That’s great, doc,” was all Jack could say.

  “He was asking for Jack,” the doctor said.

  Jack nodded. “That’s me.”

  “Follow me. I’ll take you in to see him.”

  Jack looked at the other two agents. One took a swig of soda while the other pulled out his mobile phone. “We’ll call the office and give them an update. Tell them Junior’s still kicking. We’ll wait here or at the cafeteria to get an update from you.”

  Jack stepped over to the drinking fountain and took a long drink of water. When he was done, he looked over at Patty and gave her a “thumbs-up” then he looked at the doctor. “All right, let’s go.”

  Jack walked beside the doctor, their shoes squeaking on the floor. The rhythm and hum of the ER worked its way into Jack’s thoughts now that he knew Ross was OK.

  As they walked by the desk, the doctor stopped to talk to the nurse. “Can you get an extra-large top sent down to room 2?” He continued down the hallway with Jack following. “A hot day to run. I hope you’re hydrating.”

  “I was just heading to the showers when they picked me up to bring me here.”

  The doctor stopped outside room 2. “We’ll get you a dry top. Don’t stay in there too long. He’s OK, but he needs his rest to help him recover and we have him on some strong stuff for the pain. He may be a little dopey.”

  Jack followed the doctor into the room. Ross smiled when he saw Jack, but it quickly turned to a grimace from the pain. Jack almost grimaced along with him because Ross looked terrible. His arm was in a sling, his face bruised from the air-bag, and there were cuts on the side of his head. He sucked in air as he fought the pain, and the sound triggered the sympathetic reaction in Jack.

  “Remember, not too long,” the doctor said before leaving.

  Jack was ready to keep it light, make sure Junior was OK. He started to say something, but Ross beat him to it.

  “Jack, it was him, the Governor.”

  “What do you mean, it was him?”

  Ross spoke softly. “My phone rang, I answered it and boom, somebody’s playing bumper cars with me.” He shifted in bed. “It was him on the phone Jack. He said something to me about how I shouldn’t talk on the cell phone when I’m driving and then he hit me.”

  “Slow down, Junior.”

  There was a knock on the door. A nurse came in and handed Jack a green surgical top before approaching Ross’ bed and checking the IV’s and other equipment surrounding him. Jack took off his t-shirt and put on the dry top. “Can I keep this?” he asked the nurse.

  “Sure. I’ll come back in a couple of minutes to make sure you leave our patient alone.” She smiled at Jack, but underneath he saw she was serious. He didn’t have a lot of time.

  “OK, Junior. You’re sure about this? This isn’t a dream induced by the meds? The doctor said you’d be a little dopey.”

  “It was him.”

  “We must be making him nervous for him to try this. I have to go find your car. Get the crime team to figure out what hit you. Find your phone.”

  “Are my clothes here?”

  “Junior, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “The phone, it might be in my coat pocket.”

  Jack looked around the room, but didn’t see anything. “I’ll find
them, Ross. They have to be around here somewhere.”

  The nurse pushed open the door. “The party’s over boys. The patient needs some rest.”

  Jack looked at Ross. “I’ll be back later, Junior. I’ll see what I can find out about the phone, car, and witnesses. Maybe you’ll remember something.” He headed for the open door and the glares of the nurse.

  “Jack,” Ross hoarsely whispered.

  Jack looked back. “Yeah?”

  “Sorry about the car.”

  “Don’t worry about her, Junior. She saved your life.”

  Chapter 19

  The room had a quiet buzz from the equipment and the soft clicking of fingers on keyboards. The only light in the room came from the computer monitors spread across work surfaces, which wrapped around the outer wall of the room and formed an island in the middle of it. Jack stood a couple of steps inside the door, waiting for somebody to notice him. Nobody even looked up so he walked over to one of the faces glowing in front of a huge monitor and looked over the shoulder of the operator. ESPN’s website was up in one of the windows. “How are the Twins doing?” Jack asked.

  The computer operator’s head jerked slightly to the left towards Jack’s voice. “If you’re a betting man, bet against them.”

  Jack looked around the room and settled his eyes back on the sports fan. “Who can tell me how we’re doing with the Governor case and the accident with Special Agent Fruen?” He threw in the “Special Agent” to get this guy’s attention and the attention of anybody else listening. He wanted to make it known how he felt about the agents pounding the pavement versus these guys pounding their keyboards.

  The man in the chair spun it around to face Jack. “And who are you?”

  “Special Agent Jack Miller. Can you tell me who you are?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Jack stared at the man, waiting for an answer. He wasn’t going to ask again. He looked at the computer screen again and some papers on the desk. The man had been working on some spreadsheets; game stats were on the papers. He looked at the man again. The corners of his mouth had turned up into the smallest of smiles.