Lois cackled for a brief few seconds, nodding her head. “Plan B, Rick, just like Sana’a.”
I shrugged. “It’ll be less deadly than that hellhole, but Bill will have a seizure over it. I brought the Plan B kit. I hate this. I had a feeling I should have brought that jerk Lonnie out with me. The office manager vouched for him, and made me stupid.”
“No biggie, Rick.” Lo looked back at Reeser with the Gorgon stare of death. “Best you pray to God I don’t find out you knew Lonnie was in on this, bitch. I’ll take you somewhere special for a one on one you will never forget in your short life.”
I could tell in seconds little Jean didn’t know about Lonnie. She cringed into the farthest corner of the rear seat, her hands held out in placating passion. “I didn’t! I swear to God I didn’t!”
Trish had been watching Reeser closely. “She didn’t know. Damn… I dressed nice for nothing.”
“It wasn’t for nothing, Skipper,” Lo replied. “You gave this old coot next to me a hard-on at least a couple times since you returned.”
Trish enjoyed that ace a little too much for a moment. “Good one, Lo. I guess it was worth it then. Let’s do this like we planned. We’ll wipe their sorry asses out before even one of them reacts in time.”
I saw Lo’s features brighten. See… this is why it’s bad working with killers who enjoy the deed a bit too much. When you have two of them on the same op, they tend to feed off each other. With Lo and Trish it was like a competition. “Don’t even consider it, Lo! Let’s get our vests on, and do the Plan B flash-bangs. We do intros… I pull Rico out… we throw a couple equalizers in amongst his crew, and it’s a day in the park with San Diego’s finest moving in to legitimize our op.”
Lois didn’t even have to sell the alteration. Trish collapsed back against the seat with a groan. “He’s right. Shit… I’d get sent back to Victorville, and I’d lose Sam for all time.”
“I like that you’re thinking that way, Skipper. I got so tired of being the chilling force all those years back for Hooterville, I guess it’s only right he needs to occasionally smack me with a dose of reality now. That Sana’a op, working the fifty in Matt’s old UH-1 on the way out has tossed me for a loop, Rick. As much as I hate to admit it, we need Skipper out of prison, and working for us. We’ll have to have a business meeting when we get clear of this and our other nasty endeavor that is long overdue.”
I reached and gripped Lo’s left hand. “Don’t worry about it, Sis. We do what we do, and kill everything with a heartbeat if we get a blip on the radar. Let me dig out Plan B utensils.”
Lo patted my grip with her other hand. “Damn… I wish you and Skipper would have worked out.”
“I know you do, but it ain’t happenin’. At least I have someone in my own age group along with an added prize in Jim.”
Lois glanced back at Trish, still gripping my hand. “We’re square, Trish. Life happens. I won’t change, but as far as you and Rick, we’re done.”
Trish wasn’t maudlin about it, but I could tell she was relieved. She reached to grasp both of our hands. “Thanks, Lo. I’m sorry we pulled the staged Stacy stunt at Godfather Cell. Hooterville made me do it.”
Yeah… we enjoyed that one for a few seconds while Reeser looked on in complete confusion. “Okay… let’s suit up.”
At the back of the company’s GMC Terrain, I uncovered my Plan B pack. We put on our Kevlar, covered it as best we could with jackets, blouses, or shirts, including Jean. I gave out the flash-bangs to Trish and Lo. My mission was to yank Gannon out with me, so we could easily bang the crew. Then I called Bill while we reentered the GMC.
“I didn’t expect a call this soon, Rick. What’s happening?”
“Just the usual. Someone tipped off Gannon at the travel agency. Instead of running, the moron thought to incorporate our movie star into a feeble getaway plan, screwing everyone. He doesn’t know Trish is not anything like he thinks. There are a few unknowns, such as him not believing he’s meeting the real Trish Medina movie star. We’ll cover that. We’re planning on a no casualty apprehension, but it would be best to steer clear until we make that happen.”
“Got it,” Bill acknowledged right away. “I’ll have uniforms ready to move in on this five minutes from now. Good luck, Rick. I wish it had developed like you had planned at first.”
“You and me both, brother. We’re using military type flash-bangs, so make sure you include an EMT unit in your call out.”
“Will do. You and Lo are the deadliest creatures I’ve ever encountered. Don’t disappoint me. I feel the Chief of Police calling to me.”
I admit I enjoyed that witticism on Bill’s part. “We will incorporate all aspects of restraint to keep you locked in on your hoped for lofty title. You’ve already admitted to being on Lo’s pad, so be sure to remember this little addition.”
Bill grunted in acquiescence. “I hear you. We all owe something when we progress in station at the level we’re talking about. I’d rather be on your partner’s pad than anyone else in the universe.”
“Amen, brother. I’ll tell her.” I clicked off, and turned to my companions. “Bill will have a flock of cops ready to descend on our bad guys after we prep them. If you can do it, pull the door shut after the bangs get tossed.”
Next, I attached our new button cams to Trish, Lo, and me. We were close enough to network with Bone.
“I have your cams on screen. Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Bone,” Lo replied. “Once we have the bad guys down, keep an eye on things outside. I don’t want anyone moving on us except for the cops. After the initial takedown, send Steve to the house. I want him to take charge of Reeser.”
“Will do. You’ve decided on the grenades, huh?”
“They’re not grenades,” I reminded him.
“Whatever you say, Rick. Keep in touch. I’ll be watching.”
“When we get parked there, I want a blow by blow description of anything happening you can see at the windows. Tell me even if it’s only the drapes or blinds moving even slightly.”
Bone acknowledged. I parked so we weren’t directly in front of the beach house. Luckily, the weather worked in our favor. A chilling sea breeze blew in from the ocean, so wearing light jackets hid the Kevlar. I had on my black suit from earlier at the school. I debated whether to add a driver’s hat, but figured it would look stupid. Taking a chance Gannon’s crew wouldn’t launch out of the house guns blazing was a calculated gamble. Gannon felt he could control the situation, take us hostage, and find out how many people knew about his home invasion business. I’m sure he needed some time to move the operation. Killing us would be an option if we hadn’t alerted anyone else.
“Stay on the right next to Trish, Jean,” Lo directed. “I hope you can get him with one grab, Rick.”
“Everything will be fine if his crew stays out of sight, ready to spring their trap,” I replied. Bone reported in our ears the clear signal every few seconds of our approach.
Anticipation is a funny thing. Having been in enough scrapes with Lois, I knew ice water ran through her veins. Trish had proven herself the past months since getting out of prison. The reason, as she pointed out to me before, to continue working for us hinged on these types of cases, where skill and danger threaded parallel pathways. Reeser not so much. I watched the terror build on her face with every step.
“Hold onto Jean, or we’re going to lose her, Trish.”
Trish put a comforting hand on Reeser’s shoulder. “Don’t bail on us now, kid. We need Rico to see you if he does have eyes on us from somewhere.”
“I’m scared, Trish.”
“Don’t be. Once Rico opens the door to you, this will be over in seconds.”
“Have you done this before?”
“Sure. Loads of times,” Trish placated her. “You lead the way to the door. I’m with you like a shadow.”
Reeser nodded. We reached the door without incident. She knocked and called out. “It’s me, Rico.
I have Trish Medina, her agent, and her driver with me.”
The door opened. Rico wore the happy go lucky arrogant producer look very well. He lost the look for a moment as he recognized he actually had one of the stars from ‘A New Beginning’ standing in front of him. Rico glanced inside, confusion covering his features. “You really are Trish Medina.”
“I’m her driver, Rick, Mr. Gannon. This is Trish Medina, and her agent, Lois Madigan.” I indicated my friends in a formal way, and held out my hand. “I’ll be staying outside. It’s nice meeting you Sir.”
He shook my hand. I ripped him out of the entranceway, spinning him face down on the ground. Lo and Trish threw their bangs in, one to each side. Trish grabbed Reeser, pushing her down while Lo managed to slam the front door. The twin booms preceded the usual screams of dismay our military hardware normally invokes in the unwary. Steve ran up, gathered Reeser into his arms, and hurried her away. I plastic tied Rico’s wrists behind his back, and added another at his ankles.
I opened the door, while we stayed to the sides of the entryway. The breeze blowing by us helped suck some of the smoke away. It would still be hazy and dangerous. I went in low to the right, while Trish went left. Lo went center in a shooter’s crouch. We found our prey, at least three of them. They were in no shape for confrontations. We juiced them anyway, while keeping our eyes open for the fourth guy.
“Where the hell is that fourth guy… damn it!” Lo covered us while Trish and I disarmed the already toasted.
“Rick! A guy dived through the back window! He’s in the sand!”
“You’ll have to take him, Rick. Trish and I are in heels.”
I was already racing out the front and into the sand, shedding clothes down to my vest and t-shirt. I spotted him on the empty beach right away with a fifty yard head start. “Is he armed, Bone?”
“He vaulted through the window with nothing in his hands, and only a t-shirt on. Steve and I are on the move parallel to the beach. Sing out if he heads for the street.”
“If he does, take no chances! I’m gaining on him.” I ran the sand here in San Diego forty-some years ago during Hell Week when death seemed sweeter than sugar melting in my mouth. I grinned at the memory of a song that kept me from quitting. In seconds, I was humming the tune.
He glanced back, breathing hard, with his hands empty. If he reached for anything, I couldn’t take the chance he would miss. A few minutes later I moved out next to him, kicking sand with my dress shoes on, careful of every push off so as not to slip. It was the thug member of the crew. I could tell by the size of him. He had me by a couple inches, and at least fifty pounds. It didn’t help him on a beach run, but it would in a beach wrestling match. He stopped running, looking at me warily.
“Get on your knees, and lock your hands behind your head, Speedy.”
He didn’t like my nickname for him. “Or what, you’ll bullshit me into submission. It looks like you ain’t got a gun, old timer. Walk away, and I won’t break something on you.”
“No guns. In fact, I’ll take you on right now with one hand. I’m right handed. I’ll kick your ass with my left, Speedy.” I reached with my right hand, grasping the stun-gun from its holster next to my Jennings 9mm at my back. I made a fist with my left, held in fighting position as if I were ready to jack him with one punch. “Well hell, sweetie… are you going to just stand there, or come get some pain?”
Oh, he came alright – the charge of the thug brigade. I sidestepped, at the last second, and jammed the stun-gun into him with an overhand right. I made him dance until he was counting electric sheep in his head, vibrating to a song only he could hear. I stopped reluctantly. I rolled him in the sand with some satisfaction, and plastic tied his wrists behind him.
“I have him, Bone. Drive back to the beach house. I’ll wait for my guppy to awake from his electric sleep.”
“Rick… did you fight him with one hand behind your back? Are you stupid?”
“Damn Lo, I figured you of all people would know better. I egged him on, and whipped out the cattle prod to put the sheep to sleep.”
Cackling enjoyment for a moment. “I wish you hadn’t shed your cam with your shirt, Rick. I would have enjoyed a viewing.”
“I’ll give you a blow by blow account with some of the juicier interaction.”
“After that run on the beach, are you still planning on making the workout tonight?”
“I better. I have the lovesick Jim to think of. Imagine my life if I bail on putting him in contact with his new love.”
“You’re right about that. Do you need help getting Speedy back here?”
I forgot they were all on with me for audio throughout the chase. “No… I’m good. I’ll get his face out of the sand, and guide him back. I assume you’ve let Bill know it’s time to collect on his next step to the police chief priesthood, right?”
“He has a squad on the way with the meat wagon, and an EMT unit. This should get us some points with our potential police chief. Do you really think he has a chance, or is he blowing smoke up our asses?”
“I saw his face at the precinct. It’s the real deal.”
“Take your time, partner.”
“Yep.” Watching my thug on the beach with the chilly ocean breeze cooling me off fast, my mind drifted backward in time past ‘Hell Week’ in Seal training to my high school days with Stacy, when I first heard the song that helped me through ‘Hell Week’. I remembered our first time in the summer of 1970 when we were sixteen. A song came on the old Dodge radio while we were in a popular make-out spot – a French song by two singers I’d never heard of, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg titled ‘Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus’. We had never heard anything like it. It was two people making love in song with labored breathing, and a crescendo as if they were actually in the act. In French it was exquisite. The memory of Stacy’s face way back then as Jane Birkin sang/said in breathless passion ‘now Max now…’ was a memory I never forgot. I bought the album for her because it was banned from our radio station. We learned all the lyrics, and did the song together in French. I grinned as Speedy started regaining consciousness, cursing and rolling in the sand.
“You chicken shit son-of-a-bitch! You played me. I will rip your heart out and eat it!”
“Calm down, Speedy. I have you. I’ll work to get you to a standing position, and then we’ll stroll along the beach into police custody. You jogged something in my memory banks that’s pretty special, so stay calm, and plot out whatever strategy you have for your lawyer to deal with.”
It wasn’t easy getting him on his feet, but there was no way in the world I would let this sucker loose. I could tell he had a hard-on for me because of my small deception. Well boo hoo, big boy. He didn’t take well to being outsmarted by an old has-been. Into each life a little rain must fall. We reached the beach house, but the hoped for police presence had not arrived. I thought Bill would have a squad on hand in moments of our sting’s end. Lo met me in the sand.
“Since we have everyone in custody, Bill decided to send a forensics team too. That way we cover all the bases before any glimmer of a problem surfaces.”
“That was good thinking by our hoped for new police chief,” I replied. “Best to get this all done, including forensics right now.”
“That’s how I see it too, Rick. Bill is going to be…” Lo began, when Speedy took a new turn in his destiny.
“Rick Cantelli!” Speedy spat out as if it were a honker. “Shit! I knew you looked familiar. P.I. to the stars. You’re supposed to be a tough guy, prick! You’re nothing but a cunt! When I get out, I’m going to rip your spine out if your old ass is still alive!”
Lois was enjoying the hell out of Speedy’s diatribe. “This…this guy is hilarious. He must have liked getting toasted. Maybe we should charbroil him again. You know what you did, Speedy. You’ve added yourself onto our wish list. When you get out of the joint, we’ll be waiting.”
I grinned through the interaction. Speedy had a right to be
mad. I did play him right on the hook. “Speedy doesn’t want to be on the list, Lo. C’mon, Speedy. Calm yourself. No need to get all bent out of shape over this. It’s not like this is your first collar.”
Damn… Speedy looked like he was going to blow. Then… he said something I wasn’t expecting.
“Fuck you, Cantelli! I read where you killed eight guys in the past few days. How do they get away with printing that kind of bullshit? There was something mentioning a kid in the article too… your grandson or something.”
“Best to stop right there.” So much for a nice tidy op.
“Maybe I’ll say hello to the kid when I get out too, pussy. I know that old whore you hang with named Stacy Alden. I’m not into tapping an old cunt like that, but I’ll cinch her up, and make her watch me with the boy.”
I nearly didn’t grab Lo in time. She had the barrel rising on her Glock to put one right between Speedy’s horns. “Don’t Lo. I’ve got this. I’d appreciate it if you let him loose though.”
Lois put away the Glock. “Are you sure you want to do it this way?”
“I played Speedy in the sand, and he just played me. We need him alive for Bill. We’ll settle with him permanently at a later date. It’s definitely the list for Speedy.”
Lo walked behind Speedy. She put her stun-gun into the crack of his ass. “I’m going to release your hands. If you even twitch, moron, I’m going to burn you out a new asshole. When Rick gets through with you, it would be best if you found a way to stay in prison for the rest of your fucking life.”
Lo released the plastic tie holding his wrists. Speedy was a moron, but he knew better than to move. I slipped out of my Kevlar, and put my 9mm and stun-gun on it.
“Here’s how we’ll do this. I’ll go at you straight up until you try and tackle me. If you try that, I’ll throw you, and kick you right in the face. My partner will record it, so we don’t have any misunderstandings later. Any questions, Speedy?”
Speedy grinned. “All I want is you. Have this old bat move away.”
“I’m going to so enjoy this, Speedy. I hope this won’t be over too quickly,” Lo said, moving away with her iPhone out.
Rick Cantelli, PI: Into the Darkness (Rick Cantelli, P.I. Detectives Book 3) Page 24
