by Valerie Clay
Amanda, Carl, and McPherson left for the veterinary hospital, leaving Julie and me to try and figure out where we might safely spend the night. We were just about to flip a coin when the detective interrupted us.
“Not that you need it, but we’re assigning an undercover cop to you tonight, Officer ‘Hulk’ Hogan. Officer Hogan will recommend a hotel and provide police protection for the entire evening and beyond, if necessary.”
Relief washed over me like a gentle waterfall on a tropical island. Just the sound of his name made me feel secure, and I could tell that Julie felt the same way. We looked at each other and smiled in silent agreement. Tonight I was going to sleep like a baby, secure in the knowledge that a tough Las Vegas cop was watching my back.
“Hogan, come on in.” Caporale waved impatiently at the officer standing just outside the door.
While I was rummaging through my purse for my lip gloss, I heard the staccato sound of high heels on the floor tiles, and looked up to see Officer Hogan enter the room. All five-foot-one of her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“A woman is like a tea bag—you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States
*******
Julie and I exchanged glances, eyebrows raised.
“Don’t worry, ladies,” the detective said, noting our expressions. “Sure, she looks like a cheerleader with her cute little blonde ponytail and perky smile, but don’t let her fool you. Underneath all that lipstick and mascara, Officer Hogan is one of the best shots in the department, and from what I understand, mean as a snake.”
“Watch your mouth, Caporale,” Hogan said. “I don’t care if you are a guest here, I’ll have you up on harassment charges so fast, it’ll make your head spin.”
“See what I mean?” Caporale said smiling. “I specifically asked for her, thinking that you’d all bond—her being another tough broad and all.”
I’m pretty sure he was kidding. I think.
We said our goodbyes to Caporale and followed Hulk out into the parking lot. There was still no word from Laini, so we decided to head to the hotel and let her know our location when she called in.
“Love your shoes,” I said, looking down at Hulk’s red patent leather heels, partially visible under her tight, designer jeans.
“Thanks. They’re Ferragamo. There’s an awesome designer outlet mall not far from The Strip. It’s totally cool. Maybe you guys can check it out, when this is all over.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I replied wide-eyed, looking at Julie.
“So, Officer Hogan,” Julie started as she buttoned up her jacket against the cool night air, “I’m sure you have a name you’d prefer other than Hulk. What should we call you?”
Hogan smiled. “My given name is Deliverance. Don’t ask. So you can see why I prefer Hulk. People have been calling me that for years, so please feel free to call me that too.”
She led us to an unmarked car and unlocked the doors with her remote. Julie climbed into the back seat and I rode shotgun next to the diminutive officer. She started the engine, slid her seat closer to the steering wheel, then pulled out of the lot and eased into light traffic. I was pleased to note that the car didn’t explode when she cranked the ignition. It’s possible I’ve seen one too many crime movies.
From the back seat, Julie asked, “This is an undercover cop car? A BMW sedan?”
“Yes, confiscated it in a drug raid. Isn’t it totally awesome?”
“Totally,” Julie muttered in the darkness. Suppressing a smile, I fidgeted with my hat, stuffing stray strands of hair back up inside. I would have bitten my fingernails as I usually do when I’m tense, but better fingernails are part of my Action Plan.
We were on our way to a hotel in Henderson, a quiet community away from The Strip, Hulk explained as we idled at a stop light. That was fine by me. The further from Vegas the better. Along the way, she chatted non-stop, telling us all about her new boyfriend, her pet desert turtle, Skippy, and life on the force as a woman. In the back seat, Julie had settled in comfortably, leaned her head against the side of the car, and closed her eyes. I was glad she could let her hair down and relax, but I was still wired, so I welcomed the light conversation.
As we drove along, I noticed Hulk’s eyes repeatedly flicking between the rear- and side-view mirrors. She continued with the small talk, but kept constant vigilance on our surroundings. That was a good sign of her professionalism, I observed. If Julie were awake, she’d feel more confident about this cheery, little officer. After a while, however, I noticed that Hulk’s eyes seemed glued to the rear-view mirror.
“I see that you’re checking out that rear-view mirror quite a bit,” I said.
“Um-hmm,” she responded.
“I appreciate your caution, but no one would be after us now would they? I mean, Caporale said they’re probably all on the run.”
“Um-hmm,” Hulk responded again, sounding a tad distracted.
“So,” I said, pushing it, “you don’t think anyone is following us now, right?”
“No, I don’t think anyone is following us,” she said, her voice firm but composed. “I know someone is following us.”
“What?” I whipped my head around and looked behind us but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Hogan picked up her radio and calmly called the station.
“Julie,” I whispered, “wake up!” No response. I tried one more time a little more loudly, not wanting to interrupt Hulk. “Julie!” Still nothing. She was out like a light, so I took off my hat and threw it at her. It was a direct hit to her nose.
“What?” she yelled, startled.
“Shhh—listen,” I whispered back.
Hogan was talking to dispatch. “This is Officer Hogan. Request backup. I repeat, request backup. Dark, late model Dodge Viper tailing us two cars back. We’re heading east on Sunset, just past Pine and approaching Green Valley Parkway. Request assistance. Will take evasive action and turn south onto Pecos.”
“Hang on to your hats, girls,” she yelled. “I’ll try and lose ’em.” Our tires squealed in protest as she accelerated, then made a last minute, hard right turn onto Pecos. Julie slid across the back seat and I grabbed onto the door handle while I looked back to see if they followed us. Sure enough, the Viper squealed around the corner in hot pursuit, then picked up speed.
“What! Are they crazy?” Hulk screamed. “They know they’ve been made.” She turned on her siren and flashing lights, gunned the engine, and we took off like a rocket into the dark night. The few cars on the road at that late hour pulled over to the side, making way as we raced past them. She slowed slightly, made another, sudden hard right turn, and we fishtailed onto Warm Springs Road. Steering out of it, Hulk regained control of her vehicle, and kept going. In spite of the officer’s brash evasive driving maneuvers, our determined pursuers not only kept up with us, they were steadily closing in. In desperation, Hulk floored it and we shot forward. Even though we were flying down the multi-lane street at a death-defying pace, the Viper recklessly gained ground in the frantic contest. Then, without warning, an explosive sound filled the car and Hulk’s rear window blew out.
“My Beemer!” she screamed. “Get down!”
Julie and I ducked down in our seats in terror. This couldn’t be happening, I thought. Not twice in one day. Crack! Another shot was fired, this time ricocheting off of Hulk’s head rest and embedding into the dashboard above the radio. I would have screamed but I couldn’t get any sound to come out of my mouth.
Unexpectedly the car jolted forward, and I realized we were being rammed from the back. Bam! They slammed into us again. Our car swerved, tires squealed, but Hulk, with her incredible driving skills, managed to keep it on the road.
“OK, that does it!” Hulk yelled. “Victoria, grab the wheel.”
“What?” I yelled back. “We’re driving a hundred miles an hour down a city street and you want me to steer? We’ll all die!”
“Vic
, just do it!” Julie screamed from somewhere low in the back seat. “I’d do it myself, but I can’t reach it from here.”
I popped my head up just enough to barely see the road and grabbed the wheel as Hulk let go and twisted around in her seat. Our car veered erratically into an oncoming lane and then back, narrowly missing a flatbed truck. The truck’s horn sounded loudly, then faded in the distance as we raced on. Hulk kept her foot pressed firmly on the accelerator while she returned fire on our pursuers through our blown out rear window. Bull’s-eye! She hit her target on the first shot. The Viper careened off the road and onto the sidewalk, smashed into a brick fence, flipped over twice, then came to a stop upside down. Hulk turned back around in the seat, grabbed the wheel from me, and slowed down but didn’t stop as two black and whites, sirens screaming, came up on the scene from both directions. She called dispatch again and was directed to return to the station. Up ahead we could see the flashing lights of an aid unit on its way to the wreckage. Decelerating to the speed limit, we made our way back to the Special Investigations Unit, and Detective Caporale.
~
Arriving back at square one, I opened my door and climbed out of the car on unsteady legs. “Well that was fun,” I said in an attempt at humor. “Thank you so much, Officer Hogan. You were incredible. I have to admit that I completely underestimated you.”
“Me too,” Julie added. “You were amazing. How can we ever thank you?”
“No thanks needed. Just doing my job. I did have some first-rate backup from Victoria though. If you ever think about joining the force, let me know.” I knew she was joking, but it was nice to hear, all the same. Maybe I should add Police Academy to my Action Plan.
“Yes, good job, Vic!” Julie said. “Now I need to find the ladies room—and fast.” As she jogged past, she tossed my hat to me. With shaky hands I managed to snatch it out of the air, shoved the crumpled fedora back on my head, and tried to tuck away the lingering strands. At that point I was almost willing to forego the hat. Almost.
When we entered the brightly lit station, we were stunned to discover Laini talking to Detective Caporale. “Vic! Julie! Thank God you’re all right!” she shouted as she ran over and hugged us fiercely.
“What are you doing here?” Julie asked while searching for signs to the rest rooms. “I thought you were going to call us when your flight landed.”
“I called all three of you, but no one answered.”
“Be right back guys—have to hit the ladies room.” Julie yelled, dashing off down the hallway.
“Guess we didn’t hear our phones over the gun shots and car crashes,” I attempted to joke.
“Victoria, I’m so, so sorry that I got you guys into this mess. You almost died because of me.” Laini wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek.
“No, it was absolutely our choice. You would have done the same for us,” I began, my eyes tearing up as well.
“I hate to interrupt this touching scene,” said Caporale, “but I’ve got some news I think you’re all gonna want to hear. Let’s move into my office.”
We followed Caporale back into the small interrogation room, and waited for Julie to appear. I took a seat while Laini removed her royal purple and black Burberry floral silk scarf and tucked it into her matching bag, which she placed on the chair next to hers. As she began unfastening the belt on her long, black double breasted trench coat, Detective Caporale gave her an approving look. “Finally, a woman from Seattle with a little fashion sense. Except for the flower wreath in your hair, you look fairly normal.”
“Thanks, Detective,” Laini said as she slipped off her coat and threw it across the back of her chair. The flowing white Roman Goddess gown she wore underneath had beautiful gold cording around her midsection, and the attached cape billowed out onto the floor behind her. Two long silken tassels, tied to the braided cording hung loosely at her side. In the bright overhead lights, her flaxen hair shimmered softly, and her white satin gown seemed to glow, radiating a golden aura and an ethereal, otherworldly appearance.
I quickly glanced from Laini to the detective and saw his jaw drop.
“Whoa, Laini, what’re you wearing?” Julie asked as she entered the room.
“Well, I was so stressed out when I couldn’t reach anyone, I decided to perform a Goddess ritual in my forest yurt, and—”
“You have a forest?” Julie asked.
“You have a yurt?” I asked.
“What’s a yurt?” Caporale asked.
“It’s not really a forest,” Laini explained. “It’s in my back yard, but I do have a couple of crabapple trees there, and I feel that forest yurt is much more sacred-sounding than yard yurt or crabapple yurt, don’t you think?”
“Definitely,” I said.
“Go on.” Caporale motioned with his hands, sounding slightly tense.
“So anyway, Mark built this really beautiful yurt for me last month for my ceremonies. I thought I told you about it—sorry. And, for your information, Detective, a yurt is a collapsible circular tent of felt and skins stretched over a pole frame, originally used by Central Asian nomadic people. Mark used canvas instead of skins, naturally, and we filled the interior with brightly colored rugs decorated with geometric patterns and pictures of eagles. Eagle is one of my totem animals.”
Caporale leaned his head back against his chair, lifted his face towards the ceiling, and closed his eyes. “And you’re wearing this getup now because . . .” he said.
“Oh, right. Well, in the middle of my ceremony, I had the strongest urge to sit down and do some automatic writing. Are you familiar with automatic writing, Detective?” He didn’t respond so she continued, “It’s when you use a pen and paper to channel a spirit guide, or maybe some other wise being in the universe, and they write a message, using you as a conduit. Know what I mean?”
“Sure,” he said, eyes still closed.
“Well,” she continued, “I put my pen to the parchment, which in my opinion is a much better medium than regular paper for these kinds of things, but only two words came out. Two powerful words that screamed off the page at me, and I realized right then and there, I had no choice. I had to get to the airport and catch the first available flight out. I ran into the house, grabbed my purse and coat, jumped into my car, and headed for SeaTac as fast as I could. Of course, there was no time to change.”
“Of course,” Caporale said.
“Then, the universe intervened again when I got the last seat on the non-stop, and here I am. So tell me, what have you found? Where’s Mark?”
“Before I begin,” Caporale said, leaning forward, “and I’m probably going to regret asking this, but just out of curiosity, what were the two mystical words that guided you here?”
Laini looked him straight in the eye and said, “Vegas, Baby.”
Caporale’s face began to contort a bit. “What? Vegas, Baby? That’s it? That’s the powerful message from the spirit world?”
Laini said, “I know. It seems odd doesn’t it?”
Caporale opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Maybe,” I interjected, “you were channeling Frank Sinatra, or one of the other Rat Pack members. That’s how they talk you know.”
The detective started to speak, but fortunately for us, his phone rang, and he took the call. While we waited, Julie and I filled Laini in on the horrific events of the past twelve hours.
“Yeah, thanks, on my way.” An eager look of expectancy lit up his face as he stood up. “Sorry, ladies. As much as I’d love to sit here and exchange ghost stories with you, I gotta run. They picked up Tony at the airport trying to catch a flight to New York. He’s turned state’s evidence and singing like a canary. They’re bringing him in now, but I need to get to LaRusso. He’s hiding out at a clinic in Henderson, and according to Tony, the Doc and his brother are there too.” He threw on his sports coat as he moved quickly out of the office.
“I’m going with you,” Laini said grabbing her coat and bag. Her ca
pe flowed along the floor behind her as she rushed down the hallway.
“So are we,” Julie said as we followed them out into the parking lot.
“Absolutely not,” Caporale snapped. “I’m not running a taxi service here. She can go, being the wife and all, but you two need to stay put. Go get a hotel room, gamble, buy a new hat, I don’t care, just keep out of trouble. And for crying out loud, stay away from guns. Everywhere you go, someone winds up getting shot.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a smartass?” I said to him, hands on hips, as he climbed into the car and turned the ignition. He rolled down the window and winked, “What can I say? I’m from Boston.”
“Okay,” I relented. “Laini, call us the moment you know anything. Promise!” Laini nodded back somberly from the inside of the car.
Julie asked, “Detective, are we free to go? I mean, is it safe?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” he yelled as he started to pull away. ”Crystal was driving the car that pursued you. The Hulk put a bullet right between her eyes, God love her. Lenny was in the car too. He made it, but just barely. Critical condition. All of your assailants are out of commission now, so you’re free to go. But don’t leave town.” His voice trailed off as he accelerated into the darkness. I waved at Laini and said a silent prayer for Mark and his brother.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” —Mark Twain, American author and humorist
*******
“Housekeeping,” a muffled voice called out from somewhere far away. Was it a dream? I opened one eye and for a minute forgot where I was. The red digital display on the nightstand clock said eleven A.M. Again, the distant voice announced, “Housekeeping,” followed by two muted thumps. I opened my other eye and discovered Julie, fast asleep in a pile of cream colored sheets and fluffy pillows in the queen bed next to mine, and it all came rushing back. We were in a two-bedroom penthouse suite that Amanda reserved for us at Vdara, a lavish hotel in City Center, the new urban community on The Strip. While she waited for our taxi to pick her up from the Veterinary Hospital last night, the generous ex-model decided we all needed a little luxury R and R, and called ahead to make the arrangements. Plush and spectacular, I could totally afford to stay here as long as Amanda was paying.
