by Mike Ryan
“They’re just doing what they have to do to sell newspapers, get subscribers, gain viewers,” Recker said. “You know that as well as I do.”
“I know. Is what you’re doing important? Yes. Is killing sometimes necessary? Absolutely. It just seems wrong to glorify it.”
Recker shrugged, thinking this was one of those times where Jones was taking it too far. “It is what it is. This is why I don’t, and you shouldn’t, care about listening to what others say. It makes no difference in the grand scheme of things.”
“I guess you’re right.”
The trio went back to work for another hour before calling it a night. They had a lot of work to do and it’d already been a long day, especially for Recker. They figured getting some rest and coming back in the morning with a fresh pair of eyes and renewed energy would be just what the doctor ordered. They knew finding Jeremiah within any of the security footage they were going through was going to take some time. It was possible they could hit the mother lode quickly, but they all knew it wasn’t the likely scenario. And it would turn out to be true.
A couple more days passed by without any new leads on Jeremiah’s whereabouts. They got beeped a few times on the software program they were running, but every possibility the system brought up turned out to be a false hit. As another night wound down, Recker excused himself from the computer and went over to the coffee machine. He was quickly followed by Mia, who sensed Recker wasn’t quite himself. She thought the lack of progress over finding Jeremiah might have been getting to him as he seemed more reserved than usual.
“You OK?” she asked, putting her hand on his back.
Recker looked at her and smiled, trying to put on a more positive face. “Yeah.”
“You’ve been quieter today.”
“Just tired I guess.”
“You know you can talk to me if you need to.”
“I know.”
“So, what’s bugging you?”
Recker looked down at his cup of coffee, stirring it around as he debated whether he wanted to pour out his feelings, which wasn’t something he was fond of doing. “I guess I’m just a little mad at myself for allowing this to happen.”
“Allow what to happen?”
“You being here.”
“You don’t want me here?” Mia asked, thinking he may have changed his mind about being with her.
“I want you to be able to enjoy your life. You’ve been here what, three or four days now?”
“I’m not complaining.”
“That’s because you’re a good person. But the reality is, bad things have happened to you ever since you met me. You’ve been kidnapped twice, held hostage, almost killed, now there’s another death threat on your head...and it’s all because of me.”
“Not entirely true.”
“Which part?”
“Well, it’s not all because of you,” Mia said, trying to make light of things. “The one time was my fault for trying to be an investigator. You weren’t even here for that one.”
Recker looked at her and laughed, acknowledging her point. “Still, even so, you’re here right now because you were seen sitting with me in a lunch room.”
“And I wouldn’t change it. None of it. None of us know how things will turn out, Mike. We just make the best decisions we can and hope for the best. But it’s not your fault.”
“How you figure?”
“Because you told me numerous times how dangerous it was to be seen with you or be with you. I’ve always known that. Doing what you do, the people you know, I know sometimes there are risks, and I know sometimes there are consequences. It’s not your fault. It’s my choice. I understand as much. You never misled me, you never told me something just to keep me around, it was what I wanted to do. And if being here right now is a byproduct of that, then so be it. I wouldn’t change it. As long as you’re always here to protect me.”
“You know I will,” Recker whispered, leaning towards her
14
Six more days passed by, with still no sign of Jeremiah in any of the security camera footage they combed through. Frustrations were mounting, Recker the most, but even Jones and Mia were beginning to show signs of it. Though Mia tried to remain strong, as much as she could, being locked in an office for ten days without being able to go outside was starting to take a toll on her. She tried not to show it for Recker’s sake, as she knew that him seeing her stressed would only serve to aggravate his own emotions further. He already blamed himself for most of what was happening, she didn’t want to add fuel to his fire. After another unsuccessful day of searching, they were about to wrap things up for the night when Recker’s phone rang. Whenever Vincent called personally, Recker knew it was something big.
“Hey,” Recker said.
“It’s a beautiful night out, isn’t it?”
“I dunno. I haven’t seen much of it. I’d say it’s just fair.”
“Well, the news I’m about to spring on you might brighten it for you,” Vincent said.
“Which is?”
“First, I’d like to apologize for the length of time it’s taken us to wrap up our end of the agreement. I must say he was quite elusive, much more than we initially gave him credit for. You were right, he was a slippery little guy.”
“Bernal,” Recker said.
“Yes. He’s no longer a worry for anybody.”
“You found him?”
“He’s been...neutralized.”
“You mean he’s dead?”
“Well, I don’t want to spoil things for you,” Vincent said. “But I do believe if you catch the news in a few minutes, they may have something of interest for you.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“As I said, I don’t want to spoil things. I’ll be in touch.”
As Vincent hung up, Recker let the phone drop to his side, a look of confusion on his face. Jones could see whatever was said in the conversation was clearly perplexing to Recker. He just stood there for a minute, not moving in any way, deep in thought.
“Something troubling?” Jones asked.
“It was Vincent,” Recker said.
“And?”
“And I don’t know.”
“Well what did he say?”
“Something about Bernal,” Recker said, finally moving from his frozen stance.
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. He just said he was neutralized.”
“Well that could mean any number of things,” Jones said.
“He said to turn on the news and there’d be something interesting on it.”
“Well I guess we have to watch now.”
Jones walked over to the TV and turned it on as the three of them sat down, greatly anticipating what was about to be shown. Even though Recker usually detested watching the news for his own exploits, he was eager to see what Vincent was talking about, especially since he wasn’t involved in it. As the news telecast came on, nobody said a word as they all were focused on the contents of the show. After a few minutes, they came to what Vincent was referring to. A female reporter appeared on the screen with what was described as an explosive story.
“And it was a wild scene down here on North Eleventh Street as the body of a man who has since been identified as Adrian Bernal was found in the parking lot of the police department. The bullet ridden body was discovered by officers of the sixth district several hours ago, and though the investigation into his death is still in its infancy, it’s been learned Bernal was looking to kill one of the police officers in this district. We have also learned the police believe Bernal’s killer to be The Silencer. Now, police are not divulging how or why they believe this is the work of The Silencer, but say they do have evidence suggesting it to be the case. We have talked to several officers off the record who have stated they believe The Silencer targeted Bernal in order to save one of their own, and for that, these officers expressed their gratitude to him.”
As the reporter threw it back
to the anchor desk, Jones turned off the TV after seeing all they needed to see. Recker continued staring at the television, even after it had been turned off. He was trying to think of why Vincent would want to prop him up like he just did. He could have gotten rid of Bernal easily and quietly, without any fanfare, but instead, Vincent chose to make Recker the hero of the story for some reason. Vincent definitely had a reason for doing so, he didn’t do it out of the goodness of his heart, or because he felt like being a good guy. There was a business reason behind it. Something which would benefit him in the long run. Finally, after a few minutes, Mia spoke up to break the silence.
“Am I missing something?” she asked. “I don’t get it. Why do they think it was you?”
“Because Vincent wanted it to be that way,” Jones said.
“But why?”
“He’s obviously after something.”
Recker listened to them talking, while also trying to recollect every conversation he ever had with Vincent, before speaking up himself. “Before I took out Bellomi, Vincent told me he had people inside the police department on the payroll.”
“So why not just give them the credit?” Mia said.
“Because he needs me to look good for something.”
“For what purpose?” Jones said. “That’s the question. And it’s obviously something big.”
Recker wasn’t in the mood to debate it for the rest of the night, or spend the next few days wondering what Vincent had in mind. He already had enough on his mind. He didn’t need more problems stirring around in his head. He immediately grabbed his phone and dialed Vincent’s direct number. He didn’t know if Vincent would pick up, but Recker wasn’t going through Malloy for this one. He’d keep calling until Vincent answered. Somewhat surprisingly, Vincent answered after the first ring.
“I’m almost surprised it took this long for the phone to ring,” Vincent said
“What was that about?”
“I figured you could use some goodwill amongst the police department.”
“I don’t need goodwill,” Recker said.
“Well, maybe not, but you’re the one who actually thwarted the plot Bernal was hatching. We were just the instrument that finished the job. But without your intel and guidance, it wouldn’t have been possible. So, take the bow.”
“I don’t take bows. I don’t do this for personal glory or headlines.”
“Yes, I know. But having some friends within the police department can at times be a useful thing to have,” Vincent said.
“I don’t need friends.”
“Oh, come now Mike, we all need friends. Sometimes it takes all kinds to be able to do the things that men like us do. Friends are willing to help you do things when a helping hand is needed.”
Recker knew there was a hidden meaning behind that, though he wasn’t sure what it was. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Vincent didn’t respond and moved on to the next subject. “So, how’s your search for Jeremiah coming?”
“It’s coming,” Recker said.
“I couldn’t help but notice his name hasn’t emerged in any of the obituary columns. It’s been ten days now. I have to say I expected you to have things wrapped up by now.”
“Yeah, after our last meeting, he seems to have gone underground.”
“I had a feeling he would.”
“Getting anxious to move in to your new territory?”
“Well, let’s just say I expected our agreement to be over by now.”
“Well if you can find him for me, you let me know so I can execute my end of it.”
“Maybe I’ll do that,” Vincent said. “If we get anything, I’ll contact you. Remember what I said about friends, though, Mike. Especially inside the police department. You did them a favor by taking out someone who came close to eliminating one of their own. There may be some who are willing to return the favor.”
Before Recker was able to quiz him further on his statement, Vincent hung up. Now, instead of getting the answers he sought, Recker was only left with more questions. It was obvious Vincent had something specific on his mind, but he wasn’t willing to share exactly what it was yet. Annoyed and frustrated at the events, Recker tossed the phone down in disgust, drawing a look from both Jones and Mia, who could tell he wasn’t pleased.
“I take it you didn’t get the answers you were looking for,” Jones said.
“Not only did I not get the answers I was looking for, I didn’t get any answers period. He gave me even more questions.”
“What did he say?” Mia asked.
“He made a point to let me know how having friends in the police department was a good idea,” Recker said, recalling the words vividly. “And he said by me doing a favor for them, maybe some of them would want to return the favor for me.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Well, considering he has men inside the police, or at least on his payroll, he thinks somehow I can use them to my advantage in order to find Jeremiah.”
“Even if that were true, finding the officer who was sympathetic to our cause and be willing to help, would not be an easy task in itself,” Jones said.
“Unless we find the one who’s on Vincent’s payroll,” Recker said.
They deliberated the merits of finding an ally on the police force, as Vincent seemed to suggest, for most of the rest of the night, eventually coming to the conclusion they weren’t willing to go in that direction yet. They would rather keep on with what they were doing, going through the security footage, in the hopes of locating Jeremiah. At least for now. Recker was probably the one most interested in doing things Vincent’s way. In his mind, it’d already taken longer than he wanted. He wanted it to be over now so Mia could get on with her life. And so could he. He was more willing to make a deal, if it meant getting rid of Jeremiah once and for all. Jones and Mia were the ones more interested in staying the course, even if it meant it took longer. But even though Recker was for it, he allowed the others to sway his opinion, at least for the time being.
Unfortunately, five more days passed and they were no closer to finding Jeremiah than they were when they started. After Recker took out two of his properties and a bunch of his men, Jeremiah went completely into hiding. Though he usually visited one or two nightclubs a week over the past several years, he hadn’t even done that. So even if Recker and Jones had found footage of him somewhere, it wouldn’t have done them any good. Jeremiah wouldn’t be showing up anyway. By then, everyone was getting frustrated, and it was starting to show, though it showed the worst on Recker. With all of them working at a computer, Recker had enough. He thought it was getting them nowhere and he’d had enough. He pounded his fist on the desk and angrily pushed his chair away, standing up and walking over to the window, looking down at the parking lot. Jones and Mia looked at each other, both of whom were leery of going over and talking to him. Eventually, Jones was the one who spoke up.
“Michael.”
Recker spun around, anger seething off his tongue. “This isn’t working, David. It’s not working,” he said loudly. “We’ve been at this for two weeks and we’re still nowhere. We’re not any closer to finding him.”
“We knew it would take some time,” Jones said. “To think we were going to get someone like Jeremiah in a matter of days was not a realistic time frame.”
“OK. You’re right. But we’re not at a few days now. Yesterday was fourteen days. She can’t sit in here forever,” Recker said, pointing at Mia.
“Mike, I’m fine,” Mia said, trying to diffuse his temper.
“But I’m not,” he said, in a more soothing manner. “You can’t live like this anymore.”
“Honestly, I haven’t really minded. I’ve been with you more these last couple weeks then in the past two years. I’ve enjoyed being close to you.”
Recker tried to muster a smile, though he barely showed it. “I just want this to be over.”
“We all do,” Jones said. “But we can’t f
orce something which isn’t there.”
“But we can. And we both know what I’m talking about.”
“Vincent.”
Recker shrugged, “I’m ready.”
“And what do you think will come out of this? Another deal with Vincent?”
“It’s the same deal,” Recker said. “I’m getting Jeremiah. I just need his help locating him.”
“And you don’t think it will come with an additional cost?”
“Does it matter at this point? Vincent will get what he wants, control of the city. That’s all he needs.”
Jones clasped his hands together and rested them against his forehead as he put his elbows on the desk, looking down as he collected his thoughts. Deep down, he knew Recker was probably right. They were having a tough time finding Jeremiah, much tougher than Jones thought they would. He just hated the idea of going to Vincent again. Though the two sides always seemed to align with each other up to then, Jones didn’t like working so closely with them. After all, they were on different sides of the fence. Though Vincent sometimes helped them achieve their goals, at heart, he was still the boss of a major criminal organization which was slowly taking control of the city. That was always worrisome to Jones. But he looked over at Mia, thinking of her being cooped up in there for the last two weeks, and not making a sound. She never made one complaint, not one argument, and if she was ever frustrated, he never noticed it. No matter his feelings for Vincent or the situation, Jones felt they owed it to her to get it resolved. The quicker the better. He looked back at Recker and nodded, ready to give his blessing.
“You’re right. It’s time,” Jones said.
Recker nodded back, taking a final look out the window before calling Vincent. “You know, I know we’ve talked before about this, but I can’t help but think somehow, he’s manipulated me this entire time.”
“How so?”
