Square Snapper (Detective Inspector Burgess)

by Middleton, Deborah

  The front door crashed open. Nana, silhouetted against the moonlight, frying pan in hand stood aside as Officer Max hurled herself at the killer. Loosening his hold on Burgess, the shadowy figure twisted towards the intruders. Too late to avoid the dog, he cocked the wrist of his injured arm to take aim at Nana. There was a hydraulic hiss as the silenced bullet left the gun. The frying pan shot out of Nana’s hand and she crumpled to the ground. Officer Max, with a ferocious growl, locked on to the Croatian’s arm allowing Burgess to struggle free. The assassin screamed in pain, dropping the gun, as Max held him in her powerful jaws and flailing with his free arm to try and gut the dog with the knife. For the first few seconds, all Burgess could do was gasp for breath. It was the sweetest breath he had ever taken and as soon as his vision cleared he grabbed his club and this time did not stop beating until the assailant moved no more.

  “Max, guard the prisoner!” His voice came out in a rasp. Still gasping for air and shaking like a leaf, he stumbled over to the drawer and grabbed his inhaler. No time for an asthma attack, Nana needed him. Taking three quick breaths on the inhaler, he stumbled over to Nana.

  The force of the bullet had thrown her backwards on to the patio where she lay in a pool of blood. Burgess could not tell where she had been hit. He put on all the living room lights and those of the porch and noted that she had taken a shot in the shoulder. He also noted that the hair on the back of her head was matted with blood. He cradled her head on his knees. Hearing the sirens and seeing the lights coming down the drive, he left her momentarily to direct the ambulance and the police cars. How could they have got here so fast? He fancied he heard the throaty sound of a motorbike roar away. Everything had happened so fast. Nana had been so brave. Would she survive this? He had to acknowledge that, despite her youthful, feisty personality, she was an old lady. He would kill that man with his bare hands if anything happened to her. Maybe he already had. He did not dare look at the crumpled heap in the black ninja outfit. He knew he had unleashed all of his fury on him and was afraid to see what he had done. Officer Max crouched next to Nana and growled as the Emergency Medical Technician approached.

  “It’s okay, Max. He’s a friend. Let him look at Nana.”

  The Medic approached cautiously while his colleague went to look at the assassin.

  The Medic looked back at Burgess. “Sir, I’m sorry, there is nothing more I can do here.”

  Burgess let out a cry of despair.

  Chapter 47

  Jacobs was almost dead with fatigue. He had spent several hours tracking the source of the e-mail to the lab’s computer. He had managed to triangulate the position and had finally traced it to a house in Little Havana. Although it was now close to 3:00 a.m., he knew that Gonzalez would not want him to wait to call. He dialled his home number and a groggy voice answered.

  “Detective, it’s me, Aaron Jacobs from the Forensic Computer Lab.”

  Gonzalez was instantly awake having detected the note of excitement in Jacobs’s voice.”

  “Okay, Aaron. What do you have for me?”

  “An e-mail came into the lab’s computer. It’s in code but I managed to trace it to a house in Little Havana.” He gave him the address. “Do you think it could be that Mad Dog, Cujo guy?”

  “Could be. I’m on it… Oh, and Aaron, good work!”

  “Thanks. I’ll call when I’ve cracked the code.”

  Gonzalez liked the fact he had said “when” and not “if” he cracked the code. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he grabbed his phone again and called Hofstein. His wife answered, sounding alarmed.

  “Susanna? Hi, it’s Sebas. I’m sorry to wake you. Is Lee available?”

  “He’s here. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, in fact better than okay. We have a lead that we need to follow pronto.”

  “What’s up, Gonzo?” Hofstein’s voice was a deeper than usual and a little croaky.

  “Just got a call from Jacobs from the FCL.” He quickly filled in Hofstein on the e-mail and the address where the computer was located.

  “I’ll meet you one block east of there.”

  “Great, let’s get going.”

  Twenty minutes later they were both walking back from the “house” which turned out to be an all night internet café. Of course, both staff and customers were immediately struck with collective amnesia when shown a photograph of Cujo. It was clear that the police were not welcome there.

  “C’mon, Hof. I knew it was too good to be true.” Gonzalez was frustrated.

  “Wait a minute, Sebas. Don’t you remember when we interviewed Gecko, his address was somewhere around here?”

  “Yeah, but didn’t he go into hiding?”

  “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t, but what’s to stop Cujo holing up in Gecko’s place? It would be the last place we’d look. Pretty smart, huh?”

  “You just might be on to something. Let me call and find out the address he gave us.” Gonzalez flipped open his cell phone with a practised movement. After a few moments, he received a call back from the station.

  “Hof, you’re a genius. It’s not far from here at all, only about five blocks. Let’s go.”

  “Whoa, shouldn’t we call for backup?”

  “Why don’t we just check it out and, if it looks promising, we can radio for back up before we go in?”

  “I agree,” said Hofstein. It was a decision he would later bitterly regret.

  Chapter 48

  It was now 6:30 a.m. in Bermuda and the dawn was breaking over the ocean. The air was heavy with moisture and the exotic smell of honeysuckle and oleanders drifted on the breeze. The tree frogs had finally given way to the yellow-breasted kiskadees who, oblivious to what was happening on the ground below, were cheerfully calling to each other and welcoming the new day. With a terrible sense of foreboding, Archie had negotiated the two pools of drying blood outside the front door to gain entrance to Burgess’s apartment. Together with Jan and members of the Canadian forensics team, they were analysing the crime scene. The metallic smell of blood pervaded the air despite the fact the windows were all open. The flies had already locked on to its scent and were present in droves. Archie surveyed the aftermath of the fight.

  The bloody knife and gun had been bagged for evidence as had the contents of the pockets of the assassin. The police photographer had finished some ten minutes earlier and the body of the Croatian was ready for removal to the morgue. Burgess and his grandmother were at the hospital and Jacintha was looking after them there. Nana was currently in surgery and Burgess had been examined and had his chest wounds stitched while Jacintha drove the doctor crazy, ensuring that he did a good job on the sewing.

  The police and forensics experts had given Officer Max all sorts of praise for her performance and Archie already had the biggest steak in Burgess’s freezer defrosting in the microwave as a special “thank you” treat. No doubt about it, she had saved the lives of two of the people he loved the most in Bermuda. For him they were his family. He had called Max’s handler at the Canine Division, told him what she had done and asked if he could come and pick her up and do whatever they do after an event like this to calm her down. Her handler was delighted to hear how brave she had been and even more delighted that she had not been hurt.

  Surveying the chaos of Burgess’s apartment, Archie looked across at Jan. “What do you think?”

  “Pretty clear cut, Archie. He brought the plank along, went in through the bathroom window – we have some black cotton fibres on the window frame – and then attacked Buddy inside. Looks like he fell for the pillows in the bed and shot them dead first! The guy was definitely a professional. Look, two bullets in what would have been the head and two in the chest of Burgess’s ‘fluffy double’.”

  “Looks like Buddy put up one hell of a fight. The place is totally trashed. I guess he never made it to the knife he had taped behind the bureau. Look, it’s still here.” He pointed to the back of the bureau.

  “You know, Ar
chie, it’s a miracle that he survived this. He was up against a pro with only a golf club as a weapon. This is one serious gun.” She picked up the bag with the Tokarev in it, weighing it in her hand. “He also had those Japanese stars and a piano wire on his body. This story could have had a whole other ending. I don’t know whether our friend is brave or nuts!”

  “A little of both, I guess. That’s why I like him! My Dad always says, ‘You have to be a little mad to live in this crazy world’.”

  “Jan! Over here!” One of her team called out to her from the garden. They both went over to him.

  “Looks like he hid here. Look at the grass, it’s not as wet and there are some broken leaves on the bushes.”

  “Yeah,” mused Jan. “From here he would have had a good view of the back of the house plus a pretty good view of the road and driveway. Certainly, he could get in and out quite easily without being seen by the neighbours. I wonder how he was going to get away? There must be an escape vehicle somewhere… unless someone local was going to pick him up. What do you think?” She liked to bounce ideas off her team.

  “I’m not sure about that. I think these professionals like to work alone. They don’t like to rely on anybody, especially when it comes to escaping a crime scene.”

  “I agree. That makes sense to me too.”

  Archie looked at them both. “In that case, we need to widen the search and look for a car or bike that looks abandoned. He may have even hidden it in plain sight, like in a parking lot close by so that it would not look too obvious. He could have always jogged from the Harrington Hundreds Supermarket parking lot.”

  “Or it could just be around here in some bushes,” rebutted Jan. “Remember, he was wearing his ninja outfit so would have been very noticeable in that. I doubt he would have wanted to carry that outfit and change in the bushes either… and we haven’t found a bag of civilian clothes anywhere.”

  “I see your point,” said Archie. “He must have hidden an escape vehicle close by.”

  “I’ll get the others together and we’ll go looking.” The forensics team member moved back towards Burgess’s terrace.

  Archie’s cell phone rang. “Hi Pamela, yes, it’s pretty bad. We’re all really worried about Nana. Could you do something for me? Check with all the hotels and guest houses and see if any of them have a guest who’s missing. Put them on the alert that we’re looking for a white male, clean shaven, around 175lbs, six foot three inches. He’s prematurely grey but I’d guess he’s around thirty-two. It’s a little hard to tell as there’s not much left of his face.”

  “Oh my God, Archie!”

  “Calm down, Pamela. Everything’s okay. We need to stay focused and get the bastards who’re behind this.”

  Pamela heard the anxiety in Archie’s voice and made an effort to steady herself. “Okay, I’m on it. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything. Anything else I can do?”

  “Yes, man the phones and keep the department going until we get back there... and Pamela, could you get me some flowers to take to Nana? I don’t think I’m going to get a chance to get any.”

  “It will be my pleasure… and Archie…”

  “Yep?”

  “Be careful, honey.”

  Honey? She had never called him that before. She must be worried. Archie was secretly pleased and amazed at the effect that word had on him.

  “Max, where are you? Maxine? Officer Max!” Archie looked around for the dog.

  “She keeps wanting to go back up to Nana’s,” shouted back Jan over her shoulder, busy collecting evidence.

  Archie swung out of the apartment and took the stairs two at a time to Nana’s kitchen door. There was the dog, scratching on the door to go inside.

  “Wassup, Max?” Officer Max was clearly anxious to get inside.

  Archie pulled open the screen door and pushed in the kitchen door with its glass window panes half way up. It was already ajar. He was astounded by what he saw. They had spent so much attention on Burgess’s downstairs apartment that nobody had noticed the broken kitchen window. There on the floor lay a large stone with a note around it held in place by several thick elastic bands. Archie immediately rushed to Nana’s living room window, leaned out, and called down to Jan.

  He turned to the dog. “Good job, Max. I guess this is what you wanted to tell us about. You are the smartest dog in the world.” Officer Max’s tail was wagging up a storm. She then moved over towards Nana’s cookie jar and sat down in front of it.

  “Like I said, Max… the smartest dog in the world.”

  Archie unscrewed the jar and gave her two home made oatmeal cookies, helping himself to a couple in the process. There would be no breakfast for him today. Hell, he’d be lucky if he got lunch.

  Jan came puffing up the stairs excitedly.

  “Wow, what happened here? Let me get a new pair of gloves. Archie, don’t step in that glass. Wait, I need to get a photograph of this first and my bag.”

  While she went back down, Archie sat in the living room looking at all of Nana’s knick knacks and photos. There was one of Buddy and he sitting at Nana’s dining table at Christmas, plates filled to the brim, beaming smiles on their faces. He felt suddenly deflated. If anything happened to that old lady… his mind simply couldn’t grasp that she might not pull through. What a character. Only Nana would hurry down to defend her grandson with a frying pan! The thought made him chuckle.

  “What’re you laughing about?” Jan had returned with her camera and forensics gear.

  “Just thinking about Nana and how she was ready to take on a professional assassin with her frying pan. I guess Buddy gets his bravery – and craziness – from his grandmother! She’s somethin’ else.”

  “For sure. She’s quite a lady. Don’t worry, she’s tough. If anybody can survive this, she can, eh?”

  “Thanks, Jan. I needed to hear that. Let’s see what this note says.”

  Once Jan had finished photographing the stone with the note, she carefully removed it wearing her surgical gloves, dusted it for prints, and then read its simple contents: “He’s here,” was all it said.

  “A warning?” Archie was intrigued.

  “Written by a child?” Jan looked at Archie with eyebrows raised.

  “Could be and, if so, I think I have a good idea who it might be.”

  “What? How so?”

  “Buddy got a warning note written, if I’m not mistaken, by the same person. The guy on front desk said it had been hand delivered by a school boy around thirteen or so. My bet is that it’s Bill, Deon White’s cousin. Somehow, he got wind of this - probably hanging around with the wrong crowd - and tried to warn Buddy. But how would he know precisely when he was about to strike? We need to bring him in for questioning. Jan, I need to get over to the hospital and then see if I can get a hold of Bill. You okay to finish up here?”

  “Sure, and give my best to Buddy and keep us posted on Nana’s progress. Hang in there, eh? We’ll get to the bottom of this, for sure and when we do, we’ll have one hell of a party.”

  “Jan, you’re the best. Max’s handler should be here soon.” He looked around once more. “Okay, I’m outta here.”

  Chapter 49

  Archie was in full battle mode. He had never felt so full of purpose in his life. This crime was now personal and he was going to make whoever was behind the attack pay.

  He decided to go back to the station to see Pamela, pick up the flowers and find out if there were any more developments.

  “Thank God you’re here.” Pamela looked frazzled and sounded frantic. The phones were ringing off the hook and both Furbert and Mrs. Ming were taking calls non-stop.

  “Okay, Pam. Let’s get a cup of coffee and a muffin and you can fill me in.” Archie was anxious to take some of the burden off Pamela. They went into Burgess’s office where it was quieter.

  “Both the commissioner and the super have been on the phone. I sent them over to the hospital to talk to Buddy. I hope he doesn’t mind. I know ho
w he hates the superintendent.”

  “No, that was the right thing to do. Buddy can handle them. Anyway, he’ll probably be on painkillers so it’s the perfect time for him to talk to the super!” They both laughed and it felt good.

  “Any news on Nana?” Nana’s condition was uppermost on Archie’s mind.

  “Not yet. I’ve contacted the intensive care nurse who will call me as soon as she’s out of surgery.”

  “Good job. You’re the best!” Pamela glowed with the compliment. “What else?”

  “Well, Detective Inspector Dill from Narcotics called. Said it’s urgent and you should call him as soon as you can.”

  “Okay, I’ll get on it. In the meantime, I need you to go over to Hamilton Institute and get Deon’s cousin, Bill out of class and down here as quickly and discreetly as you can.”

  “Oh, that’s the other thing,” interjected Pamela. “Bill got arrested last night for riding a bike without a licence. He’s only twelve so he’s not even eligible for a licence for another four years. He’s been asking for either you or Buddy.”

  “I wonder if by any chance he was caught in the Smith’s area.”