by Judi McCoy
But if Ellie wasn’t in the park, he was calling the precinct and asking them to extend the search while he continued up Fifth toward Columbia. She’d met that Fenwick character there. He could easily be Veridot, and he’d talked her into coming onto his turf.
Passing the hospital, he sighed. He’d been in his car for over an hour and had nothing to show for it but a headache and the need for a strong antacid. He had to get a break soon. After he rolled to the parking area in front of the green on East End Avenue, he killed the lights and engine and called the desk sergeant, asking him to send the nearest patrol car. Then he checked his Glock and returned it to its holster. He didn’t want to use the weapon, but it might be the only language Thompson Veridot understood.
If that were the case, he’d have no choice. Keeping Ellie safe would be worth the internal investigation or suspension, or whatever they’d do to him for using his gun without cause.
Slipping from his car, he pressed the door closed to keep things quiet, sidled up the main path, and stayed to the right, creeping toward the dog run. As he neared, he squinted in the hazy light and heard voices about the same time he saw a man standing outside the pen and a woman standing in the entrance.
The voices were muffled, but he recognized Ellie when she said, “I won’t move until you’re satisfied. Then you go where you need to, and I go home.”
“Sure, okay, but remember I’m packin’,” said the man. “That means you do anything funny and I blow your little pal there away. Then I take you out, too.”
Ah, thought Sam. He’d been right about why Rudy was missing. Ellie was here to rescue her dog. Veridot knew how much Rudy meant to her, and he’d kidnapped the canine in order to exchange it for the money.
Now that he knew what he was up against, he was certain there would be a perfect time to strike. Pulling out his Glock, he crouched and inched closer as Ellie hefted up the duffel and headed into the dog run. She stopped walking about three feet from Veridot and dropped the bag as if, like Vivian said, it held a ton of bricks.
“I hope you’re in good physical shape, because this stuff is heavy,” Ellie told Veridot. “You’ll get a good cardio workout just hauling it around.”
Veridot took his foot off a white bag squirming on the ground, and Ellie squatted. Sam let her retrieve her dog from the sack as he watched his target bend to open the bag and inspect the money. After racing to the entrance of the run, he assumed the position.
“Police! Freeze!”
Ellie turned around and saw Sam at the same time Rudy jumped from her arms. The little guy had shivered and whined the moment she’d touched the bag. Now, he took a flying leap and latched on to the good arm Veridot had digging inside the bag.
“Rudy! Stop! No!” she shouted.
Veridot took that moment to stand and shake Rudy from his forearm. Then he hoisted the bag and took off at a run, with the trio on his heels. Rudy reached him first, snarling and nipping at his ankles, and the older man stumbled, falling face-first into the grass. But Veridot sprang to his feet before Sam could tackle him, pulled his gun, and aimed it at Ellie.
“Throw your gun over there,” he said, nodding toward a cluster of bushes, “and back away.”
“Can’t do it,” Sam answered in a measured tone. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Garick Veridot. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Drop the gun and come quietly, so no one gets hurt.”
Brandishing the gun in Ellie’s direction, Veridot’s hand trembled as he spoke. “I’ll get her before you get me, so I say we’re at a bend in the road. All I want is my money. Toss your gun and tell her to step back, and I’ll be gone in a heartbeat.”
Ellie peered into the darkness, but Rudy had disappeared. Dropping her gaze to her feet, she saw the duffel easily within reach. If Rudy was in hiding, there was less than a one percent chance he’d be shot, which meant she could help Sam by distracting Veridot. But when she inched forward, Veridot trained his weapon on her again.
“Don’t try to save the day, girly. Ain’t nothin’ more pathetic than a dead hero.” He focused on Sam. “Back off and let me get my cash.”
“You know I can’t do that. Ellie, move behind me. Now.”
“Don’t do it, girly,” Veridot ordered.
Instead, Ellie ducked, quickly lifted the duffel, and spun in place where she stood, twirling the bag like a discus with a handle. Her first spin knocked the gun from Veridot’s fingers; her second go around smacked him in the head and knocked him on the ground. Continuing to whirl, she moved closer and closer to the fence separating the park from FDR Drive.
“Hey! Give me my money,” shouted Veridot, charging her from behind.
“Ellie, get down!” yelled Sam.
She kept spinning right up to the fence, where she let go of the bag and watched it sail into the highway and land dead center in the far lane of speeding vehicles on the Drive.
Veridot roared, and she dropped to her knees, positive he was coming after her. But greed was the man’s sole motivator, and he scrambled over the fence, jumped onto the highway and charged into traffic, dodging honking cars and blaring taxis as he headed for the duffel. Meanwhile, a passenger vehicle hit the bag and threw it into the air, where it came down in front of a cab that again smashed it toward the heavens.
Suddenly the sky was raining money.
Sam ran to Ellie’s side, ready to climb the fence, when a squeal of tires caught them short. Veridot flew into the air much like the duffel had and landed in a heap at the side of the highway. Cars slowed, but several more smacked into the bag, moving it south on the Drive and pushing the money out and into the evening breeze.
A cop car slowed in the opposing lane of the highway, turned on its lights and siren, and hung a U-turn. Then another car pulled up onto the green behind them. Sam stared at Ellie. “I’ve got to get out there. You okay?”
“I—yes—sort of.” She brushed the hair from her damp brow. “I’ve got to find Rudy.”
“You do that.” He holstered his gun, hoisted a foot against the fence, and vaulted over. “And once you do, sit on the bench outside the dog run and don’t move. You got me?”
“I got you,” she answered to his back. After watching him reach the other officers, she began a hunt for Rudy, positive he was close by and waiting for her.
Exhausted, Ellie blinked at the dial of her watch through bleary eyes. At three a.m. she was finally on her way home with Sam. She’d done as he’d told her and sat on the park bench with Rudy while an ambulance and fire trucks arrived on FDR Drive, followed closely by several more police vehicles and the usual flotilla of investigators and members of the press. When the dust settled, she’d been brought to the station for questioning and all the other necessary procedures she had to go through in a time of crisis.
While still on the scene, someone had brought the battered duffel bag to her and set it at her feet. Then a group of passengers from the vehicles stopped on the Drive had decided to do their good deed for the night and kill time by traveling up and down the highway collecting errant hundred-dollar bills and sending them to her via an officer.
When she’d glanced inside the bag an hour later, she’d noted it was only about half full, so there was no doubt in her mind that a couple of hundred thousand was now in the hands of the rescuers, though she wouldn’t know for sure until the police did a final count. But so what? New Yorkers had done what they did best: help out in an emergency. They deserved a reward.
And, as she’d said all along, the money was Gary’s, not hers. She’d planned to give it to charity. Now there’d just be less to spread around.
She heaved a sigh and gave Rudy a hug as a thoughtfully quiet Sam turned onto her street, pulled up in front of her building, and actually found a legal parking space. He’d been a rock during the night’s proceedings, guiding her through each step, protecting her from Gruning, and assisting her in staying clearheaded and cool. Even Rudy hadn’t complained when Sam was around.
&nb
sp; But that was probably because he was all talked out. While on the bench, he’d told her in vivid detail about his battle with Veridot, how the guy had come at him from behind and dropped the sack over his head, how he’d refused to be drugged, and his heroic effort at getting away. Now that they were almost home, his relief coursed through her just as she was certain hers blanketed him.
Sam came around to open her car door, and she stepped out with Rudy in her arms. After five hours, she still couldn’t put him down and let him walk. She’d held onto him from the time she’d found him curled in a ball under a group of bushes about twenty feet from the epi center of the commotion, and she didn’t intend to let him go until he was safely inside.
Until he said, “Uh, Ellie, mind if I take care of a little business?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry,” she muttered in his ear. She set him on the sidewalk and smiled wanly at Sam. “He’s been cooped up a long time. He deserves a break.”
Sam nodded and held out his hand. “Give me your keys and I’ll open up.”
Too tired to argue, she complied and followed Rudy to the corner and back while Sam did as he’d said. Now at the stoop, Rudy hopped up the steps and trotted into the building as if the evening had been a night like any other and nothing dangerous or unusual had happened.
Sam kept his eyes on Rudy as he headed up the stairs. “He seems no worse for the wear.”
Ellie heaved a sigh and went inside ahead of him. “I know, and I find that amazing. Did you see the damage he did to Veridot? He’s one tough canine.”
They climbed the steps side by side and met Rudy at the apartment door. Inside, she squatted, cupped his muzzle, and asked, “You going to be all right, big guy?”
He gave her cheek a sloppy lick. “I’m better than all right, Triple E. Just dead . . . er . . . beat.”
“Okay, go to bed. Tomorrow’s Saturday. We’ll talk then.”
He obeyed her without a complaint and took off down the hall. Ellie ran a hand through her hair and turned to Sam. “Thanks for everything. I really appreciate all the TLC you gave me tonight.”
Sam propped his shoulder against the foyer wall. “You do realize there are a few issues we need to discuss?”
Oh boy, did she realize. “Um . . . yeah. But you heard me tell Gruning, tell everybody, why I didn’t call you or anyone else when I got that ransom demand. You know how worried I was that you’d get hurt.”
“That was no excuse, Ellie. It makes me think you didn’t trust me to do my job. You interfered in a police investigation, almost allowed a felon to get away with murder, and God knows when the FDR Drive will be open to traffic. According to the captain, he plans to send a squadron out to search for more of the money in the daylight. Maybe even check out the East River. It was breezy tonight.”
“I do trust you. I know you’re good at what you do, honest. It’s just that . . . I guess I was afraid Veridot would do what he said and figure out a way to kill you. I couldn’t have lived with that, Sam, as much as I couldn’t live without Rudy.”
He pushed away from the wall. “Maybe so, but we can talk about it later. I still can’t believe you’re not upset about losing all that money.”
“Letting the cash fly through the air and blow to kingdom come was exactly what he deserved. I just wish Veridot had been conscious, so he could have seen where his precious money went.” She heaved a sigh. “Do you think he’ll survive?”
“Beats me, but it’ll save the state a hell of a lot of time, work, and funding if he doesn’t. Once ballistics matches his gun with the bullet that killed Gary, he doesn’t stand a chance at beating the rap.”
She walked into the kitchen and set her Mace, cell phone, and keys on the kitchen table, where she found her bag upended and the contents spread around. “I guess you and Viv did this when you were trying to find me?”
“Sorry about that, but you gave us no choice. Once I knew your dog was missing and you were carrying that duffel, I figured something serious was up.”
Ellie gave him a grin. “You’re pretty smart for a detective. Guess that’s why they pay you the big bucks and you have that fancy shield to show to everyone.”
“I’m glad you’re finally seeing the light.” Sam brushed her bangs off her forehead, then took her elbow and led her down the hall. “You’re dead on your feet. We can discuss all this tomorrow.”
“I can put myself to bed, Sam. You need to go home and—”
“Not tonight, I don’t. I’m using the guest bedroom, just so I know you’re safe.”
She straightened her shoulders, not happy with the idea. “What? No. I mean, that’s silly. Veridot’s unconscious and under guard at Beth Israel. I’ll lock myself in and—”
“I’ll lock us in and sleep in the guest room. Believe me, it’s the only thing that will assure me a couple of hours’ rest. There’s just one thing . . .”
Telling herself that she was simply too tired to argue, she asked, “And what’s that?”
“I want you to know now that I probably won’t be here when you wake up in the morning. There’s more to be done on the case, and I promised to lend Gruning a hand with the paperwork.” He opened the guest bedroom door and turned. “I just don’t want you to think I left you . . . the way I did before.”
“The way you did . . . ? Oh. I mean, oh, I get it. I know you have police business to take care of. And if you’ll remember, it wasn’t the leaving that upset me the last time. It was what happened afterward that got me so ticked.”
“Well, there’s no worry on that point. I’ll be back to pick you and Rudy up tomorrow, er, tonight at five thirty. We have an invitation to a barbeque.”
Hands on her hips, she asked, “A what? Where?”
“My partner Vince’s house. If you want to go. It’s okay if you don’t, because if not maybe the two of us could have dinner alone, which might be more comfortable for you. I just thought you’d enjoy yourself. Rudy, too.”
“Rudy?”
“Yeah. Apparently, there’s going to be a half dozen or more kids in attendance at this backyard shindig, and Vince somehow got the idea that your dog gets along great with children.”
She opened and closed her mouth, thinking about her pal’s reaction to that statement. Rudy had next to no patience with kids, especially those who were wild or misbehaved. In his own way, he was a very prissy pooch. But Sam was including him in the evening, a huge step in their relationship.
“Um, okay, I guess so.” She stepped back into her bedroom. “So, you’ll let yourself out, and I’ll see you at five thirty?”
“That’s right.” Then, before she realized it, he was standing in front of her with his hands cradling her cheeks. When she gazed at him, he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his, gently, slowly, with care and feeling.
“Get a good night’s sleep. I promise I’ll see you later.”
Chapter 23
“Why’s your dog hidin’ from us?” asked a five-year-old boy Ellie thought was named Johnny.
“I think you’ve worn him out,” she answered the inquisitive child. “He needs a nap.”
“I need a chiropractor. The little hellion tried to ride me like a pony,” Rudy grumbled from beneath Ellie’s chair.
“But my sister Jordan”—Johnny pointed to an adorable pixie-faced girl of about three—“wants to play wif him.”
“I like Wu-dee,” Jordan agreed. “He’s a nice doggie.”
“That kid needs a speech therapist. The sooner the better.”
“He’s the nicest dog on the planet, but he isn’t happy when he’s made to do things he doesn’t want to do.”
Jordon put a finger in her mouth. “I thought he was hung-wee, so I fed him.”
“She tried to shove a pickle up my nose. I’m sick of these kids. Take me home.”
Ellie grinned at her boy’s grousing. “He’s not hungry, but he does need some downtime. I’m sure he’ll be ready to play in an hour or so.”
“I plan to be on my way home soon
er than that.”
Johnny and Jordan walked away hand in hand, and Ellie hung her head between her knees. “Have to admit, you’ve been a very patient fellow with these children. I even saw you show your belly to that older girl in the red dress.”
“You know I’m a sucker for a good tummy rub. And she told me she had a dog at home, so she knows how to treat us canines.”
Ellie raised her head to make sure no one knew she was talking to her dog and saw Sam, carrying two bottles of beer, approaching. “Okay, put a sock in it. Here comes Sam.”
“This is all his fault. Next time he invites the two of us anywhere, I’m a ‘No, thanks.’ ”
“Shh.” She grinned at the detective and accepted his offer of an ice-cold Bud Light. “Thanks. This will taste great right about now.”
“I saw you talking to those rug rats and figured someone ought to rescue you, but you got rid of them all by yourself.” He took a long swallow of his beer. “Good going.”
“They’re nice kids, just a bit . . . exuberant. They really liked Rudy.”
“I’m surprised he moved around in this crowd for as long as he did. Thought you said he didn’t like most people.”
“What I said was he didn’t trust most people. With two police detectives, two grade school teachers, a fire-man, and a high school principal in attendance, these folks have to be as trustworthy as a troop of priests.”
“Vince’s family is okay. Natalie’s too. But they only come together once or twice a year because of the numbers. Last time was the baby’s christening.”
“You never did tell me how your gift of a savings bond went over at that party,” Ellie reminded him.
“It was much appreciated, especially when I told Vince and Nat I’d be giving the kid one every birthday and Christmas.”
