“What’s up, Melinda?”
“Bernadette, I’m kind of worried about Jason, Craig, and Chad,” Melinda said.
“Why? What’s the matter?”
“Jason was supposed to drop the van off at my dad’s office. He didn’t show up.”
“Have you seen the weather out there? There’s hardly anything moving. Come to think of it, you’re not even at school,” Bernadette said.
“I have a head cold. My father’s office is in the university hospital, and it’s like five minutes from Jason’s dorm room,” Melinda said.
“Did you call him?”
“Yeah, his phone goes to voice mail.”
“Maybe he’s sleeping in. You know, just as I was going to the bathroom to change in the pizza joint, I heard Craig and Chad say they wanted to keep watching Ace on their tracker to see where he was going to go,” Bernadette said.
“I hope you’re right. How are you holding up today?”
“On pins and needles. I’m second-guessing whether what we did last night was right. Maybe we should have left this to the police. I think I should have taken the get-out-of-town option,” Bernadette said.
“Don’t worry, we’re all behind you,” Melinda said. “You did the right thing. Ace will be history, and so will Susie. I’m proud of you, Bernadette.”
“Thanks, Melinda. Let’s hope it all turns out like a complex math problem where things add up. I’d better go; I’ve given this number to Travis, and I hoping to hear from him,” Bernadette said.
She closed her phone and came out into the hallway and ran into Officer Myers.
“Well, Bernadette, just the person I was looking to see,” Myers said. She was dressed in street clothes.
“I didn’t know I was so popular, what’s up?” Bernadette asked.
“How about we go to the dojo for a little sparing practice?”
“I’ve got classes.”
“Nope, you have the next two hours free. The teachers didn’t make it through the snow.”
“Ah, I’m not sure if—”
“No, you are sure. You want to come to the dojo with me. I have my nice warm Jeep outside, and I’ll give you a ride back,” Myers said. It was a command, not an offer.
“I’ll grab my gi,” Bernadette said.
Minutes later she was riding through the snow in the Jeep, with Myers chatting nonstop about the storm, how it wasn’t that bad, and she had some cool new moves to show Bernadette.
There was no one at the karate School. Myers used her personal key to open the place up. They dressed in their karate gis and came into the dojo, bowing low in reverence before they entered.
“What cool moves do you want to show me?” Bernadette asked.
“The ones to keep you from getting killed.”
“What?” Bernadette asked, stopping in mid stride and looking at Myers.
“Kruger and Salenko saw a strange Town and Country van parked outside a tavern where Ace hangs out. Then they saw it outside the Devil’s Undertakers clubhouse. They ran the plates, and it came up belonging to your friend Melinda’s mother. How strange is that?”
Bernadette shrugged. “Yeah…pretty strange.”
Myers began a series of low punches that Bernadette blocked. They moved forward and back in sparring mode.
“If I find out you, or anyone you’re associated with, is interfering with our investigation into Ace and his gang, I’ll have you brought up on charges. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I’m sure you would,” Bernadette said.
“Good.” Myers stopped and bowed to Bernadette after they’d finished sparring. “Now, I think I need to show you some things that will stop someone cold.”
Bernadette took a breath and looked at Myers. “Why. You think I’m in over my head by staying put and not running?”
Myers grinned. “Yeah, you got me. Exactly what I think. Since you won’t run, I’ll show you things to disable a person. You’ve been learning the practical knowledge of karate defense; I’m going to show you how to survive. Stand in front of me.”
Bernadette stood facing Myers. She relaxed her breathing and took her karate stance.
“This is outside the katas you have learned,” Myers said. “You’ve practiced the basics, now I’m going to show you the stuff that matters.” She raised her hand up, the heel touching the base of Bernadette’s nose. “This is the palm heel strike. Drive the heel of the hand upward towards the base of the nose. This will stun. Follow it with a strike to both ears with cupped hands.” She demonstrated it on Bernadette.
Bernadette felt the air disappear from her ears as Myers placed her hands on both ears. “Wow—effective.”
“This is even better.” She held onto both of Bernadette’s ears. “In this move, you grab both your opponents ears and pull down hard—you drive their nose into your knee.”
“Great move. What’s next?”
“Run like hell,” Myers said.
“What do you mean run?”
“Look, there’s three Cardinals, and I don’t know how many Susie has in her gang, and if you tangle with Ace, he’s a nut case—I think he’s high on meth half the time. You need to disable and run.”
“Okay, fine…what else do you have?”
Myers smiled. “I like your enthusiasm. Now, here’s my favorite.” She moved to the right of Bernadette and placed the instep of her foot on top and outside of Bernadette’s knee. “It takes just under four kilos of pressure to break a knee. You place you foot here, like this, press down hard, you’ve crippled your assailant.”
“Then run like hell?”
“Excellent, you’re getting the point.”
“I like these.” Bernadette moved to Myer’s side and tried the foot strike, getting the feel for it.
“Now, this is my favourite, a nukite zuki, or finger thrust,” Myers said. “I take my hand—it’s flat with my thumb tucked to the side. I thrust it hard at someone’s eyes. You need to hit hard and come out fast.”
“Why?”
“In case you loge a finger inside their eye sockets,” Myers said.
“Seriously?”
“The eye is soft, so the finger thrust, when done right, can rupture an eye or blind a person. Now you know why we don’t teach this in regular training,” Myers said.
“This is awesome. What else have you got?” Bernadette asked.
“I think you’ve learned enough for now; let’s get you back to class. I’ve got some paperwork to do back at the precinct. “
Bernadette bowed to Myers. “But what moves do you have if your assailant has a gun?”
“There are no karate moves against a gun,” Myers said, raising her hands. “Jackie Chan does it in the movies. The chances of disarming a person who has a weapon on you are slim. You have to be in close to get the arm holding the gun. It’s a risky move.”
“So, put up my hands?” Bernadette said.
“Yeah…our prime suspect, Ace, has been known to carry. You need to stay away from him. He’s had weapons violations in the past. But a guy like him, nothing would stop him from having a weapon. You got that?” Myers asked.
“Yeah, I got it, put my hands up,” Bernadette said.
“I also said stay away from him.”
“I got that too,” Bernadette said over her shoulder as she walked to the change room.
She toweled herself off and changed out of her gi, ensuring to fold the garments with reverence into her gym bag. Her sports bra was sopping wet. There was no way she could go out in the cold with this on. She dug farther into her backpack and found the black lace bra she’d thought she’d lost.
“Just where were you last night?” Bernadette asked the bra. This would have been much more comfortable in her meeting with Ace last night.
“What was that?” Myers asked.
“Ah, nothing, just found some stuff I’d thought I’d lost.”
They made their way back to Bernadette’s school. Myers held on to Bernadette’s arm before s
he got out of the Jeep. “Here’s my card again, in case you lost it. And be careful out there. You seemed to have pissed off a lot of people. I’d like to see you go on to do something special. You’re kind of growing on me.”
“Thanks.” Bernadette smiled, stepped from the Jeep, and made her way into school. Myers was good people; she wished she’d meet her a few months back—she might not have kicked Tommy in the balls.
She was just about to enter French class an hour later when her phone vibrated. The number was unfamiliar. She ducked out into the hall and flipped her phone open.
“Hello…” Bernadette said.
“Bernadette…it’s…Travis.”
Bernadette relaxed. “Travis, oh god, how are you? I’ve been worried about you—you must be sick—because a big strapping guy like you wouldn’t be put off by a snow storm.”
“You’re right, Bernadette—he is a big strapping guy. And he’s a bit tied up right now,” a voice said.
Bernadette froze. The voice on the phone was Ace.
“What’re you doing with Travis?”
A long chuckle came over the phone. “You told quite a tale last night little girl. How you had the whole wrestling team in your distribution…I just thought I’d do some checking for myself.”
The phone went quiet. Bernadette forgot to breathe. “Travis!”
“You don’t need to shout. He can hear you just fine. You know, these jocks are kinda dumb, you put a gun to their head, and they’ll get into anyone’s car,” Ace said with a cascade of chuckles.
“What do you want, Ace?”
“That’s more like it. Not like the bitch girl from last night now, are we? This is in my house now. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to bring me that flashy five large you showed me last night to a place called Mr. Fixit’s Tires on 178th street. I’ll give you one hour to get here, otherwise Travis disappears, you got that?”
“I don’t have enough time,” Bernadette pleaded on the phone.
“Yeah, you have the time. And if you bring any police, Susie here will slit his throat. You got that?” Ace said. “Here, Susie, talk to your friend.”
“Hey, girlfriend,” Susie said. “Your boy’s cute. Maybe I’ll give him a little job while I’m waiting…you know…like a blowjob.” She chortled into the phone. “And…you know I owe you for last night…”
“I’m going to rip your heart out if you touch him, Susie,” Bernadette whispered into the phone.
A chorus of laughter came over the phone. Bernadette switched it off and headed for her locker. What was she going to do? If she called Myers, they’d kill Travis. She needed a plan.
It sounded like more than Ace and Susie in the place. She ran back to her locker, threw her books in, and took out her parka. Ace wanted five thousand dollars. She didn’t have it. Jason had taken the fake money back. She grabbed some foolscap paper, tore it into thirds, and found a brown envelope. “How much does five large look like?” she asked herself. It would be useless, even if she had the fake money, but she could use it as distraction to get in the door.
She stuffed the envelope in her backpack, threw on her parka, and ran for the exit door. The address Ace gave was over two kilometres away. In this snow, getting there on foot was out of the question. She needed a taxi. The main road with taxis was two blocks over. She did a slow jog towards the door. Her lungs pulled in freezing cold air, her feet descending deep in uneven snow. She hoped she’d be in time.
The main road was almost devoid of traffic. The streets were covered in snow. Cars and trucks in a single lane were trying to navigate the road.
Bernadette saw a lone taxi on a side road, beside a convenience store. Its engine was running. A figure was inside the steamy windows. She ran the half block towards it, pounding on the driver’s window.
“I need a taxi—please—you have to help me!’ Bernadette yelled at the window.
The frozen window rolled down slowly. A steam cloud escaped from inside the cab revealing a dark-skinned man wearing a fur cap and heavy down parka.
“Is costing you extra today. You see the roads? They are crazy,” the man said with a thick Spanish accent.
“I need to go twenty blocks from here; see, I have cash,” Bernadette said, thrusting a mitt full of twenties at the driver.
The driver shook his head. He put his coffee down in the console and muttered something incomprehensible in Spanish. “Okay, crazy young lady, get in,” he said.
Bernadette piled into the back seat. “I need to get to Mr. Fixit’s Tires on 178th street,” she said out of breath.
“You don’t want to pick up your car in weather like this,” the cab driver said. He was short, his head came just over the steering wheel. His taxi nameplate stated he was Juan Hernández.
“No, I’ve got to meet someone, it’s really important I get there.”
“Okay, you want to be out in this weather, okay by me. You know, for me, I should have stayed home today, but if I do, my wife makes me crazy. So I go out and pick up crazy people like you who want to be in the storm.”
Bernadette sat in back seat and let her mind go over her situation. She’d approach the building—then what? There’d be three maybe four of them in there. She was going to her own death. She needed to change the odds.
“Is there a hardware store nearby?” she asked.
The cab driver nodded. “Sure, is Canadian Tire, not far away. You want I drop you there instead?”
“No, I want you to take me there and wait for me outside. I need to get something.”
“Okay, I don’t mind. I sit in nice warm car and wait for you. Is okay by me. But you have to give me some money. I make sure you come back.”
Bernadette pulled out some cash. She had a ream of twenty dollars bills from her recent poker winnings. She slipped two twenties over the seat. “Here’s some insurance I come back.”
The driver nodded. “Okay by me, I mean no offense.”
“None taken.”
They stopped outside the large store. Bernadette ran in. She asked someone for directions to camping supplies. It took her a few minutes, but she found exactly what she wanted: a woodsman hatchet, nicely sharpened and a Buck knife with a four-inch blade and weighted handle.
She would have loved the chance to practice with these, but there was no time. She paid for the items and ran back to the cab.
The cab was sweltering inside. The Spanish cab driver was still huddled in his coat and hat. A small bead of sweat came down his eyebrow. He brushed it. “We go Mr. Fixit now?”
“Yes,” Bernadette said. “We go to Mr. Fixit.”
The driver looked in his rearview mirror at Bernadette. “You buy some gifts for your friends.”
“Yes, I did, they’re a surprise.”
28
The cab pulled into traffic. One lane was passable. Snow plows had been by, but the snow was blowing and piling up faster than they could clear it.
Cars followed one another at a safe distance, crawling along the main street with the wind blowing the snow and obliterating vision. Hernandez was a good driver; he followed cars in front, neither getting too close nor accelerating too fast nor braking too hard.
His driving was safe, but slow, agonizingly slow. Bernadette started to sweat in the back. Both from the heat and the tension—would she make it in time? She looked at her cell phone to check the time. Forty-five minute had gone by since she’d talked to Ace.
Something caught her eye. Her cell-phone power light was blinking red. It had no power. How had she let this happen? In her agitated state last night, she’d forgotten to charge it. She’d intended to call Officer Myers just before she went to see Ace so they’d find her while she stalled him.
“We are here,” Hernández said.
Bernadette looked up. The cab was outside the Mr. Fixit shop. She hadn’t noticed the cab turn off the main road. What was she going to do?
“Do you have a cell phone?” Bernadette asked.
The cabbie
shook his head. “No, es too expensive for the calls. If I have one, my wife would call me all day and ask me why I’m not making more money.”
Bernadette took officer Myer’s card from her pocket. “I need you to do something Mr. Hernández. I need you to call this number on your cab radio, ask for this officer, and tell her Bernadette needs her.” She took out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to him with the card. “You got that?”
Hernández’s eyes went wide as he looked at the police officer’s card and the fifty. “You in trouble, little one?”
Bernadette grimaced. “I could be. I’m just trying to be safe. I need you to let this officer know where you dropped me off.”
“Ai Dios mio, my little child. I cannot let you go in there on your own.”
Bernadette shook her head. “I’m sorry if I’m getting you upset, but it’s better I go in alone.”
She threw some more cash into the front seat, grabbed her backpack, and got out of the cab. The cold wind grabbed at her the moment she stood outside. The Cadillac with the plates she’d seen outside the school was in front. A faint light shone from inside the building.
The place looked like it was once a repair shop now gone out of business.
Signs for oil and lube, once bright, were now faded. A rack used for tires was empty. Bernadette walked carefully towards the front door. It was open.
The door opened with a bone-chilling screech. “Shit,” Bernadette said softly. Nothing like a major announcement.
She walked into a deserted reception area. A layer of grime and dirt covered scattered papers and overturned chairs. Grease and oil permeated the air. A door with EMPLOYEES ONLY had a faint light coming from it.
This was it, there was no way back. She pulled off her backpack, took out the knife and axe. Removing the axe sheath, she stuffed the handle into the waistband of her jeans under her parka. She left the knife in its sheath, removing the strap from the handle. It rested on her hip. Her heart was pounding as she placed her hands on the door.
She pushed the door open. Hands grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. Lights went on. Bernadette shielded her eyes.
David and Leo from Susie’s gang stood over her. Their smiles said it all. She was in deep shit.
Black Wolf Rising (Prequel to the Bernadette Callahan Mystery Series) Page 14
