Читать книгу Jack Taggart Mysteries 9-Book Bundle - Don Easton - Страница 25

Lance Morgan locked the public door from inside his arcade and walked to his office in the rear. It was mid-week, and business had been slow. He flicked off the lights and opened the rear door leading into a small parking area behind the arcade.

The barrel of a shotgun rammed deep into his belly below the rib cage. He doubled over, his lungs paralyzed as his knees sunk to the floor. Danny stepped forward and with his free hand grabbed Lance’s hair and sent him sprawling backwards. Jack followed and flicked on the light to the office as the door swung shut behind him. He also carried a shotgun with a metal folded stock.

Lance looked up from the floor, still trying to catch his breath, and gasped, “Take it, guys, no need to hurt me. It’s only about four hundred bucks. Mostly coin. I’ll open it for ya,” he said, waving his arm toward a small safe in the office.

“You don’t remember me, do ya?” Jack barked out the words while stepping closer and sticking the barrel of the shotgun into Lance’s crotch.

Lance used his hands and feet to edge himself backwards on the floor. He stopped when Jack pushed the shotgun deeper into his crotch. His eyebrows furled as he stared up at Jack.

“One week ago, behind the Black Water,” Jack added.

The blood drained from Lance’s face. He whispered, “You’re Eddy!”

Jack smiled down at him. “So, how does it feel to be on the receiving end?”

“You ought to know,” said Lance bitterly. “Live by the gun, die by the gun. Just do what you came here to do, man. I had nothin’ against you personal, so just kill me an’ get it over with.”

“Tell you what,” snarled Jack. “Tell me why you tried to kill me and maybe I’ll consider letting you live!”

“Yeah, sure you will,” said Lance sarcastically. “Besides, you know the answer to that yourself!”

“I want you to tell me!”

“You’re a rat!”

“Who says so? Who told ya I was?” snapped Jack.

“I don’t know, I was just carrying out orders,” replied Lance defiantly.

“From who? Who were the two guys with ya? Fuckin’ talk, man, or I’ll blow ya away right now!”

“Fuck you. You’re gonna do me anyway. I’m not sayin’ nothin’, so you might as well get it over with!”

Jack raised the shotgun and pointed it directly at Lance’s face. Lance glared back. When he saw Jack’s finger slowly squeeze down on the trigger he closed his eyes. The seconds ticked by. When he opened his eyes he saw that Jack had lowered the shotgun.

“I got some news for you, Lance. I’m not going to kill you. But I might arrest you!”

“You what?” asked Lance, looking confused.

Jack and Danny produced their badges.

“You guys are cops!” A nervous laugh escaped his lips.

“Yes, I’m a police officer. My real name is Jack Taggart. For attempting to murder me, you could be looking at a long time in the crowbar hotel.”

“Oh, man,” said Lance, shaking his head, “I didn’t know you were a cop! I thought you were just a rat.”

“Well, this could be your lucky night, Lance, because if you become a rat, we’ll forget the whole thing!”

“What? You’d let me off tryin’ to kill ya? Just for me to rat out?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, but you’d be working for us for the next ten years. I think that’s fair. You’d be ours, body and soul. You lie to us just once or try an’ hide something from us and we feed you to the wolves!”

Lance reflected on the proposition, then gestured to a picture on his desk of his wife and four children. “I can’t. Go ahead and bust me. I got them to think about.”

“You’ve got my word. I will never arrest anyone or do anything if I think it will jeopardize your position. Once we haul you out of here it’s too late to change your mind. You could be looking at life in prison. You won’t be any good to your family in there.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate what you’re sayin’, but no, I’m still not turnin’ in my brothers.” He gave a weak smile, then added, “As they say, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time!”

Jack picked up the picture of Lance’s wife and children. “I’m no psychic, but I have a feeling that if you don’t cooperate, you’ll be a widower soon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you don’t cooperate, I’ll arrest you now and charge you with stealing the car. Considering your record, you’ll probably get about six months in jail. I’ll put in a good word for you so you’ll be out as soon as you’re eligible.”

“You’re only going to charge me with stealing the clunker?” Lance gave Jack a puzzled look.

“Later tonight,” continued Jack, “we’ll pick up Wizard and Rolly and charge them with attempted murder. They’ll end up getting life. Especially with the parole reports I’ll do on them.”

Lance gawked up from where he sat on the floor. “What do ya mean? You already know who they are? I tried to kill ya just as much as…” He stopped talking when he saw the grim smile creep across Jack’s face.

“You can’t! They’ll think I cut a deal with ya! That I gave ’em up to save myself!”

Jack nodded. “Life’s a bitch, ain’t it! Your own brothers, as you call ’em, will do you just like Lenny. Except with you, they’ll probably take it a bit more personal. I doubt they’d kill you as quickly as Lenny.”

Lance sat in a stunned silence, slowly shaking his head. Jack knelt down so they could look at the picture together.

“Nice family. Tell me, I’m curious to see what will happen. You know your bros better than I do. If we see to it you serve your time in protective custody, where they can’t get at you … what do you think they’ll do?”

“You fucking bastard! You know what they’ll do!”

“Oh, well,” said Jack, standing up. “What did you say? Live by the gun, die by the gun? Well I have one you can tell your family: If you fly with the crows, expect to get shot at.”

Lance’s face turned pasty white, and for the first time his trembling body betrayed his fear. He looked up and his voice quavered. “Okay, you guys win, but I gotta tell ya, you got someone on your side who’s talkin’. Someone big.”

Jack and Danny looked silently at each other for a moment, then Jack turned back to Lance. “We know there’s someone. Who is it?”

“I don’t know, man. I really don’t know.”

“Don’t give us that shit!” said Danny. “If you cooperate, you go all the way!”

“I am fuckin’ cooperating! Do you think I’m gonna fuck with you two, with what you’ll do if I lie? I really don’t know! Look at me, I’m shakin’ I’m so fuckin’ scared. If I knew who it was, I’d tell ya, just to make sure I stay alive! I told you I’d cooperate, and I will. I’m just sayin’ you better fuckin’ watch who you tell, ’cause I’m puttin’ my life in your hands!”

“We’ll be very selective on who knows,” said Jack.

“If you’re not, I’m dead.” He nodded toward the desk and asked, “Can I get up now and sit down?”

“Got a piece in your desk?” asked Jack.

Lance smiled briefly. “No, it’s not in my desk. It’s fastened in a holster under the drawer. I wasn’t gonna do you guys. I bet someone knows you’re here?”

Jack ignored the question as he retrieved the pistol from underneath the desk drawer. “Not a bad piece of hardware: 9 mm,” he said casually, before returning the pistol to where he had found it.

“You’re not takin’ it from me?” asked Lance.

“No, it would only inconvenience you until you got another one. We don’t want to change how you operate. We just want to be informed. So have a seat. We have a few questions.”

Lance got up off the floor, and after a few nervous glances at Jack and Danny, he pulled out the chair from the desk. He was careful to place his hands flat on top of the desk as he sat down. Jack sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at him, while holding the shotgun in one hand with the barrel pointing toward the ceiling. Danny stood to the side and held his weapon with both hands.

“So why, Lance? Why’d they try to kill me?”

“It wasn’t you! We thought you were a rat!”

“Who told you?”

“Wizard an’ Rolly. They have someone on the inside who lets them know what’s goin’ on. They call ’im The Suit. I don’t know his real name and have never seen him. He likes young broads. I heard Wizard and Rolly laughing about him one day. Does sort of a power trip on ’em. I think he uses a dog, too. Rolly used to handle the whores. I think that’s how they met the guy.”

Jack thought about Marcie. He became conscious that the bullet wound in his upper arm hurt and realized that his fist was clenched. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Lance continued, “This guy has been talkin’ for years, but except for maybe Damien, the rest of us don’t know who he is, just in case.”

“In case what?” asked Danny.

“In case you guys infiltrate the club somehow. Only a select few know what’s goin’ on.”

“Last week in the alley, how did Wizard and Rolly know what I looked like?” asked Jack.

“Wiz knew some bitch who knew you. Red’s her name. You must know her; she said you’d been buying from her.”

“I knew her.”

“She met us in a room at the BW about half an hour before we tried to do ya. She told us what you were wearing. Don’t think she could help ya now. Wiz had her pegged as a loose end. Said he was gonna take care of her.”

“She died of an overdose,” said Danny.

“I’m pretty sure Wizard gave it to her,” replied Lance.

“That’s what we figured,” said Jack. “How about Lenny? What happened with him?”

“It was the same way as you, except with Lenny, we didn’t have any problems. I drove. Wiz shot ’im with a .22. It was the middle of the day and people were around, so he used a potato for a silencer. Rolly carved him up after. If somehow he got past them and ran, then I was supposed to drive over him.” Lance looked at Jack. “Just like with you, except I didn’t expect ya to run toward me. I couldn’t drive over ya because that dumb, fat Rolly was right on your ass.”

“Does Wizard still have the gun?” asked Danny.

“Naw, he probably threw it in the ocean. He never keeps it once he’s done a job.”

“So tell me, Lance, who was it that blew up Crystal?” asked Jack.

“Crystal? Was that the whore on the freeway who tried to skip out?”

“Yes, that one,” said Jack, glancing at Danny. The knuckles on Danny’s hands turned white as he gripped the shotgun.

Lance took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Oh man, I just don’t know,” he mumbled, putting his elbows on the table and holding his head with his hands.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” yelled Danny.

“That’s not what I mean,” muttered Lance, shaking his head. “I just don’t know if I’m doin’ the right thing by talkin’. I didn’t mind about Lenny, ’cause I knew you had that one figured out, but…” His voice trailed off and there was silence as Lance grappled with his uncertainty.

Jack picked up the family picture. Lance eyed him nervously as he laid the picture down on the desk between Lance’s elbows. Lance looked down at his family. They disintegrated before his eyes as Jack smashed the butt of his shotgun into the glass. Splinters of glass sprayed out while other pieces tore into the faces on the portrait. Lance fell back in his chair. His eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed. Fear and anger made him speechless.

Jack reached for the telephone and said to Danny, “I’m calling the office. We’ll have Wizard and Rolly arrested tonight.”

“It was Axle and Nails! Don’t call, man! I’m tellin’ ya, it was them!”

Jack was silent for a moment, then said, “There’s no going back now.”

Lance looked at the picture and sighed, then said, “Yeah, I know.”

Jack replaced the telephone receiver and asked, “What role did you play?”

“I had nothin’ to do with that one! Nails was in some special branch of the army. He knows all about makin’ bombs an’ booby traps.”

“Who besides Axle and Nails were involved?” asked Jack.

“The hit would have been sanctioned by Wizard or Damien, but I don’t think anyone else was involved. It’s not the sort of thing you normally talk about, but a few of the boys were called out to watch hospitals and clinics the night we tried to whack you. Axle was paired up with me. He’s still striking and he told me all about how Nails planted a bomb on her car. He wanted to know if I thought he would get his patch for what happened.”

“What role did Axle play?” asked Jack.

“He stood six while Nails planted the bomb.”

“That’s all? He was just a lookout?” asked Jack.

“He also drove and followed the whore until Nails detonated the bomb. Axle supplies us with hot cars when we need ’em. Whatever he was drivin’ when they followed the whore would have been stolen. It was Axle who got me the car we used on Lenny. The same goes for the Volvo I used for you.”

Jack leaned over, close to Lance’s face. Lance felt uncomfortable and started to roll his chair back, but Jack gripped the armrest. “What other murders do you know about?”

Lance swallowed, then said, “Well, two others for sure.”

“Start with the most recent one,” said Jack.

“They were both killed together, not too long ago.”

Jack found himself holding his breath, listening to every sound to come out of Lance’s mouth. This is it! His grip on the chair and shotgun became intense. His muscles rippled and the knife wound on his back oozed blood. He could see every blemish and pore on Lance’s face.

“It was a couple of Vietnamese guys,” continued Lance. “I don’t know their names, but they were brothers. They were startin’ to move a lot of speed on the west side. Real good stuff. Ice. We warned them to go someplace else, but they didn’t listen.”

“When was this?” Jack relaxed his grip and struggled to keep tears from appearing.

“It would be a year ago next week. I remember it because it was the Thursday before the May long weekend. Wizard has a boat out in White Rock. A big one, for fishin’ an’ crabbin’. My job was to bring a couple of oil drums an’ a wheelbarrow full of bricks out to his boat. We stuffed one guy in each drum, popped holes, weighed ’em down, and rolled ’em overboard.”

“You killed them on the boat?” asked Jack.

“Naw, actually I didn’t see who killed ’em and I didn’t ask. Wizard, Rolly, and I were already out on the boat. Wizard didn’t want to take a chance on haulin’ the bodies down the pier in White Rock. It’s too long and there’s lots of tourists. We left the dock an’ four of the guys delivered ’em to us in a speedboat. They were already dead. Shot once in the head. Wiz didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. There’s too many of them Asians, an’ they don’t give a fuck who they kill. Wizard decided it would be better if they disappeared, so we wouldn’t be startin’ any wars or anything.”

“Who were the four guys who delivered the bodies in the speed boat?”

“It was all guys from our chapter. Sparrow, Pan-Head, Halibut, an’ Rockin’ Ronnie. I think it was Rockin’ Ronnie who did ’em, but he’s dead now. Some old lady hung a left turn in front of ’im when he was ridin’ his bike this summer. He piled right into her.”

“What makes you think it was Rockin’ Ronnie who shot them?” asked Jack.

“Yeah, it’s kind of convenient,” said Danny, “the guy you say did it is now dead.”

“I didn’t say he fuckin’ done it, I said I think he fuckin’ done it!” replied Lance, glaring at Danny.

“Why?” asked Jack.

Lance looked back at Jack. “Well if Halibut had done it, he’d have probably gotten his patch soon after. But he’s still strikin’. That leaves Sparrow, Pan-Head, and Rockin’ Ronnie. I noticed that Rockin’ Ronnie had a fresh lookin’ DD tattoo about a week later. Sparrow and Pan-Head still don’t have one.”

“What tattoo?” asked Jack.

“The Dirty Dog. It first started about four or five years ago. You can earn it by doin’ a hit that’s sanctioned by the executive. It’s got to be verified, too.”

“The Dirty Dog,” Jack repeated. The words replayed through his brain.

“Yeah,” Lance replied. “I know he didn’t have it before, so I’m presumin’ that’s how he earned it.”

“How big is this tattoo?” asked Jack abruptly. “What does it look like? Could you see it, say, from across a room?”

“You could, if the lighting was good. I don’t have one, or I would show ya. It’s just the words Dirty Dog tattooed over the head of a pitbull. Most guys get it on their biceps, but if they already got a tattoo there, then they usually put it on their forearm.”

“Names!” Jack demanded harshly. “I want the names of everyone who has them!”

“I don’t know everyone for sure,” said Lance, nervously. “It’s not somethin’ most guys run around showin’ off right away, either. At least, not if they’re smart. Just off the top of my head, I’d say I know about six or seven guys who got it.”

“Write down their names!”

Lance slowly pulled open the desk drawer and retrieved a pen and a sheet of paper. A minute later, he pushed the list toward Jack. “There may be others, but these ones I know.”

Jack looked at the list: Wizard, Nails, Rockin’ Ronnie, Thumper, Whisky Jake, and Two-Forty Gordy.

“Who are Two-Forty Gordy, Whiskey Jake, and Thumper?”

“Just guys in the club. Different chapter than me. They’re from the east side. Two-Forty probably weighs three-forty now.”

“This is all of them?”

“All I can remember.”

“If you remember any more names, call me on my cell!” said Jack, ripping off a piece of paper and writing his number down. He stared intently at Lance’s face and asked, “The two Vietnamese brothers are the only other murders you know about?”

“Yeah. Them and Lenny and the whore on the freeway. I guess Red, too, if she was hit.”

“I don’t suppose the club, or the executive, keeps any list of who gets a Dirty Dog tattoo and when they get it?”

“Naw, are you kiddin’? Would be too risky in case it fell into the wrong hands.”

“Who does the tattooing?”

“A friend of the club owns a parlour down near the waterfront in Vancouver. He does all the club tattoos. It’s called Popeye’s. He’s had the place for years.”

Jack nodded, then asked nonchalantly, “By the way, who handles the speed coming in from Montreal?”

“Hey! I’m impressed! You know about that already? We only got that started a couple of months ago!”

“Tell us what you know about it. When’s the next shipment due?”

“Not much to tell. We either pay cash or swap blow for speed with our brothers in Montreal. Someday we’ll get our own labs out here, but for the moment, the French shit is excellent. Wizard went to Montreal and set up the original connection. I think we’ve only done one deal so far. Fifty keys is what Rolly told me.”

“Rolly is handling it?”

“He picked up the first shipment to make sure everything went smooth. It came by train. I think another shipment is due this Friday. They’ll probably get one of the strikers to handle it now. Likely either Halibut or Dragon.”

“No problems with the first shipment?” Jack studied Lance’s face carefully.

“Not as far as I know. That’s some of the same stuff you were buying from Red.”

“You guys got any heavy connections an hour or so drive out in the Valley? Someone that Rolly may have dealt with on that first shipment?”

“Nobody that I know of. I don’t think he would make a big delivery out there. Maybe some of the strikers got some people. I don’t know everyone.”

“Would it draw any heat on you if this next shipment gets taken down?” asked Jack.

“Don’t think so. Especially if it’s a striker. They might think the heat came from Montreal.”

Jack stood up and said, “Stay in touch. We’ll talk again in a couple of days.”

“I won’t be around if it’s this coming weekend.”

“Why not?”

“We’re taking our hawgs out for one last run before winter. Headin’ up to the interior for a big bash. Leavin’ Friday afternoon and comin’ back Sunday. Pretty well the whole club is going. Taking our ol’ ladies along too.”

“Then go. But if we find out you’re holding anything back on us, you’re dead meat.”

Lance didn’t respond, so Jack said, “Did you hear me?”

“I’ve got ears,” he replied sullenly.

When Jack and Danny were at the door, Lance asked, “So tell me, man, how close did we come to doin’ ya? I thought Wiz plugged ya.”

Jack yawned, then said, “Got me once, but it ricocheted off my back and through my arm. Rolly slashed my back with a knife. It did more damage than the bullet did.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, I guess a .22 is okay if you got it stuck in someone’s ear or the base of their neck, but I figure if they’d been usin’ a 9 mm, you wouldn’t have been so lucky.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. See you around.”

Lance sat and stared at the broken picture after Jack and Danny had left. He thought about Jack’s response to his last question. Tough motherfucker. Seems to tell it straight. For a moment it made him feel safer, then a wave of fear and shame overtook his brain.

Danny waited until they were in the car before turning to Jack. “You did it! Just like you said you would. You got somebody on the inside!”

“We did it. The two of us.”

“So, the guy they call The Suit has to be the one who molested Marcie.”

Jack nodded.

“And now we know who murdered Crystal! Let’s haul their asses in! Maybe Homicide can match something from the bomb on Crystal’s car to Nails’ and Axle’s houses.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I gave Lance my word. Arresting them would jeopardize his position.”

“Busting Axle and Nails is more important than worrying about that piece of shit!”

Jack looked sharply at Danny. “Always keep your word!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? They murdered Crystal! You were there! Did you see her eyes? She was —”

“I was there.”

Danny drove the car out of the lot before saying, “You’re waiting to get information about Maggie and Ben Junior, aren’t you? That makes sense, except Lance doesn’t know anything about that, so let’s arrest Axle and Nails. Maybe they do! One of them might talk!”

“I gave Lance my word.”

“This is bullshit! I don’t believe you!”

“You better believe me, because it’s true. It’s about respect.”

“You’re telling me that you respect that asshole sitting in there!”

“It’s about us having respect, not him. And actually, yes, I do respect him.”

Danny’s face reddened. His nostrils flared and his lips curled down, exposing his teeth. “He’s a sleaze-bag! Kept referring to Crystal a whore! How can you respect him?”

“In Lance’s world you use derogatory names. If you dehumanize them, it’s easier on your conscience. What was he supposed to refer to her as? The young woman who was being sexually victimized?”

“Crystal was a good person.”

“I know she was. I respect her for what she tried to do.”

“But Lance is nothing but scum!”

“How would you respond if someone shoved a shotgun into your nuts? Would you have the guts to stare them in the eye and refuse to talk? Think about it! He expected to die! No whimpering, no pleading. The only reason he did cooperate was to protect his family. Yes, I have some respect for him too.”

“He tried to kill you!”

“Hey! I respect that he’s dangerous! He could still flip back to the other side. Which is why I didn’t give him your name or cell number.”

“Why not?”

“You have a family to look after. As I said, I respect the fact that he’s dangerous.”

“That’s bullshit! I’m your partner. Susan knows the risks. She married me —”

“That doesn’t mean you have to take risks if you don’t need to.”

Danny shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t really matter. If you’re not going to do anything, then we’re no further ahead. Not when it comes to your sister’s kids.”

“We’re a lot further ahead. This is the first phase in gaining control.”

Danny drove another two blocks, then said, “So now what do you propose we do?”

“Keep quiet about Axle and Nails. Verify what we can about what Lance told us, then concentrate on Wizard and Rolly. They were involved in the original speed connection. Find out if they have contacts up the Valley and find out who the leak is.”

“How? Lance didn’t know of any —”

“They’re leaving on a ride this Friday. Search their places. Maybe turn up an address book or phone numbers.”

“You figure we have enough to get search warrants?”

“No. Even if we did, we don’t know who the leak is. I’m not jeopardizing Lance. Speaking of which, from now on, we don’t use his name. No slip-ups — anywhere!”

“What do you plan on calling him?”

“Just refer to him as our friend.”

“Your friend, maybe, not mine. And now you’re talking about doing illegal searches.”

“Damn it, Danny! Do I have to spell everything out? You sound like you’re wearing a wire and working for Internal, for God’s sake.”

Danny squirmed in his seat and glanced out his side window.

“I appreciate that you have a family,” continued Jack. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to take risks. If you want to work on something else, talk with Louie and get reassigned. But make a decision. I need someone I can trust and depend on.”

“With what we’ve been through, don’t you feel you can trust me yet?”

Jack looked at Danny and sighed. “I’m sorry. I owe you my life. I know I can trust you. But you do have Susan and Tiffany to think about. I’ve done enough searches in my life; I don’t really need you to come along.”

“Yeah, right. In the space of a month, my hand was slashed with a knife and I stabbed a junkie in the back. You’ve been shot and stabbed. Lenny, Crystal, and Red murdered…”

“It does sound like we could be on to something.”

“It’s not funny! I’m waking up at night seeing Crystal’s eyes, asking why I got her killed.”

“You see what you want. I see her eyes, too. I see her asking for justice.”

“Whatever! But that’s what I see and I’m not bailing out now! I may not agree with you, but I’m still your partner.”

“Glad you feel that way. There is something else.” Jack paused as the memories of an abandoned farmhouse interrupted his thoughts.

“Something else?”

Jack swallowed, then said, “The last thing Maggie did before she was murdered was print the word Dirty in her sketchbook. Tomorrow night I’m going to take a look at Popeye’s. See if there is any record of who has the Dirty Dog tattoo or when they got it.”

“You think she saw that word tattooed on someone?”

“It’s possible.”

Danny shook his head, then mumbled, “What the hell. After what’s happened so far, what are a few break-ins going to matter. Speaking of which, how do you plan on getting in?”

Jack took a leather case out of his jacket pocket and flashed Danny an array of lock picks.

“Where did you get those? Do you know how to use them?”

Jack smiled, then said, “Some locksmith must have dropped them. Yes, I know how to use them. Believe me, with my new friend helping, nothing will stop us. It’s just a matter of time. I’m also going to revive Eddy Trimble and give the City narcs a present.”

“Bart and Rex?”

“Can’t use our narcs. We’re only doing surveillance, remember?”

“What if one of them is the leak?”

“My friend didn’t think he would draw any heat if it was taken down. If it was one of the narcs, they wouldn’t have turned me into an informant in the first place. I trust them. Wish I could say the same for the rest of their office — or our own people.”

“Enough emphasis on my friend already! I’m your partner. He can be our friend.”

“Good. Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the ride!”

An hour later, Danny arrived home in time to pick up his telephone. He recognized the harsh voice immediately.

“This is Superintendent Wigmore. Meet me at the Oceanside Lounge. Immediately!”