“Which one? I don't understand.”
“A crispy critter behind the house. Looks like he tossed his weapon and lay down on the ground. Then he was soaked in petroleum and torched. O'Reilly might want a lawyer. Especially if it's his bloody fingerprints all over the lighter we found.”
It was after midnight when Jack used a payphone at the hospital to call Lance.
“Where the fuck you been?” asked Lance. “Don't you ever turn your cell on?”
“It got wet this afternoon. Doesn't work. I'll have a replacement tomorrow. Anything going on?”
“Anything going on! Christ! You call me at this time of night to ask me if anything is going on? You know fuckin' well there is! Have you seen the news?”
“You mean the part where it said that five members of Satans Wrath were killed in a shootout when police raided a home in search of an abducted woman and a young girl?”
“Yeah, that part of it. I take it you were involved?”
“The news doesn't quite have it correct at this point. The woman is my fiancée and the girl is a friend of mine. It was only Danny and I involved in the shootout.”
“Oh, fuck! Wiz and Rolly! They ambush ya?”
“At The Suit's house. It was a crown prosecutor by the name of Sid Bishop.”
“Damn it! I'm sorryâ¦.”
“Glad you're sorry.”
“Not for you, for me. It means I still owe ya five years.”
“Maybe not. He escaped. You find him before I do and the deal is still on.”
“All right! I hear ya! So you and Danny are okay? What about your woman and the girl?”
“Danny is in the hospital. He might lose an eye. The rest of us are okay.”
“Lose an eye? Well, I guess shit happens. He'll be a twin for Halibut. Who else was killed? I figured it was Wiz and Rolly. They take two strikers with 'em? T-Bone and Booger?”
“They did. How do you know? The names haven't been released yet.”
“We've been trying to do a head count and figure out who's missing. It's tough. Damien is going nuts. We got guys runnin' around all over because of the election tomorrow. Over a dozen chapter presidents have already flown in. The rest are arriving in the morning.” Lance paused, then asked, “Who was the fifth?”
“Thumper.”
“Thumper! He's not even with our chapter. He's with the east side. You sure?”
“I'm sure.”
“That dirty fucker! I bet he stuck his nose up Wiz's ass because he thought Wiz was gonna win the election.”
“You can strike Wizard's name off the ballot.”
“Then this happens in the middle of everything! It's like someone drove a car into a yard full of hornets' nests. Guys are talking revenge. Wait until they find out it was you and Danny! I bet Damien knows already.”
“What's he saying?”
“Not much. Makes him look bad that he didn't know what was going on and didn't have control over his guys. I bet he loses the election now.”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Probably someone from back east. Damien wants me at his house at eight in the morning. I've never been invited there before.”
“Why does he want to see you?”
“Don't know. All the presidents will be meeting him there at 2:15 tomorrow afternoon. The vote will be decided shortly after.”
“I'll have a working cell by noon tomorrow. Call me when you can.”
“Yeah, I will if I'm alive.”
“Why wouldn't you be?”
“If Damien figures I knew about the ambush, he won't be pleased.”
“Want me to vouch for you?”
“Fuck you!” Lance chuckled.
“Call me tomorrow.”
Jack returned to the hospital room where Danny was sleeping. Susan was standing beside the bed while Natasha held Tiffany and sat in a chair beside Marcie. Jack put his arm around Susan's shoulder and said, “You're sure you're okay?”
Susan nodded. “The nurse said she'd put a cot in the room. I want to make sure I'm here when he wakes up and before they operate again. Appreciate you looking after Tif for me.”
Jack looked over at Natasha and Tiffany. “She's in good hands. Don't worry about her. I've taken the booster seat out of your car.”
“I'm not worried about her,” replied Susan. She then glanced at a heavily armed member of the Emergency
Response Team who was standing outside the room. “I understand why that guy is here, but what about the one hanging around from Homicide? Why is it so important for him to be here?”
“People died today. They need to talk to Danny and make sure he didn't break any rules.”
“And did he?” Susan studied his face for the truth.
Jack paused, then said, “No. I talked to him earlier. He obeyed them completely.”
Susan stared a moment longer, then walked across the room and gave Tiffany a kiss on her forehead before saying goodnight to Natasha and Marcie.
“Susan ⦠I'm sorry,” said Jack.
“Yeah. I know. You better get going. Your sister will be waiting.”
Jack saw that the city lights were behind them and glanced in the rear-view mirror. Marcie was leaning against the booster seat. Both she and Tiffany appeared to be sleeping.
“There's something I need to know,” he whispered to Natasha. “I'll understand if you need time, but⦔
“You mean, do I still want to marry you?”
“Yes. After today, I⦔ Jack let the words trail off. He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Natasha's eyes brimmed with tears. “I was petrified. It was all because of you.”
“I know. I'm sorry. I would never have put you in that position if I'd known.”
“I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about us! I was petrified that I might never see you again! Today made me realize how fragile life is and how much the future means to me. You are my future. I'm going to cherish every day of it.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I felt exactly the same way.”
“Speakin' of that,” said Marcie, leaning forward from the back seat, “bein' as I'm the bridesmaid, when are you getting married?”
“After today ⦠soon!” said Jack and Natasha in unison.
Natasha leaned over in the seat, wrapping her hands around Jack's arm, and said, “Besides, I think I need to keep you around for protection.”
“You need protection?” said Jack, rather incredulously. “I heard you took out Thumper with only a scalpel. How did you manage that? I couldn't have beaten him if he was handcuffed and I had a gun!”
Natasha paused, then said, “Oh, I just waited until the right moment when he wasn't paying attention.”
“Yeah,” said Marcie. “She sort of caught him with his pants down.”
Jack stopped the car at a checkpoint set up at the entrance to Ben and Liz's driveway. The officer radioed others outside the house and they were allowed to proceed. The light bulb over the porch had already been unscrewed to prevent anyone from accidentally turning it on. Light escaped from the edges of the shades and drapes that were drawn and Jack glimpsed Ben unlock the door as they made their way across the porch. Seconds later they were inside.
The only one who wasn't hugged and kissed and didn't cry was Tiffany. When they finished their greetings they sat in the living room.
“Any change with Danny?” asked Liz.
The sound of geese honking outside brought their conversation to a stop. Ben looked at Natasha and said, “That's Andrew and Martha, our two geese.” He looked
at Jack and said, “They'll honk all night if those officers keep moving around. I better put them in the barn.”
“I'll help you,” said Jack.
Several minutes later, Jack watched as Ben herded Andrew and Martha into a pen in the barn. Ben latched the door and asked, “How long do we have to put up with this? I have a business to run. We can't leave but we sure as hell can't live with these guys hanging around outside. Now I know how the prime minister must feel.”
“Sorry, Ben. I'll straighten that out tomorrow. I promise.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Why then?”
“I'm going to a meeting. Don't worry. You, Liz, Marcie ⦠everyone will be okay.”
“This meeting will straighten things out?”
“I expect so.”
“That's a relief. Don't get me wrong. We're grateful. It's just ⦠we want it to be over. When you told us the two guys who murdered Maggie and Ben Junior were dead ⦠Liz and I felt like our life was going to ⦠well, it will never be normal, but at least it gave us some satisfaction. Then you said the main guy escaped ⦠now we don't know what to feel.”
“I
will
catch him, Ben. I promise you that!”
“Yeah, I know. That's what I told Liz. You live up to your promises. Damn it, I haven't even congratulated you and Natasha for getting engaged.”
“Thanks.”
Ben stared at Jack for a moment, then hugged him and said, “Thanks. Thanks for killing those bastards. I know you'll get this other guy, too.”
Jack thought about his promise to Natasha, and then he thought about tomorrow. Damien was in for a surprise.
“Your men had quite a day, yesterday,” said Isaac, once Louie Grazia sat down.
“It would appear so.”
“I read a statement that Homicide took this morning from O'Reilly. Take a look. Tell me what you think.”
Louie read the statement, then said, “I think he should receive a medal. Both of them should.”
“You read the part about how he killed the one they called Wizard?”
“Yes. After being seriously injured and barely able to see, he captured him in the backyard. Made him toss the weapon and lay in the prone position. He was so weak he had to sit down to cover him. Said he started to lose consciousness and woke up in time to see Wizard with a lighter in his hand about to shove a pail of gas on him.”
“That's the part that really got to me. As injured as he was, he still chased this guy down and tried to arrest him. If he hadn't had the quick reflexes to kick the pail
over, it would have been him that burned to death. Says he even caught the lighter that Wizard threw. Lucky for him the gas went in the other direction. I agree, commendations are in order.”
“Good. They'll be pleased to hear it.”
“There is one other matter, however, that I wish to discuss with you.”
“Sir?”
“It's about Taggart. The informant he had by the name of Edward Trimble died of a drug overdose over two years ago. How do you suppose that could be?”
“Typical of drug addicts. One of them dies in some flophouse and someone else who is probably wanted snatches his identification. I'll speak to Taggart and tell him to smarten up. He should know better than to be fooled like that.”
“I see. Well, considering what he's been through, I don't think you should be too hard on him. Maybe give him a break on that one.”
“Yes, sir. If you think so.”
Isaac leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window but watched Louie out of the corner of his eye. “In some ways, Wigmore was right about Taggart.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, people he works on end up dead, including the two who murdered his niece and nephew.”
Louie shrugged his shoulders but didn't speak.
“Have you had a chance to debrief Taggart? How does he feel about Sid Bishop?”
“He's upset that he escaped. That he wasn't able to arrest him.”
“Arrest him?”
Louie pretended that the connotation eluded him and said, “U.S. Customs found his boat on Orcas Island
in the San Juans this morning, but there was no sign of him. From there, he could have easily flown to the mainland and then anywhere.”
“Do you think Taggart has any idea where he is?”
“Not a clue. He asked me if we've checked Bishop's bank accounts yet.”
“And have you?”
“Preliminary inquiries look like there were some off-shore transfers to the Grand Caymans. He'll know how to cover his tracks. Bet he is living under a new identity in some foreign country. Satans Wrath could help him in that regard. It wouldn't look good for them if he was arrested. They're in dozens of countries. I'm not optimistic that he'll ever be caught.”
Jack's meeting with CC was brief. He had already prepared a statement and slid it across the desk to her.
CC scanned the statement quickly, then leaned across the desk and said, “I want you and O'Reilly to know something. Strictly for professional reasons. I want you to have at least a
little
respect for me.”
“CC, don't worry. Sid set me up beautifully. I have no grudge against you at all.”
“This isn't about that. It's what O'Reilly did! Tell him he owes me a hell of a favour.”
“I don't understand.”
“Bullshit! I've taken enough statements to know when someone's been coached! Not to mention that the burn marks on Wizard did not start under his arm and on his face, where they would have if he was throwing gas at Danny. They started on the back of his arm and head. He wasn't looking when he got doused.”
“Danny was badly injured, barely conscious. Maybe he was a little off on â”
“Cut the crap! This is only between the three of us. I just want you to know that I do know how to do my job.”
Jack stared at CC for a moment, then said, “I'll tell Danny. He'll probably want to buy you a drink.”
“Tell him that, but if it arrives with a flame on top, I'll shoot him!”
Jack returned CC's smile, then said, “I need a favour as well.”
“What kind of favour?”
“It's about the exhibits from yesterday.”
“Your recorder?”
“No. Something else. Something that might keep some people from dying.”
Jack lay in the bushes, resting his arms and chest on a sports bag as he watched several limousines pass through the electronic gate into Damien's estate. He caught a glimpse of bikers roaming around inside. Some were there to provide security and showed their respect for the bosses by keeping their distance.