Chapter 22 - Checking In
It was a cinch I was going to report what I had done. Eventually. I believed my investigator friend. It made sense to me, that a guy that had made the service and combat into a living? Should overlook any indiscretions I might get into. As he said, it was bad enough on him. That someone he had lunch with several times was gone, he couldn't scale the hurt up to what I must feel.
When I got back from the action itself, I was anticipating some big sense of accomplishment? But no. I felt more like I was doing the bare minimum, not the top level work I needed to be doing. At least I was finally beginning to act. I was prepared to have additional trauma images added to my roster of PTSD images? Not at all. Apparently, there's some ranking of images to your PTSD. And once you hit a certain level, you can tolerate everything below that.
It didn't bother me in the least, and I suspected it wouldn't bother me when the extra juice wore off. They were simply killing and stealing. The world was a better place without them. I mean, if I would have thought there was some sort of vigilante motive to them taking these characters out? I'd be willing to entertain their side of things. But with nothing but robbery as motive for murder, I couldn't absolve them of much.
I tried an experiment. I wanted to mainline a tiny fraction of a cc of my juice. I had read some about it, but it was above my pay grade in heavy medical jargon. I've gotten quite good with my short needle, and the experience allowed me to hit a vein and withdraw some blood. I brought in the tiniest bit, a fraction of a cc in the little syringe, but I selected the one with a needle on it, not the diabetic style needle I normally use. Shaken with blood, I hit it right back into the vein after upending and tapping for bubbles, squirting out a drop or two for safety.
It hit me a lot quicker and stronger, like I expected. I wasn't immobilized, but nearly. A weird floating sensation that lasted I only knew how long by jotting the time down and noting it later. I felt cold and warm at the same time. The sensation was that I was sitting on some giant clump of dirt suspended in space. My thoughts slowed, and the machinery humming sound in my ears increased.
It was an interesting experiment, and I'll file the knowledge away for later if I ever think I need something quick and strong like that administered.
Several days after the action, I went and walked Sogger. I went fishing the next day with him, and spent the following morning and afternoon with my old lady friend and of course Sogger as well. I was well onto a more than even keel by the time I took a weekend trip out to stay with my lady lawyer friend again. On a whim? I had purchased a blueberry pie for the two of us, and she asked if I wanted any fish to take with me, from our customary morning after fish fry.
On a lark, I talked her into providing me with ample breading and ample instructions and recipe so I could bread and deep fry the fish for someone else. I got basically a disposable foam cooler and packed it with ice, and had the ingredients cold when I made my trip to visit. It wasn't often I did the cooking, and it was quite a novelty to take the lead for once. I had a lot extra, and I left her some not yet breaded to make a few different ways. She made small frying pans, one each of several different recipes she either knew off by heart, or knew well enough she could either go by memory or just wing it and know she was close enough from familiarity with the recipe in general. I had large fillets and cubed fish meat both.
She asked me what kind of fish it was, and I made her guess for a long time. After I extracted out of her several times, that indeed she liked it and it was fine? I told her it was carp. She asked if it was Asian Flying Carp, she had heard of them, and while they were called a carp, they were a totally different thing than what Americans meant by "carp". No, I explained, it wasn't that. Carp like you think of, when you say it.
It led to a half hour talk about the carp and how she was surprised. We both agreed to do breaded fish sandwiches and some of her fish recipes along with my breaded chunks the next night, when my investigator would be over for one of his customary dinners. He had the same and even a stronger reaction from him, when the revelation about eating carp was upended. Somehow the whole carp revelation then talk with her, and both of us now with him? Reminded me of the polite chit chat me and her had once had over her wine racks. Why, I don't know. It just struck me that way.
Somehow, it felt good to be contributing socially. As if it proved to me, that I was still a human enough being to be around people. After the trial run of the carp talking points on just the lawyer for our solo Friday fish fry, it got trotted out again Saturday night. My medication gives me somewhat of an ultimate poker face and poker body. I waited patiently for our private investigation talk.
While waiting, I was happy to hear that the lawyer and her girlfriend had been steadily patching things up. She admitted that the whole thing had been necessary soon anyways. Naturally, she would be scheduled on nights other than when I was in. I was more than a little flattered that she would bump her girlfriend like that for a whole weekend for me when I came in, and I made sure it was okay. She smiled, and reminded me of what she had been acting like before all this came to a head. Now? Was better. What she called the trimming up procedure? Seemed to be more or less complete, she just had to keep her there.
I finally got my alone talk time. We did our usual touching base, talking about ideas. I idly told him I had some important information, and that it concerned the entire three man county drug team.
"Well? Going to enjoy my suspense, or what."
"Solid sources? Say they've been... well? Eliminated."
"No longer county drug task force cops, what."
"No. Eliminated. As in, no longer... anything."
"You're serious?"
"I am. Off the record? The killer or killers seem to have taken them out while... performing, one of their signature robberies."
"Really."
"Yes."
"I'm following them a little more now. Why didn't I---"
"Again, off the record? I'd guess either waiting to be discovered, or? Once discovered, that the details were being held back."
"If you had to guess, off the record, how or where they might be discovered. Your best guess would be?"
"A sort of remote place. In a burned out car. I mean, if I had to guess, based off of my source."
"There's a fire, and there's a fire."
"My information? Was that the fire seemed very... thorough. The plastic all pooled, and fed the fire for an extended period of time, like a little blow furnace."
He shrugged.
"I would speculate, that the killer, or killers? Were not so much delaying discovery, as much as destroying any chance of trace evidence."
"And I generally think your hunches are correct."
"Hmm. And if you had to speculate, off the record. What do you suppose precipitated this... unfortunate thing happening."
I sighed.
"I'm a computer programmer. I do HAM radio, electronics. Stuff like that. I've now seen two times. That this little trio went out and went to take a score. I have to estimate, what they bring in. This last time? I know. They would have scored something like 16 or 17 kilos, worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 grand. Each. Also? There was about half a million, in cash there. That? Is just over 1.2 million. So I know what this score was going to be. This went on twice, in three months. My rough estimate? I'm coming up with 4.8 million a year, is my estimate. Is this a dry season, or a good year? Who knows. But, I shut the tap off. On almost five million a year pouring into my enemy's organization."
"Curious. What happened to the drugs and money, if..."
"Their MO? Kill one or more people, and take everything. The, prospective victim? Was found with a gun pointed at him."
I explained in a roundabout manner, how the guy I saved? Had to get his hands dirty, helping me get rid of them and their car. It was of course on me that I trusted the guy? But it made sense. I had saved his life, he probably was grateful.
My demeanor doesn't change much. And by not much? I mean not at all. I'm chemically inert that way. He was quiet about the whole affair, and we finished the Saturday night party in the normal fashion. He did call and ask if I would mind taking breakfast with him. So naturally I did. When he suggested stopping over at his place? I took him up on that as well. When we were there, a brief silence struck. I broke it.
"Okay. I'll go first. Are you mad at me."
He shook his head slightly.
"Nope."
"Okay. I took you at your word. I had an opportunity? I took it. Honestly, I thought we were looking at... 100 grand for a hit on their part. Maybe less. But, one point two million? Three months apart. That's four point eight, I round that shit off to five million a year."
"Mind if I make an observation?"
"Hey. You're the experienced hands, here. Sure thing."
He was very quiet when he spoke.
"First? I meant what I said. You get free ones. On back account with your fiancee, and what happened to her. But my observation?"
"Yes."
"We knew there was a previous incident, involving this crew. Yes, three months ago. And? I don't fault your reasoning. Looking like every three months or so? They get 1.2 mill. Five mill a year, might well be a reasonable figure. Yet? My observation remains. You, only knew the amount to then make that estimate? After your... work was done. You were going to do it anyways. That said? Yes. In hindsight, your gut was good."
"What are you saying, then."
He shrugged.
"I'm just saying. You made a move on your gut, and it came out well. That said. I asked you here, so we could talk freely. Because now that you broke the ice? You might want to continue to act."
"Why is that. They have no possible way to make any connection to me or anything else."
He wagged his head, figuring out how to say what he wanted.
"If I killed your brother, you'd know about it quick."
"I mean, if I had a brother? Yeah, I'd know he was dead pretty quick, I guess."
"Right. That's all I mean. And? If... your cousin was killed. You'd hear about that, too. Almost as fast."
I furrowed my brow, but went with it.
"I suppose so."
"I mean, I bet if your second cousin, on your aunt's side was killed, you'd hear about it in a timely fashion."
"Not being rude? What's your point."
"My point. We like the governor and his illustrious head of security, for your fiancee."
"We do."
"Yeah. The governor? Calls that family, and that county drug task force lady. They call him. They'll know about this, as soon as the burned out car is found, and they trace the car. The way it was described? Tracing the car, will be the quicker route, than trying to trace the people in the car, when they first find it."
"Knowing, is one thing. Doing anything about it, is another."
"True. But people on the defensive? Can be harder to pin down. I'm just saying, consider keeping the momentum. One more? And you'll be there."
I paused.
"Which one."
He paused.
"Head of security. Hell. If I were you, or I had any inkling you were going to make a move? I'd have suggested, him first."
"Reasons?"
"For one? He's the best suspect, for the hands that did the deed. For another. He's the most dangerous, out of all of them."
"You'd have hit him first."
He nodded.
"I would have. Me? I'd have went with... a mugging gone bad in an alley somewhere. Hey, it happens. That said, now that you made a move? You have a couple days lead time, on the burned out car, maybe. They'll have the car and ownership, before they piece together who all is in it. They'll suspect right away. But, they won't contact anyone until they're sure."
"So. Where you might council for caution under normal circumstances, because its gotten started, I should use momentum and follow through quick if its feasible."
"Yeah. In a nutshell."
"We go around a lot. Politely. I go off, you let me go. I give you my best idea, based on what I pick up from you to color it in with. Then? You fine tune it into what you think it should be."
He grinned.
"Its not like I'm in charge, more like... you value my experience. How I think of it. Why do you bring it up? But yeah, there's two ways to teach. You can raise your voice, and drill and practice, and memorize, and do a hundred problems just like my examples every day in class and every night for homework..."
The whole time he had been morphing his voice into the raised and in charge voice of a teacher instructing children. I grinned at the humor, and he went back to his extra soft voice. With a slight sing song quality to it, that being a good description of how forced polite it was.
"Or? You can pick it up quicker and more efficiently this way. You learn by doing, with me preventing rookie mistakes here and there."
I wagged my head a little.
"And we'll go back to that. But right now? You just said that time is a factor. To me? Screw the normal channels. Just, tell me what you think would work good."
"Okay. Well, I did. Off the top of my head? There's a reason why a mugging gone wrong is such a popular thing to go with. It happens enough naturally? No better camouflage than what's growing normally around you, you know."
"Anything else."
"There's always something else. I'd also give thought to an accident. Before you ask? If you're going to have two separate actions in close time proximity to one another... its best to separate them as much as possible. I mean of course separate them in the investigation sense? But, physical distance never hurts. Because as much as the spread out law enforcement plan in America was ever linked up to fight jurisdiction letting things slip by? Its still possible."
"Keep going."
"Well? You have one type of act on the other side of the state. Halfway across it, some act might soon befall a certain security consultant. The jurisdiction buffer in miles? Is initially comforting, yes. But don't use that as an excuse to get sloppy. This one? I'd want a totally, and I mean totally? Different plan. If possible. Caught short? We can always quickly revert to a hit, mugging style thing."
"How easily, if we do. Seems like burning time, to try another road."
"Here. He's a security guy. You've already seen, that the big important people? Have weaknesses. They brought the enemy, which is us, right into the heart of their camp? Because we presented ourselves as helping them out, warning them of a possible threat. He's a professional, he's proactive, he's looks into every last detail. I'd say that much? Is obvious, and you have to agree with me there. Hmm?"
I nodded yes.
"And there you have his weakness. Take a dart, and throw it at a street map of our capitol and the surrounding area. You can position him? Anywhere, anytime you feel like it... by asking to contact him to give him news of a possible threat."
I grinned.
"Nice."
"It is? But that's the beginner's book on it. Let's look deeper. Contacted for a threat, you're helping out... he's not guaranteed to be alone. Now, you need him alone. No one knows where he is. How do you do that. Answer? Present him with something else. Something... that might activate his almonds to think about it would just be a whole lot easier and cheaper to simply get rid of you... than to deal with you, pay you, or worry if you'll show up again or not."
"Ooh. Devious."
"Yeah. I try. Before you ask? Blackmail the governor, would be the best way to guarantee there won't be any backup with him. He wouldn't want any record of what he was probably going to do if he could get away with it? And he wouldn't want any chance of anyone else learning any of what you were selling."
"He wouldn't smell a trap?"
"No. You let him think, that he's trapping you. And here's how. You? Come off like a nervous newcomer. When you take his suggestion, for an out of the way meeting spot? You're showing him, what a fucking farce this is. Why, its amateur hour. Now. Here's what you get. A professional? Has located the prefect remote spot. You can be certain? There's no cameras anywhere, no security to worry about. Now. He? Is trying to suggest something that will sound... okay, close by, the little bit of privacy you guys need. To hand over an envelope full of cash. It'll be the perfect place and time to take you out."
"You... have a plan. Where the enemy, gets everything he wants. Gee. Tell me more about this plan."
He chuckled.
"The trick is? You make him pick a spot, ahead of time. You're obviously ready for him. I'd go with locating him well before he heads to the meet. Think about taking him out on the way there, if there's only one way he can go, to get there. Why be one step ahead, if you can get three steps ahead."
"On the one hand, most of this is being logical. Its fairly basic. Then? It goes and gets all... advanced courses, like this. Its impressive."
"Hmm. That's the intelligence game you're seeing, put on top of the whole thing. Yes, on a basic level? It is basic. Very basic. Primitive, really. One person, wants or needs to get rid of another person. Cain killed Abel? With a god damn rock, this has been going on since the beginning of time. Monkeys commit cold blooded murder, for gain."
"You talk about it, like its nothing."
"It is. Me, you. We got... touched by violence. I got touched by violence, by being in the service. Then, by working in the military field after I got out for a while. Contracting. And you? Violence came into your life, from out there somewhere. I mean, we all talk about how sacred human life is, but... its bullshit."
"Really?"
"Sure. Robbers pull guns and kill convenience store clerks and gas station attendants? With amazing regularity. Cops pull guns on perpetrators they corner, that pull guns on them, and... they kill them routinely. Now. You tell me, here and now. How amazed and shocked are you, really. When you wake up in the morning, and read the paper over coffee and your cheese danish you like. Another convenience store clerk got shot in some robbery. The cops shot some lowlife, who was dumb enough to pull a gun on them, when they finally cornered him. How shocked are you. Be honest."
I did think about it. He was right.
"Not at all, really. I expect it."
"Of course. Its normal, its routine. Crime victims, cops. You got more, too. Terrorists? And their victims around the world. You got how many wars and fights going on around the globe, too. Killing is routine, wherever that's going on. Car accidents, suicides... there's billions of us, and thousands of us die every day. Some quite violently at the hands of other human beings? Its routine. You simply put your action, out and into the slipstream of what goes on every day around you anyways? There you go. What's one more pig that day at the feeding trough. You think like a hunter looking for prey, and be logical. It is, pretty basic."
"But..."
"But. You put the intelligence game on top of it. You're seeing, I don't know what. Machiavellian college classes? On top of K through twelve regular public education. Also? Any amateurs get into the game, and they do, trust me. You can sort them right out, easy. Here? You make yourself appear to be just another newcomer. The fish? Tugs on the worm on the hook gently. When the guy yanks on his pole? The fish pulls him into the water, he was waiting on it."
"Christ. You sound like you had college classes on this subject."
"Basically? Yeah. Even if you're a janitor in the Army? And I wasn't a janitor, trust me here. But, even the janitor, is expected to pick up a rifle and shoot at the enemy, when push comes to shove. Go figure, that the guy that isn't a janitor learns quick. Thou shalt not kill? Well, you go infantry... the whole job is to shoot at people. Airborne, jumps out of planes with knives in their teeth. Its pretty basic, underneath it all."
"Then, intelligence."
"Yeah. In the regular conflict, it doesn't make sense to expend the time and effort of intelligence training? On grunts and cannon fodder. But by the time you get to being a military contractor... you now have a limited number of better trained personnel. And yeah. There's an ongoing, on the job... education going on there."
I nodded along.
"And, you end up with? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker."
"You do. We all learn all the jobs on the teams, but... I ended up leaning towards being a baker. Which is not to say, that its a good idea to corner a baker, any more than cornering a butcher without surprise is a great plan."
"And cornering a candlestick maker?"
"That, can be a delicate procedure."
"And which one do you think the lovely governor's head of security is?"
"Guessing here. A butcher wouldn't make much sense. Not at this level of the job. A baker makes way more sense. You want that expertise. You want those college classes with good grades, you know? Strategy."
"So he's a baker or a candlestick maker, then."
"I'd guess that. And to have a one man team that was capable of anything? Well. Which one would you pick. If you were rich and important."
I thought about it.
"I'd want the candlestick maker."
He nodded my choice yes.
"Why."
"Both have the strategy. Both see things. But, I have to farm out the hands on work, to butchers? That's a huge security risk, right there. Even if my baker has his own good contacts for that? They get tied to him, he gets tied to me. But... one man that can think at that level, then do the little bit of work himself? Quiet. Secure. Priceless, really."
"Which is what I figure he'll probably be. I wouldn't come in like a cowboy on this guy? Like you did on those three. He'll have instincts, reaction time, no. He survived? In a game where you get weeded out if you aren't good. So make no mistake about it. Just because of the calendar, he's gonna be good. Really good."
"You build him up."
"Outmaneuver him. In chess? A lowly pawn, can take the queen out. Its all about position, not power. You can take the biggest, strongest, best trained scariest guy on the planet? And if you can get him to stand in the right spot... the big safe will fall on his head, and he's a grease spot. Its all about position. You see?"
I nodded yes.
"Normally? A queen going up against a pawn. The pawn can't win. The pawn can't get close enough. The pawn? Will lose that match up every time. Except? If the queen gets hemmed in. With traffic. Moves herself into just the wrong spot, doesn't see it. Remember. A mouse? Can kill you, in your sleep. If only it knew it could. A mouse, could open up your carotid artery, with one little snip. They can chew through wood, and even soft metal, like copper. Like a little bit of skin and soft vein is going to be hard to snip into."
"And that's how the pawn takes the queen."
"When it happens? Yeah."