Chapter 19
Dell spent the day fretting, worrying and fiddling around at the Bedford Station. He realized he must have reached new heights of unproductivity because he didn’t really accomplish anything. He spent a considerable amount of time on the computer researching what he could from the various data sources available to him, but didn’t really turn up anything significant. The phone records were available, but that was usually like sifting through a mountain of dirt to find one small gem. He needed more information. This was going to be one tough investigation. Especially since he was out in the cold with no “official” help from the police. Plus he had real cases to investigate that he couldn’t ignore. If the boss knew he was working on the Viiradium case, a case Dell was forbidden to work, he would look like an exploding tomato of rage.
He hadn’t heard from Mara, but it was still early afternoon. He debated calling her room, but decided the less contact, the safer. He put the motel card back in his pocket and was considering heading home since he wasn’t doing much here. He hoped she was able to turn up something that he could use in his own research. He thought about setting up a mini ‘base of operations’ for the investigation in his little corner study. He couldn’t keep anything around here out in the open.
He understood that he was getting too involved with the case. Sneaking around, disobeying orders. But wasn’t it the right thing to do? No, not really involved with the case, with her. It was strange for him to feel so strongly about a witness. Most of the time a witness for a case had secret motives, hidden agendas, they couldn’t be trusted much more than the suspects.
He had to admit, she was very attractive – especially with the new hair. And, she wasn’t really a witness, she was more of a victim. Victims were innocent. Every rational thought in his brain told him to cut this off. Get out now. She was too young for him. (Well, not really). She was not guilty of anything, so leave her alone. (But she was scared, in trouble, and needed someone to help her).
He brought himself out of his musings and collected all the material he had laying around with regard to the case and shuffled it into his carrying bag. He indicated to the watch desk that he was heading out to do some interviews (a lie really) and left. On the way home he tried to arrange in his mind the steps that he would need to take to make better progress in the investigation. He also spent more time looking over his shoulder that he usually did. Wow, he realized, this case was even beginning to make HIM a little paranoid.
As he entered his place, he was thinking about clearing out some space in the study and setting up files and notes, really laying out the events so far. The act of writing down all the facts and organizing them was a useful trick familiar to most good investigators. It helped to sift through the clues, make inferences and to let your intuition be your guide to the next steps.
His mind was so preoccupied, he barely noticed the man casually sitting on the sofa. He gasped in surprise and had to consciously think about not dropping his carry bag at the sight of a perfect stranger making himself at home in his living room. He instinctively drew his .45 semi-automatic from its holster under his jacket and in one smooth move, tossed the carry bag aside, thumbed off the safety and leveled the gun at the intruder.
“There will be no need for guns.” Said the man calmly. “I have only come to talk.”
“Just the same, when a stranger breaks into my house, I don’t take it very well.”
“Trust, me. I entered without breaking anything and mean you no harm.” Dell noticed the man had a Hispanic accent of some sort, not the kind you hear in street gangs, but more educated. His mind raced with all sorts of possibilities as he circled around the sofa to take a position more face on. With all that was happening with Mara’s case, there had to be connection somehow. That meant danger. He continued to keep his gun cautiously fixed on the intruder and was careful not to get too close.
“No doubt you are wondering why I am here, Yes?” said the stranger.
“No kidding.” Was all Dell could say.
“My visit concerns a mutual friend of ours, Mara Chandler.”
“What do you want with Mara?”
“It seems she is in considerable danger and I don’t believe she understands the real peril she is in.” Enrique was really pouring on the charm. He seemed so disarming and sincere. He smiled to emanate warmth and looked dour and concerned when he needed too.
Dell thought he seemed sincere, but he could trust no one. Not after the elaborate steps the bad guys have taken so far, both to cover their own tracks and to set up Mara to take the fall for her own family’s extreme abuse. Especially from a guy that apparently could break in without doing any damage. A real pro. “If you wanted to talk, I’m available. Breaking in is not the polite way that we gain someone’s trust around here. Perhaps if you had just used the telephone like everyone else…” He couldn’t help but bleed sarcasm and indignity as he spoke.
Enrique was nonplused “I do apologize for my intrusion, however, the situation requires urgency.”
“What’s so urgent that couldn’t wait for me to come home so that you could just knock?”
“Ms. Chandler has a brother, Chris. It seems he disappeared a few days ago. The same people that apparently are responsible for this are also after Mara. It has something to do with Chris’ work and I’m not sure how Mara got involved, but these people are pretty serious.” It practically gagged him to be so congenial to a lousy cop, but he had to find out where Mara was staying and this fool probably knew. He was beginning to doubt that the cop would cooperate, he wouldn’t even put the gun down. Cops and their silly preoccupation with guns. He would have to wait for the right moment. In the meantime, it was important to keep the conversation going.
Dell felt himself flush a little, here was someone that might actually know something. But still he was wary. It just didn’t feel right. “Who are you?” Dell demanded in a more abrupt tone than he intended.
“My name is Eduardo Lucazi” Enrique lied glibly. “I was a friend of Chris. We were supposed to go on a weekend trip to do some mountain climbing together. He indicated he was having troubles at work and was rather concerned over it. Then he called to let me know that his troubles were bigger than he thought and he was actually quite worried. That was the last I heard from him. I went to contact his sister…”
“Hold on a minute. Could I see some identification? Dell asked. “And no funny business, I’m the one with the gun, Remember?”
As Enrique stood up and slowly reached into his inner jacket pocket to retrieve his wallet, he continued, “Really, I mean no harm. I was only concerned about the two of them. I know she made efforts to contact you, so I wanted to help.”
Enrique smoothly drew out a wallet and with a movement that seemed almost graceful, simply used it to slap forcefully at the gun in Dell’s grip. Dell was caught totally off guard by the move as the gun and the wallet went flying off to the right, landing almost perfectly in the adjacent chair.
All sorts of warning alarms went off in Dell’s head as he realized he’d been had. His first thought was to recover the gun. That was what Enrique had expected and it was Dell’s biggest mistake. Enrique used Dell’s turning toward the chair slightly to step up and around him. He withdrew his favorite weapon from his left sleeve. A custom stiletto with an engraved ebony handle. It never made a big mess, but was very effective.
Enrique was shorter than Dell, but now standing behind Dell as Dell went for the gun, got his arm over Dell’s elbow and positioned the needle sharp point of the stiletto at the soft flesh under Dell’s chin. A slight jab upward made Dell Freeze in his attempt to retrieve the gun. In shocked disbelief, Dell wondered where the heck the weapon came from.
“All I want to know is where she is!” Enrique sad in a raspy voice. It was quite a struggle to maintain a firm grip on the large cop and hold the point with just enough pressure to get the guy’s attention.
Dell had to get the gun back. This guy was toast. He fe
lt the adrenaline surge through his body as sheer rage came over him. Through clenched teeth he replied, “I don’t know! She wouldn’t tell me.” With that, he forcefully stomped on the instep of his attacker’s left foot in an attempt to distract him for an instant. An instant is all he would need. Instead, Enrique drove the stiletto straight upward.
The pain was absolute. Sure, Enrique’s foot hurt like heck too, but Dell felt the stiletto just miss his tongue as it came through the bottom of his mouth. He tasted blood and couldn’t stop it from erupting from his lips. Enrique let loose with a whole string of what must have been expletives in Spanish. His foot hurt bad enough, but look what the stupid cop made him do! Now there was blood everywhere!
Enrique limped around to the front of Dell, jerking his head around using the stiletto as a handle. Dell’s vision suffered uncontrolled watering. He felt himself go lightheaded both from shock and the idea of what was happening and at this point he was almost defenseless.
Enrique used his free left hand to do a quick search of Dell’s jacket breast pockets. He collected Dell’s wallet and easily found the card to Mara’s motel in the pocket of Dell’s shirt.
The combination of the shock, the adrenaline and sheer pain began to work together to turn Dell into an animal. A low growl that became more of a horse scream came out of his throat as he use both hands to grab Enrique’s hand and rip out the stiletto. He kicked where he thought Enrique’s legs would be and landed a solid one into the side of his knee. This forced Enrique off balance and gave Dell a moment to lunge for the gun.
He half stumbled and half flopped on the chair where the gun lay. He felt his hand wrap around the familiar grip and he rolled to try to get a line on Enrique. Now that he knew where Mara could be found, Dell had to stop him at all costs. At first he didn’t see Enrique, especially as his eyes continued to water. He realized his target was coming up from the floor between the sofa and Dell’s back. Dell rolled a bit more and fired, but instantly felt a searing pain in his right side and realized that he had again been the pin cushion for the deadly stiletto. Unfortunately, the shot went wide and Enrique bolted, or rather scurried for the door – looking a bit monkey-like with his limp. He had to leave his beloved stiletto behind, still sticking out of the side of his victim.