SEVENTEEN
Jack
We were back in Eden’s bed, lazing contentedly after sex. I looked down at her, who was smiling up at me.
Can’t get enough of this girl. How am I supposed to get any work done when I’ve got someone this beautiful at my side? Ah well, fuck it. It’s damn well worth it, that’s for sure.
I sighed with happiness, feeling complete for the first time ever. I felt like a large piece had just fallen into place in the jigsaw that was my life.
I kissed her gently on the lips. She moaned with pleasure and happiness, eyes half closing.
“I’ll have a word with the Lieutenant, see if I can get hold of him today. We’ll get a restraining order on Conall and have him put behind bars if he so much as comes to your house.” I frowned, thinking.
“But if you decide to testify, he’ll find out one way or another. So, it’s best we get you somewhere safe.” She was nodding.
“Ok, Jack. I’ll do it. I’m scared, but to think what he’s done, all the people he’s going to hurt in the future. It would be selfish of me to do nothing.” She was looking up into my eyes.
That’s the way, Eden. Damn, you're brave.
“Good. I’ll give the Lieutenant a call and see I if can meet him today. Get this show on the road.” I paused for a second, remembering Goldie.
“Oh, that guy that punched you. You won’t be seeing him around anymore. I… paid him a visit. Had a little chat. Told him it wasn’t very nice to hit women.” Eden was staring up at me, large adoring eyes. I smiled with pride, enjoying the attention for a second.
“He didn’t agree with me. Tried to shoot me, in fact. So I had to teach him a lesson the hard way. He even had a big bag of drugs right there on the table. Gonna get busted for a long, long time. He gave me some info on Conall, too. So, thanks, Eden. You’ve done me a favor.”
She was shaking her head, tears in her eyes.
“No, Jack. You’ve done more for me already than any other man ever has. It was the least I could do.” A tear began to roll down her face, and I gently wiped it away with my hand.
“Well, I’m not finished yet. I better get ready. Sorry to leave you again, babe. When this is all done, I’ll take a couple weeks off. We can go somewhere nice, and quiet. Finally relax. What do you think?”
She smiled, wiping her eyes. “Sounds good to me, Jack. Go. Have a quick shower here if you want, then go see your Lieutenant. Go get Conall.”
***
I reluctantly left Eden for a second time that day, after getting ready and calling out someone to fix the door. I waited until it was done before heading back to my car, distracting myself from thoughts of Eden with work.
Conall had very nearly busted the door in, but through his rage he’d been kicking wildly. I knew the right way to kick a door in and could have done it in one swift kick. Eden opted for a much sturdier, thicker door with a strong lock. I had nodded in approval at her decision. Never knew what the unpredictable Conall O’Rourke would do next.
I hoped he’d be sensible and go lick his wounds, get blind drunk, and pass out. I just needed a day or two to fit everything together and assemble all the pieces of evidence into a case. Then I could take him down. I had a feeling that once I got Conall, some of his trusted men would want to make a deal in exchange for a promise to put them in a jail where the O’Rourkes didn’t have influence.
Either way, Conall would go down for a long time if I could reach his meth lab. If I found him there, well that would just be the icing on the cake.
I sat in the car and dialed the Lieutenant's cell. I hoped he wasn’t busy, hadn’t gone away for the weekend. This couldn’t wait until Monday.
The phone rang for a painful minute. Then I heard a click as he answered.
“Jack! What’s up?” He sounded cheerful.
“Sir, sorry to bother you. Hope I ain’t disturbing you. You said to call you any time, right? Well, I need to talk. Got something I need help with, sir.”
“No worries, my cell is always on. Evil don’t sleep, and neither do I.” He laughed heartily. I grinned at his humor. He paused for a second, and I heard footsteps then a door open and then close.
“Marlene’s driving me crazy, anyway. Seems to think I’m retired already, asking me to mow the lawn. Fix the fence. Put up a shelf. Tell you what, let’s grab a beer or two. Talk things over?” His voice was almost pleading, and I guessed he was desperate to get out the house.
“Sounds good to me, sir. I’ve built up quite a thirst. Been a busy day already. You know the bar in town, opposite the precinct? Want to meet there?” It was a small, quiet bar that had good beer. We were unlikely to have any unwanted listeners there.
“Enough with the sir, Jack. It’s the weekend. Sure, I’ll meet you there. Give me twenty minutes. Beers are on me.”
“Whatever you say, Frank. So, I’m getting beers on the department, now am I? Well, this day just keeps getting better!” I heard him laughing down the phone.
“Right, see you there. Just gotta tell Marlene I’m leaving her. For the afternoon, that is.” It was my turn to laugh.
“Good luck sir… Frank. See you soon.”
I put the car into drive and took a slow route through town. The journey wasn’t far, and I had a bit of time to kill. My mind went over all the evidence I had so far and how I was gonna put everything together.
I just needed to bust the meth lab without word getting to Conall first. I figured Sunday would be as good a day as any. Probably wouldn’t be expecting a visit from the cops, with any luck. Though I knew what hard core meth dealers were like, paranoid at the best of times violent and unpredictable at others. Some would do anything to avoid jail. They would much rather die trying to escape than get locked up.
I figured they probably wouldn’t go down without a fight. That suited me just fine. A few less scumbags on the streets was never a bad thing.
I arrived at the bar just before the Lieutenant rolled up in his large saloon. I waited near the entrance as he parked and got out the car, groaning at a bad leg as he straightened, hands on the small of his back.
Damn, when did you get so old? You used to be invincible, hard as nails. Well, the department is in safe hands. You don’t have to worry about that, old friend.
I glanced at his car. Large, expensive alloys gleamed silver in the late afternoon sun.
So that’s what a Lieutenant's wages can afford? I could get used to driving something like that…
“Jack. Great timing, as always! Good to see you.” He walked over, arm extended and with a wide grin on his face. I shook his hand, a strong, thorough handshake that rattled my shoulder.
“You too, Frank. Hope Marlene’s not too pissed.” I raised an eyebrow at him as we turned to enter the bar.
“She’s always pissed, Jack. You get used to it after a while. I figure she’ll calm down when I’m retired. I think she just gets bored when I’m at work, you know. She’s been retired five years now.” He sighed wistfully.
“Yeah, I reckon so. She’ll be glad to have you around.” We walked in the bar, both surveying the few faces dotted around.
“No one I recognize. Still can’t be too careful,” the Lieutenant said, choosing a booth furthest away from everyone else.
I took a seat as he went to grab a couple beers. I accepted one gratefully, nodding my thanks. I took a large, well-deserved gulp of beer, gasping at the cool refreshment.
“Damn, that’s good. What is it?” I said as the Lieutenant gulped down a third of his in one go. I raised my eyebrows, a half smile on my face.
“Locally brewed IPA, strong and hoppy. My favorite.” He set his glass down and leaned forward.
“What you got for me, Jack?” He spoke low, and there was no way anyone else could hear us. I took a quick glance around, taking a small sip of beer. I turned to face the Lieutenant, confident no one was eavesdropping on us.
I recounted the events of the past few days, the trail I’d followed that had turned up at a dead end. Then the information I got from Eden. The visit to Goldie and his arrest. The details he’d given me of the suspected meth lab. Conall’s visits to Eden and his threats. Goldie’s assault of her.
I paused, taking a breath and another glug of beer.
“So, she’s willing to testify. That’s good but not enough. Plus, we know what Conall’s like. Would do anything to keep himself out of jail.” He nodded thoughtfully, staring out the window behind me.
I got my cell phone out, turning the volume off as I showed him the video of Conall I’d recorded earlier. He frowned with anger as he watched Conall’s rage. I put the phone away.
“He repeatedly threatens her. Tries to break in. Got it all on camera. This enough for a restraining order, sir?” I looked at him expectantly.
“It is if I say it is, and I damn well say it is. I’ll make a call when I get home and get one in place today. Got some old contacts downtown that owe me a favor or two. I’ll get a patrol car near her house to keep an eye out for that scumbag.” I nodded at him, thankful.
“There’s one more favor I need, sir. Like I said, she’s willing to testify. Conall’s given her drugs. He’s forced his way into her house. Threatened and intimidated her. I got a sample of meth off of her, and it turns out it’s exactly the same as the other stuff. She can put that on Conall Down to the time, date, and even the clothes he was wearing.”
He was nodding at me, considering everything I’d said so far.
“But she’s scared, Frank. Not to mention, I’m worried about her. I promised her I’d keep her safe. I want to get her somewhere out of town. Keep the location secret, even from me. You know, in case the worst comes to worst.” I was flooded with concern while thinking of Eden and her pretty face, large eyes and warm smile.
“Ok Jack. You got it. How you gonna get her there? You got a plan?” He half lifted his beer glass as he looked at me expectantly.
“Lucas will help. She trusts him. They’ve known each other for years. So Lucas picks her up and takes her somewhere safe to lay low until we got Conall. He can choose to take one of his trusted cops with him if he wants. They’ll make sure she gets there safe and has someone looking after her. He’s close with a few of the good guys on the streets. People that want Conall behind bars as much as we do. Hell, probably even more than we do. They got kids, families. They want this town safe.”
The Lieutenant nodded thoughtfully.
“Lucas will give me a call when she’s there. When I know she’s safe, I take a visit to this meth lab. See if Goldie was telling the truth. If so, I bust the place. I’ll try and get some of them alive to see if they talk. We’ve already got the meth from Conall, and we got Goldie, who’ll probably sing like a bird. We can put it all together, especially with Eden testifying against him as well. Then, we quickly bust Conall and his henchmen.” I finished my beer with a flourish.
The Lieutenant was shaking his head slightly.
“Good plan, Jack. Except the part where you take down what’s probably a heavily guarded meth lab on your own. I know you’re a good shot, but can you dodge bullets?” He smiled at me, concern on his face.
“We’ll do it as you say. Just go case the lab, check it out first. No heroics, Jack! If it's the place we think it is, call it in. We’ll have to show our hand sooner or later anyway.” He shrugged, draining his beer.
“There’s one more thing, Frank. I think some of the detectives are helping Conall out. I reckon he’s probably greased their palms already. They’ll try and makes things difficult if they can. I’m fed up with the department reeking of corruption. I want to take them all down, too.” I looked at him seriously. His eyebrows rose as he looked up at me.
“Listen, Jack. Between you and me, the Captain wants you to take over as lieutenant when I retire. So those detectives will be your detectives soon. If you can get something on them to clean the department out, then go for it. I’ve never been able to get anything on them, slimy fucks.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I’ve got a plan…” The Lieutenant stopped me mid-sentence with a loud laugh.
“You’ve always got a plan, Jack! Now, after you leave here give Lucas a call and get things moving. Start tomorrow, alright? Ain’t got time to sit on our asses. Tell him he’ll get overtime, but I know he’d help anyway. In the meantime, that’s enough work talk. You got a big day ahead of you. I’ll get some more beers. Let's chat like old times. Relax. I got some stories you haven’t heard yet.” He smiled as he went to get more beers.
I leaned back, my mind swirling with everything, Eden’s face appearing in my mind.
Don't worry, babe. Soon this will all be over. When you’re safe, I’ll come get you. Then I’ll never have to leave you again.