Rebound

He went a few blocks before getting into a left turn lane and waiting for the signal. I had no choice but to pass him and go straight, not wanting to pull in behind him. I went down a half block and waited on the side of the road until he made his left turn. I made a U-turn and then turned right to follow him. He was about a block ahead of me. He then made an abrupt stop, pulling over to the side. I think he spotted us. I drove past him, keeping my eyes focused straight ahead.

"Did he see us?" I asked Sky, after we passed him.

"I think so," she said. "I tried not to look at him but I'm pretty sure he was looking at us. He could have recognized me from the bar."

"Shit," I said. We were already a block past him. We no doubt had lost him.

"Well, at least we know it was him," Sky said with a sigh. We'd spent three sleepless nights to get this small, but important scrap of information. Now we knew the probable shooter was still in Cincinnati. That meant he wasn't just a contract killer who would have left town by now, but was part of whatever organization that was trying to make inroads in our town. I had another idea on how to get the information we needed.

_|/_

"Let me do this alone," I told Sky the next morning. I was going to visit Syd. Sky didn't need to be part of that conversation, and I didn't want him to know Sky was a police officer.

I waited until it was late afternoon, when the bar was just opening. I was the first customer in the dingy bar. Syd was sweeping the floor in the back when I came in. He looked up and sneered when he saw me. He leaned his broom against the back wall, wiped his hands on his apron, and approached me.

Syd was probably in his late 40's or early 50's. Stringy dark hair, balding, and thin. His pants looked like they were going to slide off his skinny ass.

"Don't you have something better to do?" he asked me, as his way of a pleasant greeting.

"Good to see you too," I said, and not meaning it.

"Get lost."

Miss Manners would have slapped him.

"I've got a couple questions," I said, overlooking his lack of decorum.

"Go ask someone else."

Enough shit talking to me. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his toes. He didn't react well to asking nicely, but he did react well to physical intimidation. So it goes for passive/aggressive cowards.

"I'd like to ask you," I said, my face even with his. His face was achieving a pleasant beet red.

"Whaddya want?" he squeaked.

I let him down easy.

"That's better. There's a big guy with a bushy beard. Russian. Got a lightning bolt tattoo on his arm."

"Never seen him," he fired back quickly.

That was his rote response. I knew better. "He was in your bar last night talking to you."

"If you say so."

I went into his unlocked storeroom in the back and found a case of contraband cigarettes. I took out a carton and dropped it on the floor. I ground it into mangled pieces with the heel of my boot.

"Starting to remember?" I asked.

He glared at me with his rat-like eyes. All he was missing was the hairless tail.

I kept crushing cartons with my boot until I could see him boiling over.

"All right. Stop. I don't know his name."

"That's better. What do you know?"

"He'll kill me."

"Me first," I said.

I think he sized up my statement as a credible threat.

"You won't tell anyone that this came from me?"

"Why would I?" I said all friendly like. I patted the top of his head. "I like you Syd."

He thought for a moment before spilling his guts.

"He said he's got some cars he wants to move."

Stolen I presumed.

"So what happened?"

"Nothing yet. I told him I needed to see them."

"That's it?"

"Uh huh."

I reached down, picked up a fresh carton of cigarettes and tucked it under my arm.

"You should know that smoking's bad for your health Syd."

He glowered at me as I walked past him. "Fuck you Max."

_|/_

"Stolen cars?" Sky repeated.

"Yeah, that's what he said. Maybe their organization is into more things than drugs."

"What kind of cars?"

"Didn't say."

"So what next?" Sky asked.

"We visit a friend who fences cars."

"You know somebody?"

"I know everybody."

"Who's this guy?"

"I'll take you to him."

We drove off to a scrap yard located next to the Ohio river. A high fence made of rusted corrugated steel surrounded the noisy yard. We could hear giant machines crushing cars in the background. A Doberman chained to a post snarled at us as we drove in and parked in the dirt parking lot. A cloud of dust blew across us as we got out of Sky's car.

A stocky man in coveralls with his hands in his pockets ambled up to us. Sky was in uniform. I wasn't.

"Can I help you ladies?" he asked. He was taller than us, with a round sunburned face, scraggly dark hair and a bushy beard. He was openly leering at Sky.

"Looking for Vinnie," I said.

"He's working in the back," the man said, pointing to the crane operator who was lifting a car to drop into the crusher.

"Thanks," I said.

"So whose the hot little police lady?" he asked because he couldn't keep his fat trap shut.

"My girlfriend," I said. "What of it?"

Sky rolled her eyeballs.

"Nuthin'," he said, sizing me up and not eager for a scrap.

"Right answer asshole," I said.

We drove to the back across a wide dusty flat area leading to the crushing facility. We parked and got out. The crane was surrounded by cars about to be crushed, so we had to pick our way through them to approach him. Vinnie was sitting high above us in the crane's cab and had noise cancelling headphones on. I waved until I got his attention. He shut off his machine, shed his headphones, and shouted down to me.

"Max... what brings you here?" he asked in a heavy Jersey accent. A caricature of a young wise guy. Tall, dark slicked back hair. Good looking kid with an attitude.

"I'm here with my partner Sky. We're looking for someone who's moving cars. You still in that business?" I shouted with my hands cupped next to my mouth.

He'd been busted before for fencing stolen cars. I helped him out at his parole hearing, vouching for his character. He was out after two years on a five year sentence. He owed me big time. He climbed down the ladder on the side of the cab until he was at ground level.

"Maybe," he said, being cagey.

"Seen a Russian guy trying to move some cars? Lightning bolt tattoo?"

"Uh huh."

I knew his girlfriend was in prison. Her parole hearing wasn't for another three months.

"How's Cherry doing?"

"She's good."

"I can help her."

"You'd do that?"

"Contact the Russian. Tell him you want to see his merchandise."

"I'm not setting him up..."

"Just want the location of his operation."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"I'll think about it."

"You know how to reach me."

"Yeah, I know how."

Vinnie fashioned himself as a ladies man. He checked out Sky.

"She your girlfriend?" he asked.

"Yep," I said. Sky said nothing again.

"Nice," he said, running his hand back through his hair. "You've always had good taste Max."

"Thanks Vinnie. Call me," I said.

He climbed back up his ladder. We walked back to Sky's car.

"What the fuck is this girlfriend shit Max?" Sky asked me.

"Aren't you?" I asked.

"Not even close," she said. "Remember, this is business?"

"Right," I said. "Strictly business."

Girlfriend sounded better.

_|/_

We waited a couple days for something to come down from one of our CI's. My phone finally buzzed. It was a text message from Vinnie.

"4342 E. Madison"

I checked the address. It was an automobile warehouse owned by Jim Landry, the largest new car dealer in Cincinnati. He was also my ex-girlfriend Courtney's father. Strange. Why would this Russian be working out of Landry's warehouse?

It didn't sound right. It was either a trap or bad information. I called Sky and shared the information with her.

"Should we check it out?" she asked me.

"Absolutely not. I don't fully trust Vinnie and the warehouse is owned by Jim Landry."

"The car dealer?" Sky knew Courtney so the irony wasn't lost on her either.

Everyone in town knew Jim Landry. He was one of the biggest advertisers on television. His ads were run between innings of every Reds games.

"Yeah, that's the guy."

"Is he your ex's..."

She didn't have to say Courtney's name. I cut her off.

"Yeah."

"That's weird," she said.

"It's why I wouldn't jump on this lead yet. We need to get more information before we go near there. The guy's a contract killer you know."

"I know," Sky said, "but right now we don't have much to go on. And it's been three weeks."

I sensed impatience in her voice. She was probably getting pressure from her boss to solve Lily's murder.

"Sit tight. Let me ask around to see if I can make sense of it."

"OK Max."

_|/_

I was making the rounds, checking with Emil and all the others I'd put out feelers to. Nothing. I ended the day with Eddie and was shooting the shit with him in the liquor store parking lot. He was laughing when I told him about my run in with Odette when I ignored her orders the second time and got suspended.

"Max, you seem to have more trouble with the law than I do, and you're on their side," he said, still chuckling at my story.

"I know," I said. "Sometimes I'm not sure whether the Russians or the police department are going to get to me first. Right now my money's on the police department."

He drifted back to his girls. My phone buzzed. It was Sky, the little eager beaver. She was a dog, and she wasn't going to let this bone go. Like me, police work ran in her veins.

"Sky, what's up?"

"Was researching Jim Landry, mostly the local financial news. Looks like he's got some creditors chasing him."

"Really?" I had no idea. Courtney was gallivanting around the world on her father's platinum card and was always flush.

"Yeah. He owes a lot of people money. He opened up two new dealerships last year. Apparently he's overextended himself, and he's behind on his loans."

"That might explain why the Russian is involved," I said.

"Yeah," said Sky. "Maybe he's moving cars out the back door and making an insurance claim. Collecting twice for the same car."

"Maybe... it's a decent theory."

"So?" Sky asked me anxiously. As far as she was concerned, she qualified the lead we got from Vinnie. She wanted me to say "go." She was going to be disappointed.

"It's not enough Sky," I said. "We need more than a theory to take the risk of breaking and entering. You know we don't have a warrant and now we're talking not only termination but maybe jail time. Plus I want to make sure this isn't a trap. Let's get more."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I answered. I might have been crazy but I wasn't stupid. The guy we were chasing was carrying a howitzer in his jacket. Tangling with him was going to be tricky business, and required a lot of advance planning. We didn't even have the hint of a plan.

"All right," she said reluctantly.

The voice of restless youth.

_|/_

The next night after I'd gotten back to the Royal Palms after work I was sitting on my bed thinking about Sky and how I fucked up. I'd ruined it, and I wanted to make it right with her, even if we didn't get back together. That night I decided to ask Sky out for a drink. We'd been working together for almost a month and I wanted to find out if there was even a glimmer of hope for us. For all the help I'd given her I deserved at least that consideration.

I hadn't been to Bailey's in a while, and it was Wednesday night, when I always made an appearance. Candy Bailey had been doing an admirable job running the bar after her sister Maddy's untimely death. I wanted to say hi to Candy and just unwind. Odette told me my suspension was indefinite, and that meant she'd have to cool down before she'd consider bringing me back. Might as well enjoy a drink or two while I was off duty and have my heart to heart with Sky.

Surprisingly, she hadn't answered any of my calls, and I was wondering what she was up to. It wasn't like her not to pick up. While I was pondering what to do my phone rang. It was Bear.

"Max, I did some asking around."

I could hear his druggie girlfriend screaming about something in the background. He kept talking while she kept jabbering at him.

"There's some Mikhail guy who just came into town with his wife."

That was the juicy tidbit I was hoping for. He confirmed my theory.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Is this worth a hundred?"

His main squeeze was still screaming. I think he needed the hundred to shut her up.

"If you've got something else," I said, pumping him for more. I was going to give him the Benjamin anyway, but maybe I'd get a bonus if I asked.

He obliged. "I heard some talk about police sniffing around his operation."

Shit. Konstantin must have seen us when we drove by and recognized Sky from the bar. He must have figured out he was being followed. Now I was sure Vinnie's information was a trap.

Then I thought about Sky. Fuck... Sky. She wanted this bust bad, even more than me. She'd do something like following up on Vinnie's lead without telling me, even though I said no. She'd taken the course in Civil Disobedience 101 from me and passed it with flying colors.

"Gotta run Bear," I told him, when all the tumblers clicked together. "Next time I see you I'll get you the hundred."

"Can I see you tonight? You know, my girlfriend..."

"Tomorrow Bear."

I hung up before he could say another word.

I threw on some clothes, grabbed my personal Glock, and dashed down the stairs to my car.

I made a beeline to Sky's apartment to warn her... or stop her.

She lived not far from me in a 60's garden style apartment complex. She had three roommates in a two bedroom apartment so privacy was at a premium. When we were together, we spent almost all our time at the Royal Palms... usually fucking. I knocked on the door and one of her cute roommates answered in a robe and slippers.

"Sky there?" I asked. I took a peek inside. It was the usual pigsty.

"Nope," the roommate answered, holding the door open, "she's not here."

I stayed out in the hallway. "Know where she is?"

"She didn't tell me. But she was all ninja'd out."

"What does that mean?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"She was wearing all black."

Fuck.

She ignored what I told her, the little shit. She wasn't going to wait like she should have. She was going to solve the case and bring him in by herself. My still wet behind the ears Sky against a professional killer using a.50 caliber death dispenser. What kind of chance did she have?

I remembered the address of the warehouse. I squealed the tires out of the apartment's parking lot and fishtailed onto the street, ignoring traffic lights and stop signs and praying I wouldn't get into an accident. It took me ten minutes to get to the warehouse, with the car complaining the whole way with the accelerator pedal to the floor. I lurched to a sudden stop in front of the warehouse and jumped out of the car.

The warehouse was an impressive structure. It took up a half a city block and held the new car inventory for all eight of Jim Landry's auto dealerships. It was chock full of cars just off the ship, BMW's, Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus... they were all there, still with the protective plastic film protecting their factory fresh paint. There was a detail shop next door to get the cars showroom ready.

The warehouse had a galvanized steel exterior with walls twenty feet high. The parking lot was protected by a ten foot security fence with concertina wire coiled on top. There was only one way in, and that was through the front door, which was a metal security door with a peephole mounted in it and two security cameras pointed at the entrance. The usual red blinking lights were off. The cameras were dead. That wasn't a good sign.

The door appeared shut but I tried it anyway. There was no way I was going to be able to get over the fence. The door pulled open. Whoever had gone in last didn't pull the door shut tight. That was probably Sky. Maybe it was left open for her. I let the door close behind me and crept into the open storage area just past the lobby. The lights were off inside. In the dim ambient light I could make out new cars packed wall to wall the length and width of the giant warehouse. There must have been over a hundred cars parked inside.

There wasn't enough light to make out anything but the silhouettes of the cars. I couldn't see any movement, but that didn't guarantee there wasn't anyone out there. I wanted to call out for Sky, but I didn't want the killer to know I was there.

Then I heard a "BOOM!" followed by the sound of shattering glass. It was the unmistakable sound signature of an RSh-12. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Sky was about to be murdered, and it was my fault that she'd gotten into this mess.

Another volley. The sound reverberated off the metal skin of the warehouse. My heart was racing so fast I had to stop moving to slow down my breathing.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Another flash and boom. More shattering glass. I saw the source of the muzzle flash. Straight ahead of me.

Sky must have gotten cornered.

I laid flat on the ground, looking between tires, hoping to catch a glimpse of the shooter's feet. I could see a pair of boots about twenty feet away, moving towards the corner where Sky probably was hiding.

I was on his right flank, moving towards him as he moved towards the corner. I was close enough now that I could see the outline of his arm holding a gun. He was so intent on chasing down Sky that he didn't see me. He was wearing night vision goggles.

I made it to the back wall, behind him. He was probably twenty feet in front of me, and it was another twenty to the corner where Sky was probably hiding, either in or behind a car. It was literally a do or die moment.

I crept along the wall, feeling it with my hand. My hand ran into the master light switch for the warehouse. I heard a car door open and a woman's scream. I flipped the switch. The warehouse was instantly flooded with an intense, white light. The man bellowed in pain and ripped off his goggles. He was vulnerable for just a moment, giving me the opportunity to squeeze off two rounds at twenty feet of range. My eyes were still adjusting to the bright light, which made aiming difficult. The first shot missed, ricocheting off the wall. The second scored a hit to his shoulder, spinning him around. His gun clattered to the ground and he crumpled to the floor.

I ran up to him. A sunburst of blood had appeared on the left shoulder of his shirt. Inside the car, Sky was cowering in the front driver's side seat.

"Stay there," I said in as calm a voice as I could muster.

The man was groaning, trying to staunch the bleeding with his right hand. He was still prone, now lying in a growing pool of blood. His right arm bore a lightning bolt tattoo.

I stood over him and stared at his hulking body.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

I delivered a swift kick to his side to encourage him to answer. He winced in pain.

"No one," he mumbled, with a heavy Slavic accent.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted his head up. He was close enough that I could smell vodka on his breath.

"Where's Mikhail?" I asked, shaking him.

He glared at me. There was hate in those unfeeling steely grey eyes. I had no empathy for this evil creature. I stepped on his wounded shoulder with my boot and pressed down hard. He cried out in pain.

"Mikhail... tell me... I'm being nice now."

His face was racked with pain. His body was twisting on the floor, trying to escape the crushing pressure of my boot on his mangled shoulder. I could almost hear Lily saying to me, "No mercy for this motherfucker."