The Lady in Blue Ch. 16

"You were like Kate, Hawk, living in a black and white world. Us versus Them. Our community is filled with shades of gray, just like your friends' hetero world. Humans are complex. Leaving you hurt Sharon, too, but she had to do what was right for her. She still regrets that she hurt you; wishes she hadn't lost you as a friend. I think you should call her and go out for coffee someday. The bottom line, is that probably three in ten of us have occasionally crossed over. I have. It doesn't mean I'm not a lesbian."

"You?" Hawk asked, her voice choked. "I hadno idea. Aren't you afraid of that getting out?"

"No. Some people know, but Kate and her friends don't, yet. Sooner or later they'll find out. So what? The people whose opinions matter already know and accept me regardless, and they will for you, too. Don't let Kate beour spokeswoman. Welcome to the real world." Charlie hugged Hawk.

"This is all happening so fast, Charlie. This isn't what I expected and things are looking a little tilted right now," Hawk said. "We have some stuff we need to do. I left an envelope in the file cabinet with my name on it. If something happens to me, take it to the press. Don't mention it to people otherwise. Someone's already been killed for it."

Charlie let Hawk go. "I'll take care of it. Ya'll be careful. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to meet your new friends properly. Bring them back soon, Hawk."

I pulled Ted along and we smiled at Charlie in passing. "We'll be back soon. I promise."

Charlie escorted us back out into the main bar area. It looked like Kate had stomped off. At least, she wasn't there to make another scene. As we made it back to the parking lot, I thought about the Cat's Paw. It wasn't at all what I'd expected. Then again, I'd had no idea what I expected before we got there.

Ted drove and Hawk directed him. Kruger's place looked normal enough. Hawk climbed out and ran to the front door, dropping the envelope through the slot. When she was back, we started toward Galveston again. It felt like we had been making this trip over and over.

"Won't his wife find it first?" I asked Hawk.

"He's divorced," Hawk replied. "Years ago. She took the kids and moved to Michigan. She's a good person, I suppose, but cop work is hard on a family. Shit happens."

I nodded my understanding. Being a prosecutor had some of the same problems. I wondered if that had anything to do with the trouble Hawk had with Sharon, but I didn't say anything.

"Now, how will we do this? Just call him and tell him to come over?" I asked.

"We're taking a chance here," Hawk said. "If he comes with backup, we could end up in a world of hurt. I think it might be best if I stay there and wait for him alone." She held up a hand to quell my objection. "Let me finish. You're not armed, have no weapons training and no tactical training. I don't want your blood on my hands if something goes wrong. I'm trained for this. Let me take him down alone and if he comes with company, I'll bail out the back door."

"No," I said stubbornly. "They might spot us on the street. If we have to bail, we all bail together. With me there, I might be able to talk Arthur into giving up the names easier. Get used to it, boys and girls, I'm part of this and I'm going."

With a sigh, Hawk relented. Ted didn't say anything.

It was after dark when we parked in the alley behind my mom's. The house was dark and empty looking. Hawk checked every room just to be sure it was empty.

"We'll want to pull the shades down," Hawk directed. "Ted, I want you looking out the back in case we have company. Lisa, I want you with me. Call him."

I pulled my out cell phone and used the call log to call him back.

"Yeah? What?" Arthur asked after a few rings.

"Arthur, I've been thinking and Mom wouldn't want us fighting like this," I said tiredly.

"Really?" He sounded surprised. "After this morning, that's a very surprising change of heart. Why?" He also sounded suspicious.

"Fine, you're right," I countered, changing tactics. "I'm just tired of fighting with you and having you threaten me and Mom. I want to pay you to go away. Leave the area and never come back." Yeah, like that ever had a chance of happening.

The oily guile in his voice almost made me laugh. "I think we can do business, Sissy. How much are we talking about?"

"One hundred thousand dollars," I said firmly. "Non-negotiable. Take it or leave it."

"Done," he exulted. "Where do I meet you?"

"Mother's house. In one hour."

"Keep that punk of your's away. I won't deal with him there threatening me."

"Fine. Don't be late." I hung up the phone and sighed. "Please, tell me that I'm not that gullible."

We sat in the house, looking out the blinds and waiting. I saw his ratty car pull up in front of the house, just short of an hour after I had called. He made good time in that rat trap. He climbed out, alone, and strutted to the door, ignoring the buzzer and banging on the door with his fist.

I opened the door and he stalked past me into the living room. "I'm glad you finally came to see this my way, Sissy. This never had to be so hard."

"Arthur, you don't know the meaning of the word," Hawk said, stepping out of the kitchen with her pistol out. "Against the wall. Assume the position."

Arthur stiffened. "Crap." He looked to have some familiarity with the position. Hawk cuffed him and then patted him down, pulling a pistol from his belt, under his shirt.

"What have we here? I wonder if this could be the weapon that someone tried to kill Ted with at the vineyard? Or was it Lisa you were after?" She purred in his ear before propelling him into the easy chair. "We've never been introduced. I'm Hawk. I've heardso much about you, Arthur, that I feel like I already know you."

"Fuck you, dyke cop bitch," he said and spit in her face.

Hawk wiped her face with her sleeve. "I see my reputation proceeds me. Let me help you get this into the proper perspective." She planted her knee in his crotch and leaned in hard. His groan of anguish twisted me inside. I hated him, but hewas my brother.

"Look here, Sport. I'm a bad-assed dyke cop bitch and you're mine, all mine. Don't fucking tease the doberman when it's got you by the balls." Hawk ground her knee in harder. "I already know most of the story, but if you want to ever have kids, you'll tell me what I want to know without all this macho crap. Understand?"

She pulled back away from him, sliding her pistol back into her holster. "Ted, go watch the back. Lisa, the front. I don't want any surprises while Junior and I chat."

I peeked out. Still clear. Ted disappeared into the kitchen.

"Fuck you," he shouted, clearly frightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Let me remind you," Hawk said conversationally. "You got work at a construction company under a false name and stole the explosives used to blow up your sister's car and her friend. The police lab is onto that and you left a copy of your fake ID with your picture, Doofus."

Arthur paled. "Ahhh..."

"So," Hawk interrupted, "the question now is, how hard do you want to fall? The others will leave you for the sharks just to save their own skin. We already know the identities of some of your friends and where they're getting the cash. We're just nailing down some details now. Cooperate andmaybe you won't get murder one. I can talk to them and see about something lessif you give up the names and details I don't know."

"I can't!" he said, sweating. "They can get inside and kill me."

"Then you go down hard and they'll kill you anyway, or you can tell me what I want and we talk about witness protection. You're going in either way, so just give me the name of the old dude and we'll call that the start of negotiations. He's your leader, right?"

Arthur slumped and gave up. "Yeah. Shit. Bill Tanner." He half-turned and glared at me. "Why didn't you have the grace to just get into your car and die with Samson, you slut. I could have killed you and him and got everything," he snarled.

Hawk grabbed his shirt and lifted him to his feet. "Focus, Arthur." She propelled him into the kitchen and I followed. "We go out the back and get into the car. Me in back with Junior, since we've gotten soclose."

Ted opened the door and Hawk man-handled Arthur outside. Looking around, Ted and I followed. We were almost halfway to the car when a man stood up behind it. I recognized him from the picture we had taken from Zed's apartment. Jordan, Hawk's ex-boss.

"Hold it right there," Jordan said. "You're all under arrest. Put the weapon down and step away from that man."

Hawk laughed. "I don't think so, Jordan. We already know you're in this mess up to your eyeballs. I never thought to wonder why you called me for the bombing so late. You should have been gone but you waited for it. You wanted me to pull it so if I got close, you could burn me. Too bad I'm going to burn you first."

"Oh, I don't think so," Jordan sneered. He raised his pistol and fired even as Hawk threw herself back and into us. Ted and I went down under her sudden impact. Several shots rang out and Arthur jerked before falling like a puppet with it's strings cut. "Oops. No witness." He ducked back behind the car.

"Arthur," I cried out as he fell. Ted grabbed me, keeping me from rushing to him.

"Crawl to the front of the house and make a break for it," Hawk shouted, firing her pistol from the ground while I stared at my dead brother. "Lisa, go!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded that I had just watched my brother murdered. Ted grabbed me and I scampered toward the front of the house on my hands and knees with Ted right beside me. We stopped at the side of the house and I had to look back. I was so worried about Hawk.

Hawk was still lying on the ground aiming carefully. I didn't see Jordan, so I had no idea what she'd shoot at. I startled when Hawk fired. A scream from the other side of the car told me she hit the bozo. He fell into the alley holding one hand on his foot.

"Give it up, Jordan! Throw down your weapon!" she called out triumphantly.

"Fuck you," he snarled, bringing the pistol up.

Hawk fired first. Jordan crumpled, the gun falling from his fingers.

I leapt to my feet and grabbed Ted, starting back toward Hawk. A hand clamped over my mouth roughly and someone held me with an iron grip around my waist as I struggled. Two other shadows grabbed Ted.

"Now, aren't we resourceful?" Tanner whispered in my ear. He started dragging me back from the house and one man remained and started firing into the backyard at Hawk. I struggled, but I couldn't get free. I had a whirling view of a dark van before Ted and I were thrown into the back and the door slammed. Ted wasn't moving. I tried to find a door handle but there wasn't one on the inside. The front was screened off and I saw Tanner get into the passenger side.

"Drive." He commanded the man beside him. As the van pulled away, my heart sank. My brother was dead, we had been kidnapped, Ted was hurt again and Hawk was in deadly danger!