A Shot In The Night (John Harper Series Book 2) (21 page)

It’s
a strange feeling; waking up knowing you have saved someone’s life, especially
when you know that the person you rescued is responsible for the suffering of
hundreds of people.  When I had raced to Saul’s gaudy home and helped fend off
the attempt on his life I had been acting mainly on instinct.  I can
rationalise what I did as another part of the ‘greater good’ argument but
there’s only so many times you can repeat that to yourself before it starts to
sound hollow.

After
the firing had stopped and we had waited a considerable amount of time,
essentially cowering behind the perforated car, I went over to where I
suspected the shooter had been.  I approached timidly with the pistol still
raised, aware that I was out in the open and that there was only the one bullet
left at my disposal.  Luckily I would not need to use it again as the shooter
had left.

I
doubted he would have wanted to leave any evidence of his location but during
the firefight it would have been too dangerous to remove all of his shell
casings, especially since I seemed to be rather accurate in my assessment of
where he had been shooting from.  Walking into the tree line with a torch in my
left hand and the pistol in my right, I saw the damage my shots had made.  Wood
had splintered off a number of trees bracketing a flattened piece of grass. 
Dotted around the grass, three cartridges reflected the light from my torch
back at me.  I knelt gently down next to them, the pistol still raised, slowly
sweeping around and trying to see into the woodland, wondering where the
rifleman had gone.

Back
when I was on the force, I would have left the crime scene for the more
scientific minded individuals to comb over.  Luckily I had experience of
working without such help and I was certain that Saul would not be calling the
police to report that there had been an attempt on his life.  Part of me was
wondering what would happen to the men that had lost their lives and the others
that had been wounded in his service but that really wasn’t any of my concern.
If he wanted to inform me then I’m sure he would.

I
picked up the evidence of the shooter and used my trusty plastic bags to
preserve them.  Considering what I knew of the assailant, I doubted there would
be any fingerprints on the metal casings but everyone made mistakes and many a
dangerous serial killer had tripped up over small details leading to their
eventual arrests, so it was worth the precautions.  I would have to tell
Spencer about some of what had happened to get him to do another check on the
rifle casings but I was certain I could find out what weapon they had been
fired from myself.

Soon
I was joined by more of Saul’s goons and then the man himself.  I insisted it
wasn’t safe for him but he had wanted to see for himself where the shooter had
waited for him. The drug kingpin looked ruffled and there was blood covering
his shirt and jacket as well as a slight tear in his trousers but he seemed
more aggressive than worried.  It took considerable coaxing and the not so
subtle use of my command voice to get him to go back to the well lit area of
his driveway and into a new car which had arrived, apparently filled with men
on his payroll.

Luckily
his protectors wanted to move him to safety as much as I wanted him to leave. 
They drove off without giving me any indication of where they would be taking
him and considering the looks I was the subject to from Saul’s men, I quickly
returned to my own car.

Even
at a cursory glance I could see the damage the bodyguards had done in trying to
stop me.  I made a mental note to make sure that Saul paid for the repairs
since I doubted that my insurance would cover bullet holes.  That being said, I
have never really paid attention to what my insurance policies say since I know
that I’m being robbed blind no matter how much I might complain.

I
drove slowly and carefully out of the grounds and passed what was unmistakably
to my keen trained eye an unmarked police car.  The two gentlemen stared at me
and I offered them a little nod.

Once I got back to my hotel, I was asleep as soon as my
head hit the pillow.  Falling asleep as quickly as possible has always been one
of my greatest assets.  Waking with the moral dilemma and even more physical
injuries didn’t make for a comfortable morning.  I was however feeling rather
excited and invigorated and even strong enough to go for my morning run.  I
wanted to feel strong and refreshed for my visit to Fraser’s Gym.  Something in
me wanted to show that I was a strong fighter, that after a night of being shot
at I wasn't going to shirk my responsibilities. I was working on the assumption
that things were about to get messy in the area. An attack on Saul would not
remain quiet even if he had ordered it to be. The noise of the shots and the
amount of witnesses would lead to people knowing. If that happened then it
wouldn't take long for the fact that I was there to get out.

The gym seemed to be a focal point, a place on the border
of the two warring gangs that coalesced information and feelings. I knew there
was more to the shootings now, so did the leaders of the gangs, but the men on
the street, the young boys that had seen their friends shot and killed still
wanted vengeance. Attempting to kill Saul would only make matters worse and I
was under the impression that he would be involving some people that would make
things even more bloody for the area. When I rescued him he muttered as much.

My other reason for visiting was a suspect. There were
hundreds of people that could have carried out the attacks, hell I hadn't
completely ruled out more than one shooter, but I had a feeling that there was
something about that place and one individual in particular that could end all
of this.

On my drive to the Fraser's gym I tried to remain calm. I
knew that around that time in the early morning Spencer would be making his way
through high security so as to meet with the man he thought had sold the deadly
weapon that had ended the lives of two innocent people. What information he
could find would be of no help to me at that moment.

My focus was so complete I nearly missed the phone call
that informed me that
Ellies Legs
would be running the next day at Belle
Vue and would definitely be trying.  The prospect of making a great deal of
money and hurting the profits of a bookmaker did cheer my spirits and I just
hoped I could find a way to stay alive long enough to see it all come to
fruition.

I parked up and was greeted with the sight of two young
men stood either side of the doors to the gym.  They stood resolute, their
faces half hidden by their hooded jumpers.  I was surprised that Fraser would
have guards on his gym, especially ones that were not armed in any visible
way.  If someone did take a pop at them, there was minimal protection.  Walking
up to the doorway, the two lads looked at each other briefly and then at me; my
first thought of them being unarmed was quickly dismissed as I saw their hands
shuffling in their front pockets which bulged with the unusual but distinctive
shape of handguns under cloth.  My eyes narrowed and I pulled both of my hands
from their respective trouser pockets opening the palms to show I was not
carrying a weapon.

Momentarily I thought of how ridiculous I looked; a cross
between a businessman and a dancer out of a jazz musical, my hands waving at my
side.  Biting my lip to stop the smile that was in danger of creeping across my
face, I walked straight past the guards.  Both look startled and they turned
ever so slightly but I was inside by then.  One of the rules I live by when it
comes to investigations and life in general is that if you walk and act like
you belong somewhere people generally believe it.  In not showing hesitation to
the two lads I didn’t acknowledge their apparent authority that was supposed to
exist because of the weapons they owned.

My unannounced appearance seemed to shock the residents as
every eye in the place turned towards me, as did a number of guns.  The
distinctive sound of the weapons cocking echoed throughout the gym.  I tilted
my head slightly and raised my hands even higher.

“Easy, gentlemen, he’s on our side,” Saul said standing
from the chair placed in the centre of the room.  His words led to the guns in
front of me being lowered by the ten suited men and ten casually dressed
people.  It didn’t stop two men from behind me grabbing and then frisking my
person.  One of them found and took out my trusty knife which he clicked open. 
I stared at his grey eyes till he closed it and handed it back to me.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Saul,” I said pocketing
the knife and walking slowly through the crowd of men that parted before me. 
Three of the suits I recognised from the night before as his bodyguards.  The
rest, I assumed, also worked for the man.  Tony and Fraser stood to one side,
their gym commandeered by the drug kingpin.

Saul offered his hand to me as I walked forward which I
shook as he replied, “I couldn’t think of any place more fortified, one door in
and out and minimal windows.  No one would ever try to get in here to attack
me.”

“No, you’re probably right,” I said, walking around the
gym followed by every set of eyes in the place, “unless the shooter was already
in here.”

Now I know I said it nonchalantly and in a manner that may
suggest that I was the shooter and I can see that with hindsight was rather
stupid, considering I try my best to pick my words carefully but I didn’t
expect the reception of all of the weapons being pointed at me again, and this
time there seemed to be even more.  I was close to the ring, maybe six yards
away from Saul.  Once again I raised my hands and this time placed them on the
ropes, “Is this supposed to be a joke?” asked the drug dealer.

“Not in the least bit.  I’m just worried that someone
close to you has been attempting to end your life,” I delivered, turning slowly
with my arms still in the air and raising them even more when the pistols and
submachine guns pointed at me twitched in a number of hands.

Saul looked at me sternly, “You need to explain yourself
Mister Harper before one of these men decides to be less friendly and start
shooting.”

“Well
that wouldn’t be the best way to start the day off,” I said as flippantly as
possible. I had to show strength in this situation.  I was scared, but how
often do you get to accuse someone of murder in a room with witnesses like
that.  I know it’s not all the people I had met or that there was some big
reveal involving twins but I wanted my spotlight moment, “Saul, how many people
knew that you were here?  I mean in the country?”

“A
lot since I went to the fight.  Most of the dealers knew that I was here as
well but you know that.  Come on Harper get to the point.”

“Ok,
let’s make it simpler.  How many people know where your house is?  I know that
the police did but with the attacks I doubt it is one of them.  I know that it
was not land registered in your name or in any way connected to your business
ventures.  So who knew where you would be staying?”

He
looked at me, then towards the suited men and for a second he seemed to tense
and I knew what he was going to say, “My security team.”

It
was my turn to stare at the men and, for the most part, they seemed to
understand the implications of what Saul was saying.  There was fear on some of
their faces, others seemed to clench their jaws in anger as they stared at me
through their sights, blaming me for worry they now faced, “Who else, Saul? 
Because I have a funny feeling that if it was one of them you would have
noticed someone having a night off when the shootings went down.”

“I
hired some of these guys.”

“And
do you think that a contractor wants to risk your wrath by having one of their
workers sell you down the river?  I’ve heard the stories, Saul; the rumour that
you have a hit squad paid in full to hunt down and kill whoever takes you out,
do you think that sniper would be so stupid?” a couple eyes flicked from me to
Saul, wondering if what I said was true.

Saul,
for the most part, just stared back at me, “No one else.”

His
words were whispered, the emotion, the pure threat dripped through them.  I,
however, wasn’t certain of his words, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,
I am, one of my rivals must have paid one of these pricks to set me up,” he
growled and in seconds things changed, the men not wearing suits turned as one
on the ones that did.  The street dealers may not have been trained in military
techniques of the security personnel but they had the drop on them.  That is,
other than the men on the door who now levelled their guns on the dealers as a
whole lot of yelling started.

The
commotion was ridiculous and for me it was rather funny, or would have been if
I hadn’t been worried that there was a murderer in my presence and that if the
shooting started I wasn’t wearing any sort of protection.

The
yelling at each other to drop weapons was unbelievably loud and the tension was
rising every second.  I positioned myself at the side of the ring and yelled
out for attention but no one bothered looking my way.  I called for order again
as Saul retreated behind two of his dealers.  They made their living due to
Saul but also respected and loved him enough to risk their lives protecting the
man.

I
knew it was a risk that could start the shooting off but I took the decision to
ring the old fashioned round bell that was at the side of the canvas.  It
startled people but no one pulled the trigger just yet, “Everyone, lower your
weapons! Saul, tell them!”