Missed Connections (35 page)

Sam nodded and turned to Captain Montgomery. "That means Reese is in on it."

Before Captain Montgomery opened his mouth, Johnny answered, "Not necessarily. He could've been threatened. The other officer on duty was. Said they knew his fiancée's name." He shrugged.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him.

Detective Johnny gave a bitter smile. "That's how I became a detective. I might not be good at deductive thinking like you, but if there is even a scrap of information related to the case I'm working, I know it."

Reluctantly impressed, Sam gave him a nod. Captain Montgomery got suddenly chipper, smelling a partnership no doubt, the optimist, and lifted his hand in an inviting gesture, "Sit down and go on."

Sam snorted when Detective Johnny gave Montgomery's optimism the most cynical smile in history. He—Sam would rename him Detective Archer, because that display of misanthropy made him deserving of a proper address—continued, "They got into a cab. It stopped at a bus station on 8
th
Ave, but then it went west. We are tracking the GPS and have deployed several squad cars. It's going to be only a matter of time until we catch them." He shook his head. "Seems too simple."

"It is," both Captain Montgomery and Sam chorused.

"You said the hacker, ah…" Sam started.

"Anthony White a.k.a. Ghost," said Archer in an efficient tone.

Sam smirked, "I highly doubt that someone with the handle 'Ghost' doesn't know how to disappear. No. You said the hacker had a phone. We have all the information on that?"

"We suppose the phone came from one of our officers, considering the fact that we have all their personal effects in booking, but nobody came forward. I highly doubt they will," Archer scowled. "We have some data on it. Like the fact that the locks on the doors were opened and closed before the actual escape. A… test run of some kind. It was also used to break into the city hall archives, probably to get the precinct's blueprints. Or to get married for all we know, because they were looking pretty chummy there for a while. Actually, that's why Officer Reynolds entered the cell, he suspected sexual abuse." He winced. "It wasn't."

Something about that information glittered very nicely for Sam. Joe Reeds, or whatever his name was, could have seduced White. Promised him some money with sex as a side benefit. It must have happened very, very, quickly, but if anyone could do it, Reeds was the guy.

"We could maybe do something with that," Sam said during Archer's pause.

Archer nodded to show that it was possible and continued, "What else do we have? Ah, yes, he made a phone call. Though Mr. White scrambled the number pretty bad. And something that our techs think it could be a bank transfer, but again, any information related is lost. I think that's about it."

A thoughtful silence filled the office.

"The phone call, it was before or after the transfer?" asked Sam.

"Before," answered Archer in short order.

"They were buying something," said Sam. "Something that would help them with their escape. Not passports, there's not enough time for that."

"A car?" tried Archer.

Sam shook his head. "Why would they need a bank transfer for that? They could boost one," he snorted. "With their assorted skills, they'd have their pick."

"We've got all stations and bus stations covered since that first one. So that leaves… airplane?" Captain Montgomery decided to contribute.

"Small, with enough fuel to cross the border. Maybe?" That was a possibility, but Sam wasn't satisfied with either option. "I don't know. I think we're missing something," he finally shrugged.

Archer was about to say something when his phone beeped. "They stopped. Wonderful Al's Car Rental Place," he made a face at the name. "Squad cars are two minutes away, they got lost in traffic. Apparently, all the lights were malfunctioning. Malfunctioning my…" He suddenly froze before looking at Captain Montgomery with a sheepish grin. "One minute away, sir."

They waited.

Finally, the phone chimed again, prompting a frown from Archer. Thankfully, he was already talking or else Sam may have strangled him. "No sign of them. The rental place's computer has been scrubbed clean of all information. Same with video. No idea what they did or if they took a car. Thoughts?"

"Start canvassing the lesser known airports," said Sam absentmindedly. There was something else, but… aha! "How about boats?"

Captain Montgomery seemed to consider that for a bit. "Could be. I mean, there's security, but then again, so is everywhere else. Okay, go, go. Detective Archer, you are with Detective Riff." He didn't say anything else until they were almost to the door. "And radio in your location!" he shouted.

"Where to?" Detective Archer asked as soon as he had the car door opened.

Sam suddenly smirked, "There's this luxury marina, full of nice boats and rich people. You only have to be on a list and you're in. How much do you want to bet that our very own Bennie and Clyde found themselves a place on that list?"

"No bet, man," laughed Detective Archer. "Uh, I mean sir. Of course."

"Of course," chuckled Sam.

*~*~*

"We may have a problem," Sam announced upon reaching the marina.

Archer asked with some trepidation, "Problem?"

"Yeah. They may or may not have managed to get on that list. We, however, are definitely not," Sam delivered the news.

Archer closed his eyes, "What do you propose we do about this problem?"

"I
propose
," Sam leaned heavily on the words, "that you stay in the car and radio in our location."

"You knew they would be here. Even now, you are certain that they are somewhere in that marina and you decided to storm it," Archer said, betrayed and angry.

"I'm not. Certain, I mean. I just know that bastard so well and I can't let him escape. If we wait for that warrant, that's exactly what's going to happen. I can't allow that." Sam spoke with absolute honesty.

Archer's jaw clenched, "Do you hear yourself? There's no 'I' in detective work. Yeah, you notice a lot. Like the key around the victim's neck, but you don't know every single thing. Did you know it took me all of five minutes to solve it after you told me that? It was his father, the only person who even knew about it. And yeah, I wouldn't have solved it without you, but you wouldn't have gotten to the end of it so fast without possessing all the information. You're a brilliant detective, sir, but you're just one person. Who is after two people. Add to that the not knowing the slightest bit about one of them to boot. It's crazy.

"Take a second, wait for the warrant. We can find out more about White. Even see if we can figure out how they got together, because it happened awfully fast. Do you even know whose plan it is?" Archer sighed, "It's like you are so sold on the idea that Reeds is a criminal mastermind that you deny any evidence that he may not be."

"He is," Sam said simply.

"Then who’s to say he's the only one? Look, let's think about this rationally, who has the kind of money to pay for one of those?" Detective Archer gestured to gleaming yachts.

Sam watched them, considering. The hacker would be the obvious choice, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he was the one with the plan. "It's pity. Reeds must have told him a sob story and promised him sex," he waved a hand through the air. "I don't care. Maybe I don't have all the information, but to wait here, when I know they might be out there, is cowardice. And I will not stand for it."

Getting out of the car Sam he heard Archer say sadly, "Good luck."

He got rid of the guard at the security booth pretty quickly—Sam showed him his badge, invited him out of the range of the cameras and pistol whipped him into unconsciousness. Dragging the guard in some nearby shrubbery, Sam took his uniform then stepped into the booth. There, on the cameras installed on every dock in the marina, he found Reeds walking with some other guy, presumably the hacker, White. Sam hurried out.

"Reeds! Freeze!" Sam shouted, pointing his gun at Reeds. He was about fifty feet away. "And you too, White. Show me your hands, both of you."

They raised their hands as asked, but didn't freeze. White moved in front of Reeds, obviously trying to protect him. Sam saw Reeds try to push White to the side, but he wouldn't budge.

"What's the matter Reeds? Need protecting?" Sam sneered.

In the time it took Reeds to open his mouth, no doubt to spit some vitriol, White had moved about five feet ahead. When Reeds tried to get to White, Sam cocked his gun.

"That's enough. For both of you," Sam said. "I am placing you both under arrest for attempted escape."

"Is it still an attempt if I actually managed to do it?" White asked.

"Tony, get back here," hissed Reeds, frustrated and powerless.

Sam laughed, "Are you afraid that your meal ticket is going to try something stupid? He's already doing something extremely idiotic, Reeds. He's protecting you."

"No argument there," said Reeds, trying to focus the attention on him.

Sam ignored him. He needed White to move away to get a clear shot at Reeds. Sam knew the bastard wouldn't go down that easily.

"The man you are so selflessly protecting," Sam said derisively, "has done things that would make you recoil in horror."

"Yeah, I'm sure," answered White. But Sam thought it was plain that White didn't know.

"Did you know that he killed Aaron Davies?" Sam tried once more to get through his thick skull.

"Yes," said White with a shrug. "But that's another matter. One in which you obviously didn't do your job. There are people who say he wasn't such a saint. Look it up. Do your Googling. They have been torn to shreds by the media, but they exist." White got another couple of feet closer, with Reeds seemingly shocked into stillness behind him. White wasn't totally gone, he could still do his research. "Though, you not doing your job seems to be more like the norm than the exception. Jaywalking, seriously?"

Then again, his research may have done more harm than good.

"And do you know how he killed Mr. Davies?" Sam challenged.

White laughed hysterically, took another step forward, "I don't." Before Sam could say anything though, White continued, "Frankly, I don't care. I would have done the same even if he had absolutely no reason to do it."

A slight tightening at the corner of Reeds's eyes made Sam think that wasn't the truth. He, however, had caught on to something and wouldn't give that up for the cheap declarations of love that White appeared to be sprouting. "You do know though. About the stabbing. Twenty six wounds. All over the body. One," he left about a second in between counting each stab. "Two, three, four, five –" He let the pauses do the talking for him.

White interrupted Sam, "Stop it." He put his hands over his ears.

Reeds clenched his jaw while Sam went on, "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. Here he hesitated a bit. Never knew why. Did he whisper the secret in your ear?"

"No, no," White denied. He turned so he was facing Reeds and started walking steadily back toward Sam. "It can't be."

Reeds finally seemed to manage words. "Tony, no!" he shouted.

His tone and his words were odd. It wasn’t a supplication, it sounded more like a pleading and a warning all wrapped in one. Sam frowned, that particular inflection didn’t fit a man like Reeds. But why would Sam hurt White? It didn't make any sense. Unless…

Sam moved the same time as White did, pulling the trigger just as White got under his arm and pushed the gun away from his body. Someone groaned and they both froze.

"Paul!" White whispered.

After that Sam just caught glimpses of viciousness. With a speed he wouldn't have said White possessed, Sam's right arm—that White managed to secure in the struggle and Sam’s gun with it—was caught by White's next blow. A strike came from under the elbow, effectively breaking it. Sam yelled; unimaginable pain shot up and down his arm. He blearily realized that he didn’t have his gun anymore. White's lithe body whirled, one fluid movement as he savagely stomped on the inside of his bent knee. Something popped, and Sam gasped through dizzying pain. White brought up his arm and pistol whipped Sam, leaving him to finally fall on the deck.

It couldn't have taken more then a few seconds.

Sam could hear White turn and demand in a somewhat panicked voice, "Paul! Are you okay?"

"Just a graze," Reeds answered, moving towards them. "What are you doing?"

"Good," was all White said, obviously ignoring his question.

Sam winced and moaned from the pain. He opened his eyes a bit, widening them at what he saw. White was standing over Sam, breathing deeply, pistol pointed at him.

"Tony, he's not worth it. I'm telling you," Reeds entered Sam's field of vision. "He's not. This," he gestured toward the gun, but would probably have said the same thing no matter the weapon, "is just for when you are forced to, okay? Because otherwise it's simply not worth it."

Sam could have laughed. Saved by Reeds. That's ironic.

Reeds carefully embraced White with his still-bleeding arm, and gently cupped the butt of the gun with his other hand, over White's own. "It's not worth the charge on the record, but most of all, it's not worth the heaviness. It changes you." He pressed a kiss to White's temple, "I don't think you want that change until you are forced to do it, do you?"

Sam saw White take a deep breath before surrendering the weapon to Reeds. He made short work of it, activating the safety again and throwing it into the water. White made an anguished noise. "Your arm, I'm so sorry." He bit his lip, looking as if his whole world had burned down. And then drowned. And then, somehow, burned again. It was really sad.

"Hey, don't frown," Reeds apparently agreed. "It was my fault for giving the warning. Should have known you knew how to handle yourself," he chuckled lightly. Sam startled, that was a sound he hadn't heard from Reeds, ever. "Where did you learn that?"

White beamed. "It was nothing you couldn't do," he modestly said.

"Yeah, but I don't expect they taught that at hacker school," Reeds said with a raised eyebrow. It was as if they had forgotten about Sam's presence, the police that was bound to arrive any minute now, and were just having a polite conversation on the docks.