Night and Day (Book 2): Bleeding Sky (23 page)

“Exactly,”
I said. “But at least now we know exactly what he wants, so we can fine tune
the plan.” I paused. “I think we’ll be okay. First Platoon on checkpoints,
half of Second Platoon on perimeter and the square, backed up by your
command platoon. The rest of Second and Third Platoon on the ambassador.
Captain Mutz will also provide some extra police officers.”

Bristow
nodded. “I’d like us to be a little stronger in the square, but I guess it
will be okay. If their target is on the move, why attack here?”

I
was silent for a minute, then said, “How long would it take to get one of
those Strykers I saw in the operations center parking lot?”

“Three
hours,” he said. “But why waste the time? We’ve got four of them in the City
Barracks.”

“Better
still. Bring one of them up here this afternoon. Leave it a couple of blocks
away, out of sight, till Heymann goes for his walk outside the square, then
roll it in. That’ll give you some solid firepower.” I shook my head. “And
when Heymann’s party comes back, have them stage the Stryker a couple of
blocks away. He may not want armored vehicles around him when he’s trying to
look approachable, but I don’t think he’ll have any complaints if one shows
up when we come under attack.”

Bristow
nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Where’s
Stein?”

“Got
him confined in your office with a guard,” Bristow said.

“Okay,
we’ll take deal with him first, then have a quick briefing on what’s going
on today with Heymann. Has your platoon sergeant been relieved by the First
Platoon replacement?”

“Almost
an hour ago.”

“Okay,
have him round up the platoon commanders. Have them at the trailer for the
briefing in half an hour. I’ll see you in my office in five
minutes.”

“Sir,”
Bristow said. He headed for the security checkpoint.

“More
trouble with Stein?” Jimmy asked.

I
nodded. “Yeah, he organized a little midnight blanket party for my personal
aide.” I turned to Martinez. “Trooper Lita Martinez, Captain Jimmy Mutz,
Metro police.”

“Captain,”
she said with a nod.

Jimmy
studied the marks on her face. The swollen lip was almost back to normal,
but the bruise on her cheek was still visible and the black eye was just
starting to blossom.

“Trooper
Martinez,” he said. He turned to me. “You know, I’d be glad to have a little
chat with Stein. I sure we can find a room for him at Downtown
lockup.”

I
smiled. “Thanks, but I think I’ve got it covered. You mind if I borrow your
handcuffs for a little while?”

He
laughed and pulled them out of the case on his belt. “Check ‘em to see if
they still work. I haven’t needed them in years.”

I
took them from him and stuck them in my pocket. “I’ll see you at the
briefing.”

“I’ll
be there.”

“Right.”
I looked at Martinez. “Same drill as earlier. Sit at the desk, watch, keep
your mouth shut. No matter what happens.”

“Yes,
sir.”

“Okay
then, let’s go chat with Mr. Stein.”

Chapter
Fourteen

Captain
Bristow was waiting in the small office.

“How’s
he doing?” I asked.

Bristow
smirked. “Playing dumb. We relieve half a dozen people from his command,
including his platoon sergeant. He’s under guard in his commander’s office.
But he’s still asking what’s going on.”

“Have
you spoken to him?”

He
shook his head. “No, sir. I thought you’d want to answer his
questions.”

“That
I do,” I said. “Let’s go enlighten him.”

I
opened the door and walked into the office, Martinez and Bristow on my
heels. Stein was sitting in a chair in front of my desk. He looked over his
shoulder and stood, then turned to us.

“Wait
outside,” I said to the trooper standing beside him. Bristow closed the door
behind him.

Stein
stared at me, watched Martinez sit down at her desk, then looked at Bristow.
He came to attention. “Captain, I have to protest this treatment. I have
been detained in this office for more than an hour. I need to be in the
field with my men.”

“Address
your concerns to your commanding officer,” I said, stepping in front of
him.

“I’d
prefer to handle this through normal Security Force channels,” he said.
After a pause, he added, “Sir.”

I
sighed and shook my head. “You know, Stein, in the twenty-four hours that
I’ve known you, you’ve proved yourself to be thoughtless, excessive,
shallow, now arrogant.” I paused. “And stupid.”

He
folded nearly in half when I buried my fist in his gut.

It’s
not my best trait, but I am a master of the sucker punch. I find that it’s
usually a quick and easy way to get somebody’s attention.

Before
he could straighten, I kicked one of his legs and he went down on one
knee.

“Stay
down,” I said as I walked around the desk. “I don’t want to look up at
you.”

He
was starting to clamber to his feet as I dropped into my chair. I looked
past him at Bristow. “If this piece of shit stands up, put a bullet into the
back of his knee. Either leg, your choice.”

Bristow
pulled the pistol from the holster on his hip and racked a round into the
chamber. “Yes, sir.” he said.

Stein
looked over his shoulder at the gun in Bristow’s hand, then turned back to
face me. He stayed on his knees.

“This
is an outrage,” he said.

“Yes,
it is,” I said. “Orchestrating an attack on someone under your command.
Ruining the careers and maybe even the lives of half a dozen other people
under your command. That is outrageous.” I paused. “But before we get into
that, get those bars off your collar. You’re no longer entitled to wear
them.”

“You
can’t do this,” Stein said through gritted teeth. “I don’t answer to you.
I’m an officer in the Area Three Security Force.”

“Not
any more,” I said. I smiled and pulled the pistol from under my jacket, then
glanced at Bristow. “Captain, what, exactly, would happen if I put a bullet
into Stein’s head?”

He
shrugged. “We’d dispose of the body and get somebody in here to clean up the
mess, sir.”

“And
how long would that take? You know, approximately?”

“Ten
minutes or so, sir.”

“Then it
wouldn’t interfere with the briefing,” I said. “Good.” I aimed the pistol at
Stein’s face. “Call it, Stein.”

There
was a lot of emotion on his face. Anger, fear, hatred. I was already
planning where on the floor I’d put a bullet if he called my bluff. Sucker
punches are one thing. Field executions are a whole different
thing.

Stein
muttered something under his breath and pulled the bars from his
collar.

“Good,”
I said. “Now give them to Martinez.”

His
eyes widened. “Her? You
are
crazy.”

“Is
it worth a bullet in the face to find out exactly how crazy I am?” I
asked.

He
hesitated a moment, then tossed the silver bars to Martinez. She caught them
and looked at me.

“Go
ahead, put them on.”

She
slowly fixed a bar to each collar. I looked back at Stein. “You know, Jake,
I could just go ahead and turn you over to Miss Takeda tonight when she
comes on duty. And since the late Captain Hill was apparently a mentor of
yours, I guess you know how that’s gonna play out.”

He
stared at me, silently.

“But
you’re right. I’m a civilian. You might even think I’m soft. Turning you
over to Takeda for her brand of justice just doesn’t sit well with me.” I
paused. “You might or might not know it, but the troopers who carried out
your suggested attack on Martinez have been shipped off to the stockade.
Captain Bristow tells me that thirty days was the normal punishment, but I
doubled that to sixty followed by discharge. For you....” I shook my head.
“I think I’ll have to double it again. One hundred and twenty days in the
stockade, followed by discharge from the Security Force.”

“I’d
prefer you turn me over to Commander Takeda,” Stein whispered.

“Yeah,
and I’d prefer that my aide didn’t have a black eye and a bruise on her
cheek. You know, maybe if you suck up to the night shift guards at the
stockade, you’ll make it out okay.“ I smiled. “Or maybe you’ll have to let
them suck up to you.”

I
glanced at Bristow. “What do you think, captain?“

”I
wouldn’t put money on him lasting a hundred and twenty days, sir,” he said,
looking down at Stein. I could see a smile at the corners of his
mouth.

“I’m
not a gambling man, so I won’t either.” I pulled out Jimmy’s handcuffs and
looked at Martinez. “You still remember how to operate a pair of handcuffs,
Martinez?”

“Yes,
sir,” she said.

I
tossed them to her. “Put them on the prisoner.”

Martinez
stood and walked behind Stein, then squatted down. “Put your hands behind
your back,” she said.

He
remained motionless, staring at me.

I
made eye contact with Martinez. “I guess things have changed. In my day...we
didn’t ask.”

She
looked at me for a moment, then nodded and shoved him forward. I stood to
watch.

Stein
was face down on the floor, his head to one side. Martinez moved over him
and put her knee on the small of his back. “Put your hands behind your
back,” she ordered. “Or I will.”

Apparently
he didn’t move fast enough for her. She grabbed his left arm and yanked it
back. He grimaced but didn’t say anything.

She
snapped the cuff on his left wrist, then grabbed his other arm and pulled it
down. When the second cuff snapped around his right wrist, she looked up at
me.

“Get
him up,” I said.

Martinez
stood and pulled Stein to his feet.

He
stared at me for a moment, then spat. “I’m glad to be out of this
chickenshit outfit,” he said.

“I’m
glad you’re glad,” I said with a cold smile. “Now we’re both happy.” I
looked at Bristow and nodded. The captain opened the door, leaned out and
nodded. The guard walked in.

“Find
a driver and have him transported to the stockade,” Bristow said to the
trooper. “If he gives you any problems, use the butt of your rifle on him.
Or shoot him in a non-lethal location.”

“Sir,”
the trooper said. He walked over to Stein. Martinez went back to her desk
and sat as the trooper took Stein’s arm. “This way,” he said.

I
watched him lead Stein away. The former lieutenant didn’t give him any
trouble. When they were gone, I looked at Bristow. “That went
well.”

He
nodded. “Yes, sir.”

It
was almost ten-thirty. “Okay, wait for me at the conference table,” I said.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Sir,”
he said with a salute. He closed the door behind him when he
left.

I
turned to Martinez. “Okay, get the bars off your collar,
trooper.”

She
grinned. “Pretty short promotion, sir,” she said as she removed the collar
insignia. I tapped the desk and she carried them over.

“It
was for effect, Lita,” I said. I picked up the bars and dropped them in a
desk drawer. “And just a little added misery for Stein.”

“Yes,
sir,” she said, returning to her chair.

“You
may earn those one day. But not today.” I was silent for a moment, then
asked, “So?”

“Sir?”

“Your
opinion on how it was handled,” I said. “You’re the aggrieved party in
this.”

Martinez
was quiet for a moment, then said, “Why didn’t you just turn him over to
Commander Takeda, sir?”

“Is
that what you would have preferred?”

She
shook her head. “No, sir. I never liked the man and he was a piss-poor
officer. He played favorites. You can’t do that and maintain effective
control over your command.”

“Where’d
you hear that?”

“My
father, sir. Retired Lt. Colonel, 196
^th
Infantry. He was a
mustang. Came up through the ranks. He saw a lot of COs on his way
up.”

Her
pride in her father was clear in her voice. I nodded. “Your father knew what
he was talking about,” I said. I paused a moment. “He still
around?”

“Don’t
know, sir,” she said. “Haven’t had any contact with him since Dallas was
overrun.”

“I’m
sorry.”

“Nothing
to be sorry about. He’s a survivor. I’m sure he made it through okay. I just
haven’t had the chance to go find him.”

I
nodded. “So why did you ask about turning Stein over to Miss
Takeda?”

“Just
wondering, sir. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”