No Mercy (29 page)

“He is right behind you,” Linda answered, “and he will shoot you in the back of the head if you don't drop your weapon now.”

“I'm already dead, remember?” Cronin replied. He moved his gun to Linda's head. “I will kill you unless whoever is behind me is an incredible shot.” Cronin's mind was racing as he started to visualize what cops were left who had been taken in by all this. The door shut and footsteps could be heard going up the stairs.

“Seems like your man had second thoughts,” Cronin said to Linda Tangretti. The detective was so focused on her that Billy tried to go for his gun but Cronin shoved Linda to the sofa and fired a shot, which hit him in the leg. He moved his gun back toward Linda's ear as he looked at Corbin. “Have enough people died or been injured for you?” He continued to speak. “Because if not, I can oblige and shoot you as well.”

Corbin put his hands up. “No, there has been enough killing.” Cronin turned his attention back to Linda. “Your cousin started this shit by kidnapping her best friend eighteen months ago, but you couldn't let it go. Justice was served with Madison Robinson serving the next five to seven years in prison. So don't tell me you wanted revenge. You, like your cousin, wanted the money. Simpson wanted vengeance against me and the others. Not you; it's the money you had to have, and only Simpson could give it to you. Now,” he said as he touched her head with his gun, “who is the source giving you all this information and giving orders?”

Linda looked at Cronin and spoke. “I was supposed to meet him here tonight for the first time. Simpson and Branca were the only ones that met him and know who he is. Like you, he wants everyone to think he has nothing to do with this case.”

Cronin's expression on his face changed with those words. He had Linda sit on the couch as he took out his phone and called Gina. She picked up the phone and knew who it was.

“Yes, sir.”

“Gina, where are Lynagh and O'Malley?”

“Both at Stony Brook Hospital waiting for Paul to get out of surgery,” she replied.

“Have Lynagh get over to the nightclub here, and give him my new number so he can reach me.”

“Sir?” Gina said.

“It's OK,” Cronin said. “He's one of us; I trust him. Have three officers each stay with Rachelle Robinson and Deborah Lance at the hospital. No one gets in or out of the eighteenth floor without my approval. Get Officer Wright over to the Wilkerson house immediately. Whoever the source is knows I'm alive, and I want to be sure the bounties are not reinstated. Simpson is dead, but I don't want to take any chances.”

“Right away, sir,” Gina answered as she hung up.

Both ADA Ashley and Cronin decided it was best to tell Gina that he was still alive after a couple days. She was so distraught that work was not getting done, and no support for Paul was making his job difficult. Cronin knew he would be questioned and second-guessed again, but he knew the only way to save the three girls was to be “killed.” It also allowed him to roam freely while the case was being handled by Paul and Bud. Now all that was on his mind was who the source was. The leak, or the one responsible for this madness. Cronin had thought Ashley or O'Malley was possible, but it was Linda's words that struck a chord with him: “Like you, he wants everyone to think he has nothing to do with this case.”

Lawrence Stone kept saying to himself over and over, “Cronin is alive, Cronin is alive,” as he ran up the stairs and opened the wall to Brian Branca's bathroom. He ran like a deer through his office, ran through the main dance hallway leading up to the main room of the club, reached the door, and turned a fast right toward his car, and as he put his hand on his door he was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

“What's your hurry?” the masked figure asked.

Stone got up and tried to run, but the Ghost Face killer caught him again and threw him to the ground. “What's the hurry?”

Stone was already half in shock between Cronin being alive and now this. “I need to get out of here!” Stone yelled.

The man who was the DJ at Skyline, known as Ace of Clubs was now too frightened to calm down.

“One last time,” the masked figure said, “what are you running from?”

“He's alive,” Stone said. “Cronin is alive; I have to get to my people.”

The Ghost Face hesitated and looked over to the club, then back at Stone. “You're not telling anyone, sorry.” The figure took out a gun and hit him over the head with it. He was unconscious as Ghost Face put him in the car and locked the doors and took the keys with him. He ran off, taking off the mask and the black top. The mystery person walked three blocks to a vehicle, handed cash over to a woman, and drove off. Minutes later, a teenage boy was spotted with friends, and the mysterious person called him to come over. He walked up to the vehicle and he was offered five $20 bills to speak in a recorder, disguising his voice. He was handed the note to read into the recorder.

He began to speak.

“ADA Ashley, you can pick up Lawrence Stone in his vehicle in the parking lot. It's a piss-yellow Kia. I suggest you get to him within the hour; he knows your secret about Cronin and was ready to contact his boss. He is only alive because I have no proof he is responsible for the bounties.” The boy disguised his voice like a high-pitched Minnie Mouse. He was handed the money for his time and voice. The caller then dialed ADA Ashley's number, which went to voice mail. The button on the recorder was pushed as the message played. When it was over the disposable phone was smashed and thrown in a dumpster near a deli.

It was a matter of minutes before ADA Ashley picked up his voice message, and he immediately called Cronin's temporary cell phone.

“Yes,” Cronin spoke as he picked up the call.

“You may have a perp in the parking lot inside a yellow Kia. He is unconscious according to the voice mail I received. Be careful.”

“I can't leave until Lynagh gets here,” Cronin answered. “I figure another twenty minutes.”

Ashley spoke quickly. “Let me get there with an officer. You stay there. We can't risk letting out you are alive just yet.”

ADA John Ashley got to the little Kia with two uniformed officers who answered the call. He stood by his car as the officers, with their guns drawn, approached the car. They saw Lawrence Stone unconscious with his legs on the seat and the torso of his body down toward the floor of the car. They inspected the rest of the car top and bottom to be sure there was not a bomb attached to the vehicle. When they were satisfied, they opened the door to verify that Stone was still alive. He was out cold as the officers laid him out on the ground and checked the rest of the inside of the car. Lying on the front seat of the car was the now-famous calling card: the Ghost Face mask with the blood splatter on it. The officer picked it up to show Ashley, who was about twenty yards away. The ADA called Cronin in the club to tell him. Cronin was always good at puzzles, but even he was having a difficult time understanding the reason for the symbolic gesture. As the officer walked over to Ashley, a gunshot rang out. Cronin heard it over the phone and started yelling,

“John! What's happening?”

“We are under gunfire, and behind vehicles for cover.”

“I'm on my way,” Cronin yelled. He hung up and ran to Corbin and the injured Billy to handcuff them together, then looked at them. “If you are gone when I get back I will make sure you won't get out of this alive.” He looked over at Linda. “You, I don't trust at all, so you are coming with me.” He grabbed her as she struggled to get away. “Don't make me shoot you,” Cronin said as he practically dragged her through the mystery stairwell, then through the bathroom and through Branca's office and the hallway. Linda fell, and Cronin got restless and dragged her by her collar to keep moving. Linda started screaming as her clothes moved up on her and the floor was giving her body burns. Cronin wouldn't stop as he could now hear more shots being fired. He had to make a choice to save Ashley and take a chance to let Linda get away or take the chance that Lynagh was close enough to hear the shots and get to the ADA while he held on to Linda. He dragged her another five feet and decided he couldn't take a chance on losing another life. He grabbed Linda, picked her up, and threw her against the wall, where she fell onto a sofa and then to the floor. The detective lieutenant ran to the car where Ashley was with no gun and started firing back.

“Talk to me, Officers!” he yelled. “Is everyone OK?”

The other officer behind the yellow Kia acknowledged they were OK but Lawrence Stone had been hit. Another shot was fired as Cronin looked at Ashley sitting against the car. Then shots were fired at the car as the officers sat still waiting for backup. The windows of the car shattered as the shots continued.

“It's not fun having a $75,000 bounty on you, is it?”

“Hey,” Ashley said, trying to make the best of it, “don't short-change me, I'm worth $100,000.” Cronin smiled as he reloaded his weapon.

“You're starting to sound like Bud.”

Ashley's face turned serious. “He might not make it, Kevin. He took three dead center. His heart stopped from the impact. There is only so much a vest can do.”

Cronin stared at Ashley as he finished reloading.

“If anyone can make it through something like that, it's him.” As another shot hit the car Lynagh drove up and got behind his car, ready to fire. It was apparent the sniper no longer wanted to be part of the scenario, and the firing of rounds stopped. Cronin yelled to Lynagh to come with him as two other Suffolk Police cars pulled into the lot. Cronin was waiting for Lynagh to say something about the fake death, but he said nothing as they entered the club to find Linda gone.

Cronin shook his head as he spoke. “Ten minutes and she is gone. I thought she was in too bad of shape to get away.”

Cronin and Lynagh went back downstairs through the mystery stairwell to find Corbin alongside the bartender. “Billy's leg wound is mine. Get Corbin down to the precinct and this asshole to the hospital.”

Cronin's cell buzzed, and it was Ashley telling him Stone was dead. The sniper apparently only wanted to kill Stone.

“Damn,” Cronin added as he hung up. “We need to go back to Sysco. There is more to this than getting rid of us for revenge.”

He looked at Lynagh. “Call O'Malley and tell him to meet you at Priority 1 with Ashley. I want him to know I'm alive for the first time in person. Make sure security is in place at the hospital and on the girls. Including the Wilkerson girl. Tell Wright not to leave the scene or the girl without my authorization. Once it gets out I'm alive there may be a bounty placed on them, but I have a feeling now that Simpson is dead that won't be the case. The bounties may have been a diversion from the ‘boss.'” Lynagh called in the directives from Cronin. He then looked at him with the expression on his face that he deserved an explanation.

Cronin read his mind and said, “In due time, Officer, in due time. Call Detective Stedman from K-9. Tell him we need the dogs to do a run-through of the entire premises.”

Lynagh made the call, and as soon as the other uniformed officers arrived they left to meet O'Malley back at the precinct. When he walked into the precinct the eyes and actions stopped. It reminded Cronin of the old commercial when John Hancock speaks . . . everyone listens. There was such an uncomfortable feeling that Cronin could not wait to get to the Priority 1 Task Force area. When he walked through the first area of desks, he stopped and looked at the name plaques of Chapman, Dugan, Franks, Wyatt, Caulfield, Baker, Lynagh, Powers, and Johnson. He looked over at Gina, who smiled when she saw him but held herself back from giving him a hug.

“Hi, Gina,” Cronin said. “Please get Caulfield's desk checked out, top to bottom, and then get it out of here. I don't want it here with the others.”

“Yes, sir,” she answered. The smile returned to her face as she walked away. She felt like there was a warm security blanket being put on her. She was impressed with the way Paul Powers handled the investigation, but after ten years of working with Detective Lieutenant Cronin, she knew this was going to be over very soon. One way or the other. Lynagh walked into the conference room to find O'Malley and Ashley waiting for him. He sat down as O'Malley looked at the officer.

“Do you want to tell me what this is about?”

“Sir,” Lynagh spoke. “Quite frankly I don't even know how to explain it. You will know in a couple minutes, though, and I can't wait to hear it myself.”

O'Malley looked at Ashley, who was checking his watch. Cronin walked in as O'Malley dropped his jaw and stood up. “Please sit down,” Cronin spoke.

O'Malley ignored the request as he answered, “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Sit down,” Cronin said. This time it was not a request. O'Malley sat down with an angry look on his face as he waited for the detective lieutenant to speak. Cronin informed Lynagh and O'Malley of the undercover reporter that had been in the same section as O'Connor for the past fifteen months. How he befriended the former FBI killer, gained his trust, and had been able to transfer information. Ashley interrupted Cronin to lend support that the move did save lives. An example was that the bounties of Rachelle, Deborah, and Lindsey Wilkerson were all canceled upon his death.

“Why?” O'Malley shot back.

“This is about revenge on us,” Lynagh replied.

“No,” O'Malley answered. “Why would they give a shit about the bounties on the girls just because Cronin is dead?”

“Because,” Cronin said as he looked at Ashley, “Robert Simpson claimed Bud and I ruined his life by forcing him to play a part in a game of cat and mouse.”

“And?” O'Malley asked. “Did you?”

“Yes,” Cronin said. “I needed him to confuse the killers and play a part in a game to draw the others out.”

“So,” O'Malley answered, “you risked more lives by making him a participant during the so-called famous Face of Fear investigation.”

Ashley spoke up again. “I was with him, Detective. It would have never closed if we didn't play it out. Besides, Cronin didn't orchestrate Simpson fucking around on Deborah Lance or embezzling millions of dollars from William Lance.”