The More Things Change... (part III)

[Robbie C.]

A little shorter bit this time to make for easier reading...

Moonlight glimmered silver off the rippling sea as Sonny Crockett throttled back on the cigarette boat, hearing the roar of the engines drop to a thumping burble. It was cooler out on the water, and a steady breeze whipped at his gray jacket. Tubbs sat in the seat across from him, his usual dark suit making him almost invisible against the black leather upholstery. Trudy was in the open oval seat behind them, her blue dress exchanged for dark, tight jeans and matching shirt. Stan lurked belowdecks, his CAR-15 at the ready with three more close at hand if needed.

They'd made good time over the calm water, skirting blinking running lights of small boats and larger yachts alike on their way to the Keys. With a few minutes in hand, Sonny decided to ease in on the meeting, waiting for Reno to make the first move and hopefully buying the Coast Guard enough time to get into position.

The trip had been quiet for the most part. Early on Stan had cracked a few jokes, but the seriousness of the mission caught up with him. Trudy seemed content to sit back and watch the stars, though Sonny suspected her mind was back on shore. He had Tubbs had ridden into danger enough times and in enough different ways this was another day at the office for them. No words needed or even wanted.

His eyes swept the controls, checking RMPs, oil pressure, and fuel levels. He'd had the big boat long enough now all checks were simple reflex. He'd know if anything was wrong by the sound of the engine, the lurch of the hull though the water, or the smell of the exhaust when the wind hit them right. All systems go. As usual.

Tubbs picked up binoculars from the dashboard and swept the water in front of them. “Got something just to the left of the island. Looks big enough to be a cabin cruiser. Put the radio on Marine 2. Reno said he'd use that when they were in position.”

Trudy checked her watch. “Five minutes to show time.”

“Hey, guys. Any way a man can get a drink on this tub?” Stan's voice floated up from the front compartment.

“Yeah. Hang out the port and swallow.” Crockett chucked in spite of himself. “It's a bit salty, though.”

“You'd better upgrade the service if you expect me to ride along again.”

“That's all I have to do to get rid of you? Hell, why didn't you tell me sooner?”

“Very funny, Crockett. Remind me to hit all the potholes next time you have to hitch a ride in the Bug Van.”

“You weren't doing that already?”

Trudy cleared her throat to get their attention. “I hate to interrupt, but two minutes.”

Almost on cue the radio hissed to life. “Miami calling New York. You out there?”

Tubbs keyed the microphone. “New York here. Got you, Miami.”

“Look for our lights and come to us. Out.”

Seconds later two strings of lights flared on a few hundred yards in front of them. To anyone watching it would look like just another cabin cruiser taking precautions after stopping for the day. Crockett leaned down below the dash. “I'll go in slow to try to buy some time if the Coast Guard's close by.”

Trudy came up to stand between Sonny and Rico. “What's the plan?”

“If the coasties come in, I go to full throttle and run to the north. Castillo told them to make a show but nothing more. If they don't come in we make the buy as usual. Stan, kill the lights and stay low down there. If it comes to it, you're one of my guys along to help shift the load.” Sonny laughed. “We can't have Mr. Cooper or his lady getting their hands dirty.”

Sonny felt Trudy's hand on his shoulder. “What do you want me to do?”

“Let them see you. If it starts going south, say you need to powder your nose or something. Stan? Is her carbine where we left it?”

“Yep. Locked and loaded.”

“Good. At the first shot come up and rock and roll.Tubbs and I will take close-in shooters until we can get to the long guns. You and Stan will need to pick off the guys on the cabin cruiser who have automatic weapons. They're the biggest threat.” Sonny eased the throttle open, using the wheel to guide the big boat through the darkness. “Tubbs, turn on the running lights. We want to look friendly.”

“And it's Christmas.” Tubbs flicked a switch, turning on the red and green lights.

Sonny could see the dark shadow now. It was a big cabin cruiser, about twice the size of his cigarette boat, with an elevated platform bridge and fishing seats along the stern. Clouds slid in erratic arcs over the moon, but there was enough light for him to pick out two men in the platform and another two on the bow. “At least four on deck. Can't see the stern.” He kept the engines steady. “I can't delay much longer without them getting curious. Stan, cut the transponder.”

“It's off.” Stan's rumbled blonde hair showed through the compartment hatch. “I wonder what...”

As if in answer the roar of powerful engines boomed over the water and searchlights stabbed from the darkness near the island shore. “United States Coast Guard! Unidentified craft, prepare to be boarded and searched. Cut your engines now!”

Sonny spun the wheel like it shocked him and rammed the twin throttles wide open. The acceleration pushed Trudy back into the oval seat, and he heard Stan curse as he scrabbled for a handhold. Over the roar of the twin engines he could hear Tubbs shouting in sheer pleasure and he risked a look back just in time to see something flash on the deck of what he took to be the anti-narcotics boat. “Hang on! They fired a star shell. Taking evasive action!”

The crack of the gun reached them just before a bright white flare bloomed like a second sun to illuminate their wake. The gunner had underestimated their speed, and Sonny's sharp turns kept them out of the arc of the floating flare. He tried to focus on his piloting, but couldn't ignore Trudy's shout. “They took fire! We've got a gunfight going back there!”

“You mean a funeral.” Sonny kept the throttles wide open, the cigarette boat shuddering as it leapt out of the water and crashed back through the occasional wave. “Those boats carry fifty calibers. The most Reno's boys have is AKs. If they have more than two brain cells they'll surrender.” Now he could hear the slow, steady thumping of the big machine gun over the staccato chatter of MAC-10s and the signature crack-bark of Soviet assault rifles. “Idiot's not walking away from this one.” As if to punctuate his comment the big Browning hit a propane tank attached to a grill somewhere on deck. The explosion's boom chased its flash across the water to them.

Tubbs ducked down behind the windscreen to avoid spray. “You think we're clear yet?”

“I don't know. Stan! Turn that transponder back on. I don't want them mistaking us for another target on their radar.” Sonny pulled the throttles back to three-quarter power and increased his evasive turns. “Gotta sell this in case any of Reno's people survive.”

“Now what do we do?” Trudy's voice was soft over the roar of the engines and the crash of the boat muscling its way through the water.

“Wait for Pedrosa to call.” Tubbs relaxed his grip on the arm of his seat, but his eyes still glittered with the excitement of the ride. “He needs Cooper and Burnett, especially if Reno's history.”

 

“I just got off the phone with the Coast Guard station's operations officer.” Castillo looked as fresh as he had that morning. Granted he hadn't been racing over water, but it still amazed Sonny. The man never seemed to sweat. “He sends us his regards. They seized the cabin cruiser after a brief exchange of gunfire. Six of Reno's men are dead and three wounded. Reno was grazed by a .50 round and is in surgery now. They're not sure if he's going to make it. The found the heroin and what appears to be one hundred kilos of cocaine as well.”

“He might have been moving that for someone else.” Tubbs leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Lots of boats out there tonight.”

“Were any of his people wounded?” Sonny remembered the return fire, and AKs held bad memories for him.

“No. A couple of holes in the boat but nothing serious.” Castillo folded his hands. “Now we wait. Crockett, watch the pager for anything from Pedrosa. Tubbs, stay close to Crockett. With his main local outlet down as well as what sounds like some of his transport, Pedrosa will have to move soon.” He got up from the table. “Good work. All of you. Now go get some rest. We may have a day or two before Pedrosa has to move, but once he does he'll move fast. Be ready.”

“I'll be on the wires.” Stan was the first to get up. “As soon as word of this reaches Pedrosa he's going to melt the phones. Might scare up a few more networks or give us a fix on him or Moncado.”

“I've got some intel to go through.” Trudy smiled, stretching the kinks out of her long legs. “Maybe we can get a lead on who might have been buying that coke.”

“That reminds me, Rico and I had better burn some phones ourselves. Reno might be out of the picture, but if Pedrosa finds his answering machine I want a few Burnett classics on there.”

“Cooper needs to hammer, too. Maybe rat him out about the heroin just in case he doesn't make it.”

The Ma Duce doesn't really wound, Tubbs. I doubt he'll make it.” Sonny gave a thin grin, thinking back to hearing the big guns thumping their beat along the wire of a few firebases.

“Very good. I want at least one of you to pick up Manny tomorrow. Trudy's girl has him lined up for us. And I want to know where Moreno is and what he knows.”

“Copy that, lieutenant. Where do you want him delivered if we find him?”

“OCB. We're still using their interrogation and holding facilities.”

Crockett was navigating the Ferrari though the late night traffic before the partners spoke again. “You really think Reno's done?”

“Those fifties don't wound, Rico. A graze probably took his arm off. I've seen shock from that kill a sapper, and they're a damned sight tougher than Reno.” Sonny narrowed his eyes, avoiding a Mercedes full of drunk tourists in shirts plastered with pink flamingos. “Use the car phone to page Reno a couple of times. Just to leave some tracks for Pedrosa to find.”

“Solid. And I'll call him from my place. Switek's got one of those phones up there so it'll look like it's coming from a pay phone at the airport. And you can come up and see how the other half lives.”

The penthouse was cool and dark, lit only by moonlight making its way past the half-drawn blinds. Tubbs unlocked the door and flicked on the lights with a grand hand gesture. “Behold!”

Sonny chuckled. “Not too shabby, Tubbs. You got running water and everything.”

“And the outhouse is indoors! Just hush my mouth!” Rico laughed, locking the door behind them and heading for the liquor cabinet. “How about a drink to celebrate?”

“Why not?' Sonny looked around, trying to hide his envy. Tubbs didhave a pretty damned nice place, one that suited him right down to his Gucci shoes. It was the kind of place Burnett would have lived in, giving it an eerie quality that grew the more he thought about it. Burnett might be gone, but he understood he still lived inside of him. The things that made Burnett were from me. Hell, they wereme. Some of them still are me. And always will be.“And this is a damned nice place, Rico.”

“The brother finally got some love.” Tubbs laughed again as he came back with two drinks. “I'll make a call or two and we can go out and enjoy the view.”

Outside the air was clear and cool for a Miami summer. The city was starting to slow down, the brief pause for air between three and six when it all started running again. Sonny looked down at the Jack Daniel's in his glass, swirling rich and tan around the ice cubes, and replayed the night in his mind. Looking for anything that could have gone differently. Better or worse. In the end it was likely best for the Coast Guard to take down Reno. Saved them buy money, got the heroin off the street, and build them some street cred with Pedrosa. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow cheating.

“That should get Pedrosa's juices flowing.” Tubbs sauntered out, snapping his fingers to a beat only he could hear. “I told Reno's machine that after tonight's little show I might just take my goodies back to New York and find another supplier. One who's discrete.” He laughed again, doing a bit of a spin and taking a deep drink. “We got it goin' on tonight, partner.”

“Did you inhale some of Noogie when we were at Rizzo's?” Sonny smiled in spite of himself. Rico's good moods were contagious.

“Naw, man. I'm thinkin'. We got Pedrosa by the curlies. He's got too much weight, I'm the only cat who can pay his price, and I'm threatenin' to take my ball and go home. And he lost one hundred keys in the bargain. Now if we had two fine ladies it would be perfect all around, but I can settle for this.”

“You know, you're right.” Sonny took another drink, feeling the cool Jack slip down his throat. “Before this task force we could only dream about this kind of buy money. We never even got close to guys of Pedrosa's size, let alone Moncado. They let us snap up their scraps, but that was it. We could never wait, never really pressure. But now...” Now we can act like Burnett. Move like Burnett. Damn.

“You think Trudy can get us a meet with those shooters?”

“Hell, if she can't Marty can. I want to meet them, too, Rico. They're our only backup and I want to look them in the eye and get a sense of who they are.”

Tubbs looked out over the glittering lights of the city, and Sonny could almost hear him thinking. “Sonny...I gotta ask. Will you be able to lean on Pedrosa if he gets squirrelly?”

“You mean can I go Burnett without killing him?” Sonny smiled to take the edge off the comment. “Yeah, I can, Rico. I don't know that I'll need to if you keep the Cooper shuffle going strong, but it's ready if you need it.” He took another drink, looking down at the city he'd given so much to for so long. “It's funny, though. Before we had rules. Lots of rules. Now, it's like we have suggestions. And there aren't many of them. The whole thing changed overnight, and we missed the previews.”

“Like you said, partner, we're hitting people we could only dream about before. Stan, he looks like a kid in a candy store with all that gear he's got loaded in the Bug Van. And Trudy...”

“We need to get her in the field. It can't just be the two of us all the time. Hell, team her up with Stan. They can go places we can't and keep our covers intact.”

“Yeah, but that's work, partner. This here rooftop is a no work zone.” Tubbs grinned. “Unless it's work that involves panties comin' off.”

Sonny laughed. “You got that right. Hell, let's have another drink and then I'd best head back and feed Elvis before he starts snacking on the boat. At least we don't have to be up at the crack of dawn to deal with that bozo Manny.”

“Don't remind me. At least he's a Moreno who doesn't talk.”

 

It was almost two before Stan Switek turned the key in the lock of his apartment door and eased into the living room. The tapes were all set in the Bug Van, the consoles running on voice-activated autopilot for at least twelve hours, so he could forget about it and just relax. But it was hard. Adrenalin from the aborted buy still trickled through his veins, and he opened the refrigerator to dig out a beer.

“How did it go?” Gina's voice startled him, even though he should have known she'd wake up as soon as he came in.

“Good.” he pulled the tab on the beer and took a deep drink, enjoying the way the moonlight shone through her thin camisole and highlighted her body. “The Coast Guard did all the heavy lifting, and Sonny got to show off with the boat. Those coasties shot the hell out of Reno's boat, though. I'm glad they knew to ignore us.”

She walked into the kitchen and kissed him. “I'm glad everyone on the team's ok. You look tired.”

“Just had to get the tapes set before I could call it a night. With Reno down, the rest of that crew's going to be burning up phone lines sorting out who's in charge. Trudy's gonna be busy trying to sort that whole mess out for Castillo and the boys.” He took her hand and led her to the couch. “How was your day?”

Gina smiled and snuggled in beside him. “Good, but frustrating. Some of those girls are so close to coming in, but they just won't take that last step. Too afraid of their pimps, or too hooked on something or another. But it feels good when they do come in. Worth every hour of suffering before they decide.”

Stan took another drink and smiled. As always with Gina he found himself grasping for words. “You're so pretty when you talk about them. I mean you're always pretty, but there's something that happens to your eyes when you talk about winning one of them over. I could watch you talk about it for hours.” He finished the beer and set the empty can on the coffee table. “I know that sounds dumb. I never had Larry's gift of gab.”

“Maybe not.” She giggled and put her arm around his shoulders. “But you mean every word you say. I love that about you, Stan. I always admired it before, but I love it now.”

This time he kissed her. Deep and long. She seemed to flow into his arms and they held each other on the couch. Feeling each other's heartbeats. It was Stan who broke the kiss first. “I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed.”

 

Sonny sat at the saloon table belowdecks on the St. Vitus Dancesipping coffee and listening to Elvis crunch down his brunch on the bow. He had no particular place to be until Tubbs picked him up at three, and it felt good. For the first time in days he could actually sit and take stock of what had happened.

Almost a year on the beach and everything had changed. Things he'd never dreamed possible had come to pass, both on the Job and off. Most of it hadn't really sunk in yet, and some of it he was still trying to figure out. Noogie was dead, Izzy seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, Gina was off the squad, and romance had bloomed in places he'd not expected but was glad to see. He and Tubbs...they'd changed but they hadn't.

His coffee actually tasted good for a change, and Sonny poured a second cup to take up on deck. “Might as well enjoy it now,” he muttered, pulling on a t-shirt and staying in his faded jeans. He'd have to change before they went after Manny, but there was no reason to be uncomfortable now. He could feel the familiar weight of the compact Detonics on his right ankle and smiled to himself. Even when relaxing he didn't like going unarmed.

A light breeze teased at the sloop's rigging, triggering a flood of memories. Some good, some not so good, and others bittersweet. Caitlin had loved the boat, and they'd spent many weekends cruising just offshore pretending they were alone in the world. Those memories wrapped with nights he'd staggered back blind drunk after sealing some two key deal with way too many shots of bourbon or tequila. Through it all the wind had rattled that rigging, reminding him where he was, although maybe not who he was.

Sunk deep in his memories, Sonny didn't hear the pager beep. He did feel it buzz, though, clipped to his jeans waistband even now. Blinking to clear his head, he looked down and read the number. “Not one I recognize. Good chance it's Pedrosa.” Sipping more coffee, he looked up to see Elvis peering around at him. “Yeah, I agree. Let him wait. We don't want to look too eager to dance. It's not becoming, is it, Elvis?” The alligator made a noise that passed for a snort before turning back to his mid-morning nap.

Sonny was still sitting on deck enjoying the day when Rico sauntered down the dock. “Permission to come aboard?” he barked when he was close enough, snapping off a salute that almost but not quite ended with an upraised middle finger.

“Joo got it, main.” Sonny grinned, serving up his best Izzy impersonation. “How kind of you to show up right at feeding time.”

“You're kidding, right? All these years and I still don't trust that crawling suitcase.”

“Let me get changed and we'll go.” As he got to his feet, Sonny tossed Rico the pager. “Look what flew in this morning.”

“Three times no less. Looks we rattled someone's cage.”

“Yeah.” Sonny slipped on his white linen slacks and changed into a dark Henley before shrugging on his shoulder rig with the big 4506. Shoes and a white linen blazer completed the look. It wasn't the new Burnett, but he figured it would rattle Manny enough the little goof wouldn't try to run. “He either wants to talk to us or kill us.”

“Three pages? I'd say talk. If he wanted someone dead he would have tried once and then sent shooters calling. This boat ain't exactly the Bat Cave, you know.”

“Don't say cave around Elvis. He's afraid of the dark.” Sonny slipped on his Ray Bans and came up from below. “Let's get this show on the road. After that maybe we'll call that number and see if it's really Pedrosa.”

As far as Sonny Crockett was concerned one dog track looked like any other. They all smelled of desperation, stale sweat, and dog piss. But they attracted all walks of life, one of the few places bankers rubbed shoulders with bums three weeks from their last showers and shouted for the same sprinting greyhounds. Lined up at the same windows clutching their tickets or money. Both convinced they had a line on a sure thing. And at the end of the day they both lost everything they'd brought with them.

Tubbs adjusted his sun glasses and straightened his tie. “Where is that little chump?”

“Trudy's informant says he cashes his check before she takes all his cash, so I'd say he'll be at the far window.” Sonny nodded down the line toward the far betting window. “Looks like they do all the check cashing down there.”

Bells rang and the ticker board chattered as the odds for the next race were updated. Crockett and Tubbs made their way past men muttered about a trifecta or some other arcane combination guaranteed to make them rich if it ever happened. Sonny scanned the crowd as he walked, his eyes missing nothing behind his sunglasses. “I got two goons over by our window.”

“Yeah. And about four more mixed in the crowd. I don't think they have any heavy artillery, though. Snubbies and blackjacks at most.”

“They aren't as mobbed up down here as your cousins in New Jersey.” Sonny chuckled, dodging a heavyset man in a thousand dollar suit charging toward a window bellowing about his winnings. “No shotguns or baseball bats except for the bosses behind the counter.” He paused, then started walking faster. “There he is! Three back from the window.”

“I see him.” Tubbs started to peel away. “I'll come around from the left so he can't bolt if he sees you.”

“Gotcha. And have your badge ready. Flash the shield at the goons and they'll disappear.”

Manny was as skinny as Crockett remembered, the kind of goofball who disappeared when the turned sideways. Long, dark hair hung down around his shoulders, and his track work shirt looked like he'd been wearing it for months. Clutching his paycheck with both hands, he shuffled forward as the line moved, looking at nothing but the back of the man in front of him. He jumped almost a foot in the air when Sonny touched his arm. “You can cash that later, Manny. We need to have a little talk.”

“Ah! Hey! What you...” Sonny actually had never heard Manny talk before, and the scratchy sound told him why. “You can't...”

“This badge says I can. And guess what? My partner's got one just like it. He's that grumpy guy on your left. He hates dogs, and you made him come out here where he's surrounded by them.”

“That's right, chump.” Tubbs latched onto Manny's upper arm with a grip that made the kid wince. He turned to the guards, palming his badge so they could see it. “And you two best just move along. We just need a few words with the kid.”

“Come on, Manny. Next stop, a room that doesn't smell like dog piss and wino farts. It might even be air conditioned.” He nodded toward the skinny dyed blonde wringing her hands by the window. “Tell your girl you'll be back in a couple of hours. Be a good boy and we'll stop so you can cash your check.”

It felt strange pulling up outside the old Gold Coast Shipping building. Sonny could see Tubbs felt the same way by how his eyes narrowed as he wheeled the big Caddy into a parking spot. Getting in was easy enough; a matter of flashing their badges and new IDs, but Sonny could feel the hot gazes on his back as they herded Manny into an interrogation room. And he hadn't prepared himself for the memories, good and bad, flooding his head as soon as they stepped through the door.

Manny hadn't said a word the entire drive from the track to OCB. In fact, he'd been so motionless Sonny was afraid he'd stroked out somewhere along the way. Now he sat in the hard metal chair, his eyes wide and staring around the room. Tubbs loomed just in the corner of his view. He'd taken off his sunglasses, and now he flashed a thin, mean grin at Izzy's nephew. “Bet you're wondering why we brought you here, chump. Am I right? Of course I'm right. You're sitting there trying not to piss your pants wondering what you did to make us bring you here.”

Sonny leaned in, knowing Manny could see his own fear reflected in the sunglasses. “The thing is, Manny, we don't care about you. Not one bit. You're a small-time little punk as far as we're concerned. No, scratch that. I have friends who are small-time punks and I don't want to insult them. Here's the thing. We want your uncle. Seems he just dropped out of sight.”

Tubbs slammed his hand on the table, the crack making Manny jump. “Bang! Just like that!”

“See, that's a problem for us. We need to talk to him. I know Izzy loves to talk. But he's been out of sight for a whole month. That's just not natural for him.”

“I...”

“Now think real careful before you answer.” Tubbs leaned in, his face inches from Manny's. “You don't want to lie to us. We'll know when you're lying, and it just makes it worse for you.”

Manny's chin trembled. “I...”

“Think about what my partner said.” Sonny yanked a chair over and sat down right beside Manny. “You've been in on scams with Izzy before, and you know we don't lie. You also know we can make your life very, very difficult. It's kind of what we do.”

“He's hiding out.” Manny's voice broke with the admission, and he started sobbing.

Tubbs threw up his hands. “You don't say. We never could have guessed.” He lowered his voice, biting off each word as he spoke. “Tell. Us. Where. He. Is.”

“He's hiding in the Keys. His uncle's got some kind of fishing shack or something out there, and Izzy's using it.” Manny buried his head in his hands and sobbed. “I don't know where it is. If I did, I'd be there instead of working with dogs. I hate dogs!”

Sonny nodded. “Ah. Izzy's mystery uncle have a name?”

“Ferdinand Orosco. He's the one who breeds those damned dogs. They used to piss on me when Izzy made me walk them.”

“Thanks, kid.” Sonny slapped Manny on the arm before he walked out into the old squad room. “Hey Gorman! Can you do me a favor and see the kid in interrogation one gets back to the track? If he's nice let him cash his check on the way.”

Gorman had a head like a bleached watermelon planted squarely in the middle of his massive shoulders. “Fuck you, Crockett. But I'll do it. You helped me out with that Columbian punk two years back.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sonny turned and walked back into the hall. He grinned when he saw Tubbs. “Gorman hasn't changed a bit. Still an asshole.”

“Can you blame him? We just blew in like we own the place and had him take out our trash.” Rico chuckled. “But it couldn't happen to a better asshole. I never did like him.”

“Yeah...and it looks like Pedrosa tried the pager again while we were shaking up Manny.” Sonny walked out into the afternoon, feeling the heat coming up through the thin soles of his shoes. “Let's swing by the office and call him back. Maybe Stan or Trudy can find something on this uncle of Izzy's. Property records or something. We still need to bring the little freak out in the open.”

[Dadrian]

I need to do the score for your episodes @Robbie C. 

[mjcmmv]

Morning coffee and the next installment of Payback. 

Great action and I love the dialogue! I can almost hear their voices as I read!

Now if you can get the score from Dadrian, you'll have the whole package!! 

 

 

[Kladdagh]

That was GREAT ... Thanks for sharing ... 

[Robbie C.]

Glad you’re enjoying it! Much more to come. And apologies if there are typos. I tend to write and post without going back through these. 

[mjcmmv]

13 hours ago, Dadrian said:

I need to do the score for your episodes @Robbie C. 

Hey, I wasn't kidding!! Love your work!!

[vicegirl85]

I think this is a chapter I missed before!  Love the way you're weaving the story.