The More Things Change...(Part XIV)

[Robbie C.]

For those of you still following what's turned into a bit of a monster, this is nearing the end. Another three or four parts possibly. Maybe another if the mood takes me. And then I promise I'll stop clogging up the Fan Fiction area...

 

It was well after midnight before Martin Castillo found himself on the familiar deck looking out over water he could hear but not quite see. Both Switek and Lester were in recovery, the doctors assuring him they'd be fine in a couple of weeks. Lester had been lucky; he'd heard enough of Stan's screamed warning to start diving for cover when the LAW hit. When he left Gina was still sobbing at Switek's bedside, with Sonny and Rico standing close watch just outside the door. The two marshals were still working the remains of the van, like two grim angels of death waiting for someone to stick their head up and volunteer to feed their hunger. Mindy was back at the office, using her considerable skills to ram a request for a new van through Federal procurement red tape.

His unbuttoned suit coat caught the prevailing breeze and flapped out behind him like a short shroud. Still he stood, staring with unseeing eyes at the sounds of the ocean. Letting his mind work through where he'd made mistakes that almost got two of his men killed.

He sensed rather than heard Trudy come up behind him. Her touch on his shoulder was soft, almost a caress. “It's not your fault, Marty.”

“How did you know?”

“I know you. Well, maybe not completely. But I know how you feel about people you're responsible for. You couldn't have seen this coming.”

“I should have known Moncado would sweep for bugs. That he wouldn't trust Pedrosa's work.”

“That's easy to say now.” She squeezed his shoulder. “But before this happened we wouldn't have known Pedrosa would get himself killed and that Moncado would step in so quickly. There wasn't time to change our plan, and we needed intel to move forward.”

“You make it sound simple.” His voice was harder than he intended. “I'm sorry, Trudy. I wasn't trying to hurt.”

“Sometimes it just is simple. There's nothing we could have done to foresee this.”

“Switek and Larry were almost killed. I would have had to explain that to Gina. To Lester's parents.”

“I know. I remember Larry Zito. I also remember you not handing Crockett his ass when everyone but Tubbs thought he'd pushed the case too hard. Pushed Larry too hard. What did you say then? 'He couldn't have seen that coming.' Sound familiar?”

“It's still my responsibility.”

“I know. I'm not saying you're not in the end responsible for what happens to this unit. But that's not the same thing as being personally responsible.” Reaching out, she wrapped her arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. He could smell her hair, feel her warm body through his suit. “If you start blaming yourself we're lost, Marty. And we need you to finish this.”

Castillo didn't say a word, just kept looking out to the waves he couldn't see. After a time he slipped his arm around her slim waist, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being here. For reminding me of what's important.” He smiled. “And for sounding like me when that's what I needed to hear.”

She giggled. “I did sound a bit like you, didn't I?”

“Yes.” Reaching down, he tipped her chin up and kissed her on her half-open lips. “Maybe we should turn in. Tomorrow will be a long day.” Sleep wouldn't come easy. He knew that. But having Trudy there would help. How much it helped continued to amaze him.

 

Sonny looked down at the thin film of bourbon clinging to the bottom of his glass. It was after hours, but Robbie didn't care. Especially once he heard what had happened. Instead he sent his staff home, called his wife with a quick explanation, and then sat at the bar with Sonny and Rico. “You know who did this?”

“Yeah. Some punks who work for that chump Maynard.” Rico drained his own glass and poured another from the bottle Robbie left on the bar.

“It never gets easier.” Sonny kept staring at the film, waiting for it to tell him something. He didn't know what. “Guys get shot up, crippled, sometimes killed. Hell, I figured we saw enough of that in Nam to last a lifetime.”

“Yeah, and we were just MPs.” Robbie drained his own scotch and nodded his thanks when Rico poured him another. “I always felt bad for the snuffies out there.”

“You and me both, pal. You and me both.”

“At least they both made it.” Rico sipped his drink. “It could have been a hell of a lot worse.”

“Your partner's right, Sonny. We could be having a wake right now instead of a few drinks to settle the nerves.” Robbie slapped Sonny on the forearm. “There's that to think about.”

“Yeah, and I bet the lieutenant is beating the hell out of himself right now.”

“There's nothing the man could have done. I don't care how great he is.” Robbie poured Sonny another Black Jack. “Some things in life you just can't see coming. They move too fast and come from places you can't see. That's just how it goes.” He squinted, his forehead wrinkling in thought. “Didn't you once give me some lecture about that?”

“I probably did,” Sonny admitted. “That sounds like something I'd say when I was trying to get someone to do the right thing.” He grinned. “Or what I wanted them to do.”

“At least Stan's got Gina. I feel kinda bad for poor Lester all by himself.”

“She'll look in on him, Rico. And I think Dave and Randy will, too. He's pretty out of it now.”

“So what's your next move? Or can you tell me?”

“I don't know, Robbie. Before this we were just waiting on a call, and now I think we're still waiting on a call.”

“Yeah. If Cooper tries leaning on him, it just shows we're connected with the people who were tapping his phones.” Rico set his glass down. “And that don't get us what we need.”

“It's a complicated thing, Robbie. Those tapes you helped us get would put him away, but he's not the one we're after. It's the guy above him.”

“That former Army spook? So this guy we taped gets a pass?”

“No. He's just a bit lower on the pole. But he'll get what's coming to him.”

“I hope so, Sonny. Never let anyone mess with your friends. That's one thing my family taught me. And you taught me friends are better than family. And harder to come by.”

“Yeah, and I damn near fucked ours up, Robbie. Never again.”

Tubbs raised his glass. “To friends.”

 

Sonny and Rico stared across the conference room with red, narrowed eyes and nursed cups of strong, Crockett-brewed coffee. Trudy focused on her notes, and the marshals formed a three person cluster toward the end of the table. Castillo sat alone at the head, staring down at his hands. When he finally spoke his voice was low. “Understand this. The responsibility for what happened last night rests with me. We take that and move on. No one could have seen them using a LAW in Miami. Maybe I should have expected Moncado to sweep the lines.”

Randy looked up. “There's a bigger question here. How the hell did they know that was our van? Lester and Stan were careful dudes. Some of the best at that I've ever seen. How did they know what van to hit?”

“The leak.” Sonny's voice was flat and almost lifeless. “Someone in Metro-Dade sold them out. Sold us out.”

“IAD is getting nowhere.” Castillo still hadn't looked up. “So we're taking it away from them. Effective now. Detective Joplin and Deputy O'Laughlin have the assignment. You'll find IAD's files in the intel office. I pulled them last night. The rest of you stay in your covers. Tubbs, has Moncado reached out yet?”

“Not a sound, lieutenant. I'll give him another day and then maybe shake the tree.”

“That would give his ships time to reach port.” Sonny spoke around his coffee cup. “That might be what he's waiting on. No point in calling unless he has a warehouse or two loaded with blow.”

Castillo looked up, his dark eyes blazing with suppressed anger. “They won't get away with this. We find the leak and close it. Then we take down Moncado and Maynard. When they tried to kill my people they made it personal.”

No one spoke until Castillo got up and headed for his office. Only then did Dave let out a low whistle. “Did someone just fuck up?”

“You have no idea, pal.” Sonny could only nod. “The gloves and everything else are off now. You thought he was intense before? That was pre-school compared to what you're gonna see now.”

 

Working together, it didn't take Trudy and Mindy long to succeed where Metro-Dade's Internal Affairs Division had failed. They huddled in Trudy's small office for four hours, going through the files, phone records, bank accounts, and scribbled notes. Starting from the beginning, they narrowed it down to one. Then they walked to Castillo's office. “They had all the pieces, lieutenant,” Trudy explained as Mindy laid out the files. “I don't know why they couldn't put it together.”

Mindy nodded. Trudy was coming to understand there was a damned sharp brain lurking behind the red hair and the bright smile. “I don't think they wanted to see it because of bad blood between the Task Force and OCB. I'm sorry, lieutenant. The leak is in OCB.”

“Who?”

Trudy raised her hand. “Let us tell you how first, lieutenant. Then you can make sure our method's sound.” He nodded, not looking up or speaking, and she continued. “IAD was looking at detectives mostly. Higher-profile people they could use to make career-building cases. They started outside OCB, though. Robbery mostly.”

Mindy nodded. “By the time they started looking at OCB they had their routine down. Make a big show of targeting two or three of the detectives in the division with the highest arrest numbers, convictions, clearance rates. Anything that stood out. They'd shake the tree and then move on when nothing fell out. I think they did get one guy in Homicide for having an affair with a hooker or something, but nothing connected to the leaks we'd been hearing about in the marshal's office.”

Trudy shook her head. “Turns out they knew more about them than we did, lieutenant. Lots more.”

“Go on.”

Mindy cleared her throat. “What IAD missed was that most leaks are really small-time operators. People who feel they got passed over. Left out. They aren't all running around with their hand out or needing money to cover up some other activity.”

“That's when we started looking at information they didn't use. Bank records, purchases, that stuff.” Trudy paused, really not wanting to say what came next. But there was no choice. “Our evidence points to Gorman, lieutenant. His bank accounts have been growing in the last few months, and he opened two new ones in different names that are also offshore.” She looked down, trying to control the feelings churning in her chest. “I've known Gorman since I came to OCB. He was never easy to get along with, but he wasn't a bad guy.”

“Maybe not. But he might be now.” Castillo stared at the papers. “I want you to be sure. When you are, I'll arrest him myself. We can't wait for Metro-Dade.” He looked at Mindy. “Can the marshal's office support us?”

“Yes. We can. When you give the word I'll reach out and get a warrant from the assistant U.S. attorney. Interfering with a Federal investigation, conspiracy to murder deputy marshals. We've got a good guy. I'm sure he'll stack on at least six more things.”

“Good. Give it one more look. Be sure we didn't miss anything. Then let me know.”

Once the two left, Castillo sat in his chair and turned to look out the window. OCB. The reality was still fighting for space in his head, even though his heart knew it had to be true. No one else knew about the Bug Van outside his immediate team, and Gorman could have fed them as much as they wanted about the surveillance operations. Once Stan went in and started replacing the parts Moncado's men had fried, he knew who to target.

Rubbing his temples, Castillo kept staring out the window with unfocused eyes. He should have expected something like this to happen. Except I did. That's why I brought the people I did and left the others behind. But I should have expected someone to get their feelings hurt. Still, he would have though it would be someone new, not a veteran like Gorman. He had no doubt Trudy and Mindy had identified the right person, but he wanted to take the extra step. Not so much for Gorman, but for himself.

He kept telling himself both Lester and Stan would be back on the job. They had to come back. He'd held Gina at the hospital, knowing how it tore at her to see Stan there. And later Trudy had held him when he blamed himself for what had happened. Now it was time to turn that page. Time to make others pay for what they'd done. No, he thought, turning away from the window, that's not quite right. Time to hold them accountable for what they've done.

 

Sonny sat at the table, watching as Trudy and Mindy went into Castillo's office, came back out, and then headed back in almost half an hour later. Dave and Randy decided to stake out the scene of the attack. “Just in case some asshole wants to admire his handiwork,” Randy mentioned as they left, and Sonny couldn't fault his thinking. Castillo had clamped down hard on the hospital, with no information going out about who'd been wounded or if they're survived. Moncado's people were bound to get curious, and he doubted they'd run the gauntlet of people the marshal's service had thrown around Stan's and Lester's rooms.

Tubbs also left. “I'm gonna see if Lester needs anything,” he announced. “Gina's got Stan sewn up, but Lester don't seem to have anyone checking on him.”

“Good thinking, partner. I'll hang tight in case the lieutenant decides to move on something.” In fact he was kicking himself for not thinking of checking on Lester himself. There's no time for 'me' plays in this game. Damn it! I should know better by now. He looked down at the dregs of coffee in his cup and sighed. One corner of his mind said he should just go back to the boat and wait for the call, but that was also the selfish side. The thought of going a few more rounds with Jenny was damned appealing right about now. And if she was scouting him for someone, staying away just made him look connected to the Bug Van.

Lurking in the back of it all was the sound of Gina's voice when she'd made him promise to hurt whoever had done this. Hurt them bad. He'd said yes, but was it a promise he could keep? He knew one answer was yes. Definitely yes. Burnett would do it and not think twice. But would he? He'd given his word to a woman who still meant a great deal to him, and he owed it to a man whose best friend he'd managed to get killed by being an overzealous asshole. How could he walk away from that and still look at himself in the mirror? He smiled. Same question I asked Robbie all those years ago. And now that it's me having to answer it's damned harder question.

Castillo's office door opened and he strode out, suit coat buttoned and the slim leather tie a straight line down his shirt. Trudy and Mindy trailed along behind, Mindy breaking off to head for the intel office. “I'll make the call, lieutenant. You'll have a basic warrant before you get there.”

Castillo just nodded, and when he looked at Sonny his eyes were ice. “Come on, Crockett. He have an arrest to make. Mindy, let me know when the warrant's ready. Call my car.”

Sonny got up, looking at Trudy and shrugging when she looked straight again and avoided his gaze. “Where are we going, lieutenant?”

“You'll see. Come on.”

They drove in silence, Castillo guiding his big Ford through the traffic like a shark cruising through an gray concrete aquarium. Sonny rode up front and Trudy sat in the back seat with a small pile of folders. Once the phone buzzed. Castillo answered without taking his eyes off the road. “Yes? Good.” Then he hung up. From long experience Sonny knew to ask no questions, but he did start to wonder as the car made its way along a familiar route.

Finally he had to ask. “Are we heading to OCB?”

“Yes.”

How the hell does that man pack so much into one word? “Do we need more equipment or something?”

“No.” Castillo eased the big car to a stop in one of the parking spots along the side of the white Gold Coast building. “We're here to plug the leak.”

“What?”

Castillo started to speak, then something in his eyes changed. “Trudy?”

“Mindy and I went through IAD's files. Looking for things they missed.”

“Now that's a whole damned encyclopedia on its own.”

“Yeah. They had the information but didn't know what they were looking for. Mindy and I found it. The leak is in OCB, Sonny.”

“Some rookie looking to make a fast buck?”

“No. It's worse than that.” She paused, and he could sense her trying to gather her thoughts and control her emotions at the same time. “It's Gorman.”

“You're sure?” The thought jarred his head. Gorman wasn't a great detective, but he wasn't the run of the litter, either. He'd had their backs when they went through any number of doors, but Sonny could count on one hand the number of cases Gorman closed on his own. That had to be a kick in the balls for a cop like Gorman. A hard-charger in uniform and then perpetual bride's maid in OCB.

Castillo spoke again, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. “Yes. She's sure. And so am I.” He opened the car door and stepped out into the scorching afternoon heat. “We have an arrest to make. Crockett, you and Joplin back me up. We're doing this as deputy marshals, and our warrant comes from the U.S. attorney's office, not the locals. Remember that.” Without another word he slammed the car door and strode toward the front doors of the building.

“Gorman,” Sonny muttered, hurrying to keep pace with Castillo. “Who would have thought?”

“I know,” Trudy muttered, her heels clicking as she kept pace. “He was there when I came on board.”

Sonny was about to speak, but then remembered Calderone and Scotty Wheeler, his old partner. Money had a way of changing things, especially if you needed it badly enough. Maybe Gorman's weakness was something else. Still...

He felt eyes on them as they entered the old OCB team room, desks once familiar and comfortable now seeming ratty and wasted in the flickering fluorescent lights. Only a few of the faces had names to go with them, which didn't surprise him considering how Marty had cleaned out the place when he formed the task force. Leaving only the second-best or those too new to have a track record. Still, he felt a subdued menace in the air. Like he was on hostile ground. It didn't sit right.

Castillo didn't stop walking until he was in the face of the new OCB commander, a lieutenant who'd come over from homicide and thought he was the shit. Or he did until Castillo took off his sunglasses and unleashed the stare. Whatever the man had been about to say died on his lips and came out as a “How can I help you, lieutenant?”

“Where's detective Gorman?”

“Working on a suspect in Interview One.” The man turned, his cheap blue sportcoat billowing with the movement. “I can...”

“You can wait here. And so can your people. This is Federal business.”

“But...”

“You heard the man, pal.” Sonny never cared much for homicide detectives. Always too quick to pin something on the first sucker they came across in an investigation. He never wanted to admit there were vice cops who did the same thing. “Just stay put and things will be fine.”

Castillo had already turned and started down the corridor to the interview rooms. Crockett and Trudy hurried to catch up, reaching him as his hand went down to the knob on Interview One's door. “I'll handle this,” he said, opening the door. “Be ready in case they try to interfere.”

Gorman had been hunched over a skinny kid who looked to be a corner dealer and probably Cuban. “You tell me who set that up, you little shit!” he thundered, sweat beads glittering on his bald head. “Tell me and maybe we can deal.”

“Get out.” The two words were quiet, almost inaudible over the kid's sobbing. “Not you, Detective Gorman. You stay.” Castillo waited until the kid left the room, watching Gorman with expressionless eyes.

“What hell? You bust in here, ruin my interrogation, and then let the suspect walk! Have you lost your mind? Have you...”

Castillo's left hand flashed out like a striking adder, and Gorman's head slammed into the interrogation table with a thud as his fingers locked around the big man's throat. Sonny had seen him do that once before with ex-CIA spook, but this was worse. Gorman's fingers scrabbled without success, trying to latch onto Castillo's arm. His face went from white to red as he gasped for breath. “You helped give up my people. Almost got them killed.”

“Marty!” Trudy's voice whipped over Sonny's head, reminding him he should step in as well. But part of him didn't want to. Part of him wanted to see the life leave Gorman's body. To see him pay for what he'd done.

Castillo didn't move, but his fingers relaxed, just holding down now instead of killing. “How did they get to you? Never mind. We'll find out later. Wayne Gorman, you are under arrest for interfering in a Federal investigation and conspiracy to murder Federal law officers. Deputy Crockett, cuff this son of a bitch.”

Sonny pulled out his cuffs and slapped them on Gorman's big wrists. “Hope those aren't too tight for you, Wayne old pal. Wait, I take that back. I don't give a shit if they are too tight.”

“But I...”

Trudy's voice was a hiss now. “We've got you, baldy. All your bank accounts, all that money. Your phone logs. We've got it all.”

Sonny grabbed the cuff chain, pulling the big man to his feet. “Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you introduced to your new pals down in Federal lockup.”

They led the big man back through the office, Sonny meeting the gaze of anyone who looked to challenge their passing. Castillo stopped the new lieutenant with a glance. “He's under arrest for conspiracy to murder Federal law enforcement officers. He sold out to a drug cartel. Anyone who interferes gets a ticket to join him.”

“He was on your watch, Castillo.” The new guy smirked. “He's not my problem.”

“Wrong. He was here when I took command of OCB. And he went bad on your watch. This can get as ugly as you want it to be.”

Sonny chuckled. “You're in the big leagues now, pal. Maybe you should go back to homicide and frame some gang-bangers. Might be something you're good at.”

Gorman was still wheezing to breathe when they arrived at the chief deputy's office. The prisoner transfer was easy enough, Crockett reclaiming his cuffs when a massive deputy with arms covered in tattoos slapped his own on a now-frightened Gorman. “I didn't know Stan was with your outfit, lieutenant. Honest. He said he was working with the state police or some shit. I didn't know!” he almost shrieked the last words as the deputy tossed him through the door like bald rag doll.

Trudy grabbed her files. “I'll stay here and help them fill in the blanks, lieutenant. I'm sure I can catch a ride back.”

They were about halfway back to task force headquarters when Sonny broke the silence. “That was intense, Marty.”

“He betrayed us. Almost got Stan and Lester killed.” Castillo's jaw twitched. “He's lucky he's still alive.” Reaching down, he turned on the headlights as the sun started losing its hold on Miami.

“I know. But we have to stay focused. How long before Moncado knows his source is gone? Will that scare him off?”

“No. He's too confident. And there's too much pressure from Maynard. We may be essentially deaf and blind now, but we know what he needs and we know we're the only ones who can meet that need.”

“Why do you think he did it?”

“Pride and money. In that order. I didn't bring him into the task force for a reason, and that was because Gorman always had a chip on his shoulder. But he'd see that as us being afraid he'd make us look bad. Especially when he saw you and Rico come back. And once he got the money he was theirs for as long as they needed him.”

“IAD really screwed up, didn't they?”

“Yes. And the reckoning will come later.” Sonny knew from the set of Castillo's jaw there would be a reckoning. A very painful one. “But you're right, Sonny. We need to stay focused on the mission and the target. To do anything else now is dangerous.”

Sonny nodded. “You think he was telling the truth? About thinking Stan and Lester were working with the state police?”

“Detective Switek has good street senses, Sonny. You never gave him credit for that. And I know he didn't like Gorman. He was practicing good operational security. It may have saved this operation.”

Sonny swallowed the rebuke without flinching. Castillo was right. He'd never really taken Stan seriously until lately, and he'd always missed how in touch with the street Stan was, even when he was working a desk. Dear God I have to do better if I'm going to survive at this level. This is a whole new ball game. He looked out the window, watching cars flash past as they kept to the left lane. “So you think Moncado's still in the dark about us?”

“We can hope so. Assume he knows but continue like he doesn't.” Castillo turned the big car into the underground garage. “I want you to help Mindy take stock of our surveillance tomorrow. Find out what's left. If we're lucky he'll think the state police were watching Pedrosa and Reno, not him. We may be able to save something.”

“And if not?”

“We go with what we have.” Castillo shut off the car and sat for a moment, the ticking of the cooling engine the only sound reaching their ears. “It's the only option we have.”

“I know.” Sonny stared at the dusty vinyl dashboard. “I want this guy, lieutenant. Don't pull me off this. I don't care if Maynard makes me. Like I said before, I'm perfect bait. He won't be able to walk away once he sees me.”

“No one's pulling you off. But stay focused. I need you on your game.” Castillo climbed out of the car, adjusting his suit coat as his shoes hit the cool concrete of the garage floor. “Don't forget that. Now go back to the boat and get some rest. We're at a standstill until Tubbs hears from Moncado.”

 

It was well after dark by the time Sonny turned the Ferrari into his normal parking spot and shut off the engine. He could see the shadow of her boat tied up in its normal spot, and a part of him wanted to see if she was awake. Even though Stan and Lester were both still alive, the realization of what could have happened kept slugging him in the gut. It was too much like finding Larry Zito in the locker room shower, water tricking down over his lifeless body and that damned needle hanging out of his arm. It had taken days for Crockett to lose the stench of unwashed socks and stale sweat, and years before the image took a back seat to more recent ones replaying in his head.

As he walked, he tried to focus on the sounds of the water. The tinkle of bells on some of the boats lining the dock. And the creak of ropes, chains and masts as the ships themselves stirred under the soft caress of an onshore breeze building as the heat of the day fled. But he couldn't escape the stench of burned rubber and melted plastic overlaid with hot metal and high explosives.

He hadn't counted on her being awake. He was just past her boat when a familiar, throaty voice stopped him in his tracks. “What? No hello?”

“Sorry, Jenny.” He shrugged. “I wasn't paying a damned bit of attention. Probably would have walked off the end of the dock if you hadn't said something.”

She had her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and he liked the way it highlighted her cheekbones and the structure of her jaw. An oversize t-shirt floated around her trim form in the breeze, and he could tell when it touched her skin she wasn't wearing anything under it. “Want to come on board and have a drink? You don't need to worry about that Elvis of yours. Marina guy fed him when you weren't home by nightfall.” She chuckled. “I wish he took care of me like that.”

“I don't want anyone else feeding you. I though that was my job.”

She snorted, but he could see her eyes glittering in the dim light from the two stern lanterns. “Then you'd better get up here and get to work, mister. Let me pour you a drink.”

As soon as his feet hit the deck, Sonny took her in his arms. She gasped, then melted against him. He slid his fingers through her ponytail and tugged her head slightly back, kissing her half-open lips. “Care for an appetizer?”

“Feels like you missed me.” She smiled and pressed herself against him, moving her hips. “I know I missed you.”

Sonny knew he needed to focus. On what had happened to Stan and Lester and how to move the operation forward from that. But all he could think of right now, in this breeze-swept instant, was how good Jenny felt in his arms. And how his need matched hers. In the end they barely made it below deck, and she didn't bat an eye when he slipped out of his shoulder rig and let the big 4506 fall to one of the compartment settees.

Somehow she sensed his mood and things went slower, almost gently. He doubted she was ever really a gentle lover, but she spent more time letting him hold her and just being with her. In the end they made their way to her berth again, lying on the small bunk and holding each other. She ran her long, slim fingers along his ribs. “Rough day?”

“Somethin' like that. How was yours?”

“Good.” She giggled. “You came back. No, I did get some work done on the boat. She needs a bit of TLC from time to time. The first owner didn't know a damned thing about boats, and I keep finding things that never got done. Another day, maybe two, and she'll be good to go again.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Not like me. I don't need that much time before I can go again.”

“Good thing, too.” Sonny fought back the urge to ask her where she was going. He didn't want to make her lie this early in the game. Rico was right. He just needed to let it roll and see what happened. And try not to get too invested in her. That would be the hard part.

“I'm glad you think so.” She kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. Sonny never made it to the St Vitus Dancethat night.

 

Ricardo Tubbs looked through the open hospital room door. He could just see Stan's hair through the bandages, even the parts that had been blackened and singed by the explosion. Gina sat by the bed, his hand gripped in hers. She looked up when she sensed movement and smiled. “Rico! I'm glad you came. But where's...”

“The lieutenant wanted him to stay at the office.” Rico figured it was only partly a lie. “They're working on who leaked the information that let the Bug Van be targeted.” Rico's eyes narrowed. “They'll find him, too. Trudy's wicked smart with that stuff, and she's got one of the marshals to help her.”

“There was a leak?”

“Yeah. Somewhere in Metro-Dade.” Rico took her hand, leading her away from the bed. “He can hear us even if he's doped up, so I don't want to agitate him. Turns out the marshals have been hearing rumors of a leak for months now. IAD's clomping around, but those chumps couldn't find their own asses with a map, instructions, a flashlight, and someone else looking for them.” He shook his head. “But Trudy...that girl will find a leak if it's there.”

“Thanks for trying to make me laugh, Rico.” Gina smiled a sad smile, looking back at the bed. “I'm just glad he wasn't in the van. Lester, too. If something happened to Lester and he lived it would destroy Stan. And me.”

“I can see you care for him.”

“Care? I love him, Rico. With all my heart.” She sniffed, trying to fight back tears. “Who did this?”

“A bad guy. A really bad guy. Former death squad type from Columbia.” Rico debated how much he should say. How badly he should scare Gina.

“Is it part of that stupid Columbian-Dominican gang thing?”

“No. This makes them look like kids with spit wads.” He made his decision. She deserves to know. She needs to know what Stan's up against. “This Columbian works for Maynard.”

“Captain Real Estate? That ghost of Crockett's?”

“Yeah. But he's real. A real bad dude. And that's who we're after.”

A thin voice rasped from under the bandages. “Don't worry, Rico. If there's a leak they don't know about you.”

“Stan!” Gina ran to the bed, wrapping her arms around him and almost pulling out an IV and at least three other monitors. “Baby! It's me!”

“I know, Gina. Hard to talk, but Rico needs to know.” Stan stopped, and Rico could see readings spiking as the big guy mustered his strength. “I told OCB we were working with the state police. Lester and me. They didn't know we were with you guys.”

“Stan, that's brilliant. You are one sharp cat.” He looked down at Gina's tear-streaked face and smiled. “And lucky, too. I'll leave you two alone. I want to go say hi to Lester.”

Stan's voice cracked. “Is he...”
“He's fine, Stan. Got the same facial treatment you did, so you both should look better once the bandages come off.” Rico chuckled. “But yeah, he's in the room next door. He ended up diving into a sloping gutter, so a good bit of the blast missed him. I'll bet you shouted and saved his life.”

“Just saw a flash...had to let Larry know...” Stan's voice was winding down like an old watch.

“You just hold tight to Gina and rest, big guy.” Rico squeezed Gina's shoulder. “You take care of him.”

Lester's room was quiet except for the ticking and pulsing of various machines dripping fluids or tracking vital signs. Lester's face was wrapped like Stan's, but he also had a splint on an arm and one of his legs. Rico walked over to the side of the bed. “Hey, Lester. Just wanted to stop by and let you know we're trackin' down the chumps who did this to you. I'll be back as often as I can to say hi and see if you need anything. You're part of the team now, and don't ever forget that. And you earned your spot. Ain't no bigger compliment for a man or a cop.” Reaching down he squeezed Lester's hand, and felt tears form in his eyes when Lester squeezed back. “Get better soon. We need you and Stan like you don't know.”

Back in the hall, Ricardo Tubbs took the time to straighten his suit coat and check the line of his shirt with his dark dress pants. This wasn't the time to slip, to let things out. Rico had to be in control. In order to meet with Moncado, to keep up the facade of Rico Cooper from New York City, he had to be in control. If Stan had told everyone he and Lester were working with the state police, there was still a chance Moncado wouldn't think they were connected. And that meant everything was riding on him and his ability to be Cooper.

As Rico walked down the corridor, trying to block the acrid hospital smell from his mind, he thought back on Cooper. He wasn't like Sonny Burnett. He wasn't even really a formed, single personality. Cooper was whatever was needed. A slick businessman from New York. A one step from rasta island guy looking to score. A not-so-slick Bronx dealer. You name it, Cooper could be it. But now, with the task force and the apartment, Cooper had to take form. Maybe it's Castillo's way of telling me it's time he thought with a smile as he walked through the whooshing automatic doors and out to the hospital parking lot.

Duty done, Rico had the rest of the evening to kill. He didn't feel like going back to the office, even if it gave him a chance to admire Mindy. Maybe it was time for a night in at Casa Cooper. Sit on the roof and watch the city come to life and slowly die as the night took its course. It was a good spot for thinking, one he'd come to appreciate.

He was just pulling in when the car phone buzzed. Castillo's voice hit his ear like a brick. “Gorman was the leak.”

“Damn. Stan told me he'd been telling everyone there he and Lester were working with the state police.”

“Gorman said the same thing. So we still have a chance.”

“Do you want me to come in?”

“No. Take the night. I sent Sonny and Mindy home, too. Trudy...”

“It's cool, Marty. You go be with your lady and take care of yourself. Or let her take care of you. This is on Moncado, and we'll set it right soon enough.”

“Thank you, Ricardo.”

The phone buzzed hollow in his ear, so Tubbs hung up. It might not have been the wisest thing to mention Trudy, but he didn't care now. And like Sonny had said, if anyone deserved happiness it was those two. Passing through the lobby, he checked his mailbox before keying in his private elevator code and heading for the penthouse.

Shrugging off his suit coat, he left the Chief's Special in its hip holster and poured a scotch over ice before heading out to the rooftop patio. The lights of the city streamed out all around him, and down toward the marina he imagined he could see Sonny doing whatever it is he did on nights like this. “Probably that Jenny chick,” he muttered with a light stab of jealousy. Even if she was targeting him, and least Sonny was getting some affection out of the deal.

Rico sipped the sharp whiskey, trying to keep his mind away from the path it had chosen. Seeing Stan and Lester like that always steered him to thinking of holding his dying brother in his arms, and then to Angelina and then to Rico Junior, wherever he was. Rico was sure the boy was still alive somewhere. “I'm his father,” he whispered to the uncaring night. “I'd know if he was dead. Wouldn't I? They claim mothers have that connection. Why can't fathers?” His own father had. He'd know Rafael was dead even before Rico called. Well before the good-intentioned police chaplain reeking of cheap rye had shown up at the door to lisp about how sorry the department was and to offer his condolences. In the end he was lucky the older Tubbs had only slugged him hard enough to loosen three teeth.

They hadn't spoken since that day. Rico didn't know why. It was as if his father blamed the uniform, and by extension the younger son who still wore that uniform, for the death of his oldest boy. Rico sent a card every Christmas, hoping maybe it would make the dingy walk-up seem a bit brighter even for a second or two. His sister stopped calling once he said he was staying in Miami, and his mother had died six years before so she couldn't say a word. But it was all still there; the legacy that drove him to Miami and ultimately into the arms of the daughter of his brother's killer. Maybe it was the best of them, or the worst of them, that came together to make the baby boy. He wasn't sure, and wondered if he'd ever know.

It was rare for Rico to think of himself. Usually he was trying to keep Crockett together. But since they'd been gone for a year, their roles had changed a bit. Crockett seemed more at ease with himself than Rico had ever seen. The tantrums were more or less gone, replaced by a maturity that had likely been there all along but hidden under a ton of denial. And now Rico felt more on the edge. More uprooted.

Finishing his drink, Rico looked down at the cars streaming along amber-lit roadways. Sonny had even been able to keep Burnett in check, something he wasn't sure about when they got back together. It wasn't a completely comfortable thing, but there was control. Maybe being around the marshals helped. As Sonny himself had unwittingly pointed out, they came from the same place.

Sighing, he turned away. It was time to see about getting some real sleep. Moncado would be calling any time, and Cooper had to be ready to step on stage without giving the show away.

[Kladdagh]

Love your readings ... GREAT GREAT GREAT 

[Robbie C.]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[Matt5]

Great post 

[mjcmmv]

Another good one!!