No Good Deed...Part XX

[Robbie C.]

It was mid-afternoon when Martin Castillo pulled into the parking lot of Randy’s hotel. They’d waited for a time outside the Post offices. Long enough to get the lay of the land but not long enough to draw attention. When Randy said they weren’t likely to see Renfro again before dark Castillo just nodded and pulled away.

As they drove, he filled Randy in about Wiggins. “We never thought he’d be released,” he finished just as they parked. “But now we know who’s behind at least part of this.”

“You don’t think Wiggins is the only guy messin’ around behind the curtain?”

“No. Not really. He has no ties to Miami, so he’d need to bring in local help.”

Randy nodded. “Muscle anyhow. Ain’t no tellin’ how many former clients a lawyer might have scattered around. And he was a lawyer, right?”

“At one time. Then he got into the music business.” Castillo shut off the Mercedes and looked through his dark Ray Bans at the parking lot. “Buy you a drink?”

“Sure. Beats the hell out of sweatin’ in the car.”

The hotel bar was almost empty, recovering from the lunch rush and gathering itself for the dinner and incoming flight crowd. Randy and Castillo found a booth near the back and ordered from a bored waitress. Neither man spoke, content with the quiet until the drinks arrived.

Castillo spoke first. “Wiggins will up his game after the story with Angie failed.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t know Sonny very well, does he?”

“No. They only met a handful of times. And Wiggins and Fremont were always more interested in Caitlin.”

“So we’re still operating kinda blind.”

“Yes.” Castillo sipped his rum, feeling the ice cubes bump against his teeth. “We should know more once Switek gives us our ears, and I think Trudy and Mindy might be able to find some more information, too.”

“I hate the waiting.” Randy chuckled and sipped his bourbon. “I can do it no sweat out in the jungle behind a pair of binoculars or a rifle, but this shit wears me down.”

Castillo nodded. “I agree. But we have one big advantage over them. They don’t know we’re aware of them. Right now they think they’re safe. In control.”

“They kinda are, Marty. We know the players, or some of ‘em, but we don’t know much else.”

“Look at it this way. They know about Sonny and maybe Rico. I doubt if even Wiggins knows about me, and they don’t have any idea you exist.”

“Yeah. There is that. And they ain’t gonna have a clue about Stan and Lester. Or Steve.” He laughed again. “I had a hell of a time convincing Dave to fly back home. But I’d rather deal with him being pissed than Debbie being pissed.”

“He’s a good man.”

“One of the best.” Randy looked down at the smokey bourbon. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he hangs it up in another coupla years. Debbie wants to have kids an’ all.”

“And this life is no life for a family.” Castillo nodded his understanding. He’d lost track of how many failed marriages he’d seen in his time in service. CIA, DEA, Metro-Dade. The uniform didn’t matter. It was the Job that took the toll. “He’s making the right choice if he wants to have a family.”

“Yeah. He knows that. Don’t know how long I’ll stick around once he goes, though.” Randy sighed. “I’m too damned set in my ways to break in some kid partner.”

“It’s hard to step away, and sometimes you miss it. But…”

“You can always dip a toe back in.” Randy grinned. “Like we’re doin’ now.”

He left Randy sitting in the booth with his glass of golden bourbon, driving back out to the house by the water while there was still light. Trudy’s red Challenger was already in its usual spot, and he let the Mercedes roll into its normal place before putting it in part and shutting off the engine.

She was waiting for him on the deck. “You should have heard Sonny,” she said, handing him a glass of iced green tea. “He really let the Post have it.”

“Good. Maybe it will keep Wiggins and the rest off balance. We need to buy some time so we can figure out who else is in play with this.”

She looked at him, her dark brown eyes questioning. “Stan sure took off in a hurry this afternoon. I haven’t seen the big guy move so fast since the last Elvis memorabilia auction.”

“He had work to do.”

“I’ll bet he did. Does Sonny know?”

“No.” Castillo sipped the tea, preferring its simple flavor to the rum he’d had not half an hour ago. “And it’s probably better if he doesn’t know.”

“Yeah. That’s true. He’d never sit still.”

“How did the girls go?”

She smiled. “Good. There were four, just like they said. God, it reminds me of some of those hooker sweeps we used to do back in Vice. They’re so young, but trying so hard to act tough.”

“Things haven’t been easy for them.” He raised his hand as she started to speak. “And I know that’s not an excuse. But at least they have a real chance with the House. That’s why this is so important.”

“I know. It’s worse when you catch them when they don’t know you’re watching. That’s when they look so scared and so young.” She paused. “I think I know why Gina does it now. So many of them must remind her of Odette.”

“Did you learn anything else about Wiggins?” Castillo looked out toward the water. He’d seen enough misery in Southeast Asia to last a lifetime.

“Not much we didn’t already know. Except that he went to law school with a certain Arthur Haskell.”

Castillo nodded. “Now we know one player. Two if you count the editor Renfro.”

“What about Jimmy?”

“He’s a tool. It doesn’t make him harmless, but I don’t see this as being his idea. It’s too sophisticated.”

“But what about Angelina Francis? His bait?”

“That would make him mad, but I don’t think he could come up with something like the Angie headline. He wouldn’t have the pull with the paper. That had to come from Renfro. And only Wiggins would know about Angie. Mindy said Haskell had worked with the paper before? That’s the link between the two.”

“Now what?”

“We wait. The hardest part. We need to know who else is in play. It feels like something is still missing.”

“When do you think Stan will start hearing voices?”

He smiled. “Tomorrow for sure. Those two work fast when they have a mission.”

“Good.” She took a step closer and slid her arm around him. “I don’t like not knowing, either.”

 

Hector Rendozo looked from his drink to Jangles’ goggling eyes and back again. “Man, you better do somethin’ about that face before they throw a damn net over you and haul you off.”

“Man! Don’t you get it?” He waved a small cell phone in front of Hector’s face. “That text, man? She’s in!”

“Well why the fuck didn’t you just say so, mano? Why all this fancy jive shit?”

“Aw, come on, man.” He looked around. “An’ don’t look now but Ramon’s on his way over.”

“Ramon? I didn’t think you’d ever catch that bitch in a strip club.”

“Lighten up, Hector. Ramon’s a good dude. Most times, anyhow.” Jangles turned to the approaching Ramon. At least he’s dressed like a real dude again Hector thought. “Ramon! How’s it hangin’, dude?”

“Good, man.” The two exchanged hand slaps and Hector was afraid they’d end up kissing. “Hey, Hector. How’s tricks?”

“Good. You still got that punk on speed dial?”

“You mean Miguel? Yeah. Can’t say I trust the bitch much, but I can still get him.”

“Good. He’s like Plan B. Really, really Plan B, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah. But, Hector, does that mean you got another way into this Cooper thing?”

“Maybe.”

“I get it, man. Play it close. I would, too, after that show Burnett put on for the TV people today.” Ramon whistled low. “I seriously thought he was gonna pop one of them reporters.”

“Yeah.” Hector had only seen bits on the news, but Burnett’s intensity was real. He’d been watching for Cooper, or Tubbs to give him his right name. But the guy seemed to be good at staying under the radar. Or at least off TV cameras. “Guess the first move those lawyers made was a damned bust.”

Jangles laughed. “I mean, why go after some bitch no one knows? That ain’t gonna do nothing but piss off Burnett if she’s a friend of his.”

“Worse. She was close to his dead wife.” Hector shook his head. Must have been the damned newspaper guy who came up with that idea. All it did is let Burnett know someone was coming. And you don’t give a guy like him warning. “All it did is make our job harder. But we’re gonna pull it off.”

“They called you yet?”

“No. But they will. I think that damned story was all they had. You two ain’t heard anything about that puta reporter, have you? Jimmy or whatever his bitch name is?”

They both shook their heads. “Naw, man. He’s been quiet. He was always a one trick pony, though. Him and that girl.” Ramon looked around, seeming to see the inside of the strip club for the first time. “How can you focus with all these tits on display, man?”

“Focus, Ramon. Lotsa focus.” So he is a dude under those damned girl jeans after all. “And you’re sure this guy ain’t showed his head?”

“Yeah.” Ramon’s eyes were locked onto a trim blonde with tits that almost looked real. “We got time…”

“Hell, that’s the plan, mano. Business is done for now.” Hector looked over Ramon’s head and winked at Jangles. There wasn’t much they could do until the damned lawyers called, and with Ramona in place inside Caitlin’s House they had to wait for her to reach out. It was all about waiting now, and he found prison had left him very damned good at waiting.

It was just past midnight when Hector unlocked the door to his hotel room. He’d left Jangles and Ramon in the not so tender clutches of a pair of bottle blondes with fake tits and mercenary inclinations. Shutting the door, he tossed his denim jacket on the bed and turned on the lights. They’d get whatever they paid for; likely in more ways than one.

The message light on the room phone glowed red, and he smiled as he called the number. It was the older one’s voice. Haskell. “We need to talk. Call this number as soon as you get this. Someone will answer.” Hector scribbled the number on a small note pad and hit the button to delete the message. He pulled the jacket back on to conceal his Beretta and headed downstairs. There was a pay phone outside the convenience store across the parking lot he hadn’t used before.

Haskell sounded like he’d been asleep, and Hector snorted. Damned fool gives out his own number. “Got your message.”

“Hank? Good. Listen, the story didn’t go like we planned.”

“Gathered that. Sonny Burnett ain’t the kinda guy you poke with a stick.”

“Now we know. My, er, associates wanted to know if your plan was still good.”

Hector paused for a moment, weighing options. “So far, yeah. We got someone inside, and now we wait.”

“Wait? But they can…”

“You don’t understand. Security in that place is tight. Like prison tight. Anyone we get in has to be careful they don’t get caught. They ain’t no use to us if they’re caught an’ fired.” No reason for him to know the person inside was posing as a patient. “That cat they got doing security knows his business, an’ Burnett’s gonna be double paranoid now that you idiots tipped him off.”

There was silence for a time. “It wasn’t my idea, you see…”

“Don’t matter who thought of it. It’s done.” Hector smiled, picturing the lawyer sitting on the edge of some overdone bed sweating and maybe pissing himself a bit. “Now we gotta move on with what we got. And that’s me an’ my crew. I’ll call you when I hear from the one inside.”

Back in his room he poured himself a drink from one of the little bottles they stocked the mini-fridge with and chuckled. Haskell was scared. There was no doubting that. He didn’t think the bigger one, Wiggins, would be. Not yet, at least. He wanted them both scared. And he needed the damned paper out of the way. Their need for a story would get in the way of his need for information, and he didn’t think Ramona would be able to do both.

Even though it was chilled, the whiskey warmed a path down his throat. Hector stared at the TV, seeing the pictures without registering the sound or what he was watching. Instead he let his mind spin through plans. Ways to get the paper out of the way before they ruined things. He didn’t care about the damned House, or even Burnett. It was Tubbs he wanted. All the rest was background noise.

 

“So you think this guy who tried to kill your wife is back in town?”

Sonny nodded, turning in his chair so he could look Bobby Crandall in the eyes. “Yeah, I do.” He didn’t mention Jenny’s dreams, even though he thought Tex might be one of the few outside of the old Task Force who’d understand. “He’s about the only one who’d know about Angie.”

Tex chuckled. “I saw that press thing on the news. You handled it damned well, honestly.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. You came at ‘em hard, but stayed in control. Burnett again?”

“Yeah. It’s how those press goofballs know me, at least as far as the House goes.” He shook his head. “Probably a good thing, though. Means I stayed focused.”

“So why come and see me?” Tex raised his hand. “Not that I’m sayin’ you shouldn’t, mind, but I wanna know what triggered it.”

“Yeah.” He paused, then sighed. “It’s what comes next. That’s what worries me.” He leaned forward in the chair, clasping his hands in his lap. “Like you said before, most of my adult life’s been about action. And being in some system that let me act. Football, you hit the dude they tell you to hit. The Corps, you shoot who they tell you to shoot. Cop, you arrest who they tell you to arrest. And in each one you got cover if you do it right, an’ rules telling you what you can and can’t do.”

“And you got none of that now.”

“No. I don’t. And when someone comes after me or the things I love…” He shook his head. “I just ain’t sure I’ll know where the line is now.”

“Funny how we all bitch about structure until we don’t have it.” Tex’s chair creaked in protest as he leaned back. “It shapes us without us knowin’ it. And you got three structures to fight with. The combat vet, the cop, an’ Burnett’s structure.”

“Yeah. And I think it’s Burnett that worries me the most. He’s mission-focused, but at the same time he’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish that mission. Structure be damned. There were a couple of times with the Task Force when I had to let him out of his cage. It got the job done, but…”

“Did you ever go off the rails?”

“No. I mean not really. Pushed the edges a few times, but that was it.”

Tex nodded. “That tells me this Burnett part of you still recognizes limits. Still sees that if you go past the edges the mission fails.”

“Maybe you’re right, doc. Hell, even when he…I mean I was taking over the Carrera operation I never killed people who didn’t earn it in some way. I know that sounds bad, but there was always a limit.”

“I’d be worried if you didn’t come in, or if you thought that line blurred.” Tex leaned forward again, his narrow cowboy eyes intense. “Again, Sonny, you’re doin’ good. You come in when you think things are goin’ off track, and you wouldn’t have done that a year gone. The House means a lot to you, don’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s like the first time I’ve been able to do something good. Something that can help people. That was the worst thing about the badge. You only saw people at their worst and then handed them off to another part of the system. The House lets us catch the ones that want help an’ maybe start them on a different path.”

“And if you see this Wiggins asshole on the street?”

Sonny was silent for a time. “That’s the part that scares me, doc. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’d do to him. I got no proof he’s behind it, but my gut says he is. Like I said, someone who was deep inside Caitlin’s life had to have done this, and he fits the bill. And he’d have a grudge for sure. But I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I saw him on the street.”

“You think you’d slug him? Shoot him?”

“I don’t know.” He buried his face in his hands, feeling his emotions wash over him. “In a weird way he’s responsible for my meeting Cait in the first place. And he’s not the one who killed her. That was…”

“Hackman.” Tex interrupted him. “That was Hackman. His decision. He pulled the trigger. What you did to put him there has nothing to do with it. You gotta let that go, Sonny. I know it’s hard. Hell, I lost friends in the war to booby traps I thought I should have seen. Ambushes I should have spotted. You name it. And at first you beat the hell out of yourself for it. But you gotta let go, or it eats you alive. It ain’t easy. But you gotta forgive yourself.”

“Have you?” His voice was harder than he’d anticipated.

Tex was quiet for a moment, and Sonny was afraid he’d pushed the counselor too far. Then he spoke. “Yeah. I have. It took a long damned time, but I finally have.” He paused again. “Have you?”

“No.” The word dragged itself out of the pit of Sonny’s stomach. “For David? Yeah. The hard ones are the ones after the war. My partner Eddie. Another cop named Larry. And Caitlin. All three of them were killed because I was stupid. Doing things my way without a thought for what could happen.”

“Are you still that cop? That guy?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

Sonny looked down at his white slip-on shoes and started talking. “When I came back, one of the first things I tried to do was square things with people I’d hurt. Eddie’s widow is long-gone, and I figured I’d already screwed that one up enough there wasn’t any point. Larry…I owned up to Stan what I’d done there. Caitlin? All I could do is try to accept the mistake I’d made with Hackman.” He paused. “And I offered myself up a couple of times. Put myself in the line of fire so my friends would have a chance to survive. I wouldn’t have done that before.”

“What made you do that?”

“I got to thinking about something Evan Freed said before he died. He threw himself in the line of fire to save me.” Sonny shook his head, the memories still stabbing him in the chest after all these years. “I never told him I forgave him. I still carry that around with me. Anyhow, he looked up at me and said ‘now it’s your turn.’ I thought he meant to kill myself, you know? The simple answer. But then I remembered what he’d said before about a man learning from his mistakes. Gaining wisdom.”

“You told me about this before. What’s different about it to you now?”

“I never said how long it took me to understand what he really meant. I didn’t get it until I came back to the force. I think he meant it was my turn to be a man and learn from my mistakes. I don’t know that I gained any wisdom, but I think I finally did learn…”

He looked up to see Tex nodding. “I think you did, too, Sonny. And it ain’t ever an easy thing. Owning your past and making some kinda peace with it. Lots of the guys I see, too many really, let their past own them. Or they’re runnin’ from it.”

“Yeah. I was usually running from mine.” Sonny grinned. “Some parts more than others.”

“We all do that sometimes. Nothin’ wrong with it, so long as it don’t become a habit or an excuse.” Tex paused and flipped back through his notes. “Talk to your ex-wife lately?”

“Naw. That’s a chapter that’s over and gone.”

“And your son?”

“Same thing, really. Hell, his step-dad’s a good guy. I didn’t want to see that at first, but he is. And with a sister to watch I think Billy’s got his hands full. Let alone school and whatever.”

“Do you think that squares with what Evan said to you?”

Sonny started to bristle, then he smiled. “I get what you mean, Tex. Yeah, I think it does. Caroline wanted something I’d never be. Never really could be, even now. And Billy? I was always trying to wind things back. Pretend he was four again and start over. I tried to force Cait on him without even thinking what that might mean to him. They’re both part of the old me. The boy. Letting them go is what a man does. Letting them live their own lives without me getting in the way.”

“And Wiggins?”

Sonny shook his head. “You point guys were always sneaky. I won’t go lookin’ for him if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t have time with the House and all. But if he comes after what I’ve done…all bets are off.”

Tex nodded. “Fair enough. A wise man knows his limits, both in what he can’t do and what he can do. Least that’s what one of my COs said before he put me on restriction for bein’ drunk and disorderly. I’m glad you came in today, Sonny. Shows you’re payin’ attention to what’s going on in your head.”

“Thanks, doc. Look, I’ve been meaning to ask…you want to come by Caitlin’s House sometime? Have a look at what we’re doing? We don’t normally give tours or anything, but we’re getting ready to start on a facility for boys who’ve been hurt and I’d really like to have another set of eyes look at things. Eyes that ain’t stared at the thing for over a year now.”

Tex nodded. “I’d like that. I’ve got a couple of friends who work with boys like that. They always say there aren’t enough resources for them in the area. Maybe I can give you their names when the time comes.”

“I’d like that. We’re gonna need at least one or two specialists for them. Our staff’s good, but I don’t think they have enough experience with boys who’ve been hauled into the sex trade. Hell, my director of communications agrees. She used to work victims’ services and said the system just chews those boys up and spits them out more broken than they were when they came in.”

“She’s not wrong.” Tex got to his feet and offered his hand. “Let me know a good time an’ I’d be happy to come by.”

Back on the street Sonny adjusted his Ray Bans and ran a hand over his light blue t-shirt to press down any wrinkles before walking to the Daytona. He always felt better after talking with Tex, and this was no exception. And if the therapist could lead him to even one who’d be good working with boys he’d be even happier. To get that program running would require a different touch…a different approach. And he’d take any edge he could get.

He found Stan waiting in the lobby outside his office, a smile on his face. “Sonny! You know that project Lester and I have been workin’ on?”

Sonny nodded, opening the office door and waving the big man and his bright Hawaiian shirt inside. “I think so. The bug detecting one?”

“Yeah. That one. Well, we got her running this morning. Thing can pick up a bug from over a hundred yards away. Homes in on the transmission frequency.” Stan’s eyes glittered with excitement as he rattled on about ohms and other things that were just so much black magic to Sonny. “But we also found out something else about it.” He held up a unit not much bigger than a cigar box with two small antennas. “You got a cell phone?”

“Yeah.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out.

“Turn it on.” When he did, a red light flashed on the front panel of the box and he could see at least one arrow start to jump. “This baby picks up cell phones if they’re on and transmitting or receiving. Guess we had some overlap in the frequencies.”

“And that means what for us stupid football jocks?”

“It means we can use this to find phones in the building. You know, those phones people aren’t supposed to have in the housing or treatment areas? Those phones.”

“Well I’ll be damned. How accurate it is?”

“It starts picking up a phone at about fifty yards, give or take, and can locate it within two feet. Lester and I did some basic tests right before lunch.” Stan shut off the unit and patted his gut with a smile. “No way I’m gonna miss lunch.”

“Yeah. I don’t want to stunt your girlish figure.” Sonny laughed along with the tech wizard. “That’s really great work, Stan.”

“I just sat and looked pretty. It was mostly Lester.”

“Well tell Lester it’s fantastic work. I know we’ve had issues with phones getting in here in the past, and I always felt like a jerk turning some girl’s room over without real cause.”

“We’ll be testing it with better antennas, but I’m thinking if we set one up at the guard desk at the entrance to each residential wing that would work. It should have enough range from there to monitor the entire wing, but we’ll test to make sure.”

“Once you know, get all the guards trained up on its use.”

“You got it, boss.” Stan grinned again, and then his face went serious. “Any word on the Post?”

“Nothing since that press conference yesterday.” Sonny looked down at his desk. “Have you heard anything?”

“Gina said the other papers are ripping their story apart, and that the TV people stopped mentioning it entirely except as ‘baseless accusation’ or whatever it is they say when they want a story to just go away.”

“Good.”

“But that means they’ll come at us harder next time, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know, Stan. I know Rico’s got his hands full between this and the new group of girls, so anything like this gizmo of yours you can give him to make his job easier is good.” He paused, rubbing his eyes for a moment. “And you might want to check Charlie 3 again. Just in case our friend Jimmy gets some ideas.”

“I’ll do that, boss, and then see what Lester’s been up to. He was head-first in a bigger version of this baby when I came up here.”

Left alone, Sonny pulled the daily report out of his in-basket and started flipping through the printed pages. He needed to stay up on both the construction and the new group of girls. With effort he pushed Wiggins to the back of his mind and focused on the progress reports from the construction contractor. It wasn’t easy.