The Gift

[Robbie C.]

Just something I whipped up this week. It's a little odd, maybe, and not a standard MV story. But I started wondering just how Sonny might adjust to life without the badge and also wanted to mess with a Christmas-type idea. Hope you enjoy it. It's obviously post-Task Force.

 

“Y’all hush now. Blondie an’ Little Blondie got stuff to say.”

Sonny Crockett couldn’t hide his grin. Even without a PA system, Angie’s voice could dominate a room. He waited a moment for the last of the chatter to die out before getting to his feet. “Welcome to the first real Christmas dinner we’ve held at Caitlin’s House. It’s a couple of days early, but we want to make sure as many staff can have time off as possible.” He looked around the main dining room, pausing to make eye contact with everyone there. The janitors, security personnel, medical staff, and the patients. “This isn’t an easy time of year for everyone, but we hope you’ll enjoy this and maybe find a moment of peace.” He paused, feeling his dead wife’s presence. “I know exactly how that feels.”

Jenny Walker’s hand found his for a heartbeat as he sat down, and then she was on her feet. A slight woman with thick blonde hair and bright blue eyes, it was easy to underestimate her. Until she started talking. “Sonny said what I wanted to say. And if I would have gone first I would have said what he wanted to say.” She smiled. “It’s kind of what we do. But he’s right. This isn’t an easy time of year for many of you. Some of you might not really want to be here, others might be wondering what comes next.” He could see she was looking at the girls now, her gaze pausing on one face or another as she spoke. Matching the words to where they were in the program. “But I can tell you where you could go is better than where you’ve been. You’ll have to take that step. All we can do is give you a map and show you how to get there.” She let the words hang in the air for a long few seconds. “But we’re glad you’re here now. All of you. Merry Christmas!”

Sonny nodded and the kitchen staff started bringing out food. Beside him, Ricardo Tubbs chuckled. “You ever think you’d see a Christmas dinner here, partner?”

“I was hopin’ so, Rico. But I didn’t know what the hell it would look like.” He turned and touched Jenny’s hand. “That was what they needed to hear, babe.”

“You think so?” The question was in her voice and not her eyes.

“Yeah, I do. They need to know at least part of it’s on them. Personal responsibility I think the docs call it.” Then he turned back to Rico. “I’ve got the kitchen sending food to your people who volunteered for duty. No reason for them to miss out.”

“Cool. I worked it out so the family people are coverin’ now, and we let them go as soon as dinner’s over and replace ‘em with the ones eating now.” He chuckled. “And no, it wasn’t my idea. Tiny and Lita worked it out with the staff. It was their idea.”

Sonny nodded, looking over at the nearest patient table. They’d put two patients at each table, along with a counselor and another staff member. Sometimes security, other times someone from custodial or the kitchens. Rehab’s hard, but it’s always harder during holidays.

“There aren’t many, are there?”

He shook his head. “No, babe. Not yet. But ten seems to work for now. We can take our time and figure out what works and what doesn’t.” He let his gaze wander over the tables again. “Which ones worry you?”

“How did you know?” She smiled, nodding her thanks as one of the kitchen staff set a plate full of ham and potatoes in front of her.

“You ain’t the only one who can feel things, darlin’.” Sonny chuckled as he accepted his own plate before turning to the waiter. “Don’t forget you all get fed right after this. The table next to ours is yours.” Then he centered back on Jenny. “You forget…I am something of a detective. Kind of my job.” He paused. “Or it was.” He’d been off the force for a couple of months now, and found he was still adjusting. It had taken time to close down the Task Force after dealing with Unit 8, and he’d thought the down time would help with the transition. He was wrong.

“Her.” Jenny jerked her head in the direction of one of the far tables. “Elisa.”

Sonny let his gaze slide over the table, seeing everything without appearing to notice anything. “The one with the gold highlights an’ four earrings?”

“Yes.” Jenny touched his hand again. “She’s a bit over halfway through the program and was doing great. Until last week. I don’t know what happened, but something did.” She huffed. “And Nichole isn’t telling me anything.”

“You know the whole doctor-patient thing, darlin’. She can’t really tell you much.” Sonny grinned to try to head off Jenny’s anger. They’d been together long enough now he could sense it starting to build. It didn’t happen often, but when it did it was wise to either stop it or get out of its way. “She might not know, either. The girls don’t all tell her things.”

Jenny was about to reply when Angie’s voice dominated the room again. “I know ya’ll want to eat, but girlfriend would want me t’ say somethin’. Blondie, you stand up now, hear?” She looked down at a notecard partly crumpled in her hand and swallowed hard. “I…”

“I got this, Angie. And you’re right…Caitlin would want to say something if she was here.” Sonny got to his feet again and looked around the room, his face sliding into what he thought of as his Burnett look. “I know some of you don’t know who she is, or only know her name ‘cause of oldies radio, but this was her house. When we got married it kinda turned into our house, and when she was murdered it…it didn’t know what it was.” He paused, locking eyes with one or two of the girls. “Yeah, she was murdered. Shot down on stage during a concert. Money doesn’t always make things easy.”

He paused for a moment, drawing strength from Jenny’s look. “We started this place in her name…in her honor. Cait loved to help people, and she’d stared down her own demons more than once. If she was here, she’d probably start to sing…and you don’t want me to sing.” There were a few chuckles. “Trust me on that. But if she sang you’d feel hope. Cait was all about hope. We want you to feel some of that now. And maybe think of her when you do. Thanks.”

“Smooth, partner.” Rico clapped him on the shoulder as soon as he sat down. “I thought ol’ Angie was gonna pass out.”

“She might have.” Mindy O’Laughlin smiled and winked. ‘Not bad for spur of the moment feelings, boss.”

“Hell, I’ve never been good at that stuff. But she’s right….someone did need to speak on Cait’s behalf. Just pisses me off I didn’t think of it.”

Jenny touched his arm. “She wanted you to focus on today. On the girls. Not looking back. Angie likes to look back. It’s not always what she wants.”

Nodding, Sonny took a long drink of water from the glass in font of him, feeling the ice cubes against his teeth. No alcohol…can’t risk tempting the girls. But odds are we’ll hit Sanctuary later and have a few with Robbie. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the room and the talk around him. But he knew it was no good. Once the memory of Cait took hold he needed time to let her go again.

Looking around, he spotted the girl again. The one Jenny was worried about. She was pretty…long dark hair streaked with gold highlights and high cheekbones. Then his cop brain kicked in and he started reviewing her file in his head. Turned out when she was maybe fifteen or sixteen. Arrest record ain’t clear on that part. But she was into coke and starting to slide into heroin when she was busted with enough to send her away for at least a couple of years. Then the judge allowed her to enter diversion…so long as she went to Caitlin’s House. Still, it didn’t feel like much. “What about Elisa was bothering you? What did she do or stop doing?”

“She’s one of the groups I started taking out on Vellamo. We sail out a few miles, I show them how to do some basic boat stuff, and we talk.” She smiled. “One of the counselors always comes along, and it’s fun. They get to be outside the walls and feel the sea. Elisa…she really opened up. Started talking. Jackie said she’d never seen Elisa talk as much as she does on the boat.”

“Good. I know that was one of the things you’d hoped for when we added the boats.” Sonny touched her hand. His own St. Vitus’ Dance was the second member of the House’s small fleet. One of the other counselors, a tough lady who’d clawed her way out of Little Haiti, usually skippered her when they went out.

“The last two trips…she hasn’t said much. Usually sits aft and looks back. Before…she was always in the bow wanting to work the sails.” Jenny looked down, pushing peas around her plate with the tines of her fork.

Sonny nodded, his mind slipping back into his old job without missing a beat. Looking past Rico, who was deep in conversation with Mindy, he locked eyes with the other staff member sitting at their table. “Paula, you run meals for B Wing, don’t you?”

The older woman nodded. “Most days. Sometimes we trade off. Is…”

“You guys do great work. I just got a question about one of the girls on that wing. Elisa. You know her?” He grinned. “And I know you aren’t supposed to get close to the patients. But I know that looks good on paper.”

Paula nodded. “We talk sometimes. She’s a good girl who slipped into a bad place.”

“Yeah.” Like most of them here. “How’s she doing?”

“You know, Mr. Sonny, I don’t know. Like most of them she was scared and quiet when she first got here, but then she started openin’ up. Making friends, I guess.” Paula snorted. “An’ once them damned drugs get outa their systems… Well, you know better than me.”

“On paper, maybe.” Sonny was sliding into full interrogation mode now. The kind where someone didn’t know they were being interrogated. “But I don’t see ‘em every day like you do.”

She leaned forward, almost dunking her ample bosom in her mashed potatoes and gravy. “She was fine until two weeks ago. I think she got a call or somethin’, but whatever it was the light just went right outa her eyes. Let me think…” She narrowed her eyes, and almost hit the gravy and potatoes again. “It was a week ago last Wednesday. Mail day. She was fine at breakfast, but by dinner time she was blue as Miss Walker’s eyes and come supper she didn’t want to eat. And that was fish taco night. I ain’t never seen that girl turn down a fish taco before.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“I tried, Mr. Sonny. But she just shook her head. Seemed to come back a bit by the weekend, but I think it’s just an act.” Paula sat back, and Sonny breathed a sigh of relief. At least the potatoes are out of danger now. “There’s something workin’ on that poor girl.”

“Thanks, Paula. And if you hear anything, I’d take it as a personal favor if you’d let me or Rico know.” Sonny flashed one of his best deal-making smiles, but his brain was kicking into overdrive as Paula turned her attention back to her food. Turning, he cleared his throat. “Rico, do we log incoming mail?”

Rico had been deep in his conversation with Mindy, and it took a second for his eyes to focus on something other than her freckles. “Yeah. Just addresses, though. We ain’t into opening mail. But if it’s a package we have ‘em open it in front of staff an’ check for stuff.”

“This would have been a letter. Going to Elisa on B Wing. We can check as soon as the meal’s over.” He looked around the room, a warm feeling growing in his chest again. “No reason to disturb this.”

“Yeah.” Rico nodded. “It was a good idea, gettin’ ‘em together like this.” He paused. “You want me to have the good doctors come to our little meeting?”

“Not yet. I’d rather get an overview before we start dealing with them. It could be nothing.” But he knew it wasn’t. Not if Jenny was worried. He’d learned long ago to take things seriously if they worried Jenny.

 

Rico’s office was like the eye of an electronic storm. Located in the back of the security area, he had a window looking out over the big screens showing all Caitlin’s House’s security camera displays and various work stations for the rest of his team. The walls were decorated with black and white prints of people Sonny guessed were jazz greats. He only recognized one or two, and didn’t want to ask about the rest.

Sonny looked out at the main office while Rico tapped away on his computer. Hard to believe this used to be a sitting room. Or something. Hell, I didn’t spend enough time here to really know the place. Stan and Lester did a hell of a job setting this up. The clicking stopped, and Rico let out one of his short barking laughs. “Got it.”

Sonny turned. “What do we have?”

“Looks like Elisa didn’t get much in the way of mail. Just the one letter.” Rico narrowed his eyes and stared at the screen. “Had a return address that cross-checks to one of those nasty places down south of Rizzo’s. The Everglades Inn.”

“Hell, I didn’t think there was anything south of Rizzo’s.”

“Not our beat, partner.” Rico chuckled. “But I bet Gina and Trudy know something about it. Stan, too.”

“So whoever sent the letter’s in the life?”

“I’d bet my Caddy on it. If I still had the Caddy. And if it was mine.” Rico grinned and hit a few more keys. “Looks like two other girls in the program had LKAs at the Everglades. Both had drug and prostitution charges. An’ both had pimps.”

“You think the pimp…” Sonny stepped around so he could see the screen.

“Naw. Note says the writing looked like a woman’s. And the address had the name Essi…short for Esmerelda maybe. At least that’s what Lita wrote, an’ I ain’t gonna argue with her.”

“Not if you want to keep those pearly whites in place, anyhow.” Sonny rubbed the stubble on his chin, narrowing his eyes as he thought. “Why don’t you check with her? See if she remembers anything about the letter, or how Elisa acted when she opened it. I’ll run down Gina and see what she knows about the Everglades Inn.”

“Solid.” Rico hit three keys to lock the computer and got to his feet. “Elisa seems like a good kid. Never thought about it like that on the Job, but now…”

“Yeah. They get to you.” Sonny paused. “I didn’t expect it, either. Always thought I could maintain that distance, you know? But you can’t.”

“It’s what makes us good at what we do. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise. And I think I see Lita out there now talkin’ to some of the mid-shift guys.”

Sonny found Gina in her office on the second floor, looking through what might have been draft press releases. He had no clue, and didn’t want to ask. Gina was damned good at her job, and he let her do her thing without any interference. She looked up at his knock on the open door. “Sonny! That dinner was a great idea. I know it’s not quite Christmas yet, but it sure felt like it. And the girls looked happy.”

“Yeah. I wanted them to see we’re actually people an’ not just wardens. And it helps the staff see them as people, too.” Sonny sighed and sank into one of the chairs in front of her desk. “But that ain’t why I’m here, darlin’.”

She laughed. “Any time Sonny Crockett shows up and calls me darlin’ I know he wants something. Out with it.”

“You know a dump called the Everglades Inn? Not personally, I mean…but from the Job.”

Gina sank back in her chair and her eyes got dark. “I do. That’s a place I’d love to bleach out of my brain, but I can’t. I think it used to be one of those mom and pop motels back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but now it’s a crash pad for pimps and their girls. When I was still with Victims’ Services about half of our girls listed it as their address. We busted it a few times while you and Rico were out chasing Columbians, but it never really stuck.” She narrowed her eyes. “Where’d you hear about it?”

He told her the story of Elisa. “…and you know how Jenny is when she gets one of those feelings,” he finished, looking at a point somewhere behind her shoulder.

Gina reached for a notepad. “I’ll make a couple of calls and see if I can match a last name to Esmerelda or Essi. Victims’ Services, though. I don’t want those animals in Vice to get her on their radar.”

“Neither do I. Let me know what you find out.”

 

Jenny was waiting for him back on Tranquility, their refitted sailboat. Because of the dinner they’d tied up at the House’s dock, and now he was planning to stay put until they figured out what was going on with Elisa. Clouds had blown in during the afternoon, and rain started leaking from them almost as soon as he got belowdeck. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner…”

“You did no such thing.” He sat down next to her on the saloon’s long settee and kissed her. “The girls all had a good time, and I think the staff did, too. That’s what matters.”

“Except for Elisa. She looked so sad.”

“Rico and I kicked over some rocks.” He told her what they’d learned, and what Gina had said. “Gina’s still got friends in that office, and if there’s anything there she’ll find out.” He chuckled. “Gina can be pretty damned stubborn when it gets down to it, and she worries about the girls like they’re her sisters.”

“So it was the letter? Like Paula thought?”

“Looks that way. At least the girl who wrote it put a return address on it.” Sonny looked out at the raindrops streaming down Tranquility’s porthole. “Like she wanted to make sure we’d find her.”

“We’re going to, aren’t we?”

“We’re gonna try, darlin’.” He slipped his arm around her, drawing her close. “Not as easy as it was a few months ago, but we’re gonna try. You think you can get close to Elisa?”

“If the weather clears up we’re supposed to go sailing tomorrow. B Wing girls, anyhow.” Jenny sighed. “So long as that Nichole isn’t on board I should be able to talk to her.”

“Dr. Jessup’s good with the girls…”

“She is, but she always wants things her way and going just so.” Jenny paused for a moment, and he could hear rain pattering on the cabin roof. “But life doesn’t always go just so.”

“I’ll talk to her tomorrow morning. First thing. She needs to know something about what’s going on.” He kissed her forehead. “Not everything, maybe. But some.”

“I guess.” She sighed and leaned hard against him. “I’m sorry. I know she’s a good person and all. But there’s something about Elisa…”

“She reminds you of you. Parts of her, anyhow. I get it. Hell, most of ‘em remind me of someone. Someone Rico and I couldn’t save. Couldn’t get to in time. Or just gave up on because we were too busy chasing bigger fish. But right now Elisa’s the biggest fish in the whole damned sea.”

Gina was waiting in his office the next morning. “I heard back from Lia last night,” she said without waiting for him to sit down. “She said the Everglades Inn hasn’t changed a bit. If anything it’s worse now since Vice moved uptown. Her words not mine. Anyhow, she said she’ll check names but Essi or Esmerelda didn’t jump out at her.” She shook her head. “Of course most of those girls have their street names, too.”

“Thanks, Gina. I guess it’s something she hasn’t been through their office yet.”

“Something, yes. A good or bad something I don’t know.” She smiled. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

As she opened the door to leave, Rico came through in all his Armani glory. I wonder how many suits he bought from property before we dropped our papers? That or I’m payin’ him too damned much. “Gina! My main lady! You done with the boss man?”

“Yes, Rico. And you want me to tell Mindy I’ve taken her place?”

“Uh…no. That’s cool. You do that, and she and Stan will both be kickin’ my ass all over South Florida.” Rico laughed, but his eyes were serious and his voice changed as soon as she left the room. “I talked with Lita, Sonny. An’ you ain’t gonna like it.”

“What’s up?” He waved Rico to one of the chairs by the big windows and joined him. Sitting behind the big boss-man desk gave him a mental rash.

“Lita was worried about that letter, too. Especially when she saw Elisa’s face when she picked it up. She got more worried when she saw her pulling back from the others.” Rico paused, and Sonny could tell he was puzzling over something.

“Out with it, partner. What did she do?”

“She had some of her people search Elisa’s room. All quiet-like, though. I think they did it when she was on the sailing program. An’ they didn’t take anything. But they did find the letter. Lita looked it over and then made sure it got back where Elisa hid it.”

“Make sure Lita knows she’s not in any trouble.” Sonny turned away from the window. “I know these girls need their privacy, and I’ll bend over backwards to give it to them. But when something threatens their success in the program…we gotta make adjustments. The doctors might not see it that way, but…”

“This ain’t a classroom. If we’re gonna keep them safe, sometimes we have to do it for them.”

“Same way I see it. But you might want to draw up some guidelines. Your staff needs to know when they can ask for a search and who they need to ask.”

“Solid. Got ‘em drafting now.” Rico tapped the side of his head and grinned. “But the letter worried Lita, an’ you know it takes something special to worry a former state trooper.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

“Seems this Essi got herself in a bad spot. As in a really bad spot. In with some bad dudes and she wants out. I think she wants Elisa to come get her.”

“Shit.” Sonny let the single word fill the room. “Any other details?”

“Nope. Not the cat’s name. Not the trouble. Nothin’. But all my cop instincts tell me it’s a pimp and probably some dope in the bargain.”

“Same old story, isn’t it, Rico? But this time we get write our own ending.” Something clicked in Sonny’s head and he got to his feet. “Gina’s chasin’ down the girl through Victims’ Services, and there’s no way in hell I want Vice involved. They’d just screw things up. I got an idea, too, but it’s gonna depend on what Gina learns.”

“Please tell me it involves slapping a pimp.”

“It might at that, partner, but only after we’ve got the girl safe and away.” He grinned. “As soon as I hear from Gina, I just gotta make a call or two. And then talk to Nichole.”

 

John Vallencio took a sip of the bourbon and nodded his appreciation. “Can’t say I’ve ever been here, Sonny, but that’s a good thing. Means your buddy runs a clean club.”

Sonny Crockett laughed. “You can bet you badge Robbie does. He goes to a lot of trouble to keep it this way, too.” He sipped his own drink. “So you’re gonna join the deep-sea fishing fraternity?”

“Yeah. When you all dropped your papers it really got me thinking.” The head of Metro-Dade’s Narcotics unit shook his head. “I’ve been chasing those assholes for years and barely make a dent. And every year they keep cutting my manpower and expecting more arrests. Hell, that task force of yours did more in six months than I was able to do in six years.”

“You did good work, John. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. You’re a cop’s cop. Hell, we never would have figured out Doc’s game without your information.”

“And I owe all of you for that bust and for the Unit 8 thing. We got some good collars out of both capers.” He took another drink, and Sonny could see him checking out Sanctuary’s security with approval. “So what do you need?”

“What makes you think…”

“Come on, Sonny. Don’t con a con man.” Vallencio grinned, showing even, coffee-stained teeth. “I’d love to get a final kick in before I drop the papers and buy that sports-fishing rig I’ve been lusting after for the last three years. Maybe take Vicky someplace nice, too. Been a few years, and she’s been patient as a saint.”

“You know the rehab house I’m running?”

“Yeah. Hell of a place. And the last thing anyone would expect from you. But I get it. Feels good to put lives back together, doesn’t it? Vicky’s a nurse, so I see how happy it makes her.”

“You know, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I do. Anyhow, we’ve got a girl there who has a friend. We’re still sorting out the details, but it sounds like the friend’s in with some bad people. I’d love to get her into the House if I can, but…”

“Yeah. You call Vice and they just put her through the mill. Pimp bails her out, smacks her around for being dumb enough to get caught, and it all starts over.”

“We’re not there yet, but when we are do you think your guys could get her in a drug bust? Make a diversion recommendation? I know it’s a big ask…”

“The hell it is. Any time I can stick a tire iron in the wheels of Grotten’s squad is a good time. I spent three hours last week trying to convince that moron that Rizzo’s isn’t the hub of all cocaine dealing in Miami.”

“You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.” Sonny laughed and took another drink.

“I wish I was, Sonny. But the idiot got it in his head and just won’t get it out. He’d get more dealers if he’d do a quick raid on the Overton, but he’s not having any.” Vallencio laughed again and took a long drink, nodding when one of Robbie’s waitresses appeared as if by magic with a fresh drink. “So yeah…I’ll do whatever I can. And if it gives the girl a second chance, so much the better. I owe you at least that, Sonny.”

“I think we owe ourselves that, John.” Sonny drained his glass and motioned for the waitress. “I’ll have another, darlin’, and then close out the tab.”

“Something not to your liking, sir?”

Sonny started, then grinned. “I’d know that damned fool voice anywhere. How you doin’, Robbie?”

“I was gonna ask you the same question. Right after I asked why you were planning on sneaking out without saying hello.” Robbie Cann slapped Sonny hard on the shoulder. “And in my own club.”

“No such thing. I just had business to take care of first.”

“With the head of Metro-Dade’s Narcotics squad?”

“Something like that.” They sat, and he gave Robbie the short version of Elisa’s story. “And since I’m out,” he finished, “I needed help. His kind of help.”

“I get it. Good thing that’s girl’s got you on her side. Reminds me of someone from a few years back.”

“Yeah, it kinda does, doesn’t it?” Sonny looked at his watch. “Look, I gotta get back or Rico will start fussing. Tell you what, though, Jenny and I will drop by right after Christmas. Be good to catch up.”

“You got it. And good luck with this thing, Sonny. It’s good work you’re doing, and don’t forget it.”

 

“How’d it go with Vallencio?”

Sonny looked across the desk at Rico and chuckled. “Good. He’s droppin’ his papers, too. But he’s on board. All we gotta do is find out exactly who she is and what she’s using.” He leaned back in his chair, replaying the conversation in his head. “Sounds like Grotten’s got Vice totally screwed up.”

“Don’t surprise me a bit. That chump could get stuck in a wet paper bag and never get out. Hell, might be a good thing for Metro-Dade if he did.”

“At least it’s not our circus anymore, Rico.”

“You got that right, partner.” Rico leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “And Gina found me just after lunch. Turns out her friend does know Essi. Knows of her, anyhow. Seems she got herself in the clutches of a punk who goes by the street name Tigre.”

“The Tiger. How sweet.”

“Yeah. An’ he likes markin' his girls with knives.” Rico’s eyes glittered with a meanness people who didn’t know him never suspected. “Makes me wanna leave a few marks on him.”

“Maybe we’ll get the chance. Gina say if she has a drug of choice?”

“Crack. This chump likes to keep his girls on it ‘cause it’s cheap. Gina’s friend said they’ve had her in once or twice after prostitution sweeps, but she never sticks. Gets out on recognizance and disappears.”

“More like gets pulled under.” Sonny looked down at the desk top for a moment. “I can see why Elisa would be thrown off by hearing from her, and why she’d want to get to her. We can’t let her do it. I had a look at her file after I got back. She was making good progress before she got that letter. One of the best in the group.”

“We can pull her in…”

“Would you mind if Jenny pulled her in? They’ve got a connection, and…”

“And Jenny wouldn’t let you forget it if you didn’t. I get it, partner. I also get she’s got somethin' with that girl we can’t understand. I’ll tell the docs we need to talk to her about something someone tried to sneak in to her. That’ll keep the terrible twins off our backs while Jenny does her thing.”

“Sounds like a plan, Rico.” Sonny turned to look out the window at the wide, rolling lawn. He and Caitlin had talked about how they’d like to see kids playing there. Their kids. But now… He could feel an old, cold thing welling up in his chest. “I think it’s time Tigre met Mr. Burnett.”

 

Jenny Walker pulled her hair back from her face and shifted on the chair. It looked comfortable, but it felt like she was sitting on a barbed wire cushion. Now don’t get all funny. You asked for this, remember? Sonny’s just giving you what you asked for. Silly girl. She shifted one last time and rested her hands on the table.

She was in one of Caitlin’s House’s interview rooms. Fitted with a table, comfortable chairs, and soft lights, it was where the doctors or counselors did intake interviews. Figuring out who’d be a good fit for the House and where they’d go if they were admitted. There were no windows, but landscape prints set into the walls and subtlety lit gave the impression you could see outside. It was all very studied, very calculated. And she hated it. Visual lies. She made a note to talk to Sonny about it later.

There was a soft click as the door opened and the dark-haired head of day shift security came in with Elisa. Lita was tall, and towered over the smaller girl without even trying. “She has group in an hour,”Lita said in a measured voice. “I’ll be back for her then.”

“Thank you.” Jenny made eye contact for a moment, then smiled. Lita meant well…in fact she had one of the biggest hearts on the security staff. But she’d been hurt enough times she kept it hidden deep. Jenny understood…she’d done the same thing before Sonny. “Elisa. Please sit down. We need to talk.”

“I told you I didn’t mean to drop that in the water.” Elisa flopped in the chair, her dark eyes flashing. But Jenny could see the fear behind the bravado.

“We aren’t here to talk about that, silly. I can get more rope any old day.” She leaned closer, trying to get a feel for Elisa. There it is. She’s afraid of being kicked out. “I’d like to talk to you about Essi. If you want to. I won’t make you.”

“I don’t know no…”

“Sure you do. She wrote to you. It must be nice to have someone write to you. When I was in school, no one wrote to me. It’s funny how alone you feel when that happens. How long have you two been friends?”

“We’ve been tight since grade school. Her family moved in down the way an’ we met in class. She was new and the other kids picked on her.” Those eyes flashed again. “That pissed me off.”

“So you stick up for her.” Jenny smiled. “That’s good. I know what it’s like to be like her. The new girl in class, I mean.”

“But…you’re so pretty…”

“Sometimes that’s worse. They pick on you because you’re pretty and they want to be pretty. Girls can be mean little bitches, can’t they?”

“You don’t know…”

Jenny smiled as Elisa kept talking. She knew she’d be able to get through the second she got close enough to feel her. Elisa wanted to protect Esmerelda. And it was tearing her up that she couldn’t.

“…so I just want to get out and…”

“Do you think she’d want you to give yourself up to help her?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re so close, Elisa. You’ve done so well here. If you leave, that all goes away. Do you think she’d want you to do that?”

“I…no.” Elisa looked down at the table again, and Jenny could see tears splattering on the top like raindrops. “No, she wouldn’t. But I can’t…”

“What if I told you I can help you?”

She looked up, wet streaks running down her cheeks. “You? But you’re the sailboat lady.”

“Yes. That’s one thing I do. But it’s not the only thing I do. You know Sonny?”

“The boss man?”

“Yes. I’m his girl. I also help run this place. And he wants to help you. But for that to happen, you have to stay here. Keep getting better. You don’t want to go back to the Everglades Inn, do you?”

“Fuck that place. But I know what happens there. And Essi…”

“Won’t be there much longer. I can promise you that. But I have to know you’ll stay here and not try anything dumb. You’ve always been helping Esmerelda. Let someone help you now.”

The only sound in the room was the humming of the HVAC system. When Elisa did speak, her voice was small. Little girl small. “Ok. I’ll do it. Just…”

“I won’t let you down. Promise.” Jenny smiled, more to reassure Elisa than anything. They talked for a few more minutes, Jenny focusing more on what she knew Sonny would need to know. What kind of drugs Tigre hooked his girls on. Where he kept the stash. Technical things. She could feel Elisa’s pain as she went through it all, and didn’t push more than she had to. But if Sonny was going to get Essi out, he needed all the help he could get.

Elisa’s voice had gone from tough to little girl, and now it was almost gone. Jenny touched her hand and smiled. “Now let’s get you to group. I don’t want Dr. Nichole yelling at either of us.” I forget how small she is. How hurt she is. It’s easy to forget when she acts strong. Getting up, she walked to the door. “Lita? Can you get Elisa to group, please? And tell Sonny I’m here.”

She was still sitting in the barbed-wire chair when Sonny came in. She felt the usual tug in her heart when she saw him, and found a real smile. “She’s going to stay. Let us do what we do.”

He sat down next to her and smiled. “That’s great news, darlin’. And I think we can get Esmerelda out of that pit. John Vallencio’s agreed to help.”

“John? The drug cop?” She smiled at a memory. “He’s a good man.” I’ve never met him, but I just know.

“Yeah, he is. Gettin’ ready to retire, and he liked the idea of doing something good on the way out the door.”

“She has a pimp…”

“I know. And I think it’s time he met Sonny Burnett.”

“Yes.” She paused, letting another image float through her head. “And maybe Marcus, too. I did learn some things from her…”

 

“She said that?”

Sonny nodded. “Yeah. She said good ol’ Tigre should meet Marcus and Burnett.”

Rico laughed, a louder thing than usual in his office. “Well hush my mouth! If there’s anything that would scare that little chump right into the swamp it’s those two.”

“You up for it? I know Marcus…”

“Yeah. He takes somethin’ out of me, partner. But Elisa’s a good kid, and from reading her file I think Esmerelda is, too. Or could be if we get her in the program like yesterday. And if this chump turned both of ‘em out…yeah, I think he needs to meet the man. Both of ‘em.” Rico shifted in his chair. “Who you think you are, cuttin’ in on Marcus’ game? No one cuts in on Marcus, punk!”

“That’s the man, all right.” Sonny had always been impressed with Rico’s ability to shift covers the way other cops changed their socks, but Marcus Jefferson was something special. Normally Rico’s covers were all slick, smooth wheeler-dealer types. Not Marcus. He was strictly New York streets and mean enough to run with Sonny Burnett.

“What else did Jenny get from her?”

“Turns out Tigre’s a bit of a crack dealer. Girls are his side business. That should make John happy as hell. He’s been wanting to bust up that shit hole for months, I think. It doesn’t sound like he’s very creative when it comes to hiding product and he keeps most of it in the Everglades, so it should be an easy bust.” Sonny paused. “Timing’s gonna be a thing, though.”

“I say we rattle pussycat’s cage before John’s troops go in. Maybe if we do…”

“He’ll start pulling his product to make a run for it.” Sonny could feel his mind shifting into what he’d come to consider Burnett mode. Planning the operation down to the last detail. “Man, I miss our eyes, though. I’d love to have Dave and Randy on a roof close by just in case.”

“Yeah. And Stan and Lester in the Roach Coach listening to every pin drop in five miles. It’s harder than I thought it would be some days, Sonny.”

“That it is, Rico. Hell, it’s hard to run in the fast lane for years and then put it in park. We might not be getting out of third this time, but at least we’re doing something good.”

Rico looked at his watch. “Man, I’m gonna be late for a staff meeting. I’ll drop by later and we’ll nail all this down. That an’ I gotta dig a jersey or two out of the back of the closet…”

“What do we know about this guy?”

“Not much. Gina’s doin’ some digging right now.”

“Good. Last thing I want to do is go in blind. Especially since we don’t have badges anymore. And no, I don’t count that reserve deputy thing as a badge. More like something out of a Cracker Jacks box.”

“You gonna bring in Castillo?”

Sonny started to reply, then paused. “You know, Rico, I hadn’t thought about it. Last thing I want is to drag him out of that house of his. He and Trudy have earned their time.”

“Haven’t we all? But…”

“He’d be the one to tell us if we’re crazy,” Sonny said, finishing the thought for his partner. “Yeah…you’re right. I’ll give him a call and see what he thinks.”

“…and that’s where we are, Martin.” Sonny was alone in the office now, looking out over the lawn and trying to pick his words with care. Thing is, I’ve never been good at that. “Jenny’s worried about Elisa, and her friend’s in a damned bad spot.”

There was silence on the other end, and he could imagine Martin Castillo’s stare as if the man was across the desk from him. “Vallencio’s on board?”

“Yeah. He’s wanted to take down the Everglades for years, but keeps runnin’ into roadblocks.”

“I hear he’s retiring.”

“That’s what he told me, too. I think he really wants to leave doing some good. Hell, we all did.”

More silence. Even after all these years Sonny could never tell if Castillo’s silence was good or bad. It just was. “Remember…we no longer have badges. But you know that. What does your heart tell you?”

“It says do it. Hell, Marty, Jenny’s upset about it, and she wouldn’t come to me at all if it wasn’t serious. I don’t know everything she does…hell, I don’t think she knows quite what she knows. But she sees something bad coming, and I can’t ignore that.”

“You shouldn’t. She’s been right too many times.”

“I’m just asking for advice, Marty. Rico and I have things under control.” He smiled as he heard a series of piano notes in the background. “Besides, Trudy would kick my ass if I hauled you back into Miami. Sounds like she’s working.”

“She is. Putting the last touches on something she’s been working on for months.” There was another pause. “Be careful, Sonny. But get that girl someplace safe.”

“We will, Marty. You can count on that.” Hanging up the phone, Sonny turned back to the yard. It had started raining again, and he imagined he could see water beading on the blades of grass. Caitlin had always liked watching the rain from this room, seeing how it soaked the yard and the flower beds she’d had planted along both sides of a walkway heading down toward the water. “We’ll bring her in,” he whispered, not sure if he was speaking to her or himself. “No damned way we can’t.”

The lights had started coming on along the edges of the House when Rico knocked on the office door. “Gina’s folks came through,” he said as he did one of his little dances just inside the door way. “Came through in a big way. I think we got the whole Metro file on this chump. You talk to Marty?”

“Yeah. He says go for it.”

“Solid.” Rico tossed a stapled stack of papers on the desk. “It’s all there. Tigre’s real name is Bruno Noches.” He grinned. “With a name like that I’d call myself just about anything else, too. Got a real nice track record. Robbery. Theft, petty an’ otherwise. Assault. The usual narcotics stuff. And one or two arrests for pimping. Didn’t stick, of course. Cat can afford decent lawyers, and it looks like Vice wasn’t workin’ too hard to put a case together.”

“No surprise there. When they split us off to OCB what got left behind should have been flushed. Cops like John kept Narcotics on the level, but Vice never had much in the way of good cops.” Sonny flipped through the pages, stopping from time to time to scan some highlights. Then he stopped and started reading. “Hey! We know this punk.”

“I guess I might have stepped in something that resembled him once or twice.”

“No. I mean we’ve almost crossed paths with him. He was a corner guy for the Hermanos organization. Went by the name Candyman back then.” Sonny snorted. “Asshole’s always been original.”

Rico’s forehead wrinkled and then he snapped his fingers. “Skinny little chump who looked like he hid under the bed every Halloween? Yeah…I remember him now. He had a rep for slapping his girlfriends around. When he wasn’t cutting them.”

“Joo got it, meng. That’s the asshole. How the hell did we miss him when we rolled them up?”

“He’s got good track shoes.” Rico reached over for the papers and scanned a couple of pages. “That an’ we didn’t go that deep. He was a little fish back then.”

“Something about it bugs me, Rico. And I don’t know what it is.” Rubbing his eyes, Sonny forced himself out of the chair. “I’d say we move on the little asshole day after tomorrow.”

“Christmas Eve? Solid. And don’t worry…I got no plans. But John might.”

“You’re right. Better make it tomorrow. I’ll call him first thing. We time this right, we rattle Tigre’s cage and then John and his team roll in right behind us.”

They were on their way out when Jenny caught up with them. “I’ve been looking for you two,” she said, shooting a glare at Sonny before kissing him to show she didn’t mean it.

“It’s not like we were hiding or anything, darlin’. Just up in the office is all.”

“I looked downstairs.” She smiled at Rico. “I figured you’d be plotting down there.”

“Naw. I make house calls. And on that note, I’d better get back to Casa Cooper forthwith, as us NYPD cats used to say. Mindy’s makin’ dinner, and I’ll get my Armani-clad butt kicked if I’m late.” Rico shot Jenny one of his winning grins before locking eyes with Sonny. “Tomorrow morning, partner.”

“You got it.” Sonny let his arm slide around Jenny’s trim waist. “We’re gonna go try to get Essi tomorrow.”

“Good. And that bastard who hurt them?”

“We’re gonna put the fear of God into him, and then John Vallencio’s boys are gonna pay the Everglades Inn a little visit. John knows what Esmerelda looks like, and he’s gonna pick her up and get her into diversion before anyone else can blink. Gina’s people are gonna be watching for her, and she’ll be here before you know it.”

“Sonny…I…” She leaned against him as they walked toward the House’s dock and Tranquility. The rain hadn’t stopped, and in the fading light he could see water spots starting to dot his cream linen blazer. The drops clung to Jenny’s thick blonde hair like little diamond shards, sparkling as they caught light from the subdued fixtures along the path. “I don’t…”

“You don’t need to say a thing, Jenny. The guy who got his hooks in Elisa and Esmerelda is bad. Well…not so much bad as a nasty, bottom-feeding worm who’s been on the streets for too damned long. We might not be taking him down, but we’re helping a good cop take him down and getting another girl out of trouble. Hell, that’s good enough for me.”

“You think when you two scare him he’ll go for his drugs?”

“Yeah.” They were almost to the boat now, and he followed her up the gangplank and under the awning they’d rigged over the aft cockpit. The rain pattered a rough tune on the waterproofed canvas, and he could feel it settling his mind. “Can’t see how he won’t. Punks like that always figure they can get more girls, but the dope’s an asset. And if he deals mostly in crack, it’s a portable asset.”

She nodded, not quite looking up at him. “I hope you get him. He’s hurt more than just Elisa and Essi.”

“I know. And we won’t miss. John won’t, either.” He remembered the look in the narcotics detective’s eyes when they were talking back in Sanctuary. No, he ain’t gonna miss this bastard at all. They were about to go below when it hit him. The reason Tigre was still on the streets was because he was ratting out his competition. Not dealers, but other pimps. As soon as they got below, he headed for the phone.

John Vallencio picked up on the third ring. “Vallencio.”

“John, it’s Sonny. That guy we’re looking into? I think he might be a Vice CI. Dropping the dime on the competition so he can poach their girls and get ‘em hooked on his product.”

“Makes sense.” Vallencio’s voice was low. “I did catch a flag on that file when I ran the alias.”

“I know…”

“Doesn’t change a damned thing. In fact, makes me want to bag the son of a bitch even more. We still a go?”

“Yep. I’d get a warrant ready for tomorrow. We got a line on his stuff, and we’re gonna flush him and it into the open for you. Just give us time…”

“We won’t go until he’s at the Everglades. That’s what the warrant will be for.”

“Perfect.” Sonny looked across the cabin and saw Jenny watching him with a smile on her face. Then she lifted her shirt. “Thanks again, John…”

“No. Thank you. Been wanting to reel this little punk in for a couple of years now. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Now that’s not very fair. Teasin’ me like that while I’m on the phone.”

“Who says I’m teasing?” The shirt hit the floor, and she crossed the cabin with quick steps, pushing her jeans down as she walked. “You should know by now I don’t tease.”

“No, darlin’. You certainly…” Whatever he was going to say was lost when she kissed him. Hard.

 

Sonny got to the office early, just as the night shift was winding up their work and getting ready to turn over to the day crew. Jenny was still asleep back on Tranquility, and he’d been careful not to wake her when he left.

Once in his office he pulled the blinds, blocking out the wide yard and the hint of sunrise starting to bloom off on the horizon. Walking to a closet, he opened the door and looked at the suit hanging there. It was tailored, freshly cleaned, and basic Burnett black. Taking the hangers, he turned and headed for the suite’s bathroom.

When he’d dropped his papers he’d thought he’d left Burnett behind. No he corrected himself as he slipped out of his white cotton trousers and pulled on the razor-creased black slacks. I wished I’d left him behind. Like Tex always says, Burnett is me. A part of me, anyhow. And not a part I can leave behind. Next came the black silk shirt, buttoned to the top and capped off with a narrow black silk tie. As he lined up the buttons with the slacks, he could feel the gears shifting in his head. Reordering themselves.

Before pulling on the black suit coat he shrugged on the shoulder rig and checked his big Smith & Wesson 4506-1 on the left side and the two loaded magazines in the right-hand pouch. Then he slipped on the coat and buttoned the upper button. Reaching into the inner pocket, he pulled out the Ray-Bans and slipped them on. Sonny Burnett stared back at him. Cold. Collected. The face devoid of expression. Sonny Crockett was in the closet outside, a light colored Henley shirt and a cream linen blazer. Mr. Burnett was ready to go to work.

Sitting behind the desk, he reached for the phone and hit numbers. “Lieutenant Vallencio.”

There was a click as the call transferred somewhere, and then the familiar voice came on the line. “Vallencio.”

“John, it’s Sonny.”

“I was waiting for your call. We got the warrant, but it’s on the Everglades Inn and only that flea pit.”

“Good. We got the location of the target stash. It’s also possible something might happen to make the target go for his stash, so you won’t have to dig too much.”

“Any idea when this something might happen? No reason to clutter the future crime scene.”

Sonny paused for a moment. Running timelines through the computer of Burnett’s brain. “Have someone watching the location about 1600. As soon as you see him going in, throw your party. And don’t forget…”

“My team will know what she looks like. And a small possession charge is in the works. Just enough to get her over to diversion and Victims’ Services.”

“Thanks, John. I owe you…”

“Exactly nothing. If anything I owe you. Be a great thing to go out on a high note.”

Sonny nodded, even though he knew Vallencio couldn’t see him. “Trust me. It is. Stop by that bar when it’s done. We’ll have a couple.”

“You got it.” Then the line went dead and a dial tone bloomed in his ear.

Rico got to the office a few minutes later, a garment bag slung over his shoulder. “Lookin’ good, Burnett,” he said with a low whistle. “I figured it was better if I brought my stuff an’ changed later. Don’t want my people goin’ all crazy trying to figure out where some street thug came from.”

“Good plan. I just talked to John. His people will be in position by 1600 near the Everglades Inn. Gives us some time to plan.”

“And get breakfast. I rolled out so fast this mornin’ I forgot to eat.” Rico draped the bag over one of the office chairs. “You want to eat here or…”

“Here’s fine. At least the coffee’s good. Not up to Stan’s, but still…”

“Yeah. And the cook they have on today does a mean omelette.”

Sonny started to get, then paused. “You think this guy might still be someone’s CI?”

“I don’t know. But he does seem awful damned lucky.”

“That’s what I thought.” Sitting back down, he reached for the phone. “I’m gonna put in a call to the AUSA. They still owe us, and even if ol’ Bruno Noches can skate out of local trouble, he’s gonna have a hell of a time dodging a Federal beef. I think they sill have some RICO warrants active from the Broscos, and it won’t take much to get him added on if he’s not there already.”

They picked a table toward the back of the cafeteria, well away from the ears and eyes of any staff members or patients dropping in. They’d managed to hit the sweet spot between shift changes, so they had most of the place to themselves.

Sonny took another sip of coffee and looked over toward the bay window. “Looks like more rain today.”

“Yeah. It’s that time of year. If we were in New York, you’d be shoveling snow all damned day.”

“Thanks but no thanks.” He set his cup down. “How do you want to play this? I’m thinking Marcus should take the lead. I’ll hang back and look menacing.”

“Sounds good. I think I’ll go at him from the angle of the girls. Maybe accuse him of trying to turn out one of Marcus’ relatives. Second cousin twice removed or something. Enough to put the fear of God in him but not enough he can actually check it.”

“Give her one of those names he might have run into. Kim or something.”

“Kelly. It’s common enough right now.”

“We can check through Gina’s information and pick a spot he might be. I don’t remember the asshole moving around too much, so it should be easy. Then once we get in, scare the hell out of him and let John’s team do the rest.”

 

According to Gina’s notes Tigre liked to hold court in a dive club called Jumper’s about a quarter-mile from the Everglades Inn. A cross between a failed disco and a biker bar, Jumper’s had been able to avoid being used for firefighter training for the entire time Sonny had been with Metro-Dade.

Sitting in the blacked-out Mercedes, Sonny pushed his sunglasses up on his nose and looked over at Rico. “You ever feel like today would be a good day to get into the booming arson business?”

“Every time I look at that dive, partner.” Rico adjusted his own mirrored aviators and checked the line of his Yankees Ricky Henderson jersey. “Right now, though, Marcus is lookin’ forward to kickin’ some pimp ass.”

“I’ll follow your lead. Remember, we want to drive him back to his hole. Not put him in the hospital.” Sonny paused. “Or the ground.”

“Yeah.” Rico flashed a grin. “Let’s do this.”

Jumper’s had a doorman, even though no one was sure why. The place had never turned anyone away for any reason. Wearing a badly-cut suit and more muscle than brains, he squinted at Rico for half a second before moving aside and letting them in. Sonny stopped next to him. “If I were you, I’d go have a smoke break or something. For the next half hour or so.” He saw the man shift and dropped his voice into Burnett flat. “Unless you’d rather eat through a tube.”

Inside the place was all smoke, bad lighting, and a mix of smells better left unidentified. What might have been AC/DC boomed from a jukebox toward the back, and there was a small stage hinting and even worse live music from time to time. Sonny gave the place a quick scan through his sunglasses, his Burnett black fading into the gloom of the place.

Rico headed right for the bar, his New York street swagger on full display. “Yo! Bartender! Marcus hears a punk name Noches likes to kick it here. Might call himself Tigre, which Marcus hears is Spanish for pussy. Where’s he at?”

“Who the hell…”

“Marcus ain’t got time for games, chump!” Moving fast, Rico reached across the bar and grabbed a handful of stained t-shirt. “Where’s he at?”

Two men at the bar started to move, then froze when Sonny appeared from the gloom. “I wouldn’t do that, gents. My man here’s got business with someone, and if he’s got business, so does Sonny Burnett.” Looking toward the back, he touched Rico’s shoulder. “I’d say our pussy’s back there. Looks like he’s tryin’ to sneak out the back.”

Shoving the bartender back, Rico took off like he was Ricky Henderson. “Don’t you go runnin’ like a bitch, Noches! We got things to discuss.”

Sonny gave the bar a final look. “You all just keep drinking and not seeing a thing. You do anything else, you’ll draw cards in this game. And you don’t want to do that.” He unbuttoned the suit coat and let it drape open a couple of inches. “Are we clear?”

The bartender had given up trying to salvage any dignity from what had happened. “You bet, Mr. Burnett. Next round’s on me, guys. Happy hour or some shit.”

Sonny found them in a back booth. Tigre was a skinny waste of space with wide eyes and greasy skin and a suit he might have stolen from Izzy Moreno’s clothesline…if Izzy ever thought to wash his clothes. He might have looked mean to a teenage girl, but right now he looked like he’d just pissed his pants.

“Look, man. This is my turf. You can’t…” There was a quick thud, and Tigre grabbed at his midsection as Rico’s punch hit home.

“Look, chump. You try to turn out my cousin’s cousin, and Marcus can do whatever the hell he wants to your punk ass. Kelly’s family, an’ you don’t mess with family. Dig?”

“I’d listen to him.” Sonny’s voice was low, Burnett low, and mean. “It’s my business, too, since Marcus is an associate of mine. You might not have heard of him, but I’ll just bet the same Burnett might ring a bell or two.”

Now Sonny was sure Tigre had pissed his pants. “Mr. Burnett! I didn’t know…”

“You don’t know a damned thing.” Sonny turned to Rico. “We got business to do yet today, Marcus. If you want I can walk him out…”

“No!” The scream bounced off the walls of the booth. “Look, man! I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t! Little bitch…”

There was another thud. “Don’t you EVER call her bitch! You hear Marcus, bitch?” Rico slapped Tigre hard across the face, a backhand blow Sonny always associated with Matt Dillon on the old Gunsmoke episodes his father loved to watch. “Marcus knows you now.”

“And so do I.” Sonny let his face slip into one of Burnett’s predatory smiles.

“Right. So you want to keep breathin’, Marcus thinks you’d best find someplace else to do it. Like Houston or maybe LA. Cause if Marcus ever sees you in South Florida again…”

“And if he doesn’t, I will.” Sonny went conversational. “See, if Marcus is upset business doesn’t get done. And I get cranky when business doesn’t get done. You know what happens to people who make me cranky? They disappear. So if I see you again, no one will ever see you again. That clear enough for you?”

Tigre’s head worked like the bobblehead hula girl who used to decorate the dash of the old bug van. “Yeah…it’s clear enough for me. Been thinkin’ it’s time to move on to bigger things…”

“Ain’t no bigger things for you, chump. But it is time for you to move on.”

Sonny made a show of looking at his watch. “We got that thing, Marcus.”

“Yeah. Marcus is in town for a couple of days yet. You got today, chump. But if I see you tomorrow…”

They were back in the Mercedes before Rico let out a long sigh. “Man…that was…”

“That was a damned nice slap you laid on that asshole.”

“Trust me, partner, it took all I had not to knock his damend teeth down his throat.”

“Yeah, but this works out. He ran out of there so damned fast I bet he broke land speed records.” Sonny steered the big car into traffic. “And I also bet he headed straight for the Everglades.”

“And into the waiting arms of John and his team.” Rico sighed again, sinking back into the passenger seat. “Kinda wish I could be there to slap the cuffs on him, you know?”

“Yeah. But it’s better that we’re not.” Sonny looked over at his friend. “Come on. Let’s swing by Robbie’s for a drink before we head back. You look like you could use one.”

They hadn’t been at the bar for more than twenty seconds before Robbie Cann hustled them into his office and poured three generous measures of the single-barrel bourbon he favored. “Nothing but the best for my buddies,” he announced with a grin. “This calls for a celebration.”

“Yeah, it kinda does.” Sonny accepted his glass with a nod and told Robbie what had happened. “That asshole should be in custody by now, and we’ll know about the girl in a couple more hours.”

Rico took his glass, and Sonny saw him staring at the golden liquor. “Thanks, Robbie. Yeah…I’d forgotten how much Marcus take out of me.”

“I wondered about that baseball getup. Not your usual style.” Robbie sat down behind his desk and took a sip of bourbon. “But it was worth it, right?”

“You know…yeah, it was.” Rico took a drink and smiled. “You got that right, Robbie. It was damned well worth it.”

“At least you didn’t get shot rescuing the girl.”

“I told you I was sorry about that.”

“Calm down, Sonny. I was just kidding.” Robbie flashed his winning smile again.

“Naw, man. I get it,” Rico said, setting his glass down. “You been there, too. I’ll feel better once she’s at the House, but just gettin’ that chump off the street is somethin’. Means a couple of girls at least might have a chance.”

“There’s always more where he came from, but yeah, one down is better than no down.”

“Leave it to Sonny Crockett to find the down side.” Robbie chuckled. “This guy could win the lottery and then whine about how he has to pay taxes on it.”

“You got me, pal.” Sonny raised his glass to both men before taking a drink. “But if said that Jenny would just smack me upside the head.”

“She would, too.” Rico waved his hand in a pantomime slap. “Right upside his cracker head. And I bet she packs a mean punch, too.”

 

They got back to Caitlin’s House just before six and headed straight for Sonny’s office. Jenny was waiting for them, sitting behind the big desk with a smile on her face. “John the cop called about half an hour ago,” she said without getting up. “He wanted me to tell you both packages were picked up.”

“Good deal. That means Essi’s on her way and Noches is about to make a lot of new friends.”

Jenny nodded, then turned to Rico. “Did you hurt him?”

“Yeah, pretty lady. Not as much as he deserved, maybe. But…”

“He’ll get that soon enough. Some of those girls he turned out have relatives in county lockup.” Jenny’s face changed and her eyes got cold. “I made sure some of the girls know he’s going inside. And some of them made calls.”

Sonny started to speak, then stopped. Hell, I’m not a cop anymore. And she knows as well as I do a punk like Noches has more ways to skate out on charges than we can count. And he hurt those girls. He looked over and saw from Rico’s expression the same thoughts were going through his head. “Well,” he said finally, “it shouldn’t make much difference. I put in a call to the AUSA, and if he’s on any Federal warrants they’ll pull him into that system. He’s not getting away this time.”

Rico got to his feet. “I’m gonna change and head out. Mindy and I are goin’ to Downbeat tonight. They got a new combo. You two…”

“Thanks, Rico, but I think we’re gonna stay in. Got a few things to finish up yet, and then we need to inventory supplies.”

Once Tubbs was gone, Sonny got to his feet and slipped out of the black blazer. “Has anyone from Gina’s old office called yet?”

“No.” Jenny was still sitting in the desk chair. “You aren’t mad, are you?”

“No, darlin’. I’m not. Just thinking is all. That took something out of Rico today, and me, too, if I’m honest. Funny how something you used to do all the damned time gets hard if you don’t do it for a bit.”

“It was for a good thing.”

“Yeah, it was. You didn’t see that little chunk of pond scum. It’s probably a good thing it was Rico working him over. I don’t know if I would have stopped.” He thought back to Glantz. Yeah…it is a good thing.

She was about to reply when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver and handed it across the desk.

“Yeah? Oh, hi, Lia. No, I’m still here. Just like you’re still there. Work never stops, does it?” He listened for a couple of seconds. “Good. So you’ll process it tomorrow? Yeah, we can do intake on Christmas no problem. Thanks, Lia. I owe you. Naw…you don’t owe me a thing.”

Jenny’s eyes sparkled as he hung up the phone. “Does that mean?”

“John got her through in record time. Just enough weight to get her on that pipeline but not enough to follow her anywhere. Lia said they got her stuff and will have it done by tomorrow. We can expect Esmerelda Christmas morning. I’ll send a special transport.” Reaching for the phone, he called down to security and made the arrangements. Then came a series of calls to the medical and housing staff. “Yeah, it’s a special intake. Can we put her on B Wing? She’s low-risk and a trafficking victim. You should be getting the referral tomorrow morning sometime if you’re here. Yeah, thanks, Nichole.”

“You’re putting her with Elisa?”

“Not in the same room, but on the same wing. She’s gonna need help…someone who can show her things here do work.” He looked over at Jenny and smiled. “Do you want to tell her?”

“We can tell her. Both of us.”

They met Elisa in the same interview room Jenny had used before. Elisa looked nervous, more so when Sonny came into the room. “I told her I…”

“It’s ok, Elisa.” He sat down, keeping the smile on his face. She’s so scared under that tough act. “My name’s Sonny. And I…”

“You’re the boss man. And her man.” Elisa smiled then, a real smile not a forced one. “I saw you at the dinner an’ a few other times.”

“Yeah. This used to be my wife’s house. But you know all that.” He leaned forward, slow enough so she didn’t jump. “Do you have a friend named Esmerelda?”

“How did you…”

“I take it that means yes.” He smiled again. “She was picked up today during a sweep of the Everglades Inn.” He saw her eyes go wide and raised his hand. “She’s ok. I mean she wasn’t hurt in the raid or anything. What I wanted to tell you is she’s coming to the House the day after tomorrow. Christmas Day. She’ll be on your wing.”

“I…” He could see tears streaming down her face, the toughness replaced by a scared and happy young woman. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say you’ll help her while you’re both here. I know this isn’t easy. Getting clean never is. And getting away from that life isn’t either. She’ll need a friend, and I think you do, too.”

“I’ll keep her close, Mr. Sonny. You can bet on that.” Her eyes changed. “And that bastard who turned her out…”

“He’s getting his. He’ll be in county, and if he survives that I hear there’s a Federal warrant out on him. He won’t be able to hurt any more girls. You have my word on that.”

“Oh, God. I can’t believe…” She was sobbing now, and Sonny turned away so Jenny could talk to her. He knew his part was done, and it was up to both girls to make the best use of the gift they’d been given. He was surprised at how good he felt, though. Another part of his new life he’d never expected. Another gift.

[vicegirl85]

Robbie, I've gotten very far behind on my Vice reading!  But this gem was a good one to dip into, even this long after Christmas.  I really enjoyed it, and as always your characterizations and dialog are spot-on.  The series characters are recognizably themselves, and your OCs are interesting and honestly, make me want to see more of them.

You know that I am very fond of the Sonny-Gina relationship, and the scene with them was a perfect example of their move into a platonic friendship (regardless of what I wanted for them, it's good to see that they've each found someone who is better for them.

Quote

She laughed. “Any time Sonny Crockett shows up and calls me darlin’ I know he wants something. Out with it.”

LOL, she definitely has his number!

Very enjoyable!

[Robbie C.]

Glad you enjoyed it! I kind of wrote this one on a whim, since I did a Christmas story once before. And I decided I wanted to explore Caitlin's House a bit as it might have felt in the early days of the program, when Sonny might have still been trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing. And I enjoy my OCs quite a bit, really.