Buzz on the Street—
LAPD Lt. Gary Walker sipped his beer and watched his quarry.
He didn't do undercover - he was too easy to spot because he lived and breathed his job. Any cop who didn't wasn't committed enough. And this job required complete commitment.
However, tonight he didn't have to pretend not to be a cop. Twelth Corner Bar was a public place, frequented by blue-collar types. Gary was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt - just an off-duty cop unwinding with a beer. But a good cop was never off-duty, always kept his eyes and ears open. He'd been hearing buzz all week that a big meeting with some international bigwigs was going to go down.
That's why Gary was here, drinking disgusting light beer, watching an Asian man tossing back alcohol like it was water. The tall, long-haired Asian had been doing so for an hour now, and didn't look ready to stop.
The buzz Gary'd heard was that the Asian was kkangpae, a Korean gangster. He was flanked by two black-suited bodyguards, but Gary could tell that the bodyguards were just symbols of prestige. The way the kkangpae moved, sat, breathed said that he could take care of himself.
Finally, the alcohol got to the kkangpae. Telling his bodyguards to stay, he headed towards the bathroom, pulling out his cell phone.
It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Maybe Gary could overhear some details about the meeting.
Gary got up and wandered towards the bathroom. He walked through the door and headed for a stall – then realized all the stall doors were open and the bathroom empty.
Not fast enough, he started to turn. Then froze as a gun jabbed his back.
"Why," said a voice with a heavy Korean accent, "Have you been watching me?"