Chapter 14
As Detective Basil entered the station to start her day, the Desk Sergeant said to her, "You have a visitor Detective. Says he's FBI and that you two met the other day. He's waiting over by your desk." Basil thanked the Sergeant and entered the corner of the room set aside for the Detectives.
She saw him. He had his back to her as he stood in front of a window, drenched in the morning sun. He had his hands clasped behind his back and stood there not moving. For a moment, he appeared to be in an outfit reminiscent of a hazmat suit but instead of a helmet over his head he appeared to be wearing some kind of slightly conical hat.
Blinking away the image, she saw he was actually in a black suit like he had worn the other day, at the warehouse. Basil knew he had to have heard her by now but still, he didn't move. After hanging her jacket over the back of her chair and putting her pistol in the top drawer, she walked over to stand next to him.
"How have you been Kay?" he asked simply. She snorted in amusement and said, "You suddenly appear in my life after 10 years, and that's all you can say . . . how are you Kay? No emails, no snail-mail, not even a phone call on my birthday. I don't even know if you're still alive and then you just show up, take my suspect off my hands and send me packing like a first-day-on-the-force rookie?! How the hell should I be Roni? Answer me that if you can!"
Raiden stood there in his guise as Agent Ron Ingrid and said nothing for a moment. "Feel better now Kay?" he asked. She snorted again in amusement, "Yes I do but damn it I still can't be angry with you, even after all this time." Finally turning to face her he said, "I'm sorry I never stayed in touch, but things have . . . happened both to me and you it seems. I've been . . . busy for a long time now. Honestly, if my business the other day hadn't brought us together again, I doubt anything ever would have. That certainly doesn't mean I haven't thought of you over the last ten years, just that I have had much, much larger things to concern myself with."
She sat down at her desk and he followed as he said, "So Detective Basil, married then? Kids? Tell me about it." Kay opened another drawer and took a framed picture out of her and her husband on their wedding day and handed it to Raiden. As he looked at it, his eyes went to her first, conservative and tasteful full length white dress, veil and bouquet of spring flowers in hand. She positively glowed. The man in the picture was a couple of inches taller, wearing a regular tuxedo. His hair was kept in a military style flattop with touches of gray in the temples already, with a carefully trimmed moustache-goatee combination. He too radiated brightly. Raiden saw the two were truly happy and meant for each other.
As he handed the picture back to Kay, she said, "A couple of years after you left, I finally got into the Police Academy. His name is Kasey and we met there, at the Academy. He was going to become a Deputy Sheriff and I was hell-bent for leather to get my Detective's shield. We clicked; right away. He always wanted to be a Deputy Sheriff the same way I always wanted to be a beat-cop, and then a Detective."
Raiden smiled in remembrance of all the conversations he'd had with Kay and her desire to be a cop. "What finally convinced you to delay your plans", he asked. Kay took on the slightly distant look of someone remembering. "He died for me," she said. Raiden felt his eyes widen at the statement. "It was after the Academy. I had been with the Kirkland PD for about three years, he with the King County Sheriff for about the same. We were both off-duty and had gone to a movie. As we were leaving the theater, some guy, which I didn't find out until later, had a highly personal score to settle with Kasey. This man took aim at me and Kasey stepped in front of me as the guy pulled the trigger. I'll never forget how everything went into slow motion, the sound that night of the gunshots, or the muzzle flash, or the sound as two rounds hit Kasey square in the center of mass. I was beyond shock in the instant it took me to pull my .38 from my purse and fire back at him. Three rounds, two to the chest and one to the head. As the guy fell, all I could think about was Kasey. I knelt there next to him with my hands on his chest trying to stop the bleeding. I was crying and yelling all at the same time. He made eye contact with me as I finally was able to ask 'Why?", when all he said was, "People do funny things . . . when they're in love." He died right there in front of me just as the EMT's got there. Someone in the theater lobby saw the gun come out and dialed 911. As I rode back in the ambulance and watched the Paramedics work, I knew that I had found my life-partner only to lose him in the epiphany of discovery. It was highly touch and go for awhile there but they managed to revive him just as we got to the hospital. The time I spent in the waiting room of the ICU, with Kasey's dried blood on my hands and shirt waiting with his mother, brother and sister, was the longest, most agonizing time of my life. When he came out of surgery, the doctors said it was one of the closest surgeries in all their careers. The only thing they could say about why he lived was that he had more will to live than they had seen in many years. After I knew he was out of danger, I bought the rings myself and asked him to marry me the first chance I got. He accepted and eight months later, we were married. Our child was born two years later and I made Detective two more years after that. Which brings us to the present, what about you? Are you married? Any kids?"
Raiden said, "I did find someone, yes. But the path my life has taken prevents us from getting married or having children, though we are together almost everyday. I guess, if I were to apply a label to it, she and I, her name is Amperica, are technically living in sin but people do funny things . . . when they're in love. But we're happy. I have a job now that gives me greater purpose than I ever thought possible. I have a home, even a small household staff and friends that are almost impossible to describe with words."
Kay wore her surprise openly, "Wow, what kind of job is it that allows for all of that? Or is that above my paygrade too?" Raiden smiled, "Okay, I deserved that one but suffice it to say that my job has proven beyond any possible shred of doubt that there are greater things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy Kay. This brings me to the present and why I'm here in part at least. While the trip down memory lane has been wonderful and I'm truly, truly happy for you that you have someone who has given you what I never could, my responsibilities to my job require that I bring you in 'out of the cold' so to speak."
Kay said, "What have you got for me Roni?" Raiden smiled and said, "In all my travels, you're still the only one who calls me Roni. Maybe someday, I can tell you what I've been doing but for right now, I need to take you up on the offer of assistance from the Kirkland PD that you made the other day. I have the information I need on the people I'm looking for, but you know the city and the general metropolitan area better than I do."
Taking the files that Sonya had given him, he brought Kay up to date on events when she asked, "What happened to Reggae, I don't see any 'case closed' information here." Raiden seemed uncomfortable for a moment before saying, "Reggae is dead. Just after you and your officers left, but before my back-up team could arrive, a large group of the Poison Adder gang showed up. They took Reggae off my hands but didn't want to court the ire of the FBI if they killed me so left me be after they executed Reggae in front of me and left the warehouse after stripping me to my briefs and tying me spread eagle to some pallets."
Kay asked the next most logical question, "Where's his body?" Raiden said, "Check the Morgue for a headless John Doe and that would be Reggae. The Poison Adder took a double-barrel sawed off shotgun and literally blew Reggae's head off."
Kay made a quick phone call and verified the headless John Doe and requested a finger-print ID check and hung up. "So who are we looking for now?" Raiden said as he held up specific photos, "Before Reggae died, he told me he only knows the other four in the file by their street names. He told me that Roller and Dice are running a back-room poker game out of Club Jet, Piano Man is a lounge lizard on the west side and Ice Witch is the unknown variable here. He said that her hair is naturally blond, almost white and that the only jewelry she ever wears is diamonds. As you see in this picture, his description is spot on. I would like a 'be on the lookout' for these four with standing orders to observe and report, but do not approach unless there are at least three uniformed officers, or one S.W.A.T. qualified and one uniform. These four are to be considered extremely dangerous. I'll be going out after Dice myself. If I can take her down, hopefully that will cause Roller to make a mistake."
Kay said, "If we need three uniforms or one S.W.A.T. and one uniform before approaching, what makes you think you can handle any of them by yourself?" Raiden made a small smile and said, "I have been given special training, more than that is, I and wish it wasn't so, but it's above your paygrade, and that's all I'm allowed to tell you right now. I'm sorry."
"That's all right Roni. I know that first and foremost, you will do your duty and if you say you aren't allowed to tell me more, then I believe you. I'll get the notice's out right away and then accompany you to Club Jet." Before Raiden could tell her not to worry, she was gone. "What I must do my friend, you cannot be a part of, I'm sorry", he said to himself, and left the station while Kay was busy.