Working for the Enemy 18

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'I need to see the secretary,' Tom Leopold snapped as Jack Malone walked casually down the staircase.

'See's still out of it,' Jack said.

'What do you mean out of it?'

'Kaye slugged her good and proper in the jaw as we were leaving the garage. Knocked her out cold. She's in the bedroom sleeping it off.'

'Christ! What was he thinking, did he leave a mark?'

'Sure did. A real shiner. Nice and blue.' Jack leaned against the balustrade at the bottom of the staircase.

Leopold thought for a few moments. Then shrugged.

'Oh well, it'll add credence to the story. Mason punched her before strangling her.'

'Listen Boss, you think that story will hold up? I mean Mason never belted a dame in his life, why would he start now? Especially with her.' Jack jerked is thumb in the direction of up the staircase. I mean she's gorgeous. Even if he was the type, no guy in his right mind would mark that pretty face. That isn't gonna wash with the investigators. I'm just saying.'

Leopold held Jack's gaze. Cold green orbs held no amusement but the twitch at the corner of his mouth gave away his sentiments. He then laughed out loud.

'I see Miss Street has made another conquest.' Leopold continued chuckling. 'Listen kid, if you don't have the stomach for it, get out now. Kaye will have no such problems with the amount of money I'm paying you all. But, I'm warning you, if you choose to leave you had better run and run far away. My connections have a very long reach.' Leopold made to walk up the staircase as he pushed past Jack.

'Are you going to watch?' Jack challenged stopping Leopold in his tracks part way up the stairs.

'No. I will be long gone when the deed is being done. I will have an air tight alibi so not even the illustrious Hamilton Burger, and the doggedly determined Lt Tragg will be able to pin anything on me or my friends.'

'What about Drake?'

'What about him?'

'You think for one minute he'll rest until he clears his friend.'

'Mr Drake will make himself ill trying to prove Mason didn't murder Miss Street and he'll be in the ground well before he gets anywhere close to the truth.'

'You're one cold son of a bitch, you know that?'

'On the contrary, I'm a warm hearted and generous politician. I'm going to be the next D.A and clean up the city and I will be beloved for it.'

'I take it Miss Simmons will be up there enjoying the ride with you?'

'Hell no.' Leopold turned and climbed the rest of the stairs. Jack raced to the kitchen and opened the back staircase door allowing Della and Perry into the room.

'Come on,' he rushed. 'I'll give it all of a minute before Leopold walks in that bedroom and sees Kaye and Miss Simmons coming to, and you gone.'

'Where's the other guy?' Della asked apprehensively clutching the sleeve of Perry's coat.

'He's out front keeping an eye out. The ADA won't want anyone to see him here.'

They slipped silently across the kitchen to the glass doors that opened onto the patio terrace. It was at that moment they heard the hammering of footsteps coming down the stairs. Perry and Jack looked at each other. 'Game's up,' grinned Jack pushing them into the garden as the kitchen door banged open.

'What the hell!' Leopold almost screamed. Perry whirled back to face him in the doorway, angry intent written all over his face. With his arm he motioned Della behind him.

'Jack, make sure Della is safe,' he instructed.

'Of course,' Jack agreed and also placed himself behind Perry and in front of Della urging her out further into the garden.

'No!' Della cried. 'I'm not leaving you here with him.'

'Della,' Perry's voice remained deadly calm. 'Please just once more, do as I ask. Go with Jack and meet up with Paul and Tragg. They should be somewhere close to the tool shed other side of the pool.'

'I want to stay here with you, 'she continued to plead.

'No!' Perry snapped. 'Baby, I can't do anything productive until I know you're away from here and safe.' Blazing blue eyes met fierce green ones. Neither man wavering or moving.

'What are you going to do?'

'Mr Leopold and I are going to have a chat.' Leopold's eyebrows shot up in amusement. 'Then I'm going break his jaw. Now please go!'

'Come on Miss Street,' Jack all but shoved her into the garden before grabbing her hand and dragging her reluctantly across the garden towards the pool area. Suddenly Paul appeared from behind a tree, closely followed by Tragg. Paul closed the distance between them and hauled her into a great bear hug.

'Jeez Beautiful, you had us all scared there.' Paul turned her in his arms so his body was shielding her from anything stray that might some from the house. Della hugged him briefly back but kept trying to look at the house.

'Paul, Lieutenant,' she pleaded. 'Perry's still in there with Leopold. They other two men and Laura are still there too. He's in danger, you need to get over there.'

Tragg looked between Paul and the house making an instant decision. 'Paul, you look after Della. Jack you're coming back with me.'

'Just a damn minute Lt,' Paul bit out. 'He's my best friend. I'm not waiting here. Della, stay with these two guys.' Paul waved over a couple of burly men in uniform. 'They'll look after you.' And then with no further discussion Paul took off back towards the house with Jack and Tragg in tow.

'Perry!' Paul called out as he neared the kitchen doors. There was a loud shatter of glass, voices shouting unintelligible things at each other, a couple of doors banged shut and then somewhere in the distance the screech of car tyres. Paul was just about by the breakfast patio when he heard two extremely loud gunshots echo from somewhere in the back of the kitchen. 'Perry?' Paul called again as he entered the kitchen, drawing the gun he almost never carried but on this occasion he believed warranted it. Perry suddenly emerged from the shadows of the darkened room, grabbing for the edge of the breakfast island to hold himself up. 'Perry what the blazes happened?' Paul's tone demanded. Perry winced and held his left shoulder under his jacket.

'Over there by the back staircase door,' Perry motioned with his head to where Grey suit lay crumpled, a large ominous red stain taking shape slowly across the crisp white shirt. 'He tried jumping me when I was just about to beat the living daylights out of Leopold.' Perry explained to Paul and now Tragg and Jack who had joined them. Jack felt for a pulse but knew with the pale white face, it was useless. Jack looked up at all three men and shook his head solemnly. 'I saw him out of the corner of my eye, managed to knock him off balance. Gun went off when we were wrestling for it.'

'Where are the rest of them now?' Tragg's eyes were scanning the room.

'Leopold took off. I think Laura was with him and that other guy.' Tragg nodded in understanding.

'Perry!' Della arrived back at the kitchen with a red faced uniformed officer blowing after her.

'Sorry Sir,' the uniform was apologetic. 'When the shots rang out I couldn't keep hold of her.' A flush of embarrassment bloomed over the red cheeks.

'It's alright Marshall,' Tragg assured gruffly. 'You and Zane check the rest of the house while I get the circus out here.'

'Perry?' Della threw herself at the lawyer who staggered back slightly and groaning. 'What?' Della arched back slightly and saw the ashen pallor. Taking hold of his hand, Della noticed there was something dark and sticky across his fingers. He gave her w weak smile. 'Oh my God where have to been hurt?'

Perry indicated his jacket sleeve. 'It's alright Baby,' he reassured her. 'I just got a wing clipped, no real damage done.' Della placed a quick kiss on Perry's cheek then began tearing through the cupboards of the kitchen looking for a first aid box.

'What now?' asked Paul. 'Leopold is probably almost back in the city and making a run for it with Laura by now.'

'He won't run,' Jack offered. 'He's got big plans and he thinks he's untouchable. And when I spoke to him his plans didn't include Miss Simmons.'

'That's his weakness,' pondered Perry. 'We have to find some real hard evidence to make his associates disown him, or at least distance themselves from him. As for Laura, I'm sure she can handle herself in all this. She has her ways.'

'You think they'd do that?' asked Paul. 'He seems pretty high up the food chain if you ask me.'

'No Paul that's just it, he's not.' Perry drew in a breath and Della slid his jacket from his shoulders. 'Ouch,' he grinned.

'Stop being a baby,' Della chided as she began probing around the wound to ascertain how bad it actually was. Deciding it was only a flesh wound, she set about cleaning and bandaging.

'When I got to meet some of his associates, some are much higher up than he is. Remember, he's just starting out in this game, they're using him as a pawn and I have no doubt he's expendable. We just have to figure out how.'

'If only we had some hard evidence in this Sampson case,' muttered Tragg absently as he placed the phone back after calling in the incident. 'He'll be building his alibi before you know it and we'll be back to square one with all of us looking over our shoulders.' Della looked up.

'We have some,' she said flatly. All three men turned to look at her.

'What do you mean we have some young lady?' asked Perry.

'I found the evidence from the Sampson case and more in his locked desk draw this morning when I went back.'

'And pray tell, how did you get a folder out of his locked draw in his office?' Perry's eyebrows raised in amusement.

Della blushed. 'Let's just say I had a good teacher,' she answered demurely. 'Didn't I Paul?' All eyes spun to the P.I who just shrugged.

'She asked me to teach her how to pick a lock,' Paul answered as if it had been the most natural request in the world.

'Anyway,' Perry continued. 'What did you get exactly?'

'I retrieved the file on Sampson and it seems he doesn't trust his associates any more than they trust him. There was a little black book in there full of notes. I didn't have time to read it, but I did catch a glimpse of some really big names, dates and places, so I appropriated that as well.'

'Good girl!' Perry smacked a kiss on Della's forehead then winced again as she secured the bandage in place. 'But how did you get it out of the office? That's clearly what he was coming here to find out from you?'

Della crossed her arms and gave a self satisfied grin. 'Easy I took a leaf out of your book Counsellor. I mailed the evidence to Paul.'

TBC