Chapter 4
The next morning, I felt refreshed enough that I took the F line trolley car over to the Wharf and decided I would see if I could spot the South American Kid's shipment coming in. Jumping off of the trolley, I jogged through traffic across the street, and lounged against a bench for a few minutes. After a while I watched as a gorgeous two-tone Bugatti coupe turned off the road towards the wharf and parked. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small pad and pencil. I jotted down the license number on the vanity plate: "NCC-1701D".
A short black fellow jumped out then, and he was dressed real sharp, with some odd dark glasses on his face—the kind normally worn by blind people. I watched him carefully, as he walked quickly, but casually toward the docks, and then when he'd gotten a decent head start, I followed behind him. The guy walked quickly, but I was able to tail him pretty well without him catching on. Crouching down behind some barrels I watched as he shouted to someone ahead of us.
"Hey, man!" He suddenly shouted down to the loading area.
A larger black guy, holding a crate over one shoulder turned around with a scowl. He was wearing a cap, but I realized at that moment that his head was way too big for the hat. I could see some strange ridges on his forehead. Back then I guessed he was covering up some old smallpox scars or something. Later on I found out different. "What?" The man growled. Clearly they knew each other.
"Is the shipment here yet or what?" The little guy demanded. "The Kid's getting impatient."
"I don't care," the larger man informed him, and tossed the crate on top of a tall stack of other crates.
"Well, you will care if the shipment doesn't come in and we both have to answer to the Kid."
I stepped from my hiding place then. "What happens if the shipment doesn't come in?" I asked casually.
The smaller guy spun around with a piece in his hand. The big guy stomped forward and climbed up onto the dock, wielding a crowbar. It looked a little bent as though my skull wasn't the first target he'd followed through on clanging.
"What do you want, buddy?" The guy with the odd sunglasses pointed the gun at me.
I lit a cigarette casually and took a puff. "You heard me. I want to know what happens if the shipment don't show."
The man's face went blank for a moment, but then his forehead scrunched up. "You don't want to know."
I smiled slowly and pulled back my jacket just enough to expose my holstered weapon. "Suppose I do…." I dropped my cigarette butt and stepped on it, before taking a step forward. The guy cocked his gun. I held up my hands and laughed.
"Whoa...this doesn't need to come to violence, friend. Now, what's your name?"
"Why?"
"Because I'm the friendly sort," I replied.
"A friendly sort who carries a gun," the big guy mentioned.
You're one to talk," I laughed. "You'd just as soon clock me with that iron than look at me."
The big guy shrugged, letting me know that maybe I was right.
The little guy smirked. "You want to know my name? You a cop?"
"Do I look like one?"
"Yes," said the big man.
"Well…I'm not anymore. But you know…I still know a bunch of cops and believe it or not, not all of them hate my guts. I could keep them off your trail, you know."
"What's the catch?"
"I need to know what this drug does," I said. "What makes it so special?"
Sunglasses kept his gun trained on me steadily. But I could tell acting the tough guy wasn't his thing. And he just needed a little more coaxing.
"Why should we trust you?" he demanded.
"Because I know Gloria," I said, beginning to get annoyed.
The short man glanced at his partner and then slowly lowered the gun.
"Really?"
I nodded. I wasn't quite sure of the reaction I had wanted to gain by speaking my dear cousin's name, but this would do fine. Apparently Gloria had more clout within the Kid's organization than I'd given her credit for.
"My name's Georgy," the guy said, and tucked the gun in the back of his waistband.
"Georgy?" I smirked. "You mean George."
He scowled. "No. Georgy."
"What kind of grown man calls himself Georgy?" I questioned just to get under his skin. His big friend started to laugh in a low rumble and Georgy shot him a look.
"Hey! My mama named me that. So back off."
I snorted. "Hey, don't snap your cap, fella, I don't mean any harm. So, back to to the main point. The drug?"
Georgy took another look at his buddy, who was still gripping the crowbar hopefully.
"Okay," Georgy said. "The drug is special alright. It's gonna keep us all from disappearing." He straightened, looking almost relieved after this confession.
"Disappearing?" I immediately thought of poor Ms. Feinberg and her missing brother. And now she was missing too.
"Yeah," said Georgy. "It's part of a cure I think—I hope. All I know is we got to get it to Gloria by noon today. Time is running out."
The Presidio
Later that day when I walked down the hill in my approach to the Army base, I saw Gloria and Doctor Howard standing outside of the gates. I skidded to a halt and crouched down behind a large tree out of the line of sight. She was dressed in a long white laboratory coat, and even in her work clothes she looked beautiful to me. I tore my gaze away from her to about 50 yards behind her and Gloria. A slight complication.
I hadn't expected Ms. Howard to be accompanied by guards. An army Jeep sat parked with two MPs inside. They were far enough away to give the women some semblance of privacy. But one of the officers actually had his rifle balanced on his knee. Of course, I knew the base would be guarded, and I knew those fellas wouldn't hesitate to fill me with bullet holes if they thought I presented a security risk. But something was off. In addition, the tense atmosphere was heightened, even for the military. I smelled fear and it wasn't just my own.
Any minute now, Redblock's goons would arrive. Gloria needed a chance to give Ms. Howard the drug and then get everyone out of the line of fire as soon as possible. But apparently there was some kind of hold-up. As I watched the vigilant guards, a plan began to evolve in my brain. If I alerted the guards to my presence and acted out, they would not only approach to address my behavior, but they might also scare off any aggression by Redblock's men. I had my gun holstered inside my jacket and felt it resting comfortably underneath my armpit. I had resolved not to use it, unless absolutely necessary. Getting caught with a gun on federal property—not good, let alone discharging one.
I hunkered down and focused in on Gloria and Ms. Howard who were arguing quietly near the gate. Even as far away as I was, they were upset enough that I could hear something of what they were saying. After years of doing surveillance I had exceptional hearing, was pretty good at reading body language, and even, if pressed, I could read lips. And with lips like Ms. Howard's, it wasn't so hard to concentrate. I brought the brim of my hat down to shade my eyes from the blazing sun, and shifted my gaze back and forth from woman to woman. They were both upset but for different reasons. "The deal was that you would come alone—you know that!" Gloria was saying.
"You don't understand. They won't let me out of the base anymore without an armed escort," Ms. Howard replied.
"Since when?" Gloria demanded. I could tell that my cousin, who was usually cool as a cucumber, was actually scared.
"Since today," insisted Ms. Howard, and her voice wavered slightly. Something strange began to tug at what passed for my-heartstrings; she wanted to be in control, of the situation, she was afraid the situation was now gaining control of her. She was confused and scared.
"Well you ordered the product, now I need you to take it from me as agreed," said Gloria.
"Ms. Goldfarb...if that is really your name," added the doctor, trying to keep calm as she explained. "These gentlemen behind us are going to confiscate whatever you hand me, and that's a fact. I'm not supposed to be smuggling contraband into the base. Before today, no one questioned my movements, but now I'm being scrutinized at every turn. I'm practically under surveillance!"
"Welcome to the club," I heard Gloria say. "You should have thought of that before you started working with me lady."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ms. Howard folded her arms over her chest defensively.
"It means you're not the only one who's under the gun, lady. And I mean literally."
Ms. Howard glanced away toward the MPs, and I couldn't catch what she said. Turning back in my line of sight I caught: "...I could be thrown in prison for what I've done-or worse," she said to Gloria. "They told me they were ordered to watch over me while I spoke to my friend. I didn't know they intended to follow me all the way past the gate."
"I don't get it-why can't they know about the drug?" Gloria asked.
"My work is authorized by the government...for now-but my current methods are not," Ms. Howard clarified.
"Yeah, but Doctor Howard—if that's your real name—if you don't take the product from me now, I won't make it home alive."
Ms. Howard dropped her hands to her sides. "What?" She shoved her hands into her pockets then and looked legitimately concerned. There was something about this gesture and the way she did it that seemed familiar to me. But I still didn't know why. I checked my watch. Redblock was going to make his move soon. It was now or never. I took out a flask of whiskey, opened it and spilled some down my front. I yanked my tie loose and smudged my shirt with a dry clod of dirt nearby. Taking a quick sip of the whiskey, I straightened and coughed, stepping out from behind cover. I took a few stumbling steps down the hill, pretending to lose my balance a few times.
The MPs were immediately alerted, but Ms. Howard and Gloria were now on to me as well. Ms. Howard looked first at me with shock and then at my cousin.
"What is he doing here? Do you know him?" she demanded.
"Nope," Gloria said with a shrug—just like we'd agreed. "Never seen him."
"Hey!" I shouted in my best drunk voice. "Hey, have you seen Larry?"
Ms. Howard stood staring at me with an expression of shock verging on disgust. "Oh my God, he's drunk…what the hell is he doing here?"
"Beats me," Gloria murmured, but I could see that her eyes were searching the distance for Redblock's thugs.
"Miss!" I yelled to Ms. Howard. "Have you seen my friend Larry around?" I stumbled and took a drink from my flask. I held a shaky hand out at waist level. "He's about this high—tiny little fella…and he's got—"
I trailed off as the MP's started up their jeep and quickly moved in, parking next to Ms. Howard and Gloria before leaping out, guns at the ready. "Halt!" They shouted simultaneously. Of course I didn't halt. I kept staggering forward like any drunk guy would.
"I'm just trying to find my friend," I said loudly, trying to reason with the soldiers as if a guy looking for his friend named Larry on a military base was a reasonable thing.
"He's insane," Doctor Howard declared to Gloria. Gloria might have agreed if the sound of screeching tires hadn't brought everyone's attention off of me and out onto the street. An old black Packard came careening toward us, and a burst of gunfire lit up the interior of the car. The soldiers discharged their own rifles in response to the attack, as I dove to the ground along with Doctor Howard and Gloria. Gloria hit her head and was out cold. With gunfire all around us, I crawled to her side and reached inside her pocket. My hand closed around the vial, and gripping it, I scrambled over to Ms. Howard who was lying on her belly with her hands covering the back of her head. As Redblock's squad came back around for another pass, bullets spattered in the dirt nearby. Closing my eyes I pushed the drug vial under her torso. She was holding stiff and still, and for some reason I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before rolling away in the dirt. The soldiers were yelling, and I stood up with my own gun and fired a few wild shots before catching the Packard's back right tire with a bullet. There was a popping sound, the car skidded, and then picked up speed taking off into the distance. When I turned around, breathing heavily, gun hanging limply in my hand, I saw very clearly that the soldier's guns were now aimed at me.
