Jhondie
"When the subject does not know he is being interrogated, he will be far more cooperative. The setting should be comfortable to him, someplace that he is accustomed to. You should also have a back plan to remove the subject should hard interrogation be required. And always clean up after yourself." I could hear Lydecker's voice instructing us. Pump him, then pump him full of lead was the basic plan of interrogation at Manticore. I supposed it worked pretty well. At least the screams I heard from interrogation rooms said it did.
I snapped myself to the present. Suck it up, I ordered myself. Don't think about what's going on. Don't think about whom you're really meeting. Think about the mission. Get the truth. That's the important part. Whatever happens after that remained to be seen. I could handle it. I was designed to handle anything.
He was waiting for me at the little upscale bistro precisely at one. My first instinct was to turn remove his charming grin, with a knife preferably, but I kept it down. I knew Justin was nearby if I needed him. More like if I lost it on Bradshaw here, he could step in and keep me from killing him. He hoped he could at least. I knew he wouldn't need to. I could control myself long enough to get what I needed.
We chatted politely for a while, and I told him about my organization. It was a real one, based out of the hospital in Atlanta where I had been cured of leukemia as a child, or so I told him. When I moved here, I started a chapter in LA to raise awareness, and to help children cope with life-threatening illnesses. We were so impressed by his remarkable words of support for children in need. We were going to have a fund-raising luncheon, and wanted to give him an award for all his help.
I'd picked up on enough about the golf tournament that he'd helped to organize it. More like he'd told his secretary to do it, and she pulled it off so that he could claim the credit. I played his ego like a violin easily. It was like petting a dog. When his back leg starts twitching, you got the right spot. I could see I was saying the right stuff from the amount of ego on Bradshaw's face.
Then he talked and I listened politely. All he wanted was an occasional nod, and smile. I laughed when I thought the pause dictated it. I didn't hear a word he said. I'm sure it was basically how wonderful he was. I was thinking of ways to skin him alive, and keep him alive for a long time. There was something else too. I didn't think he was the gunman that actually shot my father. From all of the eyewitnesses, there were two black males in a car, and it looked like a gangbangers car with all of the graffiti on it. Bradshaw wasn't the type to even look like a gangbanger for second if he could help it. Must have been hired help. Whoever it was, I was going to find him.
Lunch was finally over, and he refused to let me pay. I'd checked out protocol, and when you invite someone for a lunch like this, you were supposed to pay. In the organizations name or something like that. I hate to admit it, but I got that from the book on etiquette that Irene gave me. He dropped a gold card on the tray then gave me what was supposed to be a charming smile. Justin has a charming smile. His made my skin crawl.
"The only way I'm going to let you pay," he said smoothly, "is by letting me take you to dinner tonight." Hmm…Irene's book didn't say if it was polite to keep a vomit bucket nearby in case your date was that bad.
"I'm afraid I have some plans already for the evening," I said sweetly. He smiled wider. I guess he thought I was playing hard to get. I was really playing don't crack his skull. He was coming close to losing. I had maybe three minutes tops.
We got up to leave and I gave him a number he could call me at. It was a blow off number actually. I think it was to a bakery somewhere. Like I care. Another man was approaching purposefully. I tensed for a minute, but I recognized him. The legendary Darryl Knight live and in person. Oh the joy.
We were introduced, and he gave me a charming smile, I must say it put his nephew's to absolute shame. "Can you excuse us for just a moment," he asked. "Some family business."
"Of course," I said. "Actually I need to powder my nose, anyways." I slipped around a wall. There were several large plants that gave me the cover I needed. I could hear them easily.
"Where's Brian?" Knight asked urgently.
"I haven't seen him," Bradshaw replied nonchalantly.
"Don't give me any of that," came the growled response. "He's been looking for you."
"Uncle Darryl, I would not be seen in public with him after all he's done these last two weeks." Now this was getting interesting. "The only thing keeping him out of prison is that he's your son. Now he's got that other gang looking for him. I can't condone his actions and I won't be part of them." He needed an award all right. One big one for that acting job he was doing for his uncle.
"Get rid of your little fluff," he was ordered. "You're coming with me. We're going to find him and end this."
I picked that moment to return. "Emerson," I said apologetically. "I'm afraid I have to run now. I have something rather urgent waiting for me back at the office."
"Ah, well, if you have to go," he said, trying to be gallant. He sounded like pure cheese to me.
I walked off and went around the corner. Justin was waiting for me. I got in the car and told him about the only part of the conversation that counted. We saw Knight drive off, and Justin started to follow him.
Justin
"I think he's setting his cousin up for a fall," Jhondie said, concluding her summary of their conversation. "He's the good one, the noble one, and poor Spanky is the black sheep murderer."
"I think he's setting Spanky to be the next victim in a drive-by," I said. That made the most sense. Knight had a son and a daughter. The daughter was in Europe working on a career as an opera singer. She wouldn't care what happened to the family business as long as she had enough money to live her life in the lifestyle she was accustomed to. Bradshaw could live with losing that money. It was probably a very small percentage of the total amount.
"He lets Spanky take the bullet, and ends up inheriting the family estate," Jhondie said. "He gets to look like a bereaved family member, and nobody sees the blood on his hands. Bastard," she growled.
"I think we need to find Spanky first," I said. "I'm willing to bet as soon as cousin shows up, the only proof we have is going to be dead. Any ideas?" I was still following Knight carefully. I was hanging back enough to keep him from noticing me. At least I hoped I was.
"I'm willing to bet he knows exactly where Spanky is," Jhondie said. "If he can make it look like self-defense in front of his uncle…"
"Then there's no suspicion on him," I finished. We had to find this kid. Not just for the proof to take down Bradshaw, but to save his life as well. It was ironic that Jhondie had gone from trying to kill him, to being the best bet to keep him alive. I wondered what she thought about it, but it wasn't the time to ask.
We kept up with Knight, going into a progressively seedier part of LA. Not the worst parts by any means, I wouldn't want to go there even with Jhondie, but it was not the place rich boys like to hang out. Wannabe gang members, this was their kind of turf. Suddenly Jhondie sat up straight in her seat.
"Pull over!" she shouted suddenly, looking up at something. I couldn't tell what she was seeing, but I pulled over quickly.
"What's the…" I tried to say, but she was already out of the car, heading to a fire escape on the side of an abandoned building. She flew up it at breakneck speed. I followed, still wondering what the hell she had seen.
Jhondie
For just a second I saw his terrified face peeking over the roof of a building. He'd been watching Knight drive past, and I hoped he didn't notice us. I had to get to him in time. I think it was a little that I felt guilty for almost being the one to kill him. What a hose-up that would have been. Bradshaw would have gotten away with everything, and I would have had innocent blood on my hands. That was something I didn't need any more of.
I went up the fire escape as fast as I could move. It was rare that I went at full speed. That usually meant it was hard for the human eye to follow me, and that was attention I didn't need. Usually. I knew Justin was following me, but I had all five stories on him before he even hit the stairs. I vaulted over the edge of the roof, and looked around carefully, my enhanced vision catching every corner and hiding place. There he was.
"Brian?" I called out, walking towards him. My hands were exposed so that he would know I was unarmed. There was a scampering, and I went towards it. The kid had to know by now what his cousin was up to. No wonder he was scared. "Brian, I'm here to keep Emerson from you," I said. A little lying never hurt anyone. Usually. "Your father sent me to help you get out of this."
Suddenly he jumped out from behind a jumble of boards and other junk. He was holding a gun, trying to look like the tough gangbanger. To someone who really knew what tough was, he looked like a terrified kid trying to play grown-up. Sigh. If he fired his gun while holding it like that, the kick was liable to break his elbow. Kids.
"I know who really sent you," he said, trying to sound tough. He really wasn't doing that good of a job. Maybe it was just my heightened senses, but I could hear the tremor in his voice, and see the shake of his hand. I could almost smell his fear. He had a good reason to be scared, but not of me.
"Your father just wants to make sure you don't get into any trouble," I said calmly. That's when Justin suddenly popped over the edge of the building. Brian diverted his gun from me for a second towards Justin, firing it once right at him.
Justin
Did you know that you eventually get used to being shot at? At nineteen, it was already the second time in my life I'd had a gun aimed at me, and a trigger pulled. At least that I knew of. And for the second time whatever watches over dumb kids decided to pay a little attention to me, and made sure when I was being shot at, I had a genetically engineered partner to cover my butt.
The bullet passed within inches of me. I jumped back, almost going over the edge, and ending up in a rather undignified, but not flattened, heap. Before Spanky could take another shot, Jhondie was already on him. I didn't even see her move. One second she was standing there with her hands up, the next she had his arm behind his back, and was holding the gun. She pushed him forward, knocking him to the ground. She looked pissed. She glanced over at me, and for a second I could see real concern on her face. I nodded to let her know I wasn't hurt.
She looked at the gun. "This is why kids aren't allowed to play with guns," she said firmly. "You could hurt someone with this!" She was about his age, but she was lecturing him like she was his mother. If I wasn't still making sure I had everything where God intended I probably would have laughed. I got to my feet and went over to them.
Spanky was still on the ground, probably still trying to figure out how he'd gotten there. I could sympathize. I'd been there once before myself with Jhondie. "You did mention we're here to keep him from getting killed, right?" I asked her.
"He seems to be the stubborn type," she replied, and looked at the gun. "He also has no taste in weapons," she commented with a sigh, and then threw the gun away. It skidded almost to the other side of the roof.
"Dad really sent you guys?" Spanky asked hesitantly. He really did look like a scared kid. I would have felt sorry for him, but he got himself into this mess with no extra help. I would probably have had more sympathy for him had he not come within an inch of killing me a minute before.
Jhondie helped him up. "We're here to protect you from Emerson," she explained. "We know he was the one who killed Man Bai Lee, and we know…" she broke off, and I stepped in before she could get more upset.
"We know he set up Dr. Harris to be killed as well," I said. "He's setting you up to take the fall for all of it, and you know that now, don't you?"
"Know it?" an urbane voice spoke up from the other side of the roof. We all turned. Emerson Bradshaw was holding the gun Jhondie had thrown away. There was an entrance from the top story to the roof, and he'd gotten up here without even getting dirty. "How could he know anything that wasn't spelled out? He's not the bright one in the family you know." He smiled, showing off thousands of dollars in dental work to make his whites whiter. "Luckily you saved me the time of explaining the why's. Now you can all die quickly, and I won't miss my tee off. Today is a good day after all."