FEARLESS
He had called in as soon as he'd left the apartment, while he was running down the stairs. He had no idea which button he'd pressed, although he was pretty sure it was the right one. It came as a hell of a shock to hear the voice on the other end. Fearless held the phone away from his ear for a moment.
"Hello, Detective Smith?" The voice said irritably.
"McNorris, I got a situation here."
The Deputy DA sighed. "The - uh - stakeout?"
"Not anymore. Turcotte's down here, I think McKay is too." Said Smith breathlessly.
"Hostage?"
He shrugged, then realised how futile that gesture was. "Maybe."
"Backup's coming."
He snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket, just as he was running out of the building. Halfway down the block, a small figure ran out of another apartment "complex". Lucy Allthorpe! Fearless' brain screamed. She saw him and started running as though her life depended upon it.
"Stop!" He yelled.
Lucy was fast, much faster than he had expected. But no match for him. Fearless had nearly caught up with her, despite her lead on him, in a short block and a half. He had to tackle Allthorpe to the ground. Lucy screamed and struggled in the vain hope that someone would come and "rescue" her. But the detective was in no mood for theatrics. He clapped a pair of handcuffs round her skinny wrists, and dragged her to her feet.
At first Lucy literally dug in her heels. But if Fearless was in no mood for theatrics, he was certainly in no mood for that. She gave up quickly. Her thin frame and wasted muscles weren't even slowing him down - not while his partner was back in the thick of it, waiting for backup. Lucy contented herself with muttering under her breath all the foul language she knew.
Two cars arrived just as they got back to the apartment building. Four officer got out - one of them was Turcotte's partner. Three of them drew their guns, obviously in preperation for going into the building. The fourth (a kid in his early twenties, brand new to the job) was given the task of looking after Lucy Allthorpe. Lucy spotted his inexperience and took charge.
He was pretty gentle with her, just holding one arm and paying more attention to the other offiicers than his suspect. She wriggled free of his grasp, spat on his shoes and lashed out. Lucy caught the poor guy right in the gut. He second kick clipped his chin. Two of the other officers caught her arms and bundled her into a car. Fearless checked on the rookie, who was doing his best not to throw up in front of a detective.
"You OK?" He asked quietly.
The rookie nodded. "Feel a bit stupid."
"Ah you'll get that plenty of times. Just...be more careful. Allthorpe's trouble."
The kid nodded - advice taken note of. He wouldn't underestimate the wild-eyed porn "star" drug addict again.
"How the hell did my partner get into that building?"
Fearless turned to see Hechler. He knew exactly what the stout officer was going to ask, and truth was he could only say what the man probably didn't want to hear.
"Your partner got in there because he's a-"
Ray held up his hands in defeat. He knew his partner was in the wrong. Just then, a third squad car screamed down the block and screeched to a halt yards away. Fearless made a mental note to tell the driver exactly what he thought about cops who gave away their presence by driving like maniacs.
"We going in?" Ray said, jolting him back to reality.
Fearless nodded, and lead his team of four officers (the driver of the third car got to stay with the rookie and Allthorpe), right back into the belly of the beast.
RAY
"Your partner got in because he's a-"
Ray held up his hands. He knew the detective was right, he just didn't want to admit it. If truth be told, he'd known he was overstepping the mark and hadn't cared. Ray's concern for his partner was paramount in his mind. It had just occurred to him that the same was true for Detective Smith.
A car was coming up the block like a bat outta hell. Ray glanced at Fearless. No doubt that driver was going to get his ass kicked right back to a desk. Driving like that, on this kind of an operation, it was stupid, reckless even. He sighed and looked back at the detective.
"We going in?" He said, just to prompt him into action.
He followed Smith into the building, with the other three officers creeping along behind him. It was dark, damp, musty - in short, everything you expected from the way it looked on the outside. Not for the first time, Ray was very glad he had a good job, one that meant he didn't have to live in a place like this.
Every step seemed to creak with the sound of an atom bomb when you were trying to be quiet. Ray could hear everyone's nervous breathing. He felt like he could almost hear a collective thudding of anxious heartbeats against chests. The he brought himself back down to earth. Reality was, he had to help get his partner out of trouble, and reality was that they were up against a proven cop killer.
They reached the first-floor apartment belonging to Lucy Allthorpe. He stood by the doorway while one unlucky officer and Fearless took a quick look inside. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing there. Detective Smith led them up more flights of stairs, till Ray's muscles ached and his lungs burned with the effort. He made a mental note to go to the gym, and ignored the discomfort.
The team made a rapid sweep of each floor, really no more than a cursory glance. Each of them knew where McKay would most likely have gone. The "porn king" as he had been dubbed, liked to wind people up. Their last confrontation with him had ended on the rooftop of a very similar building, with a cop bleeding out from two gunshot wounds. The poor guy hadn't even made it to the ambulance before he died.
When the team reached the top of the stairway to the roof, they stopped. From inside, they could make out a little of what was being said - two distinct voices Detective Stevens', and Gareth McKay's.
".....don't care, Detective!" McKay said triumphantly.
"I do!"
"........................can't keep his mind above his waist!"
Ray shook his head. Assuming that McKay was talking about his partner, he had to agree with the guy, which he really hated. Tom definitely hadn't been thinking with his brains, that was for sure. He had noticed him looking at Lucy when they'd called her in for questioning, but hadn't really thought much of it then.
Fearless turned round to face his team. He told them all, in a low voice, to slowly walk out onto the roof, with him in the lead. They had tried the surprise approach once before. It hadn't worked - so they were truing something else. So they walked out onto the rooftop, squinting in the face of the bright light bouncing off the rooftop.
Just ahead of them, Joel had his gun aimed right at Gareath McKay. Ahead of him, Tom Turcotte was kneeling down, hands folded behind his head. Behind him....the porn king, aiming a gun. Ray looked his partner in the eye. The man was terrified, guilty too. Ray was torn between wanting to disown him and wanting to make sure he was OK.
"Hello everybody!" Said McKay cheerfully.
"McKay, put the gun down!" Fearless demanded.
"Oh, Detective Smith - Bobby - there's no need for animosity! Your partner was much more polite."
The porn king grinned widely at them. For a split second, Ray felt like taking a pot-shot at him, trying his luck in a difficult position.
JOEL
He was relieved when the troops finally turned up. There had never been any doubt in his mind that Fearless would call in, it was just that when you were in this kind of a situation, every second seemed to drag on forever. McKay seemed totally unflustered. In fact, the arrival of more officers seem to boost his already buoyant mood. But then he had always liked a good party. He greeted them cheerfully, like old friends, and stepped a little closer to his hostage. It was the only sign that he was feeling the slightest bit concerned.
"McKay, put the gun down!" Joel couldn't help the cynical thought that popped into his head - did his partner really think that was going to work?
Joel was really, really glad to hear his partner's voice, but he didn't dare turn round to see him. He didn't want to take his eyes off McKay for a second. You never knew what the man would do next. It was then, while Joel was thinking about McKay's natural devious nature, that he began a kind of speech - just something about Lucy, and his 'work', as he had always called the disgusting movies he made. That meant McKay was paying less attention to everything else. For such a meticulous planner, it was an elementary mistake. He stepped too close to his hostage. Joel kept his face neutral somehow, but he knew what Tom was going to do before he did it.
"Oh Detective Smith - Bobby - there's no need for animousity!" McKay cried theatrically. "Your partner was much more polite."
Joel gritted his teeth to stop himself saying what he wanted to say.
"I am an artist, you know? Noone seems to realise that! I just used different materials than most people. I mean, how many people missed those women, hmm?"
The temptation to just fire and be done with it was overwhelming.
"Where's Lucy?" McKay asked - it seemed like an afterthought, a way of prolonging the conversation. "I presume you caught her."
"She's with two of our officers in a squad car." Fearless shot back.
Then it started. Turcotte whirled round, still on his knees. His fist crashed heavily into McKay's stomach. The gun-wielding porn king doubled over in agony. As he was still trying to straighten himself out, Tom scrambled to his feet and started backing off furiously. That was when McKay raised his gun - and all hell broke loose.
He had called in as soon as he'd left the apartment, while he was running down the stairs. He had no idea which button he'd pressed, although he was pretty sure it was the right one. It came as a hell of a shock to hear the voice on the other end. Fearless held the phone away from his ear for a moment.
"Hello, Detective Smith?" The voice said irritably.
"McNorris, I got a situation here."
The Deputy DA sighed. "The - uh - stakeout?"
"Not anymore. Turcotte's down here, I think McKay is too." Said Smith breathlessly.
"Hostage?"
He shrugged, then realised how futile that gesture was. "Maybe."
"Backup's coming."
He snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket, just as he was running out of the building. Halfway down the block, a small figure ran out of another apartment "complex". Lucy Allthorpe! Fearless' brain screamed. She saw him and started running as though her life depended upon it.
"Stop!" He yelled.
Lucy was fast, much faster than he had expected. But no match for him. Fearless had nearly caught up with her, despite her lead on him, in a short block and a half. He had to tackle Allthorpe to the ground. Lucy screamed and struggled in the vain hope that someone would come and "rescue" her. But the detective was in no mood for theatrics. He clapped a pair of handcuffs round her skinny wrists, and dragged her to her feet.
At first Lucy literally dug in her heels. But if Fearless was in no mood for theatrics, he was certainly in no mood for that. She gave up quickly. Her thin frame and wasted muscles weren't even slowing him down - not while his partner was back in the thick of it, waiting for backup. Lucy contented herself with muttering under her breath all the foul language she knew.
Two cars arrived just as they got back to the apartment building. Four officer got out - one of them was Turcotte's partner. Three of them drew their guns, obviously in preperation for going into the building. The fourth (a kid in his early twenties, brand new to the job) was given the task of looking after Lucy Allthorpe. Lucy spotted his inexperience and took charge.
He was pretty gentle with her, just holding one arm and paying more attention to the other offiicers than his suspect. She wriggled free of his grasp, spat on his shoes and lashed out. Lucy caught the poor guy right in the gut. He second kick clipped his chin. Two of the other officers caught her arms and bundled her into a car. Fearless checked on the rookie, who was doing his best not to throw up in front of a detective.
"You OK?" He asked quietly.
The rookie nodded. "Feel a bit stupid."
"Ah you'll get that plenty of times. Just...be more careful. Allthorpe's trouble."
The kid nodded - advice taken note of. He wouldn't underestimate the wild-eyed porn "star" drug addict again.
"How the hell did my partner get into that building?"
Fearless turned to see Hechler. He knew exactly what the stout officer was going to ask, and truth was he could only say what the man probably didn't want to hear.
"Your partner got in there because he's a-"
Ray held up his hands in defeat. He knew his partner was in the wrong. Just then, a third squad car screamed down the block and screeched to a halt yards away. Fearless made a mental note to tell the driver exactly what he thought about cops who gave away their presence by driving like maniacs.
"We going in?" Ray said, jolting him back to reality.
Fearless nodded, and lead his team of four officers (the driver of the third car got to stay with the rookie and Allthorpe), right back into the belly of the beast.
RAY
"Your partner got in because he's a-"
Ray held up his hands. He knew the detective was right, he just didn't want to admit it. If truth be told, he'd known he was overstepping the mark and hadn't cared. Ray's concern for his partner was paramount in his mind. It had just occurred to him that the same was true for Detective Smith.
A car was coming up the block like a bat outta hell. Ray glanced at Fearless. No doubt that driver was going to get his ass kicked right back to a desk. Driving like that, on this kind of an operation, it was stupid, reckless even. He sighed and looked back at the detective.
"We going in?" He said, just to prompt him into action.
He followed Smith into the building, with the other three officers creeping along behind him. It was dark, damp, musty - in short, everything you expected from the way it looked on the outside. Not for the first time, Ray was very glad he had a good job, one that meant he didn't have to live in a place like this.
Every step seemed to creak with the sound of an atom bomb when you were trying to be quiet. Ray could hear everyone's nervous breathing. He felt like he could almost hear a collective thudding of anxious heartbeats against chests. The he brought himself back down to earth. Reality was, he had to help get his partner out of trouble, and reality was that they were up against a proven cop killer.
They reached the first-floor apartment belonging to Lucy Allthorpe. He stood by the doorway while one unlucky officer and Fearless took a quick look inside. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing there. Detective Smith led them up more flights of stairs, till Ray's muscles ached and his lungs burned with the effort. He made a mental note to go to the gym, and ignored the discomfort.
The team made a rapid sweep of each floor, really no more than a cursory glance. Each of them knew where McKay would most likely have gone. The "porn king" as he had been dubbed, liked to wind people up. Their last confrontation with him had ended on the rooftop of a very similar building, with a cop bleeding out from two gunshot wounds. The poor guy hadn't even made it to the ambulance before he died.
When the team reached the top of the stairway to the roof, they stopped. From inside, they could make out a little of what was being said - two distinct voices Detective Stevens', and Gareth McKay's.
".....don't care, Detective!" McKay said triumphantly.
"I do!"
"........................can't keep his mind above his waist!"
Ray shook his head. Assuming that McKay was talking about his partner, he had to agree with the guy, which he really hated. Tom definitely hadn't been thinking with his brains, that was for sure. He had noticed him looking at Lucy when they'd called her in for questioning, but hadn't really thought much of it then.
Fearless turned round to face his team. He told them all, in a low voice, to slowly walk out onto the roof, with him in the lead. They had tried the surprise approach once before. It hadn't worked - so they were truing something else. So they walked out onto the rooftop, squinting in the face of the bright light bouncing off the rooftop.
Just ahead of them, Joel had his gun aimed right at Gareath McKay. Ahead of him, Tom Turcotte was kneeling down, hands folded behind his head. Behind him....the porn king, aiming a gun. Ray looked his partner in the eye. The man was terrified, guilty too. Ray was torn between wanting to disown him and wanting to make sure he was OK.
"Hello everybody!" Said McKay cheerfully.
"McKay, put the gun down!" Fearless demanded.
"Oh, Detective Smith - Bobby - there's no need for animosity! Your partner was much more polite."
The porn king grinned widely at them. For a split second, Ray felt like taking a pot-shot at him, trying his luck in a difficult position.
JOEL
He was relieved when the troops finally turned up. There had never been any doubt in his mind that Fearless would call in, it was just that when you were in this kind of a situation, every second seemed to drag on forever. McKay seemed totally unflustered. In fact, the arrival of more officers seem to boost his already buoyant mood. But then he had always liked a good party. He greeted them cheerfully, like old friends, and stepped a little closer to his hostage. It was the only sign that he was feeling the slightest bit concerned.
"McKay, put the gun down!" Joel couldn't help the cynical thought that popped into his head - did his partner really think that was going to work?
Joel was really, really glad to hear his partner's voice, but he didn't dare turn round to see him. He didn't want to take his eyes off McKay for a second. You never knew what the man would do next. It was then, while Joel was thinking about McKay's natural devious nature, that he began a kind of speech - just something about Lucy, and his 'work', as he had always called the disgusting movies he made. That meant McKay was paying less attention to everything else. For such a meticulous planner, it was an elementary mistake. He stepped too close to his hostage. Joel kept his face neutral somehow, but he knew what Tom was going to do before he did it.
"Oh Detective Smith - Bobby - there's no need for animousity!" McKay cried theatrically. "Your partner was much more polite."
Joel gritted his teeth to stop himself saying what he wanted to say.
"I am an artist, you know? Noone seems to realise that! I just used different materials than most people. I mean, how many people missed those women, hmm?"
The temptation to just fire and be done with it was overwhelming.
"Where's Lucy?" McKay asked - it seemed like an afterthought, a way of prolonging the conversation. "I presume you caught her."
"She's with two of our officers in a squad car." Fearless shot back.
Then it started. Turcotte whirled round, still on his knees. His fist crashed heavily into McKay's stomach. The gun-wielding porn king doubled over in agony. As he was still trying to straighten himself out, Tom scrambled to his feet and started backing off furiously. That was when McKay raised his gun - and all hell broke loose.