Chapter Three
"Don, I think we got him this time."
Leo turns to me with that look in his eyes, that blood thirsty lust for revenge look, scaring the piss out of me.
"Don't you think we should wait for backup?" I tell him as I watch another carload of Japanese in black suits pour out. "He's gotta have at least fifty guys in there with him!"
Leo pops open the clip of his gun, making sure he's fully loaded before he slips it back in. "No, we can't. There's no time." He looks at me again, that lust growing across his face as he brings down his shades. "He might leave before they show up."
"Leo, come on!" I tried to stall him again. "We can't possibly take out all of them!"
"Listen!" He shoves his finger into my face, and I cringe against the door. "I've waited five fucking years for this! No one is going blow this for me! You understand? No one!"
He opens the door to the Caddy and bolts for the wall, pressing himself up against as tightly as possible. His black coat whips in the wind, and his sunglasses make him look more like a hit man than a cop. He looks back at me, then grits his teeth as he waves me in, and I can't help but hesitate as I slink out of the car and join him. This is wrong, so wrong. Leo was always one to follow proper police procedure, do everything by the book. He's not himself today, not at all.
I watch my footwork as we shuffle across the concrete floor, using the shadows to conceal ourselves as we follow the newest batch of Foot followers deep into the decrepit warehouse. The musty smell of mold lingers around us, and Leo glares at me as I fight back the tingling in my nose. Like I can control when I gotta freakin' sneeze, and now is not the time for Leo's mind over body shit!
The sound of loud, Japanese barking breaks us away from our silent argument. Leo peeks around the crates we're standing behind, then quickly turns back. I can almost see the wheels spinning inside that fast thinking brain of his, but I think the wiring needs a little adjustment. He pulls back on his Makarov RK-59, the click of the bullet entering the chamber echoing between us, and he takes in a deep breath, muttering something in Japanese as he closes his eyes. I never bothered to learn the damn language, but I've been around Leo long enough to know what he just said.
Roughly translated: No man suffers injustice without learning what justice really is.
Leo opened his eyes, flashed that million dollar smile of his at me, then jumped out into the waiting arms of the Shredder. The screams and the sharp banging of blasting bullets around my head grew louder and louder, and I opened fire, turning away, not even knowing if I was hitting anyone. The pounding was getting louder, the screams calling my name. Leo? Is that you? It's dark! I can't see a damn thing!
"Don! Donnie! Please! Wake up!"
I force my eyes open, holding back the pool of sunlight that's coming in through those stupid mini blinds. The pounding on the door increased, and I thought for sure it was gonna fall in.
"Hang on," I mumbled as I sat up. The pounding came again, and I grabbed at my throbbing temples. Shit, sounds like the fucking door is screwed into my head.
"Don, please!" The soft female voice cried out. " I need you!"
I look at the old grandfather clock across the room and I'm barely able to make out through my fuzzy vision that it's eighty-thirty. Too bad it wasn't eighty-thirty at night so I could stop myself from getting hammered again. Oh well, I got five hours in. That's more sleep than I've had in awhile.
"Hang on." I mumbled as I pulled on my bathrobe, which was sling over the footboard of my bed, and stagger to the door. Note to self: Next time you decide to get drunk, go sleep it off in a hotel so no one can find you the next day.
I pull the door back, wincing at the creaking noise it makes, and my fuzzy eyes readjust to the fluorescent lights of the buildings hallway, and to the sobbing mess of a woman standing in front of me.
"April?" I step back and let her in, catching her as she fell into my arms, her rose perfume invading my nose again.
"Oh, Donnie! It's all my fault! I never should have left him alone!"
I narrow my eyes in confusion. "What? You left who alone?"
April sniffed again, the tears sending her mascara down her blushed cheeks. "He's dead because of me! I never should have left him!"
I growl in frustration as I pull her away from my chest and shake her. "Dammit, April! Who are you talking about?"
"It's-it's...Mikey," April finally stammered out, and it took me another hour after that before I could register what she was about to say next.
"He's dead, Donnie. Mikey's dead."
The Red Diamond was crawling with police and city officials when I passed under the yellow tape in front of the doors. Some of my fellow officers nodded at me, but seemed to also throw me dirty looks as they passed by, almost passing judgement on me right there. So what if I was one of the last people to see Mike alive? Doesn't mean I bumped him off! Jerks.
I walked past Casey, who was sitting in my usual spot as one of my cop buddies questioned him. Our eyes locked again, and that evil grimace on his face returned, his lips curling into a sneer. He too seemed to be worse than normal. I quickly turned away. I'm not really in the mood for a contest to see who could be the bigger asshole.
I stopped in front of those dirty bathroom doors and looked down, holding back the vile in my stomach as it burned to come up. They had already taken Mikey's body away, but the chalk outline was still there, as was the puddles of blood that congealed inside and around it. I bent down and lightly brushed at the chalk, the tears silently pooling in my eyes. I've lost two brothers now, and I'm telling you, that pain in my chest I'm having right now, it doesn't feel too good.
"Well, well, look who's returned ta the scene of the crime."
I quickly wiped at my face and stood up, holding back the urge to slug that smart ass mouth as I turn around. Raphael took a long drag from his cigarette then blew the smoke in my face.
"I see you slept off all that scotch you took in last night." Maybe I was in the mood to play the biggest asshole game.
Raphael took another puff as a smile grew on his face. "Yeah. April helped me with that."
Ouch. Okay, I'll let him win this time.
"So," Raphael finished the cigarette and stomped in out in the red carpeting. "I heard that you and Mike had a little fallin' out last night. Is that why ya came back ta knock him off?"
That would explain the glares I was getting. Sure hope Raph and Casey had fun sharing their little 'Don killed Mikey' theory.
"Screw you, Raph," I lowered my voice and stared into his green face. "Mike was like my little brother. Why the hell would I want to kill him over some stupid argument?"
Raphael growled, then jumped at me. "Look, Don, I got a handful of people sayin' you was the last one they saw comin' out of this place around three this mornin'!"
So, maybe I was the last one to leave. Still doesn't mean anything. "What witnesses? Casey and Mikey were the only ones here!"
Raphael gave me another smug grin. " I got people."
Man, he was pissing me off! Time to turn the tables on him. "Yeah, I bet you paid them really good too. Passed some of that tax money around."
That was enough to melt the smile on his face. He turned around hoping that no one around us had heard what I had said, then he grabbed the lapels of my coat and pushed me into the corner by the bathroom doors.
"Listen ta me, you fuckin' maggot," He shoved his finger into my face, his breaths coming out in short whips. "There are things goin' on in this city that you wouldn't understand, and ta make them things work, you gotta move the cash around. But I swear on the grave of my father that if you ever say somethin' like that again, I'll fuckin' kill ya. Ya got me?"
I held my tongue and my eyes to his. I understand how the game works in the city. You gotta use money to make money, and you gotta use that same money to keep people quiet, sometimes permanently. Power comes from paying off the right people This is were I suddenly start feeling sorry for Raph. He may have been a jerk back in the day, but he was an honest one. He soon learn the game really quick after making it to Chief of Police, but I know that deep down inside he never liked it.
"I got you, Raph." I narrowed my eyes and shoved his hands away from me. "But if you're trying to set me up, you better know that I won't go down without a fight."
"I ain't settin' ya up for shit!" Raphael's voice rose a little, but he quieted back down. "I was tellin' ya the truth when I said I got people who saw ya stagger outta this place." Raph looked around again. "I just wanna warn ya ta watch your fuckin' back, that's all."
"Oh, that's sweet," I said sarcastically. "Didn't know you cared so much."
Raph spit into the carpet, barely missing my shoes. "I don't." He turned away and walked back into the middle of the bustling swarm of cops, almost like a ghost disappearing into a thick fog. After all these years of knowing him, I still don't think I'll ever understand what motives that guy to act like he does. I shake my head, then look down at the chalk drawn body and process what Raph just said. Watch my back, huh?
I knelt down again, studying the way Mike fell. It was obvious right off the bat that he had been stabbed. The puddles of blood were very close to the body and neatly collected. I look up to the wall, making sure I was right. No bullet holes in either door, or in the wood paneling. That was always the first thing Leo checked for: Choice of the murder weapon.
I stood back up, looking at the outline, and from the way Mike had fallen, he was cornered, tried to defend himself, and fell flat on his face. Of course, having the body still around would have been better to prove this, but I didn't want to see Mike like that, his face mangled in the last moment of terror. I may have been a cop for almost ten years, and seen my share of dead bodies, but when it comes to seeing someone close to you like that, it was something I could live without. Anyway, that was the second thing Leo did: Check for signs of struggle, which may show the victim knew the attack was coming.
Now that I had some idea of what went down, I still didn't know the reasoning behind it. Why would someone want Mikey dead? He was just an innocent kid trying to make it in this hell forsaken world! I shook off my anger and the tears that came with it, and moved outside for a smoke. My nerves were on edge, and it took me at least ten tries to light my Zippo. I leaned against the rough brick surface of the Red Diamond's outside wall as I took a long drag and closed my eyes. I know these things are nothing but stimulants and there for don't calm you down, but it was the only crutch I had at the moment. Besides, it's too early to get wasted again.
My thoughts go back to last night. I remember Mike telling me it was time to close up shop, and I happily swayed my way to the coatrack to fetch my belongings. I said good night to him, and something that tried to come out as an apology about his claim about those punks in the back, and-holy shit!
My eyes flew open and I threw the cigarette to the ground. Those two left just a few seconds before I did, and they were standing across the street as I left. Casey was there! I know he had to have seem them! But why wouldn't he tell the cops that? I think back to that look he gave me and I know something is really wrong here, and as I cross the street and head for the precinct building, I suddenly realize that maybe Mike was the victim of mistaken identity.