Shattered Lies
Chapter 17
Sergei stares at the thin, balding doctor. He doesn't look much like someone who lost his license for committing Medicare fraud, but then appearances can be deceiving. Apparently, from what Sergei's been able to find out, what the man did was very straightforward. He left open samples out for a few days to get contaminated and then charged the government for analyzing them.
If there's anything that surprises Sergei, it's that the inept bureaucracy in America ever caught the doctor - Jarod Weiss. In any case, unless the man buckles under assault from Glava, finding Weiss is a lucky break. The doctor needs the work, and he is unlikely to have anything to do with cops.
Testing him will be easy enough. Dobry didn't dodge fast enough when Glava threw a chair at him after that idiot Boris was arrested. Glava was angrier that he missed getting his tribute from Pavlovitch than at having one of his low-level soldiers hauled off to jail, but in any case, Dobry suffered Glava's attack.
Sergei's lieutenant may just be bruised, but he has a sizable lump on his head, and his wrist is swollen. Weiss will need to patch him up properly without spouting off about sending Dobry to an emergency room. The Bratva maintains its own infirmary. It just needs someone to staff it.
It would have been great if Boris had been able to do more than give Kate the name of a midlevel Bratva operative, but it's a start. Boris was able to add that he received instructions to convince two more uncooperative storeowners to give Glava his due, and since he wasn't able to take care of business, he assumes someone else will be appointed to the job.
The addresses Boris gives - if not the times - missed due to Boris' capture, jibe with the addresses Castle was able to decode from the rap at the club. Kate can stake out one location herself, with Castle and Palicki, and coordinate with Murphy to have the boys stake out the other one.
Kate's target is another teahouse, not nearly as ostentatious as House of Chai - more of a hole in the wall. But it seems to be popular with the locals, so popular that she wonders if something is going on inside besides the serving of tea and accompaniments. She considers going in, but in a place like that, she'd immediately be flagged as an outsider. Mouths would close to any purpose other than eating and drinking. If one of Dobry's goons shows up and she can charge to the rescue, the patrons may be more forthcoming.
The morning is slowly stretching into afternoon. Castle brought a cooler with fairly substantial snacks including thick roast beef sandwiches and chips with his beloved guacamole.
Kate is finishing up the last of a bottle of cream soda when a Boris clone makes his appearance. Like his unfortunate predecessor, he is large and very obviously carrying. If Boris's attack on Pavlovitch is anything to go by, the thug will get right to business. Kate decides to allow him two minutes before following him in.
"What the hell?" Castle exclaims after less than that time has passed. "It sounds like there's a riot going on in there!"
Holding their weapons at ready, Kate and Palicki both breach the building to find the Bratva operative on the floor, being pelted by pastries and anything else the crowd of people surrounding him can find to throw.
Castle looks around to see if there's something he can grab to join in the fun, but anything toss-worthy seems to have already been snatched from the tables. Kate holds up her badge and shouts something in Russian. Castle assumes that the English version would be "Nobody move!"
Palicki turns to a man who appears to be the proprietor of the establishment. "What happened here?"
The owner points a shaking finger at the man on the floor. "Men like this, they come to rob us, squeeze the life out of us. If we don't give them what they ask for, they beat us, to take what they want."
"Like Pavlovitch?" Castle inquires.
"Da. And many before him. We, all of us here, we meet to fight back."
Castle nods approvingly. "You did a good job, but it was a terrible waste of snowball cookies."
"We can take it from here," Kate declares, pulling out her handcuffs.
Dobry's minion doesn't resist, evidently finding arrest preferable to the alternative.
When Perlmutter arrives, Dobry is lying on a bed holding an ice pack to his wrist. From the angle of the joint, it's clear to the doctor that the wrist is broken. He'd like to be able to take an X-ray, but as far as he can tell, the Bratva infirmary is not equipped for radiology. If Perlmutter has to be around long, he may talk to Sergei about upgrading the facilities. But he'll do the best he can. He finds drawers filled with supplies for splinting and applying casts. And there are plenty of drugs and hypodermics, no doubt obtained illegally, but they will come in handy.
Perlmutter can give Dobry a shot to dull the pain when he sets his wrist. He just hopes the bone lines up well enough so that surgery won't be required to reduce the fracture. Without an X-ray, there is no way to predict the outcome.
The blow to Dobry's head doesn't look serious. The man's pupils are equal and responsive, and he knows what day it is and where he is. Perlmutter sighs. Without an MRI, he can't be sure there's no brain damage - but someone who'd work for a man who'd throw a chair at him might be considered brain-damaged anyway.
Adrik appreciates the chance to wash off, even if his every move is scrutinized by two uniformed police officers. They lent him some clothes too. They're prominently marked N.Y.P.D., but at least they're not sticky or studded with broken glass.
When the Bratva soldier is finished in the men's room, he's led into another room with the woman who arrested him and the man who was worried about cookies. He's watched enough American television to know he should ask for a lawyer, and the beautiful cop made it clear that he could have one, but he's not sure it would do him much good.
It's evident that the businesses in Brighton Beach are beginning to rebel against Glava. Adrik will have enough witnesses against him to fill a courtroom. But the cop sitting opposite him seems almost sympathetic. And the man beside her is hardly a threat. Perhaps if he answers her questions, she'll let him go. After all, he was the one who was attacked. She saw that.
"Mr. Perchik," Kate begins, using the name Adrik gave when he was brought into the precinct, "how long have you been threatening merchants?"
Sweat begins to trickle down Adrik's back. The detective may be gorgeous, but steel appeared in her eyes. The man beside her is glowering as well. Things are not going to go well for Adrik, not well at all. But he can't think of anything to do but answer the detective's questions. He doesn't even want to think about how Glava will react.
A/N I have a new The Rookie one-shot called "Grip." It begins after "Shakeup." Nolan is worried about measuring up to Jessica's ex, then something life-threatening happens.