For Brook, who needs a diversion and likes the hurt ones!
Chapter 3
Once everyone had settled into the place and the five armed guards had gone out into the grounds to make sure the perimeters of the garden were secure, the three men started to unwind a little. Neither detective could fully relax because of the attempt that had been made on Shepherd the night before, but their surroundings were so luxurious that they found they could afford themselves a little time to look around and enjoy the facilities.
In the basement they found a swimming pool with patio doors out onto a large lawned area at the back of the building. Unfortunately the pool hadn't yet been filled with water and so they could only guess at how relaxing it was going to be. On the ground floor, opposite the reception desk another grand set of double glass doors lead through into a vast dining area, decorated in duck egg blue and white. Small intimate tables set at discrete distances apart were arranged around a central dance floor with a raised stage for a band. The chairs around the tables were all Louis XV reproductions, gilded and decorated in matching pale blue and silver damask and although the hotel wasn't open for business just yet, each table was set with a full place setting of gleaming silver cutlery on a snow white table cloth.
Not now able to send out for takeaways because of the security risk, someone on Dobey's team had thoughtfully put some food in the small kitchen behind the reception desk and so at that moment, the two detectives and the small ginger haired man were sat around one of the sumptuous tables, lit seductively by candlelight while they all demolished the spaghetti bolognaise Hutch had managed to pull together. The thoughtfulness had even extended to a twelve pack of beers and so, their cordon blue meal was further enhanced by a bottle of Budweiser each. Now the three were discussing life in general.
'Just exactly how much did you cream off Fords money?' Hutch asked as he took another pull at his beer.
'One percent standard from each deal over a five year period' the little man said casually.
'And in English that equates to…..?' Starsky asked, curious that this insignificant looking man could take such a sizable sum from a "business man" like Ford.
'Just over one and a quarter million' Shepherd said calmly, taking a piece of bread to mop up the spaghetti sauce.
'If it's so simple, why aren't we all doing it? The brunette asked. 'Just how did you work it Jimmy?'
The small man heaved a big sigh, settling down as though he was going to teach a five year old its times tables.
'Its simple. If a person is making thousands of dollars in small notes a week from a business for example, or ten thousand dollars a go in the case of Ford, and he wishes to deposit that money in a bank, it cannot be done without drawing suspicion. In the United States, for example, cash transactions and deposits of more than $10,000 are required to be reported as "significant cash transactions" to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, along with any other suspicious financial activity which is identified on "suspicious activity reports." One method of keeping this sort of transaction private would be for an individual to give money to an intermediary – me- who is already legitimately taking in large amounts of cash. I would then deposit that money into an account, take a premium, and write a check back to the individual for what is, in effect, his own money. Thus, the individual – Ford - draws no attention to himself, and can deposit his check into a bank account without drawing suspicion and I get my cut. I just happened to take a higher premium that Mr Ford expected'.The curly haired detective's eyes crossed as he tried to get his brain to work out the ramifications of the money laundering business. Shepherd saw the vacant look and shrugged.
'What can I say? Some of us got it and…'
'Some of us don't have criminal tendancies' Hutch finished for him. 'So what have the state promised you if ya testify against Ford?'
'Immunity from further prosecution and the facility to keep half of the money' jimmy replied coolly, looking from one detective to the other.
Starsky was disgusted and pushed his chair back from the table, not really wanting anything further to do with the small criminal.
'I think on that note gentlemen, we should turn in. I'll take the first watch an' I'll wake you at 2:00' he said to his partner as he made his way out into the hallway. As the two men made their way up to the bedroom, Starsky drew his gun and set off on a preimeter check of the ground floor before settling himslef on one of the plush settees arranged around the reception hall to wait and watch.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
High up on the hill, out of sight of the hotel, four men sat waiting in a black sedan car with blacked out windows. The original man with the binoculars had briefed the others on what he'd seen and they were now waiting for the lights to go off in the hotel so that they could make their move.
'I counted three guards all with M16s around the back of the grounds' a tall thin man ventured.
His smaller friend sitting in the back seat next to him added. 'Another two with M16s at the front, so five in all.I saw two with walkie talkies, so we need to take them out all together if we can'.
The man in the front nodded. 'Five outside and the two cops inside. Shame to waste them just for the sake of that little piece of shit, but it has to be done. Mr Ford will be very displeased if we don't take him tonight. With the trial less than two days away now, he doesn't want the State's star witness sending him to jail. He's worked too hard building his business up to have that happen'.
The other three men nodded agreement, all happy that they'd get the half million fee shared between them when their job was done. Silently they got out of the car and started to make preparations for the assault.
The night was dark with almost total cloud cover and all four men put on night vision glasses allowing them to see the surrounding countryside bathed in an eerie green glow. They checked their weapons twice, wanting no mistakes on this. Too much was at stake. Three of the men carried outlawed AK47s while the fourth had a Smith and Wesson 686P revolver loaded with ,357 soft nosed bullets. With enough ammunition to take out Fort Knox if necessary all four men nodded their readiness and cautiously set off down the hill to their target.
The going was slow as they stopped several times to watch what the five guards within the hotel gounds were doing and to hide when the moon came out from behind the clouds. The element of surprise was going to be their biggest weapon when they came to the perimeter fence and they had timed their assault to coincide with one of the few times when the guards all got together to check in with each other.
The four men chose a clump of weed growing taller than the others by the roadside and waited crouched behind it, catching their breath and regrouping as they waited, biding their time. It was quiet out in this area so late at night. Only the cicadas chirping interupted the quiet and as the clouds passed over the moon again, leaving the hotel garden in complete dark, one of the four tensed, seeing the red embers of the end of one of the guard's cigarettes in the distance. He nudged his friend and waited until the leader gave a signal.
Tensley they got to their knees, ready now to run towards the guards. Another man joined the first and in the quiet the four attackers could hear a murmured conversation as a third man joined the two figures highlighted in the green glow of the night vision glasses.
As all five guards met up to compare notes, the leader of the four attackers clenched his fist raising it above his head. At the given signal, the four surged forward, running across the narrow strip of road until they were up against the perimeter fence, weapons pointing unerringly at the five guards. One of the cops turned and stiffened as he saw the four deadly guns pointing at his group. Slowly he turned to face the four men, raising his hands in the air. Two of the other cops also saw the attackers and did likewise as the two others started to reach for their guns.
'Don't do it' the leader said with deadly quiet. 'Weapons on the ground now, or we will have no other choice than to kill you where you stand'.
The five cops paused only a moment before one by one they placed their guns on the ground in front of them, taking a step back.
'Good. I'm glad you see sense' the leader said. 'Now, you' he pointed at one of the guards, 'open the gate'. He indicated with his gun and as the man walked over to the control panel, the other three of his team covered the other cops.
With the gate opened, the attacker came into the compound and quickly disabled the guards, using rifle butts as clubs and pounding them into unconsciousness. As three of the men ran up the driveway, the fourth bound the cops with their own handcufs and dragged the bodies into the undergrowth. Joining his comrades, all four ran quietly up the front steps and peeked around the door.
The leader, McKay, saw Starsky relaxing with his feet up on the couch and sent two of his men around the back of the hotel to climb the fire escape up to the first floor. Softly and gently, McKay cracked the door open just enough to get inside, closing it quietly behind him. In the almost total dark, Starsky never saw the movement, even though he was far from asleep
The three men round the back of the hotel swiftly climbed the iron fire escape and levered the door at the top open, letting themselves into the building. Quietly they wound their way through the corridors and took up position, one each side of the door to the bedroom Hutch and Shepherd were using and one at the top of the staircase. All blended into the shadows and none could be seen clearly in their hiding places.
At a brief nod from the staircase man, they got ready as he fired one shot into the air.
In the bedroom, the big blond cop was instantly awake, diving for his gun and pulling Shepherd off the couch and onto the floor. Dragging the little man behind him, he ducked his head around the door, seeing no-one in the dark. Cautiously he made his way onto the landing and as he looked over the balcony he saw his curly haired partner walking into his view from the side of the hallway. Suddenly alerted by the way the brunette was walking, Hutch inched his way forward to the top of the steps, taking them slowly one at a time.
'Starsk?' he hissed wondering what was going on. 'You seen anything?'
His friend looked up at him, his eyes full of apology. 'Kind of' he said as calmly as he could as McKay came into view behind him, the Smith and Wesson pointing levelly at the curly head.
As Hutch made a sudden move with his gun, he heard at his back a gasp as Shepherd saw the other three attackers coming out of the shadows, their weapons also trained on the him and the blond. Hutch straightened slowly and lifted his gun high, showing that he wasn't about to use it. As one of the men took it carefully from him, he walked carefully down the rest of the stairs, coming to join his partner in the hallway.
'Thought the hotel wasn't open to guests' Starsky said quietly.
'Seems we got that wrong partner. I think the weird looking one likes you though' Hutch's eyes wandered to McKay who was now standing on front of them.
'Which weird one. They're all weird' the brunette replied, looking from one to another.
McKay stared back disdainfully. 'Your banter might work with the usual Bay City scum, but you can save your breath here' he said coolly. 'I'd be very grateful if you would hold out your hands now'.
The two detectives glanced at each other, measuring whether they could make a run for it. As they paused, they heard the metallic click as the AK47s around them cocked, ready. Heaving a sigh, they held out their hands and the taller of the four men, Richardson came forward with a pair of old fashioned manacles made of heavy iron, with a thick link chain between the wrist pieces. Clicking one manacle on Hutch's right wrist and the other on Starsky's left, he stood back to admire his handiwork as the two detectives stood bound together, wondering what was going to happen next.