Chapter ten.
It was half past nine when he was dropped back at Fiona's. He walked slowly towards her front door noticing the split frame and the door broken almost in two. He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, the neighbours were watching his return. He could guess what they must of thought. Six am, men in police uniforms breaking down a door and then him being dragged out in handcuffs. Fiona would be furious. He knocked on the door frame and poked his head inside.
Fiona was sat with Sam the pair of them staring at the Tv.
"Hey," He said in way of greeting. They both looked round at him in surprise. Fiona got up and they hugged. While they stood together, she ran her hands gently over him checking for injuries and he was scanning the room checking how much damage had been done.
"Hey yourself, no extra bruises. That's not so bad." Sam spoke cheerfully, but he too was giving Michael a look over. Sometimes his friend would play injuries down so it never hurt to confirm everything was all right.
"No just their version of a debrief. Sorry about the door Fi. You all right?"
"I'm fine Michael, could you tell your new handler if this is going to be a regular thing I expect them to buy my new doors." She kept the tone light. This was not the worse thing that had ever happened.
"I'll try, me and Sam will go and get you a door after I get changed." He pulled away from her and headed for the shower.
"Well I better get some measurements, get me a tape measure Fi." Sam got to his feet.
By the time Michael returned washed and in clean clothes. Sam and Fi had the door and frame size.
"While you two boy's sort out my door. I'm going to head out and sell some guns. Toby Mulligan left me quite a supply." She smiled, Michael looked worried.
"Should you go alone?" He asked.
"Michael I'm a big girl. You get the door fixed, and I'll be back later." She picked up her bag and gave him a peck on the cheek, before heading out.
It took them two hours to hang the door and by then Sam pointed out it was nearly lunch time. So they headed over to Carlito's. Once they were sat down with a beer and a meal. Michael pulled out the disposable phone.
"I've got a couple of photo's of the guy's from the hotel. Do you think you could trace who they are?" He asked Sam. He didn't mention they were both dead. "Maybe we can find out what they stole by finding out where they stole it from. The was nothing in the room that hinted at the buyer."
Sam took the phone and looked at the faces of two unconscious young men securely tied up.
"What happened to them?" Sam asked. Then he saw Michael's face and wished he hadn't asked. "It doesn't matter." He added.
"So let me know what you find out." Michael got up. "You need a lift anywhere?"
"No Mikey, I'm fine." Sam sat back with a beer. Later on he would make a few calls and see what he could find out.
.
Fiona, was having a great day. She had gone through Mulligan's warehouse after chasing away his men with a few of her own. Now she had a purse full of money and after a visit to the fashion district several new dresses and shoes. She arrived home to find she had a new front door, they had left a key for her under one of the flower pots. As she opened the door she heard a quiet clearing of the throat. She spun around fast, the memory of the last time some one crept up on her clear in her head. It was one of her neighbours, a quiet middle aged woman who always looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Sorry to bother you." She said nervously. "But, well I saw what happened this morning." She stopped when she saw Fiona begin to scowl. "No, please I'm not here to complain." The was tears in her eyes.
"Come inside." Fiona suggested. When the woman had first started talking, she had thought it was someone complaining about her "drug dealing" boyfriend. But now she thought it was something else.
She got the woman sat down on her sofa and made a pot of coffee. "My name is Fiona? And you are ?"
"Jenny, Jenny Sawyer. I've seen you coming and going before but we've never spoke."
"So what did you want to speak to me about?"
Jenny began to look uncomfortable. She lowered her eyes a faint blush came to her cheeks.
"Um, this morning I heard the police. Couldn't really help it. Anyway one of the others said it was your boyfriend they took away." She paused. Fiona felt her temper rising but kept it under control. "They said he was a drug dealer or something. They said that last year the was a gunfight here, out in the street."
"Whose they?" Fiona wanted to know, when Jenny paused again.
"Well um, I'd rather not say." She said. "But I was wondering, I have a son he's been missing for over a week. He's been taking drugs for a while now, I've tried to stop him but he just won't listen. And now he says he's been told he could make extra money as a dealer. The is a man he said called Duvall who say's he'll set him up with customers. Well he hasn't been home now for over a week, I've tried looking for him but I don't really know where to start and I can't go to the police. I was hoping you could ask your boyfriend if he has seen him?" She brought out a photo of a teenage boy probably about fifteen years old. She sounded so desparate as she pushed the photo onto Fiona.
"Sorry Jenny, Michael isn't a -" Fiona stopped as she was handed the photograph. She looked at it. Then back at the woman. Seeing the worry and fear in her eyes. "I'll ask him. Which is your house?" She asked.
.
Michael scowled at Fiona. If the was one thing he didn't need right now was a client with a missing drug addicted son. Who by the sound of it was now a dealer.
"He is fifteen years old Michael and all his mother has." Fiona tried to make her case.
"How the hell am I meant to find a drug addict who probably doesn't want to be found?" He paced in Fiona's living room. "It is not a good time for this Fi."
"Nonsense, it's the perfect time, you need to do something" She paused searching for the right word. "Good." She decided fitted best. "Jenny is a single mom she has been bringing Jake up all by herself." She kept her voice calm and reasonable, fairly certain she would win this argument.
"But," He began to make his case.
she interrupted.
"My neighbours think you are a dangerous drug dealing criminal Michael. I shouldn't be surprised if I get asked to leave." She spoke trying to sound hurt and managing to hide a smile. She watched his face as he was about to answer her back he paused, his mouth opened then shut. He raised a hand in frustration, then sighed. His shoulder's slumped. She had won.
"Fine." He hissed. He stopped pacing, arms crossed over his chest eyes still angry.
Fiona smiled, she got to her feet and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."
He didn't reply just sat down and scowled at her.
.
Fiona got more copies of the photograph made up, then organized Michael, Sam and Jesse to go out and cover the whole of the Downtown district of Miami. Just looking for Jake Sawyer, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. Fiona went out with Jenny scouring the area's she knew her son hung out. They also questioned his school friends but all to no avail. They would have to go after Duvall.
"Looks like you get to play dress up Mike." Sam smiled.
They were all sat together in Michael's loft. "Great." Was Michael's response. Fiona left to speak some more to Jenny. To see what she knew about the man who Jake planned to work for and where they might find him.
Michael and Sam headed out to a nearby bar to talk. The was still bugs in the loft and Michael didn't want to face the consequences of removing them just yet. So they went to the bar and once they were sat down Sam pulled out a thin brown folder.
"Steven Doyle and Francis Meyer, both twenty three years old. From Chicago. Neither have any criminal convictions but both have been suspects in various thefts. They get in at night, and get out without hurting anybody. They flew into Miami two days ago under their own names from Washington D.C. Whatever it was they stole they obviously didn't think it was dangerous enough to get them killed."
There he had said it.
"So who has been robbed in D.C?" Michael asked. Ignoring Sam's final comment.
"I'm looking into that now." Sam continued. "The are a lot of large corporations in the Capital, including Drake's who have a large research and development company nearby."
"Ottoman said that the memory stick held information stolen from them. Maybe he was telling the truth?"
"Maybe. If he was though this won't get you any closer to getting out from under his thumb." Sam said.
Michael nodded his agreement. If that was the case he would have to try and get more information elsewhere. "Maybe next time I get called in I could wear a tracker so you could see where their facility is, or I could try and get a photograph of Ottoman. See if we can find where he lives."
"Mikey you kill another handler they will definitely put you down." Sam warned. His expression deadly serious.
"To make him back off Sam, that's all. I promise." He smiled.
"See you do." Sam didn't believe that smile at all. "Now then, for this drug dealing business I better work you up a cover.