Fallen
CHAPTER 1
-Falling Rain.
---------------
" Oh goody, it’s raining again, wow!" Scowled officer Waltz. A man in his late teens, " fresh out of training and eager to help the society rid of evil" type. Easily angered and even easier to provoke.
" Oh, come on man, it ain’t that bad." Grinned detective Snowblind. He lit himself a cigar and looked out at the distant city lights. Snowblind was a man in his early twenties. A " Live in the moment" sort of person on the outside. His loose fringes that fell so casually all over his face gave him a rather attractive look for a private detective. " Sure is pouring though." Snowblind added sarcastically later just to see if he could annoy Waltz. Waltz gave a look of incredulity at him but zipped his lips as Detective Fluorite put a hand on his shoulder.
" The rain," He said, smiling. " It’s got a real nice ring to it don't you think Dave?"
Both Snowblind and Waltz gaped at him. But they were far too used to Fai's spells of Philosophies to want to ask any more questions that might totally baffle them. They'd rather avoid it at any cost....Especially at a time of a serious homicide investigation. Fluorite took a moment to indulge himself in his own world until finally, the falling rain brought him back to his senses. Fai was once a detective at the HQ, but a site injury and his wife's dire threats made him retire early. Now at 35, Fai acts as a private detective. He was investing a thug who reportedly was selling of drugs at the local public school.apparetnl, he was the man who got murdered and the three of them came to the site as if fate had brough them togeather..
" Well gentlemen," He said, looking at the two. " Shall we get going?"
" YES!!!!!" Said the other two in haste in case Fai started his relapse into dreamy state again.
**********
Carmen corner's mouth was sealed off by the local law enforcement squad. Now taped "Restricted area", The whole street still reaked with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The third building from the start of the street was still smoking from its top floor windows. The drizzle had helped in putting the fire out a lot. However, the fire was still too dominant and it was taking a force of about three fire brigade trucks to put out the flames from one single building.
" What a massacre!" Sighed Fai as he looked up at the upper floors. The smoke coming out was reflected in his glasses.
"Officer Waltz sir!" Saluted a lutenant. Waltz nodded to him and beckoned him forward.
"What’ve you got here for me Bobby?" He asked once the lutenant came to him.
"Homicide sir." Promptly replied Lutenant Bobby. "We just sent the three bodies to the forensics. Badly burnt bodies. We couldn’t make out the faces."
Fluorite and Snowblind were listening closely to the conversation. They grimaced at each other every now and then.
"That'll be all Bobby." Waltz said to the lutenant in appreciation. "Wrap things up here quick and then head off. Its quite late."
"Sir yes sir." Said Lutenant Bobby. He then turned to leave when Waltz called him again and said "I want the finished report on my Desk by Monday morning Bobby. Don’t slack off now".
With another nod, Bobby was gone.
"Well, Shall we?" Snowblind asked the other two impatiently.
Fai and David both grinned this time…
"Sure." They chorused and entered the ground floor of the first building.
**************
Hardly did they realize, that they had a tail on them. Three blocks away, from one of the countless windows of a towering skyscraper, someone lowered their binoculars.
She was a woman. She was wearing a strange expression on her face at the moment.
"Tch…. Pesky cops!!!" Spat the man standing behind her, leaning against a wall. He was chewing on a piece of twig. " Want me to get rid of them Zena?"
The woman gave a sarcastic sigh and replied,
" If I needed your help Paul, I’d ask you to take out my garbage on weekends."
" WHY YOU LITTLE SLU…."
The woman named Zena pointed her gun on his forehead before he finished his sentence.
" Give me a reason…" She said coldly.
Paul deflated and Zena pulled away her gun.
"Didn’t think so." She said shortly. "Snowblind or Waltz aint your walk in the park cops. You can’t take 'em out just like that. And that Fluorite… don’t underestimate him."
" A cop’s tail ain’t good news in the face of coming project Zena!!!"
"Neither is a bullet in your head now is it?" Snapped Zena, "So shut your pie hole or I’ll shut it for you."
Paul fell silent after that. And the woman went back to looking out through the window…
*********
"Found anything?" Kite asked impatiently from the corner.
"For the umpteenth time NO!!!!!" David said grumpily. "And if you’re so interested in finding clues, how ‘bout doing some bloody scouting yourself!!!"
"Nah," Kite said dispassionately, "I’ll pass on that one."
He had been sitting on an upturned crate for almost the entire length of their search. When they first got in, he peeked around a little. His sharp eyes and senses made him realize there was nothing to be found there. So he found a place to settle down and watch the other two snoop around and wait out the rain.
"LET ME GO FAI!!!!!" growled David. "I SWEAR I’LL KILL HIM!!!!! Bloody arse!!!!"
Fai held on to Waltz till he knew it was safe for him to let go.
"But you now my Good friend," He addressed Kite, panting as he still held on to a struggling David. "It’d have been a sight nicer if you had mentioned from the first glance that there’s nothing here. It would’ve saved us precious time."
Snowblind looked outside.
"We can’t go anywhere until this rain subsides." He said shortly. "Might aswell amuse yourself with some scouting while you’re here. You never know when my instincts fail us."
David kicked the fallen rubbles. Fai lets go of him.
"Its been three weeks now." He said angrily "And we’ve had no leads on this damn serial killer. First he attacks the Yao’s stronghold and now he kill’s Mi’s leader and takes out the entire south branch of the Ying’s underlings."
"Its like a Triad battle’s spread out." said Fai grimly.
"Let’s get going." Said David. "The rain’s not gonna stop anytime soon."
********
"Boss man summoned you Paul." Sam said casually through his gum chewing teeth. He had an uncanny British accent on his American face. His snake like tattoo vividly standing out through his black vest all over his arms and shoulders.
"For what?" Paul asked eying Sam in suspicion.
Sam shrugged casually.
"Ask him yourself mate," He answered, "I have no idea."
"I’ll go later. I’m helping Zena in tailing the…."
"Get going Paul." Zena cut across him.
Paul glared at her and then followed Sam out of the room. Zena went back to her task.
*******
"Where did you say you come from again?" Paul questioned Sam.
"California mate." Sam replied. He had his arms stretched and crossed over his head as he walked on ahead of Paul.
"Why do I find it so hard to believe?" Paul said suspiciously. "You say you’re from California and you look American, but your tone….its so darn English!!! Spit out the truth kid or I’ll take it up with Boss."
Sam turned around.
"You’ve always been too nosy mate." He said, sighing.
Paul saw where they were at for the first time.
"Hey!!! Why’re we here on Carmen street?!!!" He said, panic in his voice as he saw Sam taking out his gun and wrapping the silencer on it.
"Zena’s getting tired of you." He said, with a hint of sorry in his tone.
"You think you and that dumb broad are gonna get away with it?!!!" Shouted Paul. "Boss’ll find out and have you dead!!!!"
"Tch tch tch…" Sam said pitifully. "Haven’t you herd yet? He’s cutting you loose. He doesn’t need you anymore mate."
Fear struck Paul like a thunderbolt. He started backing away. Sam rolled his eyes and started to get closer to him.
"You’re not making it easy for me mate." He said softly. "If you don’t hold still, you’ll get me angry."
"YOU’RE A BUNCH OF LOONIES!!!!!!" Paul screamed and started running. His steps sloshing water puddles in its wake. Sam quietly followed him. Just a foot away, Paul’s foot slipped and he fell face flat on the floor. Sam pulled his trigger just as a clap of thunder rolled overhead, drowning the sound of the gun even further.
"Thanks for taking the fall for this Paul." Sam said kindly to the blood spattered face.
***********
"Let’s get going." Said David. "The rain’s not gonna stop anytime soon."
The three fastened their rain coats tighter around themselves and walked out into the street. Rain was still falling heavily.
"Ray’ll kill me for this." David said, his face grim. " I promised I’d take her out for dinner tonight."
Fai and Kite both choltered at this.
"I kinda feel sorry for you now." Chuckled Kite. "Well, look on the bright side, if you two get divorced by the end of the weekend, we can all go play poker down by the Spurtz".
David shot a death glare at Kite.
"I’d like to see you chuckle your way outta explaining Liza about why you stood her up on four dates in a row".
He’d done it. Kite’s face had gone from grins to grims.
"Shut up." He said coldly.
" Why?!!Can’t we all head out to Spurtz for a game of poker and beer and be all chummy joe about it?!!" David said sarcastically.
"That’s enough David." Fai said to Waltz. He was staring at Kite, who’d gone ashen face by the sudden attack on his almost ex-girlfriend.
"Whatever, tell him to lay off of my married life when he can’t even manage his own love life." David said curtly.
" Lets go get some drinks and head home its too…." Fai stopped midway in his speech. His foot had sloshed on a water puddle and he just noticed that there was more than water in it. It was red…..a steady flow of blood was mixing in with the rain and seeping down through the sewer holes.
The other two noticed it too and hurriedly started to look here and there to see the source of the red.
"HEY!!!" Called Fai. " OVER HERE!!!!!"
The other two hasted over to where Fai was. He was bent over a body propped against an alley wall. A pistol in his left hand, blood oozing from his head and faling all the way down to the watery ground, flowing down the trail of water towards the sewers.
" Head quarters, this is officer Waltz, authorization number CMC5990420." David spoke over his radio.
" Officer Waltz, you’re online to South city headquaters, give us your ID and carry on with the message." Came a cool, female voice over the radio.
" This is officer Waltz ID 7-055." Replied David. " Reporting a deadbody found on Carmen corner. Possible suicide. Might be a homicide. Requesting immediate back up."
" Message take officer. Standby for back to arrive in fifteen minutes."
The radio went dead after that.
" You know I can’t let you touch him right now Fai." David said officially. "Let my men take the body to forensics.I’ll send the reports over to you tomorrow afternoon."
Fai grinned at him.
" I can get it by tonight you know." He said, grinning cheesily.
" Oh yeah, I forget at times." Sighed David. "Rain works in the forensics lab."
" yeah," Said Snow mockingly. "What could possibly be more romantic than talking about dead bodies in bed with your wife."
The three burst out laughing.
Twenty minutes later, they were standing by the ambulance as the newly arrived workers bucked the body bag into the car.
"Think he was your guy?" Muttered David.
"Dunno yet." Fai replied biting his lips, a frown on his forehead. " But if he was my guy, he must’ve been those kamakazi types. Wiping the whole triad south branch and then killing himself to put a stop to our investigation."
***********
"Did they take the bait?" Asked Zena.
" yep, hook line and sinkers." Sam replied calmly.
A small grin spread across Zena’s lips. She put down her binoculars again as she saw the distant flash of the cars pulling away.
" Lets get going." She said shortly. " We’re already late."
**********
The City clock struck one almost silently. The fresh clap of thunders drowned out the sound of the bell. A black Cadillac was making its way swiftly across the highway. The windshield wipers doing its job promptly as it moved left to right, clearing out the haze of water.
"Did he struggle much?" Zena asked, without much care in her voice, as her hands turned on the wheels.
"The usual." Sam replied, bored. "Turn on the music mate, yea got no fun left in yea!!"
Zena gave him an icy look that sends cold chills down most people but it just bounced back off of Sam’s. He gave her a radiant sunshine smile and proceeded to switch on the radio.
……..YOU’VE TUNED IN TO RADIO VOYAGER. AND I’M ROBERT MYERS, YOU’RE HOST OF TONIGHT’S MIDNIGHT BLUES.
"Ah!!!" Sam sighed with satisfaction. " I love this bloke!! He’s got interesting taste in music ye know!!"
"Uha.." Zena replied dispassionately.
Sam sweat dropped.
"This job’s gonna be no fun" He thought to himself. "Does she even relax or what?!!!"
LISTEN DEAR, I NEED YOU TO HEAR I CANNOT DISSAPEAR
I’VE TRIED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
"So…" Sam tried to break the awkward silence growing between them. "I never got to know you’re side of the story."
I KNOW WE SAID THAT WE’D GIVE UP, WE SAID WE’VE HAD ENOUGH
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN BUT YOU
Zena looked at him, a fain confusion on her face.
"What do you mean?!!"
"You know," Shrugged Sam, "Like, What’s your name for instance."
"You know my name." Zena said shortly. "Its Zena."
"Ah, but what’s your real name?" Sam asked. "I know Zena’s not you real one."
AND IF YOU WILL, I WILL. I’LL TRY TO LET IT GO
AND IF YOU’LL TRY, I’LL TRY, I’LL TRY TO LET IT SHOW US THE WAY CUZ LOVE IS HERE TO STAY JUST LOOK ME IN THE EYE THIS IS DO OR DIE
……………
"You don’t need to know that." Zena said, a note of finality in her voice. "You don’t need to know where I live or what I do on Saturday nights. We’re here to finish a job Sam, nothing more."
"Darn." Cursed Sam in his mind. "This is going to be harder than I thought."
**************
"Oi Kite!!!!" Called David. "Come on man, we’re leaving!!!!"
Kite looked over at them by a cab and motioned them to go on ahead of him.
"I’ll catch up with you later." He mouthed at them and then ran off till the falling rain veiled him.
A few minutes later, he was on Wellings road, three blocks away from Carmen’s corner. His instincts had drawn him there. Something of an omen had struck him suddenly as he had watched the ambulance drawing away. "This is too easy an explanation to the case that’d baffled them for weeks." Was what he had thought then. And so he had tried to retrace the steps to the place where they found the body and tried to find some clues for more answers. Sure enough, He found faint blood trails once he’d carefully run combed his eyes over the streets. It was lucky he found the blood trail at the time that he did. The rain was doing its job in washing away all traces.
"Damn!!!!" Kite cursed out loud in frustration.
The trail had ended in the middle of the street. He ran his fingers through his drenched hair and looked all over again.
"Nothing!!!!" He cursed again. "Give me some sign dammit!!! It can’t end here like this!!!"
And then he found it. An empty casing of a bullet. He picked it up carefully with his napkin and pocketed it.
*************
CRASH!!!!!!!
"Baby just listen…."
"I’VE LISTENED TO YOUR CRAP FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS!!!" Howled Ray as she chucked dishes and precious china figurines at David. She was beside herself in anger at him for missing out on yet another dinner date. It had been this way since they got married six months ago. Something or the other always came up in the weekends and He’d had to cancel his plans leaving her waiting alone..
"I DON’T WANNA HEAR ANYMORE OF YOUR STUPID EXCUSES!!!!"
CHUNK!!!!!!WHAM!!!!!!
"Honey!!!!Baby I love you!!!!" Cowered David." Just please calm…..NOT THE MUSIC DOLL!!!!!"
CRASH!!!!
He eyed his precious music doll with tears that didn’t fall. His heart had shattered in two already.
"YOU’RE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH!!!!" Ray stormed out of the drawing room and shut the bedroom door with a loud THUND!
"My China doll…"David kept saying mournfully. "My precious doll!!!"
*************
Half past two and the Gas station of a deserted freeway saw the black Cadillac parked smartly by the gas counter. A guy in his vest and baggy pants was filling up the tank. A woman was leaning over the front of the car and dialing a number on her cell phone.
"Kevin?" Zena spoke over her cell phone. "It’s me, Zena."
"WHAT’S UP ZENA?"Came the voice over the phone.
"You in trouble or something? It’s pretty late." Said the voice who was revealed to be a man. He propped up against his pillows and turned on the table lamp to look at the alarm clock for time.
"I need an eye." Zena said quietly.
"On whome?" Asked Kevin, rubbing his eyes.
"Three cops." Said Zena. "I’m sending someone over with the details. It’s the usual routine. I need your help."
"Sure Zena," Kevin smiled. "Anything for you."
Zena hung up and she turned to Sam just as Sam finished up with the gas tanker.
"Here." She threw him the car keys.
Sam caught it in surprise.
"I want you to run a little errand for me." Zena told him. "21 cross street. Remember the address. Meet a certain someone called Dr. Fallmen and deliver him the letter in the dashboard."
"And what about you." Sam asked.
"That’s my concern." Zena replied shortly and turned to walk down the street. Pretty soon, the darkness of the night engulfed her silhouette.
Sam got into the car after a few moments. Backing out of the gas station, he drove back towards the city. Eluding his sight was Zena, who was monitoring his every movement from behind the bark of a Ginko tree not so far away.
"DAMN THAT WOMAN!!!!" Sam swore inside his head. "She’s gonna be difficult to rope in. UGH!!! I’ve got to find another way to get to the top sharks….."
BUZZ!!!BUZZ!!
Sam looked down at his cell phone which was buzzing loudly. It was an anonymous number. He picked it up immediately.
"Do me a favor of telling me how you are from time to time will you boy!!!" Came the grumpy voice of an old man.
"DAD?!!!" Sam choked in surprise. "You…why’re calling this late in the night?"
"Hard at work, eh?" The old man chuckled. "Are your employers watching you that stricktly?"
"It’s a big paycheck pops, what else do you expect?!!!" snapped back Sam.
There was a small pause. Then the old man sighed.
"Come meet your old man." He pleaded. "Come see me before I pass."
"Sheesh!!! Enough with the melodrama!!!" sweat dropped Sam. "I’ll come to have lunch with you tomorrow..Happy?!!"
Saying this, he hung up the phone, sighing very deeply.
"Of all the times." He said, shaking his head as he steered right to get off the freeway.
*********
On the other side of the phone, Fai’s face was frowning in concern. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat himself on the couch just as the front door opened and he herd that familiar voice.
Rain saw Fai’s shoes on the shelf and she called out,
"Honey, I’m home."
Fai went out to greet her with a warm hug.
"Mmmm…I’m so tired." Rain mumbled into Fai’s shirt, taking in his scent of colougne and faint aroma of cigar and a natural scent of his. He smiled.
"Go take a shower." He said kindly to her. "Then you can go to sleep."
Rain blinked up to him. Then she smiled too.
"You waited up for me." She said gratefully.
Fai stroked her hair.
"Offcourse!!!" He said. "I couldn’t possibly go to sleep without seeing your face first."
A fain blush struck across Rain’s face.
"Oh, that reminds me." She said flustered. Fai grinned to himself.
"I brought these for you."
She handed him a bunch of papers.
" They’re the primary reports of the body you and your friends found at Carmen corner."
Fai swiftly flipped through the pages once, his eyes scanning for anything interesting.
"Its not the full report yet." Rain said apologetically. "Few more are dew tomorrow. I’ll let you know by tomorrow eve kay hon?"
"This is fine for the time being." Fai smiled at her. "Thanks dear."
Rain nodded and was about to head towards the shower when Fai called her again.
"Rain, whats this about the bullet?"
"It says its untraceable." Raid said shortly. "Meaning you can’t trace it back to any registered weapon."
She yawned.
"Kay." Fai nodded. "You go on then. Go to sleep."
*********
Zena saw the Cadillac back out and drive back towards the direction they were just coming from. She watched it leave till she could no longer make out even its outline in the pressing darkness and the thin mist. Then she stood up and started making her way through the long highway. Her feet made almost no sound. There was a narrow mud track leading off the highway and up towards the mountains a little way ahead of her. She followed it up. The tall standing fir trees hid even the sky from eyesight. Yet, somehow, Zena walked purposefully onwards in the pitch black, as if she knew where she was going. As if she had taken this trail countless times. Occasionally she would step on a fallen twig and it would make a snapping sound that echoed all around in the piercing silence. After about half an hour of walking in silence, she looked up to see her destination.
It was a small church in the middle of nowhere. The church was so ancient and moldy that people had stopped coming there to offer prayers to their god a long long time ago. Now it was just another building in ruins. Zena looked up coldly at the cross on top of the church and then opened the gate that squeaked like a mice being trampled upon. She headed for the back of the church, which used to be a graveyard once upon a time.
Zena walked through the little paved path through the graveyard. On either sides of her were countless graves, some crumbling to the ground just like the church which had once offered these lost souls salvation in their final journey. War memorials from the old days and even a sarcophagus. There was tall tree, dead like the church right in the middle. She seated herself there and closed her eyes.
"You’re late." Said a voice from the opposite side of the tree.
Zena’s eyes snapped open and her hand reached for her gun inside her jacket in reflex. Then she recognized the voice and eased down.
"Got held up." She replied. "It ain’t easy to loose trackers, Padre."
"We shall fret over excuses some other time. For now, we have important business to discuss. Come inside, It’s not time for you to rest yet."
The voice belonged to a man in black, priest robes. A cross hanging from his neck. He seemed quite young to be a padre. He could not have been older that twenty seven. His Beard hid his true face from sight and made him look more than his age.
Zena got up without complains and followed him inside the church.
*****************
Sam found himself in a dingy alleyway that stank of stale fish and god knows what else not. He had gotten there following Zena’s directions. There were drunks and tramps sleeping drinking and talking suspiciously in every other alley. They eyed his fancy looks like he was a being from another planet. There were kids playing by the trash bins nearby and fighting with the cats to win over there finds.
"You’ve gotta be joking me." He said to himself incredulously. "I didn’t even know such a place existed in this city."
"You’d be surprised at how many similar places like these exist in this country." Said a voice from behind the shadows.
Sam could’ve jumped out of his skin at such an occurrence.
"Who’re you?" Sam spoke out, trying to keep his voice level.
"I’m fallmen." The person responded. "He got out of his shadow and was revealed to be a middle aged man with glasses.
"I trust you have something for me from Zena?" He querried.
"You’re not taking me to your place?" Sam asked.
The guy gave him a look of incredulity.
"This IS my place." He said, slightly offended.
"I thought you were a doctor." Sam said, suspiciously eying him.
Dr. Fallmen started to laugh out loud.
"You thought you’d see a fancy hospital my boy?" He scouffed.
Sam just gaped at him. Dr. Fallmen finally quitted down and said,
"I used to be the city hospital doctor during the war. Now I’m just humble tramp getting by on Zena’s humble donations."
Sam took out the envelop and handed it over. Fallmen opened it and out fell seven hundred dollar bills and a chit carrying three names. He stared at the chit for a while, his eyes narrowing as he read the last name : Kite Snowblind. He recovered and looked up at Sam.
"I’m off now boy, anytime you need me, I’ll be here." And he walked off in the shadowy alleyway again. Sam stood there for a moment. The sun had started to rise. He looked up at the sky’s thinning color and then headed back to his car.
Shielded from his sight, the man named Fallmen took out his wig and face mask and revealed his face to be a handsome young guy.
"What’re you thinking Zena?" Muttered Kevin to himself as he got inside his Jaguar and threw the wig, coat and glasses in the back.
*********
To be contd…….
CHAPTER 1
-Falling Rain.
---------------
" Oh goody, it’s raining again, wow!" Scowled officer Waltz. A man in his late teens, " fresh out of training and eager to help the society rid of evil" type. Easily angered and even easier to provoke.
" Oh, come on man, it ain’t that bad." Grinned detective Snowblind. He lit himself a cigar and looked out at the distant city lights. Snowblind was a man in his early twenties. A " Live in the moment" sort of person on the outside. His loose fringes that fell so casually all over his face gave him a rather attractive look for a private detective. " Sure is pouring though." Snowblind added sarcastically later just to see if he could annoy Waltz. Waltz gave a look of incredulity at him but zipped his lips as Detective Fluorite put a hand on his shoulder.
" The rain," He said, smiling. " It’s got a real nice ring to it don't you think Dave?"
Both Snowblind and Waltz gaped at him. But they were far too used to Fai's spells of Philosophies to want to ask any more questions that might totally baffle them. They'd rather avoid it at any cost....Especially at a time of a serious homicide investigation. Fluorite took a moment to indulge himself in his own world until finally, the falling rain brought him back to his senses. Fai was once a detective at the HQ, but a site injury and his wife's dire threats made him retire early. Now at 35, Fai acts as a private detective. He was investing a thug who reportedly was selling of drugs at the local public school.apparetnl, he was the man who got murdered and the three of them came to the site as if fate had brough them togeather..
" Well gentlemen," He said, looking at the two. " Shall we get going?"
" YES!!!!!" Said the other two in haste in case Fai started his relapse into dreamy state again.
**********
Carmen corner's mouth was sealed off by the local law enforcement squad. Now taped "Restricted area", The whole street still reaked with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The third building from the start of the street was still smoking from its top floor windows. The drizzle had helped in putting the fire out a lot. However, the fire was still too dominant and it was taking a force of about three fire brigade trucks to put out the flames from one single building.
" What a massacre!" Sighed Fai as he looked up at the upper floors. The smoke coming out was reflected in his glasses.
"Officer Waltz sir!" Saluted a lutenant. Waltz nodded to him and beckoned him forward.
"What’ve you got here for me Bobby?" He asked once the lutenant came to him.
"Homicide sir." Promptly replied Lutenant Bobby. "We just sent the three bodies to the forensics. Badly burnt bodies. We couldn’t make out the faces."
Fluorite and Snowblind were listening closely to the conversation. They grimaced at each other every now and then.
"That'll be all Bobby." Waltz said to the lutenant in appreciation. "Wrap things up here quick and then head off. Its quite late."
"Sir yes sir." Said Lutenant Bobby. He then turned to leave when Waltz called him again and said "I want the finished report on my Desk by Monday morning Bobby. Don’t slack off now".
With another nod, Bobby was gone.
"Well, Shall we?" Snowblind asked the other two impatiently.
Fai and David both grinned this time…
"Sure." They chorused and entered the ground floor of the first building.
**************
Hardly did they realize, that they had a tail on them. Three blocks away, from one of the countless windows of a towering skyscraper, someone lowered their binoculars.
She was a woman. She was wearing a strange expression on her face at the moment.
"Tch…. Pesky cops!!!" Spat the man standing behind her, leaning against a wall. He was chewing on a piece of twig. " Want me to get rid of them Zena?"
The woman gave a sarcastic sigh and replied,
" If I needed your help Paul, I’d ask you to take out my garbage on weekends."
" WHY YOU LITTLE SLU…."
The woman named Zena pointed her gun on his forehead before he finished his sentence.
" Give me a reason…" She said coldly.
Paul deflated and Zena pulled away her gun.
"Didn’t think so." She said shortly. "Snowblind or Waltz aint your walk in the park cops. You can’t take 'em out just like that. And that Fluorite… don’t underestimate him."
" A cop’s tail ain’t good news in the face of coming project Zena!!!"
"Neither is a bullet in your head now is it?" Snapped Zena, "So shut your pie hole or I’ll shut it for you."
Paul fell silent after that. And the woman went back to looking out through the window…
*********
"Found anything?" Kite asked impatiently from the corner.
"For the umpteenth time NO!!!!!" David said grumpily. "And if you’re so interested in finding clues, how ‘bout doing some bloody scouting yourself!!!"
"Nah," Kite said dispassionately, "I’ll pass on that one."
He had been sitting on an upturned crate for almost the entire length of their search. When they first got in, he peeked around a little. His sharp eyes and senses made him realize there was nothing to be found there. So he found a place to settle down and watch the other two snoop around and wait out the rain.
"LET ME GO FAI!!!!!" growled David. "I SWEAR I’LL KILL HIM!!!!! Bloody arse!!!!"
Fai held on to Waltz till he knew it was safe for him to let go.
"But you now my Good friend," He addressed Kite, panting as he still held on to a struggling David. "It’d have been a sight nicer if you had mentioned from the first glance that there’s nothing here. It would’ve saved us precious time."
Snowblind looked outside.
"We can’t go anywhere until this rain subsides." He said shortly. "Might aswell amuse yourself with some scouting while you’re here. You never know when my instincts fail us."
David kicked the fallen rubbles. Fai lets go of him.
"Its been three weeks now." He said angrily "And we’ve had no leads on this damn serial killer. First he attacks the Yao’s stronghold and now he kill’s Mi’s leader and takes out the entire south branch of the Ying’s underlings."
"Its like a Triad battle’s spread out." said Fai grimly.
"Let’s get going." Said David. "The rain’s not gonna stop anytime soon."
********
"Boss man summoned you Paul." Sam said casually through his gum chewing teeth. He had an uncanny British accent on his American face. His snake like tattoo vividly standing out through his black vest all over his arms and shoulders.
"For what?" Paul asked eying Sam in suspicion.
Sam shrugged casually.
"Ask him yourself mate," He answered, "I have no idea."
"I’ll go later. I’m helping Zena in tailing the…."
"Get going Paul." Zena cut across him.
Paul glared at her and then followed Sam out of the room. Zena went back to her task.
*******
"Where did you say you come from again?" Paul questioned Sam.
"California mate." Sam replied. He had his arms stretched and crossed over his head as he walked on ahead of Paul.
"Why do I find it so hard to believe?" Paul said suspiciously. "You say you’re from California and you look American, but your tone….its so darn English!!! Spit out the truth kid or I’ll take it up with Boss."
Sam turned around.
"You’ve always been too nosy mate." He said, sighing.
Paul saw where they were at for the first time.
"Hey!!! Why’re we here on Carmen street?!!!" He said, panic in his voice as he saw Sam taking out his gun and wrapping the silencer on it.
"Zena’s getting tired of you." He said, with a hint of sorry in his tone.
"You think you and that dumb broad are gonna get away with it?!!!" Shouted Paul. "Boss’ll find out and have you dead!!!!"
"Tch tch tch…" Sam said pitifully. "Haven’t you herd yet? He’s cutting you loose. He doesn’t need you anymore mate."
Fear struck Paul like a thunderbolt. He started backing away. Sam rolled his eyes and started to get closer to him.
"You’re not making it easy for me mate." He said softly. "If you don’t hold still, you’ll get me angry."
"YOU’RE A BUNCH OF LOONIES!!!!!!" Paul screamed and started running. His steps sloshing water puddles in its wake. Sam quietly followed him. Just a foot away, Paul’s foot slipped and he fell face flat on the floor. Sam pulled his trigger just as a clap of thunder rolled overhead, drowning the sound of the gun even further.
"Thanks for taking the fall for this Paul." Sam said kindly to the blood spattered face.
***********
"Let’s get going." Said David. "The rain’s not gonna stop anytime soon."
The three fastened their rain coats tighter around themselves and walked out into the street. Rain was still falling heavily.
"Ray’ll kill me for this." David said, his face grim. " I promised I’d take her out for dinner tonight."
Fai and Kite both choltered at this.
"I kinda feel sorry for you now." Chuckled Kite. "Well, look on the bright side, if you two get divorced by the end of the weekend, we can all go play poker down by the Spurtz".
David shot a death glare at Kite.
"I’d like to see you chuckle your way outta explaining Liza about why you stood her up on four dates in a row".
He’d done it. Kite’s face had gone from grins to grims.
"Shut up." He said coldly.
" Why?!!Can’t we all head out to Spurtz for a game of poker and beer and be all chummy joe about it?!!" David said sarcastically.
"That’s enough David." Fai said to Waltz. He was staring at Kite, who’d gone ashen face by the sudden attack on his almost ex-girlfriend.
"Whatever, tell him to lay off of my married life when he can’t even manage his own love life." David said curtly.
" Lets go get some drinks and head home its too…." Fai stopped midway in his speech. His foot had sloshed on a water puddle and he just noticed that there was more than water in it. It was red…..a steady flow of blood was mixing in with the rain and seeping down through the sewer holes.
The other two noticed it too and hurriedly started to look here and there to see the source of the red.
"HEY!!!" Called Fai. " OVER HERE!!!!!"
The other two hasted over to where Fai was. He was bent over a body propped against an alley wall. A pistol in his left hand, blood oozing from his head and faling all the way down to the watery ground, flowing down the trail of water towards the sewers.
" Head quarters, this is officer Waltz, authorization number CMC5990420." David spoke over his radio.
" Officer Waltz, you’re online to South city headquaters, give us your ID and carry on with the message." Came a cool, female voice over the radio.
" This is officer Waltz ID 7-055." Replied David. " Reporting a deadbody found on Carmen corner. Possible suicide. Might be a homicide. Requesting immediate back up."
" Message take officer. Standby for back to arrive in fifteen minutes."
The radio went dead after that.
" You know I can’t let you touch him right now Fai." David said officially. "Let my men take the body to forensics.I’ll send the reports over to you tomorrow afternoon."
Fai grinned at him.
" I can get it by tonight you know." He said, grinning cheesily.
" Oh yeah, I forget at times." Sighed David. "Rain works in the forensics lab."
" yeah," Said Snow mockingly. "What could possibly be more romantic than talking about dead bodies in bed with your wife."
The three burst out laughing.
Twenty minutes later, they were standing by the ambulance as the newly arrived workers bucked the body bag into the car.
"Think he was your guy?" Muttered David.
"Dunno yet." Fai replied biting his lips, a frown on his forehead. " But if he was my guy, he must’ve been those kamakazi types. Wiping the whole triad south branch and then killing himself to put a stop to our investigation."
***********
"Did they take the bait?" Asked Zena.
" yep, hook line and sinkers." Sam replied calmly.
A small grin spread across Zena’s lips. She put down her binoculars again as she saw the distant flash of the cars pulling away.
" Lets get going." She said shortly. " We’re already late."
**********
The City clock struck one almost silently. The fresh clap of thunders drowned out the sound of the bell. A black Cadillac was making its way swiftly across the highway. The windshield wipers doing its job promptly as it moved left to right, clearing out the haze of water.
"Did he struggle much?" Zena asked, without much care in her voice, as her hands turned on the wheels.
"The usual." Sam replied, bored. "Turn on the music mate, yea got no fun left in yea!!"
Zena gave him an icy look that sends cold chills down most people but it just bounced back off of Sam’s. He gave her a radiant sunshine smile and proceeded to switch on the radio.
……..YOU’VE TUNED IN TO RADIO VOYAGER. AND I’M ROBERT MYERS, YOU’RE HOST OF TONIGHT’S MIDNIGHT BLUES.
"Ah!!!" Sam sighed with satisfaction. " I love this bloke!! He’s got interesting taste in music ye know!!"
"Uha.." Zena replied dispassionately.
Sam sweat dropped.
"This job’s gonna be no fun" He thought to himself. "Does she even relax or what?!!!"
LISTEN DEAR, I NEED YOU TO HEAR I CANNOT DISSAPEAR
I’VE TRIED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
"So…" Sam tried to break the awkward silence growing between them. "I never got to know you’re side of the story."
I KNOW WE SAID THAT WE’D GIVE UP, WE SAID WE’VE HAD ENOUGH
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN BUT YOU
Zena looked at him, a fain confusion on her face.
"What do you mean?!!"
"You know," Shrugged Sam, "Like, What’s your name for instance."
"You know my name." Zena said shortly. "Its Zena."
"Ah, but what’s your real name?" Sam asked. "I know Zena’s not you real one."
AND IF YOU WILL, I WILL. I’LL TRY TO LET IT GO
AND IF YOU’LL TRY, I’LL TRY, I’LL TRY TO LET IT SHOW US THE WAY CUZ LOVE IS HERE TO STAY JUST LOOK ME IN THE EYE THIS IS DO OR DIE
……………
"You don’t need to know that." Zena said, a note of finality in her voice. "You don’t need to know where I live or what I do on Saturday nights. We’re here to finish a job Sam, nothing more."
"Darn." Cursed Sam in his mind. "This is going to be harder than I thought."
**************
"Oi Kite!!!!" Called David. "Come on man, we’re leaving!!!!"
Kite looked over at them by a cab and motioned them to go on ahead of him.
"I’ll catch up with you later." He mouthed at them and then ran off till the falling rain veiled him.
A few minutes later, he was on Wellings road, three blocks away from Carmen’s corner. His instincts had drawn him there. Something of an omen had struck him suddenly as he had watched the ambulance drawing away. "This is too easy an explanation to the case that’d baffled them for weeks." Was what he had thought then. And so he had tried to retrace the steps to the place where they found the body and tried to find some clues for more answers. Sure enough, He found faint blood trails once he’d carefully run combed his eyes over the streets. It was lucky he found the blood trail at the time that he did. The rain was doing its job in washing away all traces.
"Damn!!!!" Kite cursed out loud in frustration.
The trail had ended in the middle of the street. He ran his fingers through his drenched hair and looked all over again.
"Nothing!!!!" He cursed again. "Give me some sign dammit!!! It can’t end here like this!!!"
And then he found it. An empty casing of a bullet. He picked it up carefully with his napkin and pocketed it.
*************
CRASH!!!!!!!
"Baby just listen…."
"I’VE LISTENED TO YOUR CRAP FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS!!!" Howled Ray as she chucked dishes and precious china figurines at David. She was beside herself in anger at him for missing out on yet another dinner date. It had been this way since they got married six months ago. Something or the other always came up in the weekends and He’d had to cancel his plans leaving her waiting alone..
"I DON’T WANNA HEAR ANYMORE OF YOUR STUPID EXCUSES!!!!"
CHUNK!!!!!!WHAM!!!!!!
"Honey!!!!Baby I love you!!!!" Cowered David." Just please calm…..NOT THE MUSIC DOLL!!!!!"
CRASH!!!!
He eyed his precious music doll with tears that didn’t fall. His heart had shattered in two already.
"YOU’RE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH!!!!" Ray stormed out of the drawing room and shut the bedroom door with a loud THUND!
"My China doll…"David kept saying mournfully. "My precious doll!!!"
*************
Half past two and the Gas station of a deserted freeway saw the black Cadillac parked smartly by the gas counter. A guy in his vest and baggy pants was filling up the tank. A woman was leaning over the front of the car and dialing a number on her cell phone.
"Kevin?" Zena spoke over her cell phone. "It’s me, Zena."
"WHAT’S UP ZENA?"Came the voice over the phone.
"You in trouble or something? It’s pretty late." Said the voice who was revealed to be a man. He propped up against his pillows and turned on the table lamp to look at the alarm clock for time.
"I need an eye." Zena said quietly.
"On whome?" Asked Kevin, rubbing his eyes.
"Three cops." Said Zena. "I’m sending someone over with the details. It’s the usual routine. I need your help."
"Sure Zena," Kevin smiled. "Anything for you."
Zena hung up and she turned to Sam just as Sam finished up with the gas tanker.
"Here." She threw him the car keys.
Sam caught it in surprise.
"I want you to run a little errand for me." Zena told him. "21 cross street. Remember the address. Meet a certain someone called Dr. Fallmen and deliver him the letter in the dashboard."
"And what about you." Sam asked.
"That’s my concern." Zena replied shortly and turned to walk down the street. Pretty soon, the darkness of the night engulfed her silhouette.
Sam got into the car after a few moments. Backing out of the gas station, he drove back towards the city. Eluding his sight was Zena, who was monitoring his every movement from behind the bark of a Ginko tree not so far away.
"DAMN THAT WOMAN!!!!" Sam swore inside his head. "She’s gonna be difficult to rope in. UGH!!! I’ve got to find another way to get to the top sharks….."
BUZZ!!!BUZZ!!
Sam looked down at his cell phone which was buzzing loudly. It was an anonymous number. He picked it up immediately.
"Do me a favor of telling me how you are from time to time will you boy!!!" Came the grumpy voice of an old man.
"DAD?!!!" Sam choked in surprise. "You…why’re calling this late in the night?"
"Hard at work, eh?" The old man chuckled. "Are your employers watching you that stricktly?"
"It’s a big paycheck pops, what else do you expect?!!!" snapped back Sam.
There was a small pause. Then the old man sighed.
"Come meet your old man." He pleaded. "Come see me before I pass."
"Sheesh!!! Enough with the melodrama!!!" sweat dropped Sam. "I’ll come to have lunch with you tomorrow..Happy?!!"
Saying this, he hung up the phone, sighing very deeply.
"Of all the times." He said, shaking his head as he steered right to get off the freeway.
*********
On the other side of the phone, Fai’s face was frowning in concern. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat himself on the couch just as the front door opened and he herd that familiar voice.
Rain saw Fai’s shoes on the shelf and she called out,
"Honey, I’m home."
Fai went out to greet her with a warm hug.
"Mmmm…I’m so tired." Rain mumbled into Fai’s shirt, taking in his scent of colougne and faint aroma of cigar and a natural scent of his. He smiled.
"Go take a shower." He said kindly to her. "Then you can go to sleep."
Rain blinked up to him. Then she smiled too.
"You waited up for me." She said gratefully.
Fai stroked her hair.
"Offcourse!!!" He said. "I couldn’t possibly go to sleep without seeing your face first."
A fain blush struck across Rain’s face.
"Oh, that reminds me." She said flustered. Fai grinned to himself.
"I brought these for you."
She handed him a bunch of papers.
" They’re the primary reports of the body you and your friends found at Carmen corner."
Fai swiftly flipped through the pages once, his eyes scanning for anything interesting.
"Its not the full report yet." Rain said apologetically. "Few more are dew tomorrow. I’ll let you know by tomorrow eve kay hon?"
"This is fine for the time being." Fai smiled at her. "Thanks dear."
Rain nodded and was about to head towards the shower when Fai called her again.
"Rain, whats this about the bullet?"
"It says its untraceable." Raid said shortly. "Meaning you can’t trace it back to any registered weapon."
She yawned.
"Kay." Fai nodded. "You go on then. Go to sleep."
*********
Zena saw the Cadillac back out and drive back towards the direction they were just coming from. She watched it leave till she could no longer make out even its outline in the pressing darkness and the thin mist. Then she stood up and started making her way through the long highway. Her feet made almost no sound. There was a narrow mud track leading off the highway and up towards the mountains a little way ahead of her. She followed it up. The tall standing fir trees hid even the sky from eyesight. Yet, somehow, Zena walked purposefully onwards in the pitch black, as if she knew where she was going. As if she had taken this trail countless times. Occasionally she would step on a fallen twig and it would make a snapping sound that echoed all around in the piercing silence. After about half an hour of walking in silence, she looked up to see her destination.
It was a small church in the middle of nowhere. The church was so ancient and moldy that people had stopped coming there to offer prayers to their god a long long time ago. Now it was just another building in ruins. Zena looked up coldly at the cross on top of the church and then opened the gate that squeaked like a mice being trampled upon. She headed for the back of the church, which used to be a graveyard once upon a time.
Zena walked through the little paved path through the graveyard. On either sides of her were countless graves, some crumbling to the ground just like the church which had once offered these lost souls salvation in their final journey. War memorials from the old days and even a sarcophagus. There was tall tree, dead like the church right in the middle. She seated herself there and closed her eyes.
"You’re late." Said a voice from the opposite side of the tree.
Zena’s eyes snapped open and her hand reached for her gun inside her jacket in reflex. Then she recognized the voice and eased down.
"Got held up." She replied. "It ain’t easy to loose trackers, Padre."
"We shall fret over excuses some other time. For now, we have important business to discuss. Come inside, It’s not time for you to rest yet."
The voice belonged to a man in black, priest robes. A cross hanging from his neck. He seemed quite young to be a padre. He could not have been older that twenty seven. His Beard hid his true face from sight and made him look more than his age.
Zena got up without complains and followed him inside the church.
*****************
Sam found himself in a dingy alleyway that stank of stale fish and god knows what else not. He had gotten there following Zena’s directions. There were drunks and tramps sleeping drinking and talking suspiciously in every other alley. They eyed his fancy looks like he was a being from another planet. There were kids playing by the trash bins nearby and fighting with the cats to win over there finds.
"You’ve gotta be joking me." He said to himself incredulously. "I didn’t even know such a place existed in this city."
"You’d be surprised at how many similar places like these exist in this country." Said a voice from behind the shadows.
Sam could’ve jumped out of his skin at such an occurrence.
"Who’re you?" Sam spoke out, trying to keep his voice level.
"I’m fallmen." The person responded. "He got out of his shadow and was revealed to be a middle aged man with glasses.
"I trust you have something for me from Zena?" He querried.
"You’re not taking me to your place?" Sam asked.
The guy gave him a look of incredulity.
"This IS my place." He said, slightly offended.
"I thought you were a doctor." Sam said, suspiciously eying him.
Dr. Fallmen started to laugh out loud.
"You thought you’d see a fancy hospital my boy?" He scouffed.
Sam just gaped at him. Dr. Fallmen finally quitted down and said,
"I used to be the city hospital doctor during the war. Now I’m just humble tramp getting by on Zena’s humble donations."
Sam took out the envelop and handed it over. Fallmen opened it and out fell seven hundred dollar bills and a chit carrying three names. He stared at the chit for a while, his eyes narrowing as he read the last name : Kite Snowblind. He recovered and looked up at Sam.
"I’m off now boy, anytime you need me, I’ll be here." And he walked off in the shadowy alleyway again. Sam stood there for a moment. The sun had started to rise. He looked up at the sky’s thinning color and then headed back to his car.
Shielded from his sight, the man named Fallmen took out his wig and face mask and revealed his face to be a handsome young guy.
"What’re you thinking Zena?" Muttered Kevin to himself as he got inside his Jaguar and threw the wig, coat and glasses in the back.
*********
To be contd…….
No comments:
Post a Comment