Art and Murder (3 page)

“Who's Jackie?” Natasha asked as soon as Jack hung up.

“Me.” Jack pushed the speed dial to call Laura.

“Then who was I supposed to be?”

“A hooker.”

“Kick me like that again,” Natasha said, “and I might start charging you. Can I go back to sleep now?”

Jack nodded and turned his attention to the phone when Laura answered. His instructions were brief and terse.

“Got it,” said Laura. “You'll be here in what … twenty-five minutes?”

“Fifteen,” Jack replied and hung up. As he reached for his clothes, his brain nagged him about what Brandy had gotten herself into.
Or more like what I got her into.

He shoved his Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol into his belt at the back of his pants, then hesitated before going to the closet to retrieve an issue twelve-gauge Bushmaster shotgun with a metal folding stock and pistol grip. It could be held under his jacket without being seen.

He heard Natasha suck in a mouthful of air. “Trouble?” she asked.

“Not for me. The guys I'm about to meet won't be happy.”

Natasha exhaled and nodded knowingly. “Remember I love you. Same goes for Mike and Steve.”

* * *

Laura was waiting at the curb and climbed in when Jack pulled up in a black SUV. “I'll put my makeup on as you drive,” she said, “but how do I look?”

Jack glanced at her quickly.

“You said to look like a high-class hooker,” Laura continued, “if there is such a thing.”

“You look perfect. More than I could afford.”

Laura smiled. “You got that right.”

Jack's moment of humour didn't last. His face darkened and he stepped on the gas, causing the tires to squeal when he pulled away from the curb.

“Watch it, will ya?” Laura said. “I have to live in this neighbourhood.”

“You didn't hear her voice,” Jack said. “She's really scared.”

“Three of them, you say? But no guns?”

“No guns that she saw. Clive and Klaus are there for sure. Some other guy, too, but I didn't get a name.”

“Fill me in a bit. If we burst in there, aren't you worried about burning her?”

“No. That's why you're a hooker tonight.”

“I thought that was just to get them to open the door. What happens then?” She glanced at Jack and realized what he was going to do. “Oh, man,” she muttered. “You're going to pretend to be her pimp.”

“You got a better idea?”

“No, but a real pimp would probably mess them up.”

“Probably,” Jack agreed.

“We're cops, remember?”

“I remember.” Jack glanced at her. “Don't worry. I brought the shotgun. If I stick that in their faces it'll scare them enough.”

“So we go in. You wave the gun to scare them, then we collect Brandy and leave. Right?”

“You got it. It'll be a cakewalk.”

I've heard that one before,
Laura thought
.

Jack drove in silence for a few minutes and tried to imagine what was going on in the hotel. “Damn it, whatever they're doing to her is my fault,” he said bitterly as he swung into an oncoming lane to pass a car. “She told me Clive was becoming nastier and said she didn't want to go with him anymore. It was because of me that —”

“This isn't her first time with him,” Laura said, no doubt hoping to ease his guilt.

“And what's this business with three guys?” Jack muttered. “I didn't think she was into that type of action.” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Bet she's doing it because of me.”

“Maybe it's a money issue,” Laura suggested. “I hope she isn't calling us over that. Can't say as I want to be charged with pimping.”

“I'm sure that's not it. She was so scared she was starting to hyperventilate.”

Jack thought about the reason he'd pushed Brandy into the situation.
Is Clive worth it?
He went over what he knew. Another informant had told him that Brandy had bragged to her about receiving ounces of cocaine from Clive in lieu of payment for sexual favours. Brandy had said that Clive was a big player who provided his smugglers with fake passports. It was the passports that caught Jack's attention. If a drug dealer had access to those, perhaps some terrorist could also get access to them. He later identified a known cocaine importer by the name of Clive Dempsey, and when Brandy became his informant, she confirmed that it was the Clive she knew.

Jack ignored a red light and the angry blast of a horn as he stepped on the gas. A moment later he pulled into the hotel parking lot. Forty minutes had passed since Brandy called him. He glanced up at the top floor of the hotel, wondering what awaited them, then gave a nod to Laura and they both thought the same thing.

It's showtime.

In room 1201 at the Emerald Hotel, Brandy closed her eyes and tried to project her mind outside of the nightmare she was in. She was straddling Liam, who now sat naked on the chair under her. He was covered in sweat and grunting like a pig, but was apparently too tired to thrust his buttocks upward, relying on her to pump up and down on his penis.

“He keeps slipping out. Clamp him tighter,” Klaus ordered as he stood behind her. Searing pain on her rear caused her to cry out, but her voice was muffled with the gag.

She heard Klaus suck on the cigarette. She tensed her buttocks and bit the gag in anticipation of more pain to come, but a knock on the door caused the men to stop and look at each other.

“Fresh meat,” Liam said with a smirk.

Clive, who had been sitting in another chair watching, was the only one wearing a hotel robe. He plodded to the door and looked out the peephole.

An attractive woman with auburn hair smiled at him from the hallway. She was wearing feathered earrings and had on the perfect amount of makeup to make her look sexy without looking trashy. She slowly unzipped her raincoat to reveal a red silk blouse unbuttoned enough to expose plenty of cleavage that was barely constrained in a black lacy push-up bra. “I'm Laura,” she said sweetly. “I was invited to a party here.”

Clive fumbled in his haste to open the door. “Welcome to the par —”

Jack rammed the shotgun into his gut and literally ran him backward into the room as Laura stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Jack saw Brandy staring at him from where she was straddling a man on a chair. She was gagged and one eye was swollen shut. Her butt was peppered with cigarette burns.

Klaus's mouth dropped open and his cigarette fell to the floor.

“You fucking bastards!” Jack ran across the floor and pivoted the shotgun with his hands, smashing the butt end into Klaus's mouth. The man's head snapped back with a sickening sound of breaking teeth, and he fell to the floor like a wet bag of cement.

Liam, whose eyes were as big as his gaping mouth, shoved Brandy onto the floor and started to rise from his chair, but Jack spun around and rammed the barrel of the shotgun onto his forehead, forcing him back down.

“Jack! Don't!” Laura cried. “You can't —” She stopped as Clive tried to make a run for the door and dropped him with a kick to the groin.

A vein on Jack's temple throbbed with rage as he stared at Liam before slowly stepping back. “Okay, none of you fuckers move unless I say so,” he ordered. The smell of fecal matter from Liam indicated that he wouldn't be a problem.

Klaus hadn't moved and Jack stared at his motionless body.
Is he dead? I didn't mean to kill him, just…
A feeling of panic gripped him.
Wait a minute, his chest is moving. He's alive!

Jack took a deep breath and glanced at Clive, who was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, holding his groin with both hands and moaning.

Laura's eyes met Jack's and her voice was barely audible. “Is he …?” She gave a worried nod toward Klaus.

Jack could see the angst in Laura's eyes. He felt awful about the position he had put her in. He knew he had overreacted and would face severe consequences if charged criminally. He regained his composure enough to play the role he intended. “Not yet. The fucker's still breathing.” He caught the fleeting look of relief on Laura's face, quickly replaced by a glare. “I barely tapped him,” Jack continued. “He must have a glass jaw or something.” He hoped a little humour would lighten the situation. “I've heard about guys like that.”

Laura frowned at Jack, unsure if she felt like laughing or screaming in response. Her attention was diverted when Brandy lurched to her feet and mumbled through the gag. Seeing the battered face, Laura decided she didn't feel like laughing or screaming. Tears of frustration and compassion clouded her vision when she thought of what human beings could do to one another.

“Take her to the bathroom while I take care of these guys,” Jack ordered.

“Please don't kill us!” Liam wailed.

His shrill voice aroused Klaus, who sat up, cupping his broken jaw with the palm of his hand. A broken tooth emerged from between his fingers and fell to the carpet. He looked at Jack and growled, “Who the fuck are you?”

Jack glared at him.
First of all, you beat and torture a young woman, then scare the crap out of me because I thought I'd busted your neck. I really do hate you.
“I'm with hotel security,” Jack snarled. “I'm here because the music is too loud.” He then pointed the shotgun at Klaus's head and said, “You dumb piece of shit! Who the hell do you think I am?”

Klaus gingerly felt his broken teeth with his fingers, before picking out another broken piece and tossing it on the floor. The glower he gave Jack was meant to intimidate.

Jack acted like he didn't notice, just shook his head and muttered, “I can't believe what you did to my girl.”

“I'm sorry,” Liam spouted. “Things got a little carried away. We'll make it up —”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jack snapped. He turned his attention back to Klaus and said, “Hasn't anyone told you that you have really bad teeth? Don't you ever go to the dentist?”

Klaus's look turned to pure hatred.

“Lie face down on the floor and put your hands behind your back,” Jack ordered.

“I'll kill you,” Klaus spluttered.

“Trying to tell me I should kill you first?” said Jack menacingly.

Klaus decided to obey, arching his shoulders to rest his forehead on the carpet before putting his hands behind his back. His movements were slow, but Jack didn't know if it was in defiance or due to pain.

Jack gestured at Clive and Liam with the shotgun. “You two goofs, lie face down on each side of your buddy with your heads in the opposite direction.”

“The opposite direction to who?” Liam asked as he got out of the chair and meekly crawled forward on his hands and knees.

“To your stupid friend who won't be eating any corn on the cob for a while. Who do you think I meant?”

“Please, don't hurt us.” Clive hobbled, bow-legged, across the floor while holding his scrotum with one hand. “We can make it up to you … honest.”

“No more talking from any of you,” Jack said. “If I hear as much as a whisper I'll waste the three of you.”

Jack saw Laura go to a closet to retrieve a hotel robe. When she glanced at him he said, “Give her the robe, then come out and cover me.”

Jack used pillowcases to blindfold the men before yanking the belts from their pants and tying their hands behind their backs. Despite the loud music, he could hear Brandy crying as he worked. It did nothing to alleviate the anger he felt.

When he was finished securing the men, he took the shotgun back from Laura and placed the muzzle of the barrel on the base of Klaus's scull. “I'm going to talk to my girl and find out what you maggots did to her. I'll be able to see the three of you from the bathroom door. If any one of you so much as hiccups, you're all dead.”

“Maybe you should gag them,” whispered Laura once they were out of earshot.

Jack shook his head. “Klaus might suffocate if I do. It's not only the blood, but a broken jaw means a loss of support for the tongue. Call me an old softie, but we should keep an eye on him.”

“Yeah, it's always been a concern of mine that you're a little too soft on people,” Laura muttered.

As soon as Jack opened the bathroom door, Brandy rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around him. “I was afraid you wouldn't come!”

“Keep your voice down. Of course we came. I told you I would protect you.” He patted her on the back to calm her, then said, “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

Between sobs, Brandy told Jack and Laura what she had endured. Jack knew that her physical injuries were not life-threatening, but emotionally, she would have nightmares for years to come. “Why didn't you call me as soon as Clive contacted you?” he asked.

“It was late when he called for me to meet him. He told me to hurry because he had some friends coming over after. I thought I would only be an hour and was going to call you when I left.”

Jack nodded. “And it was Klaus who stole the money from your purse?”

“Yes. I should also have an ounce of blow. I don't know if he took that, as well.”

“Go into the room and get your money back.”

As soon as Brandy left the bathroom, Laura whispered, “Are you sure you should let her do that? We could already go down for assault. Armed robbery makes it worse.”

“It's her money.”

“Tell that to a judge. Even if we weren't convicted, we'd lose our jobs. Let's take Brandy and leave.”

“A real pimp wouldn't go yet. He'd have his rep' to consider. He' d want to scare these guys so badly that not only wouldn't they ever do it again, but they would also be too afraid to retaliate. Right now, Klaus needs an attitude adjustment. If these assholes ever figure out who we really are, they'll kill her. Besides, maybe I can shake Clive up enough to learn something. I'll go back in and see if I can remember the lines from all the tough-guy movies I've ever seen.”

“Oh, man. Don't you think he's already shook up —” Laura fell silent as Brandy returned to the bathroom with a fistful of money and her purse.

“You two stay in here,” ordered Jack loudly. “This could get messy.”

Jack returned to the room and ripped the pillowcases off Clive's and Liam's heads, then gestured at them with the shotgun. “Do either of you two dumb fucks know what an Italian silencer is?”

They both shook their heads.

“It's a way to muffle noise,” said Jack. “You're in for a special treat because you've got the best view of Act One of three acts. Watch this,” he said as he knelt behind Klaus. “The only bad part is cleaning the barrel after.”

Klaus lurched and tried to squeeze his ass tight when Jack slowly pushed the tip of the shotgun barrel between the cheeks.

The looks on Clive's and Liam's faces were ones of absolute horror. Klaus's head jerked and he gave a pitiful moan from inside the pillowcase. Any thoughts he had of being defiant had evaporated.

“I can't believe what you did to her,” said Jack angrily. “Eye swollen shut, burns on her ass … she won't be able to work for at least a month!”

Klaus cried out in response,
“Mein Gott, mein Gott!”

“Too late to be praying to some god,” said Jack. “Besides, I'm an atheist.” He gave Clive a hard look. “How about you? Do you believe in some god? Wanna meet him?”

Clive shook his head as panic clouded his ability to speak. He stared at Liam, who was babbling and pleading for his life.

“Hey, big nuts, quit staring at the bawl-baby and watch.” With that, Jack locked eyes with Clive's once more.

Clive's jaw twitched, but no words came out. He panted twice, then said, “Please, I can make all this up to you. How about I give you a half-pound of coke? High quality … totally uncut.”

Jack did not want to appear anxious. He was hoping to get a lead on the fake passports, but knew he couldn't bring up that topic himself. He looked at Clive and hesitated, then ripped the pillowcase off of Klaus's head. “What do you think? Should I take him up on his offer?”

Klaus coughed and sputtered, blood drooling out of his mouth, as Jack turned back to Clive. “What makes you think I'd be interested in coke?”

“How about diamonds? Full carats!” Clive offered.

Diamonds? Didn't expect that. Probably glass or zircons.
“You've been watching too much television. Who the fuck do you think I am? Some goof who walks around with gold chains and eighteen-carat fucking diamonds stuck in his ear? Yeah, cops, here I am. Come and bust me.”

Clive spoke rapidly, stumbling over his words. “Sorry, I … I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I can see you got more class than that.”

“You're damn right I do. A lot more class than to be bought off with a half-pound of blow. What else can you offer?”

“Coke or diamonds is all I can get. How about I make it a full pound?”

It wasn't the answer Jack was hoping for, but he knew it would get him in the door. “How long will it take to get it?” he asked.

“I delivered it to these guys this morning. I can go get it. Forty minutes there and forty minutes back.”

“What makes you think they still have it?”

“Oh, they got it all right,” replied Clive, sounding relieved that Jack appeared interested. “If you wait here, I'll be back in an hour and a half.”

“Like fuck you will. If you think I'm letting you go on your own, think again!”

Klaus looked at Clive and mumbled, “Don't take 'im there. There has to be another way.”

Jack pointed the barrel of the shotgun at Klaus's face and said, “Shut the fuck up! When I want your opinion, I'll politely ask for it.”

“Please,” Clive said. “Let me make a phone call and maybe I can get them to deliver it.”

“Not a chance,” Jack replied. “No phone calls. I'm not setting myself up to be whacked or to walk into some ambush. Take me to them, and no tipoffs that we're coming!”

Clive looked at Klaus, who shook his head. “Do we have a choice?” snapped Clive in response. He then looked at Jack. “I'll do whatever you want.”

“Okay, I'll have a word with the girls. Same as before — don't move and don't talk!”

Jack passed the shotgun to Laura and then blindfolded the men again, before picking up their pants and going through the pockets. He found their driver's licences. One licence had been issued in Germany to Klaus Eichel, and the other two were Canadian licences, issued to Clive Dempsey and Liam Quinn respectively.

Laura stood guard while Jack went into the bathroom and closed the door.