Gibson & Clarke (Failed Justice Series Book 2) (19 page)

CHAPTER 41

Officer Timothy O’Malley was torn.

He knew the right thing to do was to report the incident with an explanation that he had given former Deputy Sheriff Rik Scott a warning and would be on the lookout to make sure he heeded the warning. He also knew the unwritten Blue Code. You don’t rat out a fellow officer.

We all got to stick together. If not, those sleazy defense attorneys will have us all for lunch.

Then he thought about the fact Scott had gone over to the other side, those damn sleazy defense lawyers who loved to see a cop squirm on the witness stand, all because of the big bucks. Obviously, he had screwed up; why else would they fire him after only a few months.

O’Malley was having a tough time making ends meet, and Scott was probably being paid with mob money. He filed his report.

It was now a matter of public record.

Marta still had back door sources in the Newark Police Department. Less than twenty-four hours after the report was filed, Marta had a copy of it. She was furious.

“What kind of shithead PI gets caught sleeping in his own car at 2:10 in the morning, while on an unauthorized stakeout? You’re a bigger fuckup than I originally thought. If you’re spotted within a city block of my home or office, I personally will guarantee your license will be pulled. Is that clear, asshole? Find an alternative route to wherever you’re going from now on. You’ve been warned,
schmuck
.”

Before Rik could respond, the line went dead.

Marta felt better, but not much.

***

Son of a bitch, that cop lied to me. Well, there must be another way I can fix her little red wagon. I just can’t afford to get caught.

Rik sat in his apartment and stewed. He was already a few days behind in his rent and hated to dip into his reserve account. By now, every law enforcement and private security agency in the state had his resume. He was sure he was being blackballed but did not know by whom.

He was sure Marta had something to do with it.

Fuck her and the horse she rode in on.

Rik was in a foul mood, and the day had just started. He had no idea where to start. He knew better than to look in the direction of Mr. Yeung. That would bring him more grief than he could handle. He remembered hearing about a Mr. Tau Fung that Marta represented for possession with intent to sell. All the evidence suddenly got lost, and Fung ended up being run over, twice, on some dirt road in the middle of nowhere.

If Marta is having some type of relationship with Yeung, maybe I should just walk away from this whole scene. It’s not worth my life.

***

Marta was in the beginning stages of denial. Her mind told her she could stop whenever she wanted to. Sure she loved the euphoric feeling, but it was no big deal, certainly not enough to put her career and life at risk. Her body was sending out different signals. It wanted more. Lots more and ASAP.

I’ve got to call Xiang and tell him this will never work out. I’m his lawyer. I give him legal advice, and I’m smoking crack cocaine. Besides, we must maintain a professional relationship. Sleeping with him, no matter how great it was, is not the answer.

Intellectually, she knew it was the right choice, the only choice. Yet her body told her not to make the phone call—yet. One more party would not hurt her, would not make a difference. She knew she could stop anytime, so why not enjoy the experience once more? Then she would call it quits.

Promise. Scout’s Honor.

***

“I’m free this evening. If it’s all right with you, I can be over by seven, and I have no clients or court appearances till the afternoon. A quiet breakfast in the garden would be nice.”

Let me have one more crack at the pipe, and I’m yours for the rest of the night.

The message was far too obvious, but Marta didn’t care.

What’s giving it away one more time matter? It’s not like there was an expiration date stamped on it.

Yeung knew all the signs. She was getting desperate. The last thing he needed or wanted was a lawyer who could not think on her feet. There was also the still unresolved matter with his sister.

“That would be most pleasant, my dear, but I have made plans to be out of town for the next few days. As you know better than anyone, I am in the most complicated process of divesting myself of an empire that took more than thirty years to build. Perhaps next week. I will call you when I get back. You have a good day, my little Lotus Blossom.”

You can’t do that to me. I can’t wait till next week. I want to come over right now.

There was dead silence, each waiting for the other to say something.

Finally, Marta spoke. “I look forward to your return. Have a safe trip, Xiang.” Marta hung up and began to cry.

It was some time later the thought hit her.

I can buy it on the street. That’s where it’s sold. How hard can it be to find a street dealer? The city is crawling with them.

***

Billy Jo decided to keep a closer eye on Marta. He had a gut feeling she wasn’t telling him everything. Rik was not the only PI in town. He had his sources. He made a few discreet phone calls.

***

“I’m on it. She’ll never know. And thank you, Mr. Gibson.”

No one paid any attention to the white utility van parked four doors down from Ms. Clarke’s home. No one saw the small camera mounted on the top. No one cared it had been parked for close to three hours and there was apparently no activity going on inside or out. This was Newark, New Jersey. No one gave a damn about anything except their own personal problems.

No one cared the man inside was wearing white coveralls and stenciled on the back was
‘NEWARK POWER AND ELECTRIC’
. That was exactly what Vince Verrazano hoped for.

It was after six when Marta left her home. She was wearing baggy jeans, black Nikes, and a hoodie, not her normal attire. It took a few seconds for Vince to realize the slumped over person was Ms. Clarke. He had only seen photos of her. She was standing in front of her apartment building, apparently waiting for someone.

What the hell is she up to?

He picked up his cell phone. He needed backup, and he needed it now. He also needed clarification from Billy Jo as to exactly what he should do.

CHAPTER 42

“It is me, my sweet little sister. I wonder if I may take you to lunch. This will not be about business—though, I am pleased to report the process of divesting myself of all my interests in my present venture is going well. I want to learn more about our parents and how it ended for them. I will never forgive myself for leaving, but how was I to know?”

Mei Ling hesitated. She had the feeling he was telling her the truth, but she had been misled before.

Always by men.

“All right, but I must tell you, I am still apprehensive. I would suggest we meet near my office, preferably in a very public place. Just you and me. I see no reason to have Ms. Clarke there.”

“It is agreed. Shall we say tomorrow at noon? I will call you at eleven o’clock, and you can tell me where. I too agree there is no reason for Ms. Clarke to know we are going to meet. And thank you for accepting my offer.”

Xiang had been worried Marta would find out he was still in town.

Perhaps I made a mistake. The pipe is not for everyone. I thought she had more will power.

What Yeung had conveniently forgotten was the fact he had made his fortune based on the premise that, when it comes to drugs, people do not have any will power. Heroin is addictive. Everyone knows that.

***

“Follow her. Closely. If you need a second man as backup, do it immediately. I don’t have any idea what she’s up to, but if it becomes dangerous, get her the hell out of harm’s way. I don’t care how you do it—just do it.”

Billy was becoming more and more uncomfortable. It was not a question of protecting his investment, and that was considerable. It was more than making sure the rainmaker of the firm did not walk into a bad situation. He genuinely liked Marta. She was a good and decent person. She had shown her true colors during their first trial when they were opponents. She had put herself at risk when she had no reason to.

Loyalty cannot be bought, and Billy was loyal to a fault.

***

Vince saw the gray Honda pick up Marta and drive her back to Enterprise where the driver exited.

So, she’s rented a car. Why? Where’s she going?

Vince already had his backup, a blue four-door Ford, who was two car lengths behind him. They would both follow Ms. Clarke to find out what was going on. They were talking to each other on their hands-free car speaker cell phones.

“Looks like she’s heading over to the 14
th
Street section. Not the safest part of town.”

Vince acknowledged and decided to stay one car behind her. It appeared she was looking at the street corners for someone. As he was about to give instructions to his backup, Marta swung hard to her right and pulled to the curb. There were two teenagers, gangbangers by all appearances, on the curb. Marta waved them over. Vince could not stop. He proceeded to make a right turn and quickly circle the block. He told Amare, his backup, to pull to the left, double park if necessary, and find out what the hell she was doing.

“God damn it, where the hell is she? What happened?”

Amare, driving a black Lincoln SUV with tinted windows, was quick to answer.

“She just made a buy. Couldn’t tell what it was except it looked like a dime bag. Some money changed hands, and our suspect was gone in sixty seconds. I’m following her now. I promise, I won’t lose her.”

Vince called his boss. He told Billy what he suspected and asked for further instructions.

Marta’s cell rang. It was Billy. She didn’t answer it. He called two minutes later. Again, she let it ring. On the fourth call, she had no alternative. She picked up.

“Sorry, Billy, I was in the bathroom. I see you called a few times. What’s up?”

“First of all, stop lying. Especially to me. I know you’re in a gray Honda rental, I know you just made a buy on the corner of Martin and 14
th
, I know you have the bag in your purse, and I know you’re being followed as we speak. I strongly suggest, and this is not a threat, you drive directly to the office. Don’t try to throw the bag out the window. We need to have a long talk about your future. Don’t argue with me—I’m not in the mood.”

Marta looked in the rearview mirror. She wasn’t sure what or who she was looking for. Her hands began to shake. Her forehead was covered with sweat. She felt like she was about to have a coronary. Billy had hung up, and she was scared to death. She headed back to the office.

***

“Looks like she’s heading to the office, Mr. Gibson.”

“Thanks, Vince. Stay on her tail till she parks. Don’t let her out of your sight for one minute. If she tries to lose the bag, recover it. I don’t care if you have to stop in the middle of traffic. I need to know what’s in it.”

“Got ya, Mr. Gibson.”

Vince almost touched her rear bumper at the next light.

***

The phone rang at precisely eleven o’clock.

“We can meet in an hour in the coffee shop right next to my building. I will be in the very last booth. I look forward to seeing you, Xiang.”

“And I too, my little sister.”

Xiang arrived at noon. Mei Ling was already sitting in the back booth, facing forward and sipping hot tea. The restaurant owner, and now a friend, allowed Mei Ling to bring in her own special tea.

As Xiang approached the table, Mei Ling stood up, greeted her big brother, and proceeded to bow politely.

“Good afternoon, Xiang, I have taken the liberty of having our special brand of tea served. I have asked they prepare a light lunch for us. I also found an old newspaper I have saved for many years, talking about the plague that killed so many people in our old village, including our dear parents.”

Xiang could see Mei Ling was beginning to tear up. He immediately came to her and gave her an unprecedented hug. She did not resist. It was the first true intimate contact between the two of them since they were children.

Xiang could feel his little sister’s heaving as she tried to control her emotions. It was too late. The pain, the loss, the memories of her being in a charity hospital came pouring out.

He waved the waitress away and quickly mentioned they needed a bit of privacy. A folded fifty did the trick. It was more than she had made in tips in the past few hours.

“No one could do anything. People were dying in front of us every day. There was no medicine, no vaccines, nothing to take but our meager supply of tea. I was taken away before they died. So were the few children who survived. It was horrible. It was like the end of the world was taking place. I cried for you to help, but you were gone. You were safe in the new world. At first, I wanted to die. I had no one who cared about me. No one knew who I was or what village I came from. It was in the third month in the charity ward I decided I had to live. I had to survive so I could find you. I had no idea where to start. I left one night when no one was looking and began to walk. I had no idea where I was going, but I could not be around death all day and all night.”

Xiang dropped another fifty on the table, put his arms around her and half walked, half carried her to his waiting vehicle.

“Take us home, Jabor.”

During the ride back to Jersey, Mei Ling protested. She would be fine. She apologized for her display of emotion. It was when her big brother hugged her all the feeling came out. She could not help herself. Now she was composed and had to get back to her office. She had work to do.

“Work can wait till tomorrow. Today you take day off. You rest; you heal; you spend time with me in my home. Perhaps soon it will be our home. You will have your own suite and your own staff and someone to drive you into the city every morning and bring you back for dinner every evening. I am here for you. From now on, I will always be here for you.”

Xiang then put his arm around his one and only sister. He did not release it till he got home.

“Thank you, Yee Yee.”

Xiang sat bolt upright. It was a name he had not heard in more than fifty years. It was sort of a nickname Mei Ling had given him when she was three years old. Neither of them had forgotten it.

Xiang kissed her on the forehead as any loving big brother would do, a truly American custom.