No Mercy (21 page)

Ashley replied, “So Simpson was embezzling money all this time, and he wanted payback to Cronin for ruining his life.”

Wiley nodded his head. “He had a good thing going. He was banging the boss's daughter plus her girlfriend for a while. He was getting extra cash from the hidden safe that he had the combination to, and all of a sudden the girl gets herself kidnapped and Cronin forces him to get involved to bring the players out, and what happens to Simpson? He loses the girl, the home, his job, all because some cop—what's his name, Johnson—falls for her and threatens him to leave town as well. How long did you think he could stay away?”

Ashley leaned up against the counter a little more as he spoke again. “What is in this for you?”

“I got the $200,000 for Cronin, and you will be another $100,000. Once I get the $250,000 for Detective Johnson, I really don't give a shit about the rest of all this or anyone else. I will be gone. You are out of questions.”

Ashley said, “Just one more.”

Wiley raised his arm and said, “Sorry, no more.”

The shot rang out as Wiley looked at Ashley, who didn't move at all. Wiley looked down at his stomach and saw the blood pouring out. He put his hands on it to see if the blood was real. It was. He turned his head and kept saying,

“No, no, no, you're a ghost.”

Detective Kevin Cronin moved closer to Wiley as he said,

“No, you will be the ghost in about thirty seconds.”

Wiley dropped to his knees as he looked at Cronin again, and all he could say was “No” before he fell face-first to the floor.

John Ashley bent over as if he was going to faint. He said,

“Christ! What the hell were you waiting for? For him to shoot my head off?”

Cronin looked up at Ashley while he was confirming there was no pulse coming from Wiley.

“I wanted to be sure he wanted to shoot you and not report to you.”

Ashley slammed his coffee mug down on the counter so hard it broke into pieces and said, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why would I agree to have you here?”

Cronin walked over to his friend for the past ten years.

“You know why, John. When things like this happen I don't trust anyone. Besides, if I had serious doubts about you, I would have let him shoot you before taking him out.”

Cronin started walking toward the door when Ashley spoke again. “Not true, Kevin.”

The detective lieutenant stopped to wait and let the ADA continue with his head tilted to the side to hear him better. Ashley said,

“If I were dead, Kevin, it would be hard to explain my disappearance to the DA, the chief, and the judge. You know that. Even our guy Tillman, who set your car off with the fucking laser beam, would be suspicious of you.” Ashley pushed off the counter as his voice became stronger. “You, the master of manipulation and games, even you know that killing me would put a halt to this plan.”

Cronin stayed where he was and replied, “You agreed; I had to die in their eyes to get the bounties off the Lance girl, Rachelle Robinson, and Lindsey. You all agreed. What the fuck is the problem here!”

Ashley looked down at Wiley's body on the floor as he spoke again.

“It comes back to haunt a man, Kevin, when he doesn't keep his promise.”

The detective turned around to look at John Ashley as he was now confronting him over the promise he made to him eighteen months earlier in the Trader's Cove parking lot in the village. Ashley took another step closer to the detective.

“Yes, you solved the case, you figured it out, but you took risks with people's lives to bring closure to a case, and now look where we are. We are crossing the line with procedural protocol, and I'm concerned that even when this is over, our badges, my license, will be taken away.”

Cronin hesitated and spoke softly. “The Priority 1 Task Force was created to give us some leeway on protocol. Your office agreed to the section being locked off with no cameras other than in the interrogation rooms. If our hands are tied, a case like this would never be resolved. You know it and I know that Priority 1 operates on the grey lines when it comes to procedural protocol.”

There was no reply from Ashley as Cronin spoke again in a firmer voice. “It was the only way to save the lives that we did and find out who we could trust during the Face of Fear investigation.”

Ashley interrupted him, “That's the point, Kevin, it didn't stop. Look where we are now. Simpson wants revenge, O'Connor wants revenge.”

Cronin moved closer to the ADA and said, “My ways may not be the traditional approach that you or the DA expects, and you may think there was another way to have handled the Face of Fear investigation, but there is one more thing that you seem to forget so I will remind you once again. You and the DA knew of my plan. No more lives were lost and some were saved. You may not like my methods, but I have never gone outside of the law.”

Ashley folded his arms across his body as he replied,

“Kevin, who killed Phil Smith in the barn the night of the Wilkerson raid in Belle Terre, and where did the money go?”

Cronin walked directly up to Ashley's face as he answered, “John, I always keep my word. That's all you need to know for now.”

John Ashley was referring to the night Phil Smith disappeared from sight when O'Connor was arrested, while three members of his entourage were killed during a gun battle at the Wilkerson house.

The detective lieutenant tried to walk away again as the ADA pressed,

“Kevin, if you or Paul or someone else shot Smith, we can push for a self-defense argument. You're a good cop, Kevin; we would not have known what was going to happen with the bounties if you didn't convince us and Nada at
Long Island Pulse
to put an undercover reporter in the prison for the past year to befriend O'Connor. While I worry about the grey line you follow, lives have been saved again. The problem is, this time there can't be any carryover. This has to be cleaned up. Powers at this moment is hunting down the men responsible for your death, the three girls, Dugan and Hansen.”

Cronin raised his hands and said, “Isn't that what he is supposed to do?”

Ashley picked up the pieces of the mug that shattered.

“No, I'm not talking about investigating. He took Healey, Lynagh, and O'Malley with him. Even Bud is scared shitless what Paul will do. Five minutes after they left Branca and his crew, a figure with a bloody Ghost Face mask doesn't stab them. He shoots Brenner, then Larson while chasing down the car. None of this is recorded because the digital recorder is shut off and destroyed.”

Cronin moved his hand closer to his gun as he asked, “And you know all of this how?”

Ashley replied, “Because I haven't had any sleep, that's why. The cops on the scene called Priority 1 dispatch and I couldn't get ahold of anyone except for Franks, who gave me the report over the phone. Chapman and Baker are hospitalized and everyone else is on the hunt.”

The detective slowly moved his hand away from his holster as he spoke.

“Where's Johnson?”

Ashley forced a laugh. “He's on a helicopter heading out to the Hamptons to prevent Powers from doing something crazy. Now doesn't that sound funny? Bud is trying to save someone else from being crazy.”

Cronin walked over to look down at Wiley and kneeled down to shut his eyes. “Powers had nothing to do with putting a mask on and shooting someone. I trained him. I know it's not him.”

Ashley replied, “Corbin and Talison swear it had to be a cop under the mask. The way the gun was handled, the stance, the confidence. The energy felt was that he was a cop.” He looked at Cronin directly in the eyes as he continued, “Sounds like someone I know.”

Cronin ignored the remark as he spoke. “I'm sure ballistics will help with the signature of the gun used. In the meantime you have to get this cleaned up.” He pointed to Wiley. “You are going to have to take credit for the shooting for now. If they find out I'm alive, the bounties on the girls will be back on.”

Ashley took a long breath before answering, “I'll take care of it.”

Cronin approached the door, put his hand on the knob, and hesitated. “One more question before I leave, John.” The ADA just stood there without a word, waiting for the detective to ask his question. Cronin opened the door and spoke as he was walking out. “Where were you when Phil Smith was shot?” The door shut behind him as John Ashley felt his heart pounding and had to sit down.

“You are a motherfucker, Kevin Cronin,” he said to the door that Detective Lieutenant Cronin just walked through.

The ADA picked up his iPhone and looked at the body of Jake Wiley until his call was answered. “Wiley's dead, I will need to get the body out of here quietly.” The voice on the other end was DA Steinberg. Ashley gave the DA details as to what happened, including Cronin saving his life. “He was right again. He knew someone would make the attempt on me, and he was correct the bounties would be canceled on the girls, which is why I have to take the credit for killing Wiley for now.”

“No,” the DA answered. “We will clean it up, but no one takes credit. Let him disappear and create mystery of his whereabouts with his associates.”

DA Steinberg continued to speak. “If this gets out you will need an escort, John, and whoever is the leader of the group will raise your bounty. We need to keep it out of the news.”

Ashley replied, “I have to go with Cronin and Powers on this one. Simpson is not smart enough to do all this on his own. As for an escort, Cronin is staying here in the guest room, so I think it's best everyone thinks he is still dead for now.”

“What about the parking garage?” Steinberg asked. “We don't think Cronin is playing vigilante, shooting suspects, do we?” There was silence on Ashley's end as Steinberg spoke again. “Your silence is not helping my thoughts.”

“I'm thinking,” Ashley replied.

Steinberg spoke again. “If there is one thing I learned over the years, it is that volumes are spoken when nothing is being said.”

Ashley hesitated a few more seconds before speaking. “Cronin is always on the edge of the law. I don't agree with his methods, but he does get results and saves lives. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I don't think he would resort to wearing a mask and chasing down cars.”

“OK,” Steinberg said. “Keep in touch and try and stay alive, will you, please? That's an order.”

“Right, boss, good night.” The ADA pushed the
end
button.

It was now 2:45 am, and Powers, Lynagh, Healey, and O'Malley pulled up to the house on Winston Street in East Hampton. Paul looked at his phone and saw eight or nine texts from Rachelle and Bud to call them, and put the phone back in his pocket. They were at the home of Officer Blair.

Powers looked at O'Malley and asked,

“What info did you get?”

O'Malley pulled out his notebook. “Married, with a five-year-old girl.”

“OK,” Powers answered. “Justin, you make sure the girl is OK in the room and sound asleep.” It was rare for Healey to be called by his first name, and he noticed it. Paul looked at Officer Lynagh and said, “You and I will pull him out of the bedroom. Let's try not to wake the wife, and if we do, we explain it's an emergency for the investigation of the Music Club Murders and the bounties.” His eyes moved to O'Malley as he said, “Keep an eye out front and let us know if any problems arise.”

They got out of the car and started walking toward the house when Lynagh suddenly had a flashback.

“Wait!” He said, “Check the door first.” Healey examined the door, top and bottom, while O'Malley looked in the window and saw a male figure lying on the floor. He pulled out his weapon as the others followed suit. He waved Powers to the window, and there was Officer Blair sprawled on the floor. Powers looked up toward the stairway and saw a woman's head between the railings half nude and not moving. He looked over at Lynagh to blast the door open with his shotgun. He fired two blasts as the door blew off its hinges as the four of them stormed into the house, guns drawn.

Powers yelled to Healey, “Check on the daughter!”

Justin Healey ran up the stairs as he heard the cops downstairs yelling “Clear!” He stopped at the door and spoke to himself before walking in. “Dear God, please not the five-year-old.” He moved in slowly and saw the little figure in the bed. His body began to ache as he feared the worst. He touched the bed, and then moved his hand over to the girl's face. It was warm and she was breathing. The officer breathed a sigh of relief as he went out to the hallway.

“They didn't touch the girl,” He reported. O'Malley had already called an ambulance and the East Hampton Police. Blair was shot but alive, and his wife had a slight pulse but was in a bad way.

Powers looked at O'Malley and said, “I'm going to Lawrence's home. You are in charge here. Wait for everyone here.”

O'Malley shook his head and spoke in a firm tone instead of being concerned he was speaking to a superior officer. “You're not going alone.”

Powers shook his head and looked at O'Malley, who was holding firm on his remark. “I won't be, Lynagh is coming with me. Keep Healey here for the girl. Tell them to rush them out of here and to get next of kin here ASAP so the girl is not alone when she finds out about her parents. Bud sent me texts. He's in the Hamptons waiting for me. He took a chopper out here.” O'Malley nodded as Powers and Lynagh left the house.

It was another two minutes when he realized they no longer had a vehicle. The police were there within minutes, as well as the ambulance, which awakened the little girl. She was startled to see Officer Healey, but he had no choice. He wanted to keep her from seeing her parents being carried out of the house. He had tears in his eyes as the little girl cried for her mommy and he held her. It was thirty-five minutes before her aunt, the sister of her mom, was at the house to comfort her niece. Healey walked downstairs and put his hands over his face as O'Malley left the house to give his fellow officer some private time. He took out a bag of pumpkin seeds and absorbed the salt from the white seed shells as he wondered what the hell kind of case he had gotten involved in before his retirement. His thoughts were of mixed emotions as he looked back at Justin Healey shaken up over what had just occurred.