Douglas Dorow - The Ninth District

“I’ll be right down,” the man answered.

“Great, I’ll see you in a minute.”

Jack stood on the front steps in the shade and slapped at the mosquitoes that buzzed his ears. A man with a shaved head wearing a gray, sleeveless t-shirt and faded, maroon gym shorts with the gold University of Minnesota M on the thigh came to the door. He was somewhere in his thirties. The man pushed open the door and stepped outside. “You’re with the FBI? Can we talk outside so I can have a smoke?”

Jack showed the man his FBI credentials and agreed, thinking that the cigarette smoke would help keep the bugs away. “Did I wake you?”

“Late night. I bartend over here in Uptown.”

“Sorry I had to wake you, but I’m looking for a woman that lives in this neighborhood and I think she might live in this building.” He described Sandy, the car she drove, and said she might work at a bank. The man blew the cigarette smoke up into the air and ran his hand over his shaved head.

“You’ve got the right building. Sandy Hoffman is her name. Lives in 4A. She’s got a great body. Been living here for about a year. What do you need her for?”

“Thanks. I just need to talk to her. Before we go inside to see if she’s home, I need to show you a car in your parking lot out back and see if you know who it belongs to.”

The man took another drag from his cigarette and followed Jack around the building. “Holy shit, what’s going on back here?” the man asked.

Jack looked at the people surrounding the SUV. The driver-side door was open and a tow truck was preparing to load the vehicle onto the bed to take it away.

“Do you recognize that vehicle or know if that parking spot is assigned to anyone?”

“I’ve never seen that car before.” The man looked at Jack and took another long drag from his cigarette. “The lot is first-come, first-serve for those who pay to rent off-street parking. The spots aren’t assigned to anybody.”

Agent Ramirez and Sure Thing walked towards them. Jack nodded to the man and said, “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

Ramirez said, “We tracked the owner down. A couple from Anoka reported it missing yesterday morning. We’re taking it to the lab. The phone was under the seat.”

“Thanks. I’ll be ready to go in a minute.” Jack turned to the building supervisor. “Can we go back and see if Ms. Hoffman is in? You don’t have to let us in her apartment, but I would like to ring her apartment and see if she’s in.”

The man dropped his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. “I can tell you she’s not in. She gets up early and works out.”

“Then she goes to the bank?”

“I don’t know about working at a bank. But I know she’s a dancer at Sheiks, downtown.”

“Junior, it’s me, Jack.” He could hear Ross fumbling with the phone.

“What time is it?”

“It’s lunchtime.” Jack heard Ross clear his throat and get a drink of water.

“Are you awake now?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Somebody’s messing with you, Junior, and we need to find out who and why. I was in the lab his morning with the geeks; they don’t sleep. I have some good news and some bad news. First, your credit is shot. Somebody messed with your credit cards, your credit rating, and your bank accounts. Your finances are a mess and it’ll be a major headache to get it all fixed.”

“They got everything?”

“Yep, they pretty much wiped you out.”

“Well, what’s the good news? There wasn’t that much money. They assumed my debt too?”

“No, what I told you was the good news.”

“Great.”

“And we found where the Gov ditched the truck and the phone.”

Ross yawned. “Sorry, I’m not awake. Did you tell me the bad news yet?”

“Junior, this guy didn’t just come across you on the road. He followed you from somewhere. Where were you coming from? Who knew where you were going to be or where you were going?”

“I worked out at the gym in the morning with Sandy.”

“And?”

“And nothing. I had some follow up questions for her and this morning was a good time for them. She’s been a little stressed out so I thought if she felt comfortable talking to me at the gym I should take advantage of it.”

Jack shook his head. “And you wanted to see her again and seeing her in her gym clothes was a bonus.”

Ross didn’t argue. “That’s about right.”

There was silence on the line and then Ross yawned again. “Junior, stay with me a little while longer and then you can get some sleep,” Jack said. “OK. Somebody either followed you or knew where you were going to be. You went straight to the gym this morning?”

“Yeah. Got up. Went to the gym to meet Sandy and work out.”

“You didn’t see anybody follow you. What do you remember?”

Ross took a deep breath. “I talked with Sandy while we worked out. Didn’t learn much. I left the gym. Decided to take the scenic route back by Lake Calhoun, the phone rings and boom, I’m here.” He yawned again.

“Well, I told you we found the truck. It was parked behind Sandy’s apartment building. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“You think she’s involved?”

“Yes, look at the facts. She worked at the bank, you worked out with her and got attacked, and we found the truck behind her apartment. What do your investigative skills tell you from that?”

“Oh man, Jack. Just a second.”

Jack listened to the silence.

“Since we don’t know who the Governor is, I guess I need to start with Sandy. See what she can tell us.” Ross took a deep breath and puffed it out. “I have her number in my phone.”

“I called her and it went straight to voicemail. Her phone’s off. We can’t geotrack her.” Jack paused. “She’s working tonight. I was thinking, if you’re up to it, we should go visit her.”

“Working? There’s a bank open?” Ross asked.

“Um, no. She’s got a second job.”

“What is it?”

“Junior, she’s a stripper, or exotic dancer. She works at Sheiks.”

“What?” Ross asked. “No way.”

“We’re at her building. We found the truck that hit you parked in back with the Governor’s phone under the seat. The super for her building said that’s what she does and she’s working tonight.”

There was silence on the phone.

“Junior, you still there?” Jack asked.

“Yeah. When are we going?”

“I’m going back to the lab with the truck and phone to see what we can learn. Then I have a dinner date with my wife. I can’t miss it. I’ll pick you up after that. Get some rest.”

“Anything?” Jack asked.

Two men and a woman dressed in white coveralls were examining the vehicle inside and out.

“Nothing so far. Looks like he wore gloves. No fingerprints on the door handle or steering wheel or keys. We’ve swabbed the windshield and steering wheel for DNA in case he sneezed on them.”

Sure Thing walked over to join them. “Nothing on the phone, Jack. It’s a throw away. Made a couple of calls.”

“He left it there to taunt us,” Jack said. “He could’ve just as easily taken it with him. The only reason he left it was so we’d find the vehicle. He’s feeling pretty superior right now.”

Jack and Sure Thing stood in the garage, looking at the side of the truck with its scratches and dents. “Any ideas?” Jack asked.

“Nothing comes to mind, but we’ll keep working.”

“If Sandy’s phone comes on, locate it and call me. I’ll be having dinner with my wife.”

The doors of the lock and damn opened and six larger boats and two kayaks slowly exited single-file, traveling south down the Mississippi, bypassing the impassable concrete apron and falls that made this part of the river famous. The people on the stone arch bridge watching the process waved to the people in the boats below before continuing on their walks across the bridge. Everyone was enjoying the break from the rain.