Tom Wallace - Gnosis

Not wanting to sound supersonic, he took a slow, deep breath, and said, “Milt and Eric will go to Richards’s house. If-”

“Take as much back-up as you need,” Captain Bird interrupted. “SWAT is on alert, if you want to use them. That’s your call, Milt. But make no mistake about it-all of you. I do not want another one of my detectives getting shot. That’s an order.”

Dantzler waited until he was certain Bird had finished before continuing. “Laurie and I will go to the tavern. This time of day, that’s most likely where Richards will be. We’ll have back-up, but I want them out of sight. Laurie and I will go in alone. I don’t want to spook Richards. We’ll tell him-”

“Hell, Jack, you’re gonna serve the guy with a search warrant,” Eric noted. “You don’t think that’ll spook him?”

“If it does, it does,” Dantzler conceded. “How he chooses to play it is up to him. If he cooperates, great. If not, we don’t play nice.”

“You’re nuts if you think he’s gonna cooperate,” Milt said. “A guy as wary as Richards will go on the offensive in about two seconds. You need to go in barking, not asking.”

“Jack, I have to agree with Milt on this,” Bird said. “I think the smart play is to go in with back-up. A show of force is not necessarily a bad thing.”

“We’re not there to arrest the guy, Rich,” Dantzler argued. “At this stage, we don’t have enough hard evidence to arrest him. We’re only there to talk to him and to search the premises. Unless he fails to cooperate, I see no need to go all Atilla the Hun on him.”

“Play it the way you feel most comfortable,” Bird said. “Just don’t take any unnecessary chances. That’s all I’m saying. And keep in mind who we’re dealing with. The guy was Carlo Gambino’s right-hand man. He’s bound to have a few deadly tricks up his sleeve.”

Dantzler and Laurie drove away from downtown, in the direction of Meadowthorpe Shopping Center, with three police cruisers tailing close behind. Turning right off Leestown Road, Dantzler led the procession to a service station, parked, got out of the car, and met with the six uniformed officers. He ordered two officers to position themselves at each end of the shopping center, two stationed in the front parking lot, and two in the alley behind the tavern. After giving the six men a detailed description of Johnny Richards, he and Laurie got back in the Forester and drove to the tavern.

“That’s Richards’s Lexus,” Laurie said, pointing. “Means he’s here.”

“Stay alert,” Dantzler warned, although he knew the warning was not necessary. “And never take your eyes off Richards. If anything looks even the least bit hinky, do what you have to do. Don’t let him shoot first. He won’t miss.”

Inside the tavern, Sally, the big-bosom bartender, was conversing with two male customers standing at the end of the bar where Richards normally sat. Judging by the intense look on her face, and the interest shown by the two men, the tone of the conversation was serious. As Dantzler moved closer to the trio, he thought he detected tears in Sally’s eyes.

When Sally looked up and saw Dantzler, she immediately came out from behind the bar, threw up her hands, and began to weep openly. “I don’t know where Johnny is. He’s not here, and he’s not at his house. Something bad must have happened to him.”

Dantzler gently took her by the arm and led her to a chair. He sat across from her, while Laurie remained standing behind him.

“Isn’t that Richards’s Lexus in the parking lot?” Dantzler asked.

“It is,” Sally said, sobbing.

“Does Richards have a second vehicle?”

“Not anymore. He had a Mazda, but he sold it when Maggie died.”

“You’re positive he sold it?”

Sally nodded. “Yes. To my nephew Eddie. Eddie Clayton.”

Dantzler said, “When was the last time you saw Richards?”

“Two nights ago.” Sally pointed at Laurie. “The night she was in here.”

“Do you have a key to the upstairs apartment?”

“Yes. But he’s not up there. I’ve checked.” She wiped her eyes with the front of her apron. “I’m not related to Johnny, but am I allowed to file a missing persons report? If so, you can get a real search underway.”

Dantzler looked up at Laurie. “Call the officers and have them meet in the parking lot. Tell them to go ahead and search the vehicle. Then phone Milt and let him know what Sally has told us. Have him make sure Richards is not in the house. Tell him-”

“He’s not at his house,” Sally insisted. “I know, because I went by there last night and again this morning.”

“The house on Summershade?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a key to the house?” Dantzler said.

“No. But I knocked until my knuckles bled. And I looked in all the windows. He’s not there.”

Dantzler dug into his coat pocket and pulled out two envelopes. “These are search warrants. One for the bar and upstairs apartment, one for the Lexus. Given the circumstances and the fact you’ve asked us to file a missing persons report, I don’t need these warrants to search the premises. However, for the sake of protocol, I’m giving them to you anyway.”

“Search warrants?” Sally said, taking the two envelopes from Dantzler. “Why on earth do you need search warrants? Johnny’s not here. I already told you he’s missing.”

“I can’t discuss the details, Sally,” Dantzler said. “What I can share with you is that we’re in the middle of an investigation involving Johnny Richards. That’s why we need to search the bar, apartment, and car.”

Sally’s confusion was quickly replaced by anger. Her face reddened and her eyes welled with a new wave of tears. Kicking the stool, she stood and aimed a finger at Dantzler.

“You have no cause to harass Johnny,” she screamed. “He has done nothing wrong. Johnny Richards is the nicest, kindest gentleman I have ever known.”

“Then he has nothing to worry about,” Dantzler said, not wanting to extend the argument. “Let us do our thing and we’ll be out of here.”

“Will you at least put out a missing persons report?” Sally said, bottom lip trembling. “Can you do that for me?”

“Yes.”

Dantzler was about to say something to Laurie when Craig McKinley, one of the uniformed officers, came into the bar.

“We found something of interest in the vehicle, sir,” McKinley said. “In the trunk, wrapped in a plastic bag. A forty-four.”

“Same caliber the killer used to take out Colt Rogers,” Laurie said.

“Bingo.” Dantzler said. Then to McKinley, “Log the weapon and take it to ballistics. Tell them to match it against the bullet that killed Colt Rogers. And tell them I want the results yesterday.”

“You got it,” McKinley said, turning and heading for the door.

Dantzler’s cell phone chirped. The caller was Captain Bird. “Yeah, Rich, what’s up?”

“You and Laurie need to get to TAC Air ASAP,” Bird said. “There’s something here you need to see.”

“Can’t it wait, Rich? We’re about ready to begin searching the bar and apartment.”

“Forget that for the time being. What I have to show you is far more interesting.”

Johnny Richards’s body lay on its side in the Jetta trunk. His hands were tied behind him, his legs bound at the ankle. There was a single bullet entry to the back of his head.

Just like those two kids in the barn , Dantzler thought to himself. What goes around, comes around. Maybe there was justice after all .

“What did Joe Louis say?” Bird said. “You can run but you can’t hide. Looks like the Brown Bomber was right.”