Dave Zeltserman - Small crimes

'Not completely,' I said. 'Maybe that's not the whole reason, but it's a good part of it.'

Her lips almost disappeared as they pulled into a thin smile.

She asked, 'What are you really after – hurting Vassey or some of your fellow cops?'

'Neither. And I don't have any fellow cops anymore. I haven't had any for almost eight years.'

'Does this have anything to with the fact that you've obviously been beaten up recently?'

I shook my head. Absolutely nothing at all to do with that. And I wasn't beaten up. All that happened was I walked into a tree. At least, that's my story.'

That made her lips pull up a little higher. As she smiled, I couldn't help noticing how pointy her canines were.

'Can I call you Joe?' she asked.

'Sure.'

'What's the urgency, Joe? Why does this have to be broadcast tonight?'

'Does it matter? I'm handing you the story of the year for your station. And you'll end up having dozens more breaking from this one.'

'It matters. I don't like being used,' she said.

'Everything I've said about Vassey and his son is true. So do you want this or not?'

For a moment I thought she was going to tell me to go screw myself, and I think she surprised herself even more that she didn't. Instead, her smile faded from her face, and she nodded slowly. I guess she wanted the story more than the satisfaction of telling me what I could do with myself.

'If you're lying about any of this, I'm going to make your life a living hell,' she said.

All I could think was, you and everyone else. Instead I simply shrugged. 'I'm not lying about any of this.'

She turned to Wolcott. 'Steven,' she told him, 'go tell Tina and Eric we have an assignment for them.'

Wolcott nodded, got up and left the room. As she turned back to me, she showed me her thin smile again. The skin across her cheeks stretched tight against her face.

'The DA in your county, Phil Coakley, the person you maimed. Tell me about that shooting two days ago.'

'I had nothing to do with that.'

Her smile stretched tighter. "That's not what I asked.'

'I also have nothing to say about that,' I said.

She sat silently, her thin smile pulling tighter as her pale blue eyes stared at me. I couldn't imagine her skin stretched any tighter without it ripping. I met her stare for a while and then got tired of the whole thing.

'Look,' I said. 'I'm going to need some paperwork guaranteeing that if what I tell you pans out you're going to air the story tonight.'

'You'll get the paperwork before you leave.'

The door opened and Wolcott walked in, bringing with him a pretty blonde and a tall skinny kid with a scraggly goatee and a matching ponytail. I recognized the blonde from their newscasts. She looked younger in person, probably no older than early twenties. Eileen Bracket addressed the two of them, telling them who I was and what they'd be doing with me. The blonde was named Tina Hodges and she forced a smile as she held out a hand to me. The skinny kid with the ponytail, Eric, was going to be our cameraman. He kept his distance from me.

It took an hour before I was able to get the paperwork that I wanted, and another forty minutes after that before we got underway. We drove in one of the news vans with Eric behind the wheel and me next to him giving directions. Other than my pointing out where to drive nobody said a word during most of the trip. At one point near the end, Eric asked how I broke my nose. When I didn't answer him he shut up for good. Tina Hodges didn't make a peep from the back seat during the ride.

We arrived at the old tannery a little after ten thirty. This time there were five cars parked alongside it. I directed Eric toward* the two dumpsters on the other side of the building. When we got there, we pulled up next to them and parked. I opened both dumpsters and read off the labels of some of the containers.

'All the ingredients for crystal meth,' I said.

Eric took his camera out and started shooting video of what was inside the dumpsters.

"This is so unbelievably brazen,' he muttered. 'Just throwing the stuff out where anyone can get to it.'

I said, After fifteen years of doing whatever you want without any fear of the police, you get sloppy. Ready for what's next?'

'We're just going to walk right in there?'

'That's right.'

And you don't think this is dangerous?' Tina asked, speaking for the first time. Her face paler than before and not quite as pretty as when I had first seen her. 'I don't think so, but we'll see.'

I was pretty sure Junior wasn't going to have any muscle around. Why would he? After over fifteen years of being left alone, why bother? Of course, anything was possible, but I didn't expect to see any of his goons. We got back in the van and drove to the front. I got out first and checked the main door and almost broke put laughing when I found it unlocked. I signaled for the other two to join me.

I opened the door and led the way. I'd been in there before and knew where the gambling operations were. I turned and could see Eric sweating as he carried his camera. Tina looked more distant and scared with each step.

The hallway we were in was lit by a single bulb. I took us down it to the outside of the room where the operations used to be run from. I put my ear against the door and listened. After less than a minute I heard a phone ringing, and then someone talking. I checked the door. It was unlocked. I nodded to Tina and Eric and then opened the door and walked in.

I knew with football season underway things would be in full swing. In the middle of the room were several chalkboards with spreads written on them. To the right, sitting behind a long table, were three guys. They all had computers and phones in front of them. Each of them was staring at us with total bewilderment. One of them was on the phone and I could see his mouth drop as he gawked at us.

'What the hell's this!' one of them yelled. I recognized him from years ago. I couldn't place his name but I knew he'd worked for Manny from almost the beginning. He had always been this fat greasy slob with badly pockmarked skin. Now he was fatter, greasier, and with worse skin. He got up and started towards us. The other two were trying to hide from the camera.

'What the hell all of you doing here?' he demanded. He was moving quickly, heading towards Tina with a clenched fist. I intercepted him, spinning him around and pushing him to the floor. He made kind of an oomph sound as he hit the deck.

'You assholes are in trouble,' he hissed as he lay on the floor. 'Big trouble! Just wait 'til I tell-'

I stepped down on the back of his neck. He let out a high-pitched yelp and then shut up.

Eric took video of the chalkboards and moved to the two guys who were now trying to hide behind their chairs. Tina stood frozen as she stared at me while I pressed my foot down on the slob's neck. He squirmed red-faced on the floor as I put more pressure on him.

'Are you going to just stand there,' I asked, 'or are you going to do your job?'

'What are you doing to that man?' she asked, horrified. 'Don't worry, he'll be fine. Come on, we don't have all day.'

She shook herself out of whatever stupor she had fallen Into and moved so she was standing next to the chalkboards. She was still shaking, but Eric took video of her as she pointed out the football spreads and the computers and phones on the long table. He followed her as she moved over to the two jokers who were still trying to hide themselves.

'Are you under the employ of Manny Vassey Jr.?' she asked both of them.

Neither of them said a word. They just looked like idiots as they tried to squeeze themselves behind their chairs and out of sight of the camera.

'Are you taking gambling bets?' she asked.

'Get the hell out of here and leave us alone,' one of them moaned.