Hardcastle and McCormick

The air drill whined. The bolt gripped the thread and it went into its hole. ‘Lucky last.’ Marcie McCormick said to herself as she wiped her hands with a rag. She took off her  black sweatshirt revealing a rolling stones singlet underneath. Marcie smiled to her self. She was proud. So proud of the work she had done. She had successfully installed 3 stolen engines in three different stolen cars. They would be picked up in the morning. She shut the bonnets of all 3 cars. She walked to the small office in the garage and grabbed three separate keys. She sat in the first and turned it over. It roared to life. She nodded. She was happy with how well she had done. The other two cars started and sounded amazing. She turned them all off and her phone rang. It was her best friend Suzie.
‘Hey Suze.’
‘Marce...im in deep trouble...im knee deep in shit to be honest.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘Ok so please don’t judge...’
‘Suze im a car thief...a proud career car thief...no judgement here.’
‘As you know I’ve been working on a state of the art prototype.’
‘Yeah I was hanging to drive it.’
‘Well it belongs to the Rosso Diablos now.’
‘How? How in the world did they get it? You said only you and I were able to drive it. Right?’
‘Yes I did engineer it that way but this is the part you are going to judge me on. I was short on cash for the last bit of the Coyotes build so I ran drugs for the cartels.’
‘Suze...’
‘I know...I know...I just didn’t know what else  to do.’
‘You should have come to me...I could have helped.’
‘I see that now.’
‘OK so we can’t change that, its in the past but we can get the car back.  Do you know where the cartels home base is?’
‘They do have a warehouse on the water at Dominguez point.’
‘OK. Get your self over here and we will go and get that car back.’

The bar was and old place with old decor and old clientele. The type of place that people went to back in the day and never left. Amelia Hardcastle was no different. She started frequenting the bar when she was in law school. Now as a judge in her mid sixties she still came here. Same career just greyer and older. Wiser? She wasn’t so sure. She sipped her scotch. Current and former colleagues walked past. She exchanged waves and nods. She was reflecting on her cases from that week. One she had dismissed because the lawyers had the incorrect paper work. One had to be thrown out because the evidence had been mishandled. And her favourite,  she had dismissed a case because she didn’t like the defence attorneys tie. That decision had ruffled feathers. No one had liked that decision. She knew it wasn’t her finest moment. But she was always a stick to your guns kind of person. And this issue would be no different. Her eyes were drawn to the door. She saw a familiar figure who she dealt with more than any other Judge. The tall thin balding man in a cheap suit made his way over to her. She pushed herself back in her chair and blew out a breath.
‘Hello Seymour.’
‘Amelia.’
‘What can I do for you?’
‘Your job properly would be a start. Maybe having a consistent code of ethics!’
‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’
‘Yes you do. I know you do.’
‘Nice tie.’
He just glared at her.
‘I an here to inform you that as of your last case tomorrow you are suspended indefinitely.’
‘Yeah I figured.’
‘Unless you want to apologise and step down?’
‘I don’t. I really don’t.’
‘Then suspension and review it is.’
She nodded and swirled her scotch around the glass.
‘It is what it is Seymour.’
The tall thin man shuffled off with his head down as of he was exhausted by the exchange. She sipped her drink and smiled a small smile. She had always enjoyed toying with Seymour. She thought of him as human playdough.  He was president of the Judiciary Committee. But he was just a mouthpiece for the back stabbing members of that committee. She looked at her glass. No more after this she thought. 2 was enough. She looked up and saw her lifelong nemesis Lawrence Talbot heading over. As if Seymour wasn’t bad enough.
‘Ah if it isn’t former Judge Amelia “Hardcase" Hardcastle.’
‘Its only a suspension Lawrence.’
‘Oh but I’ll make sure its something more permanent than that.’
‘I still have a case tomorrow morning and two in the afternoon.’
Lawrence turned to walk away.
He turned back theatrically with an index finger raised as if he had just thought of a something.
‘You say you have three cases tomorrow...it would be a shame if one or two or heaven forbid all three of them got cancelled.’
He smiled as wide as a crocodile and turned to leave.
‘There is always emergency cases Lawrence. Some one always needs a Judge.’
He grumbled something she couldn’t hear. She took that as a victory. The had known each other since law school. Every interaction they had ever had was a carbon copy of that one. He was always trying to get one over on her. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. She finished her scotch. She contemplated another glass but thought better of it. She knew Lawrence would have her 3 cases cancelled or rescheduled so she her suspension would be enforced. But she had to prepare as if the cases would go ahead.
Shelly and Marcie had overpowered the lone sentry at the door. They had both remarked how easy it had been. Shelly thought it was a sign things would workout. Marcie knew from experience that no break and enter was easy. Especially one where you had to leave with a one of a kind prototype sports car. They kept themselves hidden behind a row of pallets as they slowly moved out into the main floor of the warehouse. The shiny red car came in to view. Marcie was in awe. It was a homage to the great cars of the 70s and 80s. Her favourite. She her rough calloused hand on Shelly’s shoulder. ‘Shelly she’s beautiful.’ She said. ‘Just wait till we get her out of here. You will fall in love with her.’
Yelling in Spanish filled the warehouse. 5 men entered. Each was clad in all black and was carrying a sub machine gun. The one at the front ordered the youngest looking one to search behind the row of pallets. Shelly and Marcie hid the best they could. The young man walked up the shoulder width trench between the towering pallets. He saw Shelly’s shoulder. He put his gun down and grabbed her with both hands. Before he could do anything Marcie sprang from her hiding place and landed a front kick to the mans face. He grunted and groaned as he stumbled back wards. He yelled out in Spanish. Marcie sprang forward and punched the man as hard as she could in his throat. He went down in a heap. The other four men opened fire. They pumped the tall pallets with bullets. Shelly and Marcie ducked down. ‘We have to get to the Coyote.’ Shelly said breathing heavy. ‘We might have to leave it...living is more important.’ Marcie said. She reached over and grabbed the gun the first man had put down. ‘I thought you hated guns?’ Shelly asked. ‘Oh I do...but I like living more!’ Marcie said. She put her hand on Shelly’s and smiled. ‘We will get out of here. I promise.’
They crept forward and took up position behind the car. Marcie saw one of the men coming from the side. She fired the gun at him. She hit him in the chest. Centre mass. Just like her mentor The Ghost had taught her. He went down. When he hit the floor the other men started shooting at the Coyote. The bullets pinged off the car and ricocheted at crazy angles. Marcie looked at Shelly. ‘The car is bullet proof?’ she asked with her eye brows up. ‘The car is bullet proof! That’s why we had to be behind the car.’ Shelly said. The bullets stopped. ‘Who ever you are you won’t leave her alive. Step out now.’ The man standing closest to the coyote said.
Shelly looked at the gun in Marcie’s hand. She grabbed it. ‘I’ll lead them over this way. You jump in the Coyote and swing around and pick me up ok?’ Shelly asked.
Marcie put her hands on the gun. ‘I don’t like this plan.’
‘I got us into it and we will get out together. See you in a bit.’
Shelly popped her head up and fired at the three men. She hit one. The other two looked at him. Shelly made a break for it. She fired at them and they fired at her. Marcie ran around the Coyote. She put her hand on the handle and it opened. ‘Welcome Marcie.’ A woman’s voice said. She thought it was a bit Night Rider. She jumped in and grabbed the steering wheel. The car rumbled to life.  She saw something came up on the console screen. DNA excepted. She put the car in gear and spun the car around. She was surprised at how fast the Coyote accelerated. She flew after the two men. She lined up the second man. He heard the car and he turned as it was too late. He thumped and bumped over the roof. She slowed down and she saw that Shelly had blocked her self into a dead end. She was up against a tall pallet. She had a wall to her right and a wall in front of her. She had nowhere to go. Marcie got out of the car. ‘Shelly?’ she called out. ‘Marcie!!’ Shelly called out in response. The car engineer made a break for the car. She nearly made it to Marcie’s strong muscular arms when the gang member stuck his head out from another tall stack of pallets. He leant forward and pulled the trigger. Bullets thumped in to Shelly. She stumbled and fell forward. Marcie caught her as she fell. She hugged her tight. The gunman ran up to Marcie. He pointed the gun at her face and pulled the trigger. She closed her eyes. But the gun just clicked. He desperately tried to get it to fire. Marcie lay Shelly down gently. She reached in to her back pocket and pulled out her knife. She flicked it out. He sneered and threw away his gun. He lunged at her. She evaded him to the right. He lunged again and she dodged to the left. He lunged again and she went forward. As she moved she swiped her knife upward like a softball pitch. She sliced him from chin to forehead. He screamed. He put both of his hands to his face. The blood began to flow. She wasnt done. ‘You killed you best friend...’ she said as the anger and sadness swirled inside her like a tropical storm. She lunged at him again and sliced her knife through his ear. He was already screaming but that made him scream louder. Marcie's attention was drawn to the large roller door at the far end of the Cartels warehouse. She saw the wash of red and blue lights. Fuck she thought. She knew she was screwed. She looked at Shelly’s body. She looked at the Coyote. She walked over to Shelly. She grabbed her hand. ‘I love you.’ She said as the sirens echoed off the warehouse’s concrete walls. Marcie ran to the Coyote and opened the door. She threw herself into the drivers seat. She gripped the steering wheel and the V10 engine roared to life. She jammed the car into reverse. The first police car whizzed past her. Then another and another. She spun the shiny red car and planted her foot down. The tachometers needle went from two to seven. A single police car broke away from the procession of cars. The Coyote flew out of the warehouse and Marcie narrowly avoided another police car. That police car spun around and followed Marcie. She knew she could outrun them but should she? She turned left and she headed for the abandoned car import export dock yard. The two police cars stayed with her. She knew that if she could get to a straight road, she would lose them easily. She hit the chain link gate that easily opened when she drove through it. She drove on. Both police cars entered the dockyard. She hugged the line of buildings. She saw a old car carrier trailer parked against the fence. Beyond the fence was a section of river that led to the ocean. On the other side of that was freedom. She put her foot down and the Coyote roared in approval. The red car rocketed across the cracked and crumbling blacktop. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw both police cars had backed off. She pushed the accelerator harder. She gripped the wheel. The old car carrier rattled as the Coyote hit it. The red sports car launched in to the air. Marcie felt like she was flying. The Coyote cleared the river and hit the concrete on the other side with a bang. The front end reared into the air. Marcie let it come back down before she powered away from the docks. She pulled over and tried to get control of the adrenalin that was all through her body. He took a few deep breaths. She tried to think of someone who could help her. A name from her past and her days in the court system flew into her head. ‘Hey Coyote.’ she said. The car beeped to let her know it was listening. ‘Set destination for Amelia Hardcastle’s house.’ Marcie said. The car beeped again and a map appeared on the screen. Her late mother was friends with Hardcastle.
Amelia Hardcastle was ready for bed. She had enough of today. She pulled the bed covers back and slid in to bed. She flipped the quilt back on top of her and positioned her pillow at angle. She always called it a sleep desk. She got herself comfortable. She heard the sports car approaching. It thumped in the driveway and it turned off. Amelia sprang out of bed and she grabbed her trusty shotgun. She made sure it was loaded. She walked to the lounge room as she heard the front door. She looked through the spy hole. She saw a lone woman standing there. She opened the door and she recognised the woman straight away. ‘Marcie? Marcie McCormick?’ she asked still holding the shotgun. ‘Yes Judge its me. Been a while.’ Marcie said keeping one eye on the gun in the judges hand. Amelia noticed and leant the gun up against the wall. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Im in a bit of shit at the moment.’
‘What did you do? More appropriately what did you steal?’
‘My best friend and I liberated a car that the cartels took from her as she lost a shipment of drugs that she was running for them.’
‘All of this sounds like a you problem.’
‘They killed her...’
‘Who?’
‘My best friend Shelly. They killed her and they tried to kill me too.’
Amelia stepped out on to the porch and put her arm around Marcie. She helped the younger woman in to the house. She looked over her shoulder and saw the red and blue flashing lights heading their way. She closed the door and gestured for Marcie to sit.
‘OK so is there anything else that you need to tell me?’
‘I may have cut a man’s ear off.’
‘WHAT?’
‘He had just shot Shelly and he was going to shoot me.’
‘OK maybe we could argue that down to self defence.’
The sirens got louder. ‘Is there anything you can do to help me?’
‘Well...I did promise your mother I’d always help if I could.’
‘Mum always spoke fondly of you.’
‘What about your Dad?’
‘He wasn’t a big talker.’
‘Yeah he was better with his hands.’
‘Wait...what?’
A large bang erupted in the door way as a swat team poured into the judges house. Amelia stepped in front of Marcie. Two men stepped into through the busted door. They were in their late 30s, in suits with their ties undone.
‘Ladies we need to talk.’ The taller one said.
The detectives sent some of the SWAT officers out side. They stationed two on the front door and two on the back door.
The two detectives led Marcie and Amelia to  a three seater couch. The detectives sat on armchairs opposite. ‘Ladies I’mb Detective Sloane and this is Detective Dennis.’
‘Is his last name Dennis or his first name?’ Marcie said with a smile.
Detective Sloane smiled. Detective Dennis didn’t.
‘Maybe Dennis is his first and last name.’ Amelia Hardcastle said. Marcie laughed. Detective Sloane laughed too. Detective Dennis didn’t. He cleared his throat loudly.
‘So Marcie you want to tell us what happened at the warehouse?’ Dennis asked.
‘My friend and I tried to liberate her car from the Cartels compound, they took exception and they killed her. I escaped and drove here.’
Her chest felt heavy. She felt the tears well in her eyes. She tried to shake them away. ‘I did fight with one of the Cartel members. I...cut his ear off and I slashed his face with a knife...after he tried to shoot me.’
Amelia put her hand on Marcie’s back. ‘Are you planning on charging her with anything? Regardless of what it is I want Marcie released into my custody.’
The two detectives looked at each other. ‘We probably should charge Marcie with breaking and entering, resisting arrest and car theft.’ Detective Dennis said.
‘But...’ Detective Sloane said. ‘We will talk to our Captain and see what we can do. I’m expecting the cartel to retaliate so ill have two officer sit outside all night ok?’
The detectives left and the 4 SWAT officers shut the front door. After they bashed it in, the door didn’t sit flush in the doorway.
The next morning Marcie was in the shower and Amelia sat at her desk. A cup of strong black coffee sat steaming in front of her. It was 7am and she was making her way through the morning paper. Her brick of a phone vibrated. It was one of those old style phones you could get at a gas station. Amelia had no desire to be on Social Media so she made sure she had a phone that wasn’t  social media compatible. She picked up the phone. It was a text message from the assistant at the court house. It read All of your cases have been cancelled for today.
Amelia thought this might happen. Seymour and Lawrence Talbot must have conspired to fast track her suspension. As least she had time to help Marcie. She felt like she needed to protect Marcie. Losing a best friend in such a traumatic way could do things to your brain.
The precinct was uncharacteristically quiet at 730 am. Captain Seevers sat at his desk. He was biting his nails. Detective Dennis made a beeline for the captains office. He opened the door.
‘Captain, has he called yet?’
‘No not yet. But I can only assume that he’s pissed.’
‘Well she did carve off his sons ear and she sliced his face in half.’
‘You’ve met her. Do you think she a flight risk?’
‘I don’t think so she has a connection with the Judge.’
‘Does Sloane suspect anything?’
‘No he was too busy making goo goo eyes at her to suspect anything.’
‘Great.’
‘I did have an idea though.’
‘What is it?’
‘What do you think of bringing Marcie and The Judge on board as consultants?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well she’s the best car thief this town has so she could help us get in the mind of criminals. Also we would know where she was at all times if we bugged her phone.’
‘Dennis that is a fantastic idea. We could also frame it as us protecting her. And you know Sloane will agree to it.’
‘Again...the goo goo eyes.’
Sloane knocked on the door startling both men. The captains burner phone rang.
‘Deal with him and pitch your idea to Marcie and The Judge.’
Dennis nodded. He pulled open the door. ‘Sloane.’ He said with another nod. He motioned for Sloane to move away from the captains door. ‘The captain and I have come up with a tremendous idea for Marcie and The Judge.’ He said. Sloane raised his eye brows. ‘and what idea is that my friend?’ Sloane asked.
‘We bring them in as consultants and get the two of them to help us on cases.’ Dennis said as he walked to his desk. Sloane followed him.
‘I like that idea. We could always keep them safe and we would know their whereabouts. Would they go for it?’
‘I’ll ask her.’
Dennis pulled out his phone and punched out a message. He looked up at Sloane.
‘See what she says.’
‘You have her phone number?’
‘No we follow each other on Instagram and Twitter. We messaged a bit last night.’
Sloane remained stone faced. But inside he felt sad. He was going to ask her out when he got a chance. Dennis pulled his phone out again and typed out another message.
‘Also I just asked her to have coffee or dinner with me.’
‘Great.’ Sloane said forcing his fakest smile.
Dennis' phone blipped. He looked at it. He grinned at the screen.
‘She said she is in for both.’
‘Great.’
Sloane wandered back to his desk abd sighed. Then he remembered that he wasn’t in junior high. He laughed at how silly he had felt. Detective Dennis was free ask whoever he wanted for a date abd Marcie was free to say yes to whoever she wanted to as well.
Marcie walked into the kitchen. Amelia was at the counter pouring her second coffee.
‘Detective Dennis asked me if we could work with him and his partner on any cases that come up.’
‘Well that works out well for me as my cases for the day have been cancelled so I’m suspended.’
‘So you are keen?’
‘Yeah I love justice so ill take it any way I can get it. When did Dennis call?’
‘He didn’t. We have been messaging each other since last night.’
‘Hang on I thought the other one...Sloane was in to you.’
‘Really?’
‘He was making lover boy eyes at you. I thought to my self that they might have a fist fight and you would marry the winner.’
‘Is that what happened in the old days?’
‘In certain parts of the country yes. Coffee?’
‘Yes please.’
Amelia poured a cup of black coffee in a plain white mug and passed it to Marcie. She thanked the judge and took a tentative sip.
Her phone blipped. She looked at her phone. It was from detective Dennis.
‘We have our first case.’
‘That was quick. Or does Dennis just want to see you?’
‘Well...it could be a bit of both!’
‘Where are we headed?’
‘The text says we are needed at a baseball stadium in Sunshine Cove.’
‘OK should I drive?’
‘Hey that’s my one thing. I wouldn’t try to be a judge so you stick to your lane.’
Amelia raised her hands in a defensive position. She lowered her hands and her face softened.
‘Marce in all seriousness if you need to take time to mourn for Shelly. The police will understand.’
‘I appreciate the concern but Shelly wouldn’t want me to sit around wallowing.’
‘Are you just saying that?’
‘Think about it. She called me at 8 about her problem with the cartels. By 9 she was dead and I was running from the police. We never over thought things when we were together.’
Amelia nodded. ‘OK ok I appreciate your honesty. Now let’s have a look at this car that was worth stealing.’
They both walked out to the driveway. Marcie walked ahead and touched the door handle and the car unlocked. Amelia walked around the impressive red car. The back end was reminiscent of 90s Corvettes with the 4 round brake lights. The front end made Amelia think of a Ford GT40. They each got in. Amelia looked at Marcie. ‘Do you have the keys?’ she asked. Marcie smiled. ‘Keys?’ she said as she flicked down her sunglasses. ‘In this car we don’t need keys.’ She gripped the wheel and the car beeped and it roared to life.
The Coyote rumbled up to the small baseball Stadium. Large sections of the carpark were flagged off. The police had commandeered the parks for their vehicles. Marcie parked the Coyote and both women got out of the car. They walked towards a uniformed police officer. He was young and holding a clip board. He was shifting from foot to foot. ‘Sorry ladies nothing to see here. Please make your way back...’ he started in a voice that was 3 octaves lower than his real voice. ‘Listen here sunshine.’ Amelia started. Her face hardened. The veins in her neck stood out. In the court system they called this act Hardcase Face. ‘My partner and I have been asked to come out to this fancy upper middle class suburb by one Detective “We don’t even know his first name” Dennis. So you are going to let us in and we are going to forget this ever happened.’ Amelia said through clenched teeth. The officer just stared back. His eyes bugged out of his head. He looked as if he would cry. He lifted the police tape and the two women walked under. The got a small distance from the man. ‘Amelia that was incredible. I haven’t seen Hardcase Face up close for a while.’ Marcie said. Amelia had a puzzled look on her face.
‘What’s Hardcase Face?’
‘What you just did. That what it was referred to in the court system. Mum told me about it.’
Amelia smiled. Marcie’s mother Anabelle, had been one of her closest friends but they had grown apart over the years. They had met a few times before Cancer took Annabelle’s life 5 years ago. Amelia thought of the good times they had. Then she thought of Marcie’s father, Dion. She sighed. She wished she had never done what she had done. She also knew she couldn’t change it. She hadn’t told Marcie and she probably never would. She remembered how close she had been with Annabelle and Dion when Marcie was little. Too close. Too intimate. No boundaries.
Dennis kept looking up the path. She hadn’t got there yet. He paced up and down. Sloane walked over and was about to say something but his phone rang and he stepped  way again. Detective Dennis’ phone blipped. It wasn’t his normal phone, it was his cartel burner. The message said
Get her to the spot and we will take care of the rest.
He didn’t want to. He had taken a liking to her. But the cartels business was bigger than him. It was bigger than every thing. Whatever they said goes. He knew he had to get her where they wanted him to.
They walked up a tent they wriggled their way into paper over suits. They snapped on gloves and slipped the overshoes on. They looked like bug exterminators but this was the process. ‘It looks better on the TV when detectives just walk around a crime scene in their normal clothes.’ Marcie said. ‘I watch a show where the detectives wear all this stuff.’ Amelia said. The two women saw Sloane and Dennis. The two detectives waved to them. They met and exchanged pleasantries.
Sloane couldn’t help but notice the smiles that Marcie and Dennis were exchanging. But he could also see the anxious look on Dennis’ face. ‘Marcie after we are done here I will need you to come with me to the Warehouse. I want your recount and thoughts of what happened. Is that ok?’ Sloane asked. She felt a wave of stress wash over her. ‘Yeah that sounds fine.’ She said.
Dennis started to panic. He had to get her to the cafe. The cartels finest were waiting for her. He began to sweat. He cursed under his breath. This was the worst possible outcome. The four of them entered the teams changing rooms. The smell hit everyone immediately. Death. A dead body. A dead body that had been locked in a room without ventilation for upwards of 3 days. Sloane and Dennis led the way. In the second row of lockers they saw a pair of black formal shoes. Sloane went to the bodies head and Dennis stayed at its feet. Amelia went up with Sloane and Marcie stayed with Dennis. A uniformed officer handed Sloane a clip board. ‘OK this is Robert Brown. Local businesses man and owner of this  minor minor league baseball club the Sunshine Seagulls.’ Sloane said as he handed the clip board to Dennis. ‘Death was by blunt force trauma to the skull and a knife wound to the neck.’ Dennis said. Sloane looked at Marcie who was studying the body. ‘Thoughts?’ he said. Marcie gave the surroundings a good look. ‘I’d start with his wife. Then I’d check co-workers then I would check the players.’ Marcie said. Amelia made a face. ‘You wouldn’t check the players first? He is in the locker room!’ she said.
‘I think he might have been lured here to make it look like a player.’
‘I disagree. I’m thinking it’s a player. We have to look in to the financials and look for a disgruntled player and we might find a suspect.’ Amelia said.
Marcie smiled. ‘If you are happy to follow that then I say go for it.’
Sloane made a face  ‘Hang on I give the assignments around here.’ He said.
Amelia and Marcie glared at him. Sloane froze. ‘and im ok with Amelia working through the financials.’ He said as if it was his decision. ‘Dennis can you go and speak to the wife and see if Robert Brown has been a naughty boy and if he did anything to deserve a beating and a knife to his neck.’ Sloane said. Dennis nodded but he didnt look happy. He signalled to Sloane that he wanted him to speak to him privately. Sloane joined him in a different row of lockers. ‘Why do I have to go see the wife?’ Dennis asked switching from foot to foot. He was agitated. He could feel the plan falling apart in front of his eyes. ‘Because Fabian I am the senior detective here and I make the decisions.’ Sloane said with a tinge of annoyance. ‘But...’ Dennis started. ‘No Im not hearing a word of it. I need you to do what I’ve told you to do.’ Sloane said trying to stay calm. Why was Dennis being like this? It couldn’t just be because he was planning a coffee date with Marcie? Dennis nodded glumly. He walked back towards Marcie. He leant in and kissed her. She was surprised but she kissed him back. Sloane could only stare. Dennis shuffled off.
Sloane and Marcie walked over to the Coyote. She touched the door handle and it unlocked. Sloane raised his eye brows and nodded to show his approval. They both got in and Marcie fired it up. The v10 engine roared to life. She put her foot down and the red car took off like a flash. ‘So what is your first name? I missed it in all the drama last night.’ Marcie said not taking her eyes off of the road. He smiled. ‘Its Cameron. Cameron Sloane. Did detective Dennis tell you his?’ he said with another smile. ‘Yeah he did but I’m not telling Hardcastle that I know, its gonna drive her crazy.’ Marcie said. They both laughed.
‘Hey did Dennis seem weird to you? I mean you have known him for a while right?’
‘We have known each other for 8 years and been partners for 5.’
‘But was he being weird?’
‘Yeah he was acting as if having a coffee with you was the most important thing in the world.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He kept wanting to take you for a coffee. Like I understand that what you two have is new and exciting but we have two new cases and two new consultants with us. There’s a lot on and he’s worrying about coffee.’
‘Well I am amazing.’
‘I’m sure you are Marcie but I’ve never seen Dennis act like that. It was weird.’
She drove on and weaved her way back to the docks. She parked the Coyote and the two of them walked up to the Warehouse. A uniformed officer let them in. She took a deep breath as they walked to where the Coyote was parked not even 24 hours ago.
Dennis ran to his car. He pulled out his cartel burner and dialled the second number in it. Captain Seevers answered after 4 rings.
‘Is it done? Is she dead?’
‘No...’
‘What do you mean no?’
‘She went off with Sloane to the warehouse for last night.’
‘You were supposed to get her to the spot.’
‘I know. I know. But Sloane got all power trippy and he was bossing me around.’
‘What about Hardcastle?’
‘She’s still at the baseball club. She is about to go through the financials.’
‘I’ll see to her personally.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Tidy up loose ends.’
The call clicked off. Dennis started the car he pulled out of his parking space. A van braked hard to avoid hitting him. A blast of horn filled the air. Dennis stuck his middle finger out of the window.
Amelia sat down at a cubicle in the teams office. She was given a stack of papers 2 feet high. It was every transaction that the club had made. To her left she had a stack of players contracts. A row of three coloured highlighters sat in front of the stack of transactions. It made her think of law school. The old days. Back when Annabelle, Dion and her were inseparable. Dion. Why did her thoughts keep coming back to Dion? She knew why. They didn’t really know what they were doing back then. They were ahead of their time attempting to have a functional relationship with three people in it. It could have lasted. If only Amelia hadn’t gotten pregnant. That’s when the wheels fell off. Amelia saw the way that Anabelle looked at the baby. Her heart wasn’t in raising a child in a three person couple or at all. So she left the little girl with Annabelle and Dion and she went to Florida. She smiled at the thought of Marcie. She was all grown up. Her girl. Fate had given them a second chance. She was going to make the most of it. But she could never tell Marcie that she was her real mother.
Captain Seevers walked into the office. He looked around. He saw Amelia’s hair above a partition. She was in the back corner. He took a deep breath and started to walk towards her.  He was 5 steps from her when she said ‘I’d love a coffee thanks.’  She didn’t even look up. Seevers coughed and Amelia looked up. ‘Can I help you?’ Amelia asked. ‘Well I hope so! I’m Captain Seevers. The man whose idea it was to bring you and McCormick on as consultants.’ He said as he extended a hand. Amelia didn’t shake it. She didn’t shake hands. Ever.
‘We appreciate you bringing us in.  What can I do for you Captain?’
‘Just wanted to check on your progress.’
‘Making my way through the financials.’
‘We have interns for this stuff.’ He said pointing at the stacks of paper work. Someone of your expertise doesn’t  need to be doing scut work. You should be out in the field, in alleyways searching for clues.’
‘I’m far too old for that.’
‘I think you still have some fuel in the tank.’
‘Some days more than others.’
Amelia hated small talk. She liked being left alone to do her work. The captain was talking about something. She didn’t even know what he was saying. She had stopped listening. That’s when she saw it. The red dot. She jumped under the desk as the first bullet hit. It ripped through the desk and lodged itself in the carpet tiles. She scrambled up against the window sill. The next bullet smashed a different pane of glass. The slug thumped into the desk. She waved her hand at the captain, motioning towards the door. He stood up and walked to the window. The red light from the sniper rifle flashed on the wall behind the captain. The red light disappeared. He reached down and grabbed Amelia’s elbow. He pulled her up, spun her around and shoved her towards the door in one motion. ‘Hey!’ she called out. ‘What the hell do you think you are doing?’ He didn’t answer. He pushed something hard in to her back. ‘We are gonna walk out of here and...’ Captain Seevers started. Amelia threw an elbow in to his nose. He screamed in pain. She spun around. She threw a straight right hand at his face. She connected. His head snapped back. He stumbled back to the window. She advanced on him. He turned to the sniper and pointed at Amelia. The red dot returned. She crouched and dodged to her left. The bullet slammed into the wall. She grabbed the captain and wrestled him to the ground. He made it hard. In the scuffle he remembered he had his gun in his hand.  He tried to raise the gun but she was stronger than she looked. He landed two knee strikes. He scrambled up. She had a thought. She stood up and the red dot returned. She ducked down and another bullet clattered in to the wall. Seevers ducked down too. They both were breathing heavily. They were both in their 60s after all. An object bounced into the room. Amelia’s eyes bugged out of her head. She got up and moved to the door. Seevers followed her. She turned and she thrust her foot in to his groin. He groaned and doubled over. She pushed him back into the office. He hit the ground with a thump. She slammed the office door shut. She jumped clear as the explosion went off. The office door blew off and smashed into the wall opposite. Amelia pulled her self up off the ground. Black smoke came from the doorway. She didn’t want to see what was inside the room but didn’t want Seevers to have escaped. Police officers ran in from the locker room. Amelia felt numb. The blast had made it hard for her to hear the police officers. Two men helped her to a chair as two more went into the room. She couldn’t hear them yell. But she knew they had found the remains of captain Seevers.

He watched the chaos. She saw the police officers run around without direction. The black smoke poured from the second floor window. His bosses had told him Seevers was expendable. He would have to explain  that he had fired a grenade through the window. He was in the middle of taking his sniper rifle apart when he saw her. She was being walked out by a man in a police uniform. He cursed. She was supposed to be blown up by his grenade. He knew what revenge meant to the cartel. He knew what failure meant to his boss too. Death. Instant death. He looked at his bag. The grenades. He took a deep breath. He looked back at where Amelia Hardcastle had been standing. There she was pointing to his level on the multi-storey carpark. Police officers ran in his direction. He grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin.


Dennis flew through traffic. He was sweating. He had to get to that warehouse. His future depended on it. Hopefully Seevers would have better luck with Hardcastle.  He overtook a slow moving van and nearly came grill to grill with a city bus. He pulled his Crown Vic back over to his side of the road. He took the turnoff for the docks. Detective Dennis drove past the warehouse. He could see the Coyote parked. He knew they were still here. What a relief he thought. He drove to the back of the warehouse. There was a thicket of bushes and trees up against the chain link fence. He got out and walked to the trunk. He opened it and removed his bag. The end of the sniper rifle poked out of the end. He approached the trees and bushes. He fought his way through. He crawled on his hands and knees. He knew the fence didn’t go all the way to the concrete. He forced the fence up and he dragged himself and the bag on to the Warehouse side of the fence. He got up dusted himself off and he walked quickly to the external stairs. He took two at a time. His heart was pounding. He kept climbing the stairs. He came to a metal landing. The walkway continued left and right. But he was interested in the door in front of him. He turned the handle and he pushed the door. It opened easily. He walked through. He was now in the warehouse. The metal walkway wobbled as he walked. He grabbed the hand rail to support himself. He saw Sloane and Marcie. They were near the far wall. He put his bag down and unzipped it. He pulled the gun out of the bag. Could he really do this? If he was honest with him self he knew he shouldn’t. But he had to do what he had to do. He set himself up to shoot her. He took a deep breath in and blew it out. He was ready. He found her in the sight. Another breath. He squeezed the trigger.