CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO - Dispatching Vengeance
EDDIE - Our investigation took a dark turn as a mechanic was shot in an attempt to thwart a possible tampering of the cab company's vehicles. Me-n-Mike were tending to him when we were also wounded and rendered powerless by paralyzing darts to the neck. Hardly the first time for us, but there are some things you just never get used to. Anyways, Mike fell unconscious, but I remained alert, I just couldn't move. I was still clutching my neck wound when the poison took full effect and my arm went limp along with the rest of my body. Tim was still conscious, too, having only been shot in the shoulder with a conventional bullet. But he was rendered powerless, too, as the bad guys shackled his ankles and wrists. With Mike unconscious, me paralyzed, and Tim chained up, the bad guys went about demolishing all the cabs in the garage awaiting servicing. Tim started to struggle against his bonds.
"What're you doing?"
"Maybe I can break these chains somehow. We can't just let 'em get away with this."
"You're right - we can't - - and we won't. These thugs'll be delivered to justice faster than you can do an oil change."
As he continued struggling, it was aggravating his shoulder wound. His face was frozen in a continuous grimace and he screamed periodically.
"It's no use, Tim. You look like a pretty strong guy, but those chains are at least 10 times as strong. We just have to roll with this for now."
"What are they going to do to us?", he asked, his face beet red, sweaty, and panicky.
"I really don't know - I'd hate to think of it."
And Tim really raised a good point when he said, "at least your boss is right here with you - mine took off for the day."
"He did?"
"Yeah, just a few minutes before all this went down."
"He drove off?"
"Well, yeah, there's no other way to get around in these parts."
None of this made sense to me - me-n-Mike were standing right outside when we heard the commotion and raced back in. We would've heard a car start, but we heard nothing, and saw no vehicles leave the site. I had to get a couple of other things outta the way before I raised my suspicion.
"You have a parking area in the back, right?"
"Yeah"
"Can anyone exit through there?"
"No, it's all blocked off - everybody's gotta enter and exit through the front."
"That's exactly where we were standing - outside."
"I don't getcha."
"We were out front the whole time and saw and heard nothing - no cars going in or out. Tim, your boss didn't take off - I think he's here and..."
Suddenly I felt something slam the back of my legs. I couldn't move them, but I still had sensation in them. Turns out it was a metal pipe. I've been tortured before, but not like this.
"What the hell are you two shitheads goin' on about? I see you can't be trusted to be left alone for even a minute. You need to be baby-sitted, I guess. Guys, get back to that later, we gotta do something about these hambones."
We were each slung over the shoulder of a henchman and Mike was dragged by his legs. I thought I might've heard him moaning. I think he was waking up from the drug.
"Wha - what's goin' on here? God why is my neck so sore?"
"Shut up"
"Hey, tie Mr. Shit-Wrench to the lube rack - hang him by his arms. Wounded limbs must always be stretched to the limit."
EDDIE - As the goons do as they are bade, I could hear Tim begging "no - no - NO!" as I started to feel the effect of the blow-dart wearing off. I checked with Mike, who was regaining consciousness. We had to form a plan of action in a hurry if we were to beat these guys, they'd already hung Tim up by his arms and were coming after us.
MIKE - I came to and wondered what happened to us. Eddie filled me in. I moved my hand a little and discovered the drug had worn off. I had a plan - don't I always - that me-n-Eddie would play possum until I thought it was good to pummel these thugs.
EDDIE - We were both slung over the shoulder of each thug - they were looking straight ahead as they carried us to what they thought would be our tragic fate, but we had other ideas. I slowly reached into my tool-belt and took out what was surely a holy diversionary tactic - a smoke bomb.
MIKE - The thugs were startled at the explosion and lost their grip of us. We immediately sprang into action.
EDDIE - Me-n-Mike were really wailing on these guys - I sent my thug across the room with a right slam to the gut and an upper-left-cut to the jaw. I had seconds to throw the switch that lowered Tim back to the ground and undo his bonds - once free, he joined right in with us. Mike called out to me, "hey Eddie, it's about time to end this masquerade ball."
"Right with ya, Boss-Man", and we ripped the ski-masks off these goons. Tim took a sock to the jaw and fell backward, but kicked his way back up - he slammed his opponent in the chest and sent him flying and we whipped his mask off, too, and that was the most alarming unmasking ever. Tim was shocked, but we weren't - it was Ralph, of course, the ringleader of these heinous hijinks.
"You were behind this whole thing - you shot me?"
"Sure did - you were gettin' too close - shame, though - you're a good guy - I was hopin' to get ya on my team, but ya got in the way".
And now for the moment we're all waiting for - the why'd ya do it!
"All right, you, spill it - what's the deal with screwin' with the cab company?"
"I wanna talk to my lawyer."
"Holy habeus corpus"
I send him reeling with a right hook, "that's what I think of your lawyering up, pal. Now I mean business. At least one of your guys is missing, taken at gun point, some of your cabs are messed up, ya shot your own mechanic - don't worry, kid, the ambulance'll be here soon - but you're gonna need one, too, dirtbag, unless you give the whole thing up. What - - were - - you - - up to?"
Finally the dispatcher couldn't take it anymore. He was ready to fess up. We all had him on what he was doin', but we had to know why, too. I stood over him, arms folded, legs spread, Eddie stood right at my side, fist in hand, always ready to use it. Tim stood clutching and rubbing his bleeding, wounded arm.
"Hey, kid, why don't ya relax and get more comfortable. I mean, ya just got shot for Pete's sake."
"Naw, I'm good just like this. I want this crumb to see what he did to me. After all the hard work and loyalty I give him, what do I get - a bullet."
"Kid makes a good point, dirt bag. Ya still haven't told me jack about what's up with destroying a cab company."
"All right - all right - I'll admit it. I wanted this place to go down - - after my son went down."
"Beg pardon?"
"My son - he was run over by a cab - this was a few months ago - he was just getting out of high school, and was gonna work part time while going to college. I found out it was a driver with this company. I went to his trial - I saw the judge slap 10 years of probation on him and revoke his drivers license. But that's not all I wanted. I wanted this one dead for killing my son. Oh, he apologized and all that, but that wasn't enough. He was only sorry he got caught. I couldn't do anything to him, I wasn't allowed to know where he lived, or anything. So I struck back the only way I knew how - I joined the company and set some kid up for a fatal robbery. I dispatched him out to some area and he was robbed at gunpoint and shot. I thought that'd be enough, but it wasn't - I really wanted vengeance on this dump for what they all did to me. They kill my son and then laugh right in my face. Well, I got news for them, there's still a couple of their guys missing and I ain't telling a thing."
Eddie started to get pumped up. You could see the fury in his eyes. "Aw, let me at him, Boss-Man - let's both tear him apart."
Grinning, I said, "sure, kiddo, knock yourself out - or him."
The dispatcher saw Eddie lunge at him with one arm raised and the other hand grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, causing the guy to panic.
"OKAY OKAY OKAY. Enough of this, I've had enough."
"Where are the other guys bein' held?"
"About 3 miles from here - in a garage at 5th and Corcoran. I got some friends of mine out there holdin' 'em."
"Okay", I say, "this is how it's gonna be. THe cops come and get you guys, the docs take care of Tim over here - I go out there and find the hostages safe and unharmed, I'll tell the authorities you cooperated and maybe they'll go easy on you - I'm not promising anything, but that's what I'll tell 'em provided Tim's arm is okay - same with the hostages. They just better be in good condition. Eddie, can ya stick around and wait for the boys while I got out to this garage?"
"Sure thing, Boss-Man, you can count on it."
"Oh, and meet me out there when all this is cleaned up, huh? I'll be takin' one of the cabs here."
"Can do."
I grabbed a key off the wall - indiscriminately - and head off for this garage this guy was yakkin' about. The cab I took had kind of a bumpy ride, but I didn't think anything of it, til one of the tires flew off and sent me spinning. I didn't have time to dial Eddie on the cell phone. Dialing 7 digits could mean life or death. I had to stay focused. I used the cab's radio instead, screaming Eddie's name into the microphone, hoping he'd hear me, and then......
THEN WHAT? MIKE SENT SPINNING UNCONTROLLABLY INTO GOD KNOWS WHAT SORT OF FATE! WHAT'S EDDIE TO DO IF AND WHEN HE HEARS MIKE'S CALL FOR HELP? SHOULD HE TAKE OFF AND LEAVE THE BAD GUYS AND THE BLEEDING, BULLET-BATTERED BOY-GOODWRENCH? SHOULD HE SACRIFICE HIS PARTNER, HIS MENTOR, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE TO MAKE SURE THE COPS AND THE DOCS GET THE RIGHT GUYS? READ ON, MY FRIENDS - JUST - - READ - - ON!