Laura put her hand on the glass and muttered a silent prayer.

 

            “With all my heart.” She said, willing the operation to be a success.

 

            This was Charlie’s last hope and, Laura felt, theirs. In the time since the battle in the cave, Charlie had sunk deeper and deeper into depression. He hadn’t even been able to comfort Laura after her abduction by Manzetti. They hadn’t be intimate in weeks. The loss of his sight had turned him inward. Autumn’s games made him bitter. A tear slipped from her eye. ‘Please let this work,’ she thought.

 

            Inside the surgical theatre Charlie’s lifeless eyes gazed lazily at the ceiling. He could feel the prickling needles as the local was administered to his skull.

 

            “So, I need to be awake for this, huh?” Charlie said.

 

            “Yes, Charlie.” Dr. Rothery said. “How will we know if your sight comes back otherwise.”

 

            Charlie couldn’t escape the logic. He closed his eyes and thought of how Laura had gone with him to Rothery. Experimental surgery, he had laughed. When Rothery explained it, it didn’t seem so bad.

 

            “Charlie, the other doctors and I can’t find anything physically wrong with you. By all rights, you should have your vision. I believe that something is stopping your vision. It could be something physical. It could be something psychological. Either way, your encounter with that powerful relic has caused part of your brain to shut down. I propose this: you allow me to do exploratory surgery on your brain. I will stimulate different areas of your brain with a small electric current, triggering different brain centers to activate. In my research, this has returned the sight of many patients.”

 

            “How many?”

 

            “Four.” The doctor chuckled.

 

            So Charlie had agreed. Now here he was, listening to the bone saw that was opening his head. He thought of Laura. Was she watching? Charlie could smell his bone-smoke. Had there been any food in his stomach he would have vomited. Instead, he closed his sightless eyes and thought of the first time he and Laura had kissed.

 

            That night. On the docks. Moonlight. Goblin jazz wafting from the car stereo. The two had grown very close since the case that threw them together. PLONCH!!! They had talked all…wait a PLONCH …winter season cookies sent to another orphan…PLONCH four years old running PLONCH “Um Doc?”

 

            Charlie hadn’t noticed how much time had passed. He heard Dr. Rothery chuckle.

 

            “Charlie? From your tone, I believe you are having unexplained memories and sensations. Perhaps smelling things? Strange sounds.”

 

            “Yeah.”

 

            “That’s perfectly natural in this kind of examination. I am triggering memory centers. You may very well remember things you had forgotten. Hear music. You see Charlie, everything we ever experience is recorded in our brains. Retaining access to all those memories is tricky. Shall I continue?”

 

            Charlie chuckled. His head was locked into position, which made him laugh awkwardly. “With the surgery or the science lesson?”

 

            Rothery chuckled. “Tell me what you feel when I do this…”  Rothery touched the thin, metal rod carrying the current to Charlie’s cortex.

 

            From the observation room Laura watched the moment unfold. There was a huge spark. Dr. Rothery flew across the room, slamming into some equipment against the wall. Charlie’s legs bucked. The nurses shrieked. And a noise went up from Charlie that caused Laura to burst into tears and pound on the glass.

 

            The electrode had fused to the spot on Charlie’s cortex. Power, feeding back on itself. The red wire that fed power to the electrode glowed orange for a moment and then burst into flame. Charlie’s body shook. His breath had stopped coming, but the scream continued.

 

            He had long since left the room. Moments rushing past him. A house full of windows and doors were thrown open, blasting Charlie. It was more than he could take. He couldn’t process all the information fast enough. It was happening again. Just like the Skiv. What had they done. A vault door, pried open…

 

            His body tensed as a wave of electricity shook him. A moment later the electrode fell to the floor and Charlie’s body released. He lay on the table gasping for air. Dr. Rothery stood and moved toward Charlie. Laura’s pounding echoed through the room and they could all hear the muted cries of “What’s happening?!”

 

            Charlie opened his eyes. He could see. But he didn’t know were he was. Whispers of trinity…Don’t be here…a child’s voice…I’m hiding…

 

            Dr. Rothery looked down into the eyes of Charlie Pickens. “Charlie…oh my…”

 

            Confused, frightened…Charlie’s eyes locked with the doctor’s. They were now the most startling shade of green and seemed to pulse with energy slightly with each blink.

 

            Rothery turned to Laura, confused. Laura’s breath caught in her throat. She knew that, one way or another, she had lost Charlie forever.

 

Big City

“ASCENT”

by Eric Schwartz

 

           

            As the heavy metal door slid open Smiles leaned against the doorjamb. He smiled at the always annoyed Sottie. The long hair was matted to his goblin head from sleeping. Sottie shook his head.

 

            “Don’t you ever phone first?” Sottie said making room for Smiles to enter.

 

            “And deprive you of your chance to get pissy with me. Never.” Smiles chuckled as he walked into the Sottie’s strange home. “So, what have you got for me?”

 

            Several weeks before, after coming up trumps on his own, Smiles had given the pictures of his sister Gina to Sottie, to see what he could find out. The last month had been murder. Smiles had barely talked to Stack. Keeping these pictures from him these last 5 months had been agonizing. But he didn’t want to hurt Stack or further a plot by Manzetti. He had to determine if the pictures were authentic, or if she’d been aged with digital processing. Once it had been determined that the pictures were genuine, evidence that she was alive, then he’d set out to find her. Then the thing with Charlie happened. A medical inquest still couldn’t determine what had happened. The boy could see…but his mind was gone. Fried. Burned out. It had been two weeks since he and Laura had committed Charlie. It was breaking his heart.

 

            Smiles hoped that Sottie had the good news that would break this crappy streak.

 

            The goblin led him through the room to a bank of computers. “Be glad you came to me instead of somebody else. I spent a couple weeks trying to get some information from those buildings in the back. I had to do a lot of enhancements to the pictures but in the end I had nothing tangible. That’s when I noticed this.” He slid a magnifying glass over a section of the picture that Smiles knew all too well. The glass enhanced a small section a purse. A small metallic symbol.

 

            Smiles shrugged. “So…what is it? It looks like a buckle or an emblem. The make of purse.”

 

            “That’s what I thought. I figured that I might get something from the purse. Maybe an idea of where it was purchased. The purse is a Melvo Sacci purse. A middle of the road accessory. However, this emblem means nothing. It’s not part of the bag. It fact that logo is not a registered trademark for any handbag company. It means that this is a broach or pin of some kind.”

 

            “And…this is good?”

 

            “Not at first…”

 

            “I love how succinct your stories are.”

 

            “Anyway… I then checked on the symbol. It took for-freakin-ever!”

 

            “But you did come up with something.”

 

            “You bet. It’s called the Cycle of Moog. It’s a religious symbol. More to the point it’s the symbol of the Mooghans.”

 

            “Who are they?” Smiles shook his head. “I’m lost.”

 

            “The Mooghan Pod Dwellers are something of a cult. A get back to nature…save the planet type group. It grew out of a little known Hwiss sect a long time ago. They renounce all worldly possessions and go and live in these little pod communities. This particular pin is given to members who wish to reintegrate themselves in society. It shows their eternal connection to the ‘world spirit’.”

 

            “So you are saying that my sister joined this cult for a while and then left?”

 

            Sottie folded his arms in pride. “That’s what I’m saying.”

 

            “So where do I find these…Pod Dwellers?”

 

            “There are only a handful of communities left world wide. I’d say start with the nearest one. It’s 213 miles away in the northeast corner of the Black Flats. Take some extra drinking water.”

 

            Smiles looked down at the picture of his sister Gina. The face that he hadn’t laid eyes on in 8 years and smiled. He had a lead. If Sottie hadn’t had such a tangy morning whiff to him, Smiles might have kissed him.

 

*

            Stack woke up agitated. He hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything for days. He sat up on the edge of the bed, his stomach fluttering, his hands moving in and out of fists. The waves had been getting closer together until they had become a constant bout of anger. In the worst moments his muscles would tense, he would involuntarily bite his lip, the rage immobilizing him. Of all the people he thought would understand, Needless seemed to understand the least. It was Manzetti. It was knowing that Manzetti was still alive and in town. If he was gone everything would be better.

 

            With an audible growl Stack stood up and vigorously scratched his head. He snapped the waistband of his sweats and moved like the reanimated dead to the bathroom. He splashed some cool water on his face. Then he cupped his hand and pulled some water to his mouth and drank. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, the gray morning light from the window showing his age, shading the bags under his eyes.

 

            He pinched the bridge of his nose and then fanned his thumb and forefinger out into a full-on eye rub. He shook his head. Where had Smiles been? He opened his eyes. He watched his face fall. Smiles was gone. Needless didn’t understand. Charlie had lost his mind. Laura…well, he couldn’t really think about that now. Not with Charlie in the hospital. He blinked.

 

            “I’m alone.”

 

*

            The newsroom seemed so strange. Laura didn’t recognize every face at every desk. There were some sidelong glances as she moved through the room. It almost felt like her first day. Did they all know? What do I tell them? How long will this day take? She flopped down at her desk and dropped her tote bag on the floor. Her feet embraced each other under her chair and her shoes immediately came off. Then there was silence. Just for a moment. But there was silence.

 

            Step one, complete. She had made it to her desk. That was the end of the first step of reintegration. She had been away so long. So much had happened. Charlie’s blindness. Manzetti. And now… It was like Charlie was gone. She could see him. She could touch him. But the maker of those Butguster sandwiches was gone. He just sat there and mumbled. And the eyes. Those green eyes. The doctors had no explanation. He could see…but his mind was gone. Charlie was gone. After she and Smiles had committed him to the Psychiatric ward at Big City General, she knew it was time to go back to work.

 

            Charlie’s face still smiled from the small picture taped to the side of her computer monitor. The picture, it seemed, had been taken a lifetime ago. She smiled slightly at the sweet memory of that night. A quieter time. The two of them had slipped off for a quiet weekend further on up the coast. It had been their first weekend together and Charlie had reserved a room at a bed and breakfast five hours north in Manton Bay.

 

            They had driven up the coast through the dawn hours. The sun finally emerged as the eastern mountain range headed northeast and the suburbs and vineyards of Skion Valley finally gave way to the rolling hills and forests. To their left they watched the night get pushed further and further out to sea by the pink and orange streaks of morning. After they arrived they laid in bed the rest of the afternoon and marveled at the quiet. They had forgotten what quiet like that had been like.

 

            That night, over dinner in a small, candlelit, bluff-top restaurant Charlie told her that he loved her for the first time. She could still feel the tingle on her neck and how her ears had gotten hot. She could still feel the quiver in her belly that made her smile. It was weeks before she said it back, but she felt it then. She knew it then. That night they made love in the forest. The heat of the day had burned off and they could see their breath as they whispered the words that lovers whisper.

 

            The noise of the day’s news pulled Laura back into it. The swirling cacophony of life in Big City shook her out of the sweet moment. The room seemed to go on. Life seemed to go on. If the newsroom knew what she had been through, what they had been through, it didn’t stop to care. This place was in the business of reporting what had happened, not slowing down and comforting those it had happened to.

 

            Laura folded her hands in her lap, looked down at them and cried. She was helpless against the wave of tears that gripped her. The only person who noticed was the guy from the mailroom who dropped an overnight letter into her bin.

 

*

            Needless sipped his tepid Java Jalopy Elven Supremo and checked his watch. The ferry ride over had taken nearly all the heat out of him and his coffee. The normal sounds of a prison were a little strong for his ears at that hour, but this needed to be done early, before Stack got to work.

 

            Needless, on advice from Breen, was waiting to speak to Paul Mest, the fleck-addled foot-soldier for Manzetti that he had chased through the streets of Big City several months before. They knew he was working for Manzetti, but he would never roll. The DA finally got Mest convicted on a drug charge, but his ties to Manzetti still couldn’t be proven.

 

            Needless adjusted himself on the plastic seat. ‘What’s taking so long?’ He didn’t like being here. He didn’t like what he had to do. But Stack hadn’t been himself. Not for weeks. And it seemed to be getting worse. He was short tempered and couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. Moreover, his obsession with Manzetti seemed to be growing. Ever since Needless had told Stack that he didn’t know how much longer he could follow him on his crusade to get Manzetti, things had been chilly between them.

 

            Even Breen had noticed. This was why Needless now sat drinking cold coffee in an interrogation cell on Thieves Island. Ever since Laura had been kidnapped, concern about a Manzetti mole on the department had reared its head again. The first concerns were raised when some tissue samples from Needless’ departmental check up went missing and later were used to frame him as a werewolf. And then the information tying them to Michael Vester , the inmate Autumn had implanted the Skiv in. It all pointed to there being someone, on the force, feeding information to Manzetti.

 

            Needless finished his coffee and tossed the cup across the room into a small waste paper basket. He checked his watch again. Breen had asked him to smoke out the mole, but do it without Stack. Breen wasn’t sure they could trust Stack to be level-headed in the investigation. What would he do when the find the informant? As much as Needless agreed with Breen, he hated going behind Stack’s back. Even if there was tension between them, they were partners. To Needless, that was as sacred as being brothers.

 

            Yet he stood there, watching the guard escort Mest into the room. It made Needless want to strangle Mest. It made him want to take out every frustration on the half-awake shmoe in the neon orange jumpsuit. But he didn’t. The guard led Mest into the room, undid the cuffs and sat the prisoner down across from Needless.

           

            “Good morning, Paul.” Needless smile and clasped his hands on top of his head. “You may not remember me. The night we met you were pretty flecked up.”

 

            Mest nodded. “Yeah, I remember you. You smashed my face with your forehead.”

 

            “I’m impressed.”

 

            “What do you want?”

 

            “Look, I know that you were working as a low level bagman for Manzetti when we picked you up.”

 

            “No idea what you’re talking about.”

 

            “AND I know we can’t prove it. And don’t worry. Doodles knows you didn’t roll on him. I’m sure he’s very impressed. And I know you won’t roll on him.”

 

            Mest smiled. “Well…sounds like that’s all settled.”

 

            “Top that off with the fact that you are inconsequential. I don’t care about you. I figure there’s no point in trying to get you to roll on Manzetti. I’m sure they didn’t give you any information that was of any use because they knew you’d get caught.”

 

            Mest was slightly confused. “Then why am I here?”

 

            Needless rested his elbows on the table and leaned in. “Because I need to find out what you know about a crooked cop.”

 

*

            Stack pounded on his dashboard. The sun and the humidity seemed oppressive that morning and his A/C wasn’t doing anything except blowing a billowing haze of coolant into his car. He rolled down the window and stared at the unmoving traffic. He fidgeted with the change in his ashtray. The morning sun reflected off the downtown high-rises for a moment, blinding him. He closed his eyes and looked away, catching his own gaze in his rear-view mirror.

 

            He looked old. His eyes were red with sleeplessness. He rubbed his eyes, which only served to swirl around the encroaching sweat. He laid his head back on the head rest and closed his eyes. For a moment the noise of idling traffic receded in his mind. A quiet came over him. He  wasn’t asleep, just…restful.

 

            A shriek from outside the car broke the quiet. He looked up in time to see a woman two lanes over and 4 cars up stand up, screaming and pointing at a young elf who was now dashing through the still traffic.

 

            “He took my purse!”

 

            Stack threw his car into park and bolted out onto the motionless expressway. As he ran he extracted his gun from his shoulder holster. “Stop! Police!”

 

            The kid turned for a second, his eyes bulged, he turned back and increased his speed. The purse, however, flew into the air and came crashing down on the hood of a car. Stack slowed. The contents of the purse had scattered. Stack stopped and began picking up the contents with the driver of the car it landed on. The woman whose purse it was arrived a moment later. She stared at Stack for a moment.

 

            “Excuse me!” She snatched her bag out of his hands. “Aren’t you going to arrest him?!”

 

            Stack looked down the row of cars the guy had run down. “Nah. He’s too scared to try again. Plus, you got your bag back.”

 

            “Yeah. But he took it.”

 

            Stack blinked. “But you got it back, with everything in it. Isn’t that enough?”

 

            She stopped her bag check, looked him in the face like she was talking to an idiot and bellowed. “He took my purse!”

 

            Stack set his jaw. “Did he hit you? Did he rape anybody? Did he break your car window?”

 

            “No. He stuck his hand into the open window of my car and yanked it off the passenger seat.”

 

            “And now it’s back.” Stack fitted his gun back into his holster. “He’s a stupid kid, who did a stupid thing. Now I could go back to my car,  call it in, have him picked up and prosecuted. Frankly, I don’t believe it’s necessary. He had a good scare and is probably sitting in the shade under the expressway, jumping at every little noise because he thinks the cops are after him. I would suggest that you get back into your car and be thankful that you got your property back.”

 

            The woman clicked her tongue, shook her head and moved back toward her car. “Fucking cops,” she mumbled.

 

            Stack wiped some sweat from his brow. “Glad I could help,” he yelled after her. He waved a subtle thank you to the driver who had been helping him. He put his hands in his pockets and walked back to his car.  “Yep,” he said quietly to himself, “to protect and serve.”

           

*

            Needless stepped off the ferry and fumed toward his car.

 

            “Nothing. Nothing!” He spoke to no one. “Stupid…I wish I had put your nose up into your brain. You dumb shit.” Had there been a way to slam the car door open he would have. He, instead, had to wait to slam it shut. The inside of his car felt like an oven. It didn’t help his mood.

 

Mest had been no help. He acknowledged that there was an informant on the police force, but he had no idea who it was. They had never met. Needless started his car and cranked up the AC. He hit the passenger seat a couple of times. He bellowed a few more expletives to the inside of the car.

 

            He stopped and took a long breath. His phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. He cocked his head.

 

            “That can’t be right.”

 

*

             Laura knocked on the door of Kendra’s office. Kendra was just finishing up a conversation on the phone. She waved Laura in and held up a finger indicating it would be a minute. Laura waited and pretended that she wasn’t listening to the call.

 

            Kendra was one of the few people who actually knew what had happened to Laura. After being returned by Manzetti, Commissioner Bledsoe and Breen had asked her not to write up the story. It was just the kind of publicity that Manzetti would want, letting small timers know that he was back in the game. Reluctantly Laura had held back on the story.

 

            “Okay. Well when will he announce the appointment? Okay. I’ll make sure Medrano gets down there to cover it. Okay. Bye bye.”  Kendra hung up the phone. She folded her hands and looked at Laura. “So you think you’re ready?”

 

            Laura slipped into the chair opposite Kendra. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she chuckled.

 

            “Well, the mayor is appointing a new Transit Authority Manager. Guy named Prembrant Alder. The Mayor and Alder will be holding a press conference at City Hall in half an hour. I need you to get down there.”  Laura nodded quietly and stood up. “Look Laur…” Kendra always called Laura that, and she always hated it. “…I know it’s your first day back. We’re just a little short handed right now. I was hoping to ease you back in, it’s just not going to happen.”

 

            “No. That’s okay. I need something to put my back up against.”

 

            Kendra’s voice changed tone and speed, which was always her non-verbal signal that it was time to wrap it up. “Great. If you could get down there and have the article in my inbox by tonight.” She then looked back at her day planner that lay eternally open on her desk.

 

            Laura walked out of the office and toward her desk.

 

            ‘Step two,’ she thought.

 

*

            Smiles dialed Stack’s number again. Again the automated operator yelled at him; “The number you have reached has been disconnected or is out of service. Please check the number and dial again.” Smile swore that the last time he did it the telephone’s voice added the word “asshole”. He shut down his phone and looked up as Needless entered the Gobblin’ Goblin, crossed the room and sat down.

 

            “Thanks for coming.”

 

            “No problem.” Needless noticed Johnson’s pack of cigarettes next to his coffee mug. “Can I get one of them?”

 

            Smiles obliged. He slid the cigarette out and handed it to Needless. He’d only seen him smoke a few times, always under stress. Each too a long drag and looked at each other.

 

            “Have you talked to Stack?” They both asked, at nearly the same time.

 

            Smiles shrugged. “Well that answers that question.”

 

            Needless flicked an ash. “So what’s up?”

 

            “I’ve been trying to get Stack on his phone, but it’s saying the line has been disconnected.”

 

            “I know me too. What of it?” Needless took a drag. Smiles slid the pictures of Gina across to Needless. Needless blew some smoke up toward the ceiling and his eyes lowered to the picture. He almost choked. He looked up at Smiles. “Is this for real?!” Smiles nodded. “How… what…”

 

            “I’ve had this thing for months. Some one slipped them to me at the hospital during that whole thing with the hooker. The Siren. I’ve spent the last few months trying to find out if they’re authentic or not. Seeing what information I could get off them.”

 

           

            “And Stack doesn’t know?”

 

            “No. I didn’t want to tell him. Not at first, in case this was another one of Manzetti’s things.”

 

            “It’s not?”

 

            “I’m still not sure. That’s why I called you. I have to leave town. I finally got something of importance off these pictures.” Smiles pointed to the symbol on her purse. “This is a symbol worn by members of a naturalist cult.”

 

            Needless was fairly confused by now. “She’s in a cult?”

 

            “Yes and no. This emblem is given to members who leave the commune and go back into the world. Anyway, I’m heading out to this…commune area, see what I can find out.”

 

            “Okay. What do you want me to do?” Needless took one last drag and stubbed out the smoke. 

 

            “Just tell Stack. Let him know what’s going on and why I didn’t tell him. I will call him as soon as I know something. I left him a voicemail at his desk, but I wanted to make sure he got the message.”

 

            Needless nodded. He was still slightly dazed by it all. He stood up. “You’re sure about this?”

 

            Smiles nodded. Needless tossed Smiles’ lighter back to him and nodded slightly as he left the restaurant. Smiles lit another smoke and finished his coffee.

 

*

            Stack looked at his phone again. He rolled his eyes. A police provided phone and it was roaming in the police station. Nice. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and picked up his desk top phone. A mechanical voice came out.

 

            “You have no new messages.”

 

            Stack dropped the phone back into the cradle and cracked his knuckles. He checked his watch. Still no Needless. He moved through the squad room and walked down the flight of stairs and, as if clockwork, stepped out into the sunshine as the Java Jalopy pulled up for its late morning “cop stop”.

 

            “Greta! Punctual as ever.” Stack smiled. He reached into his pocket for some money.

 

            “The ever caffeinated Sgt. Forray. What can I get for you?” Greta, always the beautiful anachronism inside the half rusted, refurbished ice cream truck, leaned out the window giving Stack the brief thrill of her humidity moistened cleavage.

 

            Stack smiled at the question. “How about a Deep Mountain Dark, black.”

 

            Greta eyed him curiously. “You’re moving in a different direction. You don’t normally go for the underground beans. Shaking things up a bit?”

 

            Out of the corner of his eye he saw Needless approaching. He smiled coyly at Greta. “Things need a change.”  

 

 

            Greta maneuvered her cleavage as she saw Needless approaching. She tucked a falling, sweaty strand of hair behind her ear. “Hi Needless. Looking for another cup? If you’ve got your cup, I can just give you a refill.”

 

            Needless hardly paid her any mind and stepped directly up to Stack. “Hey, you got a minute?”

 

            Stack turned and looked at him. “Sure.” He looked at his watch. “Half the morning’s gone. Between traffic and waiting for you to show up, I should have taken a vacation day.” He turned and moved back through the doors into the building.

 

            Needless hung back a moment, stunned. He glanced at Greta, who blushed slightly. Needless’ mouth barely opened. “No more coffee, he’s cut off.”  Pissed off, Needless followed his partner in the station.

 

            “What the hell is up with you,” he quietly snapped at Stack.

 

            “Nothing. Where’ve you been?”

 

            Needless swallowed. “I had some stuff to take care of.”

 

            “You could have called, just to let me know everything was okay.”

 

            Needless grabbed his arm and spun Stack around. “Woah! Hold on a second, wifey. I didn’t realize that I have to check in with you now.”

 

 

            Stack yanked his arm away. “Look. Manzetti is still out there. He took Laura, no problem. Who knows what can happen. Until he’s caught, I want to make sure everybody is safe.”

 

            Needless could only stare. “Listen to yourself, man. He’s won. He’s made you totally paranoid.”  Stack rolled his eyes and moved through the room toward his desk. “No, I’m serious, Stack. You’re not yourself. Take a few days off. See a doctor. Talk to somebody.”

 

            Stack turned and glared at him. “The people I thought would understand …don’t! If I talk to my cat anymore, I’m afraid he’ll talk back. Don’t tell me to get help and then go behind my back and talk to Paul Mest!”

 

            “How did you…”

 

            “I asked some of the guards there to call me if anybody came to see him. They called me twenty minutes ago, just to let me know you were there this morning. So what’s going on? You running your own investigation now? Did he tell you something?”

 

            Needless set his jaw. “Come with me.” He turned and moved toward Breen’s office. Stack marched after him. Breen wasn’t in there when they arrived. Needless shut the door behind Stack.  “Now look. Breen and I are convinced there is a mole close to us here that’s feeding information about you to Manzetti.”

 

            “I’m of the same mind. What of it?”

 

            “Breen asked me to look into it.”

 

            “Without me.”

 

            “Yeah, Stack, without you.”  Needless sighed. Stack slammed his open palm down on Breen’s desk. Needless looked down at Stack’s hand and watched it curl into a fist.  “Stack, you haven’t been yourself. You haven’t been able to concentrate on anything. You’ve been having mood swings.”

 

            “How am I supposed to act when everybody is against me?”

 

            “Nobody’s against you. We’re doing this to keep you from doing something stupid. What would you do if and when we do find the mole? Hmm? “

 

            Stack shook his head. “I don’t know…arrest him?”

 

            “Maybe. But maybe not. I’m trying to help keep you from losing your badge. This shit has been on slow burn for a year and I don’t want to watch you fly off the handle and do something you can’t take back.”

 

            Stack glared at him. “Is that it? Are you done? Is our little conference at an end or was there something else you wanted to tell me?”

 

            Needless shook his head and smirked. “You asshole. I don’t know what’s up with you man, but I’m washing my hands of it. Anything I had to tell you…you’ll find out in time any way.” He moved past Stack and threw the door open just as Breen was moving to open it. He shook his head as Breen watched Stack and Needless exit his office and walk angrily in separate directions.

 

            Stack stormed out of the squad room.

 

            Needless crashed down at his desk.

 

            Across the squad room the Mole watched, casually. Careful not to stare. He dialed the phone, let it ring twice and hung up.

 

*

            Mayor Denzien cleared his throat. Laura looked at her watch. It was just another conference, nothing of special importance. Another Bureaucrat. Another appointment. Denzien looked like he was bored and moreover, every time he said “my friend Premrandt Alder” it sounded scripted. He droned on. Laura made a few notes, knowing full well she would base her article on her memory and the press release that the Mayor’s Office would circulate after  the conference.

 

            A jerk off assignment. First one back. Figures.

 

            Just as she settled in for more of the Mayor’s snorefest, an envelope fell in her lap. She looked around but could not see where it came from. It was simply addressed to Laura. She hastily opened it.

 

            The message inside was very simple;

 

            “Watch

 

                        Nick.

 

            ps.  You’re Welcome

 

*

            Across town Stack was driving away from the station. He needed to clear his head. He needed to find someplace quiet. Bastards. He slammed his hand on the dash. He was shaky. Too much coffee. Needed to eat something.

 

            His cell phone rang. He pushed the answer button and pulled it to his head.

 

            “What?!”

 

            The voice on the other end of the phone was smooth and calm which did nothing but clash with Stack’s frame of mind. “Hello Stack.”

 

            Stack slammed on his brakes in the middle of the street. Horns began blaring.

 

            “Manzetti!”

 

            “Turn on your radio. The all news station. Quick. You’ll miss it.”

 

            “You son of a bitch!”

 

            “Sshhh turn it on. I’ll call you back in five minutes.” The line went dead.

 

            Stack switched on the radio and looked in the rearview mirror. He pulled over to the side of the road to let stopped traffic by. He turned the radio up.

 

*

            Laura stood up and looked around. Nobody stood out. At the podium, the Mayor continued.

 

            “So it is because of this experience and dedication that I am pleased to announce the Pembrandt Alder has been appointed to the office of Big City Transit Authority Manager.” The room politely applauded as Alder stepped up to the microphone to speak.

 

            There was a loud crack that filled the giant marble foyer of City Hall. A woman screamed. Police and security scrambled.

 

            Laura looked at the podium in time to watch Alder crumple at the feet of the shocked mayor. Her eyes grew wide as she looked again at the paper. “You’re Welcome.”  A chill ran through her. As hell broke loose she realized that she was the only one in the room who knew who did this.

 

*

            “We’re still not sure of the details but from where I’m sitting, it’s clear that Pembrandt Alder, the recently appointed Manager of the Transit Authority, has been shot. Again, I can’t get close enough to the podium to get any more information, but I can tell you that it appears to have been a shot to the head…I will continue to relay details until we have an official word. It’s absolute mayhem here. People are running around in a panic… “

 

            Stack sat dumbstruck, staring at his radio as it all unfolded. He looked at his phone. Manzetti.  The phone rang. It rang again. Stack stared. It rang again. Dazed, he answered.

 

            “What?”

 

            “For whatever reason, Laura and the police kept quiet about her kidnapping. In two hours there will be no question that this was me. The Mayor and a good chunk of Big City is going to know that I am back…in a big, big way.”

 

            “Why…”

 

            “Alder dangled from my teat ten years ago, like most of the City Council at that time. He sold me out in the end. Surprised you didn’t recognize his name. Anyway. Just a little revenge. I like a good revenge killing around lunch. It aids the digestion.

 

            “Fucking animal.”

 

            “Anyway, Stack. Since this is, sort of, my coming out party, only one thing still stands in my way of taking back what’s mine. You.”

 

            “Damn right.”

 

            “So here’s my proposition; I want you to do something for me.”

 

            Stack shook his head in confusion. “Are you out of your mind?!”

 

            “Open your glove compartment.”  Stack leaned over and opened the glove compartment. Inside he found pictures. Smiles. Charlie. Laura. Needless. All recent. “Those were all taken this morning. I can have any of them killed at anytime, as you just witnessed. Cops, security, the press…I still got to Alder. So let me restate my proposition. You are going to do something for me. You are going to do something for me or they are all going to die. Am I clear?”

 

            Sweat and tears began stinging Stack’s eyes. “Yes.”

 

            “Good. Now go to the bus station on Whedon. Go to locker 1013. The key is in your glove compartment. And don’t call anybody. I have remotely changed your cell phone service. If you try to tell anybody what’s going on, I will execute one of your friends. I’ll call you later.” The line went dead again.

 

            Stack shook with rage. He pounded on the passenger seat. He drove his fist into the radio and he bellowed at the top of his lungs. He broke down in tears. His shoulders slumped as he did a U-turn in the middle of the street and headed to the Whedon Ave. Bus Terminal.

 

*

            Breen was barking orders to the buzzing squadroom. “Okay Phillips, Squonk, Parker, Callisto, grab some patrolmen and get over to the city building. Tant and Chalmers, you two help coordinate the background check. I will be at the command post. C’mon people we’ve got a couple hundred witnesses to interview.”

 

            Needless watched as Breen gave everyone their orders. His phone rang. He pulled the receiver to his ear.

 

            “D’yen.”

 

            “Needless, it’s Laura. I’m assuming you’ve heard about Alder by now.”

 

            “No comment.”

 

            “Look, shut up. I have information about it.”

 

            “How?”

 

            “It was Manzetti.”

 

            Needless lowered the phone and rolled his eyes. He raised the phone. “Laura, can I tell you how sick I am of hearing that name.”

 

            “It’s true. Somebody slipped me a note from him just before Alder was killed.”

 

            Needless waved to Breen who came over. “Hold on a second Laura.” He cupped the phone as Breen approached. “It’s Laura. She said that some how Manzetti slipped her a note before Alder was shot, warning her in advance that it was going to happen.”

 

            Breen moved around to Stack’s desk. “Patch me through.”

 

            Needless conferenced Breen in. “Laura, Capt. Breen is on with me.”

 

            Breen cleared his throat. “Laura. There are some police on their way down there to take statements from everybody. They will get your information. I will send word for you to come back to the station. Can you sit on this for a bit? I want to clear it with the commissioner.”

 

            There was a pause. “You know what, Captain, you have had me sit on quite a bit of information lately. I couldn’t even reveal my own story to the paper. I’m a journalist, not a puppet of the police. I need to let the public know who it was that shot this man on live television.”

 

            Breen looked at Needless. Needless spoke up. “Laura, I’m asking you, as a friend, please don’t. Not yet. It’s too soon.”

 

            There was silence as Laura thought, then she sighed. “Okay. Look. Two hours. That’s all. After that, I have to give this to my editor, and nobody better scoop me on this.” Laura hung up.

 

            Needless nearly put his fist through the phone. “What the hell is he playing at?!”

 

            “I don’t know. You get out there and find Stack. I promise you this has something to do with him.”

 

            “But what?”

 

            Breen took a deep breath. “I don’t know. But he’s out there by himself, Needless. You need to get to him.”

 

            Needless nodded.

 

*

            Smiles pushed it up to ninety. They didn’t call them the Black Flats for nothing. Ahead of him the road stretched on, seeming to vaporize into the waves of heat that rose from everything. Occasionally, small outcroppings of red sandstone or the blue leaves of the Mequee bushes broke up the gray-black expanse. Other than that, and the infrequent gas station, the landscape was nothing to write home about. Bleak, foreboding, deadly. Keeping one constant eye on the temperature gauge, Smiles pressed on.

 

            His mind swirled with images of reunion. Warm embraces. Seeing her smile again. Feeling whole again. The holes of his life had ached so strongly of late. Seeing her picture again. Becoming so immersed in his father’s legacy. Hospitalizing Charlie. It brought it all back. The waves of depression and loneliness that had crippled him once. That had rattled him so deeply that it changed him forever.

 

            Gina was his way back to the man he used to be. The man that his friends felt compelled to nickname Smiles. He looked again at her picture. Her eyes remained fixed on him from the passenger seat. His stomach leapt like a small boy waiting on his birthday morning.

 

            A gust of wind blew a streak of gray-black sand across the road ahead of him. The dust and sand swirled in the wake of the speeding car.

 

*

            Stack pulled up at the Bus Terminal. He leaned over and snatched the locker key from and stepped out into the midday sun. The phone rang. He took a deep breath and pulled the phone to his head.

 

            “What?!”

 

            “Are you there yet?”

 

            Stack chuckled and began to make his way toward the building. “Yeah. I’m here.”

 

            “Good. Remember, locker number 1013.”

 

            “Yeah! I got it…” Stack was about ready to hang up.

 

            “Stack!” The voice was familiar and fairly close. Stack turned to see Greta waving from the Java Jalopy. “Hey Sergeant!”

 

            “Who is that?” Manzetti growled.