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  “Tyrell, what’s going on?”

  “Not much, man, how you doin’?”

  “Good. I just wanted to let you know I was back in town.”

  “Really? We’ll have to get together. You back for good or just to visit?”

  “For good.”

  “Sweet, man, we can use you around here,” Tyrell said.

  “Why? Something wrong?”

  “Ahh, you know, just the usual.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I called. I just wanted to see what was happening out there and if there was anything I should know about.”

  “What, you mean like Vincent and Jeremiah going to war with each other? Stuff like that?”

  “Yeah, that would qualify.”

  “Then nah, nothing big. Not yet anyway.”

  “Do me a favor,” Recker said. “Can you start spreading the word. I’m back in town.”

  “Why? You don’t wanna make a grand entrance somewhere?”

  “Not this time.”

  “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “Thanks. So, what’s the word been since I’ve been gone? People been breathing easier?”

  “Yeah, you ain’t kidding. Lot of people not as worried about doing things ‘cause they knew they didn’t have to deal with you once word got out you were gone.”

  “It’s why I want word to get out that I’m back. Time to put a healthy dose of fear back into people,” Recker said.

  “I’ll tell you what though, for as much damage as you inflict, I think the city missed you.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. Like I said, you put fear into the underhanded folks, and the regular people, they feel like they got a guardian angel watching over their backs if someone starts messing with them.”

  “Well I don’t know about the angel part.”

  “Plus, I think you help keep the peace, especially between men like Vincent and Jeremiah. They were too afraid to make a move on anyone out of fear you’d show up on the other side of them,” Tyrell said. “Nobody wants to go up against you and make you an enemy. You know Vincent and Jeremiah are gonna wonder and worry why you’re back, right? They’re gonna worry the other brought you back to help them take the other out. They might wanna have a word.”

  “No, I’m not doing that again. I did it once before when I first got here. I’m not explaining myself or my intentions again. If they ask, tell them I haven’t changed.”

  After his call with Tyrell concluded, Recker left the office and drove around for a while to pass the time. He didn’t get back to the office until later in the day, bringing dinner back for him and Jones. The professor was armed with some information he might find useful, though not quite what Recker was hoping for.

  “Figured you could use some food,” Recker said, placing a sandwich and fries on the desk.

  “Yes, I could. You know, I found out some interesting information while you were gone.”

  “We got a case?”

  “No, but it’s still interesting anyway.”

  “I’d still prefer a case.”

  “I know, but listen to this,” Jones said, looking at his computer screen after taking a bite of his sandwich. “I started digging into the crime statistics in the time we were away.”

  “You’re right, it is interesting,” Recker said, not really interested at all.

  “No, since we’ve been gone, crime’s gone up across the board.”

  “So?”

  “So, it proves what we were doing before was effective. You were a deterrent.”

  “I’d rather have a case.”

  “Yes, I know. But that should make you feel good.”

  “I’ll feel good when I have a case.”

  “It’s coming,” Jones said, getting more exasperated.

  “If crime’s up across the board, how come we don’t have anything yet?”

  “Mike, we just got here. Give it some time.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So, everything’s been up since we’ve been gone?”

  “Surprising to say, but yes. Small crimes up, major crimes up, violent crimes up, murders up.”

  “I think it’s a little premature to say we were the difference,” Recker said.

  “Perhaps so. But the numbers are the numbers. I’m especially surprised by the murders being up.”

  “So, what’s that say to you?”

  “Maybe by you killing people, it prevented others from doing the same.”

  “And if that’s the case, then maybe it throws a wrench into your idea of me handling things a different way.”

  “Possibly. But you know the saying, violence begets violence.”

  “I don’t care what anybody says, being intimidating and violent will scare some people. The people who are violent and ruthless will still be, no matter what. I’m just taking them out of the equation.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in handling things the way we did in Detroit, would you?” Jones asked.

  “I’ll handle things the way I think they need to be. No more, no less. If a gun’s required, I’ll use it. If it’s not, I won’t. I’m not going out of my way like I’ve done the last six months. It really didn’t get us anywhere. Ask Teresa Golden.”

  “Mike, she was one example out of hundreds.”

  “That we know of. How do you know how many others are going to happen in the next few weeks or months?”

  It was a familiar discussion between the two of them, one they seemed to have every few months, or after something extreme happened. It was likely to be a thorn of contention between them for as long as they would work together. Jones always advocated for handling things as diplomatically as possible with the least amount of violence. Recker usually opted for whatever would get the job done, as long as he wouldn’t have to come back to the same situation at a later time. No matter how many times they discussed it, though, they both knew they weren’t changing the other one’s mind on it. They were both locked in to their positions and Recker didn’t really care to talk about it anymore and changed the subject.

  “You think you could still monitor the CIA like you did before?” Recker asked.

  “For what purpose?”

  “For the purpose of being safe and not taking chances.”

  “If you said you’re not on the list anymore, I don’t see what the point would be,” Jones said.

  “Like I said, just as a precaution. I believe Lawson at her word when she says I’m off the radar. But what if someone new comes along and decides to open my case up again for some reason?”

  Jones nodded, seeing his position. “It will take a couple days but I can get the same program as before running.”

  “Even if nothing ever comes of it, I’d rather know what’s coming instead of getting a surprise party.”

  It wasn’t until the following day Jones found their first case to work on since they’d been back. Recker was at his new apartment getting the furniture delivery he’d ordered the previous day. He actually furnished it like a normal person this time instead of the bare bones approach he used before. He bought a sofa, recliner, dining room set, a bed, along with some tables. It was a new style for him, but he figured if they were making it home, maybe he should dress it up a little. Jones told him not to bother coming back to the office until he had something for him to work on since there was no reason for both of them to be there with nothing to do. As soon as Jones called, Recker left his swanky new place to head back to the office.

  “So, what do we got?” Recker said, asking the moment he set foot in the office.

  “We’ve got what may pass for our most difficult case yet.”

  “What? We’ve handled some tough stuff before.”

  “Yes, but none of those situations involved police officers,” Jones said.

  “Police?”

  “Yes. It looks like our subject is one of Philadephia’s finest.”

  “Well that is a new one. What’s the story?”

  “The story is, apparently
Officer Eduardo Perez has found himself on the hit list of a dangerous man,” Jones said.

  “How’s that?”

  “It seems that several years ago Officer Perez was responsible for arresting a man named Adrian Bernal. Mr. Bernal just got out of prison about a month ago and is already plotting his revenge.”

  “I take it Bernal is not someone to be taken lightly?”

  “Very violent past and criminal record.”

  “I assume the police and Perez aren’t aware he’s coming?” Recker asked.

  “No. He’s made no apparent threats.”

  “Then how’d you pick up on it?”

  “Because Mr. Bernal sent a text message to his girlfriend saying he was, ‘going to get the stinking cop’ who arrested him.”

  “Could be just talk,” Recker said. “Criminals make threats all the time. They very rarely act on them. Especially on a cop.”

  “Well, it will be our job to ascertain the severity of the threat. That is, assuming you want to look into this.”

  “Why wouldn’t we?”

  “As I mentioned before, we’ve never had a police officer as someone who needed our protection. Things could get…hairy, as some would say.”

  “I don’t think it really makes a difference, do you?”

  “Well now you’re as known as you are, interacting with the police on any level is more dangerous than it’s ever been. If this came up two years ago it wouldn’t be much of an issue since they had no idea who you were. Now they know your face. If you happen to come into contact with Officer Perez, even in the interest of helping him, and he recognizes you, he may arrest you before you can help him.”

  “Doesn’t matter. The police aren’t our enemy. We’re on the same side.”

  “I agree,” Jones said.

  “We may have different methods, but we both want the same thing. To clean up the streets. They just have more rules than I do.”

  “It doesn’t change the fact that you must tread carefully.”

  “I will. But we can’t pass on this one. Even if it puts me on the hot seat. We can’t sit still for someone killing a cop. Does Perez seem like he’s on the up and up?”

  “In what way? Like he’s not dirty or something?” Jones asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “From what I can gather, nothing seems out of the ordinary. No complaints on file. He appears to be a good cop trying to do a good job.”

  “Then he is good enough for our help. There’s too many police officers in this country getting ambushed or killed when all they’re doing is trying to do the job they were hired for,” Recker said. “You agree?”

  “I’ve already said as much. As long as it doesn’t end up with you in the back of a squad car.”

  “What district’s Perez in?”

  “He’s assigned to the twenty-sixth,” Jones said.

  “Any idea how or when Bernal’s going to enact this plan of his?”

  “Not as of yet. I’ve still got some more digging to do though. I didn’t want to get knee deep in research only for you to say to let the police handle it on their own.”

  “You know as well as I do I wouldn’t have.”

  “Perhaps not.”

  “So how long’s it gonna take you to get into the rest of it?” Recker asked.

  “Probably a good part of the day. I’ve got to dig into Bernal’s background, his girlfriend, friends or relatives they might turn to, pour over their phone records, text messages, it all takes time.”

  “I know. I know the process, you don’t have to explain it to me. I was just wondering when.”

  “Well if you want to help then it will make everything go quicker.”

  With nothing else on the agenda, Recker was all too willing to jump in and help. Though Jones was usually faster at digging up the required information, Recker needed anything to keep him busy. Plus, with a police officer’s life at stake, Recker wanted to get started on it as soon as possible. Even though he was wanted by them, he really did admire the work and dedication most of them displayed. But Jones was right, this was probably the most delicate case they’d had. Sometimes Recker had to interact with the people he was assigned to help, there was just no way around it. But sometimes the people he was helping had no idea they had a guardian angel watching over them. This would have to be one of those times. The fact the person he was helping was also dangerous, carried a gun, and had the ability to lock him up only complicated things somewhat.

  They worked straight through dinner to get the information they needed. Jones tracked down as many friends and relatives of Bernal’s he could find, though most of them appeared to be of no use. Outside of his girlfriend, Bernal only disclosed his intentions to one other person, a cousin of his. Through their text messages, Jones concluded that whatever was being planned, it was going to happen quickly. The problem was, Bernal didn’t give an exact date or time for when he was going to execute his plan. The other problem was, Bernal didn’t have a known address. Though Recker and Jones assumed Bernal might have been staying with his girlfriend, they couldn’t say for sure. It would require Recker staking out her place. But if Bernal was staying elsewhere, such as a motel, Recker could be wasting his time at the girlfriend’s residence and Bernal might enact his plan without Recker even being in the picture. The only other option was to follow Perez around, and that was deemed too dangerous. If Perez got the slightest hint he was being followed, who knows what might’ve happened, not to mention following a police patrol car for half the day wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. Jones couldn’t find any digital traces of Bernal anywhere, such as credit cards being used, or through online social media websites, so he assumed his subject was sticking with cash transactions and deliberately keeping a low profile. It would make finding him much more difficult.

  5

  Recker had been staking out the row home of Bernal’s girlfriend for two days without seeing a single sign of the man he was looking for. He’d seen the girlfriend come and go multiple times, but unless Bernal was hiding inside the house, Recker had to assume that he wasn’t coming and they had to come up with a new strategy.

  Recker pulled out his phone to call his partner. “I dunno, David, this seems like a waste of time.”

  “Well, right now, the only other options are sitting on the cousin or tailing Perez and I’m not sure how viable either of those are either.”

  “Yeah, well, I gotta do something. Just sitting here watching the wind blow isn’t accomplishing anything.”

  “I understand but right now it’s all we have. Bernal’s kept an extremely low profile since being let out of jail,” Jones said.

  As Recker sat there watching the house, listening to Jones, he was also thinking of alternatives. Suddenly a new idea came to him. It might be considered risky, but without knowing what time frame Bernal was working on, he didn’t want to waste more time than he already had.

  “David, I’ll call you back. I’m gonna try something.”

  “That sounds extremely vague,” Jones said. “Would you like to share before doing something we might regret?”

  “I’m gonna talk to the girlfriend.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?”

  “No. But maybe she can tell us something.”

  “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. If he thinks someone’s on to him, he might speed things up before we’re ready to deal with him.”

  “Could also scare him away too.”

  “I would prefer getting more information before confronting anyone,” Jones said.

  “That’s why I’m not gonna ask her anything. I’m gonna have Detective Scarborough do it.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “Keep close tabs on her phone after I’m done.”

  Recker figured his alter ego might have more luck in getting some kind of useful information out of the girlfriend than if he just approached her on his own as a random citizen. Posing as a police officer was a tactic he’d used successfully several times before.
He didn’t necessarily expect Maria Guerrero to say anything which would really help him, but hopefully she’d panic at him asking pointed questions and would lead them to Bernal’s location. As Recker approached the house, he noticed curtains move on the bow window in the living room. He didn’t see a face but assumed someone inside had seen him coming. Guerrero was supposed to be living in the house along with her two kids, but no other adults. Bernal was not the father of the children. As Recker took a few steps up the concrete walkway, he heard a few young kids screaming and playing inside. He knocked on the door and almost immediately the playful screams of the children inside came to a halt. Recker knocked another three times, more forcefully than he did the first time. Knowing they were inside, he patiently waited for someone to answer the door. He knocked a few more times, determined to stand there until he talked to Guerrero. Sensing their visitor wasn’t going away, Guerrero finally came to the door.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, clearly annoyed in her tone.

  Recker took out his badge from his pocket and showed it to her. “Mike Scarborough, Detective Division.”

  She took a quick glance at the badge, hardly paying much attention to it. “What do you want?”

  “I’m looking for Adrian Bernal.”

  “He’s not here.”

  “Mind if I come in and check?”

  “Not without a warrant you’re not.”

  “Do you know where he may be at?”

  “No, I have no idea.”

  “Aren’t you his girlfriend?” Recker asked.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “And you don’t know where he’s at? Where he’s living? Working? Anything?”

  “Adrian comes and goes as he pleases. It’s his own business, not yours. And he’s not working right now. Nobody’s exactly beating down his door to offer him a job. One of the perks of our penal system.”

  “He’s been out for, what, a month now?”

  “Yeah, and your point?”

  “In the time he’s been out you haven’t seen him, talked to him, nothing?”

  “I’ve met him at a couple bars or whatever,” Guerrero said.

  “Which ones?”

  “I forget the names. He picked me up. Never been to any of them before.”