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CaptainRaspberry — Aeterniad 1.3
Published: 2010-12-17 02:56:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 397; Favourites: 0; Downloads: 0
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3. Port of CallDetective Cody Adger sat on a bench outside The Port o' Missing Men on Revere Beach, watching the choppy early-autumn water glisten in the sunset. The meager rays that persisted between the profiles of buildings warmed his neck, but the breeze was growing chillier.
His mood cooled with it. Over the course of the afternoon, he had hit up as many contacts as he could find. A few phone calls, several visits, and a check-in with the boss confirmed it: nothing was moving on the case. If the feds were having any better luck, they weren't bragging about it. He kicked a pebble off the property limit and listened for it clicking against the others.
Time check. 18:09. Patrick was running a little late.
A few minutes later, a gash of light peeled off the highway and pulled into the parking lot. Patrick emerged, tossing his briefcase into the passenger seat and yanking off his tie as he did so. Adger stood for a hug, and the two proceeded into the bar.
They got the chance to come here once or twice a month; not enough to establish a regular presence among the waitstaff, but Adger saw the glimmer of recognition in the bartender's eyes. They ordered beers and took a seat at a tall table.
Their tray arrived moments later. "Any word from Catherine?" asked Patrick as he gingerly removed his glass from the tray, taking a napkin with it. The bar's tagline was emblazoned across the middle: "If you drive your man to drink, drive him here."
Adger had discovered this place about a month after his marriage started falling apart.
"Nothing," he said. "But I've been working all day."
"Anything good?"
He recounted as much of the case as he was allowed to disclose. Patrick sat nodding and taking the occasional sip. When Adger finished he took half the beer in one gulp while Patrick thought it over.
"I dunno what to tell you, man," he said. "It sounds like a tough one. I don't know much about Operoids."
"Me either."
They let the conversation drift to more pleasant topics. Patrick's law firm was prospering and he was steadily dating again. The atmosphere of the bar was a kind of cool geniality; the other patrons that regularly filtered in and out were in close-knit groups of two or three or four, talking in an animated hush.
There was only one loner in the bar, and Adger gradually realized he was being watched. The loner's eyes glowed. Despite the dim lighting, Adger could tell the skin was artificially smooth.
Patrick was still talking. Adger and the Operoid held each other's gaze for a moment before he stood, left money on the bar, and went out the back. The detective watched, waited a moment, and stood.
"Where you going?" Patrick asked.
"Bathroom." He made his way out the back onto a small paved outcropping that hung over the beach. It was already dark: a small orange light over the exit was the only source of illumination, besides the distant lights of ships and oil rigs and a scattered clump of stars.
The Operoid started to turn. Adger raised his hand in greeting, opening his mouth to speak, when it happened. So fast, his eyes unable to register much beside a few singular images: a figure appeared beside the Operoid, glint of metal; the Operoid turned to engage but was too slow. There was a high-pitched squealing, and suddenly the Operoid was on the ground, a ragged hole in his head.
Adger went for his gun, but a heavy blow landed on his right shoulder. He grunted under the impact and his arm went limp. Suddenly he was knocked back against the brick wall, intense pressure on the side of his head, pressing his cheek and eye hard against the cooling stone.
A hum filled the air. "Who the fuck are you?" asked a voice.
"Detective Adger," said Adger. His voice was distorted through his compressed mouth. "Boston PD."
"I'm not afraid of killing cops." The hum grew louder.
Adger's arm was still numb. He could try getting his gun lefty, but the chances weren't that good. "I'd rather you didn't."
Something hard and metal pressed against his throat. It vibrated. He realized his attacker was holding a shiver, a hyperactive vibrating blade.
"What's your connection to the Syndicate?"
"Syndicate?"
The unknown man huffed. "Don't be stupid, shithead. That guy was Syndicate, so I fucked him up. You were coming out to meet him."
"He caught my eye in the bar. I thought he might know something about my investigation." He was half an inch away from death anyway, the shiver hovering centimeters away from his jugular. "Were you at the docks last night? Did you kill those people."
"I was coming home. They were in the way. You're Syndicate and I know it."
For a brief instant the blade pressed infintessimally harder against Adger's neck, and all he could think about were his kids in Gloucester. Suddenly there was a clapping noise next to his head and his attacker's hand was pulled away.
Adger didn't waste the opportunity. He yanked his pistol out of its shoulder holster and whipped around; his arm was pins and needles, but he willed his way through it. The figure was engaged in another lightning-quick fight, but Adger couldn't tell who the other was.
Finally, the two broke apart. For a fleeting moment, Adger saw his attacker -- definitely Operoid -- as he jumped away, going over the edge of the overhang to the beach. The newcomer ran up to the edge, pulled out a sidearm... then lowered in, shaking his head in frustration. Adger realized it was Frederick Toye, one of SATT's agents.
"Fuck," he muttered. "Too fast." He turned to look at Adger. "Are you okay? It took me a little bit to figure out where you went. I lost you in the bar."
"I'm fine." Adger holstered his weapon. He hadn't even considered that the feds might have been following him. "How about you?"
Toye held up his arms. They were covered in gashes that cut through his shirt; blots of a glittery fluid were visible. "He got me good a few times with that shiver, but nothing that can't be patched up. We should go, though."
"Wait. A friend of mine is waiting for me in the bar. Let me go say goodbye."
"All right, but hurry."
Adger went back inside. Patrick looked up, halfway done with his second beer. "There you are. Jesus, I was wondering if you ditched me."
"No, but I'm about to. Sorry Patrick, but something's come up about work. I gotta go deal with it."
They said their farewells and Adger left his part of the bill. As he walked outside and saw Toye standing near his car, his cell began to ring. It was Captain Howley.
"Hey," she said, "you know that place Nuts and Bowls?"
"Yeah. I questioned the owner earlier today about the murders."
She grunted. "You might want to get down there, then. Somebody torched the place. Fire crews are saying it doesn't look good. They found bodies in there."