Night Strike by Rodney Mountain
"We’ll keep in contact by radio," Nikki told them as she handed out headsets, "These are encrypted so nobody who isn’t on this net will be able to hear us. It also makes them ring through clear as a bell."
"Very high class," the hillbilly said, "Where did you learn this stuff?"
"If we pull this off, maybe I’ll teach you," Nikki smiled, hiding her revulsion at the man, "We’re going to have to lay low for a bit after this."
"The trucks are due in two hours," Bolantine told them, "That gives you an hour to get set up and start making fog. I suggest you not dally."
The two men nodded and remembered what had happened to the last person to defy Bolantine’s instructions. The woman and the hillbilly looked at Bolantine and Nikki for their next instructions.
"There’s a shoulder over on the edge of that road that will be perfect for you to park," Nikki told him, "Get the truck there and wait for my instructions. I’ll tell you when to pull out."
"Try not to do it early," Bolantine cautioned, "If the driver of the personnel carrier sees you then the whole plot is screwed."
"Right," he nodded and climbed into the truck.
"You’ll play point," Nikki told the woman, "Go on up to the next rest stop and watch for the convoy. When you see it notify us on the radio and then get to work."
"Right," the woman agreed, getting into the sporty Mazda and tearing back up the highway.
"Think this has a chance in hell of succeeding?" Bolantine asked Nikki when they were alone again.
"Only if you can manage to climb up and incapacitate that bastard without flipping the truck," Nikki told him, "You’re going to be in for a bruising if you fall."
"That’s why I’ll be wearing a helmet," Bolantine nodded, "If I fall, retrieve the remains and book it."
"That’s the plan," Nikki agreed, "Did you get the surprises ready in the cars?"
"Absolutely," Bolantine agreed, "Cell phone triggers. Just use the speed dial on the one in the car."
"I’ll trigger them all if you fall," Nikki agreed, "Let’s get ready to go. They should be ready at any time."
"I’m going to get suited up and take a quick nap," Bolantine told her, "Wake me when the bitch starts screaming."
"You got it," Nikki nodded and turned on the radio to the local news station.
Chapter 3
"Convoy is passing me," the woman squawked over the radio, "I’m pulling out and getting ready to crash."
"Wake up," Nikki said to Bolantine as she started the engine, "It’s time to roll."
"Yep," Bolantine nodded and secured his helmet, "Let’s see if she can do it."
Nikki pulled the car out to the edge of the rest stop driveway and waited for the convoy. Bolantine himself was thankful that he could see the fog down the road, so someone had done their job correctly.
"There’s the convoy," Bolantine said, "Looks like she’s about to hit the APC as well."
"Ramming speed," the woman’s voice said as she raced the Mazda towards the back end of the APC.
Nikki picked up the cell phone and hit the first autodial. The twin phone that was attached to the device under the hood of the woman’s car rang immediately, triggering the device that was attached underneath. The half pound of C4 Plastique that Bolantine had attached to a pressure trigger on the hood was now active.
When the woman rammed the back of the APC, instead of the slight bump and crunch she expected she got a whole lot more than she bargained for. The pressure trigger went off, sending the car into a fireball that lifted the APC into the air. It didn’t damage the larger unit, but it convinced them to pull off to find out what happened.
"I’d call that a success," Nikki said and put the phone in the cup holder, "The rest of the convoy is still going."
"They’re safer moving than standing still," Bolantine grinned, "Let’s rock."
As the truck and the remaining APC continued on past them, Nikki pulled out and pulled out behind the truck. The fogging machines worked as well as they’d hoped because by the time Nikki had started pacing the truck they’d entered a thick fog bank.
Bolantine stood up in the convertible and was immediately knocked around a little by the wind. Nikki was a very good driver and the little car handled admirably. She got within six inches of the truck and gave Bolantine a fairly easy jump to get onto the back of the cab.
Bolantine’s physical prowess as he climbed around the cab was impressive. He looked into the back window and saw that there was only one person in the seat. Bolantine was trying to figure out how to do this easily and knew he didn’t have much fog bank left.
"Nikki!" Bolantine yelled into the radio when he noticed the kid wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, "Pull up beside the cab and start smiling at the driver!"
Nikki didn’t respond, but did exactly as she was told. She flashed her puppy dog eyes at the driver and distracted the young private that was driving the truck. Bolantine used the distraction to reach around and grab the door handle. Luck was on his side too, because the private’s door handle was unlocked.
"See you later!" Bolantine yelled as he yanked the young man by the shoulder and pulled him out of the cab.
The young man didn’t have a chance to fight back as the last thing he expected was to have someone physically throw him out of the cab while the truck was moving. Nikki saw Bolantine’s maneuver and pulled up close enough to catch the young man in mid freefall, to keep his body from becoming a telltale sign of their presence.
Nikki withdrew a knife from a sheath that she had in her pocket and quickly dispatched the private with a quick slash of the throat. The body bled all over the seat, but the boy didn’t have a chance to do anything but die.
While the private was dying Bolantine quickly climbed into the cab and regained control of the moving vehicle. Nikki saw they were near the switch point and yelled for Bolantine to stop the truck so the hillbilly could slip in. Bolantine managed to slow the vehicle to a stop, at which point the hillbilly slipped the decoy truck into the position right behind the APC.
"I’m in," the hillbilly said, "We’ve cleared the fog and they haven’t tumbled yet."
"We’ve left the generators and are making a beeline for the pickup point," one of the fog men said into the radio."
"Right," Nikki said in the radio.
Bolantine smiled and pulled the truck down a side road, meeting Nikki at the edge of a ravine. Nikki took the phone with her and gave the car a quick shove, pushing it over the edge along with the private’s body. It exploded in a nice fireball at the bottom of the ravine.
"Ok," Bolantine said, "Time to disguise this thing."
"Where’s the other rig?" Nikki asked him.
"In the trees," Bolantine told her, "I’ll go pull it up. Pull the hoses and get the wires ready for the switch."
"Right," Nikki agreed, "Should I take care of the others?"
"Give them a few more minutes," Bolantine grinned, "We want them almost to Brookline before we pull the plug."
Nikki undid the plugs and put down the hydraulic legs on the trailer. She then climbed into the huge truck and pulled it out of the way. While she was pulling the cab ahead she heard voices coming through her radio.
"We’re in position in Brookline," the chase team said, "Get ready to bail."
Nikki took the cell that Bolantine had prepared and pushed the second speed dial button. As soon as the cell phone in the cab of the truck started going off it triggered an electrical device that was hidden in the seat and on the metal steering wheel. It sent 10000 volts of electricity searing through the hillbilly’s upper body. It also triggered an altered version of the cruise control that started forcing the truck to accelerate uncontrollably until it slammed into the APC it was following.
"Shit!" the two in the chase car said, but it was an astonishment that was short lived.
Nikki Bolantine pressed the third speed dial button, which triggered a straight out explos
"The rubbish is dealt with," Nikki told Bolantine, "We’re clear. It’ll take them hours to figure out what happened."
"Shall we open the trailer and see what we have?" Bolantine asked her, "I’m curious as to just how rich we are."
"Let’s go," Nikki smiled.
The two of them walked hand in hand, Bolantine towering over her five foot frame. Bolantine shot off the lock and opened the door. Both he and Nikki were gaping at the massive emptiness that beckoned from within the confines of the trailer. There wasn’t any gold in there nor anything else except a large package a package that Bolantine recognized a minute too late.
"Get Do…" Bolantine shouted but got cut off as the explosion went off.
Bolantine and Nikki were shot backwards by the explosion that sent them through air tumbling like a couple of high velocity projectiles. Bolantine himself was shot through the window of a passing minivan, causing it to veer off the road and stop as the former owner’s dead foot left the gas. Nikki went tumbling down the road and came to a stop as she hit a tree on the other side of the road
"Shit," Bolantine growled as he managed to get himself up in the seat, "Great job, Nikki."
He pushed the body of the van’s driver out the door and let it tumble down the ravine. As his ribs healed he straightened out his broken arm so he could use it again. Once his arm came back to normal he shifted the van into reverse and backed it up until he saw Nikki.
"Fine mess you got us into this time, Nikki," Bolantine grunted, "I think we need a vacation."
"Tahiti?" Nikki asked hopefully as she pulled herself up and climbed into the passenger seat.
"At least," Bolantine grunted as he pulled away, "Maybe even further if the feds start looking for us."
Nikki merely nodded and leaned back against the seat, content to let Bolantine drive and forget about what had just happened.
They Were Lovers, Weren't They?
Chapter 1
"Nick," Mike Miller said as he entered the squad room, "I've got a hot one for you and Corrie."
"What happened?" Nick Jones asked his boss and longtime friend, "You know Corrie and I are about to go on a weekend getaway."
"Sorry man," Mike said, "Two bodies over at the Milner Building. Chief is bugging out on it, and you two have the highest clearance rate in the city."
"What's the chief have to do with it?" Nick asked him.
"His brother owns the place," Miller shrugged, "It's the most expensive office space in the city too. Good probability that the stiffs are important."
"It's Friday, Mike," Corrie Albiston protested, "And we have a whole pile of interviews we have to get done before we can leave. The Horton case is still active."
"Give the interviews to Marcus," Mike shrugged, "He's still breaking in the newbie. Horton may be active, but it's not politically important. Good one for Chuckie to sink his teeth into."
"Chuckie isn't the smartest," Nick agreed, "But put him with Marcus and it'll be fine."
"Let's go get this over with," Corrie sighed, tossing her red hair back, "I don't want to miss our reservation tonight."
"Reservation?" Mike asked them.
"I wimped out and had a cigarette," Nick said sheepishly, "She smelled it and now I have to spring for a lavish dinner at the Ritz."
"Most expensive cigarette he's ever smoked," Corrie chuckled.
"I don't want to know," Mike chuckled, "Claudia has threatened to break my fingers if I even consider starting again."
"How's she doing anyway?" Nick asked him.
"Weight from the pregnancy is almost gone," Mike said, "She's really happy about that. Cliffie is doing well too. Healthy baby boy."
"Great to hear," Corrie said, "We'll try to get over there to see him this week."
"See if you can clear this case first," Mike suggested, "I'd hate to have to talk about work around the baby."
"Right," Nick agreed, "Might give the poor child nightmares."
Chapter 2
Nick and Corrie drove his aging unmarked squad car, a twenty year old rusting blue Crown Victoria that he'd had for years, to the Milner building, finding a whole string of marked patrol cars out front in the fire lane. Nick followed suit and blocked in one of the blues, half in and half out of the alley.
"Nice parking job, Nick," Corrie said, "Let's just hope they don't mistake this car for a derelict."
"Does it matter?" Nick shrugged, "It pretty well is one at this point."
They walked over to the building and were stopped at the entrance by the uniformed officer watching the entrances and exits. They showed their identification and were allowed into the building. Nick watched as a couple of big shots went to the door and had their id's checked and information written down before leaving.
"Looks like the investigators have locked down the building well," Nick said, "Let's go see who the corpses are."
Corrie nodded and pressed the up key on the elevator. Nick held the door open and pressed the button for five and they rode up, getting the usual unsettled feeling in the stomach from an elevator set to go fast enough to accommodate the exceedingly busy individuals who conducted business in this prestigious building.
"Why do I feel like I'm underdressed?" Nick asked Corrie.
"You'd be underdressed at a seedy bar," Corrie said as a twinkle came to her eye, "Though not so much so at a nudist colony."
"Thank you for that much," Nick chuckled, "Let's go see our stiffs."
They walked into the room and Nick saw a familiar face. Terry Moore was looking over the scene of the crime with a really sour look on his face. Terry had been on Miller's squad for nearly six years before the Sleeping Beauty case split the team in half more than a year before. He's been working for another squad leader ever since.
"I see you caught the call on this," Nick said, "How's it going, Terry?"
"Lousy," he said, "This case just reeks of overtime and Charlie sent me out alone on it."
"Relax," Nick shrugged, "Looks like you were just a placeholder. The chief conned Mike into sending us here to relieve you."
"There is a god," Terry said, showing his gap toothed smile, "I guess the fact that nobody has any confidence in me is paying off tonight. Good thing too. I have tickets to a show tonight."
"How nice," Corrie said, grumbling inside, "So who are the stiffs?"
"Henry Wright and his secretary," Terry said, "Looks like they might have been doing each other when they were killed."
"The Henry Wright eh?" Corrie said, whistling, "No wonder the chief is bugging out. Wright was the chief backer of the reformers that put the new guy into office."
"Anyone had to be better than the last one," Nick shrugged.
The previous mayor was one step away from being arrested by Mike Miller's Sleeping Beauty task force for committing a copycat murder when Sleeping Beauty herself assassinated him very publicly a year before. The scandal that broke from his death caused a complete overhaul of city politics, throwing out every incumbent that dared to run again, replacing them with a group of reformers backed principally by Henry Wright and his influential friends.
"Wright is supposed to be a straight arrow," Corrie said, "Good friends, good family. Made his fortune buying up run down houses and restoring them, often by himself."
"Any information on the girl?" Nick asked Terry.
"Secretary," Terry shrugged, indicating he didn't care much, "Name is Sandy Calitri. Nobody seems to know much about her."
"Ok," Nick said, "I take it you're handing off the lead to us?"
"Hell yes," Terry said, "I don't want it."
"Stick around," Nick suggested, "I'll call Charlie and clear it. There are a lot of people to interview and we'll need some extra help."
"You've got me until five," Terry said, "After that, you're on your
"I intend to have it dealt with long before then," Nick said, "Who have you talked to so far, Terry?"
"Nobody in particular," Terry said, "Set up the perimeter and waited for them to send you."
"You're all heart," Corrie said dryly.
"Go to each floor and start talking to the residents," Nick instructed Terry, "Find out all you can about Mr. Wright."
"You got it," Terry said.
"Is he any good?" Corrie asked Nick.
"Passable," Nick shrugged, "Good enough for shit details. Not as dumb as Creighton but not as smart as Marcus or us."
"Good enough for me," Corrie said, "Let's see what we have here."
Chapter 3
They milled around the room and looked at the bodies. Henry Wright's office was an opulent one, befitting of a man who had fought like a tiger to come from the bottom. There were photos and plaques, the usual vanity wall for a high powered executive. The photos of his family were also extremely prominent.
"How could she do him under the pictures of his family?" Corrie asked, wrinkling her nose.
"I'm not so sure she was," Nick said, taking a closer look at the bodies, "Come here and look at this."
Corrie walked over and took a good look at the corpses, both of whom had been shot at close range with a low caliber pistol. She crouched down and looked at the area between them and looked up at Nick.
"You must be seeing something I don't," Corrie said, "They're naked and in the right position."
"Look at the scar just to the left of his penis," Nick said, pointing with a latex gloved hand, "Have you ever seen one of those before?"
"No," Corrie chuckled, "I haven't seen any but yours for a long time now."
"It's a vasectomy scar," Nick explained, "Ol' Henry was shooting blanks."
"So?" Corrie asked him.
"So why does he have a condom on?" Nick asked her, "He didn't have to wear one."
"Disease prevention?" Corrie suggested.
"He's too rich to worry about that," Nick said, "And he's with his secretary, not some slut off the street. The condom doesn't look like it was put on very well either."