Page 94 of Rules of Engagement

Chapter Twenty

The parcel wasn't waiting in the lobby or the doorway. Instead, the delivery was suspended in front of the building by his ankles, which were duct-taped together. His wrists were behind his back, also duct-taped, and he wriggled and writhed like a caterpillar trying to emerge from a cocoon. A gun was in his hands and a large square of paper was taped to his chest.

"What the..." began Garrett, trailing off in disbelief. "Put your weapons down," he said, waving to the semi-circle of officers surrounding the struggling, upside-down man.

"Can't do that, Lieutenant. He's armed," said one of the officers, training his gun on the human cocoon.

"What do you think he's going to do?" asked Garrett. He walked over to the man and removed the gun, dropping it into a plastic bag he pulled from his jacket pocket. He stopped the man from rotating any further and pulled off the paper and walked back to us. "Someone stuck a stamp on his forehead," he said, biting back a smile.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"According to this note, he's our wannabe syringe assassin and the hospital shooter," said Garrett. He looked back at the man. "He's more upside-down than I thought he would be."

"That's the man who shot at me?" I gasped.

"Yep. Seems someone took a dislike to him, or to his contract, and decided to hand him over to us, weapon and all. Wonder how they got him up the flagpole without anyone noticing?" he asked, in what I hoped was a rhetorical question. Several uniformed officers were sheathing their weapons and puzzling about what to do with the man, who was now rotating again. A few civilians had stopped to gawk and take photos. It couldn't be long before a reporter from the Montgomery Gazette would show up.

I looked around, noticing a car idling at the curb. The only thing interesting about it was the blackened out windows at the rear. As I stared, the window cracked a little bit and a finger beckoned me. With Garrett and Maddox both mesmerized by the duct-taped man, I walked over and the window lowered. "Get in," said Duncan O'Malley.

"I'm a little busy right now," I said. "Are you enjoying the show?"

"It's very entertaining. I don't often get to indulge in such spectacles."

"Sooner or later, someone is going to start looking around for the culprit," I answered. "Hi, Donny," I said to the driver.

"How’re you doing, Ms. Graves?" said Donny.

"My day just keeps getting better," I told him before turning back to O'Malley. "My point stands about everyone's attentions will be turning away from the spectacle soon."

"Let's hope they don't waste their time. I think you'll find you have everything you need here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help."

I was rarely thanked by criminals and I wasn't sure what to make of that, so I said, "My pleasure."

"I'm sure it's been very difficult to be separated from your husband-to-be," continued O'Malley. "Perhaps you'll feel more comfortable in returning to the hospital now?"

"I will, but there's still work to be done. Did you get a chance to talk with..." I nodded to the dangling man. Three officers now steadied him and someone was working on untying the flagpole rope.

"Not as much as I would have liked, since I prefer to present my gifts in good condition. I think you'll find he's quite chatty."

"Oh? Your previous gift wasn't."

"That's a shame. It often happens when there isn't sufficient leverage. This man has a family. Lovely-looking wife and a pair of charming boys. Apparently, he likes them and is strongly opposed to having his house burnt down."

Cold washed over me. I might have appreciated his efforts but there was no escaping what he was suggesting. "How do you know all this?" I asked. "How did you know who was involved?"

"I recognized a signature in his style and it appears I might have considered hiring him," he said, picking his words carefully. "I think it's best that he retires now. I don't want to alarm you, but he did mention the attempt was a warning. My intel tells me there is something to do with a very large payment that is past due and if it's not made, the third attempt won't be any warning."

"A past due payment?"

"Since you asked, I don't believe it's a warning to you. However, there was some mention of it being involved with drugs. That's not my line of work so I'm not as informed as I'd like to be. You should be careful with whom you share this information. I've already seen one crooked cop stroll out of this building today."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"I'm not sure of his name but I recognized him from Boston. Maybe he transferred here. He's in deep with a gang up there and that gang has connections with the Niners here. Keep the card. You never know when you might need it. Let's go, Donny," The window rolled up and the car slid away, leaving me alone on the sidewalk. I turned away from the road and blew out the anxious breath I didn't realize I'd been holding before I walked back to Maddox and Garrett. Duncan O'Malley's warning weighed heavily on me and it worried me. He intimated about a worrying link within the MPD but not in the way I suspected it. Could that link have something to do with Mooch's reluctance to talk? Or was it about hiring this hit man?

"Garrett, do you know any cops who've recently transferred here from Boston PD?" I asked.

"No, don't think so."

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