Fan Fiction

by Anne Trembley

If anything, what kept them together was their brotherhood, more than the fight.  The fight brought them together, that's true.  When that was gone, they still had that connection, that love. 

And THAT is the real victory......

Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7 ::
Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9 :: Chapter 10 :: Chapter 11 :: Chapter 12 :: Chapter 13 :: Chapter 14 ::
Chapter 15 :: Chapter 16 :: Chapter 17 :: Chapter 18 :: Chapter 19 :: Chapter 20 :: Chapter 21

10:51 PM Gulf of Mexico

        As he spoke the name.  Marty fled on the tide of pain as it rolled away, carrying him all the way to the gray fog of the overworld.  Here he searched for a place outside time and space.   The forever fog opened and the place rose before him, the bamboo grove, the gate, and the path of many stones. 
        Jack stood just within the grove dressed in Ninja black.  He smiled.
        "Come in Marty, you can rest here."  He made no move to open the gate, only waiting in the soft unfocused light.  Martin looked at him with a sense of confusion.  Jack's face was very kind, "I cannot open the gate Marty, only the living can open it."  
        When he touched the simple wooden gate, a wash of electrical fire ran through his very bones.  As he passed through he felt the change.  A falling away of every pain and grief, here there was only rest.  He had been vaguely aware of nakedness, now he was clothed as a Samurai at rest.   Jack's eyes crinkled at the corners, as Martin looked down in surprise. 
        "Marty, you were always more Samurai than Ninja at heart."
Mist dripped from the tall bamboo leaves around them. They walked
upward on the path of many stones, up out of the fog to the top of a small hill surrounded by tall bamboo in full flower.  The perfect teahouse stood there. 
"Where am I?"
"A place where you can rest.  We are between moments in time.  This is a secret place where we can talk.  When you go back you will need all the strength you have. This battle will be to the death."


10:18 PM Miami

Miami was all sparkle in the night.  More neon and garish light then Sonny remembered.  Most of the marinas seemed equally brilliantly lit.  This marina was on the quiet side, as if those who docked here preferred privacy and the sky.  A group of people walked quietly from their parked cars toward the dock.  Two of the men carried small travel bags as the group moved toward a large sailboat.  The name on the stern was St Vitus Dance.

Sonny stood still and stared at the boat for a long moment, and then shook his head with a twisted grin. 
"I never thought I'd see this place again."
Gina cocked an eyebrow.  "It's not the same."
Tubbs laughed, "What, no alligator?"
Stan Switek offered up,
"Elvis went to alligator heaven at the Gator Zoo in Tampa."
Tubbs laughed again.  "I figured Elvis for expensive cowboy boots."
Sonny shrugged, "Hey, I learned.  Next time I get a pet it's gonna be a rock."
Gina held out the hatch keys, "Ding's not getting out of the hospital for another week or two, he said you guys are welcome to stay here.  It's still got the extra bunks."
Sonny grinned as he took the keys, "Thanks.  Just like old times."  He looked around the boat and his face gradually went
still, a wash of old memories like faded pictures of a terrible crime. 
"You Okay Sonny?"   His answering smile was self depreciating.  "Yeah...Just... A lot of memories here."  Yeah, maybe too many.
        They all boarded the sailboat and Sonny opened it up.  The galley was unusually well stocked.  Sonny didn't remember ever leaving it in this condition.  It even had a new coffee maker. Wow.  Half an hour later they had all gathered on deck, mostly drinking coffee.  Sonny kept glancing over his shoulder, expecting the damn alligator in a bad mood again.  He asked the group,
"So tell me about Marco?  Is he any good?"
Switek smiled with a sideways twist.
"Oh he's good, smooth talker, very slick."
Gina raised her eyebrows.
"Too slick sometimes."
Switek nodded at her.
"We need him now.  McKinnin may be a pinhead, but he is going to notice if we're all out somewhere else.  Castillo has Marco pinned, but the green marine doesn't know him from Adam, and he can talk his way out of anything."
Trudy's voice shouted from the dock,
"Come an' get it guys.  I am NOT carrying all these bags.  And I got all the paper on the Thai trade."

11:12 PM Miami

Crowded together with food containers and papers being studied and passed around.  Sonny finished a bite while reading the end of a page and passing it to Switek.
"This is beautiful Trudy."
Trudy smiled halfheartedly, as she passed a page to Arnie and took a swig of soda.
"Thanks, that's most of what I do now.  The trouble is, so far it's a dead end."
Gina put down one folder and studied a note from another.
"When Lao Li died, the family started fighting over the assets.  It's been two years and just starting to settle down.  The new head is Jing Li, and we don't have much on him, but he seems to be busy making himself secure as head of the family.  I'm not sure he's got time for revenge?"
Sonny wrinkled his forehead with a frown and ran a hand through his hair.
"Was he here with the rest of the family for the Lao li retirement fiasco?"
Trudy picked up a long sheet of computer paper and scanned it.
"No.  And his placement in the family is a little thin.  He's not in the direct line to grab the throne."
Tubbs spoke up them, "Would he waste time and a ton of money for something like this?"
Sonny looked deeply worried.
"I don't know, I don't see what he would gain?  Where is the payoff?  Castillo doesn't know anything current about DEA activities.  It might prove the family's got a long arm, and a long memory for loss of face.  'Face' means a lot, Lao Li's was pretty red when he left."
Switek sighed, he didn't want to bring the subject up.
"If somebody just wanted revenge, I think they'd have left the body somewhere real public already."
"STAN!"  Trudy yelled, "Shut up!"
 
Tubbs put down a folder.
"Nothing out of the ordinary weirdness lately?"
Trudy shook her head with a frown.  "Nothing that included any Chinese."
"How about a Chinese fishing boat?"
"Not even remotely.  Are you sure Izzy's not trying to sell you blanks?"
Sonny smiled.  "Yeah, I'm sure.  I've seen Izzy scared, but I've never seen him THIS scared.  He said it was a Chinese who hired the muscle, but somebody else brokered the deal."  The lines deepened in Sonny's face, "Izzy said 'there is a man who lives on a boat.'  And then he just about puked and passed out.  He finally said there was some super interrogator back in his Cuban days, who lived on a boat and did contract work on people.  Somehow he thinks it's the same guy."
Tubbs grew thoughtful.  "Maybe being Chinese has nothing to do with the grab.  Anybody could have hired HIM.  His body may be the next one we find.  What kind of cases have you guys been doing?"
 
Gina closed the folder she had been going through. "We've been into a computer porn ring, that's what Constanza was really about.  We get pulled out for undercover specials.  All the usual stuff, drugs, sex, money.  But nothing that got real close and personal.  Not enough to start an expensive vendetta."
Switek snorted.
"Maybe.  With our customers, you just don't know. They run from 'strange' to completely crazy."
Sonny ran a hand through his hair tiredly, frustrated.
"Anyone who does kidnapping as a trademark?"
"No.  It's too complicated.  Whacking people in restaurants is about as complex as it gets."
Trudy began to shuffle papers together into a bundle.
"I'll go back in tonight and hit the computer records.  If somebody has a habit of grabbing cops, I'll find it."
Tubbs looked around the tired depressed group.  "Do any of you remember him saying anything personal in the last few weeks?"
"The Lieutenant? are you kidding?"
Arnie, who hadn't said much at all during the late dinner and tactical meeting, looked up.
"Well...I think I heard something...maybe."  The others all turned to look hard at him.  "Hey, I don't know if it means anything.  I'm not even sure what I heard.  I took some stuff in the office and he was on the phone.  I just heard the end of what he said...It was..." Arnie squinted hard trying to remember the exact words,"'9:00 the 21st.  Thank you, I would be honored to meet with him again.  Yes, it's been a long time."  Then he said something I didn't catch, sort of like..Nams day."  I kinda got the idea it was some kind of Vet thing.  Somebody told me he was in Nam." 
Crockett chewed his lip, thoughtfully.  "Yeah, he was."
Switek raised his eyebrows.  "For clues that's a longshot." 
Tubbs ticked over the calendar mentally, "The 21st, that's next week.  You never know, it might be worth checking into.  It just needs a phone and a lot of dimes.  Who would know about Vet. Events in town?"
Gina pulled out a small black book and flipped through it.  "I've got a friend. I'll call as soon as I get home."
Crockett stood up and stretched.  "I'll take Izzy with us and hunt down the guy who met the Chinese."
Rico laughed suddenly.
"You remember that crazy mess with the frozen reggae singer?
Sonny dropped his head, "Yeah, Izzy at his finest.  And the police commissioner was having hysterics because that crazy woman's lawyer was threatening to sue the department for about 10 million bucks, he kept calling Castillo wanting him to fix it somehow, because we knew Izzy."
"I think Castillo was ready to hang Izzy with the phone cords if he coulda found him.  Remember when he left the office that night?"
Sonny winced a little,
"God yes, he handed me his phone on the way out, and I couldn't figure out why. and then I saw he'd pulled it out of the wall.
Gina grinned. "I laughed about it later."
Sonny grinned too.  "I don't think he did."
Arnie who hadn't said much, just listened to the old timers talk, suddenly spoke up.
"He doesn't smile much."
All the others turned and looked at Arnie for a second, finally a half smile twitched up the side of Sonny's mouth as he glanced at Arnie.  "Kid, He's never had much to smile about."
        Shortly after that, they agreed on code words, places to meet, and the next day's agenda.  Then most people headed home.
        The few leftovers went in the tiny fridge, and two trashbags took everything else.  Sonny loved one new feature to this marina, a secure trashcan chained to the dock.  Sonny sat on the deck staring out over the water trying to shift gears down enough to sleep.
Tubbs climbed up on deck, "Marco's not as big a slob as you Crockett, the place looks pretty clean and the bunks are made up.
I put your bag on one." Tubbs stoped talking and just watched Crockett for a minute.  Without looking at Rico, Sonny spoke softly.  "Do you ever miss it?"
"Yes....No.  I miss feeling like nothing could touch me.  Like I was invulnerable and young forever."
Sonny snorted.
"Yeah,  that's what I miss.  Being young and stupid."  Sonny finally turned to look at Rico and grinned.  "I tell you what I really miss.  The heat."
Rico laughed at that, "Oh man, I remember the summers!  Thought I would die, just melt away."
"Come out to Oregon, summer lasts about two weeks."
"Ow, even New York's better then that!"

Saturday 8:03 AM OCB Offices

        The new day had more elements of surreal then Crockett had experienced in years.  They all got in horribly early and tried to coordinate their search efforts before the Feds and McKinnin showed up.  McKinnin was not a sure thing.  The Lieutenant always showed up on Saturday, but technically he didn't have to.  Sonny was hoping he would stay home like a good little bureaucrat.  The man was a paper hound of the worst sort.  He expected to see paper on EVERYTHING imaginable, and the Feds having taken over the conference room made things worse.  They kept asking for more items, and Sonny secretly wondered whether they were just there for show.  So far most of their time had been spent going through every conceivable informant they had ever met.
  Taking Izzy to find the missing muscle had ultimately led to
A dead end at a bus station.  Everyone met back at the St. Vitus, having Chinese and information exchange for dinner again.

Sunday 12:33 AM Miami

        Sonny felt unbelievably wired.  He sat out on the deck staring off into the darkness trying to believe there was any hope of finding Castillo alive.  He jumped at the distinct ripple in the water, a boat coming in.  It was a fishing charter.  Big fishing rods still racked in the stern.  The man at the wheel looked to be in his early fifties, wiry thin with a bushy mustache and dark hair streaked with gray in a ponytail.  A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth.  The boat came very close.  The man looked up at Sonny who already sensed more then casual interest in his eyes.  He held the cigarette in one hand.

"Crockett."

Sonny stiffened.  Hand drifting toward his ankle holster.
"That's me.  Who want's to know?"

"You need to go fishing."

The blood left Sonny's face and his skin went cold.
"What are you saying?!"

"Rent a fast boat, you don't have a lot of time."

"look I don't have time to dance around this pal.  I need to know what you know." 

Lawson looked at him from under thick black eyebrows, tossed the cigarette into the water. 
"You're a friend of Marty's."  It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah. I am."
"I saw him taken aboard a ship called the Cowboy three nights ago.  If you don't get him off it before they're done with him, he's better off dead.  The ship's scheduled to dock in 3 days for a maintenance overhaul.  You've got to get to him before then."
"How do you know this?"
Lawson looked as if he'd eaten something sour.
"karma.  Look south of CDRF1."
Lawson began turning the boat away.
"Who are you?  Why are you telling me?"
Felix Lawson glanced at Sonny with faint amusement.
"Blood debts."


Farther away then most people might imagine possible; two men were in a car watching.  Both used night vision binoculars.
Reese dropped the scope.  So Lawson had something to tell the kiddies. Interesting.  Let's see where the boys go now.

1:23 AM  OCB OFFICES

Trudy Joplin walked the hallways toward OCB.  Trudy had long ago discovered a place that sold rubber soled high-heels for outrageous amounts of money.  The investment had been worth it.
She could walk down a boardwalk or tiled surface without a sound and surprise the hell out of people, and she did not slip or skid.  One of the first valuable lessons she had learned from observing Castillo.  The man's silent walk had baffled her until she paid enough attention to realize that part of it was the seemingly nondescript black shoes.  It took a lot of discrete observation to realize they were more like track shoes than office wear, but very subtle.  That was when she began the hunt for better shoes.
The lights were low in the halls, approaching the swinging doors she heard the distinct sound of a desk drawer slamming and stopped.
Approaching cautiously, she peeked through the door window.
Inside the OCB the conference room was lit and one of the Feds sat at the table with papers spread around.  In the dimly lit office another was using a master key set to open a locked drawer in Stan's desk.  The man began to paw through the drawer contents.
        Trudy lit up with rage.  She wanted to lean through the door and fire a few well aimed rounds.  They had given the Feds every piece of every case that might have led to Castillo's disappearance, and all they could think of was to start sneaking into people's desks! 
Instead, she moved slowly and silently back down the hall to the break room.  Thinking quickly she looked around the room for inspiration.  The old coffee boiler?  It had been unused since the first Mr. Coffee came to OCB, but had sat up on the shelves for more years than she wanted to count.  Trudy quickly pulled a chair over and got the old fashioned percolator down.  It was heavier than she vaguely remembered.  Carrying it loosely in her arms, she strolled back to OCB doors, walking up to them and bumping them without pushing them open and dropping the pot.  It clanged agreeably like breaking bells but did not fall into pieces.  Oops, she hadn't noticed the scotch tape on the lid.  Oh well, Trudy opened her purse and dropped it, cursing loudly.  She could hear hurried scuffling inside OCB.  When she finally entered the office, Trudy awkwardly carried the old coffee pot and her purse.  The feds were both in the briefing room looking at papers.  They both turned to look as she walked to her desk and set the pot down.  Trudy yawned with a theatrical flourish.  Unlocked her desk and pulled a sheaf of papers out.  Setting them on top of the coffee pot. 
Carefully stretching. Knowing full well the effect that would have on the two men in the briefing room.  She yawned again and looked at them.
"You guys still here?"  They stared at her for a long moment and when the younger one caught his breath he said, 
"Yes.  We're trying to organize the data."
"How's it going?" She asked brightly.
"We're working on it."
"You go, Boys."
At that moment the phone on her desk rang.  She picked it up casually and oozed into it.  "Hello Sugar." Anybody who worked the OCB knew that was a code phrase that meant she was being listened to, and couldn't talk."
Sonny liked The Ferrari Maranello.  He liked it a lot.  The blue gray leather seats were buttery soft.  The shift made the word smooth sound like go-cart wheels.  They were headed for the OCB, and he was trying not to pick up any speeding tickets. Rico had his cellphone pressed to his ear.
"Trudy said she was going back in for another shot at the computers, so she should already be there."
Sonny kept his eyes on the road. 
"Tell her what the man said.  She can start looking for boats."
Rico started again, "Do you think Reese has something to do with this?"
"God, I hope not.  This looks really bad already.  If the Spooks are in on it we got way to many fingers in the pie."

Rico looked ahead waiting for the number to be picked up.  When the phone picked up, Trudy's voice oozed seductively,

"Hello Sugar." 

And that told him something was wrong.  Tubbs had not lost THAT code phrase from his memory.  His voice was casual in response.
"Hi babycakes this is Rico, when you gettin off work?"  Trudy's voice dripped enticing interest, 
"Oh Sugar Daddy Darlin, I'll be outta here in 5."  The line clicked.
Sonny glanced at Tubbs with a sudden double-take before realizing what was wrong.  Rico started dialing again immediately. Sonny cursed under his breath, and asked,
"What happened?"
"I don't know.  She couldn't say.  Three mush words in
A row means meet at Benny's." 
Rico listened for several long moments to his cellphone.  Before starting to dial again. 
"Gina's long gone.  I'm gonna try and catch Swi or Arnie."
Sonny kept his eyes on the road and hit the gas.
"This just keeps getting better."

by Anne Trembley

Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7 ::
Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9 :: Chapter 10 :: Chapter 11 :: Chapter 12 :: Chapter 13 :: Chapter 14 ::
Chapter 15 :: Chapter 16 :: Chapter 17 :: Chapter 18 :: Chapter 19 :: Chapter 20 :: Chapter 21