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    Tracefinder: Contact
    Tracefinder: Contact
    Tracefinder: Contact
    Ebook542 pages9 hours

    Tracefinder: Contact

    By Kaje Harper

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    What could an undercover cop and a drug lord’s pet psychic have in common?

    Brian Kerr has spent years hiding behind a facade of mental slowness. His brother and sister got all three of them off the streets and into a cushy life, under the protection of a dangerous criminal. But to keep that safety, Brian has to use his Finding talent to track down the boss’s enemies. Although he pretends not to know what he’s really doing, each Find takes its toll, and he’s trapped in a life he hates, losing touch with his true self.

    Nick Rugo’s job is to protect and serve the people of Minneapolis as an undercover cop. He isn’t closeted, but he isn’t out at work, and there’s a wild, angry side to him that he’s managed to keep hidden until now. When he’s assigned to bring Brian’s boss to justice, he intends to use anything and anyone it takes to do that.

    Nick initially sees Brian as a pawn to be played in his case, but he keeps getting glimpses of a different man behind the slow, simpleminded mask. As the two men get to know each other, it becomes clear they share secrets, some of which might get them both killed.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKaje Harper
    Release dateJan 8, 2016
    ISBN9781310204647
    Tracefinder: Contact
    Author

    Kaje Harper

    I get asked about my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers.I was born in Montreal but I've lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi...) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published, including Amazon bestseller "The Rebuilding Year" and Rainbow Award Best Mystery-Thriller "Tracefinder: Contact." A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/books/.I'm always pleased to have readers find me online at:Website: https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarperGoodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4769304.Kaje_Harper

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    3.5/5

    9 ratings2 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Yuck. I checked other reviews , because I wondered if I was having an overreaction, or if everyone else also had the same issues as me. I'm surprised so many people like this book. I usually really like this author come up but the setup in this book is just so yucky to me. One of the main characters is a cop and is under cover, but the most vulnerable commentally compromised other main character, is totally Used. It's just so yucky to me. And it's weird to think that this is OK with so many people
    • 5/5
      This was so different, believable and strong. I'm si nervous and worry about them. I can't wait to read another book from this series.

    Book preview

    Tracefinder - Kaje Harper

    Chapter 1

    Nick ducked a chair that slammed past his head, and grinned even though it made his split lip bleed. A dozen men around him thrashed and grunted and wrestled each other to the floor of the bar, drowning out the TV with curses and the thudding of fists and feet. It was the best kind of chaos.

    A big, bearded guy with whiskey breath crashed into him, snarled, and grabbed at his arm. Nick dodged and got in a low, fast punch. His hand sunk into his opponent’s gut with a satisfying jolt. The man dropped to one knee, wheezing, and Nick leaped away from him, ready for the next source of trouble. There was one particular guy he wanted to get, but he wasn’t fussy about who he took down along the way.

    He laughed, feeling the adrenaline surge through him. Colors were brighter, sounds sharper, the rasp of his breath and the pounding of his heart and the pain in his lip melded in an excellent high. This is so fucking good!

    The bar crowd heaved and shouted, a mass of struggling men— drunk, angry, punching, clawing. It was nothing like a choreographed movie fight. No fancy punches or across-the-room throws. The bottles that connected thunked solidly instead of smashing. This wasn’t good guys against bad guys. This was bored, boozed-up, short-fused men set off by one stupid comment, some better men than others perhaps, but no saints. No white hats— not even Nick Rugo, for all that he was a cop. In another life.

    Here, he was No-Knife Nick, known for starting fights as well as ending them. Also known for the time he took out a guy wielding a machete with one lucky punch. In this boonies dive bar, it was his claim to fame. Fists of steel, no knife needed.

    A pair of men staggered toward him, pushing and shoving, their hands clenched in each other’s shirts, heavy boots kicking and stomping. He dodged them and slid farther down the bar, trying to find his target. There.

    He vaulted over the bar, ducked the bartender’s reflex elbow jab, reached over, and dragged his quarry by the neck and arm across the bar and down to the floor behind it. The other man was big, and some of that was muscle, but he was also very drunk and caught by surprise. They fell together, and Nick got in two quick, short gut punches that drove the man’s breath from his body. Nick pinned the guy’s wheezing torso with his own weight, and growled in his ear, "When a woman says no, she fuckin’ means no." He leaned back enough to clock the guy hard across the jaw, half-hoping he’d break it. Do him good to have his filthy mouth wired shut for a month.

    A flicker of movement from behind warned Nick in time to roll away, and the bartender’s baseball bat hit his opponent’s shoulder instead of Nick’s head. He scrambled farther backward, empty hands held out, and found space at the end of the bar to clamber back to the customer side. The fight was still surging, spilling out into the street, and a far-off siren suggested someone had called the cops. It was time to be gone.

    He edged to the wall, heading for the hallway into the back. A large male bulk blocked him, and he tensed to fight his way past, then relaxed as he recognized the man. Every bar had its top dog, and here, it was undisputedly Damon Kerr, but this was just Damon’s younger brother. He was no threat— a big guy but quiet, slow, and stupid, and never one for any kind of fight. He usually stayed in the shadows and kept his mouth shut. It was pretty typical to find him with his back to the wall, simply watching.

    As Nick ducked past, close enough that their shoulders and arms brushed, he said on impulse, Come on, let’s get outta here. Back door. I don’t wanna get hauled in by the cops tonight. I bet you don’t either.

    He caught one glimpse of startled light-blue eyes, as big-little brother stared at him. Then the sound of fast-approaching sirens drove Nick on his way. Damon’s brother could follow or not. Nick could not afford to get picked up, even if he was well outside his own precinct.

    He dodged around three women who were yelling threats and encouragement at the men, hurried down the hall past the reeking bathrooms, and slammed the emergency bar to open the back door. The fire alarm went off, of course, but he could already hear at least three patrol cars coming, so who cared? He swung out into the alley and sprinted for the corner, hearing other footsteps behind him doing the same. As the first lit-up black-and-white squealed into view around a corner, three blocks away, he made it to the sidewalk and slowed to a steady, innocent-looking walk.

    He raised one hand to rub his nose, hiding his bleeding lip. The odds were the cops wouldn’t give him more than a glance, as long as he moved casually and didn’t draw their attention. He watched with deliberately open curiosity as they sped by, ignoring him.

    The black-and-whites were safely past, pulling over in front of the bar, when someone behind him said, You fight good.

    He whirled, putting his back to the brick wall of the pawnshop beside him. Five feet away, Damon’s brother stood eyeing him. The shop’s awning cast a deep shadow, and Nick couldn’t make out the guy’s expression, but his body language was casual, not aggressive. You’re No-Knife Nick, right? Nok Nick? I’m Brian.

    I’m just Nick. He hated the short version of his nickname even worse than the long one.

    Oh. Brian nodded three or four times.

    Nick wondered how simple the guy was. He’d never spoken to Brian before; in fact he didn’t think he’d heard him say more than a yes or no to anyone, ever. Damon dragged the kid around like a big puppy, and the guys in Damon’s circle treated him like some kind of mascot, although he was apparently old enough to be served beer with the rest of them. He didn’t have the tilted features and short fingers of a Down syndrome kid, but his face was smooth and round, with those light eyes, a wide, full mouth, and fine-textured, flyaway white-blond hair. When Brian took a step out of the shadows, staring intently into Nick’s eyes, the nearest streetlight backlit that hair in a pale halo.

    Are you able to get home all right by yourself? Nick began edging down the sidewalk. He wanted to be gone— the pleasure of a good fight was outweighed by the risks now— but he didn’t want to abandon some special-needs guy on a dark street in the bad part of town, no matter who his brother was. Do you need help?

    Good question. Brian took a step closer, then stopped and said more loudly and flatly. No. I’m good. I know.

    Sure you do, Bry. The man who hurried up to them was one of Damon’s friends, a heavyset guy called Booker. He was in his thirties with a full beard and dreadlocks, and wouldn’t have looked out of place in a biker bar. Nick stood his ground, and kept his body language neutral.

    Booker said to Brian, C’mon. Let’s get you the fuck out of here. And you, No-Knife, mind your own fucking business, you hear me? He glared at Nick, grabbing Brian’s arm in a meaty fist.

    Nick shrugged, deliberately casual. Back off, Booker. I’m gone.

    He turned away, as if it didn’t bother him at all to have Booker at his unprotected back, and walked steadily down the sidewalk. Two sets of footsteps followed him, but he didn’t look back, and at the corner they hung a left while he went right. He waited until he couldn’t hear them clearly anymore to pause and drop to one knee to adjust his shoe, glancing to his left as he did so. Booker had stopped at an SUV parked by the curb a block away. In the dome light, Nick could make out Brian’s light hair as he got in on the passenger side. Then the doors shut, the light went out and headlights came on, and the SUV pulled away down the road.

    Nick stood and resumed his casual pace for another five blocks to where his car was parked. A quick look around told him that no one seemed to be paying him or his car any attention. He clicked the door open and slid in, the dome light deliberately turned off. He pulled out from the curb and drove a hundred feet before switching on his headlights. Excess caution, maybe, but his plates were registered in his own name, and he was a careful man. Sometimes.

    He ran his tongue across his teeth, tasting the blood from his lip. That seemed to be his only real damage. His knuckles ached a bit. Knowing where and how to hit people usually saved his hands. He’d have to explain away the lip tomorrow, but the guys on his shift already thought he was a bit accident-prone. He’d manage.

    A few blocks farther down, he took time to pull over and dab at his face with a tissue. There was barely a smear of red on it. Good enough.

    As he drove on, the adrenaline high of the fight faded to a comfortable buzz. He flexed his fingers on the wheel, oddly comforted by the soreness. The violent need inside him that had risen up, itching for blood and blows, was quiet again, settled for a while. And hopefully that bastard in the bar, with the grabby hands and entitled sneer, would think twice before mauling a waitress’s tits again. No means no, fat boy. Between his punch to the guy’s jaw, and whatever damage the bartender’s baseball bat to the shoulder had done, it should be a pretty clear lesson.

    He headed back down into the Cities. The closer he got, the busier the traffic. He eased his foot off the gas, dropping to a careful four miles over the limit. His brother cops would be out looking for speeders and drunks, making those dangerous traffic stops that could be anything from a priest with a lead foot to a felon with a gun. That would be him on the job tomorrow, and he wished them well, as long as they let him cruise on by right now.

    When he finally turned in to his trailer park, he slowed way down, keeping an eye out for stray dogs, children, and drunks. Even this late, any of those were possible. In fact, as he pulled into the parking space beside his trailer he spotted two kids sitting on the step of the double-wide across the way. He could hear the parents inside fighting, drunken voices swearing at each other. He sighed, got out, and crossed toward them. Hey, Tyrone, your folks fighting again?

    The older kid, a boy of ten, rolled his eyes. Nah. I came out to see the moon eclipse, you feel me?

    Smartass. Nick didn’t put any force behind that, and the little girl managed a wavery grin as she looked up at him. He said, You want me to bang on the door?

    Tyrone looked away. Got no school tomorrow. I can stay up if I want to.

    Well, I have to work. Nick stepped up between them and pounded on the Carters’ door.

    The argument stopped and the door jerked open. What?

    Nick said easily, If you don’t tone it down, old lady Cornish is gonna call the cops on you again. And I don’t want the sirens waking me up, yanno?

    That bitch, the kids’ father said, swaying on his feet.

    Yeah, yeah, well, if she doesn’t, Dreyfus will, or maybe I will myself. It’s after midnight. Give it a rest, huh? He gestured down. Your kids and I need our sleep.

    Bill Carter ran a hand over his face, and then looked at his two kids huddled on the step. Damn. Okay. Yeah, we’re done. He lowered his voice. Ty, Keesha, come on in.

    For a second the children stared at him. Then they stood up and filed past into the trailer. Their father slammed the door in Nick’s face. Nick waited on the step, listening just in case, relieved when there were no more shouts or curses. The mother’s voice rose plaintively for a moment, then quieted. After a couple more minutes, Nick headed back to his own place.

    His good mood had turned bitter by the time he opened the door and let himself in. He remembered him and Ari once, at one of the foster homes, doing that same thing— sitting on the steps waiting for the couple to stop yelling, till it felt safe to creep back to bed. He was torn about Tyrone and Keesha, wondering if he maybe should step in officially. But as far as he could tell, no matter how drunk the parents were, they didn’t lay hands on the kids. And when they were sober, they were a decent family. There was love there alongside the fights. Nick knew firsthand how many worse homes could be found in the foster system. Best to let it go.

    He kicked off his boots and tossed his nearly empty wallet into the dish, beside all the ID he’d pulled out of it before heading to the bar. The floor was cool under his feet and he suddenly missed his cat. Which was dumb, because she’d been gone a couple years, and she’d never really been his cat to begin with. At most, Jinx had been a freeloader, an aloof stray sometimes willing to come in out of the weather and allow him to make offerings of food. He’d never even petted her before she vanished as abruptly as she’d come. And yet, she’d been something to take care of. Someone who noticed if he made it home or not.

    As he got ready for bed, he tried to get back some of the contentment he’d felt leaving the bar. He remembered the moment that dumb bastard had looked up from grabbing Shannon and popping the button on her blouse, and met Nick’s glare. The moment the guy realized that Get your fucking hands off the lady was going to be followed through with a lesson in courtesy. The surprise in his stupid eyes when Nick, six inches shorter and forty pounds lighter, landed that first solid punch. Damn that’d felt good. And the rumble it started had been a bonus, topped off with the satisfaction of a second round with the tit-grabber. The guy’d never looked better than when he was laid out bleeding on the floor.

    Nick slid in between the sheets and switched off the light. He licked his sore lip, the pinch of pain welcome, a reminder that he’d had his fun. Tomorrow he would put on the badge and the uniform, and follow the letter of the law. Tonight he’d let loose in the very best way, standing up for someone who needed it. But as he fell asleep, a vague worry nagged at him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. His subconscious was telling him not to overlook… something important. Fucking subconscious wasn’t saying what, though, and he was tired enough that he didn’t puzzle at it for long before falling asleep.

    ****

    Brian Kerr waited in his bedroom in the pool house he shared with his brother, pretending to sleep. The mattress was comfortable, but he turned restlessly between his silky sheets with their amazingly high thread count. His brother would’ve been surprised to find out he even knew what that meant. But then there were a lot of things about him that would surprise Damon. Brian hadn’t shared his secrets with his big brother since he was… well, since ever, really.

    It was getting late. Brian squinted at the glowing green numbers on the bedside clock radio. He often had a hard time with numbers and letters, and tonight the digital display swam before his eyes. He did better with his analog watch, and he pressed the stem to light it and check that instead. The shape of the hands told him it was after three in the morning.

    He wondered if Damon had gotten arrested this time. Not that he’d stay in jail long for a drunken bar fight, unless someone had been hurt much worse than Brian thought. But he’d heard the guys bitching enough to know that getting arrested on a Friday might mean a jail cell till Monday. A weekend in lockup would not make Damon easy to deal with.

    He rolled onto his side, rubbing his cheek against the pillow for comfort. The light rasp, rasp, rasp of his stubble against the Egyptian cotton was soothing, like ocean waves or wind in the trees. He slowed his breathing to match.

    The urge to get up and leave, to just go, was strong. Walk out the door alone, leave Damon, leave Lori and Marston and this whole life, no matter what happened afterward. Tonight had been too much. Another fight, another evening of blood and battering and drunken craziness, while he sat like a lump and pretended he barely noticed.

    He didn’t know how much longer he could do this. He was twenty-one now. Once, he’d promised himself when he turned twenty-one he’d leave. Somehow. But the invisible shackles had clamped down so hard, he couldn’t see a way out.

    A door slammed, and he heard Damon yell, Bry? You here, bro?

    He sat up and switched on his light. Cleared his throat, dulled and flattened his voice, becoming little dumb brother Bry. His stupid voice. His know-nothing voice. That was usually automatic, and he was surprised he even noticed tonight. One real moment, when he talked to that Nick guy as himself, had thrown him off-balance. He swallowed. Yeah? Damon? ’S that you?

    His door swung open. Of course it’s me, moron. Damon stood in the doorway, looking him over. You’re okay? Not hurt?

    I’m okay.

    Where the hell did you go? I told you, in a fight, get out of the way and stay put.

    In a crazy moment, I followed this gorgeous man. The door opened. The cops were coming. I went out.

    Jesus. Damon frowned. It’s a good thing Booker saw you. Next time follow orders, you hear me?

    I hear you.

    Damon came over and sat on his bed, reaching out to give his back a quick rub. Well, no harm done. Don’t want to lose you though. He patted Brian’s head in the way Brian hated, like a guy with his dog. At least you stayed with Booker, and didn’t get hurt. Go to sleep now. Mr. Marston has work for you in the morning.

    Work. Brian’s gut twisted sickeningly, but he thought he kept the bitterness out of his tone.

    Even so, Damon held his gaze for a minute, his expression displeased. Yeah, your kind of work. Important stuff. What only you can do.

    Find a man?

    Of course. So rest up. You want to do your best for Mr. Marston.

    No! Yes.

    Damon got up and headed for the door, saying over his shoulder, Good night.

    Brian waited until his door shut, then switched off his light and lay in the dark, rubbing his eyes. Very, very softly, he let himself say, "No. No, no, no." Of course, it was a futile gesture. Tomorrow, he’d say yes. Mr. Marston, his brother’s boss, his sister’s husband, would ask him to Find a man, and he would say yes. Maybe he’d be able to fail. Maybe there would be enough obstacles to make that believable. Or maybe the man he was asked to Find would turn out to be a bad guy, someone just as bad as Marston, and his conscience would let him follow through.

    Or maybe he’d stand up and let it all out, every bit of anger and loathing, every secret he hid, everything. Use language like he wasn’t some retard, use wit and insults and let all his hate out. Maybe tomorrow would be the day he’d make them kill him.

    If only he could believe Marston would actually do that. He wouldn’t, though. Marston was smart and knew how to control people. Marston would make some awful threat to hurt Damon, or Lori, and Brian would cave. And then he’d have revealed himself for nothing, and it would only get worse. He wished he had the nerve to kill himself, but he wasn’t brave enough for that either. Instead, tomorrow he’d be asked to Find a man, and he’d say yes.

    Chapter 2

    Nick picked up the call from Dispatch as he cruised down East River Drive, along the water. Rugo here.

    Be advised, Homicide wants you to stop by after your shift. Got a DB they want to talk to you about. See a Detective Anderson.

    Anderson. Copy. He felt a lurch of anxiety, but if the dead body in question had been someone he cared about, they’d have pulled him in right now. He still asked, Someone I’m supposed to ID?

    I have no other information.

    Okay. Got it.

    Actually, there was no one these days close enough that he’d be their next of kin. There were other cops he hung out with sometimes, but a dead cop would have Dispatch going apeshit, not casually blowing him off. On the civilian side, he had a few friends, but since Charlie moved to Portland, there was not one person they’d pull him off shift for. And how sad was that?

    He reminded himself it was his own decision. He kept his cop world and his off-duty world separated. He was friendly with neighbors who broke minor laws on a daily basis. He picked up guys for no-strings sex, liking to hang out and fight in rough bars— his off-duty self didn’t fit with his squeaky-clean law-enforcement image. He was a loner by choice. It was better this way.

    He continued his patrol automatically, curiosity simmering in the back of his mind. Who died? Why me?

    By now, he knew some of the regulars on his beat. There were a few homeless guys he’d hauled in repeatedly to dry out in the tank. He could probably ID a couple of the battered women he’d made domestic calls on. He urgently hoped it wasn’t one of them, or the guy whose abusive wife had been one sharper kitchen knife away from murder. Been there, done that. There were a couple of junkies who’d passed him information in exchange for a few bucks. In three years on the street, he’d met enough civilians that guessing was pointless.

    At the end of his shift, he went back to the precinct, parked his squad car, turned in his log, and headed for the locker room. He hung up his uniform, since no one had puked on him or thrown anything at him today. Ignoring the friendly chatter of the other guys, he quickly pulled on jeans, a T-shirt, and topped it with his leather jacket. Time to satisfy his curiosity at last.

    Homicide was inside a big old brick building in downtown Minneapolis. He IDed himself to the desk sergeant, who called upstairs. Anderson came down and met him in the lobby. This way. We have some questions for you.

    Nick shifted uncomfortably. I thought you wanted me to ID a DB.

    First we need you to answer a few questions. Anderson led him upstairs and down a long hallway, pulling open the last door to reveal a small conference room. A lean, middle-aged blond woman looked up from her seat at the table but didn’t stand. Anderson said, Officer Nick Rugo, to the blonde and waved Nick in without completing the other half of the introduction. Nick walked past him, trying to seem at ease. Anderson stepped back and closed the door between them, leaving him standing there like a kid in front of the principal’s desk.

    The woman in the chair looked up at him for a while; then her eyes narrowed. Nok Nick.

    For a panicked instant, he was tempted to deny it, but he wasn’t that dumb. He tamped down his reaction, trying to pretend it was just irritation, and said, I really hate that nickname.

    The woman waved at the seat opposite her. Take a load off. It’s been a long day. I’m Detective Olson. She tossed her ID folder across the table.

    Nick sat, glanced at the folder, and tossed it back. Detective Erika Olson. Narcotics? He’d done six months with Narcotics working undercover his second year on the force, making minor drug buys. They liked fresh faces for that, before cop instincts started to show in the way you moved, the way you reacted. He didn’t remember Olson.

    Yep. Olson didn’t elaborate.

    Can I ask what this is about?

    You can ask. Her smile was chilly. But first you can answer a few questions. What takes you up to the Torchhouse a few times a month, Officer Rugo?

    Nick tried a wry smile. He’d been told he could be charming when he did that. Would you believe it if I said the beer?

    No. Olson folded her hands on the table. Frankly, Officer Rugo, you have very little wiggle room here. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and we might get through this still on the same side.

    Nick gritted his teeth. I like it, he said, feeling his way. I like rough bars. It’s, um, how I grew up. In a manner of speaking, anyway. I’m a good cop. He leaned forward, speaking with more emphasis now. You can look at my record. Three years on patrol and not one citation for excessive force, not one upheld complaint. Not that there were no complaints, because every jailhouse lawyer who had to be wrestled into the patrol car was prone to claim brutality, but none of them had made it stick because none of them had cause. I’m a damned good cop. And I love the job. But sometimes… He didn’t know how to explain it.

    Nok Nick has quite a reputation. So. Olson’s expression was a little warmer. Sometimes you want to punch someone?

    Yeah.

    Have you ever thought about taking up boxing?

    It wasn’t the same. Boxing was full of safeguards and rules, and the guy he’d be up against was likely to be an upstanding citizen. Not someone he wanted to hit. Not someone he wanted to hurt. He shook his head.

    Any objection to taking a drug test right now?

    None. In fact, I want to. Any other time, he’d have resented the implication, but now he wanted to do anything that would place him firmly in the law-enforcement camp and not with the low-life crowd he hung out with at the bar.

    I’ll have you do that at the end of this interview. When was the last time you were at the Torchhouse?

    Friday night. If they had surveillance going on, they’d know that anyway.

    This Friday?

    Yes.

    How long did you stay?

    A couple of hours.

    What did you drink?

    Three beers? Going to bars wasn’t about the drinking. He never wanted to get drunk enough to ruin the fighting, or to potentially blow over the limit if he got stopped on the way home. The beers were more camouflage than anything.

    Was this guy there? Olson slid a picture across the table. A dead man, looking like he’d been in water somewhere. He’d clearly taken a couple of low-caliber rounds to the face. Still recognizable.

    I’m not sure. I’ve seen him, but I can’t be certain about Friday night specifically.

    When did you see him last?

    A couple of times, maybe a month ago? I don’t remember exactly.

    Do you know his name?

    I heard him called Stan.

    Last name?

    Not that I heard.

    Who called him Stan?

    A couple of his friends. Cory, Damon.

    Last names?

    Damon Kerr. I don’t know Cory’s.

    Could you pick them out in pictures?

    Sure. Probably.

    Detective Olson bent down and pulled a tablet out of the bag at her feet. All right, Officer Rugo. I want every bit of information you can give me. She touched the tablet, bringing it to life, and clicked on a picture of five men getting out of a car. Nick recognized the street outside the Torchhouse. These guys. Do you recognize any of them?

    That’s Damon in front. That guy who was driving is called Roy. I’ve seen him at the wheel before…

    Two hours later he’d been wrung out of everything he could dredge from memory. He’d given it up as willingly as he could. They had pictures of the blond guy, Brian, too. Nick had wanted to defend the kid— to mention how unlikely it was that he was part of anything bad. But he didn’t have those illusions anymore. He’d met plenty of innocent-seeming guys who’d turn around and kill someone for a buck.

    So he just said, Damon’s younger brother, Brian. He’s special needs of some sort, hangs out with his brother. Not likely to be a big player. Olson had nodded and moved on.

    Several times Olson got up and went out for a minute, leaving him in the empty room, under the eye of the camera up in the corner. Nick figured she was checking on Stan’s murder case as it unfolded, or verifying stuff Nick had told her. Hell, taking a leak, maybe. He shifted in his seat at the thought, wishing he’d done the same before coming in. Asking now felt like showing weakness. Olson came back for the fourth time, sat down, and leaned back in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. She eyed Nick. Where’d you drink before the Torchhouse?

    Huh?

    You’ve been going there for six months, every couple weeks. You didn’t suddenly decide to take up drinking in bars at the age of twenty-five?

    No.

    So what was your previous bar?

    Gruff’s.

    Why switch?

    Nick sighed. Gruff’s is a biker bar. I got along okay there, mostly. He’d played pool there for about eight months, drunk, fought. He’d had a cooler nickname. It’s not a hangout for the hard-core clubs. No Hell’s Angels, no One-Percenters, but lots of wannabes. Bikers are damned mobile, they cruise around town, show up anywhere. The third time I spotted guys I’d played pool with out on their bikes while I was in a patrol car, I decided I was pushing my luck. The guys at the Torchhouse are a mixed crowd, but it’s mostly locals there. The bar’s an hour out of town. The chance of meeting them down here is much lower.

    And yet there was Stan, shot dead right on your turf.

    "He was where?"

    We pulled him out of the river, under the Central bridge.

    Oh. Nick considered that for a moment. He did make that loop over the river at Central more than once on a normal night, but even his healthy paranoia couldn’t make it fit anything. It’s a coincidence. Has to be.

    Does it?

    Yeah. It makes no sense otherwise. If they knew I was a cop they’d either kill me or toss me out. I barely met Stan, never talked to him.

    Olson nodded slowly. So you think they don’t know you’re a cop?

    Nick thought back to Friday night in the bar. He’d tossed darts, played pool, drunk a beer, punched a guy. All normal. Those clowns couldn’t be that good at acting. I’d swear not. No sign of anything. Not a sideways look, not a lowered voice.

    I’m inclined to think Stan showing up on your beat was coincidence too.

    Nick took a slow breath, some of the tension seeping out of his shoulders. Do you have a suspect?

    Olson raised an eyebrow at him. Let’s go back to drugs for a minute. Is there a lot of trafficking in the Torchhouse?

    No. Minor sales in the back hallway by the bathrooms. More in the alley, I expect.

    Anything that strikes you as unusual? You did a tour undercover. Anything that makes you take notice?

    Nick thought hard, and eventually shook his head. No. If there was, I probably wouldn’t have kept going back. I can ignore the small stuff where I hang out, but… He wasn’t sure what his threshold would be. Hanging with the bikers, he’d ignored more than he was comfortable with in the end. That was actually the bigger reason he’d changed bars. The bikers were a nasty bunch, especially toward their women. He’d seen more than one girl take a vicious smackdown from her man at times when he didn’t have enough weight on his side to object. A few more of those, and he’d either have killed someone or gotten himself killed trying.

    The last time you saw Stan, did you notice anyone hanging back watching him, not trusting him, angry with him?

    No. He seemed to fit in just fine. Nick tried again to remember. There’s always a bit of tension, mostly between that crowd he hung with and the guys from the factory.

    So who would you put at the top of your suspect list?

    Nick frowned. He hadn’t been paying proper attention. The bar had been his off-duty playtime, and he was coming to realize that he’d pretty much uncoupled his brain and his instincts. He’d let himself get comfortable, and get sloppy. It was embarrassing as hell.

    They both looked around as the door opened. Detective Anderson stuck his head in and gave Nick a smile, before saying to Olson, TOD estimate puts Rugo in the clear. At least personally.

    Olson nodded. Thanks.

    No rest for the weary. Anderson backed out and shut the door.

    For a while Olson sat silently, staring at Nick. Nick wished he could tell what was going on in her head. He had no idea how much trouble he was in. If any. Really, he hadn’t broken any major laws, and if he’d failed to stop others from selling a vial or two, well, he’d been on his own time and without backup. He was a street cop, not Superman.

    Olson said, Would it surprise you to know the DEA had a CI inside Vern Marston’s operation?

    Marston? Nick tried to recall if he’d heard the name. Confidential informants were vital to narcotics investigations of course, but he was playing catch-up with whatever it was Olson knew, or thought Nick knew.

    Olson prompted him. Marston employs Booker Smith, Damon and Brian Kerr, Roy Delany, Cory Frank.

    Oh, them. He thought about the list. Can’t be Brian. He’s obviously not smart enough to be more than a hanger-on. No way Damon or Booker is the informant…

    Don’t strain yourself. Stan was the CI, before he took a bullet to the gut and two to the head. He was due to meet a DEA agent a couple blocks from where he went into the river.

    Oh. Shit.

    Yep.

    Did we get much from him before that?

    I’ll let the DEA discuss that with you. Olson picked up her phone, dialed, and spoke into it. I have Rugo. You want him?

    Nick couldn’t hear the response, but Olson tapped the phone off. They’ll be here shortly.

    After a long silence Olson didn’t seem to feel the need to fill, Nick said, Am I in trouble?

    We’ll find out.

    It was another ten minutes before a tall thin Asian guy in a rumpled suit came in. He sat across from Nick, beside Olson, and flipped open his ID. Takano, DEA. You’re Nick Rugo?

    Nick nodded.

    Takano eyed him, head slightly tilted. You might do. You’re a bit of an opportunity, if it pans out.

    If what pans out?

    Would you consent to a drug test and a search of your home?

    Nick held back a flare of anger. I said I’d test. Why would you search my house?

    What do you know about Vern Marston?

    Nothing. I heard the name for the first time in here.

    Well, you wouldn’t be the only cop on Marston’s payroll. We’ve been after him for a while. Stan was our best lead so far. He gave us a snippet here and there. We were turning the screws on him to get more, and now it’s all wasted.

    Plus the guy’s dead, Nick said dryly.

    Takano made an impatient gesture. He’s no great loss. He was a street dealer first, before he got jumped up to Marston’s bunch and then close to the inner circle. If Marston found out Stan was talking to the cops, though, he’s going to be on high alert. Getting another undercover agent anywhere near Marston’s operation just got a lot harder. Anyone new is going to be checked out six ways from Sunday before they even let him sweep floors.

    Right.

    But— Takano paused, eyeing him intently. —someone they already know, someone who’d been around for months before Stan died, might have a chance to get closer.

    Oh. Nick tried to hide his surge of excitement at the idea of going back undercover. He’d done it for six months, until his superiors decided he was becoming too recognizable to the street-level dealers. He’d returned to patrol without a protest, but he’d missed the adrenaline high, and the knowledge that he was taking bad guys and their drugs off the streets, even when it was just low-level buy and bust operations. And occasionally it’d been something more important. The times he’d spent a few days getting closer to some bigger target, gathering evidence for a large-scale bust, had been like catnip to him. You’re thinking you could use me?

    Olson said, You did the training. I know your undercover status was revoked, but it wouldn’t take much to reinstate it. You’re already established as a regular in the bar where they hang out. You’ve been around them for six months. They’re gonna be suspicious of any new face, but maybe not of you.

    What makes them worth the effort? Nick had pegged the guys for mid-level thugs, mostly. He’d guessed they were running some kind of illegal operation, but if they’d been high-level, they’d have been drinking somewhere a hell of a lot nicer than the Torchhouse.

    Marston has his fingers in a lot of pies, including designer drugs. We were closing in on a supplier in San Diego two years ago. Then a bunch of his guys disappeared, and a couple showed up dead. The only one left who was willing to talk pointed us at Marston, said he didn’t like the competition. We want Marston. And his home base is here.

    What do you want me to do? Can you spell it out?

    Takano leaned forward, hands flat on the table. We’re looking for someone to go deep undercover, likely for months. That might be you.

    Might?

    Once we check you out— up, down and sideways— yeah.

    I’m clean.

    I hope so. Homicide says you’re in the clear for the time of Stan’s murder, and surveillance says you never hit their radar as connected to Marston’s crew. Having you hanging out in that bar the last six months could be a fuckin’ godsend. We want someone to get in close, to learn more than ‘Drive here with this box.’ Find out how Marston’s operations are run. Where’s the drug lab? How does he move the product around the country and out to the stores and streets? What else is he into?

    Do you have any ideas?

    He’s officially listed as an importer. All kinds of things from around the world. Art, collectibles, high-end furnishings, and for the last four years, dietary supplements. He declares over two million a year from the legal imports.

    What’s he bringing in along with it? The drugs?

    Probably. Although some of the import items themselves may be stolen or counterfeits.

    You’re after the drugs, though.

    We’ll take anything that would put him away. So far, he’s been careful. He moves a lot of different products here and on both coasts. The designer drugs are what’ve been killing people. The shit’s sold out of vitamin and traditional medicine stores half the time, but either there’s no records or the fake supplement invoices trace back to nonexistent companies.

    But you’re sure Marston’s involved.

    Positive. Busting delivery boys and trying to work our way up the chain hasn’t got us anywhere, though. We did that for six months in San Diego, and the shit just showed up in new places.

    And he’s big enough to be worth a full operation?

    Designer stuff used to be small potatoes. Not anymore. The market’s big, and expanding. Takano reached into his pocket and tossed a little ziplock onto the table. What do you think those are?

    Nick eyed it. Um. Minimarshmallows? He touched one through the bag and it resisted, then crumbled, like something from a kid’s cereal.

    Crunchberries.

    Nick cocked his head to the side and squinted.

    Plug-and-play? Takano waited. Peeps?

    Um. He was pretty sure real Peeps were bigger and squishy, with crystal sugar on the outside.

    Olson reached out and pressed another of the little white shapes, crunching it flat. Party drugs. The lab says it’s actually a blend— a little Viagra, a psychedelic, and a dissociative. Supposedly makes you horny first, then high. Hence plug-and-play.

    Cute.

    Takano said, Not so much. It’s one of a bunch of new compounds out there. We think this one’s responsible for at least half a dozen deaths and many more hospitalizations. We want this shit off the street, and we want to put Marston away, yesterday.

    Deaths?

    Hypoglycemia. That’s low blood sugar. Blood pressure goes up and blood sugar drops so low that a few users have gone into a coma, even died. Their buddies thought they were asleep, until they couldn’t wake them up. Three of the deaths were teenagers.

    Fuck. Can we test for it? Is it enough of an analogue to even bust anyone? New designer drugs were sometimes out ahead of the law. If the particular drug wasn’t yet listed as illegal, they might have no grounds to

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