Chapter 12

“Are you a scotch or a brandy guy?”

“Vodka”

He jokingly replied.

The silence of the evening could not be more amplified by the loud chirping of the crickets around them. A grizzled man around his fifties was tending the bar as he talked to another grizzled person whom he was pouring a drink for as he plops a single lime green olive in his glass.

‘You cold?’ He asked with a grin.

‘Never had been...’ The guest answered.

The man who was his guest had a distinct purple jacket on to keep the chilly midnight breeze away from his body and on the back as well as above the left front pocket lay an intricate embroidery spelling out in a stylized text

NIGHT HUNTER

in a bright honey yellow tone. A detail that the bartender couldn’t help but notice. ‘Do ya really have to wear that jacket Bert?’ He said.

‘Whatever it takes to get you out of retirement Lando.’ The guest replied.

‘Geez… how many times do I have to tell you Bert, I am not--’

‘J-just hear me out okay?’ Bert interrupted, holding out his hand towards Lando who looked like he knew the next words coming out of his guest’s mouth.

‘The crime rates are getting higher and high--’

‘Not this again..’

‘It’s different’

‘It’s always been different, Bert the last time this happened--’

‘Last time was a fluke’

‘Bert last time was the same!’

‘It’s different now… Listen please…’ Bert pleaded prompting Lando to take a deep breath and sip from his whiskey. ‘What now?’

‘Remember Happy Horse?.’ Bert said, prompting Lando to give him a puzzled look.

‘Happy Horse? Dammit Bert that was ages ago. What about it?’

‘Well.... I have reason to believe that the situation we have now is much more similar.’ He said once more with a wide grin..

‘Really?…’ Lando replies. ‘Happy Horse was way more discreet. Another spin on identity theft that took years to prove since the frauds used the actual phased out bottles of the brand and nobody dared to check.’ He said as he took a sip from his glass. ‘This one on the other hand looks completely different isn’t it?’

‘Yes and no at the same time…’ Bert responds.’

‘I don’t get it?’

‘Oh you don’t need to believe me it’s gonna be much easier if you come with me you’ll see.’ Bert replies with a high amount of certainty that made Lando instantly curious at what his former partner was up to. ‘What are you here for?’ He asked as Bert gave him a wide grin with a look that hinted on mischief.

‘Let’s go for a drive shall we?’ Bert said as he downs his glass and takes off for his car. Lando, while clueless about the situation, still decides to follow suit but not after grabbing something from underneath the counter.

‘Close up shop for me tonight okay?’ said to one of his bouncers as he walked out of the door.

‘Hoho lookie this… what in the world are you doing here?’ Said a man in a black coat as he watched from a dark distance. The man was watching the two men as they left an old nightclub in a distant provincial town. The red lights emanating from the neon sign was the only clue of his existence as it exposed his faint silhouette against the darkness of his surroundings.

‘How interesting…’ The man whispered as he watched the two men enter one of the parked cars outside the establishment.

‘So where are we going?’ Lando said as he shut the cars door.

‘There’s a sleazy old pub near the pier, we’ll park the car there.’ Bert replied as Lando drives the pair of them out and away from the nightclub.

‘Be on alert, I scouted two bogies coming for the pier, be on the lookout for a black sedan.’

‘Copy’

Meanwhile, miles away from any body of water a girl stands in the middle of her room, eyes wide open with a golf club in her grasp as she stared intensely at her bedroom door.

It was already past midnight but the faint noise of shattered glass had reached Nica’s ear, waking her from slumber. She wasn’t sure if her parents had heard it but she wasn’t taking her chances. She reaches for her doorknob as she slowly opens the door trying her best to move as silently as she can as she planned to wake her parent’s up in the adjacent room. As soon as she took her first step out, there was a sudden crashing noise that came from the kitchen. Nica kept to her senses and used the noise to sprint forward into her parent’s room where her mom and dad had just awoken from the noise.

‘What in the world was that?’ Her dad said in a groggy tone.

‘I think someone broke in.’ Nica whispered.

‘I’ll call the police.’ Her mom responds. ‘Okay you do that and I'll get my walther. Nica, you stay with your mom.’ Her father said as he kneels to retrieve a locked box from under their bed to which he reveals the contents to be of a small pistol. He loads a magazine and cocks it back as he silently exits the room. Nica sat beside her mother as she wrapped her arm around her daughter. The 911 operator had just told her mother to keep them updated on what was happening while waiting for the police to arrive. It was the longest period of silence Nica had ever experienced. She was scared and restless and she just wanted it to be over. She was also scared for her dad as she thought that the intruder might be armed as well.

‘Hands up!’

‘I said hands up!’

‘Don’t even--’

Five gunshots in succession were heard from the ground floor as both of the women upstairs huddled tightly by the bed hoping that the father was safe. But the situation became dire quickly as they heard the scrambled footsteps of someone running up the stairs.

‘Honey lock the door! Quickly!’

. . . . .

A jet black sedan pulls up by the kerb across the street as Bert looks out to check what was happening. ‘Trouble?’ Lando asked.

‘Even better!’ Bert exclaimed. There was a long line of people standing outside of the building as V.I.P’s flow in and out of the nightclub constantly.

‘Activity is high so we don’t need to be discreet.’ Bert said as he checked the bullets in his gun. ‘The problem now is parking.’ He said with a little sarcasm in his voice.

‘Just find a bush on that dirt road there.’ Lando responds.

‘But it’s dark…’

‘Dark? Since when did you become afraid of the dark?’

‘Since I bought this car!’ Bert replied. ‘Besides I got a nice little spot near the pier.’

‘Nope, I don’t like it, my wife forbids me from walking long distances cuz of my gout, so I’d rather you parked near the bush, bud.’

Bert’s cheeks turned red as he bit his lip in contempt but he had already dragged Lando this far that he thought the better of it. ‘Goddammit you owe me one.’ He replied as he drove his car into the dirt road and found a spot under a nearby tree. They both got out of the vehicle and traversed the empty street. Bert had taken the lead and tipped his hat at the bouncer who kindly let him in, but as Lando followed suit he was immediately blocked by the bouncer’s massive arm.

‘He’s with me…’ Bert said. The bouncer conquers and apologized as he pulls up the curtain to let the retired detective in. ‘Why are we even here?’ Lando asks. ‘We’re too old to be in here. These kids might think we’re perverts out for young blood tonight.’

The pair found a nice discrete spot at the corner of the bar, away from all the dancing people and flashing lights as they each got a bottle of ice cold beer in their hands.

‘Listen Lando before going anywhere else I think it’s time for me to explain things.’

‘Took yah long enough.’ Lando shrugs.

‘Hey listen here, I wasn’t sure the surroundings could be trusted so i waited till we got here so I can--’

‘Alright, alright get on with it.’

Bert sighs as pinched the bridge of his nose. He takes a swig out of the beer bottle as Lando lights a cigar.

‘Okay, just to brief you I’ve been undercover here for the past year.’

‘Oh so when you’re visiting you’re actually at work then?’ Lando responds, raising an eyebrow towards his old partner. ‘Well no, I’m done with work when I’m visiting but… Godammit Lando back to the point.’ He said as he took another sip from his bottle. ‘I’ve been posing as an automotive entrepreneur and I’ve been making some bets here and there to make it look like I’m part of the game they’re playing and from what I’ve uncovered so far there is an underground illicit gambling group who are running “shows” every weekend and these “shows” are being run to cover up something that the police couldn’t crack.’

‘Shows? What kind of shows?’

‘Illicit street racing.’

‘Ah so the rumours must be true, but nonetheless it’s still a rumour.’ Lando said. ‘I’ve been living here since retirement, Bert. as far as I know it’s been quiet any time of the day or night.’

‘I agree. It is quiet and there’s a good reason why.’ Bert answered, getting up from his seat as he heads out for the backroom. ‘Follow me.’ Lando follows suit as they exit through the back curtains and out the back doors of the club. Upon exiting Lando was greeted to the sight of a large scale street party which Lando thought was strange, considering that the only light source was the dim parking lamps of the parking lot they were currently in.

‘Strange, is this how the kids party nowadays? The inside of the bar felt more like a party that this.’ Lando complained.

‘Shhh…’ Listen closely, partner.’ Bert responds. Lando stopped to listen, taking a look around his surroundings. The people out here were different from the people inside, there is an electrifying atmosphere around them as opposed to the one inside the bar where it was more of a flirty kind. The people out here didn’t need any music, for some reason it felt like they were all anticipating something.

‘It’s the same music playing inside with less bass on the speakers. Coupled with the lighting I’d say these people don’t want to be found.’

‘Nicely spotted.’ Bert replies.

‘Old man hunter, it’s nice seeing you here.’ A man from behind had called out.

‘Hey Cameron, it's been a while, is it ready yet?’ Bertrand greeted him back with a firm handshake.

‘C’mon old timer ya know we can’t start without a wager right?’

‘Alright, who’s playing?’ Bert said as he eyes out Lando on the sidelines. ‘And maybe my friend here would like to chip in as well, right Billy Gout?’ As Bert slaps Lando on the back.

‘Billy Gout?’

‘Just run with it… so who’s playin?’

Cameron looks at both sides before stepping up close to whisper. ‘Monster’s here.’

Bert takes a deep breath. ‘Well, alright good intel, Fifty grand on you know who.’ He said as he deposited the balance through the credit card transaction. He nudges Lando on his side. ‘Sigh… Fifty grand for him too…’ Lando responds by reluctantly taking out his credit card as well.

. . . . .

The man on the other side of the door was trying his hardest to kick it down as another bullet fired from downstairs.

‘Stop it! Or the next one’s coming through your head.’

‘Well how bout’ this old geezer? The man shouts as he drew his own pistol towards the door.

‘Girls get your head down he’s armed!’ The father shouted, his eyes now intent to shoot the man down regardless of the cops’ arrival.

‘Go ahead now old man, shoot me! Shoot me or i’ll kill them!’

Without any second thought the father fired his last round right in between the intruder’s eyes as he flew back violently on the second floor hallway. Immediately the father climbs back up the stairs to check on his family but as he arrived upstairs he is greeted to an unpleasant surprise. The intruder was still alive and his face was now a bloodied mess of flesh and ‘metal’.

‘H-how?’

‘Say goodbye to your family motherfucker.’ the man said as he pointed the gun at the father.

Suddenly the door sprung open, which startled the intruder long enough for Nica to smash a chair on his head. ‘And stay dead!’ She shouts as she drops to her knees in shock. Her father swoops in to put her in his embrace as Nica’s mother rushes out to join them.

It would be a long night for the family as they spent the rest of the night reporting to the police what had happened. It turns out they were not the only case of trespassing that evening as sixteen other cases were registered throughout the metro alone with several other cases also happening simultaneously in the nearby provinces. The last words of advice the lieutenant had told them was to fortify their lot with CCTV coverage linked to an alarm system as they warn that this current trend of door to door terrorisim would still continue on. This was a scary thought for the Robbie family but for now they are just happy that everyone is safe from danger.

‘Dad, are you okay?’ Nica said as she noticed her father stagger in his footsteps.

‘Yeah…’ He replied as he struggled to catch his breath. ‘It’s just the adrenaline wearing off, I’m just dizzy.’ He said as his breathing got deeper.

‘Dad?’

‘DAD!’

His father falls to the ground as the medical staff rush in to check his body.

‘He’s having a heart attack!’

. . . . .

Bert’s phone had been ringing non-stop for the past five minutes, which Lando found annoying as he wouldn’t pick up to answer them.

‘Can’t you answer that? It’s getting annoying!’ Lando complains. Bert picks up his phone and chuckles as he places the calls on silent. ‘Whaddaya make of this, partner?’ He said as he handed the device to Lando.

‘What?’

Lando takes the phone from his hands and looks at it. 51 missed calls - it said and all came from the Police HQ. ‘So what about it? It just looks like you’re not doing your job properly.’ Lando asked as he stares at the still vibrating phone that now has 53 missed calls.

‘That’s fifty plus calls within the last five minutes alone and still counting. And I bet most of them are for the same complaint.’ Bert said as Lando suddenly realized what was happening.

‘Trespassing?’ He answered. ‘Correct, and here I thought you were retired.’ Bert said.

‘Being retired doesn’t mean I have to be out of the loop Bert.’ Lando replies. ‘So that means the attacks are coordinated with the races somehow?’

‘Correct again.’ Bert answered.

‘But why? What’s so important about these races? Why go through such a large extent to cover up a measly street race? Unless...’ Lando asked, seemingly confused at what was happening around them.

‘That my friend is why I brought you here in the first place.’ Bert replies with a grin as the crowd around them starts to clap and cheer. The two detectives look into the direction where the commotion was as they spot some cars rolling into the parking lot. Lando suddenly realized how they were able to get away with any noise complaints while racing.

The cars themselves were silent.