‘Both birds are in the air,’ she said. ‘Three German shepherds sniffing the backstreets and every single blue shirt on duty is on four wheels. They’ll find him.’
‘They have to,’ I said angrily. ‘We need to send a message, or every single shithead out there will think they can screw with a cop’s family and get away with it.’
She nodded.
‘There are two rules, Cass. Never fuck with the cops and never hurt a child. This guy broke both, and he needs to pay.’
Cassie looked over her shoulder nervously and I realised my voice had become shrill. People in the triage area were looking at me but I didn’t care. I wanted to shout at everyone.
‘So what do you want to do?’ Cassie said.
‘I want to find him.’
32
‘I NEED A GUN,’ I SAID AS we drove out of the hospital. ‘Let’s head back to my place. I’ve got one under my bed.’
My private gun was a Colt .45 that I sometimes used on the firing range. Although it was fully registered, I wasn’t supposed to carry it around with me, but I didn’t care about that.
Cassie turned the car onto Kings Way. She appeared to be considering my request.
‘You don’t want to get one from the watch-house?’ she said.
‘No. Eckles won’t sign one out to me, so I need my own.’
‘You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?’ she said, edgy.
I didn’t answer her.
‘I can’t talk you out of it?’
‘Nope.’
‘Shit.’
When we pulled up outside my building, I unclipped the microphone, earpiece and transponder and packed them into the glove compartment. Cassie waited in the car while I ran up the internal staircase. The sensor light outside my apartment lit up the hallway as I fumbled with the front door key. Inside, I only had time to register that Prince wasn’t there to greet me when a shadow floated in behind me and a blade pressed against my throat.
‘Do not reach for gun,’ Kirzek whispered in my ear. ‘Put hands on chest.’
I gritted my teeth and did as he ordered, kicking myself for not expecting this. After giving the laptop back I’d assumed he’d go on the defence, disappear into the night. In hindsight, I should’ve realised Kirzek was not a man to run and leave unfinished business. Foolishly, I’d let my guard down and fallen into his trap.
‘Filthy pig. Pity you come home so soon, huh?’ said Kirzek. ‘I figure you would eventually, but not so soon. I am still not caught yet. So what is the matter? Are you weak, McCauley?’
I could smell his body odour, feel his breath on the back of my neck.
‘Perhaps if you had listened to me it could be okay,’ he said.
‘Hey, I did listen. I did everything you asked. I played by your rules.’
‘Ah, you think I am stupid immigrant?’
‘I never said that.’
‘You don’t have to. See, you think you are smarter than me. You think I have no brain. Let me tell you, I have been in police too. In Romania, I am police, like you, but we do things differently. Do you know what my expertise was?’
‘No.’
‘Torture,’ he said, patting down my chest and waist, looking for a gun. ‘And counter-surveillance. You didn’t listen to me. I told you: no pigs.’
‘I came alone for the swap. You saw me. I was on my own.’
‘Then why are helicopters and filthy dogs out there looking for me?’
‘That wasn’t my fault. I kept you out of this until after the swap. That was the deal as far as –’
‘Shut up, shut up! Just walk backwards, slowly.’
The blade pressed against my throat as Kirzek led me into the lounge. Glass lay on the floor and the curtain flapped against the balcony door. He must have scaled the outside of the building to break in. Not bad for a man his size. In the reflection of the television screen I saw that he’d changed into a dark T-shirt and pants. I also caught a glimpse of a bruise on his forehead and a tiny silver crucifix hanging from his left ear. As he pushed me into the sofa, I scanned the coffee table, searching for a pair of scissors, a steak knife, anything to defend myself with. But there was nothing.
‘You don’t have to do this,’ I said. ‘You turn me loose, maybe you’ll get some leniency.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t want leniency.’
‘What do you want?’
‘I want you to scream,’ he hissed, pressing the blade harder against my throat.