the foursome hastily retraced their path toward the parking lot. Despite the cold, Cooper was relieved that the lot was a safe distance from the club and that no one had followed them there. A maroon sedan obscured Edward’s white taxi, and as their little group drew alongside the red car, a man opened the driver’s door. Head bent, he lit a cigarette and then held the lighter in front of him.
The small flame illuminated his face.
Edward stopped in his tracks. “Batman.”
If Rich Johnson heard the comment, he chose not to react to it, but smiled at Cooper with genuine warmth. She handed him the case containing the pool cue. “How’d I do?”
He exhaled a funnel of smoke into the black sky. “Not bad for a first-timer. He’s got the product, but he didn’t say anything incriminating regarding Miguel. There’s no proof that he even knew him.”
“Your pool stick was bugged?” Edward butted in, sounding angry.
“Not the stick, the handle of the case,” Rich Johnson answered.
Cooper tried to mollify Edward. “If this was going to be our only shot at Albion, I wanted it to count, so I phoned Mr. Johnson and told him we were coming here tonight.” When Edward didn’t respond, she turned back to the policeman. “And there’s no doubt he knew Miguel.”
“What makes you say that?” the policeman inquired as he flicked ash onto the shimmering pavement.
“He called Miguel a squirrel. And when Miguel started working at Love Motors, he told his coworkers that he was ‘done being a squirrel.’ He wanted them to call him abeja. The bee. Someone capable of stinging.”
For a moment, Johnson forgot about his cigarette. “Nobody stings Albion and lives. You found a connection, albeit a tenuous one. Still, well done. All of you.”
“What now?” Cooper asked.
“Go home. And keep your distance from this place until we’ve built our case against Albion. We’ve picked him up before on possession of a concealed weapon, assault and battery, and prostitution charges, but he’s got a slick lawyer and he’s always slipped out of our net. The guy’s an eel. One hundred percent slime.”
“Don’t worry, one visit to Club Satin was more than enough for me,” Cooper replied.
Johnson unzipped the bugged cue case and handed Cooper the polished stick. “You earned this. I’d like you to keep it as a token of my gratitude for placing your trust in me.”
Cooper thanked him and then offered the envelope to Edward. “And you earned this. Your idea to enter the tournament was brilliant.”
Edward made no move to take the money. “I wouldn’t touch that. I told you what tonight was about and now we’re even. G’night.” He saluted the group irreverently, got in his cab, and slowly pulled out of the lot.
Once the taxi turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Jake pointed at the envelope. “What’d you score, anyhow?”
“Three thousand dollars,” Cooper answered as she counted out the money. “But every bill feels dirty.”
“Then wash it clean,” Nathan whispered and closed his hand over the envelope. “Think about those school kids and our hope that they might eat healthier foods.”
Cooper beamed at him. Nathan’s generous heart had steered her right once again. “Three thousand dollars could buy a lot of apples,” she said and linked her arm through his.
Undercover officer Rich Johnson waited until the three civilians were safely out of the parking lot before he crushed his cigarette against the sole of his shoe and zipped his coat. He stared at the spotlights piercing the night sky and his eyes flashed with a determined zeal. “I’m coming for you, Albion,” he whispered. “And this time, you will not get away.”
14
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
Nathan and Cooper were nearly late for Bible study the next morning. Armed with travel mugs of strong coffee, they drove separate cars to Hope Street Church and hurried into the classroom, jostling one another in the doorway to be the first inside. They elbowed each other like a pair of flirting teenagers and giggled, but Nathan’s good humor dissipated the moment he crossed the threshold.
“Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “It’s my turn to bring refreshments!”
“Phil’s got a dozen bagels in the car,” croaked someone from behind them. Cooper swiveled around to see Trish leaning heavily against her husband. “These are for this morning’s Leadership Team meeting, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind running out to get more. Would you, honey?” She smiled tenderly at her husband and he kissed