Back Alley Cop Read online

  “Only that we found out that this guy is an employee at KingStar Advertising—”

  “Oh, my God,” Eddie muttered, thinking of Adam Dunbar. “You’re not talking about that guy that they brought in here…you know the one wearing red socks…” His words faded when the chief looked at him as if he were crazy.

  “Red socks? No, the guy I’m talking about is a regular Joe, you know? Just like you and me. He goes to work every day, draws a paycheck, blends in, has friends…”

  “Chief, you just described every creep in the place. Can’t you give me something…”

  “Hell, I wish I could, Eddie. Normally, the kind of guy we’re looking for would stick out like a sore thumb, but not this guy. He’s smart, and would never be suspected of anything. That’s what makes it so hard. And that’s why everyone at that place is a suspect. And that’s why I need you. You’ve got the experience we need to get this done. Hell, you face it every fuckin’ day. I need you to go in there and find this creep. Don’t dismiss anybody, no matter how normal he seems. Smoke him out, do whatever you have to do to find him, but don’t let him suspect what you’re up to. And then when we’ve got the goods on him we’ll have his ass for lunch.”

  “I don’t suppose you can give me a name, or something…”

  “That would make it too easy, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yeah, stupid question. Sorry.”

  “No problem, but I can tell you this. He’s hiding out in plain sight. You know what that means. If you find someone that acts suspicious, run the name, find out what you can, and report it back to me. Look for someone familiar with the streets, possibly a street name, and a few aliases that we’re not aware of right now.” The chief pulled a file out of his desk and handed it to Eddie. “Here are the goods I’ve got on him so far. Since we’re working blind here, it’s not much, but take it and study it from cover to cover. I’ll pass along anything else I get.”

  “How did you finger this guy?”

  “It was a real piece of work. You remember the Dunbar guy we brought in that night? Before he left he sat down with the sketch artist, and this is what they came up with.”

  Eddie took the picture, looked at it, and said, “But, Chief, this…this doesn’t make sense. He drew the Joker, you know, like in the Batman comics?”

  “That’s because this Looney Toon wears masks.”

  “Masks,” he repeated softly, remembering what Adam had said about a mask, and the remains of a mask he had found in the tightly gripped hand of his victim. “Oh, my God, I remember that mask now. How the hell did he get a mask that looks like the Joker?”

  “According to what’s gone down so far, I figure he’s having them made somewhere. He probably has several. Hundreds, maybe, and wears different ones from time to time to keep the cops unbalanced. I’m sure he thinks we’re all a bunch of idiots over here, but the truth is, he hasn’t even begun to outsmart us. I hate it that I have to put this whole thing in your lap with such little to go on, but you can handle it.”

  “This is a tough one, Chief. I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

  “Hell, this’ll be easy for you. Child’s play. Just keep your eyes open, and your radar up.”

  “Do you have any other leads?”

  “Your partner will give you anything else you need since he’s been there a while now. Rendezvous with him as soon as you can, and he’ll fill you in on what’s happened so far. Except for your partner, you’re going in there cold, and I’m sorry about that, but it just can’t be helped. If you’ve got a miracle tucked away somewhere, we could really use it right now.”

  “So the Dunbar guy isn’t part of this?”

  “No, he’s clean.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll give this a once-over and get right on it, Chief.”

  “I’m sorry for the timing of this one, Eddie. I know you were looking forward to a little time off, but I’m afraid crime doesn’t take a vacation.”

  “So I’ve heard. Say, have you worked this out with the higher ups at KingStar? Do they know I’m coming?”

  “Oh, yeah, that reminds me. When you get ready to move in, you need to talk to Warren McAlister. He’s the acting CEO.”

  “Acting CEO? What does that mean?”

  “It means that he’s in the slot temporarily until the real one gets back from vacation. Let me warn you about McAlister before you talk to him. There’s something really odd about this character. For some reason he’s against us coming in there, and refuses to cooperate. He says it’s ridiculous to think there’s a killer among the employees. We’ve tried to explain why we feel this way without saying too much, but so far, it’s done no good. Anyway, see what you can do with him, but if he still doesn’t come around I think our best bet is to get him completely out of the country while this is going on. That’s what we’re working on right now.”

  “Chief, this guy sounds like trouble. Hell, he could mess the whole thing up. I’d feel better about this if we waited until the real CEO returns.”

  “I wish we could, Eddie, but we don’t have that kind of time. Every minute we sit here doing nothing that ape is out there killing more women. In the meantime, take that home and look it over so you’ll be up on everything the minute you walk in KingStar’s front door.”

  “Okay. Whatever you say.” Eddie arose from his seat, and as they were shaking hands, he said, “Don’t worry, Chief. I’ve already got some ideas that’ll bury this bastard. When he killed that beautiful stewardess for the sheer pleasure it gave him, he invaded my territory. Consider his ass fried.”

  “I knew I could count on you, Eddie. Your handler’s right outside. He’ll go through the details with you. He’s got everything you need. A new address, credentials, the whole nine yards. Good luck on this one. See you in a few weeks.”

  “You’ll get my reports.”

  “I know. Take care now.”

  He left his chief’s office wondering what he was going to do when Adam came back into town and saw him working at KingStar. He had no way of contacting him to let him know what was going on, but at least he had a little time to get into the company, learn his way around, and get settled before he would have to face him. Maybe by that time he would have something worked out. His main problem right now was masquerading as an employee when he didn’t know diddly squat about advertising.

  * * * *

  Eddie’s jarring introduction to the acting CEO of KingStar…

  Warren McAlister, the acting CEO of KingStar Advertising, was a psychopath.

  But sometimes being mad was a good thing.

  Especially in big business.

  He had wormed his way into the position he now held because he was aggressive and pushy. Sure, he might’ve had to lie, haggle and barter to get it, but so what? So what if he was a little greedy, tightfisted, selfish and stingy? Was it his fault? It was the way he was raised, for God’s sake. He grew up in smoky rooms where cards, profanity, and stiff drinks floated freely around him until he was old enough to get in on the action. With eyes as big as saucers he watched as his father conned, cheated and lied to get what he wanted, so by the time Warren had grown into manhood he was as cold as ice under pressure. He was shameless, fearless and when it came to what he wanted, he let nothing stop him until he had it in his penny-pinching hand.

  He’d had to do a lot of conning to get moved into this position, but as soon as it had opened up, he knew it would fit his needs perfectly. After all, who would suspect the CEO, temporary or otherwise, to be mixed up in anything dishonest? The only thing he couldn’t do here was hire and fire, but other than that he was more than a simple employee, he was the boss.

  Now, as he looked through the window of his office he saw, as well as felt, the eerie tomb-like silence that settled over Wall Street and lower Broadway with the coming of night. Even at this early hour the atmosphere was unsettling, and gave the day a dark-ish kind of look. What do they call it? Twilight? He reached over and turned on t
he lights, and then looked down at his watch. Daylight savings had just kicked in, and he could never get used to the change.

  He kept glancing down at his watch because he was expecting a visitor. A visitor that had to come after office hours to keep his identity a secret. A visitor he wasn’t looking forward to meeting. It all started when the NYPD came by a few days ago with a—what they called a monkey-wrencher. Anyway, they came barging into his office telling—not asking—but telling him that an undercover cop would be coming by to see him before he began his assignment there.

  It was the first he’d heard of it, and he was fit to be tied.

  But that was nothing.

  When that little bit of information was followed by those black-uniformed devils taking a tour of the company, walking around looking out windows, peeking into bathrooms, and looking behind furniture and even drapes, he almost blew a gasket. Afterward they wasted no time in handing him down an ultimatum, and in answer to it, Warren told them flat out…

  “No!”

  “McAlister, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. There’s a killer loose in this company, and if we have to take you down to the station and put you in solitary confinement until this is all over, that’s what we’ll do. Understand?”

  “What the hell makes you think there’s a killer here? What proof do you have?”

  “One of your own employees…”

  Just then Warren was thrust out of his thoughts when a knock sounded from the other side of his door. It gave him a start, and while a chill danced down his spine, he quickly glanced in a mirror and saw his face. A face that was unfamiliar to the police. As he looked at himself, a slow smile appeared, and his nervousness fled. Feeling that he was smarter than any one of those dopes who couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag, he finally turned away from the mirror, and looked toward the door.

  “Yes,” he finally called out. “Come in.”

  Warren’s eyes widened when he saw a big mountain of a man walk in with cop written all over him. Didn’t these guys have to hide their identity? How the hell was he going to do that when his whole body, his look, his personality cried out, I’m a cop!

  “Warren McAlister?”

  “Uh…yes. I’m McAlister. And you are?”

  “I’m Eddie Scarlett, NYPD. I believe you’ve been informed of why I’m here?”

  “Yes, Mr. Scarlett, I know exactly why you’re here, and I just want you to know that I am still totally against this whole thing.”

  “Is there some reason you don’t want this to go down?”

  “Yes. I wasn’t asked to cooperate, I was ordered to. Besides, it’s absolutely preposterous to think that a killer is…”

  “Sir, we have all the proof we need. All we need now is your cooperation.”

  “Well, you’ll not get it, sir. Have I not made that clear? I have not been able to talk with my superior regarding this, and until I do, your so-called handler, your…your…monkey-wrencher, and whoever else is involved, will simply have to wait. I absolutely refuse to even entertain the idea of this ridiculous circus you want to put on.”

  “Circus,” Eddie bellowed. “Did you say circus? Why you little…do you realize what kind of danger you’re putting yourself in, as well as the employees of this company by refusing to cooperate with us?”

  “But there’s no killer here. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.”

  “My God, I can’t believe it. My chief told me what to expect when I talked to you, but I just couldn’t believe him. I couldn’t believe you would object to doing everything you could to help the police nab a bloody serial killer that is loose on the streets of New York City.”

  “If he’s loose on the streets, then go out there and look for him, and leave me and my employees alone.”

  “You poor, blind, stupid fool…”

  “I don’t care what you think. Call me stupid…anything you want, but I have rights, and the answer is still no!”

  McAlister’s eyes widened when he saw Eddie spring into action, sprint toward him and grab him by his starched collar, and slam him up against the wall, rattling his paintings, his dartboard, and even the glasses on his bar.

  “Now, listen to me, you pipsqueak. If you think you’re going to keep us out of here when we know a killer is on the loose in this place, you’re dead wrong. This is a life and death situation. The man you’re protecting has killed five women in the city in the last four months, and what I want to know is why the hell you want to protect him? He’s dangerous, he’s mad, and he’s a killer. And I’ve got news for you, you piece of shit. You don’t have anything to say about it. I’m coming in here, even if it harelips every demon in hell, and that includes you.”

  “But why do I have to leave?”

  “Because this is deep cover, creep. Do you know what deep cover means? It means that during this whole thing I’ll become someone else. I’ll divorce myself from my true identity to the point that I forget my friends and my family. I’ll change my residence, and my appearance. My police credentials will be replaced, and I’ll only carry a gun when we’re ready to close in. After today I’ll be just another employee of KingStar.”

  With that McAlister fell backward when Eddie abruptly let him go and quickly began digging something out of his breast pocket and threw it down on the desk.

  “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do this, but there it is…your plane ticket to Bermuda. I would advise you to use it.” He rushed over to the door, and just before he opened it, he turned back, and said, “My handler will be moving in here tomorrow to get things started, so if you’re smart you’ll be on your way to Bermuda by then. If not, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you get there…in a trunk.”

  When McAlister stopped seeing stars, he ran over and picked up the ticket, and noticed that he had exactly one day to get packed. He also noticed that the ticket gave him a seat in coach!

  Cheap bastards!

  Chapter 3

  Eddie Scarlett becomes Joe King at KingStar…

  Vinnie Torrio had just finished his lunch, and leaned back in his seat to relax. He heard some laughter, and shifted his gaze over to the new guy in the office that everyone was talking about. He stuck a toothpick in his mouth and bit down on it as he eyed the guy’s strong shoulders and then down to his tapered waist, and his succulent-looking butt.

  “Turn around, you bastard,” he muttered to himself as he sat watching him, but the guy continued to look toward the front, and Vinnie had to content himself watching the way he moved. He noticed how everyone seemed to hang onto everything he said, smiling, and laughing as if he’d cracked the funniest joke of the century. Finally, he looked at the kind of lunch he packed. “Orange juice instead of soda,” he whispered to himself. And then his eyes narrowed on the sandwich he held in front of him. “Looks like tuna,” he muttered. “He must be a health nut. No ham or hot dogs for him.”

  Just then one of the other guys in the office came over and sat down beside Vinnie. “Hey, you wanted to see me? What’s goin’ on?”

  “It’s about that guy over there.” Vinnie stared at him again. “What do you know about him? I don’t think I’ve seen him around.”

  “Yeah, he’s new. Only been here a couple of days, I think. This is a big place. You probably just missed him.”

  “Yeah? Where does he work?”

  “In Copywriting, I think.”

  “Yeah? What does he do in there?”

  “He writes online ads, television and radio commercial scripts, press releases, catalogs, billboards. You know, the usual stuff.”

  “Know anything about him? I mean, besides what you’ve just told me.”

  “You mean dirt, don’t you?”

  “Whatever. I’m just interested, that’s all.”

  “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there’s not really that much to know. He’s probably around thirty, he makes a good appearance, has decent taste in clot
hes, a great personality, and he’s enjoyable to be around. He’s one of them artsy types. You know, creative. And his shoes are clean. You know what clean shoes mean, don’t you?”

  Vinnie looked over at Carl. “No, what?”

  “Means he’s clean. You know, bathes a lot.”

  Vinnie looked down at his own shoes and saw dust. “That not true. I bathe, but my shoes are dirty as hell.”

  “No, not only that. What I mean is, he’s probably a clean freak.”

  “Does anyone know him personally? What’s the talk around the office?”

  Carl shrugged. “Nothing except…well, he’s been asking questions about Adam Dunbar. About when he’s gonna be back at work.”

  “Adam? Why is he so interested in Adam unless he’s…oh, my God, Adam’s gay, so this guy must be gay. Right?”

  “Hey, that’s his business, okay? Besides, I don’t know for sure.”

  “He doesn’t look gay. I mean, you know, he…I don’t know, he just doesn’t have the look.”

  “How the hell do you know? You saw him for the first time ten minutes ago.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But, if he’s not, why would he be so interested in Adam?” He looked over at Carl. “You do know that Adam’s gay, don’t you?”

  “Sure, but they could just be friends.”

  “Not likely.” Just then Vinnie saw the guy get up, throw the remains of his lunch away, and turn to walk toward the double doors on his way out. As he walked down the aisle toward them, Vinnie’s eyes went straight to his crotch. Oh, my God, he’s got it up front.

  Just as the guy was about to pass their table he happened to see Carl, and stopped. “Hey, Carl, how you doin’, man?”

  When he extended his hand in friendship, Carl jumped up and put out his own hand. “Hey…uh…sorry, I forgot your name.”

  “It’s Joe. Joe King. Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I forget people’s names all the time. In fact, I’m the worst.”

  “Oh, uh, Joe, I’d like you to meet Vinnie Torrio, a friend of mine.”