Varrick.
âI thought he wasnât gonna show up until another couple of days,â replied Zack.
âCome on,â laughed Varrick. âThereâs nobody else it could be. Itâs him, fuckinâ with us.â
âThen why isnât he cominâ in to laugh at us?â
âProbably will in a few minutes.â
âCocktail, you fuckinâ bastard,â grumbled Zack. âMan, what a fuckinâ night that was,â he added.
âYour fault for breakinâ the glassware,â said Varrick.
âIt was you who cracked the door open for fresh air,â replied Zack.
âI didnât know a fuckinâ nosy priest would be outside listening,â answered Varrick.
âHe wasnât listening when we saw him. Too busy talking to God.â
Varrick chuckled, but his voice became serious when he added, âGood thing Cocktail came along.â
âI guess,â replied Zack. âHe wasnât laughinâ then. Fuckinâ near shit when we helped drag him in by the ankles.â
âHeâs gotta be laughinâ at us. Come on, letâs go find him. Weâre done here, anyway.â
Connie closed her eyes for a moment. Jack, you did it. Split this case wide open.
Jack answered his BlackBerry and listened to Connieâs excited and happy voice as she relayed what had transpired.
âBad news,â said Jack. âI donât know anyone with the nickname of Cocktail.â
âYou donât? Crap ⦠well, Iâm sure we will. Man ⦠fantastic! Donât worry. With what we got tonight I wonât have any problem getting the wire renewed. They said Cocktail is coming by in a couple of days. Jack, Iâm so happy I could kiss your sweet little ass.â
âI appreciate that, but I donât think Natasha would,â said Jack, chuckling. âAlso, it looks like weâve got movement. Targets are leaving.â
âMaybe theyâre going to meet with Cocktail,â suggested Connie.
âMaybe. Or someone will. The problem is what will they do when they find out it wasnât Cocktail who hung the crucifix on their door?â
âWho cares?â replied Connie. âWith what weâve got on wire, this case is basically solved. Especially if we can lay a conspiracy charge. All we need is to identify Cocktail. Maybe tonight weâll do that, too.â
Surveillance continued. Varrick retrieved his truck and went to Zackâs apartment building where Zack parked and got in with Varrick before driving to Headstones.
âI donât like this,â said Jack as he and Laura parked in their usual spot to watch.
âMaybe theyâre chatting with Cocktail,â suggested Laura. âIf we scoop the plates, we might identify him tonight. Whatâs the worry?â
âThe bikers kept these guys on ice a long time before deciding to set up another lab. I think they were protecting someone. Maybe Cocktail.â
âSo? Your point being?â
âIf Cocktail is really valuable, they wouldnât risk having him go to Headstones. With what happened, Satans Wrath could be looking at Varrick and Zack as loose ends.â
âOh, man.â
âExactly.â
Numerous vehicles came and went from Headstones. Jack and Laura snuck around on foot and identified several licence plates belonging to prospective members of Satans Wrath as well as numerous other criminals. None were associated with any name or occupation that would warrant the nickname of Cocktail.
It was four oâclock in the morning when the lights went out at Headstones. Varrickâs truck remained parked.
âMaybe Zack decided to spend the night,â said Laura hopefully.
âAbove ground or below, is the question,â replied Jack.
* * *
It was ten oâclock the next morning when Jackâs question was answered. He arrived at work and saw a computer message saying that a Detective Wilson
Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea