My Girl Friday, part 13
Jaxx froze, and then spoke softly. "I'm a cop. I'm gonna slowly reach into my pocket and pull my badge out."
"Don't bother. I can smell the cop on you...I just don't care. And if I want anything out of your pocket, stud, I'll get it myself." The woman laughed and continued, "Now you just open the door and walk in nice and slow."
Jaxx opened the door, and walked into an office that appeared to be a converted loft apartment. A man and two women were sitting around a desk that had a bottle of bourbon on it. The man was obviously Howl. One of the women was dressed in coveralls with a flak jacket over them, and the other was wearing what appeared to be a French maid's outfit and engineer boots.
Howl looked past Jaxx and said, "What do we have here, Sara?"
"Sneaky cop. Curious sneaky cop."
"Curiosity killed the cat", the lady in the maid outfit said, in a faraway voice.
"He's not a cat, Friday", Howl said, now looking at Jaxx, "Answer me a question, detective, and think very hard before you do."
"Okay."
"Do you want a bourbon?" Howl and the women laughed. Howl poured a shot and handed it to Jaxx. "Your life has just changed, detective. You don't know it yet, of course."
Jaxx took a sip. It was horrible stuff, like a ball of burning fishhooks scraping down his throat. His eyes watered. "That's the worst bourbon I've ever tasted."
"Isn't it just", the woman in the coveralls laughed.
"Now I have a question", Jaxx said, "I have this woman behind me with a gun to my head. Nobody has taken MY gun. What the hell is going on, and can she please take the gun away from my head?"
"Sure." Howl gestured, and the pressure of the gun against Jaxx's head disappeared. "We haven't taken your gun because whether or not you are armed makes precisely zero difference to us, detective. Also, you're going to need that gun soon. Very soon, unless I miss my guess."
"Okaaaaay". Jaxx considered pulling his gun, but decided against it. He was pretty sure he'd have better luck getting these insane bastards to talk without it, and this Sara person was still behind him.
"So, who are you people? I know who Hamish is, and I'm guessing that the young lady is named Friday, but who are these other two and what the HELL is going on?"
"You are correct, Detective. I am in fact Hamish Howl, this is in fact Friday, and these two lovely goons are Sara and Sheila, the Highsmith sisters. They are badass Panzer Girls from back East, currently working for me as security. Or muscle. Take your pick. As to what is going on, well..."
"Armageddon", Friday said with a smile.
"In a manner of speaking", Howl continued, "A murder has taken place, a murder that your department labeled a suicide and buried. This murder has led to a breakdown in Normal Services, if you'll pardon some British humor."
"Did you kill Ahmad?"
"No", said Hamish.
"Yes", said Friday.
Hamish looked at Friday sternly. "You did?"
"He was bent. And working against you."
"Friday, we have TALKED about gratuitous killing, have we not?"
"No, boss, YOU talked about it. I just sat there and thought about unicorns and puppies. You took that for assent."
"Fair enough."
Jaxx broke in, "You murdered a cop, and you're sitting here talking about it in front of ANOTHER cop, like you were talking about parking in the handicapped space?"
Hamish read the concern on his face. "You're going to leave this apartment alive, detective, have no fear. Or at least WE won't kill you. It is utterly not necessary for reasons which will become quite clear very soon."
"Now", said Sara, her head cocked to one side as she listened to the communications implant in her mastoid. "The janitor just entered the building."
"Well", asked Hamish, "Are you ready for the fight of your life, detective?"
"What the HELL are you talking about?"
The apartment door opened. Jaxx turned to look, and saw a man in janitor's overalls. The man was holding a utility knife, and where his eyes should have been, there was only the snow of a television with no signal.
(To be continued)
