City By Night: Requiem: A Sam Stevens Mystery Read online

  Every time the guard swapped he pushed for new information. When was he getting out? What was his brother’s condition? But none of them replied, and so Sam was left with his own thoughts. He saw no sign of Sarah, which could have meant anything and probably meant nothing. Every now and then he heard raised voices outside his room, which suggested without confirming that there were probably a few conflicting ideas about what was to be done with him.

  Boredom was the worst part, but it was a reasonable trade-off for what he saw as a decent upside; he was getting stronger. Bit by bit, day by day the pain lessened and he could feel his condition improving. That hardly helped his current predicament, but it did bode well for if he ever got out of here.

  Of course, it was hard to shake the knowledge that if he was improving Robert probably was too.

  The more this thought grew, the more his brother started to haunt his dreams. Whether he laughed as the bullet hit Sam on the boat or took Sally away or loomed over him in the night, Robert was always there. The absurd misfortune of his survival would have been enough to make Robert laugh if he thought it was remotely funny. It was arguable that Robert was a bigger threat now than before; his syndicate would be out for blood, and furthermore, it seemed to raise the likelihood that Lucinda, in damage control, would ensure Sam was silenced for good to preserve the neutrality of the Realm. Robert’s presence in the same hospital just seemed like a huge, flashing target that fate had placed over him, a cackling assurance that while he may not have died on the boat, that outcome was not far away.

  Stuck in that bed with no-one to talk to, all Sam could do was think, and Robert occupied his thoughts no matter how hard he tried to push him away. Their shared childhood, their years working together, the gulf that grew between them as Robert became more and more ruthless and then Sally came on the scene, the final fight in which Sam had almost killed Robert before letting him live in exchange for an assurance of amnesty. So many years in which happiness and hope had curdled into bitterness, and now they both lay mere feet away from each other in the same hospital trying to figure out how to destroy the other one for good. Sam had to smile wryly at the idea of what their mother would say if she knew even a quarter of what had happened. She used to tell them, with that big warm smile that made anything seem possible, that the world was their oyster, that they could do anything if they set their minds to it. The problem, Sam supposed, was not that they didn’t believe her. The problem was what they had set their minds to.

  But while time to think and plan was on Sam’s side, it would not do to spend that time dwelling on past mistakes. He had done enough of that over the years. No, his time was far better spent putting his mind to exactly how he was going to kill his brother.

  After several days the layout of the hospital and the roster of the police guards became clear, and he decided the time had come. There was a reason so many guards had been planted around the place, and that was because hospitals were not noted for their security. Several unprepared policemen were going to be a lot easier to cut through than the thick walls of a jail.

  He had to move light and fast. A Kevlar vest, two pistols, a knife and extra ammunition. He wore a large overcoat covering it all; no need to give himself away before it was absolutely necessary.

  From his vantage point in the carpark, he plotted his route immaculately. The police would not be expecting an attack, not in their numbers, and if they were, they would assume it would come from all angles with multiple assailants. They would be prepared for an army. They would be met with something a lot worse.

  Did he feel bad about the amount of innocent men and women about to lose their lives? He supposed so, but in becoming a cop, they knew the risks, same as he had long ago. He had been ready to die for the oath he took, and they had to be as well. If not, well, they had chosen the wrong line of work.

  Besides, what he had lost had taken much sense of guilt from him. He had fought to come home and be happy, he had sacrificed so much and seen brothers die horribly, and within weeks he had lost everything he had fought for. Fighting for God and country meant very little when neither gave you much in return. And if nobody was going to give him justice, he had to take it. What was justice but a prettier word for vengeance?

  His guns were loaded. His breathing was steady. His heart rate was slow. It was time to begin.

  Sam didn’t know how many days had gone by when Sarah arrived again. He was feeling much stronger, and his restraints had been loosened to allow him to sit up to eat, which felt rather more comfortable despite the hands of his guards on the butts of their guns. He was hardly about to do anything stupid though, so they needn’t worry. At this point, he was just happy to have a little more dignity.

  Sarah stepped into the room without expression and told the guards to leave. It was about as abrupt and cold a welcome as Sam had ever seen, but he didn’t comment as she pulled a chair over and sat beside him again.

  ‘What’s the prognosis?’ Sam asked.

  ‘That depends. How are you feeling?’

  Sam shrugged. ‘Better. In one piece.’

  ‘Well maybe keep that quiet,’ Sarah said. ‘They’re looking at moving up the date of your trial in the case of your improvement.’

  ‘What?’ Sam said. ‘Trial?’

  Sarah gave him a withering look. ‘You murdered a chief of police, along with lots of others. They weren’t nice people, and a lot were in self-defense, but that’s about all you have in your favor right now. Which, let me assure you, won’t count for much.’

  ‘I take it you haven’t been able to prove my innocence?’

  ‘Hard to do that when you’re not innocent,’ Sarah said. ‘The best I have is a weak argument about mitigating circumstances, which to a judge will not be much of an argument and not likely to cut you any slack.’

  ‘I hate to be ungrateful, but it doesn’t sound like there’s much you can do.’

  ‘There isn’t,’ Sarah said. ‘All I can do is open a door.’

  Sam cocked his head to the side. ‘Am I going to like this door?’

  Sarah smiled grimly. ‘Probably not. We need to work out a deal.’

  ‘A deal?’

  ‘Give the police something they want. Testify.’

  ‘Against Robert?’

  ‘Against Lucinda.’

  Sam stared at Sarah, who’s face made it clear that she knew exactly what she was asking.

  ‘I know it’s not ideal,’ Sarah said. ‘But Robert is done. That ship was full of enough evidence to put him away for life. Lucinda, however, is a target the police have been trying to pin down for years. We all know she provides a gangster haven, facilitates deals and profits handsomely from all of it, but the way she operates and the fact that nobody can seem to figure out exactly where the Realm starts and ends means that finishing her has always been a pipe dream. Give the police that, and you’re looking at a reduced sentence.’

  ‘What am I supposed to tell them?’ Sam said.

  ‘That she blackmailed you. That she forced you to be her personal assassin. And that it was her who tried to kill you. Look, you’re not stupid Sam, you know that this is not going to end pretty no matter how we proceed, but this is the kind of thing that could get you out in a few years. Keep you off the chair.’

  ‘And make me the target of anyone inside who has even vaguely kind thoughts about Lucinda,’ Sam said. ‘Sarah, you know how powerful she is, right? There’s a reason nobody has tried to take down the Realm before. A lot of very dangerous people mistake her neutrality for friendship. And speaking as a former gangster, the prospect of a place you can go where nobody will hurt you is a pretty well liked one.’

  ‘I never said the option was palatable,’ Sarah began.

  ‘Or possible.’

  ‘But this is where we are,’ she said firmly. ‘Like it or not Sam, you chose to be a criminal, you’ve ended up here. Nobody is entitled to give you an easy way out of the mess you got yourself into.’

  Sam looked away,
teeth gritted. That Sarah was right didn’t make him have to like the fact. He closed his eyes and tried to think. He had no loyalty to Lucinda, not if she really had tried to shoot him. And if she hadn’t, well, it wasn’t like she gave him sanctuary out of the goodness of her heart. Whatever she thought of herself, she was as much a gangster as Robert, maybe one with more of a code, but still ruthless and dangerous. Her going to jail would hardly make the world a worse place. Maybe not a better one either, but still…

  ‘The bottom line is this Sam,’ Sarah said. ‘It’s her or you.’

  It wasn’t that simple, of course. Giving up Lucinda was as much of a death sentence as one provided by a judge. The only difference was that he might buy himself more time this way. Being a target in prison was still preferable to being forced into an electric chair.

  ‘Listen,’ Sam began, at the same moment gunshot rang out from up the hall.

  Chapter Four

  He was like a panther in the night, every move deliberate, every strike deadly. Oh they tried, of course, they yelled and flailed and ran and fired but he had not trained for years on end, not fought and survived in the hell hole trenches of a country far wilder than this to be taken down by a bunch of corrupt inner city cops. None of them could match his speed, his precision, or his single-minded, overpowering calm. The bullets didn’t faze him, nor the smell of blood or the wails of those who knew they were done for. Those concerns had been burned out of him on the battlefield.

  He did feel for the civilians, of course, but none of them would be hurt. Scared, certainly, but he knew where he was heading, and the only people standing in his way were the police. And so he continued down the long halls, which were slowly filling with gun smoke. He ignored the cowering doctors and patients, taking out only the dark figures of black-clad police trying to stop him.

  He did not start firing until it was absolutely necessary, but then a well-built man in a large coat marching towards the most secure part of the hospital aroused enough concern to make it absolutely necessary sooner than he would have liked. And while he was concerned about Stevens hearing the gunfire, part of the reason he had chosen to act now was so that his opponent would still be somewhat weak. He wasn’t concerned about meeting Stevens with honor. Honor was something the other man lacked.

  Besides, he liked the idea that in the gunfire, Stevens could hear his death approaching.

  ‘What the hell is that?’ Sarah said, reaching for her gun.

  ‘That is as good a reason as any for you to get rid of my restraints,’ Sam said.

  ‘Not happening, Stevens,’

  ‘Then I guess we’ll both die.’

  Sarah shook her head as she moved for the door. ‘We don’t know–’

  ‘Who that is?’ Sam said. ‘Well as I see it, there are two options. Lucinda has come to finish the job, or Robert’s men have come to liberate their boss. Neither bode well for us. There aren’t many friendly folk who make themselves known by shooting up a hospital. Now could you please undo these restraints?’

  In response, Sarah listened at the door. ‘They’re getting closer,’ she said, as more gunshots rang out.

  Sam pulled at his restraints. ‘Sarah, come on.’

  Sarah frowned. ‘Definitely heading this way.’

  He heard the movements behind him as some of the smarter cops attempted to get the drop on him, but in dark nights overseas he had learned to rely on his hearing as well as his sight, and he dropped them without even looking. Bodies littered the hall in front of and behind him, and for a few seconds he was standing in a distant desert, the hot sun blazing down on him and countless enemies ahead. But he knew it wasn’t real, and he kept going. Only Stevens mattered. And his room was in sight.

  One last policeman stood in his way. He had his gun levelled at his head, but his hands were trembling. There were tears in his eyes. He was so young.

  ‘What’s your name?’ he called to the cop.

  The policeman said nothing.

  ‘Drop the weapon,’ he said. ‘Walk away.’

  The cop didn’t move. He was brave. Not brave enough. More was the pity.

  He shot him in the head and kept walking. Two more doors to Steven’s room and nobody was stopping him anymore. At a certain point, the life of a criminal wasn’t worth this much death. Standing aside was the smartest option.

  He had reached the door. He turned the handle.

  Sarah stepped back and raised her gun. Sam froze, waiting. For several seconds they stayed like that. Then, slowly, Sarah moved back to the bed. Keeping the gun in her hand and her eye on the door, she set about undoing the restraints.

  ‘It worked,’ she said, the tentative beginnings of relief on her face. ‘But we need to run.’

  ‘What worked?’ Sam demanded.

  ‘You were always going to be a target,’ Sarah replied. ‘So I made sure that in all the hospital records, you and Robert were swapped. Whoever our visitor is, they’ve gone to Robert’s room.’

  Sam stared at her. He was too surprised and impressed to even move once the restraints were undone. Although that quickly changed as another gunshot rang out.

  Alone in his hospital bed, Robert Stevens didn’t look much like a dangerous crime lord. He looked weak and wasted, his hair lank and his face thin. His sunken eyes stared up at his surprise visitor with no hint of fear, concern or anything other than weariness.

  ‘You don’t look like one of mine,’ Robert said. ‘Do you belong to Lucinda?’

  ‘I don’t belong to anyone.’

  ‘A madman with a grudge?’

  ‘Something like that. But my grudge isn’t with you.’

  Robert snorted. ‘That’s a first.’

  ‘I was expecting to find your brother.’

  ‘Somebody’s either very incompetent or very clever,’ Robert said. ‘Are you going to shoot me?’

  In response, he turned back towards the door.

  ‘Wait,’ Robert said. ‘Think. You realize this is what they planned for right? If you’ve come to my room, that means right about now somebody is smuggling Sam out of here.’

  ‘Then right about now I should be going after them,’ he replied.

  ‘Use your head,’ Robert said. ‘Why did they put so many guards around Sam? They want to use him as a witness. Probably not against me, there’s hardly any need, so against Lucinda. Me, I’m a captured mob boss. Me dying is just seeing long overdue justice served. But the star witness who can bring down an elusive organization? Different story altogether.’

  ‘Why should I care?’

  ‘Because all their remaining effort and manpower will have gone to moving Sam the moment you passed his room,’ Robert said. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already out of this hospital.’

  ‘That sounds less than certain.’

  ‘Even so,’ Robert said. ‘You’ve been played. Now, you need a new approach.’

  He turned back to Robert, who was trying to sit up despite his restraints. ‘What did you have in mind?’

  Walking felt strange. Moving at all felt strange. Still, he tried to focus as Sarah hurried him down the hall, keeping one eye over her shoulder. There were bodies everywhere, and Sam had to concentrate doubly to avoid tripping as they moved away from the carnage.

  ‘Who the hell could have done this?’ Sam said.

  ‘Someone we want to get away from as fast as we can,’ Sarah replied. ‘We just need to–’

  He never heard the end of that sentence, because that was the exact moment the doors to either side of them burst open and everything went black.

  Chapter Five

  ‘Soldier?’ Robert asked.

  He didn’t reply. He locked up the large case that contained his weapons, keeping one pistol on him to ensure that his guest didn’t do anything foolish. The room was plain and easy to watch, square with unpainted concrete walls and little else apart from sleeping bags and his few possessions. This spot was slightly warmer than the carpark but still close to the center of the ci
ty. After all, it was soon to be another tower joining the already expansive skyline.

  ‘You might as well say something,’ Robert went on.

  He turned. The other man was sitting against the wall, watching him. The pain in his expression was obvious; moving him had been hard, but he bore it well. He could respect the man even if he didn’t like him. ‘You want conversation, fine. Tell me how you’re so sure this will work.’

  ‘My brother has interesting friends,’ Robert said. ‘Ever heard of the Realm? A gigantic nightclub underneath the city itself. Nobody knows how far it spreads, save for the woman who owns it. Now Lucinda has a strict policy of non-intervention, and non-violence inside her club. The worst of the worst frequent it, but if they try to ply their trade, things go badly. It’s always been like that. Until recently.’ He leaned forward, wincing slightly as he did. ‘Lucinda sent Sam to infiltrate an operation of mine and kill me. She gave him information on where my guards were stationed, where I would be and what to expect. It was a smart move for her; my brother is tough and wouldn’t cave under torture, and if he was killed there was no believable way for us to link him back to her. Chances were, either he would die or I would and either way she got off with the Realm’s reputation intact. But we both survived, and here we are. Make no mistake; Lucinda will be moving fast to cover everything up. The consequences for her if the Realm’s intervention gets out will be catastrophic; her hallowed position in the underworld vanishes in a heartbeat. This means she will be desperate to find me and silence me. That’s priority number one. Priority number two will be getting to Sam before the police convince him to testify against her to escape the death penalty. Which you can bet they’ll be doing.’

  ‘How do you know all this?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t,’ Robert replied. ‘But I know Lucinda, and I know the police department. The rest is just logic. So, either she has Sam now or she will soon. Except Sam is priority number two. Which means she will be more than willing to give him up in exchange for priority number one.’