Chapter 188: Smoke, Mirrors, and Torture

I was at home depot returning their truck, when I speed dialed Helen's number.

"Helen, this is Maxine, I'm in trouble again," I said.

"What do you need doll?" she asked. For a change she seemed concerned, but not terrified. I think she was learning that not all trouble was an emergency.

"Could you have food for about ten people ready for me to pick up by 2PM." I asked.

"How about ham with mac & cheese," she asked. "I can send enough for left overs to make ham sandwiches later, as well." she said.

"That will do just fine," I said. "Any old snack foods you have left over would be good as well. Helen this is going on the show's expense account, so have a bill ready and don't cut them any slack." I said it even though it was likely that I would be paying.

Earl and I left the home depot for the apartments. I clicked Martin's magic microphone jammer before I spoke to Earl. I'm going to jam the microphone when I talk to our detainee. I am also going to cover the lens on the camera in my apartment. That will get you off the hook with Mike. But do not try to find some work around, or I will make your life hell on earth," I said.

"This is the first time in years that my life hasn't been hell on earth, but I do get it. Do you need any help?" he asked.

"Yeah make the Swamp Thing team look like heros, when you edit the tapes. Do interviews with them while I talk to the detainee. Also be sure someone picks up the food from Helen."

"Do I want to know about the interrogation?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I expect you would prefer to stay in the dark." I said.

My Marine sniper met me at the gate. "Come on in," he said. "I can't believe how easy this was."

"Now that's bad news," I said.

'What do you mean?" he asked.

"These have to be plants, if it was that easy. Now the information I get from them will always be suspect." I said.

"Shit, I never thought of that." he said.

"So who you got, and what brought them to your attention?" I asked.

"We got a man and a woman. She parked a car in the alley behind your building. Just like you said someone would. She hustled away and we grabbed her just before she got in a car. We got the driver as well. He had the detonator." he said.

"Than it's a plant. If it was real the chick in the car would have blown her up with the car bomb. Dead whores tell no tales," I said.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

"Why hell son, we listen to their tale, then we break their asses." I said.

"So who do you want first?" he asked.

"Bring me the chick," I said. I pushed the furniture against the wall to make an open space. I put one of the clunky metal folding chairs, I had bought at a yard sale, in the middle of the floor. It wasn't a black prison, but it would do. The chick on the way was no pro breaking her shouldn't be too hard.

Before she showed up I wanted details of the take down. I called the Kid who met me at the gate. "So tell me every little thing." I demanded over a glass of iced tea at my metal workbench/dining table.

"We saw the car coming down the alley. It came a couple of hours after you and the kid left. Me and Eddie slipped out the front and rushed around one on each side of the building. Mitchel went out and got the Escalade ready in case we had to chase her with it.

She jumped out of the car and took off back the way she came. A second car was waiting at the end of the alley. We called and Mitchel brought the Escalade to blocked the road. I got to the car as it tried to turn around in order to get away from Mitchel.

It wasn't too hard to take them both. We brought them down here and called the Admiral. He told us to hand them over to you. So we called."

"Okay, so what do they look like," I asked.

"The girl looks really rough. Like maybe she is a junkie, ' He said. "The guy looks clean but he isn't oriental, so I don't know."

I picked up my phone and dialed Lucas's cell phone. When he picked up I said, "You need to get back here, it's time to do some fact checks in a hurry. Stop by the office on the way to see how the preacher's crew is getting on."

"Tell me about the bomb," I demanded.

'It is s diesel fuel and fertilizer bomb, but a small one. I don't think it was very well thought out. It is too small to much damage to a building. It is more the anti personnel kind of weapon." he said.

"What was the trigger and who had it," I asked.

"Cell phone and the man in the car had it," he said.

"Well this is a game they are running on us. Whatever information we get from these two will be only to lead us into an ambush. Actually to lead me into an ambush. I'm not sure they know about you guys yet, but they will soon." I said.

"To keep all the information out of their hands, we would have to kill them both. Murder is nasty business." I added.

"Yeah, thats what the Irishman said," he replied.

"Good for him, now lets see what we can find out and figure a way to counter attack," I suggested. I wonder how the chick will react if we don't act as she has been told to expect.

"What's your name," I asked the girl with really. really bad skin. My guess was that meth was her drug of choice. So that led me to wonder what the hell was going on. A meth addict working for a heroin importer. It just seemed strange.

"My name is Margaret but everyone calls me Honey," she said.

"Oh how did that happen?" I asked.

"How did what happen?" she asked.

"How did you go from Margaret to Honey?" I asked

"They say my grandfather called me that when I was little. It just stuck?"