Chase was tied up in a study group so I decided to do some shopping in town. I hit the bakery and sweet shop and the drugstore for a few sundry items.
Riding back to campus I found Riga hemmed in by five boys on bikes. They had him pinned in a shallow alley in front of a gate about fifteen feet from the curb. Four were surrounding him and a fifth was standing off a bit acting like he'd rather be somewhere else.
Of the four boys surrounding Riga three were obviously older than me and the fourth was about my age.
"Who are your new friends," I called out to Riga. I didn't mention his name and I hoped he hadn't either.
The four tough guys turned their attention to me as I dismounted my bike. They dismounted their bikes and faced me in a lopsided semicircle, this told me they knew nothing of tactics other than sheer force.
One stood directly in front of me trying very hard to look tough.
"So who are you rich boy?" the boy in the middle demanded.
"You don't need to know, and you probably couldn't spell it anyway," I replied. "I might ask you the same question, who are you and by what right are you interfering with my fellow student?" I demanded back at him.
The kid was about fifteen possibly sixteen, muscular with a sour expression. He was black and physically attractive except for the strange tufted hair treatment.
If we were one on one I would have probably let him touch me first but in this instance I chose to go on the attack, as soon as he reached out towards me. He extended two fingers from his right hand like a gun and I snatched them and forced him to his knees. His yowling caused the boys on his right and left to plunge ahead. The blonde on my right was clumsy and charged right in, a kick to the back of his nearest knee dropped him and a second to his ankle kept him from standing again. I had been able to use my grip on the leader's fingers helped me stabilize my stance for the kicks.
The brown haired boy on my left reminded me of the Butthead character in the poster in Art's library.
I had to release the leader and spun to my right sweeping Butthead's legs from under him, I brought my heel down on his solar plexus and he evacuated his bowels partially. Either way he was out of the fight. The fourth turned and ran as fast as he could leaving his bike behind.
Gary, the leader scrambled away and pulled himself up against the gate as Riga and the fifth boy watched.
Gary reached back and pulled a large folding knife and flipped it open in a well-practiced manner.
I knew his right hand had two very sore fingers and I already knew he wasn't very fast.
He feinted with the knife twice and then charged leading with the knife. I seized his wrist with one hand and placed the other against his elbow. Elbows are meant to only bend in one direction and making them bend backwards causes quite a bit of pain, in fact the joint can disarticulate if sufficient force is used. I didn't use enough force to cause permanent damage just a fair amount of pain. I also suggested through my contact that the knife was becoming red hot in his hand. He dropped the knife and I released him with a push towards the gate. I picked up the knife and Gary's eyes grew with terror. I stuck the blade in a gap in the gate, snapped it off and threw the pieces behind the gate into the alley proper.
The fifth boy was a tall skinny fourteen year old black kid with very dark skin and soulful eyes. He looked scared.
"Are you part of this? I asked.
"Not really, I didn't want them to bother him but I don't have much influence on my brother. Thanks for busting his fucking knife though. He was going to hurt someone or get killed himself. I'm glad it's gone. Is he hurt bad?" Del somberly inquired.
"No, I only used enough force to cause bruises, not severe injury. None of them will suffer long. Everybody but stinky should be able to ride home in a while,"
The fourth tough guy cringed his way back into view.
"It's over Alvin, come get your bike and help Jamal up.
Gary had pulled himself together and reached for his bike where it leaned against the wall.
"Gary, don't bother anymore of Rainier's students or anybody else. There are many more like me at that school and we don't like bullies. If I see you hassling anyone else I'll give you to the cops when I'm done. If it takes four of you to attack a ten year old I don't want to know you. You got off light today, I am perfectly capable of crippling all of you." I cautioned.
"Okay, we won't, we won't bother anybody anymore," Gary muttered.
I wasn't fully convinced but I let it drop.
Did they take anything from you?" I asked Riga.
"No, you showed up before they could and this guy wasn't involved," Riga replied pointing to Del.
I offered Del my hand and we shook.
I looked around and mounted my bike and allowed Riga to pedal off first.
We managed to get about a half mile up the road when Riga pulled off in front of a stately home.
We dismounted and he clung to me weeping. I soothed him and patted his back until he calmed down enough to proceed.
"Let's keep this between you, me and Jael okay?" I suggested.
"Okay, but why?"
"I don't want a reputation as an avenging angel or somebody that's dangerous. The more people who know I have those skills, the more likely it will get around and I'll have people looking to try me on. I don't like hurting people, I only do it if I have to. Is that clear enough? I asked.
"Sure, but you'll always be a hero to me. I don't think that one kid would have been satisfied with just taking my few bucks or my bike. It was like he was looking for someone to hurt," Riga countered.
"Yes, he has some problems but I can't solve everyone's issues. Let's go find Jael and let him know what happened and convince him not to go looking for revenge," I added.
"Do you think he would? Maybe we shouldn't tell him then," Riga peeped.
"No, that wouldn't be right and it would be a secret that could easily come out and harm both of our relationships with him, but I think we should tell him together okay?"
"Okay, let's do that then. You're right, it would be wrong not to tell him. But I want to warn my friends not to go alone anymore. I won't do it either," Riga agreed.
"I wish I knew you were coming down here, we could have ridden together and avoided all this," I pointed out.
"Yeah, I should have checked, but I didn't want someone to ride all the way into town just so I could have ice cream," Riga sighed.
"Nonsense, ice cream is a perfectly sound reason to cycle into the village. I'll always be happy to join you if I'm able," I assured him. "And Chase or Jael would probably do the same if I'm not available. You can always get someone to go for ice cream," I grinned.
Riga giggled and we made our way back to campus.
We found Jael sunning himself on the roof deck, winter in Seattle can be weird and the temperature was sixty eight degrees. It had only been a month since the big ice storm.
Jael was stretched out in a chaise trying to fight off his fishbelly paleness. His shorts and T-shirt were under the chaise and he wore only his purple briefs. They didn't hide much.
Riga took him through the events of the afternoon and the outcome. I asked him to keep it to himself except enough that Riga had encountered some bullies in town. Other's didn't need to know what all had happened but I sensed Riga needed to talk about it with someone other than me.
"As far as I'm concerned it's a done deal. I won't be looking for them to pick a fight. You dealt with it and it cost them, so yeah, it's over. But Riga, never go to the village by yourself again. Not just because of bullies but also because of perverts. One of them could yank you into a car and you'd be gone before anyone heard your scream," Jael lectured.
"I never thought of that, but you're right. Etienne said we shouldn't go alone too, I won't do it again that's for sure. But I'll tell my friends. I'll only tell them enough to convince them not to go solo though," Riga affirmed.
Not much later we were just putting our bikes in the rack in front of Molly Moon's as Del rode towards us in the bike lane.
"Hey Del, how are you?" I inquired cheerfully.
"Not bad," He replied.
I signaled for the rest of the group to head inside.
"You up for some ice cream? My treat," I invited.
"I don't know man, what are your friends like? Do they know what went down with Gary and his jerkass friends?"
"Nothing specific, they know the little guy had some trouble but he got help and made it out okay. I take it our encounter didn't improve Gary's choices?" I inquired.
"Not even a little bit, he's in Youth Offenders now. He and his buddies tried a snatch and dash at the AM/PM on MLK and they didn't know about the airlock," Del shook his head.
I shook my head indicating my ignorance.
"You wouldn't know cos' you don't rob. Lots of stores have them, it's an inside and then an outside set of doors. But at the counter they can push a button and lock both sets and trap people between them. They'll all get 10 months and probation. They'll be back inside a few months after they get out. They don't learn," Del explained.
********************
After receiving the results of Adam Mitchell's DNA test, Mike assembled the Cold case squad.
Listen up people, Adam Mitchel is as close to a 100 percent match to the crime scene sample as you can get. 98.7 percent certainty. That's tough to beat in court.
"You've all got about fifteen minutes to celebrate and then it will be time to swear you in. I want to make it clear, that we're just getting started. But the results mean we can interrogate and charge Mitchell with a special circumstances homicide."
"There may be more party guests once we get an idea of where he was prior to and after his time in Washington," Mike announced.
Mike took Ron off to the side and spoke quietly.
"Look Ron, I know you want to be in the room while we interrogate. Can you assure me you won't lose your control?' Mike asked. "I'm told he's abusive and confrontational, I suspect he's going to try goading us into tuning him up. Are you up to the stress?"
"Absolutely, Mike, I've dealt with guys like that before, the more obnoxious they get, the nicer I treat them. I want to see him being sentenced to life, I'm not gonna let him walk, over some brutality claim. Guys that fall for that stuff are fools, Mike, I'm no fool," Ron replied. By the way, I had already seen photos of the victim in his post-mortem state. If I had caught up with Mitchell then, I would have shot him in each joint, fifteen minutes apart and buried his ass at my Dad's place in Yakima, most likely. I just want justice for Evan and his family. I won't get it if I step over the line."
"You know I had to ask, right?" Mike said.
"I understand, Mike. There's a lot riding on this."
"Okay, go spruce up and prepare to receive your badge and I.D."
"By the way, there will be another recipient at your ceremony. Jack Starrett will be here shortly,"
"Ah, speak of the devil," Mike grinned.
A smiling Jack Starrett approached mike and shook his hand.
"Scott, the Sheriff and Ike from IA just gave me the fastest review board in history. After he went through the photos and listened to the tape, there was no question I was railroaded. I'll be testifying at Reyes' trial in a month or so. I get my benefits and back pension at the proper rate. I'm young enough that I can work a few more years and make the kind of difference I wanted. Thanks for taking me serious, Mike," Jack grinned.
Mike shook his hand and slapped his back. He called Antonia over and made the introduction.
"Nice to meet you, Boss," Jack told her.
Scott arrived and Frank Foyle joined them along with Herb Talbot .
The new crew were assembled and handed their new flat badges and a uniform badge for dress occasions.
"Gentlemen and Chief inspector Putnam. You are the start of a whole new facet of law enforcement in King County, It took quite a bit to make it happen and I wanted you all to know, that we specifically targeted retirees for this assignment. It's not a rubber gun squad, you guys will all be full officers in this department. We will have some people that don't wish to be armed, and that is their prerogative. They will need an armed officer with them if they do interviews in the field. You all have full police powers and may carry off-duty like any other officer. We can go into more detail at a later briefing but this is the inauguration of a new program and I understand we are already getting results. We have a long sought after suspect in a child homicide in custody as we speak. I'll cut this short, so you can get busy with the first interview. I just want to welcome you back to the department and I look forward to seeing the results of your hard work. By the time we next meet up, I should have some numbers regarding successful convictions in cold cases. As I said before, welcome back, Scott told them.
"If I might make a statement before we all get back at it. As many of you know, I left under a cloud. But the sun is shining now and I've been cleared of any wrong doing. I want to thank Scott, Mike, Frank and Herb for taking a chance and getting this in front of Ike at IA and the Sheriff, and clearing my name. I feel vindicated and I'm ready to work. Thanks people, it's been a tough few years, Jack concluded.
The group began to filter away after a round of applause and cheers. Each of the new Senior inspectors signed for Keycards, Radios and other equipment and Bob Evans got their sizes for the departmental coveralls. They all knew about the red zone, so that didn't need to be discussed. Jack went to his car and retrieved his weapon and rig. He presented it to Frank for inspection to make sure it met department regs. Each of the other officers presented their firearms and Frank signed off on each one individually.
Once all the hoops had been jumped through the team assembled with Toni.
"Okay guys, for those that don't know me, I'm Toni in here. When we're in front of the public I'm Chief Inspector Putnam. For some of you it might be an adjustment, but I'm sure you'll all adjust. The Major is concerned that we may face a bit of prejudice from the rest of the bureau. Not all of them, but a few. Feel free to put them in their place. There is to be no age harassment or any other kind in this bureau, period. We're already getting plenty of respect from most of the detectives, but there's always a few idiots in the mix. So here we are. For those of you who haven't met him , this is our IT coordinator and guru Gilham. He has a lot of stuff to tell you, but I'd like to know how many of you use a computer in your daily life?"
"Does porn and Facebook count?" Ron chuckled.
Only Cal Pinterman admitted he had an adversarial relationship with computers. "The damn things know more about me than I know about them," he grumbled.
"Well, our new IT guy can help you with that and a lot of other computer related issues. He's been working with seniors to help them become more competent and confident with computers. So I'll turn you over to him and he can tell you a bit about himself."
"Hi guys, I'm Gilham Baker, You can call me Gee Bee if you like. I understand it's pretty informal. The Patrol Major would freak if I called him buy his first name. So my creds are as follows, My Dad worked here when I was young. He passed away a few years ago. He never recovered fully from wounds received in a gunfight. While I was in school, someone scammed my grandmother. Some of my friends helped me track them down and we emptied their accounts and trashed their servers in Mumbai. We were able to return most of what was scammed from older adults all over the U.S.
I wanted to join the department as an officer, but I have a physical defect that disqualified me. But fortunately, they needed computer wonks in records division and I quickly became familiar with all the systems and it got pretty boring quite quickly. I was loaned out to another operation that I can't discuss and really had a lot of fun suckering pedophiles and traffickers. So that experience brought me here when I heard the Major was looking for IT support. So, I've actually been busy already, tracing Adam Mitchel through the west, southwest and northwest. He's had drivers licenses in Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Idaho, along with right here in Washington. He's got four aliases that I've found so far. The thumb print doesn't lie. But a lot of the DMV systems don't exchange that particular info in a regular search. He's been arrested in Arizona and Texas for theft, burglary and interfering with a minor under 14. I have all the contact info for all the departments that have made contact with him in the last 12 years. I'm running a comprehensive search for missing or molested children that correlate with his presence in any of the areas we know about. When you're ready, I can teach you guys how to do it as well,' Gilham finished up.
"You sound kinda normal for an IT guy," Beau chuckled.
"Well, we're not all mutants, I happen to be a high functioning IT person. I only get upset when people mess with my server wiring," Gee Bee chuckled.
"Careful Beau, you don't want a harassment complaint right off the bat," Ron laughed.
"My skin isn't that thin, some of the guys I went to school with are the people you visualize when you think IT. A lot of them are OCD and they do need handling," Gee Bee assured.
"You're okay Gee Bee," Beau grinned.
Mike returned and greeted them all.
"Toni, Ron, you're with me. It's time to talk to Adam Mitchell," Mike informed them.
"Okay guys, grab your laptops and we'll go through some of the shortcuts you can use with our system. Also, I'm going to recommend that you all have two screens on your desks so you can look at different systems simultaneously. You'll be getting upgraded laptops anyway. They can handle it after I'm done with them.
********************
"So, ice cream?" I asked again.
"Sure man, it sounds good," He smiled. He had an infectious smile, he was nothing like his half-brother. If he had interceded for Riga, he would probably have suffered physical repercussions.