Chapter 23

   Nik and Dwayne drove into downtown Reno, toward police headquarters. They had not eaten yet, as there was an address they had to check on: Max Faraday’s. They had tried to get it on the road via radio, but nobody at headquarters could find him. Behrens stopped the car at the corner right by the station. He was about to get out when Nik touched his arm. “Hold on.”

  “What is it?”

  “Look over there.”

   Dwayne followed his partner’s finger to a popular delicatessen that the police often used for all meals. He saw, well, the deli. “You want that for breakfast or something?”

  “The car.”

   Dwayne stared at the blue Pinto in front. “A bad antique. And?”

  “Keep looking.”

   Behrens smiled inwardly. Nik was always testing his observation skills. “Okay, he’s in the red zone, and the car is running.” He looked back at Nik. “You think someone is dumb enough to rob that place in front of our office?”

   Nik shrugged. “I’m not sure about a robbery, but it’s odd.”

   Dwayne looked back, and was about to dismiss the whole thing when he noticed something else. “What time does it open?”

  “Two hours ago.”

  “And isn’t the door usually open?”

  “Yep.”

  “Think this is a job for supercop?”

  “And that would be?”

   Dwayne smirked. “You?”

   Nik shook his head. “We’re not rushing in there blind.”

  “I meant you, not we.”

  “You showing your sarcastic side?”

  “I’m getting there.”

  “Then make a u-turn.”

   Dwayne chuckled. “Okay, so what do we do?”

  “What do you think we should do?”

  “Call it in?”

  “Call what in?”

  “The situation.”

  “What situation?”

   Behrens was getting pissed. “The one you pointed out to me!” Then he got it. “We don’t know anything yet.”

  “But we have a weird feeling.”

  “Call the deli?”

   Nik shrugged. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Holy shit! I actually had an original idea?”

  “One in a morning isn’t impressive.”

   Dwayne could kill the guy sometimes. “I guess the number should be in my cell?”

  “It’s in mine.” Nik speed-dialed the number. “Hey, I want to place an order,” he said when there was an answer.

   There was a pause. “We’re closed.”

  “On a Thursday?”

  “Slow shipments of meat.”

  “Come on, I need some egg salad and cole slaw.”

  “Then go to the supermarket or another deli. We’re closed!” The phone clicked off.

   Nik turned to Dwayne. “It wasn’t Giles.”

  “The owner?”

  “Yeah. This sounds like a job for supercop.”

   Dwayne’s eyebrows went up. “What’re you going to do, rush in?”

  “No, but you’re going to stuff that tailpipe with a rag.”

  “What rag?”

   Nik pulled a towel from his back seat. “Stuff it with this. Don’t ask me questions right now, just do it.”

   Dwayne grabbed the towel and sneaked across the street. He got a few looks from passerby, but they didn’t stop to watch. He stuffed one end of the towel into the pipe, making sure it stayed. He looked up to see Nik waving him back and returned. “I wanted to stay and watch.”

  “Not near a Pinto you don’t.”

  “Whoever it is, I could have arrested him when the car broke down.”

  “I know. An arrest isn’t quite in my mind.”

   Dwayne watched the car. “That thing’ll bust any second if it keeps running. The exhaust smelled like shit.”

  “That’s a Pinto.”

  “Whatever’s going on in there, he didn’t plan to stay.”

  “I think Giles is either injured or dead.”

  “Resistant type?”

  “Proud is more like it. That’s the delay. Whoever that was felt forced to play disciplinarian.”

   Dwayne stared at the car for a long moment. “Sure whatever explodes won’t hit us?”

  “No guarantees, but I feel safe.”

  “Works for-“

   Dwayne’s relief was interrupted by a loud pop from the Pinto. Not a true explosion, but it did seem to kill the motor.

   Nik’s eyes turned to the deli. It was strange. Even though he could not really see anything, he could sense a dead calm inside, as if someone was now on alert inside. He dialed the deli again. After five rings, the phone picked up. “Who the fuck is this?”

  “The man who’ll do ten times to you what I just did to your getaway car.”

   “Back off or I’ll kill the old man!”

   Nik listened. There was no sound in the background. “You killed him already. I have nothing to lose by storming in and killing you. And trust me, I have long practice. Do you?”

   Silence followed. The breathing that came a moment later was quite labored, and Nike was sure he’d just scared the shit out of whoever was in there. Finally he came on. “You’re bluffing.”

  “Asshole, you’re robbing a deli across the street from police headquarters. How far do you think you’re going to get?”

   Another silence. Nik was reassured guy must be stupid. “You mean you didn’t recon the place before hitting it? Well, it shouldn’t surprise me, you came in a bad car.”

  “Shut up, will you?!”

  “Give it up. How much do you think you’ll get in there? A deli isn’t loaded.”

  “Maybe not with money.”

   Nik looked at the phone a minute, then looked at Dwayne. “He wants the food stock.”

  “Is the place that good?”

  “I have no complaints.” Nik turned back to the phone. “Get the hell out of there before I ram my gun up your ass.”

  “Fuck you!” The phone went dead.

   Dwayne looked toward the deli. “Well?”

  “He’s desperate.”

  “On drugs?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I’m hungry.”

  “No shit.”

  “I think I could get a sandwich right now.”

   Nik rolled his eyes. “What the hell are you thinking?”

  “That I need food.”

  “One-track mind?”

  “You can’t go in there, he knows your voice.”

   Nik looked Dwayne over. He was in a flannel shirt and jeans. “Give me your gear.”

 “Go in unarmed?”

 “Well, he’ll suspect the hell out of you if he sees cuffs and your revolver.”

   Dwayne shrugged, then handed over his equipment. “And if I get a gun in my face?”

  “Tell him to point it elsewhere.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey this is your idea.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

   Dwayne left the car as quietly as possible, then casually walked up to the door. He pulled on the door and it opened. Inside, all the shelves had been thrown about, sliced cheese and block cheese were all over the floor, as well as several kinds of sliced meat. In the center of the store was a register in a square enclosure. Nobody was inside it.

   From behind him, he heard a deep, gravelly voice. “Don’t move.”

   Instinctively, Dwayne lifted his arms. “Not even to raise my arms?”

  “I like that move. Keep them up.”

  “May I turn around?”

  “What for?”

  “If you’re gonna shoot, I don’t want to be surprised.”

  “Who said I was gonna shoot?”

  “Why else do you have a gun?”

   The suspect’s casual manner turned icy. “You’re curious, way too curious.”

  “Just making conversation. Nervous talk at that.”

  “I think you oughta shut the fuck up.”

   Dwayne was about to retort when he heard a click. However, the click wasn’t right behind him; rather, it was just a bit further away. He smiled when he heard, “I told you I’d blow your ass out,” from Nik.