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Dancer
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Anime Jason 
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Member Since: Sun Sep 12, 2004
Posts: 2,834
Subj: And the swerves keep coming (like just before a major crash)
Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 05:05:48 am EDT
Reply Subj: World Class: The Neighborhood Part 4
Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 11:19:41 am EDT (Viewed 452 times)


>
> Part 1
> Part 2
> Part 3
>
> Case 30 - The Neighborhood Part 4
>
>
>     Keiko backed into an arriving police car.  That seemed to spook the people who were shooting at her, at the very least, and they started running down the dock, along the edge of the river.  More police cars arrived in seconds, and the officers split up to chase.  Five of them total surrounded Keiko’s car and were barking an order at her to keep her hands visible and get out of the car.  The other dozen or so were chasing the gunmen.
>
>     She realized then that the door wouldn’t open.  Instead, she placed both hands on the driver’s side window, hoping the officers could see that she’s not hiding anything.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Out of the car!”  one of them ordered much closer to the window, his gun trained on her.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“The door’s stuck!”  Keiko yelled back angrily through the glass.
>
>     The officer then lowered his gun, and peered through the glass like he recognized something when he heard her voice.  “Keiko?  Is that you?”
>
>     The officer then looked at the windshield, noting the punctures through the glass.  He pulled out his flashlight.  “Move back and cover your face.”  he said, as he signaled the other officers that everything was okay.
>
>     Once Keiko did as asked, he smashed the driver’s side window.  He then reached in and grabbed both her arms, encouraging her to hold on, and he pulled her out of the car quickly but gently.  “Are you okay?  Do you need a medic?”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m fine.”  Keiko whispered.  She leaned back against the car and straightened her hair and clothing.  “I guess I didn’t expect to be shot at.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“What are you doing here?”  he asked.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Working a case.”  she replied.  And then in case he hadn’t heard about her switch from police detective to private, she added, “I’m a private investigator now.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“You really should be more careful.”  the officer told her.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“I suppose.”  Keiko replied with a shrug.  “It’s quite different working on my own without backup.  It’s fortunate you showed up when you did.”
>
>     He gestured in the direction the gunmen ran.  “You can thank them for shooting too close to the rail yard next door.  Someone there called 911, and the dispatcher could hear the gunfire.”
>
>     Keiko shook her head sadly as she looked at what was left of her car, and the police cruiser.  She whispered, as if she were trying to convince herself, “I suppose it’s good I’m getting paid for this.”
>
>     The officer laughed.  “The name’s Al, by the way.”  he said.  “Come on, let’s see if we can get you a ride home.”
>
>
> ---
>
>
>     Keiko called Ron Clancy first, even though she knew if Sean heard about what happened, he would want to know she was okay.  Her reasoning was that at least that way she could close the case and put it behind her first.  And besides, the conversation with Sean was bound to be more involved.
>
>     She was calling from her office in her home.  It felt easier that way, there were less distractions keeping her from actually getting around to making that phone call to Ron.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“That was one crazy case you put me on.”  Keiko told Ron after explaining what happened.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m real sorry.”  Ron apologized right away.  “Didn’t think it would get so ugly.  In either case, you earned your wings, kid.  Get yourself some cards, an office, and an ad in the Yellow Pages.  Anything I can give you is gonna feel like a step down after this.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re not going to give me leads anymore?”  Keiko asked.
>
>     Ron chuckled.  “Oh I will, if you want ‘em.  But I think you’ll do better if you start picking up some of your own business too.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Okay, Ron.”  Keiko replied.  “I’ll do that.”  Then she hung up the phone, wondering just how she would go about accomplishing that.
>
>     Then it was Sean’s turn.  As she started dialing, she realized she couldn’t really think of what to say to him.  At least he’d be proud that she didn’t execute everyone at the dock...but he might be upset that she was still getting into these situations.
>
>     Fortunately, neither was the case.  Her heart warmed, and she smiled, even though Sean couldn’t see, when his first words were, “Keiko...are you okay?  Were you hurt?”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m okay.”  Keiko replied.  “Just a slight headache is all.  I assume you heard what happened.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Sean answered.  “I have to admit, it scares me a lot more, when you get into these things and I’m not with you.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Because you forget who I am.”  Keiko added with a little amusement.
>
>     Sean chuckled, and Keiko imagined that he was smiling.  “I guess I do.  I gotta go, I have to run out for a bit.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Okay.”  Keiko replied.  She sighed as she hung up the phone...she was always so happy talking to him.  When she wasn’t, she still could feel serene, but with shadows of what she was before - trying to keep busy to avoid thinking too much.
>
>     Sometimes she still wondered if she should have tried to help save Sean’s marriage to Lisa.  Things weren’t better then, but they were more stable, and expected.  They were comfortable.
>
>     She slid out of her desk chair and walked over to the window.  Corey’s house across the street was visible - and that made her think about how teaching someone was the first thing she had in a while to make her feel like she had a purpose.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Maybe that’s a sign.”  she whispered to herself.  She tried hard to justify her current choice of career - she had the experience and the history to do it - but she still felt like it wasn’t really her place.  Like she was lost.
>
>     Keiko whispered to herself some more.  “Maybe I should have been a teacher.”  she said.  Then she laughed at the idea, considering how difficult that would be.  Who would accept her as a teacher after she used to be an assassin?
>
>     She could teach self-defense, she supposed.  It did fall in line with her new chosen career as a private detective.  That way she wouldn’t have to push for new cases constantly to keep busy.
>
>     There was a knock at the door.  Keiko slipped out of the office silently and looked through the front door’s peephole - a strong and probably still valid sense of paranoia preventing her from simply opening it and greeting whoever was there.
>
>     It was Ron Clancy.  Why did he visit in person instead of calling on the phone?  Was something wrong?  He did look like his nose had been damaged.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes?”  Keiko asked as she opened the door.  She blocked the way though, stopping short of inviting him in.  She wasn’t really in the mood for visitors she didn’t know all that well - while he helped her with business, he wasn’t quite a close friend either.
>
>     Ron smiled, in way that alerted Keiko to the fact that he had something he was almost afraid to say to her.  After so much time staring at his nose, Keiko realized that it had been broken by some sort of impact.
>
>     A trained assassin was as good at hiding reactions as a professional poker player.  Keiko made no visible sign that she suspected anything.  She simply stood there, expressionless, her shoulder leaned against the edge of the door, waiting for a response.
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“I got a new lead for you.”  Ron began carefully.  “It’s one you can use over and over again.  Right up your alley.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh?”  She still felt suspicious.
>
>     Ron took a deep breath, and then spoke quickly.  “All right, I’ll be honest with you.  It’s the kind of work you did before you came to Garden City.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Keiko shook her head quickly.  “No, I won’t do that again.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“We don’t have a choice, kid.”  Ron relented, his smile disappearing and his voice softening.  “Look, these guys...they’re the same ones from the car racket you busted.  We lost them a lot of money, and they’re much heavier duty than I thought.  They want us to make right by it.”
>
>     Ã¢â‚¬Å“And if we don’t?”  Keiko asked, emphasizing the ‘we’ almost sarcastically.
>
>     His disappearing smile became a frown then, and she could see fear in his eyes.  “They’re gonna kill me.”  he said.  “And then they’re gonna go after you.”
>
>
> TO BE CONTINUED
>     
>
>
> -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
> --    reprinted without permission.  
> -- World Class and all characters therein are property of 
> --    Strike Two and Jason Froikin.





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