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A family of evil Chapter 20
‘And?’‘He came flying out of the road in front of a car. The guy driving said he shot out without looking. He’s got a sports bag full of cash, Franklin . I think it may be something connected with Clinton . You need to get here faster than whoever owns the money does.’As Franklin jumped into his car, the passenger door opened and Johnnie slid in. ‘Before you say anything, I’m coming. I might be useful backup cos no-one knows me. Now get moving, you’re wasting time.’The streets of suburban Manurewa were quiet this time of night and no one slowed them down as they raced towards Papatoetoe where Middlemore hospital was situated. Huddled groups of youths dressed in the required black hoodies even gave them the finger of approval as they speed past. But peace soon changed to bedlam as they approached Middlemore Hospital. The emergency unit was seething with Saturday night drunks, fight victims, domestic violence cases and generally anyone who found themselves battered and bloody.Frank
A family of evil Chapter 21
Franklin grinned ruefully, ‘Hadn’t got round to hiding it, just wanted it out of sight. Here, there’s this too.’ And he handed over the CCTV CD. ‘And we got some pics of the back of them as they were walking out. I’ve already sent them on to you. One of them is called Tommie. He said to tell the boy that his Uncle Tommie was coming back for him.’‘Good work.’ Mike looked at his watch. ‘We’re moving the kid as we speak. By tomorrow, there’ll be no record that he was ever there. As soon as we’ve got him tucked away and able to talk, you and Michael can interview him.’‘There was a nurse at reception, Sister Lamb.’ Franklin started to say.Mark shook his head. ‘It’s okay, she’s with us on this. Apparently, you were very convincing that he was in danger, she was more than happy to help. That Croatian charm of yours worked again.’‘What do you think they’ll do when they discover that the kid’s disappeared along with their money?’Mark looked out the window, not seeing the reflection of
A family of evil Chapter 22
There was silence at the other end. ‘That explains a lot. It means big money and that would explain the new partner. Call you back when we pick up the kid, I’ll let you know where you can pick him up from and take him back to the safe house. God, we’re going to end up with a full house.’Michael walked up to him and grabbed him by the arm. ‘Wouldn’t it be faster if I went? It’s not that far from here?’Franklin shook his head. ‘Michael , just leave it to the blue shirts.’But Michael wasn’t a ‘leave it to anyone’ kind of guy. He walked back into the lounge, checked on Danny, walked back into one of the front bedrooms, twitched the curtain back to check the street and walked back into the kitchen.‘Michael , you’re getting on my nerves. Make yourself a coffee. Play a game on your phone, do something. Just stop pacing.’ Franklin was standing with the back door open, leaning on the doorjamb. To a casual observer, he looked relaxed but he had a bad feeling about this. He wouldn’t allo
A family of evil Chapter 23
Franklin was surprised, Stewart always seemed so self-contained, this outburst was unlike him. ‘We’re still working on it but, we are making inroads.’‘Sorry, Franklin .’ Stewart seemed to recollect their surroundings. ‘Shouldn’t put you on the spot like that. Come over and meet the board.’ And he guided the couple over to a group of people standing to one side of the room.‘No need to introduce us, Stewart.’ A solid man in a dark blue uniform stepped forward and shook hands with Franklin . The uniform emphasised his military bearing, his upright stance. ‘How are you DS Martin?’‘Fine thank you, Sir.’ The Area Commander of Police was involved with several charities, but Franklin hadn’t known that Youth With a Future was one of them. Franklin introduced Sam and glanced at the remainder of the group.Stewart noticed and continued his role as host. ‘Sam, have you met Sonia Peterson? Sonia, this is Sam Harrison, one of our volunteers.’Sam smiled and put out her hand. ‘No, but I do kno
A family of evil Chapter 24
It was too early for tourists and, while the tantalising smell of bread and donuts drifted from the bakery, all the cafes, bookshops and shops peddling Paua shell earrings and ashtrays were closed. Kiwi’s laughed at the gullible tourists paying good money for Paua shell, when you could pick up the mother of pearl shells off the beach chucked carelessly onto the black sand after being barbequed on the beach. Damn sight cheaper than what the shops charged for it.They ran in silence past wooden, two-story houses overlooking the harbour. What used to be considered plain old houses, were now seen as prime real estate with harbour views and they were renovated to the hilt. Some looked okay, but to Franklin , some were overdone. And you didn’t see any Maoris around this suburb, except for the local pub where they regularly clashed with the local islanders. Didn’t matter whether they were Cook Islanders or Samoan, they were all anathema to the Maoris. Didn’t make sense to outsiders as the th
A family of evil Chapter 25
He looked back up at Michael . ‘Has she laid a complaint?’‘Has she got something to complain about? Why don’t you just tell us why you were there?’The flush deepened. He said something under his breath.‘Can’t hear you, mate. You’re going to have to speak up.’ Michael was taking it easy.‘I said that I fancied her.’‘Go on.’‘I saw her at the bookshop, I was going to ask her out but I chickened out. So, I went back to work and looked up her address. I thought that if I went there, we would get a chance to talk and I could ask her out.’Franklin expelled a breath. Dead end.‘Do you know that you’re breaking the law using confidential information for your own purposes?’Adam nodded. ‘I’ve never done anything like that before, but I just couldn’t ask her out in the middle of the shop, and I couldn’t think of any other way to get to speak to her. Will I lose my job?’ He looked from Michael to Franklin and back again.‘That depends. Do you think you might try a stunt like that again?
A family of evil Chapter 26
‘You want to learn to fix bikes?’‘Yea.’‘I’ve got a friend who’s got a bike shop. Want to go see him and ask?’‘Seriously?’ Jacko looked scared.Johnnie shrugged. ‘I can get you in the door, introduce you and then it’s up to you. You’d have to convince the guy you’d be worth hiring. And then you’d have to show up every day and on time.’‘I could do that! Are you for real?’‘Let’s go talk to the man and see what happens.’ Johnnie pulled out his phone and made the call. Minutes later, they had an appointment and thirty minutes later found them entering the bike shop. Johnnie’s mate had taken redundancy and used his money to buy the business which sold new and used bikes, accessories and did repairs as well. The two of them casually strolled up the aisle through the rows of bikes, both in their own way, trying to hide their apprehension.A middle-aged man walked down to meet them, wiping his hands on his black ACDC t-shirt and black jeans. His weather-beaten face broke into a grin as he
A family of evil Chapter 27
‘I didn’t.’ Tommie seemed to be a bit short on air. Or it may have been because Arbruzzio was sucking it all up. He stood, pushed his way out of the booth and deliberately bumped into Michael as he passed.‘Sorry man,’ Michael sounded sincerely contrite. If Arbruzzio was looking for a fight, he wasn’t finding it with Michael . He stood for a moment, spat something in Greek to Tommie and stormed out through the back of the shop. A few minutes later, they heard the four-wheel drive skidding out of the alleyway.‘Hope he didn’t forget to pay for his coffee. Looks like you’re walking home.’ Franklin moved and slid into the booth that Arbruzzio had just vacated. Michael stayed standing.‘Clinton Dawson and Matt Fields.’ Franklin waited. ‘What do you know about these boys?’Tommie opened his mouth to answer, and Michael flipped out his notebook. His pen hovered over the notebook, waiting for what Tommie was going to say.Tommie looked at Michael and back to Franklin again. Franklin
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- A family of evil
Chapter 47
Outside, Franklin lifted his head and listened. Everything must have been going to plan in the warehouse, it was always a good sign when there had been no shots. But another sound caught his attention. Franklin knew what the sound was, an approaching motorbike. If the whole gang arrived, they would be totally outnumbered. However, they wouldn’t know that there were police there until they got into the warehouse. There was still no sign outside that there was anything out of the ordinary. It crossed Franklin ’s mind, that if he shut the gate, he would not only stop anyone from leaving, but he would also keep any backup out of the warehouse yard as well. But what the hell, they might as well catch all the rats in their trap. He clicked the radio and let Mark know there was at least one more bike coming their way. As he pulled back into the shadows, Franklin saw a bike move slowly through the gate and pull up in front of the warehouse and then just sit there with his bike idling. Fran
- A family of evil
Chapter 46
He nodded, humbled by her reaction.She took his hand and led him inside. But she didn’t stop in the kitchen or the lounge. She kept walking straight down the hall into the bedroom. Franklin ’s heart thumped in his chest. She turned to face him, and he started to apologise for not being there for her when she put her finger across his mouth. ‘Shut up.’ She pulled him closer and stood on tiptoe to reach his lips. He lowered his head and allowed the feelings to swamp him. And suddenly, he took control. He turned and backed her against the wardrobe door and kissed her the way he’d dreamed of. And she responded exactly how she had in his dreams, but the feeling that surged through his blood was more intense than in the dream. It was pure bubbling champagne in his veins.Later whenever he thought of that moment, he never could figure out how they made it to the bed, but he sure remembered every touch, the taste of her and every movement they made together. It was simply perfect.Lying ther
- A family of evil
Chapter 45
Mark heard the air hiss from Franklin as he called a warning to Tommie to drop the bat. The boy’s sobbing subsided as he realised help was at hand and he scrabbled away from Tommie’s vicinity. Sobbing turned to a soft hiccupping, and they all looked at Tommie, waiting. No one moved. One person prayed for Tommie to try something, there were now four guns aimed at him. Tommie slowly lowered the bat.‘Toss it away from you, towards the back wall.’ Mark’s voice was soft and dangerous, and Franklin wondered if he too would like to take Tommie down.The bat was tossed and before they could say anything else, he dropped to his knees, putting his hands behind his head. He knew the drill.Two of them moved forward, still cautious while two remained with their guns trained on him. He was handcuffed before Franklin made a move towards Bubba. Tears were streaming down his face, leaving tracks in dirt. ‘I think he’s broken me bloody knee.’ His bottom lip wobbled, and Franklin put one arm aroun
- A family of evil
Chapter 44
Johnnie leaned over and put it on pause. ‘Yea,’ corrected Johnnie, ‘except for if you’re recording this and you want to get as much detail in as possible.’ He started it again.‘Okay, keep your hair on. Don’t let your shiny new Gold Wing bike go to your head.’ There were chuckles in the background.Franklin had snapped to attention. ‘Play that again.’ They listened to it again and Franklin sat back in his chair. ‘My god, if we can tie him into that bike, we’ve got him.’‘Really? The guy who’s at the back of all this?’Franklin nodded. ‘Where did you say you got this again?’Johnnie lifted one eyebrow. ‘Apparently, I found it on my doorstep tomorrow morning.’Franklin nodded. ‘Cautious aren’t they.’‘Wouldn’t you be? Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll head home to get some beauty sleep.’ Johnnie finished the last of his drink. ‘Don’t say it, I need more than a sleep to fix that.’Franklin walked him to the door. ‘Thanks man, this could be the best link we have so far.
- A family of evil
Chapter 43
‘Yes, I met her in the coffee shop.’‘Her maiden name was Arbruzzio.’Franklin stared at him. ’She’s his aunt? Arbruzzio’s?” He breathed out. ‘She told me Arbruzzio had helped her. I got the impression that she owed him.’‘You got sucked in, man. She must be good.’Franklin shook his head. ‘Unbelievable, I totally believed her. So is she a part of everything too?’ Franklin felt his world shift. He had hoped that she might look out for the boys but there was a strong possibility that she was in it with Tommie and Arbruzzio up to her neck. ‘Damn it, women aren’t supposed to take advantage of young boys. Call me old fashioned, but it’s just not right.’ He took a minute to take it in, then continued. ‘So, what about the finances? Anything shonky?’‘Other than it seems that the place has an unusually high turnover for a coffee shop that size, nothing really.’‘You think they’re laundering money?’‘Looks like it but the tax office did an audit on them and they were able to explain the tu
- A family of evil
Chapter 42
‘You deserve that. You did great, Babe. I’m proud of you.’ And he raised his bottle, clinked it against her wine glass and took a swig.She took a tentative sip. ‘Bit early for this, isn’t it?’‘Nah, let’s live dangerously.’ Johnnie looked down, swallowed then looked at her again. ‘I’m sorry Babe. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea…’‘Johnnie, it’s past. Finished. Don’t get upset about it. I’m sorry you had to hear that but I felt he was getting sympathy and that was the only way I could think of that would change the mediator’s point of view.’Johnnie grinned. ‘Did you see the look on his lawyer’s face?’ He took another swig. ‘Just as well Franklin wasn’t there, he would’ve wanted to kill him. I mean I did too, but I’m glad Franklin wasn’t here.’‘Don’t forget, Franklin investigated the stalking at that time and he interviewed David. He was the one who warned me not to meet him for a while and then only in public. He knows what David had become.’‘Are you going to ring him and t
- A family of evil
Chapter 41
She nodded and walked back towards the kitchen. Some of the boys at the other tables watched her walk past out of the corner of their eyes, but no one made any smart remarks. Not to Maria. None of them were that stupid.Bubba headed home when he had finished his coffee, he didn’t want to hang around while he was carrying his payment on him. He’d got paid and he’d helped Alex and the guys who were trying to find who’d killed Clinton . As he got to the top of the hill at the end of his street, he looked back at the city sparkling below. It looked like a sideshow at a fair, all lit up to tempt you to come and play. But he knew only too well, the kind of playtime this could be. His bruises were healed for the moment, but his scars ran deeper. He looked from the sparkling yellow lights to the clear sky above. Stars were twinkling, some shining brighter than others. Bubba searched the sky until he found one bright enough for what he was looking for. That one. He watched it for a moment, shi
- A family of evil
Chapter 40
‘Calm down, Babe. He’s requested a reconciliation meeting with you through your lawyer, who is obligated to pass it on to you. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.’‘Really? I don’t have to?’ Sam dropped into a chair, relief clear on her face. ‘But that reads as if it is one of the steps to the divorce.’‘Yea, well I believe that they like to try to get the couple to reconciliation if at all possible. Tell your lawyer that you are frightened for your life, that meeting him would be traumatic for you and leave it with him.’ Johnnie crouched down beside her. ‘As long as he doesn’t get either your mobile or your address, you’re safe. And besides, you’ve been doing my self-defence course, you’re better placed to protect yourself if the need arises.’Sam shivered. ‘It was horrible. I didn’t think I would have to see him again. But I’ll sound so much like a coward if I don’t attend that meeting. I should go, tell them that there is no way I would feel safe being in the same room
- A family of evil
Chapter 39
‘He’s really working that table. He’s trying hard to impress.’Martin glanced in at the table again, watching the ceremony of honouring the older men, the showing of respect for these elder businessmen. ‘I think he’s just showing respect. He’s Arbruzzio’s new partner so he’s got to work to be accepted into their business world. And this is the way to do it. Those guys coming and going at the end of the table, they are making an appearance and showing the same respect.’‘How long do you think this lunch is going to go for? They’ve been here two and a half hours so far.’Michael checked out the table. ‘They’re not at coffee yet, so it may go for a while longer. Relax Martin, how often do you get a great meal like this paid for? Franklin would give his right arm to be seated where you are now, but Arbruzzio knows him. Watch out, here comes another one.’ Michael picked up his phone, lifting his sunglasses to get a better look at the screen. He lifted the phone and aimed it at Martin, ‘
