Fallen Angels by Blake Banner

Author:Blake Banner [Banner, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Right House
Published: 2021-01-10T22:00:00+00:00

Eleven

The SWAT team leader was not happy, and neither was the inspector. He had serious and severe words with Dehan, and with me, and the words “reckless” and “negligent” were tossed around a little too freely. But Dehan made her case and I backed her up.

“Chief, the team were under unexpectedly heavy fire from an elevated position. They were pinned down and the team leader was taking too long to make a decision which was obvious and critical. Lives were at risk and it was becoming merely a question of time before somebody got shot.

“I am well trained in firearms, sir, and I have done courses in urban combat. I knew that unless we started a rearguard action to draw their fire, one of the SWAT team was going to get shot. I had to act, and I had to act quickly and decisively. Detective Stone and I were able to coordinate a rearguard attack with minimum risk to ourselves or anybody else, while avoiding injury to the SWAT team.”

I said, “It’s true, sir.”

He stood blinking at her for a long time. Then he blinked at me. In the end all he could say was, “Your reports, on my desk by this afternoon. I will compare and contrast them with the SWAT team’s reports.”

“Yes, sir.”

I echoed that and asked, “How soon can we talk to Abdo?”

“He is on his way to hospital now. We’ll have to wait for the doctor’s report.”

The head of the SWAT team stepped out onto the terrace and gave Dehan a look that said he was unimpressed.

“I don’t like what you did, Detective Dehan. It was my operation and I told you to stay put.” He turned to me. “But I have to say, the warehouse was a good call. Downstairs there is a whole lot of junk, but among the junk there is at least half a ton of cocaine, and another half ton easy of heroin. And we only just got started. God alone knows what else we are going to find there.”

She stepped up to him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Detective Stone tends to make good calls. But it wasn’t the only good call we made this morning. If I hadn’t taken the office, you would have been screwed and lost men. It takes a big man to recognize he’s wrong. Be a big man, pal.” She turned to the chief. “We’re going to try and talk to our witness, sir. We’ll have our reports on your desk this afternoon.”

They watched us leave without saying anything.

We didn’t say anything to each other until we had climbed in the car and I had fired up the engine. Then we sat in silence a moment longer while I steadied my heartbeat and my breathing.

“Are you mad at me?”

“That depends on whom you are talking to. Detective John Stone or plain old John Stone.” Her face, slightly luminous in the dawn light, turned to look at me and waited. “As a cop, as the

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