BODY COUNT: Killers (a novel): Chapter 25. Street Rules

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Peter entered Operations and addressed everyone who was working on the list of possible suspects by occupation: “We can cross mailman off the list. Only driving carriers operate in the target area, but they’re women or white.”
    Taylor said, “I’m not seeing anything with the day-care centers. There are three within our target area but not one of them has a man working there.”
    Bobby said, “There are four school buses that pick up and drop off kids, but two have women drivers and the other two have men over 60, one black and one white.”
    Wayne and Rainbow were both looking into security companies, because there were so many. Wayne interjected, “Rainbow and I may have something with all these security patrols. These companies have drivers running all over the city. They overlap in many places. Like the Shop and Save has a contract with one company, but across the street, the Marathon gas station has a different security company.”
    Rainbow added, “The night-time drivers are all males and they all fit the profile.”
    Mary, who was working in her office with the door open and was listening to the conversation, stepped out and said, “Security guards were my first pick, but I didn’t want us to get tunnel vision and miss anything, so I added the other jobs. But I think now that we should go ahead with our list of security company personnel and start eliminating as many as we can.”
    Taylor stood up. “It’s 10 p.m. We have a plan, so tomorrow morning, with fresh eyes and minds, let’s tackle this again. I believe we have a light at the end of the tunnel.”
    Everybody began to file out and Wayne turned to Rainbow. “You want to crash over at my place? It’s closer than Blake’s.”
    Rainbow wondered why so friendly, but said, “Sure, that would be great. We can kick around this case some more over a couple of beers.”
    As the two passed Blake’s office, Rainbow put his head inside the door and told Blake he was staying at Wayne’s. They went down and got into Wayne’s nondescript car. It was a white, 4-door Toyota, of which there were thousands just like it on the streets of Memphis. They pulled out of the gate and headed north on Airways, but instead of getting on the freeway and going around to Riverside Drive, Wayne kept going north until Airways turned into Parkway East. He passed the old fairgrounds and turned on to the ramp that placed them on Union Avenue. There he went west toward the Mississippi River.
    Rainbow had no idea where he was, or where they were going. They crossed Interstate 240 and began entering downtown. Wayne cleared his throat and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but there’s something I want to check out downtown, and I’d feel better knowing I had some backup.”
    At Third Street, which was one-way north, Wayne turned and stopped in the alley of the Sterick Building. “This is where I called home for a number of days. I want to see if the chain that Roy had locking us in is broken.”
    Rainbow pulled his gun. “Lead the way, I’m right behind you.”
    “I really don’t think you’ll need that.”
    Rainbow smiled. “But if I do, it’ll be ready.”
    Wayne let it go. After all, Rainbow could be right. Halfway to the dumpster he pulled his own gun. At the dumpster he bent down and, with his penlight, looked behind it. The chain was gone. “I’m sure now who killed Roy. The so-called ‘five’ must have found his secret place and wanted it for themselves.”
    Rainbow was keeping an eye on both directions of the alley. “Who is this ‘five’ you’re talking about?”
    Wayne stood up and started back to the car. “That’ll be our next stop.”
    Wayne drove down to Monroe Avenue and took a right at Front Street and then turned left and pulled into a parking garage. He parked and the two of them walked back down Monroe Avenue to Main Street. Main Street was a walking-only street, so it had not only tourists but also homeless bums who took advantage of the foot traffic. Wayne knew that the five controlled the area from Second Street to Front Street.
    He picked them out right away. He got Rainbow’s eye and nodded his head. “There’s the leader of the pack, standing by the Trolley Stop Market. The two on that corner” – he pointed –“and the two at the end of the block are part of the gang. Any money that is collected by any of the other homeless people goes to them and at the end of the night the gang of five keeps 50% and the other 50% is divided up by the rest who were working the street.”
    Rainbow was impressed. “Who would have thought the homeless were organized? Does it go all the way to Beale Street?”
    The leader saw them watching and left the Trolley Stop and headed their way.
    “Here comes one of the assholes now,” said Wayne. “And no, Beale is off limits. The five cut a deal with the police that as long as there is no complaint, the cops let them alone up here.”
    The man coming their way was the same guy that Wayne had had the run-in with his first day. “What do you two want?” the man demanded. “I noticed you eyeballing my people. You look like cops, but I know all the cops around here. If you’re out-of-town law, then you should know, I have an understanding with the police. It wouldn’t be a good idea to fuck with us.”
    Rainbow stepped forward and roughly grabbed the man by the throat. “I don’t give a damn who you have an understanding with.” He spied the bum’s hand move toward his pocket. “Touch that knife in your pocket and I’ll shove it up your ass.”
    Wayne touched Rainbow’s arm. “Let him go, we don’t need to get involved with the police tonight.”
    Rainbow shoved the bum away from him. “Get back across the street before I break you in half.”
    The bum waved off the other four, who had begun coming in his direction. Heading toward them, he hollered over his shoulder, “You stay in town long, there’s a good chance something bad will happen to you.”
    Rainbow shot him the middle finger and turned toward Wayne. “If we’re not going to kick their asses, then let’s go get that beer you talked about.”
    As they walked back to pick up the car, Wayne asked, “What did you mean earlier by justice not always being the same as right and wrong?”
    Rainbow paused for a second. “Justice would be for those assholes to be in jail for the murder of your friend. We know that’s not going to happen, because the street has its own law. So then there is right and wrong. When a wrong has been done on the street, how do you make it right?”
    Wayne chewed on this while they got in the car and he drove out of the garage. “Are you suggesting that we dispense street justice on them?”
    Rainbow gave Wayne a puzzled look. “I thought that was why we were standing on that corner in the first place.”
    Wayne had come to trust Rainbow, and it sure looked real when he grabbed the leader by the throat. “Something in me might like to do that. Maybe after we take care of the Hometown Killer?”
    Rainbow laughed. “I’d love to help. That son of a bitch was going to stab me tonight. I don’t take that lightly.”

Copyright © 2019, 2020 by Ed Rogers