Just let me die! Why was there so much crap to deal with on a Monday?!
Despite his complaints, Li Jie hurried back to the Chief's office. The moment he entered, Bob pushed him into a chair.
"The Roman got robbed last night. The place was one of his gang's regional vaults. They lost over seven million in cash."
Fuck!
That amount wouldn't ruin Falcone, but it was enough to hurt him badly. Whoever had done it, Falcone's retaliation was sure to come down like a raging storm.
Li Jie felt as though a cicada were buzzing nonstop inside his head. He asked Bob, "When did it happen?"
"Last night, sometime between three and four in the morning. They didn't give a damn about anything-just shot out the cameras. Falcone had eight armed guards there. Looks like they were all killed." Bob sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "All his men are out on the streets. The whole city's a mess. The mayor just called and told us to get this under control, fast."
"Shouldn't Central Headquarters be handling this?" Li Jie hated to let a perfectly good fall guy like Gordon go to waste.
"He's already spoken to both Loeb and Brown. What worries me most right now is Gillian grabbing a few random people to placate Falcone. That could easily piss him off and turn him against the police instead."
Bob lit a cigarette and let out a long sigh. "It's all up to you!"
All up to me, my ass... Fucking hell... Li Jie thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and asked, "What about the surveillance footage?"
"The Roman has it. He wants the police to send someone over to watch it. We can take a copy, but not the original."
"Tch. So he wants to lecture us!" Li Jie curled his lip in contempt. "The way I see it..."
He pointed at Bob. Bob shook his head helplessly and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Go on."
"The way I see it, we can either go through the motions. Falcone won't let a provocation slide, so let him handle it himself. Central Headquarters will take the heat anyway. The East End won't have to lift a finger or take the blame. But afterward, neither the government nor the Roman will be happy with you."
"Or... nothing ventured, nothing..."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Bob raised a hand to cut him off. "That look on your face always scares me. It always feels like you're about to talk me into something again. Give me a moment."
He composed himself, took a few deep breaths, and settled into his executive chair with both hands on the armrests. "All right. Keep going."
"You really know how to kill the mood..." Li Jie rolled his eyes and continued, "Nothing ventured... Forget it. We find a way to solve the case and use the opportunity to squeeze some money out of the Roman. And if those robbers haven't spent all seven million..."
He and Bob looked up at the same time, exchanged a glance, and smiled in mutual understanding.
"That said, whichever route we take, people are going to die. A lot of people. You'd better prepare yourself."
"Got it!"
Bob picked up his lighter and began striking sparks. Li Jie stood and headed out. At the door, he suddenly remembered something.
"Boss!"
"Hmm?" Bob looked up at him. "What is it?"
"Unless something unexpected happens, the verdict in Otis's case should come down this afternoon. You'd better show up and tip off a few reporters anonymously. You know, an innocent man finally getting justice and all that..."
"OK!"
Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom!
The Ford E-350's engine roared deafeningly. The huge GCPD lettering painted on its body sent every thug nearby with any sense scurrying out of the way.
The people inside the bar heard the commotion too. Cobblepot's bodyguard Gabe stormed outside with a few underlings, only to see Li Jie jump out of the van with a hand on his gun. Instinctively, Gabe clutched his fingers.
"Officer..."
"Move!"
Li Jie shoved him aside. "Where's Cobblepot? Let me make this clear: if he tries to run, I'm treating him and all of you as resisting arrest."
"Ah!"
Gabe and the underlings froze on the spot. The bulky man in his forties looked ready to cry and didn't dare move a muscle. They watched Li Jie barge inside without looking back and catch Cobblepot just as he hurried over.
"Hey! Jay, my frien... Wait! Wait! Ah!"
The short man was hoisted up by his collar and slammed against the wall. The cold, hard metal barrel of an M1911 pressed beneath his chin.
"Cobblepot, I'm not in a very good mood today, so you'd better tell me the truth. Otherwise, this gun might go off at any moment." Li Jie leaned close to his ear and spoke in a menacing whisper. "Where did you stash the money you stole from the Roman?"
"I don't know! I don't know! I swear it wasn't me!" Terrified out of his wits, Cobblepot screamed himself hoarse. "As God is my witness! Virgin Mary! Jesus above! How could it possibly have been me?!"
"Don't play games with me. You think I can't see through you?" Li Jie flicked the safety with a click and jabbed the muzzle upward.
"No, absolutely not. Even if I'd wanted to, I don't have the muscle." Cobblepot's face was white as paper, and he trembled all over. "Jay, I don't know what you've heard, but I swear on my mother it wasn't me."
"Tch. I thought I might bluff something out of you."
Li Jie put away his gun, lowered Cobblepot to the floor, and reached out to straighten his collar.
"Just a little misunderstanding, right?"
"Bluff?"
Cobblepot's eyes widened, his expression slowly turning stiff and vicious. "Officer, you can't treat me like this. We..."
"A misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding. It's not like this is our first." Li Jie put away his gun and smiled at Cobblepot. "Right?"
"But I already compensated you for that misunderstanding, officer. You were the one who told me to donate the van and the money to..."
"What was the deal with that van you donated?" The smile suddenly vanished from Li Jie's face as he stared at Cobblepot without expression.
"Uh... Huh?"
Cobblepot faltered, his smile suddenly becoming strained. "I... I don't understand what you mean... That van..."
"You don't seriously think there's anything the police can't dig up if we want to, do you?" Li Jie found a booth and sat down without waiting for an invitation. "A van from Washington, huh?"
"Uh... Well... I don't know..."
"All right. That's not important. By the way, after what happened to Mr. Falcone, I ought to warn him that some people might be working against him from the inside."
Cobblepot's eyes went round, and his face flushed bright red.
"Officer, we're friends. You shouldn't threaten me, much less slander me with baseless accusations."
He forced a stiff smile and limped behind the bar. "Have a drink, Jay. Let's forget all the unpleasantness."
"A drink sounds fine, but there are two things you need to know first." Li Jie's gaze followed Cobblepot's movements, lingering on the bulging veins in the hand gripping the bottle. "First, if anything happens to me, a whole lot of cops will surround this place immediately, and what I've said will reach Mr. Falcone's ears."
Cobblepot's hand twitched as he began wiping a glass. "And the second?"
"Second, you'd better take out the gun hidden under the bar. Or you can try finding out just how much killing me would cost you."
"You really are a... You really are a..."
Cobblepot stood there, gulping air like a fish out of water. He looked up at Li Jie, his eyes darting around, then suddenly recovered his earlier warm, ingratiating smile.
"My oversight, Jay." He took a shotgun from beneath the bar and laid it on the counter. "All right, tell me. What do you want, my friend?"
He brought over two drinks and set them on the booth's table. After straightening his formal suit, which had been rumpled by the manhandling, he sat opposite Li Jie.
"What do you want from me... And can we put what happened earlier behind us?"
"First, tell me what you know about this."
"Well, I actually don't know very much. Mr. Falcone called us all in this morning. From what the surveillance footage showed, there were about seven or eight of them. Heavy firepower, ruthless methods, and every one of them wore a mask..."
Cobblepot's expression grew solemn. "Not only did they take the money, they left one of the dead guards holding a sign that said... 'Get out of this city.'"
"Ha!"
Li Jie chuckled. "No wonder Falcone's in such a hurry. So they weren't just after his money-they want his power too?"
"Yes. Mr. Falcone... is getting a little anxious." Cobblepot nodded in agreement. "But that's only human. None of us wants to see a lifetime's work go down the drain."
"But he didn't have to flood every street and alley with his thugs like this. Now even ordinary citizens can't get around freely." Li Jie lifted his glass without drinking and slowly swirled the green liquid inside. "People start doing irrational things when they get old."
The corner of Cobblepot's eye twitched, and he put on that shy, harmless smile. "Mr. Falcone is still vigorous and full of energy despite his age. He must have done this because..."
"So you think he's old too?"
Li Jie interrupted him, stood, and leaned forward with both hands braced on the table. His enormous shadow engulfed Cobblepot like a hawk looming over its prey.
"I think someone who knows how to cooperate and won't act rashly would be better suited to leadership. The GCPD doesn't want this city descending into chaos either. What do you think, Oz?"
He drained his glass, straightened up, and turned to stride away.
"I'm heading over to Falcone Manor myself now. Mr. Falcone will probably want to assign someone to cooperate with the police."
"Opportunities don't come along every day!"
Before you continue