part 12

Not again.

I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of deja vu as vision came swimming back. For the second time in recent memory I'd gone unconscious. A very annoying habit that I swore wouldn't have to continue. This time, though, I found myself at the business end of a high caliber firearm. The kind that took your hand off, and that's if you were holding the gun. As I shook the cobwebs from my brain, I noticed whose hand was holding the gun.

She laughed. Sent a shiver up my spine, and not in a good way. If I could find a way to describe the feeling I got from that laugh, it'd have been something like a rattlesnake's death rattle.

"Welcome back."

"Woulda preferred to stay asleep if you don't mind."

"I think we can accede to that request."

I saw her finger tighten around the trigger. Crying out, I dove behind a counter and cursed as I landed badly, twisting my ankle.

"Don't."

I stiffened as I heard the voice. It was... Rancini?

"Yuh pull the tregguh and the cops'll be onnis place like i'wuhs nuthin'."

"Yes, sir."

This development was too much. Nothing made sense anymore. At first, I'd suspected Bouchard had dropped in from out of town, working for some rich consortium. Then I find out she'd worked for Rancini before, but skipped town when they fell out. Now this servant-boss thing had my mind in boy scout knots. I needed, no, HAD to get to the bottom of this. That is, if I lived.

"You can come out now, Mr. Garrett. Hands up. Mr. Rancini wants you alive."

Putting my hands behind my head, I'd have to comply if I wanted to learn anything. Standing up slowly, I met the steely, gaze of Bouchard, followed by the blank, yet menacing, glare of Rancini. Rancini spoke first.

"Garrett."

"Rancini."

"Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, I- wha?"

"Shocked, aren't you? Things aren't always what they seem, wouldn't you agree?"

"I've... had occasion to find that out for myself. Anyway, what the hell is going on?"

Rancini laughed. Now that he wasn't what he'd seemed, he was a lot scarier. Of course, a stunted old man wasn't too scary to begin with. Now that he was standing, well... I'd forgotten what a big man he was.

"A miracle of science. You remember when I became half-paralyzed, don't you? Turns out I'm all better now. Had the finest surgeons in the country flown in to fix me."

"But... when? And why continue to put up a sham?"

"My.... empire was beginning to crumble. Small timers like Louie Two Fingers, the Russian mob, moving in on MY territory. This city is MINE! I built it from the ground up, and I'll be damned before I let others take it from me! They all thought I was weak, my... disability hampering my ruthlessness. No more! I gotta take back what's rightfully mine, and crush anyone who tries to defy my law! Yes, their complacency'll be their undoing. They'll never know, like bugs on your shoe, until the moment they die - until it's too late."

Rancini had quite thoroughly snapped. It was like he was speaking out of cliche, like all big villains gripped in-the-throes-of-madness do.

"But why involve me?"

Rancini glared at me, as if angry that I'd interrupted his lengthy ranting. Then his features softened, and he grinned.

"Theo Garrett, best and only detective in Lost Haven. Gets where no man can. Where no man has gone before! I needed you, and I have my daughter to thank for that." Then, almost maniacally, he smiled. "You're the example I'm going to make to the rest of them."

He raised his gun. Everything happened in a blur of motion. Rancini's finger tightened around the trigger, but before it could fully depress it, Bouchard spun, and aimed her own gun at his head.

A gunshot.

When the figurative smoke cleared I found her standing over Rancini's body. What was left of Rancini's head was staining the carpeted floor. A pool of blood slowly spread out, and was slowly absorbed.

"Is.. is it true? What he said?"

"About me being his daughter? Yes. I mean, no. I mean... a long time ago. I might have meant something to him once."

"What happened?"

She smiled, sadly.

"You weren't paying attention, were you? Him and his stupid empire. At first I'd thought that once he had control of the city he'd ease up, treat me like I was actually family. But it never happened." She looked almost wistful as she continued. "So I left. Naturally, he wanted to control everything in his life and didn't allow me to go. I... I-"

Faintly in the background, sirens began to scream. "I... I understand. Cassandra. I... you'd best be leaving. Flee. Get out of the country, don't come back."

"No, you don't! With Ranci- my father dead, the power vacuum will be too large to fill! The city will erupt with in-fighting, and-"

The sirens sounded like they were about ten blocks away now. We'd have to get out of there quick.

"Cassandra! This isn't the time for reflection! Move!"

She snapped back to attention, surprised. Whatever she was thinking on the inside, she managed to hide for the moment. She fled for the fire escape. I watched her shrink out of view, then made my own way down. I ducked into an alley, just as the police came around the corner. It was over.

Epilogue

I stood on my balcony, savouring the metropolitan air. The television set droned in the background.

"-nd with crimelord Rancini's death, the city of Lost Haven has become a warzone. Today, eleven people were ki-"

It was the same news about Lost Haven since I'd left. That was about 2 months ago to the day. Screw them.

I sat back on my deckchair and rummaged around in my cooler for a beer. As it opened with a pop and a fizzle, some foam surged up and spilt over. Didn't matter, the cleaning lady'll handle that.

The sun rose over a beautiful skyline. I took a swig, and toasted the morning.

The End.