Trouble at Club B part 1
Matthew Ryan Fischer
Ever since Declan lost a fight with a suspect on the run, he had
become a man of passion for the job. Sonny was allowed full access to case
files and to Declan’s opinions and theories. At least Sonny now knew what it
took to motivate the man. For Sonny the idea of a counterfeit ring was a
distraction from his real case, but for Declan it became an obsession. Sonny
told himself that this was just what it took to reinvigorate him and get him
dedicated to the job, but Sonny worried that really Declan was a man driven by
pride and ego. Tattooed killers didn’t matter. A man with a shotgun didn’t
matter. Whatever he had been working on with Kaylee in secret didn’t matter.
Declan wanted to find the counterfeiters and more importantly he wanted to find
the man who got away. This wasn’t what Sonny had signed on for, and it wasn’t
his case or jurisdiction. If someone were flooding Jakarta with faked
international bills then it could be a wider problem for many nations or the
entire region. But it was so far removed from what Sonny wanted to be working
on. He had to report in at the end of the week. If Declan was still focused on
this case, Sonny would recommend to his bosses that he return to Bandung and
continue his work on the mansion massacre. But if his bosses were more
interested in currency, so be it. Sonny decided he would do his best to present
Bandung as the better more interesting option and downplay any connections in
Jakarta. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Declan’s resurrected dedication to
the job, but a man who changed focus so often couldn’t be trusted as a partner.
Sonny might do better working alone.
Declan suggested they return to the streets and revisit some of the
same contacts from before. Earlier they had been focused on the gunman and
tattoos. But with most of them dealing in cash-businesses, all would be threatened
if someone was mucking up their transactional economy. Sonny couldn’t argue, so
they headed back to talk to gamblers, loan sharks and backroom card sharks.
They met a man Declan called Rendy, but who called himself Dave. He
told them that his boss had been upset lately because payments coming in had
been riddled with fake bills. Sonny asked who the boss was, and Declan shut him
down, saying that wasn’t their current problem. Sonny wondered if he was going
easy on an informant, or if Declan was involved in something more sinister. Rendy
aka Dave sent them down a path towards prostitutes and the men who drove them
to local clubs.
A few nights later they ended up at a local night club bar called
Club B. There was a floor for dancing, a floor for drinking and eating and a
floor for karaoke. Declan explained that the all three would be full of cash transactions,
legal and otherwise. There were drug dealers throughout and hidden bedrooms
attached to some of the private karaoke rooms. If counterfeit money was
flooding the streets, there would be plenty of it here. Sonny asked if they
should call backup, but Declan was confident that his connections to an
assistant manager would keep them safe.
“We aren’t here to arrest anyone or put a stop to their business.
No one should mind a few questions.”
They made their way around the club, looking for anyone willing to
talk. Sonny noticed a large number of men who simply migrated to the other side
of the room any time they got close. He didn’t think they were going to get any
answers.
But then Sonny saw the tattoo – a tough looking man with rolled up
sleeves. He had the number forty-seven tattooed on his forearm. It looked just
like the thirty-three and the two he had been chasing.
“You see that?” they both asked each other at the same time.
Declan was looking a different direction. Sonny turned to see what
caught his attention. It was the man they chased the week before, the courier for
the loan shark.
Fine, thought Sonny, let Declan have his rematch. He was more
interested in the tattooed man.
They agreed and split up, each on their own mission. It seemed to
be a productive night for both.
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