Day 158 - Outside Club B

 Outside Club B

 Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

It was raining when Kaylee arrived at Club B and there were at least a dozen police cars in the parking lot. Declan was somewhere in all that mess. It was just past three in the morning, but she didn’t dare approach the club. Yes, Declan was in there, and perhaps the man he was fighting, but there could be any number of other criminals inside being detained or questioned, or outside in the crowd trying to catch a glimpse. If she went inside and the wrong person saw her, then all her efforts tracking Agents of The Dragon’s Claw would be ruined. It was a risk to be in the crowd, but Kaylee felt it had to be done.

There were the bruised and bloodied being attended to at an ambulance. Kaylee scanned the crowd for familiar faces, but failed to recognize anyone. Word on the radio was unclear. A fight broke out. Perhaps multiple. The way the police reacted you would have thought it was a riot. The way the crowd gawked, the club was all spectacle.

Club B was known for its multitude of criminal types. Declan and Sonny could have been here after any number of people. How they connected to the unidentified gunman, or the counterfeit currency appearing on the streets was beyond her. She would get to see a report in a day or two. As long as she could make it in to the department without being followed.

Declan had been in a crabby mood for weeks now ever since he lost a suspect in a fight. It was entirely possible that he dragged Sonny here based on a hunch or a feeling or bad intel or because Declan was looking to get in a fight. His focus was broken and if it continued not only would he be a bad partner, but possibly a danger to the her and the position he had put her in.

Kaylee caught Declan’s eye as he emerged from the club, followed by Sonny. He didn’t react, but he looked her way a moment too long. If anyone was watching her, they probably wouldn’t have noticed. Probably. Both men had torn clothes and blood and bruises to show for their efforts tonight. Neither was pushing along a suspect with them. Whatever they had been after, they failed. Declan’s mood would only get worse. She wondered about getting a private message to Sonny. Someone needed to look out for him if she wasn’t about to.

Kaylee took a step back and mixed into the crowd. Her partner was alive, but she wasn’t going to get any answers tonight.

As she returned home, she recognized two men from her building. One had a bloody lip and the other’s suit was torn. Had they been at Club B earlier? Entirely possible. There was a very good chance they were the one’s who made Sonny and Declan seem so frustrated. She had no evidence, no proof, no information and nothing to accuse them of. But she had her hunch. And she was pretty sure she knew for sure. The Dragon’s Claw. If they ran Club B, then Club B was a very dangerous and deadly place.

“Are you okay,” she asked as innocently as she possibly could.

The younger one held the door for her as she entered.

“Fine,” he mumbled. He tried to brush his hair and straighten his jacket.

She thanked him and wished him a speedy recovery. Kaylee decided she would check on him in the morning. She was a horrible cook, but could buy something early. He would think she was a concerned neighbor and it would give her a chance to step inside his apartment. Hardly a step at all, but a step all the same.