Art and Murder. Don Easton

was waiting at the curb and climbed in when Jack pulled up in a black SUV. “I’ll put my makeup on as you drive,” she said, “but how do I look?”

      Jack glanced at her quickly.

      “You said to look like a high-class hooker,” Laura continued, “if there is such a thing.”

      “You look perfect. More than I could afford.”

      Laura smiled. “You got that right.”

      Jack’s moment of humour didn’t last. His face darkened and he stepped on the gas, causing the tires to squeal when he pulled away from the curb.

      “Watch it, will ya?” Laura said. “I have to live in this neighbourhood.”

      “You didn’t hear her voice,” Jack said. “She’s really scared.”

      “Three of them, you say? But no guns?”

      “No guns that she saw. Clive and Klaus are there for sure. Some other guy, too, but I didn’t get a name.”

      “Fill me in a bit. If we burst in there, aren’t you worried about burning her?”

      “No. That’s why you’re a hooker tonight.”

      “I thought that was just to get them to open the door. What happens then?” She glanced at Jack and realized what he was going to do. “Oh, man,” she muttered. “You’re going to pretend to be her pimp.”

      “You got a better idea?”

      “No, but a real pimp would probably mess them up.”

      “Probably,” Jack agreed.

      “We’re cops, remember?”

      “I remember.” Jack glanced at her. “Don’t worry. I brought the shotgun. If I stick that in their faces it’ll scare them enough.”

      “So we go in. You wave the gun to scare them, then we collect Brandy and leave. Right?”

      “You got it. It’ll be a cakewalk.”

      I’ve heard that one before, Laura thought.

      Jack drove in silence for a few minutes and tried to imagine what was going on in the hotel. “Damn it, whatever they’re doing to her is my fault,” he said bitterly as he swung into an oncoming lane to pass a car. “She told me Clive was becoming nastier and said she didn’t want to go with him anymore. It was because of me that —”

      “This isn’t her first time with him,” Laura said, no doubt hoping to ease his guilt.

      “And what’s this business with three guys?” Jack muttered. “I didn’t think she was into that type of action.” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Bet she’s doing it because of me.”

      “Maybe it’s a money issue,” Laura suggested. “I hope she isn’t calling us over that. Can’t say as I want to be charged with pimping.”

      “I’m sure that’s not it. She was so scared she was starting to hyperventilate.”

      Jack thought about the reason he’d pushed Brandy into the situation. Is Clive worth it? He went over what he knew. Another informant had told him that Brandy had bragged to her about receiving ounces of cocaine from Clive in lieu of payment for sexual favours. Brandy had said that Clive was a big player who provided his smugglers with fake passports. It was the passports that caught Jack’s attention. If a drug dealer had access to those, perhaps some terrorist could also get access to them. He later identified a known cocaine importer by the name of Clive Dempsey, and when Brandy became his informant, she confirmed that it was the Clive she knew.

      Jack ignored a red light and the angry blast of a horn as he stepped on the gas. A moment later he pulled into the hotel parking lot. Forty minutes had passed since Brandy called him. He glanced up at the top floor of the hotel, wondering what awaited them, then gave a nod to Laura and they both thought the same thing.

      It’s showtime.

      Chapter Five

      In room 1201 at the Emerald Hotel, Brandy closed her eyes and tried to project her mind outside of the nightmare she was in. She was straddling Liam, who now sat naked on the chair under her. He was covered in sweat and grunting like a pig, but was apparently too tired to thrust his buttocks upward, relying on her to pump up and down on his penis.

      “He keeps slipping out. Clamp him tighter,” Klaus ordered as he stood behind her. Searing pain on her rear caused her to cry out, but her voice was muffled with the gag.

      She heard Klaus suck on the cigarette. She tensed her buttocks and bit the gag in anticipation of more pain to come, but a knock on the door caused the men to stop and look at each other.

      “Fresh meat,” Liam said with a smirk.

      Clive, who had been sitting in another chair watching, was the only one wearing a hotel robe. He plodded to the door and looked out the peephole.

      An attractive woman with auburn hair smiled at him from the hallway. She was wearing feathered earrings and had on the perfect amount of makeup to make her look sexy without looking trashy. She slowly unzipped her raincoat to reveal a red silk blouse unbuttoned enough to expose plenty of cleavage that was barely constrained in a black lacy push-up bra. “I’m Laura,” she said sweetly. “I was invited to a party here.”

      Clive fumbled in his haste to open the door. “Welcome to the par —”

      Jack rammed the shotgun into his gut and literally ran him backward into the room as Laura stepped in and closed the door behind her.

      Jack saw Brandy staring at him from where she was straddling a man on a chair. She was gagged and one eye was swollen shut. Her butt was peppered with cigarette burns.

      Klaus’s mouth dropped open and his cigarette fell to the floor.

      “You fucking bastards!” Jack ran across the floor and pivoted the shotgun with his hands, smashing the butt end into Klaus’s mouth. The man’s head snapped back with a sickening sound of breaking teeth, and he fell to the floor like a wet bag of cement.

      Liam, whose eyes were as big as his gaping mouth, shoved Brandy onto the floor and started to rise from his chair, but Jack spun around and rammed the barrel of the shotgun onto his forehead, forcing him back down.

      “Jack! Don’t!” Laura cried. “You can’t —” She stopped as Clive tried to make a run for the door and dropped him with a kick to the groin.

      A vein on Jack’s temple throbbed with rage as he stared at Liam before slowly stepping back. “Okay, none of you fuckers move unless I say so,” he ordered. The smell of fecal matter from Liam indicated that he wouldn’t be a problem.

      Klaus hadn’t moved and Jack stared at his motionless body. Is he dead? I didn’t mean to kill him, just… A feeling of panic gripped him. Wait a minute, his chest is moving. He’s alive!

      Jack took a deep breath and glanced at Clive, who was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, holding his groin with both hands and moaning.

      Laura’s eyes met Jack’s and her voice was barely audible. “Is he …?” She gave a worried nod toward Klaus.

      Jack could see the angst in Laura’s eyes. He felt awful about the position he had put her in. He knew he had overreacted and would face severe consequences if charged criminally. He regained his composure enough to play the role he intended. “Not yet. The fucker’s still breathing.” He caught the fleeting look of relief on Laura’s face, quickly replaced by a glare. “I barely tapped him,” Jack continued. “He must have a glass jaw or something.” He hoped a little humour would lighten the situation. “I’ve heard about guys like that.”

      Laura frowned at Jack, unsure if she felt like laughing or screaming in response. Her attention was diverted when Brandy lurched to her feet and mumbled through the gag. Seeing the