Chapter 4

Chapter 4. There’s No Place Like Home
Skinner turned his computer off and when the screen faded he felt like there wasn’t much else to look forward to at the end of the day. Yes, the man was a hitman and should have been hunted to the ends of the earth, but all things being equal the Viper had done more of his police work than he’d been able to. He picked up his coat from the hook it hung from, turned out his light and left his office. The couple of beat cops that were filling out paperwork from the night’s arrests whistled at him as he left. “Finally moving on old man? We thought you’d be retired before you found yourself another lady. A lifer like you usually can’t commit until it’s all over and done with.” Skinner shot the rookie a sharp look and took several more steps. “For the record portable, that woman was a friend of mine’s widow and you’d be best to show some respect before you find yourself on the Hell’s Kitchen beat permanently.” He lied about Shin Lao, but what was he to say? That this “friend of his” was indeed a recently deceased hitman with at least one hundred and eighty unsolved homicides under his belt. And that the woman was oftentimes his partner? He stormed the rest of the way down the hall and out of the building.

The night air was just getting cold as the first signs of autumn fell on the concrete jungle that was New York City. The buzz of the whiskey made the cool air feel almost surreal as the heat from his face met the blowing breeze and the smells of the dirty city with it. He loathed this city but he had too much history here to move. “Two more years until retirement.” Had become his mantra for several months now. In reality he probably should have been thankful for the Viper’s early retirement as he seemed to be the cause of many of his cases over the years. Many on the force saw him as a merciless killer. Skinner knew differently however. Skinner knew him as a man who did what needed to be done to protect those who were actually innocent in this god forsaken city.

It was forty three blocks to his apartment in the heart of the Bronx. It was a hell of a walk but Skinner decided to walk it anyway tonight. There were many things that he needed to think on and the long walk would probably be the only thinking that he would have the chance to do tonight. The streets seemed to be deserted at this time of night. People often didn’t drive through this section past midnight and for some with good reason. All of this added up to a hell of a surprise as Skinner inserted his key into the lock of his apartment. “Excuse me, Detective Skinner?” The man’s voice was familiar. He was sure it was one of the afternoon beat cops. When he turned around he was relieved to see the face of Officer Warren, one of the veteran portables. “What can I do for you Peter?” Skinner asked. He didn’t like the situation. This seemed like something that happened in the movies. He wasn’t to be disappointed. “You’ll need to come with me detective. There’s some gentlemen that have some questions to ask you for a change.” The cold glint in Peter Warren’s eyes told him that the man wasn’t kidding, and that he would more than likely shoot him if he didn’t accept his offer. “We’re seeing Matsuo Tanaka I presume.” Skinner didn’t know for certain, but considering the events of the last day or two he felt he was on pretty solid ground with his guess.

“You’d be correct Detective.” A voice came out of the darkness from the hallway. The female’s voice he wasn’t sure was a blessing or a curse at this moment. “This little weasel has been an employee of Tanaka’s for quite some time. And he most assuredly will kill you.” The look on Skinner’s face betrayed no emotion as he looked to Officer Warren. “I’ll be taking your piece as well detective. Both of them.” Skinner bent down to grab his back up revolver from his ankle holster when the two shots rang out just above his head. He looked up, his hand still wrapped around his revolver and the limp body of Peter Warren slumped backward and broke the flimsy railing at the edge of the landing. There were meaty sounds as it hit several floor landings and down some stairs. “What the Fuck did you get me into?” He shouted into the dark hallway.

“I apologize Detective but I wasn’t sure who the rat was until tonight. Since I was freed from Boss Tanaka’s service I have been “out of the loop” as I believe it’s put.” Shin Lao screwed the light bulb back into its socket before she walked up to Skinner. I recognized one of the faces as I walked through the station. I just assumed he would be reporting back to Tanaka and sent here to fetch you.” “Well thanks for the warning. So, what now?” “You tell me, you’re the detective.” Skinner smiled briefly. “So I am. Well since my apartment obviously isn’t safe, where to now?” “We’re going to the old man’s. Obviously Boss Tanaka doesn’t believe that the Viper is dead and thinks that you might know otherwise. He’d never come after me with his own men. He knows I’d do just what I did to his messenger tonight. He’ll be hiring professionals.” That last sentence scared the hell out of Skinner. He thought he was dealing with professionals and in a sense he was correct. But he knew what Tanaka would hire would be ruthless and without any sense of remorse.

They walked down the stairs carefully and stepped over the dead body of Officer Warren. Skinner felt bad to a point that another officer had had to die, and that the accompanying phone call to Warren’s wife would more than likely be made by him. There would of course be an investigation since his door was covered in the officer’s blood. His life was about to get much more interesting. The cold night air hit his adrenaline fueled lungs and seemed to burn like fire. He glanced around and the familiar black Aston Martin caught his eye. “Perhaps that would be why Tanaka doesn’t think that the Viper is dead? I mean his car is sitting out front of my apartment.” “I’m sure Elias wouldn’t mind me borrowing it for the evening. I was back at his place trying to figure out what he was working on when he died. That’s when the file on Officer Warren popped up and everything seemed to click. My SLK doesn’t have the power that this thing does.” “Care to finish the story a bit more while we’re on the way?” “That’d probably be a good idea as it seems to pertain in its own way to the events of late.”

Shin Lao started the engine with a roar. Skinner had never had the privilege of riding in this powerhouse before and felt he was owed a little. Skinner looked over to her sitting in the seat that had been custom built for a man now dead. Surprisingly he noticed that her skirt which she hadn’t been wearing in his office had ridden up a little revealing her well muscled thighs. He looked away rather embarrassed. It didn’t feel right to him on several different levels. “Now where were we, oh yes, Tommy Mac…”