CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

 

Henry took a couple of photos of the cauls and told Luna he needed to head into his office. He made her promise not to leave the house before he left. She said she would read a book. Henry took the paper with him as he went to get ready to go to the office. He turned on the shower, and only then did he read the 'Big News.'

The headline read, 'Missing.'

An accountant with the prominent Manhattan law firm of Smith, Havershome and Blickstein is missing, and the police commissioner, Jonathan O'Rourke, has indicated that the entire department is scouring the city. Mr. Alexander is wanted in connection with the racketeering and money laundering case against infamous mobster Tommy 'The Knife.' It is believed that he may possess crucial evidence in the case, and the commissioner has asked the entire community to be on the lookout for the missing accountant.

The article went on to provide conjecture regarding the case, most of which wasn't at all accurate but did fill out a fairly thin story. At least Henry now knew which mobster was after Mr. Alexander. Tommy 'The Knife' was a ruthless thug who preferred a hunting knife to a gun. He had risen up through the ranks by collecting for the most powerful loan shark in the city and now ran a veritable army made up of the dregs of society. Henry took a shower and shaved. He told Luna that he was off to the office and again made her promise to stay inside. She agreed.

It was no longer snowing. The streets were wet, but traffic was light as most people had taken off work and stayed home. The drive was easy, and Henry's thoughts turned to the case. What could be the next clue? He thought about the journal. He needed to get it to the DA, but he first wanted to go to the office and see if anyone had been around to see him. He needed to meet Miss Culberson as the journal appeared to have nothing to do with her father, and he wanted to find out who had put her up to hiring him.

Henry parked his car in the alley down the street from his building. He rounded the corner and immediately saw the crowd gathered around the front of the charred building that used to hold his office. He didn't stop to ask what had happened. He knew the answer. Henry went to his apartment, which was only five blocks away. He kept the apartment in the city as his official residence. Henry made sure that he spent at least one night a week in the place just to keep up appearances.

Feeling the need for caution, he used the back entrance. No one was around. The back stairs were empty, but Henry was extra careful. He listened for anything out of the ordinary. It was quiet, except for the baby crying in 5B. When he stepped onto the landing, nobody was waiting. Henry pressed his ear carefully against the door and there was only silence, not so much as a mouse in the house. It turned out there weren't any mice, only overgrown rats. Henry opened the door and walked in. The door was closed behind him.

"Mr. Wood, you owe me two tires," said a man with a very thick neck. He was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room.

Before Henry could come up with a clever response, the man to his right welcomed him with a sock to the gut.

"It seems you've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Mr. Wood," said the man in the chair.

Henry was about to answer when he got another greeting to the midsection.

"You tell your buddy Big Mike that he messed with the wrong guy. If he wants a war, then we will give him one."

The thug behind Henry brought something down on the back of Henry's head, and he dropped to the floor.

The knocking at the door caused Henry to come to. He moaned and said, "Come in."

Mike walked in as Henry tried to sit up. He looked around the apartment. "They tossed your place pretty good, eh, buddy?"

"I was thinking of having a decorator in anyway."

"I told you that they're some bad guys," Mike said as he helped his friend to his feet. "Maybe you best tell your buddy what you have been up to?"

Henry and Mike turned the kitchen table back upright and got a couple of chairs. Henry grabbed the bottle of bourbon from the counter and two glasses. "Was anybody hurt in the fire?" Henry asked.

"No, it must have started around 3 am; we don't know the cause yet. You think it was your new friends?" Mike asked.

"I don't believe in coincidences." Henry threw back a shot.

"Now, what have you found out that has gotten Tommy's people on your back?" Mike asked as he poured Henry another one.

Henry filled Mike in on the details, including the message they left for him. Mike promised to look into Miss Culberson for Henry. He told Mike about the journal and explained that he had it hidden and needed to get it to the DA. They each had another shot and sat without saying a word.