High Stakes Gamble

Chapter Thirteen

The women’s correctional center was a fairly new building but the inmates were the same no matter what their surroundings. Not born to be prison guards like some people are born to be doctors or golf pros, nevertheless the guards worked there because there were jobs.

Similar to working in a plant, they had shifts, office politics and an atmosphere they tried desperately not to take home to their families. This was not a fun place to be, but it did keep food on the table and paid the bills. As Aurora and Lisa walked through the halls to the room Ham set up so they could speak with Mother Ling in private, they visited with one of the assistant wardens who Aurora knew quite well.

“How’s the Pups program coming along, Sally?” Aurora had spent some time at the prison the year before with one of her arrestees and had set the young woman up as one to be allowed a pup to train. It had worked out beautifully.

“Your girl Jenny is one of the best we have. She works with the dogs as if she had canine blood herself, canniest trainer we’ve ever had.”

“She told me she’s gotten her GED and has signed up for the Computer program.”

“Yep, she’ll be one of the internees we won’t see back here.” Chuckling wryly, she added, “Now Mother is a whole different story.” They’d come to the room where the interview would take place, and waited while Sally unlocked the door and held it open. “She’ll be brought down directly. You must have some tough questions for the old bird?”

“What makes you say that?” Lisa asked.

Aurora dropped her head to her chest playfully.

Sally laughed and pointed at the two boxes of cigarillos clutched in Lisa’s hand.

“Two boxes.” Sally winked at Aurora before she closed the door behind her.

Lisa noticed Aurora’s grin and threw the boxes on the table. She stuck her hands in her pockets in disgust. “I should have kept my mouth shut.” Peevishly, Lisa folded her long legs into one of the chairs and crossed her arms.

Sympathy, not often allowed and certainly seldom shown, made Aurora touch Lisa’s arm. “Hey cool it! You’re not yourself. Have you gotten any messages yet?”

“Still nothing.”

“Soon as we’re done here, I’m taking you to your place to grab a bag and then to the airport. Not sure if it’s because you’re jumpy as a virgin bride, but I’m feeling unsettled about the situation myself.”

Before Lisa could do more than nod happily, the door unlocked and an old Chinese woman shuffled in as if she had chains around her ankles. A uniformed guard followed close behind.

The vile grubby slippers the prisoner wore looked like two leopard kittens had glued themselves around her tiny feet. They gave her a slightly comical appearance that disappeared as soon as a person looked into her eyes.

Never one to underestimate a foe, Aurora respectfully stood and gestured to the only comfortable chair she’d just vacated.

Nodding, but saying nothing, the old lady made herself comfortable and then folded her hands together in her lap. Shrewdly looking at them both with a slight narrowing of her already squinty eyes, she addressed Aurora.

“You the girl they gossip about in here. The cop they either hate or love.” Her eerie voice sounded like she had a mouthful of marbles.

“I’m detective Aurora Morelli and this is my partner Lisa Jordan. With your permission, I have a few questions we’d like to ask.”

“Huh! Smart and professional. You already know who I am so you can just call me Mother.”

Aurora sensed the slight relaxing in the muscles around the suspect’s mouth. Skilful in the one-upmanship game, Aurora hadn’t broken eye contact, but did allow a small smile to show she appreciated the compliment.

Lisa, never one to sit still for long, held the gift towards Mother Ling and gushed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ling. We’ve brought you a gift we hope you’ll enjoy.”

Mother Ling neither looked at Lisa, nor showed any sign of appreciation. Instead the sly old Asian crone asked Aurora. “Is she for real?”

“Afraid so.”

“I like her,” the old inmate admitted.

“Me too.”

Resembling a painting of ages past with her thin hair braided around her head and her wizened features similar to a shrunken apple head, she held out both hands toward Lisa and waited.

Lisa passed over the cigarillos and Aurora saw her shrewd partner gently touch the other’s hand as if she wanted to share a moment of humanity with her.

Surprising both of them, Mother’s façade softened and she nodded first at Lisa and then at Aurora. Silence reigned as the shrewd old matriarch waited.

Aurora cleared her throat and started off slowly. “As you know, a trucker killed a highway patrol officer yesterday.”

“Not my business.” The aged hand sliced through the air and she started to rise.

Aurora quickly added. “The officer’s name was Johnny Heng and his young wife, recently arrived from the Fujian province, gave birth to twins babies only last month.”

As if air had been released from inside of her, Mother Ling visibly shrunk. Her already rounded shoulders collapsed inward as if her bones had disintegrated. Eyelids, wrinkled with age, closed tightly.

Not one to lose an opportunity, Lisa added, her voice drenched in sympathy. “He was shot in cold blood—never had a chance to defend himself. The poor guy hadn’t even pulled his weapon.”

Aurora stepped in her voice hard as glass, no yield whatsoever. “Shot by a prick who we believe works for the Chang-Lee family. You might know them as the men who operate the ‘Demand, We’ll Supply’ operation in L.A. and Kowloon?”

She stopped, hoping to get a response from the stone-like figure.

Lisa added, a catch in her croaky, rasping voice that had goosebumps forming on Aurora’s arms. “Babies snatched right out of tormented mother’s arms. Young girls forced to provide who knows what kind of depravity for men who do anything they want to their lovely young bodies. And why? Why just because they can. These animals think they own the world. And with bastards working for them willing to murder innocent people, we can’t stop them. Unless… “

Mother lifted her head and sent a saddened smile in Aurora’s direction. “She’s good.”

Aurora nodded. “She cares.”

Silence reigned and then Mother stood. She shuffled to the door and stopped, her back to both girls. Aurora felt her heart drop to her feet. Disappointed, she looked at Lisa who’d made a move to intercept until she saw Aurora shake her head.

As if the movement sent off an alarm, a noise started up in her right ear, painful in its intensity. Acting instinctively, Aurora flew forward and lifted the tiny woman away from the door just in time.

Suddenly a bullet shot the lock and the door burst open. A young Chinese girl, familiar to both detectives as the pickpocket Aurora had arrested at the Cascades hotel months earlier, entered the room armed ready to kill.

Before she’d taken two steps, Lisa’s long leg kicked the gun from the assailant’s hand. At the same time she blocked access to Mother Ling, shielding her with her own body.

Aurora moved in and with an unusual technique, she dropped to the ground and slid in low, locking her legs around those of the unsuspecting accoster. Worked like a hot damn! The move brought the bitch down.

The assailant attacked Aurora with vicious jabs which Aurora had to work hard to combat.

Defensive moves kept the savage’s hands away from her throat until Aurora tired of the byplay. Refusing to let the other gain her feet, Aurora used an opportune moment to stop using her martial arts and take advantage of her many workouts with self-defence.

She threw a hard punch to the other’s jaw and followed up with another to her the side of her head that put her out of action long enough for Aurora to roll her onto her stomach. She held her down by the sheer force of her strength until the appreciative guards burst in to take over.

And take over they did. Mean-eyed and pissed off from being shown up in front of a well-known detective, they handled the wriggling prisoner aggressively. Soon as they had her cuffed, the heavier correctional officer pushed her toward the open door and the other stopped long enough to mutter, “Thanks, Detective Morelli.”

Sally arrived at the opportune moment, hopping with fury, her face red and her eyes spitting. “Shit, Aurora. I don’t know what to say. I think it’s best take Mother into protective custody, don’t you?”

“Good idea. And keep the lid on this until you hear back from me or my office. I don’t want anyone to know the attempt failed. And another thing, with your help, I figure we’ll need to check into your people. Someone let that prisoner out of her cell, armed her and led her to us.”

“You got it.” Sally stood waiting by the door.

Aurora watched as Lisa turned and gently held the old one’s arm. Mother leaned over and whispered into Lisa’s ear. Not a muscle moved on the young detective’s face. But her grip tightened slightly.

Not wanting anyone else to see this action, Aurora reached down for the gift that had dropped to the floor and passed it Sally who took it eagerly, winked and whispered. “This’ll go a long way to help her over the trauma.”

At the door, Mother Ling stopped to look at Aurora. “You fight like a Chinese.”

Accepting the compliment, Aurora bowed respectfully and replied. “Thank you.”