Joe left the NFPD with an ‘arrangement.’ Kopkage would let Joe know of any developments in the murder of Booger Satsuma, Joe would reciprocate AND keep the copper in the picture regarding any likely gang war that might look like breaking out if Joe found out one of his rivals had taken Finny. It was left understood that each would also keep the other informed of anything they might find concerning Finny’s disappearance. As Joe started the car, a thought struck Joe, making him pull away from the kerb with a squeal of rubber. If this was all just some dumb move on Finny’s part and she was off on one of her damned adventures… but no; someone had died. Joe eased up on the accelerator, at least there would have been a better chance of her being alive. His next stop was in one of the less redeveloped areas of New Flagstaff. The destruction caused during The Fall had left many buildings totally demolished. A hundred-odd years later, these were now an outer ring of grassy mounds with the odd fern-covered wall sticking up to suggest a building had once stood there. In contrast, the centre of town was a mix of total rebuilds and buildings that were patched up enough to be useful if not pretty to look at, a sort of ‘that’ll do’ approach adopted by the union to keep costs down. This was where the business area was; along with the homes of those that could afford the cost of rebuilding them, like Joe and other slightly more legitimate members of the great and good of New Flagstaff. In between these tow extremes were the homes and shops still waiting for the Union to provide the funds to repair or rebuild. The occupants made do with what they could get. Gaps in walls and roofs often repaired with wooden boards and tarred over with melted tarmac from the streets they stood on. It might have waterproofed the building, Joe thought, clenching his cigar between his teeth, but driving on these streets of mud and deep potholes was shaking shit out of his beloved roadster. Nevertheless, he made it to his destination. Looking up from the pavement, it was immediately obvious that this old warehouse, the three walls that remained of it, was never going to get anything except demolished. However, the boarded up holes where windows used to be and the sagging tarpaulins indicated that the building was still occupied. Picking his way between the smokey campfires, Joe found the corner which Charlie Farley and the remaining two ‘eyes’ Joe paid to keep an eye on Finny called home. Charlie was up on his feet immediately, the ‘snick’ of the hidden switch-blade a warning that made Joe stop. “Steady lads… It’s only me.” Only then did the other two teenagers even realise someone was there. Charlie visibly relaxed but Robin and Arty looked justifiably nervous; they didn’t get to see Joe very often and now to have him suddenly turn up at their crib…? so yeah, justifiably nervous. Charlie closed up the switch-blade and shoved it back into his pocket as Joe stepped into the light of their little fire. “Who’s watching Finny?” Joe had let Charlie sort out the shift arrangements, all he had insisted on was that it was four hour watches so that they didn’t get bored or tired. Foul Arty swallowed. “Just on mah way Joe, honest.” He even took a step towards the exit before Joe stopped him. “Don’t bother. Booger’s dead and Finny’s been swiped.” Arty and Robin looked suitably shocked at the news. Charlie Farley looked suitably worried. Joe quickly told them what he knew and when he had finished he turned to Charlie. “Nobody’s fault, it looks like Booger got smacked from behind by someone who knew their business.” He turned back to looking at all three of them. “Tomorrow I’ll muster the troops and we’ll find Finny.” He turned to Charlie again. “You three will start now. I’m sure you’ve all got your own contacts so get out there and start contacting. Charlie?” Charlie raised his eyebrows to receive his further orders. “In the morning go round all the little ‘uns and get them organised too. They report to you, you report to me. Listen to them, kids see and hear stuff because adults don’t even notice they are there half the time.” Joe stepped back, looking at each face. “Right, get busy.” Back in the car, Joe turned towards home. At the back of his mind, he’d been mulling over what he was going to tell Kirsten. She wasn’t going to be happy however he broke the news and the chesterfield was looking likely be his bed tonight. Joe chose his moment, after dinner when they were together relaxing while Silja put Annie through her bedtime routine. But he was still procrastinating when Kirsten put down the paperwork she had been working on. “Out with it!” Joe looked up. He adopted his usual air of surprised innocence before remembering that he wasn’t. He looked Kirsten directly in the eye and just had time to see her face realise something was very wrong. “I think Finny’s been kidnapped.” The sentence landed like the toll of a bell, leaving behind a fading sense of unreality as happy normality left the room. “...What?” Joe quietly recounted Casper’s tale and had gotten as far as the finding of the Booger’s body before the damn burst. “I told you Joe! I damn well told you playing with those children’s lives was…” Kirsten, face contorted in tight lipped fury, fought to find the word. “...WRONG!” What followed was Kirsten marching backwards and forwards across the room letting Joe know in no uncertain terms what she thought about Finny’s involvement in his shady undertakings, and not only Finny; the other three too. She didn’t like it and she had only put up with it because Joe had ‘promised’ ...the loud emphasis Joe’s best-beloved had garnished on that word made Joe cringe… that no harm would come to any of them. It was on the tenth march across the carpet when Kirsten stopped mid tirade. She was caught off guard by the look in Joe’s eyes. Behind, the shock, the worry and the sadness over Finny’s disappearance, behind all that there was that look of murderous intent that Kirsten rarely saw. “You find her Joe. You find Finny and,” her next words gave permission to the look in her man’s eyes. “And you sort it out.” Joe nodded slowly and they shared the silence before Kirsten turned towards the door. She opened it and stopped, half in and half out of the room, then turned to look over her shoulder. “But Joe, if she’s dead…” The words, the tone, the look in Kirsten’s eye left Joe with a cold dread never before felt in their relationship. The door closed behind Kirsten. Joe stared into the fireplace. It was likely that people were going to die in the coming days. Joe was determined that the death of the one behind this would be at his own very deliberate hands… whether Finny got out of this alive or not. The Finny Stories In chronological order: 000 Finny Intro 001 The Locket 002 Rats 003 A Christmas Finny 004 The Secret Adventurer’s Club 005 The Secret Adventurer’s Club: Second Adventure 006 Finny’s Birthday 007 Union Candy 008 Then There Were Three 009 Then There Were Four Again – Sort Of (WIP)