Forever Knight
How To Steal A Caddy
(In Six Easy Lessons)
Nick Knight looked at the sky. He really didn't have to do that to know that the sun had already began its trek across the Toronto sky. He had cut it way too thin. The lead he had been tracking down took too much time and he was so involved in it that he had completely forgotten about the sunrise. He made a dash for his Cadillac convertible. Thankfully, there was no one around to see him open the trunk and climb inside just as the first small tendrils of smoke curled up from his shoulders.
This was one of the reasons that he had bought the 1962 car in the first place. That model Cadillac had the largest trunk space of any automobile made. More than enough room for a blond vampire homicide detective as well as a small amount of emergency supplies.
He could feel the painful blisters and reddening where the sun had touched the bare skin on his hands and face. He groped in the near total darkness until he found the cooler with the thermos bottle of bovine blood he kept for just such these conditions. He opened the bottle and took several swigs. Gradually he could sense that the blood was having its healing effect. The pain and soreness were rapidly disappearing. He felt around once more for the inflatable pillow and blew it up. Although the trunk was not nearly as comfortable as his king sized waterbed, it would allow him a reasonably good days sleep. He had done it on many occasions.
He was glad that he had declined the use of a precinct car for this mission. He would never have been able to spend the day in the tiny trunk of one of those boxy mid size crates that Metro PD provided.
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"So, Knight. Are you going to take your personal vehicle on this?" Captain Amanda Cohen asked him.
"Of course. Why shouldn't I?" Nick Knight answered.
"You mean you haven't heard about the rash of car thefts lately? Most of them have been classics or high end jobs. As much as I hate to admit it, that monstrosity of yours is a classic. I'd feel a lot better if you left it in the police lot or in your garage until the thieves are caught. You are welcome to sign out an unmarked car for your personal use until then."
He had taken a lot of ribbing about that car. The other detectives called it 'Land Freighter', 'Behemoth', 'Interprovince Bus', and a myriad of other derogatory names. He loved it. He would not get rid of the Cadillac for all the tea in China.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Captain. I have to have the Caddy. Trunk space, you know."
"Yes, I know. More than any other car. Your allergies. We've all heard the story a thousand times. At least let me have Auto Theft put a homing device on it."
Nick shook his head. There were some places that he went that he did not want anyone to know about. Especially the mortals he worked with. "Sorry. That would be the first thing a professional car thief would look for."
"Maybe you're right. Just keep a close eye on it."
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< This is about as close an eye as I can keep on my car. > He thought as sleep overtook him.
Two men approached the car sitting in front of them. Carefully, they searched the area to make sure that they were alone and in no danger of being spotted. One man leaned against the front fender while the other one carefully slipped the lock picks into the door. Seconds later, he opened it and slid behind the wheel. A few more twists of the slender pieces of aluminum in his talented hands, and the motor sprang to life. At the same time, the other one got into the passenger seat. None of the other motorists paid any attention as a teal green 1962 Cadillac convertible eased its way into the Toronto morning traffic.
**********
The Caddy hit a pothole. In the trunk, Nick was jarred into consciousness. The car was moving. But that was impossible. Through the muffling of the back seat, he heard what sounded like two men talking.
"We take this one to Maxie's Auto?" The first man asked his partner.
"You gotta be kidding. Don't you realize what we got here? This ain't something you take to a second rate chop shop like Maxie's. They'd have it broken down into its parts and shipped off to his brother's auto store Saskatchewan by tomorrow morning. This car deserves better than that. This is a real beauty. This is something that Sal might want. Remember? He asked us to keep our eyes peeled for a classic car. If ever there was a classic car, this is it." The second one said as he turned the Caddy off the 401 and headed for the warehouse district.
**********
They were stopped. It was hard to tell where.
"Can you use this one, Sal?" The first one asked.
"Use it?" A third man, obviously Sal, answered. "I got a client who would sell me his youngest daughter to get his hands on something like this. I've seen the daughter. I think I just might take him up on that." He said with a leer.
"Sallie!" The second man said. "Keep this on a professional basis."
"All right. I was just joking. But if the Baron wants to give me the girl ... " Sal rolled his eyes. "Don't look so mean. A guy can fantasize, can't he?" They went into the office and Sal took a wad of bills out of the strongbox that was in the top drawer of his desk. He peeled off a number of them. "Here you go. Three thou. Like I promised."
**********
Doctor Natalie Lambert picked up the phone. This was the third time she had tried to reach Nick. All she got was the answering machine. She knew he was there. He had to be. The sun had risen three hours ago. "Pick up, dammit, Nick." She almost yelled into the receiver. "I know you're there." Her response was the mechanical voice telling her not to take it personally.
They had angry words earlier. She had tried to tease him into drinking her latest protein concoction. He had taken her teasing the wrong way. She had taken his reaction the wrong way. Teasing gave way to accusations. Accusations escalated to shouts, and the episode had ended with him slamming the door on his way out. Not good. She had to tell him she was sorry for the incident before it got too far out of hand.
**********
They were on the move again. This time, it was only a short distance. Nick calculated that it was probably only a mile or two.
The sounds changed. Now they had a hollow ring to them. Like they were in some kind of a building. Then the smell of paint assailed his nostrils. Whoever was out there was painting the Caddy! But why? Slowly, he was able to make out sounds, and finally words.
"I gotta admit, Louie, this is a much better color than the original one."
"I agree. Got a better chance of selling it this color than that tacky green."
"It ought to be dry in a coupla hours. I wonder which lot Sal's gonna put it on. Downtown or the one in Aurora."
"Here he comes now. Why don't you ask him?"
"Neither one." Sal said. "There can't be that many '62 Cadillac convertibles in the Toronto area. Even though we changed the color, it's gonna raise questions if I have one for sale the day after one is reported stolen. This one's going overseas. I have a buyer all ready to take it. And for a good price, too. We'll move it out as soon as it's dry."
"Aren't you gonna clean out the trunk?" The first one asked him.
"Why? The Baron has already paid for the car sight unseen. I figure whatever's in the trunk is his, too."
< They're going to ship the Caddie overseas! > He waited until he could no longer hear the sounds of anyone around and attempted to raise the trunk lid. It wouldn't budge <They must have taped it down to make it easier to paint it. > He reached in his pocket for his cell phone. Perhaps this was the same group that Captain Cohen had told him about. He pressed the speed dial number for the precinct.
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"Nick!" Schanke said as he picked up the phone. "Where in the world are you calling from? You sound like you're inside a 55 gallon drum"
"You're close. I'm in the trunk of the car."
"What are you doing in the trunk? Oh yeah. Your allergy to sunlight. I suppose you want me to come get you and drive you home? Good thing you called when you did. I was just getting ready to head for the hills. Give me your location and I'll have one of the patrols drive me there. I'll take the Caddy home with me and I'll pick you up tomorrow evening. Okay?"
"That's not what I called about. The Caddie's been stolen."
"Stolen?"
"With me in the trunk."
"With you in the trunk?"
"Is there an echo somewhere? Patch me through to Auto theft. I think it might be the same gang that's responsible for the thefts for the past few months."
Detective Joe Mooth answered in the Auto division.
"Yeah." He said after Nick had explained the situation. "Sal could be Sal Randera. Randera's Classic Cars. I always had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't quite as up and up as he claimed to be, but so far, he's come up squeaky clean. Too squeaky clean if you get my drift. We know about Maxie, too. We've had him under surveillance for several months now, but we can't get anything positive. He seems to have all the bases covered. So far it's been a case of know who. Know why. No proof. If you're willing to testify to what you heard, we can get a warrant on both of them by tonight."
"I have a better idea. Why bother with the little fish? From what I've heard so far, Sal is part of an international ring. They're planning to ship the Caddie overseas. It could be as early as tomorrow. If we work with Interpol, we can get everyone involved in one fell swoop."
"Sounds like a winner to me. How do you plan on getting out of there without being spotted?"
"I don't. You're going to need someone on the inside to keep you informed of their movements. And they don't come any more inside than I am at this moment."
"Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to put out an APB on your car. At least have it tailed. It shouldn't be hard to spot that Green behemoth."
"It's not green anymore. They painted it."
"What color is it now?"
"I don't know. They've got the trunk lid taped down until it dries."
**********
Sal's voice came into his range. "Speed things up, boys. This crate's going to be shipped out earlier than we planned. I found out there's a shipment going to Hamburg that's leaving tonight and they've got room for the Cadillac. I've already contacted the Baron. He's made arrangements to pick it up there."
"How do you plan to get it past customs?" Someone asked.
"Like I always do. By the time we move it out, everything will be as legal as they come. I am a car dealer after all. I have all the necessary paperwork, and with my contacts at the Ministry of Transportation office, no one will ever even suspect that this car was stolen."
Suddenly, the temperature of interior of the trunk rose at least twenty degrees. < Heat lamps! They're using heat lamps to speed up the drying time. > He reached for the emergency bottle. There was only about a cupful left. He'd need more than that to keep going. He flipped on the cell phone and speed dialed the number for the Raven. While Janette couldn't do anything to get him the supplies now, she could have them waiting when they got to Germany.
"This had better be important." A sleepy voice answered the phone. It took Nick a few seconds to recognize it as Janette's.
"It is." Nick replied. "I need a case of blood."
"But mon cher. I just had your order delivered to the loft two days ago. Don't tell me you went through twenty four bottles of that … that swill already? What are you doing with it? No, on second thought don't tell me."
"No, I don't need anything for the moment. What I am calling you about is this. I want you to have a case waiting at the cargo terminal at the Hamburg airport."
"Hamburg? What are you doing in Hamburg?"
"Nothing … yet. I'm in the trunk of the Caddy and it's been stolen. The thieves are shipping it to Hamburg tonight. I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday except for the thermos I keep in the trunk. By the time I get to Hamburg, I'm going to be very hungry, to say the least."
"And that is a problem because…? " A male voice interrupted.
"LaCroix!" Nick said. "How long have you been listening in?"
"Since I realized that you were the one who interrupted Janette's and my sleep. I will ask you once more. Why is that a problem?"
"I need Janette to contact Helmut and have him deliver a case to the Hamburg airport by tomorrow evening."
"Nicholas. I am getting tired of repeating myself. I do not see where the problem lies. Why would you want bottled stuff when there will be a plentiful supply available fresh from the source. There are always warehouse workers, laborers, and, if things get really tough, you can always find a passenger or two."
"LACROIX!"
"Must it be Helmut?" Janette interrupted. "I don't like dealing with him. The last time we met, among other things, he groped me. What I did to him was something that only a male could experience. He was very lucky I didn't castrate him then and there. Let's put it this way. When it comes to dealing with women, Helmut uses his head, and it's not the one that sits on his shoulders. Although the one between his legs may contain more brains than there are in his cranium."
"I can understand your reluctance, but I do need the blood. Please, Janette, mon amour. Put aside your pride and do this for me?"
"For you, Nicolah, and only for you."
"Thanks. I owe you."
"And you WILL pay."
**********
"His cell phone!" Natalie almost shouted. "He has to have it with him!" She quickly dialed the number and listened to the rapid Vreep ... Vreep ... Vreep ... of a busy signal. Three times she hit the redial key. Three times she got the same results. "Damn! He can call every one in the greater Toronto area but he can't call me." She slammed the phone onto the holder. "Maybe he really doesn't want to smooth this over. I've done all I can. The next move is up to him." She said as she headed to the bathroom to begin her morning ritual.
She finished drying her hair and padded into her bedroom. She slipped on her nightie and climbed into bed. Seconds later, Sydney was curled up beside her.
"At least you're one male I can count on to always be there for me no matter what." She said as she gently rubbed the area under the loudly purring gray cat's chin.
**********
Nick pushed the 'end call' button on the cell phone. He had called Natalie's house three times and each time he had gotten a busy signal. He noticed the 'battery low' message flashing across the bottom of the screen and the icon of a battery was almost empty. He might have enough juice for one more call.
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The banging on the door was enough to wake the dead. Certainly enough to wake a certain female Medical Examiner. "Nicholas de Brabant Knight. If that's you, I'm going to stake you. Then I'm going to dismember you. Bit by little bit. Starting with that little bit that is specific to the male of any species." She mumbled as she padded to the door.
It wasn't Nick standing in the hall, but Don Schanke. Then she remembered. Nick was a vampire. He couldn't go out in the daylight.
"Sorry to wake you, Doc. But Nick called me a little while ago. He's been trying to get a hold of you all morning but all he gets is busy signals." Don Schanke said as he entered the apartment.
"Why didn't he just keep trying? I've been asleep for almost two hours. He would have gotten through eventually."
"He said his cell phone battery was dying. He only had one call left."
"He could have stopped on his way to work tonight. He didn't have to send you clear across town, did he?"
"That's just it. He couldn't stop by this evening. The Caddy has been stolen … "
"Oh! That's the perfect excuse! His car has been stolen! I FORGOT! That substandard piece of ... of litter is the most important thing in his life! I suppose by now he's in the middle of a depression that will last at least a week … OR until his precious toy is returned! Well, Schanke. You can deliver a message to Mr. Angst for me! You can tell him HE … AND his beloved car … can go STRAIGHT to … " Her face was red and Don could almost see the fire and brimstone welling up in her eyes.
"Wait a minute, Natalie. Don't bust a blood vessel. Let me finish. The Caddy was stolen all right … while he was in the trunk. Seems he got caught in the sun and had to hide there. By tonight, he … and the car should be on their way to Germany. He wanted me to tell you that you shouldn't worry. That he's okay. And that he's sorry for the things he said. He hopes you realize that he didn't mean any of them. And that he wants you to forgive him."
"Oh." Nat said as the anger drained from her. < He really does care. > "Thanks Schanke. I needed to hear that. And I'm sorry about going off the deep end with you." Nat said as a smile spread across her face. "If you get the chance to talk to him again, tell him there's nothing to forgive. On his part at least. I am the one who is to blame for the whole thing. I said a lot of things I never should have said … or even thought. I should be the one asking his forgiveness."
"Don't worry about it. You're forgiven. At least by me. If I talk to him again, I'll tell him what you said. I'm sure he'll forgive you, too." A sly smile spread across the detective's face and he waggled his eyebrows eerily. "Now give with the juicy details. What did he say? And what did you say?"
"Donald G. Schanke! Really! I don't know who is the worse busybody. You or Grace!" Nat said as she gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "What we said, or didn't say is strictly between Nick and I. I didn't tell Grace anything, and I certainly am not going to tell you." She opened the door. "Now go home to Myra and let me get some sleep."
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"We're all set." Joe Mooth said to Schanke. "We've got the cargo terminals at Pearson covered. They have to move it through there. We checked and Lufthansa has a cargo flight for Germany leaving tonight. If they load any 1962 Cadillac convertibles on it, we'll tag it and notify the Interpol office in Hamburg to track it from there. While we're at it, we'll get Knight out of the trunk, too. I know he'll be happy about that."
"I think he'll be ecstatic. Can you imagine what it must be like to be cooped up in the trunk of a car all day? I know I wouldn't like it. I don't know how Nick can tolerate it. But then again, if I had as severe an allergy to sunlight as he has, I guess I could put up with it, considering the alternative ... to be fried like a piece of steak on a barbeque grill." Don Schanke replied. "If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to be there. I think he's gonna need a friendly face."
"No problem. You're more than welcome to come along."
**********
The sun had set. His intrinsic vampire senses had told him this even though he could not possibly see the outside from the trunk. The temperature suddenly began to drop. <They must have turned the heat lamps off. > He also heard as well as felt the masking tape strips being pulled off the car. < They must be getting ready to ship it out. > He took out his cell phone. When he pressed the 'on' button, he only saw the dim flashing screen that signaled that he was out of power. "DAMN!" He swore in a whisper that only he could hear. He had no way to contact anyone.
In addition, he was hungry. Very hungry. He could hear the workers outside the trunk. So close ... He could hear their heartbeats. So close ... He could mentally see the blood flowing through their veins. So close ... He licked his lips. In his mind, he could taste their blood, warm and sweet, as it streamed down his parched throat. So close ...
He swallowed. Hard. He closed his eyes and forced the beast into the furthest corner of his consciousness. He had gone much longer than this without feeding. He could do it this time as well. He concentrated on the case of supplies that Helmut would have at the Hamburg airport. It helped. A little.
Suddenly the car lurched as though it was being lifted, possibly by a fork lift of some kind. From the sounds on the outside, it was put into some kind of a container. Nick guessed a trailer. There was more lurching and swaying as that was attached to a semi tractor. He heard the engine start and the semi pull out of the building. He was on his way.
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Detectives Mooth and Schanke waited in the employee parking lot of the Lufthansa cargo terminal. From there, they could see everything that went in or out of the building. In addition, they had several officers stationed undercover inside the warehouse. The flight was to leave at 10:30. It was now nine, and there had been nothing that even remotely looked like a Cadillac. In fact, there were no automobiles listed on the flight manifest at all. Not even any 'farm implements', or 'medical supplies'. So far, nothing seemed even the slightest bit suspicious.
"You are sure Knight said he was being sent to Germany tonight?" Mooth asked Schanke.
"Positive. I wouldn't make a mistake about something as important as that." Schanke thought a moment. "You know, he didn't say exactly where he was leaving from. We just assumed it would be Pearson. Maybe it was … "
"Hamilton!" They both said in unison. Detective Mooth had his cell phone out and had dialed the precinct to be patched through to the flight controller at Hamilton International. A few minutes later he hung up and sighed heavily. "Nothing. The earliest cargo to Hamburg isn't until Wednesday. It's a weekly flight and the only one to there. They do have one to Bonn tomorrow afternoon, though."
"No. It definitely was Hamburg and definitely tonight. Maybe the thieves changed their plans and Nick couldn't reach us. I mean his phone was out of juice, after all."
"That's a possibility, but without anything more to go on, we'd just be spinning our heels on a wild goose chase. The only thing we can do is go back to the precinct and wait."
"For what?"
"If I knew that, I'd tell you." Mooth said as he put the car in gear.
**********
The semi trailer stopped. Something wasn't right. The noises outside the container weren't those that would be associated with an airport. There was a deep bass roar. Like a very low whistle ... or a ship's horn. Almost at the same time, Nick smelled the damp aroma peculiar to deep water. <We're not at Pearson. > The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. < We're at the Port Of Toronto! They're not going to fly the Caddy to Germany. It's going by freighter! > When Sal said ship it out ... he meant literally.
He felt the crane lift the container off the semi and lower it into the hold. Then, he felt it being secured. After about an hour, he could discern the gentle sway as the freighter was guided by the pilot tug out from the dock. Several minutes later, it and headed into Lake Ontario. Next stop ... the Port of Hamburg, Germany. The only problem was that the authorities ... and the case of blood ... would be at the Hamburg Airport.
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