Writer’s note: Thomas Dahl is a character I have a deep and unusual love for and I’m hard pressed to explain it fully because the truth is…I can’t. He’s been a character that’s been through rewrites of the past few years but in my mind I’ve finally settled on something resembling semblance for him. And I love to write him. Which is why you’re about to experience fiction Friday with him and his constant partner, Marie Flannery. Onwards!
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“…as I was saying to this detective, I ain’t talking to nobodies. You can shove it.” The young man in blue rolled his eyes. They had been tasked with a pickup of the usual suspects early in the frosty morning. It had been an assignment fraught with frustration. Every safe house they had raided was empty. The young beat cop was starting to wonder if there was any hope for this assignment. From what the fresh badge had heard the captain didn’t appreciate failures. Office Tory returned his attention to his quarry, “Look, we just need to know where they went. That’s it.” Anton Gabon laughed out loud, startling the young officer. “You don’t understand the business, do you little man? This isn’t beat cop school. The book you were taught is out the window with the baby and the bathwater. So far I ain’t impressed with yous or this detective…what did you say your name was?”
The alleged detective smiled slyly, brushing her hair away from her face. Her long overcoat protected against winter and hid her slim figure. “It’s actually Lieutenant Flannery. And you’d be wise to listen to the kid. You don’t want my boss in here.” Taking a deep draw of her coffee thermos Marie Flannery felt the hot java jump down her throat and soothe her annoyed nerves. She handed the empty thermos to Tory and drawled out her warning to him, “He ain’t nice.” Her emphases on “ain’t” along with the long stare gave the mook enough reason to start cursing her five ways to Tuesday. Officer Tory was about to move in when the door way behind them opened with a boom and a suited man in a charcoal overcoat bounded into the room, heading straight for Anton Gabon.
Tory had never seen someone’s confidence vanish just as quickly as it had arrived. Gabon’s eyes went wide and scared. He started to blubber but was cut short when the figure grabbed him by the throat and pushed him up towards the ceiling.
All within fifteen seconds. Flannery nodded to the burly figure in black and grinned as she introduced Officer Tory to her boss. “Officer, this is Captain Thomas Dahl. Mr. Gabon, meet my new boss. The not so nice guy.”
Thomas Dahl stood tall and broad, muscles hidden beneath his long figure. A deep blue eyed stare and mussed hair created an unassuming figure. Thomas Dahl was none of these things. He spoke tersely, already pissed off beyond belief that the other pickups had fallen through so spectacularly. “Where the hell are they Anton? I don’t have time to screw around. I need to know where and when.” Gabon shook his head in between gasps and grunts. A shrug from Dahl, “We do it the hard way. Make way.”
Flannery yanked Officer Tory out of the way just as Dahl grabbed the man from the wall and threw the short Italian across the room where he hit the wall with a hard thump, grunt and bounce on the hardwood floor. Blood flowed from Gabon’s nose. Curses sputtered from the sore mouth. “You…mother…son of a…blasted Norwegian sack of…” Flannery crossed her hands. Tory wasn’t sure what to do. This was clearly against all protocols.
Apparently the Organized Crime department was playing things a little different.
Dahl growled and crouched down to the made man’s level. “I am a blasted Norwegian. I blame my Grandfather for it all. And let’s not even talk about my mother. Truth is you’ve pissed me off Anton. Your entire group of compadres has me in a tizzy. I’ve found nobody where they were supposed to be and I’m right upset with all this combustion going on around me.” Thomas picked the blubbering and still cursing body from the floor and pushed him up against the wall just within reach of his fists.
Dahl spoke, his eyes burning into Anton’s. “I need to know where they are because if I don’t, yours and mine best friends are going to keep this little war up until everybody is dead. I don’t like bodies piling up on my doorstep.” Gabon sighed as the resistance in his face gave way to exhaustion. “It didn’t use be like this.” The captain of the organized crime unit nodded. “I know Anton. Which makes this all the more dangerous. This keeps up; we’re looking at one helluva battle in the streets.” Anton wiped the blood from his nose. It was slowing to a trickle. Dahl tightened from his friendly attitude that had come out for just a moment, “There is the easy way or the hard way. Make your call Anton.”
Dahl roughly put a card in the troubled man’s breast pocket and headed out the door. Flannery motioned Officer Tory out as she looked into the eyes of Anton Gabon. So many emotions were within him at this very moment, it was difficult to discern what direction he would lean. Only time would tell.
The door to the undercover unit closed, leaving Dahl and Flannery in silence. Marie spoke first, “Do you think he’ll talk?” Thomas shook his head, a deeply troubling feeling rising from his gut. “I don’t know Flan. This city is being torn apart at the seams. I grew up here. I loved it here. After New York and Las Vegas I swore I’d come back and make my home here again.” The lieutenant looked to her partner of many years and asked softly, “Was it worth it? Moving back here?”
Dahl looked to the darkened skyline of Denver and grunted, “Time will tell. Let’s roll on back to the house. Something’s gonna have to give. I’m just afraid of what it’s going to be that finally breaks.”
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National Blog Writing Month (nablowrimo) is underway! 22 bloggers from around the world are united in blogging once a day! You should read them and check ‘em out every day! See more details at the site here or look at the list below!
NaBloWriMo Bloggers
- groovygrrl
- I’m Not Hannah
- The Kittalog
- Indian Food Rocks!
- Cooking and Me
- The Way I Always Was
- Jugalbandi
- Culinary Colorado
- Digging In
- Thistle Dew Farm
- Mimi On The Move
- Enjoy Indian Food
- Siri’s Corner
- Conch-to-be
- Nags of a Similar Ilk
- Damn Yankee, Vermont
- Aaron Delay
- Fun Climbs Around the World
- Seriously Wonderful
- Straight From Hel
- Use Real Butter
- Here it is!!!
