After my dinner with Tres I had all sorts of thoughts, running through my mind and none of them were good. If Smith was on the take, he wasn't bright enough to be calling the shots with the Irish mob, if that was the case it had to be someone higher up on the chain of command and if that were so, who knew the number of men on the force that could be involved. How can I trust anyone.

I went to get a cup of coffee and stepped into a puddle. "Really?! You slobs you can't clean up after yourselves!" I opened the closet, pulled out the mop and began to sop up the mess. 

"Down graded you to janitor, eh McCarty? one of the officer's joked.

"Hardy Har Har," I say, putting the mop back in the closet. I noticed a pencil on floor and picked it up. 

"Did that redhead dame ever find you?" he asked.

"Readhead?" 

"Yeah the cute broad you were here with earlier. She showed up a few hours after you left with her, looking for you. Ditch her, did ya?"

"No," I said twisting the pencil in my fingers. 

"She probably came to her senses and moved on to someone else," the one officer said nudging the other in the ribs.

"You're a riot, Moran," I say pushing past the two of them. Annie was here? Depending on when she stopped in she probably got tired of waiting and left. I decided to stop at her place before heading home for the night. 

I threw the pencil on my desk and suddenly there was a lot of commotion. Coming into the station, like a whirlwind, was Carlos, Norris and Order and they looked mighty miffed. Order rolled right into Donavan's office, leaving the other two to wander. I moseyed on over to Norris. He had a nasty gash on his hand. 

"What happened?" I asked, handing him a first aid kit.

He popped it open and cringed a bit when he spilled the alcohol over the wound and then began winding a bandage around it. "We got dragged into a pretty unpleasant situation in Chinatown. The stories checked out. They were poisoning the old bat. Ray found the bottle of poison."

"Ray?" I looked around but didn't see him anywhere. "He didn't come back with you?"

"Nah, he stayed with the cute little Asian doll, smart dame, if they took woman on the force she'd have a future I would say. Her knowledge of the place is what got us out of there. Or who knows what would have happened."

Carlos frowned at him and spoke up, "Ray had to stay because we brought two more victims back with us. Obviously the chinks picked the wrong side to be loyal to. They were beaten up pretty bad. I'm certain Order is gonna want statements from them the moment their able to talk."

Norris looked over at the closed office door. "I wouldn't be surprised if Order isn't in there right now demanding a team of men to go back and round up the place. They did after all attack three federal officers and three civilians. Not too mention we now have proof that they were obviously behind that ambush."

"Sounds pretty sealed up tight. Did you see any Irish?"

Both men looked at one another and frowned. "Irish? No, no Irish. What would the Irish have to do with the NoLuks in Chinatown?"

"Not sure but in the report that we got from JinLi Leung, the driver of the car they ambushed, he said that it wasn't just NoLuks involved which is why he thought to warn Madame Yu. And just this afternoon, one of the Irish Mob tried to gun down Louise McGinty."

Norris' peeper popped and Carlos let a slow whistle. "One of their own trying to blow her away. That's something, huh? Doesn't sound like Mrs. McGinty has control of the Irish mob anymore."

"Good riddance," said Carlos, "Filthy broad. My money is still on her doing in her old man. That dame is a looker, I'll give her that, but things would be better off without the lot of them, if you ask me. Where is she now?"

I didn't like the way Carlos talked about Lulu. I wanted to plant one right across his kisser. "Can't say that I know." Now was neither the time nor place to deck him. It would only land me in the cooler so I decided to take a walk.

I was shocked because as I was about to walk out of the station door, Smith stumbled in. He collapsed in my arms. Several other coppers came running out to help. We dragged him in and Donavan stuck his head out of the office to see what the commotion was about.

"Bring him in here." And I complied with the help of Norris.

"Smith? What the hell happened to you?" Donavan asked. Order stood quietly by and didn't look much pleased by the interruption.

Smith looked over at him and looked back at Donavan. "Gunn."

I winced at the name and sat Smith in the chair. When I looked up I'd seen Order staring at me. He shook his head trying it would seem to give me some kind of warning.

I stood back as Smith's story unfurled, deciding to keep my trap shut.

"Those two goons the ones I told you about?"

"The Noluks that wrecked Gunn's office and beat up his secretary, what about them?"

Order stepped forward. "Weren't you there too?"

"Of course, I was. When I'd seen those two chinks walking around the city and out of their territory while on patrol I knew they were up to no good. Dame was lucky I showed up when I did or she'd be dead."

"How is that then it was Gunn who called it in?"

"I... when I showed up they took off and I went after them."

"You didn't even bother to check the office first to see if anyone was hurt?"

"I didn't expect anyone to be there it was after hours."

"Funny that she'd seen you but you didn't see her."

"She must have been behind the desk. On a glance I'd imagine she'd be easy to miss. The place was a mess. When they pushed past me I had to react."

"Look Order, it isn't Smith whose under suspicion here. Can you just let him get the story out? Without interruption?"

Lorne took a step back but you could tell he didn't like it.

Smith looked unsure but Donavan prompted him to continue. "The goons showed up at my place. They worked me over."

"Where does Gunn fit in all this?" Donavan asked.

"Well he showed up. He was pretty upset with them for beating up this secretary. He mentioned something about a double cross. They argued and he shot them."

"Shot them? Whatever for?" Order said and Donavan gave him a cross look.

"I really couldn't say. I was a bit groggy from the beating. I was nearly unconscious; probably the reason Gunn left me alone. Most likely thought I had already blacked out. So there would be no witness."

"Where are the bodies?" Order asked looking smug.

"Gone."

"That's convenient."

"Order, don't make me tell you again!" Donavan looked like he was simmering to a boil. 

"You can check my apartment for the blood stains and if you find those bodies, I guarantee you you'll find Gunn's slugs in them," Smith said. "I want a warrant for his arrest."

Order couldn't take it any longer. "Donavan we don't have time for this. I have got an entire Mob to haul in and Xiao and KanBo to track down. They assaulted three Federal agents, attacked three civilians, ambushed a couple, shot a man and poisoned a woman. I think this should take top priority over Officer Smith's outlandish tale to excuse himself for getting involved in some drunken brawl to explain why he showed up late for work today."

"I am NOT drunk!"

"Please I can smell the booze from here," Order said clearly disgusted. "And if this little fantasy of yours did occur. Explain... why would Gunn be working with the NoLuks?"

Smith smiled and the look was grotesque with the number of bruises and bloodied marks on his face. "Maybe because he's currently being bank rolled by the heiress of the Baker's Tin and stands to gain a fortune if the Mobs go away and she's the last man... I mean woman, standing."

"And how did you come across this gem?" Order asked.

"I looked into it, once I found muffin pans in his office."

"You searched his office?"

Smith gave a quick glance to Donavan, whose expression did not change.

"No...I... I tripped over them on my way out of his office."

"I see. I've heard enough. I'm going before the judge to get my warrants. Norris, McCarty you're with me."

"Wait just a minute there, Order! McCarty is my man you just can't come in here and..."

"I'm down a man. He's at the hospital getting statements and arranging for further protection for the witnesses to this case. If you have a problem, take it up with my director."

Order looked at me, I hesitated and looked over at Donavan. When he nodded for me to go, I did not hesitate to follow. When Order got to the courthouse he sent Norris and Carlos inside and then pulled me aside. "McCarty, tell me I'm not wrong in trusting you?"

"You're not wrong, sir."

"You don't believe that Bushwa that Smith was selling?"

"No, sir. In fact, I know for certain that it was Smith that sent Gunn to the hospital when he ended up in the paper. I also know that Gunn turned up at his place for some payback and he believes that was why the retaliation on Daisy. However, it may all be coincidence."

"Coincidence? How so?"

"Gunn believes it would have happened anyway. That the NoLuks want this war. Shamus made a deal with the Noluks to take out the Spanish boss. And I believe he was then double crossed."

"Shamus McGinty blew up the clubhouse? How do you know this?"

"Louise McGinty, sir. She's tried to warn me and Gunn that there is someone on the inside someone else calling the shots."

"How can you trust her?"

"I'd trust her with my life. She got me out, when the gang discovered I was undercover. If it wasn't for Louise I would be dead. And she was telling the truth. I followed her from the hospital and took out the gunman that was sent to blow her away. He was Irish. She doesn't have control of the mob."

"This just got a whole lot more complicated." Lorne frowned. "I have to get those warrants. I want you to track Tres down. Warn him they're coming for him. Tell him I'll look out for Daisy, fill him in on what happened but I need him to know if he takes things too far, not even I can protect him."

I would have never thought Order and Gunn even knew one another let alone that Order would be looking out for him.  Before deciding to blow out of there, I turned back around, "Agent Order?"

"Yeah, son."

"Gunn, has a theory that the Mob may be getting their orders from someone on the inside, perhaps even a higher up in the police chain of command. If you think about it, sir... it makes sense. 

"As much as it kills me to admit one of his nitwit theories has any validity, I do believe he's on to something. The cops have a lot to gain should the Mobs all fall apart and prohibition is lifted. Talk to Gunn, and then make sure you keep Mrs. McGinty out of trouble. Hopefully I can take care of the rest."

I watched him walk into the courthouse, and decided to stop by Annie's first on the way home. Tres was going to be hard to track down, perhaps I can get a lead on him at the hospital and I wanted to check on Lulu, I may have to move her to be certain they don't find her. 

I get to Annie's apartment and frown as I once again I can open the door and just walk in. I have to talk to her about this, it's not safe to...I turn on the lamp and there she is in the middle of the room tied to a chair and gagged. 

"Annie?!"

I run to her and begin to loosen the knots. She's shaking her head at me frantically. 

"Shh! Babydoll. It's alright, I'll get you out."

I heard the click a second too late, the shot was fired, it wasn't fatal but slowed me enough that I couldn't get to my gun before I got pistol whipped in the head. Annie's muffled scream was the last thing I heard before falling to floor.