Armand froze when he saw the cops. He glared at Lopez, who spread his hands, tried to look mystified.
'They ain't with us, man,' Lopez vowed. 'Je ne sais rien.'
Armand let out a string of Cajun curses, but apparently didn't see much choice except to keep going down the stairs.
The kid on the forklift was shouting at the deputies over the noise of the motor, asking them to please move. The uniforms ignored him.
I recognized one of them now-Engels, the one who worked parttime security for W.B. Doebler. That did not reassure me. The other guy I didn't recognize, but both had obviously ordered their facial expressions from the same online catalogue.
We got to the bottom of the steps.
'You can't be in here!' the kid on the forklift was saying, exasperated.
'Deputy Geiger,' Lopez said, trying for a grin. 'Deputy Engels. What brings you two here?'
Deputy Engels took his eyes off me long enough to say, 'Detective. I heard you were on leave.'
'I am,' Lopez assured him pleasantly. 'That's why I'm at a marina. Y'all want to split the cost of a day cruise?'
Geiger and Engels did not look tempted.
'I'm telling you-' the kid on the forklift started to shout.
Geiger said, 'Cut your engine.'
The kid opened his mouth to protest, but Geiger's expression shut him up.
He cut the engine.
'Now get off,' Geiger said. 'And get out.'
The kid did both.
Outside, the other boat jockeys converged on him and started asking what the hell was going on. The kid said, 'You talk to them!' In the background, Mr. McMurray was screaming how important he was.
Engels nodded to his compatriot, Geiger.
Geiger walked to the warehouse doors and rolled them shut, to the renewed protests of the boat jockeys outside.
'Chain it,' Engels said.
Geiger took a length of chain off a hook, ran it through the door handles.
Engels pulled out his asp, extended it with a rapid flick of the wrist. He looked at Lopez and me. 'There's the staircase, Detective. I suggest you and your friend use it. Leave the piece of shit here.'
I hoped that the friend reference was for me, but I wasn't sure.
'This is dumb, gentlemen,' Lopez said. 'You got a warrant?'
'No need,' Geiger said. 'Possible officer in trouble. I just called it in, based on a witness I talked to outside. I came in. My partner Engels was here. The backup unit will be here in about ten minutes, I'd guess. Plenty of time.'
'Mr. Doebler know you're here, Engels?' I asked. 'You getting a bonus for this?'
Engels ignored me. He stepped up to Armand. 'Give us Garrett Navarre, everything's fine. Don't give us Navarre, then you are about to assault an officer. It's going to get a little rough when I have to subdue you.'
From the back of the warehouse, Clyde Simms' voice said, 'Engels, you prick.'
Clyde appeared from between two motorboats, wearing white shorts and white Tshirt and flipflops-like an overweight, Aryan Jesus coming out of the tomb. He was holding his weapon of choice-the Bizon2-down by his side. Garrett was with him, a few steps behind, wheeling along in his chair. Garrett looked okay, better actually than I'd seen him in quite some time.
Clyde said, 'You know I ain't letting you near any friend of mine.'
Engels smiled thinly. Geiger, slowly, drew his gun.
I locked eyes with Garrett, trying to implore him not to do anything stupid. He lifted a hand to reassure me, defeat in his eyes. He was a man about to give up, even if Clyde didn't know it yet.
Lopez said, 'Hey, Clyde. Garrett. Under the circumstances, guys, I'd go with the flow.
Come on out here and surrender. We'll work it out.'
'Do what the detective says,' Geiger urged.
'Then we can file a report on these assholes together,' Lopez added. 'Get them suspended the right way.'
The deputies looked at Lopez, and Armand chose that moment to charge.
He went for Geiger, the man with the gun.
Engels swung the asp and Armand's shoulder caught a glancing blow, but Armand had his momentum. He slammed into Geiger and the two went down hard on the cement. Geiger's gun went flying.
Clyde fired off a burst from the Bizon2 that punched a downward arc of holes in the warehouse door, the last and lowest shot snicking Engels' head-his ear flowered in blood. Lopez dove for the cover of the forklift. I rolled the other way and hugged the nearest boat hull.
Clyde had disappeared behind a rack of boats. Garrett, wisely, had wheeled himself back at top speed, out of sight.
Geiger and Armand were still rolling on the ground.
Engels was on the asphalt, screaming, his hand clamped around his ear and blood seeping between his fingers.
Lopez scrambled over to him, examined the wound, decided it was not fatal, drew the deputy's pistol, and went into a police crouch.
He glanced at Geiger, seemed to be deliberating how best to help him with Armand, when Clyde shot off another burst from somewhere in the back of the warehouse-bullets pinging like pin balls against the metal scaffolding. Lopez quickly retreated around the far side of the forklift, going into stalk mode for Clyde.
Geiger got the upper hand on Armand, started strangling the biker, but that just gave Armand new spirit. He rolled on top and smacked the deputy's head into the asphalt once, twice, three times. Geiger loosened his grip.
More gunshots sparked off the forklift.
Armand staggered to his feet, leaving Deputy Geiger curling on the cement like a steppedon spider. Engels was still yelling, bleeding from the side of his head. He would not be getting up soon.
I could see Lopez's feet on the opposite side of the forklift, sneaking around, but he couldn't see Armand, who mumbled, 'Fucking cops!' and headed for the forklift.
Armand climbed aboard, cranked the engine to life, then swung the machine around.
Lopez fired once, ineffectually, then had to scramble to get out of the way.
Armand's turn was too tight. The forklift slammed into the lowest rack of boats and its Stingray payload keeled sideways, slipping off the prongs. Mr. McMurray's pride and joy hit the warehouse floor with a sound like a fortyton Tupperware bowl. It slid to a stop right next to the unconscious Deputy Geiger.
Lopez spilled onto the ground behind the forklift. He'd lost his borrowed gun. He was trying to get to his feet, but it looked like he'd broken something.
Armand slammed the forklift in reverse, trying to free it from its tangle in the racks.
Another spray of shots came from the back of the warehouseprobably meant for Lopez-but one of them hit Armand's thigh in a burst of red mist.
Armand bellowed, lost control of the machine. The forklift was now backing up toward Lopez, who was scrambling to crawl out of the way, much too slow.
I cursed, ran to the forklift.
I jumped aboard and Armand paid me no attention. He was clutching his thigh, rocking, screaming more Cajun obscenities. I tried to hold on to him and keep us both on the forklift while figuring out the controls fast. I did it, sort of. I managed to slam the thing out of reverse and back into full forward, which sent us away from Lopez but on an unfortunate collision course with Deputies Geiger and Engels.
I tried for a turn, slammed full steam into Mr. McMurray's Stingray-pushing it toward the warehouse doors with an immense fiberglass GRRRRRINNNND. We hit the doors? the corrugated tin bowed, gave way. Then we were in the open, pushing the boat along the asphalt.
When I finally got the forklift stopped, the boat jockeys were staring at us in horror. The rich Mr. McMurray
