Rod and Norma are at it again! The never ending battle against crime in Las Vegas continues to enthrall their readers as Rod Randel, 'The Hawk', and his partner, Sam Sikes, walk the sidewalks, and cruise the streets and alleys maintaining law and order. Randel's relentless crusade against the powerful, invasive drug cartel peaks as 'The Hawk' and his partners conspire to unravel its destructive web and to untangle the gripping network that holds their city captive to the effects of drugs. In Randel's mind, no alliance is too strong or organization too powerful to evade the wrath of 'The Hawk' and his special force of loyal, dedicated officers. Join Randel in a glass of ice tea as he and Sikes continue their vendetta against the evil factions that corrupt the streets. 'The Hawk' is after every last one of them. It Ain't Finished!

FRANK-3 ENROUTE

IT AIN'T FINISHEDBy Rod Harris Norma Hood

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Rod Harris and Norma Hood
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-9001-9

Contents

TARGETS.....................................1MACHETE.....................................5TENSION.....................................11VIOLET......................................17DRAWIN' THE LINE............................22DOCTOR OPEN WIDE............................30HOT DATE....................................37BIKER BITCH.................................43TRUTH OR DARE...............................51LITTLE BUDDY................................56FLOWER SHOP.................................60DORA LITTLE.................................62ICED CRÈME.............................67INSTRUCTOR..................................72PRE-TRIAL...................................76DANDY'S CANDY...............................81GET YOUR GOAT...............................85PREGNANT AND SCARED.........................90SPECIAL DELIVERY............................98YOU'VE GOT TROUBLES.........................101BERSERK.....................................107PLANE PLAIN WRAPPER.........................117EYE TO EYE..................................131COURT AT THE CEMETARY.......................134BLIND MAN'S BLUFF...........................143TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS.....................146FREE LOADERS................................152UGLY DIVORCE................................157NOT SO HOLSUM...............................163FLOWER BOYS.................................166SREET SIGNS.................................170GOLDEN GATE.................................174IN THE RAFTERS..............................179THE SAFE WAY................................184TELEPHONE TRIAL.............................188BOK CHOY....................................190WIGGIN' OUT.................................195CAUGHT IN THE ACT...........................199THREE ALARM FIRE............................203OUT OF A JAM................................211MONGO MADNESS...............................215FILM CRITICS................................221RICH MAN POOR MAN...........................224MOURNING FLIGHT.............................228OVER THE EDGE...............................231THAT'S WHAT WE DO...........................241IT AIN'T FINISHED...........................246

Chapter One

TARGETS

"I hear what you're sayin', Captain, but like I was tellin' you, it ain't finished. All those bastards are goin' down, and goin' down hard." I started fidgeting in my chair in the Captain's office as we waited for Lieutenant Gene Germain. "Nobody gets away with trying to ambush me and my buddies, or killing other po-lice officers without paying dearly; and pay they will. The sheriff wants our streets cleared of the drug pushers, the prostitutes and the riff-raff, and that's what he's gonna have. I'm after the big boys now, and they need to know that I'm still out there. I am the enemy!"

"Officer Randel ..., Rod," the Captain began thoughtfully, "just remember, you're not to be on the streets alone. You will ride double and you will have backup, the best Metro has. Damn it man, the streets of Las Vegas are still a hot bed of crime, even though you and your hand-picked squad have cleaned it up some. It's going to take the whole department and more to do the job. The preliminary hearing for the Saavedra case will be heard in two weeks. I want you alive and ready to testify. Don't take chances! Is that clear?"

"I'll be there with bells on, Cap.! I hope to hell that the damn judge will have some common sense. Who's gonna sit on the bench? It better not be Judge Shivers; that bitch lets everybody go. And besides that, she hates my guts." I rubbed my mustache and cleared my throat, trying to clear my mouth of the foul taste of saying her name.

Brushing my uniform at invisible and non-existent fuzz, I mentally checked my appearance as I half listened to the Captain's warning. I was squared away as usual, pressed and dressed, boots shined, all my standard and not so standard equipment in its proper place, well, maybe not my radio. It had a special re-enforced back pocket that I had the seamstress add so that I could reach it more easily. I don't like the standard radio holsters. And what if my gloves were tan leather instead of standard issue black; so what the hell, people knew which officer I was, even called me 'One Glove' sometimes. Yeah, I carried an extra gun or two and extra knives; an officer has to be prepared for the worst. I sure as hell had seen some of that lately! My latest pair of sunglasses, thanks to replacement by the department, was hung on my left epaulette. I had removed them out of respect for the Captain. Otherwise, as the smart-ass that I was, I would have worn them indoors in defiance of protocol. I thought, Lt. (Benedict) Arnold and Sgt. Dumb Dumb would be proud of me for that! Ha!

I was relieved when I heard the deliberate, loud knock at the door. The Captain recognized the resonant tap, tap, tap as that of Lieutenant 'Mean' Gene Germain, and bade him enter. Rising from his chair, the Captain rounded the desk and shook his friend and fellow officer's hand. "Have a seat, Gene. Glad you could make it. Officer Randel and I are just going over our plans for the next little while." The Captain briefly filled in my lieutenant and asked, "Do you have any questions, Gene?"

"Yes, I do, Captain. How in the world are you going to keep tabs on these wild and defiant officers?" We could feel the questioning amusement in his voice.

The Captain smiled broadly and said, "I have my sources, Gene, and I have you. I still run a pretty tight operation. I'll stay informed; the sheriff and the under-sheriff will be in the loop, and we will get the job done. This is the best team we could have picked."

Another, lighter knock at the door announced the arrival of Officer Sam Sikes, my friend and long-time partner. As he entered, the odor of his last Winston cigarette, probably just crushed as he entered the no-smoking area, was still present on his clothes and in the air. His burly body always smelled of nicotine and of the Tums that he used, ineffectively, to cover the fact that he smoked two to three packs a day, and to ease the heartburn. Sikes sauntered in, removing his sunglasses and placing them in his breast pocket, just under his badge. I thought, your badge saved your sorry ass not too long ago, buddy. You were one lucky sum-bitch. Sikes shook hands with the captain and the lieutenant, and pointing at me, queried, "Sir, what's this loser up to now? What you gettin' us into, Hawk? You realize I ain't your damned baby sitter, don't you?"

Heartedly, the captain laughed with us and invited, Sam, AKA Grumpy, to join us. "Officer Sikes, you and Officer Randel will more or less baby sit each other for the next few weeks. You will both ride double and will be each other's backup. We're gonna use you both as bait or targets, if you will, and we are going to take down the criminals that are haunting you and the drug bosses that have put out contracts on you and your rookies. Make no mistake, Sam, this is a very dangerous situation, and we want you to be extra cautious with everything you do. Don't start your car or step off the sidewalk without checking everything first. I want you on the alert! You need to inform your rookies, I assume you will be using Officer Willy Wells and Officer Dane Gilmore as your regulars, as to what's going on. They'll be in danger too."

"Yes sir, we will. Captain, I want you to know that Randel and I are...