Friends Always Win in the End!
by Ruwen Rouhs
Chapter 17
Catching the Attackers
Arash had been depressed all day, blaming himself for putting Severin, Tanner and Naim in danger because of his father's activities. Now that Henner and Tanner had arrived, he was starting to relax. It also helped that Tanner had announced a game night. However, he had brought a pack of poker cards instead the accessories for a role play. Asked why, Tanner grinned, strip poker is much more fun.
Henner protested vehemently, his faced getting crimson. "I've only played strip poker once before and lost. I don't know. You're underage and I'm a police officer. I have one foot in prison when I play strip poker with minors!" Tanner did not accept this excuse, "Sev and Arash, will you tell Henner's superiors that we have played strip poker?"
"Give away a friend? Definitely not, right Sev?"
"But I've never played strip poker either and you Arash?"
"Me neither," then he got brave, "However, I should have played strip poker with Sev earlier, then I would have seen what I've wanted to see for long!"
Severin turned red as a sheet and slapped his hands in front of his face laughing out loud, "What do you think you're going to see, Arash? Something that no one else has?"
Now Arash took Severin in his arms and cuddled him. "Sure not, but something I am really curious about."
Henner had just lost his first item of clothing, his shirt, when his receiver gave alarm. A message from a squad car via radio disturbed the role play: "We were trailing a car from the embassy, a big black one. It uses the same license number as the R4-buggy, the illegal one. The original license plate is still on the buggy."
After some moments a second call came in from the squad car: "Now we are turning into the Wolf Causeway. We are two cars behind our target."
Fife seconds later: "The car in question just run a red signal light! The car behind had to suddenly and the next one cr a shed into it. Oh Gosh! There a rear-end collision!"
Two seconds later: "We have swerved across the sidewalk and are looking for the target. The car we trailed has suddenly disappeared."
10 seconds later: "We found the car. Its parking across from a small park close to the big hospital. There is no one in the car. They have probably entered the park."
Henner asking: "You know the name of the park?" Is it called Manor Park?"
Squad car: "Sure! However, we can't see anyone in the park. The trees obscure the view and it's too dark."
Henner: "Thanks! Stay close to the car the men will return and then trail them."
The news made Henner nervous. He thought for a moment, "There might be men on their way through the park to our house."
"Do you think they'll attack us?"
"I don't know, Arash, but we should be prepared for some unwelcome visitors. For safety reasons, turn off all the lights. We have to pay particular attention to the garden side."
Henner pulled on his shirt: "I stay here with Tanner, observing the garden form the windows in the upper floor. And you two watch the street." The lights were switched off and the blinds on the lower floor were closed.
In contrast to Henner and the other two, Severin had lost almost all his clothes during the game with exception of his sky-blue bikini briefs . Now he was standing next to Arash at the window to the street, shivering with excitement and cold. "I'm cold!" Severin remarked after a while. "Why haven't you put on your clothes by now?" Severin giggled in embarrassment "Can't you guess why? If we continue playing later..." Severin didn't finish his answer and blushed suddenly. "Then what?" Arash put an arm around him. "Then....!"
"Then I'll finally see what I want. Right!" "And me? I may be not so happy! So far, you've only lost your socks. I may have to wait many more rounds before I see all of you." Now Arash sniggered, "If you want, we can shorten the game, but only if the others aren't there."
They didn't have more time to tease each other. Suddenly, rockets exploded in the garden. Not the colorful rockets common on New Year's Day, but bright red ones from signal pistols used in sea rescue operations. In rapid succession four red signal rockets zoomed against the house and crashed into the brick wall hitting at the wall between the windows on the top floor. Fortunately, none of them hit a window, as they would certainly have smashed the glass and set the house on fire.
Immediately, Arash and Severin rushed to the garden side of the house to join Henner and Tanner. Taking cover next to the window, the four of them waited cautiously to see if the first missiles would be followed by more. When this did not happen, they concluded that the attacker had left. "That was the third warning, Arash! I'm sure that a fourth will follow if the VAJA is not be stopped."
Henner had called on the police headquarters while the rockets were still being fired at the house. In the department, Chief Inspector Martin Kraft was already waiting, because Henner was with Arash on an official mission. Tanner's job was to keep an eye on Arash and his friends. As Chief Kraft had been listening to the radio traffic knew about the chase. Getting the information about the attack, he immediately notified all available patrol cars and ordered them to the Manor Park. When the attackers returned to their car, they were arrested immediately.
Chief Kraft to Henner: "We got them, two of them. One is a young man. He is from Iran. His features fit to the describtion of the man who was present at the attack on Arash at the lake."
Henner: "That's great. We have to put him face to face with Arash and Naim and see if they recognize him.
Tanner, who was listening to the exchange with Severin and Arash, asked about the other man. The information they got from Chief Kraft wa s: "The other is about ten years older. According his ID card he is member of the staff of the embassy. Before you are asking, we had to let him go."
Severin was outraged: "Th e guy also shot at Arash and us! He should go to prison."
Henner shrugged his shoulders and remarked dryly, "That the international law. The situation is only partly in the hands of the police, because the man is a member of the diplomatic staff. Now it's time for the politicians. They have to intervene. The government can withdraw his diplomatic status. Then he must leave the country within a short time. But that will only happen if we managed to prove the link between the assailant and the embassy."
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