It was a definite first for Luke, and it raised more questions he wasn’t sure he could ask. He had checked her story out, and it was a fact a Sloane Friday had worked for the Toronto Police. However, what she’d done there, her track record, remained a mystery. He couldn’t find any commendations, reprimands, nothing that would make her stand out in any way. It almost seemed fake, although it wasn’t, not after making a few calls and talking to her former captain. The man had remained vague, but again, not that unusual in such a line of work.
They walked for a long while in companionable silence, as they explored the section, finding various objects including a discarded knife. It was a refreshing change to have someone by his side who could handle herself and didn’t have to be reassured every five minutes.
“Is that smoke?”
Her whisper was way closer than he’d anticipated. But his nose brought him to a more urgent matter at hand. “There’s an entry point at the next crossing. It could be coming from there.”
“There’s more litter and trash here, and don’t forget that knife.”
“It was rusted, Sloane. If they took that route, it was before we were born.”
Sloane snorted. “There is not much trash in here so how do we find signs of a particular tunnel being used by them?”
Luke had no idea either. So many people could find a way down here and leave traces that could mess with their search. Sloane bypassed him and went forward. He didn’t mind, sometimes you had to see for yourself and the woman was careful.
Contrary to Eddie, she’d dressed for the task in military-style sturdy work boots and didn’t notice when she stepped in something unmentionable.
The tunnel led them right, and the general smell was one of humidity, but with a strong undertone of metal and mud. There was more air in here, meaning there must be a vent nearby, if not another entrance allowing air to flow in.
“This is fun. Is there another intersection coming up?”
Luke grinned and was about to answer when a loud metallic thump resonated through their concrete surroundings. Sloane stopped and checked around with her flashlight before looking at him. It could be anything, so he gestured to Sloane to turn off her light and he lowered his beam to keep a sense of their surroundings without broadcasting their presence.
Casting the beam low, Luke flashed it about six feet in front of Sloane, who remained ahead of him. After silently telling him that she’d keep going, he saw her remove her gun from under her coat. He had one in the small of his back, and he hitched his clothing to make sure he could react quickly if needed. His instincts roared at him to pull her back to a safer position behind him, but he was certain Sloane would kick him in the balls if he did, and after all, she was supposed to be capable of handling herself.
The two of them advanced as silently as possible, and if Luke was right, they’d soon arrive at an exit at the end of the tunnel.
They didn’t hear any further noise until they saw a ray of light beckoning them twenty feet over. It was streaming from above, indicating the end of the passage. Sloane lowered her gun and relaxed. “If the sound came from in here, it came from another location, or the person is long gone. Agreed?”
Luke was about to suggest returning to the intersection when a shadow moved to their right.
“Could you two shut the hell up?”
Everything happened so fast Luke didn’t have a chance to react. Sloane reacted and was about to fire at the raspy male voice. When the light flashed over the form Luke shouted a warning. “Stop! Stand down.”
Despite having been a second from being shot in the head, the homeless man didn’t blink and grumbled some more. “Get out of here! I’m trying to sleep, you morons.”
One look at Sloane told Luke that he hadn’t been the only one whose heart almost burst out of his chest due to adrenaline overdose. However, her gun was no longer in sight, meaning that the hobo would live another day. It was difficult to tell if Luke had seen him before. Vagrants and homeless people, even runaways, were a common occurrence here. Usually, they were way more visible, often having lights and candles in the area they occupied or lived in. During his explorations, he seldom interacted with them, used to seeing them as external to what he was doing, as silent witnesses. That realization gave him an idea.
“Hey, sorry to bother you. I’m Luke.”
He offered his hand, but the old man frowned. In the more intense light, it was clear that the poor soul wasn’t young and hadn’t seen a shower in a long time. His beard should’ve been gray but was a filthy brown. His skin was like worn leather, but under the dark, knitted cap were a pair of sharp and aware onyx colored eyes.
Luke took back his hand. “I don’t want to bother you. I just need information.”
The man huffed. “And I want peace, boy.” He peeked at Sloane and frowned even more. “So you and your lady friend need to leave. A woman has no business coming down here.”
He didn’t have to look at Sloane to confirm her hackles were up, but he didn’t want to miss his chance with the homeless man by being distracted. “Yeah, well, that can’t be helped for now. I just want to know if you’ve seen strangers invading your territory lately but not the usual crowd.”
“Are you a cop, son? Because I’m not helping these kinds of people no more.”
Sloane cursed but didn’t say a word.
“We’re not cops, but we are after some bad guys.”
“According to you people, there’s a bunch of us considered exactly that.”
Luke didn’t want to give too much information away, just enough to convince him to trust them. “The people we’re after are the worst kind of humans. You have the right to live your life whatever way you want. You’re not hurting anybody here. They are.”
The man coughed a little, but Luke was being honest. Homelessness was an issue much more complex that needed to be addressed, but not by the police. Drug traffickers were an entirely different type of animal.
“I hear stuff, rumors. The tunnels are becoming busier. Never a good thing, especially as winter is coming. There aren’t many places in the city where you can get away from the wind.”
Luke reached in his pocket and retrieved some cash, handing it to the man.
“Are you trying to buy me, son?”
“No, sir, all I want is information. It’s payment for a service if you will. I know you could use the money, and if the information is helpful, there could be more.”
Expecting greed, Luke still saw doubt in his eyes.
“Dangerous guys going through the tunnels, you say? That’s bad. There are kids taking refuge there, good kids. Some are in trouble and they need a safe place.” His eyes went to the bills before lifting to his face. “If you’re playing with me, son...”
“I swear, I’m not. Take the money as a show of good faith. If you hear or see anything, let me know. I’ll leave you my number.”
Luke scrambled to find a piece of paper and pen, writing his number before wrapping it with the money.
The old man took it after a slight hesitation. “I’m Quincy, by the way.”
Luke took Quincy’s outstretched hand to shake it. “Thank you, Quincy. Stay safe.”
“You too, son. Ma’am.”