The Mystery Danger Serials: Dead Man Running

Finally

We had finally caught a break!

     For weeks now it seemed we were always a step behind Rose Jones. The Dynamite Gal had been dispatching her own brand of justice and we had no way of knowing where she would hit next.  However, as luck would have it, we were now in possession of something she wanted. Thanks to the anonymous tip, Jim and I were in the right place at the right time. But, how long would it last? 

     We had an advantage. Now was the time for action.

     "Alright, I'll head upstairs, call the office. We'll get every available man down here. Get trucks. Looks like two or three vans should do it. Let's get this money loaded and taken to the station. If she wants it, she can to come to us!" Jim turned to head up the stairs.

      "Jim, wait..." Something felt off. Questions started to swim through my head and tangle around one another. 

     "For what? We, we gotta move!" Jim stammered. I could see his heart was racing. The thrill of the hunt, of finally being on the trail, of having the upper hand.

     "Doesn't it seem strange?" I spoke slowly, trying to force calm upon my partner. 

     "What's that?" he paused just below the trap door. His hand trembled on the rail. It must have taken a great effort to reign himself in. 

     "Two months, eleven bombings, and we can't  catch so much as a whiff of her. And now, here's all this dough, secretly stashed away,  and we get an anonymous tip that puts us right smack dab in the middle of it..." I rubbed my chin, which reminded me, I was due for a trim. 

     "Yeah, so?" Jim looked annoyed. "She got careless. Maybe she let something slip. Or maybe someone wants her taken down."

     "Careless now, with this kind of a score on the line? No, if anything she'd be more cautious. Plus, who's left to want her gone? She has already offed everyone we haven't locked up."

     Jim shook his head.

     "Where'd the tip come from? How did they know she'd be here? And why here, why now?" As I looked around the room at the bags of cash, it felt as if the whole scene was getting foggier, muddier, dirtier by the minute.

     "Lincoln, what are you saying?" He climbed up another step. I could tell I was losing him with each new question. In his mind he had a trail to follow and a trap to set. 

     "Jim," I called after him. "I think she tipped us off." The thought trickled out. "I think she called it in. She wanted us here." Now I was sifting the gold from the sand more quickly.

     "That's crazy! Why would she do that? Surely she'd know we'd find the cash. Right?" Jim took a few steps back down the stairs.

     "That's right, because it's what she wanted." I grasped for answers in the swirling mess. " She wanted us down here with the money, while everyone else rushes to the bigger explosion at the White Anchor. This wasn't distracting us from that." In an instant the murky water in my head became crystal clear. "Jim, you can't call for back up. There is no back up. They're all at the docks! 

We're sitting ducks on a hundred-million dollar nest!"