Damned If . . .
Part 2
Part 6
“How could you,” Joanne seethed. She had never been so angry at Roy in all her life. Not even over Mike’s spaghetti recipe. And she’d been pretty mad about that.
“How could I what,” Roy asked looking up from the paper.
She stared at him in disbelief. “How could you tell Johnny that it was too soon for him to come to dinner?” She hardly paused before she began again. “For crying out loud, Roy, you act like he’s the one that held the gun to Chris’ head.” She had just gotten off the phone with Johnny. He’d called to check in and see how Chris was as he had since the whole thing began.
Roy jumped up from the couch. “Keep your voice down, the kid’s will hear you,” he said sternly but in a lower voice than Joanne had been using. He looked around to make sure that there weren’t any little ears around.
“I told him not to come because I didn’t think Chris would be up to it,” he said trying to make peace. He had known she’d be angry.
“Chris is fine and the less we make an issue out of things, the better off he’ll be,” she countered. “Johnny’s over here all the time, well, he used to be, so why would it be too soon for him to come to dinner?”
“I just thought it might be a reminder to Chris of what he went through and I didn’t want him to get upset.” It was a logical explanation so why did sound so hollow, even to his own ears. And why did he feel the need to justify himself?
Joanne shook her heard. “That’s not it and you know it, Roy. Did you really think I’d buy that?”
Roy threw his hands up in disgust. “Joanne, I’m not going to get into this with you. I have my reasons and I’m looking out for the welfare of my son,” he spat. “Which is more than I can say for Johnny,” he muttered under his breath.
Joanne had started towards the kitchen but she’d heard the comment and she wasn’t about to just let it drop. She whirled around. “John Gage loves those kids, Roy. I can’t believe you would make a comment like that. And I hope to God that you haven’t said anything like that to Johnny.”
Her eyes grew wide at Roy’s expression. His face belied his guilt. “Oh no, please tell me you haven’t, Roy,” she said as tears sprang to her eyes. But Roy didn’t answer for he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear.
Joanne was aghast. “Do you even know how lucky you are,” she asked pointedly. “Your son is outside playing right now,” she added as if he didn’t know. “Do you know how many people lose their cool in situations like the one Johnny and Chris faced and end up dead? Do you, Roy?”
His face grew read. “Do you know how many kids are kidnapped and killed each year? Do you, Joanne,” he asked mockingly.
Joanne took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down. “You’re right. But this wasn’t about a kidnapping. This was a robbery.” She softened a bit as she went to him.
She slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I know how you feel. Believe me I do. The thought of Chris being subjected to God knows what scares the hell out me. But that didn’t happen, Roy, and you have to remember that. Johnny did what he thought was the right thing to do at the time. You and I weren’t there and we can only speculate on what we would have done.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “But I know this. Each day that you go off to work, I thank God that you have Johnny as your partner because I know that he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that you come home to me again.”
She swiped at her tears. “And I know that he would do the same thing for my kids. So, whatever made him do it, it was the right thing to do. And I know it was right because I still have my son.”
Roy pulled her back into him. “I know, Jo,” he soothed as he rubbed her back. “It just makes me so angry that Chris had to go through something like that.”
“It makes me angry, too, Roy, but Johnny isn’t the one you should be angry at,” she replied.
Roy nodded knowing that she was right but he didn’t say anything. Neither one of them knew that Chris was in the room until he spoke.
“I knew you were mad at him.”
Both heads turned in the direction of the voice. “Chris, I’m not…,” Roy began but stopped.
“Yes, you are but you shouldn’t be. I told Mom that Uncle Johnny didn’t want to leave me. I know he didn’t ‘cuz of the look on his face. And at first, he said no. He said ‘no way’, but then the man said to just do what he was told and I wouldn’t get hurt. Then Uncle Johnny stared at the man for a long time. Then he stared at me for a long time and I knew he didn’t wanna leave me,” Chris recalled sounding a lot older than his ten years.
“I was scared but I knew Uncle Johnny wouldn’t do anything to get me hurt. Chris grew quiet for a minute and then he added, “After Uncle Johnny started walking, the man told me to keep my mouth shut and stay where I was or he would have to shoot Uncle Johnny in the back so I kept quiet and didn’t say anything. I didn’t want anything to happen to Uncle Johnny either.”
Roy looked at his son with eyes wet with tears. He crossed the room and gathered him into his arms and Joanne, too, soon became enveloped in the hug.
“You are very brave, Son,” he told him when he finally let him go.
“I don’t feel very brave. I was scared. I think Uncle Johnny was brave though ‘cuz he had to do something that he didn’t want to do. And my teacher says that take courage; doing something that you know is right even when you don’t want to.”
Out of the mouths of babes, Joanne thought as she looked at Chris and then at Roy.
After being reassured by Roy that he was not mad at Johnny, Chris finally left the room and Roy remarked to Joanne that he was no longer sure who the parent was and who the child was.
“I think you need to make a phone call,” she said.
Roy shook his head. “No, I think I need to do this in person,” he replied as he headed for the door.
Part 7
Roy was feeling a bit of trepidation as he pulled into Station 51’s parking lot on Monday morning. He had gone to Johnny’s on Saturday after the conversation with Chris but Johnny hadn’t been around and he’d tried calling him on several occasions during the remainder of the weekend but to no avail.
He had wanted to clear the air between the two of them before going back on shift. The last couple of shifts had been chock full of tension and had made for a rather unpleasant atmosphere for all of the men. And Roy knew it wouldn’t have been that way if not for him and his misdirected anger. He still couldn’t believe that a ten-year-old child could make more sense of the situation than he had been able to.
As soon as he entered the building, he noticed Marco, Mike and Hank as they studied the huge map board on the wall.
“Roy,” Marco called out upon seeing his coworker. “Hurry and change. They’ve got a tough one going and Cap thinks it’s we’re gonna get called out any minute.”
Roy nodded as he picked up his pace. He’d seen Johnny’s Rover in the parking lot so he knew he was here but he knew they’d have no time to talk this morning. The air in the station seemed to be electrified and he’d no sooner finished buttoning his shirt when the tones sounded sending them to the scene.
C-shift could only stand back and watch at the six men ran to their vehicles and tore out of the station. Feelings of regret mingled with relief as they watched them go. This was what they lived and as such part of them wanted to be the ones going and they would have if the tones had sounded 15 minutes earlier. But they were also going off duty and they’d had a tough shift the night before so they were ready.
Roy stole a few glances at Johnny as the squad led the way through the streets and he could tell Johnny was keyed up but other than a curt ‘hey’ and a nod Johnny hadn’t said anything to him other than giving him directions.
“Turn left here,” Johnny indicated with the help of his hand. They could see the smoke billowing up in front of them.
This was definitely a large-scale incident and there was already a lot of equipment on the scene. Captain Stanley was directed to take up position on the fourth side of the building in an effort to prevent the fire from spreading to the outlying buildings. The two paramedics were sent to the temporary triage area. Station 51 was called in as part of the second alarm and already there was talk of a third.
All of the paramedics in the triage area knew that with as many firemen as were on the scene, they’d be seeing their own action very shortly. It came with the territory. Although every precaution was taken in regards to safety, certain things were inevitable especially when they are exposed to extreme heat, smoke and fumes. The wind was picking up outside and with the size of the warehouse; it wouldn’t take long for men to become fatigued.
Once they had their equipment set up, Johnny headed over to talk with some of the guys who been called in on the first alarm leaving Roy to his own devices. Since they weren’t being sent in to fight the fire, Roy had hoped that he’d get a little time to try to talk to Johnny but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. He knew that Johnny had walked on eggshells around him all last week and what had Roy done but treat his friend like dirt.
Now, it appeared that Johnny had had enough. He wasn’t going to allow himself to be subjected to the snide comments and remarks as he had last week. He wasn’t going to put up with it anymore. Johnny had shut down where Roy was concerned, except for their working relationship. There wasn’t going to be any small talk or meaningless chitchat to pass the time. And for Roy’s part, he feared that what he’d thought last week had happened; too much damage may have already been done. Was their friendship strong enough to weather this current storm?
Not long after their arrival did they receive their first patient. A twenty eight year old fireman with heat exhaustion was brought in and the paramedics had him lie down and provided him with water. They had a few other cases but not too many given the number of men on the scene and they had some minor burns to contend with but all in all things were going very well for the Los Angeles County Fire Department considering the size of the blaze.
The first in Battalion Chief had his hands full and had set up a command post. From that staging area, information was received and decisions were made. All factors were evaluated from the construction of the building, the occupancy, water supply, street conditions, weather, time of day to the apparatus and personnel available. The fire was now up to four alarms but was slowly being brought under control.
When the majority of the fire had been knocked down, tragedy struck. A portion of one of the side walls collapsed without warning burying several firemen. Immediately, their comrades began the task of digging them out. When the first man was retrieved from the rubble, Johnny and Roy had a stokes basket and a backboard waiting. Once he was stabilized on the board, he was moved to the triage area. The remaining section of the wall was still in jeopardy and those performing the rescue efforts had to be very careful. It was too risky to do a complete assessment right away.
Brice and Dwyer had a link to Rampart Emergency already intact by the time Johnny and Roy arrived with the patient and so he was turned over into the care of the two waiting medics. Roy’s HT jumped to life informing them that another had been recovered and they hurried back to the scene. One by one they pulled their brothers from the rubble until all had been pulled out alive. Now, it was up to the paramedics to make sure that they stayed that way until they could be transported to the hospital.
Johnny, Roy, Craig and the others worked fast but professionally to assess and ready all seven of the men for transport. The pace was frenetic but this was what they had been trained to do and they did it well. Vitals were taken, IV’s were started and one by one they began moving them out. There was no lack of men willing to help carry the injured men to the waiting ambulances.
Hours after they’d first been called out, the adrenaline rush was over. The victims of the wall collapse were now in the hands of hospital staff and when Roy called in their status, dispatch returned them to their station. The fire had been extinguished by that time and they were returning all units except those required for clean up.
Roy backed the squad into the apparatus bay and shut down the engine. He and Johnny had performed like a well-oiled machine during the entire rescue and there had been no sign of any strain or tension until they were alone in the cab of the squad. The engine had returned yet and Roy figured now was as good a time as any to clear the air.
He followed Johnny into the locker room. Both men were in need of a change of clothes.
“We need to talk,” he said as he sat down on the bench.
“Do we,” came the terse reply.
“Yes, we do. Things can’t go on like this.”
Johnny shrugged his shoulders. He was sitting in his locker and as such he could look right at his partner. “I didn’t see any problems with the way we worked.”
Roy let out a sigh. “I’m not talking about the job. I’m talking about you and me.”
Johnny didn’t reply but stood and pulled his soaked t-shirt over his head.
“I came by your place on Saturday but you weren’t there,” Roy told him.
“I went to my Aunt’s.”
“Oh. Well, I tried calling yesterday. All afternoon.”
“I went on a date yesterday,” Johnny replied as he continued to change his clothes.
“Oh yeah. With Linda?”
Johnny hit Roy with a stare. “No, I ran away from that confrontation, remember?”
Roy blanched but knew he deserved that one.
“Would it help any to know that I’m sorry,” he asked finally.
Johnny tied the lace on his boot. “Not really, No.”
Roy was at a loss for words. This wasn’t going anything like he’d planned.
Johnny finished with his laces and threw the dirty stuff in his gym bag, which he stuffed back in the locker. He headed for the door.
“Well, I am. More than you can know.”
The words stopped Johnny in his tracks, his hand still pushing the door open. He opened and closed his mouth twice. He wanted to be able to say “don’t worry about it’ or “no harm done”, but he couldn’t, because even though he thought he knew how Roy felt there had been harm done.
Captain Stanley had been right. It wasn’t only Chris’ life that had been in danger, it was Johnny’s, too. But he had never even given a thought to himself, only to Chris and Roy had been acting all week as if that had been wrong.
“Maybe that’s not enough this time,” he finally said as pushed through the door.
“Johnny, wait,” he called as he followed after him. “Look I was stupid. But put yourself in my place.”
Johnny spun around so fast he almost knocked Roy down. “I did put myself your place and it was pure agony for me. All I thought about was how to keep Chris safe, how to bring him home to you. The trouble is, Roy, you couldn’t put yourself in mine. You went out of your way to make me feel worse than I already did.” He turned back around and headed for the dayroom.
“You’re right, Johnny,” Roy called out after him. “I couldn’t put myself in your place. All I could think about was the fact that someone held a gun to my kid’s head. And it made me angrier than anything ever has in my entire life. And I couldn’t do anything about it, so I took it out on the only person that I could. You. And I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t see Johnny anymore but he knew that he’d been heard. The sound of bay door opening drew his attention and he moved out of the way as Mike backed the engine into its customary spot.
Captain Stanley hopped down off the rig. He was surprised to see his senior paramedic standing half dressed in the engine bay.
“Everything all right, Roy,” he asked with concern.
Roy looked at him and shook his head. “Not right now but I’m working on it,” he replied.
Captain Stanley instantly knew what he was talking about. He slapped Roy on the back as he passed him. “Give him some time,” he said wisely.
Part 8
Johnny could hear his phone ringing as he put the key in the door. It was early in the morning and he was just coming in from work.
It was on the fourth ring when he snatched it up. “Hello,” he called out.
“I’m trying to get in touch with John Gage.”
“You got him,” Johnny replied.
“Mr. Gage. This is Detective McKay from the police department. We think we have the fellow who held you up. We need you to come down to the station to see if you can identify him. Do you think you could do that?”
Johnny didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath but he slowly let it out. “You caught him? How?” He hadn’t expected this.
“We can explain that when you come down. Do you think you’d know him if you saw him again?”
Johnny nodded as he replied, “It was dark and he was wearing dark clothing, but yeah, I think I could.”
“Great. So, uh, what time is good for you? We can only hold him for so long.”
“Why? You said you caught him,” Johnny replied in confusion.
“We’ll explain when you get here,” the detective assured him.
Johnny nodded again. “Okay. All right. Give me an hour to catch a shower and then I’ll be down,” he said.
The detective smiled on the other end. “Great. That’s great. Well, we’ll see you in about an hour,” he replied.
Johnny hung up the phone in disbelief. They caught the guy but they couldn’t hold him? Why was that?
He started to reach for phone to call Roy but thought better of it. Maybe they already called him. But they wouldn’t ask a ten-year-old to identify a suspect, would they? Besides Chris would be in school and he highly doubted that Roy or even Joanne, for that matter, would allow him to participate. Especially when he didn’t have to and with Johnny as a witness, he shouldn’t have to, and it was better that way, he thought. Chris had already gone through enough and he was so young and with the way that the robber had positioned himself behind the boy, there was no way Chris could have seen him in the first place.
This was just something he was going to have to do by himself. He hurried off to shower and change. He would really have liked to get a couple hours of sleep in but he didn’t want to take a chance on this guy getting a walk because he didn’t get down there in time.
A little over an hour later, Johnny walked into the police station. He told the desk sergeant who he was and why he was there and was directed towards Detective McKay’s desk. The detective was a middle-aged man, shorten than Johnny with black hair flecked with gray. He was in the midst of a conversation with someone else and Johnny cleared his throat to get his attention. Once the man had looked up, Johnny held out his hand.
“I’m John Gage,” he said introducing himself.
The detective took the outstretched hand and shook. “Mr. Gage, I’m Chuck McKay and,” he turned toward the other man, “this is my partner, “Jimmy Reilly.”
Johnny nodded at the second detective. “So, uh, you… caught the guy that held us up, huh?”
“We have a suspect in custody but we’re gonna need your help,” Reilly answered.
“Okay, whatever,” Johnny agreed. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
The two detectives made a couple of calls before directing Johnny towards a door in the back. Once they were inside, McKay spoke up. “We’re going to show you a couple of men. They’re not going to be able to see you. They won’t know who is on the other side of that window,” he pointed at the glass to emphasize. “Take a good look. If you see recognize any of them as the man that held you up, let us know. We can have them turn around, turn sideways, whatever you need. But we need you to be sure. All right?”
Johnny nodded that he understood and the detective used the phone on the wall to make a quick call. Once he hung up, McKay raised the blind that covered the window. Johnny knew that he couldn’t be seen but something about the whole process was disconcerting. He wasn’t scared or anything like that, but he could feel his pulse quicken at the prospect of seeing the gunman again.
Five men filed in. Each had a number assigned to him. They stood facing him but couldn’t see him. It was a very strange feeling. They were staring directly at him but they were seeing nothing. At least, according to the detectives they were seeing nothing. Even though it had been dark that night, Johnny had no doubt that he’d know the guy if he ever came across him again.
He conjured up the vision of the guy that was emblazoned in his mind as his eyes raked over each of the five men. In his head, he could still see the gun pressed against Chris’ head. One by one the detective asked for each of the five men to step forward but Johnny just couldn’t make a connection with any of the men that stood before him and the image in his head. Number four looked similar but the eyes were different. Finally, he shook his head.
“I’m sorry but he’s not here,” he said turning to the detectives.
“Are you positive,” Reilly asked. Disappoint was evident in his voice.
Johnny sighed, “Yeah. I wish he had been but …” He let his voice trail off not knowing what else to say.
Reilly turned to McKay. “I was so sure this was our guy,’ he said.
“Why’s that,” Johnny asked curiously.
Reilly reached into a large envelope laying on the table nearby. He pulled out a wallet and held it up. “Look familiar?”
Johnny’s eyes grew wide when he saw his own wallet. “Where’d you get that?”
McKay hesitated. “One of our officers pulled a guy over for speeding early this morning. He tried to pass himself off as you. Gave the officer your license. Once he was brought in, he said he found it on the street.” His voice carried a certain amount of skepticism.
Reilly picked up the conversation when his partner stopped speaking. “The guy says he used your license because he has too many tickets, and well, he wasn’t lying about that. He has a couple of bench warrants for unpaid tickets and his license was suspended so we used that to hold him. But looks like we’re gonna have to let him go soon. He went before the judge this morning and as soon as he pays up, we gotta turn him loose. His brother bringing the money down now.”
All three men stood digesting that information. Both of the detectives felt like the guy they’d picked up had some kind of connection to the string of robberies but without a visual id, they had nothing to go on. McKay gestured toward the door. “Thanks for coming in, Mr. Gage,” he said as they ushered Johnny out. “We’ll let you know if anything else comes up.”
Johnny nodded and started for the door before turning back. He gestured toward the envelope on the table. “You still need that,” he asked referring to his wallet.
“It’s still in evidence right now, but it’ll be returned to you in due time,” Reilly answered.
“Guess you didn’t find my watch,” he remarked but held out no hope.
McKay shook his head negatively. “No, we’re sorry, we didn’t.”
Johnny nodded not knowing what else to say. He, too, was disappointed that they hadn’t caught the guy. He was still on the loose and most likely terrorizing other people and Johnny feared that it was only a matter of time before one of his victims got hurt.
As he made his way outside, he had to stifle a yawn and he knew he needed to catch up on some sleep. He pushed the door open and stepped out into the bright sunny June day. He was more disappointed than he realized, he thought, as he stood on the steps of the police station. He was hoping that if they’d caught this guy, he’d feel a whole lot better. Maybe Roy would, too.
He decided he was going to shake off the bad mood that was setting in and any thoughts of Roy. Part of him wished he could call up his friend and tell him about what had happened but another part, the part that was extremely hurt and angry, told him that it wasn’t worth the effort.
Johnny turned his face up to the sun and soaked in its warmth. It was after eleven now and the day was really heating up and he wanted to grab some sleep before he tackled his laundry. Nice exciting day I have planned, he thought as he bounded down the steps toward the parking lot and his Rover.
If he had stood there for a couple more minutes, he might have seen the blue Camaro pull up. And he might have recognized the person who jumped out, but Johnny was already gone by that time.
Part 9
“Are you stupid or somethin’?”
Dave Johnson looked at his older brother with fear in his eyes. “N-no,” he stammered.
The older man threw his hands up in disgust. “No. Did you say ‘no’? ‘Cause I think this is about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”
“I wasn’t thinkin’. I’m sorry.”
Rick shot his brother a look of disgust. “You’re sorry,” he muttered. “I told you to get rid of that shit,” he hollered. “Didn’t I tell you that, Davey?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Then why the hell didn’t ya? And why, why would you give it to the cops, of all people?”
Rick picked up a beer bottle and threw it across the room where it smashed into the wall and broke.
“Are you tryin’ to ruin everything? Are you?” He grabbed his brothers by the shoulders and shook him. “It’s my ass on the line, Davey. Not yours,” he shouted. Rick let go of his brother and turned away.
“I know that but I made a mistake. Besides nothin’ happened. I told ‘em I found it on the street. They can’t prove that I didn’t.” Davey felt more confident as he stated this information.
Rick rolled his eyes. “They might not be able to prove anything now but they weren’t buying your story, Dave.” Sometimes his little brother was so dense. He looked back at him. “I want you to listen to me, Davey, and listen good. The cops are gonna be watchin’ your ass so you better keep a low profile. We ain’t pull any more nail jobs for a while.”
“But its easy money, and nobody gets hurt” came the protest.
Rick held up his hand to shut his brother up. “I said no more jobs for a while. You got the easy part, all you do is drive. It’s my ass on the line. Mine, and you better understand that.”
Dave nodded his head.
“Of all the stupid things you could do,” Rick muttered walking away. “Give the cops a license from somebody we did a job on. If I wasn’t your brother…” He left the comment hanging in the air.
Davey gulped. There were times when he was really terrified of his brother and this was one of them. He knew that what he’d done was a really dumb thing to do but he hadn’t been thinking. It was late, morning actually, but still dark out and he didn’t think the cop would notice. His own license was suspended so he thought he’d try passing himself off with the license that he still had. He didn’t know why he had even hung onto it but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. And then when he’d gotten pulled over, it had seemed like a stroke of genius. After all, they both had dark hair and were the same height. It was that dumb cop’s fault anyway. And now his brother was pissed at him because of it. Dumb black cop, he thought, I shoulda shot him.
Rick was seething. Stupid kid, he thought, eyeing his brother. Too impulsive, that had always been his problem. I been takin’ care of him since he was fifteen and the boy ain’t never had no better sense, he thought. But he had a soft spot for his little brother, which is why he wouldn’t beat the shit out of him like he would have anybody else. They had four crews working this scam all over town and Davey almost screwed it up for everyone.
The plan was simple, leave the board in the roadway, wait until the car was disabled and then strike. They never worked it during the day and never on busy streets. He knew that if you caught people when they were alone and vulnerable, they’d give you anything you asked for. And as long as they cooperated, nobody got hurt. That was his standing order and none of his people would dare cross him. But if they had to, they’d do what was needed. Up till now, they hadn’t had to; people willingly handed over their cash and belongings. And it was fun. He got a kick out seeing people about to shit their pants. He didn’t worry too much.
At least he hadn’t until last week. Something about that guy with the kid last week bothered him. He really hadn’t wanted to pull the gun on the kid, but his gut instinct had told him that it was the only way to control that dude. And his gut was never wrong. Now, it was telling him that they better lay low for a bit and let things cool down. There was no doubt in his mind that the cops were gonna be watchin’ his brother. Of all the licenses his stupid brother had to keep, it had to be the guy with the truck. That bothered him. He had no doubt that he could be identified by that one and that worried him. Most people wouldn’t even look at his face but that guy had looked him straight in the eye and it wasn’t fear that he’d seen, it was hatred.
Rick banged out through the screen door. “Call a meeting,” he said over his shoulder as he left the house.
Part 10
The next couple of shifts passed in pretty much the same fashion for the two paramedics. They did their jobs but stayed away from any personal conversations. Roy was heeding his captain’s advice and giving Johnny his space, but it was hard. Sometimes he used to wish that his partner would just shut up and stop talking, but now that he actually had, Roy missed it. It wasn’t the conversation in particular that he missed; it was the friendship behind it.
Joanne kept bugging him about inviting their friend over but Roy knew it would not be a welcome invitation so he didn’t even try. Every once in awhile he would slip in a little tidbit about the kids and what they were up to, and at first Johnny didn’t even acknowledge him, but now he was at least getting some sort of verbal comment. The comments were usually along the lines of something you might get from the person next to you in line at the movies, not from the person who was the best friend you’d ever had and loved your kids like his own. But it was a start.
Roy knew that Johnny had been called in for a line-up, but only because he’d heard him talking to Chet and Marco about it. He also knew that Johnny hadn’t been able to identify anyone even though the cops thought they’d had their man. Or one of their men. Vince had told him that they were pretty sure that there were more than just one or two guys involved, but he couldn’t say much more than that.
In the future when he remembered this shift, it would be with a clear understanding of how Johnny had felt on that night just two weeks ago. It was a feeling of knowing that no matter what you did, it wouldn’t be the right thing. Whatever choices were made, you wouldn’t be able live with your decisions. Whenever he looked back, it would be with the knowledge that he was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t.
They were toned out in the early afternoon. It was a routine house fire. They had done a million of them or so it seemed. They were doing a quick sweep of the house while Marco and Chet were working to keep the fire at bay. They found the owner of the house in an upstairs bedroom. Roy had just lifted him into a fireman’s carry when the explosion rocked the house. He been standing not two feet from Johnny yet when he got to his feet, his partner was nowhere to be seen and there was a huge hole in the floor where he had once been standing.
“Johnny,” he called out frantically. Receiving no answer, he called again, “Johnny!”
“Roy,” he heard the muffled sound of Johnny’s voice through the air mask.
“Johnny,” he hollered. “Where are you?” He couldn’t see his hand in front of his face and he had no idea how he expected to find his partner.
“Get out, Roy,” he heard Johnny say although the voice was lower than before.
“Johnny, where are you,” he called again.
“I’m stuck. I can’t move. Something’s on me.” Johnny tried several times to push the obstruction off of him but it was just too heavy. The explosion had knocked him against the wall and a large oak chest of drawers had landed on top of him. “Get out, Roy,” he said again. The wood had splintered and a piece of it now pierced his leg, and the pain was unbearable with the weight of the dresser pushing on it. Johnny knew he could only tolerate it for so long before he passed out. The only thought that popped into his head was that he hoped he passed out before the fire got to him.
Roy knew that he needed to get the victim out of the house, but he didn’t want to go without locating Johnny first. He looked around for a window but found none and muttered a string of curses under his breath.
The heat had gotten unbearable and the smoke was black and suffocating. Flames were shooting up through the floor. He knew that if he waited any longer, the victim wouldn’t have a chance, and there was no way that he was going to be able to help Johnny alone. He needed to get help, but the time it would take to get it might not be enough for his partner. He didn’t have a choice. He reasoned that Johnny at least had his air mask on, the victim didn’t. He grabbed for the HT but then remembered that Johnny had it, and it took every ounce of will that he had to pick up the victim and move towards the stairs.
He burst out the open door to a flurry of activity. Back up units had arrived and Roy was able to turn his victim over to another set of paramedics. He ripped his mask off as soon as he had handed him off.
“Johnny’s trapped. I could hear him but I couldn’t find him. On the second floor. No windows.” He couldn’t catch his breath from the exertion that it had taken just getting out of the house. He pulled the mask back down. “I’m going back in,” he told his captain.
“Wait,” Hank said reaching out and grabbing Roy’s arm. Roy tried shrugging him off. “Chet! Marco!” Hank was calling for his men. He turned back to Roy. “You’re not going back in without cover,” he said matter-of-factly. He spotted two men working a hose nearby and as soon as Chet and Marco ran over, Hank informed them about Johnny.
“Which room is it, Roy?”
“The attic bedroom.”
Hank automatically turned and looked up at the house. “No window,” Roy said knowing what his captain was looking for.
“We’ve got guys on the roof. Get in and get out as quickly as you can.” The three men took off for the house. The two men with the hose were right on their heels.
Roy led the way back up the stairs from which he had come only a few moments ago. “Johnny,” he called out as they climbed. When he reached the top he motioned to Chet and Marco where the hole in the floor was and they carefully made their way around it.
The men had to get down on all fours and feel their way around but they soon found their friend.
“Shit,” Chet exclaimed, “this thing must weigh a ton.” He’d reached Johnny first and had tired to life the chest of drawers by himself.
“Johnny,” Roy called out when he had made his way over. “Johnny, you with us?”
No answer. Knowing that they were running out of time, Roy instructed, “Let’s get this thing off of him and get him outside. I can’t see a damn thing and we need to move now!”
Both Marco and Chet shook their heads. Roy counted to three and Chet and Marco each hoisted a side of the chest. It was heavy and they were straining under the weight but they managed to get it high enough that Roy could slide Johnny out. Once their friend was out, they let the chest drop and they wasted no time in getting their friend out of the house.
Hank Stanley stood outside watching the house burn. It was going to be a total loss and he said a silent prayer that his men would make it out in time. These were the times that he hated being a captain. He had to make decisions that could ultimately cost people their lives and while he knew he was good at what he did, he hated these moments.
Finally, through the smoke he saw them emerge. He looked skyward for a brief second before rushing to help carry his injured paramedic. Mike had already laid out a blanket and the rest of the gear. The biophone, oxygen, and drug box were at the ready. They laid Johnny on the blanket and in one motion, Roy rid himself of his mask and helmet.
“Chet, get Rampart on the line,” Roy barked out orders. “Marco, cut his pants off so I can see that wound.”
Roy was busy removing Johnny’s turnout coat. “Johnny,” he called. “Come on, Johnny.” Once he had the coat open the felt for a pulse. “We got a pulse,” he announced. Since he had yet to get a response out of his friend, he did a performed a sternum rub and was rewarded with a soft moan. He grabbed the light and peeled back Johnny’s eyelids to check for reactions.
He relayed all the information to Chet as he did so. Chet dutifully jotted everything down as he’d seen his pals do so many times, and as he had done on occasion as well. Satisfied with the vital signs, Roy studied the piece of wood jutting out of Johnny’s thigh now that Marco had cut away the pants.
He grabbed the biophone from Chet and informed the doctors about the bleeding and the size and severity of the wound.
Dropping the phone back into the box, Roy carried forth the doctor’s instructions for staunching the flow of blood and then began the required IV’s. As soon as everything was done, Johnny was carefully moved onto the stretcher and loaded into the waiting ambulance.
Roy jumped into the ambulance with his partner and Captain Stanley slammed the doors shut. He gave the customary two slaps on the back panel sending the ambulance on its way.
Part 11
Roy glared at Craig Brice as he walked through the doors of the waiting room. Obviously, Craig had been called in to replace Johnny, which meant that Roy was expected to go back to work now.
A piece of wood broke off approximately an inch and a half below the surface, leaving more than an inch of wood impaled in the Johnny’s thigh muscle. Doctor Brackett had flushed the interior of the wound with a bulb syringe, which brought a number of smaller pieces of wood to the surface, but the large section of wood had severed a small artery. Johnny was whisked off to surgery and Roy had been relegated to the waiting room. They would need to repair the artery and remove the larger piece of wood.
He knew it was only a matter of time before a replacement would show up, but it almost killed him that it was Brice. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t want to leave until he’d gotten a chance to see Johnny. They still had a lot of unfinished business between the two of them and it was about time that they hashed it out.
He knew Johnny was going to be okay and he thanked whoever it was that had been watching out for his friend that day. How that fire had held off for so long, he’d never know but, because it did, it gave them a chance to get back in to their friend. He wasn’t sure he’d ever have the chance to talk to him again. It still bothered Roy that he’d had to choose between getting the victim out and getting help and saving his best friend. But there’d been no choice really, and he knew that. Just as there had been no choice for Johnny on that dark night two weeks ago. Roy now knew that feeling of helplessness and he knew it well. He knew that the choice that he had made could very well have turned out differently.
“Sorry to hear about Gage,” Craig said sympathetically and Roy nodded.
Craig held up a new HT. “I’ll make us available from here,” he said knowing that Roy didn’t want to leave unless he had to.
“Thanks,” Roy acknowledged grateful for once that Craig was being understanding.
Of course, they’d all been in this position once or twice before and knew how important it was to be here if they could. Johnny didn’t really have anyone else. Just his aunt and Roy’s family, and that knowledge only served to make Roy feel worse about he had treated his friend.
No more than ten minutes after Craig had called in their status they were called out for a woman down. “Great,” Roy muttered as he hurried to catch up with his new partner.
Johnny awoke in the hospital. He was still groggy but definitely aware of the throbbing in his leg.
“Hey, you’re awake,” he heard Joanne’s voice. She was camped out in a chair next to the bed.
Johnny’s voice was ragged from the smoke that he’d eaten at the fire. “Roy?”
Joanne brushed his back off his face. “Roy’s fine. Don’t worry,” she assured him.
Johnny closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He remembered being in the house and the explosion. Everything after was hazy and then went black.
Johnny opened his eyes and looked around the room. “I’m stayin’,” he asked and Joanne nodded.
“You were unconscious when Roy brought you in. Doctor Brackett thinks the pain from your leg knocked you out but they want to keep you overnight for observation just to be safe. Not to mention that you had to have surgery on your leg.”
Johnny’s eyes traveled down to his leg. “Bad?”
Joanne shook her head, “but it could have been worse. I’ll let one of the doctors explain everything when they come in.”
Johnny licked at his lips. “You thirsty,” she asked not knowing whether he could have something to drink or not but wanting to do something.
When he nodded, she offered to go down to the nurses’ station and check. She returned with Doctor Brackett in two. “Look who I found wandering in the hallway,” she said cheerfully.
“Hey, Doc.”
“Hey yourself. How’re you feeling?”
One of the nurses breezed in to get a fresh set of vitals.
“Like my leg is on fire,” Johnny responded.
Brackett nodded. “I’d imagine so. You had a pretty good size chunk of wood embedded in your thigh. We tried to flush it out but it was being stubborn and it had hit an artery, so in keeping with your tradition of making us work for our money, you needed surgery.”
The doctor chuckled at his own attempt at humor.
“We’re pretty sure that we got all the pieces of wood and we sutured the artery but I’m going to start you on some antibiotics just to be safe. We certainly don’t need an infection to start festering in there, so I want to keep a close watch on it. Any sign of infection, I want to know about. Understood?”
Johnny nodded. “How long am I in for?” He knew that there was no fighting it this time. And with as much as his leg hurt, it was probably for the best.
“Oh, a day or two I think. After that you should be able to get up on it. We’ll just take it slow and see what happens. How does that sound?”
Johnny didn’t respond at all. It sounded like the pits. That’s how it sounded. Even though he knew the doctor was only doing what he thought was best.
“Look, John. I know this is the last place you’d want to be but we can’t take a chance on any infection going unnoticed.” Brackett paused to write some orders on the chart. “Now, I understand you’re thirsty. On that I think we can accommodate you.”
After assuring Johnny that he’d be back to check on him later, Doctor Brackett spoke with the duty nurse about the orders for pain medication that he’d written on the chart and then he was gone.
Joanne made sure Johnny was as comfortable as possible and held the glass while he drank some water and it wasn’t long before he was sleeping again.
He woke a few times during the night. Or rather the nurses woke him. They had standing orders to get a temperature reading regularly and they had to wake him in order to do it. The last time they were in was around six in the morning.
When he woke again, he found Roy sitting in the chair that had been occupied previously by Joanne. She had left sometime last evening after he assured her that he was going to be fine and that she should go home to the kids.
“Hey, Roy.”
“Hey, Johnny,” he replied. “How’re you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“I guess so. I think they gave you enough pain meds to keep you sleeping for a week,” Roy joked.
“Is the pain bad?”
Johnny struggled to push himself up more to a sitting position.
“You want me to raise the bed?” Roy hated being in hospital rooms but even more he hated being a patient in a hospital room.
Johnny shook his head. “I’m all right.”
Roy looked around uncomfortably. “You need anything? Chet said he was gonna stop and get you some magazines. And Marco went home to raid his mother’s kitchen. He’s gonna see what he can get her to whip up for you.”
“Nah, I’m good. Really.”
“Cap comin’ by?”
“Yeah, he’s got some paperwork to catch up on from yesterday. We had a busy night so he didn’t get to his incident report yet. Mike’s coming by in the afternoon, too.”
Johnny nodded and hesitated before speaking. “Uh, about yesterday, thanks. For getting’ me out of that house.”
Roy nodded his understanding of what Johnny was trying to say.
“You, uh, you up to talking,” Roy asked hopefully.
Johnny shrugged. “About what?”
“First, I want to apologize again,” Roy started. “I haven’t been a very good friend to you.” He stood and walked to the window. He stared out at the cars below.
“I could only think about my own anger,” he continued. “Nothing else. I knew how bad you felt. I knew that you didn’t have any options. But all I could think about was someone holding a gun to my kid’s head and the fact that I couldn’t do anything about it. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.”
He looked back at Johnny, who was watching him intently. He knew that their friendship hinged on whatever he said in this room, at this moment.
“For as long as I live, I will never forgive myself for the things I said to you. For the way I acted.”
“Roy, don’t,” Johnny said softly.
Roy held up his hand. “I have to,” he said interrupting. “It took Chris to make me realize that there wasn’t anything you could have or should have done differently. By then, it was too late. You were pissed, and I don’t blame you. You had every right to be. You still do, but I’m hoping that you’ll forgive me for making an ass out of myself.”
Johnny’s mouth turned up in a grin. “You were an ass,” he remarked.
“You know what Chris said to me. He said that it takes courage to do something that you know is right even when you don’t want to. And he’s right. Yesterday, I knew that if I was going to get you out of that house, I had to get help. But that meant that I had to leave you in there and I did not want to leave you there, Johnny.” He emphasized the word ‘not’.
“You did what you had to do, Roy. Your first priority was to the victim.”
Roy waved him off. “I know where my first priority is supposed to be. But yesterday, I felt what you did that night, the night you were robbed. If I left you and you had died, I would never have been able to live with myself. But if I had stayed and our victim had died, I wouldn’t be able to live with that either.” He paused letting his words hang in the air.
“It still makes me angry when I think about what that guy did to Chris but I know that you did everything you could to ensure his safety.”
Roy walked over to stand beside the bed. “So, you see, it’s me that should be thanking you. I was just doing my job, but you, you were looking out for my kid and I will always be grateful to you for that.”
“I would die for those kids if I had to, Roy. For you, too. If my options had been to die in order for Chris to live, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. You gotta know that.” Johnny’s voice was steady and Roy knew he was speaking the truth.
“I know that, Junior,” Roy said. Emotion made his voice crack, and to anyone else it might have gone unnoticed, but Johnny heard it.
“So, you think when I get outta here Joanne might cook me up a nice big juicy steak,” Johnny asked grinning.
“I think, when you’re ready, that I’ll do it. We’ll throw some steaks on the grill and invite all the guys over, have some beers and celebrate.”
“What’re we celebrating, Pally?”
“Life,” Roy replied and Johnny smiled.
“Sounds good to me, Pally.”
Part 12
Chris looked around apprehensively. “Why’d we have to come in THIS store,” Chris whispered. His team had just finished up a baseball game and he was anxious to get home and play with his friends.
Roy sighed impatiently. “Because Uncle Johnny and the guys from the station are coming over and I need to pick up some beer,” Roy said for the third time. He was already second-guessing his decision to stop in this section of town but as he passed by the store he’d seen his brand of beer on sale, and so he pulled in.
“I don’t like this store,” Chris replied as he bumped into the back of his father when Roy stopped suddenly.
“I know, Chris. Neither do I,” Roy agreed in a soft voice, “but let’s just get what we came for and go. Okay?”
Chris nodded but remained skeptical. Roy could tell that his son had the jitters and he really couldn’t blame him. It had been just a month since the robbery and although Chris had been dealing with it very well, Roy knew that it was a stupid move on his part to bring him into a store in this neighborhood.
Not being able to find what he was looking for, Roy headed for the counter to ask for assistance. Once he’d explained what he was looking for, the clerk went to get it for him. Chris’ attention had been drawn to the rack of baseball cards in the next aisle and he was busy rooting through the various stacks. Each pack had the same amount of cards and a stick of gum in it but he was hoping to get lucky and get a pack with some Dodgers in it. Maybe he would get a Steve Garvey card. That would be cool since he had his homerun ball, too.
The bell jingled announcing the arrival of another customer just as the clerk was returning with Roy’s beer.
The clerk nodded at his new customer. “Hey, Rick, I’ll be right with ya,” he said.
“No problem. Just need to get some smokes and a six pack,” Rick Johnson responded.
Chris’ eyes widened when he heard the voice. He carefully put the pack of baseball cards back on the rack and peered around the corner.
Rick nodded to Roy and Roy returned the greeting.
Chris drew in his breath when he saw the man.
Rick noticed the kid peeking his head around the corner. “How ya doing, kid,” he said with a smile. He was in a good mood. This past week, the cops had finally started to lay off his brother and he was hoping that they’d be able to get back in action soon.
Chris pulled back into his aisle. “What should I do? What should I do?” His father was standing right next to the guy that robbed them. He didn’t know it by looking at him but he knew that voice.
“Chris,” Roy called out after paying the man and getting his change. “Come on, Chris, let’s go.”
Chris couldn’t move. He couldn’t force himself to walk out into the open. He felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. If he said anything, that guy might hurt his father just like the threatened to do to Uncle Johnny.
“Chris, put down the baseball cards and let’s go,” Roy called out again.
Chris slowly peeked around the corner. Rick was talking to the clerk about some guy named Davey. Chris decided to take his chances and he made a beeline for the door just as Rick turned to grab a pack of tasty cakes off the rack behind him. Chris ran right into him and fell to the ground.
“Whoa there, little fella,” Rick said extending his hand to help the boy up. Chris trembled as he stared into Rick’s face but he didn’t take the outstretched hand.
Roy had been waiting by the door and hurried over but his hands were full carrying the case of beer. “I’m really sorry,” Roy said apologetically to the other man.
“No problem, man,” Rick replied nonchalantly. “I didn’t see him comin’.”
Chris eyes darted from his father to the other guy but he still didn’t move.
“Chris, get up. We gotta go,” Roy said with a bit of irritation. Chris was acting like he’d just seen a ghost. Granted his kids weren’t used to seeing the seedier side of town and this guy was certainly on the seedier side but Chris was acting downright weird. Roy was anxious to get him out of there.
Realizing that Chris wasn’t going to take his hand, Rick reached down and grasped Chris by the arms and pulled him up. He wasn’t forceful or anything but he could feel Chris trembling. “You all right there, little fella,” he asked. Not that he really cared but the kid seemed so scared.
Chris nodded but didn’t take his eyes off of Rick.
Rick laughed as Chris tentatively made his way past him. The bell jingled again as Chris and Roy made their way out the door.
Rick’s eyes followed them as they left curious as to what had upset the kid so much. Once they were gone, he paid for his pack of cigarettes, his beer and his tasty cakes. He exchanged a bit more small talk with the clerk, who he’d grown up with.
“Have a good one,” he told the clerk as he left the store. Once outside, he saw the father and the son getting into a little sports car. Nice looking car, he thought, might have to have Jimmy get me one of those. He noticed the kid look back over his shoulder and flinch when he saw him. Strange kid, he thought, skittish like Davey used to be. Rick watched Roy lower himself into the car. Wonder if the old guy beats him, he thought. Nah, he concluded, the guy didn’t seem the type. Must have been something else that scared the kid.
Deciding that he’d wasted enough time worrying about some little kid and his father, Rick turned the other way. His place was just a couple of blocks up the street and his beer was getting warm.
Part 13
Roy pulled out onto the street. He cast a sideways glance at his son. Chris’ face was as white as a sheet.
“Chris, you okay,’ he asked. His concern was evident in his voice.
Chris didn’t answer but stared straight ahead. He couldn’t say anything. If he did, that man could come back and hurt his dad
“Chris, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?” Again, Roy received no answer so he decided to take another track. “I’m sorry for taking you in that store. I wasn’t thinking.”
Roy pulled to a stop at the traffic light. He threw the car into neutral and moved his hand from the gear shift to Chris’ shoulder. “You’re trembling,” he noted.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Son,” he pleaded.
Chris shook his head and tried to force that man’s voice from his head. It was as clear as it was that night ‘keep your mouth shut, kid, and I won’t have to shoot your dad in the back’.
At the time, the reference had been to Johnny, but now Chris was just as scared that something similar could happen to his father.
The light changed to green and reluctantly Roy put the car back in gear. Maybe Joanne was right and we should have had Chris talk to somebody, he thought. Roy had never seen him so upset before, and it scared him.
Roy cast another glance at his son. “We’re going home, Chris. You’re safe now, okay? Whatever you’re scared of… you’re safe now, all right. We’re going home. We just have to pick up Johnny first. All right?”
Chris slowly nodded his head. He could feel his heartbeat returning to its normal pace with each street they passed. The further away they got from that store, the better Chris felt.
He’d have to tell his Dad, he knew that, but he couldn’t say anything until they were far enough away. He couldn’t risk it. He’d wait until they got to Uncle Johnny’s house, maybe even till after the cookout.
= = = = = =
Rick Johnson walked along the street. He sat the six-pack of beer down on the sidewalk so that he could open the pack of smokes he’d just bought. He peeled open the pack and tapped one partially out. Raising it to his mouth, he caught the cigarette between his lips and slid it out of the pack. He shoved the pack into his shirt pocket and reached into his pants pocket for a match.
Once the cigarette was lit, he took a deep drag, inhaled and then blew out the smoke. Nothing calms me down like a good old-fashioned smoke, he thought. Ever since leaving the store, something was bugging him. It had something to do what that kid, he knew, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He took another drag. Kids, he thought, they weren’t worth the trouble.
He could still feel how the kid trembled when he’d helped him up, and it carried a sense of deja vu. He’d felt that before, that trembling, but when? His gut was screaming that it was important for him to remember this, and he racked his brain going over the last couple of times he’d been around kids. There hadn’t been that many and the image hit him like a ton of bricks.
Shit, he thought. Shit, shit, shit! He threw the cigarette down and grabbed the beer. He took off at a run.
The house that he and Davey shared was a small bungalow over on the next block and it didn’t take long for Rick to reach it. He raced in through the door, dropping the beer on the table as he went. Dave and some of the guys already had the party going strong and it was only one in the afternoon.
“We got some unfinished business we gotta take care,” he announced to the group.
“Cool, we ready to get back in business, my man,” Al said after he’d taken a hit from the pipe.
“Not yet,” Rick answered quickly. “We got bigger problems.” He looked around the room. “Frankie, me and Davey might need to crash at your place for awhile.”
Frankie nodded. “Sure, man, anything you need.”
Davey’s head snapped up at the mention of his name. “Why? I don’t wanna stay at Frankie’s,” he complained.
“Just shut up, would ya. I said we’re stayin’ so we’re staying.”
Al looked up from his chair. “Man, Rick, you ain’t never been this uptight. What’s a matter?”
“We been laying low for while cause of my dumb ass brother, right,” he said finally.
“Yeah, used some dude’s license and had the cops on his tail for awhile,” Al said directing a stare at Davey.
“Well, I just ran into the kid that was with that ‘dude’ when we shook him down. Down at the liquor store. The kid recognized me.”
Al let out a low whistle.
“It’s just a stupid kid, Rick,” Davey said shaking his head in disbelief. “What’re you getting’ so riled up about it?”
Rick turned on his brother. Davey’s eyes were glazed over. “It’s only a matter of time before he tells somebody, you stupid shit. And if I get fingered for this, I could’ve gotten off. That is until you fucked up. Up till you used that license, there wasn’t anything to put me there. It don’t take no genius to figure it out now.”
Rick was panicked and he definitely did not like feeling panicked. He needed to be in control.
“So, that’s what the unfinished business is, huh,” Al asked knowingly. “We gonna take out the kid?” He looked up at Rick for confirmation.
“Yeah, but it ain’t just he kid I’m worried about. His father, well, they guy I thought was his father, he’s gotta go. Ain’t no way I’m goin’ back inside.” He looked from Al to his brother. “Davey, you remember what that name was you used? The one on the license?”
“Uh, Joe, uh, no, um, somethin’ with a J, though.” He closed his eyes in concentration and ran all the J names that he could think of through his mind; Jack, Jay, Jeff, Jed, Joe, John, George, no wait that was a G, John…yeah, that’s it. “John,” he said out loud. “John…John Grage, or somethin’ like that,” he announced pretty damn pleased with himself.
Rick rummaged through the papers piled in the corner until he pulled out a phone book. He tossed it to Al. “Here see if you can find a John Grage.” He didn’t look too hopeful that they would come up with anything but at least it was something.
Al caught the book and began searching. “Nothing,” he said as his finger trailed down the list of names. “We got Grafton, Gragasin, Grageda, Grager…Could it be Grager, Dave?”
Davey look confused. “Grager,” he repeated. “No, it wasn’t that.”
Rick wanted to smack him upside his head. Without the whole bit about the license, he wouldn’t have had to worry. “Think, you shithead,” he hollered.
Davey shrank back from the sound of his brother’s voice. He knew he’d be in deep shit unless he came up with the name. Grage, he thought…age…it definitely had a G…”How ‘bout Gage, you got that in there,” he asked hopefully.
Al flipped back through the pages and again scanned the names using his finger to guide him. “Gage. Yeah, right here,” he called out.
Rick came over and peered over his shoulder. “All right, any John Gage’s?”
“Yeah, two. And a J.R. Gage.”
“All right, jot the address down. We’re gonna have to scope them out,” Rick said.
Al’s eyes lit up. It wasn’t the same job but they were back in action. No more lollygaggin’ around.
Rick went to the closet and retrieved his gun. He made sure it was loaded before sliding it into the back of his pants. “Al, you take Davey and go to the first one. I’m gonna stop by and have Mark and Terrence check out the second one. Me and Franky’ll check out the last one.”
Al looked skeptical. “What’re we lookin’ for? This was your job…:
Rick knew it was a dig but he let it slide. “Ask the genius over there,” Rick said sarcastically. Then he added, “tall guy, about 6 feet maybe 6’1”. Shaggy dark hair, over the collar but not long. Reminded me of an Indian,” he said as he thought about it.
He should have known this was going to be the one to come back and haunt him, something about that guy had rubbed him the wrong way. Well, it was time to clean up this mess before it could get totally out of control.
“Move out. See what you can find out.” He tore the address off the piece of paper on which Al had jotted them down. He handed one over to Al. “Anybody even close to that description, find me. We need to get rid of this problem.”
“What about the kid,” Davey asked as they headed out the door.
“We find him, we’ll find the kid. I ain’t worried about that. Just don’t nobody come back here. Once that kid tells his pop and they go back and see Marcus at the liquor store, cops will be all over this place. Marcus has a big fuckin’ mouth.
Davey cocked his head to the side. He’d been listening to Rick give orders for the last five years and he’d never once disobeyed. Rick had been his savior. They had the same father, just different mothers and Dave’s mother had run off leaving him with an alcoholic, abusive stepfather. Rick had taken care of that problem and he’d been taking care of Davey ever since. Even though Rick had done some time last year on a B&E, he was good at ripping people off and he was careful, and Davey respected him. He’d do what Rick said, but he thought it’d just be easier if they left town for a while. But Rick knew best.
