Book Four: Part 8 - Rhyming Evil - Chapter 17
The Twenty-Second Precinct
Wednesday – July 18th - 8:41 a.m.
“That’s it. Internal Affairs have given Lowery and Banyard a clean review and they’ll be back on the street tomorrow. Andres will still be on personal leave, and I’ll still be running her route. No bad news to report which is always a good thing. Any questions? If not, then get out there and stay safe and keep our streets safe.”
Baker’s cell rang. Looking at the caller ID, she said, “”Good morning sunshine. What’s up, Bub?”
“Nothing much. In a little bit, I’m going to mow the yard, then I’m thinking about going to the Pit-Stop for a while.”
“Just you be careful. What’s Ed doing?”
“He’s on the computer reading emails and squeezing one of the tennis balls with his hand.”
“Okay. Have fun, and tell Ed I said, hi. See you tonight.”
“Love you, mom.”
“Love…” dial tone. She definitely needed to talk to him about that.
10:19 a.m.
Stevie’s cell phone rang. He was on the riding mower when he killed the engine and said hello.
“Hi, Stevie! We just got home like ten minutes ago!”
“Ellie! Man, it sure is good to hear your voice again and know you’re back home! You want to have lunch with me at the Pit-Stop?”
“I was hoping we could drive out to Summit’s Point where we could be alone, you know, just the two of us.”
“I can go for that. What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“Hold on, let me ask mom.” Ellie muffled the phone, but Stevie could still hear Ellie ask her mom if it would be okay if Stevie picked her up for lunch at the Pit-Stop around noon. He heard her mom say that it was fine.
“Mom said noon is good.”
“Ellie, I heard you tell her the Pit-Stop, not Summit’s Point.”
“I know. Like I said, I want it to be just us, without any interruptions.”
“Ah, well, okay then. See you at noon. I love you, Ellie.”
“Love you, Stevie.”
City of Brighton
Smitty’s Pawn – 11:05 a.m.
After showing his driver’s license, the man behind the counter took all the information and entered it into a computer. Five minutes later he returned to the front and said, “Okay, you’re good to go. You got no warrants, no felonies. Here’s your license and the permit for the gun. That .357 Magnum has one helluva kick so be careful when shooting it out there at Brewster’s. If you aren’t careful, you could injure yourself. The permit is good for fourteen days. You should get your license to carry in the mail by then.”
The man stuck the gun in a paper bag and walked out of the pawn shop.
As he started getting into his car, there was thing he did know—he would be careful Real careful.
216 Blake Way – 11:10 a.m.
Today was one of those days where eating lunch at home only meant not so much privacy. His space today was invaded by way too many thoughts.
He was still foaming over recent events and for being berated for someone else’s mistakes, but he would teach that little fem-fatale prick he was screwing with the wrong person.
“Kick his ass, is what I’ll do. I didn’t get my green belt two months ago in karate for nothing. Yes, just kick his ass right out of town where he’ll never be a bother again.”
He thought back to when they were at the same college and how he was caught going down on a really husky-looking senior. How embarrassed he was when it was spread all over campus what he did, no less to Sean, the star quarterback. Because of that little prick, getting even with him, he had to change schools. So did Sean. But not him. No. He graduated from brown in the top five percent of his class.
Michael still did better. Yale accepted his transfer and he graduated in the top two percent.
“Always have been better and smarter than him. Always will be.”
Michael Collins was out to teach Cliff Potter one more lesson.
As Mornings Go
The rest of the morning had its share of mishaps. Police cars responded to various calls. Some that involved traffic accidents creating minor fender-benders; a barroom fight between two friends over a pool game. A domestic dispute ended up being the most serious criminal activity of the day.
Henry Clauson and Terrance Klugston were called onto the scene. After a few questions, the girlfriend said the wrong thing.
“I keeps tellin’em to take dat shit down to Ramon’s house. Luis don’ need to be cookin’ in my house. He don’ unnerstand. He think he own me. He don’t own, shit! Jus’ cause I got a kid by’em, don’ make me his property.”
Luis kept yelling at her to shut her mouth, but she kept on keeping on.
Terrance called for two more units and a forensics team. In thirty minutes, a meth-lab was found in the basement of Luis girlfriend’s (Maria) house. He was arrested for manufacturing and distribution. They found out from Maria where Ramon lived, and after getting a phone warrant, they went to Ramon’s house and found over $10,000 in coke on a kitchen counter for starters. They found more in Ramon’s bedroom and bathroom. And Ramon? He was passed out on the couch.
Two arrests for the price of one girl’s anger.
Summit’s Point – 12:40 p.m.
They had no sooner pulled to a stop, making sure no one else was around when Ellie attacked Stevie.
It was attack he enjoyed. Ellie pressed herself tightly against him the deepest, wettest, and longest kiss ever. When she finally broke away so both of them could get some air, she bent her head and started nibbling on his neck.
Stevie’s hands were caressing her back, or his hands would run through her hair. Ellie like having her hair played with.
Ellie was going further. Her hands ran up and down his chest and across his stomach. Lifting his shirt, her head lowered as she started tracing his chest to navel with her tongue and lips.
Stevie would be a liar if he said she wasn’t exciting him, and it was for that very reason, he used every ounce of his strength to fight off her advances and pull her away.
“Dang, Ellie. Slow down, girl! I’ve missed you, too, but wow—hell even, you almost got me to forget who we are.”
Ellie smiled, leaned in, and gave him another quick kiss on this lips as her hands stroked his chest and stomach.
“And just who are we, Stevie?”
“Why, we’re, uh—we, I mean, we love each other, right? And when two people fall in love, they respect each other.”
“Do you respect me, Stevie?”
“Since the first day we met. I respect you as much as I love you.”
“What about after we have sex? Would you respect me then?”
“If we had sex, as long as it’s safe sex, yes. But this isn’t the right place or the right time. Okay, I know it’s the twenty-first century and that most kids younger than us are doing it, but sex just for the sake of sex just doesn’t grab me. Maybe I’m the only old-fashioned kid left on earth, but I’d rather make love to you and have it mean something important for the rest of our lives; like when we would be married.”
Ellie’s hand stopped playing along his chest and she placed them behind Stevie’s head.
“Why do you have to be so sensible, Stevie? As much as I want you right now, I get what you are saying, and that’s another reason why I love you so much.”
They kissed again but this time it was slower, a much gentler kiss. When they pulled away, Ellie looked at Summit’ Peak walls and pointed. “That is so cool, huh?”
Stevie looked at the wall of rock facing them. The sun hit it at an angle that made the formation surface look like solid gold. It lasted almost two minutes as the sun shifted and shadows replaced the light.
After sitting quietly together and watching gold turn back to gray, Stevie pulled his shirt down and started the car.
“Now, how about that lunch at the Pit-Stop?”
“You’re on. Let’s do it!”
Hestor Hills
261 Devonshire Way – 2:46 p.m.
Four blocks away from Dianne Andrews home, Michael Collins drove past Cliff’s house. The garage door was open and empty. He wasn’t home. Probably out job hunting.
He would come back later.
216 Blake Way – 2:59 p.m.
He was able to get into the expensive apartment building by following behind another tenant and caught hold of the outside door before it closed.
He saw Michael’s name on the registry next to the mailboxes. Apt. 12-A, third floor. Four floors, sixteen units total.
He took the elevator and when it stopped, he walked out and within a few seconds found Michael’s door and pressed the buzzer. He couldn’t hear any movement from the other side of the door, and figured that Michael wasn’t home yet.
He released his grip on the gun inside his jacket pocket and swore in a whisper. He looked at his watch. 3:06.
He decided to take the elevator to the fourth floor, then take the steps up that lead to the rooftop balcony. The Blakemore hosts the only covered outdoor swimming pool to its tenants, plus the view is incredible.
He would simply wait until he knew Michael would be home.
Mike’s Haven
2nd & Dumar – 3:46 p.m.
Andrew Davis and Ryan Clinton were on the scene along with Carl Macklin Sr. and four of his F-Team members as they sifted through the destruction of Mike’s restaurant.
For many years, Mike has used this place to feed the homeless or those in need. He was always able to get financial contributions from the citizens of Montie, as well as certain food products from Wal-Mart, Baker’s Supermarket, and all the fast-food places, Lucy’s, as well as places not within downtown.
But not more than an hour after Mike closed for the day, someone, or a group of people broke into his place, used axes on the counter, tables and chairs. The vent system was shorn in half from apparently a chainsaw and his grill and fryers were overturned. Grease was spread out all across the floor making walking dangerous. Almost all of the canned goods were gone, and the meat freezer was emptied out.
Until Carl and his team could find any evidence that would point to the parties involved, all the police could do was take Mike’s statement.
“Tonight, I’m going to make a detailed list of everything I’ve lost for my insurance company and then I’ll bring a copy to you guys. At least I’ll be able to salvage a few things out of this mess.”
“Mr. Ambrose,” said Larry, “here’s my card. When you have everything itemized, call me. That way I can add your copy of items missing and damaged to my report.”
“Might be a day or two but I can do that.”
“The grill and fryer’s aren’t damaged though. It’ll take a couple days to rid the floor of the grease. Vent walls aren’t cheap, but they won’t cost me an arm and a leg either.
“It’s just that, well, it’ll be a week, maybe two before I can start feeding the homeless again. So many people who come here depend on me for a meal and a warm place to stay during the day.”
Mike’s lips trembled and he wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
“Why? Why would someone do this? If they needed food all they had to do was ask. They didn’t have to bust the place up.”
Ryan Clinton said, “Mr. Ambrose, we’ll do what we can for you. We will find who was responsible for this.”
Carl and his crew kept dusting every area of the restaurant and taking different pictures from various angles. Carl knew this wouldn’t be a simple identity case. Dozens of prints were pulled from the countertop as well as the broken tables and chairs. When their afternoon was concluded, Carl and his team would take back to the Lab, 346 lifted print impressions.
The Pit-Stop – 3:59 p.m.
Stevie and Ellie sat in a booth facing the front door giving them a good view of the whole place. There were eleven people in the Pit-Stop and of them,, two were playing video games, two more were at a pool table playing nine ball. One person grabbed a drink and a bag from the counter and left. The remaining four were in another booth with one of three waitresses taking their order.
Ellie said she wanted another Pepsi, so Stevie went up to the counter and was back with two large Pepsi’s and two straws.
“Mom and Dad are going to volunteer their spare time raising money for Jerry’s Kids this year.”
“Cool. So’s my mom and Ed. Actually, they have about sixty cops from the Twenty-Second collecting contributions at the Arena.”
“I’ll tell you this, Stevie, because they want my help, so when it gets close, we won’t have much time together that week. They want to do door-to-door collections the last week of August into the first of September.”
“Wow! You guys will be knocking on a lot of doors.”
“My parents think that in eight days between the three of us, we could do 2,400 houses and apartments a day.”
“Hmmm … that’s under half of Montie’s population.”
“I know. But if they give to us, they might not give somewhere else or vice-versa.”
“Ellie, for as long as I’ve lived here, I’ve always known Montie o be the kind of place where people pulled together. That storm we just had? Remember how everyone pulled together to help each other; their friends and even people they didn’t know? I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but I have an idea.”
Stevie pulled out his cell phone and made five quick calls. Within twenty minutes, Jimmy Kerrigan, Ron Snyder, Dale Whittier, Dwayne Phillips, and Carl Macklin Jr., were sitting and crowding around the booth.
Once Stevie explained to them what Ellie and her parents were planning to do, he asked them to help and they all agreed except for Jimmy.
He had to be on campus by August twenty-ninth, but he would pitch in at least the first three days.
Ellie looked at all if them with a grateful smile and a big friendly hug to each one of the guys.