by Paul Watkins
“If you fire Phil, then I’m going to hire him as my personal trainer,” Sheri exclaims, placing her hand on my head and stroking my hair back in a loving motion. “And I’m going to double his salary,” she adds.
I laugh. “I’m sorry, Sheri, but I think I’m going to retire from the more active pursuits. If you guys are finished sparring, let’s get back to the original topic, the party. I have a special request.”
“Name it,” Sheri replies.
“You got it,” A.J. adds simultaneously.
The fisticuffs are a thing of the past, completely forgotten by both contestants.
“I would like to have the security team there. They did a good job and we have a lot to thank them for.”
A.J. and Sheri nod in agreement.
“Would someone please tell me what happened after I fell and hit my head in the library?” Jennifer asks innocently.
Everyone looks at Jennifer in confusion, but no one volunteers. There’s a light knock on the door and a nurse announces quietly that it would be in the patient’s best interest if everyone said their good-byes now. Saved! Sheri takes A.J.’s arm and starts him towards the door. Jennifer leans over and kisses me lightly on the lips.
“See you later,” she says with one of the prettiest smiles I have ever seen.
CHAPTER 30
It’s a long two days before I’m released from the hospital. My wounds looked much worse than they were and the repair work was fairly straightforward. Other than the loss of blood that left me weak, I feel ready to go. The doctors say it’s simply a matter of time. Lot’s of rest, drink plenty of liquids, etc., etc. I don’t want to, but the best cure for me right now is to get back into an exercise routine and get what blood I have left flowing again.
This isn’t the first time Hudson has pulled me out of a hospital bed. I’m beginning to think this might be part of the routine and we make light jokes about it on the way home. Hudson has always covered my back and I, in turn, have done the same for him on occasion.
“Some people are a little upset with me, Philip,” he comments. “They figure I should have gone into the cellar sooner. Might have saved you some trouble.” He looks sideways at me with a slight smile. “I figured you wanted him for yourself.”
“You figured right.”
“We had him nailed from the beginning. We weren’t able to get on the monitors, so we decided to put a fairly tight perimeter around the house itself. Your hunch was on the money. Mary called him on his cell phone. They parked in the field across from the gate and made their way across the property. We picked them up when they were about fifty yards from the house. They made a beeline for the stairway outside Mary’s room and went right in. If we had been a few seconds faster, we could have stopped them in their tracks.
Once they were on the stairs, though, we didn’t want to shoot. You never know where those rounds are going once they hit the house. After that, we tightened up on the stairway and the library where all the people were gathered.”
“Karen was angry with me and she wanted to leave,” I counter. “I had no idea Monte and his partner were in the house. Karen almost made it out. If she hadn’t been around, it would have been a lot easier on all of us.”
“Yeah, what happened there? When you moved all the ladies over to the same sofa, it was pretty obvious what you were doing. Then you pointed at Monte’s sidekick and I knew exactly what you wanted. You had positioned yourself to get at Monte and I figured you were cuing me in on the other guy. I had put my sights on him the minute he walked into the room. Since he was the only one with a gun in his hand, he was going to go down first. We had to take him out permanently, we couldn’t take a chance. You pointed, I fired.”
“They were there after money. Apparently A.J. keeps quite a stash in his safe. I never knew anything about it, but Monte did. They were preoccupied with getting the dough. Your shot was well timed and perfectly executed… no pun intended.”
“Shots. I fired twice. I wasn’t sure what the window would do to the soft-nosed rounds, so I put the first one into the glass to clear a path. The next one finished the job.”
“All I could hear was a shot. He went up in the air like a puppet on a string. Then, I really had to kick myself into gear. It’s too easy to be a spectator when the shooting starts. I grabbed Monte, disarmed him and then the sonabitch spits in my face.”
Hudson laughs. “No shit?”
“Yeah. He tossed a gob in my puss and I lost it. I had just taken his gun, so I started to beat the hell out him, when Karen grabs my arm from behind. I couldn’t imagine what the hell was happening. That’s when he spun loose. He was already a handful without someone holding my arm from behind.”
“What in the hell made her do that?”
“Hard to tell,” I reply. Monte said something about Karen clearing her brother’s debt before he dragged Jennifer out of the room. He must have been blackmailing her. She adored her brother, but she would never really talk about him. Probably mixed up in drugs or gambling somehow. Whatever it was, they recruited Karen way back when, at the very beginning. That must have been the motivation for the story on the Jacksons. It never made much sense… doing a story on a rapper for the kind of publications she wrote articles for.
“But I don’t think she was ever able to really help them in any way. They didn’t need her with Mary around, but Monte might have put her in the equation for insurance in case Mary dropped out for some reason. She didn’t arrive at the house that day by accident. she had been warned or told something was up. probably by Monte. But I don’t think she was trying to help Monte when she grabbed my arm. I may be wrong, but I honestly think she was just trying to stop the mayhem.
“But then, after Monte grabs Jennifer, Karen tries to stop me from going into the cellar after them. That was sort of the final straw. I was ready to kick her ass out of there by that time.”
“We were confused. I wasn’t sure whose side she was on, and the Jacksons seemed confused, too, so we questioned her. but we didn’t put any real heat on her. Probably needs a good spanking. She wasn’t exactly our main concern at that point though. I saw you going into the cellar and I knew it was over for him… he wasn’t coming out alive. Trouble was, I didn’t know if you were going to make it either. Shit, boss, I had no idea you were wounded. What these people don’t realize is what we’ve been through before. I knew how you felt about him… that nose-bob, by the way, was beautiful.”
He laughs.
“Easier to finish it in the cellar… I didn’t want to have to go chasing him in the hospital or jail later on… too public, practically impossible. It’s almost a guarantee that I would do something stupid and get caught. But the man had to go down… there was no way I was going to let him escape into the system. It’scrazy… being dragged into a situation where stuff like that can happen.
“Monte, you know, was certified… a definite nut case. You should have heard him carrying on in the cellar. It was clear they were going to finish all of us off once they had the money. I guess they felt they had to do it… get rid of any witnesses. By then, however, it had become personal… I suppose at some point I was as crazy as he was. Don’t get me wrong… by the time we were in the cellar, philosophy had nothing to do with it. I was trying to get Jennifer back, put an end to him and at the same time stay alive. In case you’re wondering, that’s my version of a happy ending.”
“Like I said,” Hudson adds, “these people have no idea… you know, most people wouldn’t understand your thoughts about justice, much less agree with them.”
“Let’s not go into it,” I reply. “This is one of those areas where society makes me sick, all that politically correct bullshit. It’s over, let it be. I’ll save my philosophy for my trial.”
Hudson nods in agreement as he guides the limo to the front of the steps.
“Before
you go in,” he begins, “I want you to know one other thing. We had the kids covered from the minute Mary entered the library. As soon as I saw her we knew the kids were alone and I sent a man up the stairs and into their room. We had the upstairs covered… I never got around to mentioning it to the Jacksons. There’s been too much going on. You can tell them when you get the chance.”
I nod in acknowledgement, push the door open and begin the process of emerging from the car. And it is a process. I feel like a wounded, constipated, pregnant water buffalo with its hind legs stuck in the mud. I’m okay until I have to move and then I feel the need for some serious therapy, like I never want to move again. Hudson closes the car door for me and we slowly climb the staircase to the front door. His hand is on my lower back and he gently assists my climb. The aid is welcome. I probably look like an old man only not quite as spry, perhaps. We can hear voices in the foyer. Everyone awaits the hero of the day. That’s me, unless A.J. finds a way to beat me out of it.
“Do you feel strong enough to party this evening?” Sheri asks laughing. “Or is it too soon?”
“Why don’t we have everyone over for an hour or so this afternoon,” I reply. I want to acknowledge the efforts of all the people involved, but I don’t want to make an afternoon of it. It would be a good idea to invite our local sheriff, too. There are probably a couple of things we should discuss since he and I didn’t quite see eye to eye the other day. Then, if it’s okay with you, I would like to have a quiet dinner this evening with just the four of us… kids, too, if you like.”
“Your wish is my command,” Sheri responds with enthusiasm. “But no children. There’s no such thing as a quiet dinner with those two.”
A.J. and I shake hands. He gives me a playful, micro-slug on my good shoulder.
“Hear anything more on our friends who are staying down at the sheriff’s bed and bath?” I ask.
A.J. nods. “Yeah, I talked to the sheriff earlier this morning. He told me Bear hasn’t said ten words since he put him in his cell. He won’t even talk to an attorney. They’re having a hell of a time with him.
“Mary, on the other hand, hasn’t stopped talking since she got there. She says she didn’t know anything about anything. She admits talking to Monte about things that were happening here, but she claims she didn’t have any idea what he was up to. I guess the D.A. isn’t sure he has enough evidence to get a conviction. She will probably get a light sentence… maybe even walk.”
I nod in reply.
“I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the way the game is played these days. We certainly don’t want to infringe on Mary’s rights. Hell, she’ll probably sue for damages.”
“If she does, I’ll make sure she gets her money’s worth,” Sheri volunteers with fire in her eyes. “Nobody calls me names without paying for the privilege. If she’s smart, she’ll stay in jail where she’s safe.”
It’s easy to see where this is taking us.
“Let’s let the system handle it,” I say with resignation. “We shouldn’t waste any more energy on them… they aren’t worth it.”
“You’re right,” A.J. responds, “every time I think about this stuff, my gut gets tight. It’s going to eat me up if I let it.”
“Okay, no more talk about those people,” Sheri says clapping her hands. “Phil, it’s your day. What do you want to do and when do you want to do it?”
Jennifer sidles up and I put my arm around her.
“Right now I would like to shower and get the hospital smell off me. Give me a half an hour and we’ll let the games begin.”
I give Jennifer a peck on the cheek and leave for my room. Turning the corner I look back and see her smiling at me. What a joy to come home to!
Undressed and heading for the shower I chuckle to myself. I can’t help it. Not too bad for an old retired man. Tomorrow I’ll check on the progress with the new restaurants, A.J. has those new contracts. I’ll have dinner with Jennifer… just the two of us… catch up on things.
The warm spray of the shower interrupts my thoughts. Minutes later I feel a cool draft as the shower door opens briefly and quickly closes. Fingertips gently probe my lower back.
“Who’s that,” I ask, keeping my face buried in the spray to hide my grin.
A sharp slap on the butt is my answer. The world seems filled with hostile forces. Someday, perhaps, I’ll find a way to have a conversation in this house without getting whacked in the process. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just enjoy the moment.
finis
Paul Watkins is a retired businessman living in southwest Florida. A back injury suffered a few years ago forced him to change his lifestyle and cut back on golf and other like pursuits… and take up writing instead. Little White Lies is the first book that has come out of this change in lifestyle.
When he isn’t thinking about writing, he spends plenty of time with his three children and five grandchildren between New York and Florida. Still active in his consulting business, Pauls says most days are pretty full. He manages to play golf occasionally, goes fishing once and a while… and thinks about business all the time.
Paul has no illusions about the high cost of freedom and what we have paid to date for the lifestyle we enjoy. He feels our world has changed for all time and that things will never be the same after 9/11, much as we would like them to be. Still, it’s nice sometimes to escape our reality and hide in a book. and he would like to do all he can to help in that regard.