The Hook

by Tim O'Mara

  ‘You just stay there, Louis,’ Duke said. ‘Throw that piece of yours over here.’

  Louis struggled through his pain to do what Duke had ordered. In all the excitement, I didn’t notice that Harlan had his gun out and pointed at Duke. When Duke noticed, he got that grin on his face again and laughed a little. He lowered his gun and took a step closer to Harlan.

  ‘What you gonna do with that thing, son?’ he said.

  Harlan took a big swallow and a deeper breath. ‘Whatever I have to.’

  Duke shook his head. ‘I ain’t no paper target now.’ He leaned forward. ‘I shoot back.’ He looked over at Louis. ‘And I don’t miss much.’

  ‘I just want Chilly to honor his part of the deal and let Ms Rogers and Raymond go back to the city,’ he said. ‘Then I’ll give myself up. I’ll come back.’

  Duke scratched his head. ‘To who?’ he asked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘To who?’ Duke repeated. ‘To Chilly, who you have the deal with or to me, who you ran away from in the first place? You heard what I said about leaving.’

  ‘Boy’s coming with me, Duke,’ Chilly said.

  Enough of this standoff shit. ‘Where’s her bag, Chilly?’ I asked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Allison doesn’t go anywhere without her bag and laptop. Where are they?’

  ‘I don’t know. Back at the bunk?’

  I turned to Harlan, who still had his gun pointed at Duke. ‘This was never a deal, Harlan. Chilly has no intention of letting Allison or me go. I’m not sure what he plans on doing with you. My guess is you’re just another Fuck-You to Duke here.’

  His gun still on Duke, Harlan looked at Chilly. ‘That true, Chilly?’

  Chilly smiled. ‘Who you gonna believe, boy? Some liberal ass socialist from the city who hangs around with niggers and Jews, or me, a true Christian brother-in-arms?’

  You know those moments in your life where you have to make a decision that’s going to put you on one path or another? Harlan S. was facing one of them right now.

  ‘So go get her bag, Chilly,’ Harlan said.

  Good for you, kid.

  ‘Fuck that,’ Chilly said. ‘I ain’t getting shit.’

  ‘Then let her go to Raymond.’

  Allison struggled and Chilly tightened his grip. He laughed and shook his head. ‘That ain’t happening either, boy.’

  Duke slowly turned his gun from Harlan to Chilly and said, ‘I got a shot from here, son. I can end this right now.’

  That got Harlan’s attention. ‘No, Grandpa! Don’t!’ he yelled. ‘Ms Rogers is right there!’

  Grandpa? Holy shit!

  ‘I’m tired of people telling me what to do, boy.’

  Harlan swung his gun back toward Duke. Duke did the same.

  ‘Harlan,’ I said. ‘Don’t.’

  ‘You best listen to him, Harlan.’

  Harlan’s breathing started getting heavier again. I could hear him choking on the tears and snot running down his throat. Apparently, so could Duke.

  ‘Aw, now,’ Duke said. ‘Don’t ruin it all now by acting like one of your sisters. You made a man’s decision by running away. You were the grown-up who decided to talk to Ms Rogers over here. You got the gun pointed at your own family. Now you gonna pussy out by crying like a little—’

  BOOM!

  Harlan’s gun went off and the upper left part of Duke’s shirtsleeve exploded. Duke looked at his arm and the blood like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. A small whistling sound came out of Harlan’s mouth and then Duke’s gun went off. His shot seemed to tear through Harlan’s right bicep, forcing him to do two things: drop his gun and fall to his knees.

  I looked over to where Chilly was still holding Allison by the elbow. He took in the situation and decided his best move was to run. He turned around, Allison still in his grip and took off around the dining hall. I went over to Duke and grabbed the guns. Then I went over to Harlan and looked at his wound.

  ‘You’re gonna be fine,’ I said and mostly believed it. I threw the guns away and turned to Louis and Tommy. ‘You got any first aid around here?’

  Tommy said, ‘There’s some stuff in the office.’

  ‘Get it and take care of the kid.’

  ‘What about Duke?’ Louis asked.

  I looked over at the old man. ‘I really don’t give a shit,’ I said, and took off after Chilly and Allison. Behind me, I barely heard Harlan yell, ‘He’s going for the boat!’

  THIRTY-SIX

  I ran behind the dining hall and once again found myself in almost complete darkness. I could see I was in a big open field with a baseball backstop to my right and grass that needed a serious cutting. To my left was a stand of trees through which I could make out what must have been the same lights that were bouncing off the lake. I stopped for about two seconds to get my bearings. Something moved in front of me just as it disappeared into the woods next to the lake. I headed off in that direction.

  Just before I got there, I heard three sounds in front of me: labored running and breathing, and water running in a small stream. Chilly had me at a few disadvantages here. Not only did he have my girlfriend and a gun, he also had knowledge of the terrain. I entered the woods, mindful of Mother Nature’s hidden little tricks.

  I crossed a small wooden bridge that went over the stream and almost tripped on a gap between slats. Half a minute later, I passed a campfire site that had recently been used. Judging from the overturned bucket, the fire had been put out with lake water, but a few embers were still visible and smoking. Without electricity or running water, this was probably where Chilly, his boys, and Allison had eaten today. I kept going.

  Up ahead I heard the sound of someone trying to start an engine. I picked up my pace. ‘Fuck it,’ I heard. Chilly was having trouble. That’s what happens when you leave an engine sitting idle for too long. I was reminded of my dad when he got frustrated at the lawnmower for not starting after one or two pulls. I was getting closer now, so I slowed down.

  ‘Stay the hell down,’ I heard Chilly say after another unsuccessful pull. They had to be less than twenty feet in front of me. I needed to find a way to sneak up on him without being heard. I figured he’d see me coming in from the trail, so I decided to try the lake. I slipped into the water as quietly as I could, taking a few branches to the face for my efforts. As soon as I felt my feet settle on the bottom, I took my first step and didn’t fall. I took a few more until I was up to my waist.

  After about twenty sidesteps, I stopped. Now I could make out the boat and Allison sitting in the front with her hands on the side. She couldn’t see me, because her view was blocked by some tree limbs and Chilly, who was pulling the cord to start the outboard motor. I took another step and got my foot caught between two rocks. They made a clacking sound and Chilly looked up and raised his weapon. I lowered mine into the water.

  ‘Son of a whore,’ he said when he saw me. ‘You must love this bitch something fierce, Raymond. You’re a regular knight in shining armor.’

  I stayed shut because I didn’t want him to realize how much pain I was in. And the more he talked, the more time I had to figure a way out of this. I looked behind him at Allison. She was barely keeping it together.

  As if reading my mind, Chilly said, ‘Oh, she’ll be fine, Raymond. She’s more use to me alive at the moment than … you know.’ He looked over his shoulder at her. ‘Just like most women. Once you shut them up, they’re OK.’ He laughed. ‘Kinda like the mud people you work with at the school, right? And the Jews. Why can’t they just shut their fucking traps and do what we brought them here for in the first place? We were all much happier then. Least that’s what my dad and granddad tell me. I was born into this mess just like you. Except I’m willing to do something about it.

  ‘I’m the one who had the idea to put that fentanyl out on the streets. Make some money, knock off some of the three-fifths. You know what ya call that?’ He paused for an answer. ‘A good fucking start.’ He la
ughed so hard at that he almost fell out of the boat. Hell, he was laughing so hard he didn’t notice Allison come up behind him and slam him in the head with the oar. He tumbled into the water headfirst.

  I raised my gun waiting for him to resurface. When he did, he was screaming bloody murder until he realized he didn’t know where his gun was. ‘Fuck!’ he screamed and slapped around at the water in front of him. Then he saw me pointing my piece at him and shut up.

  ‘Do not move,’ I said.

  ‘Or what?’

  ‘I’ll take it as a threat and shoot you.’

  ‘Why would you do that? I don’t have my gun anymore.’

  ‘Because I said so and I’m pointing a gun at you.’

  ‘You ain’t gonna do shit.’ He pointed at me. ‘You’re just as bad as those people you spend so much time helping. You’re all in this together. The mud people, the Jews, the schools.’ He used his thumb to gesture at Allison. ‘Fucking media.’ He continued to point at me. ‘Shoulda killed you as soon as you pulled up. Probably shoulda made you watch as I took a piece of this fine ass behind me first.’

  I looked at the unarmed piece of human trash I was pointing my gun at. His words were the words of the determined and the desperate. I almost felt sorry for him.

  ‘Fuck you,’ he screamed and the words echoed across the lake and into the woods. He pointed at me and repeated, ‘Fuck you.’ The next sound was me putting two in his chest. Those echoes also spread out, taking longer to fade away.

  The only sound I could hear now was Allison screaming through the duct tape.

  Allison and I took a long, slow walk back to where the cars were parked. Even though I had removed the duct tape from her mouth, we walked in silence. Her hand was shaking and cold. Maybe we were both in shock.

  By the time we arrived back at the main office, Billy Morris and David Henderson were there, along with two state troopers. They had Tommy and Louis in handcuffs, but Duke and Harlan were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Duke’s truck.

  I handed one of the troopers my gun. ‘There’s a dead guy in the lake,’ I said. ‘You’ll find two slugs matching this gun – my gun – in his chest. You’ll find his gun on the lake bottom.’ I looked around. ‘Where are Duke and the kid?’

  Billy shrugged, and Henderson said, ‘Duke Lansing? He was here?’

  ‘Yeah. And Harlan, the kid Allie was interviewing.’

  ‘Goddamn it!’ Henderson said. ‘They must have … Fuck!’

  Billy said, ‘We showed up just in time to catch these two knuckleheads walking up the dirt road.’ He looked at Tommy and Louis. ‘As you can see, they are exercising their Constitutional right to remain silent.’

  Then Allison spoke for the first time that night. ‘Can I go home now?’

  ‘I’m going to have to talk with the officers first,’ I said. ‘Then we’ll get your bag and maybe get a hotel in the area.’

  ‘I’d rather go home,’ she said, her voice monotone. ‘Billy, can you take me?’

  ‘You need to be checked out at a hospital, Allie,’ he said.

  ‘Tomorrow. I need sleep and that won’t happen in the hospital.’

  Billy looked at me. I nodded. ‘Sure, Allie. Let’s go get your stuff and we’ll go.’

  ‘Thanks, Billy,’ I said. Billy went over to one of the troopers and explained the situation. He seemed OK with it. I went to kiss Allison and got her cheek. ‘I’ll see you at home. I might stay up here if it’s too late to drive back.’

  I’m not sure she heard me. I’m not sure she wanted to.

  It turned out after all the questions and paperwork it was way too late to drive back to the city. Henderson and I grabbed a double room not far from the state troopers’ headquarters. I don’t think either of us slept. We grabbed a very early breakfast and were back in Brooklyn before nine. When I got up to our apartment, Allison was not there.

  Somehow, I expected that.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Tuesday turned out to be an eventful day.

  Detective Royce came by my apartment to tell me the ballistics and preliminary autopsy reports had both come back from the upstate lab. With less homicide work, they got stuff done more quickly up there. The bullets – no surprise – had indeed come from my registered handgun, and since I had apparently used it in self-defense, and with a concealed-carry permit, I was in the clear. It was, as they say, ‘a good shoot.’

  As for the autopsy report, the cause of death was – again, no twist here – excessive arterial bleeding caused by gunshot wounds. Initial investigation revealed that the victim’s musculature when shot showed his right arm was indeed raised as if pointing a weapon as per statements of the witness and the shooter.

  A good shoot.

  ‘How’s Allison holding up?’ Royce asked.

  ‘She’ll be OK,’ I said. ‘She’s gonna need some more time before going back to work, though.’ The truth was I hadn’t seen Allison since she’d left the camp last night. She was staying at a friend’s.

  ‘Give her my regards,’ he said.

  ‘Will do.’ We shook hands. ‘And, Royce. Thanks again.’

  ‘Yeah. Let’s not see each other for a while, OK?’

  I laughed. ‘I’ll see what I can do about that.’

  He turned to leave the building and then turned back. ‘Hey, Donne,’ he said. ‘One more thing.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘I never heard of Jessica Fletcher taking down a bad guy like that.’

  ‘Goodbye, Detective.’

  I was halfway up the steps when Allison’s phone rang. David Henderson, FBI.

  ‘David, what’s up?’

  ‘Guess who just showed up at the regional office?’

  I hate when grown people do that. ‘Jimmy Hoffa.’

  ‘Harlan Fuckin’ S.,’ he said. ‘Along with his mother and two sisters.’

  ‘How the hell—’

  ‘They got dropped off by one of Duke’s people. Still can’t believe I missed that son of a … Looks like they got Harlan – his real name’s Tucker, by the way, Tucker Jackson – some real medical care, and he’s gonna be fine. We tracked down some family out in Wyoming and they’re working out the details now.’

  ‘That’s great, David. I’ll let Allie know.’

  ‘You do that, Ray. I’ll see you soon, OK? Drinks are on me.’

  ‘Then you’ll definitely see me.’

  I looked at my landline and saw that I had one message. It was from Lisa Joseph.

  ‘Hey, Ray. It’s Lisa. Just wanted to let you know I’ve decided to go back down home and have the baby there. Around family, y’know? It was going to be hard enough up here with Maurice and now … anyway call me when you can. I’m not sure how to tell Edgar. Maybe you can help with that. Love to Allison. Thanks.’

  I went out for a cup of coffee and a walk. When I came back, Allison was in the bedroom packing her suitcase.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ray,’ she said. ‘I just can’t do this right now.’

  ‘Do what?’

  She let out a deep breath. ‘Have the talk about how it feels to watch you shoot and kill an unarmed man.’

  ‘He kidnapped you, Allie.’

  ‘He was unarmed, Ray. You shot a defenseless man.’

  ‘That “defenseless man” was going to maybe get ten years in jail for what he did. Ten more years of hanging around people just like him, fostering hate, growing his own, and then getting out in his mid-thirties. Chilly was many things, Allison, but just because he wasn’t holding a gun didn’t make him less a threat.’

  ‘A threat to whom? You? Me? He didn’t have a gun anymore.’

  ‘A threat to society,’ I said. ‘A threat to non-white Christians. A threat to MoJo’s unborn child. We’re safer without him. You know that.’

  ‘You’re scaring me, Ray. One of the reasons I fell in love with you is your ability to see through the black and white and into the gray. You say that yourself all the time.’

  ‘And then there’re people like Chi
lly.’

  ‘For whom you get to be judge, jury, and executioner.’

  ‘I couldn’t fucking protect you, Allison!’ I yelled. I could feel my eyes filling up. ‘He took you right from our home and I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.’

  ‘Is that what this is about?’ she asked. ‘You couldn’t protect me, so you have to protect all the possible future victims of this guy? I don’t need you to protect me, Ray. I just need you to love me.’

  ‘I do,’ I said. ‘I do love you.’

  ‘I love you, too. But I have to go.’

  ‘Go where?’

  ‘Home for now,’ she said. ‘I’m going to see my mom and dad.’

  ‘For how long?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’ll call you when I get there.’ Her phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number so I handed it to her. She said, ‘I’ll be right down. Thanks.’

  ‘At least let me take you to the airport,’ I tried. ‘I’ll call Edgar and get—’

  ‘I’m not doing an airport goodbye, Ray. And I’m not going to change my mind on the way to LaGuardia. I just need to go home.’

  ‘I thought this was your home.’

  ‘I did, too. Maybe it is. I need some time to figure that out.’ She picked up her bag and kissed me on the lips. ‘I’ll call you from Missouri.’

  I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.

  ‘Goodbye, Ray.’

  I stood there as the door to our home closed and listened to her footsteps going down the stairs. If I were a praying man, I’d have prayed that it wasn’t the last time I’d be hearing that sound. Being who I was, I just lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

  Maybe if I stared at it long enough, I’d find an answer to a question I didn’t know I was asking yet.