by Sposs, Mike
Pat embraced Kevin and said, "I am not sure why you are trying to find my dad. I don't know if I should be thankful or mad at you. Your timing is just plain lousy. I know your intentions are good. Did you ever think that if I wanted to find him, I probably could find him as easily as you did?"
"Look Pat, when tried to box there were two kinds of fighters. Fighters, that came in the gym mad and worked off their aggression, if they had any, as they trained. They came in charged like a capacitor and safely discharged their surplus baggage as they did their business. Then there were the ones that came in and got angrier as they trained. These fighters channeled their anger into a rage, almost. They were frightening."
Kevin took a deep breath and continued, "In the short run, they were the better fighters. However, in the long run, the anger always got the better of them. They never stayed the course or even reached the full potential they had like the capacitors did. They usually ended up in a bad place, worse for the experience than when they started. All I am saying is that I don't want you to end up like the angry fighter. You think about it. Ali and Frazier were a classic example. It took thee fights, but in the end Ali came out better than Frazier. After the last of the three fights Frazier was burned out, and very bitter. Don't get me wrong Ali could be brutal. Once he hurt his oppenent and started the stalk you could see the look of someone going for the kill. But he only dug for it when he needed it. Frazier wore his as a almost perpetual look.”
"Do you think I play an angry violin, is that it?” Pat asked.
"Love the music, not the anger. I can sense that just like some people love drama, you love your anger in a way you find comfort in. I can see it when you play certain pieces. Don't get me wrong. There is a place to really tear into some of it. There are places though where that emotion isn't right for the piece. Places where the love for the music should shine through and it doesn't always surface like it should," Kevin said.
Kevin reminded her again that she had time to think about if she wanted to meet her dad, call him, ignore him, or simply sit on the info for a while. He didn't tell her she should probably talk to her mom too. He knew enough about those two to know that was going to happen within days at the most.
Kevin put his coffee cup down and stood up. He said, "I need to get going and get Matt. We will see what he prefers to do. I am going to get my tool box and get going."
"Now you have given me even more to think about. Be careful, I will see you tonight," she said, rather glumly.
Kevin headed out to pick up Matt at the hotel. The early morning foot traffic was just starting to pick up. Kevin found a place to park and headed up the street to the hotel. Matt was standing out front as Kevin walked up. The morning air was crisp and you could start to see your breath in the morning air. "Let's go eat where Janet works today," Kevin said.
They walked in and saw Janet. She made a little fuss over them and stuck them in a booth in a back corner. "You been eating somewhere else on me the last couple of days?" she said with a smile as she poured them some coffee.
"We found us a little Greek joint and Matt was enchanted by the owner's daughter for the last couple of days," Kevin said, tossing the ball to Matt just to see what he would do with it.
"Yeah? I'm not pretty enough for you Matt?" asked Janet.
"No Janet. Although she was fine, it wasn't the daughter. It was that the food was better," Matt chimed back at her.
"That's good, but I guarantee you boys no young Greek girl gonna outdo old Janet when it comes to making a man happy," she said as she walked away with their orders.
Matt laughed, "I bet she just spoke the truth about that."
Kevin agreed, thinking how great it was to see little glimpses of the Matt he knew before his army days. Then, they started to talk about what had transpired. There were no TVs in the rooms at the flop house. Matt did catch the 10pm news on the TV at the hotel lobby, though. They speculated about if they were in danger. They agreed that they could be if their names got leaked out.
Janet came with their orders. As she put the plates down, she said, "Ain't that something about the McCanns? Sam & Donnie got themselves a trip downtown last night. They picked them up for questioning. I talked to Tammie. She said the police came in the bar and got both of them right out of there."
Matt and Kevin looked at each other. "Them plenty bad medicine, Kemosabe. I bet they killed more people than that in their day," said Matt with a smile.
Kevin couldn't get over it. If Matt was worried, it was making him into a comedian. Kevin asked Janet if they closed the joint down when the cops came in. She told them they did not. The McCanns called their personal attorney to meet them at the jail. He had represented them before in the numerous scrapes they had gotten into over the years.
Janet hoped aloud that they would close the strip joint. Kevin warned Janet to be careful what she wished for. Tammy would most likely go somewhere else and strip. "Lone Ranger Silver bullet solutions just don't happen. Believe it or not, the new bosses could be worse than the old bosses," Kevin said. Then he asked if Tammie had a boyfriend. That got Janet off on another rant.
"She is living with a guy right now that don't have no job. He is the other kind of pimp taking advantage of girls. She also has no shortage of men friends that would do her if they could. One even works in vice," she said.
"Janet, that would not be good if the McCanns found out," said Kevin.
"Well, actually, they introduced him to Janet. They told her he wanted to meet her," said Janet.
"Oh shit! That definitely is bad. They want her to keep him happy," said Kevin.
Janet said she knew it too. She said if she heard the guy was pressuring Tammy too much, she would tell Willie. Then she headed back to her other customers.
Kevin pointed out to Matt that they had more insiders than they realized in this whole thing. The whole Smith family, for one thing. Perkins, for another. Matt told Kevin that he had called the VA. He said they had his records. He also said he was cleared for some disability pay and now he thought it would be a good time to go in for treatment.
"Holy shit Matt! That is a good idea! Nobody will find you there," Kevin said as he thought about it.
"You know that step is even braver than going to the police yesterday. You son of a bitch! I'm having a ‘Fucking A Moment’. That's when the underdog gets off the canvas and starts to kick some serious ass," Kevin stopped himself as Matt just sat there and looked at him with a little grin.
"I knew you would be jazzed about the idea. I had no idea it would get you so wound up. Will you give me a ride to the VA?" Matt asked.
"In a heartbeat," said Kevin. They finished eating, waved to Janet, paid the bill and headed out. Matt got his few things from the hotel, checked out and met Kevin on the sidewalk in front of the place.
As they drove, Kevin and Matt were mostly silent. Matt told the story of how they presented the inpatient treatment to him. He told Kevin that he had tried a couple of times before to quit on his own and never could seem to get it to stick. He thought it over and decided that the timing was good, and that maybe this approach would work for him. Uncharacteristically, Matt did admit to having some fears. Kevin took it as a good sign as he said goodbye to Matt once he got all checked in at the VA.
30. The Funeral Home
After Kevin left the VA, he headed over to see Mr. Bailey. He found him at home. No drinking coffee on the porch today. It was too chilly outside for that. Mr. Bailey invited him into the Kitchen and clumped in behind him. He sat down in a kitchen chair with a little thud, raised his cup and said, "Fetch me a little coffee there boy and get some for yourself."
The two of them talked. Kevin knew that Mr. Bailey used to go down to the same junior high that Kevin attended, after hours, and shoot craps on the steps of the school with other old guys from the neighborhood. Most of them would sip bourbon or whiskey and smoke as they shot dice and made small bets. The steps of the school came right off the sidewalk.
Mr
. Bailey would park his car right next to the steps, get out and clump over to shoot craps and shoot the shit with his friends. In this neighborhood, it was as close to a senior center as it got. Besides that, they wouldn't let you sip out of a bottle or flask at the senior center. The men did this pretty much year round. In the winter, one or two of them just kept their cars idling at the curb to warm up in, as they hung out.
The old guys would catch each other up on what was going on as they tossed the dice. Kevin asked Mr. Bailey if he still shot craps over at the school like he used to. Mr. Bailey said he did, just not as much as he used to. For one thing, about half of the men had "passed on". Then he asked Mr. Bailey about the news reports of the previous day.
"I used to know some of them guys that ran things on the Avenue. I knew Tyrone Jenkins, always used to place bets with him on different sports and get my hair cut at his place. I knew them McCanns too. I won't say how I knew them though," he said with a grin. Kevin asked him about the riots, knowing he was going to get an earful.
He did get an earful. Mr. Bailey told him about a friend of his that used to collect gambling debts for the Jenkins Barber Shop. One time, Sam McCann and Jenkins got into it about some unpaid bets. Sam knocked him down and threatened him. Mr. Jenkins wouldn't make book with Sam anymore. Mr. Bailey said his friend was the one that set the funeral home on fire. He harbored a big grudge with Sam. He had hoped that Sam was upstairs when he set the fire.
"Was that the guy with the bullet scar on his neck?" asked Kevin as he thought about some of those guys from back then that hung out in the barber shop.
"Yeah, that was him. He had been in prison, too. His name was Cool Calvin. He was the type of guy you don't want to cross. He would get even if it took him a lifetime," Mr. Bailey said. Then, Kevin told his story about Sam coming out of the apartment the one time with the knife in his hand.
Mr. Bailey laughed when Kevin told him he almost wet himself as he jumped back off the landing of the upstairs apartment. Kevin told Mr. Bailey about one time in 1972 when he met Floyd Patterson at the New York Athletic Club. He said that there was nothing that impressive about him except his hands, which were so huge they looked like hams. Kevin said he thought Sam's hands were close to the same size as Patterson's were.
They went on like that for a while, talking about the McCanns. Kevin thought it was funny that Cool Calvin was the torch for the funeral home. Mr. Bailey told Kevin that both Sam and Donny had quick tempers. He doubted that either of them planned anything out. Kevin agreed thinking to himself that a profiler would tell you the same thing. Murders that appear spontaneous are way different than ones done by a psychopath. Kevin asked about the cops back in the sixties and got another earful. He said they didn't investigate anything about the riot. He concluded by saying he suspected the funeral home was a front for getting rid of other troublesome bodies for the McCanns, or somebody with a need and some money.
"You know all those caskets have false bottoms in them. They could contain bodies of any babies the girls had, or even some of the girls themselves without attracting attention. Ain't no Pallbearer could know what a casket should weigh. Ain't like you carry one every day. They are all different, in size, weight, and number of Pallbearers, anyway," he said. That got Kevin's attention.
"Do you think they did way more murders?" Kevin asked. "Boy, what you mean, do I think?" laughed Mr. Bailey. "Ask yourself what you think. You will come up with the same damn answer."
Holy shit! This guy knows more than he is saying. He is just trying to lead me to it, thought Kevin.
"Yeah, I bet you are right. This wasn't a one-time only deal. The funeral home would be convenient for dealing with bodies. I have no idea how busy they were, or should have been. I don't know anything about that business. I do know a guy who owns a funeral home in New Orleans. I remember one time he told me you could tell sometimes about a guy's drinking history by how hard his liver was. He told us how they embalm bodies. I bet after being around it awhile, the McCanns knew a thing or two about it," Kevin said.
About an hour later, Kevin was on his way home. Mr. Bailey had given him a lot to think about. His head was swimming. He didn't even drive down English Avenue preferring to avoid it. Once he got home, he put a call in to detective Perkins. Perkins took Kevin's call. He told Kevin that they were waiting for some results from the lab and an identification of the bodies which could take a while. He said they were chasing down more leads. Kevin told him how he knew another guy that hinted about other bodies being funneed through the funeral home. Maybe he knew something, maybe not. This guy wasn't going to talk to the police, for sure.
Perkins listened to Kevin intently. Kevin could tell it was an angle he hadn't thought of before. By the time Kevin hung up, he was pretty sure he had just expanded the investigation into something bigger than a couple of bodies. Then, Kevin asked Perkins about other open cases where the McCanns and a body that was never found were linked. Perkins said he could think of at least one other possibility.
Perkins told him the case had really caught fire. The mayor and the chief wanted to get these guys. They had a long and frustrating history with a lot of old time beat cops. Kevin asked him if he was safe from these guys. "Don't get cold feet on me. Right now, we are holding both these guys in jail for questioning. They ain't going to hurt anyone real soon," Perkins said.
"Well, I was a little surprised when the TV news reporter showed a picture of Sylvia on the television and made the statement that there was speculation she was one of the bodies," Kevin said.
"That was me trying to get more leads called in. It was purposeful, not a result of a leak," Perkins growled a little.
"Did it work?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah. We got a call or two is all I am gonna tell you right now," said Perkins. Kevin knew he wasn't going to get any more out of the guy. He thought he was safe for the time being. There was nothing more for him to do but just wait and see how the investigation developed. Kevin wound up the conversation and quickly got off the phone.
A little while later, Pat came home. She looked tired. Kevin greeted her with a hug and asked about her day. She said she had spent part of the day practicing violin for her upcoming audition in Houston. They had given her several pieces they wanted her to play, and she was working on them with her instructor. Kevin offered to take her to supper. She smiled and accepted the offer.
As they ate, he filled her in on his day. His big news was that Matt had gone inpatient at the VA. Pat was happy to hear it.
She acknowledged that this was about the best way to get Matt off the street they could ever have hoped for. There was no way anyone would find him now, even if his name got leaked to the McCanns.
Then, Kevin told of his conversation with Mr. Bailey. Kevin told Pat he was sure that Mr. Bailey knew more than he was saying about the purposes the funeral home served for the McCanns. He told Pat that he had talked to Perkins and that he felt relatively safe for the time being.
Pat told Kevin that she hadn't decided to talk to her dad or not. She said she wanted to have a long talk with her mom before she did anything. She asked Kevin if he would go up there on Saturday morning for moral support while when they talked. "Of course, I would Pat," Kevin said as he took her hand.
"I know this is hard for you. Talking with her is a good starting point," Kevin said.
31. Where We Goin?
"I hope I still feel like going to meet Willie and family after Saturday morning," said Pat with a weak smile.
"Don't worry. We will get through this," Kevin said. Then, they turned to some other topics. She asked Kevin what would happen to them if she ended up getting accepted for the position in Houston.
"Are you worried about that? Well, don't be. I would follow you anywhere. At the end of this semester, I will need to let go of this place. Houston is a bigger port than Savannah. I can easily catch ships out of that union hall. I know people all over the gulf. It shouldn't be a problem," Kevin said.
"I
don't plan to ride ships forever. It should take me another three years to get my Captain's license. In the meantime, I can work about half a year, and spend half a year as your love slave," said Kevin.
Pat burst out laughing. "I get my own personal love slave out of this. How sweet is that? I don't know if you'll make the cut as a love slave. I think you could make it as a court jester though," she said.
"You know Pat. I probably should be the one to worry. You will get down there with all those macho Texas guys and I will be yesterday's news," said Kevin.
"I don't think so. I have settled on you. We just haven't talked about where we are going. I wanted to have a serious conversation with you about that. Maybe, I just am feeling a little insecure right now," quipped Pat.
Kevin sat back. "So be specific. What is it that makes you feel insecure?" he asked.
"Well, we went our separate ways about four years ago. It was like you went past me and left me behind. I have that same feeling now. You are still past me. I haven't caught up. I am trying, but I'm not there. It used to be I was the one that was ahead of you. I liked that better. I can't say why. The feeling of control it gave me, maybe?" wondered Pat.
"So you think I will ship out and this will happen again?" Kevin asked.
"I guess that is it" she said.
"Firstly, we had a damaged relationship for many years. I used you and counted on you for your help in coming to grips with my own problems. I left home when I was seventeen. I never really went back except for occasional visits. I started to heal once I got away from the daily stuff that just grinds you down. I healed even faster after dad died. He was out of my life. I damn sure wasn't going to be one of those guys that at age 40 or 50 still blames his childhood for everything," said Kevin.