Cooper By The Gross (All 144 Cooper Stories In One Volume)

by Bill Bernico

  “I think that’s what Chris said. I guess your mother called her to tell her, or something like that. Maybe you’d better call her yourself and get the whole story. She sounded pretty excited.”

  Matt took the note back to his desk and settled into his chair. He dialed his home and got Chris on the first ring.

  “Did Benny tell you?” Chris said when she picked up.

  “Olivia and Tom are coming home?” Matt said. “Where’d you hear this?”

  “Gloria called me,” she said. “Boy, your mom’s really excited. You should have heard her.”

  “Did she say when they’ll be here?” Matt said.

  “I think she said tomorrow or the day after,” Chris said. “You should probably call her yourself. I’m sure she’ll want to plan something for all of us when they get here.”

  “I’m going to do that now. I’ll call you right back.” Matt hung up and dialed his parents’ home. Elliott answered.

  “Did you hear, Matt?” Elliott said. “Your sister’s coming home tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Chris said,” Matt told his father. “Are they staying long?”

  “Oh, you must not have heard the whole story,” Elliott said. “They’re moving back here to stay. Wisconsin life doesn’t agree with either of them, from what Olivia told your mother. The winters are just too hard on them both. They can’t wait to get back to California.”

  “It’ll be great to see them both again,” Matt said. “Do you know what they plan to do for jobs?”

  “Tom took the law courses he needed at UW Madison,” Elliott said. “He wants to come back to Los Angeles and be a cop here.”

  “And Olivia?”

  “She finished her nursing degree and already has a job lined up at the hospital right here in Hollywood. Sounds like they’ll be living pretty close by.”

  “Does Tom have anything lined up as far as a job?” Matt said.

  “I don’t think so. I think they’re moving back mainly because of the job Olivia got.”

  “I’ll bet I could put in a word for him at the twelfth precinct with Lieutenant Cole,” Matt said. “They’re always looking for a few good men.”

  “You can’t handle the truth,” Elliott said in his best Jack Nicholson impression

  “Huh?”

  “A Few Good Men,” Elliott explained. “Never mind. I can’t wait to see her.”

  “Is Mom there?”

  “Hold on a minute, I’ll get her,” Elliott said and laid the phone down.

  A moment later Gloria came on the line. “Matt, have you heard?”

  “Yeah, isn’t it great? The reason I called was to see if you guys were planning any kind of a get together their first night back home.”

  “No we’re not,” Gloria said. “They’ll be getting in late, but the next day we’re all going out for dinner, you and Chris included, naturally. Elliott and I will talk this over and let you know where we’re going to eat. We can let you know when you come over here once the kids get here.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Matt said. “Why don’t you let Chris know? She’s the social director at our house.”

  “I talked to her earlier,” Gloria said, “But I’ll call her again and between the two of us we should be able to come up with a plan. I’m sure she’ll fill you in when she sees you. Gotta run, Matt. I have so much to do before they get here.”

  Matt hung up the phone and stared off into space.

  “Must have been good news,” Benny said.

  Matt glanced over at Benny. “It’s my sister,” he said. “She and her husband are coming back from Wisconsin to live here. Isn’t that great?”

  “I didn’t even know you had a sister,” Benny said. “But, yeah, that’s terrific. You gonna need some time away from the office when they get here?”

  “Just a day or so,” Matt said. “I’m sure you can handle things while I’m gone.”

  “Don’t give it another thought,” Benny said. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks, Benny. You’re a real help.”

  By the end of the following work day, Olivia and Tom were just driving through Flagstaff on their last leg of the long road trip from Wisconsin. They’d get into Los Angeles around midnight, go straight to their hotel room and sleep in the next day. Matt would have the whole day off to spend some time with the sister he hadn’t seen for several years, since she and her husband had moved to Wisconsin to attend college there. Even Matt enjoyed more time in bed this morning. Later he’d call his parents to see when everyone was going to get together.

  It was nearly noon and Matt still hadn’t heard from anyone regarding their get together. When the phone finally rang at twelve-thirty, Matt picked it up and said, “I thought you forgot about me. When are Olivia and Tom coming over?”

  “Pardon me,” a masculine voice said.

  “Dad?”

  “Matt, it’s Captain Burke. Who were you expecting?”

  “Sorry, Captain,” Matt said. “I thought it was my dad calling with information about my sister’s arrival. What’s up?”

  “Matt, I need your input on something important,” Captain Burke said. “I think we’ve found our final candidate for the task force. We’re going to limit it to six, so this will be the last person to be recruited. Can you join the four of us in the final interview process this afternoon?”

  “Oh, Captain,” Matt said. “My sister and her husband just got in town from Wisconsin and we were all planning to get together later and then go out for dinner. Is this something you could do without me?”

  “Of course we could,” Burke said, “But it would certainly be a lot more effective if the whole team was there to give their input. What time were you supposed to meet with your family?”

  “I’m still waiting for their call,” Matt explained.

  “Could you call your parents and tell them to call you on your cell when they hear anything? This meeting and interview shouldn’t take more than an hour. You could be back home by two at the latest. We’ll all be leaving here as soon as you get here. We can all go in the department Suburban.”

  Matt thought it over for a moment and then said, “All right, but how about if you just give me the address where you’ll be and I can meet you all there? I’m not even dressed yet.”

  “Okay,” the captain said and furnished Matt with the address where he could meet the rest of them. We’ll all see you there at one o’clock.”

  “Thanks, Captain,” Matt said and hung up. He called his parents’ home phone and got Gloria. “Mom, it’s Matt. Have you heard anything from Olivia yet?”

  “Not yet,” Gloria said. “They were probably beat from the long drive last night and just slept in longer than usual.”

  “That works out better for me, actually,” Matt said. “I just got a call and I have to go out for an hour or so. Would you just call my cell number when they get there? I should be done by two at the latest and then I can join you all at your house.”

  “I’ll do that,” Gloria said. “Where are you going?”

  “I can’t say,” Matt told her.

  “Secret Society?” she said.

  “Nothing that exotic,” Matt assured her. “Just something that can’t wait. I’ll see you all later this afternoon. Tell Olivia and Tom to hold off on any good stories until I get there. I don’t want to miss anything.”

  “I will,” Gloria said and hung up.

  Matt got dressed, slipped his shoulder holster on and wore his jacket over that. He looked once more at the address the captain had given him and left the house.

  Captain Burke and Detective Sheldon left the captain’s office and stopped by Lieutenant Cole’s office on their way to the parking lot. Patrolman Lucy Bristol was sitting in Cole’s office when the captain poked his head in. “You both ready?” he said to Cole.

  Cole and Bristol rose from their chairs and stepped toward the door. They joined the captain and Detective Sheldon as all four people headed down the hall. A second later Cole’
s secretary, Betty, called after him. “Lieutenant, you have a call,” she yelled.

  Cole stopped in his tracks and turned back. “Can you take a number and tell them that I’ll call them back when we return?”

  Betty shook her head. “This one’s important,” she said. “I think you’d better take it.”

  The lieutenant looked at his watch and then turned to Captain Burke. “We’re a little ahead of schedule. Can you give me a minute to take this call? I’ll be right out.”

  “Sure,” Burke said. “I’ll see you in the parking lot.”

  Kevin Cole hurried back to his office and closed the door behind him. He picked up the phone and asked who he was talking to.

  In the parking lot, Captain Burke slid behind the wheel of the black Chevy Suburban. Detective Sheldon sat in the back seat, allowing Lucy Bristol to sit in the passenger seat up front.

  “It’s a little chilly today,” Lucy said. “Could you turn on the heater, Captain?”

  Captain Burke smiled and nodded. “Sure can,” he said, having no idea that those would be the last two words he ever spoke. As he turned the ignition key, completing the circuit under the hood, the vehicle exploded with an ear-shattering sound that could be heard for blocks. The SUV was engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds.

  Lieutenant Cole’s chair vibrated with the explosion and both windows in his office shattered. He threw down the phone, hurried out of the office and down the hall toward the parking lot. When he threw open the back door, the impact of what he saw took his breath away. The black Suburban was ablaze and he could make out three people sitting in the seat, long past being helped. He stumbled backwards and fell against the door frame. Several dozen policemen had come out of the precinct now and were standing around the police vehicle, helpless to do anything.

  A sergeant came out and found Lieutenant Cole collapsed on the parking lot surface. He bent down to get a closer look. “Lieutenant,” he said, “Are you all right? What happened out here?” He helped Cole to his feet.

  “Oh my God,” was all Cole could muster. “Oh my God.”

  Fire trucks arrived several minutes later, dousing the vehicle with several large sprays of water. They had the fire out in minutes, but images of the aftermath would be with them for the rest of their lives. Three bodies were burned to a crisp, black, unrecognizable color. The new coroner, Geraldine “Gerry” Winkler, who had her office in the same building as the police department was already standing around with all the other onlookers and police. Cole turned to the sergeant who’d helped him to his feet and told him that he wanted the crime lab on this right away. “This is priority one,” Cole said. I don’t care what else they’re working on right now, tell them to drop it and get on this one. I want answers and I want them now.”

  “Yes sir,” the sergeant said and then turned and walked away.

  Cole instructed the policemen who were already standing around to keep the curious onlookers away from the burned out Suburban so Gerry and her team could get the bodies out and into the morgue. The fire department pried open all the doors on the vehicle and then stood back as Winkler’s assistants extracted the bodies. They wheeled three gurneys into the morgue and closed the doors behind them.

  Outside in the parking lot, the press began to descend on the grisly scene and had to be held back by the police. Cole had cameras and microphones shoved into his face as a barrage of questions followed in rapid succession. He told all the reporters the same thing—‘No comment at this time’ and walked away.

  Matt was half way to the address on his slip of paper when his phone rang. “Don’t tell me they’re there all ready,” he said.

  “What?” Lieutenant Cole said.

  “Who is this?” Matt said.

  “Matt, it’s Kevin.”

  “Oh, Kevin, I thought it was my dad telling me that Olivia had arrived. Where are you and the rest of the team? Are you at the sixth member’s address already?”

  “Matt,” Kevin said. “You’d better pull over to take the rest of this call.”

  Matt didn’t question Kevin, but simply pulled to the curb and killed his engine. “What’s wrong, Kevin?” Matt said in a somber voice.

  “We won’t be meeting at that address, Matt,” Kevin said. “There’s been some trouble.”

  “Trouble? Why kind of trouble?”

  Kevin paused, took a deep breath and let it out before answering, “The captain is dead and so are Detective Sheldon and…” He paused again. “…And Lucy, too.”

  “What?” Matt almost screamed now. “Kevin, tell me what happened.”

  Kevin explained how all four of them were heading for the parking lot when he got a call, leaving the other three in the hall and promising to meet them in a minute.

  “Gees, Kevin,” Matt said. “That could have been you in that vehicle. How are you holding up?”

  “I don’t think it’s totally sunk in yet,” Kevin said. “It’ll probably hit me later on. I just wanted to catch you so you didn’t wait around at the sixth candidate’s address forever.”

  “Oh wow, what about that sixth candidate? Are you going to tell him about this?”

  “I’ll tell him about the bombing,” Kevin said, “But I’m not even going to mention that we were going to recruit him for this task force. He’ll feel bad enough for the three people killed. I don’t want him to have to carry the burden of knowing that could have been him, too.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Matt said.

  “Nothing. Just go on home. This pretty much puts an end to any task force as far as I’m concerned. Just look what happened with all the security measures we thought we had in place. No, I think we’ll just go back to the status quo and deal with our problems the old-fashioned way like we’ve been doing.”

  “You’re not going to let these people get away with this, are you?” Matt almost demanded.

  “Hell no,” Kevin said. “We’ll come down on them with everything we have. I’ll bring those bastards in if I have to do it by myself, and heaven help them if I catch up to them with no witnesses around.”

  “You can count on me for whatever help you need, Kevin,” Matt told him.

  “Thanks, Matt. I may just call on you if it comes to that. Why don’t you just go home and enjoy your visit with your family. I’ll talk to you later. Good bye.”

  Matt closed his phone, dropped it into his pocket and just sat there, shaking nervously. It could not only have been Kevin in that Suburban, but he could have been sitting right next to him when it happened if he hadn’t stayed home to meet with his sister. Matt buried his face in his hands and broke down. He composed himself after a moment and started his car again.

  Before he got out at his parents’ house, he checked his image in the rear view mirror, making sure there were no telltale signs that he’d been crying. He took one last deep breath, exhaled and slid out of his car. As he walked up the sidewalk to the kitchen door, it opened and Olivia emerged, her arms outstretched. She ran up to her brother and wrapped her arms around his neck. Matt put on his phony happy face and greeted her as best he could.

  Olivia released her grip on Matt and pushed him away, looking at his troubled face. “Matt, what’s wrong?”

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go inside. I have something I need to talk to all of you about.”

  By the time he finished telling the story of the car bombing, everyone’s face had dropped and when the reality of how close Matt came to becoming a statistic himself hit them, they were all teary-eyed, including Elliott.

  Matt turned to Tom now, who had a firm grip on Olivia’s hand. “Tom,” Matt said. “I know you probably had your heart set on coming back here and joining the L.A. Police department. After all that’s happened today, I can’t say I’d blame you if you took a different career path.”

  Olivia turned to her husband. “Oh, Tom, please don’t become a policeman. There are lots of other jobs you could do. You could always finish law school and get your degree. You’d b
e safer and you’d end up making more money. Please, Tom. I don’t want to have to worry about you every time you leave the house.”

  Tom squeezed her hand again. “You don’t have to worry about that,” he said. “After what Matt told us, being a lawyer is looking more appealing all the time.” He hugged his wife, who was sobbing now.

  Elliott turned to his son. “Why didn’t you tell us about this task force before?”

  “I couldn’t, Dad,” Matt said. “It was a top secret mission as far as the captain was concerned. And even with all that security in place, someone got wind of it anyway.”

  “I feel sorry for the families of those three cops who died,” Gloria added, “But I don’t know what I’d have done if that had been you. Please, Matt, stay away from police matters if at all possible.”

  Matt didn’t think now was the time to tell her about his offer to help Kevin catch those responsible for the car bombing. He’d have to take that as it came and deal with it later. He turned back to Olivia. “Are we still going out to dinner tonight?”

  Olivia looked around the room for everyone else’s reaction. They all either shrugged or nodded and Olivia concluded that it would be best if they did. She looked at Matt. “You’ll bring Chris and the twins, won’t you?”

  “They’d like that,” Matt said. “Oh, speaking of that, I’d better get home and explain this whole mess to Chris. I sure don’t want some reporter getting wind of the story and surprising her with questions about my part in all of this. Give me an hour or two and I’ll bring them all back here to meet you both. I’m sure Chris will have a lot of catching up to do.”

  Matt gave his sister another hug. “It’s good to have you both home again,” he said. “I’ll see you later.” Matt drove back home, practicing all the way home what he was going to say.

  Matt pulled into his driveway to find the yard deserted. His twins were usually playing in the yard this time of day. When he walked into the kitchen, Chris had Nicky sitting on the kitchen counter, wiping his face with a small square of gauze. “What happened to you?” Matt said, looking at his battered son.