by Don Weston
Chapter 8
When I awoke, I was back in my own bed at home. It took me several minutes to get my bearings. Angel stood over me, with a bowl of Caesar salad cupped in her hands, talking in a soft voice.
“Your brothers are here. They’re waiting downstairs to see you.”
I turned toward her and gradually realized I was not in the hospital. “How did I get here?”
“You’ve been taking a nap,” she said.
“Where’s Darrin?” I sat up in a panic.
“Oh Honey, Darrin’s dead.” Her eyes widened. “You remember that, don’t you?”
“A dream? The whole damn killing The Jet thing was a dream?” I said. “That means Darrin being alive was a dream too. Shit!”
“Oh, you had a nightmare. I’m sorry, Honey. Are you ready to see your brothers or do you want me to make an excuse? They’ve been waiting for over an hour.”
“Shit, shit, shit!” My heart was in my throat. The dream seemed so real. I could touch the cop. I could feel the heat from the barrel of my Glock.
I reached under my pillow now for my gun. It was my .38, not the Glock, which probably occupied space in a police evidence room. The revolver’s cylinder revealed no empty chambers. A hint of cleaning oil permeated the gun, meaning I hadn’t shot at anyone recently. I witnessed the fear in Angel’s eyes and realized she’d seen me twirl the chambers and sniff the gun. Of course, she took that ubiquitous phantom puff from that invisible cigarette between her fingers. Did she think I was going to kill myself?
“I’m not crazy. I just had a dream.”
“I’m sorry.” She put the salad on my nightstand. “You want me to tell them to come back another time?”
“Them? Oh, my brothers. No, give me twenty minutes to freshen up.”
She smiled, turned, and walked out the door, closing it softly.
I waited until she stepped out of range and my breast heaved as I sobbed. I clutched at my chest wound and reached for some pain medication. I missed Darrin so much. I blamed God for letting him die and then giving me a false hope. I cried some more, not caring how red my eyes appeared when my brothers arrived. I would cry for them too, and they should know it now. Maybe it would make them more careful.
I nibbled at my salad as I cried, forcing myself to eat to gain strength for what lie ahead. Finally, I wiped my eyes and face and walked to my bathroom. All the makeup in the world wouldn’t help me, so I worked on the worst areas of my reddened face. Soon after I finished, my brothers entered and found me sitting up in bed in a martial arts kimono I use as a robe.
“Hi,” Dag said. I noticed his eyes, like mine, were red and puffy as he bent a bit to clear the low-framed doorway and brushed his sandy curls with his fingers in case it got mussed coming through. Dag has lots of muscles and I think Angel has a crush on him. He gave me a bear hug, and I yelped at pain in my chest from the still-healing bullet wounds.
“Hey, sorry,” he said.
Dan, Jason and Angel trailed in and they all managed stiff smiles and kept a distance, in case my crying was contagious. Jason maintained a stoic pose and roosted on an old-fashioned iron radiator. He stroked his pencil-thin mustache with a finger. Dan sat on a window seat and Angel picked a chair near him. I could see the thinning hair on Dan’s head. His fatherly demeanor was replaced by tightness on his round face.
“How are you feeling?” Dan asked.
“I won’t lie to you. I’m in a rough patch. I never felt so bad in all my life.”
“None of us feel all that good,” Jason said. “I don’t get why Steve’s blackballing us from this investigation. No offense, Billie, but being sent to babysit you is a slap in the face.”
“Why don’t they just put us on leave or give us a desk?” Dag said.
I rubbed at my swollen eyes. “My guess is Steve knows us well enough to head us off from any unofficial investigations we might be able to start from home or behind a desk.”
“Yeah, but why you?” Jason said. “He can’t keep you under what amounts to house arrest.” Jason’s always been quick to temper. Contrary to what most people believe about me, he’s the hothead in the family.
“He says I’m a material witness in protective custody,” I said.
“It just isn’t fair. I’m going to quit.” His rugged facial features hardened. “Then he won’t tell me what to do.”
“You won’t do any such thing,” Dan said. “None of us will. Darrin wouldn’t want us to lose our jobs over him. We’ve just got to find a way to get around Steve, and Billie’s an ace at that.”
My older brother was asking for my help. It was a milestone for a man who raised us after my parents’ untimely deaths. I tried to appear modest, but I probably looked like the Cheshire cat grinning at the world.
“You got any ideas?” Jason shifted his weight on the radiator and grimaced.
“Yeah, I got a few,” I said. “But Dag, I’m getting vertigo with you standing over me.”
Dag smiled sheepishly and sat on a wooden chair next to Angel, and I had to laugh at the easy-going giant sitting next to my diminutive, brash secretary. Maybe they weren’t such a good match.
“Okay, shoot,” he said.
“The way I see it, you guys are all grounded. That leaves Angel and me to do the dirty work.” I adjusted the bed pillow behind the small of my back and settled in for the battle ahead.
“But you’re supposed to stay here,” Dan said. “We’re responsible for watching you.”
“You always go by the book, Dan. That’s why you wanted my help, remember?”
He nodded.
“Okay, so first thing we need to do is to put a bug on Steve so we know where he’s going and what he’s doing. This will be especially helpful if he decides to check on me here at the house.”
“A bug, oh my Lord,” Dan said. Dag, Jason, and Angel chuckled. I thought it a bit unseemly to be so light-hearted, with Darrin killed a few hours earlier, and then I realized it was a nervous release for their feelings of loss.
“Don’t have a heart attack, big brother,” I said. “If you want to leave the room so you can say you didn’t know about any of this, we can excuse you.”
“No,” Dan said. “This is a drastic measure. We’ve got to find out who killed our brother.”
“Good. So, the next thing is to get copies of all the police reports on the case so we know where we stand. Jason, didn’t you used to date that clerk in records downtown?”
“Yeah, Samantha.”
“Did you treat her right? Or did you dump her and leave her hating you, you slime ball of a man?”
“I had to cut it off with her,” Jason said. “She was getting too bossy for me, so I suggested we take a break for a while.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can you go to her for a big favor?”
“I should be able to get all the preliminary reports turned in so far. It’s going to cost me though.”
“You’re a big boy,” I said. “You can handle it. While you’re sweet talking her, see if you can get her to e-mail you any future reports too.”
“You might not get as much as you think if Steve’s working the case,” Dag said. “He keeps all the info close to him until the case dries up or he makes an arrest. I’ve worked with him. He’s pretty secretive, and he doesn’t seem to care much about department protocol when it comes to filing reports.”
“Really?” I said. “That’s not the Steve I know. Mr. ‘Did you finish that report, yet, Billie?’ He used to ride me to get the reports in ASAP when we were partners. Of course, he always was good at delegating work.”
“I worked with him on a couple of cases last year and he’s become real tight-lipped about things.” Dag shifted his weight on the unpadded chair. “I think he wanted to move up the ladder and maybe made some enemies. He’s always expecting someone to screw him.”
“I think he blames me for not making lieutenant earlier,” I said. “He got called on the carpet a couple of times because of some trumped-up improp
er use-of-force charges against me.”
Everyone laughed out loud. “What?” I asked.
“You did have a reputation for being somewhat tough with some of the guys you arrested,” Angel said.
“Yeah,” Dag said. “Remember that perp who asked if you were really a woman?”
“I didn’t hurt him.”
“No,” Jason said, sliding off the radiator with laughter. “You just flashed your boobs.”
“Normally, I would have shoved his face against a brick wall, but he was kind of cute.”
“The guy was so shaken, later when he went before a judge he said he didn’t remember being read his Miranda rights,” Dag said.
“I read ‘em.”
Jason’s eyes opened wide. “I heard the judge’s face went beet red when he questioned the suspect further and learned that Billie had flashed him. The judge threw out his confession and agreed that given Billie’s stature, he probably was too distracted to concentrate when she read him his rights.”
“Steve hit the ceiling on that one,” Dag said. “He got called on the carpet by the Captain. I never figured out how you avoided suspension.”
I felt my face flush at the recollection of my meeting with the Captain.
“Oh, no!” Dan squirmed in his chair. “Tell me you didn’t.”
“Didn’t what?” Angel asked me. I could tell she’d already guessed, and she wanted to hear me say it.
“Well, hell,” I said. “He was going suspend me. I asked him if there was anything I could do to change his mind. He ogled me. I asked him, ‘would you like to see what I did instead of running the suspect’s face into the wall?’ The Captain, he shook his head sheepishly, but I knew he did. So I showed him. In the end he agreed that although my behavior was not strictly becoming an officer of the law, I might have been provoked, and given my situation, I showed remarkable restraint to the point of having a sense of humor.”
After the laughter died down, Dan became serious. “In a way, I think we’re to blame for some of your problems on the force. We treated you like a brother instead of a sister. All of our macho bull rubbed off on you, and I’m sorry.”
Jason and Dag nodded in agreement.
Shit! Darrin would never talk crap like this. He knew I have a feminine side. But I can’t show the soft side of myself on the job because I’m a woman and because I’m also a blonde, men think I’m a pushover, and they can walk all over me.
“Let’s get back to business,” I said. “Angel, see what we’ve got downstairs that we can put in Steve’s car. How about using one of those Pro Tracker GPS systems? If we can get somebody to plant one, say, under his seat, we can follow him in real-time. Then we would know if he’s heading here to check up on me.”
“Do you think he will?” Angel said.
“Oh Yeah,” I said. “Probably twice a day. He knows me too well. If I’m not here when he visits, we’re going to have to find a way to make him believe I am. Angel can be helpful in that area. She’s a lot more devious than you guys.”
“I can plant the tracker,” she said. “I’ll go downtown and tell them you left something in Steve’s car when they brought you home.”
“No. Steve will hear about it and he’ll get suspicious. We need to find out where he’s going to be. Then you can use a Slim Jim and plant the bug.”
“But it’s illegal,” Dan said.
“It’s okay, I’m a certified locksmith,” Angel said. “I got my degree in the mail last month.”
“Maybe we could plant it tonight at his house,” Jason said.
I shrugged. “I think it’s better to do it when he’s out and about.”
“I’m going to be at the mortuary tomorrow to finish making arrangements for Darrin’s funeral,” Dan said. “I could call Steve and ask him to help with the departmental aspect of the funeral.”
“Will he go with you?” I asked.
“Sure. I’ll tell him I need someone for moral support. How can he say no?”
“Let me know when and where if he agrees to it,” Angel said. “I’ll bring my Slim Jim. Try to get him to park out on the street away from the mortuary office. The fewer witnesses the better.”
“Oh, I want to come, too,” I said.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Dan displayed his patented scorn of disapproval.
“Why not?”
“If you go, Steve might not come. I plan to use your illness to guilt him into coming to support me. And if he finds out you’re coming along, he might think I don’t need him.”
“This sucks.” I gave him my five-year-old pouty face.
He ignored it. “I’ll go downstairs and call him now.”
“Just as well he’s gone,” I said, as Dan closed the door. “Being a by-the-book guy, and as nervous as he gets, it’s probably best he doesn’t know every little thing we do.”
“So, what’s my job?” Dag said.
“I’m going to need a little help tracking down Chris The Creep and his buddy, Jeff, who saw The Jet at the hospital and again downtown at City Hall.”
“Yeah, I’m already on that,” Jason said. “Dag and I rousted his landlady earlier today. She said he packed up his clothes and stuff and bugged out. I got her to cough up the name and address of his sister and mother. She’s a tough old broad. Told me to get a warrant. I told her the cons would really like her down at lockup.”
“We’ve got to find him,” I said. “He said he knows where The Jet can be found and The Jet’s the one that killed Darrin. I know it in my gut.”
“You go,” Jason said to Dag. “I need to call my friend in records and someone should stay close to Billie.”
“What happens if I’m spotted away from the house?” Dag cast his eyes about the room nervously.
“Tell them you’re filling my prescription.” I handed him a slip of paper the doctor gave me. “You just better damn well know where the nearest pharmacist is in whatever area of town you visit.”
He scrutinized the script. “I feel like I’m back in school with a hall pass.”
Dan returned and passed Dag on his way out. “Where’s he going?” he asked.
“To fill my prescription.”
Dan’s forehead developed furrows deep enough to plant corn. “Well, I guess it’s okay. Steve’s going to pick me up at my house tomorrow at a little before eleven. I told him I had to go home and change first. I wrote down the address here for Angel. It’s Thompson’s Mortuary on Northeast 81st off Burnside.”
“Right,” said Angel, taking the slip of paper. “Maybe, I’ll wear black so as not to stand out.”
“What did I miss?” Dan said.
“Not much. Tomorrow I’m going down to City Hall.”
“On Saturday?” Jason said. “It’s closed.”
“Not if you know the secret handshake,” I said. “A new friend of mine in the city commissioner’s office said the back door would be open for me. I plan to be there to find out who The Jet stopped in to see yesterday.”
“What?” Dan’s face became animated. “He was in the City Hall to see a city commissioner?”
“Or the Mayor. My friend is trying to get a security tape showing The Jet’s visit and maybe who he was there to see.”
“My God, that’s incredible,” Dan said.
I nodded. “Maybe with a bit of luck we can nail Darrin’s killer and find out who wants me dead.”
“Who else knows about this?” Jason asked.
“Just we four and, with the exception of Dag, I don’t want anyone else to know. If there’s someone inside City Hall involved, it could be very dangerous for all of us.”
“Amen,” Dan said.
“Mum’s the word,” Jason said. “Until we catch the son-of-a-bitch. Then all bets are off.”
“I think we should lay low, not make too many inquiries to our partners and fellow cops,” Dan said. “We don’t want Steve or the Captain getting any tips that we’re investigating.”
“Okay,” Jason said. “But
I want to be there for the finish.”
“You will be,” I said. “All of us will.” The room grew quiet.
“I’ve got to call Mary,” Dan said. “She’s really shaken over this.”
“That’s a good idea,” Angel said. “Billie needs her rest. I’ll fix you each up with a bedroom. Lieutenant Steve told me that you guys are houseguests here until he says differently.”
“See if you can set up a command post in the laundry room,” I suggested. “It’s out of sight if anyone comes snooping and big enough to set up a table and a couple of chairs.” I pulled a comforter over my weary body. “Oh, and use your personal cell phones, not the city-issued ones. We don’t want anyone listening in or checking email or texts. You can use my laptop, and we have a wireless network so you should be set.”
“I’ll stop and get some throwaway cell phones after I bug Steve’s car,” Angel said.
“For God’s sake be careful,” Dan said. “Does she know what she’s doing?”
“She’s done it hundreds of times,” I said.
“Hundreds?”
“She’s exaggerating,” Angel said, and escorted him out to give me some rest, but popped her head back in through the doorway. “I’m thinking maybe I could wear that hot new red miniskirt tomorrow. I’ve got some matching three-inch heels and a new avant-garde blue hat with white lace that covers part of my face.”
“Stay with the black,” I said.
“I can wear sheer black panty hose.”
“You won’t be able to run in those heels, and you might get arrested in that outfit,” I said. “How are you going to bug the car from jail?”
She seemed puzzled. “Save it for a more formal occasion,” I said.
“What better occasion is there than tailing your boyfriend? I don’t want to stand out wearing Jeans or something around a funeral home.”
She winked at me and bounced out the door. I felt what I was sure were some remaining interior stitches tearing inside my chest as I laughed. For a moment, Angel helped me feel a bit lighter, but my good mood quickly gave way to thoughts of revenge. I made a promise to myself to avenge Darrin’s death. His killer would never see the inside of a courtroom.