“It’s a setup!” Zack shouted as he ran to Patty’s room.
Armando pushed away from the two black guys and ran. He could see Zack had rushed the door, opened it, and entered. Armando quickly followed and was shocked to see Zack with a gun in his hand, pointing it at a police officer.
“He’s a cop!” Armando screamed.
Zack kept his head down, drilling the gun into the police officer’s head. He was dressed in uniform, kneeling on the floor in front of Zack. His hand was firm on the trigger, dead set between his ears, and he could fire with just a little more pressure on the trigger.
“Get the picture out of my top pocket. Look at it. It’s Raul. Well, isn’t it?”
Armando turned the man toward him and put the picture next to his face. “It’s him. How did you know?”
Grabbing the back of Raul’s uniform, he pulled him from his knees. “I never saw his face, just the back of his shoulder. The uniform is from twenty years ago. It’s not current. My friend, this is my old police uniform, the one someone walked out of Patty’s house with.”
“Raul, you’re under arrest for the murder of Jennifer Thompson,” Armando said, looking at Zack as if to say, “Well done, Detective.” He put handcuffs on Raul and read him his rights. Escorting Raul out of the room, he turned to Zack. “Where did you get the gun?”
“What gun?” Zack said, tucking the gun into his jacket pocket with a slight smile.
As they walked past the nurses station, three police officers intercepted Raul and took him into custody. There was relief for Zack, knowing his hunch was right. Seeing Raul in the kitchen with Jack tied them together as knowing each other. And while Jack was wandering into his room during the night, a cloth soaked in chloroform suddenly found by his bed, and his old police uniform stolen out of Patty’s house might not connect, it was too many clues to ignore. Just then, Zack’s thoughts were interrupted by an announcement.
An announcement came blaring over the speakers for the second time. It was a Code Blue, and Zack had heard it too often when he was on the force. Two nurses and a doctor rushed down the hallway. Zack’s heart was rapidly pounding—he watched their every move. Then they both rushed into Patty’s room. He ran down the hall and was stopped by a nurse as he tried to enter. Patty was in good care, but like everyone in that position, he worried. The doctors should have been left alone to do their job.
He sat outside Patty’s room with Tom and Armando. They just stared at the door waiting for someone to come out and give an update. It felt like hours, but it had been only fifteen or twenty minutes. The door opened, and a doctor walked toward Zack. He knew what was about to be said. He had seen that look on every physician’s face who ever gave bad news to a victim’s family member.
“Patty’s dead, isn’t she?” Zack whispered.
“I’m sorry. We did everything possible,” the doctor said, as he tried to console both Zack and Tom.
Zack knew the drill, and the time it would take for paperwork to be completed after someone died in a hospital. They moved to a small waiting room. It held little over four people, and only three could sit. There was no justification for why all this had happened to Patty and so tragically. After fighting cancer and winning the battle, a gunshot was the last thing they would have thought would have killed her.
There was no consoling Tom at this point; it was more than he could handle. While it was close to home for Zack, seeing unnecessary death is always hard to accept. Police officers can have all the training in the world, but when it hits so close to their families, it is hard to take. Zack had no intentions of accepting it. He knew he would hunt down the lowlife trash who did this to his family.
The door of the small waiting room opened. A young lady, dressed in a long, homely dress with her hair tied up in a bun, appeared after a faint knock on the door. She was as plain-looking as one could get. Zack made eye contact, and she introduced herself as the hospital psychologist, trained to help with the stress of losing a loved one and how to handle the grieving process. Tom appeared to be incoherent.
Zack heard her loud and clear, for he had been somewhat through the same training with the police department, he just had no degree. His years of experience on the police force made him much more qualified than this so-called psychologist, who was very young and had not even experienced life yet. She was too young to help with this process with just her book learning. Her wardrobe didn’t help her either; she looked like a little girl playing dress-up with her mama’s dress and heels. It was the wrong decision by the hospital. She simply was not capable of pulling this off, regardless of her degrees.
Zack and Tom were bewildered but accepted her business card and assured her they would make contact after the funeral.
Chapter 14
Zack felt something tighten around his neck. It was sudden and quick. His air supply was quickly getting cut off. He tried to fight and pulled at the hands around his neck. It was like his neck was in a vise, and it slowly got tighter. The room was dark, and he could only see the shadow of what appeared to be Jack. He could barely open his eyes from the pressure on his neck and the weight on his head. He twisted and turned until he got his legs up and around the massive body standing over him. There was no doubt now; it was Jack. He squeezed his legs tighter, but the bodybuilder all but laughed at his attempt.
Zack knew he would die and resolved himself to the fact that it was over. He was getting weaker, his legs got limp, and his body could hardly move. He reached under his mattress to where he had stored the gun and the knife that his buddy, Detective Guidry, had sent over for his protection. His fingers were only an inch away from pulling the gun out. He needed to get just a little closer. His fingers pulled at the mattress fabric, silently getting the gun closer to his fingertips, but he could not get a firm grip. He felt a little to the left of the gun.
There it was, the big switchblade knife. He wrapped his hands around it and with his fingers, he slid his hand to the handle where the knife would come out. He had to be sure when he pulled the knife out that the blade was facing upward. He wiggled the knife slowly from under the mattress and pushed the button, opening the eight-inch blade. It popped open with force and immediately locked into an upward position.
Zack pulled his arm out, and with all the force left in him he stabbed the man standing over him in the neck and screamed, “You killed her!”
Stabbing him repeatedly, he stood over the man now lying on the bed in a pool of blood. He let out one more forceful scream, swinging his arms around, and then he was awakened by Dave’s voice.
“Zack, it’s okay. Wake up.”
Zack looked around the room as sunlight peeked through the drapes. He felt the bed. There was no blood, no body, and no knife. It was truly a nightmare knowing Jack was still around.
It was one of those perfect spring days in New Orleans. The day that brought back memories of childhood as the cool breeze blew the slight smell of the spring flowers blooming. It was the day Zack thanked God just for being alive. The elements were perfect for a day outdoors to go fishing, ride a bike, or even sit outside at a New Orleans French Quarter coffee shop like Zack had done often. Today was far from the quality of a day Zack planned.
He looked in the mirror for the third time and fixed his tie again.
“You look fine,” Dave said ever so softly as he helped him put his coat on. “You sure clean up good,” he said, trying to get Zack’s mind off the upcoming horrific day ahead of him.
A knock on the door startled them as a voice said, “Zack, the limousine is here. It’s time to go.” Dave opened the door to find Emma Lou and Pearl, beautifully dressed in traditional black dresses.
Emma Lou put her hand out to Zack, holding back her tears. “It’s time to go, Zack. Patty is waiting. It’s not going to be easy, but we will be with you all the way.”
Dave put his hand on Zack’s shoulder, and they walked down the hall to the front entrance. The staff had sadness on their faces and offered him thei
r support as he passed them. Standing at the front door was Howard, who escorted them to the black limousine.
“It is a terrible occasion that we meet again, sir. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Howard, and thank Ben for me. It was very nice for him to send the limousine for my friends and me,” he said as he bent to get into the backseat.
“He would not have had it any other way, sir. He sends his condolence.”
They drove down Canal Street to one of the oldest funeral homes in New Orleans that dated to 1935. The building was built originally as a family home. Four businesspeople who thought the price of a funeral had gotten too high thought they could operate a funeral home that could charge more reasonable prices and converted it for use as a funeral home. The drive was not far from Riverside Inn, on the high side maybe three miles. Somehow Zack felt if the drive were longer it would have helped. He tried to gather his thoughts and focused on the good times he had with Patty and Tom, not the brief time she was with them.
Patty had been a tall, thin, attractive woman with a smile that would light up a room, and she never had a bad word to say about anyone. She was a woman who could turn many heads throughout the college grounds where she met Tom. He was in accounting, and she was in pre-law. They graduated from Tulane University, got married, and had high expectations for their lives. It was a beautiful dream that turned into a nightmare and left Tom a widower at age forty-one.
They pulled up to the funeral home, and Zack could quickly see the funeral would be well-represented by the New Orleans Police Department. The cascade of police motorcycles that stretched around the curved drive looked endless. It made Zack proud to be a New Orleans retired police officer. The police officers were an extended family that never forgets you, particularly at a time like this.
It brought a slight smile to his face. “Patty would be very happy,” he said to Emma Lou. She gave a tearful smile and nodded her head.
Tom opened the car door and greeted them in his usual manner with a big smile. It was his way of dealing with this painful situation. Zack had seen Tom put on this act a few times, and he was excellent at disguising his unhappiness. Deep down, he knew Tom was in deep pain, and he could do nothing to help him. He barely had himself under control and just wanted to get through the day. They walked up the six steps to the front entrance and met the funeral director, who escorted them to the parlor where Patty had been laid out for her visitors.
It was heartwarming to see a row of twenty police officers making a curved path to the parlor, dressed in their traditional dress blues. At full attention and with a sharp military salute, one by one they showed not only by regulation but also recognition of one another’s commitment, abilities, and professionalism. Zack lost it but held his head high and walked proudly into the parlor with Emma Lou at his side and Dave and Pearl right behind.
It was a beautiful ceremony, and the turnout was high. Patty would have been proud. Meeting some of Patty and Tom’s old classmates was fun, especially meeting the ones Zack never thought would amount to anything. Zack introduced Emma Lou, Dave, and Pearl to everyone as his friends with a particular reference to Emma Lou. Zack looked at them—they were real friends. They were supportive at his hour of need. It wasn’t just the usual chatter that people say at a time like this, “If you need anything, let me know.”
Later, back at the house, it was the invitation by Emma Lou to have tea in the garden, just him and her, that made it special for him. They sat on the bench she knew was so dear to him. Andrew, who took time off from his garden work, delivered a tray of teacups and that special herbal tea that Zack liked.
That gesture made Zack know she was a special friend. They talked for hours about nothing related to what he was going through and at times Emma Lou would zero in with words comforting to him. Why it happened to Patty. If she hadn’t had cancer, she would not have been driving that night, and Jason wouldn’t have hit the car. It was all the things he thought of, but somehow Emma Lou knew how to help him get closure with it. She said, “We all second-guess ourselves, but in reality, we never get a second chance.” Hearing it from someone else helped lift the burden of grief and allowed him to move on to some extent.
Metairie Cemetery was the final resting place and the memorial service location. The name caused people to presume mistakenly that the cemetery was located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it was within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road (and formerly on the banks of the since filled-in Bayou Metairie). This site was previously a horse-racing track, Metairie Race Course, founded in 1838.
The racetrack, which was owned by the Metairie Jockey Club, refused membership to Charles T. Howard, a resident who had gained his wealth by starting the first Louisiana Lottery. After being refused membership, Howard vowed that the race course would become a cemetery. Sure enough, after the Civil War and reconstruction, the track went bankrupt and Howard saw his curse come true. On May 25, 1872, the land converted to a cemetery.
Zack’s father had purchased a burial plot at Metairie Cemetery back in the early 1950s. His plan was for his entire family to be buried together. Zack’s wife was the second generation to be buried there, and now, the third generation was started with Patty. Her remains were to rest with her mother-in-law and several other family members she had never met.
Limousines pulled into the Metairie Cemetery following the hearse in a traditional funeral procession. The streets between the tombs were very narrow, built for horse and carriages almost one hundred years before the invention of the automobiles. Each limousine would carefully take a turn, just missing the cobblestone corners at the edge of the street. The limousines pulled up in front of a big, stone, four-vault tomb with “Nelson Family” chiseled across the front. The cars came to a full stop, and the funeral director opened the car doors.
It was time to said goodbye to Patty, the part of the funeral service everyone dreaded. Family members carried the casket and moved slowly down a brick path to the open slot in the vault. The pallbearers slid the casket into the vault until it was inside. A cemetery employee dropped a red drape over the open slot revealing a picture of Patty and what the engraving would look like on her stone once the vault was sealed.
As the services ended, it became painful for those who approached Tom and Zack to offer somewhat of a grief release with their words of wisdom. People try to get creative, as they whispered, “It’s going to take time, but you will be okay.” Or “It was God’s will, and she is in a better place.”
It’s all the things people say without thinking. Nothing said would help the grief or soften the blow that a person is feeling. Zack and Tom stood motionless, shaking hands and giving a weak smile while thanking the people for coming.
Armando was the last person to say goodbye to Zack, not by accident. He purposely waited until everyone was gone. Shaking his hand, Armando said, “I feel personally responsible, my friend,” leaning into Zack, not letting his hand go. “See the light-skin, Spanish guy three tombs down?”
“Yes,” Zack whispered.
“He is not here out of respect for Patty. Look at his suit, shoulders sagging, the tie isn’t even tied nearly correct in any fashion. It’s not his suit. He is here to report back to the gang members how much pain they have caused your family. That is their reward,” Armando said, letting his hand go. Zack stood in shock.
Armando strolled through the crowd as they were exiting the gates on the north side of the cemetery. He kept his eye on the guy as he walked. He took his radio and called for backup. It was too late; the man saw his radio and took off running. Armando ran after him, talking into his radio. “In pursuit; light-skin male, brown suit, heading for the north gate exit.”
Armando caught the guy as he was exiting the back gate just as a police cruiser slammed on its brakes, blocking the exit. The man ran into the car and bounced back into Armando’s hands.
“Man, get off me!” he shouted.
“Why are you running?”
> “Is there a law against running?” he asked, as he felt Armando’s hand tighten on the back of his neck.
“What is your name, asshole?” Armando asked, pushing him into the hood of the car. Several more police officers quickly surrounded him.
Armando backed off, and the police officers took over, handcuffing and putting him in the backseat of a police cruiser.
“What’s the story on this guy, detective?” an officer asked.
“Not sure,” Armando said, as he tried to fix the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Let’s start with ripping the sleeve of my Brooks Brothers suit.”
“Yes, sir,” the officer said.
Armando put his face close to the window and looked at the guy in handcuffs. He was nervous sitting in the backseat, as he should be. “Why did you run?”
“Screw you!” he said as he spit at the window.
Armando grabbed for the door handle, but it was locked. “Let him out.”
“I can’t do that, sir,” the police officer said.
“Just get him booked. I’ll take care of him later.”
Zack looked on with amazement. Armando had a side he had not seen before. While he was well aware of how frustrated the job could make a person, it was something he tried to keep under control throughout his career.
The excitement kept Zack from getting back to Tom’s house before the guests arrived for the traditional after-funeral feast. Several neighbors got together and prepared food for way more people than would show up. A few police officers close to the case dropped in to pay their respects. Most police officers joined the force to become detectives; that was their main reason for all the years patrolling the streets. While they arrest people, they never get to follow through and solve the case. Some make detective, and some don’t, but deep down inside that’s why they joined the force. Before Zack knew it, they were all brainstorming on how to solve Patty’s case.
True Blue Detective Page 14