Lynagh called 9-1-1 and identified himself for an ambulance and police to arrive at the scene.
Paul looked around the apartment and kept shaking his head. He said,
“Money, money, money; money is the root of all evil.”
Bud walked up to his side. “No, my friend, it's the love of money that is the true root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:10”
Paul looked at his partner, not surprised he had quoted the bible. “Let's get some rest.” Bud nodded as they answered questions and signed some papers for the local authorities. They took the vehicle back to the home of Officer Blair and picked up O'Malley and Healey before heading back to the precinct.
It was 8:00 am when Deborah woke up to the sounds of the dogs crying to go outside. She looked and saw Rachelle was in a deep sleep in her Benjamin Franklin lounge pants. She smiled every time she saw her in those pants and often wondered who Rachelle loved more, Paul or Franklin. She laughed a little loudly but caught herself so she wouldn't wake her up. There was a note on the front door from her father that said, Deborah, going to the city for the day. Call if you need me. I love you. Dad. Deborah loved the way her Dad would actually write the words I love you instead of Love you. He never took shortcuts with anything, and she loved that about him. Although she was twenty-eight years of age, she looked forward to the once or twice a week talks they had.
She opened the door and let the dogs out. The grounds were completely gated, so there was no worry about them taking off. As she watched Wes and Craven enjoy their freedom outside, her phone buzzed with a text from Bud. How are you doing? I found Paul last night. It was a tough night, but we are OK. We are trying to stay away from you and Rachelle until the bounties on us are taken off. This should be over by move-in day, but I’m not sure I’m up to it. He ran out of room and continued to send another text: Deborah, I want you to know you are the sweetest woman I have ever met and I’m thankful you care about me. Even when we are not together I think of you when something good happens to me. It proves to me how important you are.
Deborah smiled with emotion and needed to clear her throat. Her thoughts wondered how he really felt about her when the phone buzzed again. It was Bud again. The text read, In case you are wondering, you mean the world to me, which is why I’m moving to South Street . . . to be closer to you. Deborah smiled and kissed the phone, then chased after the dogs for some playtime.
It was close to 9:00 in the morning when Rachelle woke up and looked at the beautiful grandfather clock in the foyer of the mansion. Oh my God, she thought. Deborah had just entered the house with the dogs when she jumped up to look for her phone to see if Paul was OK. There was a text from him: All OK. I love you.
She looked at Deborah and said, “I have to get to Joey's. I promised him I would take the 10:00 am to 4:00 pm shift. Can you keep the dogs here while I work?”
Deborah gave Wes a kiss and told Rachelle, “No problem. They won't let me teach in the school until the case is over anyway.”
Rachelle hugged her with a big thank-you and said, “I'll see you later. Come down to the restaurant at 5:00. Let's have dinner together. If you're not busy tomorrow I'm going to see Madison. Please come with me if you can.”
Deborah nodded and said, “See you later. By the way, are you going to shower before going to work?”
Rachelle gave her the evil eye as she walked out the door, saying, “Why, my dear, I'm going to shower at Paul's. It's so convenient.” And with those words she blew kisses to the dogs.
Deborah shook her head as she spoke out loud to herself. “Ah yes, sex, what a wonderful thing. At least I think so. It has been so long I can't remember much.” Rachelle drove out the gate as Officer Carson sent a text to Powers asking whether he should stay with Rachelle or stay at the house where Deborah was. He didn't receive an answer back and the officer made the decision to stay outside the Lance mansion.
Rachelle ran up the stairs and jumped on the bed where Paul was in a deep sleep after three and a half hours of sleep. The young woman kissed him all over and even tried to arouse him, but he was totally out of it. She gave up and finally went into the bathroom to take a shower. The cool water felt good on her body as she let it soak through her hair, down to her face and down to her legs. Rachelle felt like there were times she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Writing for the local paper, the notoriety from the first case, the restaurant responsibilities, and trying to hold on to her relationship with Paul. All these thoughts filling her head as the water sprayed over her face. Her eyes closed, yet her thoughts kept circling over and over in her head. Thoughts turned to Madison sitting in jail having nightmares. Rachelle's thoughts were going from one subject to the next thinking about how nice it would be to have a normal life, a quiet life. One where no one was being shot at, kidnapped, or stabbed. The young woman covered her face with her hands to try and wipe all the thoughts away. She put her head down to let the water spray on the back of her head as she looked at the base of the tub, watching the water hit the base in all directions from her head and body.
She turned the water off, reached for a towel, dried herself off, and went to Paul's bed. She began to kiss him all over his face until he opened his eyes and stared at her. She put her hand on the side of his face and began stroking it with the movement of her fingers. He loved waking up to her beautiful eyes staring at him after he slept. She smiled and said the words that everyone wants to hear. Those words that have been repeated over and over millions of times, yet there is only one way that we long to hear them. Rachelle was just as much a reader as a writer. One of the books that made an impression on her was Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. It was this book that expressed the clichés of love, and Rachelle agreed with the author that those words—I love you—were the most unoriginal thing one can say to another, yet they are the words we want to hear from the ones we care about the most. There is something about those specific words that give us security and makes our heart smile. This moment right now with Paul was no different. She didn't care how he said it, how fast or slow, she needed to hear those unoriginal words.
“I love you.” Paul kissed Rachelle and said it in a way that made it special. It was romantic and it was good enough for her. He touched her and said, “I've always loved you.” Rachelle moved over on top of him and they made love in a way they had not for some time. There had been sex, but the act of making love had diminished in their lives. The problem was that dreaded four-letter word: busy. Their lives had taken a course where they had been caught up in a busy world. This morning, the priority was different. The detective knew he had to be careful when Rachelle was with him, but it was times like this when he couldn't resist her. Paul hated the Face of Fear investigation, but he believed it brought him closer to Rachelle. Now, he was scared the Music Club Murders and the consequences from Face of Fear were now threatening to tear them apart. The case was violent, and while not as complicated, the fallout would be much steeper if it was not resolved. It was another forty minutes before Rachelle got out of bed and put on clothes that she kept in Paul's apartment.
The detective sat up in bed as Rachelle brushed her hair and said,
“Are you going to ask me about last night?”
Rachelle stopped brushing for a couple seconds, then started moving the brush again before saying,
“I figured you would tell me if there was something I needed to know or if you wanted me to know. I get scared, Paul. Not for me anymore, but I worry about you. I worry about your life. I worry about our future. Tell me, do you think about our future? I know what your job is, I know what the world is about today, but there are things I think about. Such as us, and having children, and I know I don't want to bring them up in a world wondering if their daddy is going to come home tonight. I'm not scared about me, Paul. I'm scared for us.”
She kissed him on the lips, and as she got up and walked to the top of the stairway, she turned ar
ound and looked at her lover, who still had his back against the bedpost. The beautiful woman smiled and spoke again. “I believe in you, Paul. I always have.” She blew him a kiss as she ran down the stairs and entered Z Pita through the back entrance.
Joey Z was sitting at the back table looking over papers as he asked Rachelle if everything was all right. It was his way of letting her know she was twenty minutes late. Rachelle walked over to him and kissed him on top of his head. “Everything is fine, Joey Z.”
The majority owner looked at Rachelle as she walked toward the front of the restaurant and spoke to himself.
“Women, can't live with them, can't live without them.”
One of Joey Z's regulars witnessed the kiss Rachelle had given to him and the owner just shook his head and raised his hands, saying, “Hey, if only I was born rich instead of handsome.” The customer laughed because it was a typical Joey Z comment.
Joey Z looked at his watch as he spoke again. “Speaking of which, Mom and Dad should be coming in any minute. This will be a fun day.” Joey Z's parents came into the restaurant every third day and sat at the table in the back while they read various newspapers, still going strong well into their eighties and while working part-time with their dollhouse business in Smithtown. They had become part of the extended family, and Paul would even get her a Mother's Day card to leave for her when she would come to the restaurant every year.
Upstairs, the back of Paul's head was becoming damp again. He had just told Bud to stay away from Deborah to keep them safe, and yet he couldn't turn Rachelle away when she came to see him this morning. The conflict of his convictions was making him feel guilty. He was getting depressed and was having doubts about whether he could solve the case. Doubts would set in, and he could feel himself getting emotional from being overwhelmed. He needed to get in the shower quick and clear his mind.
Deborah was playing with the dogs when her phone played the song “Always on My Mind.” She laughed every time Bud sang it to Paul, so she thought it was a perfect song to let her know Bud was calling. She picked up the call. “Hello, Detective Johnson, may I help you?”
He had a smile just hearing her voice.
“What are you doing?”
“Playing with the dogs.”
“I'm jealous,” he answered.
“Well, you should be, because I have been rolling on the floor with them.”
The detective laughed as he spoke again. “I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. When this is over I would really like to have a chance to speak with you at great length.”
“I have always been here for you, Bud. Always. Whenever you need me. I am here for you.”
“You are an amazing woman, Deborah.”
“Only when I'm with you, Bud.”
“Don't forget. Move-in day was changed. One week later. I want this over before moving in.”
“I remember, silly.”
“OK, stay put. Officer Franks will be at the gate today.”
“I'm here, but don't forget I'm visiting Madison tomorrow with Rachelle and then to the mall for some shopping.”
“OK, we will have a couple of officers watching just to be sure.”
“You can watch me,” she answered with a giggle.
“Too dangerous. I'm worth too much to the bounty hunters. I'm not sure if I'm worth $250,000 or $1 million at this point,” he said with a nervous laugh.
There was silence for a few seconds when Deborah answered, “You're priceless, Bud.”
The detective was not used to such kind words. He took out the photo he kept of Deborah in his wallet and looked at it while he spoke again. “I better go, but I think we should have lunch at the Pie soon. You got me hooked on their grilled vegetable salad.”
“OK, Bud,” she replied, “be careful.”
She heard the click, but within seconds she received a text from him. You mean the world to me, don’t ever think anything else.
Stony Brook University Medical Center is the largest academic medical center on Long Island. It is located on Nichols Road in Stony Brook, Long Island. The University associated with it is well respected with over twenty-four thousand students. On the grounds is a facility for veterans that allows about 350 honorably discharged veterans to have a roof over their heads.
Once he arrived, Detective Sergeant Paul Powers nodded at Officer Sinclair at the entrance and walked into room 218 on the eighteenth floor of the hospital, and looked at the swollen black-and-blue face of Detective Ellyn Baker. Her eyes were closed for about three minutes before she opened them to see Paul Powers standing over her with a concerned smile on his face. She was reminded just how handsome he was, and she thought it was ironic the moment she appreciated his looks, her own face looked like someone had rubbed charcoal all over it.
“Hey,” Powers said.
Baker closed her eyes again, but this time she had a smile on her face when she spoke. “I'm not ready to come back to work.” Paul laughed. “I love a woman with a sense of humor.” “Well,” she answered, “I'm just sorry you're seeing me before I get my facial.”
The detective laughed again before saying, “Ellyn, we got the fat man, and he gave everyone up. There is not much of a mystery here except where Simpson is and if there is someone calling the shots. They have put bounty money on us, and because you are part of us, you are worth $50,000 to them. This is why fat ass, excuse me, the fat man, Sysco, wanted to take you out.”
Ellyn Baker lay silently as her thoughts raced in her head. “I guess this type of thing is normal for Priority 1.”
“No, no it's not,” Paul answered. “This is related to a case we had about a year and a half ago. We thought it was over, but we were mistaken. This time it will be finished, once and for all. You have my number, and there will be an officer at the door. Do you have any questions or anything you need to tell me?”
Baker moved a bit in her bed to get comfortable and spoke. “How did they know who I was at the club?”
“The cops in East Hampton. They got to them with payouts. They informed Branca, Wiley, and Simpson.”
Baker moved her head toward the window as she replied, “If that is true, then how do we know if they haven't gotten to any of our team?”
Powers's face lost all expression as he absorbed Ellyn Baker's words. “Ellyn, just get well; we will take it from here. I'm going down the hall to see Chapman, and will stop back to say good-bye.”
As he started to walk away, the detective grabbed his hand and said, “Be careful, Detective.”
Paul smiled and squeezed her hand. “You're a good cop, Ellyn, and one hell of a kicker. For someone who doesn't like to wear shoes, you sure know how to use them.”
“Well,” she answered, “what I need right now is someone from Mary Kay.”
“You know,” Paul replied, “we will have to figure out a way to resolve you being at the club after a shooting but we have time to address it.”
He kissed her hand and walked down the hall to visit Officer Chapman. As he walked toward the room he called O'Malley, who answered on the second ring. Detective Sergeant Powers told him to get with Sysco again and to double-check the bounty list with the payout schedule. “I want to be sure there is no one left off the list that should be on it. Also, sit him down and see if he has been holding anything back on where Branca and his crew could be. Now that they have been implicated, they won't return to the club or their homes. Somebody is putting them up.” After that he directed O'Malley to meet him at the hospital with the list.
“Paul,” O'Malley interrupted the detective, “Linda Tangretti had to be released. We didn't charge her with anything yet. The fat man's confession is not enough to hold her.”
“Shit!” Paul yelled as he hung up.
He called Gina to find out where Lynagh, Healey, Franks, Johnson, Wyatt, and Caulfield were at that very momen
t. He asked her to give him an answer within ten minutes. Good ole Gina, he thought, she always stays on top of where everyone is.
When he hung up with Gina he sent ADA Ashley a text: When is Cronin’s family coming in from California? Also let’s get O’Connor out a little at a time. Maybe he will be ready to vent to our undercover reporter. He put his phone in his jacket as he walked in to pay his respects to Officer Robert Chapman.
Gary Reynolds was a part-time reporter for Nada at Long Island Pulse for five years while he took mass communications at Five Towns College in Dix Hills. It seemed the stars were aligned when he graduated, and the chance to work full-time was available. The only catch was that it would be as a prison inmate at Bedford Hills prison, undercover. Detective Lieutenant Cronin had set it up with Nada and got the approval of the DA's office that it would be for twenty-four months. Cronin did not want to take any chances with O'Connor and knew the only way to keep an eye on him was to convince him Reynolds was also a cold-blooded killer. They set up his fake name as Reynolds and even went to the trouble of creating his history in case O'Connor had his visitors check him out.
After six months of seeing Reynolds in the same circle at the prison he was able to befriend the former FBI Agent. Reynolds was being paid by the taxpayers while being on Nada's payroll for benefits. When he eventually left the prison, his story would be exclusive to LI Pulse and he would receive a bonus. At twenty-three years of age, he was dealing with the guards and the protocols of prison as well as the lousy food for the experience of a lifetime. Ashley had his doubts when Cronin initially wanted the setup at the prison, but once again it appeared it was the right call. It was now ADA Ashley who was communicating with Nada since the world still thought Cronin was dead.
Today was the first time since the initial order that the guards let O'Connor out of his cell. Outside there were only two others playing basketball, and Reynolds was sitting on a bench watching them.
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