No Mercy

by Torbert, R. J. ;

  “The night in the garage,” Paul answered, “with Branca. He told me there was a connection. It's amazing what people remember when they think you will kill them. I whispered in his ear to be sure no one would hear me and he told me there was a connection. I just needed to put some evidence together. Following the letter of the law can be difficult at times.” He looked at Cronin as if to give him a message.

  “Yes,” the detective lieutenant answered. “It can be difficult.” Paul asked, “Did we ever find out who killed Lawrence Stone in the parking lot?”

  “No,” Cronin answered, “not yet.”

  Cronin leaned forward and decided to try and change the subject. “Tell me how you are feeling.”

  “It would take too long, but I can tell you the rest and relaxation did me good,” Paul answered. He spoke again. “I visited friends, my father, worked out, and even traveled a bit.”

  “You know,” Cronin replied, “we never found Linda Tangretti and Brian Branca. The FBI thinks they have either smuggled themselves out of the country or they are just that good at disappearing inside the country.” He looked at his detective sitting across from him. “Do you have any thoughts on what happened?”

  Paul answered immediately. “I don't know, but if you want me involved in looking for them, I will be happy to help the FBI.”

  “No, it's OK,” Cronin replied. “I think it would be a waste of taxpayers' money.” He turned around and pulled a file open and began to speak again. “Our notes from Face of Fear showed that Linda Tangretti's handle at the time on Twitter was Fun Mom. So I went to Connecticut, and lo and behold, she had a nine-year-old son staying with his grandmother who had a number that the kid could reach his mother at. The phone would ring and ring, only going to voice mail. So we traced the location of the calls and it showed the person using the cell was in Florida. The FBI took the info and covered the state and found video of some guy by the name of Bob Langer using a key to try and get into bungalows in Key West on Halloween. He was brought in for questioning and he told some story of a woman he met on a cruise ship party who disappeared.”

  “Why did he go back to her room with her key if she disappeared?” Paul asked.

  “I wondered that also,” Cronin replied. “He told us she begged him to help get her off the ship that someone was trying to kill her.”

  Paul shrugged his shoulders. “Did he identify her as Linda, and where is Branca?”

  “I think,” Cronin answered slowly, “that either Langer is a good liar, which we can't charge him for with no bodies, or whoever did kill them is pretty damn lucky with Langer getting himself involved. If any bodies were to be found, he most likely would be on trial for murder since there are records of him taking helicopter rides from the ship to her hotel and back. Either way I don't think we will be hearing from them again. I'm sure the money was involved. The love of money is surely the root of all evil”

  Paul nodded. “1 Timothy 6:10” Cronin looked surprised that Paul quoted the bible as his detective spoke again. “Bud, he taught me that. What would you like me to get started on?”

  “Get your things together, get settled, go home, and make sure your personal life is squared away. We have Detective Baker and an undercover person going in to the Riverhead facility in a couple of days. Also get things back in motion with your partner. He will be back in about five weeks. Your work on the Music Club Murders brought Sherman and his crew down. Good work, Detective.”

  Paul went to the door, turned around, and spoke.

  “You did the right thing by faking your death. You saved the girls' lives. Thank you, but . . .” His hesitation caught Cronin's attention as Paul continued to speak. “Bud, I can't stop thinking about what he did. He took three bullets to the chest and was ready to sacrifice everything for us. Although you saved lives, we would have probably lost them anyway if he hadn't done what he did. I can't get my head around it.”

  Cronin leaned back in his chair and was silent for a few seconds.

  “Is that why you're letting your personal life go to hell?”

  Paul was taken aback by the comment. He did not want to get into a confrontation with Cronin within the first few minutes of his return, but he couldn't help himself.

  “Why don't you say what you really mean?”

  “You know exactly what I mean,” the detective lieutenant replied firmly. “Your personal life, you may think it's none of my business, but it is because as good a detective as you are, there is difficulty in having the separation between the two.”

  “She is in danger as long as she is with me,” Paul answered.

  “Yes,” Cronin replied, knowing he meant Rachelle Robinson. “She is, but you should give her more credit. She is a smart woman who agreed to my plan with Face of Fear. She put her life on the line to prove to me you were not some nut running around with a mask killing the bad guys. Instead, it was her sister, and what does this woman do? She sticks by you. Knowing what the consequences could be. Whether you like it or not this girl is inside your head. Do what you think is best, but I have to tell you, being great at your job means jack shit if you don't have someone to share your life with. You may think you're saving her life, but from where I'm sitting you may need her to save your life. As for Bud,” Cronin continued, “Dr. Ng at the hospital has advised us that it's going to take time for his brain to fully recover from the trauma and the time it was lacking oxygen. Most who had that experience would go out on disability, but if I were a betting man, Bud will be back.”

  Cronin's words felt to Paul like someone just hit him in the chest. He looked at his boss with silence and nodded as he tapped the side of the door molding before leaving. There was no use to continue to look at him. No one ever won a stare-down with Kevin Cronin. Except maybe his wife, Paul thought. He managed to smile, reflecting on that thought as he walked to his desk.

  Everyone in the office gave him his space for a few minutes until Ellyn Baker walked over and welcomed him with a big hug, bare feet and all. She was followed by the others who were in the precinct, including Gina, who didn't realize how much she missed him until he walked through the door. Officer Carol Wright came over and introduced herself as a new assignee. Paul couldn't help but notice she had black sneakers on while Baker refused to wear any shoes at all. How ironic it was that the high heels of her shoes may have saved her life that night at the club with Sysco. Ellyn Baker couldn't help but notice how muscular he had gotten in his arms, and she tried not to stare long enough for Paul or anyone else to notice. He looked over at the desk with pumpkin seed bags and smiled that O'Malley was still with the task force.

  The detective sorted through his desk and stopped long enough to look at the framed photos sitting left to right across the top. Two of the photos were of him and Rachelle. One of them was of Rachelle, Bud, Deborah, and himself wearing Santa hats from the previous Christmas. One was of his dad and mom, and the last one was of Rachelle with the dogs. He reached to put them away but stopped as he thought to himself he needed more time before he could put them in a drawer.

  Lynagh and Healey came into the precinct and hugged Paul at his desk. They exchanged comments about how each of them looked, and Paul got everyone laughing when he told Healey he was impressed he had not been shot in the past six weeks. He looked at Bud's desk and examined the photos on his desk. Deborah, Lindsey, one of himself with Bud, his parents. He had two greeting cards from Deborah with notes to him. Paul knew that Bud even kept a drawer of notes and cards in his desk. The other drawer was full of various sunglasses. He would tire easily of the same style, buy a new pair, and then forget to wear them. He was a tough cop, but he was turning out to be the most sensitive man Paul ever knew.

  He looked over the folders of cases that the team had worked on the past two months until 3:00 pm and said good night to drive over to see Bud in his new home, the Henry Hallock house on South Street. When Bud opened the door his fac
e lit up and he hugged Paul until his partner begged him to let go. He showed Paul around the house, starting with the basement.

  “Jesus,” Paul said, “it looks like nothing has been touched for fifty years.”

  Bud shook his head. “Aw, come on, maybe only forty-five years. The street is terrific; all the people are really nice. I have a great neighbor across the street. Louise loves to cook for everyone, her fish fries are the best!”

  Bud continued, “I swear, the place is not haunted. I like to call it ‘occupied,' and if it wasn't for the fact they were friendly ghosts, I would have moved already. And are you ready for this? The owners of the house own Marchese Motors on Route 112. I get free oil changes as long as I'm a tenant.”

  Paul was laughing and was starting to feel good again seeing Bud returning to being “Bud” again. Even his love of eating was returning. By the time Bud and Paul were upstairs in his bedroom he almost had convinced him there was a ghost in the house. There was an awkward silence for a moment as the two detectives, who had been through more together than any partnership on Long Island as cops, looked at each other.

  “Why?” Paul asked. “Why did you bait Simpson for him to shoot you?”

  Bud looked at him and then smiled.

  “I was sure he was going to kill Deborah and try for Rachelle if he wasn't taken down. When you love someone, Paul, you forget about yourself and think about them.”

  There was a noise at the front door and Paul could hear Deborah and Rachelle's voices as they walked in.

  Paul looked at Bud.

  “You didn't tell me you were expecting company.”

  “What a great detective you are,” Bud answered as he walked down the stairs.

  Paul followed him and watched Bud kiss Deborah and Rachelle. He walked over, but the dogs rushed to Paul and were jumping on him. Even Craven, who was normally less anxious to say hello, was happy to see him. Rachelle forced a smile but could not help that her heart was beating fast. She thought she was over Paul, but looking at him playing with Wes and Craven she felt heartache, nervousness, and suddenly missed him. She couldn't help but notice what good shape he was still in. She attempted to talk to Bud, but Paul walked over and gave Deborah a hug and a kiss and then reached over and did the same to Rachelle, who found herself putting her arm over his back. She was mad at herself for doing it, but it was an uncontrolled response.

  “You look good,” Paul said. “I like your hair this way.” “Thank you,” Rachelle answered.

  The dogs were still trying to get Paul's attention, and he was doing his best to give it to them. Deborah looked at Bud with an evil eye, trying to tell him through her facial expression that she hoped he had not set up this particularly awkward meeting. He shook his head at her as he tried to grab some gummy bears and she hit his hand hard to be sure he only took a few.

  The meeting was so uncomfortable for everyone that Deborah told Bud they were going shopping and they were leaving the dogs with him for a couple hours.

  “It was wonderful to see you, Paul,” Rachelle said. He moved in to kiss her good-bye and she adjusted her head so he could kiss her on the cheek when he hugged her. He hugged Deborah, but he could sense she was still a little upset with him.

  They left the house as Paul turned around and looked at Bud, who threw his arms up in the air when he spoke.

  “You came over unannounced after being away for six weeks. This is going to happen often, being you are my best friend and partner, so we all have to deal with it.”

  Paul nodded as Bud looked at the dish that held the gummy bear packets. It was empty. Deborah had taken the packets so he wouldn't have too many while she was gone.

  “I know they were not supposed to go shopping, Bud. You can call them in a few minutes and tell them I'm gone.”

  “No,” Bud answered. “Just like you have to deal with this, we too have to deal with it as well. It's been a couple months, and when she is dating someone new, then we all have to adjust.”

  “Wait,” Paul answered, “is she already dating?”

  Bud looked at his partner with a surprised look.

  “Paul, you haven't seen her in a couple of months and you sent her a few texts while you were gone. I would say that qualifies her to be dating someone.”

  “You didn't answer my question,” Paul replied.

  Bud hesitated for a few seconds before replying.

  “Not yet, but Deborah wants her to move on, and she has been trying to set her up with one of the teachers at the school.”

  “Oh,” Paul replied. “I see. OK, I will see you later. I need to get with Joey Z and get settled back in the apartment.”

  Bud grabbed his arm as he reached the door. Paul looked at him as Bud spoke. “I suppose one day we are going to talk about what you have been up to the past couple of months.”

  “Yes,” Paul replied. “We will.” He gave Bud a hug and walked down the stairs as he looked at his partner behind the screen door.

  “When did the doctor say you can do one of your famous dances for us?”

  Bud laughed as he told him, “Not till I'm ready to go back on duty.”

  “OK,” Paul said. He looked at Bud for a few more seconds before speaking. “Thanks, Bud, for being my partner.”

  “You're welcome,” Bud replied. “You are one lucky son of a bitch.”

  Paul nodded as he turned to start the walk down the hill to East Main Street toward Z Pita.

  DECEMBER 17

  FOUR WEEKS LATER

  Joey Z's restaurant was decked out for the Christmas season. The red-and-green tinsel with the floating snowman and Santa from the ceiling put the casual restaurant in the spirit of Christmas. Detective Sergeant Paul Powers and his Priority 1 Task Force had solved a cold case from three years prior that was a kidnapping that resulted in a murder. Detective O'Malley had proven to be an asset to the team, and Paul had agreed with Cronin that he should remain on the task force once Bud returned to duty. The task force had brought closure to a family, and it was very rewarding to them. Detective Ellyn Baker had now been in the Riverhead facility for almost three weeks and she was relaying important information to Lynagh and Healey, who were now working as correctional officers in the jail. Powers figured he would pull them all out within the week and decide the next course of action. Even Detective Lieutenant Cronin was back to his administrative ways. Paul had accepted that as long as things were moving along normally, Cronin would stay out of most of the decisions he made.

  Officer Chapman was working with O'Malley on a recent cold case that was solved. Cronin threw a folder of another cold case in front of O'Malley from 1974. Kathleen Kolodziej from Ronkonkoma, NY, who was brutally murdered by multiple stab wounds in Upstate New York. The billboard showing the picture of the seventeen-year-old college student is still up on Route 7 West on Interstate 88 off of exit 22 in Richmondville, NY. “You will be working with the FBI on this,” Cronin said. “Her uncle is still alive on Long Island, and it would be nice if we can close the books on it.” Cronin continued as O'Malley went through the folder, “Crime Stoppers has a reward of $2,500 for anyone that leads to a conviction or closure on the case.”

  Chapman, a man of few words spoke up. “It will take more than that for someone to speak up.”

  O'Malley nodded. “yes, someone with a conscience. Well, we will see about that. Let's get to work.”

  It was now 5:00 pm and Rachelle had come in early to cover for Joey Z, who had to leave early. She was always in the holiday spirit and she was not going to change. She had received a text a couple times from Paul to talk since they had seen each other at Bud's house, but Rachelle was strong. She politely answered that she needed more time to be “friends” with him. She noticed she could handle her life better when she was not around him during this transition of their lives. She had on her Santa hat that lit up, which the regulars always got a kick o
ut of. She greeted Joey Z as he said good-bye, and he told her Paul was at his usual table for an early dinner.

  “It's OK,” Rachelle said as she grabbed Joey Z's arm, “it's OK.” Joey left through the back kitchen as Rachelle walked to the front, then around to the other side, and saw Paul sitting with a very attractive woman who appeared to be about ten to twelve years older than him. Her heart sank as she went back to the front desk, but she quickly got angry and couldn't hold it in any longer.

  She walked up to the table as Paul looked up at her with a smile, but it quickly disappeared as Rachelle spoke in a high-pitched voice for most to hear.

  “It's one thing to move on for whatever reason you want to give. But to disrespect me by coming into my restaurant with a date while I'm here!”

  Paul tried to stop her, but he had no chance as Rachelle continued to speak. “Thanks for showing me the kind of man you are. No romance unless it is about sex!” Paul stood up, trying to get her to calm down, but it was apparent the other customers were enjoying the show as Rachelle continued. “Be careful,” she said as she looked at the woman. “He will get tired of you in a year and then you will see him bring in another girl, God knows what her age will be.” The patrons were smiling and laughing at Rachelle's show, and Paul was mortified.

  “Rachelle!” he said.

  “Don't you ‘Rachelle' me,” she answered. “I'm not through talking yet.”

  As she was beginning to start again, she saw Anthony Powers come out of the men's room, which was about six feet in back of the table, separated by a half wall to allow the walkway to the bathroom. The elder Powers walked up to Rachelle as she was silent and gave her a hug.

  “It's so nice to see you, Rachelle. I would like to introduce you to my fiancée, Susan.”

  Rachelle was clearly embarrassed as Paul moved his lips to try and keep from speaking.

  Rachelle looked over at Susan and said, “I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Susan, but as you will soon find out there can be communication issues.”