by Don Reid
“Sure it is. When a guy like that is involved, it’s everybody’s business.”
This time Buddy looked up. “Listen, Gary. We let you hang around here, pretty much with no strings attached. Mostly because if we didn’t, you’d run a story about how the police department is trying to hide something. I know your game and in most cases respect it. But I told you early on, you’ve got to play by the rules. If somebody here says ‘don’t print it,’ then you don’t print it till it becomes a public story.”
“Me printing it makes it a public story.”
“Don’t get cute, Gary. You know what I mean.”
“And you’ve got to know what I mean, Buddy. That guy and his whole family—I mean, they’re into everything, and nobody can seem to lay a hand on them. Now you’ve got something big on this guy, and I can’t just let it go.”
“You were out there listening to every word, weren’t you?”
“Yeah. That’s my job. I keep my eyes and my ears open. And then I warn the public. That’s what a newspaper is all about.”
“We’re waiting on a couple reports to come back from Richmond, and then we’ll know if this guy is who we’re looking for. When that happens, I’ll give you all I’ve got on it.”
“From what you were saying to him, I thought you already had all those reports back from … wait a minute. Were you faking him out?”
“I’ll give you something when we get it, Gary.”
“You were, weren’t you? Pretty slick, Lieutenant. You just out-Drakoed a Drakos. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. That one, Nicoli, especially. He’s scum. The old man … well, a lot of people like him. And Christopher, he comes and goes. But this one, he’s scum. He went to school with my sister when they were kids. And he tried to force himself on her. She scratched him up pretty bad, but not bad enough. I was in France with you and a few other guys at the time. If I had been here, he’d have gotten more than scratches. He’s scum. I can’t let this one go.”
“You’re going to have to. If I had enough to arrest him at the moment, I would have him in the pokey right now. But I don’t.”
“When then?”
“Give me twenty-four hours.”
“I don’t know, Buddy. I want this guy, and I want him bad. It’s hard not to nail him in the paper for everybody to see what he is.”
“Be patient. Twenty-four hours.”
“We’ll see.”
Gary Akerman pushed his straw dress hat back to the front of his head and fired up another Chesterfield as he cleared the front door and walked down the street.
Sergeant Tranium, who had heard the whole conversation, came to Buddy’s door and said, “Mark my words. Akerman’s going to be trouble.”
“That’s the problem with the law,” Buddy said. “You can’t stop somebody until they break it.”
He sat at his desk with his hand on the phone. He knew if he called Judge Thompson and requested a search warrant for Nicoli Drakos’s house and business, he would be refused for a lack of evidence. What he knew was only an assumption and, at best, a professional calculation. And Thompson wasn’t famous for giving into either of those theories. Larger cities could afford that kind of investigation, but small-town judges tended to “protect and swerve.” Another possibility would be to involve Chief Westover. He wielded more influence with Thompson, but getting the chief to act on a matter unfavorable to the Drakos family was next to impossible. Buddy had just come to the sad conclusion that waiting for morning was his only option when the phone rang under his hand and made him jump.
“Briggs.”
“Buddy, this might be it. Shirley Ann is on her way to the hospital.”
“How close are the pains?”
“Close enough she felt it was time to go. I’m leaving now. Are you going to be at the station or somewhere I can get in touch with you?”
“I’m leaving now too. See you there.”
“Good-bye.”
“Amanda?”
“Yes?”
“Is Louis Wayne with her?”
“He is. And thanks for saying his name instead of ‘that boy’ or ‘her husband.’ You might make it yet, Mr. Briggs.”
“Don’t give me too much credit. You should hear what I call him when you’re not around.”
“You’re terrible. See you at the hospital. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Chapter Fifty-One
All who knew them said Harlan came home the most changed. His rich, young good looks had given way to a cragginess that didn’t kill his handsomeness but dampened the glamour. His hair lost its sheen, and his eyes were deeper and without the sparkle. He fell quietly back into the life he had left behind and never missed a day of turning the key each morning and night to the front door of Stone’s. Very little change was made to the store in his absence, and very little was made on his return. The most noticeable was one made within a few days of his taking over his duties. He brought from home a portrait of his father that had been on the wall of his mother’s den for years. He placed it on the back wall of the store, directly in sight of customers entering through the front door. There was H. V. again after all these years, at the back of the store, waiting on his customers. And there was his son, standing below him, waiting on whatever life dealt him next.
Cal was the only one of the trio to see action in the Pacific theater while the other two were in Europe. This was the longest separation any of them had experienced from their families and the longest from one another. But when Cal stepped on home soil again, he was ready with a renewed heart and spirit to finally begin the life for which he had so faithfully prepared. He and Ellie left Louisville for his first charge in Columbus, Ohio, with a feeling of personal drive and ambition neither had felt before. The three milestones he had imagined for himself were met in the first month of his tenure at the Hollybrook Methodist Church. Number one: He saw his name with the word Reverend in front of it on the marquee on the front lawn for the first time—a staggering and yet humbling sight. Number two: He joined his first couple in holy matrimony. He was more nervous than the groom, but he got through it without making a fool of himself. (The fact that the marriage ended in divorce eighteen months later was a joke his congregation never let him forget.) And number three: He officiated his first funeral. It was for an old man who hadn’t darkened the door of the church for years even though he was still a member. He had no family and few friends. There were eleven people in the pews and one new minister in the pulpit who had to do a lot of inventive speaking to fill the allotted time.
His mother had passed while he was in service, but their visits back to Mt. Jefferson remained frequent, as his father still lived there and was still able to oversee the management of the hardware store. For Cal, unlike for Ellie, the little town was still very much a part of him.
Briggs and Son had sailed right along during the four years Buddy was gone. Chub had hired help to take over Buddy’s duties, and those things were being done well. And Buddy was glad because he knew he wanted to do something else with his life. He had learned to fly in the service and once considered reenlisting and making a career of it. But he decided against that route, and he fell comfortably back into the life, if not the occupation, he had left behind. A friend from school had first mentioned the MJPD to him two days after he came home. Amanda appeared shocked at his consideration of this suggestion but offered little resistance when he decided to pursue it. That first day in the new blue uniform almost made him change his mind. He had sworn many a day to himself, while in service, that he would never wear a uniform again. He disliked the restrictions the police uniform offered but always respected the essence of its demands. He only wore it for two years. When a new detective division was established, he was appointed head of it and became one of only two plainclothesmen on the force.
Getting acquainted with his three-year-old daughter was the joy of his life. The rumpled pictures he had carried all over Europe did no justice to her sweetness and beauty. She was a miniature of her mother, and he loved them both with an equal and undying passion. He lived for his girls, and life, thank God, was good again.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Amanda was in the waiting room. There were other people around her, but none Buddy recognized as being a part of their circle of family or friends. The same kinds of people always seem to be in an emergency-room waiting area. The young mother with two rowdy kids who hang all over the chairs and roll on the floor until the exasperated mother yells at them and attracts twice the attention their antics have attracted. The elderly couple quietly reading the magazines offered and occasionally whispering secrets of comfort to each other. The restless, anxious, and worried family member who keeps going to the nurses’ station to ask inane, implausible questions, searching for a modicum of comfort.
And always the one who is pacing and smoking and getting a drink from the water fountain and walking to the window and then back to his seat, just to start the same cycle again moments later.
“Have you been back?” Buddy asked as he sat down beside Amanda.
“Not yet. Louis Wayne and one of the nurses took her back. I’m just waiting till I catch someone’s attention at the desk, and I’ll ask them what the status is. They don’t seem too busy. How about you? You doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You talk to Harlan today?”
“On the phone. I thought I’d go up and see him after we get through down here.”
“What about the twins, honey? Don’t you think we should be with Darcy when they get home from camp? Be with her when she tells them?”
“Sure. But there’s time for that. They’re not due back for a few days.”
“Have you eaten supper?” Amanda asked, knowing he hadn’t even thought about it.
“No. You want to get something in the cafeteria here?”
“Sure. As soon as we hear some— Here comes a nurse now.”
The RN approaching them was short with coal black hair. Her skin looked like pasteurized milk. Her eyes were so dark they glistened as the fluorescent lights hit them. Her mouth smiled easily and with a warmth that lit up her face. She was a walking beauty with a personality to match.
“Mr. and Mrs. Briggs?”
“Yes,” Amanda said.
“I thought I recognized you. I’m sure you two must be excited.”
“Oh, we are. Is everything all right back there?”
“That’s what I came out to tell you. Everything is fine. As a matter of fact, I don’t look for much of anything to happen soon. The doctor has seen her. She’s having pains, but they are not as often as they were when she first came in. So he thinks we might be in for a little bit of a wait.”
“That’s fine,” Amanda assured her. “We’ll wait.”
“But that’s what I wanted to tell you. If you need to go anywhere, just leave me your number, and I’ll be glad to give you a call should something begin to happen.”
“We were thinking about going down to the cafeteria and eating supper.”
“Certainly. Why don’t you do that. I’ll come get you if something happens. But just between you and me, I don’t think it will. You’ll have plenty of time to eat. Just ask for me at the desk when you come back, and I’ll come out and catch you up. My name is Korina.”
“Thank you, Korina. I’m Amanda, and this is my husband, Buddy.”
“Yes, I thought so. Nice to see you. You both go have a nice dinner. I’m on duty till midnight, and I’ve been assigned to your daughter, so don’t worry about a thing. She’s in good hands. And Dr. Sanderson is back there, and he’s the best.”
“Thank you so much. We’ll see you in a little bit.”
As they walked off toward the elevator to go to the hospital cafeteria, which was open for both the employees and the public, Amanda spoke in low tones to her husband. “I thought I recognized that girl.”
“Really? Who is she?”
“You don’t know?”
“She looks familiar, but, no, I can’t say I know her.”
“When she told me her first name, then I knew for sure who it was. Korina Drakos. She’s the youngest. The only girl if I’m not mistaken. Isn’t that right?”
Buddy didn’t answer right away. His mind was too full to allow his mouth to operate at the moment.
Chapter Fifty-Three
The crowds downtown were bigger than ever. Storefronts that had been empty while Buddy was growing up were full—not a vacant one in sight. Mt. Jefferson reflected the boom all of America was experiencing two years after the war. It was rare to find a good parking space anywhere on Main Street, and that was both good and bad for the local businesses. However, parking was the least of Buddy’s worries this particular day because where he was headed was within two blocks of the police station, and he enjoyed the walk.
Every window he passed sported an American flag. It was just two days till the Fourth of July, and all of the merchants had come out for it in a big way. Banners and bunting adorned every building; red, white and blue blazed up and down each street. It had been this way both Independence Days since they had come home. It saddened him, the memories a furling flag brought to his mind, but it made him happy to know the citizens appreciated the costly freedom they still enjoyed. He smiled and spoke to nearly everyone in his path until he reached his destination. He pushed on the glass door, held it for a woman and a little girl coming out, and then looked up and saw the familiar figure of the proprietor standing at the counter at the rear of the store.
“Did you come in here to buy something or to shoplift?” the man in the back yelled the length of the store.
“That depends on how I’m treated,” Buddy shot back while walking toward him.
“I’ll treat you the same way I treat everybody. I’ll get all I can before you get out of here.” Harlan laughed as a couple of customers turned and smiled at the banter.
“No, to tell you the truth, I really am here for a special reason. My anniversary.”
“No kidding. Which one is it?”
“The tenth.”
“Oooh. That is a special one.”
“What is the tenth one supposed to be? You know, paper and wood and all that stuff.”
“Diamonds!”
“Really? Diamonds?”
“I’m asked that question about six times a week, and the answer is always diamonds. ‘What’s the third anniversary?’ Diamonds! ‘What’s the fifteenth anniversary?’ Diamonds! Doesn’t matter which anniversary it is, I’m going to sell them something with a diamond in it.”
“Okay, so what do you have? And show me the price first.”
“You don’t have to worry about the price. You pay whatever I pay. Just look around and see what you like. Necklaces and bracelets over here. Earrings and watches over here. Or maybe a bigger diamond to set into her original engagement ring. You tell me, and we’ll fix you up.”
While Harlan was talking and Buddy was bent over looking through the glass tops at all the glitter within, Buddy heard the bell that dinged every time someone opened the front door. He looked up just to see who came in, not so much out of curiosity as out of a cop’s instinct to know what’s going on behind him. He saw a man dressed in a gray pinstriped suit, carrying a newspaper under his arm. Nick Drakos. Buddy went back to his shopping, and Nick stayed at the front of the store as if waiting for someone or something. Harlan continued to talk, instructing Buddy on the items he was looking over and directing him to others he might like. After a while, he heard Nick say in a voice loud enough to carry to the back of the store, “I’ll come back after while,” and then he left with a din
g again.
“What’s that all about?” Buddy asked with complete innocence.
“Just Nick being Nick. He probably had a list of the specials he’s running this week. He drops them off sometimes so we’ll know what’s cooking each day.”
“Why didn’t he drop them, then? He leave because I was in here?”
“Why would you think that? I guess he just wanted to say something but saw I was busy.”
“Just seems a little strange.”
“Hey, don’t put me in the position of defending Nick Drakos. He’s a man all to himself. Just ask Uncle Vic if you don’t think so. I eat lunch at Nick’s place sometimes, but I’ll be the first to tell you he and his boys are some odd characters.”
Buddy let it go and went back to the matter that brought him in to begin with.
“So what really is the tenth anniversary?” he asked Harlan.
“Tin, I think. But who wants to buy their wife something tin? I mean, a drinking cup? A picture frame? Or some cheap candle holders?”
“Maybe I could find something at the hardware store. Or I could consider that bracelet right there.”
“That’s a good choice, my man. You want it gift wrapped?”
“Sure.”
“When is it? I should know. I was there, but …”
“Next week. The eighth.”
Harlan turned serious. “Ten years. And here it is 1947. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Think where we were just five years ago. Do you think about it much?”
“No.”
“Don’t know how you do it. You live in the moment, don’t you? Wish I could.”
Buddy left the bracelet to be wrapped and promised to pick it up later that afternoon. As he walked by the Drakos restaurant, he glanced in the window and saw Nick at his usual table, smoking and reading the paper. He wasn’t sure why the man’s visit to Stone’s bothered him so much. But it did.