Return To Forever

by James Frishkey

  “I’m sorry to bother you but I think there is something you need to be aware of. How much time do you have to talk?” Allison knew Mary was taking a tremendous risk calling her.

  “I’m good.” Mary answered. “Bob is bowling with his team from work. He won’t be home for a while and will be too drunk to do anything but collapse into bed…another day in paradise.”

  Mary and Bob had a modest 3-bedroom ranch in the north Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley which was really classified as Scottsdale. Bob had a job in the accounting department at the Siemen’s plant near the Scottsdale Airport. Mary was trying her hand these days selling real estate. They had a loveless marriage and became pretty good at faking affection for the few friends and neighbors they maintained contact with.

  “So what is it you need to tell me?” Mary asked, concerned that Allison might be in trouble.

  “Joe has contacted me. The poor guy has been through so much but can’t get over how you just dumped him without any explanation. Mary he still loves you and is trying to find you. Why I’ll never know.” Allison paused to let this sink in with Mary.

  Allison could hear Mary beginning to sob. “We were so young,” Mary said. “I really did love him but when I was on my own at college I went a little crazy and we know how that turned out. I can’t believe he still has feelings for me. How does he look?”

  “He’s a great looking guy and a hell of a guitar player. He has his own band and is also taking classes on the GI Bill at Wayne State. I think he had a rough time in Viet Nam but he never talked about it.” Allison went on to explain how he found her and how she called the cops when he made his infamous late night visit.

  “I had to tell him what happened to you at college.” Allison went on. “He deserved a little closure and I wanted him to know you just couldn’t face him, but that’s as far as I went. No mention of Bob’s troubles or what followed.”

  Mary was crying like a baby as she listened to her sister’s story. “God I wish I could sit down with him, face to face, and tell him how sorry I am for what I did to him. He treated me like a princess and accepted all the shit dad put in our way without complaining.”

  “You let a good one get away, sis. But now we have to deal with what he might uncover if he keeps looking for you. That’s why I called. I doubt he can get very far without knowing your married name but, even if he finds that out, the trail ends with WITSEC… unless you don’t want it to end there? It’s your life.”

  “What life?” Mary answered. “Living with a pig who put my life in danger is no life, sis. At least he doesn’t hit me. I am so unhappy. Every day is worse than the last. I have no future Allison.”

  “Do you want me to tell Joe how to reach you?” Allison asked. “You could be putting yourself in great danger. You need to ask yourself if it’s worth it and what you expect to happen when you see Joe again.”

  “You hit me with a lot. I need to think this through carefully.” Mary said.

  They ended the call, agreeing they would talk again the following week. In the meantime, Allison needed to think about how to give Joe the information with the best chance of not getting discovered by the mob.

  —

  “Joey, get the guys together. We have some important business to take care of.” Silvio’s number two took the message and immediately contacted all local family members as instructed. The meeting was to take place in the back room of the original Garcia’s restaurant which the family discreetly purchased when the chain went nationwide. Obviously, good discreet Italian restaurants were hard to find in Phoenix so they brought in their own chef to cook for the crew when they were assembled.

  “OK, listen up.” Silvio announced to the group. “Our friends from Detroit have reached out to us to handle some business for them here in Phoenix. They have been looking for a rat that cost them a lot of money and, guess what, the little prick is right here in our backyard.”

  Silvio picked two of his toughest soldiers and gave them the address of the Circle K where the payphone call came in. “Someone took that call and was given a message. You start with every swinging dick that works at that store and beat it out of them if necessary. Get me a name!”

  The black Town Car parked at the far end of the lot in front of the ice machine and waited until the store was empty. It was around 11 PM when the two mobsters entered the store. One flipped the sign to “CLOSED” and stood by the entrance. The other walked around the store as though he was shopping. The lone employee took this all in and feared a robbery was about to take place. “Please, do not hurt me. Take the money. I will tell no one who did this.”

  “Give me a pack of Marlboros and shut the fuck up.” The employee did as instructed then sat motionless on his stool. “What’s your name?” the mobster asked nonchalantly as he lit a smoke.

  “My name is Sathish Patel. I am the assistant manager.” he answered, shaking in fear.

  “Relax”, the stranger said with a friendly smile on his face. “No one’s gonna hurt you. We just need some information, OK?” The clerk nodded yes. “Good. Now tell me about that payphone out front. Do you get many calls coming in on that phone?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Mostly the phone is used by people making calls but if we are busy it is hard to hear the phone ringing if a call is coming in.” Sathish was beginning to relax.

  The smile vanished from the mobster’s face. “Let me ask this another way. Have you ever answered a call on that phone? If you lie to me I’ll break both your legs…OK?”

  “Please…please, do not hurt me”, Sathish pleaded. “Yes, I did answer a call one night about a month ago. It was a woman’s voice. She asked me to write down a phone number for a friend who would come by and pick it up. I put the note with the number in the cash register and told the other clerks someone would be coming in to pick it up and that person would give them a nice tip.”

  “So was it picked up?” the stranger asked.

  “Yes, it is no longer in the cash register but I am not sure which employee released it.”

  The mobster was clearly unhappy. “Listen Gunga Din, I don’t have time to fuck around with you. We’ll be back tomorrow and you better have the name of the employee who gave away the number. Better yet, have that person in the store when we get here. Go to the cops and we’ll kill your whole family and then cut off your balls and set you on fire.” As Sathish cowered in the corner, the mobster put out his cigarette on the clerk’s forehead and then left the store.

  —

  The rehearsal room payphone rang as expected one week after the two sisters had spoken.

  “Mary? I hope it’s you.” Allison said as she answered.

  “Hi sis…hope all is well with you. I’ve given our last discussion a lot of thought and looked inward to find out what I really want for my future. I’m still a young woman and would like to have children before I get much older. I don’t know if Joe is the answer but I do know that Bob isn’t and I need to get away from him or I will kill myself.” Mary’s voice was firm and her words were sincere.

  “OK. I will give Joe a rough idea of where you are and see what he says. If he decides to try to see you face to face you need to pick a place where you can meet and be inconspicuous. Did Bob ever know about Joe?” Allison wasn’t sure why she even asked that question.

  “No,” Mary replied. “Joe was never discussed.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Like clockwork the two mobsters were back in the Circle K the following evening. Again they parked away from the front and waited until the store was empty of customers before entering. Sathish was waiting and he had a young Hispanic girl with him.

  “Well, I see you brought a new friend tonight Gunga Din. Is this the one who delivered the message that was left in the register?” Again the same thug asked the questions while the other watched the front door.

  “Yes”, Sathish answered. This is Margarita. She was working when the woman came in to retrieve the message.”

  “Hi there sw
eetie. Do you know why we’re here?” The young girl nodded yes to the stranger.

  “Good,” he answered. “I don’t suppose you remember the number that was written on the paper do you?” This time she shook her head no. “OK, how about describing the person who picked up the message. Can you do that for me?”

  “She was a young woman, blonde hair, kind of short. She gave me $20.00 and left in a hurry. She was driving a gray Datsun pick-up.” Margarita was very precise in her description which seemed a little suspicious to the mobster.

  “You sure about the car?” he asked.

  “Yes I am. My brother has the same truck. He does lawn work around the city. I am very sure that is what she was driving.” Margarita continued to cower behind Sathish as she spoke.

  The mobster pulled out a crisp $100 bill and a slip of paper and handed them to Sathish. “Give some of this to your workers. I want you to call this number if you see this woman or her truck again. And get the fucking license plate number next time.” The meeting was over. The two strangers walked out without another word.

  Later that day Silvio called Jackie with an update. “We’re getting close. I’m having my friends in the PPD get me a list of all Datsun pickups registered in Maricopa County. Shouldn’t take long to check it out.”

  “Good.” Jackie answered. “I want to personally put a bullet in their fucking heads.”

  —

  Joe was using a borrowed Les Paul for gigs while his Strat was in hock. He was able to get a decent tone but had to get used to the extra weight of the mahogany solid body. He hadn’t spoken to Rick for over a week and had no clue what he should do with the information he obtained, which was very little.

  Joe had left messages for Allison telling her where he was playing in hopes she would come see him but she had yet to show up. He was back at the “Side Door” and was playing 5 nights a week. The extra money was keeping his head above water but only barely. When he got home after playing Thursday night he saw a message light on his answering machine.

  Hi Joe…its Allison. Hope you are doing well. Got your messages but have been pretty busy with the Symphony and haven’t had a chance to see you play. I would like to meet with you though. It’s kinda important so give me a call when you are free for a couple of hours. Bye.

  All Joe could figure was that it had something to do with Mary and was serious enough that Allison thought it important to reach out to him.

  Two days later they met at the coffee shop they visited when they first met. Allison was waiting for him when he arrived and motioned for him to join her. “Hi, thanks for coming”, Allison said as Joe took a seat. “I’ve spoken to Mary, Joe. She knows about our conversations and wants to see you. She is very unhappy.”

  “Listen Allison”, Joe answered. “I haven’t told you everything that I learned about Mary and her husband. I know about his testifying against the mob and going into Witness Protection with Mary. These are very bad people he ratted against and if meeting with me puts her in even greater danger then I can’t do it. I’ll always love Mary and I think she knows that. This may be the best we can do for each other.”

  Allison reached for Joe’s hand. “She knows the risks, Joe. There are no guarantees in life and you two may never regain what you had…but she wants to try if you are willing.”

  “She’s asking a lot.” Joe continued. “I’ve never been one to run away from a challenge, but I’m smart enough to not run towards one either. This will take a lot of planning and money which I have in short supply.”

  Allison offered to give him her entire savings if that would help sway him. “I know it’s not much Joe but it’s all I have. My sister shouldn’t have to sacrifice her entire future for one mistake. Please help her.”

  Joe knew his life was about to change completely if he agreed to help. Was Mary really worth putting everything on the line for? Yes she was. He was going all in.

  Allison would contact Mary and get a date and place for them to meet. Joe decided to talk to Rick and get some advice. Joe also had some Marine contacts that he could look up for help in Phoenix if the shit hit the fan.

  “You’re out of your fucking mind Joe”, Rick told his old friend after hearing his plan to rescue Mary. “Phoenix is a 2,000 mile drive…three or four days if you’re lucky. Can that piece of shit you drive survive the trip?”

  Joe explained his logic that the little money he had would be needed once he found Mary. Driving eliminated the cost of an airline ticket and rental car. He would just dump the Torino and they would disappear into Mexico, God willing. Also he could bring whatever weapons he might need without trying to get through airport security. “With Allison’s help I have just over $8,000 after getting my 1911 out of hock. I put a new set of tires on the Torino so the odds are pretty good I can make the trip without a problem.”

  Rick saw his friend’s determination to follow through with this crazy plan. “You may need a little more fire power than a .45 pistol. I still have my M25 Sniper Rifle from my Seals days. It shoots like butter and only weighs eleven pounds with the scope attached. You need to take it and also pick up a 12 gauge pump for close quarter engagements, if you get my drift.”

  Two days later Joe picked up the M25 and words of encouragement from Rick. “I hope she’s worth it my friend. Try and stay under the radar. The bad guys have more money and assets than you can imagine and they want blood.”

  On the way out of town, Joe swung by Allison’s house for final instructions.

  “Here is the number you are to call when you reach Phoenix. Leave the number to the motel you are in and Mary will call you with a place for you to meet.” Allison was frightened and excited at the same time. “She’s my only living relative, Joe and I love her and want her to be safe and happy. Do not contact me again until you two are safely in Mexico.” She hugged Joe and gave him a full thermos of coffee and some sandwiches for his long trip. “Good luck.”

  CHAPTER 28

  “Looks like we got seven good hits on our DMV search, Boss.” Sonny Gerardo explained to his Don, Silvio Tedesco. “Two are registered to a couple of taco crunchers in South Phoenix. I doubt they are worth checking out. The others are all over the valley.”

  Silvio finished his espresso then gave Sonny his instructions. “Good. I want you and Pauly to personally check out each of these locations. Remember, it was a gray truck so don’t waste time if you find a different color. When you do find the right one you do nothing. Just get your ass back here and give me the details.”

  Sonny and Pauly were ruthless killers and Silvio’s most trusted soldiers. God help the person who fucked with them or gave them any lip whatsoever. They were eager to handle this and score some points with the boss.

  —

  The Torino was holding up surprisingly well as the miles began to roll up. Joe spent the first night in St. Louis at a small Motel 6 rather than sleep in the car. He carried in the large bag that held his arsenal and spent the evening eating a Big Mac and meticulously cleaning and lubricating the sniper rifle and 1911. The new Mossberg 12 gauge was now loaded with buck shot and Joe taped six extra shells to the stock for quick access.

  Joe also had a map of Arizona and studied various routes he might take to Mexico. The most direct and quickest route was through Nogales…about 3 hours. If they were being chased this was also the route the mob might expect them to take, assuming they saw Mexico as the best exit strategy. He doubted the Torino could make that additional journey and needed to consider using other transportation. Hopefully, Mary had a more reliable vehicle they could use.

  Mary and Allison had a pre-arranged call routine into the rehearsal payphone. Mary knew Joe was on his way and should arrive in Phoenix in around three days. This gave her very little time to make arrangements on her end without alerting her husband or the Marshall Service. When Bob took the truck to work, Mary loaded a small suitcase into the trunk of their Buick Regal and covered it with a tarp and rags from the garage. Getting cash from the bank w
as another problem so she would wait until the last day and take a cash advance against their Visa Card. Bob would find out when he tried to use it and had no available credit left but by then she would be long gone.

  While Mary was tending to her exit arrangements, Joe was finally rolling in to Phoenix. Following Allison’s instructions, he looked for a cheap motel in Scottsdale. As he drove down Camelback Road he spotted another Motel 6 and pulled in. This was perfect and cheap. He checked in after hitting a Wendy’s for some dinner and turned on the TV while he ate. He brought his .45 with him and left the rest of his arsenal in the trunk.

  Joe dozed off watching the Phoenix Suns game and when he awoke it was almost too late to call the Circle K but he thought it best to make the call sooner rather than later. As luck would have it, Sathish was working when the pay phone began to ring. His senses were sensitive to that sound after his run in with the mobsters and he hurried to ring up the customer he was waiting on and ran to answer the phone.

  “Hello?” Sathish said, out of breath.

  Joe was silent for a brief moment before answering. “Is this a Circle K convenience store?”

  “Yes”, Sathish answered. “Who are you calling?”

  “I need to leave a message for someone who will retrieve it in a day or two.” Joe replied. “Please write this number down.” Joe read the number from his motel phone. “The person picking up this message will give you a reward. Got it?”

  Sathish memorized the number before speaking. “I cannot continue doing this. Some very bad people came to the store and are looking for the person who picked up the last message. I am supposed to let them know if another message is left or they will hurt me and my family.”

  Joe was stunned to hear this. It had to be the mob but how in God’s name did they find out that this store was a message drop? If this clerk alerts them, Joe is a dead man and the odds of Mary and her husband surviving go to zero. “Please, listen carefully. If you tell these people about this call you are issuing a death sentence to me and the person this message is for. I know I am asking a lot but people will die if you ignore my request. Do you understand?”