“Everybody’s doing great. How about you guys? What’s it like going from bachelor to full-blown dad?”
“A lot tougher than solving homicides. Kids nowadays…”
“Stop sounding old, Bugs.”
“I am old, for God’s sake. Anyway, we need to get together. And you need to meet Ace. He’s a great kid.”
“I hope he’s not like we were.”
“No way. This kid’s good.”
“All right, we’ll plan on it. Let me know your timing.”
“Hey, I gotta go. I’m pulling up to my place and might have to fight for a parking spot.”
“I don’t miss that part of New York. See you later.”
Before he knew it, Frankie was pulling into a parking spot just outside his door. And people say miracles don’t happen anymore.
He grabbed the stuff from the bodega and climbed the stairs to Keisha’s place. Linda answered.
“Hi, Linda. Keisha here?”
She looked down at the treats in the bag, shaking her head. “She’s playing with a friend, but I see you’re spoiling her again.”
“It’s been a while. I thought I’d bring her and Alex something.” He handed Linda the gum and chips. “By the way, did anyone from CPS stop here in the past few days?”
“Had a lady by looking for Alex.”
Frankie tensed.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell her anything. Said I hadn’t seen that boy since his mother left with her drug-addict boyfriend.”
“I’m sorry you had to lie.”
“Don’t you worry about me lying for you. I’ll lie till I die if it means keeping that boy away from those folks. That’s something you can count on.”
Frankie leaned over and kissed her. “You’re the best. That’s why Keisha is such a good girl.”
Linda’s eyebrows raised. “Huh! I don’t know about the good part.”
“She’s good, all right. I didn’t know how tough raising kids was until I took Alex in. I just hope I’m doing the right thing.”
Linda took his hand and patted it. “I’ve known Alex since he was born, and I haven’t ever seen that boy so happy. You’re a good man, Frankie Donovan.”
“Not everyone thinks so.”
“Shame on them. Alex does, and Keisha does. I trust the judgment of kids against adults any day.”
“Thanks again, Linda. It means a lot to me.”
Frankie had one more flight of stairs to get to his apartment. When he reached the top, he shifted the bag from his right to left hand, then opened the door.
CHAPTER 29
Help
“Hey, Ace, you here?”
The killer waited for Donovan to step inside the apartment. He kicked the door shut, then swung the knife toward Frankie’s kidney. At the last second, Frankie must have sensed something. He turned. The blade dug into his back.
“Nobody here but us,” the killer said.
“Goddamn!” Frankie dropped the bag and stumbled forward.
The killer stabbed again. This one hit Frankie in the gut. It went deep. Frankie doubled over, and reached for his stomach. He tried getting away. The blade caught him again. Another gut shot. Blood poured out. Frankie fell over the back of the sofa and tried to get his gun drawn.
***
Alex heard Frankie call him, then he heard him curse. Then the sounds of fighting. The guy was hurting FD. Alex’s stomach ached and he felt on fire, but he had to risk going for the phone. He crawled out from under the bed, grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1. At the last minute he remembered to put the volume low so the guy wouldn’t hear. He got back under the bed and stayed in the dark.
A lady answered right away. “9-1-1. What is your emergency?”
Alex whispered, “We need help.”
“9-1-1. Are you there? What is your emergency?”
Alex was shaking. His throat felt as if it had closed up. Frankie moaned. He was hurting. Alex had to risk it. He got as close as he could to the mouthpiece and spoke louder, but still in a whisper. “Somebody’s killing my dad. Help us.”
“What did you say? Someone is doing what?”
Alex moved as far away as he could. He spoke louder still. “Someone is in our apartment. He’s killing my dad.”
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“Under the bed. I can’t talk no more.”
“Stay right where you are. Do not move. We have your address. The police and an ambulance are on the way.”
“Tell them to hurry. Please.”
“They won’t be long. Now keep the phone on so I can hear. You don’t have to talk.”
Alex crawled to the other side of the bed again. He pushed the phone to the edge and left it there, then crawled back into the shadows.
***
Frankie rolled off the sofa to the floor, landing on his back. He moaned. The bleeding was bad. He managed to draw his gun and get a grip on it with both hands. Whoever had stabbed him was coming at him again. The shape was blurry, and he wore a mask.
Please don’t let him get Alex.
The man was coming around the side of the couch, coming with the knife. Frankie aimed, fired once. It didn’t stop him. Frankie fired again.
Then he felt the knife go in his chest.
***
The killer stabbed Frankie in the chest. How had he let him get to his gun? Now the cops would come. He raised the knife to strike again, but stopped at a sound.
Sirens! Have to get out.
He looked down. Donovan wasn’t moving.
He stabbed him one more time, then rushed out the door, grabbing his gym bag on the way. He took the stairs to the second floor, looked down the hall, and saw a window at the end. He ran to it, tried to open it but it was stiff. When he got it open, he hang-dropped to the ground. Looked around. Saw no one. Removed the mask and the hoodie. Put both of them in the gym bag, put on his shades, then jogged away. It was only half a mile to his car. Assuming it was still there, he’d be gone before the cops knew where to look.
***
Alex heard the gunshot. He cringed, drew back and bundled himself into a ball. He prayed it had been FD’s gun. Maybe he got him. When the second shot rang out, Alex got worried. He didn’t hear FD. If he shot the guy, wouldn’t he be saying something? Next he heard the door slam. The guy left.
Alex crawled out from under the bed. He peeked out and saw Frankie lying on the floor, a knife in his chest. He ran to him.
Frankie bled from several wounds. Alex put his hand on one to stop the blood. Tears were flowing. “Don’t die, FD. Please don’t die.” He ran to the kitchen, where he grabbed some paper towels. He used them to try to stop the bleeding. He tried to remember anything he’d seen in movies, or on TV, anything to do with stopping bleeding. All he could come up with was applying pressure. He used both hands and pressed the towels into Frankie’s cuts. Frankie didn’t move.
“Don’t die. Please don’t die.”
The door burst open, scaring Alex. Three cops rushed in, guns drawn. One was pointed at him.
“Don’t move,” one cop yelled.
“Did you call 9-1-1?” another said.
“Is there anyone else in the house?” the third guy asked. He was a sergeant. Alex could tell by the uniform.
“He’s gone,” Alex said. “I think he killed my dad. Help him. Do something.”
EMS came through the door. “Step aside. Let us get to him.”
They had to pry Alex off Frankie. Two EMS guys knelt next to him.
“We got a pulse!” the first one yelled.
They put something on FD’s face, then gave him a shot. Before Alex knew what happened, they’d transferred Frankie to a gurney and carried him out. Four more cops came in the door.
“Did you see anything?” the sergeant asked Alex.
“I was under the bed.” Alex cried hard. “I was scared. And now my dad is dead.”
The sergeant sat next to Alex, patting his back. “Your dad’s not dead, and it’s not your
fault. Frankie would be the first to tell you that.”
“You know him?”
He nodded. “I’ve worked with him a few times. He’s a damn good cop.” The sergeant looked to the others. “Whoever did this has to be covered in blood. Get out there and find him. I want this fucker even if we have to tear this neighborhood apart.”
The sergeant and one other cop stayed with Alex; the others went after the intruder.
“I’ve got to go to the hospital,” Alex said.
“Where’s your mother?” the sergeant asked.
“I got no mom. Just take me to the hospital. I need to be with my dad.”
“You okay walking down the stairs by yourself?”
“Yeah.”
The sergeant looked at him, with blood all over his shirt and pants. “How about changing clothes first.”
“No. I need to get there.”
“They’ll have him in surgery for a while. We have plenty of time.” If he’s not dead.
“Okay. Be right back.”
The second cop tapped the sergeant on the shoulder. “Didn’t look good,” he whispered.
“I know.” He looked at the floor. “Lot of blood here.”
Alex came out of the bedroom in new clothes, though he still had some blood on his face and hands. “I heard two gunshots. I think Dad fired at him.”
The sergeant looked around. “Don’t see a gun. The guy might have taken it with him.” He turned to the other cop. “Tell them he may be armed. And have them check hospitals for possible gunshot victims, in case Donovan got him.”
Alex cried all the way to the hospital, and the more he cried, the faster Sergeant Tucker drove. “We’ll be there soon.” He parked by the emergency entrance and took Alex inside. Lou Mazzetti was waiting. Alex ran to him.
“Have you seen FD? Is he okay?”
Lou hugged Alex. “The doctors have him in surgery.”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
Mazzetti leaned down, looked Alex in the eyes. “I know how much Frankie means to you. He means almost as much to those doctors. They’re going to do everything they can to get him well.” He stood, took Alex by the hand. “How about we go grab some espresso, or a Coke if you want it, and we’ll find a good place to wait.”
“Has anybody called Kate? I need to tell her.”
“Shit!” Mazzetti said. “I’ll call her now.”
“I’ll do it,” Sherri said. “Give me her number.”
Lou gave it to her, then turned to Sergeant Tucker. “I want everybody you can get on this.”
“You know it, Lou. We’re gonna get this motherfucker if we have to turn the whole city over.”
“First thing you do is look up a guy named Chad Benning. See if he has an alibi. Get his information from Carol.”
“You got a reason to suspect him?”
“He’s our number one suspect on a quadruple murder.”
“The Couples Murders?”
“That’s the one,” Lou said. “Go find him.”
Lou and Alex found a waiting room and sat in the chairs closest to the operating room door. Alex was nervous, his legs jiggling, hands shaking. Every five minutes or so he got up and paced.
“When are we gonna know something?”
“When they finish,” Lou said. “You want something else to drink?”
“I’m okay. When will Kate be here?”
“She won’t be long.”
For half an hour Alex paced, and worried, and asked about Frankie. As he downed his third Coke, Kate came through the door. He threw his arms around her.
She hugged him, tears coming down her face. “It’ll be okay, Alex.”
“Did you talk to the doctor? Is he gonna make it?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to see you first. I’ll try to find the doctors now. You stay with Lou, okay?”
Lou put his arm around her. “I’m sorry, Kate. I know how you must feel.”
“Any word?”
He shook his head. “Nothing since we got here.”
“All right. Can you stay with Alex for a few minutes? I’m going to see if I can get some information.”
Alex grabbed hold of her. “I want to come with you.”
“You can’t. I’ve got to talk to the doctors, but I’ll be right back.”
“Promise?”
She hugged him. “I promise.”
Kate set a blazing pace down the hall to the nurses’ station. She flashed her badge to the head nurse. “Dr. Kate Burns, Medical Examiner. I wondered if you could tell me what you’ve got on Frank Donovan.”
“Hold on, Doctor. We’re not ready to give him up to you just yet.”
Kate cracked a small smile. “That’s good to know. Is there anything you can tell me?”
“Are you a relative? Friend?”
“We’re engaged.” Not quite, but close.
The nurse looked around, whispered, “You didn’t hear this from me. Got that?”
“I know the drill.”
The nurse nodded. “One of the docs poked his head out a little while ago. He said your man had five stab wounds, three of them bad. One punctured a lung.”
Kate slammed her hand on the counter. “Shit!”
“If he’s got relatives, you might want to call them. The doc said it didn’t look good.”
CHAPTER 30
The Hospital
Lieutenant Morreau brought all of the detectives together for a briefing. “I know most of you have heard by now, but this is the update. Somebody stabbed Detective Donovan at his apartment today.” He stopped to stare at them. “At his goddamn home. With his son there.”
“How’s he doing?” The question came from Rodriguez.
“Last word I got wasn’t good,” Morreau said. “Kate Burns called and said one of the stab wounds punctured a lung. He’s still in surgery.”
“What do you want us to do, Lieu? We have anything to go on?” Bacchus, an old timer, asked that one.
“All we have is a report of a jogger leaving the scene of Frankie’s building. He was wearing gray sweatpants, a light blue top, and a pair of sunglasses. Big sunglasses. He was heading north around the time we showed up.”
“Not much,” Rodriguez said. “How about Donovan’s cases? Anything to follow up on?”
“I’m heading to the hospital as soon as I finish. I’ll get Mazzetti to write up a report and fill everyone in. They’ve been working the Couples Murders so there could be a connection. Until then, I want that neighborhood canvassed. Every household accounted for. If someone isn’t home, leave a card. If they don’t call, go back. If they still ignore you, sit on the house. We need a witness. Got it?”
“We’re on it,” someone yelled from the back. “Whoever did it ain’t coming in alive.”
“I didn’t hear that,” Morreau said. “Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll have Mazzetti send his report as soon as I get there.”
When Morreau arrived at the hospital, he found Mazzetti in the waiting room. “Any news?”
Lou shook his head. “Still in surgery. How about from the teams?”
“Nothing. I just sent everybody out canvassing. I hope we turn up something.”
***
Alex was sitting in a chair, his head leaning against Sherri.
FD’s boss, Lieutenant Morreau looked over. “Is that Frankie’s boy?”
“Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
“Alex, this is Frankie’s boss, Lieutenant Morreau.”
They shook hands. “Alex, I’m very sorry about Frankie. We all are.”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
Morreau looked as if he didn’t know how to answer. “I’m sure he will. God wouldn’t let a good guy like Frankie die.”
“Somebody ought to call Father Murphy,” Alex said. “I think FD would want him here.”
Morreau looked to Mazzetti. “‘FD’?”
“That’s what Alex calls him—FD—for Frankie Donovan.”
“I like it,” Morreau said. “And that�
��s a good idea about Father Murphy. Do you know his number?”
Alex pulled out Frankie’s phone. “This is FD’s cell. It’ll be on here.” He flipped through the contacts list until he found the number, and read it to Morreau.
“Maybe you should give the phone to me,” Lou said.
Alex shook his head. “Not yet.”
Lou whispered to Morreau, “I’ll get it later. I’m sure there’s nothing on there anyway.”
Alex watched as cops came in and out of the waiting room. Some were beat cops in uniform, some were detectives. Other people came by too, a nice lady named Carol, a reporter named Shawna. Alex had seen her on the news before. He remembered because Kate didn’t like her. It was that same kind of feeling he got when Kate talked about Sherri. Good thing Kate was still with the doctors. She wouldn’t like Shawna being here.
Alex listened to all of them. Most talked to Detective Mazzetti, hoping to get updates on FD, and Mazzetti asked the cops if anything was new. Nothing was. It seemed as if nothing was the secret word today. Nothing was new on FD and nothing was being done on finding the guy who hurt him.
The reporter finished talking with Mazzetti, then handed him a business card and left. Said something about having to get the story out on time…Alex didn’t hear it all. As he sat there, a big barrel-chested guy walked in with an armful of flowers. He looked around, spotted Mazzetti, and handed the flowers to him.
Mazzetti stared back.
“How’s Donovan?” the guy asked. His voice was deep.
“What the hell are you doing here, Giorgio?”
“Manny wanted to send flowers. He said to tell you he doesn’t like this kind of thing and if there is anything he can do, you let him know.”
“Tell him that Donovan’s not doing too great, and the last thing he needs is a couple of wise guys coming to visit him.” Lou looked to the side, then whispered, “But tell Manny I said thanks. And I wouldn’t be opposed to any leads that he might hear about.”
Giorgio shook hands with Mazzetti, then left.
Lieutenant Morreau was staring at Mazzetti. “Is that the Manny I think it is?”
“There’s nothing to it, Lieutenant. The guy respects Frankie, and he’s just letting him know.”
“What was the business about leads?”
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