Small Crimes

by Dave Zeltserman

  I squeezed my way to the bar, got the bartender’s attention, and ordered a Guinness. Next to me on my right was a stubby guy with a thick beard, wearing a Red Sox cap and a plaid hunting jacket. He was holding a pint as he talked to one of his buddies, a look of both amusement and disbelief mixed on his face. I leaned closer to eavesdrop on their conversation. They didn’t seem to notice or care.

  I was able to get that the stubby guy’s name was Carl. I didn’t catch his buddy’s name.

  Carl: ‘I can’t believe he didn’t kill him.’

  Buddy: ‘Shit, all he did was shoot him in the arm.’

  Carl: ‘And that was from only five feet away. My two-year-old can shoot better than that.’

  Buddy: ‘He killed the girl, though.’

  Carl: ‘Yeah, he killed her alright. I heard they took her out in a bag. Is that what you heard too, Sam?’

  An old guy with a sour face who stood next to them turned and nodded. Carl and his buddy stopped to finish their beers. They waved the bartender over for another round. I was still waiting for my Guinness.

  Buddy: ‘I wonder where he shot her?’

  Carl: ‘Don’t know.’

  Buddy: ‘Did you ever see her dance?’

  Carl: ‘Yeah, if you could call what she did dancing. What a rotten shame. She was one of the nicer girls there. And you didn’t have to tip her much to get her panties off.’

  Buddy: ‘I always thought Paul was nuts.’

  Carl: ‘Yeah, I don’t know. He did catch them in bed.’

  Buddy: ‘So what? She was a stripper. What did he expect?’ Carl: ‘Yeah, I guess. Jesus, I don’t know.’ He broke out laughing. ‘That DA’s going have a tough time showing his face around town after this.’ And he kept laughing at his own joke.

  I could feel my heart pounding. I tapped him on the shoulder. He stopped laughing and turned slowly to face me, bleary eyed from what must’ve already been several pints of beer.

  ‘What happened here?’ I asked.

  He peered at me for a moment before answering. ‘We had a double shooting at the motel up the street,’ he said. ‘A guy caught his stripper girlfriend in bed with the DA, Phil Coakley – you know, the guy whose face is all fucked up? He killed his girlfriend but only shot Coakley in the arm. What I hear, Coakley tackled him and knocked him out. Police have the guy now.’

  ‘The dead girl’s a stripper named Susie?’

  ‘Yeah, Susie Baker. The guy who killed her is Paul Frechotte. You know them?’

  ‘Sort of. Not really. Any idea how Frechotte knew they were in the motel room?’

  He shook his head slowly. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

  ‘You look familiar,’ he said. ‘Do I know you?’

  While we were talking, his buddy stood behind him grinning like an idiot. At some point, I guess he recognized me. His grin disappeared and he seemed to sober up. He nudged Carl and leaned over so he could say something in his ear. I could see recognition flash in Carl’s eyes. Without saying a word, the two of them moved away from me. As I looked around the bar I could see others had recognized me. They weren’t staring at me outright, but I could see them sneaking glances at me. I could see other people being nudged and whispered to.

  The bartender had just brought me my beer. I dropped five bucks on the bar and got out of there.

  When I got to my car my hands were shaking. I had to sit for a few minutes before I could pull out of the parking lot. I kept thinking of Susie, of how sweet and innocent she had seemed, and how much, even with her clothes off, she had looked like a high school cheerleader. I imagined how the scene at the motel went down. I could imagine Frechotte breaking in on them, gun already drawn, shooting Susie first, and then shooting wildly as Phil rushed him. It probably didn’t take much for Phil to knock him out. I knew, at least at some level, that I was responsible for what happened. I knew how Frechotte found out about that motel room.

  I drove straight to the county jail in Bradley. A roaring in my head drowned out the road noise. I could barely hear anything above it. And I could barely see where I was driving. It was as if I had blinders on. As if I had no peripheral vision. The little I could see was clouded by a red haze. Somehow, though, I got there without cracking up. When I got out of my car, I stood and waited while the roaring in my head subsided and the haze faded. Then I went inside and searched for Morris.

  I found him in his office. He was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk and his eyes closed. When he heard me, his eyelids lifted so he could peer at me.

  ‘You know where Dan is?’ I asked.

  ‘Probably at the crime scene. Things didn’t work out the way you planned, did they, Joe?’

  ‘Morris, I had nothing to do with this. I swear.’

  His eyelids dropped a bit, but otherwise his expression of complete indifference remained unchanged.

  ‘Susan Baker was only twenty-two,’ he croaked out in a tired voice. ‘Are you happy with yourself?’

  ‘Morris, I swear, I didn’t know any of this was going to happen—’

  ‘Of course you did, Joe. Phil has something on you and Dan, doesn’t he?’

  I shook my head.

  ‘That’s why you arranged to meet Dan here yesterday,’ he said.

  ‘I didn’t arrange that—’

  He held up a hand to stop me. It looked like it took all the strength he had.

  ‘No, please,’ he said. ‘Don’t embarrass yourself like this, Joe. Somehow you found out about that girl and Phil. You arranged to meet Dan here. Then the two of you planned what happened today. Except all you accomplished was causing an innocent girl to be killed. Because Phil survived with only a flesh wound.’

  ‘Morris, I had no idea about any of this.’

  ‘Joe, please.’ He showed me a sad smile. ‘I actually thought of us as friends. I actually thought that there was something of substance inside you, that you could reform yourself and live a decent life. But I was wrong. We’re through, Joe. We’re not friends anymore.’

  He let his eyelids close. As far as he was concerned I wasn’t there.

  I stood frozen, wanting to explain to him how wrong he was, but I realized there was nothing to explain. I turned and left.

  I didn’t know what else to do so I drove back to my motel room, dialed Dan’s beeper, and left a message. The waiting was murder. I was feeling so jumpy and sick inside. All the damage I was causing was adding up. I had already put two boys in the hospital and now this. Because of me a young girl lay dead in the morgue. And of course there was more than that. There was Phil. And I guess in some way, Clara. Even my own parents…

  I tried watching TV to get my mind off it all, but I couldn’t lie still. I had too much nervous energy. Every few minutes I’d have to get off the bed and do pushups or pace the room. I needed to get a hold of Dan and have him explain what happened. Of course I knew what happened, but I needed him to explain it.

  Around a quarter to six there was a soft knock on my door. I opened it and saw Dan standing there. He stepped into the room quickly, closing the door behind him. I watched as he walked over to a chair and sat down. He tilted the chair back so it leaned against the wall, and loosely clasped his hands behind his head. As he looked up at me, he smiled pleasantly, but his coloring was pasty and he looked worn out around the eyes and mouth. He remarked about what a fleabag I had picked.

  ‘You think with the money I gave you you could’ve picked a better place, Joe. Jesus, I’ve been in gas station rest rooms that I’d rather sleep in,’ he said.

  I could feel myself trembling as I stared at him. I had an urge to kick his chair legs out from under him and send him crashing to the floor. I started to say something, but forced my mouth shut. I didn’t trust myself yet to talk.

  ‘You probably heard about what happened today,’ he said. ‘What a mess. I’ve been up to my ears in it all day. I got here as soon as I could.’

  I asked him how Frechotte ended up at that motel.

 
; He made a face. ‘Come on, Joe, after what you told me? You should know the answer to that.’

  ‘I’d like to hear it anyway.’

  ‘You would, huh? Okay, Joe, I’ll tell you what you already know. I had one of my boys follow Susie this morning. When she went to the motel, and later when Coakley showed his ugly face, I called Frechotte and told him about it. Anonymously, of course, and from a payphone. If he wasn’t such a fucking jerk-off our problems would be over now.’

  ‘You sonofabitch.’

  ‘And why’s that?’

  ‘You had no goddam right.’

  ‘What are you talking about? Joe, I did only what you wanted me to do.’

  ‘I never wanted you to do that.’

  ‘Really?’

  I didn’t answer him. He was still smiling pleasantly, and as he looked at me, a glint of genuine amusement shone in his eyes.

  ‘Joe,’ he said, ‘who are you trying to kid? Why’d you tell me about Coakley banging that broad?’

  ‘I already told you why the other day.’

  ‘Yeah, right. You expect me to believe that cock-and-bull story you gave me? That you only wanted me to follow Coakley around so I could catch him in the act and file a morals charge against him? You think I’m an imbecile?’

  Whatever was in his eyes died. As he looked at me, his smile tightened into something vicious. He stood up and moved close to me. Close enough that I could smell his breath.

  ‘You want to take a swing at me, is that it, Joe?’ he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. ‘Well, go right ahead, but I promise you I want to kick your teeth in a hell of a lot more than you could imagine. What happened today is your fault. Don’t kid yourself otherwise. If you had taken care of things like you were supposed to, I wouldn’t have had to send that puffed-up piece of crap Frechotte to that motel room.’

  He was breathing heavily, his breath stale and oppressive, a bit like rotting garbage. I had to force myself to keep from stepping away from him. Then the moment passed. His eyes came back to life and his smile loosened into something more recognizable. He shook his head as if to indicate that I was nuts, and then sat back in the chair and crossed his legs.

  ‘You were right about Grayson,’ he said. ‘I cornered him this morning and got him to tell me that he’s meeting with Coakley and Manny Wednesday to iron out a deal. And you’re right, the deal’s going to protect Junior. So Joe, I’m expecting you to take care of this today. How are you going to do it?’

  ‘I’m not telling you shit.’

  ‘No, that’s not a good answer. Three of my boys are waiting outside. Unless I hear something more convincing, I’m going to bring them in here and we’re going to take care of things here and now. So Joe, how are you going to take care of this?’

  As I looked at him I knew he meant what he said. He casually took his revolver out of its holster and rested it on his knee. I knew I was a breath away from being a dead man.

  My throat had dried up on me. I had to clear it before I could talk.

  ‘I’ll take care of this,’ I said, my voice cracking.

  ‘What did you say? I couldn’t hear you. Your voice kind of faded on you.’

  I went into the bathroom and poured myself a cup of water. I couldn’t have gotten a word out without it. I drank it slowly and walked back to him. I stopped when he moved his hand to get a better grip on the gun.

  I told him again that I’d take care of things.

  ‘That’s not good enough, Joe. You’ve been letting me down for three days now. I want to hear details. I want to be convinced.’

  ‘I can’t tell you,’ I said. ‘Someone else is involved. But it’s all worked out. Manny will be gone by morning.’

  ‘Joe, come on, you should know there are no secrets between us. I want to know every little detail.’

  I could feel the sweat building on the back of my neck. I shook my head.

  He pursed his lips as he studied me. I could tell he was trying to make up his mind, and I could see it in his eyes when he settled on a decision. He put his gun back in its holster and smiled as pleasantly as I ever saw him.

  ‘Okay, Joe, you have until tonight. But I hope you understand, I’m not playing anymore. You understand that, right?’

  I nodded.

  ‘So tell me, this other person, you didn’t by any chance mention my name to him?’

  ‘No. No one else has been mentioned.’

  ‘That’s good, Joe. You’re using some brains for a change. Keep it up. Maybe we’ll all be able to look back at this someday and get a good laugh out of it.’

  He stood up, gave me a wink, and headed towards the door. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help myself.

  ‘It doesn’t bother you what happened to that girl?’ I asked.

  He turned to me and shrugged. ‘Of course it does,’ he said. ‘If it were up to me, Frechotte would have unloaded a full clip into Coakley’s face and left her out of it. If he had done that, this would be over now and we’d have the added benefit of a closed casket.’

  His smile turned wistful as he thought about it. He shook his head sadly. ‘But it wasn’t up to me, Joe,’ he continued, ‘just as it wasn’t up to me that you’ve been fucking around with this the last three days. But I will miss her. She was a sweet girl, and you don’t get a chance to see a nice little red bush like hers every day.’

  He left then.

  The back of my shirt had soaked through with sweat. I got out of my clothes, took a quick shower, and dried off the best I could with the dishrag that had been left in the bathroom to masquerade as a bath towel. Afterwards, I got dressed and sat on the bed and looked at the pictures I had of Melissa and Courtney. When I felt strong enough, I threw whatever I had into my duffel bag and checked out of the motel. As I drove to Bradley Memorial Hospital, I spotted one of Dan’s deputies, Hal Wheely, following me in an unmarked Chevy.

  I made no attempt to lose him. He did a pretty clumsy job of tailing me, and he must’ve known that I spotted him. But I guess he didn’t care.

  Chapter 15

  It was twenty to seven by the time I pulled into the hospital parking lot. When I got to the lobby, I noticed Alice Cook behind the information desk. She avoided my eye as I walked past her.

  I thought I’d catch Charlotte before her shift ended. I didn’t feel that I could wait until eight to see her. As I headed towards the terminal ward, I spotted Junior and his two goons, Jamie and Duane, at the other end of the hallway walking towards me. When he saw me, a big ugly grin broke across his face.

  ‘Hey, Joe,’ he yelled out. ‘Whatcha doin’ here? You’re not planning on bothering my pop again, are you?’

  I stopped where I was. Junior and his two goons kept coming, maybe even speeding up their pace. When Junior reached me, he moved alongside me and put his arm around my shoulder.

  ‘Get your hands off me,’ I told him as I braced myself.

  ‘Hey, I’m just talking friendly-like to an old friend, that’s all,’ Junior said. His two goons had positioned themselves so I was sandwiched between all three of them.

  ‘I told you to get your hands off me,’ I said.

  ‘Lighten up. We’re all friends here, okay? Now I asked you, are you here to bother my pop again?’

  ‘Junior, I’m going to tell you for the last time to get your hands off me.’

  I had taken my car keys out of my pocket. I could feel my muscles tensing. Even with his two goons standing next to me, I’d be able to get a couple of shots in. I’d make sure that Junior was bleeding from somewhere before they pulled me off him. I guess Junior realized that also. His ugly grin dulled a bit and he removed his hand from my shoulder. He backed up half a step. His two goons stood where they were.

  ‘Hey, don’t go psycho on me, okay?’ Junior said. ‘I’m just talking to you as an old pal, that’s all. Want to know something, Joe? I hung out with Pop later than usual today hoping you’d show up.’

  ‘I’m glad I didn’t disappoint you.’


  ‘You think you’re so goddam smart, but guess what? You’re not as bright as you think you are. I knew sooner or later you’d try bothering Pop again with your bullshit.’

  ‘Is that so?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s so. And I want to tell you I figured out how you’re going to pay for bothering Pop the other day.’

  ‘I thought you told me last night.’

  He looked away from me to his two goons. ‘What’s he talking about?’ he asked them. ‘Anyone say shit to him last night?’

  Both Jamie and Duane shook their heads. Junior looked back at me. ‘I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,’ he said.

  ‘You took a couple of shots at me last night.’

  ‘I did, did I?’ he asked. He turned to his two goons and asked them, ‘Either of you know anything about this?’ Neither of them said anything.

  He turned back to me, his grin now tight against his face. ‘You’re nuts, Joe. If I took a shot at you, you wouldn’t be standing here now.’

  ‘Somebody took two shots at me.’

  A young doctor, probably around thirty, was approaching from behind. He made sure to give us a wide berth as he passed by. Junior waited until he was out of earshot before he leaned closer to me.

  ‘Look somewhere else, pal,’ he said, making an effort to keep his voice low. ‘I’m sure if you look hard enough you’ll find plenty of other guys who’d like to plug you. But not me. Not while you owe me money. And that’s what I want to talk to you about. What you owe me is being bumped to forty large.’

  I couldn’t help laughing.

  ‘Laugh all you want, bright guy. The extra ten grand is the price you’re paying for bothering my pop. And now I want a minimum eight grand each week.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I want peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind. We don’t all get what we want, Junior.’

  ‘I’ll get it, don’t worry. I’ll either get the forty grand in money or in enjoyment. One way or the other I’ll get it.’

  ‘Don’t hold your breath.’

  His face flushed and his eyes half-closed as he glared at me. ‘You think you’re so fucking smart, don’t you? Let me tell you something, Joe, the difference between you and me is I don’t say a word without having everything set up first. You, you go shooting off your mouth without knowing what the fuck you’re saying. I got something for you to look at.’