“Anything for you...what do you need?” replies T.J.
“First, tell no one you've heard from me...no one at all, no matter who asks. Understand T.J.?” says Liam.
“I got it, Liam. You don't trust anyone, do you?” asks T.J.
“I trust you with my life,” says Liam.
“Second, can you see if the dead subject you identified to me last night as Bobby Dale Pentecost has any listed family on his prison records? I'm wanting to know his relationship to the Bobby Dale Pentecost I put in the penitentiary over twenty years ago,” says Liam.
“Do you think it's his son?” asks T.J.
“It makes sense,” says Liam. “I'll call you back in about three to four hours and see what you've found out.”
“Liam, I look forward to seeing you again. I've missed you these past months,” says T.J.
“I've missed you too. Hey, when the time is right, we'll hoist a few to those who are no longer with us,” says Liam.
“You remember what Dad used to say?”
“When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!” “That might be the only way I can sleep these days, T.J.,” says Liam.
“Still can't sleep, Liam?” asks T.J.
“You know you need to see a doctor.”
“I'm afraid to sleep, T.J. I'm afraid to dream. I see Kelley in my dreams. The hardest part is waking up and realizing she's gone...she's gone. I just miss her,” says Liam.
“I wonder if I told her I loved her enough? If I was a good husband to her, was she happy? I should have danced more with her. Every damn day I think of this!”
“One day at a time, Liam,” says T.J.
“Some days are better than others. I'll call you in a little while, talk to you then. Goodbye,” says Liam.
Liam drives on to his next planned stop in Hartford, Connecticut.
Two hours of driving and Liam remembers he must take his daily medication. He stops at a roadside store and takes his pills. He looks over and sees a pay phone, and decides to call Tina. I'll call her to check on Sandy, thinks Liam. He starts to dial Tina's phone number and oddly, he starts to get nervous about what to say.
“Hello, Tina, this is Liam. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. No, I'm not tired yet. I just called to see how you and Sandy are getting along. Yeah, I should have told you she likes to sleep on the bed. Yes, I'm taking my medications. How'd you know about that? Oh, I see. I'm sorry there's not much food in the fridge. She did... no! Tina, it's okay, it's fine. I'll call her back soon. Thanks for everything.
I'll call back soon to check on you two. That’s my plan, Tina. I plan on being back as soon as I can.”
Liam hangs the phone up and thinks to himself, there's something about that woman. He continues driving on, knowing that Molley called and spoke with Tina this morning. Molley wanted to know where he was and if he had started back to Boston already. Uncle Henry, the informer! Well, if Molley knows, Mama does too, thinks Liam. No time to deal with it.
d
“Hello, yes ma'am, this is Officer Youngblood, but please call me Tina. She did... yes, that's right, I'm watching Sandy for a few days. Well, I have a couple of days off, so I thought I would help Mr. O'Connor. Yes, ma'am, Liam left last night. Uh, I could come out and see you at around noon, if that's a good time for you, Mrs. O'Connor. Okay, I'll see you then, ma'am.” Tina hangs up the phone. What have I gotten myself into, she thinks. Well, Tina, just be yourself. God has a plan, so deal with it.
Tina looks at Sandy and says,
“I better get you fed and walked before I head out and see Mrs. O'Connor.”
Tina places a leash on Sandy and starts out the front door. They begin to walk around the complex and are met by residents who ask about Sandy and Liam. Tina learns that Liam is known in their small community as the dog walker. Apparently, he walks other residents’ dogs when their owners are unable to. Tina gets a sense that Liam is well-liked in the community. The shooting at his place has caused the rumors to run wild. She wonders what they will say now.
d
Hartford, Connecticut, at last, thinks Liam. I'll stop and get some solid food, and call T.J. Liam pulls off the freeway and gets some gas for the Toyota. Wintertime in the north, thinks Liam. He's always liked the colder weather in Boston and the northeast, but he can't help thinking about how Kelley died. Liam crosses the street and pulls into the parking lot of a restaurant called The Idle Spur Bar and Grill. I could go for a shot of Jameson and a pint of Guinness, he thinks. He knows he has a few hours’ drive before he reaches Boston, so food only. He calls T.J. from a pay phone near the bar.
“Hello, T.J... yeah, I'm in Hartford, so I'm a couple hours away. Did you find anything out? That's what we thought... Bobby Dale Pentecost is the son. He was a junior, then. What do you mean, not really? His father and his uncle, Randall Dale, were killed in a gang riot six months ago at the United States Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia? That explains some things, T.J. You got a letter for me? Who sent it? When was it sent to you? You got it today, but it was mailed out two days ago from Nickolas Torigiani? I thought Captain Torigiani was still in custody? Okay. T.J., I'll be in Boston in a few hours. Yeah, that's my first stop, I'll call you from there,”
Liam enters the restaurant and orders a meal. He remembers Captain Torigiani was a close friend of his father's and wonders if the captain is aware of his father's death. Nick Torigiani was found guilty of second-degree murder about seven years ago. Torigiani stabbed to death Boston's assistant district attorney, at that time, Alton Mills. Mills' death occurred during the time Liam was recovering from a gunshot wound. Liam remembers being thankful he didn't have to arrest Captain Torigiani. His father and Torigiani had been close in their earlier years on the force, but drifted apart as Captain T. was promoted through the ranks. He finishes his meal and starts back on the road, knowing his final stop is a few hours away. He continues to drive to Boston, wondering why Pentecost and Shea would have envelopes containing hundred-dollar bills—unless someone was paying them.
Chapter 8
COFFEE, COOKIES, AND CHEMISTRY
TINA ARRIVES AT THE CARRIAGE HOUSE assisted living facility. She enters the front doors and walks to Mrs. O'Connor's room, but stops before knocking. Just be yourself, Tina, she thinks. She knocks on the door, and a short time later the door opens. Mrs. O'Connor, speaking in her soft Irish Boston accent, says,
“Please come in, Officer Youngblood.”
“Call me Tina, ma'am. I'm not working now.”
Tina slowly walks through the door.
“Tina, please sit with me in the living room. I'm so worried about Liam. I thought you might be able to clear some things up.”
“I would be glad to, if I can, ma'am.”
“Oh, call me Maggie.”
“Okay, Maggie it is.”
“Did Liam tell you anything about who he was going to see in Boston?” asks Mrs. O'Connor.
“No, he didn't. He said he would be gone for awhile, and asked if I would watch Sandy,” says Tina. “He asked if I'd like to stay at his place while watching her. He thought it might be easier to just stay there. He really said very little before he left.”
“That's my Liam,” says Mrs. O'Connor. “The quiet one. Liam wasn't much for words before Kelley's death, but after her death he's not let many people through that wall he put up. My fear is that he'll slip deeper and deeper into his own abyss, until one day, we'll lose him,” says Mrs. O'Connor. “You're my ray of hope, Tina. For Liam to ask you to stay at his place and watch that old dog means, to me, he has some feelings for you. He's interested in you. Molley called and told me about talking to you,” says Mrs. O'Connor.
“Ma'am, I don't mean to cause any problems for Liam and his daughter. I'll leave Liam's place,” says Tina.
“Tina, you'll do no such thing. Molley and I are happy about this new situation. I'll just
leave it as a situation right now,” says Mrs. O'Connor with a smile.
“Would you like some tea or coffee, and cookies? I'm going to have some. Please have some.”
“Yes, coffee please,” replies Tina.
Mrs. O'Connor walks slowly over from the dining room area to the kitchen, pours coffee into two cups, and prepares a plate of homemade cookies. Tina looks toward the kitchen and asks if she needs help with anything. Mrs. O'Connor sticks her head back into the living room with a bottle of Jameson whiskey in her hand and asks Tina if she'd like an Irish coffee. Tina tells Mrs. O'Connor just a plain black coffee would be fine. Tina looks toward the kitchen and sees Mrs. O'Connor pour a little whiskey and brown sugar into her own cup of coffee, and then stir the cup with a spoon. She watches as Mrs. O'Connor returns from the kitchen. Mrs. O'Connor hands Tina her cup of black coffee while she begins to sip her special coffee.
“I have a little snoot every day. It thins the blood and keeps me young,” says Mrs. O'Connor. “Joseph, Liam’s father, drank Jameson and Irish beer like most people drink milk. Like a lot of Irish men, Joseph grew up with a pub mentality. When Liam was growing up, I used to tell Liam to go and get his father from his favorite pub two or three times a week. It's the culture with Irish men. Instead of going home after work, they would go to the local pub, have a few, and then maybe come home.”
“Ma'am, I mean Maggie, when I was here earlier with Lieutenant Tibedoe, I saw a photo on the wall with two men in uniform,” says Tina.
“Oh! Yes, that's Liam and his father,” says Maggie.
She and Tina walk over to a wall near the kitchen, and Mrs. O'Connor removes several pictures from the wall as they walk back to the living room and sit. Mrs. O'Connor sips her coffee and tells Tina that the photo of Joseph and Liam was taken when Liam graduated from the police academy.
“That photo was one of Joseph's favorites. Mine is his graduation photo from Boston University,” says Maggie.
Mrs. O'Connor tells Tina that Joseph wanted their eldest son, James, to be a police officer. She tells Tina that Jimmy was killed in Vietnam. She goes on to say that the death of Jimmy took a toll on them all.
“Joseph drank more, Liam talked less, and I went to church. That war took a little from all of us. It seems the O'Connors hide their emotions, each in their own way,” says Maggie.
“Tina, did you know that Liam and his father worked together for a short time, when Liam was a rookie patrol officer? Liam had big shoes to fill within the department. His father worked the streets through rough times for twenty-plus years before Liam came along. Liam's first shooting was with his father in Dorchester,” says Mrs. O'Connor. “Dorchester, Boston, in the ’80s was a very diverse community, still mostly African Americans. Liam was known in the community as a football player and coach, but now he was dealing with people as a cop. I think he earned respect from the different communities of Boston as a police officer through his fairness to all, something his father taught him,” says Mrs. O'Connor.
“Tina, would you like more coffee or anything?”
“No, I'm fine, Maggie,” says Tina. “What happened with Liam and his father in Dorchester?”
“Oh,” Mrs. O'Connor says, “I'm sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes. One summer night, they were dispatched to a woman screaming at an apartment complex. When they arrived, they were met by several residents who told them a woman on the third floor was screaming that her husband was stabbing her. A neighbor told Liam and Joseph that the man and his wife fight all the time. She told them her husband used dope, and when he does, he gets crazy. Liam and Joseph go to the third floor and see people standing in their doorways, pointing to the door of an apartment. Liam knocks and announces who they are, but is told to go away. They stood outside the front door. Both could smell something god-awful burning inside the apartment. Joseph kicked in the front door, and Liam and Joseph entered the apartment. They walked toward the kitchen area and saw the wife lying on the floor near the kitchen table. She'd been stabbed multiple times in the chest and face, including having her throat cut open from ear to ear. The woman's left breast had been cut off. Joseph told me that the blood flowed from one side of the kitchen floor to the other. He said he hadn't seen a sight like that since Korea. Liam continued into the kitchen and saw the husband, nude, standing over the stove.” Mrs. O'Connor stops for a moment, shakes her head, and then continues on with the story. “Liam and Joseph see the husband is armed with a foot-long, one-inch-wide boning knife. The husband is standing over the stove, frying something in a large pan. Liam orders the man to drop the knife, but he refused to. Joseph told me the smell in the kitchen coming from the frying pan was unbearable. He said it sounded like someone was frying bacon, because of the hissing and popping sound coming from the pan. Liam looked into the pan and saw the husband was frying his two-month-old baby. Liam shot the man twice in the chest and twice in the head. Joseph said as the man slumped to the ground, Liam fired twice more into his head. Liam removed the baby from the pan, but the baby was burnt too badly to survive. They tried to save the mother, but she bled out in their arms on the kitchen floor. After the investigation was completed, it was found that the husband was under the influence of something called PCP,” says Mrs. O'Connor.
Mrs. O'Connor went on to tell Tina that an investigation into the shooting took place, as per Boston Police policy, on all officer-involved shootings. She said the community in Dorchester was angry at the officers and the department for the shooting.
“Tina, would you like more coffee, or perhaps more cookies?” asks Mrs. O'Connor.
“No, Maggie, I'm doing fine,” says Tina. “Didn't the department explain to the public what happened?” she asks, looking at Mrs. O'Connor with great interest.
“Well, they finally did just that. Liam and Joseph were suspended until the investigation into the shooting was completed. With the community in Dorchester demanding answers, Police Commissioner Fitzpatrick called a press conference and told the people of Boston how and why the shooting occurred. Tina, the Commissioner should have won an Academy Award. If you weren't in tears at the end of that press conference, you’d better have yourself checked. The community of Dorchester came out in solid support of the department. Joseph and Liam were never to work together again. The department publicly gave them awards for valor, but what most people didn't know was that Liam received several days’ suspension.”
“For what?” asks Tina.
“Liam was found to have been outside of department policy, having shot two additional times into the head of the husband. Joseph always said that Liam had been baptized into department politics. Liam's quiet demeanor and willingness to lead by his actions gained him great respect among his peers. To this day, Liam can't stand to be in a kitchen when anything is being fried.” Mrs. O'Connor continues, “The reason I wanted you to come over today was to find out if you knew what was going on with Liam, but also to let you in on some history of our family, perhaps to help you know us better. I can tell you have questions. I could see that, the first time you were here. I want Liam to start living again. He has been alone long enough. If it wasn't for that old dog of his... I don't know!”
“He sure is attached to that dog,” says Tina.
“Tina, with Liam, there are reasons for everything. The Irish have a saying, 'If he's not fishing, he's mending his nets.' That means he's someone who is always planning, a thinker. Liam doesn't let a lot of people get close to him. He believes not letting people get close makes it easier when they leave. When his brother James died, was the first time I noticed Liam retreat back into his own private little world.”
“He seems well liked by many people,” says Tina.
“That is true, true. But I think you can be liked by many, but still feel alone,” says Mrs. O'Connor.
“But we were talking about Sandy, weren't we, dear? That dog of his was a present from a high school football player of Liam's. The player was a music student of Kelley's, too. Daniel Edgemont gave Kelley that boxe
r pup when Liam was recovering from being shot about seven years ago. Liam was hurt pretty bad, and we thought he was going to be medically retired. Liam always said he wanted to complete his shift after thirty years and just retire without any fanfare, but not retire from an injury. Edgemont thought 'Coach O' needed a workout partner. Little did he know, Molley had moved out to start her new career in Atlanta, and Kelley and Liam were now empty nesters. That dog was a welcome addition to the family. Several months passed, and Liam went back to work. Edgemont graduated and went into the Army. He was killed in Iraq several months later. Liam named that dog Sandy because Kelley always called Edgemont 'Sandy,' because of his sandy brown hair. Sandy’s been a great companion to Liam, but one day, she'll leave him too.”
“Maggie, tell me about the last picture you have of Kelley and Molley,” says Tina.
“Are you sure you want to know the story of Liam and Kelley?” says Mrs. O'Connor.
“I'll tell you, but I want you to know, I believe a person can find true love a second time around. God has a plan for us all! Something tells me you and Liam have chemistry. Remember, when God closes one door, He opens another,” says Mrs. O'Connor.
“Liam and Kelley were childhood sweethearts. We've known Kelley since she lived across the street from us at age five,” says Mrs. O'Connor. “Liam and Kelley were the same age and went to the same schools. On one occasion, Liam, Kelley, and I went down to the shipyards to bring Joseph his lunch. From time to time Joseph would work a second job at the shipyard of his war buddy, Sal Pennilli. We brought him lunch on a warm summer day, and while I was having lunch with Joseph, we heard a loud scream by the edge of the docks. We looked over, and the next thing we saw was Liam jumping into the water. Joseph and I ran over just in time to see Liam pulling Kelley to the side of the docks. Liam and Kelley came out of the water looking like two soaked rats,” laughs Mrs. O’Connor. “Kelley had been walking near the edge and fell off the side. Joseph told me later that night, he was proud of Liam. Even at the young age of thirteen, Liam never hesitated to jump in after Kelley. It seemed like they were a couple from then on. We expected to hear about arguments or weekly breakups from the two, but it never happened. They grew with each other through high school and college. Liam was the sports-minded, quiet individual, and Kelley was the red-haired, green-eyed outgoing woman, always busy with her love of music. They respected each other's interests, and at the same time were always very supportive of each other. They loved each other very much. They had chemistry!”
The Key to Betrayal Page 8