Begrudgingly, Ken nodded his head. He was weak from hunger, and his mouth felt as dry as sand. Lowell excused himself and got up, disappearing behind him. After a few minutes of rattling around in the kitchen, there came the unmistakable sound of a microwave oven. A short while later Lowell returned, with a steaming plate of beef stew. Ken grimaced.
“What is it?” Lowell asked.
“Beef stew,” replied Ken. “We lived on it for over a year.”
Lowell laughed at that as he spooned up a mouthful. “Well, beggars can’t be choosers, can they?”
“No, they certainly can’t,” said Ken.
And Ken sat there like a baby as Lowell slowly spoon-fed him, pausing to pass Ken a glass of cold water that he drank with a straw. As much as he hated to admit it, beef stew had never tasted so good. He ate one bowl and half of another. All the while, he thought about this strange turn of events. He prayed for another miracle and thanked God for the one he’d just been blessed with. He thought that given time, he just might find a way out of the mess he’d gotten himself into. There was suddenly light in his heart. And that light was Patty.
Chapter 36
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” ~ Aristotle Onassis
As they approached the van, Pops turned and held his hands up in the air. “Hang on,” he hissed. “I almost forgot to tell you something important. Sheldon is really sensitive about his nose. Do not mention it, do not look at it, and for God’s sake, do not laugh at it.”
“What type of people do you think we are?” Julie asked, obviously insulted that Pops had even felt the need to warn them. “Give us a little credit, will ya?”
“What happened to his nose?” Jimmy whispered.
“From what I understand, it was a hunting accident. I don’t know much more than that. Shelly don’t like to talk about it and I don’t blame him. Just remember, you’ve been warned.”
Julie rolled her eyes and tossed her head back and took the lead, walking straight for the van. Pops shook his head and Jimmy could see the hint of anger in his eyes. “I’m sorry about her,” Jimmy whispered. “She’s stubborn and bull-headed.”
“Yeah?” asked Pops. “Well, I think you’re being kind, but that ain’t none of my business. Come on, let’s go get you introduced.”
Jimmy secretly wished Pops wouldn’t have said anything about his friend’s nose. The closer they got to the van, the more he began to dread meeting this man. Just look him in the eye, he told himself over and over.
Sheldon was out of the van now and Jimmy could see his shuffling feet as he came around the back to meet them. Julie must not have noticed, because the two of them nearly ran into each other at the back corner of the van. Julie jumped back and held her hand over her mouth.
“Aw, shit,” muttered Pops.
Jimmy charged ahead, hoping to diffuse the situation. “You must be Sheldon,” he said. “I’m Jimmy Logan, and I’d like to thank you for offering to help us out.”
“And I’m Julie,” squeaked Julie, staring straight down at her feet as she backed another half step away.
“Sheldon!” roared Pops. “Are we ever glad to see you!”
He was a small, bug-eyed man, stoop-shouldered and nearly bald. Jimmy guessed him to be in his early seventies, but he thought Sheldon could be ten years either side of that. He wore rumpled black trousers and a yellowish button-up shirt that had probably been white at one time. The shirt nearly matched his skin color, and he seemed to be covered in liver spots. There was nothing pleasant in his expression.
Jimmy focused on his eyes, and Sheldon held them in his own with a defiant challenge. Bet you can’t, they said to Jimmy. They remained that way until he turned his head to face Julie. “I’m not going to bite you,” he said in a pinched voice. “And don’t worry,” he said, pointing to his nose. “This isn’t contagious.”
The prosthetic nose he was referring to was unlike anything Jimmy had ever seen. A jagged pink scar was all that remained of Sheldon’s nose, and a crudely fashioned rubber-like nose had been forged to replace it. A glaze of adhesive encircled the fake nose, and the color was off by a mile. The nose stood out like a sore thumb, and Jimmy felt sorry for the man.
“Jimmy is running for president,” Pops said, slapping Jimmy on the back.
“Vice president,” corrected Jimmy. “That was all Ken’s idea.”
“What,” spat Sheldon. “Don’t you think I’ve got a television? I know who he is.”
Jimmy fought the urge to chuckle. The man sounded as if he had the worst head cold in the history of the planet. He prayed for strength and tried to think sad things.
“Did either of you two go to Forest Lake High School?” Sheldon asked, pointing at Jimmy and Julie. “Nah, I didn’t think so. I never forget a face.”
“Shelly was the principal there for thirty-five years,” Pops said, taking his friend by the forearm and leading him up to the house.
“Thirty-six years and five months,” corrected Sheldon. “And don’t call me Shelly. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“That must have been very rewarding,” Julie said, still unable to look the newcomer in the face. “What an interesting life you must’ve had.”
Sheldon stopped and turned to face Julie. He stuck his face six inches from Julie’s. They met nose to nose. “I hated every minute of it,” he said in that odd voice. “Kids are mean little bastards. What do you suppose they said about this?” he asked, jabbing his index finger at his rubber nose. “None of it was nice, I can tell you that.”
Again, Pops took the small man by his biceps and led him away. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go have a cup of coffee, and I’ll give you the game plan.”
Jimmy watched as the two men slowly walked up the path and into the house. He took a deep breath and turned to face Julie. “Nice job,” he said. “Give us a little credit, huh?”
“I’m sorry,” she moaned. “I couldn’t help it. Oh, the poor man…”
“Well, from now on just look him in the eyes like I did. I can’t believe you did that.”
“I said I was sorry.”
Jimmy nodded and turned to face the house. “I hope Bill doesn’t say anything stupid.”
“Oh, shit, I forgot about him. Bill not say anything stupid? Who are you trying to kid? Oh, my God… Well, this is just great, isn’t it? Maybe Sheldon will just let us borrow his van? We should be back in a day or two. Besides, you saw the way he drives. He’s like a crazy man.”
Jimmy sighed, plugged his nose and said: “I suppose we could ask.”
Julie closed her eyes tightly, and they both began to chuckle. Jimmy took her into his arms, and they stood there for a long moment, laughing, afraid of what was to come and feeling totally out of control of the situation. When they regained control of themselves, they exchanged a tender kiss and Jimmy stepped away.
“I suppose we should get up there,” Julie said, taking Jimmy by the arm and heading toward the house.
Chapter 37
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” ~ Jim Rohn
They were seated at a steel table in small gray room. The air was stale, and the lighting was excessive. She had been uncuffed for the occasion and stared down at the bracelet-like welts that encircled her wrists.
“Why did you lie to me, Patty?” Detective Ralph Wilcox asked for the third time in as many minutes.
Patty stared back at Detective Ralph and didn’t speak. The nasty smell of pepper spray clung to her hair and clothes, and the fumes still burned her eyes. She felt anger in a way that was new to her and did absolutely nothing to try to stop it. She and Sonya had done nothing to resist their arrest, but that hadn’t mattered, had it? They had both been casually blasted outside the courthouse, and it had come so unexpectedly that it literally knocked her off her feet. Patty had fallen face-first off the curb, hands cuffed behind her back, as her captors stood back and laughed. The only saving grace had been that her glasses
had survived with only scratched lenses. Something deep inside Patty had snapped as she lay writhing in the gutter, gasping for air. She would never be the same woman.
“What happened to Dr. Simon Botch?” Wilcox asked. “I’ve got all the time in the world, Patty. I’ll get some answers out of you, one way or the other.”
Patty laughed, bitterly. “What, are you going to send out for some more pepper spray?” she asked, her sarcastic tone sounding foreign, even to her. “Or, maybe you’ve got a stun gun in your pocket? I’ll bet your mother is so proud of you.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, I had nothing to do with that,” Wilcox said, in lieu of an apology.
“Really, is that so?” Patty asked. “Sonya Chen and I were in your custody, you had everything to do with it. Let me ask you something: Do I look like a doormat to you? Do you think I’m just going to let this pass?”
Wilcox chuckled. “Excuse me?” he asked. “Are you threatening me?”
“Excuse me, are you trying to twist my words? I was merely making a statement.” She spread her hands out in front of her. “Enjoy all of this while you can. I’ll have your badge for what happened to us. You can take that to the bank, mister. The same goes for your friends. And I’m not about to stop there. After my husband is elected, I’m going to dedicate my life to cleaning things up around here. No matter what you may believe, this is not a police state. You people had no cause, no right, to treat us like animals. The buck stops here!” Patty pounded both fists onto the table for emphasis.
“Oh, you’re a piece of work, Patty,” Wilcox said, but the smug smile had left his face, and he suddenly seemed less sure of himself. “Let’s get back on track here, shall we? What happened to Dr. Simon Botch?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
“That’s a lie. He was scheduled to harvest your organs, Mrs. Dahlgren. Our records indicate that moments before your surgery, he suddenly vanished. I think you know something about that.”
“I never gave him or anyone else permission to cut out my organs. Why don’t you think about that for a minute? I don’t know what happened to him, but I do know that he was about to kill me. I’m sorry if I don’t sound all broken up to hear that he’s disappeared.”
“What about Miss Chen? She must know something.”
“Actually, Miss Chen knows quite a lot. She’s tired of the way she’s been treated. She’s sick of the oppression and of feeling powerless to put an end to it. She knows that things are going to change around here, Detective.”
Wilcox got up from his chair and clenched his hands into fists. His face was red, and it was obvious that he was trying to control his emotions. The door to the interrogation suddenly opened, and a voice beckoned him. He looked at Patty. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot. You’re not as smart as you think you are, lady. Do you hear me?”
“You don’t know me very well,” Patty said, a warm smile spreading across her face. “You messed with the wrong woman.”
Detective Wilcox snarled at Patty and left the room, slamming the door behind him. There were four men standing outside the one-way glass, and none of them looked happy. Wilcox swallowed hard as he recognized one of the men as Minneapolis Mayor Jessie Hogan. Standing next to him was District Attorney Arnold Connor. Both men looked grim and stared at Wilcox as if he were an insect. Police Commissioner Bud Meyer stood opposite them and next to him was Wilcox’s partner, Bob Johnson. Bob was staring down at his shoes, and Wilcox felt his stomach roll over. Something had gone terribly wrong; he was sure of it.
“I want the badge of the officer who pepper sprayed that woman,” Hogan growled, sticking a thick finger into the chest of Commissioner Meyer. “Not tomorrow, not in ten minutes. I want it right now. We’ve got a full-blown riot out there, and I want those two women released, pronto!”
“Jessie,” pleaded Meyer, holding up his hands. “Settle down. We’ll straighten this out.”
Mayor Hogan, the former professional wrestler, grabbed Meyer by the lapels and lifted him up in the air. “Maybe I wasn’t making myself clear,” he said and suddenly shoved Meyer backwards, sending him crashing into the one-way glass. “I want that badge, and you and I are going to go into the next room and apologize to that woman. Do you understand me? That damn video clip has gone viral, and the entire world is watching to see how we handle this situation. We need to do some serious damage control, and we need to do it, now!”
Wilcox stood with his mouth hanging open as he watched Johnson help Meyer to his feet. Things had gone wrong all right. He suddenly wished to be far away from this place.
Patty nearly jumped out of her skin as the mirror in front of her suddenly flexed with a thundering crash. She could hear angry voices, but was unable to make out what they were saying. A few moments later, Wilcox returned. And much to her astonishment, he was followed by Minneapolis Mayor Hogan and another man she didn’t recognize.
Hogan brushed past Wilcox and took Patty by the hands. “My dear,” he said. “I am so terribly sorry for what has happened to you, and I take full responsibility for the actions of those who abused their power. I promise to do whatever I can to rectify the situation. You have my word on that.”
Patty took a deep breath and smiled. She had never met Jessie Hogan, but she had watched him wrestle and had even enjoyed his movies. He seemed much larger in real life, and there was something in his expression that was so sincere, she instantly decided to trust him. “Thank you,” she said. “I would like to see Sonya.”
“You!” shouted Hogan, pointing a finger at Wilcox. “Get her in here, right now.”
Patty smiled as Wilcox shrank away and left the room.
“Mrs. Dahlgren,” the man in the business suit said. “I’m Police Commissioner Bud Meyer. I also feel the need to apologize for the actions of my men. There is no excuse for their behaving the way they did.”
“There certainly isn’t,” growled Hogan. He turned to Patty and dropped to one knee. “Look, we have a situation on our hands and a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt if we don’t try to put a lid on this thing. I need your help. This city needs your help.”
“Think of it as your civic duty,” Meyer added.
“Shut your yap!” ordered Hogan, turning on Meyer like an angry bear. “Get the hell out of here and wait for me in the hall. I’m not finished with you, not by a long shot.”
Patty covered her mouth to conceal her pleasure.
“Mrs. Dahlgren, I want you to know that I fully support both you and your husband. God knows I’ve tried to make some changes around here, but I keep running into the same problem: political gridlock. I’ve been pleading for term limits for years, but nobody seems to care. I’m all about getting big money out of Washington and restoring power to the people. I’ll do anything I can to help you, but I need your help first.”
“I don’t understand,” Patty said, blushing slightly. “What is it you’re asking of me?”
“Outside these doors,” Hogan said, pointing with one finger. “We have a full-scale riot in progress. I’m asking you to step outside with me and give a speech on the front steps. I’m praying that we can get a handle on this thing before the Governor calls in the National Guard. What do you say? Will you help me out?”
Patty shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Of course I will,” she replied. “Does that mean that Sonya and I are free to go?”
“Absolutely; the charges have been dropped. You’re free to leave anytime you like. That brings me to my next point. Where are you and Miss Chen staying? Do you plan to return to Rochester?”
Patty shook her head. “I’m staying here until I find my husband. Do you know where he is?”
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t. But I would like to extend an invitation to both you and Miss Chen to stay with my family and me for as long as necessary. We’d be honored to have you, and I promise to do whatever I can to help reunite you with your husband. He sounds like quite a man.”
“Oh, he certainly is
. Thank you for the invitation. I’ll have to speak with Sonya, but I don’t see any reason we couldn’t stay with you while we’re in the city. Providing you have the room, of course. I don’t want to put anyone out.”
Hogan threw his bald head back and laughed. “Oh, we have plenty of room,” he chuckled. “I think you’ll be happy there.”
Sonya suddenly entered the room and rushed into Patty’s arms. The two stood like that for a long moment, and Patty suddenly realized that another prayer had just been answered. And she silently thanked God for that.
Chapter 38
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” ~ Walt Disney
The van had been previously owned by the Forest Lake School District and was used to transport special education children. Jimmy sat next to Julie in the far back, while Bill rode alone on the middle bench seat. Pops rode shotgun as Sheldon drove, thankfully at a somewhat saner rate of speed. They had left Dunn behind. While he had shown positive signs of recovery—most noticeably the return of his hearing—he was still far from being considered an asset. He had assured them that he could take care of himself.
The drone of the tires on the asphalt quickly lulled Bill to sleep, and he began to snore softly as he sat slumped next to the side door.
“I don’t know about this,” Julie said, staring out the window. “I’m so afraid.”
“Everything is going to be fine,” replied Jimmy. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
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