The Manhattan Incident

by Raymond Poincelot

  “Doc, I can’t do that. It’s not right.” “Zack, desperate times call for desperate measures. You don’t want the two of us to starve, do you?” Zack went off. He was not happy about cutting the wire. He also wondered what Doc was up to. He came back after cutting the wire. “Doc, why did you have me cut the wire?” Doc looked at him. “We’ll Zack, one time my vet clinic was burglarized. They were looking for drugs. The cops told me that the thieves had cut the telephone wires to prevent the burglar alarm from calling out.”

  Zack suddenly knew what Doc was up to. He could sense it. “You want me to break into the Northfields’ apartment, don’t you?” “Zack, I always knew you were a smart kid. Use the crowbar to pry the door open. Here, wear these latex gloves I use to wash dishes. No sense leaving finger prints anywhere. Once you’re inside, grab the pillowcases off the bed and fill them up with food from the cupboards and their freezer. They never leave anything in the fridge when they aren’t here. They aren’t likely to need the food in the near future. The virus has scared them off. They won’t come here for a long while, if ever.” Zack could sense that Doc thought they might die from the virus. “Doc, I’ll do it, but we have to pay them for the food when they do show up.” “Sure, Zack, we will.”

  Zack went to the Northfields’ door. After considerable effort, the door opened. He went inside and found the linen closet near the bathroom. He grabbed three pillowcases. No sense messing up the bed, he thought. Going to the cupboard, he found boxes of cereal, Kraft macaroni and cheese, and lots of canned fruits, soups, and vegetables. Digging deeper, he found some Spam, powdered milk, jams, peanut butter, hot chocolate, canned tuna and mackerel, canned chicken, and deviled ham. He filled the three pillowcases, so he went back to the closet and got one more. He found the freezer in the washer and dryer room. Opening it up, he saw steaks, chops, vegetables, pizzas, complete dinners, and even some dessert items. He almost drooled looking at them. He carefully selected food for the next several days and filled the pillowcase. He knew Doc’s fridge only had a small top freezer. He could come back and get more as needed.

  Near the back of the freezer, he encountered a large item carefully wrapped in plastic. He reached in and grabbed it. He undid the plastic and discovered a gun and ammunition. He read the revolver’s side and learned it was a Taurus 38 and there were two boxes of ammunition. Dad had taught him how to use guns at a firing range, even though Dad didn’t own one. Something about his arrest record prevented it. Zack shoved the gun into one pants pocket and the ammo into the other one. He did so with misgivings, but he couldn’t get the thought out of his head that desperate times might indeed mean desperate measures were needed. Zack closed the door and hoped it looked OK.

  Doc was pleased when he saw the haul. Zack explained about leaving food in the freezer for later use. “Zack, you are a smart boy. I’ll fix you a nice dinner tonight. We’ll use up all the freezer food first. The other stuff will keep. We don’t know how long there will be power to the freezer. Come back later. If you are worried about stealing the food, we can always leave a note at the Northfields with our offer to make good when they show up. They’ll understand we were starving and couldn’t get food.”

  Zack smiled and left. Somehow he didn’t think the Northfields would be back. They lived in New York City and from the television and computer he knew that city was having its problems with the virus. He also worried about Rutland. It was the first city to be hit by the virus. It occurred to Zack to look around for firewood. He knew the Northfields had firewood at the rear of their apartment. If the power went out, they would freeze, as it was winter. There were some woods nearby and he surely would find downed tree branches. Once back in his apartment, he loaded the gun and left the safety on. He then hid it in the coffee table drawer.

  A little while later, Zack thought about the power going out again. The lights would go too, he realized. Zack decided to go back to the Northfields’ apartment where he remembered seeing a big box of candles. As he went by the coffee table, he hesitated for a second. He decided to pocket the gun. Doc’s reference to desperate times had him scared. Once inside the Northfields’ apartment, he located the candles and then searched for matches. Finally he found a box of wooden matches and a butane gas lighter. A few more blankets wouldn’t hurt, he thought. In the linen closet he found two nice heavy fleece blankets and an empty suitcase. He put all the items into the suitcase and carefully closed the door on his way out.

  As he walked out through the living room, he noted a beat-up pickup truck in the small parking lot visible from the window. At first he thought it might be the Northfields, but the truck had Vermont plates, not New York plates. He didn’t recognize it as belonging to the landlord or the handyman that did repairs for the landlord. He suddenly got a bad feeling. Zack had learned to trust his feelings by now. He carefully walked to the front of his apartment unit and peered in. He could see his door was closed just like he left it. Suddenly he heard furious barking from Chaser and then a gunshot followed by silence.

  Zack ran to Doc’s front door and saw it was open. Ducking down and peering in at ground level, he saw Chaser lying on the living room rug with a pool of blood near his body. The dog was motionless. He also saw two men with their backs to him. One was yelling at Doc and reached over and slapped him in the face. Zack could sense Doc’s fear and the anger from the other man. He took the gun from his pocket and used a two-handed grip that his dad taught him. Suddenly he remembered the safety and took it off. He tried to slip in the door noiselessly, but his nylon jacket scraped on the door frame.

  He saw the man turning toward him with the gun. Zack fired two shots as fast as he could pull the trigger. He saw the man fall and the other man put his hands up in the air. The man on the floor let out several moans. Zack looked at the standing man and made a quick decision. He could sense the other man wasn’t bad and was bullied into coming along. Again, Zack trusted his sense. “Leave the gun and take your partner with you to the hospital and don’t come back, if you know what’s good for you.” Zack knew that neither one of them would report the incident to the police, given their actions. The other man helped the fallen man to his feet and walked dragging him out. In a few minutes Zack heard the pick-up start and drive away. Only then did he turn to Doc. “Doc, are you OK?” “Yes, I’ m shaken up, but OK. Please check on Chaser.”

  Zack just knew Chaser was dead, but he went over. He could see no signs of breathing and no response when he tried to shake the dog. “Doc, I think Chaser is dead. We can leave him for a while, just in case he is unconscious. I’ll go get a blanket to wrap him up with and then clean up the blood. What’s the best cleaner to use?” “Get some hydrogen peroxide from the medicine cabinet and there’s Chaser’s blanket on his bed,” said Doc with a trembling voice. Zack could sense that Doc was heartbroken about Chaser. Zack came back with the blanket and cleaner. He wrapped the dog carefully and lovingly. He noted that Chaser had voided his bladder. Zack was now positive the dog was dead. He cleaned up the area and watched as the hydrogen peroxide bubbled away. Soon the area was clean enough.

  Doc came over and patted Chaser. “Zack, I can tell poor old Chaser is dead. He died trying to protect me.” Zack responded. “His death wasn’t in vain. I heard the barks and shot. That got me here in time to prevent any harm to you, Doc. Good thing I found the gun in the Northfields’ apartment.” “Thanks, Zack. Why don’t you pick up Chaser and bring him to the back grassy area. I’ll go get a shovel and we’ll bury him after we clean the snow off. The digging was very hard as the ground was partially frozen. Zack placed some rocks in the shape of a cross on the small grave. Each in their own way said their silent goodbyes to Chaser. Doc finally broke the silence. “I invited you to dinner. Let’s go inside and I’ll cook us some food.” “Doc, where should I put the bad guy’s gun?” “Put it on the coffee table. I’ll deal with it later.”

  Zack sat there in the classroom and another tear ran down his face as the memories flooded his mind. He rem
embered Doc dying a few days later. He felt it was from losing Chaser. He died of a broken heart. Zack remembered burying Doc next to Chaser in the snowy ground. It was hard work digging the frozen soil, but he persisted with a pick ax. Zack spent the next two months in the apartment. First the power failed and then the propane and firewood ran out next. However, spring arrived just in time. The food was now completely gone and Zack knew he had to venture out. He remembered the sound of a big truck the day he decided to walk down the road toward town. It was the National Guard. They took him away and he ended up in the orphanage with many other children. A tear ran down his face. He wiped it away and resumed looking at the video.

  VIDEO: THE INCIDENT. The video now showed a scene at General Straub’s vacation cabin in Maine. General Straub’s son, Brian, was sitting in a chair near the roaring fireplace. His wife, Mary, and their children Thomas and Cathy, were playing Scrabble at the coffee table. They were using candles as it was dusk and the electrical service had failed. Calls to the local utility had gotten nowhere, as service had broken down due to the fear of contacting people with the virus. Using the back-up propane fired generator and cooking stove sparingly with the fireplace kept them warm, fed, and with water. Internet and cell phone service had failed and the radio picked up mostly static. Suddenly, their dog barked and growled. “What is it, Rusty,” asked Brian?” Brian went to the window and looked out. By the light of the moon, he could see someone walking up the driveway. He appeared to be unarmed, but he might have something hidden underneath his heavy winter jacket thought Brian. He grabbed the shotgun, chambered a round and took off the safety. He turned to his startled family and said, “Someone is coming. I’m going to scare him off. We can’t take any chances with this Blue Flu virus.” “Please be careful,” said Mary. Thomas asked, “Only one, dad?” “Yes” was the response.

  Thomas worried that there could be more. Just looking out the front window gave a limited view. He went to the back corner of the house where he could view both the driveway and the land behind the cabin. At first he saw nothing. Then he detected some motion in the wooded area behind the cabin. He saw another man approaching carefully and carrying a rifle. Thomas realized that this man would be coming up behind his dad. “A trap,” he whispered. Thomas grabbed the 9mm Camp carbine from the bedroom closet and snuck out the side door at the far end of the four bedroom cabin. Thomas edged his way to the corner and peeked carefully around. He saw the man just passing the rear corner of the cabin. He waited a few seconds and then noiselessly traversed the rear of the cabin. The powered snow helped keep his steps quiet.

  He peeked around the far corner and saw the man crouched near the front corner of the house. As the man pointed his rifle toward dad, Thomas heard his dad say, “I’m asking you nicely to leave. You are not welcome here.” “Too bad you feel that way” was the response. At those words Thomas saw the second man raise the rifle to get his dad in the rifle’s sights. Thomas pulled the carbine trigger rapidly three times. He saw the corner man crumble. Hearing the shots, Brian started to turn his head, but a motion from the man in front of him caught his eye. He looked back in time to see the man pulling a large pistol from under his coat. Brian fired the shotgun. The man went down as the hail of 12 gauge shot hit him. His heavy jacket had protected him, except for those that hit him in the head. At that point, Mary burst from the front door and screamed. Brian said, “I’m OK.” “So am I,” said Thomas running up to him. “I had to shoot the guy behind you. He was about to kill you.” Brian hugged his son and said, “Thank you. You saved my life.” Thomas asked, “Are they still alive? What do we do?”

  “Thomas, go get the garden rake from the garage.” Upon his return, Brian took the rake and approaching the bodies carefully dragged first the pistol away and then the rifle. He then picked up the rifle, balancing it on the rake teeth side up. “Thomas, stay here and shoot them if they move. I’m putting this on the garage floor. He came back and did the same with the pistol. He didn’t want to touch anything, given his worries about contracting the virus. He had no idea if these two had the virus or not. He wasn’t taking any chances. He came back and hooked the jacket of the first one, then with Thomas helping, dragged the body further away down the driveway. The snow shoes worn by the men made it difficult, but finally they prevailed. Back they went and did the same method for the other one. He then threw the rake some distance into the snow.

  “Ok, we are going inside and locking the doors.” No one slept very well that night. In the morning Brian looked carefully out the window and saw two snow covered humps in the driveway. He knew both were dead. He remembered his dad saying leave the bodies as a deterrent if you have to shoot anyone. Good idea, he thought. Besides, he had no intention of touching them at all. Over the next week, their sleep was occasionally disturbed by coyotes growling and fighting over the bodies. No one came to check or ask questions.

  Suddenly the scene in the video switched to a palatial mansion in the most exclusive section of Greenwich CT. Edmund Dow Smythington IV was pacing in the huge living room while watching a wall to wall plasma TV. He stopped pacing; he had made up his mind. While Greenwich was safe, it was too near New York City and he feared the Blue Flu virus might come his way. Edmund ran one of the most profitable hedge funds, one that operated in the grayest of gray areas. Somehow the SEC always looked the other way, thanks to his endless flow of secret cash to a select few government officials and his major funding of select politicians. Of course, all the cash flow went through lobbyists so his hands looked clean. He made up his mind. They were leaving tomorrow.

  Edmund found his wife in the indoor pool area taking a glass of wine from the tray held by one of the many servants. “Honey, we’re going to our summer home in St. Croix. It’s isolated much more than here and away from population centers. It is also warmer and less likely to provide good conditions for the Blue Flu virus. Pack lightly. We are leaving tomorrow first thing. She smiled, feeling quite buzzed. “Sure dear. I’ll tell Jasmine.” Jasmine was their 14 year old daughter, who like her father, thought money was everything and the world owed her everything.

  Jasmine was not pleased with the plan. “What about Eric? I can’t bear not being with him.” Her mom answered. “Eric is too old for you and we are not fond of him. His parents aren’t rich. He’s going nowhere, not even to college. Besides, he’ll be here when we come back. It’s only until this virus thing blows over.” “Thanks, Blanche, for nothing.” Jasmine knew it pissed her mom off when she called her Blanche instead of mom. Jasmine stormed off in a huff. As soon as she could no longer see Blanche, Jasmine sent a text message to Eric. “Need to see u now.” The response came back in a flash. “Meet you at your house in five.” Jasmine walked out of the house and down to the end of the driveway. She climbed on the scooter’s backseat when Eric arrived. “Where do you want to go?” asked Eric. Jasmine answered, “Greenwich Point Park.”

  Once at the park, they walked toward a water view. No one was around. Perhaps it was too cold, or maybe fears of the virus. Jasmine explained about their impending trip. Eric Cosalino sat there in silence for a few minutes. Inside his mind was racing. Damn, he thought. I’ve been working this one up to almost to the point where she’ll start giving me money. All his efforts could be for nothing now, but maybe it was not a total loss. She could come back, so he had to still play the game. He looked at her with his hopefully sad eyes and said, “I’ll miss you. How soon will you come back?” Jasmine answered, “I don’t know. Maybe in a few months; Dad didn’t say.”

  Even better, thought Eric, as the opportunity dawned on him. No one home for a few months, except maybe the servants or a care-taker. They would be no problem; he would go during the late night or early morning when all were asleep. He knew the alarm code from watching her activate and deactivating it several times over the last few months. Hopefully, it won’t be changed. He’d have to be alert to that possibility. “How about a goodbye kiss until we see each other again.” Seeing the smile, he
moved in for the kiss. His throat hurt like hell, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He started off gently and then slid his tongue into her mouth, while sliding his hand up under her shirt. He managed to cup her breast before she pushed him away and raised her hand to slap his face. Eric moved back rapidly. “I’m sorry, just got carried away since I won’t see you for a long time. It won’t happen again.” “It had better not, Eric. Take me home, now.” They drove off in silence, but Eric noted that she was hugging him closely on the scooter as they drove back. Still got it, he thought.

  Later he was bored. Nothing much to do as everyone was afraid of the virus. Well, he would give Bima a call in the City. It had been two days since he last saw her. Travel into the City was closed, but he knew the back routes and dirt bike paths in the woods. Still, it hadn’t been easy the last time. He sent a text message to Bima to arrange a get together in the City. Odd, no response came right back. That was a first. She was always on. Well, he was starting to feel crappy. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

  Edmund had just got off the phone. “Damn.” He walked around the house for several minutes until he found Blanche in the massage room. Eduardo Rosales was giving her a massage. Edmund didn’t like the way Eduardo looked at Blanche. When he got back, he’d have to hire someone else. Too bad for Eduardo, he thought with a malicious smile. Maybe I’ll replace him with a hottie for me. “Blanche, we won’t leave tomorrow. Maybe we’ll go the following day. Seems the airport is closed in Saint Croix to keep the people safe from outside contact. Not a problem. I’m taking care of it. Our caretaker there is working on it. Edmund walked away with an angry shake of his head. “I wonder how much the bastard will need to bribe the airport staff to let us in,” he mumbled.