Dick and I quickly pulled our service weapon. “Easy big boy," said Dick with a smile. "Pull your hand out nice and slow.”
“My name isn’t big boy," said the man monotonously. "It's Solomon Grundy.” Solomon Grundy followed my order. After pulling his hand out of his pocket, he presented me with a black and red card. It was the same as the one from my mother’s refrigerator.
Taking the card, I asked, “Who’s the Bombay Group?”
"Good night," said Solomon Grundy. After saying that, he stepped off the porch and got into a large SUV. As the SUV left the curb, I tried to get a glimpse of the license plate, however, it didn't have any.
“Who in the hell was that?” Dick asked as he put away his weapon.
“An enforcer," said my mother. "He works for this group that’s buying up all the property from Rice Street to Midway."
“You're spending the night at my place,” I said.
"No, I'll be okay," said my mother. "I have Buzzy and my Blunderbuss shotgun."
“I don't think that'll be big enough," said Dick.
"I'll have some patrolmen come by," I said.
We waited until the first patrol came by before leaving. As we were leaving, Jenny called and said Nimble's surgery was successful.
I gave my mother a peck on the cheek and said, "I'll be by tomorrow morning.
Cranking up my ’69 Coachman, we sped away.
Chapter 34
Solomon Grundy entered the boardroom of the mysterious Bombay Group. Five men and one woman sat at a large round table. A model of Goose City occupied most of the table. The model was divided into colored sections. Pippen Hill was highlighted in yellow.
“What do you have to report Solomon?” asked a dark haired man with a goatee.
“She still refuses to accept the offer sir,” said Solomon, avoiding eye contact. “I fear she may be a problem.”
“How so Solomon?” asked an old white haired lady holding a white cat.
“The police were at her residence,” said Solomon still avoiding eye contact.
“They were warned not to speak to the police,” said the old woman as she stroked her cat. “What is this woman’s name?”
“Anne Hubbard,” responded Solomon.
The white haired old lady sighed heavily. “I didn’t know she was still alive.”
A fat man with blonde hair added, “She will be a problem.”
“When shall I return to her residence?” asked Solomon.
“After we’ve spoken to Chief Fitzwarren,” replied the old lady. “That will be all.”
Solomon Grundy left the boardroom.
“Has anyone seen or heard from Cornell?” asked the dark haired man with the goatee. The group mumbled as they looked at one another.
“He still refuses to accept our offer,” said the fat blonde man. “Without him in the group accomplishing our goals will be somewhat difficult.”
“Cornell was always the bleeding heart type,” commented the white haired lady. “We may have to proceed without him.”
“Does Bobby know where his parents are?” asked the dark haired man with the goatee.
“Young Mr. Shaftoe has stated that his parents are at their villa in Italy,” said another older gentleman with an eyepatch over his left eye. “I fear young Mr. Shaftoe is lying.”
“I’ll look into the situation,” said the dark-haired man with the goatee.
“Sir James Piper's conviction left a huge void,” said gentleman with the eyepatch.
“If Cornell continue to reject our offers then I'll approach Dame Raven Piper,” said the old white haired lady. "I'm sure she will accept any offer we put on the table."
The members of the group nodded their approval.
******
As hot water poured over Bobby Shaftoe, his skin turned red as a tomato. A mix of blood and water swirled down the drain as he laughed and sobbed.
A nude Nancy Dawson entered the large shower stall and changed the water temperature. She too washed blood off of her. She then knelt down beside Bobby and hugged him. “It’s okay, baby,” said Nancy. “You did well.”
“No, I didn’t” protested Bobby. “She died took quickly. There was no suffering. They must all suffer.”
Nancy kissed Bobby and said, “Yes, they all must suffer baby.”
Standing, Bobby said, “I was born to make them suffer. I will make them suffer.”
Now on her knees, looking up at Bobby, Nancy said, “You will make them suffer baby. You are not weak.”
Looking down at Nancy, Bobby said, “I’m not my father. He was a bleeding heart bastard. I hate I have his blood in my veins.”
Nancy kissed Bobby on his thigh then worked her way up to his crotch. Bobby grabbed the back of her head and pushed it into his crotch where her lips wrapped around his penis.
“I will make them suffer, I promise,” said Bobby as he relished the way Nancy’s mouth felt around his penis. “I will do what my father refused to do.”
******
A large crowd, mostly young people dressed in ripped dark clothing stood outside the Pins club. They all waited to get inside to see The Young Rats play.
In an SUV across the street, Bo Peep watched a van pull into an alley. On the side of the van were the words “Young Rats”. A group of unkempt young men quickly got out and began unloading equipment. She didn’t see the one she was sent to kill.
Then she saw Jack Jingle come out of the building on his cell phone. He looked upset. She could hear him curse before shoving the phone into his tattered jeans pocket.
Bo Peep smiled as she thought this assignment would be a piece of cake. “I’ll be back at the farm in no time.”
Removing her cell phone, she quickly dialed a number. Wesley MacDonald answered. “When do you want me to kill him?” she asked.
“At your discretion,” responded Wesley. “And Bo Peep, make it painful.”
Bo Peep ended the call and continued watching Jack Jingle and his band until they were inside. Putting on a pair of black leather gloves laced with brass, she made her way across the street then slipped into the alley. Standing outside the door, she cracked her knuckles and smiled. She was going to enjoy herself.
******
Jill Dobb handed the cellphone back to Wesley MacDonald who asked, “Was he upset?”
A teary-eyed Jill nodded. She had just told her boyfriend Jack Jingle she wouldn’t be coming to his show. She also informed him that she could never see him again.
Rubbing Jill’s shoulders, Wesley said, “It’s all to protect you, darling. A detective was here yesterday looking for you.”
Jill’s face went blank.
“For murder, you get twenty years at Green Gravel,” said Wesley. “I just couldn’t let that happen, darling.”
Jill covered her face with her hands and sobbed even more. She couldn’t go to prison. She had seen first-hand the type of people who resided at Green Gravel. Once she was sentenced by the court to spend a day at Green Gravel in an attempt to get her to change her ways.
Wesley opened the door to his office and two men, both tall and muscular with dark eyes and hair, entered. “It’s time to go, sweetie,” said Wesley. “They’ve come to take you to the Island where you will be safe.”
Taking Jill by the hand, Wesley led her to the two men.
“What about my parents?” Jill protested. “Don’t they need to know?”
“They already know sweetie,” said Wesley. “This was their idea.”
Jill’s face went blank again. “What about my things?”
“Everything you need will be on the Island,” said Wesley. “Call me once you arrive.” One of the men nodded before grabbing Jill by the arm and escorting her out of the office.
Wesley sat behind his desk and smiled. With Jill secured and Jack Jingles iced, nothing would stop him producing Mist and spreading beyond Goose City.
Chapter 35
We finally got to the Pins club in Exeter only to find an angry mob of
clubbers standing behind police barricades. In front of the club stood police cruisers and emergency vehicles. After parking my car, Dick and I made our way back to the scene and located a uniformed officer. We quickly identified ourselves as detectives from Goose City.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Someone killed an entire band," said the uniformed officer nonchalantly. "From what I hear, it was a female that used her bare hands."
“Which band?” I asked.
“I don't know,” responded the officer. A pale female sporting a Mohawk haircut, dark eyeliner, and lipstick said, “The Young Rats. Ev’rybody sayin’ Jack Jingle got it first. Sayin’, she snapped his neck.”
"Well partner, it seems that someone didn't want Jingle talking to you," said Dick.
“I bet it’s the same people who didn’t want me talking to Jill Dobb,” I said.
He was right. First, they give me a court order not to question Jill Dobb. Now someone kills the only other person connected to the murder of Jack Wellington.
“Who's in charge?” I asked the uniformed officer.
“Detective Drake, he’s inside,” said the uniformed officer.
“I need to speak to him immediately,” I said.
He radioed inside and after a few minutes, he lifted the yellow tape. "You won't be able to miss him," smiled the uniformed officer.
Dick and I made my way into the club which was a carbon copy of the Sixpence. Another uniform officer pointed us in Detective Watts’ direction.
As we made our way to the dressing room area, I stopped workers from the medical examiner’s wheeling a gurney with a body on it. Unzipping the black body bag, I identified Jack Jingle.
We kept walking until we came upon Detective Drake, a pudgy man wearing a brown suit and fedora. His flowered neck tie was loose and he had a mustard stain on his shirt. A lit cigarette hung from under a large bristle brush mustache. He was questioning a nervous looking young man with severe bruising on the right side of his face.
“Excuse me, Detective Drake, I’m Detective Horner and this is my partner Detective Whittington. We're from GCPD,” I said as I extended my hand.
Looking at my hand, he reluctantly shook it. He then asked, “What’s GCPD doin’ in my neck o' the woods?”
I quickly went over the details as to why I was in his neck of the woods.
“Well, it a ‘pears your suspect's neck was snapped like a twig,” said Detective Watts. “Mr. Hall can tell you what he saw. Go ‘head kid, tell Detective Horner how one of your friends got his neck snapped and the other got his back broken.”
Looking at the nervous kid, I recognized him as Jerry Hall, the drummer for the Young Rats. Lighting a cigarette he inhaled then quickly exhaled.
“I already told ya, man,” said Jerry Hall shakily.
"Just tell him, kid," grumbled Detective Drake.
Jerry Hall inhaled on the cigarette once more and said, “This big blonde bitch bust through the backdoor like gangbangers and attacked Jack. Me and John tried to pull her off, but she was too fuckin' strong. She tossed us like we were rag dolls. Then she fuckin' snapped Jack's neck! John went after her and I left to get security. When I got back with the security folk, we found them both just fucked up.”
Pulling Detective Drake aside, I said, "The real target was Jack Jingle. I'm sure John Watts just got in the way."
"Well, I wished this had happened in Goose City," grumbled Detective Drake.
"You mind if I asked the kid some questions," I said.
"Be my guest," grumble Detective Drake as he stamped out his cigarette. Dick and Detective Drake stood back as I talked to Jerry Hall.
“Did Jack talk about Jill Dobb?” I asked.
Looking at me, Jerry Hall said, “He talked 'bout her all the time. He was really pissed because she wasn't comin' to the show tonight. He said something 'bout her leavin'."
"Did he say where she was going?" I asked.
"Nah," responded Jerry Hall. "I think he was really upset he wouldn't be gettin' the money."
"What money?" I asked.
"They were supposed to get a lot of money and do some travelin'," said Jerry Hall.
"Did he say where or who they were getting this money from?" I asked as my brain started working in high gear.
"Nah," said Jerry Hall, stamping out his cigarette. "We asked, but he would never tell us. We figured it was comin' from her folks."
Leaving Jerry Hall, I went back over to Dick and Detective Drake who were talking about football.
"Thanks," I said to Detective Drake. "Let's go," I said to Dick.
On our way out, Detective Drake said, “I’ll contact you if I find anything.”
We went back outside and stood at the front entrance looking over the crowd. My experience with murderers is they sometimes like to hang around the scene of their crime, especially if there is a crowd.
Then I saw her, the big blonde bitch described by Jerry Hall. She had to be well over six feet three and muscular. Her blond hair stood out like a sore thumb amongst the dark haired gothic looking clubbers.
"Do you see her?" I asked Dick.
"Yeah," said Dick as he lit a cigarette. "I'll go left and you take the right."
Dick walked around the crowd and I headed right. I stopped to light a cigarette, keeping my eye on her the entire time. I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times before walking away and mingling with the crowd. So far she hadn't spotted us moving in on her.
I was about six feet away from her when she spotted me. The next thing I knew, two gothic looking teens were flying in my directions. I went down but quickly got up.
"Freeze!" yelled Dick with his service weapon trained on her head. Before I could get my weapon out, she grabbed two clubbers using them as human shields. They both had to be in their early twenties but were no match for the behemoth of a woman.
"I'll break their necks," the big blonde bitch growled. She slowly backed out of the crowd.
"Who hired you to kill Jingle?" I asked.
She smiled but didn't respond.
"I got a shot!" yelled Dick. "Let me take it!"
I order Dick to stand down. Moments later, officers from the EPD joined us.
Sensing the game was over, she snapped one of the kid's neck. The kid dropped to the concrete like a bag of rocks.
"You fuckin' bitch!" yelled Dick. "You're goin' down hard!"
"What the fuck is goin' on?" Detective Drake asked.
"It's the woman who killed Jingle," I said. "And she just killed another kid."
The big blonde kept moving backward until she was near a dark SUV. Still managing to use the scared kid as a shield, she opened the driver’s door and got inside Cranking up the SUV, she sped off. Everyone with a weapon fired at the fleeing SUV.
Detective Drake signaled for his officers to give chase. Dick and I ran to my car and closely followed the EPD cruisers. I had another suspect in the Wellington murder case.
Chapter 36
We lost the big blonde somewhere in Exeter when she caused two of the EPD cruisers to crash. She was the key to everything and now she was gone.
After returning to Goose City, I dropped Dick off at home then went back to my mother’s house. I dismissed the patrolmen who were watching her house.
After letting myself in through the back door, I went upstairs and crashed in my old room.
The next morning I was awakened by Buzzy the Chihuahua. After a little hygiene, I went downstairs to join my mother for coffee.
“Did you get your suspect?” my mother asked.
“No,” I said. “Someone had him killed, before we got there.”
“What do you mean ‘someone had him kill’?” asked my mother before taking a sip of coffee.
“I mean this was a hit,” I said. “Someone paid a big blonde female to kill the kid.”
My mother closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then said, “Sounds as if someone has a lot to lose.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
<
br /> “No Jill Dobb and no Jack Jingle equals a major player behind the scene,” said my mother. “A major player who has a lot to lose.”
I thought about every major player in Goose City and they all had a lot to lose. The key was to determine which major player was responsible. It would be no easy task with Chief Fitzwarren as their guard dog.
“My advice is to be careful when dealing with the major players,” said my mother with concern in her voice. “When their power is challenged they push back really hard.”
She was right. She challenged a major power and found herself out of a job and branded as a crooked cop.
“Any suggestions?” I asked.
My mother took a sip of coffee then said, “Speak to Mr. East.”
“Mr. East? Why?” I asked. “He’s a rich guy like the others.”
“He’s different.” said my mother. “He cares about what happens in Goose City.”
“I’ll take your word,” I said.
“Also, carry a big stick,” said my mother with a smile. “You’ll need it when the giant wakes up.”
Looking at the kitchen wall clock, I said, “I better get going.”
Walking me to the door, my mother said, “Jackson, be careful out there.”
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