CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: The Hand Out
An exhausted Gerome Elderberry got into a cab at New Lake International. He had the driver take him directly to the police station.
At El Muchacho, Chaz happily finished his set. He never wanted to hear Love Blender again. He went to the bar and found Debbie still there, barely awake.
“Let me take you home,” said Chaz.
“Absolute Vodkaly not,” stammered Debbie. “You might take the try to advantage me.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I just want to make sure you get home okay.” Chaz was a ladies man but was a gentleman first. He wanted to make sure Debbie made it home safely. Debbie, being way too drunk to argue with anything, reluctantly took Chaz up on his offer. Chaz half-carried her up to her apartment. When they got in, Debbie passed out completely. Tony had just walked up to the apartment after an unsuccessful attempt to find Wainwright. All he could see from her blind-covered window was the silhouette of a man holding Debbie.
“I have lost her to another man,” he said to himself.
Andie was at home deciding what her next move would be with the Grimes situation. She called Debbie.
“Hello?” said Chaz, answering Debbie’s phone
“Is this Debbie Bailey’s residence?” asked Andie.
“I hope it is. This is where I just brought her.”
“Is Debbie home?”
“She can’t quite make it to the phone right now. Can I give her a message?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll see her tomorrow at work,” said Andie, as she hung up the phone. I guess she’s getting over Tony, she thought. She picked up the phone again and dialed Benny’s number.
“Hello?” said the lethargic Benny.
“Benny, hi, it’s Andie.”
“Oh, hi Andie. How’s it going?”
“It could be better. I’m not in the best of moods right now.”
“I know how you feel.”
“I doubt it,” said Andie.
“It’s been an interesting week, don’t you think?”
“To say the least. How have you been about this Kat thing?”
“She’s the least of my troubles right now, Andie. I thought I found the perfect antidote to Kat. I fooled myself into thinking I was in love with Julie Templeton.”
“The BreastMaster girl?” asked Andie.
“Yeah, I know that sounds a little far-fetched, but I really thought something really special was happening there. I found out she was just using me all along. First, I see her kissing her agent, then I find her at Nick’s apartment, wearing his robe.”
“You’re kidding? I just saw the same thing a little while ago.”
“You did? Wow, he sure must be proud of getting her. He has to show her to the world. You know, I really didn’t have any claim to her. I just thought Nick had more morals than that – to go after a woman I was really interested in.”
“Did Nick know you had something going on with this woman?”
“I don’t know. He’s supposedly been out of town all week. Jamie sent him on some assignment that she wouldn’t tell me about. Now, I find Julie almost naked in his apartment.”
“First Kat, now Julie,” Andie thought out loud.
“What?” asked Benny. There was a long silence. Andie realized what she had just said.
“I mean, you just lost Kat, and you seemed to find someone to take your mind off of her…”
“No. I know what you just said. Is Nick the one who took Kat home the night of the party?” He wasn’t going to fall for Andie’s drawn-out explanations this time.
“Benny…”
“Come on, Andie. You’re my friend. Tell me the truth. Is Nick the guy who left the party with Kat?”
“He had no idea who she was,” said Andie.
“That son-of-a bitch. And you knew all along?”
“I’m sorry, Benny. He didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, it’s too late for that. I’m going there right now.” Andie heard the click of the phone. She immediately grabbed her keys and headed to Nick’s apartment.
Wilcox reported the incident on his radio, and then dropped Wainwright off in front of the mansion, which was less than a half-mile away. A squad car was nearby and met up with him back at the scene of the crash. Kristi was still in tears.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” she cried.
“Just be thankful we got you out of that house when we did, or you would be in the same situation,” said Wilcox.
“I never liked him, you know. I was just trying to advance my career.”
“Well, if you cooperate, maybe you’ll be able to write a book about it and make a few bucks,” joked Wilcox.
“I just noticed how sexy you are,” said Kristi, as she started rubbing on Wilcox’s arm. She had a weakness for men who knew how to use a gun.
“It looks like you got a live one there,” said Officer Phipps. They watched the blazing car as it rested upside down in the creek. They didn’t notice the motionless body in the trees up above. Gary Bell had been thrown from the car as it flipped in the air. He was slowly regaining consciousness.
Carlos was in the back seat of his limo. He was disturbed by the thumping sound in the trunk.
“Hey, Frankie,” he told the driver. “That Rogers guy in the trunk is making too much noise. Do something about it.”
“Really?” said Frankie, with a smile. He looked at Dumbrowski, who was sitting next to him in the front.
“Yes, really,” said a stern Carlos.
“I’ve been waiting for years for you to say something like that,” said Frankie. “I feel like…”
“A professional businessman,” interrupted Carlos. “I don’t want any talk like we’re involved in some kind of mob. I’m running a respectable business here. The man in the trunk just happened to be poking his pecker where it shouldn’t have been. We’re just going to take care of the situation.”
“How come you don’t get that law firm to do it like all the others?” asked Dumbrowski.
“That bastard in the trunk is one of them,” screamed Carlos. “We’re going to take care of this one ourselves. Nobody screws with my family.”
Frankie pulled the car over to the side of a dark road. Dumbrowski got out on the passenger side and walked to the back of the car. After opening the trunk, he grabbed a tire tool and stared down at the helpless Harold – bound and gagged, eyes wide open in fear. Dumbrowski raised the tool and was about to whack Harold when he felt a hand grab his arm. He turned around and saw Carlos.
“Don’t do it, Dumbrowski,” said Carlos.
“But boss, I thought you wanted to do him in.”
“I do, but not this way. I don’t want no blood in this trunk. I can put up with his thumping around for a few more miles. Let’s just dump him face down in the creek up the road. It’ll give him time to think about what he did to my precious Gina.”
Carlos glared at Harold, flicked a few ashes from his cigar on Harold’s face, and slammed the trunk down. His days of not hurting a fly were over. When Frankie drove the limo close to the creek, he noticed the flashing lights of Officer Phipps’s patrol car. He also noticed the glow from the flames rising from Bell’s annihilated Jaguar.
“I think we got a little problem, boss,” said Frankie.
Carlos never knew that fearless Frankie Deville did have one major issue. Because of his last name, he lived in constant fear that the one-handed ghost of John Ratzenburger was out to get him. The speech John Ratzenburger made near the headless body of Bartholomew Rollins was part of the New Lake City History course, taught at Rollins University. This was the only course Dumbrowski could pass without help. He made sure to give Frankie a hard time about it.
“Just keep going,” said Carlos. “We’ll find some other place to dump the poor bastard.”
Gary Bell managed to turn his head and witnessed his car in flames. The pain was excruciating, but he kept quiet. He noticed that he lost his prosthetic hand during the crash. He
could see Wilcox, Kristi, and Officer Phipps directly below him. He struggled to find a position in the branches, but his numerous broken bones made that impossible. Wilcox noticed Carlos’ limo approaching. Frankie slowed the car down.
“Don’t make us look so obvious,” said Carlos. “Just drive through like it’s nothing.”
With that advice, Frankie floored the gas pedal. As they were about even with the patrol car, Bell tried to grab a branch and fell out of the tree – right on the windshield of the speeding limo.
“What the hell!” cried Frankie. “It’s Ratzenburger’s one-handed ghost!”
He slammed on the brakes but lost control. The car started spinning aimlessly. It narrowly missed the oncoming charbroiled Yugo driven by Benny, who was somewhat speeding his way to Nick’s apartment. The limo came to a halt as it crashed into a propane storage tank - which belonged to the abandoned Ratzenburger store – causing the trunk to pop open.
Wilcox and Phipps rushed to the car. As they got closer, they noticed a tied-up body moving in the opened trunk. Carlos was trying to get out of the car, with his lit cigar still in his mouth. Wilcox instantly recognized the distinct smell of propane.
“I don’t like the looks of this one,” said Wilcox. He and Phipps ran for cover, seconds before the explosion lit up the evening sky.
Benny looked in his rearview and saw the explosion. It added to the glow that Bell’s car was already creating. He didn’t care. His anger was focused on Nick.
The Devil's in My Bathroom Page 61