Chapter 116

word count 1255

Mrs. Johnson took the stairs one step at a time while balancing a tray with two bowls of hot chicken soup and two plates of sandwiches. "What the heck were we thinking, keeping the woman here?" she murmured. "The two of them are gonna eat us out of house and home."

Reaching the landing, she kicked open the first door on the right. The Dunn woman was first in view, bound with duct tape and sitting in a chair. A glance to the right revealed Buzz in his alcove snoring soundly.

On spying the lady with the tray, Mrs. Dunn made muffled noises under her taped mouth, shaking her head and bouncing in the chair.

"Take it easy, sweetheart! I brought you some food." Mrs. J. laid the food down and pulled off Mrs. Dunn's tape, freeing her to speak.

"I demand to know what is going on here!"

"Well, darling! What's going on here is you must be worth some money to someone. So you're here until we can figure who. Maybe your family, maybe the police. I don't know. We have to work out the details yet. Or maybe I'll just pop you one if you talk too much and you get on my nerves."

"I beg your pardon!"

"You're here for ransom, honey! Him, too...although in his case, it's more like an auction...the cop goes to the highest bidder."

"How dare you disrespect Detective Miller in this way?"

Mrs. J. shot her an amused glance before aiming for your mouth with a spoonful of steaming soup.

The aroma of chicken filled Mrs. Dunn's nostrils, but she turned her head away. "I don't want your bloody soup!"

"Suit yourself." Mrs. J. gathered her tray and crossed the room to Buzz. Pushing the bed out to get to him, she kicked the cop in the shin with all her might. "WAKE UP, buddy!"

"Whaaa....WHAT THE HELL?" He looked up with heavy eyelids gazing around as though he'd forgotten where he was. His eyes rested on his housekeeper staring his way with a pensive expression, the one she used when he invited his cop cronies over for beers.

"Mrs. Dunn! What are you doing here?"

Her face softened as anger dropped away and worry replaced it. "Detective Miller, You never came home, and I was trying to track you down. I ended up here like this."

Buzz turned his gaze to Mrs. J. "What the hell do you think you're doing? She's an innocent! If you have a gripe with me, that's one thing. I'm a cop. But my housekeeper and friend. There's no call for this!"

"She was getting too close, sonny! Besides, she's got to be worth some money to someone."

"You know, lady. Sooner or later when they put two and two together, my department is gonna know we're here. There's gonna be a swat team out front, news copters in the air, reporters on every corner. There's no way you'll escape. You'll be lucky to get out of it alive. Those swat guys, they mean business. They'll gun down anything that moves! If you let us go now, I'll put in a good word for you, and you can avoid all that. At least let Mrs. Dunn go."

"When donkeys fly! She's worth money! Now do you want some of this lunch or don't you?"

"Did Mrs. Dunn eat?"

"Nope. Turned it down."

"Then so will I!"

“If you think I'm going to come traipsing around here any time soon with more food, then you're crazy!” That said, Mrs. J. stormed out of the room. Her footsteps descending the stairs confirmed she was out of the area.

“Mrs. Dunn, dear! Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?”

“Heavens no, Detective! But what is going on?”

“Well, they seem to think my enemies will pay a lot to get hold of me. I find that prospect disconcerting, but I have confidence in my department to realize I'm missing and get me, or now us, out of here. Did anyone call you to say I was missing?”

“Not at all. In fact, I went to the precinct to check on you, and they wouldn't give me the time of day. The desk sergeant said you were on assignment and unavailable.”

“Well, that's a canned answer, not what I was hoping to hear.”

The sound of Mrs. J. on the stairs again caught their attention. Her soft footfall was followed this time by a heavier, slower one. It didn't take long for the door to pop open. The crazy lady stuck her head through. Pushing her glasses up, she gazed to Buzz.

“Buzz, I have a surprise for you, a guest...of sorts.”

She stood back and a heavyset man entered the room. His black hair was long and slicked straight back, and he had close set eyes that radiated a weary cunning, as though he'd seen it all but still maintained a cautious outlook. He spotted Buzz and his face lit up like a hungry man who'd just found food. He grimaced at the cop.

“Joe Tobin!” Buzz returned, saying the name slowly, in a deeper tone than was normal for him.

“Ha! I thought this woman was kidding when she said she had you under wraps, but here you are. How are you, my old friend?”

“I'm no friend of yours, Tobin!”

“Yeah, that's right! Ten years of my life you took away, Miller! I haven't been able to watch my kid grow up or watch my wife grow old...from worry, I might add.”

“I'm sorry about that, but you broke the law.”

“So did you, Miller! You worked me over pretty good, way more than was necessary. I didn't resist arrest, but you really pounded on me anyway. I still have a scar here, on my face.” He pointed to an angry mark on his forehead. “That's where your heel cut into me. Were you hyped on drugs, copper? I tried to tell them when I was being booked, that you seemed crazy, that I wasn't resisting. But they were your friends, they wouldn't listen.”

Buzz felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach, pained and breathless. He was young, ambitious, looking to get ahead. Now and then he would pop a pill to keep going. He knew damn well this guy was right. He overdid it with the amphetamines that night. And that, with the adrenaline rush kicking in, he really did go crazy beating the crap out the guy for no real reason. He lost control.

“I'd turn you in if I thought anyone would listen. But since they won't hurt one of their own, I guess I will have to render my own justice. Mrs. Johnson here is having negotiations for your butt right now. I'm bidding against Tom Flannery of the Irish mob. Remember him?”

It keeps getting better, Buzz thought.

“Well, I've see enough,” Tobin said. “Let's get out of here, darling. I have a bid to offer you.”

When they had gone, Mrs. Dunn eyed Buzz worriedly. “Detective Miller, is what that man said true? Did you beat up a suspect for no reason?”

Buzz's heart hit the floor, and he wasn't certain he could breath. His face flushed crimson and his cheeks burned. He couldn't tell her the truth. Hell, he couldn't tell anyone the truth.

“No, NO, Mrs. Dunn! He's just trying to get to us! Don't believe a word that guy says!” Please don't believe!