Chapter 150

word count 1174

“I beg your pardon, but Detective Miller gave me specific instructions to transport Ms. Hunt to hospital where her son has been taken by ambulance.” Priscilla stood firm in defiance to Gil's command that she go back in the office.

“Huh?” Gil muttered, looking first to Priscilla, then to Trudy.

Trudy sprang from the their grasp despite all attempts of the cops to hold her. “Something's wrong with my Elly? What happened? I gotta go! I gotta go!”

Hank who had arrived and had been listening stepped next to Gil. He spoke in a quiet voice. “My daughter just called me. It's true. Someone broke into the house and at the same time Elly took sick. She should go. I'm heading there myself, Lisa's Eric is there. But to be honest, I don't know if I want to tackle taking Trudy with me. I'm too old for that shit.”

Gil looked at him, dumbfounded, when his cell rang. He answered, merely replying with a succession of “Yes” responses before hanging up.

“You're not gonna believe this, but the boss is being held by hospital security. He misbehaved over there and they took him into custody. He needs us to vouch for him.” When he finished speaking, he chuckled. Hank joined in, slamming Gil on the back, laughing. They roared uncontrollably.

“Well, I guess we are all heading over there for a variety of reasons,” Hank said wiping a jovial tear from his eye.

“If you would like, I could take Ms. Hunt with me,” Priscilla said.

“And you are going there why?” Gil asked.

“Detective Miller and his boy are like my family. I'm much more than his housekeeper, you see.”

Trudy stiffened while Gil shot Priscilla a curious eye. “Well, I don't think Trudy should travel with you. She's in custody, errr, sort of, until we see if she can behave herself.

“Very well, I'll go on my own. But he did lend me his car to transport Ms. Hunt in.” She dangled the keys haughtily.

Trudy tried to lunge, but the burly cops held her back.

“Well, look, you people. We're going to visit sick kids and to vouch for Buzz. There's no room for your stupid cat fighting there. Now can you ladies behave at the hospital?” Gil stood with hands on hips, staring the ladies down.

The girls eyed each other up, then nodded, albeit with some hesitation.

“Okay,” Gil said. “Let's get this show on the road.”

* * *

Lenny and Nick shared a cell. The two giant men filled the tiny space leaving little room left for air space. Each man was plastered with an array of bandages, from head to toe, compliments of the medics on the scene.

Lenny tried to sit on the cot and winced as soon as he gingerly placed his butt down, bouncing back up again. “Holy crap! I'm not going to be able to sit or anything for another month. Whoever threw down those nails should be shot.”

“You're complaining! How would you like to have been punctured in your dick. I may never pee again. Little Nicky hurts like hell. Shit, I hurt all over.”

“You think the boss is posting bail for us?” Lenny asked, hoping to change the subject from Little Nicky.

“Oh yeah. I'm sure he'll want to find out what we know. He's gonna be mad as hell though. Let's face it. We blew it, outsmarted by a bunch of little kids.” Nick winced when he accidentally bumped a sore spot.

“Oh, don't remind me! He's gonna be really mad.”

A cop appeared, keys jangling, and unlocked the door. “Your bail's been paid. You're free to go,” he said.

The two big men stampeded past him and didn't look back. They ran right into Stan the Man, the boss's lawyer, who was waiting for them.

“The boss wants to see you two right away,” he said, nodding to the black limo parked out front. “Come on,” he said.

* * *

“So these little boys poured oil on the floor and dropped tacks on it, and you two idiots charged right in without looking and ended up swimming in punctures. Could you be more stupid?” Mr. Big took a drag off his fat cigar and sat up higher in the limo seat.

“No, boss.” They said it together. They sat across from him in the car.

“We are stupid, stupid, stupid,” Nick added with a flourish.

But Mr. Big's mind had wandered on to solving the problem. “I'm gonna have to send someone else in. Someone with half a brain in their head.” He shot Lenny and Nicky a lethal glare. The boys shrunk lower in the seat, which with their jumbo bodies was not easy to accomplish.

“Stan the Man! Call Boa and tell her to meet me at the strip joint.”

Stanley Lefkowich's face turned pale. “Boa! Mr. Big, are you sure? I mean, Boa! You want to call in Boa!”

“Call her,” Mr. Big said, switching his cigar to the other side. Even his heart twitched at the thought of it, of being face to face with Boa.

* * *

Priscilla drove with a lead foot...always, no matter if it was a simple run to the grocery store or a mad pursuit. It didn't matter. The lady liked danger. She ran a red light at 80 mph without a second thought. The road was empty and no cops in sight, so why not?

She was plotting her next move, zooming toward the hospital when her cell buzzed. It bounced in her pocket like a hot tamale.

“Oh bother,” she muttered, fishing it out of her pocket with one hand. “Hullo.”

“Priscilla, is that you?”

“Who else would answer my phone?” the girl snapped. She wasn't happy to hear the voice of Winifred Dunn on the end.

“I had to call, darling, right here from my hospital bed, because my instincts told me you were using that cute booty of yours instead of your brain on this job. If you mess up this caper for me, I'll kill you personally. Now how far along are you?”

Priscilla swallowed her anger. The older woman was her superior, and there was no getting around it. “Things have taken an odd turn. As far as I know, the little boys have the gem. But Winnie, there's another player involved. Some thugs tried to get to the boys today, but the kids outsmarted them. The bad guys are in jail, but one boy is in hospital. I'm on my way there now. Everyone is gathering there.”

“A boy is hurt? Not little Adam?”

“No. Trudy Hunt's son, apparently. He's having emergency surgery. The other tykes insisted on being there for him. I intend to poke around. I'm not good with kids, but maybe I can talk it through with them and find out something.”

“Trudy's son! Oh, that wretched woman! I hate her!”

“You and me both, Winnie dear! You and me both!”