chapter 183

word count: 1325

before ‘the salami’ had a chance to find the answers to any of his questions,, two burly interns rolled in a huge gurney,, and almost effortlessly moved his amazing girth from his hospital bed to the gurney, as they informed him that a private room had been located for him…

‘private room!!’ gloated ‘the salami’ to himself,, ‘the family is seeing to it that i am being treated like a king!! the big guys slot is so close i can taste it!!’

he closed his eyes,, to bask not only in the private relief of getting moved out of the double occupancy room he had momentarily shared with  ‘the detective buzz miller’,, but also to reflect briefly on how easily he could get used to this star treatment.. as the two ever so capable orderlies whisked him off to his private room,, ‘the salami’ allowed himself to be caught up in the self-gratification of the moment instead of paying any attention to where the orderlies were taking him..

you can imagine his surprise when he heard the whoosh of the automatic double doors open,, and a blast of cold night air hit his face.. he opened his eyes just in time to see himself being expertly loaded into the back of a waiting emergency transport vehicle..

“jesus christ!!” ‘the salami’ exclaimed. “where the hell did ya find me a private room?? jersey??”

***

back at the precinct,, two calls were coming in simultaneously.. as hank was on the phone with the hospital getting the low down on buzz’s latest twist of fate,, gil’s new partner, detective james (jimmy) dolan was busy taking down information as to the discovery of a headless, dismembered corpse that had been discovered in part, in a local low-rent district dumpster..

as each of them set out hank,, accompanied by his new partner, detective marisa wells,, once again to buzz’s rescue,, and jimmy on his way to pick up gil,, (who incidentally,, had spent the night with the as of yet undisclosed ‘good doctor’,, or ‘tory’ as she had come to be known to gil),, the two were none the wiser as to the connection that would arise between the two calls,, or that it would be the making or breaking point in the already tenacious relationship between hank and gil..

as jimmy pulled up in front of gil’s apartment and sounded the horn,, the gil machine was still running in overdrive just inside the entrance way,, clutching a still deliciously naked tory..

“man!! i don’t want to go!!” gil huffed noisily,, as tory nuzzled in close,, and gently kissed his still steamy neck in conclusion to what had been a long drawn out goodbye..

“i have a feeling this ain’t over yet…” tory breathed heatedly into the crook of his neck,, as she loosened her grip,, knowing full well what it was like to have to jump when the job called..

“i’ll call ya as soon as i can!!” gill said as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips,, realizing that anything else would make it near impossible for him to leave..

jimmy blew the car horn once again,, just as gil opened the door.. “i’m comin’ man!!” gill called out across the parking lot, as he heard tory gently close the door behind him, officially bringing to a close what was to be an ever so successful first union…

“what a fucking time for a murder!!” gil exclaimed as he threw his seat belt over him,, and jimmy slammed the crown vic into reverse.. “alright,, bring me up to speed..”

“dismembered, partial female remains found in several different trash bags in a dumpster over on the lower east side..  discovered by some kids that evidently neglected to read the ‘do not play on  or around’ sign posted on the container,, and in this case i guess it is a good thing that they did.. first responders, officers dennison and diaz, have cordoned off the scene,, that’s really all i got..” jimmy clicked of in a matter of fact style,, still reeling from the fact that he had been assigned as gil’s new partner,, as he had only three years actual homicide experience,, and had never even really even included himself as a candidate when the position came open..

“fuck!! and it has to be a nasty one too!!” gil remarked as he completed his transition between, ‘the gil machine’, lover extraordinaire,, and bettancourt seasoned homicide detective..

***

as promised once algie had been released,, winnie accompanied trudy to the reception desk in the emergency room.. since her true identity had been revealed to security in her efforts to get algie released, the ER staff got trudy out of the waiting room and into a triage almost instantaneously..

that situation having been diffused,, at least for the moment,, winnie got buzz’s room number from the  admitting desk,, and set a course for it directly.. she then waited patiently outside the door as the two muscle bound orderlies painstakingly guided the extra wide gurney containing a mountain of a man from the bed next to buzz’s and out into the hallway.. as she looked on at the contented smile and peacefully closed eyes of the patient as the orderlies slipped him past her and into the hall,, she was secretly grateful to have the room to herself with detective miller to fill him in on the most recent goings on..

“knock, knock!!” she sounded off in a jolly tone as she entered the room and approached the curtain that was drawn between the beds. “detective miller,, it is i,, winnifred dunn may i come in??”

“sure!! sure!!” buzz was glad to hear a familiar voice..

as winnie rounded the curtain,, she gasped aloud.. “detective miller!!! what on earth??” she exclaimed as she saw him all but swallowed up by an extensive neck brace and some additional cage type headgear.. 

“that little guy can sure pack a punch!!” buzz nearly giggled,, still woozy from the anesthetic they had administered to him in order to assess the extent of the damages he had incurred at algie’s  diminutive hand..

“he sure put the wallop on me that’s for sure.. i must say,, his looks are deceiving,, i had no idea he had it in him!!”

“algernon is carefully schooled in the art of self-defense.. something like that is key when one does not have physical size and strength that, for instance someone like yourself possesses..” mrs. dunn explained as she attended to detective millers comfort,, fluffing his pillow and tucking him in nice and tight..

“i assure you detective miller,, had algernon not properly assessed the situation,, and realized that you were in a very visually red zone in your approach,, he would not have made use of his gifts.. he is a very timid man,, really.. i have only seen him strike out in defense of himself on a handful of occasions.. all with similar outcomes i am afraid to say..”

“well all i hope, “ buzz mused with a silly smile on his face,, “is that he didn’t teach trudy too much of that.. i don’t think even i could handle a trudy that packed a punch like that..”

“speaking of which,” mrs. dunn continued,, “i have seen to it that mrs. hunt is receiving the care she needs after that unfortunate run in with your dresser,, and i can tell you from experience,, that had he imparted enough of his gift to be dangerous to anyone else but herself,, she would not be in a position to seek treatment.. it is fair i believe, to state, that you have no more to fear from miss trudy now than you did before the incident.. not that that was not formidable enough in itself..”

“yeah,” replied buzz as he drifted off to sleep.. “she is formidable.. if there is one thing in this world trudy is,, it is formida…..”

Chapter 182

word count 1122

The security office was a tiny, over-heated room in which Trudy and Mrs. Dunn found Algernon handcuffed to a chair and surrounded by security guards. He looked ready to blow his stack.

“Well, Ms. Hunt! And so we see you again.” The head of security sat with his feet up on the desk. His badge read Officer Dan Kent.

“I didn't do anything this time! Now when can I see a doctor?” Trudy repeated her mantra hoping someone this time would listen.

“Officer, I think I can explain everything,” broke in Winnie. “You see, Mr. Miller got angry and approached Mr. English there...” She nodded to Algernon. “And Mr. English merely defended himself. I'm afraid he knocked Mr. Miller out cold. But Mrs. Hunt had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“And how can an old man like that knock out a robust fellow like Miller. I know Miller. Nobody knocks out Miller.” Dan Kent kicked his feet off the desk and rose to confront Mrs. Dunn at close range.

She blushed in embarrassment. “Well, there are extenuating circumstances which I can only share with you in private.” She leaned closer and murmured in his ear. “I've said too much already.”

Dan stepped back and studied the older woman as if trying to decide if she were a nut or not. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and spoke. “Okay, you and me, in the hallway, NOW!”

The two disappeared and Trudy went to Algie, sitting opposite, dragging Buzz's bedspread with her.  “Algie, are you going to be okay?” she asked. She leaned closer to whisper. “I know how you decked Buzz. It was a knockout punch, wasn't it? The one you told me about...the one so intense, on impact the gray matter inside your head bounces backwards then ricochets forward banging against the walls of the skull. Bam! Bang!”

“For Gawd's sake, Trudy! Shut up! Are you trying to get me arrested?” he hissed.

Mrs. Dunn and Officer Kent returned, bustling though the doorway.  Dan cleared his throat nervously.

“Well, Mrs. Dunn explained. I talked to the powers that be. Mr. English, we'll be letting you go now. I can't tell you how sorry I am to have arrested you. I'm hoping there will be no hard feelings...or repercussions for us, for that matter.”

“None taken. Now get these handcuffs off me, if you please.”

An officer quickly obliged. Rubbing his wrists, Algie nodded to Trudy and Mrs. Dunn to go. He didn't look back at the security guards, choosing to leave without another word.

“Well, perhaps now we should go and check on Detective Miller,” Winnie said.

“Winnie, dear. I don't think his seeing me would be a good idea. I'll go back to the house if you don't mind, and you two go ahead and visit.”

* * *

The Salami nodded to the Rainman. “Yeah, that's right! I need protection.” Wow, protection, thought the Salami. They're already treating me like Mr. Big.

But it was when his driver, Little Sal, opened the car door for him and he bent to get inside that he knew he was in trouble.

“Aaaah, Holy geez!” he screeched, clutching his stomach, next collapsing to his knees.

“What's the matter, boss!” Little Sal whimpered. He bounced around, not knowing what to do.

The Salami couldn't even appreciate the thrill of being called “boss” he was in so much pain. It was like machetes slicing through his abdomen with zigzag strikes, each stroke a blazing cramp. Breaking out into a cold sweat, he moaned. “Call 911!”

“Holy shit!” Little Sal said, punching out the numbers on his cell.

When the paramedics arrived, Sal wouldn't let the Salami out of his sight.

“Sir, you can travel in the ambulance, but keep out of the way!” Jimmy, the paramedic warned. “We have to give this man treatment en route. And we can't have you in the way.”

“You tellin' me what to do?”

“Um, no sir.”

Little Sal sat next to the Salami in the ambulance while the paramedics bumped around him attaching IV's. He was in the way but they put up with it.

When the ambulance zoomed in the emergency room entrance, once again Little Sal hung close to his boss, jumping from the vehicle and rushing to keep up. But when he followed the gurney past the admitting desk, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“I'm sorry. You can't go beyond this point.” The desk nurse said the words, sharp-edged and angry, the same lady whom Trudy had argued with earlier. Her name was Judy.

Little Sal approached her, all 320 pounds of him, ironic considering his name, and hovered over the nurse, staring her down. His little, round, dark eyes penetrated to her core. The nurse flushed, knowing full well her hot flash was from feeling turned on by Little Sal's eyes. Even for their intensity, they were bedroom eyes with a softness lurking somewhere. Not surprisingly, those penetrating eyes got him free admittance into the cubicle where they'd taken the Salami.

When he entered, a doctor was feeling the Salami's abdomen.

“It's rigid,” he said to the assisting nurse. “We're going to have to go in there and operate pronto.”

The amorous admitting nurse, Judy, hovered in the door way. “Hey, big boy!” she purred. “I can help you kill the time while you wait for your friend to have surgery.”

Little Sal smiled.


* * *
Later, when the Salami came to, he was in a semi-private room with another fellow. The guy had visitors so Salami pretended to be asleep. He hated all the social necessities like saying hi and my name is...to total strangers. As he lay though and his head cleared from the murkiness of anesthesia, his first lucid thought was that he was in the hospital because of pain in his stomach. Fear clutched his chest. The key! It must have been the key he swallowed causing the pain. Did they take it out of him? Where was the key? He needed it to get to the diamond. He needed it. Little Sal? Where was Little Sal?

At that moment, he heard the shuffle of visitors preparing to leave, the scrape of a chair on the floor, the tone of the voices changing. He heard their last farewells. A British voice said, “Get well, Detective Miller!” and another said, “Bye, Buzz, love ya!”

Buzz...and Miller? He put the words together. He was in a room with Buzz Miller! The most accomplished cop in New Albany? The guy he had personally threatened in court after Buzz's testimony sent him up the river for five years? That Buzz Miller? Where was Little Sal?

chapter 181

word count: 1131

by the time the admitting desk in the emergency room called trudy’s name, she had been sitting alone for nearly an hour with nothing but buzz’s bedspread to comfort her..

she had looked on helplessly as they had loaded buzz onto a stretcher,, and whisked him away to do whatever it was they did when they suspected head trauma.. and then there was algie,, nearly dragged away by the same hospital security that seemed to enter into her life every time she set foot in this hospital..

trudy kind of felt sorry for the little guy.. his wife had gone missing, without a clue. yet,, despite his own tragedy,, he had reached out to help her,, and now look what he had gotten for his trouble.. not that trudy felt sorry enough to go and try to clear things up with security, but still,, in her own selfish way,, she did feel somewhat sorry for him..

“well, it’s about time!!”  trudy yelled out to the nurse behind the admitting desk,, as she approached,, dragging buzz’s bedspread on the floor behind her.. “i’ve been waiting here for hours,, in pain,, with what is probably a broken hand…”

“hunt?? trudy hunt??” cut in the nurse behind the desk..

“well ya!! isn’t that who’s name ya just called?? why else would i be up here??”

“mrs. hunt,, your wanted in security. just follow me..” instructed the nurse as she paid no attention to trudy or her injury,, and set off leading the way expecting trudy to follow..

“what the hell is wrong with you people??” trudy barked. “can’t you see i am injured here?? i came here because my hand is probably broken!! i am not going anywhere until i am seen by a doctor.. look at this swelling!! can’t you see i am in pain, here??”

“i am just following orders, mrs. hunt.. you can take that matter up with the security team..” the nurse retorted bluntly as she hit a button on the wall that caused the double doors in front of her to open.. 

“now if you will just follow me..”

“i’m not following you anywhere!!” trudy bellowed. “i demand to be seen by a doctor!!”

as mrs. dunn entered the emergency room she didn’t have to look for trudy,, all she had to do was follow the ever annoying sound of her voice.. she stepped into view just as the admittance nurse was trying to explain to a visibly non compliant trudy that she would have to be cleared by the security team before she was going to be allowed to see a doctor..

“ah,, mrs. hunt.. so glad to have found you.. algie gave me a call and let me know what was happening here,, so i thought it best i come up here in person and try to help sort all of this out with security..”

“you!!” trudy screamed at mrs. dunn..  “i should have known you would be behind all of this!!”

mrs. dunn, doing her best to keep up appearances,, extended her arm graciously to trudy, and even though her faux kindness was refused, continued through the double doors and down the hall..

“what do you say we just take care of this little bit of business mrs. hunt,, and then i will come back here with you an see to it that you are seen by a doctor as soon as possible.. shame really that they haven’t seen you already,, but in light of the little tiff between detective miller and algie…”

“exactly!!” trudy cried out, “it was between them two!! i had nothing to do with any of it!! i came here to see a doctor!!”

“and see a doctor you will.. i will see to it just as soon as the two of us have straightened things up for algie,, as you know,, he was only trying to help you…” mrs. dunn continued as trudy,, intent on an argument followed her down the hall..

“ah ha!! well lookie here will you?? the security office !!” mrs. dunn called out cheerfully as she pushed a stumbling trudy through the door.. 

“good evening gentlemen!! winifred dunn here, accompanied by mrs. trudy hunt!! i think we can help you sort this matter in no time…”

***

as more and more soldiers showed up at the compound to help clean up after ‘the incident’,, and the word was passed from one to another as too what had gone on here earlier,, ‘the salami’ couldn’t have been more pleased with the way things were falling into place..

his little story about ‘the puck’ sticking him and making off with the gem was being passed around like gospel..  as each new guido arrived on the scene they made their way over to him,, and offered a pat on the back,, a wink,, or a hand shake.. they were after all his brothers in arms,, and he knew he was gonna need every single one of them pulling or him if he was going to be recommended to the family when it came time for one of them to take over where the big guy had unfortunately left off..

‘the salami’ approached ray,, knowing that the arrangements where all supposed to be orchestrated through him,, and offered his assistance.. “hey, rainman, what can i do ta help ya out on this thing? i’m starting to get my shit together here,, and i know that there is a lot that has to go into this whole thing for the big guy together in order for it to come off peaceably.. i am ready to step up and do what needs to be done.. “

“jeez,, thanks, salam,, you sure you’re up to it??” 'the rainman' spoke in a genuinely caring tone..

“you bet buddy.. this is all about the big guy.. ain’t none of it about me.. just lemme know what you want i should do..”

“well i am trying to work out the security detail for the next couple a days.. i got ferrante's down,, since we have used the place so much,, but i need someone to go do the footwork on the church of the annunciation,, since that is where the family will be holding the mass,, and then the cemetery, calvery gardens over on west 38^th.. that’s where the big guy wanted to be laid ta rest..”

“i’m on it!!” beamed ‘the salami’ as he jumped at the opportunity to leave the compound and let the guys talk him up in his absence.. as he headed toward his car,, he heard  ‘the rainman’ call out behind him..

“hey salami!! take little sal here with ya.. ya know.. for protection…”

Chapter 180

word count 1014

Buzz got Trudy settled in the waiting area and made his way to the desk to get her signed in. The desk nurse, a skinny girl with eyes too close together and a down-turned mouth copied Trudy's insurance card and sent Buzz packing in short order with a promise to “get to her as soon as we can.” Buzz lumbered back to Trudy while surveying the room full of bored, restless people. He wondered where he'd find the patience to sit it through. He liked to be control, giving the orders. Now there was nothing to do but “wait his turn.”

He could see Trudy watching him with wide eyes as he made his way, zigzagging through the crowd to get back to her. She looked like a frightened child in the sea of people. Her eyes were red from crying, and she clutched the injured hand to her chest.

“They'll get to you soon,” he said easing into the chair next to her, hoping the statement wouldn't be a lie. Throwing his arm around her, he pulled her close. She fell asleep. Sitting there, clutching the girl reminded Buzz how much he missed the companionship of a woman. Since his wife died, he hadn't been with anyone. Considering his reputation as a player, he surprised himself by being celibate in the months since his wife passed. To be truthful, sitting here gave him time to think...of how unkind he was to Jeannie...disrespectful...downright cruel. A scene flashed through his mind of a time when he socked her and sent the lady slamming against a wall. Jeannie had got up clutching her cheek, shooting a gaze at him that cut to his heart. Maybe I should be the one looking to control my anger issues. The thought ran through his mind wrapped in the blackest guilt. It all made him restless and anxious to get out of the hospital and back to real life where he could throw himself into his work.

“How is she doing?” Algie spoke with effort, arriving after having run several flights of stairs. “I'm sorry it took me so long to catch up.”

“We're waiting to see someone. As you can see, she's resting nicely.”

“Ah, yes. She looks quite angelic when she sleeps.”

“Yeah,” Buzz snorted. “Trudy, an angel, funny!”

Algernon settled in his seat and got comfortable. “Well, she is a handful, I must say. You must know I only meant well when I taught her karate.”

Buzz shot him an angry glance. “Yeah, about that. Why in the hell would you do that? What were you thinking?”

“Well, I honestly thought she could channel her anger into something more controlled. To be honest, I never thought she could deliver such a wallop. She's a woman, after all. And I didn't teach her to go around pounding on things. I taught her to address the rage and quiet it within.”

“You did realize this is Trudy we're talking about.” Buzz felt his blood pressure rushing. How could this British fop be so stupid?

“Well, yes, but I guess I didn't understand her as thoroughly as I should.”

“You're damn right you didn't understand her!” Buzz jumped to his feet, clenching his fists as his sides.

“I say, there's no need for anger, old boy! I meant well.” Algernon shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent air.

“You meant well? Look at how she injured herself, you stupid son of a bitch!” Now Buzz's heart pounded with vengeance. He knew he was losing control. But there was no turning back. He grabbed Algie by the collar and pulled him out of the chair, pulling back one hand intending to issue to a sound punch.

That was when the lights went out.

He'd blacked out. He knew it as soon as he came to. Two nurses and a doctor hovered over him, their faces leaning down close to his. He was laying on the floor. Trudy whimpered in the background, and Algernon's frantic voice played out in the mush. His world was spinning.

“This man may have head trauma,” the doctor said. “Let's get him admitted.”

“But I was only defending myself!” Algernon wailed.

Buzz spied a blur of blue uniforms surrounding Algie.

“Hey, what about me?” Trudy squealed.

* * *

“It's a cryin' shame! The big guy gunned down like that. He was such a hero to us all.” Rudy flicked a tear from his eye and dunked a scrub brush in the bucket of hot, soapy water, next slamming it to the floor to scrub the crimson Rorschach off Mr. Big's prized white shag carpet.

“Oh, I know Big Rudy. But, geez, man, do you have to be such a wuss about it? You're making me wanna cry.” Ray was breathing heavy, having just loaded up the Chinese guy in the special van to “dispose” of the body. Someone else from “Ferrante's”--the mob's special funeral home, had already come and taken the big guy's body for proper burial. Ray thought about the memorial service, slated for tomorrow, that would gather together in one place mob leaders from all over the state. It was a “security” nightmare, and he was in charge of setting it all into place.

“You finish here, and I'll see ya later,” he told Big Rudy, turning to bump headlong into The Salami, himself.

“Salam, where the hell you been?” he asked.

“I told ya, man! I'm still groggy. Lenny stuck me with something.”

“I know, we found the needle, ya big baby! Now what can ya tell me about this empty briefcase?” Ray shot Nick the Salami a potent glance.

But Nick wasn't worried. He'd played his cards just right. In fact, by the time everything played out, he hoped to be the new Mr. Big. He pictured himself smoking a huge cigar, sitting at the desk in this room—what a grand display of power it was. Then he shook the image away. There was a lot to do to get from here to there.

“Empty? Holy shit! I guess Lenny took the gem!”

chapter 179

word count: 1169

nick ‘the salami’ solumbrino found a nice dark, desolate place to pull over beside the big bear river in weston..  he made a u-turn so that he could just roll the body of his former compadre onto the lift,, and then push him off into the roaring falls.. that way the body would roll down the falls and move swiftly north.. the farther away from new albany they found him, the better was his thought on that matter.. 

getting the over-stuffed body of  ‘the puck’ off the truck had been a whole hell of a lot easier than getting him in there.. within 5 minutes,, ‘the salami’ was back on the road and headed into part two of his plan..

he drove directly to the main bus depot,, where he bought a diet coke,, slugged half of it down,, dropped the diamond in the remainder if the soda and purchased a small locker into which he placed the diamond laden diet coke,, locking it securely behind him..

once back in the van he had only to hide the key..  having the digestive track of a goat, after years of eating anything and everything that crossed his path definitely  made his decision to swallow the key all that much easier.. that way there was no possible way anyone could happen across it,, and by the time he passed it,, the family would be suffering the aftermath of the virtual slaughter of the big guy,, tracking ‘the puck’,, and the reformation of the hierarchy of the family,, so therefore he would have the opportunity then to decide upon a safe place to keep the key..

just a few blocks down the road, he swung the van into a handicapped parking spot at the new albany international airport,, and placed a groggy call to the couple a guidos that were holding the tsung family,, and should by now have tiffany yoo under wraps as well..

“it’s ‘the salami’, " he panted into the phone.. “something has gone terribly wrong.. the china man took out the big guy,, and guido.. me and ‘the puck’ got him before he could get away.. but as soon as we were sure we had him, ‘the puck’ stuck me,  and everything went black..”

“wadda ya mean everything went black?” one of the guido’s , rudy,  barked back into the phone..

“wadda ya mean what do i mean? black is fucking black.. i woke up in the back of the van at the airport,, that’s what i mean you meat head!!!”

“so then wadda we do?”

“you do what you gotta do.. i gotta straighten my head up enough to get back to the house.. meet me there when you’re finished there. we gotta lot of business to take care of,, a lotta calls to make.”  ‘the salami’ said as he clicked off the call.

“do it.” rudy said to his partner, ray,  as he slipped his cell back into his suit pocket and fired the first shot. within a matter of minutes they were back in the car,, and on their way to the compound.. 

with the wheels set in motion,, “the salami” made his way to the terminal.. he was already disheveled from all the hard work he had put in getting the body of ‘the puck” in and out of the van,, so he staggered a bit,, as when he was picked up on the security cameras (and he was depending on the fact that those tapes would be reviewed in order to strengthen his story) it would look as if he was in fact trying to shake off whatever it was ‘the puck’ had done to him to cause him to black out..

he grabbed a large coffee in the terminal,  and headed back to the van.. he took his time sipping the steaming, hot coffee,, and nearly finished it off before he backed out the van, and headed toward the compound.. he wanted the guidos to get there first.. to see the devastation.. the spent hypodermic laying on the driveway.. the empty briefcase.. let them put two and two together.. the more they figured out for themselves,, the less he had to pad the story..

***

as soon as algie heard the crack of wood shattering coming from the bedroom,, he knew exactly what had happened,, but before he could assume any responsibility for trudy’s actions,, buzz was on his feet and running toward the bedroom..

“oh winnie,”  algie whispered across the table,, “i’m wondering if i hadn’t of  just left well enough  alone..”

before winnie could answer,, they heard buzz yell out, “what the hell’s goin’ on?” as he entered the bedroom, and saw not only the deep crack of splintered wood on his dresser,, but a quite bewildered trudy standing there holding her arm as if she was in pain..

instead of answering trudy broke into tears, and slipped limply onto the bed.. buzz left off thinking about the dresser long enough to go try and comfort trudy.. he sat beside her on the bed,, and  wrapped his arm around her.. she buried her face in his neck and sobbed uncontrollably,, as buzz inspected her now swollen hand and arm,, feeling up and down the phalanges in her hand and then her ulna and radius searching for evidence of a broken bones..

“i think i can answer that for her,” interjected a rather meek algie, from the doorway of the bedroom..

“when i took her to pick up a few of her things earlier this evening,, i offered her and alternate outlet for her rage,, by introducing her to the basic elements of karate.. i’m afraid this is essentially all my fault..” he continued apologetically..

buzz cradled the still sobbing trudy in his arms.. “none of that is important right now,, i think she has done some damage to this hand,, it’s hard to tell with all the swelling.. algie,, could you bring the car around?? i am afraid we are gonna have to take her in for some x-rays..” 

“at your service!!” algie turned heel and headed out to the drive to warm up the edsel.. 

within moments buzz cradled a bedspread covered trudy in his arms and led her down the walkway from the house to algies waiting car..  the two of them got into the back seat,, and without further direction algie headed out of the driveway,, and back to new albany medical center.. over the course of the last week or so he had spent enough time there to know exactly where to go..  he pulled the edsel up outside the emergency entrance,, and allowed buzz and trudy to get out there at the door before he searched out an open spot in the very full emergency room parking lot.

before exiting the car, he put in a call to winnie,, who had remained back at the house..

“full house here tonight, i’m afraid.. you may as well get some sleep,, i am thinking we are going to be a while…”

Chapter 178

word count 1151

Victoria Jennings, M.D., smiled at Gil Bettencourt and lifted her glass indicating she'd like a refill. Throughout their lively conversation, she'd observed his behavior without telling him she was a doctor, an internist. So far, she'd seen no indication of a major illness. He mentioned being distracted and finding it hard to concentrate, being short tempered. Being kidnapped had to be a traumatic experience. Just from observation, she would guess if he had a problem, it would be more of the post traumatic stress variety. And that wasn't her specialty. She couldn't be much help there.

She was glad she couldn't do much for him. Because the guy was a doll, and in this couple of hours, she'd come to be fond of him. She hoped dating would be their future. Her excuse to meet him had been to get a date for a wedding. What he didn't know was the wedding was Hank and Stephanie's, a small affair planned in three months. She and Stephanie hoped they could reconcile the two men by that time.

“I must say, my sweet lady, you are just what the doctor ordered,” Gil said, tipping his glass to hers.

What the doctor ordered, how ironic, she thought. But she was glad he felt that way.

* * *
Buzz came through the front door to find a full house. Not only was Mrs. Dunn at home, but Trudy and Algernon, as well.  He had offered the extra bedroom for Algie for as long as he was staying in town. Mrs. Dunn seemed to appreciate it. And the guy acted well as a buffer between Trudy and the older woman.

“Oh good! I'm glad you're home, Detective Miller! I've made pie!”

“Mrs. Dunn, you don't have to keep on being my housekeeper. I mean, now that you've made your actual profession clear. Trudy can take care of us. Besides, I wanted you and Mr. English to help me on this jewel heist. I'm sure you have considerable investigative talents.”

“WHAT?” Trudy bellowed.

The others ignored her, launching into a conversation about the Diana diamond.

“First of all, has there been any word on Priscilla?” Mrs. Dunn asked.

Buzz's expression appeared troubled. “No, Mrs. Dunn. It's not looking good that we are going to find her. Since she has disappeared without a trace and was involved with the jewel, it reeks of being a mob hit.”

Mrs. Dunn nodded as Algie, seeing her sad expression, rushed to her side.

“Now about this shit concernin' me doing housework,” Trudy broke in. “Who the hell do you think you...”

Algie dashed again, this time to Trudy's side and gave her a hard look.

Seeing him, she stopped short, closing her eyes for a moment, sighing, and opening her eyes again. “I'll do the best I can,” she murmured before bolting from the room.

When she arrived in Buzz's bedroom, she stood for a moment trying to control her rage. It blazed in her like a bonfire gobbling air and gaining height as she searched for the white light of reason. Gathering her forces, she felt herself getting stronger, brimming with power, blotting out the rage, but the force itself begged to be released. Her anger had been so intense the power that now harnessed it was of equal strength. She felt the lid about to blow and by instinct or necessity she threw her hand out and slammed it karate style on Buzz's dresser.  The pain brought tears stinging to her eyes, the ache in her hand was crippling and intense. As she rubbed her injury her gaze went to the dresser top to see she had split the wood. A gaping crack ran along the surface.

“Oh dear,” she murmured.

* * *

At Mr. Tsung's, Tiffany sat on the edge of her seat, nervously tapping her foot. She had a bad feeling about this. Who were these men, these Americans? Probably they wanted the diamond, but Father had already gone off with it. If they didn't get what they came for, it didn't look good for her or the Tsung family. She had to do something. Her tiny pistol sat nestled in boot, strapped to her leg, but she couldn't take on two of them at once. But then again, this was a fight for her life. There was nothing to lose for trying.

“We shoulda heard something by now,” one of the Americans remarked. “I don't like this.”

“Clam up!” the other said. He shot the assembled Asians a hateful glance.

Tiffany shifted in her seat. Nervous, you're just nervous, she thought. She noticed Mr. Tsung sitting tall and straight, a neutral expression. That was just like the people from the old country, always stoic, always able to turn off their emotions...to stop being people...to act like furniture or something. Well, she wasn't furniture. She was born in this country, and she was alive and free and had every intention of staying that way. If the Tsung family wanted to be passive and go quietly to their graves, that was their decision, not hers.

“How long are you going to keep us here?” she demanded.

No one answered. It made her angrier. She was a person, dammit. And she wouldn't be ignored.

“I asked how long are you going to keep us here?”

“Shut up!”

“Don't speak to me like that!”

One of the Americans kicked away the chair he was straddling, making it bump and clunk on a journey across the room. He rushed to her and stood over the girl like an ominous shadow. “I'll speak to you however I want, sweet cakes!” That said, he bent down and grabbed a handful of her sleek, black hair, pulling her head back so he could reach her lips with his own, planting a slobbery, lingering kiss. She squirmed and grunted to get free. When finished, he threw her backward so the girl flew off her chair and slammed against the wall.

“Knock it off!” the other American said. “Get over here and behave yourself.”

Tiffany picked herself up and staggered back to where she'd been sitting. Her heart jack-hammered in her chest, and she could barely see straight. The room was spinning. She struggled to her chair and sat with her head in her hands.  She felt broken. At the big man's mercy, being attacked and then thrown like a rag doll, she realized their strength and dominance over her. These men were ruthless, and this was just another day for them. They'd seen it all and done it all. There was nothing she could do to fool them. Most certainly if she tried to shoot one, the other would kill her. He could kill her and the Tsung family, too...with impunity and without guilt, never tried, never imprisoned.

They were doomed. She and the Tsung family were doomed.

chapter 177

word count: 1450

as soon as tiffany got to the top of the steps,, she began to sense something was wrong.. the tsung family, mrs. tsung, and their three children were all seated on the couch, facing her. mrs. tsung stared at her, wide eyed,, as the children frozen with fear, huddled in close to their mother.. tiffany turned to look at mr. tsung,, who was only a step or two behind her.. he too had a troubled look on his face.. a look of disdain,, she had taken at first as his way of showing his disapproval of her state of dress,, or undress as the case might be.. she paused a moment too long,, and mr. tsung put his hand to her back and guided her rigidly to continue into the living room..  

as she turned the corner coming out of the stairwell,, she saw them. two americans.. two huge americans,, both in suit coats,, with short cropped hair.. both with guns drawn,, sitting leisurely at the family dinner table.. despite their casual demeanor both of their guns were leveled,, one on the mrs.tsung and her children,, and one on tiffany and mr. tsung as he too came into view..

“take a seat miss yoo.” said one of the steely eyed americans as he waived his gun in the direction of a chair on the other end of the living room..

“you too.” he nodded at mr. tsung,, as he continued to motion with his gun towards the other end of the room..

“and now we wait.” said the man who held his gun steadily on the tsung family..

***

as the sound of gunshots rang out in mr. bigs private office,, yet another of his bodyguards came blasting in a door just behind the big guy’s desk.. mr. yoo did not stop to see who or what was coming through that door,, rather he jumped hastily over the massive corpse that was all but blocking the doorway and ran down the steps.. as he opened the door leading to the back exit of the compound two shots rang out.. the first,, with precision,, went straight through the back of mr. yoos brain,, the other was the sound of his own gun,, as his one remaining shot in the chamber ricochet off the pavement before him..

nick, ‘the salami’ solumbrino, and lenny  ‘the puck’ moskowitz, hovered over mr. yoo’s lifeless body.. ‘the puck’ kicked at it a couple of times just to make sure there was no chance he was still alive, despite the fact that the better part of mr. yoo’s face had been blown off by the hollow point bullet that had sliced thru mr. yoo’s cranium like a knife through soft butter..

“fuck!!” ‘the salami’ clearly exasperated exhaled the word as if it had been burning a hole in his lungs.. “how the fuck does something like this happen?? how the fuck did he get that gun past guido??”

“too bad that idiot mother fucker already bought it,, i’d a loved to have had a chance to put a bullet through his brain..” ‘the puck’ sounded off as he kicked at mr. yoo’s lifeless body once more for emphasis..

“wonder what’s up with the briefcase?” ‘the salami’ couldn’t help but wonder aloud,, as he too took a kick at mr. yoo.. “ i’m bettin’ whatever is in there,, is the reason the big guy, god rest his soul, had chin chin china man here, come by tonight..”

“i don’t know,,” lenny ‘the puck’ moskowitz quickly interjected. “but i say we leave it alone..”

“so why you wanna say that??” ‘the salami fired back… “the big guy is gone,, guido is gone,, manny is gone.. there is right this minute no ‘heir to the throne’.. suppose whatever is in that briefcase makes us ‘heir to the throne’?? finders keepers, losers weepers, puck.. i say we open it.. this could be our big chance.. this could be just what we need to come into our own, ya know?? finally get that big chance we been talkin’ about for the last fifteen years..”

‘the puck’ was still hesitant.. ‘the salami’ was right.. everyone that was anyone had already hit the dirt.. sure,, they got the guy that did the big guy in,, but that might not be enough for the family to recognize them.. they could sure use an edge, something that would push them straight to the top,, and keep the family from bringing someone from outta town in to pick up where the big guy left off..

“but suppose it’s nothing? then what,, we got no business in that briefcase,, how we gonna explain it,, if it comes down like that?? i mean if we blow it open,, and there is nothing there??” lenny was visibly on the fence.. just a little push,, and he’d be over it,, and on ‘the salami’s’ side….

“you fuckin’ idiot,, were not gonna blow it open,, we’re gonna find the key and open it!!!” the salami fired off.. “you don’t think this guy strapped that thing on and don’t have a key to open it do you?? here,, lemme show you how it’s done..”

nick ’the slami’ solumbrino knelt,, with great difficulty, over the body.. he felt the pockets on mr. yoo’s pants.. one was smooth,, the other had what felt like a key ring in it.. he carefully extracted the key ring so as to not disturb the positioning of the body in any way.. no matter who the family sent over to clean this,, they would notice any disturbance to the body..

“and there ya go!!” he said as he pushed himself up out of the kneeling position,, and shook the key ring in lenny’s direction.. he tossed lenny the keys.. “open it. my knees are killin’ me,, i can’t stay down there like that..”

‘which key do ya think it is??” ‘the puck’ asked as he caught the key ring midair..

“how the fuck am i supposed to know!! just open the god damn thing already will ya??”

‘the puck’ knelt down next to the body.. he fumbled thru a couple of keys before he found the right one. he popped open the lock on the briefcase and saw nothing of interest in there.. nothing but a jewelry box. “see i told ya…” were the last words ‘the puck' ever spoke,, as nick ‘the salami’ solumbrino brought down a cement statue of the virgin smashing down on the back of his head as he peered into the briefcase.. nick checked his pulse,, he was out,, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be for long. he grabbed the jewelry box from the briefcase,, opened it,, and staring up at him in the phosphorescent light of the driveway,, was the most amazing thing he had ever laid his eyes on.. a fucking diamond the size of a fifty cent piece if not bigger..

“holy mother of god!!” he couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he replaced the statue of the virgin just outside the door,, where she had stood vigil for as long as he could remember.. he slipped the diamond into the pocket of his pants as he snapped the lid closed on the jewelry box,, and stuffed it into 'the puck's' suit coat pocket.. he withdrew the key fob that would open the garage door from his suit coat pocket..  he clicked the button,, and he moved quickly into the garage,, where he proceeded to open the steel cabinet just inside the door,  and load a syringe to the hilt with a lethal dose of morphine..

‘the puck’ was just beginning to come around as nick jabbed the needle into his already distended jugular vein,, and drove the dose home.. as ‘the puck’ exhaled his last,, ‘the salami’ was already firing up the engine on the lift enabled cargo van.. he backed the van up into position,, rolled ‘the puck onto the lift,, and then into the side door of the van..

sweating like a god damn pig, ‘the salami’ pulled himself up into the driver’s seat,, and cranked on the air.. it had all come down so fast,, he didn’t immediately know where he was gonna dispose of the body…

as the front gates of the compound slid slowly open enough for nicky to pass though,, he pulled a ski mask over his sweat drenched face,, so the security cameras would be of no use in identifying who was driving the van..

as he sped through the gates and out onto the darkened road that led through the wooded area that surrounded the compound he decided to take a ride up to weston,, and dump ‘the puck’ in the big bear river..  sounded like as good a place as any..