Chapter 202

word count 1114

Buzz drove himself and Trudy home in silence. He kept an eye on her forlorn figure huddled in the passenger seat, a distraught victim of his latest outburst. He hadn't meant to become so angry. But she had mouthed off in front of the Commish. As if he wasn't in enough trouble already.

Laying a hand on her thigh, he murmured a trite, “Penny for your thoughts.”

“Oh, ya don't wanna know what I'm thinking,” she retorted. She cuddled up within herself and shut him out.

“Trudy, hon! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mouth off at you. But that was my boss and you were about to insult him. It could cost me my job.” His hand worked its way between your legs, drifting along the fabric of her slacks toward her nether regions. The car swerved as he groped her while driving with only one hand on the wheel.

Predictably, she groaned. And his own reaction growled inside his sizable body like rolling thunder. His busy hand slid up and grabbed at the waist band tugging to pull her pants down. The car swerved into the other lane, but he righted it quickly.

“You men! You always think sex is the answer to everything,” she murmured. “And you're right,” she added, groping his private area in like fashion. The car swerved. He gulped as primal urges danced in groin area.

Luckily, they arrived on his street and he pulled into the drive with welcome relief. Needless to say, the sooner he got Trudy to his bedroom, the better. Heck, he might spill his beans right there in the car. A strange auto was parked on the street in front of the Miller residence, but in his hurry he paid it little mind. Mrs. Dunn no doubt had company. He couldn't concentrate. His thoughts churned at fever pitch to devise a plan to get Trudy past the scrutiny of his housekeeper and upstairs to his room.

The worry wasn't necessary. When they entered the house, Mrs. Dunn and her company were nowhere to be seen. He scooped up Trudy and planted a kiss straight on her mouth not only to enjoy the pleasure but to keep the unpredictable woman quiet. He rushed her to his room and shut the door.

* * *
At the precinct, Algernon sat in the waiting area for no particular reason and nursed his wounds. To have returned to the station empty handed, with no Diana diamond to take home to Her Majesty, left him in a state of utter despair. His whole life, a world of experience, had appeared to be culminating in this one act of honor and bravery, retrieving the precious gem and taking it home to royalty...his one magnificent act to end a lifetime of service to the Queen. At that point he could have retired with glory.

But these damned Americans had scooped up the prize and taken it in as so-called evidence. All he could do was merely relate with weakened words to the Royal Family about his good work. No gleam from the jewel, no beauty to behold. There could be no display and ceremony, that timeless moment when he knelt before his Queen and presented the prize. Instead, it was all relegated to mundane paper reports, signed receipts, and promises to send it by an anonymous courier when the U.S. Government was done routing it through their processes. He sighed. No respect was being given to the stature of the jewel, worn by Princess Diana herself on many royal occasions. Damned Americans.

He might as well go home. Sitting here in the police station and brooding wasn't going to help. At home, Winnie could commiserate with him, hold his hand and comfort. She would make him a spot of tea and assuage his worries. Yes, home is where he should go. Home to Winnie.

It came as no surprise, the driveway being dominated by Buzz's car. And street parking was impossible because still another vehicle was in his own spot. But in his somber mood, he parked behind it without thinking and headed toward the Miller house on foot.

An empty living room greeted him. Checking the kitchen and dining room, he found no one home at all.

“How very odd,” he pondered. Buzz was at home, wasn't he? Remembering Buzz's car out front, he ran to the window to check again. The Crown Vic was parked there just as he thought. And on the street out front a Lincoln Town Car, black and subdued, dominated his usual spot. The pink Edsel was just behind it, looking like a cartoon next to the gravitas emanating in waves from the other dark and dignified vehicle.

Algie pulled back into himself to think. Buzz should be in the house, and whose was that other vehicle? At that moment a pounding on the floor upstairs rattled him. It came suddenly and by surprise. He listened, puzzled. The rhythm and thump, thump, thump, accompanied by the hiss and squeak of a noisy mattress were undeniable. Someone was doing the dirty upstairs. It was Buzz's room.

“Oh dear. He must have crazy Trudy up there...” he mused. “I hope she contains her martial arts skills during their love-making.”

And then, another sound. Walking around on the first floor, he discovered its source. The other upstairs bedroom. The same thing. Thumping with the squeak of a mattress. But that was Winnie's room!

Algernon's heart fell, slamming down like a meteorite free falling, pounding to earth with a thunderous roar and dust flying. His head swirled. Pulse raced. Heart cried out in agony. He had always thought Winnie had a soft spot for him. They'd worked together for years, enjoyed the flirtatious give and take when they were younger. Eventually, they found each other sexually and, oh my, in their day they screwed like minks. But in their older years, they'd grown apart. Frankly, he didn't think Winnie was interested anymore. But now this...

His body shuddered with the question. Who was she up there with? He settled in the living room, erect and worried while ensconced in Buzz's chair, wringing his hands. It didn't take long. Buzz and Trudy emerged first. They came floating down the stairs, disheveled and wearing satisfied grins. The other bedroom door opened as Buzz and Trudy spied Algernon at the same time. Before they had a chance to react to his presence, heavy steps pounded the stairs behind them. All eyes turned in that direction and Buzz stumbled, coming close to falling down the remaining stairs.

“Commish?” he croaked. “What are you doing in my house?”

chapter 201

word count: 1170

as local law enforcement loaded both jacob and enos into a squad car headed for the station,, algie, still a bit bewildered from his most recent conversation with winnie, found himself surrounded by the very detectives he had come to regard as friends..

“not so quick there, algie, “ gil admonished him in a no nonsense tone of voice.. “i’m afraid we cannot allow you to make off with the diamond just yet.. it is valuable evidence in too many open cases right now,, pricilla’s murder among them,, and i am afraid we have no choice but to demand you turn it over so we can log it into evidence..”

“well certainly, there is no question…” started algie,, but he could tell by the detectives authoritative stance as they closed in on him,, that the only question they had right this minute was whether or not he was going to relinquish the diamond willingly or they were going to forcibly take it from him…

realizing as he did that he would never be able to flee the country,, even if he was by some amazing twist of fate able to subdue the muscle bound detectives before they were able to take him into custody,, algie decided that following protocol in this most unnerving situation was the only thing to do.

he begrudgingly placed the gem into hanks latex covered, outstretched hand,, and looked on helplessly as hank quickly bagged and tagged  the diamond and locked it in the evidence locker in the trunk of the crown vic..

“thanks for making that easy on us, algie..” a visibly relieved gil bettancourt assured him,  as hank nodded in agreement.. “we will of course keep you abreast of any developments in the ongoing investigations,, as well as company policy will allow,, and see to it that the diamond gets back to its rightful owners upon conclusion of the investigations..”

“do you mean to tell me that you will not be returning the diamond to me,, so that i might personally return it to the queen?” a clearly agitated algie retorted..

“i’m afraid that decision will not be left up to us algie,” gil went on to inform him as hank checked and rechecked the security of the lock on the evidence locker, before closing the trunk with a solid thunk..

“due to the fact that the diamond is believed to be of foreign origin,, i am afraid the feds have already been involved..” 

***

meanwhile,, back at the precinct,, detective miller was pacing like a mad bull.. it had taken every bit of restraint he had to remain in the office when gil and hank dispatched to intercept the diamond.. he knew,, he had way too much on the line given the day’s events thus far,, and truthfully,, he didn’t know if he could trust himself out on the street any more.. fact of the matter was,, he didn’t know if he could trust himself in any aspect of his life right now..

the crescendo of today’s events,, there in the wooded area behind the hospital,, had been the culmination of months of upheaval in both his personal and professional life.. the fact that buzz now found himself in a situation where he no longer had any say in the matter,, and knowing as he did that his very career hung in the balance,, was the only thing that kept buzz from exploding like a stick of dynamite and further sealing his fate..

to further add insult to injury,, trudy rounded the corner to his office,, just as the commish was informing him that until a thorough investigation as to the day’s events were completed,, he could consider himself desk bound..

never one to know when to keep her mouth shut,, trudy barged right in on the one sided conversation that was going on between the police commissioner and buzz.. 

“wadda ya mean your assigning my buzz to desk duty!!” she bellowed at the commish, “you evidently don’t know who your talkin’ to here buddy!!”

“and who might i ask are you?” the commissioner barked authoritatively at trudy as she bustled through the office and took a defensive stance at buzzes side..

before buzz could silence her, trudy ripped off, “i got a better question!! who the fuck are you??”

as the commish reached for his shoulder harnessed radio,, more than likely to call upon a wave of law enforcement ordered to take trudy into custody yet again,, buzz jumped in..

“whoa,, whoa,, whoa!!!”” he interjected excitedly before the commish could call for backup.. “i think i can explain this whole thing without further incident!!”

buzz grabbed trudy,, and slammed a hand over her mouth just as she was informing the commissioner that “he was the one that damn well better have an excuse!!”

“you’ve got thirty seconds!!” the commish informed buzz as he focused on his watch,, the hnt of pink quickly turning to scarlett in his cheeks.. “thirty seconds!!”

“ok, “ started buzz as trudy visibly struggled to free herself from the death grip he had on her.. “this is trudy hunt, commissioner,, a civilian,, a personal friend of mine,, and it is evident that she had no idea that you are my boss!!”

trudy did settle down a bit when she heard the words ‘comissioner' and ‘my boss’,, but buzz knew better than to release his grip on her..

“you see commish, i mean commissioner,, trudy here is a little high strung, and for whatever reasons is very protective of me.. however i do believe that had she known the position of authority you hold here, sir, that she would have been more guarded in her approach..”

the commissioner glared at buzz as he made his plea for leniency on trudy’s part,, giving no indication of his mindset as buzz attempted to continue.. “i am sure she would be willing,,,”

“miller!!” the commish barked,, cutting him off entirely.. “you!! her!! outta here before i have you both arrested!!”

“absolutely sir.. thank you sir..” buzz answered respectfully,, as he kept his grip on trudy and dragged her toward the office door.. “you won’t regret this sir!!”

“i already do!!” he thundered as he pushed past buzz and trudy and stormed across the homicide division offices,, every eye in the place diverted so as not to meet with his..

“can’t you ever just shut the fuck up??” buzz asked in what could easily have been mistaken for a tone of defeat,, as he dragged trudy toward the elevator and loudly slapped the down button with his elbow..

intent not to loosen his vice like grip on trudy until they were safely across the parking lot and he was able to load her into the car,, buzz carefully avoided eye contact with gil and hank,, as they shot him bewildered glances from across the parking lot, where they hovered over the crown vic waiting for a uniformed escort into the precinct,, to place the ill-fated diana diamond into evidence.. 

Chapter 200

word count 1021


Hospital affairs concluded, Buzz and Gil hitched a ride along with Hank in the Crown Vic back to the precinct. An uneasy quiet prevailed in the car. Hank and Gil were reconciled, so that tension was abated. But Buzz, sitting alone in the back seat, his sizable frame easily filling the space, loomed larger than life in the minds of the other two cops. A question loomed. What did he think of them taking him down?

He'd joined them at the hospital requesting a ride with little else to say. And now the boss sat in the back seat, casting his nervous aura over the other two. Finally, he spoke breaking the tense quiet like a bolt of lightning shooting through the car.

“Before the department even asks, I'm reassigning myself to strictly desk work.”

“But Buzz, you just tried that when you were hurt before. It didn't suit you.” Hank shot him a worried glance.

“Yeah, but once they've read the incident report, I'll be lucky if they let me even keep my badge. Maybe if I pledge to stay off the streets, it will appease them. I'm a good cop dammit, that's got to count for something.”

Gil felt uncomfortable with the obvious omission in the conversation of his and Hank's turning against Buzz, guns drawn and punches thrown. “Boss, we only turned on you to stop you from doing something that would wreck your career.” He blurted it out, the urgency apparent in his tone.

Buzz looked at him with a sad expression. His usually vibrant eyes were dull, his expression depressed. “I know that, Gil. And I thank you. I thank you more than you could ever know.”

Hank and Gil exchanged glances. A relaxed air filled the car at last. He wasn't angry.

Buzz smiled at the other two. “I want you to write the report exactly as it happened. I'll take my licks on this. I drew a gun on an unarmed perp and you had to restrain me. I was out of control. I've been a solid cop all my life, and I'll pay the consequences up front for what I did, no fucking around. I can only hope they'll let me just do desk work, and still keep my job.”

* * *

And the chaos began. With Algie and Enos in the pink Edsel pursuing Jacob in the cab, the Edsel's horn blared while pedestrians jumped out of the way. Even the most dangerous among them, pimps, druggies, and prostitutes, fled for their lives as the cars came blaring through.

Jacob in the cab, sitting in stunned silence biting the back of his hand, was terrified. With every turn, he bit in deeper. But his cab driver was even more afraid. Was this how they drive in this new country I've come to, America, he pondered. He gripped the wheel, white knuckles showing, which for his Middle Eastern complexion was not readily accomplished. He spewed an endless array of curses in his foreign language while driving like a man possessed.

Enos, in the car with Algernon, searched his pockets for a prayer book. But his hands were shaking too much to accomplish the task. He had never been so terrified in his life. The Englishman must be insane. A glance at the speedometer revealed they were moving at an astounding 98 mph. He braced his hands against the dash and waited for the end to come. If only Jacob had not stolen the jewel to begin with. They would not be killed today when the cars ultimately crashed leaving shredded metal and their dead bodies behind.

“Remain calm,” Algie said. “I have a plan.” He nodded toward his phone. “Press one for speed dial and turn it on speaker.”

Enos obeyed and soon Hank's voice answered at the precinct.

“Mr. Bowers, Algernon here. I say! I need a road block pronto. The jewel thief is heading toward the interstate in a cab. He should be at the State St. ramp in about ten minutes. Can you set up a block for me? I know for a fact he has the Diana Diamond. Good. Thanks.”

The plan came together like music, a sweet symphony perfectly executed. Hank and Gil waited at the road block and detained the cab, guns drawn and somber faces, scaring the cabbie. He jumped out of the vehicle first, hands in the air. Next Jacob emerged.

Enos came running to be at his friend's side. Algie followed in bounding leaps. The Englishman arrived breathless.

“In the name of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, I demand you hand over the Princess Diana Diamond this minute,” he said.

“The what?” Jacob stammered.

“The Diana Diamond, you twit!”

“You mean this?” Jacob produced the jewel from his pocket. He held it up in full view for all to see. A hush fell over the crowd as the magnificent gem glistened in the sunlight.

“Yes, I must return it to the Queen.”

“Sir, I had no idea...” Jacob stammered.

“Just give it to me!” Algie hissed. Never had he worked so hard to accomplish a task. He grabbed it up and withdrew from the group, anxious to call Winnie and tell her the good news.

She answered, murmuring “Hallo” in the phone in a peaceful tone.

He blared out his news loud and clear. “Winnie, I've got it! I've got the diamond!”

“Huh? Oh, Algie, is that you?”

The alarm in her voice couldn't be denied. But Algie, excited from his recent victory, pushed the thought from his mind. “Winnie, I've got the diamond at long last. We can go home to England and present it to the Queen.”

“Diamond? Go home? Uh...”

“Winnie, what on earth is wrong with you? Are you sick?” Concern for his friend grabbed the Englishman's attention.

“Algie, I'm fine. You...uh...caught me at a bad time. That's all.”

It was then Algie heard a masculine cough in the background. His senses went on high alert, the hair on the back of his neck stiffening into hackles.

“I say! Winnie, do you have a man there? What on earth is going on?”

“Well...” Winnie replied.

chapter 199

word count: 1456

much to his dismay,,  algie once again found himself in need of help that could only be provided by the local law enforcement agency.. betwixt and between chatting young enos up on every subject from the young man’s missionary assignment to why mormon's don’t drink coffee,, (and all the while careful not to give away his tie in with the new albany police depart and/or the diana diamond itself)  algie dialed detectives miller, bowers,, and bettancourt’s cell phones numerous times over the course of the afternoon,, each time under the guise of having to contact his wife and let her know why he hadn’t returned home at the prearranged time..

as each call was met with a recorded voicemail message,, algie easily put two and two together and knew there must be something big going on to deserve the attention of all three of his local contacts.. however,, at the same time,, he also knew that time was of the essence,, the longer it took him to get information concerning where the taxi driver had dropped jacob off,, the farther away from intercepting the diana diamond he was.

nearly at whit’s end and ever conscious of the fact that enos was quickly growing tired of his putting off any further action until he contacted his wife,, algie was relieved when his phone rang,, and he saw that it was winnie ringing him up..

“winnie!! i have been trying to call you all afternoon!! pray tell what have you been up to old girl??” algie spoke into the phone, making sure enos overheard him talking to ‘his wife’ before he stepped away from the table to complete the call..

“for heaven’s sake, algie, whatever do you mean?? the phone has only rung once,, and that was when detective bowers rung me up to inform me that detective miller had been injured in the line of duty.” winifred started,, clearly intending to get on a roll and filling him in on all the day’s events..

“it seems as though mrs. hunt got herself into a little skirmish at the airport,, and no sooner had detective miller come to her aide,, he was called away on urgent business,, which caused him to drop a very irritated mrs. hunt off in the drive,, and then i was left to spend the entire aftern……”

“excuse the interruption,,” algie cut her off midstream.. “what was that you said about mrs. hunt and a skirmish at the airport?”

“well it seems as if mrs. hunt took it upon herself to employ some of the karate moves that you saw fit to instruct her on,, which as you well know aligie, i still cannot fathom why you would do such a thing knowing how unstable….” 

“again i must interrupt.” algie interjected, a tone of authority in his voice this time. “i am here now with a young man that was witness to what i would stake my very career on, was the very event involving mrs. hunt at the airport.. not only that,, but amidst the chaos he and his travel mate, fatefully came into possession of what i believe to be our diamond!! however through a strange turn of events,, his fellow has now, for whatever reason,  absconded with the gem!!”

algie quickly caught his breath and continued, “so you see i need one of the detectives to get me an in with the taxi company and verify where they left off the young man who is now believed to be in possession of the diamond,, as it is indeed possible that should we be able to intercept the him, i could gain possession of the diamond this very afternoon..”

“oh my!!” exclaimed winifred. “that is wonderful news indeed!! i want every detail algie,, every detail!!!”

“time is swiftly getting away from me winnie, i need to follow this up,, and when it is concluded i will fill you in.. but as for now,, i need one of the detectives to contact the taxi service,, in order to pin down where he let the young man in question off..”

“ring up detective bowers,, after all he found his way clear to call and inform me of detective millers injuries…” winnie suggested..

“brilliant!!” algie exclaimed excitedly.. “must go winnie!! every moment counts!!”

within a half an hour of having contacted detective bowers,, algie had the information he needed..  it seems that the driver in question had since gone off shift,, but had reiterated the absurdity of that particular fare to his dispatcher before he left for the day,, thus making the information algie needed to follow up on the lad easily accessible..

as soon as hank gave him the approximate address,,algie recognized the street location where the driver indicated jacob had exited the cab as a rather seedy part of town.. a part of him thought it might be safer for both he and enos to enlist the help of the new albany police department,, but he also recognized that showing up with an entourage of law enforcement,, would most probably elicit panic on the part of young jacob,, and therefore,, to do so would put the whole mission in danger..

as soon as detective bowers had rang back with the information he sought,, algie collected young enos from the booth in which they had spent the better part of the afternoon,, and together they took off to follow,, what algie described to enos only as ‘a gut feeling’..

for the moment at least,, he held off informing young enos as to degree of danger involved in their mission.. he decided he would assess the situation when they got there,, and proceed accordingly from there…

***

remorse had enveloped jacob like a dense fog.. he stood for hours in the roach infested motel room playing through every possible scenario until he came to the conclusion,, that no matter what the outcome,, he had to turn the diamond over to the police..

oh how he wished he had not allowed worldly greed,, and the desires of the flesh to overcome him.. he spent much of the afternoon in repentant conversation with his god,, begging him for his forgiveness,, and secretly hoping that if his god was willing to forgive him this epic wrong doing,, that the police would be equally as amicable..

once he had come to the decision to dutifully face whatever consequences might befall him,, he rang up the taxi company,, took a deep empowering breath,, and made his way through the rubbish strewn parking lot to the motel lobby where he dropped off  the key,, and headed into the decaying street to wait for his cab..

the minutes quickly became what seemed like hours,, as jacob stood on the sidewalk, alone and scared,, all the while knowing that if the street people who were descending on him like prey soliciting him to purchase everything from sex to drugs,, ever found out that he was in possession of the now loathsome,, but none the less extremely valuable diamond,, they would waste no time beating him,, probably to the death to take it from him..

he checked his watch.. thirty minutes had passed and still no taxi had come to his rescue.. it occurred to him that it was indeed possible that taxi drivers were not given to frequenting this area,, due to the fact that the general populace was made up of less than desirable fares,, thus increasing the chances that they would be beaten and or robbed..

he pondered whether or not asking the proprietor of the motel to phone the cab company for him would be to any avail,, and had just about come to the conclusion that it was the soundest thing to do given the circumstances,, when he spied the sunny yellow glow of a taxi fast approaching from the left..

jacob leapt into the street,, flailing his arms feverishly above his head in order to make sure there was no way the driver would pass him by.. when the taxi finally came to a stop,, he breathed a huge sigh of relief,, and slipped into the rear seat of the cab- just as algie’s pink edsel rounded the corner..

“there he is!!” yelled out enos, as he caught a fleeting glimpse of what could only have been jacob given the all too familiar attire,, loading into the cab..

algie sped up to the rear of the cab,, wildly blowing his horn,, which only served to strike panic into the heart of the cab driver fearing a carjacking was set to play out with him as the intended victim,, and therefore causing him to stand on the gas before jacob had even closed the door..

Chapter 198

word count 1134

Hank's voice commanding him to "stand down" was nothing more than background noise and clatter crushed by the thunderous rage pounding in Buzz's head. His hands cupped the revolver, the handle stony and cold against his skin, feeling heavy in his grasp, and darker, and more deadly. The barrel pushed against the flab at the back of Bigelow's neck, abrasive steel grating against soft pink flesh.

Images passed through his mind...the ghastly remains of so many clean ups after Bigelow massacred people. They weren't always men and they weren't always criminals. The monster lived for blood lust, for the screams of innocents when he laid his scalpel into people, dissecting them while they still breathed and were crying for mercy, tearing out organs or ripping off limbs. This mother fucker did not deserve to live. In truth, he did not deserve this merciful a death. He should be drawn and quartered just like his victims, his heart ripped out while it was still beating. His screams should fill the night and his blood should make rivers of anguished red horror around his dying body. His agony should make the planet itself shudder in pain. Buzz grasped his gun harder and pushed against the doctor's neck with more pressure. He inhaled with labored breaths.

Hank looked in panic to Gil and their eyes met. The old, familiar stream of consciousness to his old partner, that gleam that spoke volumes, glowed from Gil's eyes. He was telling him they had to stop Buzz. They couldn't let him gun this ogre down in cold blood.

Gil felt that giant man, Bigelow, stirring with more and more movement under his calf which was still pinning him to the ground. The guy had been stunned but now he was coming to, coming to life again. Gil shot a glance at Buzz. The boss's hands grasped the service revolver with such rigidity there was no doubt he was beyond rationalizing and was prepared to act out purely on hostility. He had to be stopped.

Time was moving at a snail's pace. Every thought he had, every slight movement of Buzz's hand seemed to be in slow motion. Gil's mind raced and his instincts clattered. They had to stop Buzz and they had to contain Bigelow. Nothing less would do. Nothing more heinous could happen here. The big man's body beneath him now struggled with increased determination. If Buzz detected this new movement, he'd shoot for sure. He'd shoot an unarmed man in the back.

He looked to Hank and their eyes met. Gil shot him an imperceptible nod in Buzz's direction. Hank blinked his eyes in understanding. He gave the other cop the "ready-GO" nod they'd used for years and in the next instant, all hell broke loose.

Gil slammed himself full body pounding down to contain the struggling Bigelow and to shield him from any stray bullets. Hank swung his leg and kicked Buzz in the stomach while simultaneously hurling his arms, still grasping his gun, to slam full weight against Buzz's chin. The impact stunned the big cop and the stomach kick sent him flying backwards off balance, falling to the ground. An “OOMPH” punctuated his landing as Hank jumped on him and grabbed up the revolver. In the meanwhile Gil pounded the back of Bigelow's head with his gun, knocking him out cold. It was cruel, but kinder than the kill shot that Buzz had intended to execute.

Gil and Hank sat back from their victims, breathing in gasps, and looked to each other. Their eyes met and next so did their smiles. They were the best damn team in the business, and that was a fact.

* * *

It was later when he sat in Emergency, an ice pack against his chin, that Buzz came to the reality of his situation. His anger. It had taken over him again. Sent him flying into a rage, almost made him shoot a defenseless perp in the back. Thank God he had his team to step in and stop him before he ruined his life. But that was a fix for only today. He needed to address this problem once and for all, for good.

Trudy appeared in the doorway of the cubicle, her crazy eyes dancing at him, and her mouth in the usual cute, little pout.

“Buzz, hon! I came as soon as I heard you were hurt!” She rushed up and hugged him.

He held her close. Perhaps she was the one person in this world who understood his turmoil, who wrestled with trying to keep herself in line just like he did. But Trudy never killed anyone. He had to face the truth. He was a cop, armed and dangerous. And today, he had almost dishonored that duty by taking an innocent life while in a rage. He was only human, but he'd taken a sacred vow to protect and defend and what he almost did today was indefensible. If he couldn't control his anger, he shouldn't be carrying a gun. He should never make a farce out of his sacred duty.

He hugged Trudy close and thanked God at least he had her.

* * *

Gil and Hank stood together by a coffee urn, drinking down the golden liquid in silence. The shock of what had just transpired seemed to hold each of them in its spell. How often do you have to take down your superior to keep him from hurting an unarmed criminal? The magnitude of what they'd done...Hank's hands were still shaking, and Gil was in a total state of confusion. So far, neither had talked to Buzz, so they had no idea what they were in for. But neither would have done it all any differently. Buzz's actions were indefensible.

Gil looked to Hank and one of his vibrant Latino smiles escaped, his teeth shining like piano keys, straight across white and gleaming. “You did good out here, bro!” he said.

Hank looked back. “Couldn't have done it with you!”

“Yep!” Gil replied. “We do work well together.”

Hank cleared his throat. “It's a shame we're with other partners now. I mean, we were the best working together. I mean the synchronization, the communication...” He paused. “The comraderie.”

Gil looked back. “Yeah,I especially liked that...the camaraderie.” He took a long sip of joe.

They looked at one another.

“Let's partner again!” They said it at the same time and burst out laughing.

“Yeah!” Gil said, then paused. “But what about Jimmy and Marisa?”

“Are you kidding? Have you seen those two looking at one another? They'll make a great team on their own.” Hank rolled his eyes.

“And a team is born and another reborn!” Gil said, toasting Hank with his Styrofoam coffee cup.

chapter 197

word count: 1226

gil, and his new partner, jimmy dolan, decided to make a quick pit stop at the hospital to check in on stephanie as well as exchange intel with hank, bringing everyone up to speed, before they returned to the precinct for what was going to be a marathon session of filling out all the paperwork involved in the chinatown massacre..

nothing could have prepared them for the mayhem they saw playing out in the parking lot at the time of their arrival.... there were people running out of the building screaming.. doctors, nurses, aides and orderlies were all hurrying to the far end of the property,, each pushing a wheelchair,, or a gurney loaded down with the patients that were not ambulatory enough to get out of the hospital unaided..

as gil slammed the car into park blocking the entrance way to the parking lot,, jimmy grabbed the bullhorn,, as it was evident something terrifying was going on,, and someone had to take charge immediately so as to avoid a riot..

as jimmy barked into the bullhorn hoping to stave off complete chaos by assuring the crowd that the new albany police department was already on the scene,, gill placed a distress call to the precinct,, requesting all available backup..

neither of them had a clue as to what exactly was going on,, as they had not been there when the alarm sounded,, so it goes without saying that when gil spied buzz and marisa enforcing crowd control,, by guiding the fevered masses to the grassy strip between the main road and the hospital,, both of them broke into a sprint..

as soon as they got within earshot, gil called out to buzz,, who motioned him to come closer without ever missing a beat as he corralled the ever maddening mass,, and moved it toward the outer perimeter of the parking lot.. 

“we got back up on the way!” gil informed buzz off the top..

“bomb threat!!” buzz called out to them, as he moved toward jimmy and ordered him to “jump in here for me!!”

jimmy quickly assumed buzz’s position and effortlessly took over..  he was able to catch a quick glimpse of buzz huddling with gil,, before the two of them took off, weapons drawn,,  in opposite directions making a wide sweep of the hospital grounds..

hank was wheeling stephanie out of the main entrance in a wheel chair when he spotted buzz and gil,, armed and tracking.. he quickly instructed stephanie to take over from here,, and get as far away from the building as possible,, before he instinctively ran back into the hospital,, thundering toward the rear exit of the building, intending to meet up with buzz and gil there…

just as buzz was approaching the rear exit of the hospital,, the automatic door came to life.. he instinctively turned into the sound,, and leveled his .45..  as soon as he saw it was hank he yelled out  “lock this mother fucker down!! get me a ten block perimeter!! and an APB out on the that mob quack, bigelow!!”

“got it!!” hank called back in affirmation as he hit his speed dial for dispatch and set the dragnet in motion..

by the time he completed the call,, gil had made his way around the building as well.. the three of them came together,, just long enough for buzz to brief hank on the situation,, and then amidst a symphony of blaring sirens,, they headed off into the wooded area that comprised the lot to the rear of the hospital,, buzz on point,, with gil 30 meters to his nine and hank 30 meters to his three..

***

the maniacal dr. bigelow had fled his room as soon as he deemed the coast clear.. knowing he would look suspicious running in the opposite direction of the frenzied crowd, he ducked into the stair well and taking the steps as swiftly as his large frame would allow,, he barreled down the four flights of steps and out into the back parking lot of the hospital. the woods was his only chance.. to take off in any other direction would be sheer madness as he would have to fight the crowds of frightened personnel and patients and very possibly blow his only chance at freedom.. 

somewhat winded from his hurried descent,, he sought shelter behind a shed that sat right on the edge of the property line..  he afforded himself a moment there to catch his breath before lumbering off into the densely wooded lot behind the hospital.. knowing as he did that buzz miller was probably still on the hospital campus,, he wasted no time cutting his way through the  woods.. he had to make it through the wooded lot,, and onto the main highway that ran adjacent before buzz got wise..

even with the highway just coming into view,, it  became evident that no matter how much his mind kept telling him that he had to keep moving,, his lard laden body was unable to follow its direction.. he leaned heavily on the thick trunk of a solitary oak,, sweating and panting as if he had just run a marathon.. his heart was beating so loudly in his chest that it all but obliterated his ability to hear…

unfortunately for him,, the three stealth detectives that were quickly closing in on him,, had not suffered a similar loss of hearing.. instead,, they were able to audibly track him as he bumbled noisily through the overgrowth.. communicating with each other silently,, with positions set by a simple shake of the head,, and a final nod  from buzz indicating it was time to close in on the wheezing fat man,, they descended..  each of them on the ready, hoping for him to do something, anything that would give them the opportunity to justify a shooting…

“on the ground mother fucker!! on the ground!!” buzz screamed,,  as the three of them moved closer..

when bigelow hesitated to heed buzz’s ‘suggestion’ that he hit the turf,, hank and gil rushed in from both sides,, slamming into him at precisely the same moment,, and bringing the big boy down with the crushing sound of twigs and old dried leaves giving way,, as his enormous gut met heavily with the ground..

gil jumped on the doc’s back,, placing his leg painfully over the back of his head and shoulders,, pressing his gob into the damp, moldy undergrowth,, as hank grabbed gils cuffs and locked them together with his own,, making a set large enough to span the doctors girth and secure his hands as far behind his wide backside as humanly possible..

“you fat fuckin’ son of a bitch!!!” buzz thundered.

“do you have any idea how much i wanna put a bullet through your fat fucking head right this minute??” he continued, as he leaned in heavily and drove the muzzle of his gun into the soft flesh at the base of bigelow’s skull..

“stand down!!” hank commanded,, knowing all too well the look of blood-lust in buzz’s eyes.. sure,, they had had their differences,, but he wasn’t gonna just stand there and watch buzz do something in a fit of blind ragethat he knew would bring his whole world crashing in around him..

“stand down!!!” hank repeated, as both he and gil leveled their weapons,, not at bigelow,, but rather at one of their own, their friend,, their leader,, detective buzz miller himself.. 

Chapter 196

 word count 1165

Trudy yelled until her voice was hoarse, but Buzz was long gone. She stood on the empty street feeling defeated. There was nothing left to do but go in the house and put up with Mrs. Dunn. Just thinking of the snobbish Brit made the petite woman's blood boil. Turning, she made her way to the door only to met by a man coming out. As he slammed the portal, he spotted Trudy and stumbled, blushing a vibrant scarlet which brought out the blue of his startled sapphire eyes.

“Excuse me,” he stammered, running a hand through soft gray hair. “Just leaving.”

Trudy studied him. His shirt was half buttoned and his cheeks flushed. Not a bad looking fellow, but she knew the signs, that breathless glow that only a good roll in the hay could bring. And what was he doing here? The guy spotted her calculating expression and took off running, finally to jump in a car two doors down. It was as though he had something to hide. The reality hit. It can't be, Trudy thought. Mrs. Dunn! She stormed into the quiet house.

She found Winnie in the kitchen making a pot of tea. Upon seeing Trudy, she wobbled a cup she was holding in its saucer, frantically placing it on the table.

“Mrs. Hunt!”

“Oh, don't 'Mrs. Hunt' me! Ya had a man in here. And look at ya!” Trudy scrutinized the older woman. “There's whisker burns on your cheek, hun! And your dress is half unbuttoned...” Trudy stopped short, biting her lip while she added up the facts. Recognition washed over her face. She made a dash for the Mrs. Dunn's bedroom.

“Stop miss, please!” Winnie ran after her. The two fumbled and stumbled up the stairs with Mrs. Dunn's arms outstretched trying to grab Trudy, and the younger woman eluding her grasp. They made it to the second floor with Trudy arriving first. She threw the door to Winnie's room open.

The bed was unmade, pillows on the floor, and the sheets twisted and pulled helter skelter. Trudy stood, hands on hips, glaring at Mrs. Dunn.

“It's just that I was so sad, after hearing about Priscilla. They found her remains, you know. I fought with her frequently, but she was like a daughter to me. I called him. He's an old friend. He came to cheer me up...” Mrs. Dunn looked away and back again.

At first, Trudy was surprised that people Winnie's age still did the deed. But as she studied the woman, she detected a glint in her eye, and the vestiges of long lost beauty lingered in her smile and flushed cheeks. Yes, it was possible.

“It looks like he did a mighty fine job of cheering you up at that!” Trudy looked again at the older woman, beginning to see her in a whole new light.

* * *
Dr. Bigelow fidgeted in bed. He was feeling better, and he knew it wouldn't be long before the doctors declared him well and the police took him back to the precinct for further questioning. If they had to, they'd trump up charges just to put him behind bars. There was no sugar coating it. He was in big trouble.

Well, he'd have none of that. With tremendous effort he scooted his sizable butt inch by inch to the edge of the bed. Luckily the nurse left the metal bars down providing the perfect opportunity to swing his legs over and drop to the ground. When he landed, it was with a colossal grunt. The balls of his feet felt the pressure of his weight bearing down with a vengeance. They hurt like hell. Ambling forward, he peeked toward the door, and the tiny window up top showed no activity outside. The guards were apparently standing to the side out of view, and decidedly lax in their duties. Making his way to the closet, he helped himself to his clothes and with grunts and wheezes squeezed up his pants pulling them on over his hospital gown. Slipping on the shirt, he left it unbuttoned. Then he did his shoes, slipping them on without socks. He looked disheveled, but ready to go. Reaching into his pant pocket, he dug out his cell and moved into the bathroom. He punched in for the operator and asked to be connected to the hospital's front desk.

When the clerk answered, he covered the speaker with his hand to muffle his voice. “There's a bomb in the east wing,” he murmured. "It goes off in 20 minutes.” He flipped the cell shut and waited. If they checked caller ID, it wouldn't show a number for the prepaid phone.

He waited a short time before inching his way to the door and peeked out the window. There was pandemonium in the halls. The hospital intercom blared out a Code Yellow as nurses and doctors scrambled to evacuate patients. His guards were gone. No one was looking. It was a perfect time to escape.

* * *
In the moments before the alarm, Hank sat with Stephanie, next to her hospital bed, quietly holding her hand. It was one of the things he liked about a mature relationship, that ability to sit quietly and not feel the need to fill up the space between them with empty conversation. But then, Stephanie broke the silence.

“Hank, what's been bothering you lately? You've been so short-tempered. Is it me? Is it the stress of the wedding?”

He looked at her, crestfallen. She was blaming herself for his mood. “No, honey, no! I love that we're getting married.” He paused, studying his finger nail. “I think it's just Gil. The guy isn't speaking to me. We were partners for over fifteen years and so easily he cast me aside. I understand why he's mad, but I guess I didn't think he could wipe a friendship like ours off the books with no regrets and no looking back. I guess I thought for sure that by now he'd find a way to get over what I did. I doubted him. It hurt him, I get that. I just wish he could forgive me.”

“Oh Hank,” Stephanie murmured. She hoped and prayed her plan along with Tory's help could fix this.

At that moment, the Code Yellow sounded.

* * *
Buzz and Marisa had just got their second cups of coffee, settled at a small table in the hospital coffee shop when the alarm sounded. He had just finished extending his long leg after kicking off his shoe under the table and “accidentally” rubbing his stockinged foot up the calf of her shapely leg. The expression of both surprise and titillation that washed over the lady cop's face was worth a million bucks. The poor girl almost tipped her steaming cup of Java onto her lap.

But then, the Code Yellow sounded, and Buzz's expression and demeanor switched to all business.

chapter 195

word count: 1282

continuing on to the precinct after having dropped her new partner, hank bowers, off at the scene of his fiancés traffic accident,, detective marisa wells felt amazingly empowered as she transported a quietly chanting mrs. yoo back to the precinct on her own....

the truth of the matter was,, detective wells was glad to be rid of the gruff detective and his intimidating interrogation techniques.. after all,, mrs. yoo herself was not, as of yet, suspected of any wrong doing. it had in fact been her husband,, who according to mrs. yoo,, had been missing for two days, that was suspect of criminal dealings,, and as was the culture in the chinese community,, it was entirely possible the subservient mrs. yoo had no knowledge what so ever of his alleged illegal activities..

detective bowers handling of the situation had been completely  uncalled for.. not only had mrs. yoo been forced to suffer the disappearance of her husband and beloved out of fear of violating her husband’s wishes by involving the police,, but she had just received the news every parents nightmares are made of,, her daughter tiffany was believed to have met with a gruesome end.. and as if that wasn’t enough,, the task of identifying her cold lifeless corpse had fallen to mrs. yoo in default,  due to the ongoing absence of her husband..

although it was as of yet unconfirmed,, marisa’s gut told her that mrs yoo’s husband had met with a similar fate,, and it would just be a matter of time until they were once again transporting an already grieving mrs. yoo to identify his remains as well..

detective wells pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the coroner’s office,, as she promised mrs. yoo that she would accompany her  through the identification procedure, with the aid of detective sun hung’s translation services,, before detective hung  would  take mrs. yoo and proceed with the questioning in mandarin, as it was both of their native tongue..

detective wells took mrs. yoo into the waiting room, gently seated her in a chair near the window and then placed a call to detective hung advising her meet them there so they could proceed..  while they waited,, detective wells did her best to calm mrs. yoo by firmly placing her arm around her trembling shoulders.. she knew the worst was yet to come,, and she secretly wished she could do more..

as she had promised,, she stayed with mrs. yoo throughout the gut wrenching identification process,, and then had detective hung explain to her in her native language,, that she would take her upstairs to file the proper paperwork..

once detective hung and mrs. yoo had disappeared behind the elevator door, marisa headed back the hospital to pick up her new partner.. when he wasn’t waiting for her outside,, or in the hospital reception area, she returned to the parking lot where she bided her time drinking a diet coke and chain smoking cigarettes perched on the hood of the police issue crown vic..

as she waited impatiently,, she kept checking her watch.. every minute seemed to take an hour to pass.. she hadn’t expected hank to still be in the hospital when she returned.. they were, after all on a case.. six bodies had been discovered in china town this morning,, one of them mrs. yoo’s daughter tiffany,, and  she was anxious to get back on the case.. 

eyes trained on the door willing hank to exit at any moment,, she was somewhat surprised to see detective buzz miller come through the automatic sliding doors instead. . when she saw him she crushed out her cigarette,, and hurried to approach him..

“detective miller!” she called out to her as she closed in and extended her hand in friendship, “marisa wells, i’m hank’s new partner..”

“good to meet you!!” buzz greeted her quite warmly considering his usual disposition.. “finally get to put a face to the name..”

as detective wells went on to fill him in on the key points of the case they were currently involved in,, buzz gave her a thorough going over.. ‘how did i ever let this one get by me?’ he thought to himself as his mind ran away with the possibilities,, all the while responding perfunctorily to detective wells monologue with a correctly placed,  “got cha.” or “i see.”

when detective wells had summed up the case,, there was a few seconds of dead air between them before buzz realized it and took the opportunity to turn the conversation into something more befitting of his own fantasy..

“you know, marisa, you don’t mind if i call you marisa do you?” he asked,, although he did not afford her even so much as a moment to respond.. “i have a gut feeling this is in some way tied into the case i am currently working on.. i’d like to go over the possible similarities with you if you have a moment while you’re waiting for hank..”

with that,, he firmly,, and in strictly a professional manner,, placed his hand on marisa’s shoulder and cleverly guided her back toward the hospital..

“let’s grab a cup of coffee,, and see if we can’t put two and two together.. i’ll call hank and let him know where to find you when he’s finished up with stephanie..”

***

as enos became more comfortable with the ever affable algie,, he became more forthcoming with information pertinent to establishing who was in possession of the diamond before it came skimming across the floor of the airport only to come to a stop directly at feet of enos and his fellow missionary.. 

as enos went on to describe the scene that played out just prior to their discovery of the diamond,, algie paid special attention to the part about the TSA agents swarming a group of fellow travelers.. in his trained calculating mind,, it only made sense that the diamond was either tossed or involuntarily lost by one of the travelers involved in the incident that enos had witnessed..

“so then, “ algie led in, “this group of travelers,, the ones the TSA agents descended upon,, did you catch a glimpse of them before the uproar?? would you be able to provide a description of any of them??   as i feel that may very well be our key to finding the original possessors of the diamond should we locate jacob and be able to convince him of the error of his ways..”

“sure,” enos smiled,, ever so thankful that he might finally have finally  hit upon something that might serve as a reasoning tool with jacob, once they found him..

“one of them was a big guy,, in a trench coat.. he was ahead of us in line at the ticket counter until the other two guys,, both equally as huge and dressed in dark business suits came up to him,, and then he, well he seemed to panic,, running to the head of the line and demanding that he be served immediately due to illness..”

‘ah ha!! i see!!” algie remarked thoughtfully as a clear picture of a grouping of local mobsters painted itself in his head..

“and then there was this woman,” enos continued. “a kind of small woman,, with a suitcase.. i think she was alone. i didn’t see her join the men,, or what happened between the four of them,, but i do know that after the woman joined the group,, the TSA surrounded them,, and dragged them all off,, well except for the guy in the trench coat.. he was still lying on the floor when jacob and i took off to hail a cab..” 

Chapter 194

word count 989

Buzz walked back through the doors of New Albany General musing to himself how the hospital had become like a second home to him lately. Only hours before he had checked himself out AMA, and now he was back again, this time though intending only to visit.

His first stop was to see Stephanie. Hank was there, somber and aloof as always. Buzz had no idea why the guy was so negative lately, and he wasn't inclined to ask. Stephanie, however, appeared in good spirits and was on her way to feeling better, despite having her leg in a cast.

His next intended stop was the bizarre Dr. Bigelow. Buzz nodded to the uniforms guarding Dr. B., flashing his badge before going in. He found the doctor sitting up in bed sipping on a drink through a bent straw. He survived the ER, it seemed, only to be placed in a private room. As far as Buzz was concerned, the sooner the animal was behind bars, the better.

The huge man filled the tiny space beyond capacity, taking up all the air and real estate with his immense size. His rounded belly flooded the bed, rolling from side to side, covering every inch of clean white sheet with layers of flab. The metal sides of the bed were up, seeming almost  a necessity to keep his rounded form from overflowing like a giant bowl of loosely formed Jello in a container too small.

“Bigelow,” Buzz said, pulling up a chair like he owned the place.

Even in his groggy state, Dr. Bigelow's face registered the fact he knew Buzz and wasn't happy to see him. “Buzz Miller, what the fuck are you doing here?” he asked. His voice was raspy and weak.

“A better question, what are you doing here?”

Bigelow glared back, his lips sealed tight.

“Come on, Bigelow. I know you're up to something. Why were those thugs chasing you through the airport?”

Bigelow stared him down and next, without warning, rolled his tongue to gather saliva and then spit, splashing Buzz on the cheek with a colossal glob.

Without flinching, the cop wiped it away, got up, walked to the door and locked it. He returned to Bigelow's bed and grabbed the guy's hospital gown by the neck, pulling Bigelow's face up close to his.

“Now what the hell did you do that for?” he growled.

“I was just watering the pig,” Bigelow murmured. His eyes were hot coals.

The rage in Buzz was a wildfire spreading, burning in a straight shot from his mind to his restless hands which still clutched Bigelow. If he didn't control himself now, he soon wouldn't be able to. Pangs of guilt over his lack of anger management paraded through his mind like a sick parade. It was getting him into more and more trouble every day. Through the drum beats of anger in his head, he reasoned with himself, pleaded, to find a better solution. His pulse slowed as he calculated maybe he could find out something from the other two thugs. He released Bigelow and let him drop.

He turned and made his way out of the room, still seething, wanting to kill the guy but now thinking better of it. It was the hardest thing he'd ever done, walking out of there.

* * *
“You are certainly right,” Enos said, shooting Algie a big smile and next extending his hand in friendship. “It seems like no one listens around here. I've been waiting even longer than you. And I'm really worried about my friend...” He said the last part in a quiet voice as though musing only to himself.

Algie jumped on it. “Is your friend in trouble?”

“Sort of. Why are you here, if you don't mind my asking?”

“Oh, my business is nothing compared to the seriousness of yours. A friend in trouble is a true torment. Can I help perhaps? What kind of trouble?”

Enos's face flushed. He felt embarrassed to admit he and Jacob had stolen something. But he was aching to talk to someone about it. And the man was only a stranger whom he'd probably never see again.

“Well, you see, Jacob and I took something. Well, we didn't take it so much as found it. It is very valuable, and we had decided to come here and turn it in when Jacob got greedy, scrapped our plans, stole it and took off. We were taking a cab across town to come here when he stopped the vehicle and got out and ran away with it all while I was sleeping. Being so close to my friend, it feels like I'm part of his crime even though he hoodwinked me.”

Algie's pulse was racing, his instincts blazing a trail off the charts, but he pushed himself to remain patient and work his way through without arousing the wrong reaction in the young man. “How can I help you, my friend?” he asked. “Surely you don't want to go to jail or see your friend go there either.”

“NO, I do not. While I've had all this time to think, I've come to the conclusion that telling the police is not the best action. I fear they will arrest us first and ask questions later.”

“Why don't we get out of here and join forces to find your friend? We need to get to him first. I would like to help.”

Enos wasn't positive he could trust this man, but he saw no other option. He nodded in the affirmative.

“First things first,” Algie said. “Let's talk strategy.”

Later, when they settled in a coffee shop nearby, Algie finally asked what was bothering him. “So, my friend, just what is this precious item your buddy, Jacob, has absconded with? Just what are we looking for?”

“The biggest, most beautiful diamond ring I've ever seen,” Enos replied.

chapter 193

word count: 957

buzz pulled the TSA agents over to the side,, and filled them in on the identities of the two mistakenly ‘innocent victims’ that now had in their possession.. he asked them to hold them until they heard back from him,, because his gut told him there was more going on here than met the eye,, and he wanted to have a little chat with the ailing doctor to see if he would shed any light on what it was before they were released.. 

with that settled,, he collected trudy and her luggage and the two of them headed for the car.. 

buzz knew, that no matter how he presented the situation at hand to trudy, she was gonna take his dropping her off at the house so he could catch up with the infamous dr. bigelow at the hospital as a personal snub, so he waited until trudy had had her rant about the deplorable treatment she had suffered at the hands of the TSA agents,, and he had sympathized with her accordingly before he broached the subject.. 

fortunately they were only a block or two away from the house when he saw fit to deliver the bad news,, and trudy was blinded in a fit of rage by the time he pulled up in the driveway, as it caused her to jump out of the car and slam the door viciously behind her as soon as the car came to a stop.. 

before trudy had time to rethink her position,,  he slammed the car in reverse and gunned it out of the drive.. 

he could hear her screaming at him as he roared off,, and genuinely felt a pang of sorrow for mrs. dunn, as she was about to bear the brunt of trudy’s rage, unaided.. 

***

it wasn’t until jacob had exited the cab with the diamond safely tucked away in the pocket of his modestly loose fitting gray trousers, that he had a look around him,, and came to the immediate realization that he had been left off in wrong part of town.. 

he found himself surrounded by decay.. not only were the buildings decrepit and/or abandoned,, but the streets inhabitants, by which he now found himself surrounded,, all looked equally as worse for the wear.. he could feel their eyes honing in on him like prey, as he ducked into the first seedy motel lobby he came across.. 

he was met by an overwhelming blast of curried air as he approached the steel caged window,, with only a drop slot and wire meshed portal facing in his direction.. as he coaxed his gag mechanism into submission, a small sari wrapped indian woman with a purple gem imbedded in the middle of her forehead appeared from behind a batik curtain..

“i need a room.” jacob said shortly, trying his best not to expel any unneeded breath in fear that he would have to fill his lungs yet again with the oily stench that had by now totally engulfed him.

“$50.00.. sign here..” the woman sounded off from her vantage point behind the cage covered glass,, as she, without looking up, dropped a registration card and a pen into the concave steel slot in the window. 

jacob obediently fumbled with his wallet withdrawing two twenty’s and a ten,, and signed the name joseph smith to the registry card.. the disinterested woman took the card and the cash and slipped a room key into the slot.. 

“around the back, upstairs..” she instructed him as she turned away and disappeared behind the curtain before he could ask her if she had anything closer to the office.. 

jacob, inhaled noisily as he opened the door and did his best to appear unfazed by the panic that raged within him, as he walked through the trash strewn parking lot and toward the rear of the building..   

as he turned the corner he was met by a stringy haired middle aged woman who proceeded to proposition him for ‘a date’ as she sat nervously on the edge of the third step and picked mercilessly at an open sore on her left arm..

without a word, jacob all but jumped over her,, taking the steps two and three at a time till he reached the cement walkway of the second floor..  amidst a cloud of expletives (the likes of which he had never heard before) that shot forth from the bedraggled woman’s mouth,,  he wasted no time locating the room number that was printed on the plastic key chain,  231.. 

he quickly ducked behind the door threw the deadbolt,, and slipped the chain lock into position.. as he flicked the switch and the one dim bulb on the bedside table came to life,, he looked on in horror as an army of cockroaches were sent running for cover..

jacob fell back heavily against the hollow steel door..

“oh my god!!” he all but cried out to himself as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the now cold, lifeless stone which had only moments before swallowed him whole with hedonistic possibilities.. 

“what have i done??”

***

as the disinterested desk sargent instructed the clearly exasperated youth to take a seat until someone became available to take his statement,, algie saw his chance, and leapt on it.. he waited for the conservatively dressed young man to take a seat,, and then visibly agitatedly,, bounded off in the direction of the young man,, dropping heavily into the empty seat beside him.

“idjuts!!” he exclaimed aloud in his crisp british accent,,  hoping to forge a quick camaraderie of sorts between himself the disgruntled young man.. 

“have a seat and wait he tells me yet again!! i tell you, i have been kept waiting well over a bloody hour as i’tis!!”