Chapter 168

word count 1214

Mr. Yoo sat at his desk in the tiny office tucked behind the busy tea room, examining his latest consignment, the Princess Diana diamond. He held the ring up to the light, admiring its rainbow facets. Once he found a buyer and got his cut, he'd be a rich man. He was used to fencing jewels for the mob, and they were expensive pieces, but never one like this. He would definitely be looking on an international scale to find a buyer. It would take someone who was willing to be discreet and also who was rich, very rich. The gem would be recognized in most elite social circles, so the new owner would have to enjoy it in private. But the right buyer would have no problem with that.

“That is certainly a very pretty stone,” a soft voice said.

He turned to see his daughter, Tiffany, an elegant Asian beauty in her early twenties with sleek, black hair and brown, almond-shaped eyes with pupils that shined like black pearls.

“Yes, a little something Mr. Big sent me to dispose of.”

“It looks so distinctive, easily identified. Do you think that will be a problem finding a willing buyer.”

“No, I should find someone,” Mr. Yoo replied. He turned and opened his wall safe by turning a dial and stopping, dialing and stopping again. It popped open. He snapped the diamond's jewel case closed and placed it in, then secured the safe again.

“I need to go and speak with some people,” he said, after first donning his favorite fedora and glancing in a mirror to check his appearance.

* * *
Algernon and Mrs. Dunn arrived at the precinct amidst a flurry of quarreling between them. Winnie wanted to bare it all and get help from the police, while Algie still had dreams of getting the jewel for themselves.

“You men are all alike,” she grumbled. “But I don't care what you say, Algie! You can forget about possessing the stone. I know it would make us rich, but too many people can be hurt by those kinds of shenanigans. Poor Priscilla has already died. We're going to Detective Miller and tell him what we know.”

That said, she charged across the reception area on a direct route to Buzz who stood at his desk with his office door open, talking on the phone. She entered the small room and sat on a chair opposite. A forlorn Algie arrived and settled in a chair beside her. Buzz motioned he'd be off the phone soon. Just as quickly, he hung up.

“Mrs. Dunn, Mr. English, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“Detective Miller, I have a confession to make,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“A confession? Oh my, dear! What did you do? Burn the muffins? Forget to make the beds back at the house?” Buzz smiled.

“No, Detective Miller, you see, I'm not a housekeeper at all. I met you under false pretenses.I came fresh in from Britain to your house, and I came with a specific purpose.”

Buzz sat at his desk, his face an expression of alertness.

“You see, Algie and I...we are part of Her Majesty's Secret Service. We do undercover work. But when we came to America, it was on our own. We knew that the Princess Diamond was in this area, in New Albany, and I figured if I got involved with the police in some capacity, sooner or later they would be working on the case, and we'd find out exactly where it is...so we could steal it for ourselves.”

Buzz didn't answer, but merely studied her carefully. Mrs. Dunn continued.

“So when I got wind of your need for a housekeeper, I got to work on it.” She paused, an awkward expression crossing her face. “Detective Miller, it was our sole intention to snafu up the diamond for ourselves, not for the Queen, but just for us.”

“And why are you telling me this now?”

“Because Priscilla, who was part of our party, has probably been killed. And we want to help find the scoundrels who did it. I can't deal in greed when innocent people are getting hurt, Detective Miller.”

Algie broke in. “I find that I am in one hundred percent agreement with Winnie. I admit I didn't come by such good intentions easily, but I'm here now to help as well.”

Buzz stood and started to pace. “So you two are international spies and were hoping to steal the gem for yourselves. And when Priscilla presumably got killed, you decided to change course.”

“Yes, Detective Miller, that's right.” Mrs. Dunn folded her hands on her lap and looked attentive.

Buzz stroked his chin in contemplation. “I assume you two can provide papers and references to prove you are who you say you are.”

“Yes, certainly.”

Buzz remained silent, contemplative until he appeared to realize he was forgetting to speak and remarked, “I'm sorry! I'm just trying to wrap my head around this! Mrs. Dunn, are you trained in the martial arts? Do you ever use disguises? Just idle curiosity, mind you!”

“Yes and yes, but only for special jobs. Normally, our work is mundane. Lots of following people and surveillance.”

“I see. Well, for your information, at the moment we have no idea where this ring is. Pull up your chairs and let me fill you in with the details.”

The three huddled together over Buzz's desk and got to work.

* * *
Gil got off the elevator to go his apartment and found Hank standing at his door.

“Wassup?” the older cop murmured.

“What? Are you here to give me the third degree again, you son of a bitch?”

Hank stepped back, clearly alarmed. “Gil?” he said.

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

Gil moved closer, getting into Hank's face. “You questioned me back there like some two-bit moron with no regard for the fact I'm a cop, and your partner, and your friend. And the worst part, I'm pretty sure you already assumed I was guilty before you even started! So what do you say to that, detective!”

“What are you talking about?” Hank said the words in protest, but his eyes told a different story, an observation not lost on Gil.

Oh my God, he thought. It shows all over his face. He really did think I was guilty of killing that nurse. Something deep inside snapped. All self control blew like a volcano up and out the top of his head. He was left composed of nothing but pure anger. Balling his fist, he cracked it against Hank's jaw before the guy ever saw it coming. With a few choice words under his breath, Gil proceeded to open his apartment door.

Hank, who had landed on the floor, looked up in protest. “What did you expect me to think? You were drunk and you had obviously been drugged. You were filthy and disoriented. You weren't yourself! In that state, you could have done anything, and your gun was at the scene, recently fired. What did you expect me to think?”

“I think you ought to get the fuck out of my life,” Gil said, stepping into his apartment and slamming the door.

chpter 167

word count: 1234

“fucking hank, man..” gil said as he shook his head in dismay.. “i mean i know he had a job to do,, but dammit!! i’m his fricking partner!! he was interrogating me like some idiot fucking perp off the street!! like we had no history,, like he really believed i could have done it!!.. fuck him!!”

“i know you’re pissed bro,, i can tell you in all honesty, i would be too.. but you know hank.. you know he is strictly by the book. he’s a good cop,, no he’s a great cop,, but each of us have our strengths and our weaknesses,, and unfortunately one of hank’s weaknesses is not knowing when to back off on the job.”

buzz reached out and patted gil firmly on the back.. “just for the record,, lemme tell ya,, i never doubted your innocence for a second..” he tried to smile,, and make eye contact with gil.. but gil was having none of it.. 

he was pissed,, so pissed in fact that as soon as buzz left his cubicle gil placed a call to steve shingle.. private dick or no private dick,, gil’s confidence in his brothers in blue was all but shattered right now,, and he needed to get a jump on this case,, a jump only a pair of unjaded outside eyes would be able to supply him with,, even if he had to pay them to be there.. 

they made an appointment to meet at 3:00 in a small greasy spoon on the east side that was rarely if ever frequented by his so called brothers in blue..  the jack had kicked in the with it brought the after effects of whatever it was they had been injecting him with last night to the fore..  it obvious,, even to gil, that he had to get something to eat and some serious coffee in him before he made the trek.. 

as he stood waiting for the elevator,, he could hear hank calling out to him across the squad room.. “fuck him!” gil said under his breath as he totally blew hank off, entered the elevator and let the doors close behind him.. 

by the time 2:30 rolled around,, gil had a decent lunch in him and at least a pot of good strong coffee.. he left the diner and headed back to the precinct parking lot,, where he jumped in his car,, and hit the gas.. it was as if he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.. the one place he had ever really felt like he had a family, had overnight turned into the only place he didn’t want to be.. 

he rolled up on the greasy spoon where he was meeting with steve,, and was happy to find out the ‘dick’ was already there..

steve stood up to shake gil’s hand.. “i must say i was kinda shocked to get your call.. in my experience you guys don’t usually put too much faith in what i do for a living.”

“eh, we can be a bunch of haughty bastards when we wanna be..” he answered as the vision of hanks interrogation replayed in his mind.. “take a seat buddy,, this might take a while..”

gil went on to explain everything he knew to steve,, who seldom looked up he was so busy taking notes.. gil graciously left out the part about him being a suspect in the murder of gina o’houlihan. he had no reason to reveal the fact that there was bad blood running through him and the department right now.. he wanted to get a jump on this case,, and that is the only reason he had decided to take steve into his confidence,, but he didn’t want him knowing the extent of the damage that had been done.. that, he was gonna have to work through on his own.. 

“so i guess what i need to know first,, is who are all these brit’s that have in recent months descended upon us,, and what is their tie in to the princess diana diamond.. once we get a grip on that,, i’ll know better how to proceed.. i know that diamond had something to do with why i was, shall we say, kidnapped yesterday, i'm still just too frickin out of it to be able to make the connection..”

“well if i do say so myself,, you’re not looking much better this afternoon.. wadda ya say,, you go sleep it off and let me handle this for the next 24.. i will contact you with whatever i have right about this time tomorrow.."

with that,, they shook hands in agreement,, and gil took off.. steve was right,, he needed some rest,, and a shower,, oh man,, did he need a shower!!!

as soon as he was sure gil had time to locate his car and drive off,, steve placed a call.. he could be heard saying, as he walked toward the door of the diner, , “so this whole rock thing has suddenly taken on a whole new dimension.. yeah, gottcha.. i’ll be there in 20.”

***

manny had followed the big guys orders to the letter.. he had taken the diamond to the mysterious mr. yoo,, who was only too happy to take the gem off the big guys hands.. but timing was everything,, and the damn thing was just too hot to move right now. he would be happy to keep the stone safe while he approached his many connections across the globe,, and once an amicable buyer was willing to take it off his hands,, at the right price of course,, he would keep his usual cut and forward the remainder to the big guy.. at least that is what he told manny.. 

as was his norm,, he went into his private office where he proceeded to put the deal down in writing, sealed it with his signature wax seal, and sent manny back to the big guy for his final approval.. 

“what a fucking break!!” manny said to himself as he pulled his stocky frame up into the escalade.. this was the first time he had really been invited into a one on one deal with the big guy.. from his point of view,, the world was his fucking oyster,, and he couldn’t get back to the big guy fast enough to deliver the good news.. 

as he approached the compound,, he tapped the security code into the gate,, and then hit the garage door button as he approached, so he could just slide the ecalade in,, and get the crucial piece of  correspondence,, the one that was gonna change his life forever,, into the hands of the big guy,, for his formal approval.. 

it was daylight,, so the fact that the interior garage lights didn’t come on automatically as they should have,,  didn’t become obvious until the door started to close automatically behind him.. “i’ll get right on that!” manny said aloud as he made his way through the dark garage toward the basement entrance of the big guys compound.. 

in the darkness,, he couldn’t see it,, but he could hear the telltale crunch, crunch, crunch, of a plastic painters tarp under his feet as he made his way toward the door.. manny wasn’t a brainiac by any means,, but just before the silenced .45 burned its way into his brain, even he knew why the tarp was there..

Chapter 166

word count 1088

Manny fished around in the drawer, his grubby fingers bumping into tubes of girly whatnots. He picked up a handful of batteries, and upon spotting a vibrator, lifted it to survey its length and thickness. He felt his own manliness getting hard just thinking of the sexy Boa playing with her “toys.”

“MANNY!” Mr. Big waited in the other room for the squirrelly Latino to bring him the jewel. He was sitting there looking at the dead body of Boa, as her crimson blood made a Rorschach on the carpet. If he were a believer in such notions, he'd say the red blotch looked like a heart. The big man shifted uneasily on the seat, quietly acknowledging to himself on some level he'd loved Boa...but this wasn't the time or the place.

Manny appeared in the doorway clutching the gem. He held it out for the boss to see. The humongous jewel glistened, reflecting light every which way but Friday. “Here it is, Mr. Big!” He said it with pride, like he'd found a lost pirate's treasure. In a sense, he had.

“Good boy, Manny! Now we need to get it fenced. I've got the police busy, buzzing around one of their own, that cop I set up.” He chuckled. “Buzzing, ha, ha! I wonder if Buzz is 'buzzing' around his pal. That Miller is such a pain in the ass.”

He paused, coughing and wheezing. Between cigars and his considerable girth, Mr. Big's heart and lungs were far from healthy. After sputtering and spitting, he continued. “They'll be preoccupied at least until we get that ring to Mr. Yoo in Chinatown so he can unload it for us.” The big man shot Manny a serious eye. “This is just between the two of us, Manny. You understand? Take it to Mr. Yoo, and then come back to me. Don't talk to no one. And don't breathe a word of this gem. We'll both be rich, eh?”

Manny shook his head in the affirmative, bouncing like a happy puppy.

* * *

Gil paced like a restless tiger. What the fuck! The police report on the murdered nurse was like reading fiction as far as he was concerned. He didn't murder her. Hell, he didn't even know the chick. He lifted a fifth of Jack and gulped the liquid straight from the bottle. As the potent liquid rushed down his throat, burning all the way, the reality hit. He had empty spots in his head. He couldn't tell you what he did once he'd left the recovery room. It was all blank, except for a brief conversation in the van with a stranger in the dark, he had no clue where he'd been or what he did.

His heart started somersaulting out of control. What if he did it? Or at the least, what if he was a hapless accomplice? What if he was forced to and then shot up with something to make him blank out? It was possible, if someone wanted to mess with him. An enemy? He probably had plenty of them being a cop for all these years.

Now he was getting truly hysterical. Why was he doubting himself? He looked at the bottle of Jack Daniels and frustration rushed him like an errant wind. He hurled the bottle against the wall. It crashed and sprayed brown liquid everywhere. The world was pounding down on his head. Clenching his fists he gritted his teeth and fought to find control. He felt light-headed. Hysterics were building in his chest. He needed to break loose and scream.

A knock at the door centered him. It was a sound that bumped into the room carrying sanity with it. Life was going on in the same old way out there despite his problems, and now it was knocking at the door announcing its mundane existence in a couple hard thumps.

“Gil, you in there, buddy!” Buzz's hearty voice echoed through from the hallway.

Gil rushed to the door in giant strides. He didn't know if he should under the circumstances but he trusted the big guy. As his hand went to the door knob, he paused. What if Buzz was coming to arrest him? What if he was here with a warrant? What if they found evidence to nail him. Hell, even he wasn't certain what happened. He froze. He looked away in disgust as the thought came to the fore there wasn't much he could do about it anyway. He opened the door. Buzz pushed in without a second thought, like it was any other day, not one when his friend was on a suspect list for murder.

“I'm glad I found you here. I know Hank talked to you.”

 “Yes, he did! I didn't kill that nurse! At least not that I know of...”

“I know, Gil.  I know. The ballistics report came back. The bullet that killed Gina O'Houlihan wasn't from your gun.”

* * *
Mrs. Dunn and Algernon sipped tea, ensconced in a tiny restaurant in Chinatown. They figured the faraway little neighborhood was one place in the busy city they could meet and no one would know them. Buzz and the others still had no idea of their connection or purpose in attempting to procure the Princess Diamond. Mrs. Dunn wiped a tear from her cheek with a lacy white hanky.

“Oh, Algie. I'm certain Priscilla has suffered the worst fate possible.” She sniffed. “She wasn't my favorite person in the world, but she deserved to live long and have a happy life.” She blew her nose into the white hanky, soiling its pristine beauty.

“Yes, I'm sure you're right, Winnie. And that fellow, Frank, has disappeared into thin air, as well. I didn't know him well, but I feel bad for the man anyway. I fear he has suffered a similar fate.”

“These are dangerous people we are dealing with, Algie.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Algie, maybe this is too big for us. Maybe we should join forces with the local police and together we can get it back. At least if it is returned to the Royal family, that is better than in some American thugs' hands. We wouldn't have it, but at least it would be back in England where it belongs.”

“Admit defeat, Winnie?”

“Yes, we've already lost at least one of our own. How many lives is that silly stone worth anyway? Let's join forces with the others and get it back...for England!”

chapter 165

word count: 1430

as the aging blue chevy sedan pulled up outside the front doors of the 45^th st. precinct,, gil turned to the driver.. he had been so caught up in racking his brain to remember what happened to him earlier in the day,, he hadn’t really noticed they had been silent the whole way there..

“hey, man,, thanks for the ride.. sorry i wasn’t very good company,, just got a lot on my mind..”

“no problem.” stated the driver,, who still had a look of genuine concern on his face.. “are you sure you wouldn’t rather go get checked out at the hospital first,, you’re not lookin’ too good..”

“i’ll be fine. “ gil retorted, as much to convince himself, as it was to convince the driver.. “hey,, i don’t think i caught your name?”

“steve, steve shingle. private dick.” the driver said as he dug into the interior pocket of his sports coat.. “if you guys ever need me,, this is where you can find me.” he said as he handed the card off to gil, with a broad salesman like smile..

“will do steve!” gil said as he exited the car,, “and hey,, thanks again..”

as gil made his way through the front entrance information area,, all eyes were on him.. ‘jeez,,’ he thought to himself,, ‘i must look even worse than i feel..’

it wasn’t until he exited the elevator into the 2^nd floor homicide division and hank , was waiting for him just outside the opening doors, as if he had been notified of his arrival, that he started to get the feeling there was something more going on here than his worse for the wear appearance.. 

“hey, bud,, can i get a word in with you in buzz’s office?” hank more dictated than asked. 

“sure.” gil nearly stammered. “what the hell is going on around here?”

“i’ll fill ya in once we are behind closed doors..” hank advised him as he led the way through the maze of cubicles and directly into buzz’z office, where he proceeded to draw the privacy shades, and gesture for gil to take a seat.

“before i get started, i need you to tell me exactly why you left the recovery room in such a hurry,, as well as fill in where you have been and what you have been doing in between then and now.. let me just tell you, before we get started here, that it has already been confirmed that you did not come back to the office to catch up on some paperwork like you said you were going to do when you abruptly left the recovery room..”

“jeez!!” gil exclaimed as he lowered his still throbbing head into this hands and proceeded to rub his temples.” you’re not gonna make it easy on a guy are ya?”

it was obvious to hank that gil was far from being himself.. the pale face,, the dark circles under his yes,, the visual evidence that he was evidently suffering a hell of a headache.. his gut said gil was hung over like a motherfucker,, but he was, after all his partner.. so he had to give him the benefit of the doubt before he really passed any judgment.. 

“take your time buddy,, why don’t we start with why you left the bar so abruptly,, and where you really went right after that?”

gil took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stretched his legs out in front of him..

“well it all started with me getting a gut feeling that there was a tie in between that algie fellow and his wife priscilla, with a memo i had come across earlier in the week about some diamond missing from the british royal collection.. the diana diamond i am pretty sure it was called.. something about the missing diamond,, and then how our little crew has been consistently infiltrated by brits lately,, just didn’t seem right to me.. so i decided i would come back to the office and do some digging,, see if i could tie the two of them,, or maybe even buzz’s brit housekeeper, mrs. dunn to the diamonds disappearance..”

all that seemed to make perfectly good sense to hank,, seeing as how he had half assed been wondering about the british invasion as of late himself..  “ok.. so you made what you felt was a valid connection,, but you never made it back here to check it out?? how did that happen??”

“wish i knew, “ gil heaved a heavy sigh.. “all i can remember is walking out into the parking lot,, and seeing guns drawn, i cannot even put a face to any of the prospective shooters,, all i can remember was that priscilla was there.. i don’t know if she just walked into it like i did,, or if she was a part of it,, but she was there..i remember drawing my weapon,, but that's it.. the  next thing i knew,, i woke up briefly in the back of a box van,, with some other guy, it was totally dark in there so i never saw his face.. and then i guess i lost consciousness again.”

gil took another deep breath and continued, “next time i woke up, i was alone on the side of the road, i don’t even know what road,, but some passerby,” gil dug into his pants pocket and retrieved the guys card, which he in turn handed off to hank,, “here it is , steve shingle some kind of private dick,, picked me up and dropped me off here.”

“so this other guy, the one you said was in the back of the box van with you, he wasn’t dropped off on the side of the road with you??” hank continued his questioning reiterating what gil had already told him,, just to make sure the answers jived.. 

“i already told you i was alone when i came to.. whether or not this other guy was dumped there, i would have no way of knowing,, because as i explained to you already,, i didn't really begin to regain my bearings until the car pulled up,, and this steve guy offered me a ride.” gil answered although you could tell he was getting irritated.. he knew an interrogation when he heard one,, and he wanted to know what the hell hank was doing interrogating him.. 

“so then you have no real recollection of where you were or what you did between the time you stepped out into the parking lot of the recovery room,, other than being in the back of a van? and from there, no recall what so ever until the time you got into the car with this private dick?? is that what you are telling me??”

“did i studder??” gil lashed back at him.. “what the hell is going on here hank?? i am done answering questions!! i wanna know what this interrogation bullshit is all about!!”

hank picked up a pen off buzz’s desk and started rolling it between his palms, a sure fire give away that he was getting tense,, and this whole situation was difficult for him as well.. 

“well," hank let out a loud breath of air, “about all i can tell you  right now,, is that you are a suspect in a homicide..”

“what the fuck??” gil cried out,, the sound of his own voice causing a deafening echo inside his already aching head..

“since you are considered a suspect,, you  know a well as i do that i cannot release any further information to you.. all i can say,, is that your gun was found at the scene,, the only fingerprints on it were yours.. we are currently waiting on ballistics to determine if it was in fact the gun that was used in the homicide..”

“jesus christ hank!! you mean you don’t even have the ballistics back yet,, and you are interrogating me about a murder i couldn’t have possibly committed?? i thought you were my partner! my compadre! you know me better than this!!!” gil raged.. 

“and you haven’t even asked me if i was ok?? i mean look at me dude,, there is no way you cannot tell i have been through hell and back,, and yet all you seem to care about is pinning some murder on me with nothing but some circumstantial evidence..”

gil rose from his chair,, not even allowing hank time to respond. “when you get the ballistics back,, if you’ve got any hard evidence,, you know where to find me!!” before he stalked out of the office, ,slamming the door,, and headed toward his cubicle.

at least there he had a nice friendly flask of jack waiting for him,, and man could he use a friend right about now!!!

Chapter 164

word count 1034

Trudy shifted in the softly cushioned chair and wondered how she had gotten herself into this. The love of a good man, her conscience stated. You're here because Buzz asked you to be. Before he took off on the homicide investigation, he made this appointment, got her squeezed in right away. And so, now here she was, looking at this strange doctor and wondering what to do next.

Dr. Beauregard hailed from the deep south, New Orleans, to be exact. His neat, parted brown hair was slicked down tight against his head as if it was not meant to distract from his large, blue eyes. They were boyish eyes, as was his face and his entire demeanor. Trudy didn't know how she was supposed to take this youngish-looking doctor seriously. But Buzz had insisted she come. The fellow did a lot of work for the precinct so he must be good.

“Well, Ms. Hunt, may I call you Trudy? I see you have anger issues. Is that right?”

“That's what people tell me. They say, like 'Hey, Trudy, you have anger issues.'” She launched into a perfect imitation of Buzz's gruff voice.

“Do you think you have anger issues?”

“I dunno. I guess.” What a dweeb this guy was! Trudy wished she could run from the room.

“It says here you assaulted the chief of homicide, knocking him unconscious just this morning. Is that right?”

“Well, yeah. I didn't mean to knock him unconscious though.”

“Why do you think you get so angry at times? What are you feeling when you snap?” Dr. B. wrote notes as he spoke. This is going to take a long time, he mused.

She stared back at him without answering.

Oookay, he pondered. “Well, Ms. Hunt. Why don't I teach you some relaxation techniques next?”

Fooey! Trudy thought. But she'd have to play along anyway. Buzz wanted it that way.

*  *  *

At Gina O'Hoohlihan's apartment, they were finishing up their investigation. It was cold-blooded murder. The woman was a scrub nurse at the hospital. Buzz was interested to note she frequently assisted Dr. Kevin Collins in surgery, and the two were known to be a couple, although they tried to hide it. She'd been obviously packing a suitcase prior to the crime. Buzz hypothesized they were going to take off with the gem, and then the murder happened. So far, they hadn't been able to find Dr. Collins, and Buzz worried he may already be out of the country.

They hadn't found any DNA around the body. Buzz suspected Collins killed her, except for one thing, the murder weapon was a police revolver. He was waiting now for a check on the serial number when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Detective Miller, we have info on the gun.” The young officer's face looked pained as though he hated to say more.

“Spit it out, officer!” Buzz growled.

“The gun was issued to Gil Bettencourt, sir!”

* * *
John and Lisa sat with the boys in the living room, the TV turned off, computers shut down, only the ticking of the living room clock breaking the silence in the room. John started first.

“Boys, it doesn't look as though the police are going to find the ring any time soon. And even if they do, you do understand it was never yours to begin with. It was stolen from British Royalty and they want it back.”

“But it's ours, finders keepers!” Erik protested. He needed that ring to cement his place in the brotherhood.

“Not when someone else stole it before you found it,” Lisa said. “Honey, it's only a 'thing'--it doesn't give or take away what you have with your brothers. Erik, you found it and were the hero of the day, and you'll always be that hero and a brother, regardless of whether you guys have the ring to bond over.”

The boys looked unconvinced.

John gave it a shot. “Look, boys. We have our eyes to see and our hearts to love. Why would we need a diamond ring to tell us what we already know. If it really troubles you, why don't we get some other token to symbolize the brotherhood?”

“Like what?” Adam asked.

“Why don't we get you guys some matching medals to wear. We could even get your names and something special engraved on them. What do you say?”

The boys exchanged glances and broke into smiles.

“Crisis averted,” Lisa leaned over and murmured in John's ear. They were both overjoyed.

* * *
Boa stood across from Mr. Big and tried to still her pounding heart. She had a bad feeling about this meeting. He knew. She could tell with her every instinct he knew, and she was living on borrowed time.

“Well, Boa! I see you've been busy,” he said. The words came out in barely a whisper, but a harsh one, a fact Boa found disconcerting in the way it lent a raspy gravity to the remark. She clenched her teeth and stood taller.

“I know what you found.”

Boa's pulse shot off the charts, pounding through her veins. She wondered how he knew. Manny. Manny probably had something to do with it. The son of a bitch.

Mr. Big's eyes slanted half shut in concentration. Looking at Boa, her incredible beauty, a world of talent within her grasp, it seemed a shame to eliminate her. But she knew about the diamond, possessed it, had it hidden in her personal things. He had just now sat in her living room, watching the surveillance camera on his smart phone, seeing every move as the lady tried to hide it, tried to keep it from him.

She wasn't trustworthy. She tried to steal the jewel for herself. No matter how pretty a keepsake is, if you does you harm, you have to eliminate it.

He slipped a small caliber pistol from his sleeve and shot three times in succession. The repeated ricochets slammed him again and again, his head pounding the back of his chair. When he recovered, he saw her body on the floor. She never knew what happened.

“Pity,” he said.

chapter 163

word count: 1123

as manny eased the huge black escalade onto the highway,, boa’s mind was busily calculating her next move.. today’s body count was up to four if you included gina o’houlihan,, who even though she was not taken out as a direct result of an order issued by boa herself,, she would have been,, had she and manny gotten to her first..   

frank the skank could be easily explained away,, he had been trying to serve two masters,, and even though boa hadn’t realized that until after she saw his signature handiwork on the body of gina o’houlihan,, she could convolute the truth in such a way that it would look like she had him taken out, for the sake of the family.. he knew too much.. he couldn’t be trusted. he paid the price.. nice and tidy.. just the way boa liked it.. 

then there was the kevin.. by all rights and purposes,, seeing as how her relationship with him had never been kept a secret in any way,, she could call that personal.. details could then be avoided.. although her use of the loft was less than sanctioned,, she figured she could justify that one without too much trouble as well, if and when it  ever became topic for discussion.. 

the little brunette british number, now that one was going to take a little more creativity to make it fall not only within the lines of her jurisdiction to order the kill,, but it had to come off sounding as if a split second decision had to be made.. something life or death would have had to proceed the bullet expertly placed in the brit’s head.. and exactly what that something had been,, was going to take even someone with the manipulative expertise that boa possessed,,  a little time to figure out.. 

manny pulled the escalade up to the penthouse entrance of the entourage,, where boa slid her passkey and opened the door as soon as she heard it click.. she opened the elevator in a like fashion and when it opened directly into the entrance way of her suite,, she was met by the business end of a .45 caliber semi- automatic with yet another nameless brute supplied by the big guy to keep her safe at all cost, at the other end... 

“relax!” she nearly spit at him as she quickly crossed through the entranceway,, and proceeded upstairs to her ‘office’ where she securely locked the door behind her.. 

once she was satisfied that not only was she securely locked in behind the closed door,, but that no one would be rushing to her with frivolous messages that had been left for her in her absence,, she pulled the mercurochrome bottle from her black snakeskin bag,, and held it up to the light.. 

ah yes!! there it was,, just as kevin said it would be.. she shook the bottle gently just to hear it tinkle against the glass as she walked over to the sink,, turned on the water,, and proceeded to pour the contents of the bottle into the sink.. 

she allowed the water to free fall over the gem,, washing away all the pesky red liquid so as to not stain her delicate yet deadly hands.. finally,, all evidence of the red stain disappeared,, and the oblique, step cut diamond,, lay wet and glistening against the ebony marble of the bowl..

it was easily the most immense diamond she had ever held in her own hands. she held it up to the light.. the step cut around the circumference of the stone caused it’s reflective quality to be almost blinding as it refracted the glow of the ten round, clear bulbs that surrounded the beveled mirror just over the vanity.. 

boa slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand.. she held her hand at arm’s length and admired how it complimented bother her pale white skin,, and her elegant black nails.. 

“mine.. all mine..” she whispered to herself as she pressed her diamond studded finger against her top of the line breasts, just over her heart,, much like one would caress a beloved child.. she watched herself in the mirror as she swayed methodically from side to side,, dancing to music evidently only she could hear.. 

this diamond might very well buy her freedom.. take her places even mr. big could never find her.. for the first time in her life she could feel, taste, and smell a life outside of the clutches of any lecherous male.. the very thought of it, caused the heightened beats of her heart to rise up,  pounding right through her generous, fleshy breast.. it brought a flush to her cheeks as it awakened the realization that from this moment forward she was truly her own master.. 

no  longer would she be a slave to the power awarded to her by some fat balding male, who’s only real claim to fame was that he had methodically taken out all of his competition.. no this was different.. different in every way.. she was at last being rewarded for all the hard work and personal sacrifices she had made over course of her life. a life that had taken a seemingly hell bent,, drug addicted young stripper by the name of sally blum,, and turned her into the most precious creature she saw standing before her today..

“boa…” she mouthed to herself in the mirror as she admired the elaborately cut stone while she held it against the skin tight sheer black fabric that barely contained her abundant breasts.. 

thump,, thump!! there was a knock on the door.. 

“what is it?” she called out never breaking her enamored gaze into the mirror.. 

“it’s the big guy!” a gruff sounding voice answered through the door.. 

“tell him,, oh just tell him i’m showering.. tell him i will call him back..” she was in no mood to talk to anyone right now.. especially, the big guy.. 

“he’s not on the phone..” announced the gruff voice on the other side of the door, “he’s waiting for you in the sitting room.. and he said he is in no mood to be kept waiting!!”

“i’ll be right down!” boa said almost lyrically,, trying desperately to hide the grip of fear that had taken over where her personal ecstasy had been so abruptly cut off.. 

'oh fuck!’ she said to herself as she secreted the diamond away inside one of her numerous playthings designed especially for a females intimate pleasure.. 

she took a deep cleansing breath,, checked her ever perfect look in the mirror,, and quickly made her way towards the door.. 

‘he knows.. he has to know,, or he wouldn’t be here…’

Chapter 162

word count 1009

When Boa arrived at Gina O'Hoolihan's apartment, she nodded to her accomplice, Manny, to pick the lock.

"Make it nice and tidy," she murmured, as she busied herself to make sure her sleek, black gloves were pulled on tight. The door opened with a pop, compliments of Manny's skill. They found a darkened room. It was quiet but with a kind of roaring potential, the sort of tense air that permeates a space before you discover something awful. Tense, electrifying.

Manny switched on the light and as expected, the limp body of Gina O'Hoolihan was revealed, laid out flat on the living room floor with a pool of blood trailing from her mouth, saturating the carpet into a mush of scarlet.

"Looks like Frank the Skank did a good job," she murmured. "Now let's make this look good." She kicked Gina's body to one side to reveal a bullet hole penetrating her chest. "You got that gun?" she asked.

"Yep," said Manny. "Rudy pulled it off the cop and ran it over to me. He made sure his fingerprints were all over it, too. Revolver, police issue."

"Let's plant it like he would have tried to ditch it. But don't make it impossible to find."

Manny scurried to the bedroom, next returning with a wide grin on his face. "Done," he said.

"Our work is finished here. I'll call Rudy and tell him to dump the cop along the interstate."

"Lady, you are evil," Manny said. "What did this cop ever do to you anyway?"

"You don't want to know," she said.

* * *

Hank and Algie pulled Trudy off Buzz's prone body with little resistance coming from her. Once she'd realized the cop was unconscious, she'd shut down in shock.

Mrs. Dunn rushed to Buzz like a guardian angel.

"Detective Miller! Are you all right?" She grabbed his hand and patted it. As if it helped, Buzz slowly opened his eyes.

"Mrs. Dunn!" It came out in a hoarse whisper. He struggled to sit up. When he was upright, he called for Trudy. Mrs. Dunn started to object, but he stopped her. "It's okay, dear. I need to talk to her."

Trudy approached, and the housekeeper got out of the way, leaving the girl room to kneel by Buzz. He shot her a glance, his eyes heavy with portent.

"Trudy, hon! I love you, but look at what you've just done to me. You've got to see a doctor. I mean it!"

"Okay, Buzz! I will. I promise."

"No empty promises. I mean it. Today. I'll make the appointment for you. I got a guy."

A uniformed approached. "Detective Miller, I hate to bother you, but we've just got a call for a homicide over in Oakwood. A woman."

"Help me up! And find Hank! Let's roll." It felt good to be working the streets again. A little fall and knock to the noggin wasn't going to stop Buzz Miller. As he turned to go, he grabbed Trudy by the arm. "I'll make that call and get back with you about the appointment."

His eyes were steel. Trudy knew not to mess with him about it.

* * *
Gil woke up along the side of the highway in what felt like a drunken stupor, surreal at best. Cars buzzed by, their drivers gawking at his shattered body but ignoring him. He wondered where the milk of human kindness had gone. "So much for life in the big city," he murmured. His head banged like an anvil pounding steel, and his stomach was twisted and nauseous. He tried to get his bearings. A road sign announced he was thirty miles from New Albany.

"What the fuck?" Struggling to his knees, he pushed himself up onto two very unsteady legs. Brushing the dirt off his trousers, he realized his clothes felt light, and his heart went cold. He groped his gun harness. Empty. Frantic, he padded his pockets. All empty. It was him and some filthy clothes. No gun, no money, no credit cards. Nothing.

Dropping down on his haunches, he tried to remember where he was before this. Something about a van...he couldn't remember--maybe later it would come. The sound of car wheels on gravel made him look up to see an old Chevy pulling off the road. It came to a stop right in front of him.

"You okay, buddy?" A businessman in a perfectly pressed suit and button down white shirt, red tie included, had emerged from the vehicle and stood by studying him.

"I dunno," he said. "What day is this?"

“Thursday. What happened to you? Can I help?”

Thursday. Clearly he'd lost some time. The man still stood there, looking at him with a worried expression.

“Would you happen to be heading toward New Albany?” the cop asked.

“Yes, I am. But what do you say I take you by the hospital first to be checked out? You don't look too good, buddy!”

“Nope. I'm a cop. I've got to get back to the precinct.” He had a very bad feeling about things, and the sooner he made it back to home base, the better.

* * *

The cops arrived at Gina O'Hoohlihan's apartment without delay. When Buzz passed through the door, his stomach lurched. Must have been that blow to the head, he mused. He didn't usually react to a crime scene.

“What do we got?” he asked the medical examiner who was finishing, neatly getting his kit together to leave.

“Bullet wound to the chest, just missed the heart, internal bleeding.” He stopped to study Gina's face. “Such a shame, young and pretty.”

“I hear ya!” Buzz replied in a distracted fashion. No time to wax poetic right now, he thought. “Anyone find a weapon?” He yelled it out for his crew to hear.

A uniform appeared in the bedroom doorway clasping an evidence bag with a revolver in it. “Right here, Detective Miller. You're not going to believe this, but it's police issue.”