Chapter 48

word count 1302

The entire block was a war zone with debris spilled over into yards and onto roofs, the KABOOM having smashed windshields, frightened dogs, and awakened the neighbors. And the police cars and fire trucks zoomed in from all parts, then lined up all along this block and onto the next. It had to have been the most incredible night the neighborhood had ever seen. Those weary people emerged from their homes and stood along the sidewalk or in their yards, tip-toeing over bits and pieces of debris, rubber-necking to catch a view of the scene inside the yellow crime scene tape.

Hank and Gil emerged from the Crown Victoria, their jaws dropping at the sight of charred rubble and wafts of smoke filling the air.

"My Gawd! It's a good thing they were all out of the house!" Hank coughed as a wisp of smoke made it down his throat.

"Yeah, boss! How are we going to tell them their house is gone! And the poor kid! Doesn't he have a enough problems without losing his house and home?"

"Oh Gawd, yeah," Hank replied remembering the little boy and how sad he was when he left him with Lisa. He knew Adam was spending the night with a friend tonight. He wished now the boy was back with Lisa so she could keep an eye on him, hold him close. It just didn't seem fair for a little tyke to have to go through so much.He could only hope things would turn out all right. His eyes canvassed the area. Spotting the fire marshal, he took off in long strides to talk to him.

"Any idea what caused all this?" He flashed his badge, although it wasn't necessary. The two already knew each other from working the field.

"Hank! Well, buddy! There's no doubt this one is arson. Lab sample found fire accelerants in the basement."

"Arson?" Hank was shocked. Who in the world would want to burn up Buzz's house? It was interesting it happened when no one was home or was that just lucky coincidence?

"Hank!" Gil called from afar. Gloves on both hands, he held up a remnant of metal before placing it in an evidence bag. Hank high-tailed over.

"What do you have there?"

"Part of a license plate! And you know what, it has a police insignia on it...see?"

Hank studied the charred metal. Sure enough, part of a star in a circle showed on the corner of the remnant. "Yeah, but it's probably the boss's car."

"I dunno. I found this piece way out here on the driveway. And there is every reason to believe Buzz's and Jeannie's cars would have both been be in the double garage. I've been gathering up pieces. I hope we can determine the model, and the license plate number from what is here." He ran a finger along the plastic bag to show scorched etchings on the metal.

"Good job, Gil! I really want to catch who did this, for the boss, and for Jeannie." Hank said the name, Jeannie, in a softer tone, a warm sound he barely whispered. Gil shot him a puzzled glance, but quickly got back to work.

***
Adam and Elliot sat huddled on Elliot's bed, their heads bent over something that captivated both boys' attention.

"Where'd you get it?" Adam asked. It was dangerous, he thought. But the way things had been going, dangerous sounded okay to him. He felt disconnected from all he knew, and the sharp-bladed knife Elliot showed him not only took his mind off his problems, but offered an exotic thrill. Just watching the light glint off its shiny metal sent his imagination soaring. "Why don't we play like we're knights or something?" he asked.

"Nah, wait! I want to show you something first." Elliot took the knife and placed it on the skin of his inner arm. He bit his lip in determination, caught his breath, then pressed. The sharp metal slid along boyish, pink skin, cutting through to release a line of vibrant red rushing up, next to run in rivulets down his arm. His eyes gleamed with excitement and his face flushed. "Look how cool the blood is, oozing out." He grabbed some paper towels that were laying on the dresser and blotted the cut.

"What the heck are you doing?" little Adam asked.

"I cut myself. You wanna try it?" He held out the knife for the other boy.

"It looks like it hurts." That must be what caused those scars on his arms, Adam thought.

"Only a little. I do it when I feel upset. It makes me feel better."

"How in the heck can cutting yourself make you feel better?" Adam's eyes remained riveted on the knife.

"I dunno. It just does. It's my skin, and I can cut it whenever I want. And it hurts, but it's a good hurt, ya know. It's like a rush."

"But if you push the knife in too much, wouldn't that hurt you bad?"

"Yeah, I guess. But why the heck would I do that?" Elliot looked at Adam like the boy was crazy.

But Adam had his own ideas. If he had a knife, maybe he could finally kill his dad. He could get a knife and stick it in him and cut him really deep so he would die. "Where can I get one of those?" he asked.

"I got this from our kitchen. But you don't have to use a knife. Anything sharp is good.  My mom is so drunk all the time, she didn't even miss it."

"I'm gonna get a knife," Adam said. "A big one."

***

Buzz heard noises, clanging sounds, pumping and whooshing, beeps, and the low drone of people talking somewhere. His eyes felt too heavy to make the eye lids go up, but he could see light, bright light, peeking under the lids. He startled when he realized how his stomach felt, bloated and empty, all at the same time. He could feel the same old pain in his knees, and trying to turn his head proved his neck was still troublesome.  And worse, it felt like a tube was either up nose or in his mouth. A long line of expletives escaped his mouth, so the tube must have been up his nose. The joy of cussing sent his eyes flipping wide open. Oh my Gawd, he was in a hospital bed again! What the hell happened?

Then he remembered the stomach pain, the ambulance, or rather fighting with the guys from the ambulance. He'd felt so sick he just had to yell at someone. Then they must have given him something to sedate him, because the rest was a blur.

He wondered where he was, what part of the hospital? With all the tubes and monitors, shit, it must be ICU. This was no patient room, although he did have a roommate. He took a chance and tried to turn his head to see the other bed. His neck lit on fire with pain, but he was determined to see. He had to know what kind of person he was sharing space with.

Holy shit! It's a woman! Are they going coed in the hospitals these days, he thought. He strained to look further. Then he recognized her. His roomie was Jeannie!

She looked so frail, a rag doll in the bed, her face pasty and pale, and her hair knotted and matted and spread out on the pillow behind her head. And she was so still. An even more diverse collection of tubes and monitors than Buzz had surrounded her. My Gawd! Why is she here? What happened to her? His heart lurched as he spied her frailty, her gentle beauty, his Jeannie.

chapter 47

word count: 2158

erik looked on in disbelief,, as adam walked to the end of the complex, and disappeared around the corner.. he immediately ran in the house and found his mother,, mixer in hand, diligently blending up a batch of duncan hines brownies.. 

“mom!!! mom!! adams gone!!”  erik gasped, clearly trying to catch his breath.. “he just took off, and he told me he would kill me if i followed him!!”

“he told you what?” lisa inquired, turning off the mixer,, sure that it’s whirr had obscured whatever it was she thought she had just heard.

“he said, “don’t follow me or i’ll kill you!!”  erik repeated adam’s words verbatim..

“oh my god.. i can’t believe he could say such a thing. i mean, i believe you and everything, but what on earth could he have been thinking??”  lisa’s mind raced faster than she could put the thoughts together.. 

“did he tell you where he was going?”

“no. he just said not to follow him,, and then walked away.. he just walked away, and kept on going..”

“ok, let me think.. we better go look for him.. i don’t wanna have to call grandpa and tell him adam just walked away, and we did nothing to stop it!!” 

together they jumped in the car and took off in the direction in which erik had seen adam disappear.. as they rounded the corner, they saw adam sitting, all alone on a cement bench at the bus stop.. lisa pulled the car up alongside him,, and rolled down the passenger side window.. 

“adam?? adam honey, what’s wrong?? what are you doing??” she pleaded with the sincerest of interest.. 

adam sat unmoved,,  glaring at erik with steely eyes.. 

“come here, honey,, and tell me what is going on,, ok?”

“nothing’s wrong. i just wanna go see my friend.”

“well, that’s totally ok,, you can go see your friend.. but couldn’t you have at least told me that you wanted to go?? i’m sure we could have worked something out. you scared me to death, just running off like that.” lisa paused, but when adam offered no reply, she continued..

“come on and get in the car.. we can call your friend, and if it is ok with his mother, i can drop you off over there for the night.. how would that be?” 

“well, i guess that would be ok.. but only if we can go to the dairy queen first.. we usually meet up there,, and i wanna see if he’s there.”

“ok.” lisa agreed tentatively, “but why don’t you come on and get in the car,, and we will call his house first.. i have my cell phone right here,, and  if he is not at home,, i promise i will take you to the dairy queen to look for him.”

 “well, ok,,” adam said, as he reluctantly got up off the bench and started toward the car,, his eyes still burning a hole straight through erik.. “but i would still rather just go to the dairy queen myself.”

once she had adam safely in the back seat, lisa dialed the number adam provided her with, and then handed the phone off to adam..  

“elliot?” adam spoke into the cell.. “what are you doing?”

the one sided conversation continued.. “nothing.. something happened to my mom and dad.”

“it’s a long story. i’ll tell you when i get there.”

lisa interrupted. “let me talk to his mother.”

“is your mom there?? the lady who is watching me wants to talk to her.”

“ok. well,, let her talk to him then.” adam concluded and handed the phone back to lisa.

“his mom’s not home,” he informed her, “just his step dad.. he’s going to get him.”

lisa waited patiently till john got on the line.. 

“hello??”

“oh, hi. i am lisa snodgass,, my father is hank bower, he works for  adam’s dad.. through some strange chain of events, both of adam’s parents had to be admitted to the hospital today, and...”

“no. no, i don’t know all the details.. all i know is adam’s father asked my dad to look after adam in his absence,, and since my dad is on the job, he left him with me till a more permanent arrangement can be made..”

“no problem.. i know exactly where that is.. “ lisa concluded the call, and dropped the cell on the front seat, as she pulled away from the curb.

the three of them rode in silence, as lisa made the short drive to elliot’s house.. she pulled up in front of the address she had been given, and said, “just call me tomorrow,, when you are ready to come home,, well i mean back to my house..”

her words fell on deaf ears, as adam exited the car without a word, and proceeded to slam the door shut behind him.. 

***

a great degree of planning had already gone into brenda’s plan to reduce the miller home and all of its contents to ashes.. not only had her years of experience on the job served her well,, as many a murder investigation begins with the discovery of a body at a crime scene that has been set ablaze in effort to eliminate any physical evidence that a homicide had in fact been committed,, but she had done her own extensive internet research as well..

knowing that she must work under cover of darkness,, in order to avoid detection,, brenda headed home to dress appropriately,, prepare her ‘kit’,, and wait.. 

her heart raced as she gunned the 92 bronco and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.. she still could not believe her good fortune.. the only thing that could have made today any better was if she had learned that buzz had become incapacitated as a direct result of the damage she herself had inflicted upon him that dark night when she had ambushed him in his own driveway.. 

whereas she couldn’t help but wonder by whom, how and why, buzz had been poisoned, as it related to her desired end result, none of that really mattered.. she couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact, that she had a silent partner in crime,, and that the part they were playing in her own agenda,, could only work to her advantage..

the fact of the matter was, that she was taking great pleasure in the fact that somebody else hated buzz enough to kill him.. not only did it reinforce her desire to ruin him and everything that he held dear,, but it lessened the chances that any suspicions raised by his ultimate demise, would ever fall on her..  after all,, she legitimately had nothing at all to do with the poising,, (although she secretly wished she had) and she remained steadfast in her belief that buzz would never have revealed the fact that they had carnal knowledge of each other to anyone.. to do so would have resulted in nothing short of career suicide.. 

and if there was anything about buzz, of which she was thoroughly convinced,, it was the fact that his prominent position within the department,, and the resulting reverence he enjoyed as a leader in the community, meant more to buzz than life itself.. there was absolutely no way he would ever knowingly do anything that would put any of his beloved renown in danger.. 

she laughed out loud, as she exited her vehicle, and thought to herself, ‘he should have fucking thought about that before he very literally screwed me over!!!’

***

at last the bewitching hour was upon her, and brenda was nothing, if not overly excited to get started.. dressed in black from head to toe, she carefully hoisted a black back pack to her shoulder and headed out the door.. 

she circled the block, just once so as not to attract any suspicion,, and made sure that the neighboring community was fast asleep before she turned off her headlights, and eased her bronco into the shadows of the miller family driveway.. she pulled on a back ski mask, grabbed her backpack,, and silently exited the vehicle,, headed toward the back of the house.. 

it was easier to remove the screens, and find an unlocked window than even she had imagined it would be. brenda lowered her backpack thru the open window and onto a waiting piece of furniture, she was soon to discover was buzz’s kid’s bed. she pulled herself up,, and slipped thru the window with ease, before pulling the screen tentatively back into the window box, closing the window,, and locking it securely behind her. 

she paused momentarily to reach into her backpack, and removed the laptop computer on which she had done all her research in planning this ever so perfect case of arson,, as it would never due for it to be found in her possession in the unlikely event she ever became suspect… she placed the laptop on athe kid's student size desk,, and made her way into the hall.

she had been to buzz’s house enough times to know the lay out by heart,, so she quickly made her way to the basement door and descended the stairs.. as she entered the laundry room,, she was pleased to be greeted by an abundance of dirty clothes that laid in a pile directly below the laundry chute..  that little wifey of his had evidently not been on top of the laundry in quite some time.. 

brenda had to work quickly.. she unzipped her backpack to reveal four balloons that she had painstakingly filled with gasoline earlier in the evening. each of them was connected to a length of twine with which she proceeded to use to attach the balloons to the laundry chute and the ceiling just over the pile of dirty laundry with duct tape..

satisfied that their strategic placement would not allow for more than one of them to burst at a time,, and in so doing run the risk of outing the flame before it really got going,, she proceeded to blow out the pilot lights on the hot water heater, the furnace, and the gas dryer, thus allowing for a slow stream of natural gas to fill the room..

she knew she had to act fast, so she chose two cotton pillowcases (as her research had revealed that cotton burns faster than any other form of fabric) from the pile of dirty laundry,, knelt down and ignited them one at a time,, allowing each to become fully engulfed in flame before she tossed her now empty black backpack on the pile of laundry and made her escape up the basement staircase..

it was a well laid out plan.. by the time the flames reached a sufficient height to melt the latex on the gasoline filled balloons, thus dispersing the accelerant that would produce a blaze intense enough to ignite the sources of natural gas she had exposed and create an explosion (of what brenda fantasized would be of epic proportion) she would be safely out the door,, in her vehicle,, and if her calculations were correct,, well on her way home..

unfortunately,, there was one item of extreme importance,, something that she could not possibly have known about,, and therefore could not have taken into consideration,, as she contrived what she was positive would result in this perfectly executed crime.. 

as luck would have it, just the day before,, adam and elliot had tracked tar (“god knows if anyone could find the one patch of wet tar in the whole city, it would have to be you two!” jeannie had frustratingly informed the boys as soon as she discovered it) all over the kitchen floor when they came in from school,,  and headed immediately for the kitchen in search of an afternoon snack..

jeannie had used an old hand towel and a great deal of kerosene to painstakingly remove the tar from not only the boys shoes,, but her ordinarily sparkling kitchen floor as well.. 

just as she was finishing up,, buzz had bellowed for her,, and in her haste to ward off any impending outburst that her tardiness might provoke from him,, she had inadvertently dropped the kerosene soaked towel down the clothes chute,, instead of sealing it in a plastic bag and disposing of it properly in one of the trash cans in the garage.  

before brenda had even made it up the basement steps,, the flames from the pillowcases had ignited the kerosene laden hand towel,, which burst into huge leaping flames,, and proceeded to melt through all the latex on the balloons,, causing the entire pile of dirty laundry to explode into flames.. 

as brenda reached for the knob on the back door of the house,, the volatile flames made contact with the slow flowing natural gas,, and the miller home exploded with such velocity,, that the door of their refrigerator would have to be extricated from a the wall of a neighboring garage..

Chapter 46

word count 1330

Trudy didn't know what to do. Her heart pounded. She felt light-headed. Those guys in scrubs took away Buzz! Panic was rushing through her veins like rampaging flood waters. What could she do? Gilberto! Maybe Gil could help? Running back toward the cafeteria, she wobbled and stumbled in her stilettos, until she finally stopped and kicked them off. She picked up the shoes and ran in her bare feet.

Gil had just paid his check and was talking to Hank on his cell when Trudy arrived. He spied her coming from afar, ragged and heaving, short of breath, jogging across the lobby at full gallop. He continued talking to his partner, but his eyes followed the wild woman as she dodged chairs and wound around desks.

"Gilberto! Gilberto! Somethin's happened to Buzz!" She clutched him by the collar and shook the poor fellow with every syllable.

"Easy, easy! I'm talking to my partner about it." He said to her, pushing the lady back with one hand, speaking in the phone at the same time. "Okay, Hank! I'll see what I can do. Bye!" He shoved the cell in his pocket.

"Well, Miss Trudy! It seems Buzz is here in the hospital. Hank says he's cleared it with hospital administration so I can see him in ICU. So, let's go!" He took her arm in his and started down the hallway.

Trudy gushed. He was so handsome and so cute, and so gentlemanly, walking with her all proper like this, arm in arm. She lifted her chin and walked as regally as she knew how, her gallant knight by her side. When they arrived at ICU, however, the stark reality hit her again. Buzz was here, and he was sick. Gil changed demeanor as well, shifting into full out cop mode, approaching the reception desk with his badge already in hand.

"Whoa! Brenda! I didn't expect to see you here." He came close to walking past the lady detective. She'd been lounging there, leaning with shoulder against the counter, arms folded across her chest.

"Bettencourt." she replied, her expression grim.

"The boss is a patient in ICU." He studied her. "But I guess you already know that."

"I do." Brenda shot Trudy a smile. "Hi, girl! Good to see you!"

"Hi, Brenda!" Trudy struggled to get the words out. She was trembling, her eyes like tiny dots as she glanced around in a frantic motion. "Where is he?" she whined.

"Easy, doll! He's right through those doors. Gimme a minute to talk to the receptionist." Gil gave her a hug.

"I've been trying for half an hour to get in with no luck," Brenda said.

"Yeah, but I know people in high places." Gil leaned close and spoke to the secretary in a quiet voice. She checked her computer screen and picked up the phone. Gil turned around to shoot Brenda a triumphant smile.

Brenda felt like killing the show off, but she kept her temper in check.

"Go right in!" the receptionist declared as she hung up the phone.

Gil started, with Trudy behind, followed by Brenda.

"Not you two!" The girl pointed to the women. "Just him."

Gil turned on his heel and backtracked to the desk. "I need them for the investigation. The cop is working with me, and the woman is an important witness."

The receptionist contemplated while tapping a well-manicured finger on the desk. Gil leaned close, close enough to kiss her if he wanted and murmured, "Please, babe!" Color rose to the girl's cheek. "Okay, go right ahead," she said.

Brenda marched behind the others. That sonofabitch, she thought. I can't believe I had to stand there like a moron while he got "permission" for me to go through. I don't know who I want to kill more, Bettencourt or the damned receptionist.

When they arrived at beds 1A and 2A, they stopped short and gawked. Such a sight to see! The nurses had pulled away the separation drape so the two beds could be side by side with an open space between them. Jeannie on the left, Buzz on the right. Both patients appeared to be unconscious.

What a picture! Gil thought.

Look at the that! Layin' there next to his wife. I think I'm going to be sick, thought Trudy.

There's that sonofabitch, thought Brenda.

Gil saw an intern rushing by and grabbed the fellow by the arm, pulling him over.

"I'm with the New Albany police department," he said, flashing his badge. "That's my boss! How is he doing? Are you his doctor?"

The intern eyed his badge cautiously.

"I am the intern on the case. The staff doctor has left for the day, but I can tell you he appears to have been poisoned. We're still awaiting the toxicology report. In the meanwhile we have a gastric lavage tube in to clear out the stomach and some medicine to ease the symptoms. We also did an EKG because of heart arrhythmias."

"What's his prognosis?"

"It appears good. He got here quickly. But we'll know more when the toxicology comes in."

"How long will he likely be hospitalized?" Brenda broke in.

"That's impossible to say at this time."

"Please, puleeeeze!" Trudy grabbed the intern by the shoulders. "Please, tell me he isn't going to DIE!"

"Whoa, sweetie! Back off," Gil said, pulling her off the startled doctor.

"But he's sick, and I'm worried."

"Now, now, sweetheart! Let's go have a cup of coffee, and you can tell me about this infatuation you have with my boss." Gil shot her a funny smile and a wink.

Trudy couldn't help but feel better. She loved her Gilberto. "Okay, hon!" she said.

Well, I'm glad to be rid of these two, Brenda thought. I can scoot on over to Buzz's house and start working on my plan.

***

Adam didn't like Erik, and he didn't know how to act around Lisa, Hank's daughter. What was he supposed to do? Act like she was his mother...or his baby sitter? He would treat the two in completely different ways. Well, he had only one mother, and Lisa wasn't it. So he figured he should treat her like a baby sitter who never went home. But it was uncomfortable. This wasn't his house. It wasn't his stuff. He was afraid to touch anything. And he was hungry. He felt stupid going to raid their fridge. It was their fridge, not his. He didn't know what he was allowed to have and what he wasn't. Or what he was allowed to do, or what he wasn't. And Erik was a jerk. He didn't seem very smart, and they didn't play the same kind of games. He missed Elliot. They fit together from the first minute they met. He didn't think he would ever want to be Erik's friend. Too bad Erik didn't understand that. The jerk kept asking him to play his stupid games, and Adam didn't want to.

He really missed Elliot. He wondered if the other boy ever went to the DQ these days. It was just a bus ride away. What harm could there be to take the number 7 bus to the Dairy Queen. The number 7 routed around the whole city. It would take him from here to the DQ in no time. Reaching in his pockets, he pulled out his money. Several bills, one of them a five, and a few coins. That should be enough.

"Whatcha' doin?" It was Erik. What a pain!

"None of your beeswax!" he retorted. "And don't follow me or I'll kill you!" And he knew how to do it, too! Yessir, he was going to the DQ and look for Elliot, and nobody was going to stop him.

chapter 45

word count: 1266

hank had taken the call, just as he was pulling out of the hospital parking lot.. he could hear the panic and confusion in little adam millers voice,, as he explained to him that his father had taken desperately ill,, and that he had instructed adam to call 911,, and then his uncle hank in hopes that he would come and get adam and keep him until either his mom or his dad was able to come home from the hospital and care for him themselves.. 

hank had immediately popped the flashing blue bubble light on the roof of his crown vic, allowing him to accelerate through traffic with the urgency the situation deserved.. he had arrived just as the EMT”s were loading the gurney into the bus..

“what the hell is going on here?” hank barked at one of the EMT”s as they secured the gurney in the back of the bus,, and secured its doors.

“he is in acute gastrointestinal distress.. his vital signs are weak.. he claims he has been poisoned,, but we will not have any further information till a tox screen has been run. we are transporting to new albany general,, you can get more information from them detective bower,, but right now we gotta move.” 

hank joined adam in the front yard and together they watched the bus disappear around the corner,, in route to new albany general, lights and sirens blazing..

“everything is gonna be alright,” hank reassured adam,, as they headed toward the house,, hanks arm resting comfortingly on adam’s shoulder,, “they are both in the best possible hands.” 

although a cloud of doubt overshadowed his every word, hank put up a strong front for the sake of the boy.. ‘this poor kid,’ he thought to himself, as he helped adam pack an overnight bag, ‘how much more can he take before he ends up on a gurney himself?’ 

a dreaded silence overtook them as they traveled toward hanks daughters house, punctuated only by the occasional code being called out over the police radio..

“you’re gonna like my daughter lisa, and her son, my grandson, erik.. he’s just a little bit older than you but i’m gonna bet ya, you two are really gonna hit it off..”  hank kept his tone upbeat as he fought off the worst possible scenarios that were playing out in his mind.. 

‘what if jeannie can’t beat this cancer? how was adam going to react when hank finally explained the seriousness of her condition to him?? was the boss really being poisoned?? and if so, who the hell could possibly be trying to poison him? what if one or both of them never made it out of the hospital? what on earth was to become of little adam, even if they did??

as hank turned into his daughters apartment complex,, they passed right by a playground full of kids of all ages.. “see there,,” he said, feigning delight, “a whole playground full of kids!! you’re gonna have a ball over here,, i just know it!!” 

adam just gazed emotionlessly out the window. he looked at all the kids having fun, and wondered if he would ever be able to have fun again. he wished someone would tell him, why his mom had passed out at the hospital,, and what was she doing there in the first place?? but mostly,, he wondered why the petals of the pretty oleander flowers that he had chopped up and mixed so carefully into the mayonnaise his mom put on his dad’s sandwiches had not killed him,, like it had killed his little dog, tiny,, overnight and without warning??  

***

detective brenda simmons fired up her ford bronco and eased it passed the miller home,, as if she would get a clue as to what was going down by simply staring at the house as she drove by.. something was up,, as she had witnessed buzz being carted away in an ambulance,, and hank bowers coming over and leaving with the kid..  a maniacal smile crossed her lips as she allowed herself to fantasize that whatever it was that had sent buzz screaming  to the hospital,, was a direct result of the smack down she had laid on him earlier in the month,, right there in that very driveway… 

“you son of a bitch” she seethed to herself, “i fucked your brains out to get that promotion,, and you passed me right over, and gave it to that limp dick friend of yours, bettencourt, instead..  i vowed right there and then you would pay,, and pay dearly, you bastard.. you better hope whatever is going on with you right now kills you, because if it doesn’t, i assure you i will!!”

as she pulled into the parking lot of new albany general,, she placed her emergency parking placard in the front window of the bronco and pulled up into the red zone directly in front of the emergency entrance.. she assumed a look of only the sincerest  concern,, to mask her true exuberance, and slipped thru the automated double doors, badge and ID in hand..

“detective simmons, homicide, new albany PD, she announced to the nurse at the emergency room reception desk. “i need a status report in detective william ‘buzz’ miller, and i need to see him right away.”

“let me see.. miller, william.. yes i see he was brought in about ten minutes ago,, he is currently in ICU, and not permitted any visitors.. that’s funny,,” said the startled reception nurse as she peered deeper into the list of patients currently receiving treatment,  “it seems as though he is in a double occupancy room with someone by the name of jeannie miller, who just happens to have the same street address and insurance carrier.. hmmm, would you happen to know if that is his wife?”

“it sure is!” exclaimed brenda. “what time was she admitted??”

“according to the information we have here,, 3:45,, and it looks like the conditions surrounding her admittance have yet to be updated.”

“jesus christ!!  what the hell is going on here?? i need more information and i need it now!!” demanded brenda in her most authoritative law enforcement tone.. “who do I have to talk to gain admittance to ICU??  whoever they are,, get them down here stat!! it is very possible a crime has been committed here,, and valuable time is being wasted wading thru this bureaucratic crap!!”

“i’ll see what i can do detective.” the nurse stammered as she picked up the phone,, and began explaining in detail the situation at hand to whomever was on the other end of the line.

as brenda waited for the reception nurse to get someone down here that could authorize her entry into the ICU,, she couldn’t help but congratulate herself on her new found good fortune.. with buzz and jeannie both in ICU,, and the kid safely spirited away by hank bowers,, the miller home was lying dormant.. 

the task at hand was palpable.. all she needed now was to get a time frame from the doctors,, and once she had that,, she could set the wheels in motion on the second stage of her attack on that fucking bastard, buzz miller.. she had been planning it all along,, but had not counted on the gods smiling so favorably upon her,, as it was evident they were doing right now.. 

‘i will ruin everything that means anything to you,, you sick bastard!!’ she hissed to herself.. ‘first your health,, then your spotlight,, and now your home!!!...”

Chapter 44

word count 1215

Buzz thrashed in bed, the remote in one hand and the other on his stomach. Geez, his stomach hurt like hell. He'd like to double up with the pain, but with all the casts and contraptions on him, he couldn't.

"Ooooooh!" he moaned. Trudy had left a little while ago, and since that time, the pain had gotten worse and worse. "OOOOOH!" This time the moaning was more than a whisper. He felt a chill rush over him the same time as his pulse began to race. His heart started a louder, more vigorous beat, but did the thump thump seem out of rhythm? Cold sweat, heart thundering, his stomach twisting and twisting, he felt like he was losing control of his body. He got light-headed, the room began to swim, blur...he had to call for help...get help.

"ADAM!" It was a miracle he managed to yell so loud. For once, he hoped that kid would listen and come.

"DAD?" Little Adam stood in the doorway, aghast at what he saw. "Dad, you look really sick."

"Call 911! I swear to Gawd some sonofabitch is trying to kill me!"

"Huh?"

"CALL!"

As the paramedics loaded the big guy into an ambulance, someone watched, sitting in a green 92 Ford Bronco parked a block away. One wouldn't think anything special about such an old, ordinary car. But inside, gloved hands held up binoculars. The shadowy figure nodded in satisfaction at the sight of Buzz on a gurney being lifted up and into the conveyance. Had someone succeeded in taking down one of the best cops in the city?

***

Trudy sashayed up to Gil. Cocking her head a little to one side, she flitted her eyelashes and purred, "Excuse me, hon! Don't we know each other?" She stood in front of the men's table, expecting an answer.

Gil looked up from his hamburger in surprise, ketchup and mustard dripping from his lips, and gazed at the lady. He gulped, then dropped the burger as though he forgot he was holding it in the first place and ran burger-greasy fingers through his hair while contemplating how to answer. Something was bumping his feet under the table, but his mind couldn't connect with it while his eyes fixated on Trudy's ample breasts.

"I...I don't think I know you," he stammered.

She leaned down close enough for her perfume to waft up his nostrils, a heavy, musky fragrance.

"Well, I think ya should," she murmured close to his ear.

Gil cleared his throat. "Would you like to join us?" He felt the bumping against his foot again, but ignored it as his eyes remained plastered to her chest. She pulled out a chair and sat with a smooth sultry motion, sort of a slither down followed by a slide, rather than the more typical kerplunk. She brushed some crumbs aside and rested her arms on the table.

"I think I'll leave you two lovebirds and get back to work," Hank said. Gil had completely forgotten about Hank, and the voice was startling coming from out of the blue. It was a simple task for Hank to slip a note in bewildered Gil's pocket unnoticed as he got up to leave. The older cop's confident strides took him away in short order.

"So what's your name, sweetie?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, Gilberto, Gil for short."

"Oh, Latino! Sexy." She fumbled in her purse and pulled out a cigarette and lighter and proceeded to light up.

"Excuse me, miss! There's no smoking in restaurants. City ordinance." Gil looked determined. His cop persona kicked in any time he saw people abuse the law. It was a highly tuned reflex.

"Oh, ya say that like you're a cop, ya silly!" She took a long drag and blew a stream up to the ceiling. He grabbed her wrist, the one where her hand held the smoke. It was a powerful grip, reddening the skin under his grasp and slowing the blood to her hand.

"I said it that way because I am a cop. I suggest you put it out," he said, pushing an empty plate in her direction. The china clattered as it slid across the table.

Trudy hardly heard him. His grasp on her wrist, his hand, warm, large, hands that knew work, yet gentle enough to love, caress, and his demeanor, hard, strong, tough. Her heart raced, and her body reacted in ways she couldn't control. Her temperature rose along with her libido.

"Certainly," she replied, stubbing the cigarette on the plate without taking her eyes off his. Impulse overcame her and without thinking she leaned over and kissed Gil, straight on the lips, her tongue shoving in to mingle with his. It lingered there and prodded, searched, controlled, before she drew it out slowly. When she pulled back, Gil was staring at her in total surprise.

"We need to get together," she said. "Call me." She laid a card on table with her number.

Gilberto reached for it, and by the time he looked up, she was gone. "What just happened here?" he muttered. He held the card in indecision for a moment, poised to crumple it, then shrugged and reached to put it in his pocket. It wouldn't fit. Something was already in there. He fished out Hank's note and spread it open. It read: Don't do anything stupid. The lady is the boss's squeeze!

¡Ay, caramba! he said.

Trudy made her way down the hospital hallway without looking back. She intended to remain mysterious to the cop, keep him guessing. It took all of her will power to walk away when every part of her wanted to stay, to flirt, to get him into bed right then and there, today and tonight, again and again.

"Take your time, Trudy hon! It'll come, and the waitin' will make it so much better." She spoke the words out loud to cement their significance. Her heart pounded uncontrollably in the anticipation. He was hot! A hot Latino. She smacked her lips in sexual hunger. I think I'm recovering from Buzz quite nicely, she pondered.

"CLEAR PLEASE!" A voice called out. A crew in green scrubs rushed a gurney toward her. "Clear please, coming through!"

Stunned, Trudy looked around, realizing she'd wandered to a hallway next to the ER. The gurney got closer and her pulse took off like a day at the races. Something was wrong. She could feel it. As it neared, she could see a mountain of man laid out on it. An unmistakable mound of human flesh, Buzz. It was Buzz, being wheeled along with an IV trailing along behind him. He was motionless.

"Easy does it," one of the medics said. "This is Buzz Miller, the city's most famous cop. Let's get him safe and sound to ICU. We can put him in the cubicle next to his wife."

"Wait! What's wrong with him?" Trudy cried while chasing the gurney. It was an awkward affair in her stilettos.

The guy looked back at her in alarm. Truth be told, she was a disturbing vision, hair sticking up, make-up smeared from the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "Sorry, miss! Patient confidentiality!" he said.

She watched as they disappeared from view through the double doors.

chapter 43

word count: 1473

it was well past midnight when jake leichtenstien finally crossed the state line..  hot, tired, and hungry he was relieved when he saw a tourist courtesy sign that boasted not only food and lodging,, but a 24 hour super walmart to boot..

the parking lot was nearly empty, but jake opted for a parking space well away from the store entrance.. he had to.. ‘it’ had been in the toolbox in the bed of the truck for nearly two days,, and ‘it’ was really starting to stink..

‘come to think of it,’ jake chucked to himself,, ‘i’m not smelling so hot myself’..

having spent the last two nights in the truck in an effort to save up enough money to bankroll yet another transformation,, jake was anxious to get the task at hand out of the way as a hot shower and a nice soft bed awaited him tonight..

slipping the knitted earflap cap over his head for what he hoped would be the last time,, jake made his way across the parking lot and into the super walmart  store.. he moved quickly through the nearly empty store collecting all the necessary items,,  a box of summer blonde hair color, some disposable razors, a couple of pre-made hoagies and two liter of orange soda .. as he exited the store, he grabbed the whole dispenser of wet wipes the store provided to sanitize the handles on the carts, stuffed them in the plastic shopping bag, and made a beeline for the truck.

jake stuffed the walmart bag in his backpack,, and went to work with the sanitizing cloths,, wiping down not only the entire interior of the truck,, but the exterior doors and the tool box as well..  (wow! was that thing ever getting ripe!) when he was satisfied that he had wiped off every conceivable surface,, he grabbed up his duffel bag threw it and his backpack over his shoulder and took off on foot toward the starlight motel just across the road..

the proprietor of the motel,, evidently eager to get back to bed,, rushed thru the check in procedure,, slid the key to room 122 thru the slot on the night time check in window, and retreated to this living quarters before jake even had a chance to load up his baggage.. 

room 122 was shabby,, and smelled a bit musty,, but it would do.. jake sat down on the slightly sunken in the middle mattress,, clicked on the tv and proceeded to wolf down the hoagies and half of the two liter of soda before he got busy with the hair color and razors..

he saturated the shock of dark hair that had sprung up from his clean shaven head over the course of the last couple of weeks,,  as well as his thick dark brows, in the foul smelling cream hair colorant and watched it do it’s magic while he shaved off the heavy stubble of his beard..  

a little less than an hour later he emerged from the shower a new man.. a man even he did not recognize..  his short dark hair,, now shimmered,, like  a sunlit golden crown.. his newly lightened brows brought life to his aging, tired, brown eyes that had not been there before.. the face staring back at him in the mirror looked younger,, more vibrant..  

“oh yeah.”jake said aloud, as he admired his new look in the mirror.. “lookin’ good,man. lookin’ real good!”

***

gil met hank at the hospital cafeteria,, as hank had requested.. he understood that jeannie was more or less alone in this world.. he understood her husband was  a complete asshole, even if he was his boss.. but he also understood that a child was still missing.. a little five year old boy,, missing for just over two weeks,, and they didn’t have lead one..  the investigation had gone from searching for the boy,, to combing isolated areas for the body,, and even though both of their guts told them leichtenstein was their man,, they had been unable to pull together one piece of solid evidence against him..  

“but you shoulda seen her.” hank beamed. “walking straight and tall, head held high, looking like she had what it takes to conquer the world. i shoulda went in with her,, if i had only been there..” his voice drifted off..

“if you’d only a been there, what?? you could have stopped the radiology department from cancelling her appointment and sending her to her doctor’s office instead?? come on, man,, it’s not your fault..” gil said consolingly.. “you might not like it,, but she does have a husband.. if it had been at all important to him,, he would be here.. shit you would have driven him here, if he had said he wanted to go.. but no,, he dumped it off on you,, and now you’re starting to believe this is in some way your fault..”

“i know. i know.. it’s just that,, well,, it’s just that, nothing.. i called you over here so you could fill me in on what’s going on the brown and learnagel cases.. any word on the whereabouts of that slime ball leichtenstein??” there he was,, the old hank gil had come to know and love..

“nothing, man. not a god damn thing.. we’ve still got troops and volunteers sweeping every forested area, every body of water, and every vacant lot,, but so far, nothing.. i hate to even admit that we are looking for another body,, but at this point there is no reason to believe the learnagle boy is still alive.. no call, no ransom note, nothing.. “ gil was starting to sound defeated..

seeing that look of defeat on gil’s face threw the “old hank” into action,, his mind was churning,, and his lips followed,, “have you been in contact with forensics?? how are they doing on that composite,, the one that can create mug shots of leichtenstein in a variety of incarnations? we need that,, we need it in the field,, and we need it now!! he knows we are after him,, and he knows we don’t know what he looks like, the only thing he doesn’t know is that we have the technology to reincarnate him ourselves,, and with any luck,, that is gonna be key.. someone is going to have seen him.. i can feel it..”

“i am expecting a call on that sometime tonight.. it should be ready and in every patrol car and substation before midnight at the latest..” gil sounded hopeful again,, they were a team,, and he needed hank to kick him in the ass every now and then when he got to feeling hopeless..

***

trudy had seen enough..  it was evident buzz’s wife wasn’t faking this .. no one in their right mind would allow themselves to be hooked up to all of those machines,, just to get her husband back.. no man was worth all of that.. not even buzz..

not wanting to go home,, not wanting to face elliot,, or be bothered by any questions he may have had about what he had seen her doing with his best friends dad earlier that day,, trudy decided she would stop in at the hospital cafeteria,, you know,, people watch for a little while.. after all a girl never knew who she might meet,, now did she??

she chose a corner table well away from the maddening crowd.. she took a big swig of her red bull and then topped it off with a little sumthin’ sumthin’ out of her little paisley flask.. doing a quick sweep of the room,, she was looking for a vacant seat next to someone that looked like they might be interesting,, or interested whichever the case may be.. 

much to her surprise,, there he was again.. that cop she had seen leaving buzz’s house when she had gone over there to pick up elliot.. the one that was supposedly taking care of jeannie for buzz.. ‘ah ha,” she thought to herself,, ‘i bet that’s it.. i bet he is “taking care” of jeannie while buzz works all those long hours and has his little flingy’s on the side..  of course that had to be it.’. now she was really starting to get the picture. 

trudy  hopped up and wiggled her way on over to hank’s table,, she had some detective work of her own to do here.. as she approached, she was distracted by the ruggedly handsome latino that was sitting across the table from buzz’s friend the detective.. she gave him the once over..  ‘cop.’ she said to herself..  she could smell them a mile away.

although her head told her to stay away,, her hips just kept tugging her along in gil’s general direction.. 

after all with buzz laid up…..

Chapter 42

word count 1527

Hearing Adam's tiny voice startled Buzz. His arms went flying out in surprise, and Trudy simply went flying, landing on the floor.

"OOOOW! What the fu...! Oh, hi, boys!" she said. It all happened at once. Her eyes went wide like saucers, and her hands zoomed into the task of stuffing sizable breasts back into delicate cups of black lace. "I thought I told ya...umph!...to wait until I came to get you."

"Yeah, what she said there!" Buzz added, while watching Trudy's precious parts being pushed and shoved. His expression was half worried and half happy at alternating moments.

"What are you doing, Mom?" Elliot asked. He took few steps closer.

"Get back there! Do you kids ever listen to instructions? Now get out of here until I come for ya!"

"She gets kind of crabby at times," Elliot murmured to his friend as they turned to leave.

Once the kids were out of earshot, Trudy let out a long sigh of relief. "Holy shit! I don't want to have to teach him about the birds or bees for quite a few years yet."

“Yeah,” Buzz replied. “I'm not looking forward to that talk either. I do have to have a talk with Adam though.”

“What do you mean?” The question was off-handed, as Trudy busied herself with a long string of buttons on her top.

“I have to tell him his mother has cancer.”

“WHAT? What the hell do ya mean?” Damn, she thought. That bitch must be really working it, telling him she's sick so he feels guilty about our affair, just like I thought.

“She never even told me she was sick. Hank broke the news to me.”

“Who's Hank? Is that the guy I saw leaving as I came in?” The fool must be in on it with her.

“Yes, that's him. He was giving her a ride to the hospital for treatment. But then this morning, she collapsed when she got there. She's in ICU right now. I can't even call her.”

“The hospital? ICU? Are ya sure? Have you been to see her?”

“No, as you can see, I'm not in much condition to be getting around these days!”

“Yeah, right!” He hasn't seen her! The two of them, Hank and Jeannie, could be pulling one over on Buzz, just telling him she's in the hospital when she's not. Trudy tucked in her blouse.

“Don't you worry, hon! I'll go visit her for you!” she said. We'll see about this, she thought.

“Would you? Aside from the fact I'm crippled right now, I'm just not feeling well. I don't know what's going on with me lately. I never feel good, my stomach.”

“Oh my poor baby! Now you rest yourself and don't worry! I'll take care of everything!” Trudy picked up her purse and headed for the door. “I'll find out exactly what's going on. Yes, I will.”

“Thanks, send Adam up as you go, will you?”

When Adam appeared in the doorway, Buzz felt his blood run cold. He wasn't used to talking with the boy, at least not about things like this...personal things...emotional issues. He was okay pitching baseballs and talking home run averages with the kid, or taking him to a football game. But how do you tell a little boy his mom is gravely ill. The kid will be devastated. Oh my gosh, he thought, what if he cries or something?

Suddenly, it hit Buzz. He himself had not shed a tear since Hank told him about Jeannie's illness. Sure, he was shook up when he heard the news, but he had taken charge of the situation and not looked back. In fact, when Trudy showed up, he had no trouble grabbing at her, loving her up. No guilt or second thoughts, even though his wife was in the hospital. Well, he was a man, and he acted exactly like a man should. You gotta be strong, keep moving in the face of diversity. Or was he simply an animal with no soul?

“Dad, you wanted me?” The boy looked away as if he didn't want to be there.

“Oh Adam, get in here. Sit on the bed next to me. We have to talk.”

Buzz's heart pounded and his hands sweat. He didn't know how to do this. He looked at the boy. The kid returned his gaze while sticking a last bit of nutty bar in his mouth, crunching. His eyes were wide and innocent.

“You know what? I don't feel well. I'm going to call your “Uncle Hank” and have him talk to you about what I wanted. I need to lie down.”

**

When Trudy slipped through the hospital doors, all eyes looked her way. She'd dropped off Elliot at the house, then changed into her sexiest tee, the one that dipped low in the front and showed her boobs. Then she fought for 15 minutes to pull on her skinny jeans, the ones she only wore when she wanted to really knock some guy dead. Next her red stilettos. She spiked up her hair, spread on her nighttime ruby lipstick, the more vibrant luminescent red, and chose her darkest, sultriest eye make up. All this, to make sure if that witch was really in this hospital, she'd see Trudy in all her good looks and know this love goddess was bound to get to her man.

She hadn't really believed Jeannie was in the hospital, but when she called admissions, they checked and assured her the lady was in ICU. So there was no other choice but to come in and see for herself. Frankly, she still didn't believe it.

In any event, when she walked through the Main Entrance, all heads turned. Her red lips and spiked hair, along with a “model's” walk, legs forward, shoulders back, like on a runway and in red stilettos, was not something a spectator could miss. To be truthful, the contents of her paisley flask helped put a wobble in her step, not to be missed.

“Which way to the ICU, hon?” she asked at the desk.

“Just follow those rather big signs.” The receptionist dragged the words out as if they had special meaning. She gazed above the frames of her thick, dark glasses and pointed with a pencil toward the elevators. Large 2 x 4 signs and a hospital map were all prominently displayed.

“Oh, I see.” Trudy wobbled that way. “ICU ground floor”...”Well, that's easy.”

Stepping out of the elevator one floor down, she found herself in front of double doors labeled ICU. “Oh good,” she murmured and burst through. “Here we go!”

The first sounds coming her way were the ubiquitous beep beeps of monitors. Like an orchestra laid out to play, countless computers were scattered about all over the large cluttered space with hieroglyphics on the screen to match the beeping noises. It was one huge room with cubicles lined up along one wall and a large nurses station in front of them. Bright lights and medicinal odors assaulted Trudy's senses.

“Wow! This is like 'real hospital' stuff they got going here,” she murmured. Undaunted, she charged to the desk. A busy nurse held up one finger to signal she should wait. The lady finished a conversation on the phone, then turned to face Trudy.

“Can I help you?”

“I'd like to see Jeannie Miller.”

The nurse paused to study Trudy. Her eyes traveled from the spiked hair down past the risqué tee shirt to meet with Trudy's manicured black nails resting on the desk. “Are you family?”

“Why?”

“We generally only permit family in to visit.” The nurse turned when the phone rang again, her attention divided. “One moment, please.”

While the nurse answered the call, Trudy thought it through. Shoot, she thought, I didn't come all the way down here to be turned away. I could tell them Buzz sent me, but that won't work.

“Are you family?” The nurse had returned.

“Yes, yes, I am! I'm her cousin, her very close cousin.”

The nurse arched one eyebrow and considered. The phone rang again; she reached for it. “She's in bed 1A over there. First cubicle.”

Trudy made her way in hesitant steps. Such a mysterious place with curtains that raced around on wheels to shield patients, one after the other, always on the move. The monitors beeping caught her attention again. This place is creepy, she thought. Like a haunted house with all the drapes and strange stuff.

As she neared cubicle 1A, she slowed even more. A curtain blocked her view, and the only way to see beyond it was to skirt around the obstruction and walk straight into the unknown. She moved in fast, around the fabric, and peeked in.

There was a pale white woman, with machines attached to her, tubes, needles, monitors, beeps beeps and whooshing sounds. For all intents and purposes, machinery played the dominant role while the tiny lady in bed lay at its mercy. It was like the woman was being run by the machines.

“Holy crap! This is not what I expected,” Trudy said.