Chapter 206

Chapter 206

word count 1123

"Gee, thanks, mister!" Elliot shot the Mormon a toothy grin. He was so hungry, and now he could eat.

"Think nothing of it, little man! Always glad to help someone in need."

Elliot chuckled. "What did you call me? 'Little dude' or something?"

"'Little man'--I'm sorry if you took offense..."

"Nah, but geez, you talk funny." He observed Enos closer, looking him over, head to toe. "You dress funny, too."

Enos was taken aback, but on thinking on it, why shouldn't the boy find his speech and attire strange? He shrugged it off and continued. "Would you like to join me and my friend? You're by yourself. No one likes to eat alone."

Elliot eyed the other man, then shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he mumbled.

Once seated with the two, he wondered what to talk about. The guys were so strange, he didn't know where to begin.  As it turned out, he didn't need to worry.

"This is my fellow missionary, Jacob," Enos said, "We were on our way to a mission in Indonesia when we got...er...delayed."

Elliot nodded hello to Jacob as he stuffed chips from their bag into his own mouth, grabbing them in greedy handfuls. "Why did you get delayed?" he asked, speaking with chip dust accumulated on his lip.

Enos and Jacob exchanged awkward glances. Could they tell the boy about the gem that came gliding across the terminal floor and right into their grasp? Enos nodded to Jacob that it was okay. He was just a boy. It would be like a fairytale to him.

"Well, we were at the airport preparing to board our flight when out of nowhere a beautiful diamond ring came gliding across the floor and right into Jacob's hand."

"Out of nowhere? Like magic?"

"Yes, just like magic. And so, of course, that distracted us, and we missed our flight."

"So why didn't you get the next flight? What are ya doin' here?"

H'm, mused Enos. This boy is more clever than I thought. “Well, I think the ring had a curse of it, because it took Jacob to a terrible place in the city with bad men and awful women. He was barely able to escape, and in the end we wound up at the police station. That's when we gave the jewel to them. They can worry about it now. Good riddance to it!"

"Yeah, but you might have been rich. And it was magic, dude! MAGIC!"

Jacob shot the boy a thoughtful glance, "Yes, but in our religion, we shun greed and wastefulness. It is better we relinquished the jewel."

"Humph!" Elliot said while finishing the last few crumbs in the Mormon's chip bag. His eyes widened as his thoughts wandered away to the memory of a diamond ring he and his brothers found at the local junk yard. It sure was pretty. But their parents made them turn it in just like these guys. But the guys' was magic, and a magic ring was a magic ring. They may have given it up, but he bet it would find its way back to them. Magic jewels were like that. He could hang around these guys and see theirs when it came back.

"Hey guys, can I come with you to the mission? Or at least just stick around with ya for a while?"

* * *

Hank and Gil floated into Stephanie's hospital room, lost in conversation until Hank spotted her smiling face. He raced toward her.

"Steph! How are you feeling, hon?" He planted a kiss right on her lips.

Gil nodded from the sideline. It was great to see them so happy. Hank had been a long time mourning his late wife. In bemusement, Gil hoped he and Tory would be happy together like that someday. Whoa, what was he thinking...to marry Tory? His heart skipped a few beats in trepidation. He looked again to the other couple. They appeared happy, sublimely happy. But taking the "Gil machine" out of circulation? He didn't know.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. A scent tickled his nose...familiar...something he had smelled recently...Tory...it smelled like Tory...her perfume...like roses.  What a coincidence, he mused.

"You are coming to the wedding, aren't you?" It was Stephanie speaking to him, breaking into the reverie.

"Uh, yeah! Yeah! I'm going to bring Tory!" he replied.

A glib, satisfied smile passed over Stephanie's face.  Before he had time to think about it, a chubby, red-haired nurse bustled into the room, pushing the men aside to get to Stephanie.

"Dr. Jennings wanted me to change your dressing," the nurse blared out. "You gentlemen should wait outside.” She shooed them and away and drew the privacy curtain.

The two guys waited beyond the drape. They had been removed so quickly Gil had to think twice about what the nurse had said, "Dr. Jennings." That was Tory's last name. What a coincidence.

* * *

Inside the privacy of Winnie's room, she and Algie lay side by side in bed, exhausted from their lovemaking.

"Algie, I didn't know you had it in you," Winnie murmured.

"I'm guessing jealousy has inspirational qualities, my dear, sort of like Viagra." He chuckled.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad," Winnie replied..

Algie shot her a troubled glance. "Winnie, dear, we rushed into this so fast, I didn't get to tell you what happened about the gem."

"I figured something happened when I didn't hear from you. Why do you think I was messing with that damned commissioner? I got him to tell me. When I found out the police confiscated the diamond, I figured I'd keep him close at hand. Keep your enemies close, as they say."

"You mean you don't find him attractive or any of that rut?"

"Of course not, dear! Of course, I must say I wish you were jealous more often. There are certain, shall I say, pleasurable benefits." She yawned. "I think I'll sleep a little longer," she said, rolling over, her back to Algie.

I can't bear to tell him I've been sleeping with Commish for weeks, she thought. He might do something stupid.

* * *
Commissioner Pete Peterson smoothed his raven hair back off his forehead, brushing it flat against his head, He checked his chin and cheeks, no five o'clock shadow yet. He  could have used a shower after that workout with Winnie, but he had needed to get back here to the precinct to finish some paperwork. How about that Buzz Miller, shocked to find him, the police commissioner, all high and mighty, in his very own house? Well, get used to it, Buzzy boy. I'm going to be around quite a bit, he mused.

chapter 205

word count: 1773

after detective robert simmons, robbery division, and his rookie partner,, timmy lang finished up what had been a most unfruitful interrogation of the two now visually exhausted morman missionaries,, who they surmised had done nothing more serious than being at the wrong place at the wrong time when it came down to their involvement with the princess diana diamond,, he informed the booking sargent that the two of them were free to go..

as was his usual, the booking sargent,, who was never in a hurry to do much of anything,, lollygagged about the desk,, making small talk and eating donuts before he even bothered to start the release paperwork on the two forlorn boys.

meanwhile,, enos and jacob did their best to stay huddled up in a corner of the holding cell nearest the sink/commode combination,, and as far away from the great unwashed as possible,, no longer out of a sense of fear for their lives,, but rather because the air in the cell had become significantly odoriferous since their arrival that afternoon and they were finding it hard to breathe without gagging. 

the once cold austere steel and cement holding cell had fast become crowded, sticky, and humid.. the stench of piss and vomit and anything that may have had the notion to fall in between the two of them,, hung like a green oily cloud that hovered dauntingly just above their heads..

they spoke very little,, but maintained taught eye contact.. and it was evident from the looks that passed between them,, that this would indeed be the last time they found themselves in such a position..

as yet another set of heavy footfalls and the tinkling of keys approached the cell,, the two were caught quite off guard,, when the matron called their names,, and admonished them they were free to go.. anxious to get out of the vapid stench that had come to surround them, ,they silently followed the matron to a changing booth,, where each of them was handed a numerically coded brown paper bag that held what was left of their personal possessions..

the sense of relief they had just begun to allow themselves to feel when the realization that whey were in fact going to be set free quickly turned to utter desperation,, as they realized, that over the course of the previous day’s events they had not only lost track of their suitcases,  but it was evident that their only remaining suits of clothing were their once immaculately pressed missionary black and whites,, and due to lack of proper handling by the disinterested detention department, even  they were wrinkled beyond recognition..

despite the fact that both of them knew only too well that if they were seen by any of their morman brethren,, dressed in the disheveled fashion in which they now found themselves,, they would be sternly reprimanded,, both boys proceeded to dress.. each of them spit shined their shoes with the jail issued jumpsuits,, since that seemed to be the only part of the ensemble they had a chance at salvaging,, and motioned to the waiting matron who’s eyes had remained diverted as they dressed that they were ready to go..

with a brief stop at the release desk to sign some paperwork,, they were sent back into the now dark night,, alone,, quite broke,, and with nowhere in particular to go..

jacob was the first to break the silence.. “there is no way we can board a flight looking like this.. if we arrive at the mission dressed like this, we will be written up and reported for sure..  and that is not how i want to start out my service record..”

“i know.” gloomed enos,, “and we are already more than a day late?? what do ya think we oughtta do??”

jacob dug deep in his pockets,, collecting  up a couple of crumpled dollar bills and some change he had left after the rental of the seedy motel room last night and the ever so fateful cab ride this morning.

“how much money you got??” he asked enos,, who was already following suit and going through his own pockets.. “i got $17.00 and some change…”

“34,35,36,” enos counted aloud. “i got $36.00 and a pocketful of quarters i was gonna use for the video games in the airport.. that’s it.” enos answered solemnly as his mind drifted off to the 20 some odd hour flight they had still faced here and their missionary assignment in indonesia that still lie ahead of them.

“i’m starving.” jacob confessed almost ashamed to mention it,, as if somehow or another hunger was a just form of punishment for all he had put the two of them through over the course of the last two days..

“me too!!” chimed in enos,, as his eyes spied a dairy queen just around the corner at the next intersection,, and his empty stomach began to rumble..

“we could get a little something to eat at that dairy queen and see if we can’t come up with a plan from there..” he offered feebly,, seeing as how he had no better suggestion..

“alright.. but keep it small.. we are gonna need every cent we have to get a cheap motel room with a phone so we can check on the next available flight,, and a washer and dryer, so we can do something about these clothes before we can go anywhere.. “ jacob instructed him,, as enos just nodded silently in agreement and the two of them headed up the road toward where it joined the crossing highway..

as they approached the dairy queen they were pleasantly surprised to see a dank,, somewhat over run motel situated directly across the four lane highway that ran in front of the dairy queen.. as if in cue the two of them let out a collective sigh..

maybe somebody up there still liked them after all..

***

elliot had found it necessary to escape out the bathroom window,, as his brothers were playing star command in their shared bedroom.. as he landed in the bushes directly below the window,, and scraped his way out of them and onto his feet,, he realized he only had about two dollars to his name.. he wasn’t gonna get very far on two dollars.. he had hoped to go to the game room to pass the time till he was sure his mother would have grown tired of waiting on him to return (she had never been one to be kept waiting) but with only two dollars in his pocket that was no longer an option.. instead he opted to sneak through the backyards of the neighboring houses and head toward the bus stop. worst case scenario,, he could take the bus to the end of the line,, and then play dumb and convince the driver he had missed his stop and therefor had to continue on the round trip until he got back to his designated stop..

“after all,” elliot assured himself,, “no bus driver was gonna just drop some little kid off in the dark in a strange neighborhood just because he missed his stop the first time around..”

it didn’t take long for the number 10 bus to come to his aide.. he boarded,, took a window seat toward the back of the bus,, slouched down in his seat,, so the driver wouldn’t notice him there until it was too late,, and settled in to watching the bright lights as they filtered in through the dirty tinted windows of the dimly illuminated bus..

about ten minutes into the ride,, elliot spied the familiar red and white sign of the dairy queen,, the very dairy queen he and adam had hung out at back in the day when they both found it necessary to hide from their perspective parental units.. without further thought,, he tugged on the bell cord,, and the driver let him off just in front of the well-lit dairy queen. 

as soon s his feet hit the pavement,, he realized he only had one dollar left,, as he had paid the other one to get on the bus.. he knew that was not enough for a hot dog,, or even a small cone for that matter,, but thought to himself maybe the kid at the counter would let him slide if he did his very best dumb little lost kid impression.. what the hell.. it was worth a try.. even if it didn’t work out, he would still have a dollar left over to get himself home when he thought the coast would be clear..

elliot approached the counter sheepishly,, noticing the only other patrons were a couple of guys in rumpled dress clothes munching on hot dogs and a shared bag of chips in the corner.. that suited him just fine.. he wasn’t really in the mood for conversation anyway..

“welcome to dairy queen, “ the pimple faced clerk at the counter greeted him amicably enough. “what can i get for you??”

“i wanna hot dog.. with everything..” elliot said quietly,, making sure to use his most innocent sounding little kid voice..

“ok,” said the clerk as he touched the keypad on the register, “that will be $1.25.”

elliot pulled out his dollar,, and laid it on the counter.. he then proceeded to rumble through his pockets as if he was searching for the additional quarter. “well i know it’s in here somewhere..” he mumbled as he continued to check and recheck the pockets of his loose fitting trousers..

the pimple faced clerk quickly became agitated,, and spoke in a louder than necessary tone of voice. “well you either got it or you don’t. which one is it??” he prodded elliot impatiently…

the tone of his voice did not go unnoticed by the two rumpled mormans as they both turned to see what the commotion was all about..

“it’s just a quarter,” elliot pleaded “can’t ya just give it to me for a dollar?? i’m awful hungry..”

“no i can’t, “ the clearly incensed clerk barked back at him as he slammed the cash drawer closed with a bang.. “now i am gonna have to call my manager for a void!!”

“hey!hey! not so fast there young man,,” enos rang out across the tiny restaurant as he quickly approached the counter.. “here’s the dang quarter.. give the poor kid his hot dog..”

Chapter 204

word count 1108

Algie poured steaming water into the delicate flowered tea pot, watching the crystal stream gush downward and transform to luscious brown as liquid met with grounds and danced amidst swirling vapors. There was nothing like a cuppa to set one's mind straight in times of turmoil. He had to face Winnie. Even though she'd run off to her room, he had to tell her the diamond was gone, procured by the locals as evidence. The magnificent return to England they had planned was now a bygone dream. Squashed were their plans to present the jewel to Her Majesty together.

It figured. They were living in the past, back when personal glory meant something. A time of individual heroes. Back during the cold war, daring risks and successful conquests meant something. Bravery and intrigue gathered the applause of one's superiors and if you were a lucky, a nod from Her Majesty herself. A quiet nod at that, because their work was always of the cloak and dagger variety, jobs well done for the betterment of society, unbeknownst to the masses how you saved their asses once again from maniacs and dictators alike. But the Queen knew. That was all that mattered.

He sighed. Those were the good times. And he and Winnie lived them together. Now everything was done in the name of an obscure collective entity. He and his ilk worked for that greater identity as mere cogs in its grand, voracious machine. And the machine took all the credit. Deeds were done, broken into parts and accomplished by people like him and others. But in the end, the machine gobbled it all up was called the victor and hero. Lost were the names and faces of those poor individuals who did the actual work, stomped out by this “greater good” collectivist mentality.

He had to tell Winnie about the gem. In sooth, he had thought they would find comfort in each other's arms, lamenting together this grand loss of personal glory. But now this American, the local commissioner, had stepped in and disrupted things. How could she? How could Winnie have relations with that cad? Well, she was always her own woman. Regardless her transgressions, she had to be told the sad news.

He finished his cuppa and made his way to the living room, bypassing Buzz and Trudy who were entwined in the huge recliner, necking up a storm. They didn't notice Algie as he passed by and up the staircase. At the end of the hall, he knocked on Winnie's door and stood back to wait. He hoped she would answer.

She did. And by the expression on her face, Algie knew she realized his pain, his feelings of rejection. She looked down at the floor as if embarrassed and then up again to meet his gaze. To his consternation, he saw no guilt in her sapphire eyes. He saw sadness, regret perhaps, but the independence glaring back took a stand and shrugged off all association with him. Had someone told her about the diamond? Perhaps this commissioner fellow? Did she blame him? She was acting radical and out of sorts. Winnie was riding a wild streak, it seemed.

Well, he would have none of that. Wrapping his arms around her, he planted his lips onto hers. It wasn't an aggressive act, but rather a warm one, one of invitation transported on the remnants of their decades long association and tinged with desire. Easing her back into the room, he entered with her and kicked the door shut.

* * *

Even as he and Trudy snuggled, Buzz's mind was in overdrive, worrying about events of the day. He was on desk duty by command of the commissioner. And that very same individual had just left his house after boinking his housekeeper. The invasion of privacy ate him up alive. How could one guy cause so much havoc in his life? His time at work, his time at home, all had the Commish's big, fat mug in it, glaring at him. He wasn't sure how he could live with that. He didn't like being under someone's thumb 24/7.

* * *

Elliot had been eating a sandwich, a nice, big fat ham sandwich with lettuce, pickles and mayo, when he thought of his mother. Images of her came streaking through his head just as he took a messy bite of food, her nervous smile shoving out thoughts of baseball and more, lumped together with a thousand other topics including the mystery of little girls and video games. A streak of mayo nested in a white blob on his lip as he processed the startling thought that came ensconced in remembrances of mom.

She hadn't been around in weeks. And frankly, he was having such a great time with his brothers, he never thought of her. Until today, at least. He wondered why this thought invasion, why his mother's crazy face came to mind, staring at him with expectant energy. He had to assume perhaps she was thinking of him at the moment. Well, so what? Every once in a while she remembered he existed. Big whoop! Where was she the rest of the time? He finished his sandwich and gulped the last of his milk.

That was when the phone rang. He heard his dad stomp to the kitchen to answer it, lifting the wall unit to his ear mindlessly. He mumbled hello, but then his face snapped to alertness. Uttering a series of disconnected yeses and uh-huhs, it was obvious the other side was a big talker. He hung up and looked to Elliot with dismay written all over his face.

Elliot knew what he was going to say before his dad got the words out.

“Your mom's coming to visit,” he said.

“Is she bring that fat cop with her?”

“Elliot, that is no way to talk about Buzz. He's a hero, you know.”

“Not to me.” Elliot charged out the kitchen door and didn't look back. His life had been perfect lately. He loved his dad and he loved his new mom, and his brothers were the best. They had great times together; they were a family...the family he always dreamed of. Now his stupid mother wanted to come around again and mess it up. He'd run away. He'd run away and wait for her to go home and leave him alone. He'd just have to kill a little while. She'd come and he wouldn't be home and she'd go away. He just needed somewhere to kill time for a few hours where they couldn't find him.

chapter 203

word count: 1206

“detective.” the commish said sternly in passing,, as he gave winnie a quick wink,, and bustled himself quickly out the door..

“what the??” was all that buzz could come up with before winnie scampered back to her room and closed the door..

“well wadda ya know!!” trudy exclaimed as a wide knowing smile rushed over her,, “looks like the old girl still got some spunk in her!!!”

with that trudy turned to the still agape algie as he sat, his small frame seemingly swallowed up by buzz extra-large recliner.. “so you just gonna sit there and let this happen old man?? not even gonna fight for the woman you love?? i’ll tell ya,, if that was me and my buzz here,, fists would be a flyin’!!”

algie,, quickly surmising that getting into a verbal altercation with the ever virulent mrs. trudy hunt right now would only lead to disaster,, took this as his cue to exit,, and did so,, pushing himself up with a visual degree of difficulty and out of buzz’s heavily padded chair,, as he headed to the kitchen without so much as a retort..

“leave the poor guy alone,, trud,, “ buzz admonished her.. “he’s already suffered the devastating blow of losing possession of the diana diamond today,, and i think this little scenario just added insult to injury.. give the guy a break..”

“well,, that doesn’t make him any less a pussy in my humble opinion..” trudy interjected,, as she strode over to buzz’s recliner and perched herself precariously on the arm, patting the back of it in invitation for buzz to come take his place by her side..

“speaking of pussies, and i know how bad this is gonna sound, but..“ trudy stated matter of factly as buzz slumped down into the recliner beside her and she slipped effortlessly onto his lap.. “i wonder how my elly is doin’?? it’s been forever since i talked to him.. kinda miss the brat, you know??”

***

meanwhile, back at the precinct, detectives bowers and bettancourt put a wrap on the necessary paperwork surrounding their involvement in the securing of the diana diamond as evidence.. this was imperative,, as so many open homicide cases hinged on circumstances surrounding the possession of the diamond..

the two clueless mormans that had been taken into custody at the time the diamond was secured as evidence,, was the most recent,, but that was being handled by the robbery division, so until they finished up on that, there was no need for hank and gil to intercede..

then there was prisillas all too early demise,, the chintown massacre,, the shooting death of private eye steve shingle in the pizza shop turned whore house,, the shoot-out in the parking lot at the of the recovery room that had ended up with police informant, frank the skank, dead,, and the following mysterious disappearances of quite a number of key mafioso players, the most important of which was the notorious female gangster known only as boa.. and let’s not forget,,  gil himself being drugged and kidnapped by what could only have been the mob.. 

the list just seemed to go on and on..

hoping to put some distance between their huge caseload and the earlier events of the day, namely, buzz’s full blown loss of control when they took the mob doc into custody in the wooded area just behind the hospital, they opted to slip out of the precinct,, and head over to the hospital to check up on stephanie, now that the hospital had resumed business as usual.. 

as they entered the precinct parking lot,, they were both dismayed to see the commish striding right toward them.. however,, as he passed them,, it was apparent he was looking right through them,, it was like they weren’t even there.

“whew!!” a relived gil sighed aloud as soon as they knew the commish was safely out of earshot..

“yeah,” hank answered gil’s sigh, “but what the hell is up with that??”

“i dunno. but i’m gonna get the hell outta dodge before he figures it out!! i got a second date with tori tonight,, and i really don’t wanna get stuck here doing the whole desk jockey thing all night instead!!” gil called out over the hood of the car as both he and hank slipped into the crown vic and slammed the doors closed safely around them..

once they had made it out of the precinct parking lot and were headed toward the hospital,, both gil and hank slipped out their respective cell phones and gave their lady loves a call..

as hank was waiting to get put through the hospital switchboard to let stephanie know he was on his way,, gil huddled in low over his phone,, as if doing so would make his conversation with tori somehow more private..

“hey there!!” tori said provocatively into her cell, as she mouthed the words, “it’s gil” to stephanie who gave her the double thumbs up and a huge smile of satisfaction,, before tori too, sought some degree of privacy and walked to the other side of the privacy curtain in stephanie’s hospital room.

no sooner had tori disappeared around the curtain,, and stephanie settled in to ‘overhear’ whatever she could of the conversation, her room phone rang,, and although somewhat distraught that she would no longer be privy to tori’s conversation first hand, answered..

“hank!! sweetie!!” stephanie greeted him genuinely happy to hear the sound of his voice, after trying to piece together the events of his day as best as she could from what tori had just been filling her in on bits and pieces as they came in over the hospital grapevine..

“i’m fine,, i’m fine!!” she assured him before cutting him off mid-sentence to inform him, in low tones, that gil was on the phone with tori, and from her vantage point she had outdone herself as a yenta..

“oh you are??” she responded somewhat shakily as hank went on to inform her both he and gil were in route to the hospital as they spoke..

“oh no honey!!!” stephanie exclaimed assuredly as hank questioned her indecisive tone when he had informed her he was on his way to see her.. “i’m dying to see you!! it’s just that,, well,, tori's here and she still doesn’t want to let on what she does for a living to gil.. she wants him to fall in love with her as a person,, and not as a paycheck,, ya know??”

with that tori,, came back around the curtain,, having evidently just received the news of gil and hanks arrival on the hospital campus,,  and mouthed to stephanie “i’m outta here!!” before she slipped out of her friends room and into the bowels of the hospital to make sure her as of yet undisclosed source of employment remained under wraps..

as gil accompanied hank into the hospital,, he flagrantly reinforced his desire for a replay of last night's tumble,, and made obvious grunting and gasping sounds into his phone before he cut off the call in adherence to hospital policy..

“well, well, well,,” hank met gil with a huge knowing smile as he stealthily slid his phone back in his jacket pocket.. “sounds like the gil machine is locked and loaded!!”

gil responded with a brotherly like punch on hanks bicep..

“you better believe it , baby!!!”

Chapter 202

word count 1114

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

chapter 201

word count: 1170

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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