“I am too. The guys were looking forward to being part of the investigation.”
“I hope they still feel that way.”
They said goodbye to Brice and Jake took Robert home.
Robert had just stepped out of the shower when he heard the doorbell ring. He slipped into a pair of pants and dropped his sidearm in the pocket.
“Who is it?” he called out, standing to one side of the door.
“Jake, I come at the bequest of the queen who’s concerned about your health.” Jake affected a British accent when Robert opened the door and let him in
“You’re a nutcase.” Robert looked outside and checked the street before shutting the door behind Jake
“A bit more cautious now, aren’t we?” Jake strode to the kitchen and set the bag he was carrying on the counter. “The soup’s still hot.” He took a bowl from Robert’s cupboard and poured the steaming contents into it and pushed it across the table to Robert. He found a pan and filled it with water and put it on the stove to boil
“You’re my mother now?” Robert teased.
“No. I am obeying orders. It was either me or Lorene would have come over, knocked you about the head a few times, and broken your eardrums with her tirade. After that, she would be wrapping you in hot blankets she warmed in the oven, force feed you this soup, and then drown you in hot tea with lemon and honey.”
“Take a deep breath,” Robert admonished. “I take it you have been put through this healing ritual yourself?
Jake sank onto a chair across from his friend. “Yes, and it isn’t something I would put you through. The only good part about it is when I finally get to bed, she comes in and cuddles with me all night. At least she used to; that was before the baby was born. She doesn’t do that too much now.” His expression took on a wistful look.
“Hey, if she is offering to cuddle as part of the recovery, I am open to that,” Robert teased.
“Good thing I know you are kidding. A comment like that from anyone else and they wouldn’t be sitting on that chair.”
Robert smiled and slurped his soup. “Ain’t interested.”
Jake tilted his head and looked at Robert out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe I should call Babs. She might be more than willing to drown you in soup and cuddle with you.” Jake started to get up, but Robert laid his piece on the counter. Jake laughed and sat down, “I get the message. Just a thought though.”
They sat in companionable silence while Robert finished the soup. Jake took the bowl, rinsed it, and set it in the sink. He pulled two mugs from the cupboard, poured the tea into them, and placed them on the table. He added a little something from another bottle he drew from the bag. “To warm you up a little faster.” He sat the two cups on the table and resumed his own seat.
Robert took a sip and couched a little before speaking, “I was at Yaws the other day, and a thought came to me. There were a lot of kids hanging out there from high school and college. I noticed a parade of girls walking around in front of the guys who sat either on the tables or in their cars. I saw one guy call out to a young girl who giggled and went to his car. After some conversation, she went around to the passenger side and got in. They drove away amid some whistling and catcalls. The girls left behind were both excited and anxious. I got to thinking, what if Kelly was like these girls, and somehow, she was exposed or introduced to these older men who might have taken advantage of her. I wanted to yank that girl out of the car and march her home. Where are her parents? She couldn’t have been much over fifteen or sixteen.”
“Why would that make someone want to kill the whole family?” Robert took another sip of tea and concentrated on what Jake said. He began to warm to the idea. The thought of the young friends of Calvin hanging around Kelly paired with his suspicions heated the thought process.
“What if she heard or saw something she wasn’t supposed to? A payoff or a crime the boys were doing? These aren’t the upstanding young boys that society thinks they are.” Jake absently ran his finger along the joint in the middle of the table.
“I’m sure some of their fathers have connections. Where there’s lots of money in this city, there’s someone ready to make more on the side or pay off someone to look the other way. We’ve seen too much of it in Portland to ignore that it isn’t here.”
“Robert, what would cause someone to need to kill a whole family to keep a girl quiet? Maybe Karl wouldn’t be bought off?”
“I’d like to think that. I’m just not sure. They were active in their church, but I don’t see they were straight-laced or fanatical about it. He didn’t make a lot of money, so that might have been a possibility, but something happened to counter that.” Robert’s mind whirled as he thought of possibilities. There were just too many to follow. His vision blurred, and he closed his eyes, rubbing them.
“Buddy, you need to go to bed and get a good night’s rest. I’m going home to give Lorene a good report. You ate the soup, drank the tea, took some aspirin, and went to bed. Got that?” He snagged his jacket as he headed for the door. He looked through the peephole first and stood to one side as he opened the door, “Can’t be too careful.” He saluted and shut the door behind him.
Robert locked the double lock. The drapes were drawn. He went to bed, finding his way in the dark. He slept all night long.
The next day he was in the office early. The reality of the situation rested heavily on his mind. Once before, he had been threatened by the mob. He’d been asked to come aboard and be a player; to join the other officers who had extra pay packets and gifts provided for looking the other way. Sometimes it was making things in the evidence room disappear. He’d taken a stand. He was a clean cop, and he wanted nothing to do with the dirty cops. He was taken off the beat and put on desk duty for a while.
After a year, he’d been assigned to a patrol car. His partner, Matt, had been an old timer on the force and had seen his share of the dirty dealings. The other men left Matt alone, as he had his own set of connections. Matt took Robert under his wing and taught him the ins and outs of getting things done or avoiding things within the department.
Robert shared with Matt the threatening note he’d received. Matt told him not to worry, he’d take care of it. After that, he was never bothered by the guys again. Then came that fateful night.
It was a combined anniversary and retirement party for a few of the officers. He drove Becca and their young son downtown and dropped them off in front of the restaurant. He drove to the parking lot around the corner. She’d been excited to go and told him she had a surprise for him. Was she pregnant again? There had been a cold chill in his veins. His wife had not liked being pregnant or going through labor. She hadn’t taken to their son and barely kept it together. He’d been worried as he drove to pick her up. She wouldn’t talk about the surprise.
After parking the car, he walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner to see her waiting for him. She stood talking to his partner, Matt, in front of the restaurant. Something wasn’t right, he quickened his steps. From a passing car, the sound of a machine gun split the air. Officers and pedestrians fell to the ground. Blood spattered the sidewalk. The restaurant window cracked, glass fell to the street; the shards piercing anyone nearby.
Robert ducked behind parked cars, his piece in his hand when the vehicle passed him. He shot rapidly into the window. He never knew if he hit anyone. They were probably floating from cinder blocks at the bottom of the Columbia River. When he reached Becca and Matt, they were both dead, along with his son she held in her arms.