Book One: Part III: Deadly Evil - Chapter One
Foreword
In this continuing saga, part three begins with summer about to arrive, and things are about to heat up. Lives will change. People will die. Love grows, and life as you know it will change.
Baker, Ed, and the Twenty-Second run into a slew of problems. Cop killers have entered Montie.
To make matters worse, Freddy is on a mission of revealing truths and a message.
Stevie returns, and by unexpected events; that change both his life and Baker’s.
Welcome to Montie.
Excerpt
As Bishop Ekerson was thumbing through his Bible, looking for specific passages for part of this Sunday’s sermon, he will call: Cleanse Your Soul through the Holy Spirit; he paused a few moments as he listened to Tchaikovsky: Symphony Number Six.
The elevated passion of his work stood out; the resonant tremors of cymbals when they clashed, the timbre of the horn section as if warding off evil.
This is something he was all too familiar with, for the last thirty-five years of his life, Peter Ekerson’s sole duty, through God, the Father, and his son, Jesus, and through the Divinity of the Holy Catholic Church, was to ward off and destroy evil.
But he didn’t have that power to destroy. His true power was to forgive.
It was also his penitence for his past misgivings. A vow he made that he would atone for his sins through God.
A dark secret is still carried within him, one that changed lives as well as his own. It was about the money and nothing more. Money that didn’t even come close to paying for what he did.
When she called, asking him if he knew anyone named Uri; he broke a commandment from God.
He lied. It wasn’t a big lie. Just one word. No. He also knew, be it one word or a thousand, a lie remains a lie.
He reasoned with himself that it couldn’t be him. He would have known, wouldn’t he?
It had been years since he last saw him.
**********
The days of peace and slumberous calm are fled.
Hyperion Book ii
They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.”
Job: 30 – 10
We all lie at some point; it is human nature.
You live with it until you die.
And I’m more than happy to make that happen.
Freddy
************
Baker’s Townhouse
Saturday – May 12th - 4:35 p.m.
“It’s all settled, Bub. The last week of June into the first two weeks of July.”
“Way cool, mom. I was just checking. I know how things can change there.”
“True, but my vacation time won’t include work; but it will include you. We’ll go places and do lots of fun stuff together.”
“I hope so, mom. I’m looking forward to being back there with you again.”
“Me too, Stevie. So, how are the studies going?”
“Straight A’s just like last semester. I don’t think the teachers want to teach us the hard stuff. I hope that changes when I get into the tenth grade this fall. I sound like a nerd, but I feel I need to be challenged more. All the teachers know I have a high I.Q., but they can’t keep up with me.”
Kindergarten yesterday. High school tomorrow. What next. He’s growing leaps and bounds.
“Stevie, you aren’t at fault for having your parent’s genes. School will just have to work around you.”
“Hold on, mom. Dad wants to talk to you. I’ll see you in about six weeks. I love you, mom. Bye!”
“Love you, Stevie. Be careful out there.”
“He’s always careful, Jan, you know that.”
“Hi, Mark. Well, he’s my; our son, and I worry; what can I say. Stevie said you wanted to talk to me. What’s on your mind?”
“Not too much. Just that Donnie and I decided this time we’ll drive Stevie out to see you; spend a few days doing the ‘to-rista’ thing in New York before. Donnie’s never been there. After which, we’ll tour the interesting parts of the state; maybe jump over to Boston for a little bit. I can pretty much time things where we can be back when your vacation time is over with him, and pick up Stevie, and head home.
“I promise, other than our first night there, not to cut into your time with Stevie.”
“I appreciate that, Mark. You and Donald can stay at my place for a few days if you like. You’re both more than welcome.”
“Is your place all put back together since your last fiasco?”
Baker grimaced, remembering Claire lying on the kitchen floor, eyes open, eyes missing, and a Bowie knife planted in her face, with blood everywhere, and her front door, a complete shambles.
“It looks better than ever. New security alarm, with cameras this time for the front and rear of the house. There is a steel reinforced door, with six inside master-panel locks. The door was even tested to withstand; get this, six .357 magnum shots before the lock would burst from the steel framing.”
“Impressive. Where can I get one of those?”
“Your local federal government.”
“Never mind. They would charge me too much.”
Baker looked at her watch. Almost six.
“Mark, if there isn’t anything else, I have to go.”
“I understand. Police work calls at such odd hours.”
“More like dinner this time.”
A brief silence came from Mark’s end before he responded.
“Sounds more like a date, maybe.”
“If you must know, it is.”
Silence from Baker’s end, before she continued.
“I’ve been seeing someone almost four months.”
“Must be serious then.”
“Yes, and no. I really like the guy, and we get along well, but I’m having commitment issues. You know him, too.”
“Commitment issues after four months? That’s odd. You would think after that much time, you would know if you loved the guy or not.
“So, who is this that I should know him?”
“Ed Manning.”
“Oh, for hell’s sake, Jan. Go figure. Makes sense. Why not drag another cop into your life? Isn’t that what they call, added danger? And of all people. Outside of being a cop, he has lousy people skills. You could do much better.”
“Stop it, Mark. And for your information, years ago, I thought I did do much better, but obviously I was wrong. I have to go. Give my love to Stevie for me again.”
Without waiting for a reply, she shut down her phone and finished getting ready to meet Ed for dinner.
Saturday – May 12 – 8:25 p.m.
“Dinner was just delicious, Ed. Thank you very much.”
“Glad you enjoyed. It’s not too often I get to wine and dine you.”
“Well, burgers at Mickey D’s, or maybe a trip to Taco Bell would have done the trick, too. I’m a cheap date with high morals.”
“Jan tonight just isn’t any night.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is this.”
Ed reached down into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box, opened it, and peered inside for a bit. Then his eyes raised to hers.
“We’ve been partners it seems, forever. We’ve always watched out for each other’s back. Hell, we’ve even taken a hit for each other.”
Baker remembered back when they were newly partnered, when they went on a joint drug bust when Stevie was barely two. They, along with twenty other cops, stormed through a house, arresting one person after another. One man, overly huge, large beard, and eyes it seemed, the color of fire, raised his glock and fired point-blank at her. Ed shoved her out of the way, firing as he did so, and took a hit in the right shoulder as his bullets tore through the savage man.
Baker’s thoughts left her as she continued listening to Ed talk.
“Then there was that time I was grappling with Sorrenson in the Eastgate Building. He damn near threw me out a window on the twenty-third floor and would have if it weren’t for you. Instead, he took that long fall, and you hauled my ass back up in the room.”
“Oh, my god, Ed. Is that … are you … are you,”
“Don’t say it, Jan. I’m the one who is supposed to ask, not you.”
With that, Ed reached out with his right hand and grabbed her left hand and turned the box around, so she could see the engagement ring.
“I’m not very good at this, but would you do me the honor of accepting this ring, and becoming my partner?”
They both broke out in laughter.
Other patrons in the restaurant looked over at them, smiling.
Then Ed became serious.
“Honestly, Jan. I’m asking that you just not become my partner, but my best friend; someone you can lean on for support, just as I will. Someone you can tell your troubles to; someone you can trust for as long as you live. Be my wife, Jan.”
Baker looked at the ring.
A single tear formed in the corner of her left eye, welled, and slowly took a stroll down her cheek, and then it fell away and landed quietly on her forearm. She never felt it.
She tilted her head to the side, smiled somewhat; held the box in both hands, staring at its true beauty. A half-carat with three pinpoint diamonds on each side. White gold. It was perfect in every way.
“Ed, I, I, don’t know what to say. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this tonight.”
“You can always say yes. Then I can order dessert for us.” Ed smiled.
She took the ring from the box and looked it over, both inside and out. Then she looked at Ed and smiled again. Then she put the ring back in the box.
Ed’s happiness suddenly dried up on his face.
“Don’t look so forlorn, Ed. I can’t say yes right now. I’m not saying no either. I need some time to think this over. Plus, I need to tell Stevie before we just up and spring it on him, as well as everyone else. I want him to be prepared in advance. It’s important. I hope you can understand.”
Ed smiled warmly as he took the box and hid it away in his coat pocket and said, “I guess not getting a no means there’s still hope. As to Stevie, I do understand. I know you two have a very close bond, and not just because your mother and son.”
She reached across the table, and held one of Ed’s hands, smiled and said, “Stevie will be back here near the end of June. Mark and Donald are driving him out this time. Then, Mark and Donald will go on their own little holiday jaunt, then come back for him after my vacation time with Stevie is finished. I’ll tell him then. Can you hold off for that long?”
“Hold out that long for a yes; yes! For a no, I don’t think I have much of a choice, huh?”
“Ed, I’m sorry. Really I am.”
“Don’t sweat it, Jan. We have, as a team, been through so much crap, that this is just a walk in the park. If the verdict comes back as a no, I can deal with it. Trust me. I can.”
“Honest?”
“Cross my heart and hope to eat dessert. What’ll you have?”
The rest of the evening went by with no more talk of marriage, but by the end of the night, and after three hours at a nightclub, dancing, both were complaining about sore feet.
Sunday Morning – May 13th – 1:16 a.m.
Thomas Howarth and Ralph Ingstrum had pulled up to a Dunkin Donut’s shop on Melrose and Fisher.
Both men had been patrolling the streets for better than three hours and they had only two minor disturbances all night. One was a public intox. The guy was just lying on the sidewalk passed out practically from one too many drinks. They took him to the station and processed him in for the night. Come Monday morning, the judge would deal with him.
The other was a noise disturbance. A couple kids were playing their music too loud for the neighbors and a complaint was called in. Come to find out, the parents wouldn’t be home until Sunday afternoon, and the kids were just having their own fun time. They turned the music down and that was that.
Now it was time for a break. Coffee and donuts.
Howarth walked inside, ordered two large coffees, one black, the other cream and sugar, three chocolate glazed, and three strawberry filled donuts. He then paid the old man at the register and walked back outside to the car.
Seeing Ralph still sitting behind the wheel, he took a quick look around the parking lot, and stopped next to the driver’s side.
As he started to hand Ralph his coffee and donuts, there came a sudden whistle of two quiet pings.
The first ping exploded face first into Ralph’s brain. The second ping took out the right side of Howarth’s head as he dropped the bag and started to twist around, his gun already in hand.
They were both dead before the coffee and donuts hit the ground.
1:51 a.m.
As the crime scene was being sectioned off, several witnesses were explaining what they saw, or what they thought they saw.
“I saw two white puffs of smoke come from over there,” a man said pointing to the MaxMillian Building.
“I was just walking out from the store when it happened.”
Another older man said, “I was inside having my coffee, and I noticed the officer leaving to go back to his squad car. All I saw was him falling, but then I noticed something across the street like some kind of smoke drifting off from the top of the building. I can’t swear for sure, but I think I might have seen someone moving around up there.”
The fire department arrived, and it was a hook and ladder they used to get to the top of the building as three other officers with high-powered flashlights combed the entire rooftop.
“Larry?”
“Yeah, Phil.”
“Over here.”
Phil’s flashlight centered on the door that leads to the roof or down, depending on how you look at it.
“The inside lock’s been sheared away.”
Larry got on his radio.
“Be advised. The building has been broken into. We are going downstairs. The shooter may still be in the building. Cover all exits. I repeat, cover all exits.”
Larry, Phil and the third man, Ted, and those on the street knew that that was extremely doubtful, but a cop-killer was out there somewhere, and no one was taking any chances.
Several officers had their cars directly across the corner from the front doors with the headlights glaring on the building and their guns drawn, prepared for any eventuality.
By the time, the three men finished searching inside the building, floor by floor, they had found one thing. The outside door’s glass had been cut with a circular glass cutter.
Whoever these guys were, they were smart enough to take it along with them. There wasn’t a trace of shattered or splintered glass to be found.
The crime scene would prove to last a long time.
Five of Carl’s best men from the F-Team were on hand. They would spend the next two hours mapping the distance from where the shooter, or shooters were, based on the downward angle of the bullets that struck each officer. They would search and hope to find any trace of evidence such as shoe or boot prints, any fingerprint markings, shell casings, though the type of bullet used would come out at the actual autopsies. Their toughest job would be taking photographs and chalking out the area where the bodies were at the time of death. It never failed to clutch at their emotions.
But they searched and searched throughout the night. When it was all said and done, they had nothing.