Book Five - Part Nine - Raging Evil: Chapter Five

Wednesday – October 31st

The Squad Room – 8:30 a.m.

“It’s good to see you have all dressed up for Halloween this year. You all look like cops. Simply amazing.”

Davis yelled out, “Don’t quit your day job, Baker!”

“I know, I know, but today is Halloween. Kids will be out trick or treating up until around nine tonight. Just keep an extra-special watch out there. Beyond that, if no one has any questions, get out there and stay safe and keep our streets safe.”

Back in her office, Baker started to finish the monthly reports from yesterday. After which, she would file all the other reports from all three shifts that always ended up on her desk, and from there, they would end up on Satchell’s desk.

He would have hard copies made as well as putting everything on a disk in triplicate to be sent to three regional offices in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City, where the FBI and CIA would have direct access if necessary.

As per usual, they in turn would look at any red flags that would show up on arrests or tickets, to check against their data base for any wants and warrants.

As far as Baker was concerned, once the reports left her desk, she could care less what happened to them. Part of her job description was to ensure reports were filled in correctly, properly dated and filed. Once they got to the FBI and CIA, they could handle them any way they chose.

Once she finished transferring data on the last of nine disks, where Satchell would make additional copies to send out; she sat back in her chair and thought back to a set of wedding vows said.

“No matter where you are, I will always be by your side. It doesn’t matter if the day is clear or stormy. It doesn’t matter if you become sick, I will be there to help you get well.

“For better or worse, and today is the beginning of every day becoming better. I will comfort you as my lover, my wife, my absolute best friend.

“Never will I love you as much as I do now, and this love will never falter but only strengthen, in all ways, Dianne.”

“Johnathan, you came when least expected in my life. Over time, I understood you became my reason to love again. To start fresh and give myself to you. As you are my lover, so too are you my husband, and always will be my best friend.

“And whether we become richer or poorer, it doesn’t matter. With you by my side, as I will be by yours; we will always have a richness in spirit that will diminish poor, and we will become far more blessed with our personal richness than with all the wealth possible.

“I have your life and you have mine, from now and beyond all time.”

Baker gave a sly smile for then the minister, Victor Donaldson, cleared his throat and pronounced them husband and wife. It was what followed that brought that smile.

As Johnathan was about to reach in and kiss Dianne, she held up one finger.

“I forgot one part. You have to promise not to get shot ever again.”

Baker remembered the weekend of her first anniversary. Ed drove her up to Albany to the Harrison Arms Hotel, one of those five-star places that cater to everything, even your underwear if necessary.

Three days, two nights of non-stop (they did sleep, shower, eat, watched an off-Broadway play, and walked the city park for an hour) sex.

The bed was oval-shaped and came with several vibration settings. There had been a large, reddish-velvet colored curtain that would open to an expansive patio where an assortment of flowers bloomed with a continuous flowing waterfall. At night, it was lit up with several colored lamps, and with the waterfall just behind the flowers it set a mood only lovers could understand.

Thinking about it now, it seemed much longer since that happened than just after Johnathan and Dianne married.

Dianne and she were similar in one respect. They both found a second chance at love when they least expected it.

In the beginning, Baker’s loss was in a divorce. Her ex, Mark, left her for another man. That in itself was a brutal blow. With Dianne, she lost her husband, Kenneth Allan, more commonly known as “Bear,” to cancer.

But things have a way of working themselves out. She has Ed, Dianne has Johnathan, and it’s all good. And the beauty of all this; Satchell may also be dancing in the wedding aisle one day. Almost sounds like that song, ‘Love Is In The Air’ from that old TV show, ‘The Love Boat.’

So much for daydreaming.

Baker got on her landline and called information for Jack and Peggy Malvern. Once she had the number, she asked the operator to connect her. Three rings later, a woman’s voice answered.

“Is this Peggy Malvern?”

“It is, who’s calling?”

“Lieutenant Baker from the Twenty-Second.”

“Oh. Is something wrong?”

“I hope not. I’m calling about your nephew, Lee. Have you seen or heard from him recently?”

“One moment, Lieutenant.”

She could hear Peggy’s somewhat muffled voice say, “Lee, there is a Lieutenant Baker asking about you.

“Lieutenant, he’s coming to the phone.”

“Hello, Lieutenant. How can I help you?”

“Answer a few questions for me Lee, and please, don’t lie to me.”

“Ask. I’ve nothing to hide.”

“You have a license to carry a firearm, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You have gone into business as a private investigator?”

“Yes.”

“And you were in Turkey, namely Ankara, as recently as five days ago?”

“Ah … yes.”

“Mr. Austin, I would like you to stop by my office today at one o’clock.”

“That would be good.”

Both phones hung up at the same time.