Eleven
I battled my way through the door; heat was everywhere, but no flames were in the general vicinity. I couldn’t breathe, and remembering that one was supposed to stay low in fires, I got on my stomach and crawled in. My face was very hot, but I did manage to get to a little breathable air lower to the floor. As I progressed, I saw the fire coming at me from the right, so there was no hope there. I turned left and soon came to a wall. I touched it, and it wasn’t too hot yet. I followed the wall into the house and soon came to a door. The fire was behind me now, and there was only one way to go with any chance of finding Jocko. I reached up, but couldn’t get high enough to find the doorknob. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, wrapping the tee shirt around my hand, and stood up. The heat was very strong here, but I found the knob, turned it and fell through the door. I landed hard and started to roll down a flight of stairs.
There was no light, and the smoke would have made it impossible to see anything anyway. It was a short flight of maybe ten steps….I never went back to count. I was on a dirt floor that felt cool after the heat above, but I knew the smoke would kill us soon.
I tried to call for Jocko, but couldn’t get any sound out of my mouth.
I groped around, and came to a leg! I pulled myself to it, and found that its owner was in a chair. I tried to pull the person to me, but they didn’t budge. I realized that they must be tied to it. I felt for knots, and finally found the rope and duct tape holding the person prisoner. I started to rip and tear, having no knife. The person started to struggle as well, and we got an arm loose. Then we made some real progress. It was just a matter of seconds before they were free, and I started to pull them toward the stairs.
I figured that they couldn’t walk well if they had been tied for too long, but there seemed to be more resistance then I would have thought. The person grabbed me and pulled my hand to their face.
The mouth was covered with duct tape. I pulled hard and it loosened.
I started to tug again when a raspy voice said, “There’s one more down here!” I started to grope again. Luckily the cellar was probably only 10 feet by 10 feet, and the other person was easy to find, and with two of us working, we got them free in short order. I began to pull this one to the door as well, but they were not helping.
I felt for the mouth and it was covered with duct tape as well. I ripped it off to ease their breathing. The smoke was heavier, and it was difficult to breathe. This second victim was not helping at all, and I had lost contact with the first victim. I hoped the first victim could find their way out, because I was going to have to carry this one myself.
Have I mentioned that I am not the biggest guy in the world? If I haven’t, I’ll do it now. I was weak and couldn’t see, but I dragged the person to the stairs by dead reckoning, and started to pull them up. The smoke made everything black, and about halfway up, there was no air to breathe. I was getting faint, so I left my person halfway up the stairs, and went back to the cellar. I lay on my stomach and pulled in as many breaths as I could. It was now or never, as this low room under the fire was beginning to fill with smoke.
I got a deep breath in and stumbled back to the stairs. I grabbed my charge and dragged him the rest of the way up the stairs. I wanted to pick him up and carry him out, but the fire was right there. I pulled and tugged as hard as I could and headed for where I thought the door was. It seemed to take forever, it was so hot. I held on for dear life and half dragged him, and half fell out the door into the night air.
I fell down gasping, and noticed that I hadn’t gotten my person totally out of the house, so I dragged him the rest of the way, and got him to safety. I turned him over, but couldn’t tell who it was as his face was blackened and pieces of duct tape were randomly scattered all over it. I couldn’t see well anyway, as my eyes were stream[ 155 ] ing tears and everything was blurry. I put my ear to his mouth, but could hear no breathing and no air was touching me. I started mouth to mouth, and in no time, was gratified to hear him cough. I turned him over and he began to retch. Things started to move in slow motion for me then. I began to wonder about the man I had fought with, about the shooter, and whether they were still out there, and also about Roy and Grits. My man was starting to breathe better, so I went in search of the man I had fought. He was where I had left him, on his stomach. I turned him over. I didn’t recognize him at all, and would never get to know him, as there was a bullet hole placed neatly between his eyes.
I got up and went back for my gun, as Roy and Grits might be in trouble, but all of the exertion must have gotten to me, as I suddenly got weak and fell to the ground, losing consciousness bit by bit.
I became aware of flashing lights and sirens blaring, and somewhat later there was someone talking to me, and trying to get me to respond. I tried to talk, but gave up; my throat was too sore. Soon, another person was helping me, and they half carried, half dragged me to an ambulance. They placed me inside and made me lie down on a gurney. A paramedic placed a mask over my nose and fed me oxygen. Things cleared up immediately. I got glimpses of other people, and finally saw Grits walk by. He looked at me and gave me thumbs up. I relaxed and lay down on the gurney. There were many cars and trucks moving about, though I was sure the little house was a total loss.
It wasn’t long before we were on the road back to Hustle, and an entire procession of vehicles was pulling into the hospital entrance.
I was in the back of an ambulance with a character I didn’t recognize.
We were escorted into the emergency room, which had filled with doctors, nurses and police. I was taken to my own cubicle, and seen immediately by a doctor. He checked me over, had a nurse place salve on my face and arms, and told me I might have some burns, trouble breathing and maybe internal injuries. I was to be their guest for the night. He would check in from time to time.
They took me to a room, gave me some liquids, some pills, started an IV, and I soon fell into a nice, deep sleep.
I woke a few times during the night. I felt feverish and sore, but my breathing was fine. I had worried that I might have fried my lungs, but I guess I lucked out. I could smell the stench of smoke, the burning and all, but I was in a hospital gown and apparently not too badly off. One time when a nurse came in, I asked if Jocko was OK. She said she didn’t know him, but would ask for me. She came back later, and told me he was in worse shape than I was, but alive. I fell asleep again.
The next morning seemed to arrive quickly, and I awoke to find five people sitting in my room, just waiting on me to wake up. Roy, Grits, Felicity, Lieutenant Howard and a young lady were all there.
I sat up and let all know I was awake. Roy and Grits smiled broadly, Felicity and the other girl jumped up and kissed me. It hurt, as my face was sore, but I really didn’t mind at all. The Lieutenant just looked at me, tried to look stern, then laughed, stuck his hand out and shook mine.
He said, “In case you are wondering who this young lady is, it’s Bitsy O’Reilly.”
I took a look, she was cute and apparently happy, so I felt good about last night’s escapade. She hugged me more, then started to cry. I just let her do it, I felt a bit like crying myself.
I could have put up with this for another hour or so, but I needed some air, and some answers. I pushed her away gently, and smiled. She smiled back, saying, ““Jocko will be in the hospital for a little while, you gave him mouth to mouth and saved his life! I want you over for as many dinners as you can eat, once he gets home!” She hugged me again, then got up.
“I’m going to see him now. He was worried about you,” she continued.
“Tell him I’m fine, and that I’ll be by later,” I said.
She left with a smile for all, and then Roy and Grits got up as well. Roy shook my hand and Grits smiled. They left the room together. The Lieutenant looked at me, then at Felicity, and asked her if he could have a moment of my time. She said sure and left the room, blowing me a kiss.
The Lieutenant pulled his chair close to my bed and said, “I don’t know what you found out, how you found out, or what you had to do with all of this, but I want you to know that you are OK in my book. I’ll do what I can to fill you in on your case and help you any way I can. Jocko’s a good man, and even though I only know a little about what is going on, he’s going to be all right and you are the reason. Come see me when you feel up to it.”
“Lieutenant,” I began, “I have no idea what that was all about, but I got word that he might be there, and my friends and I went for it. I didn’t know what he was up to either, and I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“We’ll discuss it later, but don’t worry, you did more good than harm. I’m back to work; we have another Homicide to deal with.
You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? There was a dead man outside the back door of that shack.”
“All I can say was that we were struggling, he was shot, but he told me where Jocko was, and he was still alive when I left him.”
“Yes, he was shot three times, but the third shot was at close range, and it’s the one that finished him.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “It was touch and go there for a bit, and it’s all pretty confusing.” “Come see me when you can, I’ll tell your girl to come back in.
I do believe you’ll be released today.”
“I sure hope so,” I said.
“One more thing,” he continued quickly, “there were several guns at the scene, as if they had been tossed aside at the last moment.
There was a .45 by the back door as well.”
I gulped, I had forgotten about the guns. I couldn’t say anything to him.
He looked at me, then said, “I placed them in evidence bags and turned them in, but it appears that someone cleaned all of the fingerprints off of them. We have no idea who they belong to. The numbers were filed off as well. I guess it’s just one of those unsolved mysteries that we run into from time to time.”
I smiled at him, and he smiled back. He left, and Felicity came right in and sat with me as I tried to decide what to do next. I asked her for a mirror, and she gave me one reluctantly. I looked and saw that my eyebrows were singed off and most of my hair was gone.
My face was red, my lips cracked. I grimaced and she laughed.
“None of that is permanent,” she said. “The doctor says that you’ll be as good as new in a few days, and your hair will just be shorter for a week or so.”
“I want to take a shower and clean up,” I grumbled.
“Let me go see if that’s permitted,” Felicity offered.
She left and returned a few minutes later with a short, redheaded nurse. The nurse was bubbly and cheerful, and I felt better just looking at her open and friendly visage. The nurse assured me that it was OK to bathe, and got me some soap and towels.
“Can I wear my own clothes?” I asked.
“Your clothes are ruined,” Felicity said. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll drive over to the house, get you some clothes and come back with them. You may get to go home later, but just in case, I’ll bring some for tomorrow too. Do you have any more shoes? Your loafers are ruined.”
“Just some tennis shoes in the closet.”
“I’ll bring them as well.” Then she was gone.
The nurse assisted me to the bathroom. I was pretty sore and stiff, but declined her offer of assistance. I took my time, and washed my hair several times, trying to rid myself of the burnt smell. I felt human again when I got out, and I put on a clean hospital gown, and returned to my bed. It had been freshly made, and I was feeling a bit of energy return, so I opted for the chair instead and decided to watch some television.
Felicity returned with some comfortable clothes and helped me get dressed. She went to the drawer of the built-in dresser and got my billfold for me.
“I wanted you to realize that I didn’t abscond with it again.” She laughed. I laughed back and felt pretty good, now that I was dressed. I asked her, “Can you fill me in on all the details that I missed?”
She sat down and began to talk. “Well, you guys drove away, and I got out of my car and sort of walked around. You were gone about twenty minutes when I heard a big explosion and saw flames.
I got into my car and drove to where I saw Roy’s car. I could see people in the distance and saw all sorts of pandemonium. I couldn’t make out anybody, and I was uncertain of what to do, so I waited in case one of you came back to Roy’s car. Then, I heard what I thought were gunshots, and I got into my car and drove to a house we had gone by. I had noticed it as we drove in. I went up to the door, and asked the lady who answered it to call the police and fire departments.
She said she would, and I went back to my original spot. It wasn’t too long before I heard the sirens, and then saw all the vehicles streaming by. I got into my car and followed. By the time I got there, the police had several people in cuffs, including Roy and Grits. The firemen were working on the house, and ambulances were arriving. I tried to look for you, but they kept me away.”
She paused, got us both a drink of water and sat back down again. “After a while, the ambulances pulled away, and all I did was follow. Once I got to the hospital, some things had been ironed out, as Grits and Roy were already out of the cuffs and talking to several officers. I saw Lieutenant Howard come through, and asked him about you. He said he had just arrived, knew nothing and asked me to wait in the cafeteria for him. He came by a half-hour later and told me that one man was dead of a gunshot wound. Two were in custody. You, Jocko and another man were being treated for smoke inhalation and burns, and then he said he wanted to ask me about what was going on. I saw no reason to lie, so I told him everything up to that point, and he told me that I might as well wait here with him. Bitsy showed up a bit later, and we all started our vigil.”
I nodded, and said that caught me up. I knew that it was near noon the following day, so I assumed they had given me something to help me sleep.
We were quiet for a bit, and the nurse came back in. She took my temperature and other vital signs, then told me the doctor would be in shortly. Felicity and I watched ‘The Flintstones’ for a bit, and were rewarded with a rather quick entry by the physician in charge of my case.
“Well, hello Mr. Coffman,” the doctor smiled as he entered, busily flipping through my chart. “It would seem that you are in fairly good shape, considering your ordeal. I want to look you over one more time, and I think we can let you go home.”
That sounded good, so I let him poke and prod, and was gratified to hear him pronounce me fit. He gave me some cream for my face and hands, then suggesting that I pay attention, he did the first treatment himself. He then told me to take it easy and call him if I had trouble breathing or sleeping. I said I would, and he signed me out.
Felicity and I gathered up my clothes and medicine, then she escorted me out to her car. I was about to enter when I thought about Jocko. I insisted that we go back in, so that I could see how he was doing. She led me back in, and we went to the desk to find Jocko’s room.
We got there, it wasn’t far from my room, and he had the same nurse I had had, so there was no problem getting in. Upon entering, I saw Bitsy, and a person I took to be her mother. They sure looked like mother and daughter. Introductions confirmed this to be the case. Jocko was asleep, some bandages around his face and hands, plus he seemed to be suffering hair loss as well. That same, cloying burnt smell hung in the room. Bitsy said that he was mostly sleeping, but that he would be OK in a day or so, and that I might as well go home. I told her that I’d return tomorrow and to tell him I was glad he was OK. She said, “After, I can never repay you, and I did find out that he was working undercover. I know he’ll tell you all about it when he’s able to. Don’t worry, we will all be all right.” She and her mother both gave me hugs, and Bitsy hugged Felicity as well, inviting us both to dinner when Jocko got home. We agreed to come soon, then left. I felt a lot better and was ready to get back to life.
We got into Felicity’s car, and she asked if I felt up to a detour.
I said sure, and we drove up to Pastor James’ church. The sign proudly proclaimed ‘Our Holy Mother of the True Rock’, and had the upcoming services listed. I looked questioningly at Felicity, and she motioned for me to get out and follow her. I got out and we went in.
“Pastor James has the keys to mom’s house. I called him this morning and asked if he thought it was OK if I moved in for a bit.
He said that there was no will, but that it ought to be all right until the lawyers got involved. So, we’re here to get the keys.”
“Great!” I said. “I’d much rather you were there than that little apartment.” She took me by the arm and we found Pastor James’ office. He rose from behind his desk as we entered and beamed at us.
“I see the hero of the hour is up and about.” He smiled, shaking my hand. “I don’t feel like a hero, but I am glad to be on the mend,” I said.
He chatted a bit about the house and its general condition. He said that church members had cleaned it up a bit, and thrown away most of the perishable items, but that the power and water were still on. He also said he’d be by in the next day or so, and that a lawyer for the church would come by and offer Felicity some advice on her next moves.
Felicity said, “The house means nothing to me, I barely knew mom, but I’ll try to do right by her. Maybe the church can get the house and sell it, or something.”
Pastor James said, “That would be wonderful, and we’ll work towards that, but your brother has a claim as well.”
None of us had anything else to say about that point, so we said our good-byes and went on our way.
We drove up to a smallish, but clean house, nestled between two very similar homes, a tribute to tract housing. It was wood frame, one story, but had a chimney. It was better than I had thought it would be.
We used the key and entered. It was clean, the furniture old, but well cared for. There were bright curtains on the windows and throw rugs of all colors throughout. The kitchen was fairly modern, but the bathroom wasn’t. Felicity remarked that the kitchen had been upgraded since she had lived here. There were two bedrooms.
Felicity had shared one with her mother and Felix had used the other one. I entered Felix’s room, and saw that there was only a bed and a dresser there. It hadn’t been used for much since he left home.
I opened a dresser drawer and found a few photos and some handkerchiefs in it. The other drawers were empty. I went back to the first drawer and took everything out and gave everything a quick look. Felicity came in and watched. I told her that I had found nothing so far. I pulled the drawer out and looked at the bottom of it. Nothing to find there. Felicity followed suit, and we hit pay dirt on the third drawer. There was a key taped to the bottom of it. The tape was clean and clear, not yet yellowed and cracked with age.
The key had 3 numbers on it, and the words ‘Baltimore Station #2’.
I smiled and told Felicity that we might have something here. We would have to see if the Lieutenant would let us out of town in the next day or so.
A quick tour of the rest of the house turned nothing up. We found an old photo album and looked at a few pictures of Felicity and Felix as they grew up. Felicity disappeared from the album after a bit, but I was able to get a good idea of what Felix now looked like. I asked Felicity for a particularly clear picture of him, and she pulled it out and gave it to me. I thought that we might need it on our probable trip to Baltimore.
We made sure that all of the utilities were properly turned on in the house, and then Felicity said that we ought to get me back home.
Mother had told her to come for supper when she went to get my clothes, and she knew that Mother would be glad to see me again and know that I was safe.
We locked up the house and drove back to Mother’s. It was about an hour before supper, so we waved at Mother as we entered, receiving a smile in return. We went up to my room, where Felicity put more salve on my burns, then she busied herself rearranging my room while I just plopped down on my bed and took a quick nap.
I awoke to find no one in the room. I went to the door and heard voices downstairs. There were at least three female voices, and they were laughing, so I assumed none of them belonged to Gloria. I went to the bathroom, made myself as presentable as I could and went downstairs.
The now regular throng were entrenched at Mother’s large dining room table. Hal, James and Beulah were in their usual spots, and I nodded at all of them. Paul was sitting with a smug look on his face, but Mother and Felicity weren’t in the room. I heard them laughing and talking in the kitchen, so I knew they’d be in shortly.
I sat down, and fielded a few questions about my adventure the night before. Paul wanted to know if he could interview me later, as he was going to see if the paper would let him do a story or two. I said that would be fine, not expecting any sort of follow through.
The ladies appeared about then, bringing in the dishes. Mother was first, followed by Felicity, and finally by a dark haired beauty that I took to be a relative of Mother’s, as she had the same coloring.
There was no other reason for her to be here that I could see. She was tall, maybe 5’ 10”, long brown hair, dark eyes, and the kind of body you see on swimsuit calendars. I was impressed, and she must have noticed, as she paused to take me in. I tried to close my obviously open mouth, and I tried to take my eyes off of her. She could only be 19 or 20 years old, but wow! I received a light rap to the back of my head, and turned to see Felicity glaring at me, but then she broke into a smile. “Isn’t Niki gorgeous? She has that effect on everybody.”
I nodded, then determined that I would no longer even glance at her, as I knew there would be hell to pay if I did. I looked at Niki, and asked, “Where are you from, are you visiting Mother?”
“No,” she replied in a girlish giggle. “I am here because Paul and I are dating, he thought I should meet all of you.”
“You’re the switchboard girl?” I asked, astounded.
“Yes,” she replied and began filing one of her very long fingernails.
She then sat down next to the smug looking Paul, and proceeded to wrap her arm in his, forgetting instantly that I ever existed.
I determined right then and there, not to look at her again.
Felicity sat next to me, and put her mouth next to my ear, whispering, “She’s a man killer, watch out for Paul.”
I stole another look at Niki, and she caught it, winking at me.
My bowels turned to water, as I determined not to look at her again.
The food was great! Meatballs in red sauce, obviously steeped in wine. There were fresh peas and corn on the cob. Tossed salad with lots of new stuff in it. I knew that there were bamboo shoots and maybe some other Chinese things, but I tried it anyway, and found it to be delicious. There were Mother’s homemade noodles, as well as potato soup. I didn’t look at Niki for the next five minutes, well OK, maybe every 30 seconds or so, but I didn’t linger, well, not more than a few times. She obviously had Paul under her spell, and for once, Hal wasn’t hanging on every word Felicity was saying.
James was the only male that seemed immune. He ate seconds, excused himself and declined Mother’s invitation for dessert. That was a mistake for him, but my gain. He raced up to his room, reappearing in seconds with his bike riding gear on, and tore out the door. Moments later, he could be seen pedaling up the street on his ten speed.
Talk at the table centered on what Paul and Niki were up to, which appeared to be nothing more than watching videos at her house. Poor guy, how was he going to stimulate his mind? Dessert was fantabulous. It was butterscotch meringue pie, and I did not hesitate to take James’ piece as well. I had been working hard saving the world, and I felt entitled. Mother just grinned at me. I looked at Felicity a bit more as I was beginning to realize what an absolute airhead Niki was. All she could talk about were her nails, her hair and vague references to rock groups that all sounded like cuss words.
Paul was in too deep; he’d never surface. I figured the nose job for next week, and the eyes next month at the latest.
Niki even suggested that I do something about my hair, but was cut short by Felicity, who said that I was fine just as I was. I determined to not look at Niki again.
After supper, Hal and Beulah went their separate ways, while Felicity and Niki helped clear the table. Niki leaned over me and picked up my plates, brushing me with her breasts, and overpowering me with her perfume. She lingered just a bit, and I was beginning to get a little faint. Felicity came to the rescue, and took my elbow, guiding me out the front door, onto the porch.
“You looked like you needed some fresh air,” she said.
“No, I just needed to breathe, I’d forgotten how to there for a minute.”
She gave me a mock glower, then laughed, “You’d be a terrible poker player.” “As a matter of fact, I am a great poker player,” I avowed.
“Let’s go back to mom’s then, and I’ll take you on in strip poker,” she offered.
I had to sit down on the porch swing, as my knees were weak.
Felicity laughed and sat next to me and we spent an hour or so just swinging and relaxing, not saying much at all. A bit later, Paul and Niki strolled out of the house, hand in hand, and went up the street.
I looked questioningly at Felicity, and she told me that Niki lived a few blocks away. “Poor Paul,” I muttered as I watched Niki’s hips sway away up the sidewalk. “I am sure he is suffering,” Felicity purred.
A few minutes later, Mother joined us with lemonade, and she and Felicity started talking girl talk. I listened for a bit, but realized that I was getting sleepier and sleepier. Felicity noted this after a bit, and suggested that I go to bed, as I had been a busy boy and needed to get caught up on my rest. I hugged her and Mother, then excused myself and went upstairs to my room, where I removed my clothes, put a bit of salve on my face, and sank into a deep, quiet sleep, not even awakened by the sun and the cheerful birds in the morning.
I finally woke about 8:30, and decided to try and make things right with Gloria. Poor kid, it wasn’t her fault that Felicity had shown up at Roy’s on Saturday night. I grabbed some jeans and a tee shirt, and went down to the phone. I looked up the number of the doughnut shop and called it. A man answered the phone, and I asked if Gloria was working. He said ‘Yes’ and asked if I wished to speak with her. I told him that I’d be right down. I raced up to my room, put on socks and shoes and went out the door, up the street and on my way to the doughnut shop.
I arrived a few minutes later, and walked up to the counter.
Gloria turned to wait on me, then noticed who I was. She turned red and started to walk away, then did a double take and noticed my burns and lack of hair.
She ran out from behind the counter and asked me, “What happened to you?” She led me to a seat, and squirmed in beside me.
I told her the short version and she was an enraptured audience.
I then apologized for Saturday night, telling her that I was sorry we didn’t do the movie, and that I was also sorry that Felicity had shown up so unexpectedly. I hadn’t meant any harm or anything. I also told her that I’d tried to call her. She was appeased and apologized for assuming too much. We were smiling and laughing again. I took the plunge and asked if she’d like to see a movie this following weekend, and she said she’d think about it. She wrote her phone number on a napkin and gave it to me, telling me to call her on Friday. I said I would, and followed her back to the counter, where I got a glazed doughnut and small orange juice to go. She waved as I left and I felt a lot better.
My next stop was the hospital, where I was planning on getting the story from Jocko, if he was able to talk. I entered the front door, where a nurse met me. She took one look at me and told me that Admitting was around the corner. I bristled at the suggestion that I might look bad enough to be admitted, but smiled at her in spite of my attitude, and said that I was actually here to see how my friend was doing. I made my way around her, and she let me by, not entirely sure that I was telling the truth. I found my way to the elevator and went up to the second floor, where Jocko’s room was. I walked down the hallway, where I met my friendly nurse. She asked how I was doing, and I told her I was much better. She gave me a sunny smile and pointed to Jocko’s room.
“He’s a lot better today,” she offered, “I think he’ll go home tomorrow.” That was good news, and I waved at her as I entered his room.
There were flowers everywhere. Bitsy and her mother were nowhere to be found, but Jocko was propped up in bed, watching the television.
He didn’t seem to notice me, so I rapped lightly on his door, and he turned to me. He grinned when he saw me, and motioned me in.
“Hi After!” he said. “I sure don’t have any idea how to thank you, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you returning me to my family!”
I sat down next to his bed. He looked the worse for wear. His e