Small crimes

Chapter 19

A-police siren blasted in my ear. As I jerked awake, I found myself in freefall. I flung my arms out and grabbed whatever I could for dear life. Slowly, I got my sense of equilibrium back and realized I wasn't falling. It was pitch black, my heart beating a mile a minute, and all I knew was I was flat on my back. Then I remembered. The police siren droning away was only the alarm clock next to me. It all came back then and I remembered my plan, what I was going to do. I lay in bed long enough for the pounding in my chest to slow down. Then I forced myself out of bed. I took a quick shower, dressed in the same clothes I wore the day before, and left the motel.

It wasn't yet five thirty by the time I pulled onto the road. I felt calm as I drove. One way or another it was all going to be over soon. If it worked as I hoped, I'd be heading to Albany by the weekend.

If it didn't, well, if it didn't…

I forced the thought out of my mind. No matter what, after today they'd at least remember me for something other than what I did to Phil.

I got to the TV station by six. I decided that for what I was going to be doing it would be better to have a TV cameraman with me.

When I got to the lobby a security guard stopped me. I gave him my name and told him I wanted the news director. He got on the phone and I sat and waited. I knew they aired an early six thirty news broadcast and someone would be there.

I didn't wait long before a young kid came down to the lobby to see me. He couldn't have been much older than twenty-five. While it was only a few minutes past six in the morning, he already looked disheveled. His shirt sleeves were haphazardly rolled up and his tie was crooked and uneven. He squinted as he moved slowly towards me. At about three feet away he stopped and held out his hand in a quick, jerky motion.

'You're Joe Denton, right?' he asked.

I ignored his hand and nodded. I was tired of the pretense that anyone actually gave a crap. He stood awkwardly for a moment and then pulled his hand back.

'I'm Steven Wolcott,' he said. 'I'm an assistant news director here. I have to admit, I was surprised to get your call. What can I do for you?'

'I have a proposition I'd like to make.'

'Sure.'

'Can we go to your office and talk about it?'

'I'm sorry, yes, of course. Let's go upstairs.'

I followed him to the elevator. After we got in it, he let out a nervous laugh. He told me there'd been some talk about trying to get me in for an interview.

'You know,' he added, 'ask you questions about what's it like to be out of jail, how people are treating you, whether you have any remorse, stuff like that. You know, give you a chance to get your side of the story out.'

I didn't bother answering him. Once he realized I wasn't going to say anything he gave another short nervous laugh. He tried some more small talk and then stood awkwardly the rest of the way up. When the elevator door opened, he stepped out quickly.

I followed him through the office to a small conference room. After I took a seat, he asked whether I'd like some coffee. I told him I would and asked if he had anything to eat. When he came back, he brought me a cup of coffee and three doughnuts on a paper plate.

He took a seat across from me and clasped his hands behind his head, trying to look calm and in charge, but I could see a mix of eagerness and nervousness in his eyes.

'Tell me about your proposition,' he said.

I took a long sip of coffee and then asked him if he ever heard of Manny Vassey.

He thought for a moment and shook his head. 'Sorry, I've never heard of him.'

'You should've.'

'Why's that?'

'Manny's been running a number of criminal enterprises out of Bradley County for years. Bookmaking, loan sharking, extortion, drugs, prostitution – you name it, he's got his hands in it. And though he operates out of Bradley, his businesses go across the state.'

'Really? Jeez, I wonder why I've never heard of him before.'

I shrugged. 'He's a smart man. He pays off the right people and keeps things quiet. Manny's in the hospital now dying of cancer. His psychotic son, Junior, has taken over and is expanding the business. Junior is now manufacturing crystal meth and distributing it through college clubs that he's forcing owners to sell to him.'

He blinked several times, making a face. 'How much of this can you prove?' All of it.'

'Do the police know about this?'

'I don't know about the crystal meth part, but yeah, you got guys on the Bradley police force and in the sheriff s office who know what Manny's been up to. Too many of them are on his payroll to do anything about it.'

I couldn't read from his expression whether he believed me. He could've either been dumbfounded by the whole thing or thought I was nuts, or maybe that I was trying to use them for some private vendetta.

'So what's your proposition?' he asked. 'Do you want to be interviewed on the air about this?'

I shook my head. I want to take a cameraman and reporter out with me and show them Vassey's operations in the works. Where his bookmaking and loan sharking operations are headquartered, his crystal meth lab, show his clubs in the act of distributing it, all of it. And I want it shown tonight on your ten o'clock news.'

'Wow. I don't know if we could do something like that-'

'I want a decision now. Otherwise I'm taking this to one of the Boston stations.'

He looked rattled. 'I can't make this type of decision,' he said. 'The news director will have to agree to this.'

'Let's talk to him, then.'

'Her. Eileen Bracket. And she doesn't get in until eleven.’

‘Call her up.'

'I can't do that. I'd be waking her up. Eileen doesn't leave here until midnight every night.'

I started to stand. He held his hand out to stop me.

'Wait, okay?' he asked. He bit o» his lip as he tried to make a decision. 'I'll call her from my office. Just wait here, okay?'

He left the room in a hurry. While waiting, I ate one of the doughnuts and finished my coffee. Then I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. The next few hours were going to be critical. I had to break Junior's operations wide open for what I had in mind to work.

It didn't take long for the kid, Wolcott, to come back. As he took a seat across from me, he looked more harried than disheveled. He tossed a pad of paper in front of him and tapped his pen nervously against the edge of the table.

'Eileen's on her way,' he said. 'It's probably going to take her forty-five minutes to get here. In the meantime, I need some background information.'

'Go ahead.'

'How long have you known about this?’

‘A long time.'

'Can you please be more specific. '

‘Maybe fifteen years.'

And you said that other police and sheriff s officers are being paid to ignore Mr. Vassey's illegal businesses?’

‘Yes.'

'Could you give me their names?'

'No.' I shook my head. 'You can investigate this yourself later and figure out who's on Manny's payroll.’

‘You can't give us any names?'

'No. I'm going to help you expose Junior's operation, but that's all. There is police corruption involved, but you're going to have to discover that yourself.'

'What about the sheriff of Bradley County?'

I hesitated for a second as I tried to decide whether that was a lucky guess or if it was common knowledge that Dan was crooked. I shook my head. 'I'm not ratting any police officers. At least not directly.'

He made a face as if he wanted to argue with me, but it passed. 'Okay,' he said. 'Let's move on. Where are you going to be taking our people today?'

'What do you mean?'

'I need the location of this crystal meth lab, you know, and the other places.'

'If I give you that you won't need me.'

"That's not why I'm asking for it. We want to do our own checking on these locations. We're going to need to do this if we're going to put a story out by ten tonight.'

'Sorry. You'll know the locations when I take your people to them.'

He swallowed back what he wanted to say and then gave kind of a whimsical smile. "There's not much point to this, is there?' he asked.

'Doesn't seem to be.'

‘

‘Why don't I leave you alone, then, until Eileen comes.'

'Sure. I could also use another cup of coffee.'

He was shaking his head when he left the room, but he brought me back a fresh cup. I didn't wait alone for too long before Eileen Bracket showed up, probably no more than twenty minutes. She was about fifty, thin, with a hawk nose and sharp angles all around. She must've rushed over – her hair was still damp from a shower and she had no makeup on, making her thin angular face appear drab and bloodless. As I looked at her, I couldn't help noticing that she had the palest blue eyes I'd ever seen.

Wolcott introduced her to me. Shaking her hand was like holding a cold piece of bone. She took a seat across from me and Wolcott pulled up a chair next to her.

'Steven filled me in on your proposal,' she said. I have one question, Mr. Denton – why?'

'What do you mean?'

'Why do you want to do this?'

'Because I was a lousy cop,' I said. 'I want to make amends for all the years I let people down.' "That's bullshit.'

'Not completely,' I said. 'Maybe that's not the whole reason, but it's a good part of it.'

Her lips almost disappeared as they pulled into a thin smile.

She asked, 'What are you really after – hurting Vassey or some of your fellow cops?'

'Neither. And I don't have any fellow cops anymore. I haven't had any for almost eight years.'

'Does this have anything to with the fact that you've obviously been beaten up recently?'

I shook my head. Absolutely nothing at all to do with that. And I wasn't beaten up. All that happened was I walked into a tree. At least, that's my story.'

That made her lips pull up a little higher. As she smiled, I couldn't help noticing how pointy her canines were.

'Can I call you Joe?' she asked.

'Sure.'

'What's the urgency, Joe? Why does this have to be broadcast tonight?'

'Does it matter? I'm handing you the story of the year for your station. And you'll end up having dozens more breaking from this one.'

'It matters. I don't like being used,' she said.

'Everything I've said about Vassey and his son is true. So do you want this or not?'

For a moment I thought she was going to tell me to go screw myself, and I think she surprised herself even more that she didn't. Instead, her smile faded from her face, and she nodded slowly. I guess she wanted the story more than the satisfaction of telling me what I could do with myself.

'If you're lying about any of this, I'm going to make your life a living hell,' she said.

All I could think was, you and everyone else. Instead I simply shrugged. 'I'm not lying about any of this.'

She turned to Wolcott. 'Steven,' she told him, 'go tell Tina and Eric we have an assignment for them.'

Wolcott nodded, got up and left the room. As she turned back to me, she showed me her thin smile again. The skin across her cheeks stretched tight against her face.

'The DA in your county, Phil Coakley, the person you maimed. Tell me about that shooting two days ago.'

'I had nothing to do with that.'

Her smile stretched tighter. "That's not what I asked.'

'I also have nothing to say about that,' I said.

She sat silently, her thin smile pulling tighter as her pale blue eyes stared at me. I couldn't imagine her skin stretched any tighter without it ripping. I met her stare for a while and then got tired of the whole thing.

'Look,' I said. 'I'm going to need some paperwork guaranteeing that if what I tell you pans out you're going to air the story tonight.'

'You'll get the paperwork before you leave.'

The door opened and Wolcott walked in, bringing with him a pretty blonde and a tall skinny kid with a scraggly goatee and a matching ponytail. I recognized the blonde from their newscasts. She looked younger in person, probably no older than early twenties. Eileen Bracket addressed the two of them, telling them who I was and what they'd be doing with me. The blonde was named Tina Hodges and she forced a smile as she held out a hand to me. The skinny kid with the ponytail, Eric, was going to be our cameraman. He kept his distance from me.

It took an hour before I was able to get the paperwork that I wanted, and another forty minutes after that before we got underway. We drove in one of the news vans with Eric behind the wheel and me next to him giving directions. Other than my pointing out where to drive nobody said a word during most of the trip. At one point near the end, Eric asked how I broke my nose. When I didn't answer him he shut up for good. Tina Hodges didn't make a peep from the back seat during the ride.

We arrived at the old tannery a little after ten thirty. This time there were five cars parked alongside it. I directed Eric toward* the two dumpsters on the other side of the building. When we got there, we pulled up next to them and parked. I opened both dumpsters and read off the labels of some of the containers.

'All the ingredients for crystal meth,' I said.

Eric took his camera out and started shooting video of what was inside the dumpsters.

"This is so unbelievably brazen,' he muttered. 'Just throwing the stuff out where anyone can get to it.'

I said, After fifteen years of doing whatever you want without any fear of the police, you get sloppy. Ready for what's next?'

'We're just going to walk right in there?'

'That's right.'

And you don't think this is dangerous?' Tina asked, speaking for the first time. Her face paler than before and not quite as pretty as when I had first seen her. 'I don't think so, but we'll see.'

I was pretty sure Junior wasn't going to have any muscle around. Why would he? After over fifteen years of being left alone, why bother? Of course, anything was possible, but I didn't expect to see any of his goons. We got back in the van and drove to the front. I got out first and checked the main door and almost broke put laughing when I found it unlocked. I signaled for the other two to join me.

I opened the door and led the way. I'd been in there before and knew where the gambling operations were. I turned and could see Eric sweating as he carried his camera. Tina looked more distant and scared with each step.

The hallway we were in was lit by a single bulb. I took us down it to the outside of the room where the operations used to be run from. I put my ear against the door and listened. After less than a minute I heard a phone ringing, and then someone talking. I checked the door. It was unlocked. I nodded to Tina and Eric and then opened the door and walked in.

I knew with football season underway things would be in full swing. In the middle of the room were several chalkboards with spreads written on them. To the right, sitting behind a long table, were three guys. They all had computers and phones in front of them. Each of them was staring at us with total bewilderment. One of them was on the phone and I could see his mouth drop as he gawked at us.

'What the hell's this!' one of them yelled. I recognized him from years ago. I couldn't place his name but I knew he'd worked for Manny from almost the beginning. He had always been this fat greasy slob with badly pockmarked skin. Now he was fatter, greasier, and with worse skin. He got up and started towards us. The other two were trying to hide from the camera.

'What the hell all of you doing here?' he demanded. He was moving quickly, heading towards Tina with a clenched fist. I intercepted him, spinning him around and pushing him to the floor. He made kind of an oomph sound as he hit the deck.

'You assholes are in trouble,' he hissed as he lay on the floor. 'Big trouble! Just wait 'til I tell-'

I stepped down on the back of his neck. He let out a high-pitched yelp and then shut up.

Eric took video of the chalkboards and moved to the two guys who were now trying to hide behind their chairs. Tina stood frozen as she stared at me while I pressed my foot down on the slob's neck. He squirmed red-faced on the floor as I put more pressure on him.

'Are you going to just stand there,' I asked, 'or are you going to do your job?'

'What are you doing to that man?' she asked, horrified. 'Don't worry, he'll be fine. Come on, we don't have all day.'

She shook herself out of whatever stupor she had fallen Into and moved so she was standing next to the chalkboards. She was still shaking, but Eric took video of her as she pointed out the football spreads and the computers and phones on the long table. He followed her as she moved over to the two jokers who were still trying to hide themselves.

'Are you under the employ of Manny Vassey Jr.?' she asked both of them.

Neither of them said a word. They just looked like idiots as they tried to squeeze themselves behind their chairs and out of sight of the camera.

'Are you taking gambling bets?' she asked.

'Get the hell out of here and leave us alone,' one of them moaned.

We had taken enough time. I wanted to get to the crystal meth lab while we still could. From where the dumpsters were located I had a pretty good idea where it was. I went across the room and checked a door there and found it unlocked also. It was so damn careless of them. I swung the door open, and sure enough the lab was right there in plain sight. Two kids were working in it. My guess was they were both probably chemistry majors in college. They looked annoyed when I walked in, and then both went wide-eyed when Eric trailed behind with his camera. Tina squeezed past Eric. She had more color in her face now.

'Who are you guys?' one of the kids muttered.

'We're with WVRT news,' Tina announced as she held out her microphone in their direction. She moved towards them so Eric could take video of her sticking her microphone inches from their faces. Are you manufacturing crystal meth here?'

'Yeah,' one of the kids answered. He looked shell-shocked. I guess it hadn't quite dawned on him what was happening until it was too late. When it did hit him, I could see the color bleed out of his face. H^e turned his back to the camera, trying to shield himself from view. His friend was already covering his face with his shirt.

'Are you working for Manny Vassey Jr.?' Tina asked.

'Leave me alone,' he begged.

'Can you please answer my question?'

He didn't move or say a word.

I looked out the door and could see one of the guys talking frantically on the phone. I grabbed Tina by the arm. 'Let's get out of here,' I said. 'I'd like to ask them more questions,’

‘We better get out now.'

She was going to argue with me, but I swung her towards the door and something about the look on my face told her she'd better listen. Eric followed, muttering to himself how unbelievable the whole thing was.

The slob had picked himself off the floor and was standing off to the side, glowering at us as we passed by. I should've paid him more attention. All of a sudden I heard Eric yell out. I turned and saw the slob trying to wrestle the camera away from him. I moved fast, got behind the slob, and pushed my foot hard into the back of his knee, and at the same time dug my forearm into his throat and twisted my body. His face turned purple and he let go of the camera so he could claw frantically at my arm. I let go of him and he tumbled to the floor, gasping for air.

All three of us got out of there then, with me trailing behind to make sure none of the jokers we^1 were leaving tried any more tricks. By the time we got outside both Tina and Eric were giggling, more from nerves than anything else.

I got behind the wheel this time and told Eric I'd drive. He didn't seem to mind. He was still shaking from the adrenalin rush of the last few minutes.

'That was, what can I say, fucking unbelievable,' he said, his body still shaking. 'It sure beats shooting video of foliage or a moose wandering around downtown Burlington. Damn, I felt like a real newsman in there.'

'I thought I was going to puke,' Tina volunteered.

'So, chief,' Eric asked, 'where next?'

I checked the clock on the dashboard. Kelley's would be just opening, but I wanted to wait until after their lunch crowd. I also didn't want to hang around Bradley any more than I had to. I had a feeling that Junior and his goons would be looking for us.

'Why don't we head back to your station? We can drop off the video, grab some lunch, and then head out again.'

I could see he was disappointed. He was still caught up in the rush of the moment, but he saw the sense in what I was saying and didn't argue. The ride back to Burlington seemed shorter. I guess we were all caught up in our own thoughts. I kept playing back in my mind Tina announcing the station call letters when we busted in on the crystal meth lab. It made me a little sick thinking about it. Even though the call letters were in big bold print on the camera, most likely none of them had the presence of mind to notice it. I couldn't see any good coming from giving Junior that information. The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. All I could hope for was that he was in the middle of eating something like a sausage sub when he heard the news, and that it made him choke on it.

When we got back to the station Eileen was waiting for us. She looked tense when she asked Eric how things went. He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"This guy was unbelievable,' he said. 'You should've seen him in action. God damn, it was something.'

'His information panned out?' she asked, her eyebrows rising in both relief and surprise.

'Oh yeah, I'd say so. Let me show you what I got.'

I took a seat while the three of them crowded around a video monitor. A few other people in the office joined them. When they were done, Eileen walked over to me. 'So far so good,' she said.

I shrugged. 'Have you heard from anyone about this?’

‘No. Will I?'

'I don't know. Your reporter yelled out your station's call letters while we were there. I wish she hadn't done that.'

'You think Vassey will come here guns a-blazin'?' she asked, her lips curving into another thin smile. I didn't bother saying anything.

'I heard things got rough in there,' she said.

'Not really.'

'Not really? I understand you almost choked a man to death.'

I made a face while I shook my head. I think your people got a little too excited. All I did was disable one of Vassey's boys while he was trying to wrestle the video camera away from your cameraman. He was fine when I left him.'

'I'm thinking we have enough for tonight's story.'

She was smiling, staring at me with her pale, almost translucent blue eyes, but she flinched as I stared back. Her smile weakened as she looked away.

"The story's only half done,' I said.

'I think we have enough.'

'We did the hard part. The rest is easy.'

She didn't say anything.

'I know this is Vermont. I know you're comfortable doing mostly stories about leaves changing color, but you are a news station, right?'

She met my stare again, smiling just enough to show her canines. 'That's right. I remember eight years ago doing dozens of stories about a dirty cop who tried to stab a district attorney to death.'

'Then why not finish this story?'

Indecision weakened her. 'We should get the police involved,' she said.

'We won't have a story if we do that.'

'I don't want to put my people in danger.'

'You won't. There'll be plenty of bystanders where we're going next. Nothing's going to happen there. I promise you that. We'll be in and out in five minutes.'

Eric and Tina had wandered over. Eric, grinning widely, asked, 'Are we ready to rock and roll?'

Eileen halfheartedly nodded. Thin lines of worry creased her brow. She turned towards the two of them. 'Be careful, okay?' she asked.

'Don't worry about us,' Eric said, laughing. 'We got a killer here to protect us.'

When we left, I suggested we use one of their cars instead of the van, and Eric volunteered his Honda. First thing we did was drive a couple of blocks to a sandwich shop and have lunch with the station picking up the bill. Then we headed back towards Bradley. _

I was a little worried about running into Junior. I had no idea what he'd do if he saw us. The only thing I knew for sure was I wouldn't put anything past him. I felt some relief knowing he'd be looking for either my Mustang or the van. I also knew he'd never expect us to head to Kelley's. Still, my nerves were on edge. I tried to keep it to myself. I joked around and tried to appear at ease. The last thing I needed were for the two kids with me to start panicking.

It was forty minutes past one by the time we pulled into the parking lot at Kelley's. A skinhead type with tattoos all along his neck and the side of his face covered the front door. He did kind of a double-take when he saw us, not quite believing what he was seeing.

As I got closer he moved to block me. I turned him aside with some effort and whispered in his ear, "This isn't worth getting your skull cracked open for, is it?'

He looked at the camera and then back at me, and I guess he decided it wasn't. He stepped aside and let us pass.

The place had maybe a dozen customers in it. Earl was behind the bar, and when he spotted me he pulled out a cell phone and made a call. His eyes were focused on me as he talked on the phone. I don't think he noticed Tina or Eric until they were well into the club. His head tilted to the side as he tried to comprehend what they were doing there.

I moved quickly through the room, leading Tina and Eric towards the back area. With some luck one of the private rooms would be in use. I nudged Eric and pointed out the dancer on stage. She was completely naked and was staring at us. She seemed disoriented, not quite sure whether to keep dancing or to get off the stage.

'Get a shot of her,' I told him. 'Vermont's a topless-only state. That's one violation so far.'

Eric stopped to shoot some video and then we kept moving.

When we got past the curtains, I started trying the doors. The third one I tried was locked. The doors were flimsy and were meant only for privacy. I doubted Earl ever expected anyone to try breaking one down. I used my shoulder and the door flew open on the first try. A middle-aged man was sitting on the carpeted bench with his pants down to his ankles while a thin dark brunette straddled him as she* bounced up and down. I had seen her dancing Saturday night. I remembered her name was Cindy. She started to yell at us and then froze in mid-bounce when she saw the camera and realized what was going on.

Tina moved quickly, sticking a microphone in the brunette's face as Eric shot video of it. She asked, 'You're performing sex acts for money here, is that right?'

The brunette slid off the guy and tried to cover herself. The guy on the bench looked like he was going to have a heart attack,

I pointed out to Tina a small container and a cocaine spoon next to him on the bench.

'What's that?' she asked me.

'Cocaine.'

Then, to the brunette, she said, 'Where did you get the cocaine from?'

'I'm not saying anything,' the brunette muttered as she scrambled to get back into a pair of hot pants.

Tina turned to the guy lying prone in front of us. 'How much did you pay for these sex acts? And how much for the cocaine?'

He rolled over on his side and tried to hide his face. 'Leave me out of this, please. I have a wife, for God's sake:'

I heard some noise from behind. I grabbed Tina. She tried to shake me off, but I got her turned around and heading towards the curtains. Eric followed behind us.

'I had more questions,' she started to complain, and then she saw Earl moving towards us with a baseball bat.

'I don't know what you thought you were going to do here, Joe, but you're fucking nuts,' he said.

'We're leaving,' I said. 'Just get out of our way.'

'No, I don't think so.' I could see that vein on his neck beating like crazy and his eyes shining with murder. 'Your two friends here ain't going anywhere with that camera, and you're not going anywhere period.'

'We don't want any trouble, Earl.'

He laughed at that. 'You got a sense of humor, Joe, I'll give you that.' Then he brought the bat back so he could knock the camera – and maybe Eric's head along with it – across the room. I dove for his knees trying to tackle him. Hitting him was like hitting a concrete block, but I knocked him back a few feet. He was able to stay on his feet but he swung off balance and missed Eric by a foot.

'Fucking asshole,' he swore. I was scrambling to get to my feet when he whacked me across the shoulders with the bat. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he swung with one hand and was off balance, but it still hurt like hell and dropped me back to my knees. He stepped forward and kicked me hard in the ribs, knocking me back on the floor. He brought his foot back for another kick, but before he could deliver it there was a dull thud and then a glass crashing next to me.

I looked up and saw that Earl had his hand up to his eye as blood seeped through his fingers. His face was beet red when he turned towards Tina, an open gash along the side of his eye. He glared at her for only a second before turning back to me, but it was all the time I needed. I grabbed a piece of the broken glass and drove upward with it, driving it between his legs. He screamed and reached down, but I knocked his hand away and kept pushing upward. Blood was getting all over my hand. I wasn't sure whether it was his or mine, but I kept shoving the broken glass into him. He fell over. I let go then and watched as he writhed on the floor, moaning and grabbing at his wound. Then I got to my feet.

I looked around. The girl who had been dancing onstage was standing naked, looking on in horror. All at once she put her hands to her face and started screaming. Milling around were all the club patrons, staring at us, trying to decide what to do. Tina looked like she was in shock. Eric was next to her, shaking his head as he muttered to himself; how unbelievably incredible the whole thing was. I grabbed Tina by the arm. 'Let's get out of here,' I told her. She didn't seem capable of anything, but once I started dragging her, her legs moved on their own. One of the patrons, a heavyset bearded guy in a flannel shirt and overalls, tried to stop me. I shoved an open palm into his chin and he staggered back. After that no one else tried anything. My side hurt like hell. I figured Earl cracked one of my ribs, but

I kept moving and dragging Tina with me. By the time Tina and I reached the exit Eric came to life and sprinted after us. As we got out of there I could still hear the dancer screaming her head off.

'We better get moving,' I told Eric. He fumbled for his car keys and dropped them a couple of times before he got the door opened. He was shaking like a leaf.

'Holy shit,' he said. 'Damn. I wish I had taken video of that.'

My hand stung. I looked down and realized I had more than just Earl's blood on me. My hand had been sliced open by the broken glass. I took my shirt off and wrapped it around the wound.

Are you okay?' Eric asked.

'I sliced my hand with the glass. I'm going to need stitches.'

'There's a hospital in Bradley,' he said. 'Let me take you to the emergency room.'

'No thanks, just get out of here. You can take me to a hospital in Burlington.'

Tina seemed to wake up from the back seat. 'We should call the police.'

'Uh-uh. Not here we shouldn't,' I said.›

We were still on one of the back roads when I spotted a black Range Rover speeding towards us. I lowered myself and saw Junior's two goons in it. Duane was driving and Jamie was next to him with his head bandaged up. They looked over at us, but neither of them saw me as they passed by. I turned and watched them through the back window. I knew they were racing towards Kelley's. I pretty much guessed Earl had called them when he first saw me.

Are we in danger?' Tina asked. She sounded scared. As I looked at her I noticed how close she was to crying.

'I don't think so,' I said. 'Once this story airs, Junior's history. Don't worry about him.'

When we got to Burlington, we stopped off at the Chapel

Memorial Hospital's emergency room. I got a tetanus shot and sixteen stitches for my hand, which they also bandaged up. I also had my chest X-rayed and found that I had a couple of bruised ribs, nothing broken. After that we stopped off at a department store and Eric ran in and bought me a new polo shirt and a pair of pants. I needed a new pair of pants because I had bled over the pair I was wearing. We then drove back to the station and I changed in the men's room. When I got out, Eileen was waiting for me. Her edges seemed even sharper than before.

'You promised me nothing was going to happen there,' she said in a voice that could cut glass.

'Either of those two get hurt?' I asked.

'Tina's in shock.'

'She's a gutsy kid. She'll be okay. If she hadn't nailed Earl Kelley with that glass I'd probably be dead now.’

‘Damn you, you promised me!'

'Yeah? Why should you've believed anything I said? Look at me. I'm a dirty ex-cop and a paroled felon. If you're going to believe me that's your problem.'

She was livid. 'You sonofabitch.'

'What are you complaining about? You have your story. And it's a good one. I'm the one with the bruised ribs and a sliced hand.'

'You almost killed a man in that club.'

I made a face. 'It was self-defense. He was going to take Eric's head off with that baseball bat if I didn't do anything. And he was going to do a lot worse to me. Anyway, he'll live.'

'You just about castrated him!'

'Look, he was trying to kill me.' I was starting to get annoyed. It was bad enough that my hand throbbed like crazy and that I could barely breathe without a searing pain sucking my breath away, but now I had to listen to this?

'Eileen,' I continued, trying to keep my voice under control, 'just be happy, okay? You got a great story. There was no other way of getting it. If you had gotten the cops in Bradley involved you would've been shut down from the start. Let's just finish this up and show that college club distributing crystal meth.'

'We're done. I'm not sending you out with any of my people again.'

It was pretty much what I had expected. It didn't matter, though. I had thought the matter out when were driving back from Bradley.

'You don't need me for this last part,' I said. 'The club is the Blue Horn in Eastfield. Get the state police involved if you want. Have one of your interns or someone young go there tonight and buy crystal meth, and then send the police and Eric in. It will work fine.'

She wanted to argue with me. I could see it in her eyes, but there was nothing to argue about.

'You're still going to interview me on the air tonight, right?' I asked.

'I'm going to have to. I can't find any other link between Manny Vassey, his son, and that old tannery you broke into.’

‘What do you mean?'

'I checked at the Registry of Deeds and that property is owned by a June Hathaway.’

‘I never heard of her.'

'You wouldn't have. She died in seventy-two.'

'So Vassey has a bogus owner on the deed. So what? Someone's been paying the water and power bills there. And buying supplies. And paying for the rubbish removal. You'll find a link if you dig around.'

'I hope so.'

'You'll find one,' I said. Anyway, someone's going to talk. If not one of the guys we caught on video then one of the cops on Manny's payroll. Someone's going to roll over on him to protect themselves. You'll tie Manny and Junior up in this.'

'We'll see. But we will need you to talk about what you know on the air tonight. In the meantime, the Registry of Deeds is open for another half-hour. It's probably a waste of time, but I'll send one of my people over to find out what name is on the Blue Horn's deed.'

She wavered a moment before leaving. I could see the uncertainty creeping into her eyes and then spreading and dulling her hard edges. I could almost hear the thoughts running through her. What if I was lying about Manny and Junior's involvement? All she had at the moment was my word on it.

I should've been expecting something like that. It shouldn't have come as any surprise. I don't know. Maybe I was too distracted by the pain ripping into my side and the raw throbbing in my hand, and maybe that was keeping me from thinking clearly, but I couldn't help worrying. My plan was to bust Junior's gambling and drug operations wide open and make it political suicide for Phil to strike any deal protecting him. I knew that given enough time Manny and Junior would be tied to what was going on in that tannery and their other businesses. For now it would have to be my word against theirs.

I hung around the station. Around six Eileen found me and told me what I was expecting – that according to the deed the Blue Horn had been sold three months ago to June Hathaway. She had the name of the previous owner and she was going to try to track him down and see whether he was willing to make a statement. At a quarter past seven Tina found me and asked whether I wanted to join her for dinner. My stomach felt as if it were in knots, but I needed something to kill the time so I went with her.

We ended up going to a steakhouse about a mile from the station. Tina ordered a sirloin and I stuck with a salad and cream of mushroom soup. It was about all I felt I could handle.

She was trying to smile at me, but concern was wrecking it.

'How are you feeling?' she asked.

'I'll be okay,' I said. 'No serious damage done at least.'

'That was really amazing in there,' she said. 'I thought that bartender was going to kill all of us.'

'He gave it his best shot. I guess it just wasn't good enough.' I paused for a moment to take a bite of my salad and to look at Tina. She was very pretty, there was no arguing about that, but it was the way she was looking at me that got to me. Maybe years ago when I was quarterbacking my high school football team, Elaine might have looked at me like that, but probably not even then. I don't think any woman, or really anyone, had ever looked at me with the admiration with which Tina did at that moment. It choked me up a bit.

'You were really amazing in there, Joe.'

'You were pretty damn good yourself.' There was something contagious about her smile, and I couldn't help smiling back. "That was quick thinking on your part. If you hadn't nailed Earl with that glass, I would've been taken out of there in a body bag.'

'I can't believe I did that,' she said, laughing. 'It just happened. I guess it was reflex.'

We ate quietly after that, but it was comfortable quiet. I even realized I had stopped worrying at one point. Near the end, Tina showed me an uneasy smile.

'Joe, I don't know if you've been watching our broadcasts, but for the last couple of weeks we've been hitting you pretty hard.'

'That's okay. I deserve it.'

'I don't know if that's true anymore. What I saw today was incredible. For those things to be going on shows that the whole Bradley police force has to be dirty. It's no wonder you ended up the way you did. But what you did today was amazing. You're going to be single-handedly responsible for cleaning up this whole area.'

'I appreciate that,' I said. 'Not every cop on the Bradley force is dirty. Some are, but not all. I ended up the way I did because of my own mistakes. I have no one to blame.'

The way she looked at me right then almost stopped my heart. s

'Why don't we find someplace we can be alone, Joe?'

I wanted to. God did I want to. But she was almost twenty years younger than me. There was more to it than that. I didn't even know if I had a future past the next few hours. But there was still more. There was Charlotte. I know it's crazy, but I started feeling guilty. As nuts as Charlotte was, I knew that in some bizarre way we were meant for each other. That at some level we understood each other and that we could help each other. As beautiful and sane as Tina was, she didn't have a clue what was inside me.

'Tina,' I said. 'It's eight thirty and we got that news broadcast at ten.'

'We have enough time.'

'I've got to be honest,' I said. I want to more than you could ever imagine, but I'm feeling pretty beat up right now.’

‘I'll be gentle.'

'Why don't we give it a few days and see how we're feeling then?'

That just heated her up more. The desire flushing her face was almost too much for me. I almost weakened. But Jesus, I couldn't do that to her. Instead, I just sat back and looked into her eyes. She showed me a little smile, took a business card from her pocketbook, wrote on the back of it, and handed it to me.

'Don't wait too long, Joe,' she said, showing me probably the nicest smile I'd ever seen. I looked on the back of the card and saw that she had written her home number on it and had drawn a big heart next to it. I put the card away in my wallet.

We finished our dinner and headed back to the station. When we got there, I found out that things had gone as planned at the Blue Horn. One of the interns bought several hits of crystal meth and then the state police raided the place. They got almost forty thousand dollars' worth of drugs in the raid and the station shot video of it all. Eileen had one of her reporters over at the state police headquarters, but it sounded like none of the Blue Horn employees that were rounded up were willing to say who they worked for.

The station was able to condense the video they shot into a ninety-second clip. They opened with Tina reporting the story. After that I was brought on and interviewed live for about three minutes. It went better than I could've expected. Tina acted as if everything I was saying was a proven fact, even though there was nothing yet tying Manny and Junior to any of it.

After the broadcast Eileen came over and offered me her hand.

'I have to admit you did some good work here, Joe,' she said.

I thanked her. As I was getting ready to leave, Tina came over and kissed me on the cheek. When I turned to say something to her, she grabbed me around the neck and kissed me long and hard on the mouth. When we separated her eyes were sparkling.

'Don't wait too long to call me,' she said. I felt a lump in my throat as I watched her walk away.

My head was buzzing as I made my way to my car. I couldn't help thinking of Tina, of the way it felt when she kissed me, of how badly I realized I wanted her. I guess I was too caught up in my thoughts to notice them, at least until it was too late. At the last second I caught sight of Jamie's bandaged head out of the corner of my eye. Then I felt the blow to my damaged ribs. He must've used brass knuckles. The pain from the blow dropped me to my knees and brought hot tears to my eyes. It froze me. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move.

'We've been looking for you all day,' Jamie whispered in my ear. Then I took another shot to the ribs. The pain exploded in me. And then everything went black. I felt a sensation of being picked up and thrown. And then nothing.