Above and Beyond the Call of Friendship
© August 2009
Los Angeles Police Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed were midway through their evening shift and had just come off of dinner break. It was nearly seven-thirty p.m. and the streets were relatively quiet on this particular Wednesday evening. The two friends were enjoying some friendly banter as they kept one ear trained on the radio, lest they should get a call for service.
Pete had just returned to the job earlier in the week after being temporarily blinded in a tanker truck explosion a few weeks prior. It was obvious to him that his partner had missed him terribly, as Jim was talking non-stop about anything and everything.
As they drove down W. Main street, Pete pulled over in front of a red brick apartment building. "Jim, call us out on follow up at 1034 W. Main, Apt. 6. I want to stop by and check on Mindy; she hasn't called since the parole board granted Jake Spradlin parole two days ago. I'm a little worried about her."
"Sure, Pete." Picking up the mic, "1-Adam 12 to Station, show us out on follow-up at 1034 W. Main, Apt. 6. No backup needed at this time."
"1034 W. Main, Apt. 6; 1-Adam 12, roger." Acknowledged the faceless voice on the other end of the microphone.
"You think maybe something's wrong, Pete? I mean if he was just granted parole two days ago, he's probably not even going to actually be released for a week or two."
"Nah, I don't think anything's wrong, Jim…I just want to check up on her. As hard as she tried to hold it together at the hearing, I know that when they gave their decision, she looked ready to break, and she didn't say much when I took her home afterwards."
"He must have really put her through hell, huh?"
Sighing heavily, "Hell isn't the word for it, Jim." Mindy had confided in Pete in confidence and he wasn't about to break that confidence, even to Jim.
Seeing the look on his partners' face, Jim let the subject drop as Pete pulled the squad car over to the curb and they both exited the vehicle.
Climbing the steps to the second floor of the apartment building, Pete and Jim stopped in front of the door bearing the number 6. Pete wrapped gently on the door and both officers were taken by surprise when Mindy yanked the door open at lightening speed, verbally lashing out at them as she did so.
"Listen you little rats…you had better quit knocking on this door and …" Looking at the startled officers, "OH! Pete, Jim….come in. What brings you two over here? Are those kids bothering some of the other neighbors, too?"
"Hey, Mindy. How are you?" Jim asked.
"Fine, Jim; and you?"
"Fine, thanks."
"Bear, what's this about juveniles bothering you?" Pete asked, now fully recovered from the verbal attack.
"Oh…it's nothing…unless they are bothering other people too."
"Who, Mindy?" Pete asked, again.
"The kids that keep knocking on my door and then running away before I get a chance to get to it and answer it. The little varmints are pretty fast, let me tell ya! We've been playing this cat and mouse game for the last hour and I'm starting to get a little tired of it."
"Well, there wasn't anyone in the hall when we came up; maybe they got bored and went home." Jim interjected.
"Or maybe it wasn't kids…." Pete voiced his thoughts out loud. "Mindy, can I use your phone for a minute?"
"Yeah sure, Pete; it's over there." She pointed haphazardly toward the opposite side of the room. His tone and the look of concern on his face had her a little spooked at that point.
Jim and Mindy watched as Pete crossed the room, pausing only briefly to look out of the window before going to the phone. He picked it up and dialed the station. Keeping his voice low, he asked to be connected to the detective bureau and then continued to quietly ask for and receive information.
Mindy raised her eyebrows to Jim, as if to ask what was going on. Jim only shrugged his shoulders, figuring that Pete would explain when he got off of the phone. At this point, even Jim was getting a little concerned. Pete didn't normally leave him out of the loop unless he was concentrating on something that was really dogging at him. He figured whatever it was, Pete would tell all, once he finished his phone conversation.
Apparently Pete had been put on hold because he turned towards his partner and waved at him to come over to the phone. Handing the phone off to Jim, "Listen for Jerry Miller to come on the line; I need to talk to Mindy."
Jim took the phone and stood there with it up to his ear as Pete walked over to Mindy. Taking her by the arm, he guided her over to the sofa and had her sit down. Mindy didn't like the look that she was seeing on Pete's face, and she didn't like the look of dark concern in his eyes.
"What's going on, Pete? Why do I get the feeling that you're holding something back?"
"Mindy, I don't want you answering that door unless you KNOW who's on the other side. You didn't know it was Jim, and me yet you just flung the door open anyway. You don't know for certain if it was kids that kept knocking on the door and then running away. It could have been someone with a hidden agenda, just waiting for you to open the door." His tone was a little harsher than he had intended, but he was trying to drive home a point.
"Pete, you're scaring me. What are you getting at?"
"Jake Spradlin was released today, Mindy. He's out on parole now. You need to be careful; especially after the looks that he was giving you during that hearing. You didn't see the way he glared at you. You weren't watching him…you were watching everything and everyone else, BUT him. I was watching him, watching you." Pete hadn't wanted to tell her these things, not yet anyway. He, too, had thought that Spradlin wouldn't be out for a few more days. He thought that he would have time to mentally prepare Mindy about watching her back everywhere she went and with everything that she did. He was thankful that his gut instinct had once again proven to be right when he made the decision to stop and check on her. He was almost positive that it hadn't been juveniles playing a prank and knocking on Mindy's door all afternoon.
"He can't be out yet. The judge said that he wouldn't be processed out for at least a week or two. And, I never got a phone call saying that he had been released! They are supposed to let the victims know when an offender has been released, aren't they?" Mindy's voice was strained as she tried to fathom that she had inadvertently almost invited danger into her life by flinging open her door without realizing who was on the other side. Had she known that Spradlin was out now, she wouldn't have opened the door so foolhardily.
From across the room, "Hold on Jerry, Pete needs to talk to you. Pete, Jerry's on the line." Jim handed the phone over to Pete and then went to sit next to Mindy.
"You okay, Mindy?" Jim's voice held concern.
Mindy nodded her head, but said nothing. She was straining to try to hear what Pete was saying, but once again, he kept his voice low and tones muted. She couldn't do anything but wait for Pete to get off of the phone.
Finally, she and Jim heard Pete thank Jerry Miller just before hanging up the phone and walking back over to where they were sitting.
"Mindy, I want you to pack an overnight bag. I'm taking you over to my place and dropping you off. You'll stay there with me tonight. Tomorrow night, if you want to, you can come back here, and I'll stay here with you."
"No Pete, I'm not doing anything or going anywhere until you tell me what the hell's going on! How did Spradlin get sprung so quickly? And don't get all secretive and undercover on me! If I'm in danger, I have a right to know, dang it!"
"Pete, what's going on?" Jim wanted to know.
"I told you…Spradlin walked today. Apparently the judge that granted parole and has to sign the release is going to be out of town for the next few weeks, so Spradlin's lawyer decided to pressure the judge into letting his client go a few days early."
"So that's why you called Jerry? To find out about Spradlins' release?" Jim inquired.
"I had Jerry doing a little background checking for me, on Spradlin, while he was in prison. Seems he ran his mouth to an awful lot of fellow inmates about getting revenge on Mindy for being the one to testify and get him locked up in the first place. Not to mention that he blames her for his not being granted parole the first two times around."
"You mean that the parole board knew all of this and let him go anyway?" Mindy could hardly keep the anger out of her voice.
"No, Mindy, they didn't know about any of that. Inmates don't rat each other out if they think that they have something to gain by aiding in one of their own being granted parole. Chances are that even if the board authorities did talk to any of Spradlins' cronies from the joint, none of them would have given the board so much as a second glance, let alone any information that they could have used to keep him in prison. Now, go pack an overnight bag."
"No, Pete. I'm not going to be chased out of my home by some maniac! It's not fair that I should have to uproot my life because his lawyer sweet talked some judge!" Once again, Mindy was getting agitated with the whole situation and walked over toward the front window.
"Stay away from the window. For all you know, Spradlin may be out there watching you right now."
"Pete, I think you've watched one too many cop shows and now your imagination is running away with you. He's not stupid enough to make a move so soon after being paroled!"
"Mindy, listen to Pete. He knows what he's talking about. If this guy was making threats towards you in prison, chances are good that he's angry enough to lash out at you, whether it's an hour later or several days later. Don't take that chance."
"Listen up, Bear, either you go pack a bag, or I put the cuffs on you and take you into protective custody, with nothing but the clothes on your back, for your own good, got it?" Pete had a no-nonsense look on his face that should have made Mindy recoil.
"You wouldn't dare!" Mindy challenged, not backing down as she glared up at Pete.
"WATCH ME!" Pete growled, and just as he reached for Mindy's arm, the living room window shattered with a loud crack, similar to that of a gunshot. Mindy screamed and instinctively jumped into Pete's arms for protection. In one deftly swift, smooth move, he immediately swung her towards the floor and covered her body with his, in a protective manner. Jim, too, had dove to the floor, just as a large rock, the chosen weapon of assault, landed precariously close to his head.
"GET…OFF…OF… ME, Pete Malloy!" Anger was flashing in Mindy's eyes as she was doing her darnedest to push Pete off of her. "You seem to have the damnedest fetish for wallowing all over me! Now Get off!" She gave one final heave and pushed Pete off of her.
Holding up his hands in a surrender type fashion, Pete got up and then helped Mindy up. He knew why she was angry; she was scared, and that fear was bubbling pretty close to the surface. "I assure you, Bear, that I had no intentions of compromising your virtue! Besides, you threw yourself into MY arms, remember?"
"Humph…my virtue…ain't that a big joke." Mindy mumbled, too low for Jim to hear, but Pete caught the whole sentence and immediately he regretted having made the comment.
Though Jim couldn't quite understand just why Mindy was angry at Pete for trying to protect her, the last part of Mindy's sentence made him snicker as he looked at the rock and said, "Pete, there's a note attached." He held out the rock toward Pete.
"What does it say?" Questioned Mindy.
"Carefully removing the note from the rock, Pete unfolded it and read it; he then handed it off to Jim, who read it and then passed it to Mindy. It read, 'I'm coming for you, Bitch! I'll make you sorry that they ever locked me up.' The note wasn't signed, but it was obvious to the two officers and to Mindy that the message was from Jake Spradlin.
Handing the not back to Pete, Mindy looked up at him with fear in her eyes and quietly said, "Pete, I'll only need a minute to throw a change of clothes and my toothbrush in an overnight bag."
Pete nodded his head and then followed her into the bedroom. While she packed a small overnight bag, he peered out through the bedroom curtains to the street below. He couldn't see anything amiss in the near darkness of the evening.
In the living room, Jim was also looking out through the window, but neither could he see much at all in the near darkness.
"Jim, call the station and get Jerry back on the phone, will ya? I'm guessing that the detectives are going to want to be the ones handling this."
Once again, Jerry Miller was soon back on the phone and Jim filled him in on the happenings. A short time later, Jim hung up and informed Pete that Jerry and another detective were on their way.
"Pete, why don't we take her over to my place. Jimmy will already be in bed. She and Jean can visit; it might help take her mind off of Spradlin. If she has to sit alone in your apartment, even for a few hours, after this ordeal, her imagination is going to run wild. You can pick her up after work since you have to drop me off, anyway."
"That's not a bad idea, Jim. Why don't you call Jean and see if that's okay with her."
"No Jim, don't. I don't want to bring any trouble to your doorstep. I'll be fine at Pete's place by myself; it'll only be for a couple of hours. Besides, I think I've learned my lesson about opening the door without knowing who's on the other side."
"Mindy, it's still not too late for me to pull out the cuffs and…"
"Alright, alright! I'll go. Jeez, you sure do know how to be a hard ass, don't ya?"
Pete stood there speechless, head cocked to one side, tongue firmly working the inside of his mouth, while he looked unbelievably at the young lady in front of him. I can't believe that this stubborn little hothead just called ME a hard ass!
Jim snickered again and looked down toward the floor to keep from letting Pete see the smile on his face as he turned and went over to the phone. A few minutes later, he came back over to Pete and Mindy, "Jean's expecting us any time. She's putting on a pot of coffee so the two of you can relax and visit for awhile."
"Thanks, Jim."
"You're welcome, Mindy. Try not to worry, huh? Everything is going to be okay, you'll see."
There was a knock at the door and then Detective Jerry Miller hollered out that it was him and Detective Dan Snyder. Pete went over and let them in. After spending a few minutes giving them a quick rundown of what had happened, Pete, Jim, and Mindy left to head over to the Reeds' house, leaving the detectives to do their thing and lock up afterwards. They assured Mindy that they would have the window boarded up before leaving.
As they were pulling away from the curb, Mindy asked, "Are you sure he isn't going to follow us? What if he was still watching the apartment? What if he follows us to your house, Jim?" Her voice was full of worry.
"Relax, Mindy; we are pretty good at being able to tell if we are being tailed or not. That's why you see both Pete and me constantly glancing in the mirrors."
"Jim's right, Bear. Try and relax, okay? We aren't going to let anything happen to you." Pete glanced into the rearview mirror and flashed her one of his reassuring smiles, to which Mindy only nodded her head in acknowledgement as she sat back against the seat and tried to relax for the drive to Jim's house.
A short time later…
Pete slowly pulled the squad car away from the curb in front of the Reed's house. He was glad that Mindy finally agreed to go over and stay with Jean until they got off of work, although he knew that he'd be on edge, worrying about her until they did get off of work and he got her home to his apartment. "Relax, Pete, she'll be fine here with Jean until we get back over here."
"Yeah, I know, Jim. I just hope that we don't get bogged down with anything big at the end of shift. The sooner I know that she's safely at my apartment, the better I'll feel."
"You really care about her, don't ya, Partner?" Jim asked.
Pete glanced over at Jim, "Of course I care about her…we're friends, and that's what friends do…they care. Now quit reading into it, and clear us."
Picking up the mic, "1-Adam 12 clear from follow-up."
"1-Adam 12, clear and a call. Loud music; 1543 Brendenshire Lane."
"1543 Brendenshire Lane, 1-Adam 12 roger." Jim hung up the mic and the officers proceeded to the given address in silence. Once there, they went up and knocked on the door. It was immediately answered by two giggling females about 15 years of age. There were several more young teenage girls gathering around behind them, giggling. They couldn't keep their eyes off of Jim, causing Pete to roll his eyes and mutter 'oh brother' under his breath.
Jim flashed the two young girls a breathtaking smile, "Hi, Ladies; I'm Officer Reed and this is my partner, Officer Malloy. We received a complaint that your music is a little loud. We are going to have to ask you to turn it down a little."
Giggle, giggle, giggle…"Oh, okay, Officer; anything you say. We're sorry; we didn't mean to disturb anyone, ya dig? We were just dancing and having a little fun." The first girl offered with a smile.
"Want to come in and dance with us?" The second girl offered. "It would probably beat riding around in that car with someone old enough to be your dad." Giggle, giggle, giggle.
Letting out a tired sigh, "I'll be in the car, Junior; try not to be all night; crime awaits." And with that, Pete turned and headed back to the black and white.
"Uhm, no thanks, ladies, I'm on duty. Just turn the music down so that we don't have to come out here again, or my partner, there won't be a happy pappy." Jim flashed them a smile and turned to depart, leaving the gaggle of giggling girls behind him. As he was walking out to the squad car, the music from inside cut off completely.
Sliding back into the passenger seat, "So, how many times does it make this month that we have been to a loud music call involving any combination of at least two of those girls?"
"I lost count the first week of the month. Your fan club is just a little too young for me to keep track of."
"You're just jealous…DAD." Jim chuckled at his own little joke, causing Pete to give him the evil eye.
"Clear us!"
It was all Jim could do to keep the laughter from escaping as he picked up the mic and cleared Adam-12 from the loud music call.
They drove around their beat for the next two hours before their shift finally came to an end. After turning in their equipment and reports, they changed into their civilian clothes and headed toward Jim's house, making small talk along the way.
"Pete, do you think Spradlin will really follow through with the threat on the note? You think maybe he is just wanting to scare Mindy?"
"Jim, I don't think that we can take the chance that he's just trying to scare her. If he's bitter at her for helping to put him in prison, there's no telling what he'll do."
"So you DO think he'll go after her again, then?"
"Yeah, I do. I think the rock through the window was just the tip of the iceberg. Jim, I went to that parole hearing with her. He was giving her looks that would have had a junkyard dog cowering; only she wasn't looking at him, so she didn't see the determined look in his eyes. I did."
"Well you know that she is welcome to stay over at our house with Jean during the day; that is if you can get her to come over and stay."
"I'll be lucky if I can convince her to stay off of work until we catch this guy, Jim. I seriously doubt if I'll be able to get her to come back over to your house every day. She won't want to 'bring trouble to your door', to quote her."
Pulling into the Reed's driveway and shutting off the engine, Pete and Jim got out of the vehicle and went up onto the porch. Jim used his key to unlock the door. As he and Pete were going in, Jean met them in the front room and made a 'shushing' gesture and then pointed to Mindy, who was sitting in Jim's recliner, sound alseep with little Jimmy sleeping in her arms.
Pete couldn't help but smile at the picture in front of him as he whispered to Jean, "Seems like that recliner puts everyone to sleep, huh?" as he recalled how he had fallen asleep in that same chair just a few weeks ago, with Jimmy in his lap.
Jean smiled and looked toward Jim, "Honey, why don't you get Jimmy and put him back in bed. Pete, I'll let you wake Mindy while I go make a fresh pot of coffee. You will stay for a cup, won't you?"
"Thanks Jean, but maybe I had just better get her back to the apartment. She must be tired or I'm sure she wouldn't have fallen asleep over here."
"Okay, Pete; another time, then."
Jim gently picked Jimmy up and in doing so, woke up Mindy. She stretched and then smiled apologetically toward Jean, "Sorry, I guess I wasn't such good company tonight. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down in that recliner with Jimmy on my lap. Watching him doze off had a sleepy effect on me, as well."
A few minutes later, Jim was back in the room, having put Jimmy into his bed for the night.
"Come on, Bear, let's get you home so you can get some sleep." Pete gently took her hand and pulled her up from the recliner. At the front door, he picked up Mindy's overnight bag and carried it out to the car and then came back in to accompany Mindy to the car, as well.
Mindy thanked Jean for her hospitality and bid her goodnight before allowing herself to be escorted out the house and hustled into Pete's car by both Pete and Jim. She was sure that Jim was out there to scour the darkness for any signs of trouble. Mindy felt safe with Pete and Jim looking out for her wellbeing, and sank comfortably into the passenger seat.
The drive to Pete's apartment was a silent one. Mindy was deep in thought about all that had transpired that day. Occasionally Pete would cast a glance her way, but for the most part, he drove quietly, continuously checking in the mirrors for any signs of being followed.
Once inside the apartment, both Pete and Mindy let out silent sighs of relief. Both were thankful for a safe and uneventful trip.
Pete set Mindy's bag down next to the couch, "Are you hungry? I've actually done a little grocery shopping since you were here last…I think I even have ingredients for toast, now." He added with a chuckle.
Mindy laughed at their little inside joke and shook her head, "No, I'm fine…you go ahead though, I'd hate to stop you from creating a gourmet dish like dry toast."
"How about some coffee, then?"
"Now coffee sounds good. I could probably drink a cup or two." Mindy answered.
Pete headed toward the kitchen and was busy making the coffee as Mindy went to the hall linen closet and retrieved a set of sheets and a pillow. By now she was familiar enough with where everything was kept that she didn't even bother to ask Pete where anything was. She made herself at home.
"Make yourself at home, Mindy." Pete called out from the kitchen.
"One step ahead of you…and you don't have to yell; I'm right here." Mindy had just walked in when Pete was hollering and her sudden appearance startled him just a bit.
"Must you sneak up on me like that?" Pete joked.
"I'm sorry…perhaps a bell around my neck would be to your liking, hmm?" Mindy shot back at him.
Pete chuckled, "I don't think that will be necessary."
After a few cups of coffee, both were yawning and decided to call it a night. Pete had finally given up trying to talk Mindy into not going to work the next day. Instead, he insisted on taking her in the morning and then picking her up before he went in for the evening shift. It would mean a shortened day for Mindy, but she knew that Pete was only concerned about her well-being so she told him that would be fine. The two friends bid each other goodnight and then turned in; Pete to his room and Mindy to the couch.
Early the next morning…
"Okay, here's the plan; after I pick you up from work, I'm going to take you over to spend the evening with Jean and Jimmy. I'm picking Jim up for work, so I'll pick you back up when I drop him off after work. Deal?"
"No, it's NOT a deal, Pete. I want to go home…to MY apartment, after I get off of work. I have things that need done and I promise that I won't open the door for anyone, okay?"
"No, Bear, that's not okay. I am not going to spend the entire evening watch worrying about you being at your place all alone. If you want me to, I'll stay at your place with you tonight, AFTER I pick you up from the Reeds'. That way you can get whatever it is that you need to do, done." Seeing that she wasn't budging, "Now just humor me until we catch Spradlin and then I'll lay off, okay? Remember, I don't like to take 'no' for an answer." The last part he added with a small laugh, trying to lighten the standoff that he knew was on the horizon.
Mindy stood there, biting the inside of her lip and quelling the argument that was threatening to spill forth. Finally, with a sigh, "Are you sure Jean won't mind? I don't want to put anyone out."
"I talked to Jim earlier, and he said that Jean insists that you come over. Trust me, you don't want to have to reckon with her if you cross her."
"Okay, I'll go over and visit with Jean for the evening, then."
"Good…and like I said, if you want to, we can go back and stay at your place tonight."
"No, that's okay. You need to be able to get a good nights' sleep, and my couch really isn't all that comfortable…not mention, you are just a little taller than it is long. I'll just come home with you again. I just hope that they can find Spradlin soon…I hate this upheaval, and I am NOT going to do this every day for any length of time. There's no way that I am going to let Jake Spradlin run my life in any way, and that's FINAL!"
Pete put a hand on Mindys' shoulder, "Don't worry, Bear, he's bound to slip up and surface. We'll get him. I'm not going to let him hurt you ever again. I hope you believe that."
Nodding gratefully, "I know Pete, I know. You know I really appreciate everything that you and the Reed's are doing, don't you?"
"I know, Mindy. We're doing it because we care about you and we don't want to see anything happen to you. You're a pretty special lady, and you have big heart where those kids at McLaren Hall are concerned; they are lucky to have you on their side." Seeing that Mindy was a little uncomfortable with the compliments that he was paying to her, "Now, let's get you to work before you're late and your boss has both our hides."
After dropping Mindy off at work, Pete swung by the station to talk to Jerry Miller about a ground plan to keep as close of an eye on Mindy's apartment as possible, figuring that Spradlin would make another move soon. They hoped to have the element of surprise on their side if he did.
Unbeknownst to them, Spradlin had already paid a return visit to Mindy's apartment building, gaining entrance through a fire escape window, during the night, expecting to find her. Instead, he found an empty apartment and wasted no time searching the apartment for a spare key or anything that might give him an idea of where she worked or hung out. He hit pay dirt when he found a recent check stub bearing the name of McLaren Hall as the employer and Mindy Dancer as the employee; he also found the spare door key and quickly pocketed it. Then, being very careful to not leave any telltale sign that he'd been in the apartment, he slipped out, unnoticed, into the darkness of the night.
"We can put a detective on stakeout at her apartment building in case he comes back, but it would be helpful if we knew whether or not he has a vehicle. It would give us something besides the old photo to go by." Jerry told Pete.
"Well, you have the general description of him and I can get with the sketch artist and pretty much talk him through a composite sketch. I got a pretty good look at him during the parole hearing."
"Great, head up there now and get with him; the sooner we get that sketch, the better off we'll be. In the meantime, I'll set up a stakeout detail. I don't think that she should stay at her apartment, though. Is there somewhere else that she can stay?"
"Right now she's at work. She wouldn't have any part of staying out of the office so I took her and I'm picking her up before I go to work. She'll be staying over at Jim's place while I'm at work and then I'll pick her up and take her to my place after I get off tonight. She can be pretty stubborn and I don't know how long I can convince her to do this so we have to find him as soon as possible."
"You mean she's more stubborn than YOU, Malloy?" Jerry snickered.
"Well now, I wouldn't say MORE stubborn, but from what I've experienced, she's pretty adept at holding her own."
"Just keep her away from her apartment, unless you or Jim are there with her; and, if you are going over there, call the station and let the stakeout detail know ahead of time. Do you know if knows where she works?"
"I don't recall any of that being mentioned at the hearing so unless he's done his homework or his lawyer has told him, then no, he probably doesn't know."
"Good, let's keep it that way. You and Jim keep an eye on her and let us handle nabbing Spradlin."
"You got it, Jerry." Pete replied as the two parted ways and Pete headed toward the second floor of the police station to talk to the sketch artist. Within a half-hour, they had put together a very accurate drawing of Jake Spradlin and copies were being made to distribute to the officers on the shifts.
After running a few more errands, Pete went back to his apartment until it was time for him to pick Mindy up from work and take her to the Reeds before heading to work with Jim.
Pulling up in front of McLaren Hall, Pete put the car in park and exited the vehicle. Taking the steps two at a time, he entered into the red brick building and made his way to Mindy's first floor office, where he quietly rapped on the door.
"Come in, Pete, it's open."
"How'd you know it was me? You didn't even ask who was out there." He admonished her with a frown as he opened the door and went in.
"Well, for one thing, it's just after one o'clock and you told me that you would be here about ten after one; for the second thing, my office window faces the street and I saw you pull up out front and bound up the steps like a jack rabbit."
"Oh. Are you ready?"
"Yep…just gotta go tell the 'flounder' that I'm leaving for the day. I'll be right back if you want to wait here."
"No, I'll just walk with you."
Shortly after, the two were in Pete's car and headed for the Reed's house, where she was to stay until Pete got off of work that night.
This was pretty much the routine for the next couple of days before Mindy decided that she was finished putting her life on hold while waiting for Spradlin to make a move. She and Pete had a huge discussion about her wanting to go back to her own apartment, alone; the discussion hadn't been pleasant or sugar-coated, on either side, but finally Pete had no choice but to honor Mindy's request. His only requirement was that she promised not to get upset with him if he decided to call a couple of times a day, or to pop over and check on her periodically. So as to head off any further discussions of the matter, she agreed to his request.
Later that evening … Ring…Ring…Ring… "Come on, Mindy, pick up the phone…" Pete and Jim were on station for dinner and Pete was calling to check up on Mindy. "She's not answering, Jim…I don't like this; I've got a bad feeling." Ring…Ring…Ring… Pete hung up the phone and dialed again. Ring…Ring….
"Hello!" Came Mindy's voice over the receiver.
"Mindy, it's Pete…is everything okay? I've been calling and you weren't answering. Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm alright. I was over at my next door neighbors' having coffee with her. I heard the phone ringing off of the hook and figured it was you calling to check up on me.
I ran over here to answer it since I don't really relish the idea of the calvary showing up on my doorstep at this time of the night."
"You shouldn't be out of your apartment any more than you have to be…especially at night. Are you home for the evening now?"
"Yes, DAD…I'll stay in for the evening now…I'll call Joannie and tell her that I can't come back over to play."
"Smart aleck." Pete was smiling to himself. He worried about her, yes, but he was also glad that she wasn't cowering down to fear. He'd too often seen how crippling fear could be to person and he didn't want that for Mindy. He did want her to be careful, though.
"Worry wart!" She shot back with a giggle. She liked that he worried about her, but she also didn't want to be smothered.
"How about if I stop over after work and we order a pizza?" And I can make sure that you are alright and that the apartment is secure. Pete didn't voice the thoughts.
"How about if you go home after work and fix yourself a nice tv dinner…I'm going to bed in about fifteen minutes." And I don't need a babysitter!
"Okay…I get the message…you don't want a babysitter, right?" Pete was chuckling on the other end of the phone line.
Mindy's back was to the window and she was facing the door of her apartment. She didn't see Jake Spradlin standing on the fire escape, nor did she notice that the window was up ever so slightly.
Laughing with Pete, Mindy decided to throw him a bone and said, "I'll tell you what Pete, I really have appreciated all that you've done for me these past few weeks, so I am going to keep you on the phone while I lock the place up like Fort Knox. Will that help you to relax a little? Heck, you can even call me and check up on me when you get home from work and I promise not to grump at you for waking me up."
"I guess that will have to suffice. I'll wait on the line while you lock the front door and make sure the windows are locked down. I think I can hold off on calling until tomorrow morning, though so I won't wake you up."
"Yeah, well, don't call too early…tomorrow's Saturday and I am sleeping in until at least seven a.m."
"Just go lock up, smarty!"
"Okay, hold on." Mindy put the phone down and walked into the bedroom to make sure that the window was locked down. While she was out of the room, Spradlin took the opportunity to slide open the front room window and crawl through, closing it quietly behind him. He had just crossed the room and was standing over near the door when she came back into the room.
Mindy wasn't looking up as she entered the living room; her eyes were fixed on the phone, lying over near the couch. As she was walking toward it, she looked toward the front door…there stood Jake Spradlin, as big a life; He had a sickening sneer on his face, the same sneer that she'd seen many a times in her nightmares…the same sneer that she saw nightly throughout her youth.
In the break room of the station…
Jim looked over at Pete, who was standing silently with phone up to his ear, and asked, "Pete, you want coffee with your dinner?"
"Yeah Jim, thanks. I'll be over there in a minute, I'm just waiting to make sure that Mindy gets all of her windows and the front door locked up okay. It should only be a minute or two."
On the other end of the phone line, Pete heard a blood-curdling scream…
Jim had gone over to the coffeepot and had just poured two cups of coffee when he heard what appeared to be a scream coming from the phone receiver. Pete yanked the phone receiver away from his ear just as the drum splitting scream happened. "MINDY!" He yelled into the receiver.
The only response he heard was a menacing male voice yelling, "SHUT UP, YOU BITCH BEFORE I KILL YOU!"
"Let's go Jim, Mindy's in trouble."
Both officers ran out of the breakroom, nearly bowling over a surprised Mac in the process. Pete hollered over his shoulder, "Mac, jump on Tac 2, Jim'll fill you in!"
Within seconds, Pete and Jim were in the squad car and heading code three to Mindy's apartment. Jim called in the address and the call to the dispatcher, who promptly sent another unit that way as well. Jim then flipped to Tac 2 and filled Mac in on the call; he was headed that way, too.
Back in Mindy's apartment…
"STOP THAT DAMNED SCREAMING BEFORE I KILL YOU!" Spradlin yelled at Mindy as he tried to corner her.
Mindy, trying her best to make as much noise as possible, so as to rouse the neighbors, continued to scream as she dodged around the furniture in order to stay out of Spradlins' reach. The fear that she was feeling with each passing second was making it harder and harder to scream out loud; it was a near crippling fear that took her right back to her childhood years.
Within an arms reach of her, Spradlin threw himself toward her, his six-foot, solid body slamming into her and knocking her backwards and onto the floor. He was on her in heartbeat, pinning her lower body against the floor with all of his weight and ripping at her clothes. She fought as hard as she could, but with her petite build, she was no match for the much larger Spradlin, whose body had been made muscle hard from years of working out in the prison weight room. Coupled with the rage that he felt toward Mindy, she didn't stand a chance of fighting him off.
Continuing to struggle against the madman on top of her, Mindy managed to swing her left hand up and rake her attackers right cheek with her fingernails, drawing blood and earning a string of curse words. Spradlin drew his right arm across his body and backhanded Mindy across the right cheek as hard as he could, re-splitting the almost healed cut on her cheek. Immediately, Mindy's whole world exploded into a thousand tiny stars and she could taste the metallic flavor of blood as her lip split and her teeth cut into the inside of her cheek.
Her fight wasn't finished. She knew what this animal intended to do to her and she wasn't ready to be his victim yet again. She continued to scratch and claw at him until he grabbed both of her hand into one of his, and using his large, beefy grip, he held her arms high over her head. As he did so, he used his other hand to undo his pants. He intended to pick up right where he left off fourteen years ago. In his mind, Mindy was going to pay dearly for causing him to spend time in prison. He'd waited a long time for this moment and he was going to satisfy his itch for revenge.
"Listen girl, if you know what's good for you, you'll just lie still and let me have my way. It'll be much easier on you. Now…beg for it, bitch!"
"GO TO HELL, JAKE!" She spat defiantly at him.
Enraged that she wasn't cowering from him, "I said, BEG for it, BITCH! You know you want it…just like you wanted it years ago…NOW BEG, DAMN IT!" Again, he backhanded Mindy, rendering her motionless as she struggled to keep from blacking out.
He used this opportunity to finish ripping open her blouse and tugging down her pants and panties. Just as he raised his body weight off of her lower body, so that he could continue with his assault, Mindy used the opportunity to bend her knee and bring it up into Jake's groin area as hard as she could.
Spradlin fell forward, on top of her, once again cursing a blue streak. He was face to face, nose to nose with her, and as he tried to push himself up, she closed her eyes and reared her head forward as hard as she could, driving her forehead into Spradlins' nose. For the third time that night, her world exploded into stars as Spradlins' blood spurted into her face.
All at once, the chaos came to a grounding halt as Pete kicked in the front door, gun poised and aimed at Spradlin, "FREEZE, SPRADLIN!" Jim and two other officers were right on his heels. They too, had their weapons drawn and poised.
"Cover me." Pete told Jim; holstering his gun, Pete went over and grabbed Spradlin by the back of his collar, jerking him off up and off of Mindy, who immediately curled up into a protective ball and began to silently cry. Pete all but threw Spradlin into the clutches of one of the other officers and then hurried back over to Mindy.
In a soothing voice, "It's okay, Mindy, he's not going to hurt you anymore. You're safe."
She continued to cry, big silent tears, without making any sound as she stared blankly up at Pete from her curled up position on the floor. Seeing that she was in shock, he grabbed a blanket off of the back of her couch and covered her up, being careful not to touch her, but talking gently to her the whole time. Jim was on the phone, calling for an ambulance.
Mac had arrived on the scene and told the other officers to escort Spradlin downtown and start the paperwork. Turning to Jim, "You call for an ambulance?"
"Yeah, Mac; it's on the way."
"Good. Did he, uh, well, you know…"
"I don't think so; from the looks of things when we got in here, she was giving him one helluva fight, but I don't think he managed to do what he came in here to do. I'm sure that when she calms down, Pete will be able to get her to talk and tell us what happened."
"Yeah, I imagine she'll tell us when she calms down. In the meantime, I want Pete to ride in with her in the ambulance, and you can take the squad car and head over to Rampart. After you get her statement, come on back to the station and get the guy booked. I'll get Miller out here since he's been working the case." With that, Mac went to the phone and called the station. Within a half-hour, the apartment was crawling with detectives, headed up by Jerry Miller.
The ambulance had gotten there within minutes and Mindy was loaded into it, with Pete by her side. Shaking and shivering from the shock, Mindy reached out and latched onto Pete's hand in a death like grip, the fear still shining brightly in her eyes. Her right cheek was smeared with blood, some hers, some Spradlins', and the entire right side of her face was swollen and beginning to turn a nasty shade of purple.
"Pe..Pete?" Mindy struggled with his name. Her face and mouth were swollen and she had a difficult time getting words to form. "I...I…did…n't …didn't want him to…"
"Shh…it's okay Mindy, just take it easy. You're on your way to the hospital. They'll take good care of you there."
"Plea..se…don't le..leave me a…lone; don't wan…na be a…lone. Sca…scared, Pete."
Pete gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his heart ached for this young woman who had put up a brave fight against her attacker and had come out a victor, instead of a victim. "You don't have to be scared, Mindy, I'm not going anywhere. Spradlins' in custody and that's where's he going to stay for a long, long time. He's not going to hurt you any more."
'M'kay…" Mindy closed her eyes and let Pete's words sink into her brain.
Arriving at Rampart, Mindy was hustled into the treatment room. Pete, who was headed into the room as well, was stopped short by the head ER nurse, Dixie McCall, "And just where do you think you're going, Pete Malloy?"
"Hey Dix; I was just going to go in there with the victim. She's a good friend and I really don't want to leave her alone right now. She's been through hell tonight."
"I understand, but you know the rules, Pete; Dr. Early and the nurse will take good care of her. Come one, I'll buy you a cup of coffee while you wait."
Pete gave one final look through the treatment room door window and then reluctantly followed Dixie to the doctors' lounge.
"Where's your partner?"
"Jim? He's bringing the squad car over. I rode in the ambulance with Mindy."
"What happened to her?"
"She was attacked in her apartment. I don't think he succeeded in raping her, though. I think we got there in time."
"Old boyfriend?"
"Step-dad; he just got released a few days ago. He was in prison for fourteen years…he sexually abused Mindy for years as a child. He beat her mom and younger brother repeatedly, as well, and he was the main cause behind both her mothers' and her brother's deaths."
"That poor girl. She's been through a lot, it sounds like."
"She has, Dix; she has."
"From what I could tell, around all of the swelling and bruising, she looks awfully familiar. What did you say her name is?"
"Mindy Dancer. She probably looks familiar because she's a staff psychologist at McLaren Hall. She's probably been in here a time or two with some of the kids that they have had to take in."
"That's it; she has been here before. She's really great with the kids. They trust her and they open up to her. We've had to have her in the exam room more than once when they've brought a child in. I hope she'll be okay."
"She's a pretty strong-willed girl; she'll be fine…I hope." Pete's sentence had trailed off slightly, and he looked up to find himself on the receiving end of one of Dixie's inquisitive, eyebrow raised, stares. He smiled a bit uncomfortably at his old friend, "Do you think you could…"
Rising from her chair, "I'll be right back…I'll go check on her for you, Pete." As Dixie was leaving the doctor's lounge, Jim was coming in through the ER ambulance entrance. "Hi Jim, your partner's in having coffee. Go join him while I check on Mindy."
"Thanks Dixie." Jim replied as he headed to the doctors' lounge, where he found Pete nursing a cup of coffee and lost in his thoughts.
"You okay, Pete?" Jim asked, as he watched his partner, who was busy staring at an invisible object on the fall wall.
"Yeah, Jim. Just waiting on Dixie to come back with word on how Mindy's doing."
"She give you a statement in the ambulance?"
"Nah, and I didn't push her. She was scared out of her wits, Jim. I couldn't bring myself to question her."
"That's okay. We have enough to go on to make a preliminary report. Mac will understand that we didn't get a statement tonight so long as we talk to her as soon as possible tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know. I suppose as soon as Dixie gets back, we'd better head to the station and get started with the paperwork." Pete drained the last of his coffee and stood to throw away the cup as Dixie came back into the lounge.
"How's she doing, Dix?" Pete questioned.
"They've sedated her; she'll sleep through the night. Joe is pretty sure that she wasn't raped, though. There's no physical evidence to show any recent trauma to the genital area, and there's no sign of bruising or forced penetration. The lab results were negative for semen deposits. We're pretty sure that she managed to fight him off with success. Joe will cut her loose tomorrow. That's one brave girl you've got there."
Pete's spirits lifted a bit at that tidbit of good news. "Thanks, Dix, for checking. Are you on all night?" He asked as he and Jim were headed toward the door.
"I'll be here until seven in the morning. Why? Are you going to call every two hours to check on her?" Dixie teased.
"I just thought I might stop by real quick on my way home and check on her. I thought maybe you'd let me sneak up to her room for minute."
"Tell you what, Pete; you stop by on your way home and I'll walk you up there myself if I'm not busy…that way the floor nurse won't toss you out on your koester. Deal?"
"Deal, Dixie…thanks." Pete and Jim turned to leave the hospital. They headed on to the station where they spent the remainder of the shift filling out their paperwork.
Pete returned to Rampart after his shift in order to check on Mindy. He found Dixie McCall sitting behind the desk in the ER area. The hospital was unusually quiet, save for the woman with a screaming baby that was standing in front of Dixie.
Standing behind the woman with the screaming infant, Pete shot Dixie a pained look when the child let out an ear splitting, shrilly scream. "Let's get that little one into treatment room three and the doctor will be in shortly." As she was passing Pete, Dixie said, "Room 401, Pete; go on up. The nurse already knows. Just don't stay too long."
Pete gave a Dixie a look of gratitude and thanked her before hurrying to the elevators down the hall. He felt sorry for the young mother with the screaming baby, but he was glad when the elevator doors closed and he could no longer hear the child screaming. Something about children, elderly people and vulnerable young women that were hurting, just tugged at his heartstrings.
Stepping off of the elevator on the fourth floor, Pete gave a slight wave and smile to the grumpy looking charge nurse on that floor. His guess was that Dixie had pulled some strings to get him up there and it didn't sit well with the nurse on duty. He quietly made his way to room 401 and went in.
Mindy lay there, battered and bruised about the face area, blissfully asleep. Pete pulled up a chair and sat down wearily by her bed, meaning only to stay for a few minutes.
He reached through the bed rail and took her small, fragile hand into his own and held it, while gently caressing the back of it with his thumb. Mindy moaned, slightly. He hadn't meant to wake her and was just about to stand up and take leave when she opened her eyes and gave him a small smile.
"Pete?"
"Hey, Bear; I didn't mean to wake you up. I just stopped to see how you're doing. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"
"I hurt everywhere…especially my head." Between the sedative and the swelling, Mindy's words were slightly slurred and Pete had to really listen close to make them out.
"That's understandable. He uhm…he hit you pretty hard."
Mindy took note that he was holding her hand and gently caressing it. She felt safe with him. "Jake is back in jail, isn't he?"
"Yeah, Mindy. He's in jail, and that's where he's going to stay for a very long time."
"It's still night, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you home and in bed, then? I'd say that this is just a little above and beyond the call of duty, wouldn't you? You must be tired after working all evening."
"I told you; I wanted to check on you. You may think it's above and beyond the call of duty, but it's not above and beyond the call of friendship. Besides, I'm off tomorrow so I can sleep in until…oh, at least seven a.m." He joked, using Mindy's own words from earlier in the evening.
Mindy tried to laugh but only succeeded in moaning when a strong pain stabbed through her right cheek. It felt as though it were on fire.
Rising from the chair, "Listen, I had better get going before the nurse, 'Miss Congeniality,' out there, comes in and tosses me out of here."
He started to pull his hand away, but Mindy kept a death grip on it. Looking soul deep into Pete's eyes, "Thank you, Pete…for everything. If you and Jim hadn't gotten there when you did…"
Once again giving her hand a squeeze, he used his other hand to stroke her left cheek, and smiling down at her, said, "I'm just glad that we were on the phone together when it happened and that Jim and I were close enough to make it on time. Now, you get some rest and I'll be by tomorrow to pick you up if the doctor says that you can go home."
"M'kay…" Mindy drifted off on that note and Pete gently extracted his hand from hers and slipped quietly out of the room.
True to his word, Pete returned to Rampart the next morning. Mindy had just finished what she could of bowl of oatmeal. The way her face felt, even something as soft as oatmeal was challenge for her. "G'morning. How are feeling this morning?" Pete greeted her with huge smile that wandered all the way to his eyes.
"I must be alive, I can't move my mouth without it hurting. Am I slurring my words…I feel like I am." She queried.
"Mmm…maybe just a shade, but that's probably to be expected. You've still got a lot of swelling going on."
"Well it hurts like hell."
Pete had to snicker at her choice of wording. He'd noticed that while she didn't use a lot of cuss words, she sure did like the word 'hell.'
"Are you laughing at me?"
"No, darling; I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at your choice of words."
"Huh?"
Chuckling a bit more, "Never mind. Has the doctor been in yet?"
"Uhm-huh and I can go home as soon as the nurse brings in my discharge papers."
"Good. Listen, do you want to go to my place or to yours?"
"Pete, I just want to go home. I'm sure there's a lot of straightening up to do after last nights' ruckus and I just want to get it done and put it all behind me. I need to move on and concentrate on the important things…the kids and the program to help them with their trust issues."
"Okay then, I'll take you home, but I have to warn you, I'm coming over later and bringing you dinner so that I know you will eat. We can go over some of your plans then, okay?"
"Sounds, good, Pete…just make sure you bring soup, huh?" Mindy gave a half chuckle.
"You bet, Friend." Pete laughed in return.
The End
Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read this segment of the Pete and Mindy 'Friendship' series. I hope you have enjoyed this segment. Look for more to come as their friendship continues to flourish. Please feel free to review.