Encounters Raph and the Jealous Woman
As nights went it had turned out to be a pretty good one. The start of the evening was rocky; Casey was supposed to go out on patrol with Raph but April had called to let the red banded turtle know that Casey had the flu.
Raph could hear his friend protesting in the background, but April's tone left Raph with no doubt as to who would win their argument. Besides, Raph could also hear Casey trying to cough up a lung as he complained.
Not in the mood to patrol with his perfectionist older brother, Raph had chalked up another point in his karmas negative column by telling Leo a direct lie. He'd assured the eldest that he was not going out alone; that Casey would be with him.
Just when Raph had begun to think that he was being punished for his lies with an evening of pure boredom, he'd spotted a thief snatching the purse off of a woman's arm. She was still shouting for help when Raph dropped the purse on the sidewalk in front of her feet. The thief was also lying on the sidewalk, about two blocks away, when the police finally showed up.
Next Raph had scared the crap out of a teenager who was trying to sell a joint to a ten year old. The teen had even tossed his baggie full of pot as he ran, probably thinking the cops were after him. Raph had let the kid go in favor of emptying the marijuana into the storm drain and watching it swirl away.
After that, almost two hours passed without any excitement. Raph wasn't sure if he was happy about that; crime had dropped in the area because of his family's regular patrols, but that meant that they'd have to travel further from the lair to find a little adventure.
Deep in thought, Raph suddenly realized he was near an area known as prostitute's row. It was not a locale he and his brothers spent much time in; although sex for money was considered a crime, it was not one their particular talents were suited for fighting.
Truth be told, Raph found that he was mostly embarrassed for the men and women who practiced in the trade, and for their customers as well. He had been damn happy when Leo had announced they would give prostitute's row and the various prostitute's alley's a wide berth.
As he ruminated on that, Raph spotted a woman dressed in the costume of the trade leading a businessman in a suit into the alley directly beneath the building he was perched upon. Shaking his head, Raph made the leap over to the next building and quickly darted across the roof before any sounds could drift up to him.
Just as he jumped to the next building in the line, Raph saw a figure step from the shadows on the street below. Anyone who purposely stood outside the glow from a streetlamp in that area was suspicious to Raph, and upon landing he crept over to the building's ledge and peered down.
A woman dressed entirely in black stood on the sidewalk, looking back in the direction from which he'd just come. She was carrying her purse strapped across her body the way that native New Yorkers tended to do and after a second, she reached into the bag, fumbled around, and withdrew a gun.
Though he didn't care for guns, Raph knew quite a lot about them. He could see that the weapon she carried was a .38 revolver, a gun with a pretty powerful punch. Raph also knew that unless the woman had a speed loader in her purse, she was limited to six shots.
Raph watched as she lowered the gun to her side and began to walk; not fast but with a purpose, as though she had a target in mind but didn't want her approach to be heard.
Deciding that it would be a good idea to follow, Raph hopped from his building to the next, keeping his eyes on her. From the way she moved to the way she dressed, Raph could tell this woman was not a prostitute and did not belong in this part of the city.
With a flash of understanding, Raph connected her to the suited man who had just disappeared with a hooker. Raph's adrenaline began to flow as he realized that he was going to have to stop a jealous woman from committing murder.
A burst of speed put Raph ahead of the woman. When he reached the alley where the prostitute and her john had gone, Raph easily jumped down to the pavement. His hope that the pair had gone a good distance from the alley entrance seemed to have been met; Raph couldn't see them and only by listening carefully could he hear them.
Backing into deep shadow, Raph waited. Although the woman was attempting to be as silent as possible, Raph could still hear the sound of her hard soles hitting the concrete.
In a moment, her body came between the streetlamp and the entrance, the back lighting outlining her form vividly. Strategically it was a bad maneuver, leaving Raph to think that she was a complete amateur at following someone.
Raph waited until she had taken a few steps into the alley before he spoke. "Were ya' planning on shooting somebody?"
The woman gasped and her gun hand came up as she pointed the weapon in the direction of his voice. He had shifted positions even as her arm was still lifting.
"Are you a cop?" she asked, her voice unwavering.
"Nope," Raph answered, impressed at her steely nerves, "just a concerned citizen."
She pivoted towards him again, but Raph knew better than to stay in one place.
"You should mind your own business," she told him flatly.
"This is my business," Raph said. "I'm what ya' might call a vigilante. I've got a real problem with people who commit crime."
He had spoken from a fire escape, so she looked up to answer him, her gun following her eyes.
"That makes no sense. It's against the law to be a vigilante. How can you say you don't like crime if you're a criminal?" she asked.
Raph chuckled at her logic. "Ya' got a point. Let's just say I don't spend a lot of time splitting hairs over the concept."
He heard her take a deep breath before she said, "Just this once you should walk away. I've got business here. Leave me alone or I'll shoot you."
Moving again, Raph jumped from the fire escape to the ground soundlessly, landing a couple of feet behind the woman.
In a low, even voice, Raph said, "Kinda hard ta shoot what ya' can't see."
With a gasp, the woman twisted around and Raph caught her wrist in a tight grip. As she grimaced at the pain, he yanked the gun from her hand.
Raph stepped back and watched as the woman pulled her hand to her chest and began rubbing her wrist. Lifting her head, she shook her black hair out of her eyes, straining to see her adversary.
The street light hit her face and Raph could see tears rolling down her cheeks. "Damn you," she cursed through gritted teeth. "You have no idea what you've done."
Knowing that he hadn't squeezed hard enough to do any damage, Raph figured she had to be talking about the ramifications of his taking her gun away.
"I stopped ya' from shooting your boyfriend, or husband, and that hooker," Raph said bluntly.
The woman straightened as she stared in his direction. "How did you know he . . . ?"
"Means something ta ya'?" Raph asked, finishing her sentence. "I put two and two together, exactly the way a cop would if you'd manage ta kill that man. Do ya' wanna spend the rest of your life in prison because of a minute of jealousy?"
"It hasn't been a minute," she snapped at him. "That bastard has been screwing around behind my back for months."
"Then dump his ass," Raph barked. "Murder ain't the answer."
Bitterly swiping at the tears on her face, the woman said, "Easy for you to say. I've got a mortgage, two kids, and a job that pays barely enough to cover groceries. Jack makes all the money and has all the high powered friends. Unless I have proof of his cheating, he'll end up not having to pay a cent in alimony and welshing on child support."
Raph stood quietly, contemplating her. "Killing him would have left your kids without a dad or a mom."
The woman shivered and hugged herself. "I know," she said in a softer tone, and then laughed harshly. "The gun is even registered to us. I don't know what I was thinking, I just snapped."
"Do ya' have a camera by any chance?" Raph asked. "I could get close enough ta take a picture of them."
"You'd do that for me?" she asked, shocked. "I . . . I wish I'd thought to bring a camera instead of a gun. There's a camera on my phone, but in this low light it wouldn't take a good enough shot."
"It's got one of those camcorder features don't it? Ya' could record what's going on and at least get the sound of his voice on tape," Raph said.
"You mean while he's . . . ?" the woman stopped, her expression pained.
"Ya' don't have ta listen, I can take care of it for ya'," Raph said softly.
The woman pressed her lips tightly together, and then said, "No. I have to do it because I might need to testify in court about what I saw. Anyway, I have to face it. I've been in denial for so long that if I don't see it for myself I might let him talk me out of the divorce."
Raph nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. The woman had a unique self-awareness of her flaws that made Raph want to help her.
"Okay, I understand where you're coming from," Raph said. "But ya' ain't gonna get near them on your own. Your husband probably ain't gonna be paying attention ta what's going on around him, but that hooker sure as hell will."
"What should I do?" the woman asked.
Raph glanced up at the fire escape. He could leap silently onto it, but lowering the ladder for her would make enough noise to scare off their quarry.
"We'll go up on the roof and walk until we see where they are," Raph said. "There's another couple of fire escapes along the way and I'm sure one of them will be close enough ta where your husband is. We can stand on that while you're making your movie. Ya' just gotta be quiet."
"I can do that," the woman said.
Raph tucked her gun into his belt, breathed deeply, and exhaled. "I ain't exactly normal looking, so do me a favor and don't scream. If you're too freaked out, we'll part company right here, but your gun goes with me. I ain't taking any chances on ya' losing perspective again."
He saw her blink rapidly a few times and knew she was steeling herself for his unveiling. "Deal," she said.
Taking another moment, Raph stepped out of the shadows. The woman drew in a sharp breath and her eyes widened, but other than that she stood her ground.
"Ya' got a name so I know what ta call ya' other than 'lady'?" Raph asked, breaking the tableau.
"Nancy," she said, her voice barely audible. Clearing her throat, she repeated it, "Nancy."
"All right, Nancy," Raph said. "I need ya' ta climb onto my shell and hang on tight while I get us up ta the roof. Can ya' do that?"
"Yes," Nancy said, her courage returning.
"Good." Raph turned his back, bent at the knees, and waited. A second later he felt her weight settle on his back and her knees touch his exposed sides as she clamped her legs onto his carapace as though she was riding a horse.
Nancy's arms circled his neck and she said, "Ready."
"Here we go," Raph told her just before he sprang into the air.
He heard her grunt as they landed, but other than that she was silent. Climbing onto the edge of the railing, Raph leaped once more, bringing a hand down on the building's ledge as he vaulted onto the roof.
As soon as they touched down, Nancy slid off of him. Raph led the way across the rooftop, listening for the distinctive sound of two people engaging in a sexual act.
He heard them first and lifted a hand to stop Nancy. Peering into the alley, Raph could see the businessman leaning back against a brick wall, his legs slightly spread, one hand flattened against the bricks and the other holding onto the top of the prostitute's head.
Raph felt Nancy come up next to him and then she whispered, "I hear them, but I can't see anything."
"We'll get closer," Raph said. "Grab hold."
Nancy took her original position on his carapace again and Raph jumped down from the roof, landing noiselessly on the fire escape across the alley from her errant husband.
Moving slowly, Nancy dropped off Raph and dug out her cell phone. Hugging it to her chest so that the light wouldn't attract attention, she quickly activated the camcorder.
Holding the phone out as far as she could, Nancy began recording the scene below them. Her husband was making no attempt to quiet his pleasure as the hooker attempted to bring him off with her mouth.
Ignoring the scene in the alley, Raph watched Nancy's face. Her lips formed a thin line and there were wrinkles at the corners of her dark eyes from how she was squinting at her husband. It was obvious she was extremely unhappy and in more than just a little pain.
After a few minutes of action, Raph saw Nancy begin to tremble. Her husband was growing louder as he neared completion and Raph suddenly felt an overwhelming empathy with the woman he was aiding.
Taking the gun from his belt, Raph stepped over to the far side of the fire escape and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into the bricks above Jack's head.
Several things happened at once; Nancy jumped back and stared at Raph, her eyes wide. The prostitute jerked away from her customer and Jack started screaming.
"O~wwww! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh shit you bit me! Oh fuck! You bitch!" Jack's hands were clamped over his genitals as he sank down onto the pavement.
The prostitute jumped to her feet and started running, getting away from the man she'd just injured and the gunfire.
Raph tucked the gun away quickly and swooped down on Nancy, grabbing and flinging her over his shoulder. A powerful lunge took them both onto the rooftop and Raph raced to the other side before stopping to release the woman.
Nancy skipped back from him, visibly shaking. Raph was happy to see she was still clutching the cell phone in a white knuckled grip.
Carefully backing away so that she couldn't get a clear picture of him, Raph pointed at the phone. Nancy looked down at it in surprise and swiftly tucked it into her purse.
"Why did you do that?" Nancy asked, no longer afraid but extremely confused.
Raph couldn't help but grin. "Shit, I don't know. I started thinking how it wasn't fair ya' weren't gonna have visual proof of his cheating and then I figured 'what the hell, if she really wants some I can get it for her'."
"By scaring that hooker into biting his dick off?" Nancy asked incredulously.
Waving a hand dismissively, Raph said, "She didn't bite it off; she's an old pro. I guarantee she left a mark he ain't gonna be able ta hide though. In fact, he's probably gonna go ta the nearest emergency room ta get that treated. Might be a good idea if his concerned wife and her lawyer showed up while he was there."
Nancy stared at him for a few minutes, then began to laugh. The sound was far from hysterical, in fact, it seemed to cleanse her because when she finally stopped, her face looked younger than it had when they'd first met.
"Meeting you has turned out to be the best thing that's happened to me in a long time," Nancy said. "What's your name?"
"Raphael," he answered with a cocky grin. "Ya' know you're gonna have ta leave me completely out of this story, right?"
"If I want full custody of my kids I can't afford to sound crazy," Nancy responded matter-of-factly. "As far as I'm concerned, I'll never breathe a word of this."
"I'm keeping your gun," Raph told her. "We wouldn't want ya' ta be tempted again now that you're on a winning streak."
As he turned to go, Nancy called out, "Wait."
Raph looked back at her and said, "All ya' have ta do is climb down the fire escape."
Nancy shook her head. "Not that. I wanted to say thank you. You're the best vigilante I've ever met."
Chuckling, Raph said, "I'm the only vigilante you've ever met."
He could still hear her laughter as he leaped to the next roof and the one after that. His night would be done after he completed one final task. Nancy's gun was going to find a new resting place at the bottom of the river where no other jealous woman would ever be tempted to use it.