Chapter 4 -Hopeful

"Wish me luck, gents," Spencer said as he straightened his tie for the umpteenth time.

Meagan wove between the thin crowd of passersby and tucked a carnation into his lapel. "You'll do just fine," she said brushing something off his jacket.

"Not if he tightens that noose one more time," Merle said. "Why should you worry about those idiots at that fancy office? They don't deserve you."

Jack held a hand up – in part to silence Merle, in part to relax Spencer. "You'll do fine with the interview. Mr. Robinette will probably ask you about your education, what experience you have and can bring to the company, etc. You know those answers, Spencer. I don't see why you won't get the internship."

"What about the trick questions, huh?" he laughed uneasily. "Should I worry about a polygraph?"

Jack chuckled. "All right. One potential question might be 'How do you see yourself?' I'm not going to tell you how to answer that, but he might ask it."

Spencer thought about it, understanding Jack's meaning. "Hmm. That doesn't usually come up in any other profession."

"It shouldn't have to come up in any profession," Meagan said knowingly before returning to her booth. "You'll get the job. I know it."

Spencer gave a curt nod as he boarded the bus. "Summary at seven," he told Jack as the doors closed.

Jack stopped at the flower booth to buy a few roses. Merle looked on, clicking his tongue. "One for each lady friend, is that it? What are you now, a 'Sweet William' or something?"

"Merle, allow me to explain." He held out two red roses. "These are tokens of apology because my lady friends are under the impression that neither you nor Mrs. Richter approve of them. The others are for some friends I'm meeting later."

Meagan smiled at Jack then turned on Merle. "And here he is, Mr. Hans, apologizing when it should be you doing that. Don't you feel ashamed of yourself? Mr. McCoy is a gentleman, and that's all there is to it."

"Thank you, Ms. Marroni," Jack said bowing to her slightly, "for coming to my defense."

She waved him off. "Eh, don't worry, Mac. I've my own favor to ask ya, if that's all right."

"Ah-ha!" Merle said, stepping back and pointing accusingly at them. "I knew it! You children have no shame!" With mock indignation, Merle continued with his walk, fast enough to make a point, but slow enough to let Jack know he expected the younger man to catch up at some point. Jack and Meagan shook their heads.

"I just wanted to know, if it should ever come up, not saying it should, but if it did, would it be all right for me to drop off the children at your place, possibly unexpected?"

Jack smiled. "Anytime. All you have to do is knock three times on the ceiling."

Meagan's shoulders fell with relief. "You're a godsend! I'd take them upstairs to the Castors, but the last time Trisha and Trevor played with the kids, they came home bruised."

"What did the parents have to say?"

"Nothing. I'm not going to start trouble. I just want to avoid it." She briefly held Jack's hand. "It won't be a problem, honestly?"

He squeezed her hand in return. "Anytime. You know my schedule."

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"Sorry I'm late," Anita Van Buren said as she took a seat beside Lennie at the bar. "You ever have one of those marathon days?"

"Once, a long, long time ago in a lifetime far, far away," Lennie said. "Don't worry, Jack and I've kept ourselves busy."

"It's more like he's been busy with some razzle-dazzle moves at the pool table," Jack said.

"Hey," Lennie said defensively, "how many guys did you fleece at the dart board?"

Jack smiled mischievously. "I learned to balance my games out. Think they'll ban you from here for life." Turning to Anita, he said, "Anyways, we've more than enough to treat you to anything you wish from the menu today."

They found an unoccupied booth, Lennie on one side, Anita and Jack on the other. Jack handed her some roses.

"What's this?" Lennie said. "You don't bring me flowers anymore."

"Well, you did hustle me out of quite a bit of money last week," Jack retorted. "Anita, this is a very belated 'thank you' for everything you've done," Jack said.

Anita inhaled the scent then smiled. "They're wonderful, Jack. Thank you."

"That leaves you two roses, yet," Lennie said.

"I plan on delivering them after we're done here."

"So, how is life without law, Jack?" Anita asked, setting the flowers to the side.

Jack nodded. "It's nice. Hopefully, others will see that soon enough and get off my back about it."

Lennie waved a hand. "If there's anyone you need me to, eh-hem, persuade, I'll pitch in."

"Only if you want to bring a few extra helping hands to the carnival." Pointing at Lennie, Jack said to Anita, "This guy's under the impression that he could talk someone into being his partner between two offices if you will. Do you know anything about that?"

"I know enough to never even give him that kind of hint, unless it was to plead with someone to keep him out of trouble," she said. Pretending she was whispering in his ear, yet loud enough for the other man to hear, she added, "How much is it worth to you to help out society?"

"I remember where you and Don live, Lieu."

Anita smiled. "I'm not your lieu anymore." Turning on Jack, she asked, "And what's this I'm hearing that you're staying in the Bronx?"

Jack shook his head. 'I should have been charging a nickel every time someone asked me that. Then I'd have the next month's rent by now."

Anita elbowed him. "I'm kidding, although, I wouldn't mind seeing the place, if you're up to it. Don and I will bring the kids on Saturday. We could stand a day of fun."

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The area came alive with activity as many families and business owners gathered in the park and the usually empty vacant lot. The cheers and laughter from the children were music to the ears of most of the bone-weary adults who had a chance to enjoy this festive moment.

Jack saw and greeted some acquaintances that he invited then returned to the booth he volunteered at with Sylvia. Once in a while, one of the many in his former circle had dropped by to lend a hand. It was late afternoon before Jack allowed himself to be pulled away to catch his breath.

"I can see why you like it here," Liz said, "despite what your critics say."

Jack nodded. "So, do you think I'm still running an 'avoidance game' from whatever my critics say?"

Liz looked at him. "Let me think about that a bit more." She expected a look of disappointment or annoyance from him. Instead, she saw shock.

"What is it, Jack?"

"Nothing," he said as he was about to cross the street. Spencer intercepted him and led him to the refreshment stand.

"You see him?" Spencer asked, stepping in between Jack and his intended target.

Jack said yes. "I'm going to talk to him." Elizabeth looked on with utter confusion.

Spencer shook his head "I already got a hold of Detective…Green is it? I don't think I saw a guy take off so fast. Something about finding Joe?"

Jack took that in. Rumor from the 3-9 was that they were tired of getting 'check-in' calls from some 'jerk named Joe' at the 2-7. "How bold do you feel?"

"There's the bold and the foolhardy." After a beat, Spencer leaned forward and said, "For the record, I'm 'Bold,' so that makes you-."

"Everyday," Jack said. Both men turned to cross the street with Elizabeth a few paces behind. Ed Green snuck up behind them, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder, pulling him back.

A police cruiser pulled up and a couple of officers exited. Fontana walked up on the other side of the individual. "Hate it when he's right," Green said. "I was hoping he was joking when he said-." Ed dismissed it. "Well, that's one dolt on his way behind bars."

Jack nodded in agreement. However, as he watched Keagan argue with the officers, one of whom was arguing with Fontana, something told Jack that the victory would be short-lived.

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"I can sleep peacefully tonight, how about you?" Danielle asked.

"Sure," Jack said. "Thank you for sparing me the 'I-told-you-so' speech."

Danielle ignored him. "I told you so. If you turned him in when you first saw him then-."

"Maybe I should change the locks," he said. "Of course, that won't solve the problem entirely…"

"I know," Danielle said. "That's why I've been looking at apartments in-."

"Because you'd find a way to get to me anyway," he deadpanned. "Maybe I'll listen to Erin's offer. It would be odd, asking for support from one's child."

Danielle looked at him, uncertain. "You better be joking."

Jack picked up the dishes to return them to the kitchen, leaving Danielle on the couch. From there, Jack offered his argument. "Erin's found some places I could work at, not too far from her house, on her way to work. It would be fun to share a commute with her. Granted, I don't know if I really want to leave here."

"What do you have here, seriously, Jack? The kids upstairs are loud and obnoxious. The neighbors on either side of you bicker back and forth. And what are you going to do about the pounding on your floor from down below? I swear; do you ever sleep with all this noise?"

"I happen to like this particular composition, even if you don't. It's a community thing. As for the so-called pounding of the floor-." He turned to look at her. "Was that just now?"

"Yes. Why?"

Jack crossed through the living room just as someone knocked on the door once. "Meagan," he said, holding the door open. "What's wrong?"

"I-, I'm so sorry, Jack. I- I- have to-. Do you mind?"

"I meant what I said," he told her, taking a sleeping Trisha off her hands. He took Trevor's hand and led him to the armchair. "Is there anything-?"

Meagan shook her head. It was then Danielle commented on her dress. "Dear, you're going to catch your death of cold like that."

"Death of cold versus bailing my cousin out of jail… I doubt I'll be arrested for this. The bus will be here any-." She turned to run down the stairs."

Danielle grabbed her coat and purse. "This is nonsense, Jack," she said. "Meagan, wait up!"

Alone with the children, Jack secured all of the locks before addressing Trevor. "Are you awake enough for me to tuck you two into bed?"

Groggily, Trevor nodded, taking Jack's hand. The second-grader looked down at his slippers as they walked and said, "Uncle Perry's gonna get it, isn't he?"

"Maybe," Jack said, laying the preschooler down as Trevor climbed in. "Your mother will take care of it, don't worry."

"I don't." Trevor pulled the covers up to his chin. "Mom says if I worry now, I'll just get gray hairs like you and her."

Jack smiled. "She's right. You're not allowed to start that early, do you hear me?" He looked around the small room. "Do you want a night light or the door opened a bit?"

"Nope," Trevor said, before turning over and falling asleep. Jack ruffled the boy's hair. He decided to plug in a nightlight, all the better to not risk waking them up with the lamp from the other room.

----

Jack was half-asleep in the armchair when there was a faint knock at the door. Glancing at the clock, it was later than he thought, much later if Meagan and Danielle were simply bailing Perry out. It wouldn't surprise him if the trio wasn't on there way to night court to settle it quickly, if that was possible. Knowing Danielle, she'd make it so.

He went to the door, checking to see who it was. No one was there. No sooner had he returned to the armchair, the knocking repeated. He checked again and still saw no one. Cautiously, he opened the door, thinking perhaps it was one of the children from upstairs.

Jack's temperature dropped not due to the cold wind blowing from the entryway steps, but from whom he saw standing in the corner.

"You're…." Jack felt his heart race as he struggled not to go numb. "No." He shook his head as he repeated, "No, no, no, no, no."

With shaky hands, he closed the door as quietly as he could, turning the locks as quickly as he could.

"Uncle Mac?"

Jack ran a hand over his face, trying his best to clear his mind and expression of the terror he felt. "Yes, Trisha?"

"Can I have a glass of water?"

"Sure, dear," he said, and then went into the kitchen to get it for her.

She sipped it, mimicking her kitten as she did so. "Was that Mommy?"

Jack shook his head. "No, Trisha. No one was at the door."

"It might have been Casper," she said wisely.

"It might have been," he agreed. "Now, back to bed, all right?"

She tiptoed to the counter and reached up for the sink, dropping the tumbler in. Just as carefully, she tiptoed back and began tapping him on the arm. "Uncle Mac?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you all right?"

He smiled. "Yes, Trisha. I'm all right."

Not accepting his answer, she stood up on the chair and leaned close to his face until their noses touched, staring him in the eyes. After a while she nodded. "All right. Night."

Jack watched as she scurried to the room, closing the door behind her. "Somehow," he whispered to himself, "I doubt it will be all right."

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"I'm sorry," Nina Cassady said to her partner. She hadn't expected him to come in such a foul mood first thing in the morning.

"It wasn't your fault," Fontana said. "It's that good-for-nothing-. It wasn't your fault. I don't know how to tell Jack the bad news. I'd call him, but…"

"You can't," Ed said handing some messages to Nina. "He doesn't have a phone that I know of."

Nina looked at him surprised. "He knows it's the twenty-first century, right? Does he at least have a cell phone?"

Ed shook his head. "See, no phone, no listing. No listing, no easy access from Keagan and company."

"That didn't stop him Saturday," Joe said, replacing a broken pencil for a different one. "Did you hear? The 3-9 released him because it was Keagan's right to attend a festival open to the public. Don't know what their problem is, really."

"I'm sure Jack would have let us know if he's seen Keagan since," Ed told him, trying to sound reassuring. If anything, Nina heard the doubt in his voice as clearly as she heard the anger in Joe's.

"Want me to call in some favors to have someone tail him?" Nina asked.

Fontana shook his head. "I drove by Keagan's place when I first heard and he's not there. He hasn't been there for a couple of days now." He broke another pencil. "I don't like that one bit."

"He'll turn up," Green said. "In the meantime, someone called about your case. Why it was forwarded to my desk, I don't know, but here." Green returned to his desk as Fontana tossed the papers off of his.

Nina picked them up and read them over. "Electrical wiring. That would make sense for that kind of explosion." She looked up at Joe and asked, "Do we know about the wiring of that warehouse? I mean, is it possible that Drake knew his way around electronics to set it up so easily, fuse and all?"

"Why are you asking me?" Fontana snapped. "That case is old, officially closed, thoroughly ignored!"

Nina made a note of it nonetheless then put the papers on the corner of Joe's desk. "Sorry I mentioned it," she said. Nina picked up the phone and made a call. "Hello, this is Nina… regarding that appointment…You don't mind? ... That's great, I mean, that works for me because…. So I'll see you then. Thanks. Bye."

"Canceling another date?" Fontana asked? "I thought you were going to improve your social life?"

"Appointments are usually made with doctors or dentists," Nina said. "Most aren't that friendly during a cancellation call."

"Right." He looked up at her as he picked up the file she returned. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. It's just maddening that, even with the law, we lose some."

"You've gotta have hope, Joe," she said. "We'll get the guys we're after."

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"Ms. Melnick is something else!" Meagan said when Jack met up with her at the flower booth.

"So, Perry isn't in as much trouble as he once was, eh?"

Meagan beamed. "No. Not only that, but Ms. Melnick convinced the judge to drop the charges. So, aside from Perry owing me serious babysitting time to compensate, all's right with the world."

"Good," he said, accepting a carnation from her. "You realize, if you keep giving away free flowers, you won't earn as much, right?"

Meagan shrugged. "I've yet to figure it out, but the books seem to come a bit over at week's end, covering the free flowers twice over. I know I'm not short-changing customers, but still."

"It could be a hopeful admirer," Jack said.

Merle elbowed him. "If it's you, boy, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

"If it's all the same to you," Jack said, "I can single-handedly keep track of my own love life, thank you."

Meagan leaned forward and whispered, "It's when you count lovers with both hands you know you're dead, right?"

"You're telling me," he whispered back. Louder, he said, "Didn't you say Louise's birthday is today?"

Merle nodded. "Yes it is. Meagan, I'll need to buy some flowers from you."

"There's a first for everything, Mr. Hans," she said kindheartedly. "May I recommend the Cape Primrose," she said.

"Sold," he said, making the purchase. He took the potted flower and handed it to Jack, saying, "You deliver." Meagan and Jack exchanged looks, deciding it wasn't worth arguing the point because… Jack would justify it later.

A few minutes later, he found himself looking down from the balcony, all seven cats wandering about his legs and Mr. Hans was nowhere to be seen. "He's shy," Jack said finally.

"I'm sure he is," Mrs. Winslow said. "I had a nephew like that, always talking about himself in the third person because he was shy. He's yet to grow out of it."

Jack sheepishly grinned. "Understood, Mrs. Winslow," he said, thinking of the best way to set Merle Hans up for this. "I sincerely hope you have a wonderful birthday," he said, then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

-------

"You look like you want to murder someone," Spencer said. "Need to shoot some hoops after work?"

Jack nodded. "Mrs. Winslow-."

"Oh, no! Not a nice, innocent lady like Louise!" Spencer paused then asked, "Don't tell me you were set up as another alleged suitor?" Off of Jack's look, Spencer howled with laughter. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry!"

"She's nice, so there's no reason to-."

Spencer shook his head. "No, you don't get it. She'll be expecting you to stop by regularly for teatime. There's a reason why some of us keep our feet on the ground, Mac!"

Jack shook his head. "That would have been very helpful to know before this morning!"

"Oh man, Merle's gonna murder you!"

"Then you better prepare to help his representation in court," Jack countered, "because he's the one who set me up in the first place."

Spencer pretended to adjust his suit and tie. "That's easy, your honor – not guilty by reason of insanity. His neighbor drove him to it."

Jack gave him a look before leaving to help Patel with his English lesson.

Patel, a grandfatherly figure himself, gave Jack a sympathetic smile. "Don't lose heart," the former doctor said. "In time, Ms. Winslow will be a memory among the wind."