Tank pulled up in front of Joe's house within ten minutes, Bobby was riding shotgun with him. They both looked at Joe's SUV which was parked in his front yard on the grass and not in the driveway.
"That's not a good sign." Bobby said.
"Let's go." Tank got out on the driver's side door. He walked around the front of the SUV. Bob was standing in the opened front door which was hanging off its hinges.
"Here Bob." Bobby called out.
Tank watched as Bob came out from the door, his tail wagging. Tank and Bobby looked at each other and then back to Bob and started laughing. The dog's hair had a green streak running down his back; he had part of a necktie hanging from his collar that had the ends knotted up with dog drool, where he chewed on it.
"That looks like paint." Tank said.
Bob started jumping around and barking at them.
"Where's Morelli?" Bobby asked Bob.
Bob cocked his head to the side. Tank slapped Bobby on the shoulder. "Do you expect him to answer you?"
Bobby rubbed his shoulder, "It could happen one of these days." Bobby looked down at Bob who was now on his back, gyrating to the left and right, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Or maybe not."
Tank shook his head. He started walking toward the house. When he reached the front door he looked over the doorframe. It hadn't been pried loose. He noticed the screws looked as if they had been yanked. The light was on in the living room and Tank saw the devastation. Paper was strewn all over the floor; couch cushions half chewed and the gutted remains were in piles of vomit about the room, and green paw prints sprinkled on the carpet.
"Holy shit!" Bobby said.
"Bombshell Bob," Tank said. "Looks like the devastation after one of Steph's disasters."
Bob came between Tank's legs, went to the stairs and sat down. His tail was wagging ninety miles an hour, he had a goofy looking grin on his face. Tank thought it looked a lot like doggy pride.
"You are going to be in so much trouble when Morelli sees the shit you did." Tank told him as he crossed the threshold into the Bob riddled world.
Tank walked past Bob and started up the stairs. When he got to the landing the rest of the house seemed normal. Bob's devastation hadn't made it to the second floor. Tank wasn't that familiar with the house and opened the first door to the left. It was a home office, he shut the door, and he found the bathroom next.
Tank opened the third door, but when he did he was thrust back with the stench of alcohol. He turned and looked at Bobby, "Get the shower going, he reeks."
Tank walked in and reached for the light. When it came on, he saw Joe sprawled on the bed, fully dressed. He had his phone in one hand and a picture in the other. His bedroom looked like a hurricane hit it and he knew Bob didn't do this. Joe had trashed the place. Tank stepped over the clothes on the floor and heard the crack of wood under his boot. He looked down at the half-broken frame, the picture was out of it. Tank had a feeling the picture was in Joe's hand.
Tank pushed through the drawers that were thrown to the floor out of the dresser. He looked at the dresser and the mirror was shattered into thousands of pieces. Tank reached the bed. He pulled the phone out of Joe's hand.
"Whazza don at fo Al?" Joe slurred in his drunken induced comma.
Tank heard the pain in his voice when he said it. "Come on Stallion. You gotta go see your girl."
He pulled the photo out of Joe's hand, it was of Alex. The glass from the frame had scratched it in places. He put it on the night stand. Tank reached down and grabbed Joe by the shirt he had on and yanked him up. Joe's eyes came open.
"Wazza fru Sher?" Joe slurred and then tried to pull Tank's hands off him.
"Not happening. Come on man, you don't want me to hurt you. Alex needs you Joe." Tank pulled him to his feet. "She needs you bad, but you aren't worth shit to her like this."
"Alex." Joe slurred out.
"That's right, first word you've said that I understood." Tank half carried Joe to the door. Bobby was coming out the bathroom.
"He looks like shit." Bobby said.
"He destroyed his room." Tank said as he got Joe into the bathroom.
Bob came bounding up the stairs and barked.
"Bo sh m hea." Joe slurred.
"Don't think he understands man." Tank shoved Joe under the cold spray.
Joe yelped as the water hit him and Bob howled with his master. Tank let him go and Joe slid down the shower wall. He put his hands on his head sputtering with the water. Joe's head came up, his eyes open, red and swollen. Lack of sleep and too much booze.
"Wha'ta fuck?" Joe asked. He stood and went back down on wobbly legs.
"Yeah, what the fuck is right. Jesus. You need your head on straight." Tank told him. "Alex needs you."
Tank watched as Joe closed his eyes and screwed his face. He covered his head with his arms. Tank looked back out at Bobby holding Bob back who was whining to get to Joe. "Let him go." Tank said. "Go get a pot of coffee going. Make it strong, not sure if this shower is going to work."
Bobby let go of Bob, Bob slipped as his nails hit the tile and he kept slipping till he got to the shower and put half his body in, the back half still out shaking for all he was worth as he started licking Joe. Bobby headed back down the stairs. Tank looked at Bob.
"Yeah, get him Bob. You stay here and keep doing that." Tank turned and walked out of the bathroom. "Can't believe the man would get that drunk, shit, his daughter needs him." Tank went into Joe's room and started picking through the clothes. Shaking out the glass and finding him something dry to put on. Tank came back in the bathroom. Joe had his head leaned back on the tile, the spray hitting his face as Bob was licking as fast as he could off of Joe's cheeks.
