A/N: thanks again for the reviews. As for being able to write with a baby, it takes a bit of patience and effort but I manage:D
Chapter 21
"Open up!" Dan-o' yelled, pounding on the door, making it rattle.
"Nina, go to the back and call Dispatch," Frank said, handing her his cell. "It's speed-dial number 2. Tell them Sgt. Frank Tripp is requesting immediate back-up at your address ASAP to deal with a dangerously drunk individual." Nina nodded. "If you have to, run and don't look back." Nina nodded again and headed down the hall, Pépé right beside her.
"Johnny, look out for him," she instructed the ghost as she headed down the hall for the back of her house which had a door that lead to her back yard, pressing the 2 on the cell to place the call to Dispatch.
Johnny nodded and said, "C'mon, Cujo, we got work to do." Cujo barked and obediently followed Johnny back to Frank.
"Open the fuck up!" Dan-o' yelled again.
Making sure the gun was secure (even though he was very reluctant to use it) Frank opened the door to a very angry and very drunk black man with a baseball bat in one hand.
Shoving his way inside, Dan-o' demanded, "Where the fuck is that little bitch!"
Giving Dan-o' his best "Don't-Tangle-With-Me-Asshole" stance and glare, Frank shot back, "Who the hell are you talking about?"
"Don't fuck with me, whitey! That bitch's car is outside and I want her in front of me right here right now!"
Frank sincerely hoped Nina had made the call and that help was on the way. Yes, he was more than capable of holding his own but Dan-o' was drunk and mad and that was a dangerous combination. His eyes fairly watered from the alcoholic fumes that were all but pouring off the man.
"Are you talking about Lyta? Because if you are, she's not here; she just took a cab to the airport. She left her car here because she figured it was safer with a friend than in her neighbourhood," Frank said.
"Don't fuckin' lie to me! That bitch is here and she'd better get her fat ass in front of me right now or I'm gonna tear this fuckin' place apart and then I'm gonna beat the little bitch!"
"Is that a threat?" Frank asked coldly. "Because if it is, I will tell you right now, you're asking for a world of trouble."
"Fuck you, asshole!" Dan-o' yelled and with that, he swung the bat.
Frank brought his arm up reflectively but he knew it wasn't going to do much good. This is gonna hurt, he thought.
Then, to his ever lasting surprise, Dan-o' suddenly dropped the bat and screamed in pain, grabbing his crotch.
What the hell? Frank thought. Suddenly Dan-o's head snapped up and back as if someone had just delivered a swift upper-cut. The man went staggering back. Johnny and Cujo, Frank realized, trying not to grin. In the distance he could hear the familiar sirens of the MDPD patrol cars heading their way. Thank you, Nina.
"Fuck you and fuck that bitch!" Dan-o' yelled, his face looking a bit sweaty.
"Get out of my house and stay out," Nina said coldly, joining him. Frank groaned to himself. Damn it, he wanted her out of the way so he wouldn't have to worry about her but apparently she had decided otherwise. "I don't know what your problem is, but you were just informed that Lyta is not here. Whether or not you believe us, that's not our problem."
"Fuck you, bitch!" Dan-o' snarled. "You're just like her, a filthy, no-good whore!"
Before he could do or say anything else, Frank and Nina watched in amazement as Johnny promptly right-hooked Dan-o', followed by a blow to the stomach and then another upper-cut. This caused Dan-o' to go staggering out the open door. He tripped and stumbled over the front porch steps and sprawled on his backside on the pathway. It took him a moment to realize that the cops were pulling up to Nina's driveway and sidewalk and apparently he decided he'd had enough. He attempted to scramble up and run for it but he didn't get far.
He found himself being hit in the ribs hard enough that he flipped and hit the ground again, this time with the wind knocked out of him.
"How is Johnny doing this?" Frank whispered to Nina as they watched the spectacle, Nina struggling to hold on to a barking, growling Pépé.
"Sometimes if a ghost is angry enough, or determined enough, then they can gather enough energy to physically affect the living," Nina quietly explained.
"Oh boy," Frank whispered.
Suddenly Dan-o' started screaming at something Frank couldn't see. "What the fuck! You're dead, you mother-fucker! I fuckin' killed you! I fuckin' beat your god-fuckin'-damn brains out, asshole! You're dead, Johnny Salvador, dead, dead, DEAD!"
"Now that sounded like a confession to me," Frank said.
"About as close to one as we're going to get," Nina said, watching something he couldn't see.
"What do you see?" Frank asked quietly, watching as four patrol officers struggled to restrain a thrashing, fighting Dan-o'.
"Johnny is standing over him with Cujo and he's talking to him," Nina said. "He just told Dan-o' that he would never let him hurt Lyta again, ever."
"How can Dan-o' see him?"
"He's drunk. For some people that can cause them to see things they normally wouldn't. Plus, Johnny's pretty mad so he's giving off a lot more energy than usual."
The officers had a heck of a fight on their hands with Dan-o', who had turned his attention to them and was now cursing and swearing at them. Frank felt bad for them and was tempted to assist but them Dan-o' spotted Lyta peering out from the bedroom window and he exploded.
"You fuckin' bitch! You're dead, bitch, dead!" he yelled.
That did it, Frank thought. Even as the other officers radioed for help, Frank dove into the fray. Nina watched from her porch, hand over her mouth in horror, even as she tried to contain her wriggling dog. Then Lyta, apparently deciding it was safe to join them because the cops were there, joined her, also carrying a wriggling, barking dog; Taz.
"You're dead, Lyta, dead! Fuckin' whore!" Dan-o' yelled. "I'm gonna beat your brains in the way I did Johnny!"
"Did he just admit to killing Johnny?" Lyta whispered to Nina.
"Sounds like it," Nina whispered back.
Frank, plus the four cops and the additional three more that showed up, finally, finally, managed to subdue Dan-o'. He was hog-tied via cuffs and stuffed into a patrol car. Then Frank rejoined Nina and Lyta and said, "That boy is in a world of trouble."
"Looks like it," Nina said. "I'm guessing he's going to be facing numerous charges, including murder and attempted murder?"
"Along with uttering threats, resisting arrest, attempted assault of a cop, attempted assault with a weapon, the list goes on and on," Frank said. His shirt was a bit rumpled and grubby. "The guys are going to need to take some statements and then we'll talk."
"Sounds good," Nina said. "Because I think Johnny wants to talk to Lyta."
Lyta's head snapped up at the mention of Johnny. "Are you serious?" she demanded.
"Quite," Nina said.
"Oh," was all Lyta could think of to say.
"Question is are you willing to listen?" Nina asked. Lyta nodded hesitantly. "Then, once we deal with the cops, we'll deal with Johnny. Something tells me he's got quite a lot to say."