Chapter Thirteen
~~~~~*~~~~~
"So what were you doing at the Quick Shop
Mart this late at night, Hobson?" Brigatti inquired,
stirring a Styrofoam cup filled with black coffee,
"Buying slushys?"
With tired eyes, Gary glanced up at her. His
finger wrapped neatly in a white bandage, he
reached over and took the coffee cup she
held out to him.
It had been a long night and at the moment,
his side hurt, his finger throbbed and with all
that he had gone through in the past two hours,
he was having a hard time concentrating.
"T-Thanks," he stammered, " I-I was ah, actually
there to buy some.. ah...gum."
Brigatti studied him carefully for a moment, not
believing a word of it. When would he learn.
"Really," she drawled, a bit of sarcasm tainting her
tone. If he wanted to play, she would play. "What
kind?" she asked.
In mid-sip, Gary lowered his cup to look up at
her, a perturb look on his face. "Huh?"
"Flavor, Hobson." Brigatti's voice was bored and
mono toned. She knew he was lying.
Gary blinked and ruffled the back of his hair. Flavor
of gum? What did that have to do with anything!?
What did she want from him!?
Temper in check, Brigatti rose swiftly from her desk,
crossed the room to the file cabinets and pulled
opened the large metal drawer. She didn't look
at him as she fingered quickly through the folders
muttering something incoherent under her breath.
Looking for his file, Gary supposed, shifting nervously
on his seat. He watched her wearily for a moment
as she rummaged quickly through the files. Finding
the folder she had searched so violently for, she
snatched it out then turned around to look at him.
"Well?" She inquired with one eyebrow arched.
She would continue the silly little game if he
wanted to play! "Juicy Fruit?" She continued.
Maybe she could help out a little.
No answer.
"Peppermint?" She was glaring at him now, her
voice sounding more irritated with each question.
Looking befuddled, Gary shifted on his seat,
scratching his head.
"Spearmint?
Still no answer.
Wintermint? Big Red -- lia-!" she accused, slamming
the file drawer shut with a bang, her last word "liar"
drowned out by the sound of crashing metal.
Gary jumped spilling hot coffee all over his coat.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted them, and
the door opened slightly. It was Detective Winslow.
"Excuse me. " he said, peeking his head in through
the partially opened door.
Brigatti drew in an irritated breath and glanced
up slightly annoyed. "What is it Winslow?"
"How you doin', Mr. Hobson," Winslow smiled
acknowledging Gary, his eyes surveying the spilled
coffee down the front of Gary's coat. Clearing his
throat, he turned his attention back to Brigatti.
"Captain wants to see you. It's about that ah, special
assignment?"
"I'll be there in a minute." Brigatti said simply.
"Right-e-o," Winslow mused, winking at Gary before
closing the door softly.
"Don't move." Brigatti ordered, tossing Gary a box
of Kleenex before she stalked out of the office
taking the folder with her.
Relieved to get a moment alone, Gary blew out
a tired breath and pulled a tissue from the box to
wipe the front of his coat. His finger was throbbing
now and the white cloth bandage that was
wrapped around it was soaked with coffee.
He wasn't sure how he had hurt his finger,
but figured it happened when Slugg kicked
him. The paramedics had examined and treated
him on the scene. Except for the cut finger and
his bruised side, there were no major injuries. He
had declined a trip to the hospital which he now
regretted.
Looking around Brigatti's small office Gary found
it surprisingly effeminate. There were a few pictures
hanging on the wall--some were of Brigatti laughing
surrounded by a group of her police comrades.
Probably from her days in the police academy.
Gary looked closer noting the smile on Brigatti's
face. It was rare. He smiled.
There were lots of awards on the wall. One that
stood out was a large authentic looking certificate
housed in a large wooden frame, a shiny police
badge emblem graced the front of it.
Her desk complete with computer was neatly
arranged. Pencils and pens were kept neat in
cylinder holders, a small vase with one single
rose surrounded by baby's breath sat on the side.
The back of a picture frame facing the opposite
direction caught Gary's attention and he reached
over and turned it around.
It was an old picture of a young Brigatti, posed with
an older woman whose white hair was pinned up
neatly in a bun. They were smiling, their faces
huddled close together, Brigatti's sleek black
hair was much longer than when he had first met
her, and it flowed about her shoulders. She
looked sexy that way. Gary smiled. The
two women resembled one another-- both
women's eyes dark and piercing. Gary was curious
about the old woman with Brigatti. Was she her
mother? Grandmother?
The clicking of heels fast approaching sounded
out in the hall and Gary quickly returned the photo
to its place just as the door swung open.
Brigatti walked briskly in, still clutching the
folder and closed the door behind her.
Whipping the folder from under her arm
she plopped down at her desk, clasped
her fingers together and sat staring across
at him, her dark eyes blinking, her lips tight.
"Where were we?" she asked.
Gary shook his head.
"Lets see," Brigatti began. " We
got a dark rainy night with wet slippery road.
Roads--incidentally that no one in his right
mind would be out driving around on in this
kind of weather. We got YOU in a bronco,
out and about, cruising--"
"Cruising!" Gary scowled, interrupting her little
scenario. "Look...Brigatti I wasn't ---!"
"Cr-ui-sing--" Brigatti interrupted him, emphasizing
each sylable of the word, her gaze burning into
his, "...around town. Looking for what? It hasn't
yet been established.You get this sudden
tickle in your throat and out of all the stores
in all the neighborhoods along the way, you
decide to pull over to that particular store in
that particular neighborhood, to purchase--as
oppose to cough drops, bottled water, or
coffee--a package of..." She paused to draw in
a much needed breath, "Gum?!!"
This struck a silence in the room as Gary sat
staring in awe at Brigatti as if she had just
spoken in some unknown tongue. After all
he'd had been through tonight, he could
not believe that she would be going on and
on about the flavor of some stupid gum!
He let out a tired breath and rubbed his face
hard in his hands mentally kicking himself
for turning down the opportunity to go to the
hospital. At least there, he would have been
shown more sympathy!
Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Brigatti
blew out a frustrated breath and leaned forward,
on her desk. "If that question is too hard for you,
Hob-son, let's try something a little more simple.
How long have you known Mrs. Danado?"
"Howzat?" Gary glanced up from his hands.
"Mrs. Danado? The woman who was held
up at the Quick Shop Mart?"
"I-I don't know her!"
"Humph!" Brigatti sat back in her seat, her dark
eyes blinking suspiciously. "Well, she sure seemed
to know you, Hobson, the way that she was hugging
you when we stormed in."
Now, Gary was annoyed, "I didn't know that woman!
I-I suppose that she was just happy that someone
else was in there with her when she was being
robbed...I don't know!"
Brigatti scribbled something down on a note
pad in front of her.
"So you never saw her before tonight?" she
inquired pausing to look up at him.
"No!" Gary shot back.
"How about the kid, Michael?"
"Michael?! No...no I don't know him either...look,
why are you asking me all these questions!?"
"Just trying to tie together some loose ends,
Hobson...that's all."
"What loose ends!"
"You tell me," Brigatti leaned back in her chair to
studied him for a moment. "Why is it Hobson
that you seem to turn up in some of the most
extraordinary circumstances?"
Gary ruffled the back of his hair, "I-I don't
know...wrong pla--"
"Don't give me that wrong place, wrong time
business or I swear I'll shoot you!" Brigatti
snapped.
Lowering her head slowly she continued
to write. "Seems as if our little cowboy and
Mrs. Danado has a little something in common."
She murmured under her breath.
Gary was beginning to feel very uncomfortable
discussing anything that had to do with a murder;
and as much as he didn't want to know, he was
curious, "Wh-What was that?" he asked reluctantly.
Brigatti glanced up and sighed, "Well, Michael's
father was one of the victims who was murdered
over a month ago. Shot in the back of the head
with the same specially made caliber gun. His
body turned up in a ditch somewhere across town...,"
she dropped her head to continue writing. "Mrs. Danado's
husband was also a victim of that particular type of
killing."
"Well, don't look at me!" Gary scoffed, scratching his
head and looking around. He was eager to get out
of there and didn't want to know any more than necessary.
"Need to see a doctor, Hobson?" Brigatti asked,
as she continued writing.
Surprised at her concern, Gary eyed her suspiciously.
He didn't think that she had noticed his discomfort.
"No..no, I'll be all right" he stammered, "L-Look do
you still want me?"
The room grew unusually quiet, Gary's question
resounding in Brigatti's head. She felt her face
flush, her mind went suddenly blank." Ah..excuse
me?"
"Can I go now?" Gary asked irritably, glancing
down at his watch.
Flustered, Brigatti shook her head to clear it. "Ah..yeah
I think we're done here for tonight, Hobson."
"Good." Gary said rising quickly to leave. He started for
the door but stopped abruptly and turned back around.
He couldn't help wondering about the fate of Slugg the
man who was shot. According to his paper, he knew
that Slugg had survived but the paper didn't give any
more details. "One more thing," he asked sheepishly.
"What's that Hobson."
"That guy...the gun man...Slugg? W-What happened?
I mean is he going to be okay?"
Brigatti looked up at him let out a deep breath. "Well,
after he fired that first shot, I had to do something
to keep him from getting hurt permanently...if you know
what I mean. I was aiming for the hand with the gun,
but the punk turned slightly and he got it in the---," she
paused momentarily before continuing on. "well....let's
just say that he'll be doing most of his time standing."
Gary grimaced, " Oh. Yeah-well...see ya," he said
quickly fumbling the door knob to open it.
"Let's hope not, Hobson," Brigatti warned as the door
closed with a thud behind him.
To be continued.......................
~~~~~*~~~~~
"So what were you doing at the Quick Shop
Mart this late at night, Hobson?" Brigatti inquired,
stirring a Styrofoam cup filled with black coffee,
"Buying slushys?"
With tired eyes, Gary glanced up at her. His
finger wrapped neatly in a white bandage, he
reached over and took the coffee cup she
held out to him.
It had been a long night and at the moment,
his side hurt, his finger throbbed and with all
that he had gone through in the past two hours,
he was having a hard time concentrating.
"T-Thanks," he stammered, " I-I was ah, actually
there to buy some.. ah...gum."
Brigatti studied him carefully for a moment, not
believing a word of it. When would he learn.
"Really," she drawled, a bit of sarcasm tainting her
tone. If he wanted to play, she would play. "What
kind?" she asked.
In mid-sip, Gary lowered his cup to look up at
her, a perturb look on his face. "Huh?"
"Flavor, Hobson." Brigatti's voice was bored and
mono toned. She knew he was lying.
Gary blinked and ruffled the back of his hair. Flavor
of gum? What did that have to do with anything!?
What did she want from him!?
Temper in check, Brigatti rose swiftly from her desk,
crossed the room to the file cabinets and pulled
opened the large metal drawer. She didn't look
at him as she fingered quickly through the folders
muttering something incoherent under her breath.
Looking for his file, Gary supposed, shifting nervously
on his seat. He watched her wearily for a moment
as she rummaged quickly through the files. Finding
the folder she had searched so violently for, she
snatched it out then turned around to look at him.
"Well?" She inquired with one eyebrow arched.
She would continue the silly little game if he
wanted to play! "Juicy Fruit?" She continued.
Maybe she could help out a little.
No answer.
"Peppermint?" She was glaring at him now, her
voice sounding more irritated with each question.
Looking befuddled, Gary shifted on his seat,
scratching his head.
"Spearmint?
Still no answer.
Wintermint? Big Red -- lia-!" she accused, slamming
the file drawer shut with a bang, her last word "liar"
drowned out by the sound of crashing metal.
Gary jumped spilling hot coffee all over his coat.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted them, and
the door opened slightly. It was Detective Winslow.
"Excuse me. " he said, peeking his head in through
the partially opened door.
Brigatti drew in an irritated breath and glanced
up slightly annoyed. "What is it Winslow?"
"How you doin', Mr. Hobson," Winslow smiled
acknowledging Gary, his eyes surveying the spilled
coffee down the front of Gary's coat. Clearing his
throat, he turned his attention back to Brigatti.
"Captain wants to see you. It's about that ah, special
assignment?"
"I'll be there in a minute." Brigatti said simply.
"Right-e-o," Winslow mused, winking at Gary before
closing the door softly.
"Don't move." Brigatti ordered, tossing Gary a box
of Kleenex before she stalked out of the office
taking the folder with her.
Relieved to get a moment alone, Gary blew out
a tired breath and pulled a tissue from the box to
wipe the front of his coat. His finger was throbbing
now and the white cloth bandage that was
wrapped around it was soaked with coffee.
He wasn't sure how he had hurt his finger,
but figured it happened when Slugg kicked
him. The paramedics had examined and treated
him on the scene. Except for the cut finger and
his bruised side, there were no major injuries. He
had declined a trip to the hospital which he now
regretted.
Looking around Brigatti's small office Gary found
it surprisingly effeminate. There were a few pictures
hanging on the wall--some were of Brigatti laughing
surrounded by a group of her police comrades.
Probably from her days in the police academy.
Gary looked closer noting the smile on Brigatti's
face. It was rare. He smiled.
There were lots of awards on the wall. One that
stood out was a large authentic looking certificate
housed in a large wooden frame, a shiny police
badge emblem graced the front of it.
Her desk complete with computer was neatly
arranged. Pencils and pens were kept neat in
cylinder holders, a small vase with one single
rose surrounded by baby's breath sat on the side.
The back of a picture frame facing the opposite
direction caught Gary's attention and he reached
over and turned it around.
It was an old picture of a young Brigatti, posed with
an older woman whose white hair was pinned up
neatly in a bun. They were smiling, their faces
huddled close together, Brigatti's sleek black
hair was much longer than when he had first met
her, and it flowed about her shoulders. She
looked sexy that way. Gary smiled. The
two women resembled one another-- both
women's eyes dark and piercing. Gary was curious
about the old woman with Brigatti. Was she her
mother? Grandmother?
The clicking of heels fast approaching sounded
out in the hall and Gary quickly returned the photo
to its place just as the door swung open.
Brigatti walked briskly in, still clutching the
folder and closed the door behind her.
Whipping the folder from under her arm
she plopped down at her desk, clasped
her fingers together and sat staring across
at him, her dark eyes blinking, her lips tight.
"Where were we?" she asked.
Gary shook his head.
"Lets see," Brigatti began. " We
got a dark rainy night with wet slippery road.
Roads--incidentally that no one in his right
mind would be out driving around on in this
kind of weather. We got YOU in a bronco,
out and about, cruising--"
"Cruising!" Gary scowled, interrupting her little
scenario. "Look...Brigatti I wasn't ---!"
"Cr-ui-sing--" Brigatti interrupted him, emphasizing
each sylable of the word, her gaze burning into
his, "...around town. Looking for what? It hasn't
yet been established.You get this sudden
tickle in your throat and out of all the stores
in all the neighborhoods along the way, you
decide to pull over to that particular store in
that particular neighborhood, to purchase--as
oppose to cough drops, bottled water, or
coffee--a package of..." She paused to draw in
a much needed breath, "Gum?!!"
This struck a silence in the room as Gary sat
staring in awe at Brigatti as if she had just
spoken in some unknown tongue. After all
he'd had been through tonight, he could
not believe that she would be going on and
on about the flavor of some stupid gum!
He let out a tired breath and rubbed his face
hard in his hands mentally kicking himself
for turning down the opportunity to go to the
hospital. At least there, he would have been
shown more sympathy!
Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Brigatti
blew out a frustrated breath and leaned forward,
on her desk. "If that question is too hard for you,
Hob-son, let's try something a little more simple.
How long have you known Mrs. Danado?"
"Howzat?" Gary glanced up from his hands.
"Mrs. Danado? The woman who was held
up at the Quick Shop Mart?"
"I-I don't know her!"
"Humph!" Brigatti sat back in her seat, her dark
eyes blinking suspiciously. "Well, she sure seemed
to know you, Hobson, the way that she was hugging
you when we stormed in."
Now, Gary was annoyed, "I didn't know that woman!
I-I suppose that she was just happy that someone
else was in there with her when she was being
robbed...I don't know!"
Brigatti scribbled something down on a note
pad in front of her.
"So you never saw her before tonight?" she
inquired pausing to look up at him.
"No!" Gary shot back.
"How about the kid, Michael?"
"Michael?! No...no I don't know him either...look,
why are you asking me all these questions!?"
"Just trying to tie together some loose ends,
Hobson...that's all."
"What loose ends!"
"You tell me," Brigatti leaned back in her chair to
studied him for a moment. "Why is it Hobson
that you seem to turn up in some of the most
extraordinary circumstances?"
Gary ruffled the back of his hair, "I-I don't
know...wrong pla--"
"Don't give me that wrong place, wrong time
business or I swear I'll shoot you!" Brigatti
snapped.
Lowering her head slowly she continued
to write. "Seems as if our little cowboy and
Mrs. Danado has a little something in common."
She murmured under her breath.
Gary was beginning to feel very uncomfortable
discussing anything that had to do with a murder;
and as much as he didn't want to know, he was
curious, "Wh-What was that?" he asked reluctantly.
Brigatti glanced up and sighed, "Well, Michael's
father was one of the victims who was murdered
over a month ago. Shot in the back of the head
with the same specially made caliber gun. His
body turned up in a ditch somewhere across town...,"
she dropped her head to continue writing. "Mrs. Danado's
husband was also a victim of that particular type of
killing."
"Well, don't look at me!" Gary scoffed, scratching his
head and looking around. He was eager to get out
of there and didn't want to know any more than necessary.
"Need to see a doctor, Hobson?" Brigatti asked,
as she continued writing.
Surprised at her concern, Gary eyed her suspiciously.
He didn't think that she had noticed his discomfort.
"No..no, I'll be all right" he stammered, "L-Look do
you still want me?"
The room grew unusually quiet, Gary's question
resounding in Brigatti's head. She felt her face
flush, her mind went suddenly blank." Ah..excuse
me?"
"Can I go now?" Gary asked irritably, glancing
down at his watch.
Flustered, Brigatti shook her head to clear it. "Ah..yeah
I think we're done here for tonight, Hobson."
"Good." Gary said rising quickly to leave. He started for
the door but stopped abruptly and turned back around.
He couldn't help wondering about the fate of Slugg the
man who was shot. According to his paper, he knew
that Slugg had survived but the paper didn't give any
more details. "One more thing," he asked sheepishly.
"What's that Hobson."
"That guy...the gun man...Slugg? W-What happened?
I mean is he going to be okay?"
Brigatti looked up at him let out a deep breath. "Well,
after he fired that first shot, I had to do something
to keep him from getting hurt permanently...if you know
what I mean. I was aiming for the hand with the gun,
but the punk turned slightly and he got it in the---," she
paused momentarily before continuing on. "well....let's
just say that he'll be doing most of his time standing."
Gary grimaced, " Oh. Yeah-well...see ya," he said
quickly fumbling the door knob to open it.
"Let's hope not, Hobson," Brigatti warned as the door
closed with a thud behind him.
To be continued.......................