The Witness
Chapter 9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco was pacing in the kitchen area of his apartment. He couldn't believe that the kid had found him. "How the hell did he find me?" he thought to himself as he looked over to see the boy still sleeping soundly on his couch.
There was a light knock on his door and he walked over and looked through the peephole. He opened the door quietly so as not to wake up the boy and let Katy in. He'd called her as soon as he'd gotten Cole into his apartment.
Katy came in and walked over to the sleeping boy. She looked at him and saw that he was sweating. She reached down and felt his forehead. "He's burning up," she said to Bosco. Bosco shrugged, not knowing what to do.
"Should I call for a bus?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Not yet. They were gonna move him to the jail ward so he must have been okay to be discharged home somewhere had it not been for the case, so let's just wait until he wakes up. Why don't you get me a cool cloth," she suggested. Bosco walked down the hallway to get the cloth and returned with it after he wet it with cool water in the bathroom.
Katy applied the cloth to Cole's forehead. "He sure doesn't look so tough right now, does he?" she asked Bosco.
"Yeah, he looks pretty innocent," he agreed.
"How did he find your place? Did you tell him where you live?" she asked him.
"No. The only thing I can think is that he got out of the hospital before I got off work at 11:30 and he followed me home from there. My precinct number and address is on the card I left him," he reasoned out loud.
"He must trust you, Bosco," Katy said with a smile.
"I guess," Bosco shrugged. They were interrupted by the mumbling that Cole had started. They both leaned over closer to try to make out what he was saying.
"Can't go to the cops... They'll kill me.... I'm dead...." he said, before drifting off again.
"Who'll kill him?" Katy thought out loud.
"What gang did you say he was hanging with?" Bosco asked her.
Katy thought for a second and then said, "Latin Lords, I think."
"There are some pretty rough characters associated with the Lords," Bosco said.
Cole started mumbling again, saying the same things. Katy felt his forehead again and noticed that his hospital clothes were wringing wet. "He's worse, Bosco. Maybe we should call for an ambulance. At least he'll be in the jail, where he'll be safe," she said.
"You think he'll be safe in jail?" Bosco said doubtfully. "Not if the Latin Lords want to get to him, he won't."
"But if he's in the hospital ward of the jail, he'll be isolated and under observation at all times," Katy reminded him. "Besides, he obviously needs more medical attention," she said.
Bosco nodded and walked over to the phone. He dialed 9-1-1 and gave the operator the information and his address. After he hung up from that, he called the precinct while Katy listened.
"Yeah, this is Boscorelli, Shield Number 3379. I need to talk to Detective Ray Thompson," he said, listening to the reply on the other end. "I don't care. Call him at home. This is an emergency. Have him call me at 555-1379," he said, hanging up the phone. He looked over at Katy and said, "You should probably call Tony Jenkins and let him know what's going on." He pushed the button on the coffeemaker he had prepared and watched it begin to brew, the smell of fresh coffee filling the apartment.
Katy nodded and said, "I'll use my cell so I don't tie up your phone when Ray calls back." She dialed the attorney's number and left a message with his service to get hold of him right away and call her back. "You better wet this again," she said, handing Bosco the now-warm cloth.
*^*^**^*^*^
Bosco opened the door to let in Alex and Kim who were glad to see that it wasn't Bosco that needed attention. "Hey, Bos. What's going on?" Kim asked.
Bosco gestured toward the couch. "Meet Cole Taylor, recent escapee from Angel of Mercy and the NYPD. Somehow he got out of the hospital undetected and followed me here from the station at the end of my shift, I guess. I found him in my doorway when I opened the door to go out," he explained as Alex started assessing him.
Bosco's phone rang and he went to answer it as Kim and Alex worked on Cole who remained unconscious. "Boscorelli. Yeah, hi Ray. Yes, I know what time it is. Sorry, but, I have someone here you might be interested in," Bosco said, listening to Detective Thompson on the other end. "You guessed it. I have no idea. The medics are here, hold on," he said, putting the phone on his shoulder and turning to Kim.
"Kim, you're transporting, right?" he asked her.
"Absolutely. He's dehydrated and there's some kind of infection going on, I think, which explains the fever. He definitely needs to be in a hospital," she answered. Bosco nodded his understanding and returned to the phone, as Katy's cell phone rang.
"Yeah, they're taking him back to Mercy. Yeah. I'll stay with him until you get there," he said. "Hey, Ray, he mumbled something about being 'them killing him' and not being able to talk to the cops. Yeah, I'll see you soon," Bosco said, hanging up the phone.
Katy hung up at the same time as Bosco. "Tony's on his way to Mercy too. And, ever the lawyer, he says he's invoking Cole's right to an attorney and we're not to question him about anything until he gets there."
Bosco looked over at the unconscious figure being placed on the ambulance stretcher. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem," he said, following Alex and Kim out. "I'm riding in with him," he said to Alex, reaching over and grabbing his jacket off the hook. He looked back at Katy who was turning off the coffee pot.
"I'll clean up here, lock up and I'll meet you over there," she said to him.
"Thanks," he said, pulling the door closed behind him.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"What do you mean, he's not there anymore?" Raven said into the phone to Cherise.
"I don't know, Raven. He got out somehow. The cops are looking for him too," she said, afraid of just the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Well, keep hangin' around and let me know if you hear anything else," Raven said, slamming the phone down and turning to Ronnie.
"Your friend escaped from the cops. You better find him before the cops do, Ronnie," Raven said, walking away from the scared young man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco was pacing in the kitchen area of his apartment. He couldn't believe that the kid had found him. "How the hell did he find me?" he thought to himself as he looked over to see the boy still sleeping soundly on his couch.
There was a light knock on his door and he walked over and looked through the peephole. He opened the door quietly so as not to wake up the boy and let Katy in. He'd called her as soon as he'd gotten Cole into his apartment.
Katy came in and walked over to the sleeping boy. She looked at him and saw that he was sweating. She reached down and felt his forehead. "He's burning up," she said to Bosco. Bosco shrugged, not knowing what to do.
"Should I call for a bus?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Not yet. They were gonna move him to the jail ward so he must have been okay to be discharged home somewhere had it not been for the case, so let's just wait until he wakes up. Why don't you get me a cool cloth," she suggested. Bosco walked down the hallway to get the cloth and returned with it after he wet it with cool water in the bathroom.
Katy applied the cloth to Cole's forehead. "He sure doesn't look so tough right now, does he?" she asked Bosco.
"Yeah, he looks pretty innocent," he agreed.
"How did he find your place? Did you tell him where you live?" she asked him.
"No. The only thing I can think is that he got out of the hospital before I got off work at 11:30 and he followed me home from there. My precinct number and address is on the card I left him," he reasoned out loud.
"He must trust you, Bosco," Katy said with a smile.
"I guess," Bosco shrugged. They were interrupted by the mumbling that Cole had started. They both leaned over closer to try to make out what he was saying.
"Can't go to the cops... They'll kill me.... I'm dead...." he said, before drifting off again.
"Who'll kill him?" Katy thought out loud.
"What gang did you say he was hanging with?" Bosco asked her.
Katy thought for a second and then said, "Latin Lords, I think."
"There are some pretty rough characters associated with the Lords," Bosco said.
Cole started mumbling again, saying the same things. Katy felt his forehead again and noticed that his hospital clothes were wringing wet. "He's worse, Bosco. Maybe we should call for an ambulance. At least he'll be in the jail, where he'll be safe," she said.
"You think he'll be safe in jail?" Bosco said doubtfully. "Not if the Latin Lords want to get to him, he won't."
"But if he's in the hospital ward of the jail, he'll be isolated and under observation at all times," Katy reminded him. "Besides, he obviously needs more medical attention," she said.
Bosco nodded and walked over to the phone. He dialed 9-1-1 and gave the operator the information and his address. After he hung up from that, he called the precinct while Katy listened.
"Yeah, this is Boscorelli, Shield Number 3379. I need to talk to Detective Ray Thompson," he said, listening to the reply on the other end. "I don't care. Call him at home. This is an emergency. Have him call me at 555-1379," he said, hanging up the phone. He looked over at Katy and said, "You should probably call Tony Jenkins and let him know what's going on." He pushed the button on the coffeemaker he had prepared and watched it begin to brew, the smell of fresh coffee filling the apartment.
Katy nodded and said, "I'll use my cell so I don't tie up your phone when Ray calls back." She dialed the attorney's number and left a message with his service to get hold of him right away and call her back. "You better wet this again," she said, handing Bosco the now-warm cloth.
*^*^**^*^*^
Bosco opened the door to let in Alex and Kim who were glad to see that it wasn't Bosco that needed attention. "Hey, Bos. What's going on?" Kim asked.
Bosco gestured toward the couch. "Meet Cole Taylor, recent escapee from Angel of Mercy and the NYPD. Somehow he got out of the hospital undetected and followed me here from the station at the end of my shift, I guess. I found him in my doorway when I opened the door to go out," he explained as Alex started assessing him.
Bosco's phone rang and he went to answer it as Kim and Alex worked on Cole who remained unconscious. "Boscorelli. Yeah, hi Ray. Yes, I know what time it is. Sorry, but, I have someone here you might be interested in," Bosco said, listening to Detective Thompson on the other end. "You guessed it. I have no idea. The medics are here, hold on," he said, putting the phone on his shoulder and turning to Kim.
"Kim, you're transporting, right?" he asked her.
"Absolutely. He's dehydrated and there's some kind of infection going on, I think, which explains the fever. He definitely needs to be in a hospital," she answered. Bosco nodded his understanding and returned to the phone, as Katy's cell phone rang.
"Yeah, they're taking him back to Mercy. Yeah. I'll stay with him until you get there," he said. "Hey, Ray, he mumbled something about being 'them killing him' and not being able to talk to the cops. Yeah, I'll see you soon," Bosco said, hanging up the phone.
Katy hung up at the same time as Bosco. "Tony's on his way to Mercy too. And, ever the lawyer, he says he's invoking Cole's right to an attorney and we're not to question him about anything until he gets there."
Bosco looked over at the unconscious figure being placed on the ambulance stretcher. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem," he said, following Alex and Kim out. "I'm riding in with him," he said to Alex, reaching over and grabbing his jacket off the hook. He looked back at Katy who was turning off the coffee pot.
"I'll clean up here, lock up and I'll meet you over there," she said to him.
"Thanks," he said, pulling the door closed behind him.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"What do you mean, he's not there anymore?" Raven said into the phone to Cherise.
"I don't know, Raven. He got out somehow. The cops are looking for him too," she said, afraid of just the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Well, keep hangin' around and let me know if you hear anything else," Raven said, slamming the phone down and turning to Ronnie.
"Your friend escaped from the cops. You better find him before the cops do, Ronnie," Raven said, walking away from the scared young man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...