The Witness
Chapter 12
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Cole had survived his time in the hospital ward of the jail. His lawyer had succeeded, with the combined help of Detective Raymond Thompson and Officer Maurice Boscorelli, in convincing the District Attorney that Cole would cooperate and assist in any way he could to get the people responsible for the crime off the street. The District Attorney had agreed to place Cole in a secure drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility north of the City. Bosco had been out to see him twice in the last week to see how he was settling in and it seemed to be going fine. There were a few rough characters, but basically he'd been able to hold his own.
"I need to stop in and see the Lieutenant before we go on patrol," Bosco had said to Faith.
"Okay. Everything okay?" she asked him.
He nodded, but had a somewhat nervous look on his face. "I need you to be there too, okay?" he said.
"You're scaring me, Bosco. Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Yeah. It's just... Well, you'll see. It's good. Really," he said as they approached the Lieutenant's office. Bosco knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Enter," came the reply from inside. Bosco took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in with Faith behind him.
"Boscorelli, Yokas. What's can I do for you?" said Lieutenant Swersky, looking up from his mound of paperwork.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Sir," Bosco started. "But, I was wondering if I could talk to both you and Faith for a minute."
This got the Lieutenant's attention and he looked over at Faith who gave him a 'I have no idea what this is about' look. He put his papers down and sat up at his desk, motioning for the two officers to take a seat in the chairs in front of him. Bosco and Faith sat down.
Both the Lieutenant and Faith looked at Bosco waiting for him to begin. "Sir, Faith, you know what's been going on with this kid from the murders and fire at the bodega a couple of weeks ago," he started. They both nodded.
"Well, as you know I was one of the people responsible for getting him into the rehab facility Upstate. And, well, I've been talking to his counselors there and with Katy Murphy from Children and Family Services," he said, looking from the Lieutenant to Faith and pausing.
"Bosco?" Faith said, gently pushing him to continue.
"Uh, yeah. Well, I've decided to become Cole's guardian," he said, waiting for their reaction.
"Boscorelli. Are you sure this is something you've given enough thought to?" the Lieutenant asked him. "I mean, this isn't just a puppy dog. This is an actual human being - a messed up one at that. This kid is gonna need a lot from you. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"This decision did not come easily to me, Sir. I've thought long and hard about it. I've talked to a lot of people to find out what exactly is involved and what my role in this kid's life would be and, yes, Sir. I think I am ready for it," he said with confidence. He looked over at his partner and saw the smile on her face.
"Faith?" he said to her. "What do you think?"
"I think it's great Bosco. I know that you've been thinking about this for a while now and I'm glad. I think both you and Cole would benefit from this. I'm behind you one hundred percent," Faith said.
"Okay. So, what's next?" asked the Lieutenant. "I'm assuming you're here because you need something from me as your immediate supervisor, am I right?"
"Yes, Sir," Bosco said, pulling two folded up pieces of paper out of his pocket and handing one to his boss and one to his partner.
"This paper has instructions for those that I ask to vouch for my character and my employment status. It requires that I get a letter from four people, preferably split between co-workers and friends, stating my fitness to undertake guardianship of Cole. There's an address on the paper there that says where to mail it. I'd appreciate it if you would both do a letter for me - only if you feel that it would be in Cole's best interest," he said, sitting back and taking a deep breath.
The Lieutenant read over the piece of paper and then stood up and looked up at Bosco. When the Lieutenant stood up, so did Faith and Bosco out of respect for a senior officer. Lieutenant Swersky held out a hand to Bosco and shook it.
"Boscorelli. If you had asked me for this even six months ago, I would have declined. However, you've come a long way in the last year and I believe that both you and Cole Taylor would benefit from this guardianship. I'll get started on this letter today and mail it out by tomorrow. Is that soon enough?" he said.
"Thank you, Sir. Yes, that's fine. Thank you, Sir," Bosco said again, returning the handshake. The two officers turned to leave to start their shift.
After Bosco shut the door to the Lieutenant's office behind him, he finally exhaled the breath that he seemed to be holding the entire time. Faith put a hand on his arm and said, "Bosco, I think it's fanstastic. I'm really happy for you. Whatever you need from me, you've got."
"Thanks, Faith. Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" he asked her as they walked to their RMP.
"Yeah, Bos. Yeah, I do," she said as they got in and started their shift.
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"So, who else are you gonna ask to do a letter for you?" Faith asked Bosco about halfway through their busy shift.
"I'm not sure. I was thinkin' of asking Doc. You think he'd do it?" Bosco asked her.
"Why not? You've never had any problems with him, right?" Faith said. Bosco nodded.
"You want to see if we can meet up with them for dinner?" Faith suggested.
"Yeah. That'd be good," Bosco said grabbing his radio to ask the dispatcher to find out Doc's location. A few minutes later they had arrived at the diner that Doc and Carlos were eating at and the parked and walked in.
"Hey guys," Bosco said as they approached their table.
"Hey. Are you guys having as busy a night as us?" Doc replied as he and Carlos moved over to make room for Faith and Bosco.
"It's brutal tonight. All the whacks are out tonight," Faith said, grabbing a menu as the waitress came over to take their order. Faith and Bosco ordered and the waitress left to get their meals and drinks.
The four all made small talk during their meals and were having coffee. Bosco was still trying to figure out a way to talk to Doc without Nieto hearing it. He didn't need it blabbed all over before anything was finalized. Faith must have sensed what Bosco was thinking because all of a sudden she said, "Hey Carlos, you got grease from your burger on your jacket. You better go into the bathroom and see if you can get it off before it eats a hole in your jacket." Everyone looked at her as if she was nuts and then she added, "I'm serious. These places use some kind of industrial grease on the grill and the stuff will eat through fabric - imagine what it does to your stomach."
Carlos took a quick drink of his water as if to dilute the grease that was in his stomach as Doc and Bosco tried to keep a straight face. Carlos then got up and headed for the bathroom to try to get the grease off his jacket.
"You guys are bad," Doc said, chuckling.
"Yeah, well I wanted to talk to you without Mr. Mouth around to hear it," Bosco said.
Bosco explained everything to Doc and when he was done he waited for Doc's reply. "Well, Bosco. This certainly came out of the blue, but I think it's a great idea. I'm all for anyone trying to help out a kid like Cole Taylor. I'll get started on it between calls and probably have a final draft in the mail tomorrow. When do you find out for sure?" Doc said.
"Well, I have to get at least one more person, but I don't know who to ask," Bosco said.
Doc paused for a minute thinking and then said, "You know, I have someone in mind, but you're probably not gonna think it's a good idea."
"What do you mean? Who?" Bosco asked his friend as he looked over at Carlos coming out of the Men's room and chatting up the waitress at the counter.
"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Bosco almost yelled. "Who's gonna take him seriously?"
"You'd be surprised how much influence a kid from the system has on the system," Doc said.
"What d'you mean?" asked Faith.
"Carlos was brought up in the system. He's had foster parents since he was young. I'm sure he'd be sympathetic to what you want to do and he'd probably help you without question. Sure, you might take some ribbing for a few minutes, but I know he'd do it," Doc said. "And I'd make sure he kept his mouth shut about it," he added as Carlos came back to the table.
"Mouth shut about what?" Carlos asked, picking up on the end of the conversation. Bosco and Faith exchanged looks and Faith gave him a look that said, "Can't hurt."
"Look, Carlos. Remember that kid you guys brought in that got beat up in the alley a couple of weeks ago. The one that was involved with that bodega fire that killed the elderly couple?" Carlos shook his head that he remembered.
"Well, I'm filing for guardianship and I need some references. Doc here said that you'd probably be willing to help me out by writing a letter and sending it in on my behalf," Bosco said, waiting for the insults to start.
After a moment of thinking, Carlos replied. "Bosco, you know I think you're pretty messed up most of the time. But, I've seen a difference in you since 9/11. I think it'd be a great idea and I'd be more than happy to write a letter for you."
Everyone was shocked into silence for a moment, until Bosco reached across the table to shake Carlos' hand. "Thanks, Man. I appreciate it more than you'll know," Bosco said.
"Just don't do wrong by this kid, Bos. It's too important," Carlos said.
"I know. Thanks," he said, handing him the sheet of paper with the information on it. And then everyone's radios crackled with their next call and everyone threw money on the table and headed for their vehicles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cole had survived his time in the hospital ward of the jail. His lawyer had succeeded, with the combined help of Detective Raymond Thompson and Officer Maurice Boscorelli, in convincing the District Attorney that Cole would cooperate and assist in any way he could to get the people responsible for the crime off the street. The District Attorney had agreed to place Cole in a secure drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility north of the City. Bosco had been out to see him twice in the last week to see how he was settling in and it seemed to be going fine. There were a few rough characters, but basically he'd been able to hold his own.
"I need to stop in and see the Lieutenant before we go on patrol," Bosco had said to Faith.
"Okay. Everything okay?" she asked him.
He nodded, but had a somewhat nervous look on his face. "I need you to be there too, okay?" he said.
"You're scaring me, Bosco. Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Yeah. It's just... Well, you'll see. It's good. Really," he said as they approached the Lieutenant's office. Bosco knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Enter," came the reply from inside. Bosco took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in with Faith behind him.
"Boscorelli, Yokas. What's can I do for you?" said Lieutenant Swersky, looking up from his mound of paperwork.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Sir," Bosco started. "But, I was wondering if I could talk to both you and Faith for a minute."
This got the Lieutenant's attention and he looked over at Faith who gave him a 'I have no idea what this is about' look. He put his papers down and sat up at his desk, motioning for the two officers to take a seat in the chairs in front of him. Bosco and Faith sat down.
Both the Lieutenant and Faith looked at Bosco waiting for him to begin. "Sir, Faith, you know what's been going on with this kid from the murders and fire at the bodega a couple of weeks ago," he started. They both nodded.
"Well, as you know I was one of the people responsible for getting him into the rehab facility Upstate. And, well, I've been talking to his counselors there and with Katy Murphy from Children and Family Services," he said, looking from the Lieutenant to Faith and pausing.
"Bosco?" Faith said, gently pushing him to continue.
"Uh, yeah. Well, I've decided to become Cole's guardian," he said, waiting for their reaction.
"Boscorelli. Are you sure this is something you've given enough thought to?" the Lieutenant asked him. "I mean, this isn't just a puppy dog. This is an actual human being - a messed up one at that. This kid is gonna need a lot from you. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"This decision did not come easily to me, Sir. I've thought long and hard about it. I've talked to a lot of people to find out what exactly is involved and what my role in this kid's life would be and, yes, Sir. I think I am ready for it," he said with confidence. He looked over at his partner and saw the smile on her face.
"Faith?" he said to her. "What do you think?"
"I think it's great Bosco. I know that you've been thinking about this for a while now and I'm glad. I think both you and Cole would benefit from this. I'm behind you one hundred percent," Faith said.
"Okay. So, what's next?" asked the Lieutenant. "I'm assuming you're here because you need something from me as your immediate supervisor, am I right?"
"Yes, Sir," Bosco said, pulling two folded up pieces of paper out of his pocket and handing one to his boss and one to his partner.
"This paper has instructions for those that I ask to vouch for my character and my employment status. It requires that I get a letter from four people, preferably split between co-workers and friends, stating my fitness to undertake guardianship of Cole. There's an address on the paper there that says where to mail it. I'd appreciate it if you would both do a letter for me - only if you feel that it would be in Cole's best interest," he said, sitting back and taking a deep breath.
The Lieutenant read over the piece of paper and then stood up and looked up at Bosco. When the Lieutenant stood up, so did Faith and Bosco out of respect for a senior officer. Lieutenant Swersky held out a hand to Bosco and shook it.
"Boscorelli. If you had asked me for this even six months ago, I would have declined. However, you've come a long way in the last year and I believe that both you and Cole Taylor would benefit from this guardianship. I'll get started on this letter today and mail it out by tomorrow. Is that soon enough?" he said.
"Thank you, Sir. Yes, that's fine. Thank you, Sir," Bosco said again, returning the handshake. The two officers turned to leave to start their shift.
After Bosco shut the door to the Lieutenant's office behind him, he finally exhaled the breath that he seemed to be holding the entire time. Faith put a hand on his arm and said, "Bosco, I think it's fanstastic. I'm really happy for you. Whatever you need from me, you've got."
"Thanks, Faith. Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" he asked her as they walked to their RMP.
"Yeah, Bos. Yeah, I do," she said as they got in and started their shift.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"So, who else are you gonna ask to do a letter for you?" Faith asked Bosco about halfway through their busy shift.
"I'm not sure. I was thinkin' of asking Doc. You think he'd do it?" Bosco asked her.
"Why not? You've never had any problems with him, right?" Faith said. Bosco nodded.
"You want to see if we can meet up with them for dinner?" Faith suggested.
"Yeah. That'd be good," Bosco said grabbing his radio to ask the dispatcher to find out Doc's location. A few minutes later they had arrived at the diner that Doc and Carlos were eating at and the parked and walked in.
"Hey guys," Bosco said as they approached their table.
"Hey. Are you guys having as busy a night as us?" Doc replied as he and Carlos moved over to make room for Faith and Bosco.
"It's brutal tonight. All the whacks are out tonight," Faith said, grabbing a menu as the waitress came over to take their order. Faith and Bosco ordered and the waitress left to get their meals and drinks.
The four all made small talk during their meals and were having coffee. Bosco was still trying to figure out a way to talk to Doc without Nieto hearing it. He didn't need it blabbed all over before anything was finalized. Faith must have sensed what Bosco was thinking because all of a sudden she said, "Hey Carlos, you got grease from your burger on your jacket. You better go into the bathroom and see if you can get it off before it eats a hole in your jacket." Everyone looked at her as if she was nuts and then she added, "I'm serious. These places use some kind of industrial grease on the grill and the stuff will eat through fabric - imagine what it does to your stomach."
Carlos took a quick drink of his water as if to dilute the grease that was in his stomach as Doc and Bosco tried to keep a straight face. Carlos then got up and headed for the bathroom to try to get the grease off his jacket.
"You guys are bad," Doc said, chuckling.
"Yeah, well I wanted to talk to you without Mr. Mouth around to hear it," Bosco said.
Bosco explained everything to Doc and when he was done he waited for Doc's reply. "Well, Bosco. This certainly came out of the blue, but I think it's a great idea. I'm all for anyone trying to help out a kid like Cole Taylor. I'll get started on it between calls and probably have a final draft in the mail tomorrow. When do you find out for sure?" Doc said.
"Well, I have to get at least one more person, but I don't know who to ask," Bosco said.
Doc paused for a minute thinking and then said, "You know, I have someone in mind, but you're probably not gonna think it's a good idea."
"What do you mean? Who?" Bosco asked his friend as he looked over at Carlos coming out of the Men's room and chatting up the waitress at the counter.
"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Bosco almost yelled. "Who's gonna take him seriously?"
"You'd be surprised how much influence a kid from the system has on the system," Doc said.
"What d'you mean?" asked Faith.
"Carlos was brought up in the system. He's had foster parents since he was young. I'm sure he'd be sympathetic to what you want to do and he'd probably help you without question. Sure, you might take some ribbing for a few minutes, but I know he'd do it," Doc said. "And I'd make sure he kept his mouth shut about it," he added as Carlos came back to the table.
"Mouth shut about what?" Carlos asked, picking up on the end of the conversation. Bosco and Faith exchanged looks and Faith gave him a look that said, "Can't hurt."
"Look, Carlos. Remember that kid you guys brought in that got beat up in the alley a couple of weeks ago. The one that was involved with that bodega fire that killed the elderly couple?" Carlos shook his head that he remembered.
"Well, I'm filing for guardianship and I need some references. Doc here said that you'd probably be willing to help me out by writing a letter and sending it in on my behalf," Bosco said, waiting for the insults to start.
After a moment of thinking, Carlos replied. "Bosco, you know I think you're pretty messed up most of the time. But, I've seen a difference in you since 9/11. I think it'd be a great idea and I'd be more than happy to write a letter for you."
Everyone was shocked into silence for a moment, until Bosco reached across the table to shake Carlos' hand. "Thanks, Man. I appreciate it more than you'll know," Bosco said.
"Just don't do wrong by this kid, Bos. It's too important," Carlos said.
"I know. Thanks," he said, handing him the sheet of paper with the information on it. And then everyone's radios crackled with their next call and everyone threw money on the table and headed for their vehicles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...