The Witness
Chapter 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been two days since Cole had escaped from Raven. He never made it past the demons calling him back to the drugs and alcohol. He'd used that packet he found in the storefront and it had escalated from there. He thought a couple of times about calling Bosco just to tell him he was alive and that he was sorry, but he never did. Now, here he was, wandering down an alley in search of more drugs. He walked up to a group of three guys hoping to score some of what he needed from them or at least find out where he could score.
"Hey, I need some stuff," he said to the first one in the group. The kid turned and Cole thought he recognized him, but he couldn't remember from where. He watched the smile spread across the kid's face as he said, "Yeah, I know where you can score. Follow me." Cole followed the kid down the alley and through some backyards. They came out another alley after a little while.
Cole said, "Where's the stuff? I need it."
"I know you do. I just gotta call my supplier and let him know I'm coming over," said the kid as he led Cole to a phone booth. Cole watched as the kid picked up the phone and dialed it. "Is he there?" he asked into the phone.
Cole only half-listened to the conversation, more occupied with the thought of his next fix.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"This better be good," Raven said into the phone.
"It is. I'm bringing somebody over. He needs a fix," Bobby said into the phone as he looked at Cole standing next to him.
"You're not supposed to bring anyone here. You know that," Raven said.
"This is one you're gonna want to meet. I told you I'd do it and I did," Bobby said, not wanting to give too much away and alert Cole to where they were headed.
"You found him?" Raven asked.
"Yeah. And he needs a fix real bad," Bobby replied with a smile on his face.
"Okay. But, you better not mess this up again. How long?" Raven asked him.
"'Bout five minutes," he answered and then hung up.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"How much?" Cole asked his new-found friend.
"Usual price, but he may be able to give you a discount if you don't have enough," Bobby said to him.
"Okay, let's go then," Cole said impatiently. He really needed this bad. He followed behind Bobby and they reached the location. Bobby couldn't believe that Cole didn't recognize the place. "He must be pretty screwed up," he thought to himself as he knocked on Raven's door.
The door opened and they walked in. Cole didn't realize until it was too late where he was. As he tried to turn and get away, he was grabbed and dragged into the same room that he was kept in a few days ago. He struggled as Raven's boys secured him to a chair and then Raven entered the room.
"Well, who do we have here? Just a common street junkie, I see," Raven sneered at him. "Nice to see that Rehab Center didn't change your wicked ways much. You're right back where you started. Only this time, there's not gonna be anyone to save your ass," he laughed.
"Raven. Just let me go. I won't tell anyone where you are. I just wanna go home and go about my own life. I promise," Cole said, starting to shake from his fear and the need for the drugs.
"Well, it looks like you could use a little hit, eh Cole?" Raven said.
"He was worried about not having enough money, Raven," Bobby chimed in.
"Oh, well an old friend like Cole here? Your credit's good with me," Raven said, holding up a packet of the thing he craved. Cole couldn't take his eyes off the stuff, but knew he was in for trouble.
"Just as well," Cole thought to himself. "Maybe he'll put me out my misery."
Cole watched as he handed the stuff to Bobby. "Why don't you get the stuff ready for him, Bobby. He looks a little too shaky to do it himself," Raven said.
"Sure, Raven. No problem," Bobby said as he went about preparing the hit. He handed it over to Cole as one of Raven's boys untied his arms.
"Go ahead, Cole. Take the hit. I'm promise you'll feel better and then when you're thinking more clearly we can have a talk," Raven urged him.
They all stood around watching as Cole put the stuff into his veins and watched as his face showed relief. This stuff was a little stronger than what he was used to, but he thought that he could handle it. Then he noticed that things were feeling out of control and he watched as Raven started to laugh at him.
That's all he remembered because the next thing he knew he was waking up in a dark alley on the wet ground, with rain falling on him. He didn't know that it was a week later. He was cold and shivering, but still had some of the drugs in his system so he didn't mind too much. He looked around to see if he knew where he was. He reached into his pocket and felt a bag there. He took the bag out and looked at it. It was full of a three-day supply of drugs for him, no doubt courtesy of Raven.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Central to 55-Edward," came the dispatcher over the radio.
"55-Edward, go ahead Central," replied the officer.
"Edward, we got a call from a woman that said her daughter was approached by some kid trying to sell her drugs. 132 and Arthur, on the corner," the dispatcher advised.
"10-4, Central. We'll head over there. Any more information?"
"The woman said she'd meet you at that location and point him out. Subject is still hanging around and appears to be under the influence himself," came the reply.
"10-4," the officer said as his partner turned on the lights and siren and headed toward the destination.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco had gotten Katy settled back at her apartment. She had been discharged that morning and he had insisted on coming over to make sure she was okay.
"Bos, really. You don't have to take care of me," she said as he helped her to the couch.
"I know, but I want to," he said, sitting down next to her.
"Well, who's gonna take care of you?" she said, pointing to the cast on his leg.
"Actually, it doesn't hurt anymore. The doctor said I don't have to use my crutches anymore so that helps a lot and I've become pretty good at using my left foot for driving," he said.
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, poking him in the side.
"Ouch!" he said. "So, what do you want to eat? I stocked your refrigerator before I picked you up this morning."
"Oh, please tell me that it isn't full of Boscorelli food," she groaned.
"Boscorelli food? And what exactly is that?" he asked her, a hurt expression on his face.
"Frozen pizzas and beer," she said, smiling at his expression.
"I'll have you know that I got you everything that you like and stuff that I like too. So, what'll it be? Chicken, beef, tacos, pizza?" he said hopefully.
"Um, my jaw is still pretty sore. Did you pick up any soup or maybe some eggs?" she said.
"Eggs it is. How would you like them cooked?" he said, walking into the kitchen and turning on the oven.
She told him how she wanted her eggs and then said, "Uh, Bosco. You don't cook eggs in the oven. You're not gonna burn down my apartment, are you?"
"I know you don't cook eggs in the oven, but you DO cook frozen pizza in the oven. Do you know how long it's been since I had pizza?" he said to her, suddenly falling silent as he continued to prepare her eggs.
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the look on his face as she watched him stare out the rain-streaked kitchen window at the street below while her eggs cooked.
"Nothing. It's just that the last time I had pizza was with Cole at that restaurant Upstate," he told her.
"Still no news on him?" she asked.
"No. It's like he just disappeared into thin air. I hope he's okay. I mean, I can't believe he hasn't at least called me," he said, taking the eggs from the stove and putting them on a plate. "Coffee, juice, milk?" he asked her.
"Um, juice sounds good," she answered. "You think he went back to his old ways?"
"I dunno. There's no sign of him anywhere. Faith, Sully and Davis have been checking where the Lords hang out and there's no sign of him. But then, there's no sign of Raven either," he reasoned.
"Hey, the buzzer's going off," she said to him, calling him back from his thoughts.
"What?" he said, realizing that the timer for his pizza was sounding. "Oh," he said, opening the oven door and grabbing the pan without using an oven mit. He dropped the pan onto the top of the stove, realizing that he'd forgotten the oven mit. He turned on the cold water and ran his hand under it. "Dammit!" he said.
"Are you okay? I can't believe you just did that," she said, trying to get up.
"Stay there. I'm okay. I'm just an idiot," he said, bringing her dinner over to her and going back to get his. He carried his plate and glass of beer over and sat beside her. She reached over and ran her hand through the back of his hair.
"I'm sorry. I know how disappointed you are. But, you tried - really hard. It's not your fault, Maurice," she said.
"I should have done more," he said, looking at her.
"There's really nothing else you could have done, Bos. Really. I'm telling you the truth. You did everything in your power. He just didn't want it bad enough, I guess," she said. He leaned over and kissed her gently so he didn't hurt her sore jaw. They ate, making small talk and then ended up watching television together.
It was about 10:30 at night when Bosco's phone rang, waking them both up on the couch. He grabbed his phone off the table and looked over at Katy. "Sorry it woke you up," he said as he answered the phone.
"Boscorelli."
"Bos? It's Faith. I'm at Mercy," she started and Bosco sat up, the worry audible in his voice.
"Faith? Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, getting Katy's full attention now.
"No, Bos. I'm fine. But I think you'd better get down here. Gusler and I were here with some drunk when 55-Edward brought a kid in that they arrested for selling drugs over on Arthur," she said, pausing.
"Faith?" Bosco said, already sensing what she was about to tell him.
"It's Cole, Bos. I'm sorry. He's been using again. Pretty bad this time," she finished.
"I'm on my way. Don't let any cops near him until I get there," he said, hanging up the phone and looking over at Katy.
"Is Faith okay?" she asked him. He nodded.
"55-Edward brought Cole in while she was there on another call. He's back on the drugs," he told her, disappointment on his face as he stood up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "I've gotta get down there. You gonna be okay here?"
"Yes. Go. Call me and let me know what's going on," she said. He leaned over and kissed her. As he reached the door, she called to him.
"Bos, don't pre-judge. Just listen to him first," she said. He nodded and then was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
TBC...
Chapter 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been two days since Cole had escaped from Raven. He never made it past the demons calling him back to the drugs and alcohol. He'd used that packet he found in the storefront and it had escalated from there. He thought a couple of times about calling Bosco just to tell him he was alive and that he was sorry, but he never did. Now, here he was, wandering down an alley in search of more drugs. He walked up to a group of three guys hoping to score some of what he needed from them or at least find out where he could score.
"Hey, I need some stuff," he said to the first one in the group. The kid turned and Cole thought he recognized him, but he couldn't remember from where. He watched the smile spread across the kid's face as he said, "Yeah, I know where you can score. Follow me." Cole followed the kid down the alley and through some backyards. They came out another alley after a little while.
Cole said, "Where's the stuff? I need it."
"I know you do. I just gotta call my supplier and let him know I'm coming over," said the kid as he led Cole to a phone booth. Cole watched as the kid picked up the phone and dialed it. "Is he there?" he asked into the phone.
Cole only half-listened to the conversation, more occupied with the thought of his next fix.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"This better be good," Raven said into the phone.
"It is. I'm bringing somebody over. He needs a fix," Bobby said into the phone as he looked at Cole standing next to him.
"You're not supposed to bring anyone here. You know that," Raven said.
"This is one you're gonna want to meet. I told you I'd do it and I did," Bobby said, not wanting to give too much away and alert Cole to where they were headed.
"You found him?" Raven asked.
"Yeah. And he needs a fix real bad," Bobby replied with a smile on his face.
"Okay. But, you better not mess this up again. How long?" Raven asked him.
"'Bout five minutes," he answered and then hung up.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"How much?" Cole asked his new-found friend.
"Usual price, but he may be able to give you a discount if you don't have enough," Bobby said to him.
"Okay, let's go then," Cole said impatiently. He really needed this bad. He followed behind Bobby and they reached the location. Bobby couldn't believe that Cole didn't recognize the place. "He must be pretty screwed up," he thought to himself as he knocked on Raven's door.
The door opened and they walked in. Cole didn't realize until it was too late where he was. As he tried to turn and get away, he was grabbed and dragged into the same room that he was kept in a few days ago. He struggled as Raven's boys secured him to a chair and then Raven entered the room.
"Well, who do we have here? Just a common street junkie, I see," Raven sneered at him. "Nice to see that Rehab Center didn't change your wicked ways much. You're right back where you started. Only this time, there's not gonna be anyone to save your ass," he laughed.
"Raven. Just let me go. I won't tell anyone where you are. I just wanna go home and go about my own life. I promise," Cole said, starting to shake from his fear and the need for the drugs.
"Well, it looks like you could use a little hit, eh Cole?" Raven said.
"He was worried about not having enough money, Raven," Bobby chimed in.
"Oh, well an old friend like Cole here? Your credit's good with me," Raven said, holding up a packet of the thing he craved. Cole couldn't take his eyes off the stuff, but knew he was in for trouble.
"Just as well," Cole thought to himself. "Maybe he'll put me out my misery."
Cole watched as he handed the stuff to Bobby. "Why don't you get the stuff ready for him, Bobby. He looks a little too shaky to do it himself," Raven said.
"Sure, Raven. No problem," Bobby said as he went about preparing the hit. He handed it over to Cole as one of Raven's boys untied his arms.
"Go ahead, Cole. Take the hit. I'm promise you'll feel better and then when you're thinking more clearly we can have a talk," Raven urged him.
They all stood around watching as Cole put the stuff into his veins and watched as his face showed relief. This stuff was a little stronger than what he was used to, but he thought that he could handle it. Then he noticed that things were feeling out of control and he watched as Raven started to laugh at him.
That's all he remembered because the next thing he knew he was waking up in a dark alley on the wet ground, with rain falling on him. He didn't know that it was a week later. He was cold and shivering, but still had some of the drugs in his system so he didn't mind too much. He looked around to see if he knew where he was. He reached into his pocket and felt a bag there. He took the bag out and looked at it. It was full of a three-day supply of drugs for him, no doubt courtesy of Raven.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Central to 55-Edward," came the dispatcher over the radio.
"55-Edward, go ahead Central," replied the officer.
"Edward, we got a call from a woman that said her daughter was approached by some kid trying to sell her drugs. 132 and Arthur, on the corner," the dispatcher advised.
"10-4, Central. We'll head over there. Any more information?"
"The woman said she'd meet you at that location and point him out. Subject is still hanging around and appears to be under the influence himself," came the reply.
"10-4," the officer said as his partner turned on the lights and siren and headed toward the destination.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco had gotten Katy settled back at her apartment. She had been discharged that morning and he had insisted on coming over to make sure she was okay.
"Bos, really. You don't have to take care of me," she said as he helped her to the couch.
"I know, but I want to," he said, sitting down next to her.
"Well, who's gonna take care of you?" she said, pointing to the cast on his leg.
"Actually, it doesn't hurt anymore. The doctor said I don't have to use my crutches anymore so that helps a lot and I've become pretty good at using my left foot for driving," he said.
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, poking him in the side.
"Ouch!" he said. "So, what do you want to eat? I stocked your refrigerator before I picked you up this morning."
"Oh, please tell me that it isn't full of Boscorelli food," she groaned.
"Boscorelli food? And what exactly is that?" he asked her, a hurt expression on his face.
"Frozen pizzas and beer," she said, smiling at his expression.
"I'll have you know that I got you everything that you like and stuff that I like too. So, what'll it be? Chicken, beef, tacos, pizza?" he said hopefully.
"Um, my jaw is still pretty sore. Did you pick up any soup or maybe some eggs?" she said.
"Eggs it is. How would you like them cooked?" he said, walking into the kitchen and turning on the oven.
She told him how she wanted her eggs and then said, "Uh, Bosco. You don't cook eggs in the oven. You're not gonna burn down my apartment, are you?"
"I know you don't cook eggs in the oven, but you DO cook frozen pizza in the oven. Do you know how long it's been since I had pizza?" he said to her, suddenly falling silent as he continued to prepare her eggs.
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the look on his face as she watched him stare out the rain-streaked kitchen window at the street below while her eggs cooked.
"Nothing. It's just that the last time I had pizza was with Cole at that restaurant Upstate," he told her.
"Still no news on him?" she asked.
"No. It's like he just disappeared into thin air. I hope he's okay. I mean, I can't believe he hasn't at least called me," he said, taking the eggs from the stove and putting them on a plate. "Coffee, juice, milk?" he asked her.
"Um, juice sounds good," she answered. "You think he went back to his old ways?"
"I dunno. There's no sign of him anywhere. Faith, Sully and Davis have been checking where the Lords hang out and there's no sign of him. But then, there's no sign of Raven either," he reasoned.
"Hey, the buzzer's going off," she said to him, calling him back from his thoughts.
"What?" he said, realizing that the timer for his pizza was sounding. "Oh," he said, opening the oven door and grabbing the pan without using an oven mit. He dropped the pan onto the top of the stove, realizing that he'd forgotten the oven mit. He turned on the cold water and ran his hand under it. "Dammit!" he said.
"Are you okay? I can't believe you just did that," she said, trying to get up.
"Stay there. I'm okay. I'm just an idiot," he said, bringing her dinner over to her and going back to get his. He carried his plate and glass of beer over and sat beside her. She reached over and ran her hand through the back of his hair.
"I'm sorry. I know how disappointed you are. But, you tried - really hard. It's not your fault, Maurice," she said.
"I should have done more," he said, looking at her.
"There's really nothing else you could have done, Bos. Really. I'm telling you the truth. You did everything in your power. He just didn't want it bad enough, I guess," she said. He leaned over and kissed her gently so he didn't hurt her sore jaw. They ate, making small talk and then ended up watching television together.
It was about 10:30 at night when Bosco's phone rang, waking them both up on the couch. He grabbed his phone off the table and looked over at Katy. "Sorry it woke you up," he said as he answered the phone.
"Boscorelli."
"Bos? It's Faith. I'm at Mercy," she started and Bosco sat up, the worry audible in his voice.
"Faith? Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, getting Katy's full attention now.
"No, Bos. I'm fine. But I think you'd better get down here. Gusler and I were here with some drunk when 55-Edward brought a kid in that they arrested for selling drugs over on Arthur," she said, pausing.
"Faith?" Bosco said, already sensing what she was about to tell him.
"It's Cole, Bos. I'm sorry. He's been using again. Pretty bad this time," she finished.
"I'm on my way. Don't let any cops near him until I get there," he said, hanging up the phone and looking over at Katy.
"Is Faith okay?" she asked him. He nodded.
"55-Edward brought Cole in while she was there on another call. He's back on the drugs," he told her, disappointment on his face as he stood up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "I've gotta get down there. You gonna be okay here?"
"Yes. Go. Call me and let me know what's going on," she said. He leaned over and kissed her. As he reached the door, she called to him.
"Bos, don't pre-judge. Just listen to him first," she said. He nodded and then was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
TBC...