The Witness
Chapter 32
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Cole waited outside the hospital for the shift change, figuring he'd see Chenise either coming in to work or leaving. He needed to talk to her, warn her about them coming to her as a witness for his case.
Finally, he saw her coming out of the hospital and called to her. She looked at him quickly and then kept moving.
"Chenise!" he said again, this time getting up to follow her. "Wait," he said catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "I need to talk to you about someth...," he stopped as she turned to look at him. He saw the bruises on her face and arms.
"My God, Chenise! What happened?" he asked.
"Cole, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave before he gets to you too," she said, tears coming to her eyes.
"Did Raven do this to you?" Cole asked her, anger rising within him. She didn't respond, but looked around nervously.
He grabbed her by both arms and turned her to face him. "Chenise! Did Raven do this to you?"
"Not him, but one of his boys," she said. "He's looking for you. You shouldn't be here. Go back home. He can't bother you there," she said, pulling away and running to her car.
Cole stood there for a moment, not sure what to do, but feeling the anger against Raven getting bigger. He decided he'd go talk to him - tell him that he'd make sure that they didn't use Chenise. He'd just do the time for the crime even though he didn't commit it and then it would all be alright. His mind made up, he started toward his old neighborhood.
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"I called the Center. He's not there. I called my Mom, he didn't go over there. I called Faith again to see if he called Emily. I even called my phone that he has. He doesn't answer. No one's seen him. I'm really worried," Bosco said to Katy.
"I know, but he didn't just disappear. What about the park that he went to with Emily that day? Let's go check over there," she suggested.
"What if he calls and no one's here," Bosco said.
"Put a message on your machine so that if he calls he knows you're out looking for him and tell him to come back here. Or, better yet, tell him to call my cell phone and leave him the number," she told him.
Bosco changed the message on his machine and they headed over to the park to look for him.
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"Whatta you want?" sneered the kid outside of the apartment building.
"I need to talk to Raven," Cole said, tougher than he felt.
"Wait here. I'll see if he wants to see you," said the boy before he disappeared inside. After a couple of minutes, the boy returned with two others. They came outside and looked around.
"You got your cop with you?" one of them asked.
"No. I'm alone. I'm here about Chenise. He needs to leave her alone. I'm gonna make sure that they don't make her testify so Raven can leave her alone," Cole said.
The three of them looked around again and then opened the door. Raven's upstairs waiting for you. Don't do anything stupid, Cole," warned one of them.
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Katy's cell phone rang and she answered it. "Katy Logan. Yeah, just a minute," she said, handing the phone to Bosco. "It's Faith."
"Yeah," he said into the phone. "Thanks. I'm gonna head over there to take a look around," he said. "I will." He hung up the phone and handed it over to Katy.
"What?" she asked him.
"You need to go back to the apartment and wait for Cole. I need to check one more place and then I'll be home," he told her.
"Where are you going?" she asked, afraid of what he might tell her.
"That girl Chenise. She was at the ER today. She came in beat up. I'm gonna go see what I can find out about that, Katy. I need you to go back to my place in case Cole shows up there," he said to her.
"Bosco, where are you going? To the hospital?"
"Yeah," he lied, knowing that Faith already told him that the girl had left. He'd head over to her house and start looking for Cole there.
"Okay. Call me if you find out anything," she said, kissing him and watching him hail a cab for her. She got in and gave the cabbie the address and watched out the back window as Bosco got into the next cab and headed off.
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"Well, look what the cat drug in," Raven sneered from inside the apartment.
"I don't want any trouble, Raven. I just want you to leave Chenise alone," Cole said, trying not to sound as afraid as he was, but fearing that Raven could sense his fear anyway.
"What are you talking about? Why would I bother Chenise?" Raven asked with sarcasm.
"I mean it, Raven. She's not part of this. This is between you and me. I'm willing to take the rap for this thing and do the time, but I want your promise that you'll leave Chenise out of this. She was only trying to help me," Cole said. He didn't notice the two guys circling around behind him until it was too late. They grabbed onto him and held him down in a chair.
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"This would be a good time to leave," Bosco said to the two kids in front of Raven's apartment.
"The two immediately took an adversarial stance upon Bosco's arrival. Bosco pulled his jacket back so that they could see his gun in his waistband while taking out his wallet and showing them his police identification.
"I'm wearing a wire and one word from me and the eight squad cars around the corner will make your life a living hell," he warned. The boys looked at each other and decided they didn't want to press their luck. The threw their hands up in a sign of surrender and walked away. After they'd rounded the building, Bosco pulled out his gun and held it at his side as he entered the building.
He walked up the stairs quietly, listening for any voices. At the top of the stairs he heard Cole talking to someone. He could hear the distress in his voice and he tensed immediately. He silently walked toward the door while taking the safety off on his gun. He stood at the doorway and listened for a moment to try to hear how many people were in the room.
"Jessie, Billy. Put him in the other room until I figure out what to do with him. And then send PJ to get his girlfriend, Chenise, over here. Let's see how he likes it when we do a job on her in front of him," Raven said.
Bosco pushed open the door, raising his gun at the same time. "Everyone stay right where they are," he said, looking around the room quickly. His eyes landed on Cole who was being restrained by the two men that Bosco assumed was Jessie and Billy. "Let him go," he ordered and the two looked over at Raven who signaled for them to keep hold of Cole.
"Bosco. You shouldn't have come here," Cole said.
"Be quiet, Cole. Let me handle this," he said, his eyes moving back and forth between Raven and the two that held onto Cole.
"I said, let him go," he ordered again.
"You can't shoot all of us, Mr. Police Officer, so what're you gonna do. You're outnumbered," Raven said to him.
"Don't be so sure," Bosco said.
Suddenly, a voice came from the other room and broke his concentration for a split second. He saw the gun come out from one of the boys holding Cole and he fired, hitting him in the arm and knocking him to the ground. But the same time that Bosco took care of one of them, Raven pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a shot in Bosco's direction.
He felt the bullet hit him in the side, but managed to remain standing even though the gun fell from his hand as the voice from the other room threw a kitchen chair at him.
"Bosco!" Cole yelled, as he was struck in the head by the other kid holding onto him. He fell to the floor, stunned.
"Say goodbye, Cop," Raven said as he aimed the gun at Bosco.
A shot rang out and then everything was silent.
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TBC...
Chapter 32
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cole waited outside the hospital for the shift change, figuring he'd see Chenise either coming in to work or leaving. He needed to talk to her, warn her about them coming to her as a witness for his case.
Finally, he saw her coming out of the hospital and called to her. She looked at him quickly and then kept moving.
"Chenise!" he said again, this time getting up to follow her. "Wait," he said catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "I need to talk to you about someth...," he stopped as she turned to look at him. He saw the bruises on her face and arms.
"My God, Chenise! What happened?" he asked.
"Cole, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave before he gets to you too," she said, tears coming to her eyes.
"Did Raven do this to you?" Cole asked her, anger rising within him. She didn't respond, but looked around nervously.
He grabbed her by both arms and turned her to face him. "Chenise! Did Raven do this to you?"
"Not him, but one of his boys," she said. "He's looking for you. You shouldn't be here. Go back home. He can't bother you there," she said, pulling away and running to her car.
Cole stood there for a moment, not sure what to do, but feeling the anger against Raven getting bigger. He decided he'd go talk to him - tell him that he'd make sure that they didn't use Chenise. He'd just do the time for the crime even though he didn't commit it and then it would all be alright. His mind made up, he started toward his old neighborhood.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"I called the Center. He's not there. I called my Mom, he didn't go over there. I called Faith again to see if he called Emily. I even called my phone that he has. He doesn't answer. No one's seen him. I'm really worried," Bosco said to Katy.
"I know, but he didn't just disappear. What about the park that he went to with Emily that day? Let's go check over there," she suggested.
"What if he calls and no one's here," Bosco said.
"Put a message on your machine so that if he calls he knows you're out looking for him and tell him to come back here. Or, better yet, tell him to call my cell phone and leave him the number," she told him.
Bosco changed the message on his machine and they headed over to the park to look for him.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Whatta you want?" sneered the kid outside of the apartment building.
"I need to talk to Raven," Cole said, tougher than he felt.
"Wait here. I'll see if he wants to see you," said the boy before he disappeared inside. After a couple of minutes, the boy returned with two others. They came outside and looked around.
"You got your cop with you?" one of them asked.
"No. I'm alone. I'm here about Chenise. He needs to leave her alone. I'm gonna make sure that they don't make her testify so Raven can leave her alone," Cole said.
The three of them looked around again and then opened the door. Raven's upstairs waiting for you. Don't do anything stupid, Cole," warned one of them.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Katy's cell phone rang and she answered it. "Katy Logan. Yeah, just a minute," she said, handing the phone to Bosco. "It's Faith."
"Yeah," he said into the phone. "Thanks. I'm gonna head over there to take a look around," he said. "I will." He hung up the phone and handed it over to Katy.
"What?" she asked him.
"You need to go back to the apartment and wait for Cole. I need to check one more place and then I'll be home," he told her.
"Where are you going?" she asked, afraid of what he might tell her.
"That girl Chenise. She was at the ER today. She came in beat up. I'm gonna go see what I can find out about that, Katy. I need you to go back to my place in case Cole shows up there," he said to her.
"Bosco, where are you going? To the hospital?"
"Yeah," he lied, knowing that Faith already told him that the girl had left. He'd head over to her house and start looking for Cole there.
"Okay. Call me if you find out anything," she said, kissing him and watching him hail a cab for her. She got in and gave the cabbie the address and watched out the back window as Bosco got into the next cab and headed off.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Well, look what the cat drug in," Raven sneered from inside the apartment.
"I don't want any trouble, Raven. I just want you to leave Chenise alone," Cole said, trying not to sound as afraid as he was, but fearing that Raven could sense his fear anyway.
"What are you talking about? Why would I bother Chenise?" Raven asked with sarcasm.
"I mean it, Raven. She's not part of this. This is between you and me. I'm willing to take the rap for this thing and do the time, but I want your promise that you'll leave Chenise out of this. She was only trying to help me," Cole said. He didn't notice the two guys circling around behind him until it was too late. They grabbed onto him and held him down in a chair.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"This would be a good time to leave," Bosco said to the two kids in front of Raven's apartment.
"The two immediately took an adversarial stance upon Bosco's arrival. Bosco pulled his jacket back so that they could see his gun in his waistband while taking out his wallet and showing them his police identification.
"I'm wearing a wire and one word from me and the eight squad cars around the corner will make your life a living hell," he warned. The boys looked at each other and decided they didn't want to press their luck. The threw their hands up in a sign of surrender and walked away. After they'd rounded the building, Bosco pulled out his gun and held it at his side as he entered the building.
He walked up the stairs quietly, listening for any voices. At the top of the stairs he heard Cole talking to someone. He could hear the distress in his voice and he tensed immediately. He silently walked toward the door while taking the safety off on his gun. He stood at the doorway and listened for a moment to try to hear how many people were in the room.
"Jessie, Billy. Put him in the other room until I figure out what to do with him. And then send PJ to get his girlfriend, Chenise, over here. Let's see how he likes it when we do a job on her in front of him," Raven said.
Bosco pushed open the door, raising his gun at the same time. "Everyone stay right where they are," he said, looking around the room quickly. His eyes landed on Cole who was being restrained by the two men that Bosco assumed was Jessie and Billy. "Let him go," he ordered and the two looked over at Raven who signaled for them to keep hold of Cole.
"Bosco. You shouldn't have come here," Cole said.
"Be quiet, Cole. Let me handle this," he said, his eyes moving back and forth between Raven and the two that held onto Cole.
"I said, let him go," he ordered again.
"You can't shoot all of us, Mr. Police Officer, so what're you gonna do. You're outnumbered," Raven said to him.
"Don't be so sure," Bosco said.
Suddenly, a voice came from the other room and broke his concentration for a split second. He saw the gun come out from one of the boys holding Cole and he fired, hitting him in the arm and knocking him to the ground. But the same time that Bosco took care of one of them, Raven pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a shot in Bosco's direction.
He felt the bullet hit him in the side, but managed to remain standing even though the gun fell from his hand as the voice from the other room threw a kitchen chair at him.
"Bosco!" Cole yelled, as he was struck in the head by the other kid holding onto him. He fell to the floor, stunned.
"Say goodbye, Cop," Raven said as he aimed the gun at Bosco.
A shot rang out and then everything was silent.
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TBC...