CHAPTER 10
CLEARING THE AIR
(Note: before everyone gets all upset, I would like to point out a few things:
1. No you did not miss the chapter with Woody and Jordan having their disagreement. That is being addressed in this chapter, as you'll see.
2. Don't get too upset about the Woody / Peter / Jordan thing. It's going to work out, OK?
3. Is the wedding still on? Well….let us see…)
Max Cavanaugh was not having a good day. He was having to learn to walk all over again, this time with a walker. "I look ridiculous, " he mused to the nurse assisting him. "How am I gonna walk Jordan down the aisle with this thing?"
The nurse paid little attention to Max, just kept saying, "Very good, Mr. Cavanaugh, now one more step…there we go… now another…."
Max sighed, "How long is this going to go on?"
The nurse replied, "Till I say we stop. Now…once more from the top…"
"Excuse me. Mr. Cavanaugh and I need to talk."
Max and the nurse looked up. It was Woody. He seemed unhappy.
The nurse seemed bemused.
"About what?"
Woody flashed his badge. "Boston PD. Police business."
The nurse left, saying, "Just keep practicing, Mr. Cavanaugh. You'll get it yet."
Max smiled. "Saved by the badge." When he saw Woody's expression, he darkened. "What'sa matter?"
Woody shook his head, and sat on the edge of Max's bed. "I don't know….I just feel like a complete chump right now. I think the wedding might be off."
"WHAT!" Max shouted. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Max…maybe you better sit down for this." He took out a tape and a player from his pocket. Max looked at him in puzzlement. "This was found in the place we found Jamie's body. Apparently he wanted a backup in case he was killed."
"What's on it?"
Woody paused before answering. He thought about how best to answer…and then he simply put the tape in the player, and started it. Just as he had for Jordan back at HQ….her remembered how she had reacted to it….
It had started out OK enough. Jordan had been looking forward to whatever evidence anyone could find of whatever Jamie had to say to her. Woody had been looking forward to it as well. How little anyone knew….
Jamie's voice crackled from the tape.
"Hi sis. If you're hearing this right now, it means they caught up with me and I'm dead. Can't say I'm enjoying it, but considering how crappy my life was, I'm not really bothered by it either.
It also means I can't be at the wedding. You know, that's too bad. After all, Woody Hoyt's father was a cop too, just like Max. Yeah, good old Max…he had some trippy partners, didn't he? Malden, that other guy….seems a lot of folks he worked with ended up dead. And our mom, too. Hey – you think I was just talking about the cops in general when I said 'they killed our mother', didn't you? Well, yes….and no."
With this Woody looked a bit startled. Jordan looked at Woody as though she suddenly didn't know him. The tape continued…
"Now, of course I didn't mean Woody had done it. He was a boy back then. But his dad…whoa, his dad…well, put it this way. Who do you think the bagman was on the Cahill thing? Now, Max and Malden and all them, they needed an intermediary…who else but one Officer Thomas Woodrow Wilson Hoyt Senior, to do the job? And consider this…where's the money? Where's the weapon? You know it's too bad you were so doped up that night Commissioner Malden paid a visit. You might have remembered what it was all about. You see – I didn't know about Officer Tom Hoyt. But dear old Dad, he did. No, both our dads they did.
"So, that sort of narrows it down. Did Malden do it? Did Max do it? Or….just maybe, mind you….did your now mercifully deceased future father-in-law do it?"
The tape snapped off at this point. Woody remembered vividly the defensiveness, the discomfort, the sudden distrust. He'd said something about why should they trust Jamie anyway? In any case,
"And what if he did do it? I'm not responsible for the sins of my father! I am not my father!"
He remembered all too well how Jordan looked at him with this terrible hurt feeling. And said quietly "Am I responsible for my father's?" then she ran out, nearly knocking over Renee Wolcott in the process. And this is what he'd told Max, word for word.
Max sat there a long time. When he spoke, it was with uncommon conviction. "Woody…your dad didn't do it. I remember him. He was a good man and he raised a good son."
Woody looked at him, trying not to sound hurt. "But he was involved in a payoff – "
Max cut him off. "No. Tom was a good man. Back in the day, if you busted every man in the PD involved in a payoff in any way, you'd have a pretty empty squad room. Corruption exists, it's part of life. But a murderer – absolutely not."
Max put his arm around Woody, who seemed to feel a little better. "Now, I know sometimes good men do bad things. And sometimes – hell, too many times – bad things happen to good people. But Tom Hoyt was not a murderer. NEVER. Always remember that. And if you give it a little time, I'm sure Jordan will look at you and realize, regardless of what she THINKS may have happened, you're still the man she loves more than life itself. You two still have a future."
"She loves you and always will. My dad would kill me for saying this, but I love you too, Woody. You're my son already as far as I'm concerned."
ADDENDUM
Jordan was hard at work in her office when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up to see Peter Winslow. She flushed, then after trying to hide behind her computer, finally gave up and said, "Come in."
Peter went straight up to her. "I'm sorry, Jordan, I -"
"No, no, no. Don't be sorry. It was all my fault. I let the drinking get to my head. I mean, look at me. I'm a consummate professional. A professional! I shouldn't have let a bunch of crap that really wasn't anyone else's business get in the way of my judgment, of doing what was right. I just hope Woody will understand."
"Jordan nothing happened."
Jordan paused, stunned. Was he kidding? Hadn't they kissed?
They HAD kissed, hadn't they?
"What?"
"Jordan…you passed out right after you invited me to stay the night. I put a blanket over you, and I left. That was it.'
He looked right into her eyes. "Sometimes you have to do the right thing, even when you don't want to."
I didn't hurt Woody, she thought. Erm, no, it was more like…..
I DIND'T HURT WOODY! YAY!!!
She couldn't help smiling. "You still going?"
"I wouldn't miss it."
With that Jordan called Woody on his cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Woody? It's me…we need to clear the air…"
"Sure. How about over lunch?"
She looked at her watch. "Give me half an hour."
"OK, bye."
He hung up. He looked over at Max. Max smiled back. "You'll be OK."
Woody smiled back as he left. "Take care, Max."
Afterwards Max looked out. He said to no one, "And someday…we'll clear the air too…"
(See? I told you it'd all work out…)
:)
CLEARING THE AIR
(Note: before everyone gets all upset, I would like to point out a few things:
1. No you did not miss the chapter with Woody and Jordan having their disagreement. That is being addressed in this chapter, as you'll see.
2. Don't get too upset about the Woody / Peter / Jordan thing. It's going to work out, OK?
3. Is the wedding still on? Well….let us see…)
Max Cavanaugh was not having a good day. He was having to learn to walk all over again, this time with a walker. "I look ridiculous, " he mused to the nurse assisting him. "How am I gonna walk Jordan down the aisle with this thing?"
The nurse paid little attention to Max, just kept saying, "Very good, Mr. Cavanaugh, now one more step…there we go… now another…."
Max sighed, "How long is this going to go on?"
The nurse replied, "Till I say we stop. Now…once more from the top…"
"Excuse me. Mr. Cavanaugh and I need to talk."
Max and the nurse looked up. It was Woody. He seemed unhappy.
The nurse seemed bemused.
"About what?"
Woody flashed his badge. "Boston PD. Police business."
The nurse left, saying, "Just keep practicing, Mr. Cavanaugh. You'll get it yet."
Max smiled. "Saved by the badge." When he saw Woody's expression, he darkened. "What'sa matter?"
Woody shook his head, and sat on the edge of Max's bed. "I don't know….I just feel like a complete chump right now. I think the wedding might be off."
"WHAT!" Max shouted. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Max…maybe you better sit down for this." He took out a tape and a player from his pocket. Max looked at him in puzzlement. "This was found in the place we found Jamie's body. Apparently he wanted a backup in case he was killed."
"What's on it?"
Woody paused before answering. He thought about how best to answer…and then he simply put the tape in the player, and started it. Just as he had for Jordan back at HQ….her remembered how she had reacted to it….
It had started out OK enough. Jordan had been looking forward to whatever evidence anyone could find of whatever Jamie had to say to her. Woody had been looking forward to it as well. How little anyone knew….
Jamie's voice crackled from the tape.
"Hi sis. If you're hearing this right now, it means they caught up with me and I'm dead. Can't say I'm enjoying it, but considering how crappy my life was, I'm not really bothered by it either.
It also means I can't be at the wedding. You know, that's too bad. After all, Woody Hoyt's father was a cop too, just like Max. Yeah, good old Max…he had some trippy partners, didn't he? Malden, that other guy….seems a lot of folks he worked with ended up dead. And our mom, too. Hey – you think I was just talking about the cops in general when I said 'they killed our mother', didn't you? Well, yes….and no."
With this Woody looked a bit startled. Jordan looked at Woody as though she suddenly didn't know him. The tape continued…
"Now, of course I didn't mean Woody had done it. He was a boy back then. But his dad…whoa, his dad…well, put it this way. Who do you think the bagman was on the Cahill thing? Now, Max and Malden and all them, they needed an intermediary…who else but one Officer Thomas Woodrow Wilson Hoyt Senior, to do the job? And consider this…where's the money? Where's the weapon? You know it's too bad you were so doped up that night Commissioner Malden paid a visit. You might have remembered what it was all about. You see – I didn't know about Officer Tom Hoyt. But dear old Dad, he did. No, both our dads they did.
"So, that sort of narrows it down. Did Malden do it? Did Max do it? Or….just maybe, mind you….did your now mercifully deceased future father-in-law do it?"
The tape snapped off at this point. Woody remembered vividly the defensiveness, the discomfort, the sudden distrust. He'd said something about why should they trust Jamie anyway? In any case,
"And what if he did do it? I'm not responsible for the sins of my father! I am not my father!"
He remembered all too well how Jordan looked at him with this terrible hurt feeling. And said quietly "Am I responsible for my father's?" then she ran out, nearly knocking over Renee Wolcott in the process. And this is what he'd told Max, word for word.
Max sat there a long time. When he spoke, it was with uncommon conviction. "Woody…your dad didn't do it. I remember him. He was a good man and he raised a good son."
Woody looked at him, trying not to sound hurt. "But he was involved in a payoff – "
Max cut him off. "No. Tom was a good man. Back in the day, if you busted every man in the PD involved in a payoff in any way, you'd have a pretty empty squad room. Corruption exists, it's part of life. But a murderer – absolutely not."
Max put his arm around Woody, who seemed to feel a little better. "Now, I know sometimes good men do bad things. And sometimes – hell, too many times – bad things happen to good people. But Tom Hoyt was not a murderer. NEVER. Always remember that. And if you give it a little time, I'm sure Jordan will look at you and realize, regardless of what she THINKS may have happened, you're still the man she loves more than life itself. You two still have a future."
"She loves you and always will. My dad would kill me for saying this, but I love you too, Woody. You're my son already as far as I'm concerned."
ADDENDUM
Jordan was hard at work in her office when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up to see Peter Winslow. She flushed, then after trying to hide behind her computer, finally gave up and said, "Come in."
Peter went straight up to her. "I'm sorry, Jordan, I -"
"No, no, no. Don't be sorry. It was all my fault. I let the drinking get to my head. I mean, look at me. I'm a consummate professional. A professional! I shouldn't have let a bunch of crap that really wasn't anyone else's business get in the way of my judgment, of doing what was right. I just hope Woody will understand."
"Jordan nothing happened."
Jordan paused, stunned. Was he kidding? Hadn't they kissed?
They HAD kissed, hadn't they?
"What?"
"Jordan…you passed out right after you invited me to stay the night. I put a blanket over you, and I left. That was it.'
He looked right into her eyes. "Sometimes you have to do the right thing, even when you don't want to."
I didn't hurt Woody, she thought. Erm, no, it was more like…..
I DIND'T HURT WOODY! YAY!!!
She couldn't help smiling. "You still going?"
"I wouldn't miss it."
With that Jordan called Woody on his cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Woody? It's me…we need to clear the air…"
"Sure. How about over lunch?"
She looked at her watch. "Give me half an hour."
"OK, bye."
He hung up. He looked over at Max. Max smiled back. "You'll be OK."
Woody smiled back as he left. "Take care, Max."
Afterwards Max looked out. He said to no one, "And someday…we'll clear the air too…"
(See? I told you it'd all work out…)
:)