Bosco sat in his parked Mustang in front of Vinnie's Pool Hall as the second hour of his observation of the establishment neared an end. He was beat but couldn't leave now. The place would be closing soon and it would be the perfect opportunity to see who left the building. He went inside earlier hoping to get some worthwhile information, but no one admitted to knowing anything.
As he sat in the moonless night, it dawned on him that almost all of his off-duty time was spent obsessing on where the criminal was and what he might be planning. Actually, he didn't really consider his take on the situation as obsessive; however, he was sure some, like his partner if she knew, would.
When sleep was denied him, he lay in bed and imagined scenarios where he caught the skel. In some instances, he even pictured himself killing the defenseless animal as he begged for his life. He wondered if the horrific thoughts and images made him as vicious as the murderer. Perhaps they did, but, he reasoned, he had no control over his feelings, only his actions.
He stared at the dimly lit entrance to the building as a cool breeze almost lulled him to sleep while he carefully thought about what was known of the case.
Since the incident at Jolly's, the detectives assigned to the crimes spent hundreds of hours gathering information, analyzing the small amount of evidence they had, and interviewing potential witnesses.
The minute amount of blood on the shattered glass door at one of the robbery scenes didn't prove too beneficial, although they now knew that O type blood flowed through the fugitive's veins. There were no gun shooting victims treated at any of the area hospitals that night or the day after which the police did not have a report of. If the robber was shot as the clerk claimed, the wound was surely superficial.
DNA evidence would be labeled and stored for future reference and compared when an arrest was made. At this time, the surveillance videos had still proved useless, as there were no witnesses able to give a positive identification due to the criminal's wide array of disguises.
The state wide computer search of self-defense related, police officer shootings, involving male teenagers or young adults within the past three years, was now a nation wide search focusing on larger cities. The possibilities had yet to pan out, but no one was giving up. If the incident really did happen as the killer stated, there would certainly be a record of it, however, it was unclear to the detectives if the result of the shooting two years ago was death or injury. So the time consuming search continued.
The one sure thing Bosco knew was the fact that he would never stop his personal search for the perp until the killer was caught. He sat there engrossed as he watched each patron leave the pool hall and the lights finally go out.
The self-satisfied criminal relaxed in the bathtub of the stripper's apartment and contemplated his situation. He knew no one would ever even consider looking for him at the bimbo's place. He was able to sell some of the Ecstasy he acquired and the bitch that housed him insisted on giving him money almost daily. Since the strip joint operated twenty four hours a day, she spent a lot of time there and the accumulation of over-time hours and tips was quite impressive. He had a place to stay, some cash when he needed it, and sex when he wanted it. The suits didn't worry him for now. He knew finding him was not going to be easy; after all, the cops couldn't do it.
Since the robbery attempt yesterday, the killer knew he had to lay low for awhile. The old geezer wouldn't give him the cash and he resorted to intimidating the elderly man when the .38 went off. He heard someone call from the back of the store and took off without a cent. A total waste of time and effort he thought, except of course, for the run in with the pigs in the musty warehouse. It was a close call, but the rush he experienced was well worth it, he thought as he ran more hot water. At this time, he decided to focus on the cops, or at least one in particular.
He realized he could leave well enough alone, perhaps get out of the City and never see the bastard pig from Jolly's again, but that was too easy. His life had never been easy, he reminisced. He was used to living on the edge, why change things now, besides, he wanted to make Danny proud. The cop that killed his brother got away with murder, now one would have to pay, who better he reasoned, than the one who pursued him relentlessly.
"Are you almost done in there baby...I need to shower soon or I'll be late!" The stripper called into the steamed bathroom.
"I'll be out shortly sweetness." The killer answered, in a melodic tone, disguising has annoyance perfectly. Sometimes, in fact, more often than not, the bitch irritated the hell out of him. He couldn't let her know it though. She was his meal ticket for the time being.
Yes, he would focus on the bastard cop and then maybe leave New York. For what he had in mind, he knew there would be no way he could stay.
The Lieutenant stopped by the locker room on his way to roll call. He hoped Boscorelli would still be there.
"I'm not late am I?" Bosco asked as Swersky entered the room, knowing his supervisor never really came into the lockers unless he needed to speak to someone privately.
"No...you're not." The Lieutenant answered. "Maybe you can make a habit of it." He smiled, somewhat hesitantly.
Bosco was aware of the man's cautious demeanor and waited for him to continue while he finished dressing.
"The elderly store owner on Arthur...he didn't make it. I'm sorry Bosco." He felt awful about the killing, and for the officer's plight as well. He knew Boscorelli was taking the murder/robberies to a personal level.
"It was definitely our suspect...wasn't it?" Bosco asked, knowing before hand what the answer would be.
"Everything we have so far points to it. The ballistic tests show that the same .38 was involved in at least four robberies." The Lieutenant answered. Since there were several armed robberies committed in the City each day, they both knew it took awhile to sift through all the evidence gathered.
Bosco stood up and finished adjusting his belt and equipment. "There are two murder victims in seven robberies within six weeks that we're sure of. What's it gonna take to catch this guy boss?" The officer questioned his superior.
"As long as he stays in the City, we'll get him Bosco. So far, something seems to be keeping him here. We need to find out what that is." Swersky stated with his typical no-nonsense resolve. "You okay?"
"I'm fine Boss...I'll see you in roll call." Bosco said as the Lieutenant turned to leave. "Thank you for giving me the heads-up Sir."
Swersky nodded and left the room, leaving some personal questions he had for the officer unasked for the time being.
Bosco slammed his locker shut as he cursed under his breath. He rinsed his face with tepid sink water and gazed at the haggard image in the mirror. Not only did he look tired and worn out, but about ten years older since this whole thing started. He dried off and left the solitude of the locker room sensing the shift ahead would bring them no closer to the killer.
Bosco considered his stance on locating the top most wanted fugitive on his personal most wanted list, again only half listening to his partner as she complained about the summonses they were to hand deliver during the course of the day.
Word on the street was that some punk had recently accosted an Ecstasy dealer and stole his precious supply. He also heard that there were people looking for the mope. The information that roused his curiosity, however, was the rumor circulating the streets that the Ecstasy thief had in fact, had ties to the convenience store murder/robberies. This was something he knew he had to investigate.
Even though the department was looking into this latest piece of news, the thought occurred to him to track down one of his informants. Some of them had been quite helpful in the past and it was certainly worth a try. All he had to do was locate one of the skels, which almost always proved difficult. None of them wanted to be seen talking to a uniformed police officer and they made themselves scarce when a patrol rolled by.
The average looking man walked into the police station and made sure not to draw any attention to himself. The cop behind the desk seemed overwhelmed by the day's tasks. He juggled two phones and note taking duties as he caught a glimpse of the man stroll towards his post.
"Please make sure Officer Bosco gets this." The visitor stated in a most courteous manner, even though his request wasn't sincerely genuine.
"Who?" The desk sergeant asked, trying to hear above the noise and commotion in the house.
"This is the 55th, right...Officer Bosco works here, doesn't he?" The man asked, wondering for a moment if he had the right precinct.
"Yeah...I'll see that Boscorelli gets it!" The exasperated officer said as he took the envelope. "Now...if you don't mind, I'm a little busy here!" He went on as another phone line began to ring.
The content man turned and smiled to himself as he left the building. That was so much easier than he anticipated, he thought to himself. He walked a few yards down Arthur and entered a small café where he was seated at a booth with a view of the station. There he pondered how long he would stay and wait for the officer to show up. He wished he could see the arrogant pig's expression as he opened the envelope. How ironic, he thought, of the manhunt to capture him and here he was, a stones toss from a building full of cops.
"Did you know statistics prove that a police officer's life span is twenty years shorter than the average American's...kind of makes you wonder why we do this." Sully stated matter-of-factly. The shift was busy and they had more than two hours to go.
Davis looked at his partner with a bemused expression. "Well, we both know why you do it!" He added, as Sully glanced over at his passenger.
"Yeah...why?" The senior officer asked in his sometimes gruff voice.
"Because your singing career never took off. " He smiled back. "Besides, you love this job as much as I do and you know it. You would never still be a cop after all these years if you didn't." Ty's speech was interrupted by a call from Central.
"Here we go...this day just keeps getting better." Sully said with a hint of sarcasm, hoping it wasn't another domestic.
Bosco finished writing the citation and handed it to the annoyed driver who promptly prepared to merge back into the flow of city traffic.
"Have a nice night sir!" The officer said to the irate man in the vehicle. "And watch out for those nasty traffic lights!" He added as he headed to the RMP.
"All right Bos...you've had you jollies...now how about we take meal break already." Faith insisted, looking at her watch and noticing it was much later than she expected. The busy day was grueling and she was looking forward to a few minutes of time off for herself, but especially for her wired partner.
"What...that guy went through a red light and almost hit a cab...you saw it!" Bosco replied defensively.
"I'm just sayin'...we haven't had time for a break all evening...that's all...I'm hungry!" She reiterated. "I could go for a burger and fries."
"Oh really...sick of salad already?" Bosco teased. "What happened to, 'swimsuit seasons coming...Fred and I are taking the kids to the beach next month...I want to lose ten pounds'." He mimicked her ranting speech from a few days ago. "Should I go on?" He could see her irked expression from the corner of his eye and knew she wasn't in the mood.
"5-5 David to Central...show us on meal break." Faith radioed the dispatcher, concealing her amusement from her partner.
"10-4 David." The pleasant, professional voice replied.
"All right...all right...a burger sounds good. Just please not Stan's again...that food gives me heartburn. Give me a better place." Bosco said, realizing he hadn't eaten since ten that morning and it was currently after eight thirty pm. As long as their schedule permitted, they usually took meal break around six. He was more tired than hungry but he forced himself not to focus on his lack of sleep.
She was just about to respond to his whining when she noticed a group of individuals on the corner of Mercer and 128th. "Look Bosco...isn't that the kid we gave chase to a couple weeks ago...remember...on King...with the big mouth?" Faith asked.
"You mean the purse snatcher?" Her partner inquired. "Where?"
"Yeah...over there...the one with the red cap and all that hair sticking out of it." She answered.
"It does look like him, doesn't it?" Bosco said as he approached the small group of teens in front of a fast food restaurant.
Faith turned on the flashing lights as they pulled up to the congregation. "Yeah...it's him all right." She stated as the group took off in different directions.
"Call it in!" Bosco requested as Faith let the dispatcher know their intentions. He drove after one particular juvenile and, with the aid of his squad, was able to corner the kid into a closed off alley after a five block chase.
"Look who it is Yokas!" Bosco said as they exited the RMP and approached the runner, their flashlights shinning brightly in the darkness. "Remember us?" He directed his question to the teenager.
"Hands against the wall...now!" Faith demanded as her partner prepared to frisk the suspect.
"I didn't do nothin' man!" The adamant young punk insisted in a harsh tone.
"Yeah right...that's why you ran jag-off! Got any needles on you?" Bosco asked as he pushed the uncooperative juvenile against the building and proceeded to carefully check his pockets, hoping he wouldn't get pricked by one. "Well, well...what do we have here?" He asked, holding up a piece of folded tin foil while speaking to the young African American kid Faith just cuffed. "Well...what...you have nothing to say now? You were all mouth two weeks ago."
"It ain't mine dude!" The kid spoke up. "I found it on the street!" He angrily insisted.
"Just like that, huh?" Faith asked in fake disbelief. "How convenient."
"I ain't talkin'...I wanna' see my lawyer." He answered sarcastically.
Bosco was unable to contain the surprised disgust in his voice. "You've got to be kidding me...what are you...like fifteen, sixteen and your gonna tell me your lawyered up already?"
"Let's get him to the precinct." Faith chimed in as she escorted the prisoner to the patrol car. "He's not talking."
"Looks like Meth to me...what do you say Alfalfa...or whatever your name is?" Bosco questioned his captive as 5-5 Charlie pulled up to the trio.
"We were in the neighborhood. Everything okay here?" Davis asked as Bosco strode to his vehicle.
"Yeah...we're heading back to the house. Looks like we collared ourselves a Meth dealer!" He proudly stated, knowing full well he never field-tested the contents, he just couldn't resist rattling the kid.
"I said that shit ain't mine...I found it on the corner right before you pulled up man!" The juvenile argued as Faith closed the squad door.
"Yeah right...tell it to your lawyer." The hot-headed officer yelled at the argumentative lad. "Thanks anyway guys. See you later." Bosco stated as he entered the RMP.
"Davis and I are going to Haggerty's after shift. He challenged me to a game of darts. I want some witnesses when I win and its time for him to pay up." Sully joked.
"I'm in...I could use a cold one, maybe even a burger and fries...especially since it doesn't look like we'll get a break after all." Faith responded casting a glance at her partner. "How about it Bos?"
"Okay... but only one...I've got stuff to do." Bosco stated in a serious tone.
"At midnight?" Faith questioned in surprise, wondering what he meant.
"I need some groceries." He answered, already saying more than he should have.
He stared at Faith for a split second and in that moment, she knew he was keeping something from her. It was the same expression his face showed when he swore the "dying declaration" incident involving Cruz and himself was legitimate.
Bosco backed out of the alley and followed 5-5 Charlie, oblivious of the grinning man in the shadows he would have given anything to have in the back of 5-5 David instead.
Bosco was relieved the shift was finally over and it was time to unwind before his nightly ritual. Davis and Sullivan had already left for Haggerty's and Faith was finishing her phone call to Fred outside. He grabbed his duffel bag and headed for the exit as Sergeant Stevens rushed to catch up to him.
"Some guy dropped this off for you Bosco." His co-worker announced, handing a small envelope to the officer as he continued towards the door. "See you tomorrow."
"Thanks Stevens...see ya." The officially off-duty cop replied. Bosco folded the envelope deciding to check the contents later. He assumed it was information from one of his CI's. He didn't get the opportunity to question any of them regarding the robberies yet, and anything else could wait.
Faith caught sight of the Sergeant handing her partner a piece of paper and saw him stuff the item into his jacket pocket, wondering if he would mention it to her. The subtle action convinced her more than ever that he was hiding something.
During the quiet ride to Haggerty's, Faith thought back on the previous month and even though she did notice his apparent exhaustion, she didn't put much emphasis on his elusive and unusual behavior.
She pondered her partner's actions during the past several weeks. As she thought about his recent behavior, she remembered that all of their meal breaks were within blocks of Jolly's. When they ate at any restaurant or diner, he always insisted on a table near a window. The times they ate in the cruiser, he parked where the squad was not easily seen. He never mentioned the murder/robberies, but when she brought them up, he promptly changed the subject.
It was all beginning to add up and the only conclusion she could possibly come up with was that he was most likely looking for the killer on his own time.
Faith finally broke the silence. "Feel like talking?" She asked with some hesitation.
"What about?" He said as he looked at her suspiciously.
She knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Is everything okay...you seem like you don't want to go to Haggerty's anymore."
"I'm just a little tired...that's all." He answered, hoping she wasn't going to badger him about his worn out appearance. The only reason he agreed to go was so she wouldn't become suspicious if he said no.
"Bosco...we've known each other a long time...it's more than that." She continued, "I know when your tired and I know when you're keeping somethin' from me..."
"Faith...please!" He interrupted with annoyance. "You insisted on no personal conversations when we teamed back up...remember? Let's keep it that way!" He said in a raised voice as he pulled over to the curb, got out of the car, and proceeded to enter the establishment without waiting for her.
The man followed the cobalt blue Mustang at a safe distance on the bicycle he borrowed, or stole; he wasn't sure which yet, from a neighboring apartment complex days ago. He thought he lost sight of the car and its occupants a couple of times but was able to catch up to them during a few traffic light stops. Besides, he overheard their conversation in the alley earlier and assumed they were still going to Haggerty's.
He couldn't believe his luck earlier in the evening when he witnessed the two pig's arrest the punk in the alley while he was making a buy of his own. The dealer took off and he was prepared to follow until he heard the egotistical bastard cop yelling at the kid as he got out of the cruiser. He immediately placed the voice to the convenience store where the two first met and decided right then and there to put his plan into action. It wouldn't be long now before he would avenge his little brother and gain immense satisfaction in doing so.
He saw the male cop get out and enter the bar, followed by his partner a few seconds later. He stayed well hidden for less than a half-hour, savoring the details of his scheme, when he saw the driver of the Mustang exit the building.
Bosco left the barroom alone. Faith wouldn't let up and he had enough of her questions. He asked Davis to take her home and took off while she joined in the dart game. He snuck out of Haggerty's and slammed the vehicle door shut, sitting at the wheel for a few seconds to collect himself. He accelerated onto the road at a quicker speed than was legal, totally unaware of the bicyclist who struggled not to loose sight of him.
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