Ninety-three
Kali slipped her arms around Wally's waist and leaned closely against him. "Can they arrest you for a crime you didn't commit?" she asked worriedly.
"They can if they have sufficient evidence," Wally replied annoyed. How in the world did this happen? I should be out on the town, having the time of my life with Kali, instead of standing here at the Police station trying to prove my innocence.
"But I thought you are innocent until proven guilty," Kali answered reassuringly.
"I am innocent," Wally responded.
"That's what they all say," Officer Randall said confidentially, approaching them.
"What is your problem?" Wally shot back.
"My problem is you, West, and other corrupt Police Department employees like you, who think they can hide their illegal activities behind their association with the Department. You can't fool me, I know you're behind the florist shop robbery AND the attempted gas station hold-up. You're trying to use those two teenaged boys as front men for your crimes, thinking you will get away with it, but you won't. You've been sloppy, West, too sloppy. Exactly what kind of fool do you think I am?"
Wally smiled, "I don't know, Officer Randall, What kind of fool ARE you?"
Randall's eyes narrowed. "Very funny, West. Let's see how amusing you find things when you're locked up behind bars for a few years!"
Officer Randall angrily stormed off in the direction of Police Chief Gunderson's office.
"Wally, do you think that was such a good idea?" Kali asked.
"It doesn't matter, Kali. For some reason Randall's got it in for me. I've got to do something before it's too late," he answered, thinking aloud.
Ninety-four
"What a wise guy!" Officer Randall muttered under his breath, fuming. Wally West is behind those hold-ups, I'm SURE of it! he thought as he knocked on Chief Gunderson's office door.
"Come in," came the reply from inside the Chief's office.
"Chief Gunderson, got a minute?" Randall asked, marching in.
The Chief, seated at his desk, removed his reading glasses and folded his arms across his chest. "What's on your mind, officer?"
"Well, sir," Randall begin, pacing across the room. "I know that Wally West is behind the two hold-ups this evening and…"
"Excuse me, Officer…" the Chief interrupted. "Officer…?"
"Randall, sir. Officer Randall," Randall responded.
"er,.. Yes, Officer Randall. You're new here, aren't you?"
"Yes, Chief, but I hardly think that that has anything to do…" Randall objected.
"We follow a certain procedure, officer. First you must speak with the arresting officer…"
"But Chief, I AM the arresting officer!" Randall interrupted.
"Then you need to file a report…" the Chief replied calmly.
"I HAVE filed a report, sir!" Randall shot impatiently. "Sergeant Stetson refuses to take proper action. He is letting Wally West get away. West is guilty as sin and Sergeant Stetson is ignoring the evidence! I want…"
"Officer Randall," the Chief interrupted Randall. "Sergeant Stetson is an excellent officer. He has been with the department a long time and has received several commendations for faithful service. If you have a problem with him, I will arrange a meeting with him for you to air your complaints in his presence. Know that I will not allow you to bring forth any charges against the man without allowing him to hear your accusations first-hand. The Sergeant must have a fair opportunity to defend himself. It is a serious thing to bring forth allegations against a senior officer," the Chief hesitated momentarily. "Are you prepared to do this?" he asked, scowling at Randall.
Ninety-five
Wally looked up, as the main entrance door to the Police Department swung open. A flustered thin, blonde-haired young woman glanced around nervously as she hesitantly entered the lobby. Clutching tightly to her purse, she spotted the dispatcher's desk and hurriedly approached him.
"Sir?" she asked, addressing the officer sitting at the front desk.
The dispatcher looked up from his the papers on his desk. "Yes, ma'am? How can I help you?" he asked politely.
"My name is Faith Morgan. I'm here to see Sergeant Stetson."
"Yes, ma'am. Please have a seat and I'll tell him you're here," the dispatcher replied, nodding politely. "Sergeant Stetson, there is a woman here to see you. Her name is Faith Morgan," he said into the intercom.
"Thank you, sir," she replied quietly, nervously casting glances toward the glass entrance doors.
Was this woman running from someone? Wally wondered, unable to take his eyes off the woman. Something about her interested Wally. Although she must not have been much more than 30 years old, her thin, frail frame made her appear much older. She looked unusually pale, which made Wally think the woman was perhaps ill. Or was this fear? Though she was neatly dressed, she was clearly not a woman of wealth; the woman was wearing a simple, plain, short-sleeved white dress with an indistinct floral pattern that had obviously faded through the years. Wally couldn't help but try to imagine what could be this woman's problem.
Officer Randall emerged from the Chief of Police's office, red-faced and angry. As he passed through the lobby, his attention turned to the woman beside the lobby glass doors.
"Miss?" he asked, calling out to her.
The woman turned and smiled, "Mrs. Morgan," she replied, casting glances out the door. I'm here about …"
"Your son, right?" Randall cut in. "It's amazing the resemblance!" he said moving closer and staring into her face.
"My son?" she asked quizzically, "You mean Jimmy?"
"Well, ma'am, from what I understand, he was very hesitant to give us his name. I guess he was afraid he would be blamed for the robbery. I'm glad to see he changed his mind. You know ma'am. It isn't a good idea to let him run around like that this time of night. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did," Randall said, rambling on.
"Where is my boy, Sergeant?" she demanded.
"Sergeant? Oh no, I'm Patrol Officer Randall," he answered. "But come with me, I can take you to your son. He's right in the room over here," Randall said, indicating a room across the hall.
Randall shot Wally a nasty look before turning to lead the woman away.
"Officer Randall!"
Sergeant Stetson had appeared just in time to see Randall leading Mrs. Morgan into the interrogation room across the hall.
"What are you doing?" Stetson demanded, angrily.
"I'm taking Mrs. Morgan to her son, sir," he replied calmly, holding the door open as Mrs. Morgan entered the room. "Maybe now we can move this case along…"
"Randall. She's here to see me," Stetson said flatly.
"Oh." Randall replied, looking foolish.
"Jimmy! What are doing here?" Mrs. Morgan exclaimed, surprised.
"MOM? MOM! What are you doing here?" Jimmy asked nervously.
Sergeant Stetson exchanged confused looks with Mrs. Morgan.
Ninety-six
Wally, Kali, Marty, and Margo heard everything.
"At least they know who the boy is now, Wally," Kali commented.
"Kali, I can't wait around here and do nothing," Wally replied, putting his hand on her shoulder, as he spoke.
"What can you do?" she asked doubtfully.
"I need to find the other boy," Wally whispered. "Can you cover for me?" he asked.
"How can you find the other boy?" Kali asked quietly, "What do you mean 'cover for you'?"
"I'm going to go in the Men's room. All I need you to do is cover for me while Flash tracks down this missing boy. If anyone asks, I'm in the Men's room. Okay?"
"I'll cover for you Wally," Marty volunteered, rising from his seat and heading for the Men's rest room with a newspaper in hand.
"Thanks, buddy, I owe you one!" Wally answered before leaving.
In no time, dressed in costume, Flash dashed down the street and back to the gas station he had been at earlier. He walked around the property, looking for clues. Behind the station's dumpster, Flash found a brand-new, blue baseball cap with the letters 'N' and 'Y' neatly embroidered on the front of the cap in red thread. A New York Mets baseball cap. Inside the cap, written with a black permanent marker was the name 'Johnny Morgan, 15 Cobblestone Lane, Central City'. Must be Jimmy's brother, concluded Flash.
Flash smiled. So, Johnny Morgan was here! He was sure that the brothers had come to the gas station together and figured that Johnny had run off when the police came. With his brother taken by the police, it was probable that Johnny had run home, Flash reasoned.
Ninety-seven
"Can I have a moment alone with my son, please?" Faith Morgan asked the Sergeant.
"Yes, ma'am," Stetson answered, respectfully. "I'd like a word with you, Randall," he added firmly.
Faith waited for the door to close before speaking. "Jimmy, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Jimmy's gaze fell to the floor. "Mom…"
Ninety-eight
Seated on the solitary toilet seat in the small Men's room at the Police Station, Marty neatly unfolded the newspaper he had snatched from the lobby.
I hope Wally doesn't take too long, he thought as he skimmed the articles on the front page of the paper. His eyes fell on the story entitled, 'Morgan's Main Street Saloon Bursts into Flames, arson suspected.' Who would want to burn down a bar? he wondered.
Ninety-nine
Flash looked up at the small, gray and white cottage on Cobblestone Lane. The black rusty number 'fifteen' on the front door confirmed the address. Though the porch light was out, the street light illuminated the entire front yard and entranceway. The grass in the yard was overgrown and thick with weeds. An assortment of children's toys lay scattered across the front lawn; among them, a broken kite, scattered baseballs, plastic bats, skateboard minus one wheel, and a dented, dirty, lime-green boys' bike.
As he neared the front steps, Flash noticed a smudge-faced, blue-eyed smiling baby-doll seated in a pink plastic chair beside the front door.
With Johnny's baseball cap in hand, Flash rang the doorbell.
Flash heard the shuffling of feet as someone approached the door from within the house.
As the door opened, a greasy-looking man in his mid-thirties, dressed only in a wrinkled t-shirt and stained pair of pants stood unsteadily in the doorway frowning at Flash.
"We don't want any!" the man said, at the first sight of Flash.
"Wait!" Flash cried. "Are you Mr. Morgan?" Flash asked.
The man reeked of a mixture of beer, sweat and who knows what else. The stench was so strong that Flash had to turn away.
"I'm Henry Morgan," the man replied unsteadily. "I don't want nothing, don't need nothing," he added beginning to close the door.
"No, you don't understand, Mr. Morgan. I'm here to return your son's baseball cap. Is he home? May I speak with him a moment?" Flash asked gently, not wishing to upset the drunken man.
"Baseball cap? He lost his baseball cap?" Henry asked, his curiosity turning to anger.
Flash held up the cap for Henry to see.
Henry snatched it from Flash's hand and began yelling angrily, "Johnny! Johnny where are you!"
Walking away from the door and back into the house, Henry seemed to forget Flash. Flash watched Henry stumble into the living room. Empty beer cans littered the otherwise tidy looking room.
Flash watched as Johnny appeared and cautiously approached his dad.
"What is it dad?" Johnny asked, fear evident in his voice.
"Johnny! Here's your baseball cap, boy!" Henry began. "Is this how you show your appreciation for the things I buy you?" He threw the cap at Johnny's face.
Johnny slowly backed away from Henry.
"You ungrateful, lazy, good for nothing…" Henry lifted his hand to hit Johnny, but lost his balance and fell to the floor.
Johnny watched in horror as his dad slowly rose to his feet and grabbed a gun from the drawer in the end table nearby.
"No! DAD! NO! Don't shoot!" Johnny pleaded, backing away. In his haste, he tripped and fell to the ground, as Henry waved his gun at him.
Flash could stand it no longer. He raced into the house, snatched the gun from Henry's hand, and punched him in the face. Henry fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Are you okay, Johnny?" Flash said, putting his arm around Johnny's shoulders and helping him up.
Johnny nodded.
"I'll call the police," Flash said quietly, reaching for the phone, as Johnny sat quietly at the kitchen table.
"Sergeant Stetson, please, this is The Flash," Flash said into the telephone.
One hundred
Jimmy couldn't speak. He wasn't even sure where to begin. How could he explain that everything he had done tonight was to protect his mom and their family? Everything that he had planned had gone completely wrong. He tried to think back to where it all began. Was there ever a time that everything was okay?
For as long as he could remember, the tension in his home had always been there. He knew his mom hated the saloon, that he had inherited from his father, and begged his dad, repeatedly, to sell the place. Nevertheless, every time she brought it up, they would fight and his dad would accuse his wife of being unfaithful or unappreciative. Eventually she gave up arguing and the fighting seemed to lessen.
Then, one night six months ago, his dad came home from work unusually late. He was angry, depressed, and drunk. Jimmy heard his parents argue for hours that night. The business had been losing money for some time and his dad had taken a second mortgage out on the house to carry him through this slump. Unfortunately, business never picked up and he began falling behind in the mortgage loan payments. Now that the business was doing so poorly, he had decided it was time to sell the saloon, but even the sale of the saloon would not bring enough money in to break even. With no one to turn to, his dad took solace in the bottle. From then on, his dad came home every night angry, depressed, and drunk.
Jimmy had no idea how his dad managed to put food on the table or pay the monthly bills, but he knew better than to ask. His dad became angrier and more violent as the months passed. Yesterday, when the saloon caught on fire and burned to the ground, Jimmy's dad lost his temper and shoved his mom into the wall. When she threatened to call the police, he pulled his gun on her and told her that if she did, she'd never live long enough to see them arrive. That was when Jimmy came up with 'The Plan'.
One hundred and one
"They're on their way," Flash told Johnny.
"Are you going to arrest me?" Johnny asked, fearfully.
"Arrest you?" Flash asked with surprise.
"Yes. Isn't that why you are here?" he asked nervously.
"I came to ask you some questions and I need honest answers from you," Flash said earnestly. "Your brother Jimmy and your mom are at the police station."
Johnny's eyes grew wide with fear.
"You were with your brother at the gas station tonight, weren't you?" Flash asked, calmly.
Johnny turned away.
"I found your baseball cap there, Johnny."
Johnny shifted uncomfortably. "I might have been there…"
"Johnny, I can't help you if you aren't honest with me. I know you're in a tough spot and I promise I'll do whatever I can to help you through this, but I need the truth. The whole truth," Flash coaxed.
"I was there."
"Why were you and Jimmy there?"
"We needed money," Johnny replied, quietly. "We needed money to get everyone far away from here… to get away from my dad."
Flash nodded. "You and Jimmy robbed the florist shop tonight, didn't you?" he asked.
Johnny covered his face with his hands. "We needed the money… I didn't mean to shoot the guy… I panicked when he threatened to call the police…" Johnny answered fearfully. "Is he…?"
"He's alive and in the hospital. He'll be alright," Flash replied, anticipating the boy's questions.
"We only got a couple of hundred dollars from the florist shop, so we went to the gas station. Jimmy told me to wait behind the dumpster while he got the money from attendant. I was too freaked-out to stay calm enough to go with him. When the police showed up, I took off and came home."
"I need you to get the money you took from the florist shop. You're going to come with me and talk to the Sergeant at the Police Station. Tell them everything you told me and we'll see what can be done," Flash explained.
"I'm only 14. Jimmy said they can't throw us in jail since we're both under 18," Johnny said nervously.
"That's probably true, but don't think that let's you off the hook," Flash warned.
"I understand," Johnny replied. "I'll get the money," he added as he rose from his seat and headed toward his bedroom.
"Anybody home?" Sergeant Stetson called, as he and two police officers entered through the front door of the house.
"Right here!" Flash said cheerfully, as he dashed from the kitchen to the living room.
"Oh yes!" Stetson said, surprised by Flash's sudden appearance. "I'll never get used to that," he added.
Flash smiled, folding his arms across his chest.
"What did you find out?" Stetson asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"Johnny Morgan confessed to committing the florist robbery with his brother, Jimmy. Johnny accidentally shot the florist during the robbery. Then, Jimmy attempted to rob the gas station down the road from the florist. Their intent was to get enough money to take their family away from their abusive dad. Apparently, the dad has been drinking and has become a danger to his family," Flash explained.
Stetson nodded, "I'd like you to come down to the station and sign a statement, Flash."
"I'd be happy to do so," Flash agreed.
"Listen, Flash, your help in recent events has been invaluable. I just want you to know that we are thankful for your dedication," Stetson said, extending his hand.
"Thank you, sir. That's a pleasure to hear. If you don't mind, I'll just zip over to the station and fill out that report."
"We'll handle things here," Stetson replied.
One hundred and two
As Flash arrived at the Police Station, he heard the quiet cries of a child. The cries seemed to be coming from the small tan sedan nearby the entrance to the station.
Flash dashed over to the car and peeked in through the passenger window. Inside, looking back out at him was the tear-streaked face of a young blonde-haired girl. Her eyes were red from crying, but as soon as she saw Flash, she broke out into a big smile.
"Flash!" she exclaimed gleefully.
Flash couldn't help but smile back. "Why are you crying, little girl?" he asked.
"I lost my mommy," she said sadly, looking out the window.
"What's your name?" Flash asked, opening the door to the car.
"My name is Joy. Don't you remember me?" she asked, sadly.
"Oh, yes! You're my good friend Joy!" Flash replied enthusiastically. "Come with me and we'll see if we can't find your momma," he added.
"Okay," Joy said, sliding off the seat and stepping out of the car. She took Flash's hand and walked beside him as they entered the lobby.
"What's your mommy's name?" Flash asked, as they entered the building.
"My mommy's name is Faith Morgan," Joy replied. "I have two brothers too. Their names are Jimmy and Johnny."
Flash smiled warmly.
Kali and Margo looked in Flash's direction as he entered with the little girl.
Flash winked his eye knowingly at them and continued to the dispatcher's desk.
"Sir, this is Joy Morgan…" Flash explained.
"Joy!" Faith called, running toward her daughter. "Honey, you fell asleep in the car on the way over here, I didn't think it would take long so I just let you sleep. Are you okay?" she asked, hugging Joy tightly.
"I'm okay, Mommy. Flash is my friend. He heard me crying and came to get me," Joy said happily. "He is my hero," she added, looking up at Flash with adulation.
Faith nodded. "Yes dear, he is our hero. Thank you so much Flash," she said, kissing him on the check.
Flash's face turned bright red.
One hundred and three
Hmmm, a four-letter word for 'drop a line'… Marty chewed on the edge of his pencil, as he pondered this last clue on the crossword puzzle he had been working on. You'd think a four letter word would be easy to think of, he grumbled.
"Pssst! Marty!" Marty heard a voice through the bathroom window that could only have been Wally. "Are you there?"
Marty stood up and peeked out the window. It was Wally all right. "How did it go?" he asked Wally.
"Fine. The case is solved. Open that window a little wider so I can climb in!" Wally instructed.
"Okay-okay!" Marty answered, pushing the window as wide as it would go. "Here."
Wally climbed through the window and into the small room. "Kinda tight in here," he said as he lowered himself to the floor.
"Yeah, it's not meant for a party you know," Marty joked.
"I suppose not," Wally answered, moving away from the window to allow Marty to pass. "You've got to climb out the window now," he said.
"Why can't I just go out the door?" Marty complained.
Wally shook his head. "You mean WITH me? Don't you think that will look a bit odd?"
Marty laughed, "No… I mean you just go and I'll lock the door for a few minutes and then I'll come out as if I came in after you. If someone asks, just say you saw me go in when you came out," he reasoned.
Wally nodded. "You just don't want to climb through the window!" he teased.
"Yep."
"Though so."
"Now you know."
"Okay then, I'm leaving."
"Wait!"
"What?"
"Do you know a four-letter word for 'drop a line'?"
"What!"
"I've been working on this crossword puzzle and I only need one more word!"
"Oh. Okay."
"Well?"
"You want me to tell you and spoil your fun?"
"Yes."
"A good friend wouldn't spoil your fun like that."
"A good friend would give me the answer before I punch him in the nose for being a wise guy!"
"Good point."
"Great. What's the answer?"
"I don't know."
"What! Why didn't you just say so?"
"You didn't ask!"
"Get outta here!"
"Bye!" Wally said, laughing as he shut the door behind him.