Chapter Six
"I said," Charlie exclaims as he raises his eyebrows. "I want to know where Jackie is staying." Charlie reaches for the car-door handle. "You better find out, George."
Both men enter the vehicle. "She's staying with the Gorens." George says casually.
Charlie frowns as he buckles his seat belt, "The Gorens, who the hell are the…..I was right, son of a bitch I was right. That cop and her are…."
"No, no Charlie, you've got it all wrong I said the Gorens, which means Mister and Missus. The cops that arrested you are married and Jackie and Alex are old friends." George starts up the car. "You said yourself that you remembered her."
"Oh what a cozy little melodrama we have here."
"Charlie relax, I spoke with the Gorens. They are very nice people and they were there for Jackie when she…."
"When she what George? She ran away from me, but I'll get her back, you can bet your ass, I'll get her back." George exhales at the threat. Charlie looks out the window. "Any way I can, Jackie."
He suddenly remembers Alex's visit the week before. I'll bet she was spying on me, trying to find out if I knew where Jackie was.
Charlie returns home and after a few phone calls to well connected friends of his mother, he obtains the address of Robert and Alexandra Goren. He smiles to himself for his initiative, claiming that he needed their address to send them a gift for taking care of Jackie and Rachel while he was in the hospital. They never question his claim. However he knows that they know he was lying.
The Goren Home
Later That Night
Robby is in bed for the night and Jackie and Rachel have also retired.
"What are you watching?" Alex asks as she snuggles in next to Bobby.
He continues to stare at the TV as he shakes his head, "I have no idea, but I think that guy is trying to kill that guy because the short one," he points. "Spent all the money they stole from a bank robbery, when that guy was in prison."
"Thanks," she says.
"Huh?"
She links her arm in his, "I said thanks."
"You're welcome….what did I do? So I can remember to do it again."
She shakes her head as she smiles, "Spoken just like a husband."
He squeezes her gently, "I'm learning."
"For respecting me today."
"What, you think that since we got married that I wouldn't respect you Detective Eames?"
"I know," she says shyly. "At first the thought of you putting his head through the wall went though my mind but I knew you wouldn't and I'm grateful you didn't."
"Believe me the thought went through my mind."
"Tell me, what did you do to him at the car?"
Bobby picks up the TV remote and lowers the volume, "Commercials, why are they always so loud?" she watches as he seems lost in thought. She takes a quick glance at the screen. "Viva Viagra," the man sings. Bobby points at the screen, "He seems awfully happy that he has to take Viagra."
"Actually," Alex says. "I think he's happy that they have Viagra."
They share a laugh, tossing the remote on the table, "I suppose," he frowns, "What were we talking about?….oh yeah. I tried to provoke him and he tried to provoke me, it was interesting. He's a very immature man who has probably always gotten whatever he ever asked for." He puts his feet up on the coffee table, "I wonder what that would have been like to grow up that way." The movie returns, he makes no effort to retrieve the remote to raise the volume. "People compensate with material things because they have nothing else to give. He's doing the exact same thing to his daughter." He pulls her in closer, "She's such a sweet little girl."
"She seems to like you."
"Yeah I guess," he says shyly.
"Come on don't be shy about it. She likes you. How many times have you told me about the absent father and the effects it has on a kid." She jabs him on the side, "See, I've been listening." He kisses the top of her head, "Could you imagine?" Alex poses. "I mean having a father like that." She pulls her feet up under her legs.
"How could you?" She hears him grunt, "You with the most perfect father on the planet."
"What?" she says surprisingly.
He sits up and faces her, "Do you ever hear yourself, my ole man did this and my ole man did that."
"Bobby……"
"He's screwed up things too." He stands abruptly taking a few steps toward the stairs.
"Wait a minute," Alex calls to him. "Don't you dare leave after that display of childishness." He stops but keeps his back to her. "I'm not going to apologize to you or anybody that I am proud of my father. I know he's screwed up, I've never said that he was perfect. But he's a good man and you damn well know that Bobby. I'm not comparing him to anyone….you are."
"I'm sorry," he says as he slowly turns to face her.
"Don't worry about it," she stands "I understand, I do, but don't try to compare yourself as a father with any other. You," she points to him as they meet in the middle of the room. "Spend some very simple and wonderful times with your son and when he grows up he'll remember that." They embrace and he leads her back to the couch. "It's my turn….thanks." He kisses her on the cheek, "We will forever wonder and worry as parents as to how well or not so well we do things, won't we?"
"Yes we will."
They return to the couch and watch the end of the B movie. Bobby retrieves the remote and switches the channel to CNN. He places his arm around her and pulls her closer, whispering in her ear. "So how about a quickie on the couch?" he says as he raises his eyebrows up and down.
She pushes him away gently, "Too many people in the house."
"I guess the days for spontaneity are history."
"We could go upstairs, you know."
"I know," he whines slightly. "I'm just comfortable," he snuggles in closer. "Don't want to move." She smacks his leg, "Hey why are you smacking my leg? You can move your hand up higher."
"Stop," she says slightly blushing.
"You get shy at the strangest times. Remember the first time we had sex, you weren't shy."
"That was a long time ago."
"That," he says. "Was a lifetime ago." He stands and holds out his hand, she takes it. Wrapping his arm around her they walk across the room toward the stairs.
"Mommy." Bobby starts to laugh.
"What?" Alex says as they ascend the stairs.
"Right on cue," Bobby chuckles, "It's amazing."
Outside the Goren Home
Charlie sits in his car across the street from the Cape Cod house in a middle class section of Brooklyn. He smirks at the size of the little home. "I could put three of those shacks in my house. She wants to live there, Jesus Christ why?"
Opening the pint bottle of gin, he takes a long swig. "I'll bet there is a ménage a trois going on." The more he thinks of any other man touching his Jackie the angrier he gets and the more he drinks. One more swig of gin and the bottle is empty, he opens another one. His imagination soars as his mind creates a scene of the civil servant piece of shit and his Jackie.
He exits the car, slamming the door behind him, "No more!" He screams on the quiet street. "No more!" He jogs across the street, up the walkway. He ignores the doorbell, he pounds on the door, "Jackie!" he bellows.
The three little bedrooms upstairs have their air conditioners on and it takes a moment for Bobby to hear the pounding, his first thought, "Frank." He quickly pulls down the blanket on the bed and is out of the bedroom and on the stairs when he hears, "Jackie!"
He exhales, "Not again." The door opens as Charlie is about to pound on the door, his fist meets Bobby's chest. Bobby steps back. "You have exactly a minute to get your sorry ass off my property Charlie."
"Where's Jackie? I need to see Jackie."
"She's asleep," he grabs Charlie's wrist and turns him around, pushing him forward. "Your minute is up." Charlie remains motionless for a moment then he turns abruptly and Bobby has to shake his head from the fist that meets his nose.
"Jackie!" he calls to her as he sees her and Alex standing behind Bobby. Alex holds her hand up in front of Jackie, "Stay here."
Charlie makes a move to enter the home and once again a hand grabs his arm as a foot hits the back of his leg and he is on the floor. With a knee on his back he is once again handcuffed. Alex stands, "What should we do with him?" Alex asks as Bobby wipes the blood from his nose.
"Call a cab and send him home," Jackie says as she turns her back on them, heading toward the stairs.
TBC