Intentional End
Chapter 37
Noon Saturday
October 20
The two men, big men, ran full tilt into the door and bounced off it. "Goddamn!" Sledge said, gripping his left shoulder, "What the fuck does he have on there?"
Ted Oelwein stood bent at the waist, hugging his left arm to his chest.
"You ok?" Sledge asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Shit!"
"Come on, get this door open! Bobby? Bobby!" Eames crossed to the door and continued to pound.
"Look, that flip bar is not going to let us in. Let me get something." Ted took off down the hall toward the steps, still holding his arm.
"BOBBY!" Eames screamed and began to cry as she pounded.
"Hon, Hon," Sledge stepped to her and tried to take her shoulders.
"Get off me!" she growled at him and jerked from his hands. "Bobby, open the door!"
Surprisingly, no one on the floor peeked out to see what was going on; of course several dwellers were at work. One of the eight apartments housed an elderly couple and in another lived a stay-at-home mom and her teenage daughter. Everyone seemed to stay inside their apartments since poor Mrs. Ziegler had been murdered a few days ago, in her apartment, on this floor, inside a secure building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted puffed up the steps bearing an enormous sledge hammer on a long, long handle. "Here, stand back," he told the other two as he stood and prepared to break down the door. He hefted the tool, wincing as the bruised muscles in his left arm complained, and swung with all his might, leaving a splintered dent. He hefted again and swung at the same spot. And again. Finally, the wood gave in and a hole punched through.
Sledge stepped to the door and used his elbow to knock out the shards and splinters of wood, then slid his arm through and unflipped the bar. Eames turned the knob and pushed it open before Sledge could extricate himself. "Jesus, Alex!" he exclaimed. She was down the hall and pushing open Bobby's bedroom door before Sledge was free.
Alex Eames pushed open the bedroom door and stopped dead. "Oh God, Bobby, no."
"Jesus Christ, Goren!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Internet, wonderful," Logan looked at the kid and continued, "I should cuff you right here, right now, you idiot bastard." Kyle looked like he had already shit himself. "This is what we are going to do. The three of us are going to your friend's place and Detective Falacci and I are going to confiscate all of his equipment. Then, we are going to come back here and I'm going charge both of you with theft of evidence. Understand?"
Falacci's mind raced, "Mike, uh, hang on. I think there might be another way." She stepped away from the counter and motioned to the kid to just hang on.
The pair retreated to the door, "Mike, this is getting out of hand. Let's think this through. We cannot confiscate anything, we don't have a search warrant, nor can we get one."
They stood thinking and then Logan offered, "Ok, ok, so we go to the kid's home and scare the shit out of him, get the DVD, watch while he removes the video from the site, shake him down until he gets us any copies he's made, and then we get the name of the porn producer. We go scare the shit out of him and then we're done. Three hours, tops."
Falacci could see no other way, "Alright. Christ, Logan, this is a mess. Stupid Junior over there . . .," she had nothing more.
Logan suggested, "Let's take him with us to make sure he doesn't call his buddy and warn him we're on the way."
The pair nodded and then returned to the counter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bobby sat with the barrel jabbed up into the soft place under his chin. He was going to do it – right now. "Get out," he scratched, sobbing.
"Bobby, don't do this," Eames couldn't draw a full breath. "Please, dear God, Bobby put it down."
The trio stared at each other, and then Eames started slowly toward the bed, just steps away.
"Get the fuck out of here and take him with you," Bobby barked hoarsely. The gun was getting heavy and his wrist began to hurt, twisted as it was, holding the gun in place.
"Goren, come on. Put it down," Sledge stepped around Eames and then in front of her. "You don't need to do this."
Alex sidestepped her lover and stood beside him at the foot of the bed. She intended to keep inching toward her right, along the bottom edge of the bed, and then draw Bobby's attention so Sledge could disarm him. She knew it wouldn't work.
His left knee was bent, flat on the bed and he hitched himself up into a better sitting position. "I said get out."
Sledge's mind raced, this son of a bitch is too smart to be outsmarted. How many times has Goren talked a perp out of this very act? He knows the psychology, he knows what to look for, listen for. But, then again, Sledge reasoned, this bastard is dead drunk.
"Goren, you do this and it will either confirm or destroy what people have thought about you."
Bobby knew what Edward was doing; well, that stupid-ass sweet talk wasn't going to work, no sirree, not on Detective Robert O. Goren of the Major Case Squad. Bobby desperately wanted to take a drink, but didn't dare. "Shut up and get out."
Eames took a tiny step to the right as Bobby spoke. She knew to let Edward do the talking.
The hitches slowed as the blinding pain in his head increased. He would have given anything to just shut his eyes and pull the trigger. This thing is so goddamn heavy, he thought, shifting again, trying to ease the constriction in his wrist.
Eames took another tiny step to the right and Bobby's gaze followed her. "Get back with your lover," Bobby slurred and Eames stood still.
Taking another step in the instant that Bobby glanced at Eames, Sledge said, "What is that, a Glock? A Glock 24 .380? Nice. I bet you have a 15 round cartridge, don't you?" Sledge took another step and decided to go the conversational route, "Good gun for a police officer to have at home. It'll drop an intruder with a hole you can put a fist through. One thing, though," one more step and Sledge stood beside Bobby's calves, "that is one heavy weapon. No, literally, it is a heavy piece of bang. What does that baby weigh? Doesn't matter, it's heavy." He took another step, now beside Bobby's knees. "Your hand must be getting sore, all twisted like that; it's starting to hurt, isn't it?" Another step and Sledge was at Bobby's thighs, nearly close enough to reach for the gun.
"Stop talking and take her out of here. Hear me? Take Alex and get out."
"Hon, do you want to go?" Sledge turned and looked at Alex and so did Bobby.
In a flash, Sledge leaned over and had his hand on the weapon, jerking it out of Bobby's grip, accidentally smacking Bobby squarely under the right jaw, knocking back his head. Sledge dropped the gun to the floor and kicked it behind him toward the door.
Instantly, Eames was across the bed, pulling her partner's left arm away from his body, leaning on his forearm with both hands. Sledge had the other arm pulled up straight over Bobby's body.
The sound of Bobby's keen was like nothing either of his friends had ever heard. He pulled up his legs and began to thrash.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Close up shop, you're going with us," Logan said to the techie.
"I, I can't leave, I'm working," he replied.
"Yeah, well, this is your last day in law enforcement. Close up."
Kyle looked at Falacci as though to his mother, "I'm sorry Kyle. You have made a big mistake. Come on, shut down your equipment and get your things."
The kid slumped and turned, shut down the two computers he was working on and got his coat.
"Do you have to handcuff me?" he asked coming around the counter.
"Not till we get your buddy's place. Come on," Logan put a hand on the kid's arm and he and Falacci shared a look.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted had remained in the hallway, not wanting to get in the way; now, he stood at the door, not knowing what to do. "You want me to do anything? Call 9-1-1?"
"No! Don't call anyone," Sledge said over his shoulder. "Take that gun out of here, will you? And then make a pot of coffee, ok?"
Ted Oelwein left, happy to have something to do.
"Alex, you have your cuffs?" He looked at the tiny woman leaning on her partner's arm and saw her crying under the curtain of hair that hid her face. "It's over, Alex, it's over. He's ok. Hon, he's going to be ok." She couldn't look at either man.
Suddenly, Bobby's struggling escalated, his adrenaline spiking; he might have been drunk, but he was still big and strong. Eames held down his left arm, his dominate arm, but she was crying, relief depleting her. Bobby summoned all his strength and whipped up his arm, flinging her off and she flew backward, off the bed. Then, he rolled to the right with his left fist ready; his feet hit the floor and he swung at Sledge. But, he was drunk and the momentum carried him past the strike zone and onto the floor. Sledge never let go of his colleague's right arm and it twisted painfully up the middle of Bobby's back as Bobby rounded and fell into a heap between the chest and the bed. Then, he passed out.
"Hon, you ok?" Sledge asked, dropping Bobby's arm.
Eames clambered up from between the bed and the wall and said, "Yeah. Is he ok?"
Sledge glanced at her and smiled, "Yes, and I'm fine, too, thank you very much."
Eames scowled and rounded the foot of the bed. The pair stood looking at Bobby Goren lying in a heap, folded and twisted between the bed and the chest of drawers.
"Ted!" Sledge hollered, "Give me a hand here, will you?"
Sledge stepped over Bobby's body as Ted re-entered the bedroom, "Here, grab an arm if you can. I want to get him into the shower."
The pair pulled, pushed and finally manoeuvred the solid, limp man upright, an arm around each of his rescuers' shoulders. They dragged him into the hall and around the corner into the bathroom.
"Here, let's turn him around, set him on the edge and lean him back into the tub," Sledge told Ted. It was a tight fit, two big men manoeuvring a third big man; but they got Bobby into the tub.
Sledge turned on the cold water and adjusted the shower head so that it sprayed directly onto Bobby's face and upper body; sputtering and flailing, he tried to push away the water. "Let's let him steep for a bit; he'll haul himself out when he's had enough. Is that coffee about done?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trio stood at Kyle Ambrose's friend's door. "When I knock, tell him it's you."
Logan knocked and the techie shouted, "Gary, it's Kyle, open up."
Logan and Falacci stepped apart, out of range of the peep-hole. The door opened with, "Hey Kyle, c'mon –," and Logan pushed the handcuffed techie into his friend and the two detectives barged in after him, slamming shut the door.
"What the fu –!"
"Shut up and listen," Logan said, displaying his badge. "I'm Detective Logan and this is Detective Falacci. We're from the Major Case Squad. Kyle, here, has admitted to stealing evidence in an ongoing investigation and tells us he gave it to you. You know what I'm talking about?"
Gary backed against the computer table and stuttered, "You, you mean the DVD? Kyle you stole evidence? He didn't tell me it was evidence, officer."
"Yeah, well, it is and now we need what he gave you. Get it."
"Sure, sure officer. Right here," he opened the DVD drive on his tower and handed it over. Logan took it and slid it into his inside breast pocket.
"Now give me the copy you made."
The kid looked stricken, "Man!" he groused and pulled a DVD from a stack, "WHHL" was written on it. "Here," and he handed it over.
Logan slipped it inside with the other, "Good, now, I want to watch you remove it from the website you loaded it onto."
"I didn't load it onto any site," the punk replied with a whiff of fake innocence.
Logan stepped around Kyle and got up in the kid's face, "You see these cuffs on your friend, here? What do you think that means?" Logan took a second and then said, "Falacci, throw me your cuffs."
"Ok, ok, jeeze, here, let me get to it." Gary sat and turned to the computer, played with the keyboard and then sat back, "Here, let me get this off."
Logan looked at the screen and there was Goren licking away at his wife's pussy. "Jesus Christ," he said and looked away, sick to his stomach. "Delete that, right now."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, you guys going to need me again?" Ted asked Eames and the other fellow; Ted and Sledge had not been introduced.
Sledge looked at Eames and she said, "I don't think so, Ted. Oh, Ted Oelwein, this is Edward Sledge. Ted is the building super," she said to Sledge who extended his hand. "Edward is a former colleague of Bobby's and mine." Both men shook and nodded.
Ted took a step back and it was clear he wanted to say something, "Uh, is Bobby going to be ok? I mean, what happens next?" he asked softly.
The pair looked at each other and Edward responded, "I'm not sure. We'll see how he is when he sobers up. We'll, we'll stay with him for the time being."
They stood silently for a minute and then Ted asked, "Do you think Bobby's going to need to be hospitalised?"
Eames sighed, "I think we need to see how he is."
"Ok, then. I need to replace his door. Say, what have you found out about Mrs. Ziegler's murder?"
"Nothing, it's out of our jurisdiction. I'm going to give them a call this afternoon."
"Do you think the killer was after Bobby?"
Sledge wanted to know about this. Someone was after Bobby? Jesus, a lot has happened in the short time I've been away, he thought.
"We're not sure of anything yet."
"Where did you put his weapon?" Sledge asked.
"On the bookcase here," Ted replied and the pair stepped to the tall case. Ted had removed the clip, ejected the shell and reset the safety.
Sledge nodded and took the weapon, setting it on the floor behind Bobby's chair where it would be out of sight, but handy. He wanted Alex to take it with her when she left; he intended to stay with Bobby through the night.
Everyone turned toward the profanities issuing from the bathroom. "I guess our boy is coming around," Sledge said, heading that way.
"Thanks again, Ted," Eames told him.
"Yeah, I'm going to get started on replacing Bobby's door. Let me know if you need me."
Ted left and Eames started down the hall as Bobby's hollering increased.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few clicks and the screen went blank. "There, it's gone," Kyle's former friend said.
"How do I know it's gone?"
"It's gone, I wiped it. Honest."
"Get back to the site," Logan said, not trusting this punk.
The kid sighed and clicked a few keys. The screen lit up with 'Wet n' Hot, Hard n' Long,' surrounded by small images of people going at it in every way imaginable. Logan bent to look closer and saw a blank space where one of the little views might have been. "What's that blank space?" he asked.
"That used to be where that footage was. It's blank now because I wiped it. It's gone, I'm telling you."
"Show me where it was full size."
"I can't, it's gone. I swear, it is nowhere on the web."
Logan wanted to believe this putz, but a lifetime of betrayal had hardened him. "Mike, it's gone," Falacci said, still holding onto Kyle.
Logan sighed and then said, "Who did you give a copy to?"
"What do you mean?"
Turning to Kyle, Logan said, "Tell him what you told us."
Kyle looked at his pal and said, "I told them what you told me – that you were going to sell it to that buddy of yours who makes porn."
The two looked at each other. "I didn't have to give him a copy, I sent him one electronically."
Logan wiped his hand over his face and thought, this only getting worse. "Ok, so, now you have to get it back from him."
"Man, I don't think he's gonna want to give it back," Gary said with half a laugh.
"Well, that's just too bad for you!" Logan barked, "On your feet! Put your hands behind your back!" he shouted, reaching for Falacci's cuffs.
"Wait, wait, let me see what I can do! Hold on," Gary pleaded.
Logan took the cuffs and flipped one open. "Stand up, I said."
"Jeeze, let me try something, ok? I think I can hack into his files and remove it. I've only done this once. Let me try, ok?"
"This better work, ass hole."
Twenty minutes later, Gary sat back and said, "There, I got it and it's gone."
"How the fuck do I know you are telling the truth?" Logan asked darkly.
"Believe me, I do not want to go to jail. You, you're not going to arrest me, are you? I mean I cooperated and everything."
Logan stared at the kid and then glanced at his partner. Falacci nodded and Logan tossed back her cuffs. "If any of that footage ever shows up, I will be on your ass like white on rice. Do you understand me?"
"Yes! Yes, you bet, officer. It's gone-gone. Honest."
Logan stared at him another minute and then said, "Let's get out of here."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------