It was happening in slow motion. Mary Livingston felt the arm around her neck and the gun in her side. She was dragged to her own car, and her two inch heels would not cooperate. She awkwardly tilted side to side while Taylor kept her balance as he grasped her neck. The hot whisper in her ear, "Don't say a word…" was the only thing she heard.
She focused her gaze on the face of Mike Stone and saw lines of worry and concern as his gun was pointed her way. He would not fire or she would be killed. She read a feeling of helplessness and frustration in his expression. She knew that she was the root of the recent trouble and yet, she now looked to the detective as an ally and lifeline.
As Taylor snatched the suitcase, he thrust Mrs. Livingston forward until she fell hard on her knees. Her body could not stop its momentum and she landed flatly on her stomach. The surface was an uneven sidewalk, save for a patch of dirt reserved for landscaping along the walkway.
Struggling to roll over and sit up, she could hear jumbled sounds of activity over her which was followed by a simultaneous blunt thud and a loud gunshot. Her face stung immediately and she felt a wetness on her cheek. As she examined her right hand, Mary saw the red substance on her fingers.
"Oh," she said as her vision turned to grey.
SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF
"Tanner, check the woman," Mike ordered as he ran over to Taylor and Vic Spagnozzi, both of whom were down by the side of the car.
"Grab Taylor before he tries to make a getaway," Mike commanded as Lessing pulled the handcuffs from his belt. Lessing flipped Taylor on his stomach and quickly cuffed the killer. "Book him on two counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted kidnapping for starters. I am certain we will find out more as we get further on with the Harmon investigation."
Lessing nodded and read Taylor his rights.
Mike continued, "Oh, and give Arnie at the DA's office a call. He came shortly after the shooting and helped me with Steve. I'm sure he'll have an opinion on what charges we can file."
Taylor grimaced.
Mike redirected his attention to Vic Spagnozzi, who was lying nearby.
"What the hell were you doing there, Vic?" Mike was still shocked at the sight of the older man tackling Taylor as the killer had his sites set on Mike.
"This old boy's still got it, Mike," Vic said half chuckling and half groaning. "I knocked that bastard off his feet."
Vic had indeed slammed his body into the gun-toting Taylor. The gun discharged and the lone bullet hit the concrete near Mary Livingston resulting in shards of the material hitting her face.
"You took a big risk there, Vic. Why? He wasn't going to get very far."
"I didn't want to see him have the chance. Besides, he had the gun pointed at you."
"Yes, and my men and I had our guns on him. We damn near could have shot you, you know?" Mike's exasperation with the older man was showing as he helped the old man to his feet. "Besides, how's that going to sound to the guys back at the Potrero? You were protecting a cop…"
"You had my back too, Mike. I know that. You were giving me an out to let me turn those two over to you."
"That's between you and I…" Mike said as he lowered his voice.
"It was for your partner. I'll never forget what that kid did. Mother of God, I hope he comes through this okay," Vic continued as Mike's expression turned solemn. "I went to see him, yesterday - just for a few minutes. I told the nurses and the police officer on duty that I was family…"
Mike interrupted, "What? How did you get away…"
"I'm just like Charlie. We're conmen, Mike. I could sell ice to the Eskimos," he smiled at the cop. "At any rate, I did see him. He was in a bad way. Such a young guy and at that point, very sick. High fever and he couldn't breath right…plus he was in a lot of pain."
Vic continued. "I thought to myself, here's a young guy with his life ahead of him. And he throws himself in the way of two bullets that had my brother's name on them. He didn't have to do that."
"That's what he's trained to do, Vic." Mike responded unemotionally.
"That may be right, Michael. But I guess that's the point. Charlie and I trained ourselves to run cons, facilitate gambling and enforce protection while keeping one step ahead of the law. All of this was done in the name of the almighty dollar. That kid is trained to, what's the expression, 'protect and serve'. It's what you all do. But he protected and saved my brother. I owed him for that."
Mike nodded as Vic continued. "There may be no code of honor among thieves anymore, but I thought perhaps I could honor what he did."
Mike slapped Vic on the back and commented quietly. "Thanks, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
Mike looked over to Tanner. "How is the woman?"
"She's coming around. Lessing called in an ambulance and back-ups. I think she may have broken her knee when she fell."
"Is she shot?"
"No, but I see where the bullet hit the concrete. I think she got hit by some pieces."
SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF
"Man, do we have a lot of paperwork to get caught up on," Tanner said to Lessing as they waited at the hospital. "I'll let Mike know that we're going back and get a head start. You got Taylor booked okay?"
"Yep, he's all snug in a holding cell. Hey, after you're done with Mike, meet me down at Steve's room. We can at least pay a visit to him now that he's out of ICU."
Tanner walked into the emergency room where Mrs. Livingston was. She was dressed only in a hospital gown and had her left leg in a splint. A police guard was posted outside and a matron was in attendance for Mike's protection as much as Mrs. Livingston's.
Mike appeared to be in mid-conversation. "Mrs. Livingston, I need to explain to you that you are under arrest. You'll be allowed a call when you get to your hospital room and then the phone will be removed. An officer will be posted to your door at all times."
The older woman nodded. "He's really alive, isn't he? Charlie Spagnozzi really wasn't killed."
"Yes, ma'am, he is alive and fortunately for you, he is well on his way to a full recovery."
"He'll be able to testify against my boys at some point in the near future," she said sadly.
"No ma'am. Actually, while you were in X-Ray, I got word that he was escorted back to the courthouse and the testimony has already occurred."
The old woman's expression hardened. "I guess it's all over then."
"No, Mrs. Livingston, it's not. I suspect in some ways it's only just begun. After the verdict is read, your sons may be at the beginning of a very long prison term. And you are at the beginning of a very long legal process yourself. And my partner, who just came out of ICU, is about to begin a long road to recovery," Mike's voice became more emotional when reminded of what Steve was going to be enduring the next few weeks. "No, Mrs. Livingston, thanks to you and your sons, this is just the beginning."
Epilogue should be posted in the next few days…