Read and review, please!
0000000000000000
With the file under the jacket that he carried which also covered the bandage on his hand Mark went around the couch and flopped down like he was exhausted. He waited for what he expected to follow.
Hardcastle noticed the jacket that McCormick had worn in that he still held. He looked the kid from top to bottom and was almost relieved not to spot any injuries, but then it clicked. He tried not to let it show that he had added up the facts against McCormick already. He also resisted the gnawing urge to call Frank right now. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then began, "What was so important that you were gone before dawn this morning?"
Here it came. McCormick tried to remain calm and answer Hardcastle without lying to him. "A friend needed a ride."
"What friend? I don't see you getting up that early to give one of those bimbos of yours a ride." Hardcastle asked as he watched McCormick's face for any sign of deception.
He let out a sigh, and said, "No, it wasn't any of the girls I know."
Hardcastle saw he was telling the truth on this, but knew he was trying to hide something with his 'you don't ask; I won't tell' routine. "Well, all your friends at the track should have had their own ride."
McCormick felt himself being boxed in. "It's wasn't anyone from the track. Just a friend who needed a ride."
Hardcastle knew McCormick's list of friends could usually be put in only a few groups: the girls he dated, old friends from the track, acquaintances he'd met through the Judge and ex-cons. "So which friend from prison needed a ride? Some one who just got out or what? You know that you're not supposed to be associating with know felons." he scolded.
Mark dropped his eyes just a bit before answering, "I know. It was Teddy."
"Teddy Hollins? The same Teddy that you both gave your word that if I invited him over occasionally that you'd stay away from each other?" Hardcastle asked in exasperation.
Using Hardcastle's own term, Mark attempted to explain. "Judge I knew you wouldn't be happy about this, but it was a case of flagrant necessity."
"Oh it was, was it? Well, I think you had better stop playing twenty questions right now, start from the top and don't leave out how you got hurt on Fredrick Street, either." Hardcastle took the calculated risk of including the other information.
McCormick knew that Hardcastle was good. He also figured that he hadn't done a good job of hiding that he was hurt, but how did this man do it? How could he know about Fredrick Street? This couldn't have been a lucky guess which meant he was in trouble. His mind was racing; Was the law looking for him? Were there already warrants out? Should he start from the top and hope Hardcase would help him? Should he keep quiet and try to figure out how much trouble he was in already without adding to the list? In the end he decided that if he wanted Hardcastle as any kind of an allie that he'd better tell him everything. With a loud sigh he began, "It all started really simply, Teddy called me from the County jail the other night." he paused.
Hardcastle was now really glaring, but remained silent.
Mark continued, "He asked me to come talk to him the next morning because the arraignment wasn't until today. He said it was really important."
"So, you a convicted felon on parole went down and signed in to see another convicted felon on parole at the County jail?" Hardcastle asked in amazement just below a bellow.
"Sort of." Mark grimaced.
Hardcastle growled, "Explain!"
"You see Teddy was booked in as Teddy Smith and I, well, I ..." McCormick reached in his back pocket with his right hand, took out the wallet with the fake ID in it and reached it to Hardcastle.
Hardcastle was at full boil now, "You signed it to see him as 'Nelson McGuire'?
McCormick simply nodded, "I knew you wouldn't like it. I'm not sure you'll understand, but I knew Teddy was in trouble. I figured I'd just go see what was wrong. No big deal."
"Unless you were caught?" Hardcastle reminded. "Why was Teddy in County to begin with?"
"Right." McCormick continued, "Trespassing after hours."
"I don't need to tell you if his PO finds out about that he's going back." Hardcastle said. "Especially with the false name business."
McCormick couldn't get the knot, that suddenly filled his throat, to go down. He was only able to nod to Hardcase's statement, knowing he was in far deeper right now than Teddy was.
"So, let's hear the rest." Hardcastle said.
"Teddy told me that he was approached by a guy who knew his past. He told him that if he got something for him he'd be paid well, if not, that he'd put Teddy in the middle of a 'world of shit'. Teddy didn't think he had a choice, so he tried to do the 'job'. That's when he was arrested for Trespassing. After he explained all this to me he asked me to ..."
Hardcastle interrupted him. "To do the job for him? And you did?"
Extending his right hand, Mark said, "Now, Judge you know Teddy. He's not that bad of a guy. I'd hate to see him in trouble. Besides, I hadn't made up my mind when I left County. I got the address and rode by. I didn't recognize the the address until I turned down the street, but I knew the building. Get one file out of a building I knew. It didn't seem that difficult."
"So you went after it?" Hardcastle yelled. "McCormick, there are laws against things like that!"
McCormick tried to calm him down a bit before continuing, "Well, I still hadn't decided to do it yet. I even thought about talking to you about it."
Hardcastle asked, "And why didn't you?"
"Because of this!" Mark swept his right arm to mean the whole scene they were having. "So after 2am this morning I slipped out, went to Fredrick Street, climbed the fence," taking his left arm from under the jacket for the first time, "Became a midnight snack for the watch dog who preferred me to the steak and peanut butter, got in, got the file and got out." He sighed loudly but continued before Hardcastle could interupt again, "Then, I went to the bondsman, gave him the money to bond Teddy out, picked him up after the arraignment and took him home."
"Where is the file?" Hardcastle asked.
Mark pulled out the file.
"Anything in it worth going back inside?" Hardcastle glared.
Mark bite his lip to contain the smart reply that he knew wouldn't help the situation right now. "Nothing I could see, but I only got a glance at it." He had to ask, but really wasn't sure he wanted the answer, "Is Frank on his way already?"
"No. I haven't called him." Hardcastle replied.
Mark questioned, "Yet?"
"Yet." Hardcastle replied.
McCormick nodded knowingly, "Well, I've been up all night and most of the night before last, so if it's alright, I'm going to go get a shower. Here's the file, Judge, there's got to be something pretty important in there for them to want it this bad." Mark said as he stood up and headed for the shower. He knew by it being a Federal building, that it wouldn't stop at Frank this time. He was in deep.
000000000000
Please review. Thanks for all the reviews thus far!
