XI. Requiescat in Pace
September 1963 Greenwood, Kansas
Ronald rubbed the sweat from his forehead as he packed down the last of dirt over freshly dug grave. Jumping in fright at the crow that landed on the giant boulder next to the grave. He looked around hesitantly before turning on his heel and heading back to his truck. Hoping that no one ever discovered the body.
Floyd walked up the steps to Yvonne's parent's house knocking on the door and waiting as he fiddled with the engagement ring in his pocket.
He heard laughter as her mother opened the door.
Floyd?What are you doing here?
Floyd looked down at her Good evening Mrs. Coleman is Yvonne here?
Harriet looked at Floyd in confusion "I thought she was with you."
Floyd felt a tightness in his chest as panic began to overtake his mind. Amplified by the concern in her mother's eyes.
(Present) New York City 10:55PM
Harold felt a sense of accomplishment as he hung up with his numbers abusers. Who if he knew what was good for him, would follow his instructions and leave the country before the cartel caught up with him. His thoughts quickly interrupted by his phone ringing.
"Yes?"
"Hey Finch it's me. We might have a problem."
Finch tensed at Shaw's voice "Oh my, what happened?"
Greenwood, Kansas 9:50PM
John watched from a distance as Joss sat in the back of an ambulance being checked out as she and Fusco explained to the police what had occurred in the records hall and where their fugitive was headed.
"Is she going to be okay?" Shaw asked as she sided up next to Reese's form. Sensing his agitation.
He shot her in the chest. She has some bruising" John muttered as his mind keep replaying her getting shot before she crumpled to the ground.
Shaw knew what was going to happen next without even asking. She could waste her breath and tell him their 'friends' wouldn't want him to deep six Floyd. But she decide not to.
"You need an assist?"
When she didn't hear a reply she glance at him. Noticing he was gone already and in his place stood a slightly balding older man who was staring at her in confusion.
"The hell you looking at?" She sneered as she pulled her phone out and dialed Finch
"Hey Finch it's me. We might have a problem."
Greenwood,Kansas 9:42PM
Floyd gave Ronald another shove as he slowed his pace through the wooded area.
"You should just give up now Floyd. You just shot a cop. There's no way you're walking away from this."
Floyd smirked "I never intended to."
Greenwood Kansas 10:22PM
John sped down the highway looking at the map displayed on his phone. He had overheard Joss explain to the other officers that they'd be in a heavily wooded area just past mile marker 52. As he sped past mile 52 indicator, he caught a glimpse of an abandoned car on the side of the road. He quickly slammed on the brakes skidding across the road as he spun the car around. Kicking up smoke as he headed back towards the car.
He pulled up quickly and exited the car drawing his gun as he approached the vehicle. Seeing that it was empty he touched his gloved hand to the hood still feeling heat coming off the engine. He turned and looked out into the wooded area.
Ronald began to panic as they got closer to where he buried the body. He needed to stall as much as possible to keep himself alive. Since the threat of cops didn't falter his intentions, he decided a on a new tactic. "You know if the cops don't kill you that man in the suit will. Word on the street is that the black cop you just shot is his chick. The last person who tried to off her got dangled off a roof before he turned up dead in a warehouse. If that bastard ain't coming to save me he's definitely coming to kill you."
Floyd snorted at his attempt to scare him. He smiled softly, what Ronald didn't know is the man in the suit had already sealed his fate. He winced slightly in pain as the struggled to hold up the shovel and keep the gun pointed at Ronald's back as the strain of walking was agitating the bullet wound in his side.
Ronald stopped as he saw the boulder that marked where he buried the body.
"Keep moving Ronald don't make me tell you again" Floyd ordered.
"This is it…" Ronald swallowed "..where the body is buried, by the boulder."
Floyd looked at the ground covered in dirt, leaves and moss. He tossed the shove onto the ground next to the boulder. Cocking his gun back.
"Dig."
x-x-x-xx-x-x-x
Joss breathed out in pain as she and Fusco pulled up to the two abandoned cars. She knew from her brief glance with Shaw that John had took off on his own.
"Isn't that the Undertakers car?" Fusco asked pointing to the abandoned black charger that was now surrounded by cops and search dogs
"Yeah hopefully he a Shaw kept the car clean. The last thing he needs is for someone to run his prints again." Joss retorted as she got out of the car trying her best to ignore the pain in her chest.
Fusco kept quiet as he watched his partner struggle to hide her pain. Under normal circumstances he would have told her to stay in the car. But he knew no one could get in her way or stop her from doing what she wanted when. She was reckless when she was determined, especially when it came to covering Wonderboys ass. When he found out that she had been self-medicating a dislocated shoulder and bruised ribs after the incident with Donnelly, he had wanted to sock John in the face. The whole time she was recovering on over the counter pain killers, he hadn't once poke his head out of whatever hole he was hiding in to check up on her.
He turned his attention back to the rounded up search party as they readied their tracking dogs to follow Floyd into the woods and hopefully get to the both before anyone else died.
Ronald finally uncovered the tarp that he had wrapped the girl's body in before he threw her in the grave. "It's done. You happy now?"
"Bring her body up," Floyd ordered as he shown the flash light on Ronald and the unearthed grave
Ronald tossed the shovel out of the grave as he grabbed the tarp and heaved it up and out of the grave as he climbed up.
"Unwrap her." Floyd commanded, as he stared at the tarp, his vision beginning to blur due to the blood loss
Ronald unfolded the tarp. Reveling skeletal remains in a tattered and weathered powder blue dress. He turned away from the body not being able to look at the skeleton any longer.
Floyd steeped closer as he stared at her body. His eyes seeing that she had still been wearing her server's uniform from her dad's diner. A glint around her neck caught his eye as he saw the necklace he gave her wrapped around the skeletal remains of her neck. What was once two gold feather with a string of small beads was now rusted and covers in dirt and grime
Ronald watched silently as Floyd stared at the body unaware of the rest of the world. His hand slipped into his pocket curling around the pen he swiped from the table at the library before the shooting started. Before he lost his nerve, he lunged forward and stabbed Floyd in the neck. Watching as he crumbled to the ground holding his neck. While he was preoccupied with the pen in his neck Ronald quickly picked up the gun and pointed at him
"You dumb bastard. You should have just let the past be and got over it. You wasted your whole life pinning over some dead nigger. You know that stuck up bitch didn't even beg for her life. Had she just did what I said she wouldn't have ended up dead. I don't get you. Spending your whole life on this little revenge campaign. It doesn't make sense. Women use to fall all over you. You didn't even have to try. You could have had any skirt to replace that porch monkey. Even my Ex." Ronald aimed the gun at his head "You're a fool. I didn't plan to kill her that night but I'm glad I did. Since you wanted to find her so damn bad you can share a grave with her while you both burn in hell."
"Do it you piece of shit!" Floyd closed his eyes as he waited to die. When he didn't feel the pain of a bullet he opened them again to see the man in the suit standing over Ronald's crumpled body.
John put his gun away after he knocked Ronald unconscious. He tapped his ear piece "Did you get all of that Finch.?"
Harold stopped the recording of the commissioner's confession "Yes Mr. Reese."
"Good, make sure it gets to someone trustworthy" John replied before disconnecting as he knelled down next to Floyd's body. Seeing the pen sticking out of his neck and the patch of blood bleeding seeping through his dress shirt near his abdomen. He knew he wasn't going to make it, even if the cops got to him, he had already lost too much blood.
Floyd turned his head and stared at Yvonne's remains.
John too looked at the skeletal remains assuming that was what was left of Yvonne Coleman. Judging by Floyd's resignation and wiliness to let Middleton kill him.
Floyd felt his vision fading as he passed in and out of consciousness as he looked back at John "Wasn't aiming to kill your girl"
John clenched his jaw in anger as he mention shooting Joss. Ignoring him as he pulled the pocket-watch out of his pocket and held it out to Floyd.
Floyd held the watch with his dirty blood covered hand, flicking it open to stare at the picture of himself and Yvonne at the fair. When his hand became too heavy he rested the watch and his hand on his chest.
His turned to look at her one last time, his voice fading, coming out in a raspy whisper "Thought we could make it…thought….we had all the time….in the….world…."
John sighed standing up and looking into the clear sky. Savoring the non obscured sight of the full moon and the stars. He looked back down at Ronald's body. He could just kill the bastard now. He drew his gun and aimed at the commissioner.
'...You can't just execute people John…..he's a good man Donnelly.'
John pointed his gun away from the man and fired two shots into a tree before turning on his heel. Disappearing into the woods making his way back towards the highway, as he heard the sound of the tracking dogs barking.
x-x-x-xx-x-x-x
Joss froze in her steps as she and the other officers heard the echo of two shots being fired to the east of them. They quickly changed direction and moved forward in formation with the police dogs leading the way. She paused again as she felt her phone vibrate, digging in her pocket she took her phone out and looked at the text message she just received.
From John [1:10AM]: It's over. See you back in NY.
Joss frowned heavily wondering if both Ronald and Floyd were dead as they approached the vicinity of the gun shots.
New York City 6:10 AM
John yawed as he opened his eyes the light of the early morning filtering in though the sheer white curtains of the bedrooms windows. He rolled over as he felt a hand on his hip
"Good morning sleepy head."
He turned his head and watched as she sat up and stretched from under the comforter her silk blue night gown complementing her brown skin.
"Joss?" He asked confused as she ran a hand through her thick black hair. His eyes catching sight of the wedding ring on her finger, the diamond gleaming in the sunlight.
He looked down at his own hand noticing the silver band on his finger.
Suddenly he felt a jolt and his eyes snapped open.
He stared at the blue fabric of the back of the airplane seat as the aircraft passed through some turbulence.
He turned his head to see Shaw asleep with her face pressed against the glass of the window and her hand clutching an empty bag of chips.
He blinked slowly thinking about his dream as he rubbed his empty ring finger. Not quite sure why he felt slightly disappointed that there was no ring there.
*Ding*
"Please return your seats to the upright position and fasten your seat belts as we begin or descent into LaGuardia Airport"
Manhattan, New York City 12:15 PM
Ruth sat in the back of her town car as she looked over the papers of ownership she had for both Yvonne and Floyd's bodies.
"How long until they release the bodies to you?" Juliana asked.
"24 to 48 hours." Ruth replied leaning back into the seat
Juliana looked at her wife as they drove away from the morgue "I thought he just wanted you to lay her to rest"
Ruth smiled sadly "I thought it would be nice to bury them together."
Juliana smiled "always knew you were a hopeless romantic."
Ruth wrapped her arm around Juliana "I doubt this was the romantic ending that they hoped for but I guess I'm not beyond hoping that they find a happy ending in another life."
8th Precinct New York City 5:32PM
"..As previously predicted the low pressure system from the south with work its way up the east coast and bring thunderstorms and heavy winds for the next two days but we still have a beautiful and bright weekend to look forward to. Back to you Bryan. Thank you Alice. In other news the NYPD will be going through some heavy changes as a new commissioner of police will be sworn in. Join us tonight at 10 for the Mayor's press conference as well as our own investigative team's findings about the former commissioner and a 50 year old murder case. Which our source says was racially motivated. Up next recap of sports…"
"Some shit ain't it?" Fusco said shaking his head as he turned away from the television.
"Yeah." Joss replied as she added Floyd and Yvonne's case files to her closed case pile.
Fusco turned his desk light off as he bundled his things and got ready to head home. Pausing as he saw Carter opening another case file."You need any help Carter?"
Joss looked up and waved Fusco off "No I'm good you can head out. There's some things I need to look over."
"Alright see in in the morning Carter" Lionel headed out the bull pin.
Joss watched him go before she turned her attention back to the case file on her desk. Her eyes looking at a crime scene photo of Cal's dead body as he laid crumpled on the stairwell. She sighed and picked up her desk phone and dialed her old mentor.
"Hello"
"Hey Terney its Carter. I was wondering if you could help me in finding some leads into Beecher's death I know you have some contacts in Narcotics that might be able to help." Joss asked.