i lay my sack on the ground and pushed up hard on the window. god,
it didn't budge an inch. razzi and lissell's conversation became more
heated around front, others joined in. the window moved slightly and i
pushed harder and harder.
"this country used to be free!" someone shouted.
"yeah!"
"it still is numb nuts, if you keep your nose clean."
lissell replied.
"bullshit!" several hollared.
"look! i'm going off duty in a while, and i don't want any
trouble, if you think things are unfair, then i suggest you go to the
next town meeting, i'm not going to fuck with any of you!"
lissell spouted.
"yeah, and where's our friend leroy on this fine evening?"
razzi asked.
"when you go around assulting children you do the time, you,
of all people should know that razzi." the window gave, there was
enough space for me to wiggle in. i put the evidence in first, then
squeezed through. finally! i headed for the closet. there was a sudden
clash of voices outside.
"hold her aaron!!" razzi shouted. "ha, you're not so
big and brave with a razor to your neck, are you bitch!" razzi
shouted.
oh my god! i had to get out of here. every hair on my body was
standing up. i heard a shot.
"release that officer or i'll shoot, ambrose." a new
voice said.
"fuck you jack!" then i heard lissell scream. someone
shot, and something exploded. people were scrambling up the stairs,
and heavy noises came from the street. i had never been as frightened
in my life. i started to get up and run, when someone rammed leroy's
door. my god in heaven, i didn't think anyone knew i was in here.
another heave, and his door flew open. i could see someone's outline
from the lights in the hallway. footsteps towards leroy's bed. i
quivered. i heard his phone being dialed.
"johnston, this is sanchez, i need ems, fire and the riot
squad down here at st. james court muy pronto. i'm by myself, an
officer's down and my car's on fire, signal 10 traffic johnston. and
by the way, the downed officer's that pretty redhead you've been
tryin' to fuck, her hair ain't so long anymore."
oh god, poor lissell. he left, but i was still stuck in this
closet. i just had to get to her, help her. i heard sirens, many of
them, i hoped ems was first. it sounded like a war outside, i heard
gun shots, heard the powerful water from the firehoses.
"my god! call jewish stat and tell them to get at least four
units of both o pos and negative ready, and let's pray that this young
lady is one or the other."
"how much blood's she lost doc?"
"it's hard to say, but a lot, the surgeons will have to work
on this neck. wilson, what in the fuck happened here?"
"i'm not sure doc, stacey didn't have any business here, as
far as we know, it's like they just jumped her."
"hell of a note, she's really pretty too." the doctor
said.
"will she make it?"
"dunno, hope so."
"alright, go, go go! give her 100% o2 and start an iv with
lactated ringers. radio me her blood pressure and what you see on the
screen."
"sure thing doc."
"anyone else hurt?" he asked.
"over here doc." someone said.
"hmmm, a little late here, better take this one to the morgue."
i was crying in the closet, god, i wished we had never come here.
the noise had calmed down outside, i wondered if it was safe to get
out. i could barely move when i got up, i had practically set up in
the closet. i crumpled up the paper bag that i had gotten the evidence
from into my black pants and walked toward the window. the air was
horrible, smelled like gasoline and smoke. i heard some men talking a
few feet from the window, it wasn't a safe escape, hell, out the front
door would be as safe. i walked slowly to leroy's door, sticking my
head out and looking around, i could see nothing, and everything was
quiet. i stepped out onto the plush blue carpet of the hallway. i
creeped toward the front door, then rushed down the front stairs. i
started to run, but, there it was, the place where lissell was
slashed. blood was everywhere, much of her beautiful hair lay in the
mess, probably eight inches of it. i hoped they had killed razzi, i
really hoped that. i noticed two patrol cars across the street, that's
who i heard outside of his window. i couldn't be seen here, i had to
leave quickly or all of our plans might be wasted, as if they hadn't
been already.
by the time i got to central park, i was so winded that i sat down
on a bench. it was after nine-thirty and pitch black, as i caught my
breath, i felt a hand on my left shoulder. i was as cold as death, i
jumped.
"freeze, freeze mad'am, it's just me, i ain't gonna harm you."
"oh, dewalt, you scared the shit out of me." i said. he
walked around to the front of my bench.
"it's awful late for you to be out, and wif all the commotion
down the block." i needed to think at this point. dewalt was
leroy's friend, he knew about the "commotion," he had seen
me coming from it, hmmm.
"yes, i heard the sirens and walked up there. a police car was
bombed, and a female officer was being carried away in an ambulance,
i'm afraid it was my friend lissell."
"what makes you think that?" he asked.
"it looked kind of like her, but i couldn't tell for sure. i'm
very worried dewalt." he put his arm around me and smiled. he was
all teeth.
"you heard about the king, didn't you mad'am?"
"i heard he was arrested for hurting sidney, and he should be."
"naw, naw, there's other stuff." i looked at dewalt
intently. "they sayin' that leroy's involved in a bunch of other
shit, like murder."
"murder?"
"yeah, four people dead on his account, maybe more." i
couldn't trust dewalt, i had to be careful with my words. it was more
than interesting that he knew about four killings, but how did he
know? maybe he was just guessing, seeking information, after all, i
had questioned him about leroy and violence.
"recent killings?" i asked. like my neighbor, my
girlfriend in college, god, i would sound as guilty as he.
"dunno." he said. "like a girlfriend of his in
jersey. poochy wasn't too specific."
"who the hell is poochy?" i asked.
"you know mad'am, poochy weinberg from television, she hangs
at the d.t.s some."
"oh, the newscaster." yes, i had seen her on tv, a dykish
looking heavy set lady, i had wondered about her too. a police cruiser
turned the corner and headed up st. james.
"ain't safe out tonight mad'am." he stated. i looked at
my watch, ten fifteen. i thought i knew what that was about.
"dewalt, i have to go, it's really getting late. by the way,
what are you doing here?"<
"just hanging out, i'm on stage tonight at the d.t., you
should come by and see, i'm the star at eleven oclock." i smiled.
"do good dewalt."
"i will mad'am."
god, if he wasn't a trip. i knew there was a leak of information,
most likely from the police station. i needed to talk with someone,
detective zimmerman, lissell. lissell, poor baby, i had to find her. i
made several calls after i walked home. the police told me that she
was at jewish hospital, in intensive care. i was glad she was there, i
knew jewish, the people there were good, and very caring. i changed my
cat burgler outfit to a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. i called
jewish to find out lissell's condition.
"ccu, how may i help you?" a pleasant voice answered.
"i'm inquiring into miss lissell stacy's condition." i
said.
"are you family?" what in the fuck difference did that
make.
"yes." i rudely replied.
"immediate?"
"yes, i'm her sister." i knew she didn't believe me.
"miss stacy's in surgery at this moment, but should be out
soon, i'm afraid i have no account of her condition at present."
"thank you." i said. surgery, well, at least she was
alive. i hurried on down to jewish. there were about a dozen people in
the ccu waiting room. i instantly recognized sist...margo, yet i
couldn't think of her last name. maybe i had never even heard it. she
nodded at me.
"is she out of surgery yet?" i asked her.
"she's been in her room around twenty minutes." she
replied. i went to the unit. through the window i could see lissell,
she was on a ventilator, god, how terrible. there was a little girl
standing at the head of her bed. she had her hand on lissel's
forehead. i tapped on the window and got a nurse's attention. she got
out of her chair and opened the door.
"yes mame?" she asked.
"i'm mrs. mccord, miss stacy's sister, i called you earlier."
"of course. i remember. miss stacy came through surgery very
well, her condition is still heavily guarded, but the doctors think
she's going to be fine." she explained. i smiled.
"is she conscious?"
"drowzy, but yes, conscious. you may see her when that young
lady leaves." the young lady turned around, and i recognized her
from her photographs. brianna, how beautiful; she couldn't have been
more the five foot three, and didn't look a minute over seventeen. she
was blonde with magnificant blue eyes, and straight white teeth, she
was smiling.
"i think she's going to make it miss eversole." the nurse
put her arms around her and agreed. brianna's waist couldn't have been
any wider than my hand outstretched, she was delicious to look at and
seemed very friendly.
"hi there." she smiled and said to me.
"hello, is she alright?" i smiled and asked.
"i think so, i hope so." as briana chatted with nurse
eversole, i walked over to lissell. god, he had cut most of her hair
off. her neck was bandaged and she had a tube in her throat. the
machine was breathing 14 times a minute for her, but she could take
extra breath on her own if needed. she tried to smile, then motioned
for me to hand her a clip board and a pencil.
"please take this with you when you leave." she wrote. "did
you get your work done?" i nodded affirmatively. "good.
didn't leave the sack did you?" i shook my head. "good, but
there's another problem honey." i raised my eyebrows. she wrote "second-to-none."
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