Re: Mr. & Mrs. Guerin MM,mature, pg3, ch10, Mar 5, 2013
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:27 pm
keepsmiling7:
Chapter 11
When Michael picked Maria up at her mother’s, his wife could have been a stranger the way she was acting. Amy was standing at the door, crying and Maria’s eyes were red. Neither of them said anything to Michael as he walked back to their car of the day. It was the Buick.
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Maria still hadn’t said much when they got a call from Raquel down town. It seemed that they had just hit the pillows when it came. “Michael, we are in trouble. Earthquake just killed a man. The police are on the way,” she cried.
Kyle wasn’t on that shift. When they got there, they found Hanson in charge. “Guerin, you and your old lady aren’t needed here,” Hanson barked. We have the perp and the case is clear. That gorilla over there butchered this guy and I might just run both of them in. Shake ‘em up and see what happens, that is what my pappy always said,” Hanson bragged.
Earthquake was standing, his hands cuffed behind him. Raquel was sitting in tears. On the floor covered with a table cloth Michael saw a body. Michael pushed past Hanson’s bully boys and raised the cover to look at the victim. The victim was lying on his stomach, Hanson not having even looked under the body. Michael and Maria, both, had put on gloves even before they approached the crime scene. Michael noticed that Hanson hadn’t bothered to glove himself, even if the rest of his men had done so. Before any of the officers could stop him, Michael reached out and gently raised the body to look under it. “Hey watch what you are doing, Guerin. Shaughnessy, throw these people out!” Hanson screamed.
“Get your head out of your ass, Hanson. If you would have looked, you would see that this man was carrying a silenced Beretta. That isn’t what you would take to a social call,” Michael snapped back.
“Shaughnessy, do what you are told,” Hanson screamed if possibly even in an octave higher.
Shaughnessy wasn’t a bad cop. He liked Michael Guerin, but he had had the bad luck to pull the same shift as Hanson, tonight. That made Hanson his boss. He started toward Michael, but Michael pulled the body high enough that he saw the Beretta also. “Martinez, bag and tag that gun,” Shaughnessy said as he gently put his hands on Michael’s shoulders. “Mr. Guerin, he is the boss and he says you gotta leave,” he said to Michael.
Michael wasn’t ready to start an all out war. He had made his point by showing several of the cops the gun. Shaughnessy had sealed it by telling detective Martinez to take possession of the gun. Hanson couldn’t fudge the report to over look anything. Michael hadn’t ever gotten along with Hanson. He didn’t know what had set Hanson off against Earthquake and Raquel. Maybe Raquel had inadvertently mentioned her friendship with Michael. Yeah, that would send her and Earthquake to jail with Hanson for sure. As Shaughnessy escorted them to the door, Michael bit back any smart aleck comments he could have made. Kyle would have to straighten everything out tomorrow morning when he came in. Technically, Hanson out ranked Kyle, but Kyle had experience and respect. It was strange that Hanson was a sergeant. Most of the time, up through lieutenant, the ranks were given by experience and knowledge. Somehow, Hanson had gotten enough grease to become a sergeant. You might wear the chevrons, but field officers know and respected experience. At the door, Michael turned and said, “Raquel, don’t say anything. Do you have a mouthpiece or do you want me to send Alex?”
Hanson yelled, “That does it, Guerin. Shaughnessy, run them in for obstruction of justice.”
Shaughnessy just kept pushing Michael out the door ignoring the last outburst of the sergeant.
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Michael and Maria were back home. “Alex, can you get to the police station and bail out two people?” he called out over the phone. “Good, Raquel and Earthquake were arrested by Hanson for killing a man who was creeping up on them with a silenced Beretta. Raquel and Earthquake were another couple I talked to about the bombing. I don’t know if it is connected, but Maria and I will cover the bail,” Michael said as he looked to Maria who nodded her head in assent.
It was morning when Alex called. “Hey Mike, it won’t be hard to get Raquel and Earthquake off on the charge that Hanson has built up. That bit you did with the gun was good. Hanson isn’t above destroying evidence to protect his theories. He is trying to declare Earthquake himself as a dangerous weapon because he was a professional wrestler. You know they did this with prize fighter’s fists at one time. Our defense will be that Earthquake faced an armed felon with his bare hands. Breaking and entering a home late at night, while carrying an illegal silenced weapon, should be strong evidence that Earthquake actually saved himself and Raquel.”
“That’s good, Alex. Hanson was out of control last night. I will give Kyle a couple of hours to settle the department down before Maria and I go in to look at what else they found. Hanson is an ass, but the rest of the detectives are very good,” Michael stated.
Maria and Michael walked into the detective office as Kyle was finishing up a fast lunch at his desk. “You just gotta stick a needle into him to see what makes him tick, don’t you?” Kyle greeted.
“Sorry Kyle, this was too important to let Hanson mess up. Who was the man killed?” Michael asked.
“A man named Manny Martinez, no relation to our detective. I already checked,” Kyle stated. “You might want to check with your friend Emilio, but I don’t think this Martinez had anything to do with the Hispanics Emilio works with. Their great, great ancestors might have ridden over with Cortez, but I will bet that is the last contact they had with each other,” Kyle said.
“Can you tie him up to the bombing?” Michael asked.
Kyle scratched his head. “Yes and no,” he cryptically answered. “This guy has been known to use military surplus items, but until we have motives for these killings, they are going to be hard to connect together,” Kyle thoughtfully replied.
“I agree that this isn’t Emilio’s way, but he might be able to scare up some information,” Michael agreed. “Kyle, I am running out of informants. Fingers dead and Raquel being assaulted will make many of the street people afraid to talk to me, even if none of the killings are connected.”
Then, Michael changed the subject. “Kyle, Maria found out the name of her father the other day. If you run across a Paul DeLuca anywhere, let us know,” Michael said.
“You might want to look up my dad. He was pretty young when Maria’s father cut out. There was always something when mom was with us about some friend. I don’t know if that friend was Amy DeLuca, but I vaguely remember mom being angry with dad over some woman. I don’t think that was the reason mom left, but dad might be able to tell you something,” Kyle stated.
Michael was in his Ford. “Maria,” he had said. “This is something I have to do alone. When I get back, we will take off for Roswell and see Kyle’s dad.” Michael wanted Emilio to talk to him like the brother he used to be when they were kids. Having Maria with them might make this difficult.
“Buenos dias, amigo,” Michael greeted
“How ya’ doing, cuate,” Emilio returned.
(Author note: “cuate,” is a term in the southwest and in some Hispanic languages meaning twin or close friend. It is pronounced Qua tee.)
“What do you know about a Manny Martinez?” Michael asked.
“What’s the asshole done, now? Emilio asked in returned, proving he did know the subject in question.
“We think he tried to kill Raquel, that bar lady down on Central,” Michael stated.
“I’m not surprised; I tossed his ass out of here a couple months ago. I caught him trying to line up a couple of the younger guys for a heist. I decked him and then, beat the hell out of my guys for listening to him. Anglos are suspicious of us enough. We don’t need to give our detractors any more ammunition. Hey, Mikie, we really are just trying to get some reforms. My guys get out of line, I am going to get rid of them, run ‘em off,” Emilio recited an often used mantra. Emilio knew that many of the younger men were impatient, but Emilio was looking to the future. They had almost produced a candidate for president. He wanted to build education for those who followed him and then, trust within the community. Every body has a few rotten apples somewhere; Emilio had to make sure these didn’t derail the work he was doing.
“Well then, Emilio, can you be on the lookout for any information about this Manny guy?” Michael asked.
“Do you need to know where he is?” Emilio asked.
“I know where he is. He is dead. When he attacked Raquel, her boyfriend, Earthquake broke his neck. We are trying to tie him to someone or thing that is connected with the bombing of Robert’s restaurant and the killing of Fingers. Maybe, he is connected to the shooting of that Valdez kid, Maria’s stabbing or even the assault on the doc at the hospital. Emilio, this is bad! No one knows who the bombing was aimed at or why the attack on Raquel or killing of Fingers. I have to ask; where does Two-Fingers Louis fit in this picture? Why would he shoot a young Hispanic kid? Crimes without motive are not a pretty picture,” Michael finished.
“You have to believe me, Mike. Martinez isn’t one of ours. I never heard of Two-Fingered Louis before the boys heard that he had shot the Valdez kid. I will shake them up in the hood and see what I can learn.” Emilio left more worried than when he arrived. Michael had his problems, but for Emilio, all the time he had spent building up his cause could come down if the wrong persons got connected to his movement.
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I don’t care where you start; the trip to Roswell takes in a lot of almost empty country. The Guerins had a lot of people to see. First of all, they wanted to know all Jim Valenti, the former peace officer, knew about Paul DeLuca. The Parkers and the Whitmans were all still in Roswell. They had all helped Amy when she was raising a young Maria. The Guerins had to ask, “Did they know anything about the shadowy Paul DeLuca?”
Looking for most retired peace officers is best done at the local coffee shop. For many reasons, Jim Valenti hadn’t ever remarried. Many of the young people he knew, including his son, Kyle, had moved to bigger cities. “My gosh, kids, let me look at you. Mikie, I wouldn’t want to try to put you in the pokey again. Someone said you were a private detective? How’s that doing for you? Maria, I see a lot of your mother in you. How is Amy now days? I heard about your good fortune. I also know you were back here some years ago after your husband, Stuyvesant, died. Sorry I didn’t run into you then. My own life was somewhat unsettled at that time. Are you here for business or pleasure? How can I help you?” Valent,i the elder, gushed.
Maria spoke, “I hope seeing everyone will be a pleasure, but mostly we need information about my father Paul DeLuca.”
There was a frown on Valenti’s face. “Paul, DeLuca, Paul DeLuca, There was a time I hated that name. Really, I didn’t know him. I always thought he never did right about you and Amy. Jealously on my part, I am sure. Michelle, my ex wife, was right, I never did quit loving Amy. Amy and I always kept our distance. I never gave Michelle reason to be jealous. I guess women know when there are secrets in a man’s mind. She left about the same time that Paul disappeared. I might have thought that fate was playing me. Your mom just wasn’t ready to give Paul up. Even through all that anger, she hoped he would return with a believable excuse. Pop knew more. When he was lucid after he moved to the retirement home, he still said, “She belongs to another man, Jimmy. Leave her alone. Don’t give her more grief. She already had more than her share.” Pop died long before Paul did. I think pop knew something, but he wouldn’t tell me. He did tell me to look out for both you and your mama.”
The next stop was the Crashdown café. Jeff and Nancy Parker had retired years ago. Getting their daughter through college and married to Max Evans, completed their life. “We still need grand kids, but we achieved everything else,” Jeff stated.
Nancy was leaning on his shoulder. “Sometimes, we regret chasing Max off so many times when they were young. We still hope they take time off and have a family. Age needs youth to be sure of the reason of life and the past,” Nancy sighed.
“They are a busy couple,” Maria stated. The Parkers didn’t say anything about Liz getting mugged, so Maria thought it best not to say anything. “We are looking for information about my father, Paul DeLuca.”
Jeff leaned back in his chair. “Oh me, that seems a long time ago. I remember when Paul disappeared. Amy worked so hard. Nancy and I had you for many sleep overs when Amy needed rest. I offered her a job, but Amy needed something more than we could give her. I think the Whitman’s had you at their house, many times, to help Amy. You, Alex and Liz were about the same age and you always played together. When we gave you and Liz a job, we offered to have Alex work for us. He was always busy with music lessons and his computer. The three of you were together through high school,” Jeff explained.
“Didn’t Amy get a lot of legal help from Philip Evans?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, come to think of it, so did Paul before he disappeared. Philip clams up tight when it involves his clients. You being Paul’s daughter and Paul being dead, you might get him to open up a little,” Jeff added.
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Stories by Ken
Chapter 11
When Michael picked Maria up at her mother’s, his wife could have been a stranger the way she was acting. Amy was standing at the door, crying and Maria’s eyes were red. Neither of them said anything to Michael as he walked back to their car of the day. It was the Buick.
-------------
Maria still hadn’t said much when they got a call from Raquel down town. It seemed that they had just hit the pillows when it came. “Michael, we are in trouble. Earthquake just killed a man. The police are on the way,” she cried.
Kyle wasn’t on that shift. When they got there, they found Hanson in charge. “Guerin, you and your old lady aren’t needed here,” Hanson barked. We have the perp and the case is clear. That gorilla over there butchered this guy and I might just run both of them in. Shake ‘em up and see what happens, that is what my pappy always said,” Hanson bragged.
Earthquake was standing, his hands cuffed behind him. Raquel was sitting in tears. On the floor covered with a table cloth Michael saw a body. Michael pushed past Hanson’s bully boys and raised the cover to look at the victim. The victim was lying on his stomach, Hanson not having even looked under the body. Michael and Maria, both, had put on gloves even before they approached the crime scene. Michael noticed that Hanson hadn’t bothered to glove himself, even if the rest of his men had done so. Before any of the officers could stop him, Michael reached out and gently raised the body to look under it. “Hey watch what you are doing, Guerin. Shaughnessy, throw these people out!” Hanson screamed.
“Get your head out of your ass, Hanson. If you would have looked, you would see that this man was carrying a silenced Beretta. That isn’t what you would take to a social call,” Michael snapped back.
“Shaughnessy, do what you are told,” Hanson screamed if possibly even in an octave higher.
Shaughnessy wasn’t a bad cop. He liked Michael Guerin, but he had had the bad luck to pull the same shift as Hanson, tonight. That made Hanson his boss. He started toward Michael, but Michael pulled the body high enough that he saw the Beretta also. “Martinez, bag and tag that gun,” Shaughnessy said as he gently put his hands on Michael’s shoulders. “Mr. Guerin, he is the boss and he says you gotta leave,” he said to Michael.
Michael wasn’t ready to start an all out war. He had made his point by showing several of the cops the gun. Shaughnessy had sealed it by telling detective Martinez to take possession of the gun. Hanson couldn’t fudge the report to over look anything. Michael hadn’t ever gotten along with Hanson. He didn’t know what had set Hanson off against Earthquake and Raquel. Maybe Raquel had inadvertently mentioned her friendship with Michael. Yeah, that would send her and Earthquake to jail with Hanson for sure. As Shaughnessy escorted them to the door, Michael bit back any smart aleck comments he could have made. Kyle would have to straighten everything out tomorrow morning when he came in. Technically, Hanson out ranked Kyle, but Kyle had experience and respect. It was strange that Hanson was a sergeant. Most of the time, up through lieutenant, the ranks were given by experience and knowledge. Somehow, Hanson had gotten enough grease to become a sergeant. You might wear the chevrons, but field officers know and respected experience. At the door, Michael turned and said, “Raquel, don’t say anything. Do you have a mouthpiece or do you want me to send Alex?”
Hanson yelled, “That does it, Guerin. Shaughnessy, run them in for obstruction of justice.”
Shaughnessy just kept pushing Michael out the door ignoring the last outburst of the sergeant.
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Michael and Maria were back home. “Alex, can you get to the police station and bail out two people?” he called out over the phone. “Good, Raquel and Earthquake were arrested by Hanson for killing a man who was creeping up on them with a silenced Beretta. Raquel and Earthquake were another couple I talked to about the bombing. I don’t know if it is connected, but Maria and I will cover the bail,” Michael said as he looked to Maria who nodded her head in assent.
It was morning when Alex called. “Hey Mike, it won’t be hard to get Raquel and Earthquake off on the charge that Hanson has built up. That bit you did with the gun was good. Hanson isn’t above destroying evidence to protect his theories. He is trying to declare Earthquake himself as a dangerous weapon because he was a professional wrestler. You know they did this with prize fighter’s fists at one time. Our defense will be that Earthquake faced an armed felon with his bare hands. Breaking and entering a home late at night, while carrying an illegal silenced weapon, should be strong evidence that Earthquake actually saved himself and Raquel.”
“That’s good, Alex. Hanson was out of control last night. I will give Kyle a couple of hours to settle the department down before Maria and I go in to look at what else they found. Hanson is an ass, but the rest of the detectives are very good,” Michael stated.
Maria and Michael walked into the detective office as Kyle was finishing up a fast lunch at his desk. “You just gotta stick a needle into him to see what makes him tick, don’t you?” Kyle greeted.
“Sorry Kyle, this was too important to let Hanson mess up. Who was the man killed?” Michael asked.
“A man named Manny Martinez, no relation to our detective. I already checked,” Kyle stated. “You might want to check with your friend Emilio, but I don’t think this Martinez had anything to do with the Hispanics Emilio works with. Their great, great ancestors might have ridden over with Cortez, but I will bet that is the last contact they had with each other,” Kyle said.
“Can you tie him up to the bombing?” Michael asked.
Kyle scratched his head. “Yes and no,” he cryptically answered. “This guy has been known to use military surplus items, but until we have motives for these killings, they are going to be hard to connect together,” Kyle thoughtfully replied.
“I agree that this isn’t Emilio’s way, but he might be able to scare up some information,” Michael agreed. “Kyle, I am running out of informants. Fingers dead and Raquel being assaulted will make many of the street people afraid to talk to me, even if none of the killings are connected.”
Then, Michael changed the subject. “Kyle, Maria found out the name of her father the other day. If you run across a Paul DeLuca anywhere, let us know,” Michael said.
“You might want to look up my dad. He was pretty young when Maria’s father cut out. There was always something when mom was with us about some friend. I don’t know if that friend was Amy DeLuca, but I vaguely remember mom being angry with dad over some woman. I don’t think that was the reason mom left, but dad might be able to tell you something,” Kyle stated.
Michael was in his Ford. “Maria,” he had said. “This is something I have to do alone. When I get back, we will take off for Roswell and see Kyle’s dad.” Michael wanted Emilio to talk to him like the brother he used to be when they were kids. Having Maria with them might make this difficult.
“Buenos dias, amigo,” Michael greeted
“How ya’ doing, cuate,” Emilio returned.
(Author note: “cuate,” is a term in the southwest and in some Hispanic languages meaning twin or close friend. It is pronounced Qua tee.)
“What do you know about a Manny Martinez?” Michael asked.
“What’s the asshole done, now? Emilio asked in returned, proving he did know the subject in question.
“We think he tried to kill Raquel, that bar lady down on Central,” Michael stated.
“I’m not surprised; I tossed his ass out of here a couple months ago. I caught him trying to line up a couple of the younger guys for a heist. I decked him and then, beat the hell out of my guys for listening to him. Anglos are suspicious of us enough. We don’t need to give our detractors any more ammunition. Hey, Mikie, we really are just trying to get some reforms. My guys get out of line, I am going to get rid of them, run ‘em off,” Emilio recited an often used mantra. Emilio knew that many of the younger men were impatient, but Emilio was looking to the future. They had almost produced a candidate for president. He wanted to build education for those who followed him and then, trust within the community. Every body has a few rotten apples somewhere; Emilio had to make sure these didn’t derail the work he was doing.
“Well then, Emilio, can you be on the lookout for any information about this Manny guy?” Michael asked.
“Do you need to know where he is?” Emilio asked.
“I know where he is. He is dead. When he attacked Raquel, her boyfriend, Earthquake broke his neck. We are trying to tie him to someone or thing that is connected with the bombing of Robert’s restaurant and the killing of Fingers. Maybe, he is connected to the shooting of that Valdez kid, Maria’s stabbing or even the assault on the doc at the hospital. Emilio, this is bad! No one knows who the bombing was aimed at or why the attack on Raquel or killing of Fingers. I have to ask; where does Two-Fingers Louis fit in this picture? Why would he shoot a young Hispanic kid? Crimes without motive are not a pretty picture,” Michael finished.
“You have to believe me, Mike. Martinez isn’t one of ours. I never heard of Two-Fingered Louis before the boys heard that he had shot the Valdez kid. I will shake them up in the hood and see what I can learn.” Emilio left more worried than when he arrived. Michael had his problems, but for Emilio, all the time he had spent building up his cause could come down if the wrong persons got connected to his movement.
----------------
I don’t care where you start; the trip to Roswell takes in a lot of almost empty country. The Guerins had a lot of people to see. First of all, they wanted to know all Jim Valenti, the former peace officer, knew about Paul DeLuca. The Parkers and the Whitmans were all still in Roswell. They had all helped Amy when she was raising a young Maria. The Guerins had to ask, “Did they know anything about the shadowy Paul DeLuca?”
Looking for most retired peace officers is best done at the local coffee shop. For many reasons, Jim Valenti hadn’t ever remarried. Many of the young people he knew, including his son, Kyle, had moved to bigger cities. “My gosh, kids, let me look at you. Mikie, I wouldn’t want to try to put you in the pokey again. Someone said you were a private detective? How’s that doing for you? Maria, I see a lot of your mother in you. How is Amy now days? I heard about your good fortune. I also know you were back here some years ago after your husband, Stuyvesant, died. Sorry I didn’t run into you then. My own life was somewhat unsettled at that time. Are you here for business or pleasure? How can I help you?” Valent,i the elder, gushed.
Maria spoke, “I hope seeing everyone will be a pleasure, but mostly we need information about my father Paul DeLuca.”
There was a frown on Valenti’s face. “Paul, DeLuca, Paul DeLuca, There was a time I hated that name. Really, I didn’t know him. I always thought he never did right about you and Amy. Jealously on my part, I am sure. Michelle, my ex wife, was right, I never did quit loving Amy. Amy and I always kept our distance. I never gave Michelle reason to be jealous. I guess women know when there are secrets in a man’s mind. She left about the same time that Paul disappeared. I might have thought that fate was playing me. Your mom just wasn’t ready to give Paul up. Even through all that anger, she hoped he would return with a believable excuse. Pop knew more. When he was lucid after he moved to the retirement home, he still said, “She belongs to another man, Jimmy. Leave her alone. Don’t give her more grief. She already had more than her share.” Pop died long before Paul did. I think pop knew something, but he wouldn’t tell me. He did tell me to look out for both you and your mama.”
The next stop was the Crashdown café. Jeff and Nancy Parker had retired years ago. Getting their daughter through college and married to Max Evans, completed their life. “We still need grand kids, but we achieved everything else,” Jeff stated.
Nancy was leaning on his shoulder. “Sometimes, we regret chasing Max off so many times when they were young. We still hope they take time off and have a family. Age needs youth to be sure of the reason of life and the past,” Nancy sighed.
“They are a busy couple,” Maria stated. The Parkers didn’t say anything about Liz getting mugged, so Maria thought it best not to say anything. “We are looking for information about my father, Paul DeLuca.”
Jeff leaned back in his chair. “Oh me, that seems a long time ago. I remember when Paul disappeared. Amy worked so hard. Nancy and I had you for many sleep overs when Amy needed rest. I offered her a job, but Amy needed something more than we could give her. I think the Whitman’s had you at their house, many times, to help Amy. You, Alex and Liz were about the same age and you always played together. When we gave you and Liz a job, we offered to have Alex work for us. He was always busy with music lessons and his computer. The three of you were together through high school,” Jeff explained.
“Didn’t Amy get a lot of legal help from Philip Evans?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, come to think of it, so did Paul before he disappeared. Philip clams up tight when it involves his clients. You being Paul’s daughter and Paul being dead, you might get him to open up a little,” Jeff added.
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Stories by Ken