Tonka asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I was thrown out of my apartment,” she said.
“Where do you live?”
“Two-nineteen.”
“Who threw you out?”
“My boyfriend.”
“He threw you out here in the hallway dressed like this?”
“No,” she said with a deep breath and whimper, “He threw me over the balcony… naked. He then threw me this robe.”
“Are you hurt? Do you want an ambulance?” I asked.
“No. I’m okay. It’s only one floor.”
“Do you want to sign a complaint against him?” Tonka asked.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“He would get arrested and go to jail.”
“No, I don’t want that. I just want my stuff and to get out for the night.”
She seemed all right just somewhat unsettled. We didn’t notice until she stood up she was barefoot. “Let’s go back to your apartment and see if we can get you in,” I said.
When we arrived at two nineteen she tried to unlock the door but her boyfriend had it jammed from the inside. She yelled at him to open the door. There was no response. I stepped forward and asked him to open the door.
“What, so you can arrest me?” he said through the door.
“There’s not going to be an arrest. She just wants some clothes for the night,” I said.
“Yeah, right. I know how she works. And you are falling right in. What did she do promise you a blow job?”
We ended up arguing with him for fifteen to twenty minutes. He would not open the door. We contacted maintenance to unlock the door. After they arrived the workers said that he must have been holding the door from the inside so the lock would not turn.
As I was beginning to get aggravated by his noncompliance I shouted once more through the door, “Open up or the door is coming down and then you will be arrested.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Officer Keith Sommers had also showed up to assist. I left both Officer Tonka and Officer Sommers and went outside to check out his balcony, one floor up. I found an empty cable core, the big wooden circle that looks like a table, under the balcony next to his. I pulled it over and climbed up onto his balcony. I noticed his sliding door was partially open. As I tried to remove it from its track, I observed the male standing by the door, holding onto the doorknob.
What I also noticed was he was naked, apparently never dressing after his love making encounter went bad. I started to call to him to come over to me, knowing once he left the door; Tonka would be able to get in but he wouldn’t move. I started to whistle at him. I could tell I was upsetting him. I started to call to him, “Hey, I can see why your girlfriend didn’t want to bother with you. Small huh?”
He let go of the doorknob to come after me. When he did so, Tonka almost got the door open, but the boyfriend went back to holding it. I continued to work on the sliding door and continued to call to him. All of a sudden the door was in my hands, out of the track.
It was at this time I realized and hoped he would not charge at me as the sliding door and I would go over the balcony to the ground below. As this thought was going through my mind, he rushed at me. I push the door at him then we both fell to the living room floor. About the same time Tonka and Sommers came through the door. They joined us on the floor. The guy was swinging his arms and kicking his feet. I had my Kel-lite flashlight with me. I placed the red-hot lens on his nose. I told him to stop fighting, which he immediately did. We then cuffed him and put him on his feet.
Sergeant Gregory Hammerstan had arrived and told me I’d have to put the man's pants on him without uncuffing him. I thought you have to be kidding, he was not. I informed the guy, “If you kick me I swear you will regret it. Remember how it hurt, my flashlight on your nose? Well, I’ll stick it on that little dick of yours.”
“Don’t worry, no problems,” he answered. He was kind of whiny and his bravado had left.
We ended up taking him in for disturbing the peace. While we were waiting for all the information to be gathered, Officer Sommers asked me what it was I was saying to him on the balcony. “Why?” I asked.
“Because a woman who was under the balcony listening to you said she thought you might be gay,” Sommers said with a short chuckle.
“I use whatever is necessary to accomplish my goal. I got him off the door, right?”
“Yes, you did do that.”
I ended my day going back home to some birthday cake and a note waiting for me. It was from Stephanie and it said, “I’m sorry for how I acted. I just don’t like when Jeff does things his way without respect for what I want. Love you, come to bed.”
She was right and I would have a talk with Jeff to let him know how things would have to be from now on, but for now it’s off to bed, who knows, maybe she’ll even be up.
Chapter 21
I went to Jeffrey’s office to mention to him about Stephanie’s wishes. He was in his office sitting at his desk, working at his computer. When I walked in he cancelled what he was working on. I walked to the chair near the desk and sat down. I told him what Stephanie had said.
“It didn’t bother anything. I only wanted you to see the gift. I knew you would like it,” he said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. “You did like it didn’t you?”
“Yeah, both Tony and I did, but that’s not the point. It caused a problem.”
“You should tell Stephanie to lighten up some. I won’t do that again, so relax.”
“I haven’t seen Sammy around here for awhile, since the trip to Florida,” I inquired to him.
“He said he don’t like me anymore. Said he was going to hang around kids his own age. I guess he doesn’t want me as a friend anymore, or the money…or the trips. I gave him and his parents a lot of stuff. Then he won’t see me. Well, his loss.”
“Did the trip go bad?”
“He didn’t say. I thought we had a good time but… I don’t know. Just said ‘I don’t like you anymore.’ Maybe it’s his parents.”
“Did you bring him home late like you had talked about?”
“Sure, but we were having fun. He wanted to stay.”
“Well I can see why they would be mad.”
Jeffrey’s eyes shot up at mine, his nose began to flair out a little and his demeanor change abruptly. “What the hell do you mean? He wanted to stay. That’s what he wanted. Why do you side with them?”
“I’m not siding with anyone, I…”
“Forget it,” he cut me off. “I have to get to a job. I’ll call you later.”
He grabbed some paperwork off his desk and started towards the stairs. Not another word was spoken until he was getting into his truck. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just having a bad day. I’ll call ya later.”
“Okay, talk with you then.”
He sped off down the street towards the highway. Maybe he did have a job he forgot about. He got caught up talking with me. Who knows? Jeffrey was always a bit out there, something short of a full deck. But he had been loyal to me. Everyone has bad days.
***
I received a phone call at ten thirty p.m. It was Jeffrey. He was sorry for the scene he caused earlier. He asked if I could stop by after work. I told him I’d be there at eleven fifteen.
When I arrived I saw his lights on in his office. I went up the stairs calling his name.
“I’m up here. Come on up.”
When I walked into the office he sat on his chair playing a video game. He was laughing. “Man I wish I could play this like Tony does,” he said.
“I didn’t think he had that game.”
“He doesn’t but we play it over here whenever he comes over. By the way, I wanted to ask you before I said anything to Tony. Do you think he would want to work with me? You know with Sammy gone I could use some help. I would teach him slowly so he would not be over stressed.”
“I’m not sure, he’s only about nine.”
 
; “Sammy was younger than that when I started him out. It’s not hard or dangerous. You know Douglas could come too. They would both make ten dollars an hour. If it doesn’t work out then it’ll end.”
I was thinking, this could be a good lesson for them both and they could have the money I couldn’t give either of them. The more I thought about it the more it seemed to be the right thing to do.
“It seems okay to me but let me check with Stephanie,” I told him.
“Not a problem.”
I said I should be getting home, after we played a few games. I could see the boy’s fascination with them. He had the latest games available, some costing hundreds of dollars.
It was a five-minute drive but when I arrived home Tony was waiting for me. Apparently Jeff had already called and told Tony about working with him. Now I had to explain to Stephanie that the boys had a job.
“What’s all the cheering about?” asked Stephanie.
“Jeff said Doug and I can work with him and make a lot of money,” said Tony, his smile was ear to ear.
The look that shot up at me was not that of a delighted wife, happy with what she had just heard. “Jeff lost Sammy’s help so he has asked the boys to help him out. Actually I think it might be good. They can learn responsibility and make a little money too.”
“It does sound good but why does he never ask us first? He makes it hard to say no once he tells them and puts his spin on it. If it was a bad thing I’d just say no but it’s only his method that upsets me,” said Stephanie.
“I know. He’s goofy at times but harmless. Jeff just wants the best for the boys. His business is going so well and it’s his only way to help them. They can learn from him about business and how to become successful.”
“Yes, I know, but I just wish…”
“I’ll talk with him again.”
“You just did, right? In fact it was just tonight. It didn’t seem to help too much.”
What can you say when she’s right but, “You’re right.”
“Well,” she said, a slight smile on her lips, “I know you want the best for them too. We’ll see how it goes. It can not hurt their homework or school in general.”
“I agree completely.”
We then told the boys they could talk to Jeffrey tomorrow. They were happy and actually listened when we said, “Okay, now up to bed.”
Hmmm, maybe this will be a good thing.
Chapter 22
“Happy anniversary honey,” Stephanie said with a kiss on my lips as she awakens me.
Oh shit. I forgot our anniversary. Not a gift, hell not even a card. For as happy as she is now it will turn bad real quick.
“How does it feel to have twenty-five years in at the old police department?” she asked.
Revitalization. The Gods are with me this morning. “Same as any other day. You know like they say, ‘living the dream’,” I answered. I’m safe for now but as I give her a huge hug I’m thinking I better look up our wedding anniversary date, just to be safe.
Once I arrive at the police station, I enter the roll call room. Sergeant Raymond Li is waiting for me with my three other officers for the day. During roll call two dispatchers and one clerk walked in and presented me with my twenty-five year award. It was a dozen donuts and a tea bag.
Now, many may feel this is like a punch in the eye, but as the department didn’t do anything, it was nice gesture. Some of the donuts were puss bags, donuts with cream in the middle, my favorite. And the tea was not from leaves, but again better than nothing.
***
It was twelve-thirty and I had just arrived to eat my lunch with Sergeant Li. We were
sitting in our cars, side by side, in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn. What a day, so far for twenty-five years of service I have had three donuts, a hot tea, and I was about to devour two hot dogs, an order of french fries, and a large Coke, it just don’t get any better.
It was a beautiful day. Temperature around eighty-five degrees, a slight breeze, almost the kind you would feel off the ocean, very few Cumulus clouds in the sky. There wasn’t even much traffic on the road making the sounds of the birds in the bushes easier to hear.
I had just started sipping on my drink when there was some radio traffic from the town of Mayfield, which bordered our town on the west side.
“Did you copy that?” Sergeant Li asked.
“No.” I said and turned up my radio volume.
The radio dispatched, as scratchy as ever, “Hold up alarm at the First State Bank of Mayfield, 1334 West County Farm Road.”
I still took my first bite of my hotdog. These false alarms happened all the time.
“We have received confirmation from the bank this is an actual hold up,” the dispatched announced. “Cars Mary three and four go to the bank. All other cars proceed to the area of the bank. There will be more information to follow.”
It is normally at this time the radio becomes a cluster fuck. Everybody who needs to be heard starts talking, however usually most of them do not need to be talking. So you pick up one or two words from everyone speaking. Which, of course, sounds like, “Where are…Mary four can…is anybody going…description…traveling on.”
Sergeant Li and I thought, “Everyone shut up.”
“All units stand by. The offending vehicle is an older model Ford Taurus yellow in color, Illinois plates 13013900, last seen westbound from the bank on County Farm Road. The offender is a male, white, five foot eight to five foot ten, wearing dark clothes and a ski mask, red in color. He also was carrying a sawed off shotgun. This is all the information we have for now, obtaining more as I speak.”
“Even though he is going in the opposite direction of us, maybe we should still go out onto County Farm in case he gets turned around,” Sergeant Li said. Sure and then there goes my twenty-five year anniversary hot dogs.
Before we could start pulling out the Mayfield community service officer shouted out over the radio, “I’ve got him. He’s pulling into the train station, parking lot three.”
The Sergeant in car Mary one called out, “Just watch him. He is armed. You do not follow him.”
The cadet in the community service car responded, “Don’t worry.”
Again the cluster of radio traffic occurred. “What side of the…car three at the bank…he’s getting in…where are you…what kind of car again…where…it’s a white car.”
“All Mary units, the car is yellow,” said car three who was at the bank.
“No, he has changed…” the service officer got cut off again.
“Service car one, where are you?”
“He has gotten into a white car. He is…” again cut off.
“All Mary cars, again, the car is yellow. I’m speaking to witnesses now. Yellow in color.” This was from the car at the bank that did not realize the offender had changed cars. The community service officer continued to get on the air.
“The car is leaving the parking lot, eastbound on County Farm Road.” The service officer finally got a whole sentence out, but he did have to speak very rapidly.
“All units hold your traffic,” came from the Mayfield Sergeant. “Service one, what is going on?”
“The offender has switched cars. It is now a white Ford Taurus heading eastbound County Farm Road. It just passed the car entering the parking lot. One male white, no mask, but wearing sunglasses. The other car is parked in aisle three, halfway between C and D.”
He was now coming right at us. Yes, I was a correct, good-bye hotdogs as they went flying out my window along with my drink. I learned a long time ago you do not get in a car chase with food or drink, the clean up is not worth the cost of the food.
As we were leaving the parking lot in my rearview mirror I saw several crows now enjoying my lunch. We pulled out onto County Farm Road heading westbound towards Mayfield. We saw Officer Mike Mansolini northbound at Route 15. Sergeant Li continued west until he came to a side street then went south. I continue west.
Throug
hout this whole time getting on the radio would become the hardest thing you would ever try to do. Finally a voice I knew. Officer Clifford Russle saying, in a voice three octave higher than his normal voice, “He just passed me on Birch Street at, wait a second, Lincoln.”
He was in an unincorporated area. He was not familiar with the streets or their names. “He is driving a white Ford Taurus, still has on the sunglasses, and was handling something on the front seat next to him. I’m going to turn around to follow.”
“Where are you now?” was the question from a handful of cars. But there was silence. Long, bitter silence.
“I’ve lost him. He may have gone into the industrial park,” said Officer Russle.
Sergeant Li told Officer Russle to put the information out on the state radio, ISPERN, Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network, which he did.
“Lakeville car Lincoln three in pursuit southbound Route 15 passing County Farm Road. In pursuit of suspect vehicle used in armed bank robbery, a white Ford Taurus, one male.” This was Russle he had re-located him.
Now we got to hear clusters on two radio frequencies. I knew I didn’t have to talk, just respond. I drove back to County Farm and Route 15 and joined the pursuit despite the fact that, I was way back in the running.
There were at least ten cars in front of me but two or three behind me. Where did they all come from? There were cars from many jurisdictions.
As I was approaching my city limits I heard my Chief come over our radio, “All Lakeville cars other than Lincoln three terminate pursuit. All other cars stay in town.”
I couldn’t believe it, however if I continued on and I was involved in an accident it would be my ass. I pulled to the side of the road. I knew two of our cars were still involved. A Mayfield car pulled next to me, almost stopped, gave me a strange look like what are you doing, then sped away, back into the chase.
The pursuit passed me by as I watched from the side of the road. State Police placed a roadblock at Route 15 and Lake Street. The offender’s car, with Lincoln three right behind him swerved to the left, causing the car to turn around one hundred eighty degrees. The two cars now came to rest driver’s side to driver’s side. Both drivers were a little unclear as to what exactly happened. There was a slight collision. Officer Russle saw the suspect reach to his right. The next thing he saw was the blue gray of the barrel of a shotgun being raised towards him. He leaned over and tried to lie down on the front seat of his car for cover.