“SHARON”
Her scream drowned out the other sounds of the night.
It was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Between the flashing lights of the squad car, the piercing beam of the handheld flashlight, and all my regular anxieties brought on by the usual city night life, I was finding it hard to focus. But what I can tell you is that within seconds, Jennifer and I were running down the street in front of the apartment complex. She left the two cops on the ground, no doubt calling for backup, if it wasn’t already on the way.
We didn’t get half way down the street when a car sped past us from behind, squealing to a halt just in front of us. My heart sank because I thought it must have been Ross. But I paused in surprise when Sandy jumped out of the driver side door and screamed, “What are you waiting for? Get in!”
I rushed into the passenger seat and Jennifer climbed in the back. I was breathing pretty heavily. Sandy hadn’t really entered my mind since the guns started firing, and now that I was thinking about it, I wasn’t sure if I should be trusting her. Shit, I didn’t know what I should be doing anymore.
I don’t know if I really loved Sandy, but whatever we had, it was as close to love as I was capable of getting. Emotionally, I couldn’t handle the idea of her selling me out. But the more I tossed it around in my head, the less impossible it seemed. I mean, why wouldn’t she? It’s not like she has anything invested in me. I’m just a lonely old fucker who gives her attention whenever he needs a lay. I don’t deserve her love. I don’t deserve anybody’s love. Not since my marriage with Sharon ended. Christ, I haven’t even thought her name in forever, not since Sandy came into the picture. So fuck it, I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right. I was just using Sandy to help forget Sharon. I knew that. Sandy knew it too, I’m sure. Maybe she didn’t believe it, but deep down she knew it.
So yeah, how can I blame her for selling me out? I’m sure she got enough money for it. Lord knows she could use more money. Then again, who couldn’t? Were I in her position, I can’t say I wouldn’t have thought it over.
“Frank!” Sandy yelled, interrupting my thoughts. “Jesus fuck, Frank! I’m trying to talk to you here!”
“Sorry, was just thinking about some stuff,” I solemnly responded.
“Well, you better start thinking about what you’re going to do now. Jesus, what happened to those cops back there?
“That’s a good question.” I said, turning around to see if Jennifer was even in the car. She sat with her head down, like a dog who knew she was in trouble and about to get whipped.
“It was his ring,” she finally said. “He was wearing a ring on his right hand. It was the same ring I saw two nights ago when Azul died.”
“His ring? It could have been a wedding ring,” I said flippantly.
“No, I saw his hand pick up the brief case. It belonged to the same man that killed Azul. It was him. I know it.”
“You didn’t say anything about no ring before.”
“It was there, okay?” she screamed, “I saw it. I swear it was him.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying? You’re saying a cop was involved in a drug deal and killed your friend who was a witness,” I said.
“That’s crazy,” exclaimed Sandy.
“No, it’s not,” I confessed, “Koslowski is as crooked as they come. Fuck, of course. It had to be him, that’s why he was riding me the other day. He’s looking for the other witnesses. That’s why Gurly was playing along with him. I bet it was Gurly’s money. Koslowski was going to give the money back in exchange for the girl. Aw fuck. This is fucked. We got to find somewhere to go.”
“I know where to go,” Jennifer whispered.
“What?” I asked, “Where do you know?”
“Well, see, we had a rendezvous. The team, I mean, in case we got separated, we had a secret meeting place.”
“What? Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” I shouted.
“I don’t know. I didn’t want to go back, after Azul got shot. I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
“You didn’t know if you could trust ME?” I shouted even louder.
“Frank, Jesus, she was scared, okay. Leave her alone,” Sandy said.
“Alright, your right. Fine. Shit. Let’s meet up with them. If they’re even still there. Maybe they all came to their senses and got outta town. I hope they got some more information. If this is turning out to be what I think it is, we’re going to need more witnesses, or we’re going to be spending a lot of time in prison. If we’re lucky.”
Admittedly, I felt some relief from having some sense of direction finally, but it was undercut by one other thing.
Detective Ross was going to be pissed.
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