Devlin Haskell: Bulldog Part 11

You mean like the car you thought was casing your house? I laughed, but I was thinking it might not be that far fetched. Someone could have taken Fat Freddys car, G.o.d knew he wasnt going to be using it for a while.

Yeah sort of, I mean, look I honestly dont know, everything happened so d.a.m.n fast. I just dont know what the h.e.l.l Im going to do for a car now.

Well, you know youve got Dermots car just sitting in the garage over at your place. Its pretty late tonight, but I could bring you over there tomorrow and you could get it.

Do you think hed mind?

I wasnt sure how to respond to that and waited for her to catch herself, but she just looked at me with questioning eyes.

I think hed want you to, Casey. Dermot would have been the first one to tell you to use it.

She nodded and took another sip of wine.

I changed the subject. Hows the work going on the house? I gotta tell you theyre in there bright and early everyday, bunch of guys working.

Its coming along. I hope its not too messy over there for you, Dev.

I most likely wouldnt notice.

Casey nodded like that was probably an accepted fact. You know, Im going to hate to leave the place. I didnt think I would ever want to go back in there, but now I dont know. It was what we were doing, kind of our statement and I just dont know.

Do you want to move back in?

No, Im not ready for that, yet. Besides, like you said, the guys working and everything over there. No, Im settled here for right now and Im over there everyday, anyway. Its just, G.o.d, I wish I had the money, you know.

Yeah, believe me I know how that works.

A pair of headlights drove up the driveway and a moment later we heard the garage door opening.

Oh, heres Tommy and Carol home, Casey said, but she made no effort to get up. A door in the kitchen opened a minute later and we could hear them coming in from the garage.

All the lights, a female voice said.

Were in the living room, Casey called before anything else was said.

They walked into the living room and Tommy introduced me to his wife who I recognized from Dermots funeral, but had never officially met. Casey gave them the quick version of the accident and Carol went out to the kitchen to grab two gla.s.ses and another bottle of wine. I declined any more wine and waited a requisite ten minutes before I made my good-byes. I told Casey Id call her in the morning before I picked her up. Thanks were exchanged all around and I beat a hasty retreat back to Caseys house. Now it was my turn to feel nervous and I went through all the rooms, but this time I carried my .38.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

Oh sorry, didnt know anyone was in here, a guy in white pants and a white T-shirt said. He wore a baseball cap on his head with Abbott Paint written across the crown. He was carrying a five-gallon bucket and a couple of trowels. I heard two other guys chuckle as he stepped back into the hallway. It was almost seven-thirty in the morning.

I put the coffee on, looked at myself in the mirror and decided whatever needed to be done could wait. I started to come alive after the third cup and phoned Aaron LaZelle in homicide. I had to leave a message. I showered, had another cup of coffee, and was driving to the office when my cell rang.

Haskell Investigations.

Were you planning to show up with caramel rolls again? Aaron asked.

No, one is all you get.

Pity. Anyway, you called.

Yeah, it may be nothing, but I know how we both feel about coincidences.

Some woman you dated has turned up pregnant?

No, thank G.o.d. Casey Gallagher.

Yes, Aaron drew out the word and I was willing to bet that he had just sat up straight in his office chair, maybe picked up a pen and slid a pad in front of him so he could take some notes.

She was involved in a hit and run last night at the corner of University and Western.

She okay?

Yeah, seems to be, other than the idiot totaled her car. I picked her up and brought her to her brothers where shes been staying, he lives over in the Como area. Anyway, heres the deal, bear with me. She thought she was being followed, she would have been heading north on Western. Then, as the light on University turns red and she stops, the car behind her turns into the parking lot behind a restaurant.

Its a Vietnamese restaurant, right?

You got it. Less than a minute later, some car comes charging around the corner and broadsides her, slams her car into a phone pole and then takes off. That parking lot, its L- shaped so someone could have turned in there, gone around the restaurant building, back onto University then blasted around the corner and hit her.

Yeah, and it also could have been some idiot who was drinking or lost control or was underage who hit her. Well check into it, but it could really just be unfortunate timing.

There might be more.

Such as?

Fat Freddy.

What about him? Aaron sounded cautious.

He was a.s.saulted coming out of Nastys the other day by someone or a number of someones, they put him in the hospital.

Yeah, were aware of that.

I went to see him.

You did what? Didnt we have a little chat about this sort of thing? You not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up an ongoing investigation, you not getting involved and making things even more difficult than they already are.

Theres a possibility it may have been his car that broadsided Casey last night.

I believe hes still in Regions and pretty well banged up. h.e.l.l probably be there for at least another day or maybe two.

Yeah, but his car isnt. It was parked at Nastys, in their parking lot. Ive a hunch if you got his license number and did a check you wouldnt find it parked there. Its a black Camaro, Z-18 or something. Casey made an offhanded comment that she thought it was a black car that hit her.

Anything else? I could tell by his tone he was writing and not very pleased.

Not right now. I hear anything else youll be the first person I call.

I appreciate that, Dev, and thanks for pa.s.sing on this information. Oh, and now lets get back to you not getting involved, please.

You know me.

Yeah, thats why I would appreciate you not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g things up any further, he said and hung up.

Louie wasnt in the office when I got there. But, he had apparently been there earlier because the coffee pot was empty and still turned on. I smelled that electric burning smell the moment I walked in the door. I turned the pot off and checked the time, barely nine-thirty. I scanned the building across the street for the next half hour to no avail then called Casey and left a message.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Fat Freddy told me it was Bulldog and the bouncers that beat him up. Aaron might have been playing coy, but I was willing to bet the police didnt have that bit of information. I thought it might be a good idea to bring Freddy some flowers, on my way I drove through Nastys parking lot.

Even at this hour of the morning, there were patrons cars parked in the lot and the neon red open sign was flashing next to the door. One could only hope the guys in there had been working third shift and stopped for just one on their way home. I drove through the lot twice, including taking a peek back by the dumpsters and the entrance to Jackie Van Dorns office. The one thing I didnt see anywhere in the lot was Freddys sinister looking black Camaro.

I checked at the hospital information desk just to make sure Freddy was still in the same room, he was. I picked up the cheapest flowers they had in the hospital gift shop, they were still overpriced. I eventually found my way to Freddys room up on the third floor.

He was sitting up in bed working his way through three pancakes and watching the flat screen mounted up on the wall, it was tuned to Sesame Street.

He still looked pretty rough, but it was an improvement from the other day. The swelling had gone down, the bruises on his arms had lost their purple cast and were now a dull black. He still had the splint covering his nose, but I thought there might have been a little less gauze and tape. His eyes were still purple, but the swelling had gone down by half. His lips were bruised, but moving as he chewed. He still had that ugly ear.

What the h.e.l.l do you want?

Is that any way to treat someone whos bringing you flowers?

Those are for me? he said sounding genuinely surprised.

No, I saw them in the shop and just couldnt live without them. Yeah, theyre for you, mind if I set them on the window sill?

Yeah, just dont ruin my view of the freeway, he said. I was afraid he wasnt kidding.

So, how are you doing?

Okay, I guess. Cops were back yesterday, asking more questions.

And?

And what? You think Id live out the day if I gave em any names? G.o.d, Im just lucky those guys didnt kill me.

Maybe you should think about another line of work, Freddy.

Ahhh, not this bulls.h.i.t again. I already told you Im a criminal and Im pretty good at it.

Really? Gee, could have fooled me.

Come on, Haskell, like I said before, you and me were in the same industry, just working different sides of the street. You know?

Not really. Listen, I think I might have some bad news for you.

What? They arent gonna arrest me are they? For getting the s.h.i.t kicked out of me? Come on, what the h.e.l.l is the d.a.m.n charge?

No ones arresting you, Freddy or anyone else for that matter, at least as far as I know.

So whats the problem?

Your car?

My car? Stay away from that, I busted my a.s.s to get that thing, its my brand, its who I am. It makes a statement, G.o.d d.a.m.n it.

Yeah, and I think its been stolen.

What? Stolen? How the h.e.l.l do you know that?

Did you park it at Nastys?

Yeah, right where I always do, back by the dumpsters.

Well, you may have parked it there, but its not sitting there now. I just checked.

Oh Jesus, they, they took my car? What the h.e.l.l for? Hey, do me a favor, open that closet door, my jeans are hanging on the hook, check the pockets for me.

I pushed the white sliding door to the side and exposed some laminated shelves and four white plastic clothes hangers. There was a white plastic hook attached to the wall that Freddys jeans and T-shirt hung on. Both looked to be the victims of an a.s.sault and in a way I guess they were. They were heavily bloodstained, the jeans especially, since the T-shirt was black, it hid most of the blood that had splashed on it. Both knees were ripped in the jeans.

See if my keys are in the pocket, Freddy said.

I checked the pockets, one of the back pockets had been ripped open and was barely hanging on. No, nothing, Freddy.

G.o.d d.a.m.n it, are you kidding me? Is my wallet in there?

I shook my head. No, theres nothing, theyre all empty, one of your back pockets is almost torn off.

Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, wait till I get my car back, Ill kill em.

Well, thats another thing.

What? He had a look on his battered face that seemed to ask what else could go wrong?

Remember how we met, you checking out that house?

That place I was checking for Bulldog, where we had the beers?