Chapter Twenty-Four: All Downhill From Here

          Fred Sullen stared out over the wide yard of the Fantas Estate. He walked back and forth through the bushes on the outer rim of the mansion, mumbling to himself as he thought about his situation with his partner, Greg. The guy was a complete moron, he couldn’t do anything right. He was selfish and stupid and egotistical.

“How does an overweight jerk like that even get on the force, let alone stay on it for so long? Some things in life are just plain mysterious.” Fred kicked a rock at his feet and bit his bottom lip. “Does he have to condescend every time we talk? Does he have to call me ‘rookie’ and ‘kid’ and ‘boy’ and ‘coppling’?” Fred felt like yelling his frustration to the high heavens. He had been in a car with this guy for what seemed like an eternity.

It was so uncomfortable being around Greg, it felt like torture. Fred groaned to himself, he had always envisioned hell as a place with fire and brimstone. Boy, was he wrong. Hell was nowhere near that ugly description. Hell was right there in the undercover cop car.

Fred could almost hear the words of the other cops down at the Aggerton Police Station. They would all be having a hay day with this particular assignment given to him and Greg; he could almost see them all standing by the water cooler, talking a hole through their cheeks and gums about this situation. As a matter-of-fact, he could almost hear their satirical comments echoing inside his skull right now. He could almost see their puny little faces as he walked into the police department. They would be saying things like, “Hey ‘Big F’! How does it feel to be on a stakeout with a prehistoric dinosaur?” or something like, “Hey, Fred! Did Grandpa Greg teach you the ropes while you were out there? Did he show you how to be a big boy cop?”

I am never going to live this down, thought Fred. I will always be the one that Greg Times destroyed. He is going to take me, like a towel, and rub his bad reputation all over me until it stays. I am doomed. I am going to have to transfer my papers to Babington. Fred lifted his hands and ran his stocky fingers through his hair.

“I wish that bloody old cop would just let me do my own thing for once. I wish he would just let me get in a little sleep now and then. Is that too much to ask?”

Fred stopped pacing and looked out over the back yard again. Everything was quiet and still. Dark shadows littered the grass at odd angles. A cool breeze picked up from the Northeast and blew across the treetops and bushes. The smell of the sea floored Fred’s senses and brought to his mind better times. The wonderful sensation was like aromatherapy to his beaten and depressed soul. Fred thought about his days on the beach up in Northern Trenton. He would camp up there for days and weeks on end. In the mornings he would surf until the sun went down and the moon came up. Those were the happiest times of his adult life, or so it seemed. Those were the memories he could get lost in, especially when his companion was being a complete moron.

Fred stationed his feet far apart and spread his hands out wide to keep his balance. He closed his eyes and imagined that he was actually catching a big wave into the white sandy beach. The wind was blowing through his long brown hair and the sea was pressing up against his feet. He could almost feel the board vibrate as it shifted in all directions as it rode the powerful surf. Fred looked up and was going to wave to some hot girls on the shore when a burst of cold water hit him in the face and threw him off balance. He opened his eyes quickly and staggered back. His face was dripping with real moisture. The sudden presence of it caught him off guard. 

“What the heck?!” said Fred as he lifted a hand and wiped himself off. He looked around the yard and noticed that the sprinklers were now on and turning in regular cycles. He walked to a different part of the grass that wasn’t being soaked at the moment. He spat out a wad of spit and tried to relax his shoulders. The cold water on his face had been a cruel way to pull him out of his daydream. I bet those sprinklers are working for Greg Times somehow, thought Fred. I bet he was the one that turned them on and told them to wet me.

Fred was going to head back to the police car when he spotted a shadowy figure staggering across the south wing of the lawn. From the angle at which he was standing, it looked as if the person were injured. Fred smiled at this and got behind a big bush. He waited patiently for the person to get close. This could be our big chance, he thought. This could actually be the guy that will help pull me out of this stagnate hell that I am in right now.

*          *          *

Bob grabbed his knees and hobbled cautiously to the outer lines of the mansion. He was trying to be careful not to attract any more attention to himself. He needed to get away from the Fantas Estate as quickly as possible. All hell had broken loose back in Tom’s bedroom, and no doubt, Mr. Tash would be sending his bodyguards and staff to wipe him out completely. Bob kept looking behind to see if that crazy, gun wielding maniac was following. Luckily for him, the bodyguard wasn’t daring enough to jump out the window and onto the lawn like he was. If Kaplen had followed, there was no telling what could have happened. They would probably both be dead by now.

“Good riddance to you all!” Bob cleared his throat. “You bunch of WOG’s!’”  His chest was pumping and his breathing was heavy. His left hand was bleeding badly and throbbing in pain. I’ll just find a safe place back at the company, thought Bob. I’ll just go back to the company and find a chair and sit down in it and sort through the damages of tonight. They might have the star map in their possession again but now we have a copy of it. They might try and find me, but I have their top secret papers resting in the folds of my jacket. If they try to harm me in any way, these files go straight to the authorities. It will be game over then. It will be the end of the Fantas Estate then. We have the upper-hand in this cheese match.

Bob reached down with his good hand and rubbed his hamstrings for a minute. He had pulled them terribly when he had hit the ground back there. With every stride he took, it felt like someone was stabbing him in the back of the leg with a steak knife. His whole body ached with fatigue and sweat. All he needed right now was a nice hot shower and a deep rest. As a matter-of-fact all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. He had been working on and off like this for a week straight.

Bob cringed and looked down at his bloody hand. There was a weird burning sensation taking place now in between the metacarpals. It felt as if someone had dropped a hot coal into his palm. He held the nasty looking appendage up into the light so that he could get a better view of the gore. There was a big gaping hole just under the joint of the thumb. Bob almost passed out when he saw the wound and brought his hand back down to his side. He didn’t want to look at it anymore.

What the heck am I going to tell the doctor when he sees this thing? What the heck am I going to tell Ruler when he hears about what happened tonight? I am going to be on the hit list of two very powerful people.

He approached the edge of the bushes. He was going to leave when a man in dark clothing jumped out and blocked his mode of escape. He was holding a badge and a gun.

“APD! Freeze, dirt bag!”

Bob staggered forward and tripped over a big tree root sticking out of the ground in front of him. Both his legs gave out from under him as he flew forward straight into the chest of the Aggerton cop. They collided into each other and hit the ground in a mass of limbs. 

Fred could feel the air leave his lungs as Bob crashed into his rib cage. Each man struggled to gain control of the situation. After a few moments of wrestling, Fred found a weak spot on Bob’s left hand and used it to his advantage. He grabbed the wound and squeezed as tightly as he possibly could. Bob let out a yell and rolled over onto his side. Hot salty tears were now coming to his eyes. His whole arm was screaming out with pain now. It felt as if a car had run it over.

Fred was holding him at bay now. He turned the man over and put a knee on his back.

“What the heck are you doing!?” yelled Bob between clinched teeth; he was in so much pain right now. “I am innocent! I have done nothing wrong!”  His left ear was now resting in the dirt. He was kicking his legs in protest. He wanted to break free. He wanted to go home. He wanted this crazy night to end.

“I am subduing you for questioning,” stated Fred as he stood up and shifted so his foot was resting on Bob’s back. He brushed himself off and stretched his shoulders. His breath was coming in and out wildly, just like the pistons of an engine.

“I am guilty of nothing,” yelled Bob. “I’ll get my lawyer on you. You had better let me go, or you’ll be sorry! I swear I’ll—”

“Shut it!”

“I am innocent!”

“Well if you’re as innocent as you say you are then you won’t mind me searching your person for any items that might convict you,” Fred bent down over Bob and fumbled through his pants pockets for any incriminating evidence. Bob struggled a little as his pockets were searched.

“You’re a freakin’ moron, you know that? You don’t even know who you are messing with! I have people on my side that could eat you for breakfast. I have people that could make you disappear!”

“Shut it, jail bait!” said Fred as he moved from Bob’s pockets to the inside of his white catering coat. As he did this, Bob go stiff; the cop was sure to find the papers he had taken from the Fantas House, and once he found them, he was sure he was going to pin that evidence on him. He had to be stopped, he had to get away.

Fred was patting around the man’s chest and ribcage when he suddenly jerked away and started for the road. The action was quick, but not quick enough. Fred leapt out and grabbed the man by the collar. He pressed him to the ground and then turned him over. He was going to yell at the idiot when Bob suddenly kicked up at his groin. Fred saw the motion but was too late to react. He doubled over in pain and fell backwards as Bob’s shoe pounded him hard.

Bob smiled and came to his feet.

“Sorry about this, copper.” He chuckled for a bit, Fred looked like he was about to barf. “But it appears that this man is about to leave the station.” Bob was feeling empowered now; he had overcome his enemy. He walked over and kicked the worthless cop square in the forehead. Fred let out a groan as his left eyelid split in two and splattered blood everywhere. His world was spinning in and out, in and out. He puked on the grass.

Bob watched the beaten cop for a minute. He was completely amused at his suffering.

“If this is how tough the APD is, it’s no wonder crime is soaring in Aggerton. You guys are complete pushovers!” He kicked Fred in the ribs but this time not so hard; it was more of a playful gesture. Bob was going to turn and leave the pitiful cop when something hard struck the back of his head. It felt like his whole brain had exploded inside his head. The taste of blood filled his mouth and his vision went black. In seconds he dropped to the ground completely unconscious.

*      *      *

Greg Times stood over Bob and rubbed his knuckles with satisfaction. He looked at the unconscious miscreant with utter triumph and pride. He had done a wonderful job of sneaking up on the lousy, no-good crook. The idiot didn’t even know what had hit him just then; criminals can be so dumb sometimes. Greg chuckled at this and looked over to his partner lying in the cool grass. Dirt and small twigs were now sticking to his face and hair. Blood was trickling down his eye and cheeks and mixing with the dirt. He looked like he was in bad shape. He looked like he had fallen out of the ugly tree.

Ah, rookies, thought Greg. They think that they can break the rules and get away with it. They think that they can do things their way and that everything is going to work out just peachy. I hope Fred learned something from this whole ordeal tonight. I hope he learns that no one is exempt from the rules of the force, not even rookies. I hope he learns that listening to me is one of the best things he could ever do. Greg walked over to Fred and helped him to a seated position. He looked like he was still in a lot of pain. His eyes were rolling all over the place inside his skull. To Greg, he reminded him of a mindless zombie; the only thing missing was the desire for human flesh. 

“I hate it when criminals don’t play fair,” mumbled Fred, he tried to swallow the lump of spit forming in his throat. “I hate it.”

Greg smiled and patted his companion on the back. He was going to be as sympathetic as humanly possible to his friends’ situation.

“Well, Fred, you’re going to have to expect that sort of stuff on the job… criminals don’t play fare, as a matter-of-fact, it’s in their nature to not play fair. They will do anything to get you, that’s why you have to be focused and ready for anything that happens.”

“Shut up, Greg, I don’t need your advice!”

Greg pulled his hand away and looked over to Bob. Fred could be a real hot-headed jerk when it came down to it, he really could. Greg let out a big breath.

“Why was this little dolt trying to get away?”

“I don’t know,” said Fred as he slowly came to a standing position. His head was still spinning from the blow that Bob had given him a few minutes ago. “I was just trying to search him when he went all wild like that.” He held up a hand and rubbed his swollen eye socket. It felt like someone had shoved a massive ping pong ball under his skin. He was beginning to feel sick again. It felt like all the blood in his head had seeped out from his swollen face. He sat back down on the ground and tried to control his breathing. The last thing he wanted to do was puke again.

Greg walked over to the unconscious man and knelt down.

“He would have to be hiding something pretty bad if he fought that hard to get away. Innocent people don’t just fight back like that. Innocent people respect the law.” Greg ran his hands through the unconscious man’s pockets. He patted his sides and arms. When he came to the chest he pulled out the papers and examined them closely in the soft light. His eyes slowly lit up as he read each line of the crinkled documents. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Everything that they needed to convict Mr. Tash of his crimes was all there in black and white. He felt like shouting, he felt like running and dancing. He felt alive!

“What did you find?” asked Fred. He could just make out that Greg was holding something in his hands. “What is that stuff?”

Greg turned and smiled. His hands were shaking with excitement; he looked like a kid at Christmas.

“This stuff is what we have been waiting for, Fred, for so long. It’s the evidence we need to convict Mr. Fantas of his illegal trading. It’s all here, I can’t believe it’s all here!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am serious.” He held up the papers. “It’s all here in black and white. Mr. Fantas signature’s are all over the place.” He looked down at Bob. “We need to contact the station and prepare for the raid of the Fantas Estate.” He threw out a hand and pointed to the Fantas Estate in the distance. “I want this place full of police by morning, I want to have that no-good crook convicted by sundown. I want justice!”

“What was this guy doing with those papers outside the house?” asked Fred with puzzlement. “It doesn’t make sense why he would do that. Why would he send them with this guy? For a man as smart as Tash to do something like this is, well, stupid! There has to be a trap in it all, it can’t be this easy!” He staggered to his feet again and held his sides. The nausea was slowly going away.

Greg shook his head.

“I don’t know, maybe he’s one of Tash’s go-to men, maybe he’s just an errand boy, but whatever he is, we’re going to find out soon. Let’s take him to the station and get what we need.” He grabbed Bob by the shoulders and pulled him up to a seated position. “I want everything to go smoothly for tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow we make history!”

Fred hated the drama oozing from his partners lips. Greg always made things sound more exciting than they actually were.

“Give me a hand here.”

Fred walked over and helped Greg haul the unconscious man to the squad car.