Devlin Haskell: Bulldog Part 14

Im looking for Freddy Zimmerman, it looks like hes been moved to another room.

Oh no, sorry, the woman said. Mr. Zimmerman checked himself out very early this morning.

Checked himself out? Was he okay to go?

We didnt think so, she said. But we cant force people to stay. He wanted to leave, so he left.

What time was this?

Just a little after three.

A little after three? In the morning?

She nodded and said, Yup.

Is that normal?

Nothings really normal on this wing. He was dressed, told us he was leaving and then just walked out.

Do you know where he went?

Down that hall, she said then pointed and smiled.

I glanced down the hall at the wheeled cart with a number of breakfast trays stacked on it. A woman dressed in white was carrying one of the trays into a room. The tile floors were so highly polished you could watch her mirror-like reflection as it drifted out of sight.

Was there anything else, sir?

No, thanks for the update, I said and walked down the hall.

Id been back in the office accomplis.h.i.+ng absolutely nothing when Louie waltzed in. You got the coffee on?

Its about the only positive thing Ive accomplished in the past twenty-four hours.

Thats better than some days, he said then went over and poured himself a cup. He settled into his chair, took a sip then studied me.

Heidi dump you again? he asked.

No, she didnt dump me, and for your information were not even in a relations.h.i.+p. Well, the occasional get together, but were free to date other people.

Okay, so whats up?

I went over and poured myself a fresh cup of coffee then proceeded to bring Louie up to speed. I told him about Caseys accident, Freddys car, Casey fleeing the saintly city and Freddy disappearing.

Man, you have managed to screw up a number of peoples lives in a very short amount of time.

Me? Im just helping out.

Yeah, sure thats what youve been doing. Just a thought here, Dev. Do you remember your visit to Jackie Van Dorn where you end up a.s.saulting your new best friend, Fat Freddy? Then, you told the bouncers at Nastys that Freddy was supposed to let them know Bulldog and Tubby had sent you over to mind Swindle Lawless. You questioned Swindle about Bulldog. I dont know, just a wild guess here, but do you think some wigged out psychopath like Bulldog or even Tubby for that matter might start putting two and two together and take matters into their own hands? Maybe try and beat someone half to death or kill them with a stolen car?

You make it sound like everything that happened is my fault.

Well?

What do you mean, well? What did I do?

When you look at it from another point of view, Id say youve done just about everything you shouldnt have done. That a.s.sault on Fat Freddy, think that might have been a message to you?

A message? To me?

Then the hit and run.

He had me thinking.

Sounds like the one bright thing youve done was to get that girl out of town. What did your friend Lieutenant LaZelle have to say?

He told me not to call him again unless Id been murdered, in which case I wouldnt be able to call and he could get on with his work.

Louie smiled and said, Maybe follow his advice.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

I was pondering my next move later that night in front of the flat screen. I was only half watching the movie about wives getting revenge on their cheating husbands. It was supposed to be a comedy, but I wasnt in the laughing mood. Id already forgotten the t.i.tle and didnt seem to have the energy to push the off b.u.t.ton on the remote. It was close to midnight and I had most of the lights turned on throughout the first floor of Caseys house. I was drinking a beer and my .38 was sitting on the end table, nestled in between the four bottles Id already finished.

At first I thought it might have been the radiators then realized it was summer and the heat wasnt on. I heard the noise again, a sort of soft knock coming from the kitchen area. I set my beer down, grabbed the .38 and walked to the back of the house. I turned off the dining room light and then the kitchen light so I would be entering a dark room. I let my eyes adjust for a moment then slowly crouched down and moved along the kitchen counter.

I heard the noise again, it definitely sounded like a knock on the back door. I peaked around the side of the kitchen counter out through the window. There was a fairly large guy out there, slightly illuminated by the new motion detector lights attached to the side of the house. His back was to me and he seemed to be twitching and glancing around nervously. He turned, put his hands up against the kitchen window and tried to peer into the darkened room. Fat Freddy.

I watched him for a long moment. Long enough that the motion detector light went off and he just stood out there in the dark. He seemed to be alone. When Freddy stopped looking in the kitchen window I moved toward the back door.

What do you want? I said through the closed door. I was standing off to the side and still crouched just in case he started shooting.

Haskell? Jesus Christ, open the d.a.m.n door and let me in, Im getting eaten alive out here.

What do you want?

Will you, come on for Christ sake, ouch, d.a.m.n it. G.o.d these things are going crazy, come on man, open up.

I opened the door, stepped back and trained the .38 on Freddy nose. Get in here and close the door behind you.

G.o.d, its about d.a.m.n time, I was, oh what the h.e.l.l, put that d.a.m.n thing away, he said and closed the door behind him. I could suddenly hear the high pitch of mosquitos as they swarmed in with him.

Wheres the d.a.m.n light switch, he said and started moving one of his paws up and down along the wall. He found the switch and turned on the light. His face was partially hidden by the splint on his nose. He was dressed in the jeans and T-s.h.i.+rt Id seen hanging in his hospital room. Both pieces of clothing were caked with blood and the legs of his jeans had been torn off where the knees had ripped making a rather odd pair of shorts. One leg on the shorts extended about three inches longer than the other.

You got something to eat, man. Ive been walking and havent had a thing all day.

What the h.e.l.l are you doing, Freddy? Why in G.o.ds name did you leave the hospital? I said then flipped on the light in the kitchen. Come on, well see what Ive got to eat.

Freddy settled onto one of the kitchen stools and I heard the thing creak as his weight oozed across the seat. How bout a beer for starters? I said opening the refrigerator.

Now youre talking, he replied.

I took two beers out of the fridge, a pizza delivery box and then a white Styrofoam container that I think Heidi had left about a week ago. I opened the beers and slid one across the plywood topped counter to Freddy. He had already dug into the pizza box and was in the process of inhaling a very large piece. I opened the Styrofoam container, took one look and tossed the thing into the trash. I turned on the oven, took two frozen pizzas out of the freezer and began to unwrap them. Soon as that oven heats up, Ill toss these in.

Freddy nodded and attacked another piece out of the delivery box.

So, you checked yourself out of Regions.

Had to, man, he said then stuffed the better part of an entire piece in his mouth and chewed.

At three in the morning?

Howd you know that, he said then wiped his hands back and forth across his disgustingly filthy T-s.h.i.+rt.

I went down there to check on you, one of the nurses told me.

The blonde with that little tattoo?

She was blonde, but I didnt notice any tattoo.

Little heart thing on her wrist. Not much of one, I mean why even bother if thats all youre getting?

You checked yourself out, I said getting back on track.

Yeah, Im lying there, asleep in my room and suddenly someones shaking my shoulder. Im thinking its one of those nurses, you know how they wake you up and check your blood pressure and s.h.i.+t? Sometimes I think they were just doing it to mess me up.

I nodded like it would be perfectly logical for a nurse to come around in the middle of the night to mess a patient up.

So, Im opening my eyes, coming awake and all of a sudden this hand goes over my mouth, it kinda tasted like barbeque sauce, course its that b.u.t.thead, Dallas.

Dallas?

Hes one of the bouncers at Nastys. Hes the same jerk that sucker punched me in the parking lot, then once I was down the rest of those t.w.a.ts came out of nowhere and it was open season on your boy.

He was in your hospital room?

Yeah, way past visiting hours by the way, I mean it was after midnight. Anyway, the jerk puts his grimy hand over my mouth then said hes got a little something for me and tosses my car keys on the table. Kind of laughs then tells me thanks for the ride.

He says that, thanks for the ride?

That aint all, Freddy said, then grabbed the last slice of pizza out of the delivery box. He says, you know whats good for you, you wont be talking to the cops. We hear anything and youre dead.

That doesnt sound too promising.

Youre telling me, he said then rolled the pizza slice up and stuffed the entire thing into his mouth.

What are you going to do?

He pointed to his mouth, his cheeks looked like a chipmunk storing nuts, bulging while he attempted to chew. Finally he said, Hey, those dudes f.u.c.ked with black beauty, that aint on, man. It was my statement, who I was.

Your brand, I added.

Exactly, man, I just cant have it. Hey, you gonna put those other two pizzas in?

Chapter Thirty-Four.

Freddy slept in the same chair Louie had crashed in the other night. He said he didnt feel safe going back to his apartment and I sure didnt feel like driving him anywhere, so he spent the night.

I shook him awake before the work crew arrived and had him take a much needed shower. None of Dermots clothes and certainly none of mine were going to fit him so I drove him over to Menards, a DIY and construction store that carried everything from paint to lumber and plumbing supplies. They also carried some basic articles of clothing like jeans and s.h.i.+rts. We walked out of there with a pair of jeans, socks, boxers and a half dozen T-s.h.i.+rts for under forty bucks.

Cant thank you enough for helping me out, Dev. Kinda like that movie, you know.

What movies that?

The Grandfather.

The grand, you mean the G.o.dfather?

Yeah, I think thats the one.

Look, Freddy, youre going to need some wheels if you plan to get back on your feet. Ive got access to another car for a couple of days. You could use this one maybe till the end of the week if that would help you out.

He sort of snickered then said, Thats righteous, man. No offense, Dev, but whatever your driving here isnt exactly the sort of statement I want to make.

Its a Saturn Ion, 2003, I bragged. With Fat Freddy in the front seat the car was pulling decidedly to the right and the engine seemed to groan every time I attempted to accelerate.

Im just hoping no one I know sees me in this thing, Ive got a reputation, you know.

Yeah about that, Freddy, your rep. Im thinking it might not be a bad idea to lay a little low for awhile.

Well see, I got some things cooking, Freddy said then gazed out the window signaling the conversation wasnt going to go much further.

Well, you better come up with some sort of alternative plan. They fired you from Nastys, so youre gonna need a job. You dont have a vehicle and youre afraid to go back to your apartment. What else am I missing?

I think theres a warrant or two out for my arrest?

A warrant or two?