Devlin Haskell: Bulldog Part 3

Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Dev Haskell. Im going to be spending some nights across the street at Casey and Dermots.

A nice looking woman opened the door a moment later. I pegged her around mid-seventies and thought I may have recognized her from Dermots funeral the other day.

Hi, my name is Dev Haskell, I said again.

She opened the door wider and gave me a top to bottom examination, visibly moving her head up and down. Are you a policeman?

No, Im not. Im just a friend of Casey and Dermots. Under the circ.u.mstances, Casey is a bit uncomfortable spending evenings there and so shes staying somewhere else. We just didnt want the place to be empty at night, with all the publicity it seemed like it might be inviting a problem. I just wanted to say hi so when you see some strange guy wandering around over there, well, its me.

Mmm-hmm, dreadful business that was. Weve all been on guard ever since. Who would have thought? The taxes we pay in this city and that sort of thing happens, I dont know. Oh, now just listen to me going on, how is she doing, Casey?

I think pretty well under the circ.u.mstances. Shes here every day, hauling some things out, clothes mostly, and then checking in on the workmen. There were plumbers there this morning and I think a contactor, kind of tough to keep up.

So sad, I cant blame her for not wanting to stay there, but we so loved her. Loved them both, such a pity. Theyll be missed, she said and shook her head.

Do you know who lived there before? Who they bought the home from? I have this feeling I was here once before, a few years back, but its not ringing any bells. I just cant seem to put my finger on it.

Well, yes and no. There were a host of renters through there over the better part of five or six years until Casey and Dermot moved in. Good lord, it became the worst home on the block, all sorts of awful characters coming and going at all hours of the day and night. G.o.d only knows the sort of nonsense that went on over there.

Then the Gallaghers bought it, thank G.o.d. But as to who owned it, who they bought it from, no I dont actually know. Weve been here forty-six years, the Speer family was in there for a good twenty plus then someone bought the home from them and immediately turned it into a rental property. Things seemed to go downhill quickly from there. You can just imagine.

There was one woman, strange sort of thing. Unbalanced might be the best word I can think of. Dressed like she was the worst sort of street person, but I heard from one of the neighbors she was some kind of missionary.

Missionary?

Yes, apparently she was involved in a kind of preaching and saving souls or some such business. I suppose if youre going to be saving those afflicted it helps to look and act like them. She raised her eyebrows in a way that suggested there might be a lot more to the story then she knew.

You dont remember her name?

No, I havent the foggiest. To tell the truth, even if Id known she was saving souls Id still keep a safe distance. You know how it goes, trouble just naturally seems to find that sort.

I guess I did know, maybe. I thanked her, gave her my card and left. I couldnt put my finger on it, but there was something she said that seemed to ring a distant bell. My memory was hazy at best and it was like looking into a thick patch of fog when I tried to come up with whatever or whoever it was. I went back across the street, sat on the porch swing and waited for Casey.

Chapter Nine.

Casey showed up a little after five and gave me a wave as she climbed out of her car. She looked both ways before she crossed the street then chirped the car alarm system and headed toward me.

Hope you havent been waiting long.

No, not at all, plus its been about a thousand years since I sat on a porch swing.

Really? she said and climbed the steps.

Yeah, I think the last time I was on one of these things I was sitting on my moms lap.

Oh, so like two or three years ago Yeah, right. To tell you the truth, Id forgotten how really nice it can be.

Wow, looks like youre moving in to stay, she said looking at my suitcase by the front door.

Just some extra clothes so I dont have to be running back and forth every day. I didnt think there was any point in telling Casey I had two more pistols, a pair of binoculars and close to a hundred rounds of ammunition packed in there with my boxers.

Feel free to use the washer and dryer, theyre almost brand new, she said then caught herself for just a brief moment. It was over almost before it began, but you could sense the heartbreak.

I moved on. Hey, Louie wondered if you could get hold of the abstract for this place. He wanted to study it for a bit, look at the history of the house. Hes actually a lawyer.

He is? she said sounding more than a little surprised then said, You know I think you already told me that. Its just with everything thats been going on Im sort of a little s.p.a.cey.

Not a problem.

Here, at least I remembered to get a set of keys made for you, she said and handed me a white plastic bag with Ace Hardware written across it in red letters. Maybe try them in the lock and make sure they work.

I inserted the key in the front door lock, turned it and heard the lock click.

Wow, lucky guess. The other one is for the back door and then that different looking square kinda one is for the garage. Dermots car is in there and the garage door opener is probably still hanging on his sun visor. You might as well park in my s.p.a.ce Im not going to be using it.

Ill check it out, I said.

Im just gonna grab a couple of things and then get over to my brothers. You need anything before I go?

No, Im just fine, Casey, dont worry.

I really appreciate you doing this for me, Dev. You know deep down you really are a good guy.

G.o.d, dont tell anyone.

She smiled at that. I helped carry three loads of boxes to her car, then about a hundred different tops on hangers, a bunch of shoes and a suitcase that was so heavy she must have packed it full of books then sat on the d.a.m.n thing just to get it closed. She lowered her window once she started the car. There was just enough room for her to sit in the drivers seat. Stuff was piled in the backseat up to the rear window. The pa.s.senger seat was loaded up almost to above the dashboard.

Dont make any fast right hand turns because all that stuff will just tumble down on top of you, I half joked.

Thanks again, Dev, I really appreciate it. Stay safe, she said and drove off.

I went inside and unpacked. I just piled my clothes on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace in the den. I had a snub .38 in my pocket and I stuck a Walther PPK in the small of my back. Then I grabbed a beer and another tray of left over hors doeuvres and retreated to the flat screen. I watched some movie with a t.i.tle I couldnt recall. It had a car chase scene and some numbskull able to dodge bullets from an AK on full squirt at a distance of about ten feet, thats Hollywood for you.

I was thinking about Casey. Pity we never really connected when we were dating. I put her on my list of good women who somehow got away then decided that another beer and some of those cookies out on the kitchen counter couldnt hurt.

Chapter Ten.

It was just before lunch when Louie washed up on sh.o.r.e at the office the following morning. I was standing at the window with my binoculars watching one of the girls on the third floor of the apartment across the street. She was ironing something in just a thong and bra. Her back was to the window and she seemed to be watching the television on her kitchen counter while she worked.

You checking license tabs on the street making sure everyone is current? Louie asked then tossed a computer bag on his picnic table desk.

Something like that, Id feel bad if they werent up to date.

Any coffee left?

Should be, I made some this morning.

Howd it go at your new place last night?

You mean Caseys? Fine, no problem except that shes got work crews coming in there in the morning, a couple of plumbers, some contractor. Man, those guys are out front by about seven-thirty in the d.a.m.n morning.

Theres a seven-thirty in the morning, too? Louie said then settled into his office chair and blew on his steaming coffee mug.

Pretty tough talk for the guy who shows up just before lunch.

Ive been in court all morning. There must have been a push to nail guys driving while over the limit last February or March. I pled three DUIs this morning.

Humpf, probably St Patricks Day. Any luck on getting the charge reduced? The subject of my attention on the third floor across the street had moved into one of her other rooms and unfortunately reappeared a minute or two later and dressed. I set the binoculars back on the window sill and sat down behind my desk.

In todays world its just plain luck that no one will be serving time, first offense for all three, but the days of getting it pled down to a simple speeding or failure to signal are long gone.

Thats probably good. I mean weve all been behind the wheel when we shouldnt have been.

When did you become so politically correct? Youre right, but each one of these guys, its gonna run them about ten grand by the time they pay the fine, have their driving privileges restricted for six months, pay court costs, my fee and then increased insurance rates for the next seven years. Two of these guys are married, you can just imagine the fallout on that front.

No thanks.

Hey, Jackie Van Dorn. You mentioned him yesterday, hitting on your friend Casey at her real estate closing.

Yeah, the sleazy lawyer?

Right, I got an update this morning in the hallway outside the courtroom. If he was representing the seller and when did you say this happened, a couple of years ago?

Yeah, Casey thought it was maybe twenty-eight months, almost two and a half years ago.

Well, the word I got is your pal Jackie has been exclusive for at least four or five years just handling transactions for, get this, Big Boy Enterprises.

Big Boy? You mean Tubby Gustafson?

Yup, Louie said then put his feet up on the picnic table and took a sip of coffee.

Tubby Gustafson was our very own homegrown mobster. Id run into some unpleasantness with him in the past and felt the best way to avoid any future problem was to just stay away, actually make that as far away as possible.

What Louie said made sense in an unfortunate way; Jackie handled Tubbys business, Bulldog was in Tubbys employ. Suddenly it sounded like Fast Freddy really was telling the truth the other night. If sleaze ball Jackie Van Dorn did in fact handle the closing with Casey and Dermot then there was a good chance that psychotic moron, Bulldog really had been the seller. Of course, that led to the big question, why did Bulldog want to get back into the place? Especially after almost two-and"a-half years.

it for quite some time. Anyway, the things you find out just chatting in the hallway, Louie said then sipped some more coffee.

I tuned back into the present. So does that mean Tubby or Big Boy Enterprises owned the place or was this just sleazy Jackie being a nice guy for a change and attempting to help poor old Bulldog out?

I suppose it all depends, Im having a tough time seeing Jackie helping out and being nice to anyone.

I chatted with a neighbor lady across the street yesterday. She told me the place had been rented for five or six years before Casey and Dermot bought it. That it went steadily downhill with all sorts of sleazy bulls.h.i.+t going on there day and night.

She say who owned it?

No, she didnt know. Of course it isnt a far leap to see Tubby or Bulldog getting hold of a piece of real estate and turning it into an absolute dump. This woman referred to it as the worst house on the block before Casey and Dermot bought it. Im guessing someone was running drugs or maybe women out of there. G.o.d, they were probably cooking meth in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Brings up a lot of questions about Dermots murder, Louie said.

Yeah. Theres that, and what Fat Freddy told me about Bulldog the other night, that he was just casing the place for that Neanderthal. I still cant figure out why, I said.

Just a guess, this is far fetched, maybe, but do you think they have bodies buried in there, maybe beneath the bas.e.m.e.nt floor or something.

Oh G.o.d, I hope not. Casey doesnt need something like that happening just before she puts the thing on the market.

Plus, I mean its a city code violation, Louie said.

I looked over at Louie.

Just kidding, relax. I mean it is.

I know that, Louie, but I dont think thats it. The guy is going to essentially sneak into the house and what, dig up a body or bodies plural and sneak them back out of the house? Thats nuts.

Look who were dealing with here, Dev.

There is that, but I still dont see it. Why not just knock on the door and ask to come in or pretend to be a city code inspector or something and youre just there to inspect. Its too simple not to pull something like that, the work crew isnt gonna question you coming in. The home owner isnt around during the day.

Louie shook his head. Something else is going on, Dev. G.o.d only knows what.

I think I might pay a visit to your close, personal friend, Mr. Jackie Van Dorn.

Man, hang onto your wallet and any gold you have in your teeth.

You know where his office is? I asked.

I know where it used to be, far as I know he still offices there, youll love it.

Wheres he at? I said then pulled a pen out of my desk drawer to write down the address.

Last I heard he was still above Nastys.

Youre kidding?

Actually, if hes now exclusive with Tubby it sort of makes perfect sense.