Frozen feelings part 4 Secrets
Saturday, 11:33, Dogmans house.
A phone rang two times, than stopped.
Slowly getting out of bed, Dogman yawned, and stretched himself. He sat up. Scratched his head, his whole body still felt numb.
It had been a long time ago that he had slept like a rose this way, ever since he got back from his last delivery trip yesterday, and had to go through all that fuzz with the girls. Pyra who burned herself, the black car that almost hit him. His talk to Douglas.
It all looked like a dream to him. But reality bit him in the butt. He felt something hard under his buttocks, he removed the blanket and looked, saw an empty beer bottle lying there in bed.
He looked at it, closely. It wasn't empty. There was a piece of paper rolled into it. A message in a bottle.
He took it out, rolled it open and read;
"Will contact you, 13:00"
"P.S will put my pizza in the oven!!"
Dogman looked surprised while reading the lines over and over again. The letters were written in thick red ink, and the sentences were underlined thick and red, like teachers use to do when correcting school papers.
He thought that this must be a joke, the girls pulled on him, but he did not recognise the handwriting to be Jenny's. Maybe it was Pyra's! He rolled the letter into a ball and threw it carelessly on the nightstand; not noticing it fell to the floor.
'Silly girls!' he thought. He did not know much about that new teen lingo. 'Must be a secret kind of way to make fun of someone'.
Just as he wanted to walk to the bathroom to take a leak, the phone rang.
"Hell, who might that be?" He glanced at the clock on the wall. Showing 11:45. Picking up the receiver nearly dropping it, he wasn't quite awake yet.
"Hello!" He said yawning.
"Mister Jones, is this you, hello?" A female voice spoke. There was a hissing sound on the background.
"Yes, hello, Jones here, who's this?"
The woman on the other end cleared her throat. " Mister Jones, could I meet you in half an hour at 'Mikes diner', you know, on thirty first street, come alone?" The woman said quickly, in a hurry.
"Could you first tell me your name ma'am, and what this is about, why you're calling. I just woke up and was about to take a leak!" Dogman said a bit agitated playing with the telephone cord.
"Mister Jones, it is of absolute importance that I speak to you as soon as possible, it concerns Jenny!"
"Are you from school, did she skipped class, did she not show up?" Dogman asked concerned, sat straight up on the side of the bed.
There was a pause, he heard the woman mumbling something to someone on the background.
"Hello, wha..?" Before he could end the sentence he heard her speak again.
"No, it's not that, I cannot explain it to you on the phone, please come to Mike's in half an hour, we must not waste time!" The woman said straightforward. He heard she was heavily breathing close to the receiver.
Dogman raised a hand to the sky, sighing. Eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Okay, but give me time to get dressed, I am freezing my ass off here!"
He wanted to put down the receiver but then suddenly put it back to his ear again.
"But, how will I know who you are?" He quickly asked puzzled. Afraid she had hung up already, he heard she was still on, breathing into the receiver.
"Oh, you'll know she said!" The line went dead.
"Yeah, right" Dog said to himself, already with one leg in his pants.
Meanwhile at the same moment, St James hospital.
Grissom sat up in his hospital bed, eating a bowl of soup the nurse had brought him. He ate it with fast scoops, as if he had not eaten anything in years. Slurping.
"See, you like the soup, is my own recipe!"
"Learned to make it from my grandma, she told me it's the best medicine there is!"
He saw the nurse with the angelic face approaching his bed with steady paces, in her hands she was holding a sheet of paper and a pen.
"So, blue eyes, may I call you blue eyes?" She said when she stood next to the bed, smiling. Grissom gave a nod, began to smile too, spoon halfway out of his mouth. She sat down on the bed across Grissom, looking at him, holding the pen tapping it on the paper.
"Okay, honey, there are some things I want to ask you, you do not have to answer if you don't feel like, this is just police procedure, and we want to help you".
"So what are the things you do remember, since you woke up here?" She said with a soft sweet voice. Pen ready to scribble.
Grissom suddenly put his free hand on her hand holding the pen. She startled, looked up surprised. Her eyes stared at Grissoms, he stared back and gave a smile.
"Before you write anything down", he looked at the badge she was wearing, saw her name, "Mabel" he continued, She nodded.
"Could I first ask you something?"
"Sure" she said, "Fire away!" Still surprised. "We have all the time we need!" and she put the paper aside. Grissom released her hand.
"My, name is Gil Grissom".
" I am a CSI" he paused a moment, "And I am on holiday, wanted to see my cousin here in Duchess, Carl Wallace, could I give him a call?"
The nurses eyes widened, looked at him with her mouth open, put a hand to her mouth and smothered a giggle.
"Oh my, don't I feel embarrassed now!" Her face became one big smile, she patted him on his arm. Grissom smiled back, and began finishing up his soup. Slurping. Looking down at his bowl.
"Sure, Gill, I will get you a phone!"
He teased her by not looking at her anymore, from the corners of his eyes he noticed that she quickly stood up, while waving the paper up in the air, walking out the room, turned around for a moment, smiling.
"My, O, My, told you, my soup works miracles!"
Grissom nodded. 'Thank you Mabel' he thought.
Mikes diner, almost 12:30.
Dogman walked in into Mikes, looked nervously around, seeing truckers and teens sitting at the tables chewing the daily special, sandwiches with eggs and ham. One girl looked like Jenny caught his eyes, and when she saw him staring at her winked at her girlfriend sitting across her both turned to each other they caught up in a whisper and began to giggle. Girls, Dogman thought! Silly creatures.
He walked up to the counter, Mike himself was taking up orders. When he saw Dogman he gave a look of recognition.
"Look what the cat dragged in, Dog, How's hanging?"
"Day, Mike, I am looking for a lady"
"Who isn't?" Mike replied. Gave Dog an observing look. Suddenly cracked a smile.
"I guess Willie wants to come out and play?"
He started to point the fork he was holding at Dogs crotch. Dog looked down. 'Jeez!' His fly was open! Like a child caught playing with fire, he quickly pulled the zipper up. Eyes flashing left and right. Blushing. That's why those girls were giggling!
Suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder. Still embarrassed, he turned around. He had to look down a bit, to see the little woman standing behind him, wearing a black velvet cap, NY on it. She was totally dressed in a grey suit.
When she tilted her head up to him he recognised her. It was her eyes that gave her away. Eyes he never had forgotten all those years. Stale and grey.
"Mr Jones?" She said. Straight faced. Took him by an arm, leading him to a table way back in the diner. Mike shook his head as he observed them, got back helping an impatient customer, took his order.
Around the same time.Meredith Street.Home of Douglas
"Honey, could you get me some strawberry jam at Wall Mart and maybe some onions and pickles, I am craving!"
Douglas was chewing down a peanut butter sandwich, as he heard Becca, yelling to him out of the bathroom. He had just taken a long relaxing shower, his blond hair was combed straight to the back. He wore a new white shirt and a clean pair of jeans, feeling more human again. He was still in thoughts of all that had happened the day before. He took a sip from his milk. Being back with Becca made him feel homely again but also a bit strange.
"Baby, I hear you, just let me have a bite first!" He answered, took another gulp of milk. His eyes caught a headline in the morning newspaper.
'Police renew to investigate murder of 'Johnson' children'.
Douglas began reading the whole article.
'Yesterday, the NY Police teamed up with their local crime scene investigators to start a new thorough investigation, concerning the killing of Rachel and Ruby Johnson, acclaimed children of Senate Candidate Phillip Johnson. His children had been kidnapped December 20th last year. Douglas shook his head and read the rest of the article.
'Johnson suspects his children to have fallen victims to a ruthless group of kidnappers, active at 5 or more States in the country. Johnson handed over a letter from these alleged kidnappers to local Police the kidnappers had mailed him, claiming $ 2,5 million in cash. When he dropped the money at the place directed by them, he was promised he would see his children back alive at a secret place, police will not reveal name of place. Unluckily the children were found dead, mutilated and chained to....'
Douglas could not read the rest anymore, it all was so gruesome. He began thinking about Becca and her baby. The very thought that something terrible would happen to them gave him the chills.
Suddenly he felt a warm arm embracing him from behind, the smell of roses, wet soft lips on his neck. He smiled.
"What's the matter honey, you look so sad, what are you reading there?"
Becca bowed down over his shoulder, he could feel her warm soft breasts pressing on his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed her on her cheek. She giggled.
"Terrible what happened to those little kids, how can a man do such a thing!" She sighed, snuggled her head closer to Douglas'. He pulled her on his lap. For a moment they looked at each other with a deep longing.
Douglas caressed her long blond hair, Becca was holding the newspaper and began to look at it again. She pouted her lips. Douglas began to give her a big hug.
"Sweety, I could not bare it if anything would happen to you, and the baby!"
He put his hand on her stomach. She gave him a big kiss on his lips. Then they started kissing each other on every spot imaginable. As finally their mouths touched again they lost themselves in a long passionate kiss.
"I, know honey, I know" Becca said breathing heavily.
Back at Mikes diner
The old woman sitting across him at the table at Mikes removed her cap. Hair colored like ashes appeared, combed straight backwards, tied in a ponytail.
Dogman still had a stupid and surprised look on his face. Intensely he looked more closely at the woman sitting before him, staring at him with those determined grey eyes.
"Timothy Jones, if I ever catch you bullying my grandson again, I will personally whip the living daylights out of you, you hear!" It echoed in Dogmans mind.
Suddenly she put a grin on her face, a grin that in someway did not seem in place on her pristine face. The wicked witch of the West! Man did she give them a hard time when they were kids.
Dogman blinked nervously with his eyes, swallowed. His hands folded, like a choirboy ready to make confession. The last person he expected to see was Grandma Markhamm.
She was Wolf's grandmother. As little kids, Douglas and he always played at Wolf's house. 'Before they befriended, Wolf always was their victim of mockery. Most of the time they pushed him around at school just for fun! Wolf always had been a chubby kid.
Wearing those silly glasses, which made his eyes look like little fishbowls. But the older they got, from junior high. Wolf was the one that had all the brains, and had helped them with their homework. Douglas and Dogman turned from 2 little brats into 2 little brats with self respect. The only thing he asked of them was their friendship.'
Wolf had a real lonely childhood, his mother and father died when he was nine. Victims of an unnecessary and very brutal robbery. He did not exactly tell us what job they both had, something in real estate he once had told us. His closest relatives lived on the other side of the continent, never tried to contact him or his grandma. Grandma was all he had, she was responsible for him until he had the age to tie his shoelaces by himself and pay his own rent.
Knowing Wolf better meant meeting grandma too, she always treated us as if we were grown ups. Always rules this and rules that.
She became a kind of a guru to us, but with a negative effect on us kids. Because our parents were to busy working and going out on the town, We kids were left behind into the care of grandma.
As kids we wanted to have fun, but it was no fun being around grandma.
And now grandma was sitting here before Dogman, looking at him as if he was a little kid again that skipped school.
"Are you surprised to see me Timothy?" She asked, with a soft voice. He hated it when she called him that, it made him feel small. Dogman noticed that she looked nervous and tired, but it was barely visible.
But no one had known the woman as he had in his teens, and never had he ever seen her nervous about anything during those years. She was the cool itself. Must be the age he thought.
"Surprised?" he said.
"That is the understatement of the year, no way was I expecting you here granny! Did they release you from the old peoples home, or did you get lost here, can't find your way home?" Douglas began to smile, feeling more confident. Stretched out his right hand and patted her on her shoulder as if she was demented.
WHOOSH!
"I could have expected such an answer from you, Timothy!" She said a bit louder, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. DAMN WAS SHE FAST!
Dogman almost felt as if he was pulled out of his chair. 'Jeez, this woman was strong for her age!' it flashed through his mind. Her face was just inches from his.
"Look, sonny, I did not ask you to come over here to chit chat, what I am going to tell you is a matter of live and death, a killer got Jenny and her friend, and that is no joke I am telling you, so grow up!" She spilled the words at him like a machine gun!
"Killer.got Jenny, what the hell are you talking about?" Dogman yelled confused, with puffing breath.
"Grandma, what in Lords name are you telling me, are you pulling my leg?" He yelled.
Grandma suddenly looked around and saw that people were looking up from their meals staring at the two of them, curious, question marks written on their faces. She released her grasp from Dogmans shirt, sat down and sighed.
"Please don't make a scene, Timothy, excuse me for being rude. Relax, but promise me to listen carefully!' She answered in a cool tone, nodded to people around her who got back to eating and their own conversations. She looked pleadingly at Dogman.
Dogman, relaxed, looking in wonder, stared back at grandma. He felt like a little boy again, standing on trial, ready to be punished.
"What I am going to tell you will sound somewhat complicated. But I will get straight to the point. I will try not to get into details to much, but I will be honest!" She looked at Dogman and waited until he gave her an acknowledging nod.
"Jenny and her friend are being held captured at this moment, somewhere out in the woods!" Dogman wanted to say something, but grandma hushed him by raising a hand.
"You ask yourself probably why, when, how? I guess you probably found some kind of message when you got up this morning?" she paused, saw that Dogman nodded.
'The bottle, Ommigod!' He thought! Chills began running down his spine. Bad news!
"But I do not want you to worry, we got full control over the situation, you see. With 'we' I mean the agency I am working for, I correct myself, I was working for!" We still are active, but most secretively, with no connection to the government.
"Do you remember, back in 1990, the year that your sister had that accident? Well, I do not want to upset you but that accident wasn't an accident!"
She paused again, looked at Dogman with empathy, saw that his eyes became wet. Talking about the accident always became painful for Dogman.
"Elizabeth?" Dogman mumbled he saw grandma nodding.
"Not an accident, but what.?"
Now grandma patted him on his shoulder. Dogman shook his head; put his head in his hands in disbelief. He grunted.
"That year S.U.M.A, my agency was then called, intercepted a message that a certain senator had a contract on his name. With a contract I mean; plans to assassinate him. "At first we didn't know which senator it was going to be, but a fellow agent who one of my best friends tracked down this hit man and before she died reported us his name!" Grandma sighed.
Dogman took her hands in his; both were looking down on the table between them. He felt it was going to become very ugly. For a moment they sat in silence.
"Agent Brighton, my late colleague, found out that this so-called 'Pizza man', the hit mans codename, was going to assassinate Senator Philip Johnson on September 31 in Oakland, but couldn't precisely say at what time the hit would be executed!"
"On that date Elizabeth told me she was going to visit family she hadn't seen for quite awhile, because of some family dispute!" Dogman suddenly spoke out, breathing heavily, desperately looking at grandma.
"What has Elisabeth's accident have to do with all this? She told me her family lived here in Duchess, Oakland is on the other side of the State?" Dogman began to shiver.
"Let me finish!" Grandma replied gently. She sat up more straight in her chair, clenched her hands together, and moved her head closer to Dogman. He looked at her wide-eyed.
"Did Elizabeth ever tell you more about her family? Did she give you any names of the relatives she was going to meet?" Grandma gave Dogman an intense look. Dogman shook his head desperately. Then he suddenly stood up, eyes looking shocked!
"Elizabeth told me her uncle Phil would meet her at Mary's Restaurant! She had no car to get there, and mine was at the garage for a tune up!"
"But she told me that her uncle had arranged a car for her! So, I wouldn't have to worry".
"She could pick it up at Larry's garage, just a few blocks from were her apartment was.
"Because my little sister was staying at her place, she decided that she first would drop her off by her parents, so I could pick her up later that evening".
"But she called me up one more time to tell me that she would love to take Jennifer-Marie with her because her aunt and uncle had kids too, and it would be nice for JM to meet other kids!" Dogman ranted.
Grandma began to shake her head in acknowledgement, her eyes saddened. She moved over to Dogman. Together they sat down. Dogman kept shaking his head.
"Please don't tell me this senator was Elizabeth's uncle, PLEASE DON'T!"
He almost broke out in tears! Grandma put an arm around Dogman, as she did so he really began to cry softly.
"I know the truth hurts, yes, he was her uncle and the reason that she never talked about him was because he has always been connected to infamous underground figures. Real scum of the earth!" But his part in all this is more complicated, even I don't know all the details.
"Elizabeth borrowed her uncle's car, it's his private car, and the car had been wired. "Easy for any hit man to track down".
"It was an unfortunate incident that his and your car both was at the same garage!"
"Naming Oakland was a decoy, too late we deciphered that Duchess was the real place!"
"I am sorry; I did not tell you this earlier!" Dogman was crying in her arms. Did not seem to hear anything she was saying anymore.
"But now we have to worry about Jenny and her friend, they are in great danger now!"
"Ommigod Jenny!" He suddenly reminded.
"What is his deal in kidnapping her?" He asked, granny hushed him whispered to him that she will explain.
"Tell me what the message or note said you've found!" Grandma sounded determined.
Dogman looked up at her and sniffed. Dogman told her what the note said, grandma gave a worried look. The clock in the diner showed 12:57!
"Now it becomes time that we nail that SOB, I have got some scores to settle with him!"
Grandma took Dogmans chin in her hands; He looked at her through wet eyes. Than he saw she swept her hair aside On her left temple a deep scar revealed, shaped like a triangle. That must have been made with a very sharp object!
"A present he gave me!" "Looks like a piece of pizza, doesn't it?" Grandma said.
Dogmans mouth fell wide open!
Out in the woods. a cabin. 13:00
The sun was shining brightly through a ceiling of leaves, trees stood close to each other like soldiers side by side, motionless. Awaiting orders, for a sudden attack. A soft wind was blowing, branches moved, leaves danced up in a swirl. Taking with them the smell of green dew, wet and sweet. Birds chirped.
'Thumb' A door closed to a wooden cabin startled some birds. Dressed all in black a big heavy man, black hair tied in a ponytail, strode to his car.
Saturday, 11:33, Dogmans house.
A phone rang two times, than stopped.
Slowly getting out of bed, Dogman yawned, and stretched himself. He sat up. Scratched his head, his whole body still felt numb.
It had been a long time ago that he had slept like a rose this way, ever since he got back from his last delivery trip yesterday, and had to go through all that fuzz with the girls. Pyra who burned herself, the black car that almost hit him. His talk to Douglas.
It all looked like a dream to him. But reality bit him in the butt. He felt something hard under his buttocks, he removed the blanket and looked, saw an empty beer bottle lying there in bed.
He looked at it, closely. It wasn't empty. There was a piece of paper rolled into it. A message in a bottle.
He took it out, rolled it open and read;
"Will contact you, 13:00"
"P.S will put my pizza in the oven!!"
Dogman looked surprised while reading the lines over and over again. The letters were written in thick red ink, and the sentences were underlined thick and red, like teachers use to do when correcting school papers.
He thought that this must be a joke, the girls pulled on him, but he did not recognise the handwriting to be Jenny's. Maybe it was Pyra's! He rolled the letter into a ball and threw it carelessly on the nightstand; not noticing it fell to the floor.
'Silly girls!' he thought. He did not know much about that new teen lingo. 'Must be a secret kind of way to make fun of someone'.
Just as he wanted to walk to the bathroom to take a leak, the phone rang.
"Hell, who might that be?" He glanced at the clock on the wall. Showing 11:45. Picking up the receiver nearly dropping it, he wasn't quite awake yet.
"Hello!" He said yawning.
"Mister Jones, is this you, hello?" A female voice spoke. There was a hissing sound on the background.
"Yes, hello, Jones here, who's this?"
The woman on the other end cleared her throat. " Mister Jones, could I meet you in half an hour at 'Mikes diner', you know, on thirty first street, come alone?" The woman said quickly, in a hurry.
"Could you first tell me your name ma'am, and what this is about, why you're calling. I just woke up and was about to take a leak!" Dogman said a bit agitated playing with the telephone cord.
"Mister Jones, it is of absolute importance that I speak to you as soon as possible, it concerns Jenny!"
"Are you from school, did she skipped class, did she not show up?" Dogman asked concerned, sat straight up on the side of the bed.
There was a pause, he heard the woman mumbling something to someone on the background.
"Hello, wha..?" Before he could end the sentence he heard her speak again.
"No, it's not that, I cannot explain it to you on the phone, please come to Mike's in half an hour, we must not waste time!" The woman said straightforward. He heard she was heavily breathing close to the receiver.
Dogman raised a hand to the sky, sighing. Eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Okay, but give me time to get dressed, I am freezing my ass off here!"
He wanted to put down the receiver but then suddenly put it back to his ear again.
"But, how will I know who you are?" He quickly asked puzzled. Afraid she had hung up already, he heard she was still on, breathing into the receiver.
"Oh, you'll know she said!" The line went dead.
"Yeah, right" Dog said to himself, already with one leg in his pants.
Meanwhile at the same moment, St James hospital.
Grissom sat up in his hospital bed, eating a bowl of soup the nurse had brought him. He ate it with fast scoops, as if he had not eaten anything in years. Slurping.
"See, you like the soup, is my own recipe!"
"Learned to make it from my grandma, she told me it's the best medicine there is!"
He saw the nurse with the angelic face approaching his bed with steady paces, in her hands she was holding a sheet of paper and a pen.
"So, blue eyes, may I call you blue eyes?" She said when she stood next to the bed, smiling. Grissom gave a nod, began to smile too, spoon halfway out of his mouth. She sat down on the bed across Grissom, looking at him, holding the pen tapping it on the paper.
"Okay, honey, there are some things I want to ask you, you do not have to answer if you don't feel like, this is just police procedure, and we want to help you".
"So what are the things you do remember, since you woke up here?" She said with a soft sweet voice. Pen ready to scribble.
Grissom suddenly put his free hand on her hand holding the pen. She startled, looked up surprised. Her eyes stared at Grissoms, he stared back and gave a smile.
"Before you write anything down", he looked at the badge she was wearing, saw her name, "Mabel" he continued, She nodded.
"Could I first ask you something?"
"Sure" she said, "Fire away!" Still surprised. "We have all the time we need!" and she put the paper aside. Grissom released her hand.
"My, name is Gil Grissom".
" I am a CSI" he paused a moment, "And I am on holiday, wanted to see my cousin here in Duchess, Carl Wallace, could I give him a call?"
The nurses eyes widened, looked at him with her mouth open, put a hand to her mouth and smothered a giggle.
"Oh my, don't I feel embarrassed now!" Her face became one big smile, she patted him on his arm. Grissom smiled back, and began finishing up his soup. Slurping. Looking down at his bowl.
"Sure, Gill, I will get you a phone!"
He teased her by not looking at her anymore, from the corners of his eyes he noticed that she quickly stood up, while waving the paper up in the air, walking out the room, turned around for a moment, smiling.
"My, O, My, told you, my soup works miracles!"
Grissom nodded. 'Thank you Mabel' he thought.
Mikes diner, almost 12:30.
Dogman walked in into Mikes, looked nervously around, seeing truckers and teens sitting at the tables chewing the daily special, sandwiches with eggs and ham. One girl looked like Jenny caught his eyes, and when she saw him staring at her winked at her girlfriend sitting across her both turned to each other they caught up in a whisper and began to giggle. Girls, Dogman thought! Silly creatures.
He walked up to the counter, Mike himself was taking up orders. When he saw Dogman he gave a look of recognition.
"Look what the cat dragged in, Dog, How's hanging?"
"Day, Mike, I am looking for a lady"
"Who isn't?" Mike replied. Gave Dog an observing look. Suddenly cracked a smile.
"I guess Willie wants to come out and play?"
He started to point the fork he was holding at Dogs crotch. Dog looked down. 'Jeez!' His fly was open! Like a child caught playing with fire, he quickly pulled the zipper up. Eyes flashing left and right. Blushing. That's why those girls were giggling!
Suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder. Still embarrassed, he turned around. He had to look down a bit, to see the little woman standing behind him, wearing a black velvet cap, NY on it. She was totally dressed in a grey suit.
When she tilted her head up to him he recognised her. It was her eyes that gave her away. Eyes he never had forgotten all those years. Stale and grey.
"Mr Jones?" She said. Straight faced. Took him by an arm, leading him to a table way back in the diner. Mike shook his head as he observed them, got back helping an impatient customer, took his order.
Around the same time.Meredith Street.Home of Douglas
"Honey, could you get me some strawberry jam at Wall Mart and maybe some onions and pickles, I am craving!"
Douglas was chewing down a peanut butter sandwich, as he heard Becca, yelling to him out of the bathroom. He had just taken a long relaxing shower, his blond hair was combed straight to the back. He wore a new white shirt and a clean pair of jeans, feeling more human again. He was still in thoughts of all that had happened the day before. He took a sip from his milk. Being back with Becca made him feel homely again but also a bit strange.
"Baby, I hear you, just let me have a bite first!" He answered, took another gulp of milk. His eyes caught a headline in the morning newspaper.
'Police renew to investigate murder of 'Johnson' children'.
Douglas began reading the whole article.
'Yesterday, the NY Police teamed up with their local crime scene investigators to start a new thorough investigation, concerning the killing of Rachel and Ruby Johnson, acclaimed children of Senate Candidate Phillip Johnson. His children had been kidnapped December 20th last year. Douglas shook his head and read the rest of the article.
'Johnson suspects his children to have fallen victims to a ruthless group of kidnappers, active at 5 or more States in the country. Johnson handed over a letter from these alleged kidnappers to local Police the kidnappers had mailed him, claiming $ 2,5 million in cash. When he dropped the money at the place directed by them, he was promised he would see his children back alive at a secret place, police will not reveal name of place. Unluckily the children were found dead, mutilated and chained to....'
Douglas could not read the rest anymore, it all was so gruesome. He began thinking about Becca and her baby. The very thought that something terrible would happen to them gave him the chills.
Suddenly he felt a warm arm embracing him from behind, the smell of roses, wet soft lips on his neck. He smiled.
"What's the matter honey, you look so sad, what are you reading there?"
Becca bowed down over his shoulder, he could feel her warm soft breasts pressing on his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed her on her cheek. She giggled.
"Terrible what happened to those little kids, how can a man do such a thing!" She sighed, snuggled her head closer to Douglas'. He pulled her on his lap. For a moment they looked at each other with a deep longing.
Douglas caressed her long blond hair, Becca was holding the newspaper and began to look at it again. She pouted her lips. Douglas began to give her a big hug.
"Sweety, I could not bare it if anything would happen to you, and the baby!"
He put his hand on her stomach. She gave him a big kiss on his lips. Then they started kissing each other on every spot imaginable. As finally their mouths touched again they lost themselves in a long passionate kiss.
"I, know honey, I know" Becca said breathing heavily.
Back at Mikes diner
The old woman sitting across him at the table at Mikes removed her cap. Hair colored like ashes appeared, combed straight backwards, tied in a ponytail.
Dogman still had a stupid and surprised look on his face. Intensely he looked more closely at the woman sitting before him, staring at him with those determined grey eyes.
"Timothy Jones, if I ever catch you bullying my grandson again, I will personally whip the living daylights out of you, you hear!" It echoed in Dogmans mind.
Suddenly she put a grin on her face, a grin that in someway did not seem in place on her pristine face. The wicked witch of the West! Man did she give them a hard time when they were kids.
Dogman blinked nervously with his eyes, swallowed. His hands folded, like a choirboy ready to make confession. The last person he expected to see was Grandma Markhamm.
She was Wolf's grandmother. As little kids, Douglas and he always played at Wolf's house. 'Before they befriended, Wolf always was their victim of mockery. Most of the time they pushed him around at school just for fun! Wolf always had been a chubby kid.
Wearing those silly glasses, which made his eyes look like little fishbowls. But the older they got, from junior high. Wolf was the one that had all the brains, and had helped them with their homework. Douglas and Dogman turned from 2 little brats into 2 little brats with self respect. The only thing he asked of them was their friendship.'
Wolf had a real lonely childhood, his mother and father died when he was nine. Victims of an unnecessary and very brutal robbery. He did not exactly tell us what job they both had, something in real estate he once had told us. His closest relatives lived on the other side of the continent, never tried to contact him or his grandma. Grandma was all he had, she was responsible for him until he had the age to tie his shoelaces by himself and pay his own rent.
Knowing Wolf better meant meeting grandma too, she always treated us as if we were grown ups. Always rules this and rules that.
She became a kind of a guru to us, but with a negative effect on us kids. Because our parents were to busy working and going out on the town, We kids were left behind into the care of grandma.
As kids we wanted to have fun, but it was no fun being around grandma.
And now grandma was sitting here before Dogman, looking at him as if he was a little kid again that skipped school.
"Are you surprised to see me Timothy?" She asked, with a soft voice. He hated it when she called him that, it made him feel small. Dogman noticed that she looked nervous and tired, but it was barely visible.
But no one had known the woman as he had in his teens, and never had he ever seen her nervous about anything during those years. She was the cool itself. Must be the age he thought.
"Surprised?" he said.
"That is the understatement of the year, no way was I expecting you here granny! Did they release you from the old peoples home, or did you get lost here, can't find your way home?" Douglas began to smile, feeling more confident. Stretched out his right hand and patted her on her shoulder as if she was demented.
WHOOSH!
"I could have expected such an answer from you, Timothy!" She said a bit louder, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. DAMN WAS SHE FAST!
Dogman almost felt as if he was pulled out of his chair. 'Jeez, this woman was strong for her age!' it flashed through his mind. Her face was just inches from his.
"Look, sonny, I did not ask you to come over here to chit chat, what I am going to tell you is a matter of live and death, a killer got Jenny and her friend, and that is no joke I am telling you, so grow up!" She spilled the words at him like a machine gun!
"Killer.got Jenny, what the hell are you talking about?" Dogman yelled confused, with puffing breath.
"Grandma, what in Lords name are you telling me, are you pulling my leg?" He yelled.
Grandma suddenly looked around and saw that people were looking up from their meals staring at the two of them, curious, question marks written on their faces. She released her grasp from Dogmans shirt, sat down and sighed.
"Please don't make a scene, Timothy, excuse me for being rude. Relax, but promise me to listen carefully!' She answered in a cool tone, nodded to people around her who got back to eating and their own conversations. She looked pleadingly at Dogman.
Dogman, relaxed, looking in wonder, stared back at grandma. He felt like a little boy again, standing on trial, ready to be punished.
"What I am going to tell you will sound somewhat complicated. But I will get straight to the point. I will try not to get into details to much, but I will be honest!" She looked at Dogman and waited until he gave her an acknowledging nod.
"Jenny and her friend are being held captured at this moment, somewhere out in the woods!" Dogman wanted to say something, but grandma hushed him by raising a hand.
"You ask yourself probably why, when, how? I guess you probably found some kind of message when you got up this morning?" she paused, saw that Dogman nodded.
'The bottle, Ommigod!' He thought! Chills began running down his spine. Bad news!
"But I do not want you to worry, we got full control over the situation, you see. With 'we' I mean the agency I am working for, I correct myself, I was working for!" We still are active, but most secretively, with no connection to the government.
"Do you remember, back in 1990, the year that your sister had that accident? Well, I do not want to upset you but that accident wasn't an accident!"
She paused again, looked at Dogman with empathy, saw that his eyes became wet. Talking about the accident always became painful for Dogman.
"Elizabeth?" Dogman mumbled he saw grandma nodding.
"Not an accident, but what.?"
Now grandma patted him on his shoulder. Dogman shook his head; put his head in his hands in disbelief. He grunted.
"That year S.U.M.A, my agency was then called, intercepted a message that a certain senator had a contract on his name. With a contract I mean; plans to assassinate him. "At first we didn't know which senator it was going to be, but a fellow agent who one of my best friends tracked down this hit man and before she died reported us his name!" Grandma sighed.
Dogman took her hands in his; both were looking down on the table between them. He felt it was going to become very ugly. For a moment they sat in silence.
"Agent Brighton, my late colleague, found out that this so-called 'Pizza man', the hit mans codename, was going to assassinate Senator Philip Johnson on September 31 in Oakland, but couldn't precisely say at what time the hit would be executed!"
"On that date Elizabeth told me she was going to visit family she hadn't seen for quite awhile, because of some family dispute!" Dogman suddenly spoke out, breathing heavily, desperately looking at grandma.
"What has Elisabeth's accident have to do with all this? She told me her family lived here in Duchess, Oakland is on the other side of the State?" Dogman began to shiver.
"Let me finish!" Grandma replied gently. She sat up more straight in her chair, clenched her hands together, and moved her head closer to Dogman. He looked at her wide-eyed.
"Did Elizabeth ever tell you more about her family? Did she give you any names of the relatives she was going to meet?" Grandma gave Dogman an intense look. Dogman shook his head desperately. Then he suddenly stood up, eyes looking shocked!
"Elizabeth told me her uncle Phil would meet her at Mary's Restaurant! She had no car to get there, and mine was at the garage for a tune up!"
"But she told me that her uncle had arranged a car for her! So, I wouldn't have to worry".
"She could pick it up at Larry's garage, just a few blocks from were her apartment was.
"Because my little sister was staying at her place, she decided that she first would drop her off by her parents, so I could pick her up later that evening".
"But she called me up one more time to tell me that she would love to take Jennifer-Marie with her because her aunt and uncle had kids too, and it would be nice for JM to meet other kids!" Dogman ranted.
Grandma began to shake her head in acknowledgement, her eyes saddened. She moved over to Dogman. Together they sat down. Dogman kept shaking his head.
"Please don't tell me this senator was Elizabeth's uncle, PLEASE DON'T!"
He almost broke out in tears! Grandma put an arm around Dogman, as she did so he really began to cry softly.
"I know the truth hurts, yes, he was her uncle and the reason that she never talked about him was because he has always been connected to infamous underground figures. Real scum of the earth!" But his part in all this is more complicated, even I don't know all the details.
"Elizabeth borrowed her uncle's car, it's his private car, and the car had been wired. "Easy for any hit man to track down".
"It was an unfortunate incident that his and your car both was at the same garage!"
"Naming Oakland was a decoy, too late we deciphered that Duchess was the real place!"
"I am sorry; I did not tell you this earlier!" Dogman was crying in her arms. Did not seem to hear anything she was saying anymore.
"But now we have to worry about Jenny and her friend, they are in great danger now!"
"Ommigod Jenny!" He suddenly reminded.
"What is his deal in kidnapping her?" He asked, granny hushed him whispered to him that she will explain.
"Tell me what the message or note said you've found!" Grandma sounded determined.
Dogman looked up at her and sniffed. Dogman told her what the note said, grandma gave a worried look. The clock in the diner showed 12:57!
"Now it becomes time that we nail that SOB, I have got some scores to settle with him!"
Grandma took Dogmans chin in her hands; He looked at her through wet eyes. Than he saw she swept her hair aside On her left temple a deep scar revealed, shaped like a triangle. That must have been made with a very sharp object!
"A present he gave me!" "Looks like a piece of pizza, doesn't it?" Grandma said.
Dogmans mouth fell wide open!
Out in the woods. a cabin. 13:00
The sun was shining brightly through a ceiling of leaves, trees stood close to each other like soldiers side by side, motionless. Awaiting orders, for a sudden attack. A soft wind was blowing, branches moved, leaves danced up in a swirl. Taking with them the smell of green dew, wet and sweet. Birds chirped.
'Thumb' A door closed to a wooden cabin startled some birds. Dressed all in black a big heavy man, black hair tied in a ponytail, strode to his car.