by J. J. Franck
Jake stared at Kirt for the longest time. “This is getting complicated,” he said but then didn’t offer any more of an explanation for that remark.
Kirt turned and wanted to walk away, but then stopped. He turned back and stared at Jake. “I talked to Elliott. If you tell IA all that you know they’ll go easy on you,” he said. But Kirt knew his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Five to ten instead of life?” Jake said as he laughed mockingly.
“He didn’t go into it,” Kirt said and then paused a moment as if thinking about something and then quickly added. “It could be worse.”
Without knowing what it was all about, Kirt knew it was useless to argue with Jake. If truth be known, Kirt suspected that what ever it was that Jake was involved in was far worse than either he or his father had suspected.
“I won’t take a deal. IA doesn't have any proof.”
“You are still not going to tell me what it’s all about?”
Jake just shook his head. “The less you know, the better off you will be.”
People on the street were hurrying past them irritated that they had to walk around the two while they argued. Kirt pointed the finger at Jake finally. It always angered Kirt how quickly Jake could turn anything he got caught doing, around to make it look like he was the victim. If he had been made accountable for his actions earlier on, then maybe he wouldn’t have had this persona of being infallible. It was Jake's callous attitude that finally did him in.
“Are you on the take?” Kirt asked point blank. He wanted to hear it from Jake first hand. Kirt was tired of all the innuendos around the precinct that because Jake was suspected of being on the take that Kirt somehow was also involved in illegal activities.
As much as Kirt wanted to believe that his brother would not take a bribe, Kirt had to hear it for himself.
“I will admit nothing! And they can’t prove otherwise.”
Kirt shook his head in disbelief. Even after all these years Jake still didn’t want to take responsibility for the things he had done. Always feeling that in time if he continued to deny involvement, that whatever was going down would somehow go away. In most cases it did. Kirt knew it would only be a matter of time before Jake would get involved in something that even their father couldn’t fix. Neither Jake nor his father would talk about the latest trouble Jake was involved in, so Kirt felt it must be bad this time. There had only been the rumors that he overheard one day in the locker room about Jake being on the take. Once the officers who were talking realized Kirt was in earshot of what was being said, they piped up and quickly disbanded.
“What are you into anyway?” Kirt asked finally. He wanted so desperately to believe in his brother, but unless he was up front with him, Kirt’s hands were tied as far as helping him in any way.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me,” Kirt snapped.
After a long silence, Kirt was tired of all the lies that Jake was telling and quickly turned and started walking away. He just shook his head in disgust.
“You’re just going to turn your back on me?”
It puzzled Kirt and angered him that Jake could be so unscrupulous. It was in his denial that made Kirt believe that whatever they had on Jake, would stick this time. Kirk kept walking. He didn’t have it in him to argue any longer. He had to just distance himself in all that Jake was involved in so he didn’t get caught up in it too.
Jake just waved his arm and glared a Kirt walking away from him. “Everything was always black and white for you,” he yelled and then paused for a moment before continuing. “There were no gray areas, were there?”
Kirt did not say anything and just kept walking. He didn’t want to argue anymore with his brother. Nothing Kirt did would change the outcome of the IA investigation. And the less he knew about what the actual problem was, the better off he was. After their exchange, Kirt was sure the charges waged against Jake were true. It was in the way Jake attacked him. He had known Jake long enough to know when he was backed into a corner how his reaction was when he was indeed guilty.
CHAPTER 8
Kirt was technically on his day off, yet he couldn’t put the drugs being sold at the Bobst Library out of his head or for that matter the woman he met there. It bothered him how brazen the drug dealers were becoming and wondered why they felt infallible with selling the drugs so openly. As much as he had been immersed in his work lately, Kirt found it difficult not to think about the librarian he met yesterday. He had never really let himself get sidetracked from his undercover duties and purposely avoided relationships because of the hazards of his job. Plus the fact most of the men he worked with were either divorced or in the process of one, which put credence to the fact undercover work was not conducive to a happy home life.
As much as he tried Kirt couldn’t stop thinking about Avery. He was certain she wasn’t involved in any of the illegal activities at the library. It would not go down well if the Captain ever found out that he made contact with the librarian, but he didn’t care at this point. He was drawn to this woman like no other woman before.
That morning Kirt staked out McDougal Alley in the hopes of seeing Avery again. He looked forward to spending some time with her before work. Kirk laughed to himself thinking about the lie he told her about still being on duty that day and staking out the park when actually he was waiting out in the park in hopes of catching a glimpse of her later. It had been a long while since having this feeling about another human being. This time he planned to handle it differently. It was about time he settled down and started thinking about his own life and not trying to make the world a better place because no matter how hard he tried, there would always be bad guys out there selling their wares for the all mighty fast buck.
Kirt didn’t know why he couldn’t stop thinking about Avery. All he knew was that there was something sad about her and he planned to find out the reason behind her distressing persona. Kirt had been around enough people to know the migraines Avery claimed to be having weren’t the usual variety. Plus what he read in the report last evening where it was said one of the workers at the library had a fainting spell. He suspected it was Avery the officer was talking about. Kirt was determined to find out more about Avery.
He watched the students all morning and when lunchtime came and went. Kirt was sure he hadn’t missed Avery and figured she stayed in for lunch. He knew that there were a few deliveries from a local deli around noon. It was almost one when Kirt decided to give up his watch. Kirt couldn’t help but notice the space cadet from yesterday as he walked out of the library entrance. Kirt just watched Nathaniel as he walked across the street to the park. He looked lost, as he tended to walk in circles until finally he walked over to a blanket on the lawn and just sat down lotus style and started humming with his arms outstretched.
As Kirt walked across the street to where Nathaniel was sitting, he heard the Chinese meditation music filtering through the noise from the hard rock and rap music that played loudly throughout the park. Kirt was curious about how Nathaniel could meditate with all the noise around him. He was mesmerized by Nathaniel and just watched him for nearly an hour before giving up on the tedious job. He knew Nathaniel was not involved in drugs he had been staking out. And found himself intrigued by what Avery had shared with him that this person was just a simple-minded genius. It was hard for him to look beyond the image before him.
Kirt quickly left Nathaniel and the park and went home for the afternoon. There would be time later to meet up with Avery, as she would be working until late for sure. With staking out the library, he pretty much had Avery’s schedule down pat. He knew that today she was on the late shift and wouldn’t be leaving work until eight that evening if not later.
* * *
It had been a long day for Avery, and a lot of that had to do with how she felt. Given how energized she was that morning, Avery took advantage of her renewed drive knowing full well that tomorrow she may feasibly have a setback. At least she felt better about being able t
o put in a full productive days work and took full advantage of how good it was to feel normal again. Avery worked through a few of her breaks to make up for what she hadn’t gotten done the day before. She had always been conscientious about her job. In life, her job was the only thing left she had.
She never wanted to take advantage of the opportunities given her in the past. Avery had been thankful that the university allowed her to intern at the library, which gave her a chance at the full-time job, once it opened her senior year in college. Given her current health situation, she did not want that affecting the job she did. Avery knew that it wasn’t going to be much longer and Avery would not be able to put in the ten-hour days or quite possibly comprehend some of the tedious tasks that were asked of her. But for now, she gave her all and then some.
Avery didn’t like that at times recently she was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on tasks she could perform without much thought months earlier. Now she was finding the confidence she once had wavering. Avery found herself doing tasks twice to make sure they were done right the first time. So far neither Mona nor her fellow employees had caught onto what she was doing, but Avery knew shortly it would be evident that something was amiss. The library had been short staffed for the past two months now with two employees leaving without much notice. If things kept up, there would be no way she would be able to continue to hide her condition because she didn’t have the stamina to keep up the pace much longer. Ten-hour days were taking a toll on her weakened state.
Glancing at the clock, Avery was thankful her day was finally coming to an end. The library had been closed for nearly an hour already, but that didn’t mean her job was done. Generally, her work continued at least an hour or two past closing to shelf books that had been deposited that evening. Everything had to be in order before the next day's operation started. Tomorrow she didn’t have to be at the library until later in the morning, so she planned to take it easy for the rest of the evening. Avery planned on stopping at one of the delis on the way home for a quick bite to eat. Given how she felt, Avery decided to treat herself with something of substance that evening. Recently, anytime she thought about the food she once enjoyed, all it did was made her sick. But not tonight, all she could think about was the foods she once enjoyed, and she had every intention of indulging in a delectable feast.
As Avery walked out of the library entrance, the cool night air felt good on her face. She especially enjoyed the dampness of the air after the rain that fell earlier in the day. Basically, Avery had an event free day, which made her feel like she could take on the world. She glanced across the street at the park that was shrouded in darkness now. She almost opted to walk the sidewalk around the park, but she was tired and was anxious to get something to eat and go home to her apartment. Avery planned to spend the rest of her day listening to music or possibly read a little. It had been a while since she had been able to really enjoy reading anything, as usual, the migraine would start once she concentrated on the material.
Slowly Avery crossed the street and started down the path that would cut fifteen minutes off her journey home. Although the park seemed especially dark given the moon was hidden by clouds overhead, the streetlights surrounding the area gave her enough light to guide her way. There was an eerie glow around the lampposts that lined the park from the misty fog that hung low in the air. It gave an almost surreal look to her surroundings.
A slight breeze kicked up suddenly sending leaves swirling around Avery’s feet. With every step she took, the sloshing of damp leaves under feet made hearing anything around her impossible. In the distance, the sound of hard rock played. She may have felt alone, but Avery knew there were people somewhere in the distance. She tightened her sweater around her as she walked up the path leading to the fountain in the center of the park.
Usually, she enjoyed the park, but at night it kind of gave her the creeps. A lot of that had to do with her father and the many horror stories he would tell her about women being alone in city parks, in the hopes she would avoid them given where she lived. Avery regretted listening to him now because every time she was in a situation like this, she couldn’t stop thinking about those stories.
All Avery could do was walk with confidence, and keep a watchful eye out for anything that appeared out of place. She remembered an orientation the library sponsored years ago just after she was hired at the library. There had been a series of vicious attacks in a few of the parks in the city. An officer came to the library and talked to the female students at the university. Avery had to set up the conference room and stayed for the lecture and listened intently. What really stuck was how he told everyone not to walk like a victim, that if you asserted yourself while you walked, you were less likely to be assaulted. This to her didn’t make sense. But as yet she had never been assaulted the many times she walked through the park at night. So Avery tried pulling her shoulders back and held her head high and hurrying along the best she could without thinking the worse that could happen.
As she neared the fountain, the flickering of light reflecting off the ripples of water was like twinkling little stars being reflected in the night. It was then Avery heard the moaning of someone in pain. It was coming from the other side of the fountain. She stopped and listened for a few moments and then she heard it again. Slowly Avery walked up to the fountain and then edged closer in the direction that the sounds were coming from. This was a definite no-no given what the officer had told the crowd years ago. But Avery feared someone was hurt and needed her help.
Once she got to the other side of the fountain, she saw in the shadows of a body on the ground. Avery threw caution to the wind and rushed over. It may have been dark, but she still could make out who it was. And all she could do was hurry over to where Kirt laid.
Kirt tried to get up without much success. All he did was manage to lean up against the edge of the fountain with the help of Avery. The music suddenly got louder. Avery quickly turned fearing the worse, yet how could she possibly defend herself. And then she breathed a sigh of relief when it was just a couple walking up the path. As they got closer, Avery quickly waved her hand to get their attention.
“Call 911 an officer is down,” she yelled as she pointed to them.
Avery turned back to Kirt, tears streamed down her cheeks as she pressed her hand on the wound on his abdomen that seeped blood with every heartbeat.
It didn’t take long as the boy quickly took out his cell phone and punched in the numbers. Once the call was made all they could do was just stand and watch Avery and Kirk while watching for the help that was hopefully on its way. But given what they saw in front of them, they feared it would not be in time to save the man lying on the ground.
Avery for some unknown reason felt Kirt’s pain, and it was intense. She had never felt a pain that was so piercing and acute. It was far worse than what she had been enduring with her disease.
Avery didn’t know what to say or what more she could do to comfort Kirt. It wasn’t in her to give him false hope because she knew the amount of blood he was losing was not good and if help didn’t get there soon, she expected the worse. As much as she wanted to wipe away her tears, she couldn’t release the pressure on his wound.
Kirt’s breathing was becoming shallower. His hand shook as he grabbed hold of Avery’s hand for comfort. There was so much he wanted to tell Avery but couldn’t at the moment. She had been in his thoughts the better part of the last few weems now, but he hadn’t had the nerve to approach her until yesterday.
Even in the darkness, Avery could see the puddle building under Kirt.
“Don’t leave me,” was all Kirt whispered with pleading in his eyes.
Kirt didn’t want to die alone, not like this. As much as it hurt, once Avery was at his side he felt peace. All the pressure she applied to the wound couldn’t make the bleeding stop and the feel of her hand holding his as it squeezed tightly more out of fear than anything else was in the end, reassuring. Kirt struggled to bre
athe and stay conscious.
From out of nowhere, Nathaniel appeared which puzzled Avery. He walked over to where she was kneeling next to Kirt. He slowly bent down and handed Avery a cloth he had in his backpack. She quickly took it and applied it to the wound but just watch it soak up fast. And then slowly Nathaniel leaned closer to Avery while touching Kirt on the forehead.
“Gemini was waiting and eliminated his twin,” Nathaniel said. When he looked at Kirt, a tear rolled down his cheek.
Avery could tell that Nathaniel was apparently upset by the blood soaked shirt and feared he may possibly have an episode. Given what she was dealing with in comforting Kirt, she really didn’t need Nathaniel going off the deep end. Avery remembered when Nathaniel had his breakdown their senior year when their study group got together. It was not pretty, and she didn’t need to deal with that just then.
Kirt turned to Avery and whispered. “I’m getting cold.”
Avery panicked not knowing what more to do for Kirt or what to do with Nathaniel, who was just in the way at that moment. Finally, she turned to Nathaniel. “Go to the library and get help,” Avery pleaded. Even though she knew the library was closed for the night, and help was probably already on the way. Getting Nathaniel to leave was the only thing Avery could think of to give Kirt some peace. She only hoped it would keep Nathaniel busy until the ambulance got there.
Nathaniel, in a zombie like trance, just got up and walked off in the opposite direction of the library. Avery just shook her head, there was nothing she could do and going after Nathaniel to make sure he was okay was out of the question. Kirt needed her more so Avery turned her attention back to him leaning up against the fountain. She touched the side of his cheek with the back of her hand.
Kirt's eyes shut for a moment savoring the feel of her touch, and then he opened them again and just stared up at Avery. There was just so much he wanted to say to her but now was not the time. He tried to get up but then collapsed back down. Avery knew that if the ambulance didn’t get there soon, that Kirt would bleed out.
