Parker said goodbye and took the stairs down to the parking garage, where he got into his Camaro and was scared half to death by Napoleon, who was in the back seat.
Parker shook his head. “Dude. How are you back already? I mean, you looked like a hot mess after everything.”
I still am. It’s gonna take a while to heal up.
“Yeah. I know,” Parker said with a nod. “Thanks. I never woulda made it—”
Nor I, without you. So keep your thanks to yourself. We’re a team.
Parker leaned back, sighed, and began to drive home.
I know what you’re thinking. That was a lot, right?
“Yeah. A traditional case? We’d break it down afterward. So?”
Napoleon sighed and looked out the passenger window at a pair of uniformed officers that were walking by. Few demons haunt a man more than the embodiment of his past, still given life and breath by his inability to let it go.
“Don’t I know it.”
Yes, you do. And it was no different for Alex Roland when he lost his wife. Devastated, he became addicted and went from playing around with the occult to trafficking in it.
“Ironic.”
No. Destiny. Don’t miss the obvious by trying to cover it with irony. The similarities between Roland and Chalk Man’s stories, across two lives that were separated by centuries, is uncanny. At some point? Roland turned to evil to try and get to the woman he loved. Just like Chalk Man. The enemy knows every crack and crevice, every fault line waiting to give way in a person. The terrain in Roland’s head shifted for the last time, giving way to an earthquake. Both Chalk Man and Roland tried to take what they wanted, when they wanted it, and how they wanted it. Willful sin, given life.
“Man. And look at the collateral damage of all this.”
Yep.
“What about Joey?”
In the midst of sin, the good is worked out in all things. Joey’s a good example of that. The guilt he felt for scaring Charlie into going down that alley, combined with the fear he’s felt as a target of the darkness? The bully has learned, early enough in life, how not to be one anymore.
“And Ava?” Parker said with a smile.
She will be healed. As promised.
“Really?”
Yes. When the time is right.
“What does that mean?”
When she gets home, away from the hospital staff and away from too many witnesses, it’ll happen. Her mother is coming into town on a flight from Chicago. That’s where I was just now, actually.
“Where? On the plane?”
Yes. Ministering to her mother’s worries. She knows God, so getting her to pray for her daughter’s healing was not hard. Getting her to pray for a miracle? Nap said with a bob of his head. Now that was a little harder. But she did.
“Soooo . . .”
So, when she and Ava get one? They’ll be more apt to stay quiet about it. Out of reverence. Out of faith. The follow-up doctor’s visits just won’t happen because they won’t be needed. Life will go on.
Parker sighed. “That’s really good to know. Thanks, man.”
Napoleon’s voice went soft. Not a problem. So, now what?
“I’m going home for a hot shower and a quick bite. Then, even though I feel like I could sleep for three days straight? I’m off to Efren’s ballgame.”
Good. I’m going too.
“I figured.”
But that’s not entirely what I was asking about. You know that.
“Yeah, I know. Right now, I’m just thinking about the job. This thing we have. It seems to work. You working your side of the street . . .”
And you working yours, Napoleon said. Fair enough. And I agree.
“I did have one more thing to ask you for, though.”
Napoleon looked skyward and shook his head. This guy. Unbelievable. Okay, let’s hear it. What do you want?
“Are you sure you can’t pop up in Lieutenant Sparks’ closet, just one time, for me, and scare the living crap out of her?”
No, Parker.
“C’mon man. I’ll go to church one Sunday if you do. Fair trade?”
No.
“Seriously? Okay. Fine. Two Sundays. Deal? C’mon.”
Napoleon shook his head and sighed heavily. Honestly, Parker, you are incorrigible.
They laughed together as Parker drove down San Pedro Street, past some kids kicking a soccer ball back and forth on a patch of grass behind an abandoned building that someone was now trying to turn into a Peruvian-Thai fusion restaurant.
Parker looked at the restaurant. “Man. Something new is being added to East LA every day.”
“Yeah,” Napoleon said, sounding a little sad as he looked at the kids. “But it’s losing something every day, too.”
Epilogue
It was about two months later, the sun having risen with no clouds to protest the effort, when Parker drove with Trudy to pick up Ava Thomas and take her to meet a friend who had a summer internship job lined up for her.
Life was funny, and the job was the job. He’d tried to keep the two separate and let the memory of Ava go, but he just couldn’t. There was just something about her in her youthfulness. Something present and yet something missing. She was one of those people in your life that you met and hoped that you’d never have to say goodbye to.
“Okay, copper, where we headed?” Ava said excitedly, after hopping into the back seat. The box braids were gone now, leaving her long black hair to fall loosely down her back.
She was dressed semi-professionally in slacks, a blouse and heels that were way too high. Parker was going to say something, but he pulled himself up short. Part of life was in the learning and he was sure that her new boss would probably be more adept at teaching her about such things. By the look on her face, Trudy must’ve thought the same thing.
Ava smiled at Parker from the back seat. “No answer?”
“My name is not ‘copper.’ It’s Evan.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Evan? Really? Bro. I can’t. I mean, I’m so embarrassed for you. That’s, like, a Quaker name or something.”
Trudy stifled a laugh.
Using the rearview mirror, Parker gave Ava a look of displeasure as her mischievous dark eyes met his. Then he smiled, in spite of himself. He was a lot of things, he knew that, but one thing he was sure of: he was an excellent judge of character. When he looked at Ava, he saw someone who had a good heart. And someone who kept it incredibly guarded.
He also saw someone who, in the past month, had shared with him a secret that she’d told no one else: that all the carved letters and symbols in her flesh had completely healed. “I don’t trust anyone very much,” she said the day she told him, “but for someone reason, I trust you. And I thought you should know.” He thanked her for telling him. Since then, she’d shared more about her life. About how she was raised by a single mother, had no siblings and absolutely no contact with her father. She was paying her way through college, had turned down offers of help from more than a few sugar daddies that had tried to slide into her DMs, and had a decent boyfriend, too.
When they pulled up in front of Eden Hill Women’s Shelter, Maggie Kincaid was waiting at the curb with a Starbucks caramel macchiato in her hand and a big smile on her face.
“Hello, Detective Parker,” she said in a jokingly deep, macho voice.
“Hello, Blond Badass of East LA,” he teased back.
She leaned over and looked in the car. “Hi, Trudy.” Then, glancing at the back seat, she added, “So? Is this the poor girl who’s volunteering to be my intern for two whole months?”
“Hi!” Ava said with a wave and big smile.
Trudy leaned forward so that Ava could get out. Parker left the car on idle, then joined Maggie and Ava on the curb for formal introductions. After a few minutes of small talk, Maggie sent Ava into the building to start her paperwork and told her she’d be right in. When the two of them were alone on the sidewalk, Maggie looked at Parker. “So? What’s th
e real story?”
Parker smiled and bobbed his chin at her. “What’re you talking about?”
“An art student? As an intern at a women’s shelter? Shouldn’t she be at a studio or museum learning things pertinent to her major?”
Parker shrugged. “I guess.”
Maggie raised her eyebrows. “Cut the shit, Detective.”
“Fine,” Parker sighed. “She’s a good kid. Strong. She’s been through a lot. She needs to get stronger. So? I immediately thought of you, one of the strongest women I know.”
“Aw,” Maggie said with a grin. “You’re too sweet. And a sap, too.”
Trudy leaned forward and spoke through the open driver’s side window. “Don’t let him fool you, Mags. He’s only charming when he wants to be.”
“Or needs to be, right?” Maggie chuckled.
“You got it!”
Parker shook his head. “Okay, you two. That’s enough.”
“Poor baby,” Trudy said. “Are we teasing you too much?”
“Does he have an ego boo-boo?” Maggie added.
Again, Parker shook his head as he got back in the car. They said their goodbyes after Maggie agreed to keep him posted on how Ava did.
It was while they were driving to grab some chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s in Pasadena that Trudy spoke up. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, my beloved . . .” Parker said playfully.
“No. I’m being serious.”
He glanced over at her and then returned his attention to the road. “Sure.”
“Why such a deep interest in this girl?”
Struggling to find the words, he shrugged and said, “I dunno. You heard me tell Maggie. She’s a good kid. Not down on her luck or anything. Not up on it, either. Dean’s list at school. Can use some real-world work experience that this internship will give her. Has a decent enough boyfriend.”
Trudy looked over at him. “Why just decent?”
“What?” Parker asked, not a little taken aback.
“You always refer to her boyfriend as decent. I haven’t met him yet, but you have. From what you’ve told me, she seems to love him so . . . what?”
Parker hesitated, then found the courage. “I dunno. He’s a nice guy and all.”
Trudy smiled.
“No. He really is.”
Her smile grew wider. “So, what’s the problem?”
He found himself feeling defensive. “There isn’t one.”
She reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “My man. Maggie’s right. You are a sap.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“You’re protective of her.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I don’t think so. And . . . she doesn’t need your protection. You know that, right?”
His silence was awkward, at best.
“Evan?” she said, a look of broad love crossing her face.
He shrugged. “I’m sorry if it’s wrong. Or old fashioned. Or stupid. But I don’t believe that. At least not yet. Someday? Sure. But not yet.”
She looked at him, long and hard.
He pretended to focus on the traffic. “What?”
“You promise not to get mad?”
“I promise.”
“Well. Whenever you talk about her boyfriend? You sound a lot like my dad, whenever he would talk about any boy I was dating.”
“Present company excluded, of course.”
“That goes without saying.” Then, laughing, she added, “Not.”
Parker was surprised. “Really? And here I thought he liked me.”
“He does!” she said.
Parker nodded. “Whatever. But I’m still not following. In what way does he sound like how I supposedly sound with Ava?”
“Oh, there’s no supposedly about it,” she said as she leaned over to kiss him on the temple. “It’s sweet. You sound kinda like a dad who doesn’t believe anyone will be good enough for her.”
He cleared his throat. “She’s a good kid.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“And life is hard enough without . . . I dunno. Random shit happening.”
“Like the case?”
“Exactly.”
“And?”
His discomfort was growing by the second. “And, well, it’s good to have someone in your corner.”
Trudy nodded. “And she’s lucky. You’re a good person for someone to have in their corner.”
“Yeah. Also . . .” He felt suddenly queasy. “She. I dunno. Kinda made me realize something about myself that I never knew.” And she had. He’d be forever grateful to Ava for something she’d never know she’d done for him: she’d given him hope that it was okay to hope.
“Oh,” Trudy replied, as she looked at him intently. “And what’s that?”
“That I . . . I like helping and stuff. And protecting or whatever. Being a provider or, uh, ya know, providing and stuff, like the internship here or, uh, whatever.” He was blabbering and making it worse.
She giggled. “Evan Parker! You simply must stop. Now you actually are sounding like a dad.”
They were stopped at Lake Avenue and Maple Street, at an intersection he realized he would remember for the rest of his life really, when he turned, looked directly into her eyes and said, “Or like someone who’s ready to be one.”
Also by Tony Faggioli
THE STORIES OF
DETECTIVES EVAN PARKER AND NAPOLEON VILLA CAN ALSO BE FOUND
IN MY OTHER BOOKS ON AMAZON
One In A Million
A Million to One
One Plus One
Another One
One Way or Another
One Gray Day
AND JOIN MY SUBSCRIBER LIST TO GET UP TO DATE NEWS & EVENTS
TONYFAGGIOLI.COM
About the Author
TONY FAGGIOLI BEGAN WRITING stories in the 5th grade and continued doing so until college, when he gave up writing to pursue a very short career in politics and a much longer career in business. One day, he finally realized that neither brought him anywhere near the amount of joy as writing. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was raised in Los Angeles, California and graduated from the University of Southern California. He is a happily married father of two kids, two dogs and a pretty awesome goldfish.
For more information, connect with Tony on:
https://tonyfaggioli.com
Chalk Man Page 23
