David’s first quest was to find Max and talk to him. Since he also lived on Gooseberry Island, David figured, It should be easy enough. But visits to his home and multiple telephone messages went unanswered. Max proved to be more elusive than the Taliban.
He’s obviously avoiding me, David thought, and it pissed him off—making him feel strangely abandoned by his friend.
“From what I’ve heard, Max has been drinking pretty hard,” Coley reported.
“What about his son, Max Jr.?” David asked.
“I’m sure he sees him,” Coley said, “but a few guys I know say that Max has been closing the bars every night.”
“If you see him, tell him I’ve been trying to get in touch with him,” David said, disgustedly.
“Sure thing, if I see him.”
David nodded, thinking, I get it. It’s probably too hard for Max to see me and kick up a bunch of bad memories that he’s trying to drink away.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
After tracking Nathan Michaels down on Facebook and getting his cell number, David picked up the telephone and dialed.
“Hey brother, what’s going on?” Nate asked, excited for the call.
“Nothin’ much,” David lied. “I was calling to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m still in,” he said.
“Really? I thought you’d get out with the rest of us when we got back.”
“Where else can I go? Have you tried finding work yet?”
David shook his head. “Not yet. I’m still on break, trying to get my head on straight.”
“Well, good luck with the job search once you get started. There’s nothing out there, and here’s a news flash for you…nobody gives a damn that we can navigate mountainous terrain or stop the bleeding on an open abdomen wound.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Everybody I’ve talked to is out of work. And it doesn’t matter how many medals they won over there.” He paused. “You okay, Davey?”
“I’ve been better. You?”
“Same. I still haven’t been able to see my boys.” By their senior year of high school, Nate had gotten his girlfriend, Lois, pregnant and decided to do the right thing by making her his wife. In a valiant effort to save what was already lost, they had another baby boy. Things quickly went south down misery lane. Nate tried to stick it out, but in the end everyone was suffering. It was a painful exit.
Dillon was now five. Bryan was three. He adored them both, but being powerless with the courts, his visitation had been sporadic at best. Nate suffered terribly from having failed them as a father.
Poor Nate, David thought. He actually cares more about his kids than he does himself. In Afghanistan, he’d watched Nate walk through mental hell for his boys.
“I’d rather spend the rest of my life fighting in Afghanistan than not see my boys on a regular basis,” Nate added, his voice choked with emotion. For him, the separation from his children wasn’t a choice.
“What does your lawyer say?” David asked, forgetting his own hell for the moment.
“He says I shouldn’t push things right now with my boys; instead, I should look at the big picture.” Nate sighed heavily. “The whole thing’s been a nightmare.”
“That sucks,” David said, shaking his head.
“Oh, but it gets better,” Nate said. “Last week, I was walking through Home Depot when I heard a young boy call out for his father. I never even bothered to look up. The boy’s voice called out again. And that’s when I turned to find Dillon standing in front of me, alongside some strange man. The wrongness of it actually took my breath away and nearly dropped me to my knees. The guy caught it and quickly extended his hand, introducing himself as Jack. He told me that he was a friend of my ex-wife’s.” Nate paused. “I don’t remember shaking the guy’s hand, but I guess I did. Talk about feeling lost…” Nate stopped again to take in the air he needed to finish the story. “There was my son, standing beside a stranger instead of me. After I gave Dillon a kiss, I told him to be a good boy and to listen to Jack.” Nate tried to clear his throat. “My five-year-old smiled at me and then walked out of the store with a guy I’ve never even seen before.” He took in another deep breath. “Now tell me that’s not screwed up.”
“It is, Nate,” David agreed, quietly. “It’s definitely screwed up.”
There was another long pause. “But enough about my troubles,” Nate said. “What’s going on with you?”
“Like I said…same, same,” David said, deciding not to burden his brother with more weight.
“You sure?” Nate said, lowering his volume. “Because I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights I’ve already spent listening to a teenage boy screaming for help in my head.”
David immediately covered the telephone receiver and began to cry.
“Davey?” Nate asked. “You still there?”
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Lindsey pulled her car into McDonald’s drive-thru and placed her order. A minute later, one bagged lunch was received through the window and paid for. She pulled the car up a few feet, stopping to check that the order was right. When she looked up, Tonia was standing right in front of the car. Oh crap, Lindsey thought, and instinctively attempted to avoid her old friend. But it was too late. The woman waved and started toward the car. Lindsey cursed under her breath and tried to fix her unruly hair in the rearview. Damn, she thought, shaking her head at the lack of makeup. Tonia’s face suddenly appeared in the window. Lindsey took a big breath and put on her best smile. She rolled down the driver’s side window.
“Hey stranger,” Tonia said, “there’ve been rumors that you actually fell off the face of the earth. And to tell you the truth, I was starting to believe them.”
“Oh no, not at all,” Lindsey said, forcing a smile. She was at a loss for words.
Tonia smiled, too kindly. “We haven’t seen you at the Thursday Night Club for more than a month. Is there any particular reason you’ve been avoiding us?”
Lindsey shook her head and blushed, embarrassed.
“Good, then we’ll see you this Thursday?”
“Sure,” Lindsey said. “I’ll be there.”
“I hope so, Lindsey. We’ve really missed you.” As Tonia turned to leave, she offered a knowing wink.
Lindsey returned the gesture along with another fake smile and then sat for a while parked. I just don’t want all the questions about David, she thought, eating a handful of hot fries, or the man bashing that’ll definitely follow.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
On Thursday night, two hours and a half case of wine were already gone before anyone dared to mention David.
“Any word from him?” Sandi finally asked for all of them.
Lindsey shook her head, trying to conceal her pain over it.
“Probably for the best,” Ana commented, eliciting sour looks from everyone.
Tonia placed her hand on Lindsey’s arm. “If David comes around, then great…”
“…but you need to come out of hiding, Linds,” Courtney blurted.
“Yeah, and get back in the game,” Christine added.
They all nodded, doing their best to be supportive.
“You’re right,” Lindsey said. “You’re all right.” With the phoniest smile she’d ever worn, she downed another glass of wine.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
A few long weeks passed when David decided to take the ferry to the mainland and see the ranger he respected most: Lieutenant Kevin Menker. Kevin had joined the Army, became a ranger and served for six years with pride and honor. Decorated during the war, he’d returned to Fall River to start a new life. As a first step, he’d recently graduated from the local police academy. They met at a bar to swap stories from overseas.
“I haven’t told anyone about what we experienced,” David told him, sipping his draft beer.
“And why would you?” Kevin asked, guzzling his own draft. “No one would understand anyway.” He looked at David. “You having a tough time getting past it?�
��
David nodded.
“Me, too,” Kevin admitted, shocking David. “There are nights I can’t sleep at all. And I’ve had my fair share of nightmares…so real that I wake up ready to kill someone.” He shook his head. “And I feel really depressed sometimes.”
“Me, too,” David said, thrilled that he wasn’t alone.
“But even if it got worse,” Kevin said, “I’d never admit to it.”
“What?” David blurted, surprised again.
“That’s right. They’d have me bounced off the force in a heartbeat if they knew.” He nodded. “And if I’m to have a shot at a normal life—a wife, kids, a house—then I need to keep it together or at least pretend I have it together.” He shrugged. “I’d rather suffer than lose my job.”
David’s heart rate increased and his breathing became shallow. His reunion with Kevin was awakening some really bad memories, playing out in feelings rather than thoughts. A strong adrenaline rush was followed by a brutal panic attack. David sat quietly at the bar and concealed it. “How’s police work after going through what we went through?” David managed to ask with an even voice.
Kevin shook his head. “Actually, it’s strange, but I feel normal when the adrenaline’s pumping hard. It’s when I’m sitting quietly on the couch that I feel like I’m going to lose my mind or crawl out of my skin.” He looked at David. “How ’bout you come with me some night on a ride along and see for yourself?”
“You serious?”
Kevin nodded. “Let’s shoot for tomorrow night.”
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
David arrived at the police station much earlier than he should have and waited in the deserted lobby. Where are the police when you need them? he thought, and chuckled to himself.
As the next shift began to arrive, the captain granted David entrance. He was waiting in the corner of the roll call room when Kevin approached. “You ready to ride, brother?”
David nodded, ignoring the mumblings from the other cops. One signed waiver later, David was ready to patrol the mean streets of Fall River, riding shotgun.
After roll call, David and Kevin stepped outside. It was a warm, clear night, with nearly a full moon in the sky. Assigned to Sector Three, four to midnight shift, David jumped in the cruiser, while Kevin conducted a brief equipment check. Once he got into the car, he turned to David. “When it’s warm out, the calls are nonstop,” he said. “Be prepared for a busy night.” He grinned. “Let’s get to work.”
David buckled up. The radio squelched once before Kevin spoke into it. “Two-zero-three to three-six-four,” he said. “Clear for calls.” As they pulled out of the station lot, he turned to David. “I’m starving. You?”
“No,” David said, “my stomach’s been giving me trouble lately.” He then sat back, as Kevin proceeded to their first stop of the night—a fast food drive-thru. This is going to be an easy ride, David thought.
Not three minutes into the shift, the radio began to call out and never stopped—each time beckoning for people in trouble, or others who just thought they were. “Three-six-four to two-zero-five—an elderly woman having difficulty breathing…” David expected that they’d be off in a flash.
Kevin smiled. “That’s not our sector,” he said, while one of his brother officers responded to administer the medical assistance needed.
After placing his fast food order, Kevin looked at David for an extended moment. “How you feeling right now?” he asked.
Not good at all, David thought, but said, “Looking forward to this ride.”
“Cool,” Kevin said and swallowed down his dinner within minutes.
Driving past a few of the infamous bars in the city, Kevin looked at David and grinned. “Ever been in a bar fight?” he joked.
David chuckled. “Yeah, against a bunch of navy guys. And as I remember it, you and Billy Brodeur started the whole thing.”
Kevin laughed.
“Hey, have you heard anything from Billy?” David asked.
Kevin’s eyes lit up. “Billy Brodeur? Man, that kid’s so tough it isn’t even funny.” He shook his head. “One night, after we got back from overseas, I watched him beat the hell out of a night club bouncer twice his size. When I finally jumped in to…”
The radio called out, “Three-six-four to two-zero-three, see a female party at Border City Mills Apartments on Weaver, car break.” Kevin turned the cruiser around and they were en-route to their first call.
Upon arrival, a young girl stood beside her compact car, trembling from nerves. The car’s rear window had been smashed in. “Anything missing?” Kevin asked. She shook her head. Kevin surveyed the damage and then began the paperwork on malicious damage to a motor vehicle. While he wrote, David monitored the heavy radio traffic. The calls were coming in one after the next. I can only imagine what a heat wave might bring, David thought. As adrenaline rushed through his bloodstream filling him with anxiety, he also thought, This ride along might have been a bad idea.
David was still trying to calm his breathing when Kevin finished his paperwork. “Now, where were we?” Before David could answer, his face lit up again. “Oh, yeah, good fights. Anyway, Billy beat that poor bouncer senseless, and it took me and a few other guys to make him stop.” Kevin looked at David for a reaction.
David shrugged. “We’re wired the way we’re wired, I guess?”
Kevin nodded. “True, and some of us are wired wrong.”
The radio called out again. “Twelve-year-old female, no pants, standing outside of Castle Court on North Main. Her father threw her out…” David waited for Kevin to punch the gas.
He shook his head. “Not our sector.”
“Fogland Bar, the corner of Columbia and South Main Streets. Two males fighting…” and several cruisers were dispatched to quell the violence.
The radio squelched again and a brother officer called for backup from the Sunset Hill housing project. David looked to Kevin. He nodded. “That’s a domestic dispute,” and nonchalantly returned to finish his paperwork.
David was amazed. To Kevin, this is just another night at the office. It was obvious that he cared, but David honestly couldn’t fathom what it might take to rattle him. And then David realized that he also felt some strange comfort in the adrenaline. Kevin’s right. At least the anxiety makes sense when there’s something causing it.
While they drove up one street and down the next, their conversation thankfully covered subjects other than fighting. It was 2000 hours, or 8:00 p.m., when they were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident, negative injuries. The rotary blue lights illuminated the night when they arrived to find two females engaged in a heated argument. Kevin jumped out and, although he possessed both the presence and ability to force his will on most people he encountered, he chose a different tactic. He quickly de-escalated the situation, while treating both parties with respect.
Once Kevin had calmed everyone down, he surveyed the scene and quickly determined the party at fault. Evidently, the pizza delivery girl was checking house addresses when she drove head-on into another vehicle. Kevin cited the responsible party: a person who now became a harsh critic of Kevin’s chosen profession.
While Kevin did his job, David continued to monitor the radio. It was more exciting than he’d expected. As sirens wailed over the radio, an officer reported, “Three-six-four, be advised, coming in with a lockup.”
Another, “Eastern Avenue, out-of-control child, parents requesting that he be removed from the premises…”
Then, as they awaited the arrival of a tow truck, a police officer on the other side of the city was involved in a foot pursuit. From the fragments of information David could make out, two females had stolen a brown Honda Accord in Corky Row and while trying to maneuver through the narrow streets, had hit a pole and fled on foot. As David slid to the edge of his seat, a panting officer offered a description of the suspects. Seconds later, his backup arrived, and both parties were successfully apprehended.
While Kevin chuckle
d at David’s enthusiasm, David realized that his ex-patrol leader had chosen to submerge himself in a world of organized chaos.
At the end of the shift, without even slowing down near a donut shop, they reported back to the police station to type up all the reports—enough paper to alarm any Green Peace fundamentalist.
“Too bad for you it was a quiet night,” Kevin concluded, and David waited for his friend’s laughter. It never came.
Kevin’s serious, David thought. For him, this was a quiet night. No one got stabbed or shot to death. There were no rapes to investigate. Life didn’t get much better.
On the ferry ride home, David’s head was spinning from the quiet night. And then the same question arose in his mind: Where are the police when you need them?
He now knew the answer: In some dark alley, or any place you don’t want to be. And that’s why you called for one of them in the first place. David shook his head. Kevin can keep it.
And then it started—shallow, labored breathing; a pounding heart and light head—another dreaded panic attack. It’s the price I have to pay for tonight, he told himself, and began to ride the sadistic roller coaster once again.
8
“Chivalry is dead,” Lindsey complained.
Courtney chuckled. “Tough commute this morning, or is the dating life starting to get to you?”
Hunched behind the office partition, Walter Brady, the summer recreation director, eavesdropped on the latest man-bashing session and smiled.
“Dating life? What dating life?” Lindsey asked. “Most guys only want one thing today, and they think that a trip through the drive-thru should be more than enough to get it.”
Courtney laughed again. “So the commute wasn’t bad, huh?” She shook her head. “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with being single anymore.”
With a sigh, Lindsey fired up her computer and collapsed into another depressing Monday. “I’m all set with men,”she mumbled, still feeling cheated over not being with David. “I can’t wait for this summer to be over.”
It wasn’t ten o’clock when Lindsey returned from the fax machine to find a white envelope covering her keyboard. She picked it up. It was sealed, and there was no writing on it. She looked around. No one’s watching, she thought, and tore it open.
Gooseberry Island Page 13
