Slay Bells

by Remington Kane

“Why?” Sharad asked.

  “Go Sharad. The store will be closing soon.”

  “Who are you, Tanner? I don’t know anything about you.”

  “The three of us will talk when you get back.”

  Sharad got out of the car, but Tanner told him that Jennifer was staying. The young man began to protest, but Jennifer silenced him.

  “He saved our lives, Sharad; I’ll stay. Anyway, I want to talk to him.”

  “But Jenny, I don’t know your sizes.”

  Tanner sent Sharad a hard look. He understood the man’s reluctance to leave Jennifer behind, but time was not a commodity they had in abundance.

  “Take a guess, Sharad, but get in and out of that store before they close.”

  Sharad hesitated, but then he kissed Jennifer and ran into the store.

  Jennifer watched him go, and then she turned to look at Tanner with tear-reddened eyes, before moving away from him until she sat leaning against the passenger door.

  “Is my sister really dead?”

  “Yes.”

  More tears came, as Jennifer hugged herself and her shoulders shook from her sobbing.

  Past the windshield, huge flakes floated down to merge with their brethren and coat the landscape with a growing layer of white. Something on the dash flickered and Tanner saw that the time had changed on the digital clock.

  It was midnight.

  It was Christmas.

  Somewhere off in the distance, church bells rang.

  CHAPTER 28 – No chimney required

  “My father always wore two faces, his public face and his private face,” Jennifer Gates said. She was staring out at the gently falling snow.

  “How long had he been involved with terrorists?” Tanner asked.

  “After what I heard him say tonight, I think he thought radically his entire life, but that he hid it from us. I mean, I knew that he was religious and passionate about Middle Eastern culture, but I never knew he was born and raised over there until tonight.”

  “Your sister must have known; she was helping him.”

  “Yes, Carly and Daddy were very close and she was as intense in her religious beliefs as he was; I just never had a clue how radical those beliefs were.”

  Sharad emerged from the store while pushing a cart, as behind him, the store manager wished him a Merry Christmas.

  Tanner told Sharad to load the things onto the rear seats, and then Sharad and Jennifer took the time to change into their new coats.

  Once they were moving again, Tanner drove back to Manhattan and pulled to the curb near a parking garage. They were two blocks south of the building where Officer Michael O’Leary lay dead.

  There were red and blue flashing lights in front of the building that were visible from where they were parked. Tanner surmised that the Feds had traced Sharad’s address from the wallet left behind at the factory.

  Tanner pointed at the lights.

  “The way I see it, Sharad, you and Jennifer have two choices. You can stay and attempt to convince the authorities of your innocence, or you can run.”

  Sharad let out a humorless laugh.

  “Do you recognize the name Ali Abdul Juhana, Tanner?”

  “I’ve heard it mentioned on the news many times. He’s a known terrorist mastermind.”

  “He’s also my grandfather. If I came forward dressed as Uncle Sam and holding a copy of The Constitution the authorities would still place me in chains, and that’s if they didn’t just shoot me on general principal.”

  Tanner nodded in understanding before looking inquisitively at Jennifer.

  “What about you?”

  “My father and my sister’s activities have tainted me as well, and I don’t want to be separated from Sharad.”

  “Then you’re running, but you have to know that there’s a good chance that you’ll be captured someday.”

  The couple looked at each other and then spoke the same words at the same time.

  “We’ll take that chance.”

  Tanner reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and brought out a credit card and a set of keys. The card had a post-it note attached that had its pin number written on it, and beneath that was scribbled an amount, $5,024.89.

  “These were once the property of a pedophile. The key fits a white van in this garage while the card will give you access to about five thousand dollars. Both the van and the card are under a false identity. No one will be the wiser if you use them.”

  Jennifer took the card and keys then gazed at Tanner with a look that bordered on awe.

  “You’re just giving this to us?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you helping us?” Sharad asked, but there was no suspicion in his tone, just genuine curiosity.

  Tanner pondered the question seriously for a moment, and then shrugged.

  “I think I’m helping because I can. Think of it as a Christmas present.”

  The pair looked at each other and then back at Tanner.

  “We’re not terrorists, but we’re not Christians either,” Jennifer said.

  “Well then, just think of it as a holiday gift.”

  A small smile lit Jennifer’s face and she leaned over and pecked Tanner on the lips.

  “Thank you, Tanner.”

  “You’re welcome, and here’s some free advice. Head to Mexico, stay off major roads, use the sleeping bag, no motels, and stay away from official border crossings. If you do those things, you might make it out of the country.”

  The couple grabbed their belongings and left the car to head inside the parking garage.

  Tanner returned their words of goodbye and then drove off into the deepening night, headed not to his motel, but rather, he had an errand to run.

  ***

  Once he reached his destination, Tanner removed the items he needed from the car’s trunk and went about wrapping the gift atop the rear seats, where there was more room to work.

  When he was finished, the gift wrapping was far from professional looking, but it covered what was beneath it with bright images of Santa Claus and his reindeer. Tanner had even added a big multi-colored bow and red ribbons onto it.

  He left the car and moved quickly across the street so that the falling snow wouldn’t get the wrapping paper too wet. Once past the outer door, he picked the lock on the inner door within seconds. He then took the stairs to the top floor, so as not to alert anyone by using the elevator, which were invariably noisy conveyances in older buildings, such as the one he was in.

  The cheery Christmas wreath hanging from the door had a nameplate beneath it that proclaimed the apartment belonged to the Ramos family.

  Tanner had purposely left one end of the red ribbon on the box longer than the other. he sat the gift on the floor and then slipped the end of the bright ribbon beneath the door, ensuring that the box would be discovered sooner rather than later.

  Like the money and vehicle he had given to Sharad and Jennifer, the contents of the box also came from Richard Wexler.

  Tanner had come across a new Seesaw Susie doll in the pedophile’s closet. He was gifting the doll and its full line of accessories to the little girl that Wexler had stalked earlier, Isidora Ramos.

  The card attached to the box would let the child know that her gift came from Santa. Wexler had planned to destroy the little girl’s innocence, Tanner meant to preserve it, at least for one more Christmas, along with her sense of wonder.

  Tanner headed back down the stairs and drove towards his motel through a world gone white with snow, while listening to Christmas carols on the radio.

  When he thought about the expression of joy that would light little Isidora’s face in the morning, he broke out in a smile.

  Francis Nash wasn’t the only Secret Santa in New York City.

  CHAPTER 29 – Transfer of power

  On Christmas morning, Joe opened the front door of the home of Sam Giacconi, forced a smile onto his face, and wished Johnny Rossetti a Merry Christmas.

 
After stepping inside, Johnny grinned back at Joe and reached out to shake his hand.

  “I was surprised to be asked back here so soon,” Johnny said.

  “Yeah, well like I said on the phone, Sam thinks it’s time he stepped down.”

  “I’m honored, but I swear Joe, I thought that the old man would choose you as his successor; I know how close you two are.”

  “Not close enough, apparently,” Joe said, and then he regretted his words, because it sounded as if he were whining.

  Johnny pointed at the stairs.

  “Is Sam up in his office?”

  “Yes.”

  Johnny let out a sigh and headed up the stairs. There was an old telephone table with an attached seat in the entryway and Joe sat and waited for Johnny to return. Rossetti would be the new Don of the Giacconi Family and that’s just the way it was going to be.

  Sammy came out of the kitchen munching on a buttered egg bagel and dressed in a red & white jogging outfit.

  Joe threw a thumb at the door.

  “You’re not going running are you? There’s more than half a foot of snow out there.”

  Sammy smiled and gave a little laugh.

  “I’m meeting up with some guys from the neighborhood and we’re going to play some pool in a friend’s basement.”

  “You need a lift?”

  “No thanks, Uncle Joe. I’m just going around the corner.”

  As Sammy put on a ski jacket, Joe reached into his pocket, withdrew some money, and handed it to the young man.

  “That’s in case you meet a girl and want to take her out for lunch or a movie.”

  Sammy grinned.

  “You know that you don’t have to give me money anymore, not like when I was a kid.”

  “Are you gonna give it back?”

  Sammy shoved the money in his pocket.

  “My friend does have a cute sister.”

  Joe laughed and punched him on the shoulder.

  “Have a good time, kid.”

  Sammy left and Joe continued to wait for Johnny Rossetti to return from the office.

  When Johnny came downstairs a few minutes later, Joe stood, dropped to one knee, and lowered his head as a sign of respect.

  “Don Rossetti.”

  Johnny asked him to get up and then shook his head at Joe.

  “Sam is still Don; I’m going to be the new Underboss. I wouldn’t feel right to be called Don while Sam’s still alive, but I will be running the day-to-day business of The Family.”

  Joe stared at him for a moment and then let out a huff of surprise.

  “Well I’ll be damned, that’s a class move Mr. Rossetti, a real class move.”

  “It’s Johnny, Joe, just call me Johnny, and I want to see you at the club. We should work together; you know?”

  “I’ll drop in when I get back; I’m flying to Florida today to spend Christmas with my mom.”

  “Great, I look forward to seeing you.”

  Joe let Johnny out and was closing the door when Pia came up to him.

  “So, Johnny is running things now?”

  “Yeah, but Sam is still Don. That was Johnny’s idea.”

  Pia smiled.

  “I always liked that kid, although his Uncle Al is a pig.”

  “Al’s in Vegas for good from what I hear, and yeah, Johnny is nothing like his uncle. He’ll make Sam proud.”

  “How about some more coffee?”

  “No thanks, I think I’ll go upstairs, say goodbye to Sam, and then head to the airport.”

  “Give your mom my love, Joey.”

  “I will,” Joe said, and then he went up to see Sam.

  He opened the office door after having to knock twice before being told to enter, and the old man greeted him with a huge smile.

  “Crooner, how you doin’? Antonia didn’t tell me you were here.”

  Joe put a smile on his face.

  “I’ll always be here for you Sam, always.”

  CHAPTER 30 – Home for Christmas

  Far above the snow-laden streets of Midtown Manhattan, Sara Blake awoke to a Christmas morning while snuggled in the arms of her new lover, Brian Ames.

  She lifted her head, saw that Ames was still sleeping, and sighed with a sense of contentment that she had never known.

  Talk about love at first sight, Sara thought, as she smiled to herself.

  Brian Ames affected her in ways she would have never thought possible.

  Sara knew that what they shared, the immediate intimacy that they both felt towards each other was radical. However, she had always had an extreme personality, and so why should she not be so when falling in love.

  Ames stirred, opened his eyes, and smiled at her.

  “Hello there, Sara Blake. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you too.”

  “And many more?” Ames said.

  Sara kissed him.

  “And many, many more.”

  ***

  At Beth Israel Medical Center, Merle and Earl entered the room of Ricky Horton, who was recovering from the stabbing he received at the hands of Smith.

  “What are you two doing here?” Ricky asked.

  Merle held up a plain brown paper bag.

  “Miss Mary made you some Christmas cookies and asked Earl and me to drop ‘em off to you.”

  “Miss Mary’s cookies? Damn, now that’s medicine. Give me that bag and take a seat.”

  “How you feelin’ Horton,” Earl asked.

  “My six-pack sprang a leak thanks to that knife, but it would have been a whole lot worse if I wasn’t wearing that stuffing under my Santa costume. The doctor said that without that, the knife would have run me straight through.”

  “Still, that was some bad luck runnin’ into a crazy man like that,” Merle said.

  “No, it was good luck. Turns out that a buddy of mine from high school does some of the hiring around here. Once I heal up, I got a new job as an orderly, and it pays good money too.”

  A nurse walked in and Merle and Earl stared at her with obvious desire. She was a beautiful woman with caramel-colored skin and long raven hair that was pinned up beneath her cap. She spoke to Horton as she checked his vitals for a chart.

  “Ricky, don’t eat too many cookies. I don’t like fat men.”

  “Don’t worry, Mayara, I never gain an ounce.”

  The nurse, Mayara, ran a hand over the tattoos on Ricky’s arm.

  “So many beautiful tattoos, and Ricky, I’ll be back later to give you a sponge bath.”

  “I can’t wait,” Horton said, and Mayara left the room to see to her other patients.

  “She’s beautiful, Horton, and she’s taken a shine to you,” Merle said.

  Ricky grinned.

  “She’s Brazilian too.”

  The three of them talked a little longer and discovered that they shared a love of football, but then a doctor came in and Merle told Horton that they would see him around.

  “All right, but where are you guys off to, you got family here?”

  Earl frowned in sadness.

  “We have a little sister named Laurel Lee, but her mama moved away with her and we ain’t seen her for years.”

  ***

  At that moment, Laurel Lee Ivy was walking through a terminal at LaGuardia Airport when she spotted a familiar face coming towards her.

  “Mr. Pullo, hi, and Merry Christmas. I’m Dr. Ivy, Laurel, do you remember me?”

  “A beautiful woman who’s also a doctor, yeah, I remember you.”

  Laurel smiled.

  “How has your wrist been?”

  “It’s great. It hasn’t bothered me at all since you took the cast off last year.”

  “Are you coming or going, Mr. Pullo?”

  “Call me Joe, and I’m flying to Florida to see my mom. What about you?”

  “I’m coming back from Arkansas. It was a bit of a wasted trip.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Joe said, before gesturing towards a coffee shop. “I’
m early for my flight, how about keeping me company while I wait for my plane?”

  Laurel considered Joe’s offer. All that awaited her at home was an empty townhouse, and the solitude only made her miss her late husband, while granting emphasis to the fact that she was now alone.

  “Sure, I’d like that, Joe.”

  ***

  Joe and Laurel took a booth and sipped coffee while sharing news, some of which came as a shock to Joe.

  “Oh damn, Laurel, I hadn’t heard that George died.”

  “It was recent, and he went quick, a heart attack.”

  “I always liked George, he was a classy guy for a drug dealer.”

  “You do have interesting friends, don’t you?”

  Joe sent her a shrug.

  “I was born into the business, Laurel, so yeah, I guess you can say that my friends are unusual.”

  “It’s not a complaint. When I lost my license, Sam Giacconi gave me a second chance to practice medicine. I’ll always be grateful to him for that.”

  At the mention of Sam’s name, Laurel noticed a sad look enter Joe’s eyes.

  She reached across the table and took his hand.

  “Joe, is something wrong?”

  He was going to say no, but when he looked at Laurel’s compassionate face, Joe found himself opening up to her. He shared what was happening with Sam and told her of Johnny Rossetti’s rise to power.

  “Oh Joe, I’m so sorry to hear about Sam, and I must say, I’m surprised that he chose Mr. Rossetti over you. From what I hear from patients at the clinic, you and Mr. Giacconi are close.”

  Joe sighed.

  “I’ll admit it, I was hurt at first, but Johnny R is the right choice and I’ll give him all the help I can.”

  “So you two are friends?”

  “More like friendly, and I do admire the guy.”

  When Laurel spoke again, she tried to make her question sound like casual interest.

  “Um, there’s another friend we have in common, Tanner. Have you seen him around lately?”

  Joe raised an eyebrow.

  “You and Tanner are friends?”

  “I like to think so, but I haven’t seen him in a while now.”

  “Yeah, Tanner is sort of like the wind; he blows in and he blows out, but I’ll tell you a secret, I like him a lot, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.”