The minority leader invited a handful of journalists into his office within a few hours of receiving the information.
“Under my direction, my staff has just completed an exhaustive investigation into the unauthorized and perhaps illegal actions of the current administration. I cannot go into specifics just yet, but suffice it to say that the results of the investigation are beyond troubling. The American people and the world we lead deserve better.”
He went on to broadly describe covert operations run by unaccountable organizations. “Such organizations are not only illegal, but costly to the taxpayers and irreparably damaging to the nation’s credibility.”
Then he dropped the bomb. For the first time since its inception, the Family was mentioned by name in public. At the end of his impromptu, invitation-only press conference, he took no questions. The journalists scurried to break the story and started sharing information before they had even left his office.
Six hours later, the minority leader stood at the podium a quivering mess. He had acted too soon. His announcement was premature. He was not really sure where the information came from and could not verify the claims. He may have been duped by a practical joke.
“In conclusion, I cannot verify any of the information I foolishly passed on and I apologize for creating a storm over nothing.”
Meghan muted the television after he left the podium and pointed the remote control at her mother.
“You know what? This is profoundly embarrassing for a man obsessed with his own image and legacy. This could torpedo his entire political career. I can only assume that the alternative was much worse for a guy like him to completely fold and run away with his tail between his legs. And that scares the living shit out of me.”
“Me too,” said McDermott.
What the hell have I gotten us into?
Seventy-one
“I thought you already finished all the inside painting,” Andy wondered.
“I did, but some spots needed a second coat and I’ve been putting it off. Now it’s done,” Mark answered, washing his hands in the kitchen sink.
“Putting it off? I hope your work ethic isn’t slacking, Landry. I worry about you going to shit in your retirement years. Use it or lose it, right?”
Mark dried his hands with a dish towel and looked at his friend, who was lying on the couch and reading a magazine. “You’re worried about my work ethic? Dude, it’s the last day of school and you took a sick day. Use them or lose them, right? Maybe the guy who has sat on his ass all day and watched me bust mine should worry about his own slacking,” Mark declared, startling Andy with a quick snap of the towel against the side of his head.
“Enough violence!” Andy protested.
Mark popped a muscle relaxer into his mouth, washed it down with a tall glass of cold water, and held up the prescription bottle. “My back and arms are killing me from all this painting. Agnes never took anything for pain or to help her sleep. But she never threw the stuff out either. You should see the stockpile I found in her bathroom closet.”
“Throw it all out, brother. You don’t want that stuff lying around the house. We’ve got a huge prescription drug problem in the state. I haven’t taken so much as an aspirin in years. Don’t be a wussy, pain is all mind over matter anyway,” said Andy.
“What about beer? That doesn’t count?” asked Mark.
Andy ignored the question and continued reading the local newspaper’s profiles of the forty most interesting people in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts. “I can’t believe some of the people on this list. Why am I not on this list?”
Mark heard a knock at the side door and assumed it was their pizza.
“Because people have to go to the Witch Hunt to hear your schtick. Maybe you need a bigger platform,” he offered as he saw Kenny through the blinds and opened the door.
“Come on in, Kenny. You know the mayor, right?”
Kenny looked at Andy and smiled. “Yeah, hi, Andy.”
Andy waved from the couch and continued reading.
“Mark, here’s the information you asked about,” he said, softly placing a thin folder on the kitchen counter. “You were right. There are a ton of women out there named Lois Sumner, but if you have some specific information and the right tools you can whittle the list down pretty quickly. The one you’re looking for is very much alive and pretty well known, actually. I can’t believe she was friends with Agnes. You know …”
Mark raised a hand to cut him off and glanced at Andy on the couch, indicating that he wanted to keep the information private. “I appreciate that, Kenny. Thanks for doing this,” he answered as he flipped open the folder to reveal its contents.
Kenny shrugged his shoulders and watched as Mark’s curiosity turned to shock and disbelief within seconds. Mark looked up several times but said nothing as he rifled through the eight or ten pages of biographical data in the folder. When he had finished, he grabbed two cold beers from the refrigerator, popped them open on the side of the counter, and handed one to his neighbor.
“Kenny, are you messing with me? If you are, that’s fine—good one, you got me. But I need to know now.”
Kenny chugged half his beer and stifled a belch. “No, I’m not messing with you.”
Mark ran his hands through his hair and paced the kitchen.
“I don’t doubt you or your talents. But I was not expecting this,” Mark said. Then he leaned in and spoke in a softer voice. “Is there any doubt in your mind about this? And remember, this needs to stay between us, okay?” he said, nodding his head in the direction of the couch.
“One hundred percent positive, Mark. So, how’s Luci doing?” he asked.
“She’s great, Kenny. Never been better,” he answered as he continued to pace and shake his head in disbelief.
“Good. I’m glad. They say the kid is going to be all right too,” he added.
“That’s good,” said Mark, staring out the window into the backyard. “Wait, what kid? What are you talking about?”
Kenny drained the rest of his beer and looked at Mark quizzically before answering.
“The kid she shot this morning.”
Seventy-two
Luci had spent most of the morning making her rounds at the high school. Guidance counselors. Teachers. Coaches. Reaching out and building relationships in the community was not only her primary responsibility; it was her greatest strength. She always found ways to connect and offer help, and smiles lit up whenever she entered the room. When the final bell of the school year sounded, she left the special-needs department and bumped into Julia in the hallway.
“Julia! What are you doing here? You graduated, right? Back for more?” she asked cheerfully.
Julia beamed and squeezed Luci’s hand.
“Yes, I did. I’m back to say thanks to a few people and beg for a letter of recommendation from one of my teachers.”
“What for?” asked Luci.
“College,” she answered. “Abuela thinks we can scrape together enough money for me to start taking classes this summer. Of course I had to get a job waiting tables at the diner to pay for most of it, but that’s the plan.”
Luci’s brilliant smile filled the corridor as she opened her arms and beckoned Julia for a hug. “I am so proud of you! That’s incredible, but I’m not surprised. I always knew you had it in you and would do the right things. Good for you, Julia. When do you start?”
“I start work today and hopefully classes by midsummer,” she answered as she glanced over Luci’s shoulder and her smile turned sour. “Creep alert. I gotta run anyway. I don’t want to be late for my first day of work. Bye, Luci. I’ll talk to you soon and thanks for everything,” she added, subconsciously pinching the guardian angel charm around her neck with two fingers.
Julia disappeared into the current of liberated students as Sergeant Cromwell and Charlie Worth arrived at the same time and approached Luci from behind.
“Where are you headed right now, Luci?” asked
the gruff sergeant.
“I was heading back to the station to do some paperwork and take a few reports. Why? What’s up?”
“Negative. Charlie will do that. I need you to come to the office for an intervention with me,” answered Cromwell.
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Seriously? That’s what I was called for. Now you want Luci to handle this while I go take reports?”
Cromwell faced his patrolman. “Yes, and I need you to do that right now. Every time someone waits too long at the station, I get an earful from the chief. So disappear and thank you very much,” he added, signaling the end of the discussion.
Charlie held up his hands in surrender. “You’re the boss. I’ll go talk with housewives about loud noises and suspicious neighbors. Good luck, Luci,” he said sarcastically.
“Let’s go to the office,” barked Cromwell.
Handfuls of students waved and greeted Luci as the two walked down the hall side by side. Several hugged her warmly while others were deterred by Cromwell’s presence.
“I see you’ve been here before,” he remarked, his eyes looking straight forward. “You’ve got a connection with these kids that you can’t put a price on. Good work, Luci.”
She took the compliment in stride and, deep down inside, felt validated by the recognition. She did have a meaningful connection with these kids and it wasn’t an accident. It was the result of hard work, a constant presence, and a genuine interest in their lives. Relationship building requires time and trust; Luci had put in the time and earned the trust.
“What’s the intervention?” she asked.
“A fight in the cafeteria, not the first one for this kid. The other kid may have been seriously injured. We can arrest him or work it out some other way to save his record. Considering his pedigree, I doubt it’ll matter, but he gets the same chance as every other kid.”
Pedigree?
When they reached the door to the main office, Luci grabbed Cromwell by the elbow and took him aside. “Maybe you should let me handle this, Sarge. Two uniforms may be too much and I do pretty well on my own.”
Cromwell pondered the idea for a moment and shook his head. “I’d feel better if we both went in, Luci. This kid’s a troublemaker and way too big to pick up and spank over your knee if he gets out of line,” he answered.
“I wasn’t planning on doing any spanking today, but I do need the kid to talk to me. Which is much easier without your lovable presence. Besides, I can handle myself.”
Cromwell ran a hand over his bald head. “Fine. It’s all yours. But if you feel it’s not going well, just put the cuffs on him and bring him into the station, okay? He gets one chance. One. I have to prepare for a planning meeting for the Fourth of July events anyway. Brief me later.”
Seventy-three
“William Lundgren?” asked Luci.
“Junior. William Lundgren, Jr. The son,” the principal explained.
“Ahh, right. Wonderful.”
Great. The father is a complete jackass and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“I know. And I feel the same way. But it’s important not to make kids pay for their parents’ transgressions,” offered the principal. “Transgression” was a euphemism for the outspoken racism and small-mindedness of William Lundgren, Sr. His worldview was obviously shared by others in town, considering the hits and comments that his vitriolic videos garnered online. But the older Lundgren stood out due to his brazen willingness to express his views to the world and put his name on them.
“Agreed. Where is he?” Luci asked.
“Follow me. He’s in my office.”
They walked past the staff and into the principal’s spacious office. William was sitting alone at a table when they entered.
“William, I’m sure you know Officer Alvarez,” the principal began.
He looked up at the adults and muttered something incomprehensible. Luci made mental notes. The kid was well over six feet tall and weighed at least two hundred pounds.
Bloodshot eyes. Enlarged pupils. Slurred speech. This kid’s not all there.
“Hi, William. Can you tell me what happened?” she asked, sitting across the table from the young man.
He stared at the table and made no response.
“William, Officer Alvarez is here to help you but—” began the administrator.
Lundgren laughed out loud and shook his head. “That’s what you think. Someone else might have helped, but she’s going to lock me up as soon as she hears the other kid’s name. Go ahead, tell her his name and see what happens. Go ahead.”
“You’re not being fair and this is a serious matter,” the principal said as he turned to face Luci. “Witnesses say William threw the first punch without any provocation. The other student’s parents are taking him for x-rays to make sure his nose isn’t broken.”
“What’s the other student’s name?” asked Luci.
“Jose!” answered William. “So you wanna put the cuffs on me now? Why even talk? You people always side with each other … ” His voice trailed off toward the end.
Luci breathed deeply and kept her cool in the face of William’s racist comments. The kid had just been in a fight. She assumed he was upset and saying things he normally wouldn’t say, but given his home life she was unsure. The principal jumped in before he could continue.
“William, whether you believe it or not, Officer Alvarez is here to help you. Insulting her isn’t going to help your case at all.”
A secretary popped her head into the office. “Sir, Jose’s parents are on the phone from the hospital.”
“William, get your act together. Officer, I’ll be right back. Please continue.”
Luci jotted down a few observations in her notebook and waited for the young man to speak. After several moments, she broke the silence.
“Can you tell me what happened, William? So far it sounds like a lot of people witnessed you assaulting another student. Do you want to explain your actions? Justify them? Apologize for them? It’s entirely up to you how we handle this.”
Nothing.
“I’ll give you a few more minutes to think about it. But right now, you leave me with no choice but to arrest you for assault and battery. I don’t know how the courts will process you. You’re about to graduate. Believe me, you don’t want a violent charge stapled to every job application you ever fill out. And I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”
William glanced at the open door behind him and a smirk slowly appeared on his face. He chuckled and uttered something unintelligible under his breath.
“Is this funny, William? What did you just say? Would you care to let me in on the joke?” she asked.
He bowed his head, cleared his throat, and stared at her from the top of his eye sockets. “I said, punch a spic—talk to the chick.”
She masked her reaction with a straight face and continued. “William, that’s offensive and I won’t tolerate it. If you keep it up, I’ll have no choice but to arrest you and bring you to the station. I don’t want that. You don’t want that. Your parents don’t want that. So let’s try one more time. Do you want to tell me your side of the story?”
This time he yelled it. “Punch a spic—talk to the chick!”
Luci held up her hand at the two male teachers who appeared in the doorway, signaling to them that everything was under control. They nodded and went on their way. After another moment of silence, Luci concluded that William was either too angry or too high to be reasoned with. She stood up and pushed her chair back against the wall.
“Okay. You’ve had your chance. Now this is what’s going to happen. I need you to slowly stand up, turn around, and put your hands on top of your head. You’re under arrest, William.” Luci pressed the transmit button on the radio attached to her shoulder. “Control, this is 307, I need immediate backup at the high school.”
The boy began to laugh hysterically.
“This is not a joke, William. Do it now or you’ll have disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest added to your charges. Not another word. Just do it,” she ordered.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you,” he said staring directly into her dark eyes.
Before she could move out of the way, he leapt to his feet, flipped the table with both hands, and used it to ram the officer against the wall with all of his force. She crashed into the wall and fell to the floor with a loud thud. With the wind out of her, she struggled to get to her knees and draw the pepper spray from her duty belt. William had already slammed the door shut and wedged it with a chair. He ignored the men who had instantly appeared on the other side of the door’s glass window and turned toward Luci.
She held out the pepper spray, but William slapped it out of her hand before she could depress the button. He effortlessly picked her up by the front of her uniform and pinned her against the wall with the full weight of his body. She struggled futilely to break free, both feet dangling several inches off the carpet.
“You’re about to die, bitch!” he screamed.
She punched, slapped, and scratched at his face repeatedly with her left hand until he trapped it against his body. Then he wrapped his free hand around her throat and started to strangle her.
“Night, night! Go to sleep, Officer Alvarez. It’ll be over in just a few seconds,” he yelled loudly enough for the spectators, still trying desperately to open the door, to hear his intentions. He smiled at them maniacally before turning back to finish off his prey.
Blindsided by the events of the past twenty seconds, Luci realized that she was in a fight for her life against a young man who had the means and intent to kill her. She gasped for air and struggled with all she had as the lack of oxygen and adrenaline rush shook her central nervous system. She felt disassociated from her body, as if she had been standing off to the side and watching the events unfold.
She saw him smiling as he squeezed. She saw the faces in the door and wondered why they weren’t rushing into the room. She saw the ceiling fan as it rotated above her in slow motion. She thought she could hear the clock on the wall ticking as if her ear were pressed against it. She saw the camera in the corner of the room and wondered if it was recording. As it all started to fade, she saw herself draw the pistol with her right hand and point the muzzle at William’s heavy midsection. Then she saw her own eyes close as she pulled the trigger twice.
Wrong Town: A Mark Landry Novel Page 20
