Al looked around the dingy room, and saw Benny tied to a chair with a dirty rag gagging his mouth.
“Sit down,” Rocco barked, gesturing at an empty chair.
Al did. For some reason, he didn’t even feel scared anymore. He was more confused. “I don’t understand.”
Rocco laughed. He sat down at a table next to where Al was sitting and lit a cigarette with his spare hand, all the while pointing the gun at Al. “Don’t understand what?”
“Why do ya’ wanna’ kill me?” Al said. “And did ya’ kill Shirley and them two other guys who’d left the mob? What’s in it fer you?”
“Don’t play like you don’t know I killed some cop. Shirley heard about it, said she was gonna’ use it against me. So I went to kill her, but she told me she’d told a few people – you, Butch Zamora, Huey Polanski. She said it was no use killing her, since all three of you knew about it, too. I decided to take out the lot of you.” He laughed.
“Shirley was lyin’,” Al said. “I never even associated with her. My guess is she chose three people who she knew had left the game and relocated. That way it’d take a long time for ya’ to kill ‘em and get back to her.”
Rocco snorted. “She thought she was smart, huh? Well, she’s dead and smart now.”
“Look, I ain’t got no interest in whether or not ya’ killed a cop,” Al said. “I’m outta the game. Totally out. I’m only here in Chicago tryin’ to save my life.”
Rocco waved the gun and grinned. “Great job you’re doing. Oh, by the way, you had a wonderful funeral. Your wife Cassie makes excellent food.”
A shiver went down Al’s spine. “Ya’ were at my funeral? And in my house?”
“You bet,” Rocco said. “I was hoping to catch you that night. I knew it was a fake funeral. But there were feds around so I couldn’t do nothin’. It’s a shame I have to kill you here, really. I killed Butch and Huey at home, so I could take as many of their possessions as possible. Turn your pockets inside out.”
Al was starting to freak out now. He’d heard all the stories about The Rock. “Ya’ don’t have to kill me,” he said. “I ain’t no danger to ya’.”
“Oh, I know that,” Rocco said. “It would just be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity. It gives me a nice rush. I’ll feel on top of the world for days.” He edged up close to Al, pressing the cold barrel of the gun directly against Al’s forehead. “Ready to die?” he snarled at Al with a wild crazy look in his eyes.
CHAPTER 20
Jake had heard Rocco yell as he was slowly making his way toward the stairs. He’d started to edge up them when he heard voices, though he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut, letting him know something was very, very wrong. He raised his gun and continued to creep up the staircase. When he got to the top, he stepped through a doorway and into a large room.
Time seemed to slow down in his mind. He saw a very tall man holding a gun to Al’s forehead and Benny tied up in a chair. He knew he only had one chance to shoot the man and save them both. He didn’t want to kill the tall man with the gun, but if he went for a shot to the leg or the arm, then the man would still be able to shoot, and Al would probably end up dead.
He knew he had to make a kill shot, but in the millisecond he had to think about it, he realized it had been a long time since he’d fired a gun, and that had been at a shooting range.
Time sped back up again, and Jake instinctively fired at Rocco’s chest. But at that moment, Al lunged forward, and the bullet struck Al in his arm. Al cried out in pain, but at the same time knocked Rocco’s gun out of his hand and it fell to the floor. Jake didn’t waste a moment. He rushed forward, kicked Rocco’s gun out the way, and pointed his gun at Rocco.
But Rocco wasn’t that easy to take down. He lunged to grab Jake’s gun. Luckily, Jake managed to jump out the way. Just then, Al launched himself on top of Rocco, and slammed him to the floor. Then Jake piled on, too. Rocco flailed and fought and bit and cursed, but between the two of them, they finally managed to subdue him.
Jake pressed his gun against Rocco’s neck and said, “One move and you’re a dead man.”
Al’s arm bled all over Rocco. “Are you okay, man?” Jake asked with alarm in his voice.
“Adrenaline’s still pumpin’,” Al said with a grimace. “I’ll be all right. Gimme the gun. I’m heavier. I can hold this idiot down while you go untie Benny.”
“I’ll kill all of you,” Rocco said, spitting onto the floor. “Just you wait.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Al said. “Yer’ jes’ lucky I ain’t still in my mob days. You’d be six feet under within an hour or two.”
Jake hurried over and untied Benny.
Benny jumped up out of the chair where he’d been tied and stretched. “Man, you guys took long enough to get here! This moron nearly toasted me.”
“I’ll call the police,” Jake said.
“Snitch!” Rocco roared. “I’d rather you kill me than call the cops.”
“Well, that’s not your choice to make,” Jake said. “I’ll call an ambulance, too, for Al.”
“If you’re calling the cops, I’m outta’ here,” Benny said. “I don’t want them starting to poke their nose into my business. Make up a story that doesn’t involve me. Tell them you came up here, found Rocco pointing his gun at Al, and snapped off a quick shot that accidentally hit Al in his arm. Then Rocco’s gun got knocked out of his hand by Al and the two of you jumped on Rocco to subdue him. Okay?”
“Yes.” Jake felt nervous. He didn’t go outside the law, and it felt a little strange to be friends with those who did. But he knew that all in all it was for a good cause – to finally get Al his freedom, so he decided he wouldn’t tell the police that Benny had been present.
Jake called DeeDee. “We got him!” Jake said. “We did it. Did Little Fingers and Red keep you guys safe?”
“Yes,” DeeDee said. “He and Joey are with us now, and they said everything’s under control. I’ll get a treat for Red and reward him for it. What do you mean you got him? Who’s him? Surly Sab?”
“No,” Jake said. “It was this guy called The Rock, after all.”
“Why did he want to kill Al?”
“Because he thought Al had information about him killing a cop. He didn’t, but that still didn’t stop him from putting a gun to Al’s head.”
DeeDee gasped. “How horrible. Is anyone hurt?”
“Well, Al got shot in the arm, but he’s okay.”
“That Rock guy did it?”
“No, actually, I did,” Jake said awkwardly. “I was aiming for Rocco, but then it all got hectic, and I missed, so I ended up shooting Al. Don’t worry, and tell Cassie not to worry. He’s strong and lucid and absolutely fine. Once he gets to the hospital, they’ll fix him up quickly, and we’ll be celebrating the beginning of Al’s new life before we know it.”
Al grinned. “Al’s new life, take two.”
“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” DeeDee said. She hung up, turned to Cassie and said, “Let’s get going. We’ve got to get to the hospital. Al’s been shot, but he’s going to be okay.”
It wasn’t long before the police came to take Rocco away, and an ambulance arrived to help Al. He was going to have to go to the hospital to have the bullet removed from his arm. A policeman went with him to the hospital to get a statement from him about what had happened at the warehouse.
Jake had to give his statement at the scene, and he was extremely nervous. He’d never lied to the police before, and certainly didn’t relish the prospect, but he didn’t see what other choice he had. He pretended to look confident and answered all their questions without hesitation.
It was all a blur, but it was soon over and done with, and Jake soon found himself getting a police ride to the hospital. He asked at the front desk where Al was, and made his way to the pre-surgery ward. DeeDee and Cassie were sitting on chairs in the hallway outside Al’s room.
He ran up to DeeDee and held her close.
“Oh Jake,” she said, falling into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here. So glad you’re okay.” Words failed her as she half-cried, half-laughed. “Jake… Jake… I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said. “So much.”
“We’re just waiting to see Al. The police are still questioning him,” DeeDee said.
“Okay,” Jake said. “Cassie, have you seen him yet? Were you here when he came in?”
“No,” Cassie said. “We hadn’t gotten to the hospital by then. There was a lot of traffic in the block around the Langham. Is he okay? Really?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it,” Jake said. “I can’t believe I shot him. It’s so strange. That’s the last thing I expected.”
“Me too,” Cassie said. “I’m just so, so glad this is over, and we can go back to our normal lives.”
Little Fingers and Joey came up the stairs and into the hallway.
“Jake,” Little Fingers said, grinning. “We were just out having a smoke. I heard you’re quite the sharp shooter.”
“Keep your voice down,” Jake said.
A nurse popped her head around the door. “Okay,” she said. “The police are finished with him and you can come in and see him now.” Her eyes widened. “There’s five of you. Normally three is the limit, but I’ll make an exception.”
They followed the nurse into Al’s private room. She left and closed the door so they could have some privacy.
Cassie rushed over to Al’s bed and embraced him. “Thank heavens you’re okay!”
Al’s arm was in a sling. “Yep. They gotta’ do some minor surgery to get the bullet out, but it ain’t no big deal. I’ll be outta’ here in a couple days.” He winked at Jake, then pretended to be outraged. “That’s the man who shot me.” He looked at Little Fingers and Joey. “Get him.”
Little Fingers and Joey pretended to shoot Jake, their thumbs and fingers cocked like pistols. They all laughed.
“Seriously, though,” Al said to DeeDee. “Yer’ man was a total hero. I’d be pushin’ roses if he hadn’t been as smart as he was. He crept up the stairs in that ol’ warehouse at jes’ the right moment and saved me. I tell ya’ that Rocco guy is a total psycho. All ya’ gotta’ do is look in his eyes.”
“I agree.” Jake said. “I could see it too.”
“He was talkin about how he enjoys killin’ and it gives him a rush for days,” Al said, shaking his head. “Complete and utter nutjob.”
DeeDee shuddered involuntarily. “I’m just so glad the two of you are safe now.”
“What happened with Surly Sab?” Cassie asked.
“He got paranoid and wanted to take me out, right?” Al said to Little Fingers and Joey. “Benny knows all the details. Lemme’ call him.” Al got his phone from the side table, made the call, and listened to Benny.
When he finished the call, he turned to the others and said, “Yep, he heard it was me comin’ to meet him, thought it was a setup, and arranged for all his people to be there to blow me away. And he sent guys to the hotel. That guy’s thorough, ya’ gotta’ give him that. So, Little Fingers, how did ya’ get those guys staked out at the hotel and waitin’ for me to leave?”
“It was all because of Joey,” Little Fingers said. “Thankfully he had connections with one of the guys, and explained the situation. They backed off.”
“Thanks,” Al said. “Well, all’s well that ends well, I s’pose.”
DeeDee laughed. “I guess, although I’m still reeling from the last couple of days.”
“Me too,” Cassie said.
“You guys better go ‘cuz they’re gonna’ take me to surgery real soon,” Al said. “But go back to the Langham. Have a party fer me, and I’ll see ya’ before ya’ can blink an eye.”
EPILOGUE
A few days later, Al was out of the hospital and on the mend, though he had to wear a cast on his arm, which he absolutely hated.
Al, Cassie, DeeDee, and Jake decided to spend a day on Navy Pier. They were going to amble through the Flower Show, which had come to the Pier, followed by a cruise on Lake Michigan. Then they’d have dinner as the sun went down. Since they’d been living the luxury lifestyle at the Langham, they decided to go for something distinctly less highbrow. They opted for Giordanos, the home of deep-dish Chicago pizzas.
It felt wonderful to walk the Pier without having to worry about any shady Mafia or mob characters watching their every move. Finally, they were back in their regular clothes, and all was right with the world again. In fact, the whole saga almost felt like a dream they’d just woken up from.
“This is beautiful,” Cassie said, arm in arm with Al, looking over the view. “Do you ever miss Chicago?” she asked him. “Do you still think of it as home?”
Al looked at her and smiled. “Home is wherever ya’ are. I’m so glad this is all over. And I’m sorry for draggin’ ya’ through it all.”
She smiled back at him. “Thank you for putting up with my outburst, too.”
“Was nothin’,” Al said with a chuckle. “I do like me a feisty woman.”
DeeDee smiled. “Aww, you guys are making me feel all warm and fuzzy.” She had her arm linked with Jake, too, and he leaned down and kissed her. The moment couldn’t have been more perfect.
RECIPES
SALMON PATTIES
Ingredients:
1 lb cooked salmon or 3 five oz. cans salmon
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup parsley, basil, or dill, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup breadcrumbs (I like to use Panko seasoned breadcrumbs.)
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tbsp. butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to warm. Mix all the ingredients together by hand but the cooking oil and butter. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of the mixture and put them on a cookie sheet. Flatten with a spatula to make patties and firm the edges with your finger. You’ll have about 8 to 10.
Using a 12” frying pan, heat the oil and butter together over medium heat. Place patties in the pan, careful not to crowd and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When finished you can either serve them and reserve the uncooked ones for another time or put the cooked ones in the oven to keep warm and finish with the next batch. Enjoy!
NOTE: I like to serve these with tartar sauce.
PAN FRIED STEAK WITH RED WINE MUSHROOM SAUCE
Ingredients:
1 16 oz. boneless rib-eye steak (Any type of steak will work.)
2 tbsp. BBQ seasoning salt (I like Monterey Steak Seasoning.)
1 tbsp. cooking oil
¼ cup shallots, rough chopped (You can also use a white onion.)
1 cup red wine
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (green part only)
¼ cup fresh rosemary, chopped w/stems removed
2 tbsp. butter
8 oz. Baby Bella brown mushrooms, stems removed, quartered
1 tbsp. herbs de Provence
1 tbsp. corn starch mixed w/two tbsp. water to make a slurry
Directions:
Trim excess fat off steak. Generously coat and pat both sides of steak with seasoning salt. Lightly oil 12” cast iron frying pan and preheat on high. When pan is hot and a thin film of oil is sizzling, add seasoned steak and cook for approximately 3 minutes on ea. side for medium.
Remove from pan, cover w/foil, and set aside while sauce is prepared. Reduce heat, add shallots and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add green onions and cook for 1 minute. Add wine, increase heat to high and reduce volume by half (takes about 3-4 mins). Add butter, rosemary and herbs de Provence and cook 2-3 minutes.
Mix corn starch and water in separate bowl until well combined. Slowly pour and stir into pan as needed unt
il proper thickness of sauce is obtained. Cut steak in half and plate. Spoon wine mushroom sauce over steak and serve. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE FUDGE POUND CAKE
Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs (I use jumbo.)
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract (Don’t use imitation. It makes a difference.)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
OPTIONAL: ice cream, powdered sugar, chocolate sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10” bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and vanilla and beat until blended. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder and beat on low until blended. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Place pan on cooling rack and let cool for 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on the rack.
You can serve with ice cream or top with powdered sugar and/or chocolate sauce. Enjoy!
PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS
Ingredients:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. can pineapple chunks in syrup, drained
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks
2 large eggs (I use jumbo)
¼ cup whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
¼ tsp. baking powder
Murder in Chicago Page 13
