Chapter 34

After we left Mouse, I found I didn’t have words to describe what we just left. Home doesn’t seem proper. Place of business doesn’t seem to accurately describe it either. Would it not be too bad of a pun to call it Mouse hole? Or Mouse Pad? I wondered for a second if I dared ask Sakol what he’d call the place we just left.

Sakol and I left the rundown area and headed for a 24-hour cafe where we stopped and ordered breakfast. We sat quietly in the booth; each of us lost in our own thoughts. Mine were split between what was going on with Hollis and Price and everything that entailed, and of course, Sharon. It was becoming evident to me she was a larger part of my life with each passing day, and I was pleased how much the idea excited me.

Another part of my mind kept reviewing the short conversation I’d just witnessed with Mouse. I didn’t know exactly who the little man was, but his knowledge of what was happening in Seattle, and with me, was beyond frightening. I wondered how he knew about Walter and our relationship.

I didn’t want to forget to ask Sharon what she knew about the fascinating little man I’d just met. Mouse acted as if they were old friends. That conversation was going to be a very interesting one.

Finally, Sakol grunted, pushed away his empty plate and looked at me. “We go. Now,” he said and stood up. When I asked him where, he told me he wanted to return to the hospital. He wanted to see Jeff.

As we rode towards our destination, I asked him to tell me about Mouse and the story of how he had saved Sakol’s life. Sakol proceeded telling me the story about the two of them growing up together. He told me when they were both six years old, Mouse’s family had moved in next to Sakol’s family, and because there weren’t any other kids on the block, the two of them started to play together. Over time they became best friends.

Sakol reminisced, telling me stories about their antics during grade school and junior high. Sakol mentioned how several times he’d saved Mouse from various bullies. Finally, when the two of them were in junior high, both signed up for self-defense classes. Sakol looked over at me and grinned, “You might not know this to look at him, but Mouse holds several degrees in various martial arts disciplines. He keeps bodyguards around, but if it came down to it, he could save them faster than they would be able to save him.” Sakol laughed aloud at this remark, and it was obvious from the warmth in Sakol’s voice as he told me the stories, he considered the diminutive man a very close and dear friend.

I tried several times to get Sakol to tell me how Mouse had saved him, but he would carefully steer the conversation away from the subject and he never told me exactly what Mouse did. But Sakol did confide in me before we got to the hospital even though he was fairly positive he knew what Mouse profession was, it would be difficult to bust him.

Finally, as we drove up in front of the hospital, Sakol ended his story, “Someday my supervisors will force me to make a decision. Someday I’ll have to either resign from the force, or arrest Mouse.” Sakol looked at me and shook his head, “I know this, and yet I’ve no idea what I’ll do when the time comes.” Sakol parked the car in silence, and I remembered how he had dropped the Charlie Chan routine when he talked about his old friend.

We were able to see Jeff L. and I was pleased to see how well he looked, considering what happened. At one point he asked Sakol to leave the room, and I was surprised. After we were alone, he looked at me and beckoned for me to come closer. Looking me in the eye, Jeff L.’s voice was almost a whisper and with a tear in his eye, he said, “I know what you did last night. I knew you were with me and talking to me. Your words helped me a lot. You’re a better friend than I am. I’m sorry. You saved my life, and I owe you.”

I was aware there were also tears in my eyes, but I didn’t care. “Bullshit. You owe me nothing. You’d have done the same thing had the roles been reversed. I’m glad I was there, and I was able to help.”

“But I’ve been so nasty to you. If you’d done what I told you to do last night, if you’d gone home, I’d be dead now. I’m so sorry for the way I treated you.”

I was getting embarrassed, and I needed this to stop. Besides, there were other problems which needed to be addressed. “Please, Jeff, I need you to stop. You’re safe and that’s all that’s important. Sakol and I are working on the rest. And most of all, I need to get out of here before Frank finds me. Don’t know if you know this, but he thinks I could have prevented you getting shot. And I guess in a way I could have. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you about Price, and Hollis. Anyway, I need to leave. Now!”

He lifted one hand a little and I took it in mine. I could see more tears in his eyes and his voice was still just a whisper. “Thanks for coming to see me. And thanks for last night. Somehow, I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

I squeezed his hand gently, laid it back on his chest and with a smile on my face, I told him, “Fuck you. Just get better and don’t be such a turd when I call you next time.” As I left the room, I could hear him chortling.

I headed home and when I got there, I found a note from Sharon. One of the nurses had called in sick and they were short staffed. She wrote she didn’t know when she’d be back, but she’d call me when she had a chance. I took BJ out and watched her wander around the vacant lot.

After I returned from the lot with BJ, I was restless. There was nothing I could do except wait for Sakol to call. Sharon called and told me she was going to be really late, and I assured her things were fine. She told me she’d looked in on Jeff L. and he was pestering the doctors he wanted to go home. His wife Dee and Sharon were trying to get him to see the wisdom of sticking around for a few days to make sure there were no complications. Finally, Frank stepped in and ordered Jeff L. to stay in the hospital, and even more importantly, told him to shut up and deal with it. I laughed and we hung up.

Around 11 PM I got the call from Sakol I’d waited for all day. He gave me the address where we were to meet him at midnight. I told him I’d see him there. I took BJ out for another outing and then we went down to the garage to get my truck and go meet Sakol. The address he gave me turned out to be his home and I parked my truck on the side of his garage. I rolled the window down a bit for BJ and noticed she was sacked out. Sakol and I got in his squad car, and we were off to find Mouse.

When we finally stopped it was in a remote area of North Seattle. We stayed in the car, waiting and after about a ten-minute wait, a stretch limo came around the corner and stopped next to Sakol’s car. Two men who looked like ex-offensive football linemen got out of the limo. Considering Mouse’s size, I understand why he’d want to surround himself with large, frightening looking men. It was simple, it was because they made great protection. However, I was aware of the truth, and it was clear to me the bodyguards were more for show than for protection.

Once the bodyguards were sure nobody was waiting to harm Mouse, they opened the back door. Mouse stepped from the back of the limo; his attire still impeccable, you’d never guess it was the middle of the night. From the pocket square in his suit coat pocket to his highly polished shoes, he looked like something from an ad in Gentleman’s Quarterly.

Sakol got out of the car and stepped over to Mouse. The little man looked up at Sakol, and, as he spoke, he sadly shook his head, “We seem to have a problem.” Mouse nodded at one of the bodyguards who stepped to the trunk of the limo. The key fob was lost in the giant’s hand. He pushed the proper button on the fob, and the trunk popped open. Mouse had moved to the end of the limo and pointed at an object covered with a tarp. The giant pulled on the tarp, exposing the body of a dead person curled up in the trunk, “Here he is, as promised.” Mose told Sakol.

We all stood looking into the trunk for a moment until finally Sakol asked, “I assume this is Jersey?”

Mouse nodded his head, “Yes, I’m sorry. We found him too late.”

“What happened?” Sakol queried.

“We found him dead in his apartment. He’d been shot twice in the back of the head, obviously an execution.”

The five of us stood for a moment looking at Jersey’s dead body tucked into the large trunk. It would seem Hollis was cleaning up loose ends. Mouse turned to Sakol, and asked, “What do you want me to do with him?”

Sakol pondered the situation for a moment, “Well, I really wish you hadn’t disturbed the crime scene, but it’s too late now. How about you take him back to where you found him. When you’re finished, call me and give me the address and I’ll call it in.”

Mouse nodded in understanding. “Will you still come and tell me what this is all about sometime?” Mouse asked.

“It’s a promise.” Sakol paused for a moment, and continued, “Is there any way Hollis could know about you?”

Mouse seemed surprised at Sakol’s question. “I don’t see how; it was Jersey who contacted Price, not me. I’d never heard about Price and Hollis until they got to town. Why do you ask?”