Chapter 17

A nude Cynthia lay back on the bed with a conceited smile as she watched the red faced boy trying to wipe the mess off his crotch with his cum soaked underwear. She blew a string of smoke at the ceiling and commented, "Curtis, that is the most wonderful compliment you can give a woman. You were so excited by me that you lost control. How wonderful is that?"

The boy stopped and looked at the older woman. "I thought you'd be laughing at me because I blew off in my pants."

"Honey, only a shallow, jaded ass would take it as anything but a compliment. You're doing fine. I learned a long time ago you don't laugh at compliments."

"Really?"

"Really! You are getting good at kissing too. I almost had an orgasm while we were kissing."

"You did?"

"I sure did. Kid, you're a natural."

"So, you're not mad?"

"Of course I'm not. Why would I get mad? You just need to learn how to control yourself, and I'm the woman with the ability to teach you how to please a woman. When I'm through with you, the girls will be standing in line to take my place. Trust me."

Cynthia handed the young boy a glass of cloudy liquid. "This is a little pick-me-up that should allow you to perform like a pro. It's kind of a Red Bull on steroids. You'll like the results."

The boy took the drink and downed it in one shot.

"Sugar, see that. You're already getting hard again. Get up here and let me show you how to use that thing. Curtis, my man, are you ready to learn how to be a stud?"

Curtis Milligan smiled and resigned himself to fate.

At the same time, Louise Milligan felt the first wave of anger over her late to supper son. Curtis was never late for Friday night pot roast. Where could he be? She started calling the few friends that Curtis had, but no one could tell her anything. They were afraid to tell her that Curtis hadn't shown up at school for fear of getting him in even more trouble.

Anger would soon turn to worry and then, sometime the next morning, to the panic every parent prays that they'll never experience. She could only hope that he was pulling some sophomoric prank. It wouldn't be long before she would call the local police for help finding her son. She would wait because she didn't like cops, and after that, there were those awful welfare people that were always calling her a bad mother. Even though the fear in her mind warned her it could already be too late, she would wait. She would wait because she was afraid of the truth.

We didn't waste a lot of time at The Goose after our less than impressive exposure to the County Coroner. I was worried about Sal, so as soon as we could we headed to the hospital. While en route, I asked Marilyn, "What did you find from the dead man's finger prints?"

"We found a match with a partial from Interpol. It's a ninety percent match to one of Europe's most sought after assassins, Smoke. If Interpol certifies this, Mr. Eagle-feather will receive a reward of 500,000 Euros. I also ran a spectrum scan on the blood splatter on the perp. While the scan method I used is still experimental, and not legally binding, I think the blood tests from the body will come back negative for both alcohol and drugs."

I did a double take. "What scan are you talking about? How did you get samples to scan?"

Marilyn chuckled again. "If you haven't figured it out yet, that little satellite I-phone you have is much more than just a phone. While you were capturing the crime scene, I captured a spectral breakdown of Mr. Smoke's blood. Simple really.

"Okay, forget I asked."

I continued, "Now we're back to that same nagging question, was this a holdup, or a holdup committed to cover up something else?

Charlie glanced at me and asked, " ... an assassination? Who?"

"It looks like, if it were an assassination, it had to be either Mamtha or Robert."

Charlie nodded and then added, " ... or both."

We made good time, and soon pulled into the emergency room ready parking. I rushed to the waiting room just as Doctor Johnson, dressed in hospital scrubs, came out of the emergency room and sat in the chair next to Sal.

"Sal, we were really lucky. Mamtha is most likely going to get through the knife wound without any kind of scar. It was close. Any deeper, and she could have bled out. We were damn lucky.

"I'd still like to keep her overnight and run some more tests on her in the morning. I didn't like what I saw during her examination. I think there is something else wrong. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was suffering from radiation poisoning."

"Where would she get exposed to radiation?" asked a worried Sal.

"That's why I don't think it is radiation, but something still looks like it. Didn't your son just get that large animal fluoroscope from GE medical?"

"Yeah, but it was thoroughly tested and certified just a couple of weeks ago. That couldn't be it."

Harry replied, "I'll call GE in the morning and get a copy of the test."

"There's no need, just call Dewey and have him fax you a copy in the morning. When can I see my daughter?"

"We'll be moving her to a private room after a couple more tests. You can walk with her while she's transported. You need a bed for the night?"

"That would be nice of you Harry."

"I'll take care of it now." He then stood and rushed back to the ER.

I sat in the chair he vacated and asked, "How are you holding up, Sal?"

"I'm fine. I took out my communicator because I was so worried about Mamtha. Can you tell me what in the Sam Hell happened over there, JD?"

I gave her a quick run down of our investigation to this point. "So, on the surface it looked like someone got strung out on drugs and needed money. They thought a gay bar would be an easy target and took a shot, in this case literally. Mamtha was lucky Thomas Eagle-feather was there. His training and cool head probably saved her life.

"At least that's what we thought until we found a partial fingerprint match from the dead man. This throws everything we thought completely out the window. He was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. They called him Smoke in Europe, because he was the most elusive and expensive hit man on the continent. He was also one of the most active until he dropped out of sight three years ago."

"An assassin? Who was he after?"

"It's too early to be certain, but I think it would be a good idea to keep a protective watch on your daughter and Robert until we're confident they're going to be safe. We don't know who paid for this or why, but I'm pretty sure it was a botched hit. Marilyn agrees. Preliminary reports show he was not some drugged out crazy looking for his next fix."

"By the way, what was Tom-Tom doing at The Goose? He's a straight as an arrow, and I know he doesn't drink."

"He cooks there on weekends. I guess money has been a little tight for him, and Robert was helping him out finically."

Just then an orderly interrupted. "Mrs. Jackson, we're ready to move your daughter to her room. Doctor Johnson told me to get you when we move her. As soon as we get her set up in the room, he's going to give her a sedative to help her sleep tonight. She'll be out of it after that, but we have a bed for you in the same room."

She turned to me. "Come on, JD."

"Sal, I think that I'd better meet you in the lounge on her floor. After our last confrontation, I don't think my being there will be helpful. I'd like for you to be back on line though. I'd prefer we are all on the same page for this one. With this idiot County Coroner and the Sheriff both having a problem with Robert, we need to be careful and get it right."

When Sal left to walk with Mamtha, Steve, Mandy, and I made our way to the public elevators. Just as I sat my ass in the fourth floor lounge, it started filling up. Mary and Pop were the first to show up. Mary was carrying a small suit case in one hand and my father's hand in the other. They were followed by Dewey and Becky.

Elsewhere, Mamtha watched her mother enter her ER room and cried, "Mama, I'm so sorry!"

Sal quickened to her daughter's side and grabbed the closest part of her body that looked safe to touch. While holding her hand Sal quietly said,
"Samantha, Honey, don't you worry about anything but getting better. My God, I shudder to think what could have happened if Tom-Tom hadn't been there."

"But Mama, I said horrible things to you. I don't know why. I tried to hurt you for being happy."

"Honey, we can talk about that when you're feeling better. You concentrate on getting healed now."

"Mama?"

"Yes, Dear."

"There was something wrong with that hold up."

"What do you mean, Mamtha?"

"You remember a discussion I had with Dad about why he had been forced to choose between killing a man and letting him walk away?"

"Yes, he had to take the shot because he couldn't be sure that the man would just give himself up before he hurt someone else. That was a very simplified accounting of what happened, but yes I remember. From what I have been told, the situation was very similar to what happened tonight."