Chapter 7: One Shot Too Many

Julie:

"Oh damn!" John exclaimed. He hurried outside and told the driver to take off. The cab pulled away from the curb and had barely gone a half block when a motorcycle cop stopped him. Even from where I stood I could see the cab driver was scared. John walked the half block and stood back to one side as he watched what happened. As far as I could tell, he didn't say a word. He stood there in silence with his arms folded and watched. I became afraid for John and walked to be nearer to him.

"Beat it." the cop told John. John didn't answer him, rather he stood quiet and watched. "Hey, I said to beat it." John still didn't say anything. He still stood there and smiled.

I heard heavy breathing behind me and saw the jewelry salesman had followed me with a funny looking camera in his hand. He had it pointed at John and the cop. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"To tell the truth, I really don't know, Lady. But I got a feeling I better to train the security camera on him so that's what I'm doing. I think I see what he wants to have happen. I bet he's going to Kung Fu that cop and take his gun away from him. What you want to bet?"

There was no way I was going to argue that one. Then I saw the cop pull his large automatic and as John raised his hands above his head, the cop shot him point blank. I screamed, "John." and made a desperate run toward him. John lay still, not moving, seeming to not even breathe. I was afraid he was dead. I cradled his head in my lap and tried to stop the flow of blood from his chest and mouth.

Then I heard a siren; it kept coming closer and closer. It stopped and the next thing I knew, someone had lifted John up and took him away from me. I looked up and saw two paramedics. They were careful as they placed him on a gurney. They slipped him into their ambulance and then he was gone.

The motorcycle cop stood there with an evil grin on his face, his gun still drawn. The grin went away as he saw the crowd beginning to gather and close in around him. I could feel the cold rage radiating from this mob of angry citizens. "That dirty cop shot the great profile." someone yelled.

Another voice yelled, "Are we going to take this?"

Someone else yelled, "Hell no. Get him." A bottle was thrown and another. Then a huge black man walked up to the policeman and smashed him in the mouth so hard he seemed to fly backwards. The black man hit him again and the cop fell to the pavement and didn't move, his face was a bloody mask.

The big man yelled at the top of his lungs, "There, I took care of him. It's all over now. I laid the bastard out." There was some more mumbling, then the crowd started to disperse and leave one and two people at a time.

He turned to me and said, "That felt real good to hit that red neck peckerwood. Sad to say I did it to save his worthless life. They would probably have killed him, if I hadn't downed his ugly butt. Let me tell you lady, it felt good. Oh, by the way, your man will be fine. That was our people who picked him up. My company owns that ambulance service. I'm James Buckminster of Regal Crown Security. Just call me Bucky."

I nodded to him and went back to the jewelry store and waited for Beth. "I want that tape," I told the salesman.

"Sorry, there is no tape. When the surveillance camera is activated, it sends a signal to the security people. They have it all on a master disc. You'll have to ask them for it."

The big black man with the unlikely name of Bucky Buckminster had been listening. "I do believe I can get you a copy of that disc," he told me.

"Good." I answered, "Call them now and have it sent to Channel three and all the other stations. Just give it to Channel Three first." It wasn't so much I liked that cheap blond who admired John's profile way more than I liked, but I began to see what John wanted. He was playing a game and Channel Three was a major piece in his strategy. Bucky nodded.

"Also, I want you to call your company and tell them that you personally are hired to be John's full time bodyguard. You will bill me direct." I fumbled in my purse and handed him a business card. His eyebrows raised as he saw the name "Menage A Trois" on the card. But he nodded, tucked the card into his wallet and went to use the store phone.

Beth drove up and stopped in a passenger zone. I started to cry as I told her what all happened. She just shook her head. Then I hurried back into the jewelry store asked Bucky where they had taken John and he told us which hospital and we left. I told Bucky to follow us there. He nodded and we were on our way.

I called Channel three and informed the operator who I was. She put me right through to our own personal news reporter, Babs Stoker, my John's own cheap little blond bimbette. I told her about the shooting and that we were on our way over to the hospital and that she might find it interesting to be there too.

"Omigodyes!" she yelled over the phone. She hung up and we hurried as fast as we could to get there. It was a good thing we did, too.

When we got to the emergency entrance of the hospital, the mayor and the chief of police were there with two other cops who refused to let John get treated. "This man is a wanted felon and he cannot be treated until he has been arrested and booked. The police officer who shot him in self defense is upstairs in critical condition from this man's assault.

Babs from Channel Three had beaten us there. That meant her cameraman got it all, from the very first, the whole scene with his camera. "Are you saying then, Chief, that John Strait assaulted the police officer who was brought in injured? You are stating uncategorically that John Strait instigated that confrontation with the police officer up stairs in intensive care and that he assaulted the officer who then shot him in the chest?

"Look, lady," the chief snarled, "I wasn't there personally, but we have three witnesses, all police officers of unblemished reputation who were there and will swear that your, 'great profile' there started it all. Any other questions?"