CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE - The Case of the Kidnapped Cop
ON AN ORDINARY DAY, SOMETHING NOT SO ORDINARY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. POLICE OFFICER JACK BURKE IS ON PATROL, ONLY HIS PARTNER IS A CIVILIAN RIDE-ALONG. HE'S RICKY ALVAREZ, A NEW 9-11 DISPATCHER IN TRAINING AND OFFICER BURKE IS SHOWING HIM THE ROPES, TAKING HIM ON PATROL WITH HIM. RICKY COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED.
OFFICER BURKE IS ABOUT 6'3, SQUARE-JAWED, BROAD-SHOULDERED, A DEEP BOOMING SLIGHTLY GRAVELLY IRISH VOICE, SQUINTED STEEL-PIERCING EYES. HIS UNIFORM SHIRT BETRAYS A PAIR OF TONED, MUSCULAR HAIRY ARMS WHICH BEAR SOME "MEDALS OF HONOR" AS IT WERE.
"Yeah, I seen some stuff out there - gets pretty rough - people don't realize bein' a cop ain't a glamorous job. It's got nothin' but rewards, though. No matter what happens to me out there, I go home at the end of my watch knowin' I was doin' somethin' real special out here."
JUST SAYING THE JOB ISN'T GLAMOROUS MADE IT SEEM ALL THE MORE SO IN RICKY'S EYES. HE'S 5'10, SLIGHTLY CHUBBY BUILD, ROUND-SHAPED FACE, BIG BROWN EYES THAT SEEM TO TAKE IN EVERYTHING AROUND HIM.
"In case yer wonderin', we don't do this with all the trainees, but I think ya got somethin' about ya - I've been hearin' about ya, you really love this line of work, dontcha."
"Gosh, I sure do. It was the best day of my life when I heard I got the job. All I ever wanted to do was to help people. I may not be a cop or a fireman or anything like that, but I'm the first guy they talk to when they call in an emergency, and if I can just be that friendly, reassuring voice that tells 'em it's gonna be okay. We had to call 911 a lot with my dad bein' sick - he had a stroke and I called it in and I was all upset and stuff, and the guy on the other end of the phone kept talkin' to me, tryin' to settle me down - heck, he stayed on the phone with me the whole time til the paramedics came to the house. I never forgot him. He even came to my dad's funeral. Sure was nice of him."
AS RICKY RELATES THE STORY, BURKE SENSES SOMETHING FAMILIAR.
"Ricky, how long ago was this?"
"Five and a half years ago - but it seems like yesterday - why?"
A LOOK OF SADNESS CROSSES BURKE'S EYES, THEN HE SMILED A BITTERSWEET SMILE, AS IF REMEMBERING SOMEONE.
"The dispatcher, he was a guy named Sweeney, right?"
"Yeah! How'd ya know?"
"My best friend. He told me about the whole thing. He had a leg injury due to a car crash and was given desk duty, so he was a dispatcher while he was healin'. Some time after that, he was well enough to go back on the beat. He was shot to death three days later."
RICKY'S EYES AND MOUTH OPENED WIDE. HE TOOK A BREATH, SQUINTED HIS EYES, GRIMACED, EXHALED, AND SHOOK HIS HEAD. "No way."
"That's what I said at first. Right in front of me, too. We pulled someone over, just barely closed the squad car doors behind us and took a couple of steps, then I saw his chest get popped 6 times. I took cover, whipped out my piece and started firin', I got shot in the ankles, but I just kept pumpin' it into this thug. I finally blasted him right between the eyes. I wanted to run over and beat the livin' crap outta him, nobody wipes out a buddy of mine without payin' for it - but I thought better of it - my nailin' him was enough. When I was at the hospital, they saw that it was too risky to take the bullets out, that it could mean some real nerve damage if they did, so I still got the slugs in my ankles. When I walk on them, when I look down on them, changin' shoes, that kinda thing, I think of him."
"Wow - you still have bullets in your feet - don't they hurt?"
"Nah, not at all - in fact I'm glad I got 'em - I took 'em for Sweeney."
THEN SUDDENLY A CAR CAME UP BEHIND THEM, BEEPING THEIR HORNS, TAPPING THE SQUAD CAR BUMPER, THEN THEY WHIZZED PAST, SPEEDING DOWN THE ROAD. BURKE PUT ON THE MARS LIGHTS AND SIRENS
"Hang on, kid - we're gonna have some real fun now!"
HE GAVE CHASE - STAYING ON THE TAIL OF THE OFFENDING CAR THE WHOLE TIME, NEVER LETTING UP
"Fuckin' joy riders!"
BURKE PUTS ON THE P.A. AND ORDERS THE CAR TO PULL OVER AND STOP BUT THEY IGNORE HIM AND KEEP SPEEDING. THIS GOES ON FOR 5 OR 6 MILES AT LEAST. BURKE'S HAD ENOUGH BY NOW.
"Get your asses on that shoulder now!"
HE REACHES FOR HIS SERVICE WEAPON, TURNS TO RICKY AND SAYS, CHUCKLING, "Watch my smoke, boy!" AND SHOOTS OUT THE BACK WINDOW AND A SIDE MIRROR. THE CAR LOSES CONTROL, IT SWERVES, THEN FINALLY PULLS OVER.
"Got 'em!"
RICKY SMILES, "Ya sure did!"
BUT IT'S THEY WHO HAVE BURKE AND RICKY, FOR AT THIS MOMENT, THE OCCUPANTS RUN OUT AND ARE WEILDING AK-47 RIFLES, ASSUME COMBAT POSITIONS AND THE RINGLEADER RUNS OVER AND SMASHES THE WINDSHIELD WITH THE BUTT OF HIS RIFLE, PISTOL-WHIPS RICKY IN THE TEMPLE, AND AIMS HIS WEAPON RIGHT AT RICKY'S FOREHEAD.
"You get the fuck out now - hands up - hands up - hands up!"
ANOTHER RIFLE IS ALSO PRESSING AGAINST BURKE'S HEAD
"Face it, piggly-winks, you're out-gunned. You've lost this one!"
"GRAB HIS GUN!"
BURKE'S SERVICE WEAPON IS TAKEN AND HE STANDS WITH HIS HANDS IN THE AIR AS IS RICKY. THE BOY BREATHES HEAVILY, HIS HEART PALPITATES AND PANIC PAINTS HIS FACE AS HE LOOKS OVER AT BURKE WHO BETRAYS NO EMOTION - MAYBE HE'S BEEN THROUGH THIS SORT OF THING BEFORE. HE LOOKS DOWN THE BARREL OF HIS OWN SERVICE WEAPON.
"All right, you, big bad cop - ya wanna bust somebody? Cuff the kid."
BURKE SNARLS AT HIS CAPTOR, "no fucking way."
"All right, we'll do it ourselves, but you're not gonna like it."
THE KIDNAPPER AIMS AND SHOOTS BURKE IN HIS LEFT UPPER CHEST. BURKE GRIMACES AND GRABS HIS WOUND AND SCREAMS AS HE'S GRAZED IN THE HEAD AS HE GOES DOWN!
RICKY, SEEING A CHANCE FOR ESCAPE, THROWS HIS HANDS DOWN AND STARTS TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT, BUT IS SHOT IN THE ARM AND LEG AND GOES DOWN! THEN HE'S HANDCUFFED, DRAGGED TO THE CAR AND TOSSED INTO THE TRUNK!
MIKE - So where do we come into this? About here should be good. We were called down to headquarters. The Chief of Police filled us in.
"Both of shot up, eh? How badly were they hurt?"
"Burke took one in the chest and his skull was grazed, but he was still conscious when they found him. The boy only suffered wounds to his limbs, but I worry about him most of all. He wasn't even a sworn officer, he was a civilian."
"Was?"
"Uh, sorry, Detective, we shouldn't presume his passing, but he was taken hostage after he was sent down."
Eddie was pacing back and forth, frustrated, "were there no witnesses? Didn't anybody see anything at all?"
"My boy, we have the best witness there is. Videotape from the squad car's dash-cam, which I will show you. Detective Batz, I know you've seen a lot over the years, as tragic as some sights may be, I know you have a pretty thick skin about these things, but I am concerned about you, Detective Robinson. After all, you are at a very young age, and you have a very soft spot in your heart for all police officers, and this is very graphic footage."
MIKE - I put my hands on Eddie's shoulders. "You sure ya wanna see this?"
"Not a problem, Boss-man. Saving Ricky's life and catching these crumbs are all that matters."
MIKE - "Good man. All right, Chief, lay it on us."
EDDIE - The video starts with the chase as the dash-cam comes on as soon as the officer turns on the lights and sirens. We see Officer Burke try to stop the car by shooting out the rear window, then the car pulls over. I see the ugliness unfold in front of my eyes. The horrible sound of gunfire, the sight of the officer falling in pain. I could almost feel the bullets hit them both, having been shot before. Ricky gets shot next. I see some skin tissue and blood fly out of his arm as he's hit and goes down. He falls out of camera range, but I can hear the bullet he took in his leg, then I see him tossed in the trunk. The bad guys drive away and Officer Burke is shown struggling to stand up and he clutches his head. It leaves me cold. I ball my hands up into fists and put my arms up to my chest as I shake.
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE POINT OF CAPTIVITY - The gang of thugs drags poor Ricky into their hideout. Their kingpin looks him over.
"Where'd you get this one? He's not in a uniform!"
"He was sitting next to the cop in the squad car - we figured he might be undercover."
RICKY MOANS, "Please - I don't know what you want with me - I'm a Civilian Emergency Dispatcher - I was only being taken as a ride-along to..."
HE'S PUNCHED IN THE STOMACH
"Enough outta you!"
SEEING HIS BLEEDING ARM AND LEG, THE BOSS SNAPS, "Why was he shot? There wasn't supposed to be any shooting!"
"He tried to get away. We tried to make the other cop handcuff him, but he refused so we had to pop him, then this mutt tried to make a break for it, so we had to clip his wings."
"Well, I guess the damage is done, nothing we can do about it now - but take him down to the infirmary and fix up his wounds. Just because he's being used as a pawn doesn't mean he has to bleed to death."
"Does this mean you're gonna let me go?"
"Wish I could, but I can't. If we're gonna bring the PD down to its knees, we gotta snatch every single one of 'em. A kid like you shouldn't have gotten involved in this. I have no interest in civilians, but you're here now, anyway, so I guess we gotta make do. Guess you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Take him away - get him fixed up."
SEVERAL HOURS GO BY AS THE BULLET IS SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED FROM RICKY'S ARM, BUT THE SLUG IN HIS LEG IS ANOTHER STORY - IT'S IN A VERY PRECARIOUS SPOT - - REMOVAL COULD SEVER A NERVE AND RICKY COULD NEVER WALK AGAIN. HE WAKES UP FROM THE ANESTHESIA AND THE RINGLEADER BREAKS THE NEWS TO HIM.
"Where am I? What happened?"
"You have been taken hostage and as you tried to escape, one of my men shot you, but your wounds have been treated. The bullet from your arm has been removed, but we had no choice but to leave the other bullet in your leg. There would've been irreparable nerve damage if we tried to extract it."
"But...why? Why did you kidnap me? What do you want?"
"That's not important for now. Just do as we say and you won't suffer any further injury."
RICKY SITS UP, RUBBING HIS ARM, "Gosh...still hurts."
"Yes...it's going to for a while. But don't worry, you'll have some company real soon. Guys, next plan of action. Boy Wonder here needs a roommate. You two stay here and baby-sit the kid, you guys - let's get rollin' - we got some more to scoop up. We're gonna bring this pig-pen to its knees yet.
MEANWHILE BACK AT P.D. H.Q., AS MIKE AND EDDIE ARE MULLING OVER WHAT COULD HAVE PROMPTED SUCH AN ATTACK. THE CHIEF TAKES THE SIMPLE APPROACH
"The thugs probably had something to hide or else they wouldn't have attacked the officer and the civilian as violently as they had."
"Oh, it's much more than that. It seems as if the bad guys acted all too swiftly."
"With emphasis on ACTED."
"Correct! I have a feeling they planned this whole thing. Too bad the dash cam wasn't activated until Burke was in pursuit."
EDDIE - Suddenly a thought came to me. I snap my fingers and point at Mike, "THAT'S IT! STREET CAM!"
"Of course, why didn't I think of that? Chief - on Burke's beat, do you have police cams in the area?"
"Why, yes of course, but they only take still shots."
"Every 5 seconds."
"Well, true, but..."
"That's all we'll need. Give us the footage, we'll run it through a video editor and somehow animate the footage. It may be a bit bumpy, but we'll get the whole story."
THE CHIEF PLACES A CALL TO THE PHOTO LAB.
"Hello, yes...I have Detectives Batz and Robinson here - they would like the street camera footage of Officer Burke's patrol beat between the times of...."
"The kidnapping was recorded at 1:30 - let's get the footage from about 1:00 on..."
"Yes, give them the photos snapped from 1:00 this afternoon."
"We'll put all this footage together..."
"...and then we NAIL 'em! Holy open-n-shutter - let's GO!"
MIKE - My God, it felt like we were going through all those photos for days, but it was only a couple of hours, but still, it was more time that Ricky Alvarez was missing and in the hands of merciless miscreants - God only knew what they were doing to him.
EDDIE - Just what I thought it was - a total set-up. We can see now that the bad guys were really tailing Officer Burke - the way they drove up on him and slammed into him, baiting him to gice chase just so they could perpetrate their putrid plot. It really left us cold.
"Gosh, Mike. I get this awful feeling there may be more to come with this."
"I'm afraid you're right, but we do have a lead. At least the cops'll have one to go on - know what to look out for. This may not be the holy open and shutter we thought it'd be, but we are gonna get these guys - or our names aren't Batz & Robinson."
RICKY'S HANDS ARE CHAINED TO A PILLAR - HIS ARMS OUTSTRETCHED - HIS LEGS ARE SHACKLED - SPREAD EAGLE, OF COURSE.
"This sucks - we're not out on the next one - is this all we're good for, just keepin' an eye out on this one?"
"Yeah, I know what ya mean. I'd much rather be out on patrol than stuck back here doin' some stupid desk job."
THE HENCHMEN LAUGH AMONG THEMSELVES, "My God, we sound like a couple of cops."
"Who knows - maybe after we wipe all of 'em out, we can take over. I wouldn't mind struttin' my stuff in one of them uniforms."
"Yeah, they do look pretty hot."
"Hey, I just got an idea. Why don't we turn lemons into lemonade."
"I don't getcha."
LOOKING UP AT RICKY, THEN LOOKING BACK, HENCHMAN 1 SAYS, "Why don't we make our own fun here - a friendly little game of - DARTS, huh?"
"Don't tempt me - besides, the boss says not to hurt this kid anymore than we did."
"Nah, it's just gonna sting a little - we'll yank 'em back out."
"Sure, why not - no one's gonna know - besides, the kid's not gonna say anything. Who's he got to say it to?"
"Right!"
THEY APPROACH RICKY WITH BIG SMILES ON THEIR FACES.
"What're you guys up to?"
"Oh, nothing really - we're just gonna play a little pub game. A game of skill."
"Just a little game of darts, to pass the time."
EACH OF THEM TAKES 4 OF THE DEADLY MISSILES.
"Been thinkin' of improvin' my game - it's kinda quiet here, so now's a good time as any."
RICKY STARTS TO STRUGGLE - THE HENCHMEN EACH TAKE ONE DART AND AIM IT.
"No! You're never gonna get away with this!"
"Oh, really!"
"Hey, what's the point spread?"
"Chest 50 points - arms and legs 25 each. I'll be a sport - you go first."
"Why, how commendable."
"Nah, think nothin' of it."
"Hey, these ain't drugged, are they?"
"Of course not - that's too easy on him - we want him to feel everything."
"Hey. All right!"
THE FIRST DART IS TOSSED HITTING RICKY RIGHT IN THE CHEST - HE LETS OUT A SCREAM.
"Bull's eye!"
ANOTHER ONE HITS HIS LEFT SHOULDER. HE JERKS HIS HEAD BACK AND FORTH, FEARING HE'LL BE HIT THERE, TOO. HE TRIES IN VAIN TO MOVE HIS HANDS, THEY GET IT, TOO.
FINALLY ALL OF THEM ARE TOSSED, HITTING HIS ARMS AND LEGS. RICKY'S SOBBING BY THIS TIME.
"Not a bad game. Wanna go two outta three?"
"Sure."
WHAT A GHASTLY END - OR IS IT? HOW LONG CAN HE STAND SUCH TORMENT? HOW MANY MORE COPS ARE ON THE HIT LIST? WILL THE ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT BE WIPED OUT? HOW LONG BEFORE OUR HEROES CATCH UP WITH THESE DASTARDLY DEMONS AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE? THE ANSWERS, MY FRIENDS, ARE BLOWING IN THE WIND - MORE TO COME IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
OFFICER BURKE IS ABOUT 6'3, SQUARE-JAWED, BROAD-SHOULDERED, A DEEP BOOMING SLIGHTLY GRAVELLY IRISH VOICE, SQUINTED STEEL-PIERCING EYES. HIS UNIFORM SHIRT BETRAYS A PAIR OF TONED, MUSCULAR HAIRY ARMS WHICH BEAR SOME "MEDALS OF HONOR" AS IT WERE.
"Yeah, I seen some stuff out there - gets pretty rough - people don't realize bein' a cop ain't a glamorous job. It's got nothin' but rewards, though. No matter what happens to me out there, I go home at the end of my watch knowin' I was doin' somethin' real special out here."
JUST SAYING THE JOB ISN'T GLAMOROUS MADE IT SEEM ALL THE MORE SO IN RICKY'S EYES. HE'S 5'10, SLIGHTLY CHUBBY BUILD, ROUND-SHAPED FACE, BIG BROWN EYES THAT SEEM TO TAKE IN EVERYTHING AROUND HIM.
"In case yer wonderin', we don't do this with all the trainees, but I think ya got somethin' about ya - I've been hearin' about ya, you really love this line of work, dontcha."
"Gosh, I sure do. It was the best day of my life when I heard I got the job. All I ever wanted to do was to help people. I may not be a cop or a fireman or anything like that, but I'm the first guy they talk to when they call in an emergency, and if I can just be that friendly, reassuring voice that tells 'em it's gonna be okay. We had to call 911 a lot with my dad bein' sick - he had a stroke and I called it in and I was all upset and stuff, and the guy on the other end of the phone kept talkin' to me, tryin' to settle me down - heck, he stayed on the phone with me the whole time til the paramedics came to the house. I never forgot him. He even came to my dad's funeral. Sure was nice of him."
AS RICKY RELATES THE STORY, BURKE SENSES SOMETHING FAMILIAR.
"Ricky, how long ago was this?"
"Five and a half years ago - but it seems like yesterday - why?"
A LOOK OF SADNESS CROSSES BURKE'S EYES, THEN HE SMILED A BITTERSWEET SMILE, AS IF REMEMBERING SOMEONE.
"The dispatcher, he was a guy named Sweeney, right?"
"Yeah! How'd ya know?"
"My best friend. He told me about the whole thing. He had a leg injury due to a car crash and was given desk duty, so he was a dispatcher while he was healin'. Some time after that, he was well enough to go back on the beat. He was shot to death three days later."
RICKY'S EYES AND MOUTH OPENED WIDE. HE TOOK A BREATH, SQUINTED HIS EYES, GRIMACED, EXHALED, AND SHOOK HIS HEAD. "No way."
"That's what I said at first. Right in front of me, too. We pulled someone over, just barely closed the squad car doors behind us and took a couple of steps, then I saw his chest get popped 6 times. I took cover, whipped out my piece and started firin', I got shot in the ankles, but I just kept pumpin' it into this thug. I finally blasted him right between the eyes. I wanted to run over and beat the livin' crap outta him, nobody wipes out a buddy of mine without payin' for it - but I thought better of it - my nailin' him was enough. When I was at the hospital, they saw that it was too risky to take the bullets out, that it could mean some real nerve damage if they did, so I still got the slugs in my ankles. When I walk on them, when I look down on them, changin' shoes, that kinda thing, I think of him."
"Wow - you still have bullets in your feet - don't they hurt?"
"Nah, not at all - in fact I'm glad I got 'em - I took 'em for Sweeney."
THEN SUDDENLY A CAR CAME UP BEHIND THEM, BEEPING THEIR HORNS, TAPPING THE SQUAD CAR BUMPER, THEN THEY WHIZZED PAST, SPEEDING DOWN THE ROAD. BURKE PUT ON THE MARS LIGHTS AND SIRENS
"Hang on, kid - we're gonna have some real fun now!"
HE GAVE CHASE - STAYING ON THE TAIL OF THE OFFENDING CAR THE WHOLE TIME, NEVER LETTING UP
"Fuckin' joy riders!"
BURKE PUTS ON THE P.A. AND ORDERS THE CAR TO PULL OVER AND STOP BUT THEY IGNORE HIM AND KEEP SPEEDING. THIS GOES ON FOR 5 OR 6 MILES AT LEAST. BURKE'S HAD ENOUGH BY NOW.
"Get your asses on that shoulder now!"
HE REACHES FOR HIS SERVICE WEAPON, TURNS TO RICKY AND SAYS, CHUCKLING, "Watch my smoke, boy!" AND SHOOTS OUT THE BACK WINDOW AND A SIDE MIRROR. THE CAR LOSES CONTROL, IT SWERVES, THEN FINALLY PULLS OVER.
"Got 'em!"
RICKY SMILES, "Ya sure did!"
BUT IT'S THEY WHO HAVE BURKE AND RICKY, FOR AT THIS MOMENT, THE OCCUPANTS RUN OUT AND ARE WEILDING AK-47 RIFLES, ASSUME COMBAT POSITIONS AND THE RINGLEADER RUNS OVER AND SMASHES THE WINDSHIELD WITH THE BUTT OF HIS RIFLE, PISTOL-WHIPS RICKY IN THE TEMPLE, AND AIMS HIS WEAPON RIGHT AT RICKY'S FOREHEAD.
"You get the fuck out now - hands up - hands up - hands up!"
ANOTHER RIFLE IS ALSO PRESSING AGAINST BURKE'S HEAD
"Face it, piggly-winks, you're out-gunned. You've lost this one!"
"GRAB HIS GUN!"
BURKE'S SERVICE WEAPON IS TAKEN AND HE STANDS WITH HIS HANDS IN THE AIR AS IS RICKY. THE BOY BREATHES HEAVILY, HIS HEART PALPITATES AND PANIC PAINTS HIS FACE AS HE LOOKS OVER AT BURKE WHO BETRAYS NO EMOTION - MAYBE HE'S BEEN THROUGH THIS SORT OF THING BEFORE. HE LOOKS DOWN THE BARREL OF HIS OWN SERVICE WEAPON.
"All right, you, big bad cop - ya wanna bust somebody? Cuff the kid."
BURKE SNARLS AT HIS CAPTOR, "no fucking way."
"All right, we'll do it ourselves, but you're not gonna like it."
THE KIDNAPPER AIMS AND SHOOTS BURKE IN HIS LEFT UPPER CHEST. BURKE GRIMACES AND GRABS HIS WOUND AND SCREAMS AS HE'S GRAZED IN THE HEAD AS HE GOES DOWN!
RICKY, SEEING A CHANCE FOR ESCAPE, THROWS HIS HANDS DOWN AND STARTS TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT, BUT IS SHOT IN THE ARM AND LEG AND GOES DOWN! THEN HE'S HANDCUFFED, DRAGGED TO THE CAR AND TOSSED INTO THE TRUNK!
MIKE - So where do we come into this? About here should be good. We were called down to headquarters. The Chief of Police filled us in.
"Both of shot up, eh? How badly were they hurt?"
"Burke took one in the chest and his skull was grazed, but he was still conscious when they found him. The boy only suffered wounds to his limbs, but I worry about him most of all. He wasn't even a sworn officer, he was a civilian."
"Was?"
"Uh, sorry, Detective, we shouldn't presume his passing, but he was taken hostage after he was sent down."
Eddie was pacing back and forth, frustrated, "were there no witnesses? Didn't anybody see anything at all?"
"My boy, we have the best witness there is. Videotape from the squad car's dash-cam, which I will show you. Detective Batz, I know you've seen a lot over the years, as tragic as some sights may be, I know you have a pretty thick skin about these things, but I am concerned about you, Detective Robinson. After all, you are at a very young age, and you have a very soft spot in your heart for all police officers, and this is very graphic footage."
MIKE - I put my hands on Eddie's shoulders. "You sure ya wanna see this?"
"Not a problem, Boss-man. Saving Ricky's life and catching these crumbs are all that matters."
MIKE - "Good man. All right, Chief, lay it on us."
EDDIE - The video starts with the chase as the dash-cam comes on as soon as the officer turns on the lights and sirens. We see Officer Burke try to stop the car by shooting out the rear window, then the car pulls over. I see the ugliness unfold in front of my eyes. The horrible sound of gunfire, the sight of the officer falling in pain. I could almost feel the bullets hit them both, having been shot before. Ricky gets shot next. I see some skin tissue and blood fly out of his arm as he's hit and goes down. He falls out of camera range, but I can hear the bullet he took in his leg, then I see him tossed in the trunk. The bad guys drive away and Officer Burke is shown struggling to stand up and he clutches his head. It leaves me cold. I ball my hands up into fists and put my arms up to my chest as I shake.
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE POINT OF CAPTIVITY - The gang of thugs drags poor Ricky into their hideout. Their kingpin looks him over.
"Where'd you get this one? He's not in a uniform!"
"He was sitting next to the cop in the squad car - we figured he might be undercover."
RICKY MOANS, "Please - I don't know what you want with me - I'm a Civilian Emergency Dispatcher - I was only being taken as a ride-along to..."
HE'S PUNCHED IN THE STOMACH
"Enough outta you!"
SEEING HIS BLEEDING ARM AND LEG, THE BOSS SNAPS, "Why was he shot? There wasn't supposed to be any shooting!"
"He tried to get away. We tried to make the other cop handcuff him, but he refused so we had to pop him, then this mutt tried to make a break for it, so we had to clip his wings."
"Well, I guess the damage is done, nothing we can do about it now - but take him down to the infirmary and fix up his wounds. Just because he's being used as a pawn doesn't mean he has to bleed to death."
"Does this mean you're gonna let me go?"
"Wish I could, but I can't. If we're gonna bring the PD down to its knees, we gotta snatch every single one of 'em. A kid like you shouldn't have gotten involved in this. I have no interest in civilians, but you're here now, anyway, so I guess we gotta make do. Guess you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Take him away - get him fixed up."
SEVERAL HOURS GO BY AS THE BULLET IS SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED FROM RICKY'S ARM, BUT THE SLUG IN HIS LEG IS ANOTHER STORY - IT'S IN A VERY PRECARIOUS SPOT - - REMOVAL COULD SEVER A NERVE AND RICKY COULD NEVER WALK AGAIN. HE WAKES UP FROM THE ANESTHESIA AND THE RINGLEADER BREAKS THE NEWS TO HIM.
"Where am I? What happened?"
"You have been taken hostage and as you tried to escape, one of my men shot you, but your wounds have been treated. The bullet from your arm has been removed, but we had no choice but to leave the other bullet in your leg. There would've been irreparable nerve damage if we tried to extract it."
"But...why? Why did you kidnap me? What do you want?"
"That's not important for now. Just do as we say and you won't suffer any further injury."
RICKY SITS UP, RUBBING HIS ARM, "Gosh...still hurts."
"Yes...it's going to for a while. But don't worry, you'll have some company real soon. Guys, next plan of action. Boy Wonder here needs a roommate. You two stay here and baby-sit the kid, you guys - let's get rollin' - we got some more to scoop up. We're gonna bring this pig-pen to its knees yet.
MEANWHILE BACK AT P.D. H.Q., AS MIKE AND EDDIE ARE MULLING OVER WHAT COULD HAVE PROMPTED SUCH AN ATTACK. THE CHIEF TAKES THE SIMPLE APPROACH
"The thugs probably had something to hide or else they wouldn't have attacked the officer and the civilian as violently as they had."
"Oh, it's much more than that. It seems as if the bad guys acted all too swiftly."
"With emphasis on ACTED."
"Correct! I have a feeling they planned this whole thing. Too bad the dash cam wasn't activated until Burke was in pursuit."
EDDIE - Suddenly a thought came to me. I snap my fingers and point at Mike, "THAT'S IT! STREET CAM!"
"Of course, why didn't I think of that? Chief - on Burke's beat, do you have police cams in the area?"
"Why, yes of course, but they only take still shots."
"Every 5 seconds."
"Well, true, but..."
"That's all we'll need. Give us the footage, we'll run it through a video editor and somehow animate the footage. It may be a bit bumpy, but we'll get the whole story."
THE CHIEF PLACES A CALL TO THE PHOTO LAB.
"Hello, yes...I have Detectives Batz and Robinson here - they would like the street camera footage of Officer Burke's patrol beat between the times of...."
"The kidnapping was recorded at 1:30 - let's get the footage from about 1:00 on..."
"Yes, give them the photos snapped from 1:00 this afternoon."
"We'll put all this footage together..."
"...and then we NAIL 'em! Holy open-n-shutter - let's GO!"
MIKE - My God, it felt like we were going through all those photos for days, but it was only a couple of hours, but still, it was more time that Ricky Alvarez was missing and in the hands of merciless miscreants - God only knew what they were doing to him.
EDDIE - Just what I thought it was - a total set-up. We can see now that the bad guys were really tailing Officer Burke - the way they drove up on him and slammed into him, baiting him to gice chase just so they could perpetrate their putrid plot. It really left us cold.
"Gosh, Mike. I get this awful feeling there may be more to come with this."
"I'm afraid you're right, but we do have a lead. At least the cops'll have one to go on - know what to look out for. This may not be the holy open and shutter we thought it'd be, but we are gonna get these guys - or our names aren't Batz & Robinson."
RICKY'S HANDS ARE CHAINED TO A PILLAR - HIS ARMS OUTSTRETCHED - HIS LEGS ARE SHACKLED - SPREAD EAGLE, OF COURSE.
"This sucks - we're not out on the next one - is this all we're good for, just keepin' an eye out on this one?"
"Yeah, I know what ya mean. I'd much rather be out on patrol than stuck back here doin' some stupid desk job."
THE HENCHMEN LAUGH AMONG THEMSELVES, "My God, we sound like a couple of cops."
"Who knows - maybe after we wipe all of 'em out, we can take over. I wouldn't mind struttin' my stuff in one of them uniforms."
"Yeah, they do look pretty hot."
"Hey, I just got an idea. Why don't we turn lemons into lemonade."
"I don't getcha."
LOOKING UP AT RICKY, THEN LOOKING BACK, HENCHMAN 1 SAYS, "Why don't we make our own fun here - a friendly little game of - DARTS, huh?"
"Don't tempt me - besides, the boss says not to hurt this kid anymore than we did."
"Nah, it's just gonna sting a little - we'll yank 'em back out."
"Sure, why not - no one's gonna know - besides, the kid's not gonna say anything. Who's he got to say it to?"
"Right!"
THEY APPROACH RICKY WITH BIG SMILES ON THEIR FACES.
"What're you guys up to?"
"Oh, nothing really - we're just gonna play a little pub game. A game of skill."
"Just a little game of darts, to pass the time."
EACH OF THEM TAKES 4 OF THE DEADLY MISSILES.
"Been thinkin' of improvin' my game - it's kinda quiet here, so now's a good time as any."
RICKY STARTS TO STRUGGLE - THE HENCHMEN EACH TAKE ONE DART AND AIM IT.
"No! You're never gonna get away with this!"
"Oh, really!"
"Hey, what's the point spread?"
"Chest 50 points - arms and legs 25 each. I'll be a sport - you go first."
"Why, how commendable."
"Nah, think nothin' of it."
"Hey, these ain't drugged, are they?"
"Of course not - that's too easy on him - we want him to feel everything."
"Hey. All right!"
THE FIRST DART IS TOSSED HITTING RICKY RIGHT IN THE CHEST - HE LETS OUT A SCREAM.
"Bull's eye!"
ANOTHER ONE HITS HIS LEFT SHOULDER. HE JERKS HIS HEAD BACK AND FORTH, FEARING HE'LL BE HIT THERE, TOO. HE TRIES IN VAIN TO MOVE HIS HANDS, THEY GET IT, TOO.
FINALLY ALL OF THEM ARE TOSSED, HITTING HIS ARMS AND LEGS. RICKY'S SOBBING BY THIS TIME.
"Not a bad game. Wanna go two outta three?"
"Sure."
WHAT A GHASTLY END - OR IS IT? HOW LONG CAN HE STAND SUCH TORMENT? HOW MANY MORE COPS ARE ON THE HIT LIST? WILL THE ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT BE WIPED OUT? HOW LONG BEFORE OUR HEROES CATCH UP WITH THESE DASTARDLY DEMONS AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE? THE ANSWERS, MY FRIENDS, ARE BLOWING IN THE WIND - MORE TO COME IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
posted by Brendan Chenowith at 7:50 PM
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