A Lunatic's Hostages - 1. The Lunatic Arrives

Lorcan Hubble knew it would be nearly impossible to obtain a gun without any active contacts. His Glock 19 was confiscated when he was arrested for an armed robbery he did not commit. It was his brother and his own Glock 17 that were captured by the cameras at Commonwealth Bank. Lorcan insisted it was Lowell that performed the robbery, but Saggio would hear nothing of it.

So it was for that reason, Lorcan walked into Bass Pro Shops on October eleventh and bought himself a Browning Primal Large Folder Knife.

He had already stolen a car from near the halfway house he'd been assigned, swapping the license plates, of course. He pulled into the Milford Motel On The River; just north of Orono, and booked a room for four nights, hoping he'd be able to complete his task and sneak into Canada by that time.

It was a cool afternoon on October fourteenth. The leaves were at their peak of color. This generally raised the number of tourists in the area significantly. But it wasn't a tourist that drove the phone call that was made to Detective Gennaro Saggio late that afternoon.

Gennaro noticed his foster son Russell's number on his caller ID.

"Hi, Russ. What's up?"

"The man said to tell you it's Hubble trouble."

Gennaro could tell his son's phone was on speaker.

"What man?"

"Tell him."

"We thought the Internet was out, but there was a man outside who looked like he was working on it. He said our modem was probably fried because of a power surge. Pop didn't exactly believe that, but the Internet was out. After he came in, he... he held a knife up against my throat and made pop get some cable ties..."

"That's enough. I have your partner/boyfriend/husband, whatever the fuck he is, and your son tied to chairs. If you ever want to see them alive again, you'll do exactly what I say."

"I'm listening."

"Feel free to bring along all your friends from the PD, but you will enter your house, alone, and completely naked. I want no chance that you'll be armed. You will enter in exactly one hour, so I know when you're coming in. Ted has graciously opened the security program on his laptop for me, so I will know if you let anyone follow you in."

"Why one hour?"

"That doesn't sound like listening. Shut up unless I specifically ask you a question. I want to give you enough time to remember me, and what you did. You need to worry for more than the ten minutes it would take you to get here. Do you have an idea yet who I am?"

"No."

"I'll make it easy for you. March sixteenth, 2013. Commonwealth Bank. Lorcan Hubble. Getting it now?"

"Yes. You claimed innocence."

"I WAS innocent. You took over twelve years of my life away. You have to pay for that. If you arrive more than two minutes early or late, your son and boy toy are dead. Understand?"

"Yes."

"I have 4:38. Your safe window is 5:36 through 5:40. You don't walk through that door within that time period, they're dead and you'll never hear from me, or see me again. Still following?"

"Yes."

"See you in an hour, Detective."

Lorcan disconnected.

"You did well, Rusty. Talked a little too much, but you're nervous and afraid, so I get it."

"It's not Rusty."

"I'll call you fuck-stick if I want to. You don't want to piss me off."

Russell remained quiet.

Ted Ames didn't, "The jury convicted you. Gennaro only presented the evidence."

Lorcan nearly exploded, "Did I fucking ask you?"

"No, but..."

"But nothing. Keep quiet. Did you hear that this time?"

"Yes, but..."

"Rusty, my boy. How are you at history?"

"OK, I guess."

"Good. I have to put a pot on the stove, I'll have a couple questions for you when I return."

Lorcan went into the kitchen, opened a few cabinets, and found a small pot. He placed it on the stove, empty, and turned the heating element on high. In three minutes, the pot was very hot. He carried it back into the living room.

"Do you know who Vincent Van Gogh was, Rusty?"

"A painter."

"Do you know what was unusual about him?"

"No."

"He cut off part of his left ear. Since your 'pop' doesn't seem to listen very well, he doesn't need his left ear at all."

"Don't!"

"Are you telling me what to do, little man?"

"No. I'm sorry."

Lorcan moved behind Ted and sliced off Ted's left ear, letting it fall to the carpet. Ted screamed. Lorcan picked up the red-hot pot and held it up against Ted's stub of an ear. Ted continued screaming.

"Can't have you bleeding to death yet, Ted. But you have ten seconds to SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Ted quieted immediately, although he did continue with little moans.

"I guess I have to allow that. I suppose that was painful."

Ted just glared at Lorcan, not wanting to risk some other body part being removed.

"Is there a gun in the house, Ted?"

"No."

"That nose is looking pretty loose. This is a cop's house. I know there's a spare gun here. Where is it?"

"Bottom drawer of Gen's nightstand."

Lorcan walked into what he figured was the master bedroom. There were two nightstands, "Which one?"

"Closest to the window."

Lorcan opened the drawer and found a revolver. He returned to the living room.

"This is a pretty nice gun. Do you think it's wise to leave it just lying around like that?"

"Russell knows all about gun safety."

"What is it?"

"It's a Ruger Super Redhawk."

"Nice long barrel. Looks like something Dirty Harry would use. Know who Dirty Harry is, Rusty?"

"Yeah, a movie character."

"Smart boy. Almost seems like a waste to... never mind."

Ted caught the meaning behind what Lorcan said, "You can't do that."

"I can't? Why is it everyone around here thinks they can tell me what to do? But, you know what? You're right. Rusty, I'm going to cut you loose, give you your phone, and tell you to wait outside for detective-daddy to get here. I will call you from Teddy's phone when I want him to come in. Got it?"

"Yes. Don't hurt pop."

"Again, with the commands. Don't you think I already did?"

"Yeah."

Lorcan cut the cable ties from Russell's legs and hands, "Get the fuck out."

Lorcan watched the laptop until Russell was outside. He sat down on the porch.

"What's the code to unlock your phone, Teddy Bear?"

"Thirteen, twenty-six, thirty-nine."

"How very mathematical."

"Thanks for letting him go."

"Oh, I don't think I would have killed him, but I didn't want him to see this."

Lorcan stepped behind Ted, grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, "Having a dead pop is bad enough. Watching him get killed is even too mean for me."

Lorcan drew the knife across Ted's throat and let go of his hair. Ted gurgled for a few moments before his head drooped forward.

"That should upset Detective wise-ass a little."

******************************

Back at police headquarters, Gennaro spoke to his captain, telling him what was happening. The SWAT team was assembled, and plans were made on how to handle the situation. Russell being in the house limited what the SWAT team leader would be able to do. He made sure his snipers equipped their rifles with thermal weapon sights. If they had a clear shot at Hubble, they would be given the green light to take it.

Fifteen minutes later, Gennaro arrived at the house. He immediately saw Russell on the porch.

"Russell, can you move away from the house, or does he want you there?"

"He didn't say."

"Come over here then."

Russell got up and walked to Gennaro's unmarked car, "Go ahead and sit inside."

"He said he'd call me from pop's phone when he wanted you to come in."

"OK."

Meanwhile, inside...

"What a fucking mess."

Lorcan grabbed Ted's body by the hair again and dragged him toward the kitchen. Setting the chair upright once more, he opened the door to the cellar. Once again, by the hair, he dragged Ted to the door and shoved him down the steps.

"Fuck. Blood all over my hands."

He went to the kitchen sink and washed his hands. He then went back into the living room to wait. When he saw Rusty stand up and walk away from the porch, he manipulated the camera to show more of the front yard.

"Oh, good. Detective daddy is early, and his buddies from the police aren't here yet."

Lorcan picked up Ted's phone and called Rusty.

Gennaro answered, "Ted, what's he doing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Gennaro, Ted can't come to the phone right now."

"What did you do?"

"Maybe your boy toy bled like a stuck pig. Maybe he's perfectly fine. You won't know until you get inside, will you?"

"You cocksucker."

"Yeah. That's funny, coming from a faggot like you. I bet you love sucking Ted's cock. Tell me, Gen, do you fuck him most of the time, or does he fuck you?"

"Go to hell."

"Oh, sooner or later, I suppose I will. But I guess you could say I fucked Ted today. Figuratively, of course. Get your clothes off and walk toward the house."

"Or what? I’m sure you already killed Ted. Why shouldn't I wait until the SWAT team gets here and let them blow you away?"

"Because you don't know that for sure. Anyway, what kind of fish are in this tank, Gen? They look pretty expensive."

"They're Wrought Iron Butterflyfish, and they are pretty expensive."

"Are they insured?"

"What?"

"If something happened to them, would you get any money for them?"

"No."

"How much did they cost?"

"They were a little under three grand apiece."

"Wow. Twenty-four grand in fish. That's not an investment you'd care to lose, is it, Gen?"

"No."

"And the tank?"

"Five hundred gallons. Just the tank alone cost over ten thousand."

"Then it would be a pity to lose all of that, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Get your fucking clothes off and get in here before I use this Super Blackhawk on it, and Ted."

"Super...?"

"Your spare gun, you moron."

"The redhawk. OK, OK. I'm coming in."

Gennaro's nosy neighbor was at her front window watching, but he had no choice. He undressed and walked toward the house. She came running out.

"How dare you undress outdoors? And in front of your son, no less."

"Go back inside Mrs. Watson. I have a maniac with a gun inside my house. I don't have a choice."

"Oh, dear. Should I call 9-1-1?"

"No, the SWAT team should be here momentarily. Go back inside and stay away from the windows on this side."

She hurried back inside.

"I'm at the front door."

"By all means, come in. It is your house, after all."

The SWAT team arrived just after Gennaro got inside. Genaro walked into the living room and saw the blood on the carpet, he whispered, “Fuck.”

"Turn around, slowly."

Gennaro spun.

"Unarmed. You listen better than your late husband."

"Where's Ted?"

"He's sampling the wine in your wine cellar. Your police friends can retrieve your bodies after I leave."

"Why kill me now? Wouldn't you want me to suffer longer, losing my husband isn't enough?"

"No. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Cold-blooded murder seems appropriate. But first things first. Go get a pair of underpants, I don't like looking at your junk. You have fifteen seconds to come out with them before the fish get it."

Gennaro headed to his bedroom, grabbed his own Glock, a 42, then took a pair of underpants out of their drawer.

"The fish are waiting."

Gennaro returned to the living room, carrying the Glock, hidden within the underpants. Apparently, not hidden well enough.

"You fuck."

Lorcan pointed the Ruger at the center of Gennaro's chest and fired. Gennaro fired twice in quick succession at Lorcan, hitting him dead center of his chest.

Both Ted and Gennaro knew the Ruger was damaged. The barrel pointed slightly to the left, so Gennaro was hit on the right side of his chest, through the lung. He fell to the floor.

Outside, the rest of the cops heard the gunshots. Simon Gallagher, Gennaro's partner, rushed toward the house, drawing his own gun.

The SWAT team leader yelled at him, "Stop!"

Simon ignored the order and entered the house. He slowly made his way into the living room. He saw both men on the floor. The two large bloodstains on Lorcan's chest told him there was nothing to worry about there. He rushed to Gennaro.

He yelled, "Medic!" before kneeling down next to Gennaro.

"Hang in there partner."

"Ted's..."

"Don't talk. We'll get it sorted out."

"Hubble?"

"Dead, now shut up."

"Hurts. Hard to breathe."

The EMTs were right behind the SWAT team, so three of them followed a handful of SWAT members into the house.

Simon described the injury, "Single GSW to the right chest. Definitely got him in the lung. I don't know if it's through and through."

"OK, back away and let us work."

The EMT's packed the wound. While lifting Gennaro onto the gurney, they saw that there was no exit wound. Gennaro had loaded the gun with .45 Colt cartridges, which were less powerful than the .454 Casulls it could have taken. That decision may have saved his life. An exit wound would not have been pretty.

******************************

Simon took Russell home with him when things quieted down, promising they'd go see his dad later at the hospital. He was single, and lived alone, but felt he needed to take care of his partner's son.

Ted Ames was found in a heap at the bottom of the cellar stairs, pronounced dead at the scene and was taken to the morgue. An autopsy was performed, but the cause of death was obvious. The damage to his ear was significant, but it would not have been fatal.

Gennaro was allowed to leave the hospital for a few hours five days later to attend the funeral. Simon took care of all the arrangements, consulting Gennaro on all aspects. Gennaro returned to the hospital for another five days. He and Russell would go on with their lives after his release.

Gennaro decided he no longer wanted to be a detective. Putting Russell into harms way again was unacceptable. He would look into getting a PI license when he recovered fully.

The End (So Far)