The Summer Job - 56. Closing Moves

Deputy Harris could watch it all unfold in real time with his drone’s eye view. He imagined announcing it like a play by play of a sports match. He cleared his throat, made sure he was transmitting on the team channel and said, “This is Hawkeye. It’s now ten-thirty. Four vehicles are in the subject driveway and five juveniles have entered from the back. They seem to have a hideout way back in the woods with top cover. It has got great concealment; I had to spot it with infra-red. Two or more juveniles are still there. One juvenile just departed the subject’s house and is moving West on the trails.”

“This is team two. Should we grab him?”

Detective Murray at the TOC answered, “Delta Mike to Team Two: Negative. We don’t want to risk spooking them. They probably have cell phones. Maintain cover and watch the back door.”

“Team Two, roger.”

Standing in the TOC, Murray said to Sgt. Daniels, “Ray, it looks like our boys have a secret fort in the woods. That’s... just so appropriate, it’s just a little jarring to see in the middle of a mess like this.”

Daniels nodded in agreement and replied, “When all of this is said and done Jack, we have to remember that they’re kids.”

Murry said, “I agree Ray. I also remember some guys in my unit underestimated a kid about this age. He pulled out an RPG and turned their ride into scrap metal and put three of them in the hospital. A kid can kill you just as dead as an adult.”

On the way back home Phillip asked, “Marty, is it true you’ve offered to provide a foster home to one of the kids when this mess is over?”

Oswald said, “I talked to my wife about it. Our kids are grown and, we might have a little empty-nest syndrome. She’s still teaching and loves kids. To tell the truth, we’re excited about it.”

Phillip said, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to talk you out of it, but they’re going to have problems.”

Marty chuckled and said, “I was a cop for thirty years and a detective for half that. I understand that people come with bumps and dings. To tell the truth, I wasn’t exactly a bundle of joy myself at that age. Many cops will sign on because they see a little of themselves in those kids.”

“I guess cops would have a different perspective than most people”, Phillip said.

Marty got serious and said, “There’s not a single cop, not one, that hasn’t run into situations where they see kids in the worst kind of messes, and you would like to pick them up, tell them it’s going to be all right and take them home. You can’t do it. We’re not supposed to get emotionally involved, but behind every badge is a human being. If we ever get so detached, so cynical with the whole mess that we just don’t care, that’s when it’s time to hang it up. Maybe if I can make things right this one time, it’ll mean something.”

Phillip said, “I guess most people don’t think of cops that way. It will certainly mean something to one of those boys.”

Marty pulled up to Phillip’s curb and said, “Maybe they should. Being retired has given me time to get a little perspective on things. Goodnight Phillip.”

Phillip watched Marty’s Altima make the circle and pull away. Oswald may look and sound like Andy Sipowitz from NYPD Blue (Dennis Franz), but there were dimensions to the man he had not imagined.

Doug Lambert stuck with the plan. When Cade and Jeremy arrived at Pop’s house, the first thing they did was comment on his hair. Instead of his usual brown hair they were used to, Doug had a haircut and was transformed into a strawberry blond.

Instead of his usual scruffy attire, he was wearing white tennis shorts, a Polo shirt and topsiders. Cade and Jeremy both liked it and, it changed his appearance dramatically; preppy looked good on Doug.

Doug planted the story he was accompanying a friend’s family to the coast. His friends privately ribbed him about it. Jeremy and Cade instantly had the idea that he was hooking up with an adult and would spend the next few days in a hotel eating pizza and room service, and sucking and fucking his way to an easy thousand dollars. They had all done it on a smaller scale over weekends. None had managed a four-day gig and were envious. Instead of denying it, Doug just winked. They all had private clients.

Doug made his exit just as Mr. Quinn arrived. He went out the back gate, got on his bike and took the trail westward hoping he would never see the place again.

Something made the hairs on the back of Doug’s neck tingle. As he rode his bike on the dark trail away from Pop’s house, he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

He got further and further away from Farmer’s place, and no one had jumped out to grab him. He only relaxed when he crossed Center Boulevard and passed into the western half of the park.

“Hawkeye to team. Kid leaving on a bike just passed out of coverage to the West. It looks like he is headed home and will miss the party. The two from the fort have mounted bikes and are on their way. Another pair is headed toward the site from the West side. Team Two, be advised, the first pair will pass through your line in about five minutes. The second one will graze your line to the southeast.”

The leader of Team Two replied, “Copy that Hawkeye. It’s good to have an eye in the sky.”

Phillip went around the garage and entered the backyard through the gate. No one was outside, but he heard a cough from behind the pool house. He got a little closer, smelled weed and heard talking; Mikie’s familiar voice and then a couple of voices he couldn’t immediately identify.

Mikie said, “Phillip doesn’t exactly hate weed, but he’s not enthusiastic about it. He says it’s more trouble than its worth. I think it gives him nightmares. Last night he tossed and turned something fierce.”

Mystery voice number 1 asked, “He won’t bust us will he?”

Mikie exclaimed, “No, he’s cool. He smoked with us last night. It's just not his favorite thing.”

Mystery voice number 2 said, “He is hot. I wish we hadn’t been so paranoid about meeting him earlier.”

It had to be Karl and Carlos.

Cole said, “I can’t help but like him. He seems to be good for everybody...”

Phillip grinned and decided to let the boys smoke a joint or two in peace and went inside.

Peeking into the den, more of the Hobbit trilogy was playing. Britt, Tanner, Luke, Jon-Jon, Scotty, Timmy, Ryan, Sammy and Billy were sound asleep on the sofa like a mound of sleepy puppies. Randy and Stevie were co-located in one chair as were Patrick and Adam were in another.

Johnny Gray appeared beside him as if he were a puff of smoke. Like everyone else, he was down to boxers. He put his fingers over his lips to indicate quiet and Phillip followed him upstairs into his study.

Once inside, Johnny hugged Phillip and said, “I’m glad we could have a moment. I wanted to tell you something.”

Phillip hugged Johnny back and said, “You’re welcome Johnny. You make your new Jammers look good.”

He smiled and said, “You know I’m Cherokee right?”

“I knew you were Native American, but not the tribe.”

Johnny said, “My Mom and I are full blood. She knows I am asegi.”

Phillip looked dumbfounded and Johnny elaborated, “She knows that I am... our word for it is two-spirits. Most English call it gay or bisexual.”

Phillip still looked a little confused and said, “Did you come out to her?”

Johnny shook his head and said, “She just knew. She said she always knew, and it’s never been an issue. My Dad was too but, he was more into spirits than spirituality. That’s why they split. She teaches English at the junior college. Anyway, she can tell I like you. She saw you on TV, and she just has a way of knowing things. She told me it would be OK.”

Phillip asked in astonishment, “She told you it was OK for us to...”

Johnny smiled brilliantly and said, “Not exactly. She likes you and thinks you would be a good for me and won’t hurt me. You see, we don’t see these things as black and white as you English. English think you are gay and that’s that. Those of us are asegi are what you would probably call bisexual. We don’t see anything wrong with having a few male lovers when we’re young and marrying and having children later on.”

Phillip’s astonishment must have shown. It clearly amused Johnny when he said, “That has to be the sanest attitude about sexuality I’ve ever heard. I wish it would spread.”

Johnny said, “Oh, it is. Just don’t tell Pat Robinson. Poor old guy might keel over on the spot. My mother watches him. She thinks he’s a comedian. Another reason I wanted to have a word with you in private is, I got tagged by Mikie while you were out. He was nice enough to assign you to me...”

The speaker in the TOC crackled with Harris’s voice: “Hawkeye to teams: it’s now eleven-fifteen. Our status is now five cars in the driveway and eight juveniles inside. Maintaining over-watch.”

Sergeant Daniels looked to Detective Murray and said, “Are we sticking to our timetable?”

Murray nodded. “We have too. There’s no telling if the different sites we are raiding are connected. They may have more in common than just a dealer. We need to stick to twelve-thirty. Gaddis’s informant told him that the supervisors change at midnight at the trucking company. Their dirtiest business happens after midnight.”

Murray added, “I’m sorry I couldn’t let you go in with one of the teams. You haven’t trained with them, and this one might get hairy.”

Daniels said, “At least I’ll be there.”

Doug hid his bike in some bushes in the woods behind Jerry Quinn’s house. When he tried the gate, he found it locked from the inside. Scaling the eight-foot fence was not a problem. At the top of the fence, he pressed the key fob once and could see lights on the panel beside the back door turn from red to green.

The German shepherd next door must have heard the noise. He barked a challenge at Doug, but didn’t keep it up.

He approached the back door, donned the latex gloves from his backpack and pressed the key fob a second time. The latch for the back door clacked, and he was inside. Farmer had said, “Leave no trace.”

Doug had been in Jerry Quinn’s house many times. Quinn was one of his original ‘clients’ picking him up in the park, taking him home, getting him high and showing him porn. The memory of the many blow jobs he had there gave him a half woodie.

Sticking to the plan, his first stop was the kitchen. Jerry always had the makings for sandwiches in his fridge. He made himself a ham and cheese on wheat and took a canned soft drink.

After eating, Doug did a little exploring. Jerry had always been there when Doug was present. Now was his chance to look around. He started in the basement which was a cluttered mess. Doug looked around, satisfied his curiosity and went back upstairs.

Things were more interesting in Jerry’s office. His computer was running and came right up when he moved the mouse. Doug would get back to that.

There was a room upstairs Jerry had entertained Doug in. It was intended to be a bedroom, but Jerry had turned it into his very own man cave. There was a nice comfortable couch that sat in front of an entertainment center with a stereo and a television. In front of the couch was a glass coffee table where a bong was sitting on a tray with a pile of weed and a lighter.

Doug was tempted to take a few bong hits, but wanted to be as alert as possible when he and Chuck left town. He was also temped to get some Windex from the kitchen and clean the glass coffee table. It was a mess of fingerprints.

He continued his exploration and finally looked through Jerry’s bedroom. He found a safe bolted to the floor in his closet. Instead of a combination lock, there was a key pad and what looked like a thumbprint scanner.

Doug had seen a movie where a thumbprint scanner was fooled by a trick that used clear tape and crazy glue. He grinned and thought: So far tonight, I’ve accomplished breaking and entering. I think I’ll try to move up to safe cracking.

He went back downstairs to the basement where he retrieved some crazy glue and a razor. Then he picked up a paper towel from the kitchen and some clear Scotch tape from Jerry’s office.

Doug racked his brain about how the trick was accomplished, but couldn’t remember. In the office, he pulled up YouTube and did a search: how to spoof a fingerprint scanner. He sat and watched three videos and had a plan.

He used the superglue fumes to make one of the thumbprints on the coffee table stand out and captured it with the clear tape. When he tried it on the safe, he was rewarded with a nice click when the safe opened.

Doug was elated when he saw stacks of hundred dollar bills. The other stuff in the safe he would let Chuck figure out.

He cleaned up mindful to leave no trace. He took one bong hit, jerked off furiously to some computer porn, flushed the Kleenex and then curled up and went to sleep on the couch in Jerry’s man cave.