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Click hereHe saved Jack for last, stepping forward to put the barrel of the sharp-profiled automatic to the back of his head. "Can't let you kill my little girl, Jack."
The muffled sound of the last shot was almost inaudible and Danny gave a slight, grim, smile as Jack slumped forward over the desk.
He stepped around the desk. "Wasn't sure you were really mine, not till you went all in."
"I figured he wouldn't give you a choice."
"You didn't give him one either." He studied me. "Jack was right, you look just like her. Except the eyes. Don't know how he missed it."
I looked into his familiar pale green eyes, the same ones I looked into in the mirror. "Yeah, I know. I got my father's eyes."
He glanced over his handiwork, pulling a pack of cigarettes out. "What happened to Rosemary?"
I felt the weight of my locket, with the only picture of Rosemary she'd ever let me take. "Lung cancer."
He raised an eyebrow at the cigarette in his hand, but went ahead and lit up, watching the smoke curl for a second. "We weren't in love or anything like that, you know. Weren't even really friends, I was just her way of getting even a little bit." He almost sounded like he regretted it. "I didn't owe her anything. But if she'd have let me know about you, I'd have stood up to it, helped out somehow."
"She didn't want anything to do with any of you."
"Figures. Where'd she go?"
I touched my locket. "Florida, to her Grandmother's house. She lived a good life, and she died with dignity."
"She made some bad choices, but she was a good person." He paused, looking me over. "I have the feeling you got my temperament though. It's a bad deal. Makes it real hard to let things go."
"Yeah, it's been a problem occasionally."
"So, what now?"
"You probably want to leave town. I'm thinking of doing some house cleaning."
"I heard Jones and Johnson are both fitting to retire in about six months. With Jack out of the way you can do a lot of housecleaning with those two in six months."
"Sounds about right."
"Leave The Chinaman to me. I'll drop by his place on the way out of town. Got a personal issue to settle with him."
"As long as you're gone within three days. And give The Chinaman my regards."
He glanced around. "Let's see if you're really my daughter. Burn it down or leave it?"
"Leave it. You burn it down, somebody will figure out your body isn't in here as soon as the ashes cool. Leave it and you gain a few days to run. Nobody is stupid enough to report this. Could be months before anyone 'discovers' it."
He led me towards the stairs, walking a little unevenly from the slight limp of his old injury. "Damn. I wish she'd have said something, I coulda helped raise you."
"Damn glad she didn't. Hate to think how I'd have turned out."
"About the same, I think."
"Now I'm really worried."
As we stepped out the walk-up door down onto the sidewalk I could see Jones and Johnson leaning against their car just a few spaces down, relaxed and easy.
Jones nodded to my father. "Danny."
"Detective."
Danny kept his hands clear, a cigarette in one, the pack in the other. Jones' hand never left his jacket pocket.
"We just thought we'd check on things. Some rumors out there, you know. Crazy story about some of Jack's men grabbing a police lieutenant right off the damn street."
I shrugged. "People do talk crazy, don't they?"
I watched Johnson discretely slide a sawed-off shotgun back into the car window. "Sounds like there isn't anything to worry about down here though."
"Not particularly. Danny here is leaving town."
"That so?"
Danny nodded. "Someplace sunny, I think." He looked over at me. "You said Florida, right?"
I nodded.
"Maybe I should buy some flowers, drop by and see Rosemary. Maybe we should have meant something to each other."
He reached out and touched my arm, a hint of sadness crossing his face.
I nodded. "She'd have liked that. Just outside Sarasota. Our Lady of Perpetual Mercy Cemetery. Just remember, three days."
Johnson gave a low laugh. "A permanent vacation's a good idea. The Lieutenant wouldn't want people seeing you near each other. With those eyes there's no question about it. Just like we told her. We figured she had a little bit of time. Not many people look Danny the Dragon in the eye."
Danny the Dragon gave a humorless smile, pulled his jacket straight, turned on his heel, and headed up the block.
As Jones opened the rear door of their car for me, I touched the folded Marker in my jacket pocket, thinking -- hoping, really - that maybe Mom understood.
Post Production Notes:
This was an accidental story. Even the most minor characters in my tales have their own back stories in my head. I usually don't tell them, but in Belle's case it seemed worth the trouble to put it down. She is a retired Police Commissioner who runs the State Office of Special Investigations in a story I am still working on.
Her full story is probably a novelette at least, but I'm always short of time, so I gave it the pulp magazine story treatment for now, Maybe sometime later I'll tell her full story.
- COMMENTS
I've read it at least a half dozen times. Pick up more detail every time - just seems to get better. Love your writing.
Gritty
I liked it, and I enjoyed seeing her backstory In the Dog Ron. Four well deserved stars, pushing five.
JPB
I liked the irony of it all, too much pain made it a tough swallow. Still the characters are riveting and the narration is film nor. Darker than Damon Runyun.
Todd, I've got no idea if you're still active on Literotica, or writing in general. But I'm really, really digging all these "noir" stories you've written. They're all gritty, grimy, totally out there and over the top but somehow believable. String all these linked stories together and you'd have the basis for a very interesting season of 15-20odd tv shows on one of the streaming sites. I'll just keep going down the list of "The Shack" linked stories till I've read them all :)
Wow. As usual, more please. Thank you. 5*, as usual. Starting to suffer from withdrawal. Need more Delaney, or Emma, Evelyn, Spooky ...... or the Colonel or Tina or Pogo or Needles or............ and yes I bought the book, even though I already read the stories.
Impecable even to the background. Great picture writing and lots of I sights to the Charakters.
Big thumbs from me.
I hate to admit it but I am a hog for the output of this author. Hell, I sure hope he and "The Missus" goes public and viral. They are so darned good, even in re-reading it is a great collection, especially "The Shack" Tales. Great writing does not need the deep end of "dirty sex," just as a truly beautiful woman does not need lots of make up. Thank you Todd, Missus and the editors.
Second time and just as good, our author truly a word smith and of course kudos to his editors. Keep gong Todd any more books on Amazon besides Needles and delaney?
5 Stars on this One . My best friend could make his 380 sing . Fast and Very Very Accurate . I might have been almost as fast as Larry But that Man was so accurate it was Great fun to watch him shoot .
Even a side character has a tremendous back story and has an impact on the future of others in the Shack stories. So well told
I had read this before, another good one and a little sidetrack to the shack series so for now I'm heading back to The Shack. Thanks to the editors also.
Probablh time to go back and read some of the detective stories from the 30's. An awesome tale.
You and your wife are national treasures! Your stories reveal deep characters so effortlessly we think we discovered them ourselves. I'm really impressed with your command of genre. I for one (of legions) would love a novel about Belle Markham! PLEASE!
Another excellent story by Todd and his wife, they do so very well together.
To the anon that wrote an interesting review, sorry about your loss of your wife at 42 I lost mine over 2 years ago at 76.
Don't blame the republicans for cuts to school budgets. School teachers she be private anyway and paid what they are really worth. The system now pays all teachers the same no matter how good or bad they are, that ain't right. A good teacher is as skilled as any trades journeyman and should be paid accordingly. There has to be a better way than working for the state.
"Maybe sometime later I'll tell her full story." Anytime now would be good. I just finished 'Needles and Delany.' OMG, to coin a phrase.
I love Todd's writing so I can read it for free. I was a school teacher in Ohio for 35 years. Our damn Republican government froze any increase in our pensions as soon as they got into office and they cut the amount of money School Boards have to pay to increase our pensions. I try to live within my 40,000 a year pension. Just my luck my wife died of cancer at the age of 42. A couple of years later I met a woman who is a multi-millionaire and sits on Bank Boards of Directors. For some strange reason she fell in love with me. I asked her what initially attracted her to me. She said it was the massive intelligence I displayed when I met with the board to ask them to fund my mortgage buy out. My mortgage was at 9%. Really, who can understand a woman? Am I a kept man? I sure try not to be. I try to buy all of our food and extras. I've had some extraordinary medical expenses in the last few years. I manage to pay her back $100 a month. I only have 23 months to go and she'll be paid off completely. I figure I can make it. I'm only 81.
Doc Spirit 3
Excellent update and fill-in on Markham. Again, top shelf and living the intrigue.
BRW, if you had/should decide to touch base (no pun)
slee4(
I loved the story. It reminds me of some of the gritty 50 cent detective books from the 60s and 70s. The character development only lets us see what we need to know for the story line. I also love the shack stories. Please keep them coming.
As I was reading this story, I felt like I could see every character -in black and white-
I kept waiting for a commercial to interrupt the story. Thank you for another real good story.
Todd172 really writes interesting and well-prepared stories, and this was a 5*. Strange and unfortunate that this story has had so few comments and, I guess readers. Maybe Todd172 should have thrown in a few more words about the mother/wife and published in LW?
I found that anonymous on 05/08/20 said what I was thinking better than I could say it;
"It is a joy to see the characters and pieces come together. The Shack and associated characters are my favorite "reread" stories. Redemption seems to be an underlying theme, with former "shipmates" and family, biological and social, thrown in. Keep pointing out the connections so simple readers like me and follow the bread crumbs".
5* isn't enough but, will have to suffice.
Reminds me of an old Mickey Spillane novel. Was great.