Tim looked in on Grandpa as he lay in bed resting quietly, with the IV pump next to him humming. He leaned up against the doorjamb for a moment and closed his eyes, remembering their trip on the Rose up to Michigan. He shook his head sadly. How strong and resourceful Grandpa was – how he always was – for as long as Tim could remember. To see him now like this, filled him with a sadness which was almost overwhelming. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Tim went to answer the door as Maresol came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel.
“Is it the nurse already?” Maresol said, looking briefly at the clock. “She early. She not supposed to be here for an hour.”
Tim shrugged and opened the door.
There, to his astonishment was John Scarlotti and a group of men behind him.
“Hyah, pal,” he said.
“Mr. Scarlotti?” Tim stuttered, his hand still on the doorknob as the men shoved him inside.
Maresol’s eyes opened wide in terror and she let out a small cry of alarm.
Silently, one of the thugs backed him up and pushed him roughly down into the living room chair.
“Just sit right there, kid and you won’t get hurt. Now, where’s the old man?”
“What? Why?”
The man slapped him hard, while the other thug roughly forced Maresol to sit on the couch and took his station behind her.
Scarlotti and three other men entered. “Well, well, well.” Scarlotti sneered. “Isn’t this cozy? The same guy that broke out my window screen and stole a whole load of drugs from me down in Tampa.” He grinned broadly. “Oh,” he said sarcastically, bowing in Maresol’s direction. “We’ve never met, have we? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m John Scarlotti. I’m certain that you’ve heard my name mentioned before. You two are real close, I see.” He turned to Tim, sneering. “Unless it was the old man who got to her first.”
“Mr. Scarlotti!” Tim stuttered in fear. “I – I didn’t steal from you. I didn’t! I dumped it all down the sewer!”
“Sure. Sure, you did. I believe you. I know how mentally distraught you were at the time, seeing your little girlfriend get snuffed. Too bad about her. Looked like she was a nice piece too.” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “You did tell her about your old girlfriend, didn’t you? I mean I’m not talking out of turn or anything, am I?”
“Mr. Scarlotti – I did dump it. I really did! You’ve got to understand. I didn’t want all that stuff!”
“Oh, sure I understand real good. You stole my money, killed a couple of my very dear, close, personal friends and then skipped town. Come on!” Scarlotti scowled angrily. “How stupid you think I am? Now, I want the rocks or the money right now – not some BS story!”
“No. I don’t have it. I – I”
Scarlotti sat on the arm of the couch between Tim and Maresol and nodded to the man behind her.
The thug grabbed both of Maresol’s arms, twisting them behind her as another one grabbed her by the throat. He brought out a large knife and flourished it briefly in front of her. Maresol whined in pain and terror.
“If you don’t cough up with what I want right now,” Scarlotti said quietly, his eyes narrowing. “We’ll perform a little abortion for you – right here – on the couch.”
“But I don’t –”
“Ok.” Scarlotti shrugged nodding in Maresol’s direction. “Do it.”
“All right! All right! It’s in the lake!” Tim shouted. “There’s an old wreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan. It’s just off the pier.”
“What? How can you hide crack underwater?”
“It’s all in plastic bags. There’s this place in the ship where a huge bubble of air got trapped when it went down. I put duct tape around the bags and taped them to the wall out of the water.”
“Well, ain’t you smart?” Scarlotti sneered. “You expect me to believe that?”
“No. No. It’s the truth. I swear.”
Scarlotti glared at him. “If you’re lying –”
“I’m not! I’ll take you out there!”
“You’ll take us out to this sunken pirate ship you got out there in the lake and bring up the crack?”
“Yes. Yes. I’ll take you right to it. But if you hurt her in any way, I swear I’ll –”
“You’ll do as you are told, pal.” Scarlotti leaned forward slightly, glaring at him. “Then, if you play ball like a good little boy, she lives. If you don’t, she dies. It’s as simple as that. Get it?”
“Yes,” Tim said between clenched teeth. “I get it.”
“Very good.” Scarlotti leaned back again. “Release the girl. He’ll cooperate now, I think.”
The two thugs behind Maresol let her loose and she coughed heavily for a few moments rubbing her throat.
“Maresol!” Tim called out to her, coming up out of his chair again. “Are you all –”
“Shut up!” The man closest to him said, slapping him again.
“Where’s the old man?” Scarlotti asked. “What happened to your grandfather?”
“He’s sick!” Tim said rubbing his bleeding mouth. “He’s got cancer. He’s in the back bedroom.”
Scarlotti nodded to his men. “Go bring him out here.”
“No! Why? He’s got to stay in bed! He’s dying! He’s got to get his pain medication all the time, or else he’ll –”
“All the more reason to bring him along,” Scarlotti said. “We’re all one big happy family you know. The sooner you get in gear about showing us where the crack is, the sooner he gets his pain medication. Get it?”
Tim nodded.
“All we want is what is ours. If you cooperate, then everything will be just ducky. Your grandfather will die in peace and comfort and you and your little girlfriend here will live to tell your grandchildren all about it.”
Tim just looked at him. As a witness to a murder, he knew they would never let them live ten seconds after they found out there wasn’t any crack. They’d shoot them all and dump them over the side into Lake Michigan. At least he bought some time with that sunken ship story. Tim sighed in despair. What was he going to do when Scarlotti found out there wasn’t any crack in the ship? He looked at Maresol’s terrified but trusting face. He didn’t have the slightest idea.
One of the men that went back to get Grandpa returned to the living room.
“Mr. Scarlotti,” he said. “That old man back there’s really gorked out. Do we got to take him? He won’t do nothing.”
“Bring him along too, Rico.” Scarlotti shook his head. Finally, Grandpa appeared with the two thugs half carrying him out under each arm. He was moaning and his head rolled with each moan.
“Oh.” Scarlotti shook his head. “He looks like he’s almost dead already!”
“That’s what we tried to tell you.”
“Josey, Josey. Let the dog out, Babe.” Grandpa slurred.
“Who is Josey?” Scarlotti asked.
“My grandmother. She died when I was a kid,” Tim said.
“Come on.” Scarlotti turned toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Maresol’s eyes filled with tears again as she was roughly pulled up from the couch by one of the thugs. Grandpa was really out of it. He was the one they looked to for strength and courage when things got rough. What would happen to them all now?
They went out to the two cars parked in front of the secluded beach house. Rico was still holding onto Grandpa’s elbow, half dragging him along to the other car with Maresol. Scarlotti stood by the car, waiting.
“Mr. Scarlotti.” Rico complained. “This old man’s loony. Why don’t we just leave him here?”
“Come on,” Scarlotti said snapping his fingers impatiently. “Let’s go, let’s go. After we get the crack we’ll take care of loose ends then. In the meantime, you and Jordy get the old man in the back of the car with the girl. You guys take them to the warehouse, tie them up and keep them there until we get back with the crack.”
“All right, Mr. Scarlotti.” Rico sighed. “Whatever you say.”
The two thugs roughly dumped Grandpa in the backseat of the car next to Maresol. She immediately hugged him tearfully and caressed his ashen face bathed in sweat. She crossed herself quickly with her free hand and took the cross from around her neck and kissed it.
“Holy Mother of God.” She prayed silently to herself. “Please help us this terrible day. Senor Jesus, be close to us and cover us with your wings of salvation. Protect us from these evil men.”
She crossed herself again, kissed the cross and let it drop back again into her blouse.
Grandpa moaned.
“There, there, Grandpa pobre cito,” Maresol murmured. “Everything will be all right.” She kissed his forehead lightly.
Grandpa opened his eyes slightly to see if Rico and Jordy were watching and then he winked at an astonished Maresol. He took her hand to the belt of his pajamas where he hid the big scissors from his bedside table. He nodded conspiratorially. He closed his eyes again and rolled his head.
“I will, Josey. I will.” He moaned. “I’ll get the fertilizer from the shed.”
“Will you shut him up back there?” Jordy glared at them through the rearview mirror as he drove. “He gives me the creeps!”
“He’s dying!” Maresol shouted angrily. “Don’t you have any feelings? He’s in pain!”
“Yeah.” Jordy laughed. “Well, we’re going to fix that. Won’t we, Rico?”
Rico laughed bitterly in a way that chilled Maresol to the bone. “Yeah.” He turned around slightly. “We’re going to fix that real good.”
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