long it took. He wanted to know where the doctor's belongings were going to be stored.
Chapter 57
The Doctor
Dr. Barry Nelson was rushing, trying to get the last of his belongings into boxes. There was a knock at the door which he suspected was the movers. He was assured they would be on time. There were four men who he let in. One had a scar on his face and all four had tattoos up the arms and neck. They looked pretty rough around the edges. Not the kind of people you'd like to meet alone at night. He didn't have to wonder much, what they did for Mr. Manchesi. He was sure it wasn't just moving boxes.
"I'm Gino. We were told you have some things that need storing. Is this all there is?" the taller of the group asked.
"This is it. There's still some things that need packing. It won't take me long to finish," the doctor said.
"You can take off if you'd rather. We can pack the rest for you. My Uncle Russo has said good things about you. The family appreciates all you do for us." He waved his hand around the room. "We'd be happy to take care of this for you."
The doctor thought about it and decided he'd rather get ready for the big event. "I'd appreciate that."
"My uncle also asked if you'd call him when your job has been successfully completed to arrange a place to meet. Once he calls me, I'll bring you the rest of your money."
"That sounds fine. I'll leave you to it, then. I have to be somewhere soon anyway," said the doctor.
"Very well. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Well, assuming this works out as planned, I guess."
The tall Italian smiled. "No, Doctor...either way, you're gonna see me this afternoon."
The doctor didn't know what to say in response, so he grabbed his laptop, his carry bag of belongings, and left the building. He was almost in a state of shock at the prospect of meeting Gino again.
I'm fairly certain that guy just told me he was going to kill me if this didn't work out right.
He got in his car and started driving. He wasn't even sure where he was going, but he drove. He had to get away from Gino -- that's all he knew.
He was a couple of blocks away from the office when he noticed two police cruisers parked, with an unmarked car behind them.
What the hell is going on? I hope they're not after me.
He drove a block further and then pulled into the driveway of a barber shop. He watched as the three police cars pulled out and drove in the direction of his office.
He couldn't resist. He backed out, turned around and followed the police. He stopped long before they got out of their cars to observe from a distance, as they entered the office where he stood two minutes before.
He couldn't believe he missed such a close call.
Why would the police be showing up here? Things are getting too tense. I can't wait to get out of here -- let things cool off again.
This time tomorrow, he'd be sipping margaritas in the hot sun.
This job has had way too much Italian bullshit. I could use a break.
Then he thought, maybe 'break' was a bad choice of words, recalling Gino's last statement.
"No, Doctor. Either way, you're gonna see me this afternoon."
Chapter 58
Bill Roberts
Bill glanced at his watch, careful not to let the Chief see him. It read quarter after ten. He had to meet Bethany at eleven and wasn't going to miss it. He needed any lead he could get and hadn't heard back from Evans yet to know if they had apprehended the doctor. She may be their only active connection to the doctor.
The Chief had been over the stupidity of what Bill had said to the man with the cell phone a few times. He yelled and turned a few shades of purple. In the middle of the yelling, the Mayor called to speak to the Chief. The phone call didn't calm him down.
It sounded like the Mayor wanted an explanation for the night’s events and for Bill's comments on the television, and he wanted to know what damage control measures were being put into place.
When the Mayor got off the phone, he relayed that the Mayor wanted the Inspector suspended without pay as a message to all police. The Chief had been defending the Inspector on the phone, but once he hung up,