The Lovely Chocolate Mob - By Richard J. Bennett Page 0,86
hearing the discussions of the cartel concerning Dr. Burke from the mike…”--he pointed to my lapel-- “…I decided the best course of action was to grab him in order to help him lay low for a few days, until all the hostilities blow over. A diversion was needed, and so…”--he stopped for a moment and looked at Dr. Burke-- “…I blew up his car.”
Franklin Burke quickly sat up. “You blew up my Mercedes-Benz?” he asked.
“Why, who do you think put the crash-test dummy in your seat?” asked Walter, amazed Dr. Burke hadn’t put the pieces together. Obviously ”logic” wasn’t on the curriculum at medical school.
“He was trying to save your life, Dr. Burke,” I pitched in.
Dr. Burke sat back in his chair. “Sorry,” he said. Then, in a quieter tone: “You blew up my Mercedes-Benz?”
“Yes,” said Walter. “I had to do it; it was the only thing I could think of in the few minutes I had to apprehend you.”
“And you put a dummy in the driver’s seat, in order to throw the cops and firemen off track?” Dr. Burke asked.
“Yes,” Walter said. “I figured if they could see somebody or something in the car, they’d mistake it for a body. Of course it would only be for a few moments, an hour at the most, until they could put the fire out and get to it. Bet they’re mad as hornets right now!” Walter threw his head back and laughed at the thought of it. “Haw-haw-haawww! All them civil servants mad with nobody to blame, and no body to claim, haw-haw-hawww!”
I said to Walter, “You know the hospital parking lot has security cameras, right?”
“Sometimes they do,” chuckled Walter. “It doesn’t take long to disable a camera from behind.” And with that he laughed some more.
Then I thought about something else. “You don’t normally have a bomb available on a moment’s notice?”
Walter stopped laughing for a moment and remarked, with a straight face, “Sometimes.” He didn’t retain his straight face for long and went back to laughing.
“I’m going to need for you to park your RV further from the house, at least on the other side of the pine trees,” I said, “for safety’s sake.”
Dr. Burke asked, “How did you get a crash-test dummy in such a short time?”
Walter quit laughing and replied, “It’s a big RV, and sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
Dr. Burke and I looked at each other while Walter continued, “But weep not; he led a full life and had a useful death; I will cherish his memory.”
Dr. Burke looked worried. “The police are probably blaming me right now for faking my death. How am I going to explain this to the hospital, to my patients, my peers?”
“When the members of the gang find out, they’ll be looking for you as well,” I said. “There’s too much going on. We’ll figure all that out later; the first thing we’ve got to do now is to keep you safe and out of sight. You take the couch; there are some extra pillows and blankets in the hall closet. I’ve got to hit the sack; it’s been a long day, and now I’m wondering if I’ll be able to get to sleep after this.”
Walter started his laughing again. He was still laughing when I went to bed. I hoped the authorities didn’t catch up to us; I had a feeling they’d throw away the key.
The Agreement
Early in the morning my cell phone rang. I reached for it, picked it up, and viewed it; it was from Helen. I didn’t know what to say; how was I to explain to Helen that her once presumed dead and now-missing husband was sleeping in my living room/den at that very moment? I was fuzzy-minded and decided not to answer it and let it keep ringing until it stopped. I heard it beep again, telling me that a message had been left to my in-box. I couldn’t trust the phone or the airwaves just then; I probably needed to tell her face-to-face what had developed. Until then, it was just best to not answer the phone and include her in our mix-up. The police or FBI or the cartel (or Walter!) could be listening in, and I had spilled too many secrets already. Rolling over, I went back to sleep.
A few hours later I awoke feeling rested and got up to make breakfast for Walter, my new guest, and myself. Trying not to make too much noise, I walked