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CHAPTER 7 - ON THE THIRTEENTH, UNLUCKY FOR HIM, ANNIVERSARY THOSE PESKY KIDS SAID TO ME


KITCHEN


CARL


“Are we going to be okay?” I ask quietly as Debs sits down. She gets up and gives me a slow, deep, passionate kiss. 


“We're gonna run out of rooms!” Jay-ray grumbles. “Grandma, put him down!”


“The rest happens when we get home!” She laughs lustily. “So how did we end up here? Do you know, Jen?”


“No. When we first came out, Carl said that I must not act surprised to see Hank, besides…” She grins. “...I knew you wanted to hear about their first time.” Debs grins back. “So how was it?”


“Perfect, just perfect.” Gus sighs. “You should’ve seen Pop’s face when he said he wanted to have him; not screw him or fuck him, have him. And he says he’s not a romantic!”


“Doesn’t anybody find it weird that I don't find him saying that weird?!” Hunter snickers. “But back to their part in this; like Hank said, they got together to compare notes, but it was only after Gus mentioned the anniversary breakdown that…”


“What anniversary breakdown?” Debs demands, and I brace myself. It was this retelling that had me light a fire.


"Pop would go to the precinct to see if there was any progress, and, as usual, there wasn’t. He said that when they took out the file from the last visit, there was a tab. It was the colour of it that got his attention, bright purple. It hadn’t moved from where it was, there was also a layer of dust on the file. They hadn’t even looked at it since the last time.” Gus closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them, he is looking tearful. “He...he got back into the jeep, and then...then he started to cry, saying that he is just waiting, waiting for Papa to realise it is his fault and leave him. He said he would rather die than lose him. I held him so tight and he cried so hard…”


“Oh, my poor, beautiful boys!” Debs snivels, whilst Jen quietly weeps.


“It was then that I saw it: the ugliness from the pair of them when Pops dropped me off, and…”


“What pair?” Jen looks over her shoulder from the fridge where she is getting some wine out. “I think this merits a full round.” She declares and sets out the glasses. “Continue, Gus.”


“Novotny and the Carrier were in the lounge when we got back. Momma was in the kitchen. She came out when we got in, took one look at Pops, and asked if he was alright. Pops, as usual, said he was fine, but Momma just kept looking before she told him to sit his ass down and have a brandy! He was so stunned, he just did it. She stood over him until he finished it…”


Start of flashback

MEL AND LINDSEY'S HOUSE - TWO YEARS PRIOR


LOUNGE


GUS


“Uh, Momma…”


“You are now no longer in a fit state to drive. Gus, give me his keys or I will call the cops on him.” I know that they don't get along, but this is a bit much! “Do it now!” I don’t get to do it as Pops hands them over with something like a smile.


“Thank you. Now, when you are ready to go, I will…”


“Mel, what on earth are you doing?!” Mom exclaims. “Brian has had more than that and been fine! Besides, he has…”


“Has plans with me tonight, and…” Uncle Michael joins the fray.


“No I don’t. I am having dinner with Justin...”


“What? You said, you promised that we would be going out tonight before my trip, and…”


“Which is five days from now...” Momma interrupts. “...and, as you said before they came in, you aren't doing anything apart from pre-cramming on Marvel, which you have seen a thousand times before; again, your words, so you can pick another night to go out.”


“I don't want to pick another night! I want to go out tonight. You promised, Brian. I think Justin would under…”


“No, Michael, I never promised this night. I said we would go out one night.” I look between Momma and Pops, something has just happened, then I realise what it is. “Sonny Boy, can I crash in your room for a bit?”


“Sure.” I wait for the click of the door being shut, then turn to her. “Thanks, Momma, it was really tough today. Shall I let him sleep for an hour, then call Papa?”


“Yes, Sonny Boy, please do that.” She smiles at me before glaring at the pair of them.” Are you sure that you are his best friends?”


“We are! What was that about?!” Momma demands.


“It's the anniversary of the attack on Justin, and…”


“Oh that.” Uncle Michael looks across at Momma, who sighs whilst he rolls his eyes.


“Oh that? Oh that?! And what’s this crap about it has to be tonight?! How could you be so callous?!”


“I am not being callous, I just think he is flogging a dead horse! You don’t see me doing a ‘cheers’ for almost breaking my leg tripping up the stairs, and…”


“And I suspect that it is Justin who is encouraging this annual trip down memory lane...or non-memory as it is!”


“Mom!” “Lindsay!” 


“What? It is getting ridiculous now, as Michael says, it is a fruitless exercise which only brings them pain and makes it uncomfortable for everyone else!”


“Well, excuse me for causing you discomfort…” Pops drawls from the stairs. “...Mel, can you take me home, please? I don't want Justin to be around them.” 


“Of course. Sonny Boy, can you…”


“I am coming with you. I don’t want to be around them either! Can you drop me off at Grandma’s?”


“Which one?” Momma laughs.


“Debs. Grandma Jen is with Uncle Tuck in New York, sorting out Papa’s paintings for the next show.”


“Why is she doing that exactly? I am the best placed person from an artist's point of…”


“You are not the best anything to him.” Momma cuts her off. “You ready, asshole?”


Pops snickers then gestures us ahead. “Oh, by the way, I shall keep flogging that dead horse, will keep helping him to remember until we catch the no-mark dickhead fucker who tried to kill him!” 


DEBS AND CARL’S HOUSE - FORTY MINUTES LATER


JENNY’S BEDROOM


GUS


“They really said that?!” Jenny explodes. “Ooh, wait till I get my hands on him! He is such a...what’s that face for?” Jenny frowns at Hank. 


“Are you sure that’s what he said? That he tripped up the stairs?”


“Yeah, positive, why?”


“Because that’s not what he told my Dad. He said that he fell in his apartment, then out of the cab landing on the same knee. And...wait a second, I remember something! Hold on, let me think...”


“Hey, guys!” Grandpa Carl smiles as he brings in cookies and milk. “Your Grandma had to go to the diner, and I have to go to the precinct to...Hank, are you alright?”


“Thinking.” He mutters, then his face lights up. “Yes, got it! Dad had a dinner that me and my friends were his busboys for that night. He was in the kitchen, limping around, so a guy asked him what had happened. He said that he was moving out of the way of a reversing car, and in doing so, badly tore ligaments in his leg.”


“Who did?” Grandpa Carl sits down.


“Michael.” 


“Why would he say that? It makes no sense!” Jenny scratches her head.


“Grandpa, can you do something at the precinct?” I plead. “At least get them to dust the file off for fuck sake!”


“File? Take it from the top.” Grandpa Carl sighs. Half an hour later, I don't think I have ever seen him so confused and annoyed. “Right, I will be back in about an hour.”


NINETY MINUTES LATER


LOUNGE


We stare at it in silence. “I, we all, will understand if you don't want to look at it.” I give Grandpa Carl a small smile and nod. “Okay, let’s get this in some semblance of order! First things first: the crime sheet…” Another twenty minutes pass, and the file is done to his satisfaction. “...so, the EMT states that he heard something, like someone crying. Why wasn’t this followed up? And look, look here, Brian said he saw the bat swing and grabbed it when the guy tried to swing again, but he dropped it...see, he dropped it! They did a search of the area, well at least they did that, but could find nothing except some lead piping under a car…”


“Hey, darlings!” Grandma calls as she comes in. She frowns at the spread out papers. “Those look official, is that our tax return?” She laughs, picking one up, then she reads it. “Is...is this the file on Sunshine?”


“Yes, I have decided that a fresh pair of eyes is called for.” 


“Thank you. I don’t care who it is, find them!” She looks at her watch, then notices me. “Thought you were with your Pops today?”


“He was, but with the best friends being assholes, he couldn't bear to be with them, so room for one more?” Jenny smiles. 


“There is always room in my house, you know that! Now let me freshen up, and we can start dinner. Hank, are you staying?”


“Please! Let me call Brandon and let him know.” 


“Okay. Give me fifteen minutes. And Jenny, in five minutes, bring me up a very large glass of wine!” 


“Yes, Grandma!” We wait for her to close the bedroom door, and turn back to Grandpa. “Quick, what were you going to say before she came in?”


“I think that Brian hit the guy with the piping. Thankfully, they did pick that up, but that leads us to another question.”


“Where's the bat?” I ask.


“Exactly.” Grandpa replies.

End of flashback


CARL


“As you both know I kept plodding along, piecing things together, but it was the lack of bat that was getting to me. I think that Novotny used the bat as a crutch to get back to his car. With the evidence we have, we can, and will arrest him tonight, but the bat would seal it…”


“Wouldn't that be a mess?” Hunter pipes up. “I mean, there would have to be blood and shit like that if he made it back to his car. Supp...supposing he used the bat to get the car to wherever, left the car there, then got that cab back to his place?”


“Where are you going, sweetheart? Although, I have a feeling I know.” Jen smiles at him.


“He went from the apartment to the airport. He didn’t come back for over a year.”


“And when he came back, he badgered Brian into getting him a new car.” Jen taps her glass. “Also he’s a hoarder who likes to keep things as is. What’s the betting, and I can't believe I am saying this, but what’s the betting that he still has the car and it is exactly as he left it was that night?”


“How the hell do we get him to tell us that though?” Hank grumbles.


“We don’t.” Ben’s voice startles us. “Came in for ice. Give me a minute!” When he comes back, he has his phone and a massive grin on his face. He hands it to me, and I look at the screen. “It was in a public place. Besides, I did not take it, I just took a picture of it.”


“A picture of what?” Debs comes to look over my shoulder. “Carl?”


“The business card for a lock up garage.” I whisper. The next sound we hear is the jangle of keys, as Ben puts them on the table.


“He insisted that I have a full set and carry it with me always. I will just leave them here.” 


“Thanks, can you send in Miller?” He nods, and Miller steps in, looking eager. Turns out, he had been itching to get on the case for years, but nobody would do anything on it. When I asked for a volunteer, he leapt at it. “Take these, and call this number I am texting you. Find out where the garage is in his name. Get there and use every key until it opens.” Whilst he takes the keys, he does look concerned. “What?”


“Don’t we need a search warrant or something?”


“No.” Mel closes the door behind her. “Ben sent me to fetch you, now get me up to speed.” When I finish telling her, she chuckles. “It will be argued that by giving him a set of keys, he obviously meant him to use them in the event of an emergency. Ben trying to prove his ‘innocence’ by allowing you to use them counts as one, right?”


“Get going!” I order, and smile as he sprints out of the room.


“So, come on back in.” Mel holds the door open. “It’s time you heard about V3's part in this!”



Chapter End Notes:

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