CHAPTER FORTY THREE

 

 

Mike had been a pretty good patient. Of course, he had been on a lot of pain meds, which helped. When it was time to leave, he was ready to run out of the hospital. They made him sit in a wheel chair while a frightening woman with sizable girth pushed him. Francis was by his side, smirking. It didn't go unnoticed.

Francis pulled up his car, and Mike got in. Their perceptions of one another had changed. Both had a new friend. Mike, not a sentimentalist, said, "I appreciate the ride."

"You are welcome."

The car pulled out from the hospital, and Mike said, "You mind swinging by the precinct?"

"I was given strict orders by Sally Mae to bring you straight home."

Mike laughed. "She is a handful, that is for sure. She had the entire staff on their best behavior. I wouldn't be surprised if she was approving purchasing and scheduling the operating room."

"Everyone was powerless against her angry face."

Mike shook his head, "I know. It was something to watch. One of the doctors had said he would check on me at 8 am. At one minute after eight, she went to find him. I heard them coming five minutes later. She was giving him an earful all the way down the hall. He checked me out while she glared at him with her arms crossed. All I could think was how the detectives down at the precinct could use her in the interrogation room."

Francis loved that story. He had been trying to write a novel. It hadn't gone well, so he was looking for inspiration wherever he could find it. "She is a fireball. Was the doctor ever late again?"

"He was not."

Francis turned to the right and headed towards the precinct. "You make it quick. I don't want to incur Sally Mae's wrath."

"I just want to see the captain. Five minutes tops."

Francis waited in the car while Mike went inside. The squad room was mostly empty, but a few guys saw Mike and welcomed him back. He knocked on the captain's door and went in. "Cap, you got a few minutes?"

The captain stood up and walked around to shake Mike's hand. "Good to see you, Mike."

After the pleasantries, Mike said, "Captain I know I am not going to be out on the beat for a while, but I will go crazy if I don't have something to do. I'd like to work on my case, read the file, see if I can help."

"You know I can't do that. If I did, we couldn't use you as a witness."

Mike knew he was right, "But, Captain, I have to do something. I can't stand being out of the game."

The captain sat back down, "Well, now that you mention it, I do have something."

"I'll take it."

"You don't know what it is."

"I don't care. I'll even take paperwork, just something."

"You hate that crap."

"I hate it because I want to be out on the streets, but, right now, I couldn't chase down a one-legged thief, so I'll do it."

"Well, it isn't paperwork. You've been reading the papers; you know what it has been like. The gangs are shooting each other up, and we are stacking bodies in the morgue like cord wood. The problem is that the detectives are overworked; the cases keep coming in; and nothing is getting closed. The other problem is that a lot of the guys in the morgue are suspected of other murders. Families are waiting for us to catch their loved one's killers and to put those cases to bed, but I fear their cases will go cold, and they will never get their answers. I had this put together," he walked over to a box with a couple of dozen files in it. "These are not the complete case files but summaries. There is also a list of all the guys who have been taken out recently. I need you to go through everything and try to get the big picture. I fear there are a lot of connections that can't be seen because they are being worked on by different detectives."

"I'm not a detective, but I can read. I am glad to do it."

"It is quite a mess. You may not thank me once you dig into the pile, but it will keep you busy."

Mike picked up the box with his good arm and left with a smile. He couldn't wait to get home and start being a cop again.

Francis pulled up in front of Mike's place and grabbed the box from the back seat. Mike smiled at the 'Welcome Home, Mike' sign. The sign, written in crayon with lots of signatures and a big, printed 'Sally Mae,' was perfect. The curtains moved, the front door opened, and Sally Mae ran out and hugged Mike.

The house was full of friends from the department and neighborhood. Cakes, casseroles, pasta, and lots of cookies filled the table. Mike, generally a private person, wasn't used to crowds gathered in his honor, but he didn't seem to mind. Sally Mae took his hand and showed him the table of food, then took his coat.

"We are putting the coats on the bed. I am working the door. You have fun, but don't overdo."

Mike asked, "Did you plan my party?"

"I did, but the neighborhood helped. Everyone brought food and signed the banner. I was in charge, so I just told people what needed to be done."

Mike made the rounds and, though everyone wanted to ask how he was doing, he was more interested in hearing about what they had been up to. It was good to be out of the hospital. They talked about the weather and the coming baseball season. He felt good.