COOL JOE< Chapter 23

FAMILY SAGA

COOL JOE

Chapter 23

TED

 

After we leave Mark’s apartment last night, I call Danny to see if we can use his place to meet with Lopez tomorrow at 6:00PM. He says it is fine and he even offered to barbecue some hamburgers and hotdogs for us, for whoever shows up. The phone call went well with Lopez, from what I can tell, he seems nice enough and willing to meet and work with us on his busy schedule. Now, the hard part comes, we don’t know Lopez, never seen him and can we trust him??? My mind is so jumbled with thoughts, I can’t think clearly anymore. I just hope we don’t get taken.

 

I call the rest of the family to see who wants to come, and it looks like Pete, Margaret, Frankie, Tommy and Maria, so far. I want to try to keep this meeting orderly, without Frankie shouting out of place. The main goal here is to scout out Lopez and his men, to see if we get along together, if they can get the job done, what the price will be. We, as a family, have to decide if we want to knock off Alex and Garcia, or just one of them. My soul tells me both are very close to the Boss and need to be knocked off, if it’s possible.

 

“Hello, oh darling what? Yes, you can come tonight. I’m at the pawn shop, cleaning up a bit. The tape is still around, but the police and the detective have done their work inside the store so I can get in and put things away. I’ll come home and pick you up around 4:30PM, so get a pizza for the kids, and tell them I said to behave, or else!”

“Okay dear, what about our dinner?”

“Danny has offered to barbecue some burgers, so we’re taken care of.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later, bye.”

 

No sooner do I hang up the phone, than detective Walter walks into the store.

“Hey Walter, how are things going with the investigation?”

“I can’t really talk about it yet Ted. We’re looking at a couple of guys, suspicious with records and all, but nothing concrete. We’ll get this police tape off pretty soon. In the meantime, you probably have some paper work to do and cleaning up a bit.”

“Yes, I’m keeping myself busy; by the way Mark is coming in tomorrow just for a short time, to get the hell out of his tiny apartment. He’s a brave guy and didn’t let the burglars get much; the worst is he got shot. We’ve lost some money of course, because the business has been closed; but I think we’ll make it up in the next couple of weeks. Funny, I’ve never had a problem with a robbery or a shooting in fifteen years. In that sense, I’m lucky. Good thing my wife wasn’t working at the time of the shooting; sometimes she helps in the store. When do you think we’ll have a person or persons of interest.?”

“Maybe a week or so, it takes time Ted, we don’t want to charge the wrong ones.

Well, I better get my a*s moving, I have a lot of other cases. You take care Ted and I’ll keep you posted. Bye now.”

Boy, I had such an urge to ask Walter if he could nab Garcia and Alex, but I know that would give the whole thing away, our plan, I mean.

 

I think I’ll call Danny and see what’s happening over there for the barbecue and meeting with Lopez.

“Hello Danny?

“Oh, hi Ted, we’re expecting a crowd tonight, some family members plus the Lopez guys at around 6:00PM so come at 5:00PM and we’ll chow down.”

“Okay see you there.”

 

I close the store, lock the gate and drive home to pick up Margaret.

“It’s pizza night dad, mom says you guys are going out, YAY, we have the house to ourselves.”

“Yeah, but you behave, no messing around and clean up the kitchen; mom will have a cat fit. By the way where is mom?”

“She’s upstairs prettying herself”, says Mary with a coy look on her face.

“Margaret, are you almost ready to go?”

“Yes dear, I’ll be down in a minute.”

I pace the floor as I’m a bit anxious about this meeting; don’t know what to expect.

 

We arrive on time and I see Danny chatting with family members and slugging down some beer; he notices us.

“Hey. Welcome Ted and Margaret, the crowd is almost here, still waiting for Frankie, but he called and said he’s on his way. We’re trying to stick to beer tonight, if you don’t mind, I bought a keg, thought it might be easy. Just help yourself over there where the cups are; I’m about to start cooking some dogs and burgers. That’s my repertoire, being a bachelor, I eat out or pick up a lot.”

“Yea, I get it. How’s business going?”

“Just fine, working hard, that’s all, how’s the store coming along?”

“Well, the police tape will come down soon; I did speak briefly with Detective Walter today and he’s got some suspects, but won’t say a word.

I see Mark, sitting in a corner drinking his beer. I give him a nod; we smile at each other.

“Hey buddy, you enjoying the food?”

“Delicious” says Mark, as he chomps down a burger.

“You ready for the meeting? You nervous?

“Na, not at all, I think it’s going to be very smooth, no worries Ted.”

 

 We mingle with the family, talking niceties and chowing down our food until about 5:45PM. Then I ring a bell that Danny gives me, and everyone quiets down to near silence.

“Good evening dear family members and my buddy Mark. We are gathered tonight to meet Mike Lopez and his assistants, to discuss the ins and outs of our revenge for the murder of Robbie, the bodyguard and the disappearance of Sylvia and Simone. We hope to find out how they do this, when and what it costs.

Before we meet them, we have to decide whether we want to knock off Alex or Garcia or both. To keep from arguing, I think we should take a vote. Does everybody agree on this? “

I hear yes, so I assume we will vote.

“Okay, raise your hand if you vote to knock off Alex from the cement plant.”

All hands go up.

“Okay, now who wants to knock off Garcia from the garbage company?”

All hands go up again.

“Okay, lastly, who wants to knock off both Alex and Garcia?”

All hands go up and all say yea and clap

“Well, I take that as a definite YES on both. Please understand that Lopez may not be able to do both, and it may cost us too much. Let’s hear him out and ask questions after he talks.”

I cross myself and pray to God that this is a success.

At 6:00PM, the doorbell rings. You could hear a pin drop.

 

 

Reviews

[Lorry]

That's how to vote, none of this messing about malarkey, just vote and... Food's ready 😊
I would assume its a big risk for everyone getting someone whacked, who to trust etc. It's an indictment of our society as a whole that you can no longer trust the criminals in this day and age. Hopefully nothing else goes awry and sweet vengeance can be theirs. I doubt it though, or the next chapter will end with "and they all lived happily ever after, the end." Methinks more claret will be spilled before then 😉

[Betty Hermelee]

to my dear loyal friend
Who knows if it will end happily ever after, even I don't know, can't think that far ahead!!
Thank you , appreciate you review
yours truly,
B.

[John the Baptist]

It's Ted's turn this installment, and it seems the family is still dead set on taking revenge for Robbie's death. Two of Boss Johnnie's henchmen, Alex and Garcia, are the main targets for the vendetta, and Danny hosts a barbecue at his place to ascertain the family's feelings about how to proceed. Once everyone is gathered, Ted, the soul of democracy, asks for a vote as to who they want to take down. With swift unanimity, the family votes in favor of killing them both. Really inspiring to see how families can come together when goals are presented in the right way. Also inspiring is the way Ted crosses himself and prays that everything goes well. It seems the family that prays together slays together.

[Betty Hermelee]

This is true John! But wait, it ain’t over yet! Thanks for your loyalty and review, always appreciate it
Best, B

[Dave Brown]

If it helps, I understand both Lowe's and Home Depot advertise cement gumboots.

[Betty Hermelee]

Yes! That what we need, two pairs please! Thanks Dave for sticking to my trial novel, I love your humor!
Best, B